"Today on World Pokemon News, the Kalos region has begun experiencing turbulence as oddly colored storm clouds begun covering most major cities, including Lumiose City. While the most prominent of the clouds are in Kalos, similar systems have been spotted in other major cities throughout the regions, affecting its major cities such as Mauville, Celadon and Castelia City. Meteorologists have concluded that a superstorm of sorts will be making its way all throughout the area, so citizens are advised to stay indoors as to avoid any sort of trouble with the weather. In other news…"
Red found himself tuning out the rest of the broadcast on the bus, allowing it to slowly become background noise to his mind. Lazy brown eyes found interest darkened clouds in the air, masking any hint of the bright blue skies he was used to. All of the news stations near and far have been saying the same news over and over again about the weather, about how it started as a small loud and expanded to a larger one, and spread amongst many cities all throughout the region. It was even the talk on every TV station - even occasionally interrupting the cartoons and game shows Red found himself inclined to watch in the morning. The trainer found it a little bothersome, he had to admit. It was only a huge storm cloud, what else could possibly go wrong besides a little rain?
He had to head over to Celadon City, since Serena was staying in a hotel. He was insistent on her staying at his home region during the next few days before they would head over to the tournament. She obliged, saying that it was rude to ask a girl to stay the night over at his house. He had no idea what she meant, but helped her book her room in Celadon. In his opinion, it was to be a quick bike ride to the city, as long as he didn't run into any trainers wanting to battle (or rematch, for that matter), but his mom refused. She had been worrying about the weather and Red as well, and had him take a bus instead. He had been on this mechanical beast for an hour and a half now, crammed with other travelers like Seels and Dewgongs huddled together on a glacier over of the seats. The cold he felt within the entire busride was rather inconvenient, and literally chilling. He wished he could tell the ice enthusiast trainer to keep them in their pokeballs, but he refused to complain afterward - especially since the Pikachu by his side shared the same nature. He much rather prefer going outside and soaring on the air with his bike, running about with his pokemon instead of leaving them in their Pokeballs, but he knew better than to argue with his mom when she was worried about something.
They had left early, and the overcast was the perfect weather for many to sleep in, so Red understood why he was so tired. His red cheeks slightly crackled with electricity every time that the small television sets embedded into the walls and chairs of the bus experienced static, as if the storm were interfering with the signal. Maybe he was dreaming in sync with the broadcast, Red pondered to himself, wondering if the professor had mentioned something of the sort.
A blinking of a light and an announcement from the driver indicated that they were arriving to their destination, causing relief of the Pokemon trainer. He nudged the sleeping creature next to him awake, and the Pokemon whined in annoyance. Red simply picked him up and let him rest on his shoulder, the drowsy Pikachu prepared to sleep yet again. The man standing up groaned in happiness as he sat down the fastest Red had ever seen a person sit down, grumbling about his sore legs. When the bus creaked to a halt, he quickly ran out, thankful for the ability to move again, where a lone, tall, and blue Pokemon was waiting for them at the bus stop.
The Greninja, Red had quickly recognized, looked pouty and concerned when he had first saw it, but immediately grew alert at the sight of the trainer. He hopped over to his position, shades of blue dancing in what little light the sun had offered.
"Are… are you Serena's Greninja?" Red guessed, remembering her mentioning how the Greninja had been invited to the tournament. With a grunt, he nodded, displaying a cool demeanor, almost as if he were prepared to disappear at any second and escape the situation. He began to hop down the sidewalk towards the bulk of the metropolis before stopping, turning around and ushering the trainer to follow him with his webbed hand. Confused but not too surprised, Red followed along Pikachu wriggling slightly on his shoulder.
Red quickly assumed that he was going to lead them to Serena's hotel, since he didn't have a bloody clue where it was. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and landed beside him as he continued forward, following the other Pokemon ahead of them. The normally bustling Celadon City was unnaturally quiet and dismal, the grey skies certainly not helping the situation. Everyone was most likely indoors, preparing themselves for the storm like the news had instructed. Only a few citizens were out and about, but even they were rushing to get inside. Some carried a huge quantity of dry goods and other groceries. Weird. Red thought, looking at the sky with confusion written across his face. Just what is up there…?
Soon enough, the Greninja stopped at the front of a hotel, its warm lights from inside glowing onto the pavement, right as it begun to gently rain. Red had no delays getting inside, especially with Pikachu's crackling cheeks as a warning. A receptionist spotted them pass through to the elevator and greeted them with a nod before dealing with the large bickering crowd behind the desk. Without asking questions, the group hurried into the elevator, the distant clap of thunder sounding off outside.
When they got to the top, the Greninja led them down the hall to a door indicating a suite room. As if it were on a secret mission, the Pokemon glanced around his shoulder a few times, then quickly rapped his palm against the door. To Red's surprise, a disgruntled Lucario answered the door, red eyes displeased with the sudden interruption, but then softend at the sight of the familiar trainer.
"I assume you are ready to go then," Lucario acknowledged via telepathy. "But you must give Miss Serena a moment, she is in contact with her friends and mother at the moment and… You will just have to see." He stood aside to let the group in. Greninja hastily ran into the room, Red and Pikachu quickly following suit.
He found himself amending his previous thought, because there was no possible way to call Serena's current residence just a room. The entire perimeter was realistically bigger than his house, with windows completely making up the wall opposite to the door, the storm turbulating outside in full view. The furniture was white and crisp with a funky, artistic edge to it, complete with a hole-in-the-wall kitchen and a dining room separate to the sitting area where a large, flat screen television was on, where, once again, the news was on. The television showed a woman anchor in a rigid state, informing her audience of something, most likely the storm, with a few blurry pictures to her right. Serena stood in front of the television, her Holo Caster projecting images of an older woman, a boy, and a girl that couldn't be older than herself. All of them were in a disheveled state.
"Serena, dear, I promise you that everything is alright from where we're at," the woman spoke reassuringly, severely more composed than the other children. With the specific tone that she took, Red could only assume that she was the other trainer's mother. "The storm hasn't come close to Vaniville Town. It's really just affecting Lumiose City. What I'm more worried about is you over at Celadon."
"Mom, everything's alright," she responded with a huff. She directed her attention to the other teenagers. "Calem, Shauna, you're near Lumiose, though, right?"
The boy's image scratched the back of his head as he glanced in another direction. "We're a safe distance away, but they evacuated the surrounding areas into bunkers," he confessed. "We don't know what's happening, really. The police aren't telling us anything, but I know that it isn't the storm."
"That's what the news is saying right now…" She glanced at the television again, which showed another blurry image in full screen, a set of red, glowing circles being the only distinguishable part of it.
"Shouldn't the hotel be evacuating too?" the girl - Shauna, Red noted - accused, extreme concern in her eyes. "Everything's been silent from the Kanto region! The news reports can't even get a read of what's happening there. And don't think I can't hear that thunderstorm from outside!"
"We're leaving for the tournament in a bit anyway, there's no need for us to be evacuated."
"Yeah, and when is that going to happen? In a few hours? Tomorrow? You're stuck in Celadon until then!"
"I-It's only going to be a few minutes, Shauna…"
"So I'm not allowed to be worried?" She pouted, but even Red could tell how serious she was. "I don't want anything to happen to my friends, but especially to you, Serena! And since you're going to this dumb tournament with Greninja, I won't even know if something happens to you, I won't hear a thing! I just…"
Calem interrupted, looking downcast. "What she's trying to say is that we all care a lot about you. None of us would bear to see you get hurt."
A slight shade of red crept over Serena's cheek. "I care about you guys too," she reaffirmed, "and I don't want anything to happen to you guys, either, so please promise me that you'll guys be careful, okay? I want to hear from you if anything happens. I'll still have my Holo Caster on me, you know."
The teenagers remained silent for a moment before they both nodded.
"Serena, if anything happens over there, come straight home," her mom pleaded. "I know that you're capable of handling yourself, but don't make this worn old woman age anymore with worry."
Serena laughed quietly, her mood slightly rising from the joke. "I will. Love you, mom, and please stay safe, everyone. I'll talk to you later." She turned off the Holo Caster and sighed, exasperated. The Greninja made his way to her almost immediately, snuggling his head into her side. Surprised by the sudden presence, she stroked the Pokemon's head and turned towards the new guests.
"O-Oh! I didn't even hear you come in!" Pikachu joined Greninja, crying happily for affection. She knelt and gave him exactly that.
"Is everything alright?" Red queried. "I didn't really pay attention to what you were talking about, but…"
She flashed a glowing smile similar to the one she and greeted him with when they first met.
"Everything's fine! My mom was just worrying about the weather, really. What can you do with them?" She giggled, not a hint of her previous distress showing. Red frowned at the notion. "Are we all set to go? Greninja has been restless the entire morning from excitement!" A simple mutter from the mentioned Pokemon proved her phrase untrue. She simply laughed nervously after Red raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
"Anyway…" Red pulled out one of the invitations his Pokemon had received and placed it onto the glass counter by the couch. "It's a really cool way how we're gonna get there, I'm telling you. I did this in the last tournament so it should work the same way."
"Really? How're we gonna get there?" Serena was genuinely curious. Whether it was real or not, Red found her excitement contagious, the need to show off to her more ever the growing emotion.
"Yeah! See, if you look at the red wax over here, you can see-"
A clap of thunder and the sudden telepathic gasp of Lucario interrupted his explanation. The Aura Pokemon had raised his snout into the air as his posture stiffened, as if he had sensed something in the frozen atmosphere. The lights in the suite flickered as the blinding lighting flashed from outside.
"Lucario, is something wrong?" Red felt obligated to ask after the party had grown silent from his reaction.
He merely closed his eyes and breathed in the static air. "Outside…" he muttered, raising a glowing palm to the window, "I sense red… there are auras out there that are multiplying at an alarming speed."
Serena noticeably stiffened as well. "What does he mean…?" Greninja and Pikachu both darted their gaze towards Lucario's gesture, suddenly hostile as if a presence was emerging from the blackening clouds. Pikachu's cheeks buzzed with electricity as the two growled at the outskirts, their stances ready to pounce. All was silent for a moment, save for the patter of raindrops onto the glass. The rain and wind moved like waves onto the window, and for only a moment, Red was lost in the tranquility of the sound.
An explosion from outside rang in the air and he was immediately dragged back into reality. The windows shattered upon the sound, an unknown force sending the pieces of it flying. The flying glass glimmered in the fires of the eruption from down below and the wind ran rampant inside the suite like a hurricane. As if the room became a mouth of a vacuum, the wind reversed itself back into the outside world. There were screams and cries, the violent storm howling in his ears, and for only a moment, he managed to see through the raging water to lock eyes with Serena, who was closest to the window, her golden hair whipping violently around her face and her grey eyes wide with fear.
It happened too fast when the wind carried her through the window and into the earth below.
Red didn't even find himself thinking, only reacting. So when he jumped out the window after her, he really didn't think about how the fall would kill the both of them. He heard the distant call of Lucario and Pikachu among the noise, but they were too distant from his mind. What only mattered in the chaos of the storm was getting to her, reaching to her and saving her from whatever fate was left for her on the ground.
Webbed palms grabbed his sides before his hands touched hers, and before long, the same blue blur got a hold of Serena and landed on the ground, carrying the two to safety. It took him a moment to realize that it was Greninja with a displaced Pikachu on his shoulder who had saved them from an imminent death. Serena rested in his other arm, still from the shock of the situation.
Struggling to keep his hat attached to his head, he helped her get on her feet. "Are you alright?!" He called against the howling wind. Her hair was soaked and her own hat was notably displaced onto the pavement nearby. For a split second, she remained silent until life entered her eyes once again, nodding her head in response.
Pikachu softly landed onto the pavement and stiffened his position into an offensive form, his growling inpearable in the wind. The trainers didn't hesitate to glance at the Pokemon's direction, but it was difficult to see, as if the clouds from the storm itself had rested upon the earth. The wind and rain tormented the area, making it almost impossible for Red to see two feet in front of him. It wasn't until a set of glowing red eyes peeked through the storm before them that he had recognized Pikachu's reasoning to be hostile. Hundreds of other sets of eyes lit up, their owners veiled beneath the fog, and a pool of purple matter began spilling out of the weather. It felt all too familiar to him, and the purple mass triggered a sudden wave of memories that he had long determined to forget. There he stood, in the ruins of a zoo, with a terrified blond boy that sparked with a foreign energy, fighting day in and day out with beings of pure malice, standing before the gate to a world of darkness, where its king threatened the lives of every being in existence…
When the monsters slowly creeped out from the storm, his suspicions were hence confirmed to his utter horror. He remembered the abstract bodies that reminded him of something that he would see on a Saturday morning cartoon on television. But even after the amount of time that had passed since the war on Subspace, he could still recall the horror that the creatures before him inflicted on the worlds, how millions of lives had been lost in the void that they had erupted throughout the land as if it had happened the day before.
He was frozen. Only a whisper of a phrase - "Primid," he remembered - left his lips amongst the turbulence that slashed at his face.
Pikachu was as stunned as he was, but he had recovered from the initial surprise much faster than his human master had, and had quickly released a bolt of electricity from his cheeks and onto the oncoming army, dispatching a few enemies that dissolved into nothingness.
"What are those things?!" Serena cried as she viewed the new intruders. Even with the weather conditions, she still managed to look graceful as her hair flipped and turned in the rain.
At the sound of her voice, Red no longer felt stiff. Rather, a tone of bitter determination swept over his entire self. "Those are Primids," he responded loudly, his voice hoarse for some reason that didn't occur to him at the moment, "and we need to stop them before they destroy this whole place! Trust me, I've seen it happen!" He clenched his fists. "They're going to kill people unless we do something about it!"
Serena only stared at him from the sudden rigidness of the boy. But it only took a second for some sort of switch to go off in her head, and the grey eyes that were once wide with fear became a brewing pool of fierceness that was only comparable to the storm surrounding them. "You heard him, Greninja! We have to keep everyone in this city safe, just like old times!" She managed to grab her hat from the ground before it was blown away, and wore the soaked article with determined pride. "Greninja, use Hydro Pump!"
Without hesitation, the Pokemon blasted a jet of water from his mouth that smashed into a row of Primids. With a turn of his head, he doused the entirety of the front line and pelted them into oblivion. Upon the attack, the Primids immediately gained speed to retaliate, some spitting off and heading towards the various buildings behind them. Serena ordered another Hyrdo Pump as Greninja moved another blast of water towards the straggling soldiers, in which they disintegrated into matter upon impact. In order to cover her hide, Red directed Pikachu to attack the enemies that were to take advantage of her blind spot with a Quick Attack. However, the Pokemon's electrical attacks were notably weakened due to the onslaught of rain that collided against everyone. Realizing how he could use the weather to his advantage, Red reached into his pocket and pulled out three Pokeballs, two of which vibrated upon his touch. He tossed them at the crowd of Primids, where Pikachu was returned to the safety of his Pokeball and his Squirtle and Ivysaur emerged in a flash of light. The rain would certainly add power to their attacks, he noted, as the specific weather would positively affect the Water and Grass-type Pokemon.
With a cry, he ordered Squirtle and Ivysaur to use a combination of Razor Leaf and Hydro Pump, mimicking Serena's previous actions with Greninja and clearing out a few lines of Primids with their attacks. While most were destroyed in the process, some dodged the attack, learning from their fallen brethren, and aimed their attacks at the trainer. Most of them darted toward him, but some with a distinct shade of red on their bodies blasted streams of fire from a distance. Squirtle utilized the move Withdraw to protect both himself and his master from the fire attacks, and Ivysaur used Vine whip to deflect the oncoming enemies.
From behind him, Serena yelled for a Water Shuriken attack as a blade of water arose from somewhere behind Red, cutting through the Primids that Ivysaur and Squirtle were unable to defeat. She didn't bother to make eye contact with the other boy, only a quick touch of the shoulder as she dashed by alongside Greninja to get to the other enemies, her wet hair trailing behind her like ribbons. Even amongst the chaos of the hurricane that they were in, she beamed with a sort of confidence that glowed as brightly as the absent sun. Red was lost in the warmth for a split second, but put his thoughts aside to continue the battle.
However, it seemed that he dwelled on her presence for a moment too long, as a lone red Primid managed to sneak up on him from behind and grab hold of him. It's gloved hands felt like needles digging into his arms, and Red had no choice but to cry out in pain. Squirtle and Ivysaur tried to pry off the Primid by biting its limbs, but it simply swatted away the Pokemon with a swift kick, sending them scattered upon impact.
Serena thankfully heard the cry of the other trainer nearby as she was amidst another brawl with other Primids. The sound sent her into a brief panic as she left Greninja to the battle and dashed towards him as she called out his name. The heel of her sneaker collided with the Primid's face, knocking it into the floor and releasing Red from its grip. The Primid was quick to recover, however, as it knelt and prepared to spew a column of fire at the unsuspecting trainer. who's defenses were left open as she helped Red stand up.
Before the pyre escaped from the Primid's mouth and caused an unwanted tragedy, a blue orb of fire raining down from the heavens crashed into it, exploding and disintegrating it on impact. The fires scattered everywhere, but it didn't burn the trainers when it had graced their sleeves. Rather, it was warm and caressing to them, which was strange to feel as the scrambled flames severely injured the enemies that dare come in contact with it. The storm clouds cleared only for a time where the hotel was vaguely visibly in its entirety, and from the broken suite window slowly descended a figure cloaked in the blue flames seen earlier in the attack. Red had immediately recognized the figure as Lucario to his utter relief.
"What the fuck," Serena simply exclaimed, baffled by the entire situation.
The Primids were apparently just as amazed as they stood frozen, staring upon the descending Pokemon. When he had finally landed on the earth, his fury was clearly proven as he began to relentlessly attack, slaughtering any evil presence with an Aura Blast. He showed no mercy whatsoever as each blast of fire disintegrated a bulk of the attacking enemies. Unfortunately, the amount of Primids seemed to double as more were cleared away, and Lucario soon realized that the trainers were left defenseless.
The other Pokemon seemed to have the same thoughts. When Squirtle and Ivysaur recovered, they joined with Greninja, who had recently struck down multiple Primids, and Lucario as they encircled themselves around Serena and Red, forming a protective barrier. One after another, Primids attempted to advance and attack, but each blast of water and fire kept them at bay. The process repeated until the enemies, recognizing the futility of their efforts, temporarily pulling back and giving the defendants some space. For a moment, the Pokemon relaxed, hoping that the worst of the fight was over, but the buzz of unearthly chatter rang within the crowds of withdrawn Primids, ascending into a forte as time passed. The buzz was soon paired with giant footsteps that shook the earth, almost throwing the wall of Pokemon off balance. The footsteps grew louder and the trembling of the pavement only became more frequent and massive.
A colossal Primid that seemed to be bigger than the tallest skyscraper in Celadon trampled out of the fog, it large red eyes staring right at Serena and Red.
"W-What is that thing?" Serena squeaked, the panic seeping through her voice. Red only stared in hateful horror.
The Pokemon were just as much terrified as their human owners, but only Lucario remained calm. "I've seen worse," he simply stated, "but it's nothing that you all could handle, especially since the burden of you two being defenseless will wear us down." Red had only just noticed the yellowed envelope in the Pokemon's hand, the red wax remaining unbroken. With his free palm, he ripped off the seal. "We have to retreat."
"Lucario, don't-!" Recognizing what he was about to do, Red had lurched forward in attempt to grab the seal from the Pokemon, but he had already threw it onto the ground. Upon impact, the seal released an explosion of blue light that enveloped the entire group, the Giant Primid and Celadon City fading from their sight. When the light dispersed, he landed face first into warm green grass.
"What is wrong with you?!" He barked as he lifted himself off the greenery and grabbed hold of the Pokemon. "We left the people there with the Primids! Do you know how selfish that is?! They could all die because we left them!"
Serena sat on the grass nearby, her clothes and hair drenched, and was visibly shaking. "M-Mom… everyone…!" Serena choked, tears beginning to stream down her face. "They're going to get hurt because of those… monsters!" She clutched herself as Greninja hopped over to her side, nuzzling his head into her arm.
"I had no choice," Lucario affirmed, gesturing his head over to the girl. "The safety of the Smashers and their guardians is of the utmost importance. If we had stayed a moment longer, you would've been killed."
"And what about the people of Celadon?! What about everyone else?!"
"We must ponder that for another time." He turned his head the other direction and gazed into the distance. "For now, we all have to recollect and think of another plan. All of us. That is why we are here, are we not?"
Red's eyes trailed across the landscape, his hands slowly lowered to his sides. A bright sun graced the sky with a comforting sort of warmth, putting into perspective just how freezing he was from the storm that they had just experiences. Miles upon miles of hills covered in lush green grass encircled the area, stretching into a faraway forest. Shrubbery and trees dotted the scene, and swayed gently in a refreshing wind. He turned his head towards the direction that Lucario was facing and gasped, immediately recognizing why this particular location was important for them to be at. Even Serena had stopped crying to look at the faraway object with wonder.
There in the distance sat a magnificent castle neighboring a massive stadium made of concrete and marble. The castle almost seemed to gleam in the afternoon sun, it's towers almost touching the sky itself. A long flag waved on its highest column, a red circle with an uneven cross embedded into its fabrics.
Squirtle and Ivysaur ran into the grass and towards the palace in utter glee, forgetting about their troubles for a brief period.
"Smash Mansion…" Red whispered, his voice carried in the breeze.
Author's Note: HOO BOY I am ultra late on this wow.
Really though I'm SO sorry for silence for like 2 weeks, I got swamped at work and after that timed write I did I was dead on ideas and inspiration for this chapter. (I did get a B on that timed write tho!) Idk why but I totally get writer's block when writing the Pokemon people, which sucks 'cause Serena and Red are prominent characters in the story, so more suffering for me yay. Hopefully that'll change in the future. Maybe I just need to work on their characters more lol
Are you guys having a good holiday so far? I'd love to hear about it from you! I'm thankful for actually being able to do stuff without school eating up my time the entirety of my year. I got to go to Little Tokyo with old high school friends and I'm going again this Friday! What y'all been up to?
Lemme know if you find any mistakes or what not! Poor Jin only got to edit about half of the chapter so it's pretty much raw right now. Always up for criticism! And thank you to whoever reviewed and followed the story so far, it really makes my day when I see those messages. What smart readers I have too, you guys ask some good questions! Which I won't answer atm for asshole suspense reasons :)
Hope you guys enjoy! Please review too!
