Author's Note: Apologies for the extreme lateness. I realized it's been, what, 2 years since I began this story? I feel really bad, but oh well, things like this happen. I present to you the final chapter.
[EDIT] Sorry, but I changed the very ending part a bit, and also the title of this chapter. Please be informed.
Chapter 4 - Heroic Quest
The sky is deep midnight blue, and white stars sparkled all across the endless canvas. Everyone's clock ticked until their needles pointed to twelve. At that exact moment, loud but charming-sounding bells rang all across Petalburg City, a total of one hundred and eight times in all. All the citizens stopped what they were doing to embrace the calming effect of the ringing bells that is said to wash away the sins of the previous year.
Indeed, it is definitely a New Year worth celebrating.
-1st January 2009-
It is after the bell chimes that all soba noodles restaurants are most packed, and noisy, with people cheering and rejoicing. In one of the biggest restaurants in the vicinity, Petalburg's Gym Leader and his whole family had just finished dining on their New Year soba noodles. Norman, the strong Normal-type user got up, and everyone fell silent to listen to what he has to say. He is greatly revered by the people of Petalburg and has their utmost respect.
"First and foremost, I thank the cook for bestowing upon us these wonderful soba. Next, I would like to express my gratefulness for allowing me to celebrate another year with my dear family here," he said as he looked at his wife Caroline and his children, May and Max. "…as well as all of Petalburg! Everyone, do enjoy your meals and happy New Year!" he ended with a louder voice.
Everyone clapped their hands and half of them whooped cheers for their favourite Gym Leader. Some of the men came forward to clasp hands with Norman personally. A lot of the others even approached Max and May to give them the traditional pocket money, who accepted them awkwardly and half-reluctantly. Their mother thanked them on her children's behalf and asked them to come to their house later on in the day before ushering her husband and kids out of the restaurant.
"Come now, don't get distracted by the attention. We can't be late…" she whispered to them as they walked out. Father, daughter and son grinned sheepishly.
Once outside, they saw a large crowd of people moving towards their local shrine to pay their respects as of custom. Most of them were dressed quite nicely in kimono while the rest wore their best winter clothes. May, herself was wearing a cream-white long woolly coat with soft brown leggings and similarly coloured fur-lined ankle-high boots. Around her neck, she fashioned a beautiful red scarf in a trendy style.
"It's always amazing to see so many happy faces even on a cold night like this, huh?" she said to her brother.
"You bet!" the young teenager replied, his eyes gleaming in amusement behind his thick glasses.
After visiting the shrine, the crowd moved towards the city's main lake next. Every year, the city's best pyrotechnics gather at the lake to set off their creative works into the night sky. May always looked forward to the fireworks show the most, where she likes to marvel at the shapes of her favourite Pokémon. Just as she was engrossed in an animated conversation with her parents, Max nudged her with his elbow.
"Heads up, sis. It's your fan club," he said to her.
She turned her head to see a group of boys pushing their way through the sea of people just to reach her. All of them wore eager faces as they saw her. Turning back to her family, she buried her face in her hands in exasperation. Norman and his wife chuckled. Max grinned from ear to ear.
"May! Oh, May! Our precious pearl of the seas! Merry New Year!" the boys cried.
She turned back to face them and gave them a smile. "Good evening, boys," she said sweetly.
Her fan boys seemed to melt at her greeting and began showering her with more flattering nicknames and compliments.
"Are you heading for the lake now?" the guy at the front asked her.
"Let us accompany you! We'll be with you all the way!" the others chimed together.
"Uh... Umm, you see... I'm going with my family..." May began.
"But May," a boy who looked too young to have a crush on her spoke up. "They already left!"
"Huh?" She wheeled around to find out that her family have truly left her.
"I saw them leave! They were snickering, too. I wonder why?" the young boy said again.
May slapped her forehead with her palm and tried to think of another excuse. However, before she could come up with anything, a male voice from the furthest back of the group declared, "May has actually made an appointment to go to the lake with me."
The other guys split up to make way for the bold speaker as he walked forwards to May. He was tall and extremely fit, looking very elegant in an all-black outfit that consisted of a military-style trench coat, trousers, stylish boots and a snow cap. They were the perfect contrast for his smooth pale skin and silver-white hair that fell a little below his shoulders. His piercing red eyes garnered the most attention; not even May could resist from gazing away.
"It... It's the Champion..."
"Who's that? Wait, is that Brendan Birch...?"
"I didn't think her boyfriend would appear!"
He stopped directly in front of May, easily towering over her. With a soft grin carved on his chapped lips, he took his hand out of his coat's pocket to grab hold of hers. They were surprisingly warm to the touch. She could not help but flinch at his sudden action, though.
"Happy New Year, my darling May," he said to her in a whispery voice.
Remembering what she was supposed to do, she allowed everyone to see their adjoined hands and announced quickly, "Yes, that's right! I actually have a date with my boyfriend! Sorry, everyone. Brendan, let's get a move on."
Abruptly leaving her fan boys shocked and devastated, she tugged Brendan along, asking him to hurry up and flee with her. They blended in with the rest of the crowd, May walking very quickly without saying anything. The two of them finally reached the side of the lake, close to the edge of the forest. A lot of people around that area looked slightly distressed. May approached them and asked what the matter was.
"Oh, Miss!" cried a young woman in orange kimono. "Word just got around; the pyrotechnics are having quite a bit of a problem, so the fireworks display will be delayed by a bit. They are working to get everything done, though, just so we won't be fully disappointed! Let's have faith and wait for them," she ended with a cheerful smile.
"Ah, I see... Thank you for telling me. We'll wait, then," May replied politely.
Behind her, Brendan waited patiently, with both his hands in his pockets. May explained to him again what she just heard, without really looking at him. She then turned away and pretended stare across the lake.
"Hmm... So, the show is delayed?" Brendan wondered out loud. "Well, it's no use hanging around here doing nothing. Let's go for a forest stroll, my dear," he said, holding out his arm for May.
May faced him to glare at him, but noticed her fan boys arriving nearby, and quickly played along.
She swallowed back a curse and taking Brendan's arm, said, "Of course, love. Let's."
They moved into the forest, arm-in-arm, quietly. Once they were deep inside, May released herself from Brendan as if he was a boiling cauldron of poison, clearly expressive.
"Did I not make it clear that I hate you?" she said harshly.
"Yes, my dear, you did," Brendan answered calmly.
"Then, why the hell are you still showing your face here?" she snapped.
Brendan grabbed her shoulders with both hands and pushed her back to a tree, without hurting her. "Because I love you!" he admitted truthfully.
That definitely made her shut up, and a little bit intimidated. There was deadly silence. Both of them looked down at their own feet, though Brendan was still firmly holding May by the shoulders.
"Um... Y-you kept your hair long..." she stuttered awkwardly, hoping to break the silence between them.
Brendan, head still down, laughed.
"Yeah, that's right." He looked at her, and May saw playfulness in his eyes. "I thought it was a bother to get them cut. Besides, don't you think it looks cool?" he smirked.
May closed her eyes, and gave a little smile. She rested her head on Brendan's chest and wrapped her arms around his body. Brendan did not expect it, but returned the embrace gladly. Then, slowly, he broke the hug and stopped to stare at May's flushed face, which turned away slightly in embarrassment. Hesitant and careful at first, he moved in closer for a kiss. Seeing that May did not do anything to indicate her refusal, he went on ahead and locked lips with her. It took her a while to invite him in, but once she did, things heated up between the two. May began to run her hands up and down Brendan's back as he cupped her face with both his hands.
In the midst of the excitement, May did not realise that Brendan had slid her neck scarf off. He broke their passionate kiss and quickly moved down to her neck, sinking his teeth in ever so slightly, but sucking on the skin violently. May let out a sharp gasp as he did so, and he quickly released her. Chuckling slowly, he whispered, "Sorry." Looking at her face, it had turned even redder, but she brushed away her hair and tucked it behind one ear, beckoning him for another go. Softly kissing her lips at first, Brendan proceeded to make another love bite on her neck, determined to finish it this time. May simply breathed in the fragrant smell of his hair, which seemed to give her a sort of uncontrollable pleasure, almost euphoria-like. She sighed heavily, breathing near his ear, arousing him even more. Placing her hands at the back of his head, she also began to smother his neck with kisses. Caught up in ecstasy, she ran her fingers through his hair and tugged at his snow cap, wanting to take it off.
Panicked, Brendan backed away from her and cleared his throat. May, panting heavily, was caught off guard by the sudden retreat.
"May… There's something I have to tell you," Brendan declared.
"What could it be?" May wondered.
Brendan cleared his throat again. "I came here today… to see you and to tell you that I have to go away again for a long time…"
"…So, you're leaving me again."
Brendan tried to explain, "I…"
"Then, go!" she shouted at him. "You think giving me a warning would have made this any better? It's no different from before! You're going away, and that's it! Go! You probably have other girls' hearts to break anyway!"
With that, she stormed off out of the forest. As she walked quickly through the mass of people at the lake, she was fighting back tears. By the time she reached the wide streets of Petalburg, tears had already leaked out of her eyes. She was still speeding by a lot of people, hoping no one would notice her crying. She heard some of them call out to her, but she kept on walking, pretending not to hear them. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, hiding in a small alley in between two buildings, and to cry her heart out.
After she had done sobbing uncontrollably, she sniffed and realised that it was very cold. When she tried to adjust the scarf around her neck, she found out that it was not there. In its place, she saw the love bites she received from Brendan had bruised terribly and looked obvious in purple. Blood rushed back to her face as she tried to cover them up by holding her coat's collar high and rushed back home immediately.
Brendan was lying in his bed back home in Littleroot Town. He was twiddling with May's red scarf, which she forgot when she ran away from him, angry. He held it up in front of him, stared at it, and let it fall down onto his face. May's floral scent filled his nose, and he thought about their time in the forest earlier.
Later, someone knocked on his door. Quickly, he stuffed the scarf under his pillow and sat up. His parents opened the door and walked in.
"Whoa, what's this?" Brendan exclaimed, surprised.
Professor Birch glanced around the room, and his eyes stopped under his son's bed. There it was, Brendan's backpack, bulging with contents.
"I presume those are travelling items, inside there?" he said, pointing that the bag.
Brendan followed his finger and saw his backpack. He forgot to cover it with his blanket.
"Er… Yeah," he said slowly. "Dad… I'm leaving," he added with more confidence in his voice.
"Well then, you shouldn't let your Master Nicolas down now, Brendan," said his mother. "I just want to tell you to be careful and good luck on your training."
"Huh? What? Mom, how did you…" Brendan shot a look at his father. "You told her?"
"I shouldn't keep secrets from my wife," Professor Birch stated simply, shrugging. "That aside, your mother's right. Please be careful. Anyway, how's your leg?"
Brendan rubbed his right leg. "Yeah, it's alright. I only have the mildest of limps. I figured they'd go away in a couple more days."
"Here." His mother handed him a small container of balm. "It warms up when you apply it. It should help with those mild pains, especially during cold nights like this."
"Gee, thanks, Mom. Really," Brendan said, in all honesty. He stood up and hugged her.
"Right. Go get some sleep now; you should rest before you leave, at least. You've been up all night, you must be exhausted," she said.
He nodded, and then turned to his father with arms outstretched. "Come on, Dad. A big hug, just because we're in the mood," he said playfully.
Professor Birch laughed heartily and said, "Oh, what the heck!"
Their little family of three hugged altogether, filling the air with love. When they released each other, Brendan was the first to speak up, saying, "On a random note, I seriously need to get a haircut."
Come next afternoon, Brendan was sitting at the front door, his hair freshly cut back to its normal length. He was putting on his prized Running Shoes when Professor Birch suddenly called out, "Son! Heads up!"
With trained reflexes, Brendan twisted his upper body around, and with one arm outstretched, caught a set of keys with his hand. He looked at the car keys in his palm, and then at his father.
"Travelling on foot would just take you days. Take the jeep. I've gotten it fixed up and everything. It's yours now," said the Professor.
"Whoa... This is... I-I don't even know what else to say..." Brendan stammered. "Thanks, Dad."
"Now go finish up what you left off and come back home safe and sound! You don't have to try to make me proud; you already have," the Professor finished with a smile.
Brendan nodded in gratitude. He got up and rushed to the side of their house where his jeep was parked. Jumping into the driver's seat eagerly, he then started up the engine with a roar.
As if the Professor had second thoughts, he yelled, "W-wait! Be nice to her!" referring, of course, to the jeep that had once been his.
Smirking, Brendan got into first gear, then, releasing the clutch, shifted into second gear and stepped on the gas pedal. Driving off into the woods, he shouted, "See you when I see you, Dad!" leaving behind his father pondering over whether he had made the right choice giving his son a jeep.
Brendan's journey took almost 8 hours, which was tiring, but surely not as tiring as travelling on foot, which would have been more of a drag. Nearing Meteor Falls, he parked the jeep where it would be hidden from sight; behind trees and bushes. He also covered the whole vehicle with a blanket of leaves in courtesy of his Shiftry, who helped put them together.
Done with that, Brendan turned around to look at the huge cave that had been his training grounds. The Meteor Falls looked as daunting as ever, even inside, with its thundering waterfalls and mysterious golden-brown walls. He climbed to a more obscure part of the cave, where he knew he would have a better chance of finding Nicolas or Masters John and Jay. He came to a clearing, very high off the ground, with its trademark charred spot in the middle for a fireplace. This used to be where he slept and ate.
At first he just stood there, deciding what to do. He looked to his left and saw a small pile of firewood. He went over to them and checked how dry they were. He found that they were recently harvested, and all ready for use. He brought some of them to the middle of the clearing, arranging them practically. Taking out a handful of dry leaves and grass from his pocket, which he swiped from the woods earlier, he carefully placed them in the middle of the fireplace as tinder. Then, from his bag, he used a piece of flint and steel to try at get a spark of fire. He had been adept at using this technique since he first went on his Pokémon journey.
He was still striking flint with steel when a familiar voice rang out.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Brendan turned around to see Nicolas, with his Altaria preening itself behind him. He had a disapproving look on his face as he stared at Brendan.
Concentrating back on his fire-making, Brendan replied, "Obviously, I am starting a fire."
"You dare to speak to your Master as such?" Nicolas fumed angrily and threw a punch at Brendan, who reacted quickly by evading it.
Another strike was thrown at him, but Brendan remembered his training well, and managed to block it with his arm.
"Master... You just referred to yourself as my Master, still..." Brendan stated.
Nicolas stopped his attempts of hitting Brendan, and looked away.
"Oh, stop dilly-dallying, Nicolas!" came a creaky female voice, which was the Expert Jay's. She was holding a torch lit with blue fire.
Her husband, John, also joined in, carrying the same type of torch, saying, "You should just take him in again and finish what you aimed to give the boy."
"Give me… what?" Brendan questioned.
The two old Experts looked at Nicolas in silence, waiting for him to give his answer. After furiously giving it a consideration, Nicolas finally gave in with a heavy sigh.
"Alright…" he said, to which Brendan perked up. He was very curious to know what the rest of his training involved. "Brendan… when I first saw you, I knew you had the potential. You have the potential of learning the arts of Aura," Nicolas explained.
"Do you know of this sacred ability, boy?" asked Master John, as he came closer.
It was only then did Brendan realise that Masters John and Jay had not been carrying torches of blue flames, but were lighting the area with their bare hands. John held out his hand towards Brendan so he could see the Aura better.
"Whoa!" Brendan instinctively jerked back.
"It's alright," the old man coaxed.
Brendan moved closer and confirmed what he was seeing. A light blue glow enveloped Master John's hand, appearing out of no device or anything of the like.
"I… I'm going to learn… how to master this?" Brendan wanted to make sure.
"That's right," Nicolas answered. With a swish of his cape, he continued, "With the power of Aura, you are able to reach into the thoughts of others; humans and Pokémon alike. With it being the essence of life in every creature, it can be sensed with your mind, if not your eyes. You can conjure them up for offence and defence, as well. As a user of Aura, you are expected to uphold a strong sense of justice, helping others when they need you. Brendan," he paused. "You are destined to be the Aura Guardian of Hoenn."
"The Aura Guardian of Hoenn?" Brendan repeated. "Why me, specifically? You three have Aura, too, right?"
"Indeed, but you are the beginning of a new generation of Aura Guardians. The Guardians of the past have unfortunately been depleted, and only some of us remain. Those peace-bringers of the old used to travel the world, doing good deeds while raising apprentices. As time moved forward, we begin to lack people with pure hearts," Master Jay told him. "I am unable to bear children, and during my younger days of travelling with John, we have not passed a single person with the right potentials."
"I, too, have no children to pass this ability on to, so I decided to wait patiently in one spot, for an apprentice to come by, unwilling to fruit the same results as John and Jay," said Nicolas.
"So it is up to me to continue the legacy of the Aura Guardians…" Brendan's voice trailed off.
Nicolas waited for an actual response, and when he got none, he said, "Of course… This is a heavy responsibility. If you wish not to be burdened by it…"
"I will do it," Brendan said confidently. "I understand now. I must continue my training and fulfil my destiny. I won't falter, Master."
Masters John and Jay smiled. Nicolas eyed his determined student, and said, "Then your training starts now."
-31st December 2009-
May and Brendan were in a small room, rented from the local Pokémon Center, to get away from the shenanigans of the festive people in the streets outside, and to escape the cold. Brendan had just finished pouring hot tea into two cups while May sat on the single bed, rubbing her hands together to warm them up. Her red parka was laid on her lap, since the room heater was turned on. Brendan took off his snow cap, leaving it on the small television provided. He took the two cups of tea and brought it over to the bed.
"You're saying you are an Aura Guardian of the modern day?" May asked, accepting the cup of tea gratefully.
"Yes. However, before I am able to take up that legacy, I have a bone to pick with the one who gave me this," he said, pointing to the two scars on his right temple. "That wretched lizard hadn't been seen again since the day it did. I am to go look for it, now that my training is complete."
In silence, the two stopped talking and began sipping on their tea. Whenever one of them shifted their weight, the bed creaked uncomfortably. Outside, they could still hear loud voices of other people and occasionally, a few blasts of fireworks here and there. Brendan finished his tea first and set down the cup on the bedside table near him. A few moments later, May did the same.
Breaking the silence, she said, "Might I remind you that you could get yourself killed?"
"You too, so I suggest you don't come after me." Brendan stuffed his hands into his pockets. "And by the way, that reminder was totally unnecessary."
"Brendan! You said it yourself; that Salamence is huge and it's highly experienced! How do you expect to bring it down?" May snapped. "When you fight fire with fire, you're going to get a burn!"
"That's why I took Swampert as my starter Pokémon," Brendan's voice sounded in May's mind.
She blinked at him in surprise. Before she could say anything about it, Brendan pulled her face closer to his, catching her with a kiss on the mouth. They savoured the moment while their souls romantically met through their lips.
"I wish time would freeze right here, right now..." whispered May.
"Me too..." Brendan whispered back in reply. "May... in case I don't come back after this... I want to make tonight fit for my last."
Shaking her head, and at the same time fighting back tears, she said, "Please don't say that... Don't do this to me..."
Seeing she was on the verge of crying, he gently shushed her and embraced her into his arms. She shed a few tears but controlled her sobs.
"I love you, May. I really do," he said softly to her. "I just want to have you for myself tonight; just this one night."
As he uttered the words, his fingers trailed slowly from May's cheeks to her neck to her collarbone. He stopped there, uncertain, and hesitant to go further. May also held an unsure expression but stayed unmoving. Just as Brendan was about to lower his hands to her chest, she stood up and left the room abruptly. She did not even say a word and Brendan could only watch her leave. He placed both his hands at the back of his head and fell back on the mattress of the bed, letting out a long sigh.
A good ten minutes later, someone knocked on his door. Brendan thought it was Nurse Joy, and went to answer the door.
"I'm scared." It was May. "But I love you."
"I'm scared, too," Brendan admitted. "But at least we can be scared together."
He let her in and closed the door behind them, locking it.
Brendan awoke in the morning to see May's angelic face in front of him. She was sleeping so peacefully, Brendan would not dare move an inch. He blinked away the sleep left in him.
"Brendan?" May's pleasant voice called out to him.
"Yes, my love," he immediately answered, wrapping an arm around her.
"Don't leave…" she said, her voice filling up in sadness.
Brendan kissed the tip of her small nose. "You know I can't do that."
"Mm…" she replied, almost like a whine.
Smiling, Brendan sat up and stretched out his arms. May rolled over to face the other side of the bed, pulling up the blankets over her bare chest as she did so.
Brendan patted her hip, saying, "Get up, little doll."
"I'm so tired," she complained.
To that phrase, Brendan laughed out loud in amusement. Then, he moved in to surprise her with a tickle attack, to which she giggled uncontrollably. Just when they were having fun, Brendan's PokéNav beeped repeatedly. Brendan picked it up, still tickling May with one hand, and smiling.
However, once he heard the news over the phone, his smile faded and his expression turned to that of a grim one. May sensed something was wrong and kept quiet. After a few nods and "I understand", Brendan clicked the PokéNav off and set it aside. He buried his face in one hand immediately after. May hugged him carefully, asking what was wrong.
"She's dead… my senior Master Jay… The kind old woman I told you about…" Brendan said with difficulty. "The raging Salamence came back… and destroyed her house… with her still in it."
May gasped. "I… I'm so sorry…" she stuttered.
Brendan looked at her with sadness and nodded gratefully. "I have to go, May. I must confront the Salamence before it takes a single life ever again!"
"I understand…" May replied slowly, knowing now that her lover's life will be put on the line, as well. "Please… be careful."
Brendan replied with a kiss for her.
The old couple had had their house built on a remote area high in the cliffs of the mountains in Meteor Falls' area. Brendan had to climb atop to reach the place. Soon, Nicolas came into view, with his back turned on him. In front of him lay the remains of the burnt down house, and somewhere inside there, the remains of Master Jay. All around him, Brendan could see huge cracks and holes on the ground, made by the trampling Salamence. Over on the horizon, the orange sun was slowly setting down, turning the sky bloody red. Brendan went to stand beside Nicolas. The two men nodded to each other to acknowledge their respective presence.
"How is Master John? Where is he?" Brendan asked, after a moment of silence for the deceased.
Nicolas turned to face him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and hung his head down. "He… had just passed away, as well. I just finished burying him a little before you arrived. His heart couldn't accept the fact that his wife was dead, and weakened him greatly."
"No…" Brendan whispered.
"As a Dragon Tamer, I feel it is my responsibility to deal with the Salamence. But you, Brendan," he turned to watch the sunset as he spoke. "As an Aura Guardian, I'm afraid you are dragged into this, as well."
"That's okay, Mast-"
"No. From now on, refer to me by Nicolas. You should know that your skills already surpass my own. I must not hold on to the title 'Master' for you anymore."
"Understood. Nicolas. Don't worry; I am with you in this matter. I want to confront the Salamence in battle, too."
"Then let us go search for that wretched lizard!" Nicolas said through clenched teeth.
Dusk had arrived, and the streetlamps were beginning to light up. May watched them, from outside her window, light up; one by one. She could still see that Petalburg City was bustling with life and activity everywhere. She looked at people coming in and out of restaurants, or people doing their shopping. Men, women, boys, girls and babies; they were all out and about the city.
"They are completely unaware of Brendan's truly heroic quest…" May thought to herself as she looked on. "Can't blame them; I was, too."
She turned away from her window and sat on her bed, staring at her collection of Pokémon plush dolls, which she arranged neatly, in a stack, in the middle of her room. She took one of the dolls, a Mudkip, and hugged it close to her heart.
"I wonder if he and Swampert are battling that awful Salamence right at this moment?" she thought.
-5th January 2010-
A human-sized chunk of rock flew towards Brendan, small, compared to the other rocks he had evaded. The Salamence kept unleashing its terrible Outrage at him and hisPokémon, which resulted in destruction upon their surroundings. Walls had been smashed, and so was the ground. He was completely drenched in sweat, and his Pokémon looked no better. Their battle had been ongoing for several days, retreating at times to recuperate as much as they could, but they were running out of stamina and supplies. Everyone panted heavily as they tried their best to evade Salamence's oncoming attacks. That said, Salamence itself looked downright exhausted. Brendan knew they had one last shot at it to finish it off.
Nicolas was riding on one of his Altaria, ordering it to use Dragonbreath on the Salamence. His other Altaria repeatedly used Peck on its eye, successfully half-blinding it. The Dragon Pokémon roared in pain and lashed out with its neck, hitting the Altaria Nicolas was on. As they both rocketed down to the ground, the other Altaria sped up to try and break their fall. All three of them crashed into each other on the ground, leaving them all covered in more scrapes and bruises.
"You okay, Nicolas?" Brendan called out to him.
Nicolas held his head with one hand but gave him a thumbs-up with the other. Both his Altaria were already using Roost on his either sides. Brendan turned his attention back to the battle just in time to see the Salamence use its Dragon Claw on Shiftry. It brushed Shiftry away just as if it was a piece of light paper.
"Shiftry! Use Payback!" Brendan commanded.
It got back up on its feet with surprising balance and struck back at the Salamence. It was caught off guard and received maximum damage from it. Immediately after, seemingly out of nowhere, Nicolas's two Altaria appeared to deal a double Aerial Ace on it. The Salamence was forced to take one step back due to that, but before it could advance forwards again, it was pushed back again by Swampert's powerful Hydro Pump; back into the trap set up by Rhyperior and Aggron.
Earlier, Rhyperior had dug out a hollow space in the underground right behind the Salamence, weakening the ground within that radius. Naturally, the ground collapsed under Salamence's tremendous weight and it fell inside the pitfall trap. On cue, Aggron rammed into the limestone wall and created a Rock Slide to bury the dragon alive. Rhyperior then continued to help Aggron by adding more rubble onto the Salamence to ensure it would not be able to get back up.
All of a sudden, everyone thought they had gone deaf because of the extreme silence. There were no more angry growls or the sounds of bodies crashing onto the bumpy ground. After a long wait, Brendan and Nicolas finally could sense the life in the Salamence slipping away as it suffocated beneath the ground.
Brendan slumped down on the ground tiredly. He was a bit regretful that he had to take a wild Pokémon's life, but he was told that it was necessary, so he had to accept it.
He looked at Nicolas, and asked him, "Well, Nicolas… What now?"
Nicolas stared into the distance for a moment before answering, "There's really nothing left for me here. My job is done. Perhaps I will travel in search of new knowledge? I don't know… What of you, Brendan?"
"I think I…" Brendan started, but was interrupted by someone else.
"Is anybody here? Hello?" the voice called.
The two of them quickly became alert and waited for the person in appear in sight. Brendan recognized him as Steven Stone, the former Hoenn Champion. He was present during Brendan's Elite Four challenge and the celebration party after it. Now he was covered in dirt from head to toe, and holding digging tools in his hands.
"Say… Aren't you that young boy Champion, Brendan Birch?" he exclaimed.
Brendan bowed slightly to him and said, "Ah, yes, Mr Stone, sir."
Steven laughed. "Oh, don't call me that! Mr Stone is my father! Just Steven is fine."
Brendan grinned at him. "Okay, Steven. I must say it's quite a surprise to see you here… like this."
Steven looked down at his dirtied clothes. "I've been digging for rare rocks to add to my collection. I'd go anywhere for them, even up waterfalls. And what about you and your friends here? All of you look worse than me!"
Brendan looked back to Nicolas and the Pokémon. Steven was right; they all looked pretty badly smashed up.
"We've been at some very intense Pokémon training," Nicolas answered for him.
"I'll say!" Steven said, inspecting their surroundings. "But that's good, Brendan! Keeping your skills sharp! And you must be quite a Trainer yourself, to be able to spar with Brendan and his Pokémon! What is your name?" he referred to Nicolas.
"Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Nicolas, an old friend of Brendan's," he replied.
"I see. Well, I'm planning to explore Meteor Falls and it'll take me quite a while, so if any of you would like to challenge me and my team, we'll be here," Steven offered. "I personally wish to see both of your skills firsthand," he added.
Both Brendan and Nicolas nodded at him. They talked for a little bit more and exchanged PokéNav numbers before Steven left to continue his hunt for rare rocks.
Just then, Brendan thought of something and called Steven back. "Oh, wait, Steven! On second thought, I think I would like to join you on your hunt. I was hoping you could give me battling tips along the way, too."
"Oh? Sure, you can join me! Are you sure you won't be bored searching for rocks?" Steven asked with a laugh.
Brendan smiled. "I'm actually looking for a type of rock, too."
Steven and Nicolas raised an eyebrow at him.
"Really? You don't seem like the kind who could be a rock enthusiast, to tell you the truth," Nicolas stated. "Well, anyway, happy hunting. I'm going back to rest. Actually, Steven, I know this one good spot where you could use as a base. Brendan knows where it is. Farewell, the two of you."
He mounted on one of his Altaria and they flew away.
"Right then," Steven said. "We could go and search for some rare rocks now and then we can go to this base location to stay for the night later. Again, might I remind you that this search will probably take more than simply one day?"
Brendan laughed and said, "That is fine. I want to find this rock no matter what."
"So be it. Let's be off then!" Steven said happily; glad to have a new friend of the same interest. After a while of walking, there was silence between them, so he asked Brendan, "What type of rock is it you're looking for anyway?"
Author's Note: The end! Everyone, thank you if you stayed with me even though I procrastinated for far too long… Well, in any case, I hope you enjoyed the story. Trust me, the worst part was deciding on a decent ending for this one, and that's why it took so long for me to publish the last chapter. Again, thank you for getting this far! Do send in your reviews and tell me what you think!
*peace/Asian pose* (Yes, I'm Asian.)
P/S: If you're still with me, there is a bonus chapter coming up. It's the epilogue of this story. And it would compliment the sequel too... What? Yes, I said it. A sequel. In comic form. I've already sketched out 8 pages and half of them are already in clean lineart. I plan for the comic to be in colour though, so, yeah. Wait for it. :D
Go to my DeviantArt page and check for updates. I'll probably start soon.