Pokѐmon Journey V: Piper's Quest

Chapter 13: Every King Needs a Queen

Piper's Point of View:

"Wow!" Bell gapped at the scenery around as, twirling on her feet before she came to a stop. "Look at this city!"

And Bell had been entirely right in that moment. Our group of friends, including myself and all of our pokemon, were all stunned by the massive city of skyscrapers that appeared over us. Many buildings of grey or silver coloring stood above, perhaps anywhere from between fifty and a hundred stories to most of them. Yet off in the distance, I could distinctly make out areas that were not filled with buildings that stretched into the sky, but rather a park or a more common area for homes and small businesses.

Nimbasa was the city that had everything after all.

"Perhaps we should head over to a pokemon center and make sure all is well?" Izzy suggested to us. "We are, after all, somewhat tired from our journey. Let us get some breakfast and get our pokemon rested."

"It's more like lunch time Iz," my brother commented to the other human male of our group. "And before we do that, does anyone else see that older man getting harassed?"

Sure enough, when we looked down the street that led as an entrance into Nimbasa, we saw an older gentleman who seemed to be struggling with dealing with two individuals that were bothering him. But what made my blood boil the most was that it was Team Plasma grunts that seemed to be causing an issue to him.

"Fuck no, we are not going through this again." I huffed and began to march up to the bastards. "Ivy, Autumn, knock them out."

"Ser!" Ivy hissed and stretched out her tail to whip them.

"Deer!" Autumn stomped her hooves into the ground.

The two of my pokemon launched themselves forward and hurled their bodies into the Team Plasma grunts who cried out when they were thrown. When the two of them looked up to see my pokemon there attacking them, the grunts turned heel and ran, not even bothering to put up a fight.

"Thank you, young one!" The older man came to greet me once his bullies had left. "Those damn fools wouldn't take no for an answer."

"If you don't mind us asking," Everett and the others came in behind me, joining us. "What was the reason for those guys bothering you?"

"Oh those fools wanted me to give up some of my eggs for their organization to 'free them', thinking that with so many on our hands we'd just give them up to anyone." The older man shook his head. "I had told them that I'd never give any pokemon up to the likes of them and that's when things turned a bit more… aggressive I think is the word. We had not gotten into any physical fight, but it was going to be that way if you all hadn't of come."

"Well, their gone now." I offered a hand to shake. "I'm Piper."

"And I'm Sampson, perhaps as a thank you for helping me, you could allow me to buy you all lunch and a few items here in town to help you all on your journeys? I know you trainer types are always in need of items for long training session away from civilization to keep your pokemon and yourselves going."

"Are you sure about that?" Izzy questioned him worriedly. "There are a lot of us, and including our pokemon."

"We don't want you to spend a lot of money on us for just doing a good deed," Bell added softly.

"Oh nonsense!" The older man waved it off and motioned us to follow him. "I know the perfect place for lunch and all of us to enjoy Nimbasa's beauty! This way!"

The older gentleman led us away then to a spot deeper into the city, which we followed after him, unsure of what would take place as we entered the new city.

HalloweenWitchHalloweenWitch

The older gentleman, Sampson, had treated us all to a rich lunch of many rich flavors at a restaurant on the edge of the greenery where the amusement park was located. I was surprised that even in the heart of winter the park was still used, yet the weather in Nimbasa didn't get much below thirty. While it would see snow on the occasion, it was more of the cities to the north and south that saw snow, just being further away from the desert.

Once our bellies had been filled, the older man took us to a shop nearby and bought us a handful of potions and berries that had been on sale before had gone our separate ways. In the heart of a crowd of people, it was much harder in order for people to not only find you, but get to you. The masses of people we saw in this city were incredible…

Once we were alone, we began to explore hoping that we would be able to find some cool rides to enjoy since our pokemon had never had a chance to go on them before. I remembered some of the rides back when Dad had a bit more money and brought us here on the occasion. It had always been fun, but there had always been someone missing…

I was brought out of my thoughts when I hit someone. I raised my head to apologize when I saw who it was that I bumped into. My eyes widened as I saw it was grunts we saw earlier in the day.

"Shit!" He backed away quickly before taking off into the crowd, his partner following his lead.

"Why are we finding them all day?!" The other grunts words I just barely caught before I snarled and lunged after them.

"Piper! Wait!" I could hear Bell behind me. She easily caught up with the thick crowd we had to fight through. I broke through the crowd with my friends to miss on which direction the grunts had run to.

I huffed. "Shit, we lost them!"

"They may not have left the park yet, we may still have a chance!" Everett looked around wildly. "And I got a bone to pick with those assholes!"

"Everett!" Bell tried to quell him. "Calm down!"

"Those assholes mess with my sister and best friend, I'm am not putting up with their shit!" Everett took on a bit more of my father's personality in that moment, which he often did when he became angry and was trying to defend those close to him.

"Then let's split up." All of the others looked at me in surprise. "Guys, I'm okay, I'm not alone anymore, but the longer we wait to find them, the more of a chance they have to escape."

Izzy sighed. "She's right, if we try to stay together, we'll never find them in this crowd." He shook his head before turning to all of us. "Piper, your eyes have always been the best, perhaps head to the ferris wheel for a better view of the park? The line was same to its entrance. I'll check near the gym while Bell and Everett head toward the mini games and the rollercoaster."

"I can do that," I nodded to him. "Maybe I'll get lucky and they went that way…"

"Then let's go," my brother sighed before giving us all a determined look. "But everyone have their xtransceiver on and ready to contact anyone."

"Right!"

We all separated then and I took off toward the center of the park. Autumn and Ivy were hot on my heels while Lava sat in my arms, not entirely sure of what was going on. The race to the ferris wheel wasn't long, however, I was in for another surprise when I arrived.

I pushed through the crowd until I saw the tall structure before me with the small line that Izzy had mentioned to me. Only three people stood in the way and many of them seemed to be getting off the ride, the seats on the ride appearing mostly empty.

I slammed into another person there. The crowded city made it hard and to no avail could I make it anywhere without hitting someone. I lifted my head, surprised to see that N was there, standing before me with a hand outstretched.

"Piper? Are you alright?" N looked on with concern. "Have you broken anything?"

"I'm fine, just winded." I took his hand and allowed him to help me up. While N was questionable with his methods on the occasion when I saw him, his heart was in the right place, so I couldn't entirely ignore or hate him when he did strange things around me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a ferris wheel ride. I wanted to see what pokemon I could watch from the sky, since I do not have the ability to fly." N tilted his head to me. "And you?"

"I'm trying to find someone." I didn't want him knowing exactly what was up to incase he saw the organization in a different light.

"You must be after those stray Team Plasma grunts that came through here." My eyes widened at him. "I'm well aware that the organization has a few… odd men out that don't follow by its principals, in fact, I wanted to find them too."

"Don't tell me you plan to battle them?" I looked at him worriedly. "The last time we faced each other… it doesn't make me feel good about you doing that alone…"

"Oh no, I'm not alone," he smiled. "But perhaps we could look for them together? Two eyes are better than one, yes?"

I hesitated for only a moment before nodding my head. N wasn't a bad person, and if he was willing to help, I would take that help. "I could use the help. Sure."

"Let's get on the next cart then. Just give me a moment to hand over my bag. I have some breakables I've bought for home that I'd hate to have lost or broken."

I watched N hand over his bad to an attendant before the two of us got onto the ride. My pokemon took the seat next to me while N took the seat across. We quickly waited for the ride to begin and for us to start moving upwards only to see the two grunts we had been looking for run by the entrance we'd just been at.

My eyes widened and I raced to my xtransceiver to call the others when I noticed it was no longer on my arm. I hurried to check all my pockets and then my bag before I felt a hand settle over my own. N looked at me with a sad expression.

"N? Do you have a xtransceiver? They just moved past us! I need to call the others!"

"I had to make sure that no one would disturb us, like it should have been last time. I had to make sure you couldn't contact anyone until you had heard what I had to say."

My eyes widened. "Where's my xtransceiver?"

"I'd taken it from you when you slammed into me. It's in my bag on to the bottom of the ferris wheel. When the ride is over you can obtain it once more." N sighed, looking out over the horizon to see the grunts escaping and my friends still running about in all the wrong directions. "I had to make sure that the members of my organization were able to escape and assist with our plans in the future. If they're caught, then what good would they be in a prison block?"

I felt my blood then begin to boil. "So you're a member of Team Plasma?"

"Not quite." N gave me a bit of a smile then, his fingers touching the edge of his mouth while he used his hand and wrist to hold us his head while he leaned into the prior. "Piper, what you are not aware of is that I'm the king of Team Plasma, their leader."

The fire ended, just numb surprise filled my being after he said those words. N was the leader of Team Plasma? Surely that had to be a joke right? But I had looked up into N's eyes then, the seriousness of the look he gave at that moment couldn't have been more real. He was their king, and I had been a fool.

"What the hell?" I scooted back away from him, the wheels turning in my head. "You're the one who ordered to have me kidnapped? Nearly had Lava killed?!"

N lowered his head. "That was not something I was hoping to happen… You and I had never been alone, and that was how I wanted to tell you this Piper Theron. I asked my grunts to bring you in, but to make sure that you would be well taken care of. It was a mistake on my part for not being more clear with them, and I am sorry for what occurred with them and your larvesta-"

"Lava could have died!" I roared at him, jumping to my feet. "She's only a baby and you had a grunt who hurled her egg at me! If she had been any younger or under developed then she was, she wouldn't have made it and your little grunt would have never made it out of that building alive once I got my hands on him!"

"My sentiments exactly." N calculated look made me back off a bit while he concentrated entirely on me. "That action had been taken care of, he wouldn't have made it were it not for your larvesta's will to survive and luck. You're entirely right, which brings me to my other case and point."

I tilted my head as I breathed angrily, waiting for him to reply.

"Join me, become my queen."

My eyes widened, and before I knew it, my legs had become jello and I'd landed back in the seat behind me. Join him? His messed-up organization with what goal in mind?

"Allow me to explain." N pulled back a bit, sensing my need for space. "Since the time that I've met you, never had I met a person who loved their pokemon so unconditionally, and at the same time, the pokemon shared those same powerful feelings. A person like you with so much influence would be perfect for my side. You see the vision that I'm working toward, a world where pokemon are prefect beings and are free of human involvement to ruin it. You are also the only person who I would trust using pokemon to help obtain our goal. This is why I need you by our side, so that when all is said and done, pokemon no longer had to fear from humans no longer, and you would be the key piece."

I was quiet for a minute and N allowed me that time to think, forcing the information to be taking in by my brain. I couldn't understand how at all I could be any key piece to his organization, why would he want me at his side? I was simply a trainer. Granted, I had similar goals to what he wanted which was to help people and pokemon who were treated wrongly. It was part of the reason I wanted to be a champion.

I'd made that promise a long time ago, and I didn't plan to break it, not matter what.

"I always wanted to try and right the wrongs done by those of the past. I made a promise to someone who had been wronged long ago that I would become the champion and change this world…" I looked up at N who sat their patiently. "I wanted to bring pokemon and humans closer together after all the struggles that we've gone through, to change the future for others who will be to come."

N shook his head. "Bringing pokemon and humans closer together wouldn't work, and it's not planned in the future for us with the dream I have. For pokemon to become perfect beings, we must remove humans entirely from the equation." N sighed however. "Yet I believe I've given you too much information to take in. I believe it would be best if I leave you for a while to think over what I've asked of you. Don't worry, I wasn't expecting an answer this moment.

It was then that we hit the ground and I could feel the ferris wheel come to a stop. As soon as the door opened, I was stunned for a moment before I jumped from the seat and hurried over to where N's back had been placed. I looked inside the front pocket and sure enough, there was my xtransceiver, with twenty missed calls.

I quickly went into the screen to check and sure enough, they were all from my friends and brother. All of them were looking for me now. I quickly went to call them… but my finger hovered over the button.

Could I really tell them all that took place here? Even I couldn't quite understand it all at the moment. I needed a bit more time to be even able to process what even happened today before I could tell anyone or attempt to decipher what N wanted with me.

"Thank you for the ride Piper. I surely enjoyed your company." I turned around to N, who took his bag from me and placed it on his shoulders. "I plan to leave you now, but do tell me what you think next time. After all," he smiled at me. "Every king needs a loyal queen."

I was left speechless as he walked off them, calmly escaping everything around him. Once he vanished from the area could I finally move and sigh as I looked down at my xtransceiver, unsure if I could even call the others now.

But if I didn't… they would think I was kidnapped again…

I pressed the send button finally, calling my brother. He picked after only a second and began to screech in my ear.

"PIPER THERON!" I pulled my head back and incoherent sentences began to filter through.

"Everett! She can hear you! Calm down!" I could hear Izzy's voice on the other end of the line. "Piper, are you alright?"
"I'm fine you guys. You wouldn't believe my shitty luck!" I gritted down, trying to sound like my normal self and fool them for the time being. "The damn signal for my xtransceiver cut out just as I saw the grunts! I couldn't make any phone calls out to you guys or message you! I didn't even get any of yours calls and messages until I got off just now."

"You're shitting me!" Everett groaned on the other side of the line. "I was worried sick you got kidnapped again..."

"No, I'm okay guys." I sighed. "Why don't we meet up somewhere, okay? I'm ready to find a pokemon center and then go do a bit of relaxing before training for tomorrow to battle the gym leader."

"Is it closed Piper?" Bell questioned over the line.

"Yeah, says it will open after a fashion show taking place tonight. We should come back tomorrow." I took once quick glance at the sign to make sure my story was a bit more accurate before moving. "Where should I meet you guys?"

"Stay there, we'll come to you, we only by the roller coaster." My brother hung up then on me, most likely marching right over to see if I'm okay. I sighed and looked back at my pokemon who had silently followed me through all the craziness today.

"Hang in there, you guys." I leaned down to pet both of my grass type pokemons' heads before turning my attention to my little fire type baby pokemon. "You okay Lava?"

"Coo?" She looked up at me strangely, not truly understanding much of anything that just happened.

But I believe that was the case with all four of us…

Jezebel's Point of View:

We watched girl carefully from our distance away, Aria and I. The girl, Piper, couldn't tell that we were there at all watching her from behind the thick evergreen trees that protected us from her vision. She slowly walked away toward wherever her group had told her to meet up with them and I turned to Aria.

"So what do you think just happened Jez?" Aria glanced at me before looking at the scene before us. We had seen the whole ordeal where the green haired young man our own age had stolen Piper's xtransceiver and placed it in the bag, so that whatever conversation between the two of them were in the farris wheel, was unknown to everyone except those two humans and the pokemon present.

"It's easy enough to see that this N guy is a lot more involved then I'm sure we'd like to admit." I pouted while I watched the space empty of both the bodies of the two other humans we were watching. "We need to get more information on that guy."

"Should we have Vince and Cam doing research?" Aria blinked.

"It wouldn't hurt, and another other information they could pick up as well. Maybe we should send in Eira and Parker again? They've met her and she seemed okay with them, perhaps it would work to our advantage because Piper doesn't seem to know that they're IPHP League or that Eira's a champion…"

Aria tapped my arm lightly. "That might work, but what if she finds out?"

I shook my head. "We'll have to be careful. Let's get this information back to Vi and see what she has to say about it. She would have a better idea, but I think what we've come up with is fine. For the time being anyway."

Aria furred her brows. "What do you mean 'for the time being' Jezebel?"

I leaned against the tree. "As of right now, Team Plasma isn't doing as much harm as I had anticipated during the time frame that we've been here. We'll have to watch out, because once they begin to make their bigger moves, we'll be in the heart of it along with that girl and her friends. We'll want to get acquainted soon, maybe through Eira, or perhaps another way?" I held a finger to my chin. "I don't know if right now that would hurt Eira's position with that girl or make it easier…"

I teleported us out of the tree and quickly we were back in the pokemon center room that we had rented out for the time being. Aria sighed and moved over to where her pokenav was and dialed some numbers.

"So… we're checking with Violet?"

I snickered. "So long as you can get her away from Alex."

Witch's Note:

Okay, wow I wasn't quite expecting this, but it just came to me!

I hope you guys haven't all give up on me and this story yet, because I feel a bit of a "one of those moments" coming on! It just hit me suddenly this morning at seven when I woke up, and four hours later, boom! This chapter was born and done! Please excuse any mistakes however, I tried to give this chapter more of a read over, but mistakes always seem to sneak between the cracks.

What did you guys all think of N though? Was he still in character, even with this bit of a change in the dynamics of him? I hope I fitted him and Piper well to the situation, as well as the others as well. We'll be seeing a bit more of them and some others in the next chapter, which I plan to begin working on NOW, and if this mood of my carries over, maybe I can get it up in a couple of days? Wouldn't that be nice?

Especially when I should have had chapter nineteen out today… makes me a bit mad when I can't do things like that…

But anyway, I hope you guys are doing well and I hope to hear for you! Hope you don't hate me and let me know what you think besides any Questions! Oh! And Reviews!

Love you all and see you a soon as I can!

Halloween Witch