Chapter 10: The Couri-way Forward
Hello-oooo…. Can you hear me?
Solar hears these words spoken by a somewhat familiar, semi-monotone voice…
Wakey-wakey…. Time to smell the Roselia…
However, the semi-conscious kid has no intentions of smelling anything, except perhaps whatever soft stuff was under him that crunched ever so slightly whenever he breathed. How Sl(ak)othful.
Hmm… I wonder if face-slapping is really as effective as she says… Hey, Primether! Could you lend me your wing for a sec?
Not wanting to get face slapped into oblivion, the boy finally gets the hint and immediately jolts himself awake, whipping his body up to an alert sitting position. Scared out of his still-somewhat dazed mind, he frantically scans his surroundings for the source of the sobering statements.
"Yo." When Solar focuses his gaze, he sees a certain sweet-toothed Kalosian hero sitting Froakie-style on a nearby rock, wearing an ever-so-slight smug smile. "I didn't know they even made Victini-print boxers. Nice butt wings, man. Heh heh."
"…Hunh? Whaddya mean?"
Look at the squatting guy…
Fwip!
…Now back at you.
Fwip!
…Now look at the squatting guy, smiling with amusement…
Fwip!
…Now back at the underwear you're wearing, smiling with two little fangs.
"…HUNH?! Where the heck are my PANTS?!"
There we go.
Luckily for our flustered protagonist (and those of you out there with very vivid imaginations), the lost leg wear is far from far away. From behind his back, the disheveled detective produces the article in his trademark awkward two-fingered grip. "Catch!" In a swift sweeping swipe, Calem tosses the pants and scores a perfect Tauros-eye on its owner's face.
Splat!
…Wait a second. "Splat!"?
"Sorry that it's a bit soggy from Yvel-drool; apparently Primether finds you quite tasty."
"Oh, it's fine, I'll just wait for it to dry out a bi- WAIT, WHAT?!" Right behind Solar, the aforementioned avian draws his attention by cooing endearingly. …Well, as endearing as a bird of destruction can get, at least. "H-he does?! Th-that's… good… Uh… H-hi there, Mr. Bacon Wings! N-nice to meet ya! …I would very much appreciate if you didn't have me for dinner tonight! …Uh… And by that, I mean… Pleasedon'teatmeI'mtooyoungtogetchompedon!"
It's at this point that the saliva-soaked pants slip from Solar's face and land in the leaves below. It's also at this point where Calem completely slips from his semi-stoic façade and almost from the rock upon which he's perched. "AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA! Relax, man! I kid! I kid! …Mostly. My point is that good ol' Primether here isn't going to eat you!"
"…R-really?"
"Of course! And it's not just because he ate a boatload of PokePuffs right before you woke up. I mean, sure, his power's draining the life out of things, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad guy! I mean, after all, he did help stop Lysandre from carrying out his plan."
"Well, of course! The guy was a maniac who wanted his gang of orange-suited freaks to inherit the Earth! Who wouldn't want to?! "
"…OK, so the guy wasn't exactly the most mentally stable crime boss to ever live. But nevertheless, my bacon-winged buddy here isn't some malicious destroyer of worlds; this whole oblivion business is just his job, that's all. Tell me, Solar, have you ever seen the Pyroar King?"
"Only a million times! I even went to that live version of it with the costumes! Where do you think I got this awesome T-shirt of mine?"
"Huh. I always thought it was just a run-of-the-mill store-bought thing. …But in any case, it's like that, only without all the monarchial conspiracies. Basically, it's the circle of life. Xerneas has the power to bestow life, Yveltal has the power to absorb it. Without them both, everything would be out of balance. The world would either become an overcrowded mess or a barren wasteland."
Once again, the orange-capped kid finds himself somewhat dumbfounded by the words of a Kalosian hero. "Hmm…. I guess you have a point, but still… Wouldn't living forever be a good thing? …N-not that I hate giant birds or anything!"
"Relax, I get what you're saying. And I'll admit! That's not the easiest question to answer. …However, there is one thing I can say. I've seen the results with my own eyes, and immortality isn't quite all that its cracked up to be." A momentary pang of contemplation passes over the disheveled detective, but it dissipates as soon as he rises to feet. "But that's enough philosophy talk for now, we still need to get that leg of yours fixed. We can't have you limping all across the region, now can we!" He gestures Solar to climb aboard his affectionately-named "bacon-winged buddy." Primether, as soon as the pair of trainers have gotten a firm grip on its gray fur tuft (and Solar got his pants back on), forcefully flaps its arm-like appendages and promptly resumes following the rest of the chilling course to the rendezvous point in Snowbelle City.
"…Hey Solar, just between us, you gotta tell me… What's with the Victini shorts? No offense, but, to be completely honest, they're kinda silly-looking…"
"…Th-they're just comfy and easy to wear, OK!"
"Heh heh, whatever you say… Butt Wings."
Several minutes, Chansey Heal Pulses, and cups of sugar-saturated beverages later, the Pyroar-shirted teen is soon back to his (annoyingly) upbeat and energetic self. But instead of pestering the nearest trainer with a working set of ears, he decides to put his newfound hyperactivity to use in a sparring match against his Infernape. And quite surprisingly, the sugar-fueled Solar is actually holding his own against his punching primate partner. (…I get the feeling that the monkey might be holding back just a bit, but then again, what do I know? I'm just a humble narrator.)
Another half-hour passes by without the hard-at-work healers' return. Not wanting to be left out, the dark-haired nicknamer decides to get in on the acrobatic action, filling the Pokemon Center with pugilistic grunts, eager spectators, and some very exasperated hospital staff.
"You're goin' down, Looker!"
Solar used Mega Punch!
"Haah! Think again!"
Calem used Counter!
"(Assorted monkey noises)"
Infernape used… I don't even know anymore.
A flurry of fists, feet, and flames soon moves back and forth throughout the Center's lobby, narrowly avoiding various potted plants and the occasional bystander. Given all the chaos, it's really a wonder that nothing's been broken ye-
CRASH!
Meanwhile…
As the suns starts to sink under the horizon, a very exhausted N and Serena crunch their way from leaves to snow after a long afternoon spent healing the residents of Pokemon Village. Even sans misanthropic Mewtwo raining down its wrath, it was still quite a daunting task to undertake. Heading down the last stretch to the appointed meeting place, the duo can't help but vocalize their thoughts on the earlier events.
"I just can't believe it… Who would do something like this?"
"I don't have a clue, N. I'm finding hard to think of something even capable of causing such levels of devastation… Nothing short of the power of a legend could've done it…"
"…The power of a legend, you say…" The green-haired trainer turns his gaze downward at the snowy ground underfoot. "Now that you mention it, I think I may know who might responsible… But it just doesn't make sense…"
"What do you mean that exactly?"
"…Mewtwo said that a child with a white dragon was behind the destruction. …I know someone who matches up to that description perfectly; someone who would have more than enough firepower to carry out the deed. …But I just simply can't believe that… that…"
"-They'd actually do something so atrocious?"
"Exactly, Serena."
The pair now finds themselves right at the doorway to the rendezvous point.
"Well, N, for what its worth, it could very well not be this person. Keep in mind, we don't exactly have a wealth of information to go on, just a vague profile. How about we run this by Calem before we jump to any conclusions?"
"…Sounds good to me."
On that note, they step forward toward the cylindrical red metal doors of the Pokemon Center…
CRASH!
…And are greeted by a face full of flying Solar.
WHUMP!
Well, at least N is anyway.
"Heh heh… Whoops. Guess I got a bit carried away there. Sorry about that, Butt Wings!" The disheveled detective rubs the back of head, face plastered with a sheepish grin.
"Butt Wings?" Upon hearing her fellow hero's words, the monochromatic girl can't help but raise an amused eyebrow.
In a rare reversal of roles, it's now Solar's turn for exasperated sighs. "Please. Don't ask."
"Unnngh… Could you please… get off me…" And as for the green-haired trainer, he gets passed the role of designated crash victim. Oh, his poor, ponytailed head…
…
"Well… first the Shadow Triad, and now a mystery dragon trainer. This certainly is quite the mess we've got on our hands." As he speaks, Calem starts to stack a rather tall tower consisting of Solar's spent creamer containers atop the table the group is seated at. "This dragon… While causing a fiery blaze of destruction is certainly nothing exclusive to any single species, the large radial blast zone it left leaves me puzzled… It's far from ordinary."
"So… do you have any idea on what this white dragon could be?" The rising anticipatory dread inside N just builds further awaiting the answer.
"As a matter of fact, I do. My hunch is that the Pokemon responsible… is the embodiment of truth: Reshiram."
"…I was afraid you'd say that…"
"Now, before you say anything, there's only a 5% chance that this is the case. But as I said before, we must investigate this possibility to its conclusion before we can dismiss it."
With the green-haired trainer lost in a sea of tumultuous emotions, the blond-haired Bijoux poses the next inquiry. "So how exactly will we be going about this?"
"Like so." The disheveled detective precariously balances the last empty plastic cup at the apex of his tower, then pulls a small device from the pocket of his wrinkled jeans. He inputs a few button presses and soon a cyan-colored holographic image appears of a young girl with a dark twin-tailed hairstyle.
"Oh! Hey there, Looker! Just finished my patrol a little while ago! What's up?"
"Emma, I'll need you to gather together every file pertaining to the Unova region. Search up any information we have on the dragon Pokemon, Reshiram."
"It will take a while, but I'll get right on it! How about I get back to you first thing tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, that would be perfect, thank you. I wish you luck. Looker out!" Calem replaces the machine back into his pocket and resumes speaking. "My assistant Emma will be in charge of the research. Being a part of the International Police, our little agency has quite the expansive print database, so something useful is bound to turn up. As for our part, we'll continue investigating the region on foot. The Shadow Triad is still at large, in addition to this unknown trainer, so we can't afford to leave any stone unturned."
"So, Looker, what's the plan?"
"Good question, Butt Wings." The semi-stoic agent takes a glance at the setting sun through the Center's translucent glass walls. "It's been quite a long day for all us. For now, we'll fly on over to Couriway Town and get some rest. We'll resume our search tomorrow at dawn."
"Sounds good to me!" Solar lets out a far-from-subtle yawn, most likely due to yet another impending sugar crash. "…But can you please come up with a different code name for me?!"
"Nonsense! I think it suits you perfectly, Butt Wings!"
And so, the quartet of trainers exit Snowbelle City's Pokemon Center and once more fly Primether Air to their next destination.
"OK, passengers! This is your captain speaking! We're preparing to land in Couriway Town! It's at this time that I ask everyone to remain seated and… HANG ON TO YOUR HATS!"
As the crimson-claw wing glides down at high speeds for a thrilling landing, Solar takes Captain Calem's advice a bit too literally and completely removes his grip on its gray fur tuft.
"THIS IS AWESOOOO- WAAAAAAH!"
SPLOOSH!
His butt wings do nothing to prevent his descent.
When the group disembarks somewhat shaken, they turn around to see the poor orange-capped boy trashing around at the base of the town's world-renowned waterfalls, screaming.
"Waagh! (Blub blub…) Someone! (Splash!)Help me! I can't swiiiiim!"
With much sangfroid, Primether's pilot has only one thing to say. "Don't worry, I got this.