Disclaimer: ION (I own nothing) (of Hydrogen (I'm bad at chemistry (but that's not relevant (but what are you doing then (I DON'T KNOW)))))
…
Why are you guys brandishing those bricks threateningly?
Chapter 10: Curious and Curiouser
Touya stared at the wall in front of him. As far as he could tell, the wall was a collection of paintings, with a giant display of… honey? Yeah, that was definitely honey decorating the center of the wall. Something was seriously wrong with this Burgh person.
Speaking of which, where was the mysterious Gym Leader? There was nowhere else in the room he could be, and according to the schedule outside the Gym was supposed to be open right now.
"Heh, you don't know the trick, do you? No one does, when they first come here."
Touya turned around, surprised to see the guide from the Striaton Gym strolling into the Gym.
"You're the guy from Striaton City, aren't you?" he asked.
The man grinned. "The name's Clyde. Sorry I missed you back in Nacrene, I was otherwise occupied. Anyways, to get to the Gym Leader, you have to think like a Combee!" he put in helpfully.
"A Combee?" Touya said to himself, thinking of the foreign Pokémon. "Then that means… oh, no…"
"Oh, yes," Clyde grinned. Roggs chirped in confusion.
Layers upon layers of dust flew out, covering Touko from head to foot as the massive door swung open.
"Ugh, why does this have to be happening to me and not Touya?" she muttered to herself, coughing as she stepped inside the room. She took in her surroundings, noting the cramped nature of the room. It was covered in layers of dust, but otherwise appeared as though the occupants had stepped out for a moment and would be right back. The desk was strewn with papers and books, looking for all the world like a college student's workspace. A small bed was shoved up against one wall, with red and beige sheets and pillows perfectly made. What may have been a rug of a similar color scheme has long since been buried under the dust, which has collected in drifts across the floor.
Touko approached the desk, perusing the various titles. Many were ancient variants on modern studies of Lillipup and Patrat, among other common Pokémon. How dull, Touko thought to herself. I survive a trial of possible death for a bunch of dusty children's science books?
Suddenly, a new title caught her attention. Field Observations on Victini and the Victory Star Trials? Touko picked up the book and began reading.
"In the War of Unova, it is common knowledge that Reshiram and Zekrom battled with their near godlike powers, razing most of Unova to the ground, and that the mythical Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion were responsible for the saving of most of the Pokémon caught in the conflict. While no one knows what became of these Pokemon, I have discovered the hiding place of a little known hero of the time, Victini.
"Victini is sometimes referred to as the Victory Pokémon, as it has the power to turn the tides of any battle in its master's favor. It is a Fire and Psychic type, with a generally timid personality. However, it has immense strength, and defends its friends and master without hesitation.
"Not much is known about the role Victini played in the war. It is possible that it lent its power to Zekrom to help it create the world as we know it today. Another theory is that there was a third faction, lost to the passages of time, that fought with Victini as its supporting legend. They may have won the war, turning both Reshiram and Zekrom back into the respective stones, and then erased all records of their existence.
"Regardless of its role, Victini chose to retreat to the Lostlorn Forest after the war, where it presumably intended to live out its days in peace. Alas, given its powers, such a fate would be impossible.
"This is where I enter the story. I was fortunate enough to come across Victini on a stroll through the forest. While I did not recognize what is was immediately, I was smart enough to recognize its immense power, and captured it myself.
"This was a mistake.
"While it was fortunate that I had been the one to capture it, it was still an immensely powerful Pokémon, that, as I learned, was a power of an ancient age. Its power could not go unnoticed, even if it never battled. Many thieves and hunters came to steal Victini, until I realized that there was only one way to protect it: I had to hide Victini away from the world until I could find it a suitable champion to control it and look after it.
"The problem, of course, was in how to go about hiding it. There was no place in Unova that would allow it to live undisturbed. The only place that no one has visited in thousands of years is the Palace of the Kings, but that place has long since been submerged except for a lone tower rising from the depths of the lake.
"Then, the solution came to me: I had to create a new reality in which Victini could be guarded by the trials that would allow only a true champion worthy of Victini's immense power to enter. With the aid of my Pokémon, I created a pocket of reality that serves as a proving grounds for Victini's potential champion.
"This proving ground is different for each who visits it, adjusting itself to be suited for each individual the grounds, which I have named the Liberty Garden, summon forth as potential champions.
"The consequences of failure are harsh, usually resulting in madness or death. This is a tragic necessity, for should the Garden choose an unworthy champion by accident, the Garden would be in terrible danger, as would Victini.
"No, for no matter how awful it may seem, I did this for Victini's protection. Had I allowed it to stay by my side, it would have inevitable been used for evil, and the world as we know it would be lost.
"My name is Julius Giovanni. History will not remember me. I leave my mark here, that whoever reads this may know of the mark I made on the world."
Touko stared at the pages in front of her, unable to believe what she was reading for a number of reasons. Mainly, she was shocked that she had been chosen by the Liberty Garden somehow to potentially meet an unheard of legend. However, she was also filled with outrage that this man had felt self justified that he thought it was his place to seal away a free spirit without giving it a say in the matter.
A rustling to her side caught her attention, and she saw that what she had mistaken for a pillow was now rising.
N walked into the meeting room, where the sages sat awaiting his presence. They rose as he entered.
"Lord N," they said in unison.
N waved his hand. "Be seated," he said. "We have urgent matters to discuss."
The sages obeyed as N himself took a seat at the table.
"Now, the first thing I want to address is who decided to steal the dragon skull from Nacrene City. While we want to resurrect one of the legendary dragons, we need to be quiet about it, or we'll end up like Team Rocket did in the Kanto region.
The sages nodded, and N took that as his prompt to continue. "By stealing the skull, the members of Team Plasma responsible attracted large amounts of unwanted attention upon the entire organization. I do not think that the situation got so far out of hand as to tarnish our reputation beyond repair, but news of this act will spread, and people will be less open to our ideals. Therefore, I would assume that we should punish those responsible."
At this point Ghetsis interrupted. "I would recommend the culprit among us come clean now, that he may preserve his honor," the sage said icily.
Hesitantly, Gorm spoke up. "It was my fault, Lord N. I had thought that the dragon skull belonged to one of the dragons, as none of them know what they looked like. By the time I realized my error, the team I sent to steal the skull had gone too far."
N fixated his stare upon Gorm, allowing the man to squirm under his gaze. He hated to do this, hated to submit another to suffering in the slightest, but the thought of what Ghetsis might do to him otherwise was enough to get himself under control.
"It's decided, then," he said at last. "Gorm is to be sent back to the castle, where he will serve as an administrator until further notice, effective immediately."
Gorm nodded slowly. "As you wish, my lord," he said with a hint of sadness and guilt in his voice. He rose and left without saying anything else.
N watched him go, heart torn in half by the judgment he had passed upon Gorm. Collecting himself inwardly, he spoke, cool as ever. "Now, I believe that the matter at hand is that of the legendary dragons?"
Rood nodded. "We have decided, Lord N. The best course of action would be to resurrect Zekrom, the one who created Unova. People will be drawn to the name, as he triumphed over his counterpart to create the region. As for how to resurrect him, we need the Dark Stone. Alas, its location has been lost to the passages of time."
"Well, there has to be some idea where it might be. Does anyone here have any ideas on where it could be?"
There was a silence in the room. Finally, Zinzolin spoke up.
"Lord N," he began hesitantly, "there may be a chance that the Abyssal Ruins are home to the Dark Stone. It is rumored that the Light Stone was hidden at the Relic Castle, and that it was buried with sand not long after.
"I have a theory – a guess, really – that the Abyssal Ruins sank at about the same time. If that is true, it is possible that there is a connection between the two places."
"And you think this connection was the dragons?"
"It is a very remote possibility, Lord N, but it is better than nothing."
"If that is the case, what are we waiting for? Giallo, take some of the Grunts and get to Undella Town! And for the sake of Pokémon Liberation, don't draw any attention to yourselves!"
"Lord N, are you certain this is a measure you wish to take? As Zinzolin has said, there is a very slim chance that there is a connection, and this expedition could vastly reduce our resources for an extended time period," Ghetsis said, his voice bearing a slight touch of concern. N knew that the concern wasn't for him – it was for Team Plasma's precious resources. N nodded.
"This is something we need to do. I have a feeling there's a connection here. Besides, even if there's not, the Abyssal Ruins still hold vast amounts of treasure that would more than make up for any expenses. We will look into the ruins."
Ghetsis nodded, drawing his mouth into a thin line. "As you wish, milord."
Touya emerged from the wall covered from head to foot in honey. This had to be one of the worst days he had gone though in a while. Even his Pokémon had been returned to their Pokéballs to spare them the suffering of honey covered walls.
"Ugh," he grumbled. "Why couldn't this have happened to Touko?"
"What, are you not a fan of the bugs?"
The speaker was very effeminate, with curly brown hair that reached down to his shoulders and a slender body shape. His voice, while loud, was not as deep as it could have been, and could've been mistaken for a woman's voice. Touya stared for a moment before regaining his composure.
"Hey, you're Burgh, aren't you? My name is Touya and I challenge you to a battle!"
Burgh sighed, shaking his head. "Young Trainers these days, are they all barbarians? Very well then, let's have a battle!"
Castellia city was nice enough, Bianca decided, but she preferred the quieter country town she'd grown up in. She wasn't sure she could take the constant bustle here. Clerks rushed this way and that, and cars streaked down the roads at almost illegal speeds. Flashing lights attempted to outshine each other, and various vendors competed for her attention. Bianca was amazed anyone could stand this kind of life.
"Bianca!" shouted Cheren, hurrying towards her. He caught up, doubling over and gasping for breath. "How… nice… to see… you here!" he managed between gasps. He pushed himself upright, straightening his glasses. "Have you heard from Touko?"
Bianca shook her head. "She texted me with something about a ticket, but it didn't really make sense. I'm not sure what she's up to."
Cheren nodded. "Alright, then. Would you care to battle, by any chance?"
Bianca shook her head. "I'm sorry, not right now. I want to go see the sights!"
"Really? You seem to hate it here."
"Well, that doesn't mean I can't check out some of the main attractions! There's this art gallery I've been wanting to check out. I think I'll start there."
Cheren blinked, then shrugged. "Alright, then. I guess I'll come with you."
The "pillow" stood up, stretching, allowing Touko to get a good look at it. It was small and rodent like, though its large ears were in the shape of a V, nearly doubling its height. Small wings shaped like tails fluttered sleepily, and it stood, ears included, at around a foot high. It opened its bright blue eyes, and chattered in confusion, as if it didn't quite register where it was. When it saw Touko, it shouted and dove under the covers. Touko blinked in surprise, realizing that it had likely mistaken Touko for a thief. She stepped hesitantly over to the bed, tentatively sitting on the edge.
"Hey, come on out, I'm not gonna hurt you," she whispered reassuringly at the quivering lump of blankets that was Victini. A small burst of flame shot out and hit her on the hand in response. "Ow!" she exclaimed, clutching her injured hand. "You're a feisty one, huh? That's alright," she smiled, "I don't blame you. You've met some bad people in your life."
A loud thump sounded from the upper floor of the lighthouse. Touko shot up, instantly alert. Something wasn't right. Pulling out Dewott's Pokéball, she cautiously approached the massive double doors.
A/N: I'm really getting into this Victini thing. Sorry this chapter took so long, hopefully I can get the next one up quicker.