The Longest Journey
Gem Archipelago
Chapter 10: Io of Sapphire
The Gym of Sapphire Island was bigger than the previous Gyms, if you didn't count the Amethyst Gym, since that one went underground. Sapphire's Gym was two floors high, and the first floor was adorned with dozens of bookshelves on each wall, granite desks stood in lines to the side, and a blackboard at the back, with several crayons of different colors resting in the tray, the eraser lying next to them. However, there was no clear way to get up, or down.
"…Well, it's obvious that this place used to be a school," Hiiro murmured.
"Guess so…not like I'd know really," the girl muttered, looking a bit to the side as she blinked to the blackboard looking it over "Hey, another gym clue…"
"Hm?" Following after, Hiiro looked at the blackboard as well. "Okay, what's the gimmick here?"
"Find that which I loved when I was little
Find that which was favored of me as an adult
Find that which I must face at the end
Follow my footsteps from past to present to future
Where all three connect
I shall be waiting for a guide across
So that I may find peace"
"Eash more riddles…" Ketlin growled out, before turning to Hiiro a bit expectantly. "Well that's your cue to start being solving, Hiiry."
"…" However, Hiiro merely looked at the blackboard in confusion, before he scratched the back of his head. "The heck? This isn't a puzzle… this is a riddle…"
"…Yeah…a riddle for the puzzle…what's the deal?"
"…I suck at riddles," Hiiro admitted with a sigh.
Looking at him blankly, the girl muttered out "You have got to be kidding me…"
"I'm not… sorry…" Sighing once more, Hiiro walked over and dropped down on one of the chairs behind the desks. "Ugh… this sucks…"
"Ugh…hm…wait some of this sounds familiar…Ugh can't remember," the girl growled, before looking around some more. "Gotta be some hint…"
Hiiro watched Ketlin for a moment, before spinning around to sit behind the desk properly… and blinked when he saw the desk up close.
"What the?" he murmured, running his hand over the carvings on the granite desk. "Ketlin, these desks have Pokémon engraved in them."
"Hm?" Blinking to that, the girl walked over, leaning over Hiiro's shoulder to glance to the carvings along the desks. "Pokémon…?"
Like Hiiro had said, the entire desk was engraved with over dozens of Pokémon, though not entirely lifelike. They looked more like the ones you'd see in old ruins of ancient legendary Pokémon.
"I think these desks have something to do with the riddle…" Hiiro murmured as he stood up. "Are all the desks the same?"
Nodding a bit, Ketlin walked about to glance between the desks curiously, a hand rubbing along the surfaces as she moved. "Think you're right Hiiry, the designs are way too old like for new day kids to use. I only know it cause of papa's jack'mac'ing."
"I wonder where he got these from…" Hiiro murmured absently, studying the desks one by one. "…Yeah, they're all different. So we have to choose the right one… question now is how do we figure out which one is right?"
"Footprints."
"Huh?"
Looking back to Hiiro after checking a desk, the girl nodded. "The riddle said 'follow my footsteps from past to present to future' right? Well that probably means three desks got marks that match each other or something. One with a baby Pokémon, then it grown up, then it at the end of its life."
"Yeah, but we also need to find something that it 'loved as a child', " Hiiro added.
"Yeah yeah and favored…hm well since it's Pokémon," the girl muttered as she rubbed her chin in thought. "It's probably a Pokémon types that like things, you know like how um, Cubone are so attached to their skull masks?"
"Isn't that because the skulls are of their deceased mother?"
"Sue me it's the best one I could think off the top of my head…"
Hiiro allowed a small smile, before moving around the desks again.
"Well what other Pokémon like things, um…Qui…quor…what were those big squishy blue ones that liked round stuff?"
"Quagsire? …Yeah, they do like to collect round stuff… but Quagsire are technically already adults, aren't they?"
"Again sue me papas the jack mac not me," Ketlin frowned, looking between desks with a sigh. "Nothing here…"
Hiiro moved to the last desk of the row he was on, and studied the engravings… and smiled. "I got it!"
"Finally," the girl sighed out in relief, heading over to look. "So who is it?"
"This little one," Hiiro said, pointing to the top of the desk.
The Pokémon he was pointing out looked much like a cat with a coin on its forehead, and it was pawing at what could be ground, but upon close inspection, it was sitting on a pile of coins.
"Meowth? Doh I should have known that one," the girl grumbled out, rubbing her temples a bit as she looked to the ceiling of the school/gym. "They love coins, then when they evolve they usually have payday, so they make coins as Persian, then…Oh, that…"
"The gems."
"Hm?"
"The gem on a Persian's forehead is a favored conversation point amongst the more wealthy. Some say that the size of the gem determines the amount of money that they can give."
"Eash sure Meowy loves hearing that…" Ketlin grumbled, before rubbing her neck. "Kay so we know who we're talken about then, now what?"
"If I'm not mistaking… Ketlin, gimme a hand. This is granite, so it's probably a little heavy," Hiiro said as he moved to one side of the desk and placed his hands below the top.
Blinking a bit, the mixed haired girl gave a nod, helping Hiiro out as she followed his lead "Alright but I'm not that strong really."
"Same here. That's why I suggested doing this together. Heave… HO!"
With that, the duo pulled upward on the desk, causing the top to open up with a loud groaning sound as the stone slab was removed.
"…Holy…" Hiiro murmured, staring in awe at the horde of coins gleaming up at them.
"…this student is getting a spanking by their parents for bullying everyone's lunch money away later," The girl giggled out, swiping up a few coins to flick about in her hand. "Jokes aside, guess that means right about now we should start hearing…"
"Hey… there's a paper here," Hiiro murmured, pulling out a piece of paper hidden beneath the coins. "'Bring my fare with you so that I am allowed to pass, and I will see you above'," he read aloud.
"Oh right, 'future' the girl sighed, tossing the coins in the air before swiping them in mid spin as she grinned out "Time to start heading up then."
No sooner had she said that, or one of the bookcases groaned and swung aside slowly, revealing a staircase behind it.
"…That works."
Not giving him a chance to really get up, Ketlin snagged onto Hiiro's wrist, tugging the boy along with a fiery grin. "Go time!"
"Ah!"
The room above them was also decorated as a school… but as one that had been abandoned long ago. The books were aged and the pages were yellow and withering. The desks had almost crumbled entirely, leaving only the chairs that had been scattered around. The blackboard was almost entire broken apart, and the crayons had been crushed into powder on the ground.
And laying in the back of the room was a gorgeous white-furred feline with a sparkling red gem on its forehead, resting peacefully.
"…Expected more like a tribute statue or something not someone still on our side" Ketlin blinked out a bit, giving a glance around the discrepancy of the room. "What a mess…"
"Well, that's one way…" Hiiro murmured, before slowly walking over to the Persian.
The large feline's ears twitched, and slowly, its eyes opened and it raised its head to meet Hiiro. The boy could already tell that this Persian had to be pretty old, because its fur was originally a light yellow in color rather than white. The cat watched him for a few moments, before giving a yawn and climbing to its feet, stretching its body a little before meeting Hiiro halfway.
"Mreoowww…" it purred as the boy reached out carefully to pet it.
Giggling a little, Ketlin reached out scratching along the base of the Persian's ears. "Hehe hey, sorry to wake you up. Um, Hiiry you better go with em first, I got to …erm, find a bathroom!"
"If you say so…" Hiiro chuckled with a smile, holding out his hand. "Can I have the 'fare', then?"
"Right right" Ketlin nodded, tossing a few coins up to land into the boy's palm as she began to walk back to the stairs. "Just don't get whoomped"
Hiiro laughed softly, before turning to the Persian who was watching her go quietly. "She'll be back soon," Hiiro whispered, making the cat look up. "She just doesn't want me to see her change into her 'battle attire'."
The Persian seemed to think, before meowing once and beginning to walk to the other side of the room. It wasn't until Hiiro walked after it that he realized that half of the bookcase had gone, revealing a hidden entrance behind it. He had to duck to get under it to follow the Persian… only to gasp in surprise.
Waiting behind the bookcase was the statue of someone dressed in robes, carrying a massive scythe over one shoulder and one bony hand held out as though expecting something to be given to him.
"Oh geez… it's just a statue but… that scared me for a moment…" Hiiro breathed out, patting his chest briefly before walking forward to the statue of Death. Reaching out, the boy carefully placed the coins Ketlin had given him in the bony hand.
The moment he let them go, the hand clenched on the coins, causing Hiiro to jump back in surprise, before a door opened to the side, revealing a lift.
"Only one…?" Hiiro wondered, walking after the Persian as it stepped inside. "…She better hurry up or she'll be left behind…"
For a moment Hiiro didn't hear or see anything, before an obviously irritated voice growled out "Damn it!" Growling still as she walked to view, Ketlin came up along the lift, almost fully set as 'Kamen Trainer', save her headwear and gloves as she hopped on. Looking away as she began to pull the last of her costume on she growled "…when did Papa tell you…"
"He didn't have to," Hiiro said simply. "I already figured it out before he said anything."
"Gah, how?"
"Ketlin, if you want me to not figure out who you are, use Pokémon I haven't seen of you yet," Hiiro said as the lift shook for a moment, before beginning a steady descent. "I'd seen both Golett and Cacnea from you already. Hell, I saw you catch the latter. That, and there aren't that many Trainers who get hurt when their Pokémon get hit during fights."
"Their names are Toku and Thorn," the girl growled out flatly, muttering out about how the last part was a bit out of her control as she slipped her mask on. "Sides all I had left was Natsu and Deva, I promised myself not to use my other Pokémon till after my eight badge."
"I see…" Hiiro murmured, rubbing his head briefly. "Urgh…what… what's with the air here…?"
Just as he said that, the lift stopped. The Persian didn't bother and just walked out, giving a small call for the duo to follow.
Taking a breath, the girl sighed out, growling a bit before following as she 'got into character' as she looked ahead "Go time…"
"Right."
The arena that they would be fighting in was relatively simple, but there were several sticks of incense lit up around the room, which might explain the shift in the air that Hiiro had noticed. Other than that, the battlefield had no real discerning features that could be seen right off the bat.
Sapphire's Gym Leader was sitting on the opposite end of the room with his legs folded and his hands placed together, his eyes shut in silent meditation.
Ketlin, or rather, Kamen Trainer, crossed her arms a bit as she looked to the gym leader, before reaching out and giving Hiiro's shoulder a small push forward. "Sapphire Gym Leader, we are here to challenge you. So you better not be napping."
Io did not respond to the call, even as the Persian walked over to settle beside him. But when the Pokémon mewled briefly, he opened his eyes and looked to the cat. Reaching out, he lightly rubbed the cat's head.
"…There is no need to raise your voice," he said calmly, standing up slowly and walking forward to stand in the square meant for the Gym Leader. "Well then… I assume you both wish to take the Challenge?" he asked, his calm demeanor not leaving him at all.
"No, the boy is going to be your first challenger. I just don't like waiting for elevators."
"Well, if the rules allow us to both go…" Hiiro called out. "Would that be possible?"
"Yes… in the event of two Trainers coming at the same time, I prefer to use an adjusted set of rules," Io said simply.
Frowning a little, the masked girl shrugged with a slight sigh, rearing her body a bit ready to kick out her leg to release the Pokéballs attached to her boots. "Alright for me then."
"Okay… so… what are the rules?" Hiiro asked calmly.
"The rules are simply; you must defeat my entire team with half of your own in Single Battles. You can decide amongst yourself who goes first. Once one of my Pokémon is defeated, you are to switch with your friend. This does not count as a knockout, so you are free to use the same Pokémon for 2 or 3 rounds if they can handle it."
"That sounds simple enough…" Hiiro murmured, before turning to Kamen Trainer. "Well, as they say, 'ladies first', right?"
Giving Hiiro a look, a bit tricky with the tinted eyes of her mask, the girl nodded before giving out a roundhouse kick, sending a Pokéball flying.
As the Pokéball erupted in red light, the Pokémon materialized slamming its four paws down hard on the ground, giving a cry as its silver fur flared out as it looked to the Gym Leader and the Persian with a confident radiating off of it. "ABSOL!"
"Kamiyu and me are ready, Sapphire Leader."
"If you say so," Io said simply as the Persian almost casually walked out into the field, pausing briefly to stretch with a small yawn.
Kamiyu eyed the Persian as it came up to the fighting area, watching the older Normal type for a few moments, before giving a broad grin as his trainer did the same. "Absol…"
The large feline didn't even respond to the Dark-type's grin and merely started to wash its face, as though not at all interested in the concept of battle.
"Well then… let's begin," Io said simply.
Flexing his claws for a moment, the Dark type crouched low, before speeding for the Normal type, claws swiping for Persian's forehead quickly. However, Persian merely cocked its head back, missing the claws by a hair. But before the Dark-type could back up, it lashed out with one claw in a vicious swipe.
"AB!" Kamiyu called out as the Slash attack hit into his shoulder, knocking the Dark type off balance for a moment, but the prior grin seem to broaden even more as its claws darkened.
"Payback."
Hearing the voiced command, the Absol's claw zipped up again for Persians side, the Dark type energy flowing from the senses of his wounded shoulder fueling his claws' power. The cat yowled as the attack ripped through its side, before it turned to Absol again. However, despite the injury, rather than getting angry, the cat retained its calm composure.
"Bite."
Persian was upon Kamiyu in an instant, its teeth closing in on the Dark type's back while its claws dug into his sides to prevent him from going anywhere.
The masked trainer hissed out, managing to avoid outright crying out from the sudden jolt through her back and sides as her Pokémon let its own pained cry shout out for the both of them. Rubbing her neck, the masked girl hissed out "Quick Attack!"
Growling, the Dark type leaned down, before kicking off, letting Persian's grip stay strong by pulling the Normal type's weight onto his one shoulder before speed rushing the both of them into a wall.
Persian yowled when it smashed into the wall, causing it to instinctively let go of the Dark type. However, it stood up slowly and shook its head to get rid of the stars in its head.
"Wow… that Persian has a lot of stamina…"
"Also knows…" the girl began, shaking her head clear as her Pokémon leapt back to get some decent distance between himself and the Gym Leader's Persian "how to take the edge off the most of the attack from all its years."
"I noticed… strange though… most Pokémon would start getting angry at some point," Hiiro murmured in thought. "Do you think this one is staying so calm because of its age?"
"A possibility." The girl nodded, taking a ready posture as her Absol got ready for the next attack. "This Persian might also have a rare ability for its breed…"
"May-uh-oh…"
The thing that had Hiiro worried was the energy that had begun to gather at the gem on the Persian's forehead, which was beginning to shine a bright white color, even as the Persian briefly washed its face. It was a type of energy that many experienced Trainers would probably recognize.
Seeing that, the girl grinned out, as did her Absol as it began to snap its neck. "Yeah Kamiyu, this is just the type of first battle for us. Let's go!"
Without any signs of worry, the Absol whipped its head around to give a battle cry, rushing in as the Persian began the last bits of its charge for attack. "AABSOOOL!"
But the second Kamiyu got in range, Persian looked up almost lazily and dug its claws into the ground, a piercing white beam erupting from the gem on its forehead at point blank range.
"SOL!"
"Nrgh!"
"Oh geez…"
Gritting his teeth, the Dark type managed to lower his body down, sinking his claws into the ground as he ended up being blasted to make a deep trench along the arena before the beam finally ended, letting the Dark type wobble in place weakly. "A…aabsol…"
Persian wasn't any better, though; the burst of energy had left the cat standing on wobbly legs, panting for breath.
Panting as much as her Pokémon, Kamen Trainer squinted a bit through her mask watching the Persian quietly, before grinning as though spotting something, her Pokémon's grin returning as well. "Gotcha…" was all she said, just as an invisible like blast carved into the normal type from above creating an 'X' formation with it at the center into the ground
"Huh!"
Persian howled out in pain at the attack, before it collapsed to the ground and stirred no more.
Smiling, the masked trainer steadied herself again, pointing her finger upwards with a grin, watching as Hiiro spotted several claw like marks along the ceiling, freshly made only moments ago "Hyper Beam…is a two part attack. The energy gathers, then gets released. After it's released, the Pokémon's weak. Most try hitting them before they release it…but." She grinned out near as ferally as her Absol, who snapped his neck a bit, though the action obviously pained him. "If you use a delayed attack, like say, Razor Wind during the charging time as a distraction, you nail them when they're at their vulnerable moment"
"Wow…" Hiiro breathed out.
Io barely seemed bothered about the loss and merely applauded briefly. "Very good. That was a very good strategy," he complimented with a smile.
"Heh…" The girl grinned, rubbing her nose a bit as Kamiyu limped a bit to the Persian, managing to help tug the Normal type out of the battle area to the sideline where The dark type rested beside it. "Wish I could take credit, but I learned it from someone else"
"Perhaps, but a good strategy remains a good strategy, correct?" Io asked simply, before turning to Persian. "How long are you going to stay like that?"
In response to that, the Persian lazily opened one eye and gave a small smile, before it effortlessly rose to its feet and stretched out with a big yawn, and walked over to the Gym Leader without any signs of pain.
"Huh? H-how did…?" Hiiro choked out in surprise.
"Yeah, figured it would have been ready for it," the girl sighed out, looking to the Absol as it watched the Normal type for a moment before shutting his eyes. "When its legs were wobbly, it was letting its own weakness be a defense strength to soften any possible counter attack so it wouldn't be too far hurt…Io, tell me. Your Persian, it has Unnerve, am I right?"
"Unnerve?"
"It's a rare ability, normally only one breed of Pokémon has it in the entire world, but some Pokémon can rarely gain abilities not normally found in their breeds…"
Io merely allowed a smile. "You ask a good question, but I'm afraid that the answer is 'no'."
Persian settled beside the Gym Leader and yawned once more before curling up on the floor.
"Hm oh well." She shrugged, going off to the side with her Pokémon to sit and rest for the moment after giving Hiiro's shoulder a strong pat. "Try not to lose, challenger."
Hiiro blinked, before he rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll do my best," he said, reaching up and twisting his cap around. "Alright, let's go then."
"As you wish," Io said simply, whistling softly. And in an instant, his Pidgeot descended from the rafters above, settling down on the ground and folding up its wings, tossing its head a few times as though to get its feathers in order.
"Pidgeot… that's a pretty fast Pokémon… so I'll have to counter with one of my own!" Hiiro murmured, reaching for one of his Pokéballs and tossing it forward.
As the energy coming from the Pokéball materialized, it revealed a Pokémon that looked much like a horse, only instead of hair, its mane and tail consisted of flames that seemed to dance in the air. The Pokémon tossed its own head a bit, then reared back on its hind legs and let out a whinny, kicking its front legs before dropping back down; a Ponyta.
Blinking a little, the girl turned from the sidelines looking to Hiiro curiously. "Ponyta are around these parts huh?"
"Interesting choice…" Io murmured, even as Pidgeot took a moment to preen its wings. "Very well. Begin."
While Pidgeot did not make a move to attack, Hiiro knew that the bird had to be much faster than Ponyta. However, that didn't mean he was giving up right off the bat. "Quick Attack!"
In an instant, Ponyta kicked off and rushed at the Pidgeot with a loud whinny. Naturally, the Pidgeot took to the air to avoid the attack, but Ponyta spun around and kicked off again, though this time in a jump.
Pidgeot couldn't avoid the attack entirely and squawked in surprise when the hit to its back sent it for a somersault in midair.
"Now that's how to quick attack something out of range," The girl grinned out, crossing her arms a bit as her Absol gave a slightly annoyed sigh at the slight shout its ear just got.
"Right! Ember, now!" Hiiro called out.
Ponyta immediately inhaled before launching a ball of fire right at Pidgeot, missing it by a feather. Rather than leave it at that though, the horse continued to spit out multiple balls of fire at Pidgeot, of which most of them missed the Flying type, if only barely.
Hiiro frowned a little as he saw the balls of fire just barely touch the Pidgeot's tailfeathers. 'Ponyta's aiming for the spot where it is at the moment he fires… but by the time it reaches it, it's already moved away. In that case…'
"Ponyta! A little more to the side! Anticipate where your opponent will be and fire at that spot!"
Frowning at those words, Ponyta tilted his head briefly and fired another Ember attack - and this time it collided with Pidgeot's chest, making the Flying type caw in pain/surprise.
"Aerial Ace."
Before Ponyta could react to those words, Pidgeot shot forward and slammed beakfirst into his side, causing him to let out a pained neigh as he was knocked backwards.
"Ugh if only he knew Extreme.." Kamen Trainer sighed out, before turning to the boy with a frown. 'Hiiry's Pokémon is a little inexperienced for this kind of area disadvantaged fight..'
"Don't let that knock you down, Ponyta!" Hiiro called out. "Get up! C'mon!"
Ponyta whinnied as it climbed back up to stand on slightly wobbly legs, glaring the Pidgeot down angrily. Pidgeot merely watched Ponyta for a moment longer, before rushing right back for him.
"Tail Whip!" Hiiro cried out just as Pidgeot was in range.
Ponyta spun to the side quickly, and though he couldn't avoid the hit entirely, the spin did cause his tail to slam into Pidgeot, knocking the bird off course with a squawk.
"Whirlwind."
With a caw, the Pidgeot put some distance between it and Ponyta and began to beat its wings furiously even as Ponyta climbed back to his hooves from the previous assault. However, the sudden blast of wind nearly sent the horse flying up if he hadn't lowered his body to the ground again.
'This is familiar… only this time I can't have Ponyta leap into the air… If I did, there's a large chance he'd break a leg when coming down…'
"Challenger!" the masked girl hissed out to Hiiro, nodding to the Pidgeot's attack. "If you can't use your Pokémon's strength to win a battle or find a weakness in your opponent.."
Before Hiiro could say anything in response to that, though, Ponyta raised his head and took a long breath. "Wait… Ponyta what are you-"
The Fire type didn't allow his Trainer to finish that sentence and let out a sharp neigh as a burst of flames rushed from his mouth. The whirlwind he was still trapped in swallowed up the flames and fueled them until the entire whirlwind was made out of nothing but fire.
Pidgeot gave a squawk of surprise, just before the blazing Fire Spin attack slammed right into it, sending it flying backwards with a cry of pain, before crashing down onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"…w-whoa…" Hiiro breathed out. 'Since when could he use Fire Spin? He surely couldn't use it when I caught him, I know that much… Did he… did he figure out how to do it just now?'
Kamen Trainer smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned back relaxing a bit more as she muttered in a low voice "Well, meant to get that to Hiiry, but seems his Ponyta got it faster than him, hehe."
Io allowed a small smile as he once again applauded. "Very nice. Seems you acquired a trustworthy companion, didn't you?"
Hiiro blinked, before he smiled a bit. "That's one way to put it, I guess," he said as Ponyta walked over slowly, neighing a bit and nudging the boy's arm, earning himself a stroke on the neck.
Getting back to her feet with a sigh as she stretched her joints, Kamen Trainer made her way back beside Hiiro, giving the Ponyta's neck a rub before turning to Io. "That makes it my turn now then, doesn't it Sapphire leader?"
"So it is," Io said simply as Pidgeot climbed back to its talons, shaking his body briefly before flying back up to the rafters from whence it had come. As he watched that, Hiiro frowned a little.
'No Pokéballs for any of his Pokémon… Could… could the rumors be true after all?'
Taking her stance, the masked girl lashed out with another roundhouse kick, sending her next Pokéball flying to release her next Pokémon. In a flash of light shoot out, it began to meld an form solid again, taking shape of the small, round bodied Corsola from her earlier side trip. "Your turn, Leader."
"As you wish," Io said, and clapped his hands once.
A little later, a single Pokémon walked over from the back; a green bird of some kind holding its white wings in front of its body and bearing a slight resemblance to an Indian totem pole; a Xatu.
Looking to the Pokémon briefly, the masked girl chuckled, looking to Io calmly. "It's been a while since I've seen a head battler who has wild Pokémon friends who battle with them in official Matches, Sapphire Leader."
"Wild Pokémon?" Io asked, before he chuckled. "These Pokémon are hardly 'wild'. They have been at my side for over 30 years already."
'30 years...' Hiiro frowned in thought.
"At your side, but, have you ever used a Pokéball on them?"
"Yes, I merely choose not to restrain them within the Gym," Io said simply as Xatu walked over into the field.
"Heh, shame. It would have added to your points.." The girl chuckled with a shrug, slowly shaking her head to brush the matter aside. "Age before youth"
"If you wish," Io said simply. And in response to that, Xatu's eyes narrowed briefly, then snapped wide open again... and that was it.
'Great shouldn't have given that sort of opening my biting my back now..' Hissing, the girl quickly called out "Give em a hard tackle!"
"Cor!" The pink coral Pokémon called out, rushing ahead towards Xatu as its body began to give an almost metallic shine. Xatu took the attack dead center and rocked backwards on its feet without moving - then rocked back forward and sent Corsola away from it.
"Xatu spend most of their time standing motionless," Hiiro murmured.
"Cor!" the Water type cried out, shaking her head blinking a bit in surprise. "Sola?"
"You did fine that's normal, now Bubble!"
Nodding, the Water type took a breath, before breathing out as it gathered water about her lips, sending a batch of bright colored bubbles flying for the psychic bird.
Once again, Xatu remained completely motionless as the bubbles burst apart against it, only occasionally rocking on its feet but never much.
"...It really isn't moving, is it?"
"Cooor.."
Sighing, the masked Trainer looked around, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Yeah I know this Pokémon probably drove a lot of Trainers nuts, Tackle again, this time get clear after you collide."
Corsola gave another nod and rushed ahead, smacking for Xatu before hopping away just avoiding the teetering Pokémon returning to its talon. "Sola!"
The moment Corsola leapt back though, a blast of Psychic energy slammed into her, the Future Sight attack finally solidified enough to do damage.
"Gah!"
"COOR!" The Water type cried out, hitting into the ground face first rather roughly, visibly shaken up quite a bit from the impact. "C-corsola..."
And despite all that, Xatu refused to budge an inch.
"This is going to take forever at this rate..." Hiiro murmured.
Rubbing her head, the masked girl began to snarl before hollering out "ROCK'EM!"
The shout clearing up the Corsola's senses again, caused her to hop back up before smacking her head low to the ground, shattering parts of its horns which were sent flying for the Xatu
"Double Team."
In an instant, Xatu had duplicated itself so many times that it had Corsola entirely surrounded, though the copies that were hit by the Rock Blast quickly dissipated.
"Cor!"
"Grrrah ..settle down girl.." The masked trainer frowned out, crossing arms and shutting her eyes "Hmm." Blinking, the girl smirked out a bit "Bubble! LOTS of it!"
Blinking a little herself, Corsola looked to her Trainer, before nodding and starting to turn on the spot, sending bubbles flying this way and that way, steadily covering the entire area in a steady stream of foam.
The copies started to disappear by the dozen as Corsola turned in place, until none were left at all. However, after a brief glance around, the Gym Leader's Pokémon had moved from somewhere around Corsola to stand five feet away from its Trainer.
Blinking at that, Kamen Trainer sighed out with a hushed growl to herself "Dammit that's why I can't stand Psychic attacks.."
"Isn't there a way to use its attacks against it?" Hiiro asked curiously.
Shaking her head, the girl growled out. "It's unpredictable and appears out of nowhere..ugh and scrambles my brain.."
Hiiro frowned for a moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Dex, looking through some of the data. "...And you can't do something to change the future?"
"Papa says the past and future are always changing..gah" Shaking her head clear she growled out "Though if I could...Bubbles Again!"
Blinking at her trainers command, Corsola spun around again, creating the wave of bubbles all around her once more
Like last time, Xatu remained rooted to the spot, only tipping a few times.
"Now, ram em!"
Completely encased in the surf of bubbles, Corsola rushed ahead for Xatu as her trainer shouted "Coooorrr!"
Xatu barely let out a sound as he teetered on his talons. However, as Corsola's attack hit, just as the psychic birds talons shifted to pull back its weight back, the stream of bubbles that encased the pike Pokémon followed in suit, bursting with aquatic energy as they bombarded the bird's body.
"Xa...?" the bird got out, before dropping back onto its back.
Gripping the air tightly, Kamen trainer grinned out with a shout "This time, Sod Blast!"
"Enough"
Just as she got it, the Corsola blinked out waving its horn like parts a bit in the air stopping, which unfortunately caused her to fall face forward. "Cor! Sollaaa..."
Io was silent for a moment before he called out: "Xatu, get up."
Xatu lightly bobbed its head from where it lay on the ground and glowed a pale white, before disappearing and reappearing by its Trainer's side.
Giving an annoyed sigh, Kamen trainer crossed her arms frowning behind her mask as she looked to Io "I kind of dislike being 'taken easy on', Gym Leader."
"If you are experienced enough," Io said calmly, "then you know when a battle is won and when it is lost. And when it is already lost, it is a waste to make more sacrifices than are necessary."
"..." Hiiro remained silent to those words, seemingly lost in thought.
At that herself, the girl was silent for a few moments, before grabbing the air again with vigor. "An that's not how I go. No matter how bleak it looks, my candle's wick is burning brighter than the sun to shine through to the end, if I don't go full throttle, I'll only let myself down."
"Ketlin, enough!" Hiiro whispered so that Io couldn't hear. "Io is... he's... just... h-he has his reasons, alright?"
Looking to the boy for a moment, the girl whispered back quickly "And he should be wise enough to know he can step forward while still holding to those he loved in the past inside of him, Hiiry." Shutting her eyes for a moment, the girl turned calling for her new Pokémon to sit beside her and her still sleeping Absol to rest. "Your turn, challenger."
Hiiro nodded and stepped forward. "Right..."
Io remained silent for once, as the sound of hooves clicking against the ground echoed briefly through the room, before a large deer-like Pokémon stepped forward, its heavy looking antlers adorned with two blue gem-like objects; a Stantler.
"Stantler… this is gonna be a little tough…" Hiiro murmured softly, before reaching for one of his Pokéballs. "I have one question concerning the rules, sir."
"Ask away."
"If my Pokémon is knocked out, does that end my turn?"
"No. Your turn ends when my Pokémon is knocked out."
"Ah, alright then…" Hiiro nodded and tossed his Pokéball forward. "Just checking!"
As the Pokéball burst open, the tiny Pokémon plopped down on the floor with a little yelp, before it looked up cutely to the much bigger Pokémon. "Woopa?"
Blinking, the masked girl turned to her tag teaming partner curiously. "Wooper?"
"Relax… she can handle this just fine," Hiiro said with a small smirk, even as the tiny Pokémon rocked up to her feet to look up to Stantler with her small, beady eyes.
"Interesting choice…" Io murmured. "Begin."
Immediately, Wooper inhaled briefly before squirting out a burst of water. Of course, Stantler merely had to sidestep the Water Gun assault - and still got sprayed when Wooper snapped her head sideways. The deer Pokémon yelped in surprise as it backed off, before staring Wooper down with a slight frown on its face. Wooper, however, merely rocked on her little feet, head cocked curiously and not seeming the least bit bothered by the much larger Pokémon.
Holding back a giggle, Kamen Trainer gave the small Water type an approving look. "Like the size of her guts that's for sure."
"Don't let your guard down, Wooper!" Hiiro called out. "Slam 'm!"
"Woopa!" the small Pokémon quipped and toddled forward on her tiny little legs.
"Earthquake."
At that command, Hiiro choked. "Oh you gotta be!" he hissed out as Stantler reared back on its hind legs before smashing back down. The resulting tremor made Wooper trip with a yelp, making her tumble forward and roll into Stantler's legs.
"Woopa?"
"Get out of the way!" Hiiro cried out, and Wooper only just managed to roll out of the way to avoid getting smushed under the Stantler's hooves. "Esh… That was close."
"Grr…hate to say it but you might have to call her back for someone else…"
"Would you knock that off! She's fine!" Hiiro cried out, before turning back to the fight as Wooper stopped her roll a little bit away from him. "Wooper, Rollout! Knock 'm over!"
"Woopa!" the Water/Ground type chirped, hopping up and running toward Stantler, before curling its small body forward and rolling up into a small ball, rushing forward rapidly.
"Take Down."
Tilting its head to the side for a moment, as though stretching its muscles, before kicking off against the ground and running toward the charging Pokémon, head held down and antlers aimed at Wooper.
"Uh-oh…"
Covering her eyes quickly, the girl winced out "This is going to sting…"
No sooner had she said that or Stantler rammed Wooper with its head, tossing its head upward with a loud cry and sending Wooper flying upward with a yowl.
"Ah!"
"…Unfortunate…" Io murmured softly.
With a bit of a sigh, Kamen Trainer got up, crossing her arms with a shake of her head. "Challanger, there's nothing wrong with your Wooper, but she's just not ready for this just yet…"
"…hm?" When Io frowned a little in thought, Stantler let a confused sound - before yowling in pain when something large and heavy smashed into its back, smashing it into the floor.
"QUAG!"
Hiiro stared in surprise, whispering: "No way…" before pulling out his PokéDex.
"Quagsire, a waterfish Pokémon. They by leaving its mouth wide open in water and waiting for its prey to blunder in. Because it doesn't move, it does not get very hungry. Due to its relaxed and carefree attitude, it often bumps its head on boulders and boat hulls as it swims."
"How did…?" Hiiro managed to get out as the Water/Ground type rolled off of Stantler and unfurled, blinking. The once tiny Pokémon now came to Hiiro's waist, at least, and had gotten a pair of arms, too, even though she still had no real hands. Her neck was now almost nonexistent and her body was almost shining because of the slime that covered it.
"Quaaaag," the Pokémon called out, lightly rocking on her feet as Stantler struggled to get back to its feet after being knocked down to the floor by Quagsire's 165 pounds of weight.
The girl said nothing for a few moments, before grinning out "'Now' she's about ready for this fight, good timing to evolve girl!"
Io was quiet for a moment longer, seeming to consider his options. Finally though he said: "Stantler, return. You can barely stand; there is no reason for you to put yourself further at risk."
Stantler whined briefly, but did not disagree, and walked back the way it had come.
Quagsire blinked twice, before giving a cry and waddling over to Hiiro. Smiling, Hiiro crouched down and patted her head. "You did good, girl."
"Quaaag."
Giving a small grin, Kamen trainer walked over again, giving the Quagsire's neck a good affectionate rub before nodding to the Gym Leader. "My turn, Sapphire Leader, call out your next Pokémon."
"Very well," Io said with a small smile, as another Flying Pokémon came down from the rafters, to land in the battlefield. Its feathers were a dark blue while its chest was white. Its tails was separated in two spikes, and it radiated an air of calm much like the rest of the Gym Leader's Pokémon; a Swellow.
Seeing the flying type, the girl frowned in thought, before taking her roundhouse stance again, sending her Pokéball flying to the arena field. In a flash, the robust, rounded humanoid like pig Pokémon erupted from its Pokéball, giving his best pumped up posture as he stomped out "PIIIIG-NITE!"
Io remained silent as Natsu appeared, before he said simply: "Begin."
Hearing that, Natsu rushed forward quickly, thrusting its arms out repeatedly for Swellow in its arm thrust attack "NITE NITE NITE NITE!"
However, Swellow merely hopped back and forth, almost easily avoiding the punches thrown at it.
Smiling a bit, Ketlin, or rather Kamen trainer, gripped her fist tightly. "Hehe."
The Gym Leader merely watched quietly, not seeming too worried about the setup. Then again, when had he EVER been worried during the match?
After another arm thrust, Natsu swung for another shot with its arm, but as the Swellow hopped away, the Pignite released a stored blast of ember from his lips "PIGNITE!"
However, the Swellow brought up its wings and blew the winds back with one well-aimed Wing Attack.
Getting knocked back a bit himself, Natsu snagged at the remaining sparks of flame from his deflected Ember, relighting them in his palms as he smashed the ground rushing as his body became encased in flames, rocketing his movements in the Flame Charge. "NITE!"
That was unavoidable, even for the speedy Swellow, making the bird squawk out in surprise as it was knocked back, before it took to the air to avoid the pig.
Skidding to a stop along the ground, Natsu gave its arms a quick shake, clenching his fingers tight as he put the flames out once more, watching the Swellow fly about above him. "Piiig…"
"Aerial Ace."
In an instant, Swellow rushed forward and smashed beak-first into Pignite.
"Nrgh!"
"PIGNITE!" The fire type cried out, being sent flying along the ground, hard from the impact to its stomach. Growling, Natsu gripped at his bruised belly, glaring up through a clenched eye as he began to push himself up again. "Piiig…"
"Wing Attack."
With a loud cry, Swellow rushed at Pignite and lashed out with its wings at the Fire/Fighting type.
Natsu pushed itself up quickly, but not fast enough to evade Swellow's wings, sending the dual type spiraling back again with a loud grunt. "P-piig n-niiite!" He growled out, starting to push himself up again as his nostrils began to smoke
"This might be a little difficult…" Hiiro murmured.
"Nrgh…why'd…you think I sent Natsu out, Hiiry?" The girl grunted out, trying her best to keep her arm from covering her stomach as she cringed.
To that Hiiro had no immediate response.
"If he's going to pull his Pokémon back when we have the advantage, then I might as well not have one," the girl growled, clenching her fists again as her Pokémon stood up one more time. "Let's do it, Natsu…"
Snorting the black fumes from his nose again, the fire/fighting type raised its hand to Swellow, slowly closing and opening his fingers as he grinned out "Pig-Nite", which the Flying type understood as 'bring it'.
Swellow merely watched for a moment longer, before letting out a caw and rushing forward.
Whipping his arms out the last moment, the Pignite took the attack head on again, but before the Swellow could pull back, it had its talons quickly grabbed and tugged on by Natsu as he grinned out digging his feet to the ground "Pignite!
At that move, Swellow gave a surprised squawk, before beating its wings rapidly in an attempt to get back up into the air.
"NOW!"
Grinning, Natsu took another deep breath, before blowing it all out through his nostrils, a big cloud of smoke shooting forth covering the two Pokémon within the middle of the arena, the Smog attack.
"What's that supposed to help?" Hiiro questioned.
The masked girl said nothing, watching as the smog continued to drift about, being disturbed by Swellow's wingbeats. "With Natsu behind it, Swellow's wings are pulling the smog right into its face, Challenger."
"And it's a poison type move"
Gripping her fist again, The girl grinned out "Let em fly!"
"PIGNITE!" the fire/fighting type shouted within the smoke, at once the Swellow's legs were released, letting the Flying type go to the air once again
Hiiro was quiet for a moment longer, before he murmured something that wasn't entirely audible.
Blinking a little, the girl turned around looking to Hiiro curiously "What was that?"
"Nothing… never mind."
Swellow squawked briefly, shaking its head, before turning to Natsu silently.
Snorting, the Pignite stomped its feet, sparking the ground as his limbs caught flames once again as he reared his weight. "Piiiig…"
Swellow remained hovering in midair, before giving a loud squawk as it became cloaked in a harsh light.
"Sky attack huh…FIREROLL!"
Shouting back, Natsu rushed forward as he rolled in himself, covering his rolling body in flames as he smashed into the wall and ricocheted up for Swellow as a living fireball
With a cry, Swellow dived down at Natsu, smashing into the Pignite at the halfway point.
"Nrgh," Ketlin growled out, rubbing her head as Natsu and Swellow clashed, sending the Fire/Fighting type to the ground in its rolled up fire covered body harshly. "Ouch…"
Swellow wasn't any better, though; Natsu's attack sent it smashing into the ground with a cry of pain, where it lay on its back for a moment, trying to get back up, before stirring no more.
"Whew…"
Shaking her head clear, the masked trainer raised her Pokéball, calling back Natsu to her, the fire type falling just the same as the flying type, though Natsu with a big grin on his porky face as she smiled. "Atta boy…"
Io quietly applauded, a small smile on his face. "Very good. One more and you're done," he said, even as Swellow flipped itself to its talons and shook its head, before flying up to the rafters again.
Shrugging it off as if nothing, Kamen Trainer walked off to rest along the wall, giving Hiiro's shoulder a firm pat. "Don't mess up."
"I won't," Hiiro said, pulling out another Pokéball. "Right… let's finish this!" he called out as he tossed it forward.
"Veeee!" Eevee called out hyperly as he burst from the ball.
Whispering something, just enough for the small normal type to hear, Ketlin said "Good luck Eevee."
No sooner had she said that, though, a blur of light brown dashed into the ring, spinning around the Leader's side for a moment before coming to a stop, revealing a long, furry Pokémon with a ring tail, blinking curiously; a Furret.
"Furret… that's Sentret's evolution… this one's gonna be fun," Hiiro murmured with a smile as he briefly adjusted his cap.
"Begin."
Eevee didn't even have to be told twice and immediately rushed for Furret. In response, Furret rushed right back at him. The two Pokémon collided head on and skidded back a bit, before rushing back at each other.
"Glad I'm not linked to that…" Ketlin muttered in a low voice, watching the two Normal types smack into one another again and again.
Just as Furret launched at Eevee again though, the smaller Pokémon dodged sideways. "Now!"
"VEEE!"
CHOMP!
Furret let out a yowl of pain when Eevee's teeth clamped shut on its tail, making it run in circles a few times before trying to shake the tiny Pokémon off.
Holding her mouth, the Kamen Trainer only just managed to avoid snickering at the sight of Furret, shaking its tail to try and dislodge Eevee from it. "Okay this is kind of getting silly right now."
"Iron Tail."
At those words, Furret spun so fast that it actually managed to send Eevee flying, making the tiny Pokémon yelp in surprise, before being knocked even further back by the powerful Iron Tail attack.
"Eevee!" Hiiro cried out, but the small Pokémon quickly hopped back to his feet.
"So much for silly…"
"Well, let's not do that again," Hiiro murmured. "Ready?"
"Vee!" Eevee yipped, wagging his tail with a small grin on his face.
Io quirked an eyebrow at the small exchange but said nothing as Furret took a stance of its own.
"What do you two have planned?" Kamen trainer blinked out, a little grin growing on her lips
"Easy…" Hiiro murmured. "Go for it!"
"VEE!" Eevee yipped and dashed forward.
Furret let out a cry and rushed right at him as well.
Hiiro frowned in concentration, and just before the two would hit… "IRON TAIL!"
Eevee spun on his heel with a cry and smashed his tail right into Furret's face, sending the bigger Pokémon backwards with a yowl of pain, skidding across the floor far enough to bump into the Leader's legs. And there, it stayed.
Looking a bit in surprise at that, the masked girl gave an approving nod. "Nice."
"Nice indeed," Io agreed, applauding once again as Furret coiled back up to its feet to settle beside Persian. "Very clever to teach this little one 'Mimic'."
"Hehe," Hiiro chuckled as Eevee ran over and jumped into his arms. "Somehow I had a feeling I'd need that move sooner or later… Glad I did it now, rather than later, though."
Putting aside to ask when he learned it, Kamen Trainer pushed herself up, calling back her resting Pokémon beside her as they slept, patting Hiiro's shoulder in congratulations. "Nice job, Challenger."
"You did pretty good yourself, too," Hiiro quipped, before looking up as Io walked over calmly.
"Well, you two have certainly proven yourself to be worthy challengers," he said, holding out both hands, each one holding a pale blue gem-like badge with a single red ruby lodged in the center, a ring of silver separating the two gems.
Smiling, the girl took the badge silently, flicking it along her fingers before tossing it up to catch it again. "Badge, get."
Hiiro took the remaining badge, pulled his cap back the way it should and held the badge between two fingers while giving a peace sign at the same as he moved his cap down.
Eevee happily bounced around Hiiro's feet, yipping loudly.
Io allowed a small smile. "Both of you, congratulations on your victory," he said, holding out his hand to them.
Hiiro smiled and reached out, and shook the man's hand - and shivered briefly.
Blinking a little, Kamen Trainer smiled, taking Io's hand in her own "Well next time lets not…"
"Hm?" Io glanced to Hiiro. "…Are you alright?"
"…Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."
Frowning a bit worried, the masked girl nodded to Io as she took Hiiro's shoulder. "Next time I'm around, expect another challenge in my visit, that time. Don't hold back or I'll be angrier then a Gyrados." She smirked out, giving Hiiro's shoulder a tug to lead him off
Io chuckled softly. "If you say so, young lady, if you say so," he said as Hiiro hurried after.
Once outside, Hiiro rubbed his arm. "…So it was true…?" he murmured softly.
"What was Hiiry?" Ketlin blinked out, pulling off her mask and gloves as she finished setting her Pokémon's Pokéballs back along her belt
"Well…"
"Oh! Did you just finish the challenge?" a chipper voice called out suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Yeep!" Ketlin shouted out, quickly whipping a blanket around her from her pack covering the remaining parts of her 'kamen' costume. "Whosaidthat?"
Stopping before them was a boy around Ketlin's age, with short, black hair and bright green eyes. He was dressed in some easy pants with a black shirt and a blue jacket. He carried his Pokéballs with him on his belt. "Sooo… did you win?" he asked with a smile.
"Um… Yeah. You're going for the challenge, too?" Hiiro asked.
"Hmhmm. This one requires 6 Pokémon, right?"
Ketlin Nodded, before blinking as she looked back to the Gym. "Um, you might wanna wait, Io's Pokémon are gonna be a little tired right now."
"Aww… well okay," the boy said with a small pout, before smiling again. "Well! Then I'm gonna train a bit more! Good luck on your journey!" he chirped, before running off with a wave.
"…Who was that?" Hiiro murmured when the boy had left.
"Ugh that was close my heart's in my throat…"
"Well… let's meet your dad on the beach, kay?"
The girl blinked a little curiously, looking up as though hearing something. "…"
"Huh?"
Smiling, Ketlin grabbed Hiiro's arm as she began to rush off, fixing off the remainder of her costume. "Someone wants to call me come on, we need to visit the center quick! This'll be perfect too."
"H-huh? Wha…?"
"You know, 'ring ring ring'."
"I know that! But how did you…?"
"They just told me they wanted to call me."
"…never mind…"
Taking a seat by the phones, Ketlin looked up the particular phones number, but oddly enough, she was going through the digits backwards. "Aaand…yup that's all of them"
"…Who are you calling?"
"No one silly, I said they're calling me," the girl said, as a matter of fact style, just as the vidphone began to buzz.
Hiiro sighed as he pulled over a chair to settle on, too.
Giggling, the girl pushed the button, picking up their end of the line as the screen light up "Hi hi!"
"If it ain't the pipsqueak vigilante," the other caller chuckled out, the vid showing a young man, a few years over Ketlin and Hiiro's age, but oddly enough he was identical to the girl's father, save his jade eyes, corn blond hair and very pale skin. Wearing a simple white shirt under a dark black jacket and goggles about the boy's head. Looking past the girl, the boy on the video frowned out to Hiiro
"Oiy who's this runt of the litter…"
"…Don't ask another's name before stating your own," Hiiro said simply.
"This is Hiiry, he's a new Trainer, papa and me are showing him the ropes. Boy does he need it too" The girl giggled, before nodding to the vidphone's screen. "This is my big brodtar, NJ"
"Yo, word of the wise you make a move on my little kitten I'll swim over there an kick your rear, Hiiry."
"It's Hiiro, actually. And I got no intention to."
"Heey what that supposed to mean" Ketlin frowned out
"Do you want me to?"
"He probably figured ya too much for him to handle," her brother snirked out, crossing his arm as he nodded. "How things at Gem?"
"We're doing good, look I just got a new badge, told you I didn't need Kamina with me! Nyyaii!" Ketlin grinned out, sticking her tongue at her brother's image who just scoffed.
"Heh we'll see miss tough enough, hope ya not causen pops too much trouble goen you know what."
"No, not really, we're having more trouble with Team Aether, to be honest."
Blinking at that, the elder boy frowned as he narrowed his eyes on the other side of the screen. "Team Aether? Ugh this means she's gonna be goen kamen then…"
"Big broodterrr!"
Hiiro merely chuckled, just before Eevee suddenly jumped up to his lap and onto the vidphone. "Veee!" it chirped at the image of NJ, happily wagging his tail.
"Oh, Eevee!" Hiiro laughed out, reaching forward and pulling the small Pokémon away.
"Gah, hey watch it little guy ya were blocken the camera."
Giggling a little, Ketlin blinked pulling up one of her Pokéballs. "Oh, Brodtar I need Mera for a little while"
Blinking, NJ frowned looking around past the screens view "Eh, what for?"
"Our next stop is a while away and there's no boats."
Sighing, the teen scratched his head with a slight growl in his voice. "Gii, fine fine, I'll get her for ya. But when ya guys get to where ya goen, tell the old man he better trade someone in for Hita, she's going bonkers here on us."
"Okay, thankies!" She giggled, rushing over to the nearest transporter with her Pokéball in hand.
Hiiro watched her go for a moment, before allowing a smile and lightly shaking his head, with Eevee settled in his lap. Said Pokémon watched Ketlin go curiously, blinking a few times as she hurried off.
"She's sending one of her team over here to take back one of her old ones, little'n," NJ said quickly to the curious little Normal type, before nodding to Eevee's owner "These Aethers whoever, their pretty bad?"
"Depends, really… the last guy we ran into was… well… He was crazy, as far as I could tell," Hiiro said, returning his attention to the screen. "However, the guy before that was almost friendly… despite that he warned us about how we had to leave the archipelago since this is a 'holy land'."
"Talk friendly, but still a wackjob his own right," the boy sighed out, blinking a little as something off screen tugged at his arm. "Ah thanks girl," he muttered, reaching down to take up a Diveball in hand as he turned back to Hiiro, fiddling with what must have been the teleporter on his end. "Just watch Ketlin, if they get extreme again, shell try to 'henshin' an more then likely make things get crazier."
"I figured… I'll keep an eye on her."
"Thanks, know how much of a hassle she can be sometimes," the teen chuckled out with a shrug, covering his eyes with a hiss as something flashed. "Grr, gotta get pops to put a stupid tint screen on this thing."
The other boy allowed a chuckle. Rushing back, nearly knocking Hiiro off his seat, Ketlin grinned out, holding up the Diveball her brother held a few moments ago. "Got her, thanks big brodtar!"
"Ya can thank me by stayen outa trouble…gah gotta bail Hita's getting into another fight with Sly. Ja ne."
"Bye bye! Tell everyone we're fine," The girl waved back with a big grin, before giving Hiiro a slight headlock shake. "Ready for a big swim Hiiry?"
"Ack! Ow ow ow! Ketlin, that hurts!" Hiiro hissed out.
"Boy you were sheltered huh, common! I can hardly wait for you to meet Mera, she'll practically eat you up!"
"…I don't like the sound of that…"
"So… you think those kids will be fine?" asked a casual voice as the Trainer remained lying on his back, a rod stuck in the sand at his feet.
"Hm, hard ta say," came the Shonen father's response, resting along the sand the same as the trainer, an old straw hat resting over his face while his bare feet coiled in the sand, one foot holding along his own fishing rod. "Know my kitten got way too much spirit ta go down easy. But she's got enough pride in herself lately ta not let failure stop her either."
"Hmhmm…" the other Trainer hummed. "They both have a lot of potential as Trainers… they could probably reach the Nova Plateau before long."
"Hehe, makes cha think back ta cha own beginins huh?"
"Hmhmm… and it also serves to help me feel older than I already am…"
"…yeah tha too, ugh wha a pain," The silverhead sighed out, adjusting his hat a bit.
"WHO DO YOU THINK I AAAAMMM!"
"GAAAH!" TJ shouted out, stumbling to sit up as he looked to the nearby dunes, where his daughter was perched proudly crossing her arms with a cheeky grin. "Ugh, cha won then? Seriously don give papa a heart attack Kit…"
Hiiro chuckled a little, before noticing who was with TJ, blinking in surprise. "Mister Choras?"
The violet-haired Trainer pushed up to look back at the kids with a small smirk. "Just Choras is fine, kid. 'Mister' just makes me feel old."
"Oh… okay."
Hopping on over, Ketlin held up a finger pointing to Choras muttering "But you are old."
Choras merely watched the girl silently, before whipping around as his fishing rod suddenly bent forward. "…Hold that thought," he murmured as he stood up while snagging the rod in one hand. With one powerful yank, he yanked out the Pokémon he had hooked.
"W-whoa…" Hiiro choked out at the ease with which Choras pulled the Pokémon to shore.
Seeing the Pokémon, the silverhead let out a long whistle. "Now tha's a catch there, Chor."
The Pokémon hooked was almost as big as Ketlin, and closely resembled the front end of a shark with a yellow X marking on its nose. It tried to struggle loose from the hook letting out vicious snarls as it did, but Choras easily kept him above the sand with only one hand, his other hand placed on his hip.
"Quite…" Choras said simply. "Sadly, I already have one of these, so I can't keep him. Hmm… though I can't of course let him swim this close to shore…"
"Heh cha brother would be jealous of this sharps' size," TJ snirked out to his daughter.
Giggling herself, the girl walked over to the flailing Sharpedo crossing her arms. "Hey, calm down if you want off the hook you."
The Sharpedo, however, attempted to bite at Ketlin instead. As he did, though, Choras snagged onto the rod with both hands. "No need… I got this," he said simply, before he spun on his heel and lashed out with the fishing rod, before swinging out toward the sea, instantly sending the large Pokémon flying off the hook and back the way he had originally come. "There we go."
"Wow… nice throw."
"Thank you."
"What grumps, Chomper's better."
"He tries ta bite us too, Ketlin…"
Grumbling, the girl put her hands to her hips sticking her tongue out. "He's still nicer."
"Anyway…" Hiiro quipped. "Maybe we should get going…"
Blinking at that, the silverhead adjusted his hat with a sigh "Yeah but without big enough Water types…"
Grinning, Ketlin cut in by tossing her Diveball up high in the air. "Fun times!"
Looking in shock, TJ tackled into Hiiro and Choras the last moment as a the flash of light expanded and materialized slamming to the ground nearly on top of them. "GAH!"
"Wha?"
The Pokémon, was pretty big to say the least, the size of an average full grown adult if not bigger, not to say the least round and heavy. Its body was pretty much all round with a deep ocean blue top, with big 'flipper fins' on either side, with a beige underbody. For a face, it had simple beady black eyes, but a big wide grin, which what looked like at first glance teeth as it flapped happily to nuzzle against its Trainer crying out "Wai waii!"
"Uuugh, Mera. When tha heck cha get her?"
Giggling as she patted her large Pokémon, the girl grinned out "Brodtar wanted to call me, so I took the time to call her over."
"A Wailmer…?" Hiiro blinked, cocking his head.
Blinking a bit, the Wailmer, known to her Trainer as Mera looked over to Hiiro for a few moments, before crying out in excitement, quickly hopping over right for the boy
"Eep!"
Before Mera could reach him though, Choras stopped her with his fishing rod. "You'd do well to teach her to not bounce right at everyone, young lady," he said simply. "Last thing you need is for her to do that when she evolves."
"I don't think she could even manage to flap around when she evovles" Ketlin sighed out with a slight giggle, a bigger burst of chuckles coming out as Mera gave Choras a big lick across the side of his head
The older Trainer barely seemed to mind the lick, and actually lightly patted the side of Mera's 'head'.
Ketlin giggled a little, tending to her water type as the older trainer and her friend spoke "hes right though you gotta calm down"
"…Hey, um… Choras?" Hiiro suddenly said.
"Hm?"
"…You've been across these islands yourself, right? Then… do you know if… well if… if the rumors…"
"Surrounding Io are true, correct?" Choras finished when Hiiro couldn't bring himself to formulate the question.
"…Yeah."
For a long moment, Choras was silent, but finally, he nodded. "Yes, they're true."
"…I knew it…"
"Wha's tha rumors?" The silverhead blinked out, fiddling with something in his bag as he looked to the two natives.
The two GA natives glanced at each other for a moment, seeming to consider which of them to tell the rumor, before Choras opened his mouth.
"Io Toraine was killed 30 years ago at the dawn of the Great War."
Hearing that, the silverhead's eyes went wide, dropping the contents of his bag in the process. "…cha mean he's…"
"A ghost? Yes, he is."
"Yup, as a doornail," Ketlin said, as a matter of fact as she nuzzled with her Pokémon.
Hiiro blinked in surprise, looking to Ketlin. "You knew?"
"Hiiry, Ghost types chase me all the time and I can touch them, I can feel ghosts like they feel me," she said with a shrug. "Just…so natural to me and it was kinda obvious I figured everyone in the gems knew about it."
"Not everyone. Most of the current generation don't believe in ghosts, thus they refuse to believe that Io is dead, and the younger ones don't even bother with rumors," Choras said simply.
"…Does he know?"
"…Truthfully, I'm not so sure. He might, but he surely doesn't make it apparent."
"More than likely he doesn't know," the other parent said simply, busying again with some equipment from his bag. "Human spirits tha don' change to a ghost types rarely know, one reason they keep their forms…"
"Or he has something he clings to" Ketlin added, leaving her Wailmer to hop about a bit to look around the beach "one reason I act like I do I guess…"
Choras said nothing to that, before he shrugged. "That… or it's our memories of him that keep him here."
"Oh… you mean like how he said at his speech yesterday?" Hiiro asked curiously. "How people don't die as long as we remember them?"
"Hmhmm."
"Those are kinda rare…for him, I hope so…the others are kinda…sad…"
Choras allowed a small smile. "Perhaps… Oh and I do believe you should get going. The festival starts tomorrow morning, after all."
"Festi… OH! Right! Crystal's annual PokéPark Summer Festival! Starts the first official day of summer and lasts until the end of the season," Hiiro quipped.
"Bingo, kid."
Hearing that, Ketlin and Mera seemed to get even more energetic, if it was possible. "REALLY! MERA! WATER TIME!"
"WAI WAI WAIII!" The Water type shouted with glee, bouncing rapidly across the sand, before crashing down along the water, which unfortunately lead to a big wave splashing right into the group of humans as Mera flapped her fins within the cool waters. "Wai wai wai!"
Choras laughed, having pulled an umbrella to shield them from the biggest part of the water just in time, which he folded up again once the wave had passed. "Watch where you're splashing, little one."
"Whew…" Hiiro breathed out in relief when only the bottom of his pants were soaked.
Shaking the water off her feet, the Trainer of the energetic Wailmer gigged a little. "Ehehe, sorry, but we kinda like festivals…and all these spirits around here been ruining my mood. Let's hit the tides!"
Chuckling as he rolled his eyes, watching his daughter rush for her still splashing Pokémon as she dragged Hiiro along, TJ nodded to Choras holding his hand out. "See cha along the road then, Chor."
"Perhaps we will," the other Trainer said, shaking TJ's hand casually as Hiiro carefully followed Ketlin on top of Mera. "Oh, and do say hello to Zienna for me, will you? I'm not sure if I'll make it before the opening of the festival, myself."
"Will do, Ja ne," the other elder trainer chuckled, following to hop aboard the Water type as Mera began to splash away from shore. "I'll let her know cha doen good with tha girls too!"
"Like she'd care about that!" Choras laughed out after them, before shaking his head and throwing out his rod again as they went. "Interesting bunch."
"Interesting indeed…"
Choras blinked, before turning around in surprise. "Io…" The Gym Leader allowed a small smile as Choras secured his rod in the sand before standing up to face the other man. "…You heard?"
"Yes."
"…You're still here."
"I've no reason to leave."
"…You don't, huh?"
Io lightly shook his head. "Staying here… might not be the best choice for me… or my Pokémon. But… I feel it's well worth it."
"What is?"
"Seeing interesting people such as yourself and those children grow into fine Trainers," he said simply with a small, mysterious smile on his face. "You were already good when you were the one to teach me, and you've only grown after I left."
"Ahh…that just happened," Choras chuckled out, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you'll stay here forever, you think?"
"Forever… hm… that is a long time, Choras… And I'm afraid I cannot say anything about that. After all… time… changes many things…" Io said, turning on his heel and walking away quietly.
Choras watched him go, then looked at the sand. Only his own, TJ, Hiiro and Ketlin's footprints could be seen in the sand (as well as Mera's many impressions). Upon looking back up, the Gym Leader had already disappeared into thin air.
"…yeah…" Choras murmured as he dropped down in the sand. "Time changes everything… whether we want to or not…"
NJ is copyrighted to TJ Shonen.