If you read our previous story and did not see this coming, I am very disappointed in you.
Anyway, I wrote for Ghetsis and the Shadow Triad, she wrote the rest of the scene. I might not have changed the words as much as I should have, but together, we managed to do a halfway decent parody of "My Lullaby" from The Lion King 2.
When Nate and Rosa returned to the Gym, two hours later, Burgh was still nowhere in sight. According to the guard blocking the door, he had been there, just long enough to tell the man to keep all challengers away until he'd returned, and then taken off again.
"Should we search the sewer again?" Nate asked, but the man shook his head.
"No, he was heading up to Nimbasa City for something. It doesn't surprise me. He and Elesa are good friends, and he wanted to warn her in person about Team Plasma's return."
"And when will he be back?" Rosa asked, and the man shrugged.
"He'll be back as soon as he can. He knows there are challengers waiting."
"And how soon can he get here?"
The man didn't answer. Nate cleared his throat and stepped up to Rosa.
"So, while we're waiting for Burgh to come back, how about we explore the city? We can stop for lunch..."
The thought of food distracted Rosa from her anger at the missing Gym Leader, and she bounced up and down in glee as she realized how hungry she actually was. Her hair bounced as well, especially the long trails hanging from the donuts. "Come on, then," she cheered, and took off down the busy street alone. It wasn't long, though, before she realized just what she had done, and called Nate over so she wouldn't have to be alone.
It was only twenty-four hours later, however, that they saw any change. They'd met up with Rosa's father, who had, after congratulating his daughter on a job well done and teasing her about the boy, bought both of them Casteliacones before he left for work. They'd explored the other piers of Castelia, and several buildings as well.
"Hey, look!" Nate laughed, pointing into a window. "It's you, Rosa."
Rosa glanced at the donuts he was pointing at, realizing as she did so that it was the window of a bakery, then turned a glare on him. "Great joke," she said sarcastically, before turning and storming away.
"Holy Joltik-print underwear! I forgot!" Someone yelled as he ran past Nate and Rosa. Nate initially thought it was the Eighth Doctor (after all, the hair was exactly the same) but it was only Burgh. He wasn't wearing his brightly-colored pants, instead going for simple brown ones. They didn't seem to suit him at all.
Rosa didn't comment on that. "What happened, Burgh?"
Burgh opened the door to the Gym, gesturing to the children to follow him. "It's a long and complicated story, but we should head inside first. Come on, children, let's go, into the enormous spider web."
That wasn't a sentence Rosa had ever thought she'd hear with context.
"Colress! Report to the boss's headquarters immediately!"
The scientist growled softly, and turned to face the Shadow Triad member sitting in the corner of the room. Said ninja was holding a megaphone to his mouth, or at least what Colress assumed was his mouth. "That will be all," the white-haired man added into the megaphone.
Colress briefly considered mutiny. But, with a sigh, he followed the ninja from the room, where Zinzolin waited...with the man who had hired them.
Ghetsis had changed in the past two years. He no longer wore the castle robe, possibly because he knew Colress would never take him seriously if he did, and he had taken to using a cane on some days. He'd actually hired Colress in the first place to make him a new, scientific one...
"I see you made it," he said, turning to face them. He didn't look happy, but then, he rarely did. His one red eye locked onto the scientist. "The Shadow Triad have given me your message, Colress. Why did you not stop the children collecting the badges?"
Colress shrugged and took a seat next to Zinzolin at the improvised staff table. "I didn't see it as necessary. Kids collect badges all the time, it's practically a rite of passage. Why should Nate and Rosa be more important than the others?"
"But they said that the boy and girl were traveling together. And that you told them she had potential."
"Your point?"
Ghetsis tried to remind himself that he was dealing with a man who hadn't been a part of Team Plasma two years ago, and focused on explaining. "You are aware, I take it, of Team Plasma's previous failure?"
"You've ranted about it several times," Colress agreed, as Zinzolin coughed to hide his laughter. "Didn't it involve your son?"
"That creature is not my son," Ghetsis snarled. "He was a tool, a tool with only one job...and he failed at even that. A boy and a girl defeated me then. I can not let it happen again."
The Shadow Triad took that as their cue to begin playing music, a dark melody that Colress knew from childhood but couldn't quite place. He was both amused and concerned, and he turned to Zinzolin uncertainly.
"He's not going to sing, is he?"
Zinzolin frowned, as if irritated by the question. Apparently, the answer was yes.
"I was told when I was just a boy
To let my dreams take wing
So I found a boy to call my own...
And I made him a king!"
He wasn't actually a bad singer. Who would have thought? Colress's concern faded as amusement took over, and he felt the corners of his mouth twitching upward. This was going to be good.
"But then he turned against me
Left me alone with no defense.
When I think of what those brats did
I get a little tense.
"But now I have a new dream
One to put them all to rest
And now I can't stop singing
Now I'm not so depressed."
Really, this was hilarious.
"That stupid Samurott's dying gasp...
The whole world lying in my grasp...
The big white dragon's pain-filled cry...
That's my lullaby!
"Now to put my plan in action
I need to find Kyurem.
Because there are new heroes here
And I don't want them to live."
One of the Shadow Triad decided that he was going to join in. "But what if Rosa finds a way to beat you easily?"
Ghetsis smirked, undisturbed by the interruption. "The girl may be good in battle, but she's still no match for me!
"The melody of Kyurem's growls...
The new girl dead upon the ground...
Her friend as he's about to die...
That's my lullaby!"
The music slowed down dramatically, taking the rest of Colress's willpower with it. Luckily, Ghetsis was too absorbed in his song to care about the scientist, though the younger man was visibly shaking with silent laughter.
"N is gone, but Daddy's still around!
Though to fulfill our plans
We need to find some criminals
Who are proud of being bad!"
The second, most serious Shadow rolled his eyes as the music picked back up. "Well, now we know he's crazy. Wait, why did I start to sing?"
The third Shadow was happy to join in on his brothers' insanity. "When all of Unova falls down..."
"I will rise as king!" Ghetsis finished maniacally, and Zinzolin facepalmed as the song continued.
"The pounding of the drums of war...
The sound of Kyurem's mighty roar..."
"The joy of vengeance?" Colress added happily, placing the tune at long last. He was enjoying this far too much, as Zinzolin's glare told him.
"Will be mine!" Ghetsis cackled. "I can hear the cheering..."
"He does this all the time," Zinzolin whined, not seeming to realize that he'd been sucked into it, too.
Ghetsis paid no attention.
"My takeover is nearing...
To my opponents, say goodbye!
Their screams will pierce the sky!
That's my lullaby!"
Well, all right, the last part was kind of disturbing, but no one seemed to care at the moment. Zinzolin merely shook his head and left the room in search of hot tea, leaving behind five figures in various fits of laughter: one maniacally, three somewhat evilly, and one so hard he could barely breathe.
"...and that's how I ended up selling my pants on Ebay," Burgh finished, leaving Nate and Rosa highly confused. Apparently, the boring brown pants were his 'emergency trousers.' Neither of them really knew what to make of the story, and Nate had pretty much tuned him out before he began.
"While I agree that the story was long and complicated," Rosa said, staring at the man, "only the first part of it answered my question."
"And what question was that?"
"Where you were!" Rosa wailed, leaving Burgh stunned.
"Oh. Well, your question was answered, wasn't it?"
"But why didn't you just answer the question and move on?"
"Don't question my bad decisions!" Burgh seemed a little too defensive, but he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, I believe I promised you a gym battle, didn't I?"
He led them to the battlefield, which had turned rainbow with spilled paint. He didn't seem to care much, and pulled out a ball. "Are you ready, Rosa? I choose Swadloon!"
Rosa felt herself shiver, but she knew that the sooner she got that final badge, the sooner she and Nate could go home. So, gathering her courage, she plucked a Pokeball of her own.
"All right, Greg! Let's do it!"
The Pignite, much more fearless than his trainer, stood on his side of the field. The battle began immediately.
"Use Flame Charge!" Rosa commanded, and Burgh called for Protect just in time. However, Protect rarely worked twice in a row, and another Flame Charge left Swadloon unable to battle.
Burgh apparently knew it would be a disaster, but he didn't give up. He was a Bug-type master. Surely he had something...
Rosa made a face as her next opponent was revealed to be a Dwebble. Nothing too scary, except for the huge eyes sticking straight up out of its head. She pulled her focus back to the battle. "Greg, try using Arm Thrust!"
Dwebble jumped to the side, and at its trainer's command pulled off a Smack Down. It wasn't anything too difficult, and a few attacks later, Dwebble fell, too.
"One more to go," Rosa said, looking up at Nate. Seeing the flashing red light on his camera, she took a calming breath before facing Burgh once more, hoping that he wouldn't use a Sewaddle.
He didn't, but it was close enough. "You're my last hope, Leavanny!" he called, throwing out another ball.
Rosa squeaked. She'd never seen a real Leavanny before, only pictures. A sudden cold washed over her, as if all her blood had turned to ice in her veins, and then -
"Leavanny, use String Shot!"
Greg made a frantic sound, bringing his master back to reality as he struggled to free himself from the webbing, and then came the Struggle Bug attack.
"All right," Rosa said, to herself more than her Pokémon, "we still have the double type advantage. Ember until that thing comes down!" she ordered, and a flash of fire accompanied the command.
In the audience, Toby and Riolu did a little victory dance, nearly knocking their Trainer's camera from his hand. Nate glared at them both.
"Watch it, guys," he warned. "Why don't you play with Magnemite on the other side of the field?"
But Leavanny fell at that second, earning Rosa the Insect Badge and permission to continue her journey.
"Any suggestions where we can go next?" she asked Burgh, pushing aside the weirdness of the story and everything else that was unusual about this man.
"Nimbasa City is only a desert away," he replied, thinking it over. "The Gym Leader there has a fashion show, and she wouldn't mind if you two went in my place..."
"You know Elesa?" Nate gasped, staring. "Dude, why didn't you tell us?"
Burgh gave the boy a questioning look. "Did you not pay any attention to my story at all?"
Nate grinned. "You got me."
"She was the reason I was away from my gym after the sewer incident!" Burgh said, shortening the ridiculous adventure he had given Rosa in detail.
Nate shut off his camera and put it in his bag, digging around and pulling out a magazine. "This Elesa?" he asked, shoving the magazine into Burgh's face.
Burgh pushed it away far enough so he could see, then handed it back to Nate. "The very same," he agreed.
Rosa shook her head, giving the Bug master a smile. "Don't worry, Burgh. I'll fill him in on the way."
After healing up at the Pokémon Center, the two decided to have a practice battle in the central park. Just a short thing, two on two: Mareep against Toby, Azurill against Riolu. After all, it was good to let Nate's assistants get experience.
But just as they reached the clearing, they saw a strange person. Tall, blond, with a bright blue hair whooshie and a lab coat.
"Nate," Rosa whispered, tugging on her friend's sleeve. "It's the sewer king!"