Gain Of Trust
CHAPTER 1
Previously in the "Liberated Champions" series...
"I have plans for this world, but nobody but me and my partner know," Leader told them, crossing his arms.
"What?" Lexi asked, staring at Leader in surprise and confusion.
"So, this whole time...You've been lying to us...?" Krystal asked quietly, staring at Leader. He looked back at the group.
... ...
"Pikachu...Are you really choosing this as your fate?" the trainer asked, holding his fists at his sides. "After all of this...You're choosing to side with them, the ones who oppose us and continue to defend this incomplete world?"
"Pikapi! Chupi kapi chu!" the mouse shouted, the trainer's lips curling into a grin.
"Alright..." everyone looked shocked at the trainer, how could he agree to losing his starter pokemon? His best friend? "I respect your choice, being a pokemon...However, our past does not affect my battling."
"Ash, what are you doing! Pikachu was your first pokemon, he's your best friend!" Gary shouted, the trainer ignoring him as he stared down the mouse.
... ...
"Please, don't hurt Pikachu! He's only agreeing and doing what's right!" Misty called.
"Too bad I know his one weakness," the trainer stared at the mouse with a grin, the roar of thunder heard in the sky as the clouds dropped bolts of lightning. The black dragon burst from the clouds, floating down to the trainer and hovering above him, looking down at the mouse. "Zekrom, overload it," the mouse's eyes widened, the legendary dragon's body sparking with powerful bolts. The electricity suddenly struck the mouse, baring its teeth as it struggled to hold its ground from the powerful attack. Its cheeks began sparking, its eyes looking surprised, as it felt the electricity be absorbed into its body. The mouse grunted, stumbling to the side as it looked angrily at the dragon.
"Pikachu!" the mouse looked back and nodded, glaring at the trainer with its teeth bared.
"You may be fine now, but soon you will know the pain you have felt in the past," the trainer turned and began walking back, the dragon roaring at the group. "I'm afraid you will not enjoy the feeling, but from the multiple times in the past, I'm sure you won't be bothered."
... ...
"N," the man stopped, looking back. The trainer extended his arm, something sent towards him. He caught the object from Leader's hand, revealed to be an old and tattered paper. "Your friend dropped this in the hurry to escape, I felt if anyone this should be returned to you. I have looked it over briefly, but that language is unfamiliar to me. In your hands, I hope it can be deciphered and read again."
"But...Why?" the man asked, the trainer crossing his arms again.
"I felt that group needed a better chance. And with you deciphering the text, they will get it soon," he smirked, giving a nod. The man nodded, the two turning away from each other and walking in separate directions.
... ...
"What? You're leaving?" May gasped.
"I'm afraid so, we all know that I am no longer a match for Leader," the man stated, walking away from them. "I wish you luck in bringing down Leader and his plots."
... ...
"Look!" the boy followed her point, looking oddly at her wide eyes. His eyes settling in where her finger pointed, his eyes widened.
"What is it?" Brock asked, looking back at the siblings. They continued to point back, everyone following their point and gasped as their eyes widened.
Leader's minions had disappeared.
... ...
"Don't worry, we all got away without any trouble. The others split up and said they needed to think alone for a bit. I knew you would give your pokemon a rest before heading to Johto, so I was searching a little bit of everywhere," the boy explained, smiling.
"So, does that mean you're staying with me?" Leader asked, arching an eyebrow.
Of course, you could never do this without me," Jack replied, grinning.
"Bringing peace to the pokemon world...It must be done."
"The elimination of humanity."
... ...
"This script tells that the legend focuses on the two dragons, Reshiram and Zekrom," the group nodded, understanding. "But...It also depicts of something else."
"What do you mean, 'else'?" May asked, looking confused.
"Zekrom and Reshiram are the focuses of the legend, but this says there was something else...Involving a meteor."
"The meteor crashed into Unova as the dragons destroyed the land, and that's about the time when the two dragons stopped and disappeared."
"It crashed into Unova, but this meteor wasn't any ordinary meteor."
"Inside the meteor's core...Rested another dragon."
"Zekrom, Fusion Bolt."
"Nooo! Gyarados!" the dragon champion shouted, watching his prized pokemon fall to the ground motionless. The man across from him returned the legendary dragon, calmly walking across the battlefield and placing a hand on the gyarados' forehead. However, this pokemon had a different look than a normal gyarados.
"Your friend here fights well, dragon master Lance," the man said, the dragon trainer gritting his teeth as he joined him beside his pokemon. He recalled it into his pokeball, looking at his opponent expectantly. "Though I can't understand why you would bother to demand another battle for Johto as well, after already losing in Kanto...I suppose I can commend you for effort."
"But besides that, we know you recall the demands upon his victory, same as before," Jack stated, arms crossed behind his head beside Leader.
"I do...but why, Leader?" he asked, the man giving a light sigh as he looked at the roof.
"...Perhaps it's because this world is still incomplete...and we humans do not truly understanding pokemon, at all..." he trailed off, the Johto Champion clenching his teeth as he unclipped all of his pokeballs from his belt. His hands shaking, he released each of his pokemon. Permanently.
"I'm sorry, everyone..." he whispered, each of his pokemon weakly calling to him from their previous battles. Leader smirked, him and Jack turning and walking towards the doorway.
"I suppose we'll be taking another week-long break in Hoenn, then?" Jack asked, the man shaking his head.
"No, I just needed some time to let off steam from the encounter at the Indigo Plateau. Plus the switch-up to my team, considering Spiritomb could use a rest and the newly open slot for a sixth member," Leader stared ahead blankly, Jack knowing not to say anything.
"So who's all on your team now, anyway?"
"In due time, you'll see."
"Does everyone know the plan here?" Max asked, the others giving a nod. Currently, they were each riding on their flying-type pokemon and heading over the sea towards the Unova region. And as it slowly came into view, May's hand moved to the bracelet on her wrist, the brunette glancing down at the newly-embedded stone she had added to it in the past few days.
"I should've resorted to this earlier...Just wait a little longer, Ash..." she thought, thinking back a week ago, to the day they last saw him at the Indigo Plateau.
Flashback
"Another dragon?" Max asked, confused.
"Indeed. When this meteor crashed, it had landed just outside of Unova's Lacunosa Town, which created what is now known as The Giant Chasm. It is a treacherous place of harsh climates below zero," Drayden explained, everyone in the room paying close attention. "This had been during the time of Zekrom and Reshiram's great battle, bringing destruction upon Unova. However, the legend of these two dragons you know slightly differs from the truth."
"It's different? How?" Brock asked.
"The legend you've probably heard before says that the two heroes calmed the dragons down, and they disappeared afterwards, right?" Iris asked, everyone giving a nod. "Well, that's not exactly true. They never did calm down the dragons."
"What?" May blinked in surprise.
"There have been more artifacts found over the years, telling a different ending to the legend. The real legend says that the brothers were never able to control the dragons, and both sides disappeared into the area that's now known as the Giant Chasm. But the meteor hadn't crashed yet at that time," Iris explained. "So, when the meteor did crash, the dragon that was resting inside of it woke up and broke out, destroying the area in a flash freeze. But when the two brothers saw this dragon, they saw that its power matched that of Zekrom and Reshiram's. The two dragons noticed this too, so they decided to turn on the third dragon before continuing their fight with each other."
"So they defeated this dragon together?" Dawn asked, the two dragon trainers shaking their heads.
"No. They fought together, but supposedly this dragon had actually overpowered the both of them. The details aren't exactly clear, so no one can really say what happened," Drayden said, crossing his arms. "However, it is certain that at this time, Zekrom and Reshiram disappeared. As did the two brothers. Nobody knows what happened to them, but a few years later, they found evidence of the two dragons taking on a form of hibernation or exhaustion."
"And what was that?" Max asked.
"That was the Dark Stone and the Light Stone. They were supposedly found in two different locations, on the opposite sides of Unova, but I think that they may have originally been found together, in the Giant Chasm. Think about it," Iris told them, Brock crossing his arms.
"That does make sense. If both dragons were defeated there at the same time, then they became the Light and Dark Stones at the same time and were probably found by the same person, but brought to two different locations in secret. And about the two brothers..." he trailed off, everyone understanding what he meant.
"Well, the local rumors do say that the monster resting in the Giant Chasm comes out at night and eats people..." Iris rubbed her arm.
"So the two brothers are gone, the two dragons become the Stones, and the fighting stops. And about the third dragon, it must be the monster resting in the Giant Chasm," Gary concluded, the two dragon trainers giving nods.
"Then we have to go there and catch it!" Max exclaimed, the others gasping.
"Are you crazy?!"
"What? If this dragon defeated both Zekrom and Reshiram, then it can do it again! Plus, we only need it to defeat one!"
"But if this dragon is that powerful, it's not gonna be close to easy to catch!"
"True, so we'll just have to bring our A-game," the boy grinned, pumping a fist. His sister chuckled, putting her hand on his head.
"As stupid as my brother sounds...He's right. We've gotta go catch that dragon in order to beat Ash," she said, the mouse on her shoulder giving a nod. The others gave hesitant looks.
"Kapi chu..." Pikachu frowned, his ears dropping.
"...If May's in, then I'm going too," Dawn added, flashing a smile. Slowly, one by one, everyone in the room agreed to the plan. "So it's settled then."
"Let's go find that dragon!"
"Pikachu!"
"Present your proofs of victory," the guard said, Leader giving a smirk as he pulled out a small case with eight badges inside. "Very well, good luck, trainer."
"I won't need it," he stepped through the doorway and continued up the stairs, stepping into another battle arena room with a man standing across the battlefield.
"The name's Sidney, I specialize in dark-type pokemon! I hope you brought your best team, kid!" he shouted, tossing a pokeball and releasing his first pokemon.
"Don't worry, he only needs one for you!" Leader smirked at Jack's comment, unclipping the purple M-marked ball from his belt.
The girl frowned, giving another light sigh as she picked up a pebble, tossing it and watching it skip across the lake. She sat back into the park bench, resting her hand on top of her face as she leaned her head back. "What do I do now...?" she felt lost.
"So this is where you've been," the girl moved her hand curiously, surprised to see a familiar face smiling down at her. And another familiar face behind her, whose expression remained neutral.
"Krystal? Gina?" she asked, the girls giving a nod. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"It took a while, Lexi, I'll give you that," Krystal laughed, sitting beside her and tapping the bench opposite of Lexi, where Gina reluctantly sat as well. "The real question is, why do you look like you're stuck?"
"Well...I am, really, I mean..." she trailed off, looking into the sky. "...Leader was lying to us. All this time we've been helping him, working towards his dream, but it turns out he didn't think that at all! What am I supposed to think now?"
"Try to not think about it," Lexi looked at the girl, bewildered, surprised as she tapped two fingers against her chest. "And feel it. What do you feel you should do?"
"...I...I don't know..." she looked at the ground between her feet, unsure what to think.
"It's been a week now. You should have decided already," Gina said calmly, standing up and facing the girl. Lexi glanced up. "Are you, or are you not loyal to Leader?"
"...Well, I would still be loyal to him, but-"
"Then there's your answer. The moment we parted that day, I made up my mind that I was going to still support Leader no matter what. He took care of us, and he raised us like his own family," Gina told her, crossing her arms as she started walking away. "And every healthy family has lies."
"Well, you know how she is," Krystal laughed, standing up and holding her hands behind her back. "I'm going with her and supporting Leader, too. And I hope you do as well, Lexi, we'll always be family," she smiled, taking after the silver-haired girl. Lexi frowned, leaning back into the bench and staring into the sky again.
"I feel the same way, Krys'...but...a part of me can't just let go of this..."
"So what are you thinking, Webb?" Mason asked, looking at his green-haired friend. The man gave a sigh as he looked into the sky.
"I'm thinking of going back to help him...But I'm not sure if I can, if I don't know why I'm helping him..." he trailed off, rubbing between his eyes.
"Then we'll just ask him," Webb looked at his orange-haired friend curiously. "I've always been supportive of Leader, and I don't question his motives. If he used pokemon liberation as a cover-up for his real plans, then he must have a good reason. And I'm sure he'll understand if we ask him."
"...I guess that's true," he smirked, crossing his arms. "So you need any time to get ready?"
"I'm not like Lexi or Krystal, man," he laughed, grinning at the man. "Whenever you're ready."
"Then let's go."
"I've been expecting you," Leader and Jack glanced at each other impressed, looking back at the Hoenn champion calling out to them. "And if you think your plot will continue past here, then you're dead wrong."
"I like his sense of humor," Jack chuckled, Leader giving a smirk as he stepped into the trainer box.
"Then would you care to make this more interesting?" Leader pulled a pokeball from his belt, holding it in the air. "One pokemon each. First one unable to battle loses."
"...Very well!" the man tossed his own pokeball, releasing a steel four-legged spider. "Then I'll show you the true power of the Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone!" Leader looked at the pokemon carefully, then noticed something peculiar. A small stone attached to a brace around its leg. Looking over at Steven, he noticed a similar stone attached to a pin on his jacket. Leader smirked, reattaching the sphere to his belt and taking another.
"This just gets more and more interesting..." he said to himself, Jack giving a curious look as he watched him toss the sphere and release his pokemon. Jack looked surprised, seeing the familiar large fire-type dragon with a peculiar brace on its tail. Even more surprised, he watched Leader pull out a ring.
"Leader...is that...?"
"Yes it is, Jack."
"But...I thought you never wanted to resort to that?"
"Normally, yes. However," slipping the ring on, he watched the man across the field tap the pin on his chest, his pokemon becoming enveloped in a glowing sphere. Leader smirked. "Sometimes you have to play it their way," and with that, he tapped his ring, his own pokemon enveloped in a glowing sphere as well.
"I guess this is it," Max said, his feet hitting the ground. Everyone recalled their pokemon as they looked ahead at the long hike before them into the wilderness.
"They weren't kidding when they mentioned the dropped climate..." Dawn shivered.
"We should be glad they could give us that much information," Gary stated, crossing his arms. "So everyone knows what to do when we find the dragon?"
"Yep!" Max pumped a fist, a bracelet around his wrist with a shining stone embedded. Misty, Brock and Gary each wore similar ones as well. "I think it was a good idea for us to each go home and get these, we're gonna need them for the fight ahead of us."
"You're right about that," May replied, rubbing the stone in her own unique bracelet. The group started hiking, heading deeper into the cold air.
"Why do you think N left?" the silence was broken by Dawn, earning expectant looks from everyone. "Sorry, it's just that I don't really enjoy silence."
"...I don't know, Dawn, but I'm sure he had a good reason," Brock replied, the blunette giving a funny look.
"Well, he was still inside battling Ash after the building started to collapse, right? Since he was in there after we left, maybe he had a talk with Ash or something," she suggested, Gary stopping on the spot for a moment before continuing.
"That would make sense. Maybe Ash told him something that made him lose hope in fighting him," the researcher speculated, Misty giving a worried look.
"What if Ash has more legendary pokemon other than Zekrom?!" she asked, the others beginning to feel uneasy.
"Guys, stop worrying," everyone looked confused at May. "Maybe Ash does have more legendary pokemon, or maybe not, he's gonna be really powerful either way. What we have to worry about is getting this dragon here, and making ourselves just as powerful as he is."
"I gotta say, May, I'm kinda impressed. You're the last one I expected to be thinking rationally in this situation," Max chuckled, earning a smack from her. The boy started to hang back, walking beside Brock a short distance from the others. "But aren't you curious about it, Brock?"
"About what?" Brock whispered, responding to the boy's hushed tone.
"You know, about Ash and May. Back in Unova, they were talking about when they kept their relationship a secret. Aren't you wondering about when this was, or how it happened, or why they kept it a secret?" he whispered, the man looking at the brunette ahead of them.
"I don't think we should worry about it. If they wanted to keep it a secret, I respect that," the man responded, the boy giving an unsure look. Meanwhile, said brunette was having doubts of her own.
"Ash...why are you doing this...?" she thought, frowning as she pictured the once-caring boy she had grown to love. The two had gotten along so well, nearly inseparable, and ever since the two started dating they were inseparable. They had decided not to tell anyone simply because they didn't want a spectacle made out of it. They knew that the public started rumors about famous figures, and with a wannabe-champion and pokemon coordinator becoming an item, they had just worried too much about what could happen.
"May? May!" the brunette snapped out of her thoughts, looking at her blue-haired friend. "Are you okay? You spaced out there."
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry," she flashed a smile, looking ahead and noticing they were nearing the top of the hill they were climbing. Upon arriving at the top, the group gasped at the sight. Standing at the top of the hill, the ground nearly disappeared ahead of them, sloping down into a fairly steep cliff. Max peeked over the edge, peering down and seeing a deep chasm of darkness with clouds of mist scattered through the area. They each looked ahead at the massive chasm spanning over a great amount of the area, they knew they had arrived at the Giant Chasm.
"Well, let's get looking."
END
In case this may not have been clear before, related to the show, this series takes place after the Sinnoh arc so Ash has not traveled through Unova/Kalos. He may still have pokemon from these regions, but I am trying to keep the storyline before then because this is when I started this series.
However, there is one exception I made involving something starting in Kalos. I made a few references to it in this chapter, so I'm sure you can figure it out.
Also, I realize that I've never actually clarified ages in the previous two stories, like for all of Leader's minions, Leader himself, and May and the others. I think I had originally created them in the image of young adults, but Leader himself was not actually the oldest. I keep referring to Jack as the 'younger man' in comparison when Leader's around, but my mindset is not thinking that's the best way to be putting it. So I'll just drop their ages right here, in case anyone is really bothered by it:
Leader - 24
Jack - 24
Trevor - 23
Lexi - 23
Mason - 25
Webb - 25
Gina - 22
Krystal - 21
May - 23
Max - 19
Brock - 26
Misty - 25
Gary - 24
Dawn - 22