Amazing couldn't even begin to describe the environment of Chargestone cave. Giant, electric blue crystals covered the gray flooring and walls. Static was heard everywhere and Touko was sure that her hair stood up on its ends. Other than the infrequent echoes of the Pokemon within the cavern, it was ominously silent. Paranoia seeped in her veins, making her stop in her trek. She was sure Den was still sound asleep within the confinements of her unruly hair - too out of it to realize they were inside of her home cavern.
On the spur of the moment, a hand reached from behind, silencing Touko by covering her mouth. Before she could struggle and rouse the potential harmful Den, two mysterious figures grabbed her arms. She observed two, ninja-like figures that gave off a threatening vibe. Before she could struggle, the person behind her spoke.
"… Come," was all the masculine voice said.
"Not like I have any other choice, fucker," she wanted to scream.
Her eyes widened once she realized what the three servants were doing. Up ahead was the green-haired man from her nightmares, seeing him observing the four as they approached. Touko squirmed even more at the unpleasant sight. The three servants threw Touko on the ground in front of N.
"My lord N, we brought the one you wanted," one of the men spoke.
N nodded politely, but the nodding proved to only be a signal to the servants. Abruptly, the three disappeared in a shadowy aura. Touko was confused on rather if she should have been stunned at the fact that they could do that or absolutely pissed that N sent his men after her.
"What the hell do you want? Don't you already have enough? You're damn royalty, after all," Touko spat as she got up, coldly rejecting the hand he held out.
N looked a bit hurt. Withal, Touko didn't care about him. He was the leader of the organization that killed her precious Liepard – an organization that stood up for Pokemon's rights. She felt anger pulse through her veins and ball up her fist. N merely stared at her, promptly ignoring the question she had asked.
"That was the Shadow Triad, just now. Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. Apparently, they were the ones who prepared the Galvantula nest at the cave entrance," N shared.
"So they were the bastards who did that sick trick..." Touko murmured under her frustration.
N walked a bit, observing the surroundings as he did. Touko could feel Den finally rousing, stretching in the catacombs of Touko's locks. N's continued rambling, sparked curiosity from Touko. Yet again, she wasn't sure if she cared or not. The vibe N produced made her feel like all she needed to do was run and never look back - then pray to God that N would never confront her again.
"Chargestone Cave... I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokémon... If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place..." N pivoted on his heel, staring at her aquamarine eyes with his steel gray ones, "You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you I said that?" he gave her an interesting look.
Touko automatically felt her guard go up.
"What the hell is he talking about? I've been... 'chosen'. Chosen for what? Team Plasma's hit list? I already know that damn well!"
She calmed herself, taking a breath. What had truly calmed her was Den playing with her hair, completely oblivious to the fight rousing to happen. Touko eased her fist, crossing her arms instead. She walked towards N, all in reality fascinated in what he was speaking of.
"Yes, I am surprised," she managed to keep her tone calm as she rose an interested eyebrow at him, urging him to move along with his talk.
N walked closer, almost too close for comfort. Touko grasped a hand on Leroy's Pokeball, ready to use him against N whenever she needed to. He witnessed this rash move, submitting by slouching his tense body and smiling at the somewhat younger trainer.
"I told Ghetsis about you and your friends," N shared, not bothering to look at her when he did.
She felt an automatic uncomfortableness, making her hand go back the Pokeballs on her belt. Showing the palm of his hand, N signaled that Touko had no worries. The moment of tension died down then N slowly began to speak again.
"After I did, he apparently used the Shadow Triad to find out about you. Cheren is..." his words started to drift off.
Touko felt herself choke up and blush. She flinched at the suddenness of Cheren's name. She felt her heart skip a tiny beat and her throat swallow back a lump. Timidly, she looked down, making sure N wouldn't see the blush on her face. Crazily enough, it was as if she had a crush on the nerdy childhood friend of hers...
"... Poor Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger—"
At the mention of her best friend, she felt a new anger pulse through her body. Her mind clicked together N mentioning Bianca and Cheren being spied on. In a conclusion, Touko promptly engaged in the flight-or-fight mode. Knowing her nature, she of course went for fight — using a hand to push him square against the chest, pinning him against the electric, blue crystal behind him. It hadn't hurt him as she hoped it would but, it offered to be something she could use to harass the king. Her hand reached up and curled around his throat, tight enough so she could feel his adam's apple bobble in his anxiousness.
His hand reached up and grasped her arm in a gentle way. He didn't grip so hard she would have to pull away. Instead, it was a comforting grip as if he was attempting to ease her out of the grip. She glared her piercingly blue eyes at him, ready to yell all she wanted.
"You think your damn cult has done enough to me?! I don't care if you guys kill me – just leave my friends the fuck alone! If..." she jabbed a finger at him, "If I see you... boy, if I see you or any of your damn carnies around my friends – even looking at them – I won't have to use my Pokemon to have to kick your ass and every Team Plasma Grunt's ass all the way to Kanto, Hoenn, then back here! You understand, your majesty?" she mocked, ready to knee him directly in the groin.
Despite the fact that N was nearly a head taller than Touko, he faced a true threat. He was aware that if he didn't fight back, she could do some damage. However, he didn't want to fight her. Something was off about her – severely off. He could tell by the sparkle in her eye that tears were ready to come out and she was sure to go hysterical. Touko groaned in her anger at the king.
She pulled him forward by his collar then pushed him back against the crystal. The shove caused static to spark all around the crystal but not to electrify N.
"I said, am I damn clear?" she snapped again, her voice echoing the caverns this time.
Her arm was violently shaking. N could tell that she was ready to truly hurt him if he didn't speak up soon. A fist was balled up by her side, showing she wasn't scared to land a fist across his chin or cheek. N's hand went to her shoulder, attempting to reach out to her.
"Touko, are you simply confused? Maybe I could explain why you are chos—"
A hand went up apace, tossing him against the crystal again.
"I am not damn confused! You know what I'm trying to get through to you, pretty boy? I hate you so fucking much! I hate Team Plasma! I hate hypocrites a-and your groupies are the literal definition of it! You... you preach about how you all hate the abuse of Pokemon yet... you bastards..." she took in a shaky breath, then sharply snapped, "you bastards killed my Liepard! You killed my Liam, bastard! It's all your damn fault!"
Touko reached back to land a fist square on his chin, attempting to shove her anger on the victim she had chosen. N pushed her away in an attempt to keep her away from trouble. A black-eyed N wouldn't look lovely for Ghetsis and his temper. Touko fell to the ground, her palms skidding against the cavern floor. N let himself fall back against the static crystal, taking a breath as he looked away from her.
Touko could tell he was ashamed of what he had done. This soothed her to the slightest, knowing that N actually had realized he had done something bad instead of being his cocky self. N held a hand out for her, offering to help her up.
"I'm sorry, Touko," he apologized, sounding like a child in trouble.
She slowly rose, using her cap to hide her face. Her fist quivered as her Joltik crawled down her trainer's arm, trying to get a view of Touko's face. Den then glared at N with her four, sapphire eyes. N walked towards Touko to see if he could do anything to make her happier. He had no idea to why he wanted to comfort her. However, she had every right to mistreat him – people under his command killed one of her Pokemon and, not only that – he also had betrayed her.
"I... was not aware of the fact that one of my own men killed your friend, Liam," N apologized, wanting to make it so they were at good terms once again.
Touko turned her back, not wanting to associate with him. He had pushed her, he had psychically harmed her. There was nothing she could do to get any sort of sense through his thick skull. However, she knew violence would only make it worse. She kept to herself, letting the tears arouse in her eyes.
He spoke again, only adding to her already high-amount of anger, "Touko, I-I'll find the grunt who did it. Tell me – what did he look like? What Pokemon did he have? I can—"
She swiftly turned around. Her swollen aquamarine eyes glared at him with a hatred he had never seen before. Within moments of turning around, she spoke in a cracked, high voice, "You can never bring Liam back to life! No one ever will! N, are you really so damn naïve that you would believe that someone or something would bring Liam back to life or fix all this shit?!"
It hit N that it would take something as extreme as saving her life to regain her trust. Before N could butt heads with her again, she pointed a finger towards the side of them – to the further interior of the cavern.
"Leave. Now," she demanded.
N gulped, gazing down with naïve gray orbs. "Touko, please—"
"I said now."
"... Touko, I'd like to settle this with you. You're my friend and—"
"You really think I want to be your goddamn friend? Den, use Electroweb. I want to see this douche cry his fucking eyes out," Touko demanded.
The Joltik appeared on Touko's shoulder, fleetly creating a secretion of electricity and silk in her mouth. Den showed no hesitation as a loyal Pokemon she was to Touko. N took in a deep breath, realizing there was no other way to calm Touko.
"As you wish, I'll leave you be," N swiftly reasoned.
Touko nodded, ordering to Den to cease all action. N sighed, pivoting on his heel and walking away from the girl who he once considered a friend. As N had his back turned to her, she glared him down. He spoke his last words for the meeting, "Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokémon Trainer you really are."
She took in a deep breath to recompose herself. Den snuggled into Touko's slender neck, offering a brief moment of sweet comfort. Den managed to create a smile. Touko reached up, petting the spiky fur on the Joltik.
"... We've got some work to do, huh?" Touko acknowledged.
Four months may truly change someone.
"Den, use Thunder!"
The Galvantula rubbed her back legs, creating a hefty electricity to form. The old Samurott she faced had no chance as the electricity hit him square in the chest. He was tossed back by the blow, landing near his trainer's feet. His chest rose up and down lazily as his eyes shut – signaling that he had fainted from the attack. Cheren patted the shell on the Samurott's head before placing Atticus back in his Pokeball.
Cheren rose, readjusting his glasses as he smirked. He crossed his arms as he walked towards Touko, his feet tapping against the bridge. Touko had bent down, sitting on her thighs as she scratched the Galvantula's chin. Den hadn't changed much from her Joltik stage – she didn't explore Touko's hair yet she was still small enough to crawl on Touko's back and roost herself there as Touko walked.
Cheren watched as Touko's drained eyes attempted to look happy for her Galvantula. The past few months had worsened for Touko. She braced herself through many troubles – everything from learning she really was part of a prophecy at the face of the Legendary Reshiram to having to find new Pokemon to replace Liam's missing spot as well as the other empty slots. Both Cheren and Bianca had seen a drastic change in her behavior.
Her dimples were gone – leaving no trace that showed she was once a girl who was brave and happy about her adventures. It made Cheren stressed to see her like this – so drained and worn out. Cheren had to smile for her. After all, she was his best friend and nothing would ever change that. Touko had opened up a Moomoo milk for Den, letting her health be regained through the nutritious milk. The skilled Galvantula was agile and avoided plenty of hits, almost making it unnecessary to give her the Moomoo milk. However, Touko cared so much for her Pokemon that it was almost impossible for her not to give health replenishers.
"Thank you, Den," Touko gently patted the top of Den's head before returning her to the confines of the Net Ball Cheren had caught Den in.
Touko tugged at the royal blue sleeves of her Mistralton Braviary Football Team sweatshirt. Before she were to get up, Cheren stood in front of her. He wordlessly offered a hand to help her up. Touko happily accepted it. Before promptly pulling her up, he posed a smile for her. Touko thought she saw a blush on his face as he looked proudly at her – it was hard to tell if he even was blushing through the dark of the night. They awkwardly coughed as their hands pulled away.
"You are really great, Touko," she showed a genuine smile to Cheren as he continued, "Yep, you are something else and I mean that sincerely," Cheren complimented her unique skills, placing an awkward hand on her shoulder.
She exchanged a smile before suddenly hugging him. As expected of himself, he flinched at the sudden feeling of her warm body against him along with her head on his shoulder. For a moment, her lips brushed his ear by accident. He was able to feel the soft skin against the sensitive flesh, making him shudder a bit. His arms went around her waist, divulging himself in the hug.
"... Thank you, Cheren. I've missed you," Touko whispered, tightening the grasp around his back.
"I've missed you as well. And... right now, there's no way I can compete with you, Touko. If there is anything I can do to help in the battle with N, just say so..." Cheren politely offered.
All in honesty, Touko wanted Cheren by her side during the battle against all the roads ahead – the Victory Road, the valiant Elite Four, and facing N and Reshiram... All of it was truly nerve wracking for her Pokemon and herself. Touko bit back her tongue, tempted to ask Cheren to come with her. After all, he had all eight badges. There was nothing that stopped him.
"Cough – eh, Touko!" Bianca coughed, trying to get over the awkward feeling.
The suddenness of Bianca's half-cough broke Cheren and Touko up. Touko felt her cheeks become scarlet as she watched Cheren scratch the back of his neck. Bianca walked up to Touko, clutching something in her hand as she did.
"Well, there's not much I can do to help you but... I want you to have these!" Bianca smiled as she handed Touko a Maximum Revive.
"Thanks, Bianca! This means a lot, you two..." Touko managed to smile as she placed the Revive in her bag.
Touko wrapped her arms around the two close friends of hers, allowing a moment of a group hug. Cheren regained himself, confidently smiling instead of blushing.
"I wish you good luck on your travel and your battles, Touko," he spoke as his hand wrapped around Touko's shoulder.
"Yes, same here! I soooooo want to go with you and help defeat all the trainers and Elite Four, but too bad I can't..." Bianca shrugged it off, not minding the fact that she wasn't the strongest of the three.
"The most important thing is that we help one another out. That's why people and Pokemon are always by each other's side. That's what I've come to think lately..." Cheren backed away from the two, turning his back to them as he acted as if he were walking away.
Whether or not Touko or Bianca had realized, their poor friend Cheren had been in an internal battle with himself their whole journey. Seeing that Touko was the chosen Hero, destined for great – it truly discouraged his dreams. All the same, seeing that the Chosen One was Touko – a girl so strong, courageous, and valiant – it made it all the worth while. Deep in his heart, he knew she was destined for good. She was destined to save Unova. Cheren suddenly remembered something, pivoting on his heel to turn back to his two friends. His icy eyes gazed into Touko aquamarine ones as he walked back to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, grasping almost distressingly hard onto her.
"Touko, if anything happens to you or Alder, I will do everything I can to help you. That's why I have to keep training and getting stronger. Just..." Cheren took in a deep breath, almost dreading the rest of the sentence, "don't be reckless, okay?"
Touko smiled, feeling almost bashful at all the compliments received from Cheren. "I'll try my best, you worry wort."
Cheren smirked at Touko's boldness. He turned back around, heading towards the depths of Route 10 where he would train, just like he had promised. Touko worriedly watched the whole time, hoping he would be fine.
"Aaaaand... he's gone! Alright, good, good, good... because I have a very, very, very important question for you..." Bianca's excited tone truly caught Touko's attention.
Touko raised an eyebrow at Bianca, crossing her arms at her peculiar friend. "And that is?"
"... So, do you and Cheren...? You know..." Bianca whispered, as if Cheren were right beside them.
"... Know what?" Touko was rather confused at what Bianca was suggesting.
"Have a thing for each other now? It sure seems like it," Bianca stifled giggled.
Realization hit Touko like a Mach Punch to the gut. Her face became scarlet, her cheeks already red from the cold and from the optimistic, supportive Cheren. She could feel the blush spreading to her hands as she began to mess with them. She quickly turned her back to Bianca, hiding her face.
"Um... uh-huh... I-I," Touko stuttered in whisper, not sure what to say, "We... d... on't... I think?"
Bianca giggled at her best friend, "It's alright if you like him. I can tell since your cheeks are bright red."
Touko began questioning to herself if her brother, Touya, had abused Bianca's innocence lately. Touko was aware of the fact Bianca had a thing for Touya ever since they met. Whenever Bianca saw Touya for the first time, her face became red as a Pokeball top. Touko had been in the process of hooking them up before Touya left on the spur of the moment to make way to Nimbasa where he spent his days mastering the Battle Subways.
"I think you two would make such a lovely couple! Jeez, I could never stand that hothead – but you certainly can. You two would have such lovely children too... I mean, they'd have the brightest blue eyes and—"
Touko's entire body became red at the comment. She couldn't hold back anymore.
"Oh yeah? What about my brother? You know, Touya?" Touko lashed out at Bianca, her eyebrows suggestively rising at her friend, "It's so obvious you have the hots for him. You become redder than... than... redder than me right now whenever you're around Touya!"
Bianca covered the "eep" that came out of her mouth. Touko stomped away in her flustered fury, leaving a blushing Bianca behind.
"I'll... I'll get you back, Touko!"
The lighted arena brought exhilaration to the battle. Touko felt her heart nervously pounding against her chest as the final round of the battle against Marshall was coming soon. Marshall was the last one to defeat for her. Shauntel was difficult with her multiple strategies. The woman was not to be messed with – she truly knew how to battle and battle amazingly.
Touko's Golruk, Orion, faced a challenge against Shauntel's own Golruk. Orion managed to bring down the challenge and conquer the Golurk along with the rest of the team. Grimsley was strong as she had heard. Touko admired the svelte, refined appearance of the man since she was young. Meeting him was an honor for her.
Her trusted Emboar was able to take out most of the Dark-Types, alongside her newest member – a Bisharp named Florence. Caitlin was one of the tougher ones, as her Pokemon's defenses constantly outclassed Den's speed and Orion's brute Shadow Punch. In the end, Touko reigned victorious. That left Marshall, the last of the four.
His Mienshoa whipped at her Beehyeem, Arthur. The long whips lashed against the extraterrestrial Pokemon, making the lights on his body flash in warning that his health was low. Touko felt her teeth unconsciously grind as she watched her precious Arthur whipped. Before the aggressive Mienshoa could land another whip, Touko quickly command Arthur's next move.
"Arthur, quick! Use Psychic!"
Arthur's eyes became a neon blue as an aura surrounded Mienshoa. The Mienshoa was tossed into the air then thrown to the ground in a swift haze. The damage was heavy, as the Mienshoa had difficulty getting up afterwards.
"Mienshoa! U-Turn, finish that Beeyheem!"
The swift moving Pokemon nodded, promptly commencing to pace towards Arthur. Arthur braced himself as Touko readied her next command.
"Arthur, read his movements then use Shadow Ball to finish him off," Touko wanted to clutch her chest, worrisome for the ending of the battle.
Before Mienshoa could touch Arthur, a shadowy aura hit him square in the chest, knocking him successfully out. Arthur felt a wave of relief in connection with his trainer. He had conquered the last Elite Four Pokemon.
"Good job, Arthur," Touko congratulated, running up the modest Pokemon.
He smiled as his trainer hugged him, completely blissful that they had defeated Marshall. Touko's heart was still pounding from all the nervousness and anxiety. Their hug broke whenever Touko heard clapping from the other end, looking to see Marshall smiling at her. He laughed, walking up to her and patting her roughly on the back.
"Ha! I knew you were going to be a great challenge, kid! I could see it in your eyes! Now, I better see your name in the Hall of Fame in about an hour or I'll be disappointed in you, girl. Go now, defeat Alder for us. We kinda want a new Champion, Alder's getting too old," Marshall joked, chuckling right after.
Touko felt more confidence as the Elite Four member congratulated her. Little did she know that she would need that confidence to get her through what was ready to happen...
Her mighty Golruk, Orion, managed to land one last Shadow Punch across the jaw of Ghetsis' Eelektross. The Electric Eel's eyes were sealed shut as he fell to the ground, knocked out by Orion. The Eelektross had put up a fight. Marks where the Pokemon had used Crunch showed all over Orion's body made of ancient clay. His pale yellow cracks blinked on and off which meant he would fall over at the next time an attack would hit him.
Touko bit his lip as she put Orion back in his Pokeball. She had ran out of Full Restores and Revives, fueled on only a few Full Heals and Moomoo Milks. She watched as Ghetsis glared her down. His pale green hair was speckled with debris from the battle. Touko suffered a similar situation, as her hair had come loose as her hat was blown away by the attacks that Zekrom and Reshiram threw violently towards one another.
Dust and ashes lied speckled all over her once flawless skin. Leroy had managed to land plenty of fiery hits against N and Ghetsis' Pokemon. Once Ghetsis released his last Pokemon, she knew she was in for it. A Hydrogen levitated in front of Ghetsis. The Pokemon was covered in gapping scars, proving it had been through plenty of battles in its lifetime. The main head roared at Touko, glaring demonic eyes towards her as if she were prey.
She managed not to move a muscle. Wordlessly, she released her last Pokemon that was at a manageable amount of health – Leroy. Leroy stood as a mighty Emboar, clutching his hooves into fist at the sight of the enemy. The Silk Scarf around his neck was tossed around in the ominous wind. He threateningly growled at the other side, smoke coming from his snout. His mane made of flames became melodramatically set as he braced himself for the Hydreigon's first hit — knowing the Pokemon would out-speed him.
"Hydreigon, use Surf!" Ghetsis commanded.
Touko's heart dropped at the realization that Leroy was facing a Water-Type attack. The Dark Dragon's six eyes glowed a neon blue as the water that surrounded the throne room rose into a giant wave towards Leroy and Touko. Leroy spread his arms, backing up close to Touko as the water hit. Touko turned her back to the wave, placing her arms over her head as the massive wave hit the two. She was dripping wet with the stingily cold water, her clothes soaked to the bone.
As the waves washed away, Touko swiftly rose from her crouched poise. She turned to see Leroy, standing tall with his flames slowly rising once again from his mane. He had braced the hit with no problem. Touko smiled at her brave starter.
"Leroy! Counter back with Hammer Arm!" Touko asked of her Starter.
He let the flames of his mane increase, charging towards the Hydreigon. The Dark Dragon attempted to evade the hit, but Leroy dragged the Dragon to the ground. As the Hydreigon was pinned to the tile of the throne room, it nipped combatively and urgently at Leroy's arms. Leroy let one arm loose, landing a heavy arm violently against the Dragon's chest. The three heads roared in their pain, giving up their Crunching charade. Leroy backed away from the Dragon, sure that his work was done.
Leroy's chest rose swiftly to the beat of the battle, catching his breath to fuel his fire. Ghetsis glared at his Hydreigon in disgrace as Leroy made his way back to Touko's side. She ran to his side, letting the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon embrace her. He let his flames die down, letting her clutch the fur around his broad neck. She trembled against her Emboar, finding her anxiety slipping away.
"I can't believe it's all over..." Touko murmured.
"Well, you can keep it that way because, my dear, it is far from over. Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" Ghetsis' voice roaring obliged.
Touko was thoroughly shocked as she looked over to see the Hydreigon fully healed and back up in the air in his levitation. Blue aura came from the main head's mouth, aimed towards Leroy and Touko. Leroy realized what was about to happen. In a swift motion, he threw Touko to the side. Even though her knees scraped against the tile, Leroy possibly saved her life as he took the hit.
The attack took a toll, knocking Leroy back into a pillar that towered over the body of water surrounding the throne room. He fell into the water, causing a noise between a gasp and a cry to utter from Touko's lips.
"Leroy!" she screamed in her worry.
"And you're next, you little bitch," Ghetsis teased, snapping his fingers in a code command for his Hydreigon.
His cracked lips formed a villainous smile, watching in pleasure as his Hydreigon stalked Touko as if she were his next meal. The three heads observed Touko as she attempted to get up, soon falling because her legs were shaking from the intensity of it all. Ghetsis laughed, knowing she had no where to escape. He knew that she wouldn't let her surviving Pokemon face his beastly Hydreigon.
One of her Pokemon surviving was her Bisharp, Florence, which had taken plenty of damage from his Bouffalant's Earthquake. The other was her Golurk, which was in a much similar situation. Both faced a disadvantage to the Hydreigon. Florence would face the beast's Fire Blast and Orion would have to deal with the Pokemon's Dark-Type. Not even her new team member, Zekrom, survived, as he had fallen victim to his Cofagrigus' Toxic.
The idea of Hydreigon's Fire Blast struck Ghetsis mind. Taunting the girl for all the times of bringing down his organization was a priority to him at that moment. Fire Blast would surely burn the girl slowly down, giving the marvelous chance her to rue the day she ever faced Team Plasma. He watched as she glared him down with her aquamarine eyes, supporting herself on her wobbly elbows.
"Touko. I hope that you'll regret ever stepping foot in this castle," Ghetsis stepped forward, making way to his Hydreigon side.
He circled Touko in a similar fashion of his Hydreigon's, watching every move she made to make sure she wouldn't get any ideas. He stopped in front of her, letting her stare submissively upwards.
"In fact, I will make you regret ever facing me in a battle. I will let you suffer for ever getting involved in my plot," he let anger slip into his tone, hoping fear would slip into the girl's brave heart.
She rose slowly to her knees, not taking her eyes off the sage. As if she had not heard what he had said, she gathered saliva in her mouth. She spat rudely at his feet, showing no regret or submissiveness. Anger ran through his veins, his face was prompt to become a hot red with frustration.
"You... little bitch!" snapped Ghetsis, his hand lashing out to backhand the girl.
She jerked to the side at the impact. Before she could move, a rough hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and forced her head back as he made her look up at him. His Hydreigon was growling a fierce growl, showing his lust for the infliction of death. He wanted the girl dead as much as his master wanted her dead. Touko gasped at the pain forming in her scalp. She wanted him to stop. Even though she wasn't sure if death would be upon her in a few seconds or a few years, she wanted him to stop pulling at her damn hair.
She slashed with long nails on his wrist, blood was soon drawing at his arm. He didn't flinch himself. Instead, he looked over at his Hydreigon, ready to command an attack on Touko.
"Hydreigon, go. Go behind her. Let's make this as painful as possible for her." Ghetsis began to laugh a shaky laugh, troubling Touko and causing her to writhe.
The Dragon levitated to the space behind Touko. Before Ghetsis could command anything, someone interrupted him. Out of the shadows came his adopted son, the freak of nature – N. Ghetsis glared his son down, strengthening his clutch on Touko's hair and causing her to let out a grunt.
"N, this is of no matter to you. Your failure is mine to fix. By all means, I will have to exterminate this bitch!" Ghetsis anger rolled out into a knee to her stomach, provoking her to let a cry out in her pain.
"Father, this is gone on long enough! Team Plasma – or shall I say – you have lost your ways! You have lost! Zekrom reigned victory over Reshiram, as Touko reigns victory over I. Let her go, she doesn't deserve this," N ranted to his father, demoralizing his ways.
Ghetsis talked over the sound of Touko coughing, "She does deserve it, bastard. She has set fire to the roots of Team Plasma. We are nothing—"
"You mean, you are nothing!" Touko managed to let her voice thunder, echoing the hall of the throne room.
Ghetsis glared down at Touko, watching as another coughing fit began. She purposely coughed on his tunic, disgusting fluids splattering on him. He then stared back up at his beast, pulling up her hair so it wouldn't catch fire and recoil onto him.
"We don't want your pretty hair of yours getting harmed, won't we?" Ghetsis teased, making Touko grunt in her disgust.
"Father, give her up!" N demanded, a hand readied on one of the Pokeballs on his belt.
"Hydreigon, set ablaze to her back. Make it painful, tease her if you'd like," Ghetsis chortled.
The Hydreigon's main head lifted up her shirt, exposing the small of her back. The main head placed its bloody mouth on Touko's back, making her arch in anxiousness. She couldn't even imagine the pain that was sure to come of it. The Hydreigon's mouth became engulfed in a blazing fire, letting it spread over the small of her back. A crescendo of pain-filled screams showed that the act was truly torture. N swiftly nabbed a Pokeball, knowing he had no chance to face or calm the loyal Hydreigon.
"Let it sink in, Touko! Let all the memories sink in, dear!" Ghetsis roared, beginning to laugh to his pleasure.
She screeched in pain as the fire became hotter. The smaller heads bit down at her sides, forcing her to hold still. The horrifying sight was nothing but pleasure to Ghetsis. He continued to clutch her long hair. Her slashes at his wrist reluctantly became nothing. N, locked in the shadows, could not stand the sight anymore. Touko's screeching was nothing but pure torture to N's ears. No human being, no matter how bad they are, deserved to be taunted like her. Touko hadn't even done anything bad — she had done something kindhearted in attempting to stop Ghetsis. Before N could release a Pokemon, a flash of burnt orange and brown topped with blazing flames solved the problem.
Leroy had recovered enough to face the beast again. Despite the fact blood spewed from an open wound on his shoulder, he managed to land a swift punch the Hydreigon's side. Like a furious Primeape, he pinned the Dark Dragon, yet again, to the tiled ground. Raging fist hit at the two, small heads, preventing them from nipping at Leroy. A crack of bone and the movement of flesh echoed the rooms as Leroy's rage continued on. He ferociously pounded on the petite heads more and more, until both had blood spilling from their heads. The main head shot weak Dragon Pulses, hoping to make some amount of damage.
Nothing worked, as Leroy was at his prime percentage – fueled by his overprotective nature. Leroy's mouth uttered a battle cry as his fist pounded at the dragon's chest. He had hurt Leroy's human – no one would ever get by with that. Another bone crack echoed the room. Leroy had damaged the Hydreigon's lungs in some manner, showing through the Pokemon's delayed and crucial breathing. Leroy could hear Touko's groans of pain and confusion – as she was not fully aware of what was happening. The groaning fueled Leroy further, as fist became engulfed in flames and his anger became truly clear.
It was as if Leroy was saying, "I'll show you a real fire!" as his fiery fist kept pounding at the Hydreigon. In a last attempt to save himself, the brutal Pokemon reached for Leroy's neck. Images of his friend, Liam, the memory of the bite mark around his slender neck fueled his already ablaze anger. Before the Hydreigon could bite at the thick neck, Leroy's hooves circled around the sturdy neck of the Hydreigon.
Leroy pinned the Hydreigon's neck to the ground. With a final blow, he delivered a Hammer Arm to the head of the dragon. His skull cracked, blood swiftly oozing out. The Dragon's body limply gave in to death, everything to his wings to his only surviving head to fall to the cold ground. It was shown that Leroy's fist and chest were splattered with dragon blood as he slowly backed away from the creature.
Ghetsis had ultimately given into N's demand of letting Touko go. He had just lost the Pokemon he had raised from an Egg, a Pokemon from his childhood. He had lost his Hydreigon to his own selfish actions. His hand escaped Touko's hair. She fell as limp, clutching her stomach as she rolled to her side in her pain. She verbalized an earsplitting moan, provoking Leroy to make a similar one in his worry. Ghetsis found no pleasure in the sad moans, as he was too distracted by his Hydreigon's death.
He walked over, staring emptily down at his dead Pokemon. He didn't notice that Leroy had already rushed to Touko's side in a panicked frenzy. Touko's eyes managed to make out the dead Pokemon before Leroy blocked her view. Leroy let his arm out as a something to relieve her pain. She clutched it tight, clasping the long, burnt orange fur. Leroy observed the burn. The burn left behind was one that would never disappear. It covered the entire small of her back, oozing with pus and blood. Leroy was afraid of treating the wound. He was not sure of how to treat it either way. His thoughts were thought to be answered once N reappeared.
N had been in complete shock over what had just happen. He had never known that a Pokemon would go to such extremes to protect his own trainer – a human. Here, N had thought all Pokemon had malice towards their trainers. Touko's moaning quieted down the slighest as Leroy removed his Silk Scarf, tying it around Touko's back to put pressure on her wound. Through the pain, she was amazed by how clever the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon was. She was so grateful that she had chosen Leroy as her starter. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she had just noticed she had shed a few tears. She was so caught up in the pain before.
N watched Leroy treat Touko. He felt confusion continuing to build as Leroy looked desperate. He looked over at N, uttering a moan.
"Please, I beg that you help her..." Leroy had cried.
N couldn't stand the loving sight anymore. He knew help would come to her at some point. She was strong and could easily survive. Touko looked desperately up at N.
"N..." she muttered before screaming in her pain.
Touko was proof that not every human was perfect. Her courage couldn't reflect her body's ability to survive. Light trembling began that could only be solved by ignoring her pain... or at least he thought.
"Your ideals… Your feelings… They were stronger than mine, it seems… Reshiram and Zekrom… Each of them choosing a different hero… Is that even possible?" N seemed to be speaking to himself as he began walking towards the two, "Two heroes living at the same time— one that pursues truth and one that pursues ideals. Could… Could they both be right? I don't know. It's not by rejecting different ideas, but by accepting different ideas that the world creates a chemical reaction."
Touko felt her heart sink, knowing N was ready to leave her alone. He was going to leave her alone to die. All in honesty, she thought he had changed after the fight — but the sick bastard inside of him was still there. N never could realize how stupid he could be.
"This is truly the formula for changing the world. But…I have no right to be the hero! Up till now, we've been fighting each other over our beliefs! Yet, despite that… Why?! When I first met you in Accumula Town, I-I was shocked when I heard what Leroy was saying. I was shocked because that Leroy said he liked you."
"He said he wanted to be with you. I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people. Because, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that. The longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. That was why I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I wanted to confront you hero-to-hero."
She understood why he was leaving her now. Soon, Alder would come with the police behind him – readied to arrest N and Ghetsis, who watched over his cold-bodied Hydreigon. However, N didn't want to face his sins; the sin of being the leader of a criminal organization.
"I needed that more than anything. There's no way a person like me, someone who understands only Pokémon— no, actually… I didn't understand them, either. No way could I measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokémon and were surrounded by friends… What I should do now is something I'll have to decide for myself," N had made his way to the staircase, where he pulled out a Pokeball.
He didn't budge. He didn't look back. He merely released Reshiram in a beam of scarlet light. The feminine dragoness looked down towards Touko, observing her pain.
"Touko. You said you have a dream… That dream… Make it come true! Wonderful dreams and ideals give you the power to change the world! If anyone can, it's you! Touko... I'm sorry but... I bid you a farewell," N apologized, his voice cracking as he mounted his Reshiram.
She felt as if she would chase after him if she was healthy and on two feet. N needed to face what he did by staying and helping her. Touko couldn't think anymore — as she was losing her consciousness and sanity. Frantic footsteps entered the room as she heard Reshiram fly away, her crying echoing the castle.
Cheren saw Touko through the dust that had kicked up in the room. His icy eyes stared in awe at the sight that lied before him. Leroy was covered in the blood of the Pokemon that lied not too far away. Ghetsis mourned his Pokemon through silent thoughts. Touko was on the ground, clutching on Leroy as she cried and screamed. Alder was prompt to make his way to Ghetsis, observing the sage as he merely stared at the first Pokemon he had ever owned.
"Ghetsis, you've done enough damage. It's time to go," Alder's deep voice thundered the room.
On the other side, Cheren ran over to Touko as he processed her condition. Ashes and faint scars covered her entire body, but what truly concerned him was the bloodied scarf that was twisted around her. Cheren made way to her side, clasping a warm, inviting hand on her shoulder
"Dammit, Touko!" Cheren cursed at her as his hand tobogganed promptly to the small of her back, "I thought you promised to me that you wouldn't be so reckless!" he stammered.
"I can... I can get up... Why... did... you think N... N would just leave me?" her shifting words made him scared, "Do you think he wants me to die?" Touko lied to herself.
Cheren was speedy to feel the need to avenge Touko. If only he had seen why Leroy had done to Ghetsis' Hydreigon... Touko's hand unhesitatingly clutched Cheren's. Cheren slowly rose in sync with Leroy, as the two were her support stands. Nevertheless, as soon as she stood, her vision became dotted with black specks. The throne room became small to her vision.
Cheren's world came crashing down whenever she fainted.
There was inescapable darkness afterwards. Maybe she would get to see Liam again in whatever world she was in.
