I am so sorry for the late update. I've been really busy with finals, an extremely big competition, auditions for my musical theater summer camp, and basically have had NO time whatsoever to write. I AM SO SORRY! Seriously, I will try to be more punctual later in the future.
It's summer for me now, but don't get your hopes up for faster updates. Sadly, because my intense musical theater summer camp takes ten hours a day out of my schedule, I will barely have any time to write. Later updates should be expected! I really hope this chapter is up to par, and makes up for my lateness and such. Now, onto the disclaimer!
I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. I DO NOT NEED TO ELABORATE ON THIS MATTER, EITHER.
The second-worst thing that could happen to you during a mission, was having your cover blown. The absolute worst thing that could happen to you during a mission was having your cover blown in a room full of people. Both of which were happening to Ranger Rex right now, and he could do nothing but gape. He was a trained professional, but lately this mission had been giving him headaches and bags under his eyes, so all he really could do was stare in horror.
"Um... hello? Son, are you OK?" The scientist-man asked, concerned that Rex wasn't answering and just staring blankly ahead. He waved his hand in front of his eyes, trying to get Rex's attention. No response. The man cleared his throat and continued, "As I said before, Ex-Gym Leader Leonora would like to speak with you, so if you'd just come with me, Ranger Re-"
"Keep your voice down!" Almos hissed fiercely, snapping Rex out of his trance. Luckily, the Zoroark was good at thinking under pressure, and brought Rex back to reality by commanding some authority.
Rex nodded, blinking a bit to clear his mind, and then dropping his voice to a threatening whisper. "First of all, who are you, and what makes you think that we'll come quietly?" He asked, narrowing his eyes and staring down the scientist.
Rex, Almos, and Lena all remembered too well what had happened at the Striaton gym, and none of them wanted a repeat of that battle. An ex-gym leader requesting their audience was a clear red flag to Rex, and he was determined to be smart enough to decline this offer.
The scientist-man looked genuinely confused, scratching his head and backing away. "Come quietly? What do you mean by that? I don't want to force you into doing anything!" He exclaimed, shrugging.
Now, both Rex and the man were confused. "Wait, wha-" Rex started, but was interrupted by Lena jumping forward and slamming the scientist man against a wall, pinning him.
"You know what you're here for, don't act dumb!" She growled, trying to be menacing. It was like she was trying to mimic one of the characters in those secret agent movies, and was doing a very bad job of it.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" He stammered, looking scared even though Lena was practically a foot shorter then him. "Please! I don't want to cause trouble!"
"Lena!" Rex hissed, prying her off the man before she could do any damage. "People. Are. Staring." Sure enough, the whole room was looking at them, with wide eyes. He grabbed the collar of her shirt, and yanked her back. She smiled sheepishly, before turning to address the crowd of onlookers.
"Sorry, civilians! Go back to your daily lives," She said, smiling while striking a heroic pose.
Both Rex and Almos groaned, face-palming. "W-why don't we go somewhere where there's not a lot of people, and t-then we'll talk?" Almos suggested, helping the scientist back up. He nodded meekly.
Rex opened the door to the outside, motioning for the man to go first. The scientist quickly scurried out of the cafe, Lena following close behind. Almos had to pull her back before she seriously scared the man. She frowned at him, and the trio followed him down the street. They walked past a few people, but it appeared that most of the civilians were in their homes.
"Ok, this is good." Rex instructed, stopping the group. They had arrived at the corner of town, somewhere where there were almost no witnesses. He turned slightly to stare the scientist right in the eye. "First things first, who are you?" He needed to know the basic facts, before he jumped to drastic conclusions and beat the man up.
The man nodded, adjusting his glasses before speaking, "My name is Hawes, I work at the museum, and I am Lenora's husband." He explained, seeming relieved that Lena had stopped trying to attack him.
"Good." Rex said, nodding and mulling over the information.
Almos took over the interrogation, turning towards Hawes to stare him down. "Why did Lenora w-want to speak w-with us?" The Zoroark demanded.
The man thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up in a solution. "This will explain everything," Hawes said, holding out a braided bracelet. The trio studied it, confused. It was woven very neatly, made up of three colors, red, white, and black, and a poke ball charm hung in the middle.
"What is this supposed to mean?!" Lena demanded, grabbing the bracelet out of Hawes' hands and looking at it. There certainly wasn't anything obviously special about the bracelet. In fact, it looked rather plain.
"You mean, you don't know what it means?" He said, just as confused as they were. "But, you came to Unova to defeat Team Plasma! How could you not know what that means?!"
Rex shrugged. "Dude, it just looks like some bracelet that a kid would make at camp or something." He said, grabbing the bracelet away from Lena and studying it. There were no messages engraved into it, no secret buttons that would transform the bracelet into a secret weapon, or anything out of the ordinary.
"That's not just any bracelet!" Hawes said defensively, taking the bracelet away from Rex and putting it back on. "It's symbolic."
"A symbolic bracelet?" Lena asked, raising an eyebrow. Neither Rex nor Almos, in all their years of training, had heard of this. They had heard of friendship bracelets and stuff like that, but this bracelet didn't seem special in any way.
"T-that sounds s-strange!" Almos remarked, snickering.
Hawes glowered at them. "No! I mean... Ugh, just come with me to see Lenora!" He said, waving his hands in exasperation. Hawes was getting very fed up with the group, as he was no good at explaining things, and just wanted them to do what Leonora asked.
"Hey! No way, the last time we were invited to see some gym leaders it did NOT end well." Rex said, shaking his head.
"What happened? Do tell," Hawes said, pushing up his glasses.
"No!" The trio screamed at the same time, glaring at Hawes. He shrunk back, muttering something.
"Listen," Rex sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration, "We just want to be on our merry way to go blow up more Team Plasma stuff and save Unova. If you've got a prob-"
"No! I want to- I mean we want to help you," Hawes exclaimed, cutting Rex off. "We want to save Unova as well!"
The trio looked at each other skeptically. "W-who's 'we'?" Almos asked, looking around to see if there were people hiding in the bushes or behind trees.
"The Resistance."
Rex just wanted answers by now. Here he was, waiting in front of the Nacrene City Gym leader, and she wasn't even saying anything! She just appeared to be... studying them with piercing eyes. Frankly, it creeped the whole group out a lot.
"Um... Hello?!" Lena decided to be the one to break the silence, waving her arms to add to the effect. Both Rex and Almos jumped at her sudden outburst, and she smiled sheepishly at them.
Leonora smiled kindly, snapped out of her trance as well, "Sorry. I just was thinking about something..." She said, shaking the thought off. "Anyways, I'd expect you want some answers, hmm?"
"Yes!" They all cried in unison.
She laughed at their eagerness, but then shrugged sadly and sighed, "Well, I'm afraid I don't have many answers to give you."
"Any information would be h-helpful, Miss Leonora," Almos said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Well, then I'll tell you all that I know," The Ex gym-leader said, sighing as she collected her thoughts, "As you all know, Team Plasma has become extremely popular with the general public. Gym leaders and trainers who we thought were anti-plasma have now sworn their loyalty to them. Somehow, it doesn't make any sense..." She trailed off, staring into space as if contemplating something. Lenora shook her head, snapping herself out of her trance again. "I apologize, I'm digressing! So naturally, if there's a pro-plasma group, there's bound to be an anti-plasma group. That's where this bracelet comes in." She held up her own poke-charm.
"The Resistance?" Lena guessed.
"Exactly!" Lenora praised, "The Resistance. A group bent on destroying Team Plasma."
"So, what else do you know?!" Rex demanded. So far, they had gotten no information about Team Plasma itself, which was what Rex had been hoping for.
"I'm afraid that's all I know." Lenora said, shaking her head, "But, I'm here to offer you something. You have done miraculously in taking down the Team Plasma headquarter in Accumula town. Just imagine what you could do with re-enforcements! That's why I'm asking you to join the resistance and fight along side us."
Before anyone else in the trio could react, Rex shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we just can't trust you right now." He said calmly, turning around to walk away.
"Rex is r-right," Almos agreed, following Rex out.
"Wait!" Lenora called after them, "You three aren't the most promising 'heroes' to be thinking of taking down Team Plasma all by yourself." She said, crossing her arms, "I'll have to test you."
Rex snorted, "No way, lady! I'm not falling for any of your tricks." He shook his head, and prepared to leave.
"Not you, Ranger," Lenora said, "I know you can take care of yourself! I'm talking about Miss Shock."
"Me?" Lena asked, pointing to herself, "But, I can totally take care of myself! I mean, look at what I've done so far!"
"Tell me, Miss Shock... Do your parents know that you're doing this?" Lenora asked slyly, studying Lena with Noctowl-like eyes.
"Um... I was planning on telling them later," Lena protested, biting her lip. She seemed a bit ashamed of herself.
"And just what makes you think that a little rich girl who's barely had experience with the real, unsheltered world before, take down a government? Really, Miss Shock, you're smarter then that to get involved." Lenora said, shaking her head sadly, "I know your parents well from studying abroad, a long the ago, and I don't know what they'd think."
Lena didn't answer, shrinking down and hanging her head, ashamed of herself. Rex had never seen her this defeated before. He knew she had been sheltered as a kid, but he never thought she was too weak to handle herself.
"Hey! You listen here," Rex demanded, jumping in to defend Lena, "Lena's been awesome on this journey so far, and it would be crazy to say that she couldn't defend herself! She's smart, thinks well under pressure, and can defiantly take care of herself."
Lena's head snapped back up, inspired by Rex's speech, "Yeah! I know I can take care of myself. I may not be the best trainer yet... but I'll become really powerful so I can make a difference here!"
"So you're a trainer?" Lenora asked, suddenly interested.
"Yeah!" Lena nodded eagerly.
"Hm... Well, how about this. I'll test you with a battle, to see if you can really take care of yourself. How does that sound?" Lenora offered, her eyes sparkling.
"I accept." Lena said, nodding curtly. Her eyes were sparkling eagerly as well, excited to have the chance to prove herself. Rex smiled at her, impressed that she was able to hold her ground.
"A-are you sure t-this is a good idea?" Almos whispered to Rex, worried.
"Yes." Rex nodded, confident in Lena, "She's a good trainer. She'll be able to win... I hope."
"I hope?! What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Well, this technically is her first official battle," Rex said, shrugging the fact off.
"She's doomed," Almos deadpanned, shaking his head.
"Aw, come on! Stop being such a pessimist," Rex exclaimed, pushing Almos playfully, "I mean, it's not like she's going to freeze up and forget what moves that Archen knows, right?"
Lena stepped up to the battlefield, shaking. She knew she shouldn't be this nervous... she couldn't recall when she had ever been this nervous! Relax... She thought to herself, taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts, I just need to prove myself by battling a gym leader, even though I've never professionally battled before! She gulped, suddenly taking in the reality of the situation.
"Are you ready, Miss Shock?" Lenora called from across the battlefield. They had conveniently used the old gym's battlefield, which was located just under the museum.
Lena slowly nodded, taking another deep breath. Suddenly, she froze, her mind blank on what to do next.
"Lena! Call out your Archen to battle," Rex hinted, sitting on the sidelines to watch.
"I knew that!" She screamed back at him. She took another breath, reaching into her bag for Chenly's Pokeball. She quickly threw it out onto the field, without so much of an introduction. She looked up, only to see that Lenora had already thrown out her powerful-looking Watchog, and was politely waiting for Lena to make the first move.
"Oh! Um, Chenly, use-..." She couldn't remember any of her Pokemon's Moves. "U-use... um... Just attack the damn thing! With all the power you've got!" She screamed, stamping her foot in frustration. Chenly didn't even hesitate, charging at the Watchog headfirst.
Lenora frowned, tilting her head to think. "Dodge," She stated simply, watching as the Watchog dodged flawlessly. "Use Crunch!" Almost immediately, the Watchog whipped around, catching Chenly's wing in it's jaws and clamping down hard.
"Use Rock Throw!" Lena didn't even hesitate to give the command, her face set in determination. Chenly, taking advantage of the close-range, quickly tore out a chunk of the ground with his free hand and slamming it into the Watchog's head.
"Use Leer," Lenora didn't waste time as well, calmly ordering the attack as if were no big deal. The Watchog turned to face Chenly, piercing him with a fierce gaze. The ancient bird Pokemon shivered at the stare, and he slowly backed away.
Lena glared at Lenora, not understanding how she could be so calm under pressure. What is she planning? Lena thought, biting her lip, Is it a battle strategy? Is she sizing up Chenly, and determining her next attack? Did she plan this all out, or is she just winging it? Lena herself was shaking with nerves, even though she was determined to win this battle and prove her worth. "Attack it with your wing!" Lena commanded, a new battle plan forming in her mind.
Chenly quickly flipped around to face the Watchog, battering it with his wing hard. Stunned with the unique battle strategy, the Watchog backed up, trying to block the shots with its arm. "Now, use Rock Throw!" Taking advantage of the Watchog's stupor, Chenly quickly ripped out another piece of the battlefield and chucked it at the enemy's head.
"Dodge." But it was already a bit too late, and the Watchog was caught on the side with the rock and thrown back. Lenora smiled, "Huh, nice job Lena. You're already planning and devising strategies, using things such as fear and brute power to take the upper hand..." Lena grinned with pride, her eyes sparkling. "...But, is that enough to win?"
"Huh?!"
"Watchog, use Hypnosis!" The Watchog whipped around, fixing the ancient Pokemon with a lulling gaze. Chenly slumped to the floor, sleeping deeply.
"Chenly! Get up!" Lena commanded, a bit of fear in her voice. The Archen didn't even stir.
"Tsk tsk," Lenora said playfully, "Use crunch!" The Watchog immediately sprang for the ancient bird Pokemon, his jaws wide open, and bit down on Chenly's wing. Lena could hear the bone-snapping crack! from where she was standing.
"Get up! Use Rock Throw!" Lena ordered, but it came out more like a beg. No response.
"Again." The Watchog bit down again, even harder then the first time. Both Lena, Rex, and Almos visibly winced at the cracks that followed.
"Please! Wake up!" Lena pleaded. She hated seeing this, and she could do nothing but stand and watch.
"Again!" Another bone-shattering crunch. Chenly was in a too-deep hypnosis to even register the pain, much less wake up. Lenora smiled, seeing that her battle was won.
"Wake up now!" Lena screamed, stamping her foot in frustration. Hearing the desperation in his trainer's voice, miraculously the bird Pokemon's eyes opened. He let out a squawk, noticing the pain in his wing. "Yes!" Lena shouted in relief, "Use Rock th-"
"Crunch." And before Chenly could react, the Watchog delivered the final blow, sending the ancient bird Pokemon into unconsciousness.
"W-what?!" Lena gasped, her hope of proving herself shattering. She could do nothing but stare in shock.
"She... Lost?" Rex murmured, his voice full of disappointment. He couldn't believe it as well. It had looked like she was going to make a comeback, but to have it shattered so fast was truly stunning.
"Th-hat was over s-so quickly, too quickly..." Almos speculated, shaking his head sadly., "I g-guess she really wasn't a m-match for a fully trained g-gym leader..."
Lena didn't move. She only simply called Chenly back into his ball, her head hanging with regret. "You did your best," She whispered quietly, so no one else could hear here, "I'll be a better trainer in the future, I promise."
Loud applause broke the trio out of their sadness. "Wonderful! That was a truly great battle," Lenora praised, walking over to Lena to congratulate her.
"But... I lost!" Lena protested.
Lenora shook her head, smiling. "I didn't even expect you to win!" She laughed, "Hell, I didn't even expect you to come that close to winning against me, and yet you did!"
Rex and Almos came running up to Lena's side. "So, did she prove herself?!" Rex demanded.
"Above and beyond," Lenora said, nodding her head in satisfaction. "So, how does a real battle feel like? Not those sugar-coated ones on TV, but the real battle you just witnessed."
"..." Lena thought for a moment, re-playing the battle in her head. "Vulgar." She stated simply, "Real battles are... nothing like I expected them."
Lenora laughed, "And this barely qualifies as a 'real' battle! I sugar-coated most of it."
Lena frowned. "I don't know why I should be so shocked by this." She shook her head. "I mean, I've fought against the Striaton Leaders using Chenly, and that was way more brutal then this!" She sighed, "I guess I never thought that battles... The ones that are shown on TV publicly, could be this rough. Battling the Striaton Leaders was more like a war then a battle."
Lenora smiled, "Well anyways, you've proven your worth. I truly believe you have the ability to survive on your own, and the potential to save Unova."
"And that's what we're going to do!" Rex grinned, fist-pumping.
"Yeah!" And for a moment there, everything was coming up roses.
"Hey, um... Lenora?" The group turned to see Hawes running up to them, a panicked look on his face. He seemed disheveled, his glasses crooked and his lab-coat crumpled. "Hate to spoil this... But Team Plasma has been sniffing around here, and I think it was best if out guests could leave now. That is, if everything's settled now!"
"We understand, sir," Rex said, nodding respectfully. "We'll leave now." The trio turned to walk away, still cheerful from Lenora's complements.
"Wait! Rex..." Lenora stopped the Ranger, studying him sternly, "You should think about my offer, to join the Resistance. It could be usef-"
"Sorry," Rex cut her off with a wave of his hand, leading his group out the door, "But right now, I don't know who I can trust." The door slammed shut behind them, leaving a stunned Hawes and a disappointed Lenora.
"Silly Ranger," Lenora said wistfully, shaking her head, "I don't think he know's what he's just jumped into."
Once again, I am extremely sorry for this late updates, and for all the late updates to come! If Lena had a theme song, it would probably be something like "Morning Person" from Shrek the Musical.
As for accomplishing anything in this chapter, we did get a short battle scene in! And we reached ten chapters! YAY! Double digits! Thank you all for clicking on this link and taking the time to read this chapter.
See you next time! (Whenever that may be!)
~Miss Optimism