The journey was largely uneventful for a while as we flew over the open ocean and approached Kalos. I kept glancing over my shoulder, paranoid that the... thing was still following me. Elena was silent, glancing down at the ocean and enjoying the glimmering water. As we neared the coast, however, she grew uneasy and distressed. "N, look down at the water," she said nervously. I glanced down, only seeing Zekrom's shadow. "What's the matter? That's nothing to be worried about."
"N…" Elena said slowly "why are we seeing a shadow of Zekrom on the water and not a reflection?"
I stared a bit, I'd noticed it'd been a shadow the whole time we were over the water, which we reached around the time that Giratina did have a point, it was odd sure, but I didn't really see a cause for alarm- until the shadow grew larger, taking on a familiar, menacing shape.
"Zekrom, go faster, now!" I shouted as Giratina rose out of the water and sped toward us. How had that thing managed to find us again after all this distance…? Perhaps it had to do with a weird portal that had opened up in the ocean below us, from which a familiar voice commanded it- "Use Shadow Rush and send them to their graves, Giratina!" Giratina vanished, I looked around frantically for it, and any sign of Cynthia as we flew, now over land. Finally it appeared behind us and hit us, causing Zekrom to spiral into the ground. Elena started to retaliate, but it slammed her to the ground where it held us both. Helpless, I looked up toward the monster as it moved its head closer, grinning.
"Gardevoir, shadow ball, quickly!" a voice commanded, and a ball of darkness hit Giratina causing it to rear back and release us. It recovered quickly, and started to head toward us again. "Gardevoir, moon blast, please!" the same voice stated, and a radiant beam fired straight through Giratina. It made a noise in agony before spiraling back and crashing down into the ocean, back through the same portal from whence it had originally came.
I glanced over to see a woman garbed mostly in white standing with a creature that resembled a Gardevoir, but not quite the same. "Who are you... and how did you do that?" I stared, dumbfounded at what I saw.
"My name is Grand Duchess Diantha, the champion of the Kalos region. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance... N, I believe?" I nodded, and she continued. "I'm afraid I don't have time to explain, I've gotten a report from Laver…. Lavera…. The fairy town that there's been some trouble there, and I have to go investigate. Meet me there and I'll explain after," she said flatly, pointing toward smoke on the horizon.
"You mean Laverre?" I asked, pronouncing it perfectly. She stared a moment before answering slowly "Yes…. and while we are there, please tell me how to say that. Anyway, I don't really have a flyer other than maybe hawlucha, so could you please go ahead for me? We aren't too far. I'll be there shortly," she asked politely, spraying Zekrom with a full restore.
"Sure, I was heading there anyway to find someone. I'll meet you there." I mounted Zekrom, and flew off toward the town. As I got closer, the smoke became thicker. What had happened to this town? I flew into the best clearing I could find, and saw three figures nearby. I ran over and recognized one of them instantly, Drayden, looking like he was in a battle. Beside him was an inhuman looking girl holding a fainted pokemon, and opposite to them stood a trainer I didn't recognize. He was a fairly tall figure, with a sad looking expression. On his side of the field was a metagross locked in combat with Drayden's Haxorus and Druddigon. Two on one battles are rare, I approached carefully.
Drayden shouted, "Steven, stop this. These are innocents, if it's me you want, then leave the rest of them out of this."
So that was Steven? He replied, "I'm sorry for the mess Drayden, but I had to draw you out somehow, and Valerie here wasn't cooperating." He gestured at the girl, before ordering, "Metagross, meteor mash." His Pokemon bashed haxorus and druddigon into the ground, knocking them both out. "It's over, Drayden, give me the DNA splicer now and we won't have any future trouble."
"No. I can't give that to you, you know that. You also know what we stand for, and I can't let your betrayal compromise that… we all thought we could trust you." "Fine, have it your way. Rayquaza," He commanded as a towering dragon appeared from the smoke, evidently the cause of the mass destruction. "Hyper beam." Rayquaza poised as if to attack the helpless girl and Drayden nearby, I acted fast.
"Zekrom, Bolt Strike!" Rayquaza fell to the ground, not expecting an impact, but quickly got up. Steven looked over at us incredulously. "You're him, huh. I've always wanted to battle you, from the moment I first heard of your exploits. I just wish it didn't have to be life or death like this." Steven said.
"This should not be why we fight. Pokemon aren't supposed to attack innocents and burn their homes, and for what? To keep alive a legacy of lies!" Drayden shouted, but was ignored. I knew I wasn't a match for Steven, but I had to try... Elena stepped forward, wanting to fight. Hesitantly, I let her.
Steven returned his Rayquaza and sent out an Aggron, I returned Zekrom and ordered Elena to use Focus Blast. Aggron didn't flinch, but kept standing there charging up something. "Elena, Be careful-" but I was cut off by Aggron releasing the energy, hitting her into the fire. "Elena!" I shouted, distressed. How did that Aggron know solar beam?!
I saw her emerge from the smoke, fur ragged and slightly burned. "Aggron. Thunder" Another odd move choice I thought, as I ordered Elena to dig to avoid it. She obliged, only to be rocketed back up as Aggron used earthquake. She fell to the ground hard, unconscious.
Before I could move to send out another pokemon, Aggron quickly swept me off my feet, and Steven sent out Rayquaza again. "Well, that was certainly fun, but I've got a tight schedule, I'm afraid, and you're going to have to come with me. You made a mockery of us all by building that castle right beneath the league of Unova. A castle, built by slave labor, isn't that exactly the opposite of what Plasma preached"? I cringed slightly, Ghetsis had always been foggy on how exactly the castle was built, but I never imagined it was the pokemon we liberated…
Steven continued. "People like me wondered how anyone could be so careless, how we could be so close to losing all of our trusted partners. And evidently we aren't alone in this, after the events that took place a boy named Cheren, a friend of the current champion, who claimed to have idolized alder became gym leader. He was there when you struck down Alder, apparently rather easily too. Using his newfound popularity, he began to preach messages of deceit and lies from within the league itself. The champion was no longer strong, no longer able to protect them, and instead hid like a coward behind his elite four. What was to stop any criminal group from taking over the league swiftly, as you had done? All it took you to get the respect of the legendary was a stone and a takeover of another tower, right by a gym leader's town I might add."
"All these officials, helpless to stop team plasma, except for the current champion, Black. He hasn't really voiced a negative opinion on you, saying that you were an honorable man who stepped down when he thought his pokemon could be hurt. He's portraying you as almost a martyr to your cause, and we can't take him out, it would create a huge public outrage. Even though plasma's been systematically hunted down, your ideas live on. We need you to publicly denounce your ideals, before too many people identify with them. Do that, and we'll let you live."
I was silent only a second before saying "No, Steven. Times have changed, and times will keep changing. The ideal of a system based on brutality of animals to make them the "strongest" is going to end eventually, when the very trainers who glorified it realize its corruption. How do you think the people of Kalos are going to react to you burning down their town? How do you think the people will react when they see their champion using his power to destroy and kidnap people? As the hero and protector of their region?" I paused a second. "Or the tyrannical villain burning their homes and punishing them for their beliefs!"
"ENOUGH!" Steven roared loudly for a terrifying second, seeming to lose his cool. Everyone including Drayden and even his Rayquaza looked stunned over at him. Steven hadn't seemed like the type of person to have an outburst like that. He quietly stood there for a second, before calmly responding.
"I respect you for exposing Unova's weakness, N, I really do, but that doesn't make up for what you've done. Too many people actually support your radical cause. You made people as far as the Hoenn region start to identify with you openly. Your influence is further spread than you seem to grasp. Juan and Winona contacted me, urging me to intervene on plasma's behalf in your region upon you receiving Zekrom, claiming it was a sign that you are a true hero, but I promptly declined. And in the end, what is the goal of your cause? To try and stop the minority of people who mistreat Pokemon?
"Like Cynthia," I interrupted.
Steven chuckled a bit " Ah, you may have a few good ideas yet, N. You might not be as stupid as you look but you're still completely mad. You fight using the exact same method as us, but somehow we're the monsters in your eyes. The only reason Zekrom sided with you is because you legitimately believe in your insane ideals. I suppose even the legendaries can choose incorrectly every now and then. You almost made me lose my friends, N. My pokemon are my life. Your goals have almost taken away my beloved companions, a future that may still come to unfold. For that, I cannot forgive you. I'm finished talking, you're coming with me now. Rayquaza, Outrage."
All three of us helplessly watched as Rayquaza approached. I closed my eyes, futilely bracing myself, but luckily at that moment a voice ordered "Aegislash, King's Shield, posthaste!" A funny looking man in armor, with what appeared to be a star on his forehead, was standing near us. What is it with all these powerful important people and dressing oddly? As psychotic as Cynthia was, at least she dressed well.
His pokemon, evidently Aeigislash, blocked us. Diantha emerged from the trees with her Gardevoir and a dinosaur looking pokemon. "Tyrantrum, head smash, and Gardevoir, moon beam please" Tyrantrum ran fast at Aggron and headbutted it into a tree, which promptly fell over. The two were grappling with each other, not really using attacks but fighting viciously and desperately. Rayquaza was on the defensive, dodging numerous attacks from Gardevoir.
Steven suddenly returned his aggron, and said loudly, "Enough, Diantha. I have no intentions to fight with you today. I wanted the DNA splicer, nothing more. It was only Valerie's refusal to help that led to this. Though I haven't gotten my objective, if you really feel this strongly about it, I'll be on my way." He turned toward us.
"This is just the beginning. N. You don't know what you've gotten yourself into. Neither Cynthia nor Lance will leave this easily - at least, not without your head on a platter. I overheard Cynthia saying that she'd mount your head above her fireplace. You've met her. I'm sure you know that probaby wasn't a joke. And as for what you said earlier about my people's opinion of me, the right to choose between having Pokemon and not is a freedom I support. A freedom, N, that would make me the hero, and you the villain, misguided perhaps, but the villain none the less. Farewell." He quickly leapt onto Rayquaza and flew away, leaving us standing in the smoldering ruin of Laverre town