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The Adventures on the Crimson Isles
Chapter 21
END OF THE BEGINNING
Granite Isle - Team Pluto Naval Facility [the Boathouse]
The only sensations her senses recognized was the overwhelming taste of salt, the all-consuming cold, and the inability to breathe. As she thrashed her arms about in a desperate attempt to resurface, she noticed the edges of her clamped eyes growing brighter. The inky blackness allowed a small hint of orange, residence. She dared to open her eyes for a second.
Delphox's eyes were closed. Her wand, still clutched, albeit barely, in her hand, was alight, though growing dimmer by the second. Her fur floated aimlessly around her as she sunk deeper and deeper into the murk.
Serena gasped, earning nothing more than a huge gulp of seawater, before her eyelids took over and instinctively closed themselves, plunging her vision back into darkness. Her hands groped aimlessly in a vain attempt to grasp a tuft of Delphox's fur, but the Fox seemed to already have sunk out of her reach. Again, she opened her eyes.
The Fox was nothing but a smudge of maroon in her vision, but, nevertheless, Serena swam towards it. Her head pounded from the increasing pressure, and suffocation began to gnaw at her chest. The ice-cold temperature pierced her eyes, but she kept them open a fraction to keep her sights on Delphox.
The Fox was sinking too fast. Fear began to settle as Serena pawed deeper and deeper. How much longer before she'd run right into wild Pokémon? A school of Basculin? A Sharpedo? Even a Wailord?! Panic began to settle like silt across her conscience, and her remaining breath caught in her throat. Fear of what lurked in the gloom withheld her, and a terrible, all-consuming horror overtook her. Delphox sunk out of sight.
Serena's heart hammered, every pulse snatching up more and more of her limited air. The cold seemed to whack her mind back into action, dispelling extraneous thoughts like what Pokémon might claim her as their meal. Delphox. Save. Water-types. Seadra. Belt.
Adrenaline connected incoherent thoughts into a vague solution. Serena's tapped Seadra's Pokéball open, and although she couldn't see, she felt the Dragon Pokémon's sudden appearance in front of her.
She opened her mouth to give a command, but more saltwater flooded her mouth. In desperation, she opened her eyes to grab Seadra, her oxygen all but gone, but the Water-type was gone.
Horrible thoughts overtook her as she struggled to swim what she presumed was up. She'd lost two Pokémon in under a minute, one of whom was her very first one. Now it wasn't just the lack of oxygen eating at her throat, but also the guilt at what just happened. Darkness started to overtake the edges of her vision, and she questioned whether she was really swimming up.
Then as soon as it had come, the darkness was gone, overtaken by a plethora of color and ear-splitting sound. Her mouth blew open of its own accord, and fresh oxygen poured into her system, reawakening her eyes and sense of place. Waves frothed around her and rain continued to pour on her already drenched form. So it had started raining while she was under….
The first thing she consciously registered was how far she'd floated away from the Boathouse. The currents seemed to have taken her at least fifty yards out. In the distance, Iris stood alongside her Pokémon yelling out commands to combat the horde of Grunts led by Melinöe. Every spare second she got, the Dragon Master whipped her head back at the ocean, frantically searching for Serena on its surface.
"Hegghhhh!" Serena yelled, gargling rain and saltwater as she did. Unfortunately, Iris' attention had been pulled back to the battle, and she didn't hear the honey-blonde.
As her mind fell back into place, Serena's next step was clear; swimming back to the Boathouse. Even if Delphox and Seadra were still out there, fighting the crushing force of the sea, Serena would be no good to them if she drowned. Plus, Iris needed her help, and fast.
Furiously blinking rain out of her eyes, she began the arm-numbing task of paddling back to land. No matter how often she wiped her eyes clear, the rainwater dispelled her clarity as quickly as it came back.
In this moment of mundane swimming, Serena came to appreciate just how soaked her entire body was. Her clothes stuck to her like salted slime. Her hat! It was gone! What else? Checking her belt, all four Pokéballs were still snapped in place, but the sight of Delphox and Seadra's brought the storm of horror billowing back into her chest and up her throat.
Not now. Now she needed to swim.
His Aura reacted before he did. Just as a Flamethrower and Rock Tomb converged onto his position, an enormous Aura Shield exploded into existence around him, Riley, Hayden, and all friendly Pokémon. The Flamethrower licked up the sides of the shield, and the Rock Tomb shattered harmlessly against its surface, the shards trickling down to the ground. Rain sizzled against its surface.
"Ash! Perhaps we could use a few more of Hayden's Pokémon!" Riley yelled, adding more fuel to the shield, while simultaneously directing his Pokèmon into a defensive wall.
"Right!" Ash responded, hurrying over to Hickory's son and pulling three off at random. "Hayden's Pokémon! We're being attacked by Team Pluto! Please help!" He hollered as he released all three at once.
Yanmega, Porygon-Z, and Nidoking coalesced into being within the Aura Shield beside Riley's Lucario, Ursaring, Absol, and Metagross. Their smoldering eyes rolled across the Pluto forces just behind the shield, and without warning, immediately began charging attacks.
"I'll have to put the shield down to allow them to attack!" Riley warned, his hands still outstretched, and pouring Aura into the barrier.
"Do it!" Ash called back, still kneeling by Hayden. "Pikachu, get ready to use Thunderbolt!"
The Mouse Pokémon nodded as electricity sparked across his cheeks and up and down his tail.
"Now!" Riley roared, gathering all the Aura from the shield just in front of hands. The veins in his hands and forearms glowed as the vast amount of energy roiled into a pulsing orb of concentrated power.
Then, with a deafening crack and a low hum, Riley released the Aura in a barely contained beam, sweeping it across the Pluto horde. The Pokémon took the brunt of the attack, intercepting it with their own, but what wasn't touched by Riley's Aura Beam quickly fell under siege by the onslaught of attacks from Pikachu and the other Pokémon.
The moment the Aura Beam petered out, Riley slumped to the ground, as did his Lucario. The attack was too costly on the Aura Guardian and Aura Pokémon's already taxed bodies.
"Riley!" Ash screamed instinctively, surging towards his mentor. Then he remembered he was in the middle of a war zone, and hastily tripped back. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt again!"
"Pika!" Pikachu wailed, though he blasted out another arc of lightning at a group of Fighting-types near the back of the horde.
Unfortunately, even with the combined effort of Riley and all the other Pokémon, the Pluto forces regrouped and readied their next offensive, a bloodied Count Zagreus and an enraged Noivern at the front.
"Ash Ketchum," Zagreus wheezed, wiping a stream of blood from his nose with his glove. "Now you stand alone." He threw up a hand, signalling for his Grunts to cancel their attacks.
Ash stood up as Pikachu scampered up onto his shoulder. The cold-cut glare tempered onto his face stared across at the Pluto Count's amused smirk.
"Count Zagreus," he began. "This is now the fourth time you've tried capturing me, and I assure you, it'll be the last. You wanna know why?"
Zagreus rested a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Because we're going to succeed this time?" He answered sarcastically. His other hand inconspicuously dropped down onto his belt, where four more of his Pokémon lie.
"No," Ash spat. "Because you've made a terrible error in this attempt!"
Zagreus raised a brow playfully, but concern and curiosity danced behind his eyes. "Do enlighten us."
Ash grinned darkly, the brim of his cap shadowing his face. "Your error is that you had the audacity to hurt my friends! You jeopardized their lives, and the lives of their Pokémon! Even now, my own girlfriend is threatened by you! The collateral damage has been far too extreme. But...I guess there really is only one way to stop you."
The Pluto Count stared blankly at his opponent for a few seconds. Then he threw his head back and laughed. "Really?! Is the great Alpha Child Ash Ketchum going to kill us all? End us for good? Commit a mass murder so great that even Arceus will not find a place in heaven for you?!"
Ash shook his head, Aura beginning to gather in his palms and across his arms.
"The only way to stop you is to prove to you that you will always fail!" Ash roared, his Aura flaring up like a wildfire around him. The blue energy engulfed his body, and made Zagreus take a cautionary step back.
"You're no match for us!" The Count spat back, rather uncharacteristically. "Attack the boy now!"
The Grunts' Pokémon resumed charging their attacks, and the physical attacks surged forward, their sights set on Ash.
Meanwhile, Aura licked around Ash, crackling and sputtering as the young Guardian fought to keep it under control. The growing supernova around him throbbed with power, and thin tides of Aura pulsed off his body, keeping the advancing Pokémon and their attacks at momentary bay.
He needed more Aura. The meager amounts still left in his body weren't nearly enough to complete the technique Riley had told him about back on the Boathouse's elevator. Luckily, he had three additional sources slumped on the ground around him.
Streams of Aura cascaded from Riley and the two Lucario's unconscious forms into Ash's storm. The Pluto Grunts called off their Pokémon, who now prowled at their feet, growling and hissing menacingly. If this boy was as powerful as their Count had said, then it would be sound to retreat ASAP.
"You fools!" Zagreus bellowed hoarsely. "Attack him before he can complete his attack!"
As the Pluto forces redoubled their attacks, blood once again began to seep from every opening on Ash's face. Blood even started to drip from under his fingernails and toenails.
"No, NO!" Ash cursed, urging the attack to build faster. "Just-a-little-more!"
This time, when the Grunts' Pokémon launched their attacks, they shredded through the pulses of Aura...and would've found their mark if it weren't for an interception of attacks from Pikachu, Ursaring, Absol, Metagross, Yanmega, Porygon-Z, and Nidoking.
"Damn it! Again! Again! No quarter!" Zagreus roared. "Noivern, Draco Meteor!"
Zagreus' Noivern crashed forward, flapping up into the sky. The air in front of its ears began to warp, and from the distortion, a glowing orange ball of liquid fire spewed forth.
"Crap!" Ash sneered, shaking his head to rid the blood trickling from his eyes. "Pikachu, Electro Ball on Noivern, maximum power! Everyone else, attack!"
Elemental attacks clashed in midair, and those that used their bodies as weapons were halted mid-charge as Metagross, Ursaring, and Nidoking smashed into them with full fury.
"Now Noivern, now!" The Pluto Count screamed, his fingers dancing across the Pokéballs of his other Pokémon absentmindedly.
The Omega Sound Wave Pokémon screeched and flung its wings out, launching the orb of fire skyward. All sound seemed to grower quieter as the Draco Meteor ascended. Then, once it hit the peak of its ascent, the sky erupted, and hell itself rained down.
"Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Iris snarled, quickly turning back towards the ocean to search for Serena again. The pounding rain wasn't helping at all, but the girl still hadn't resurfaced; not anywhere near where she fell, at any rate.
"That's enough!" Melinöe bellowed. "It's just you against all of us! What chance do you have at survival?"
Iris grit her teeth. "I'm a champion, you bitch, and I can take you all on! Emolga, use Hidden Power again, and Excadrill, Drill Run!" She certainly sounded more confident than she actually was; her hopes were slipping away as steadily as the seconds in which Serena remained absent.
The attacks were easily countered by Melinöe's horde of followers, and upon their dissipation, Melinöe called out her attack.
"Drapion, use Poison Jab now!"
Drapion roared, clacking its pincers together before bounding straight at Iris, the clawed ends beginning to glow a deep purple. As it got closer, Drapion roared again, now spinning its pincers like a drill, foul poison starting to drip off.
"Haxorus, intercept with Dragon Claw! Gabite, follow up with Sand Tomb!" Iris cried, sneaking another glance back at the roiling waves. C'mon Serena! Ash'll kill me if you don't come up!
Claws grated together, emitting a terrible screeching sound. Haxorus' draconic-energized claws burned through the poison coating Drapion's pincers, and the two behemoth Pokémon clashed in a fury of fang and claw alike.
Meanwhile, as Gabite sneaked towards the Ogre Scorpion, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, from the other side of the pier, Melinöe lobbed out another Pokémon.
Corrupted Cacturne slammed onto the concrete in front of Gabite, and instantly launched into a Needle Arm attack. Not a half-second too soon, Gabite ducked, and smashed the Scarecrow Pokémon back with Slash. Another quarrel began.
"Now, attack the Dragon Champion!" Melinöe commanded, raising her arms above her head. "We've had our fun, but playtime's over now!"
And with that, those in the horde of Pokémon capable of flight took to the skies, some mounted by their Pluto Grunt masters. Melinöe laughed as she watched Iris' façade of confidence crumbled into nothing, and just for kicks, she deployed her magenta-colored Skuntank into the fray.
"Emolga! Dragonite! Excadrill!" Iris wailed. "Hidden Power, Flamethrower, and Metal Claw!"
Her heart hammered in her chest. She was going to die here. Alongside all her Pokémon. She let them all down. She let down Serena. She let down Hayden. She let down her title as Champion.
Elemental attacks clashed overhead, and upon hearing a high-pitched scream, Iris jumped aside. Then she realized it was her own voice, and that she had just rolled right at Cacturne's feet.
She screamed again, clamping her eyes shut. Just before she did, she saw Cacturne raise another Needle Arm, smiling maliciously beneath its sepia hood. The blow never came.
Instead, when she opened her eyes, she noticed the glowing blue form of Gabite, holding Cacturne's arm back with his own. Then he began to grow, an enormous dorsal fin protruding from his back, his arm fins lengthening, and a long tail snaking from his rear.
"G-Gab...bite," Iris whimpered, her hands clamped over her mouth. Rain and tears alike dripped from her wrists and cheeks.
"Chomp!" Garchomp bellowed, flinging Cacturne aside as if it were a rag doll. A stream of draconic energy exploded into existence around him, and he launched towards the Scarecrow, plowing through enemy attacks as he went. Groups of Mightyena, Boldore, and Scyther were thrown over the sides of the pier, splintering the metal railing as Garchomp bulleted towards his opponent. A deep rent in the concrete shadowed the pseudo-Legendary, and when he finally connected with Cacturne, the force of the explosion that followed threw the above Flying-types off-balance; a shift in the tide of the battle Emolga and Dragonite quickly took advantage of.
Noticing Garchomp suddenly become Team Pluto's center of attention, Iris quickly rolled back to the edge of the pier, once again frantically searching for Serena.
"Ser-rena!" Iris screamed as loud she she could over the din of the rain, her voice cracking.
Her eyes yielded no results, until her ears pinpointed a gargling yell much further out than Iris was looking. In the distance, a wash of darkened honey-blonde locks atop a pale face floated over the fearsome tide.
"Serena!" Iris yelled again, this time in a stark, euphoric relief. A relieved smile shined on her tear-stained face. "Dragonite!" She called.
The Dragon-type fired off an Ice Beam at an incoming flock of Golbat before lumbering over to his trainer. "Bhhhe!"
"Dragonite, go get Serena!" Iris commanded, pointing her finger at the girl as if lives depended on it, which, of course, they did.
"Bhhhe!" Dragonite bellowed, shooting out to sea to rescue the honey-blonde.
Iris grinned. Now, it was time to kick Team Pluto's sorry arse. "Garchomp, Dragon Rush! Haxorus, use Outrage! Excadrill, Metal Claw! Aggron, Rock Slide! Emolga, use Discharge!"
Her Pokémon roared in a renewed determination as they launched their respective attacks in a whirlwind dance of coordinated destruction. More and more enemy Flying-types were falling from the sky now, and Iris was slowly but surely pushing the Pluto Grunts back towards the rest of the Boathouse.
"Argh! Skuntank, use Toxic now!" Melinöe roared, enraged. "Bring down the Champion's Pokémon!"
Skuntank snarled, flipped around backwards, and sprayed a disgusting, toxic sludge from its rear end.
"Excadrill, Aggron, tank it!" Iris commanded. Serena's reappearance filled her with confidence, and she felt as if nothing could get in the way of her victory.
The two Pokémon leapt in front of the ooze, and soaked it up harmlessly. Then they both turned murderous glares on the skunk.
Skuntank stalked back around, glaring at Iris' Pokémon, its rear end steaming disgustingly. "Tank…," it growled menacingly.
"Excadrill, let's take out the trash! Finish it off with Focus Blast!"
"Counter with Earthquake!" Melinöe cackled. "Say goodbye, Champion!"
Iris' heart flipped. She was going to destroy the pier! "Excadrill, Garchomp, Aggron, Haxorus, return!" She wailed, digging frantically for their Pokéballs.
"Bhhhe?!" Dragonite squawked above her. Iris spun her gaze up. Cradled in his arms was the limp, shivering, and soaked form of Serena.
"C'mon, let's go, she's destroying the pier!" Iris yelled, waving her arm for him to pick her up.
Swirling in the air protectively around Dragonite, Emolga launched Hidden Power after Hidden Power, keeping what was left of the enemy Flying-types at bay. However, most of the Grunts, as well as Countess Melinöe herself were hurrying back off the pier as Skuntank charged its attack.
Iris leaped on Dragonite's back, and the Dragon took flight, closely followed by Emolga.
A shockwave of energy pulsed out from Skuntank, and the concrete pier ruptured at it feet, crumbling and gurgling as the fragments splashed and sunk into the ocean. Just before the piece Skuntank was standing on sunk into the dark waters, the Poison-type turned heel and bounded back to safety, at the feet of its cruel master.
"You'll all perish in the coming storm, Champion!" Melinöe howled through the din.
Iris glared down at the Pluto Countess, but she doubted Melinöe could see her in the ever-increasing intensity of the downpour. Then a wash of rain clouded her vision, and by the time she wiped it away, another sound had already captured the entirety of her attention.
An incredible boom blasted from Ash, Riley, and Hayden presumed position. There, floating above the containers and cranes, was a miniature star.
"Dragonite, get us over there as fast as you can!"
Ash's vision was seared into white by the effulgent attack. The sky wailed as the meteorites began to fall, and Ash opened his eyes as wide as he could. Blazing chunks of power ablaze with fiery draconic energy careened down towards him and his Pokémon.
"AHHH!" Ash screamed pouring every last drop of energy into the attack. Pikachu glanced his way in worry, but Ash had no strength to answer with a reassuring smile.
"You're finished, Alpha Child!" Zagreus laughed hoarsely. "Doom finally befalls Arceus' mighty champion! The reign of Omegeus is at hand!"
The Pluto Count cackled sadistically, the fire of his Dragon's attack burning in his eyes.
Draco Meteors crashed to the ground around Ash, but none actually hit him. All of his ally Pokémon were defeated by a few meteorites each, and the ones that had no target crashed through the concrete platform like a rock through wet paper. Smoke wafted up from the new sinkholes, the ocean's waters extinguishing the infernal dragon stones.
Aura poured from Ash like the ocean itself had just been dumped on top of him. He grit his teeth and forced his arms up. The action looked like trying to lift the sky, but when his hands were finally above his head, he leveled his gaze with Zagreus.
His eyes were pure azure, so bright they burned a clear window through the surrounding smoke. Blood trickled from his sockets, his nostrils, and the corners of his mouth. Despite the ungodly fatigue, Ash bent his lips into a terrible grin.
"You've failed, Count," he rumbled, a whirlpool of Aura starting in swirl above his head. "You underestimate me!"
A drip of sweat trickled down Zagreus' neck. "You...you don't have the strength to complete your attack!" He spat. "You're just a boy!"
Ash laughed. More blood gushed from his mouth, but he spat it out. "Then consider yourself defeated by a boy for the fourth time!"
The whirlpool of Aura churned above Ash's head and hands; it was now the size of a small car. The azure energy seemed to be retreating up his bloodstained form into the maelstrom of power he wielded.
"Now!" Ash roared, recalling the words Riley had taught him. "AURAN STAR!"
One second, he was engulfed in Aura. The next, it was all gone.
Then a bang lit up the twilight sky as if the sun had just dropped in. And indeed, it looked like one had. Pulsing, churning, and roiling with energy, an enormous orb of pure Aura hovered above the quarreling sides like a silent sentinel. Blue lightning crackled off the sphere, rogue shocks of unstable power blasted temporary craters into the star's surface. The Auran Star seemed to be falling more and more unstable by the second, pulsing smaller and smaller, though fighting to stay in existence. Rain hissed against its surface harmlessly.
Zagreus watched with growing terror as the star shrunk in size. Absentmindedly, he moved towards his thrashing Noivern. In a couple seconds, he'd most likely be in the ocean, if not dead. He needed an escape.
The Auran Star crumpled one last time before ceasing all movement for a millisecond. Then, silence reverberated across the platform, before the star exploded with an ear-rupturing bang to ten times its size.
"Ahg!" Zagreus screamed, leaping onto his Noivern and kicking it to take flight.
A blinding light seared through the area, followed by the incomprehensibly loud hum. It seemed as though an earthquake of legendary proportion had just swept through. The concrete beneath Team Pluto's feet seemed to evaporate. Grunts dropped an inch before being engulfed by the light, which expanded outward in a blinding nova of godly power.
Then, in one last destructive finale, the Auran Star plunged down onto the horde of Pluto forces. Grunts squawked in fear, but their screams were drowned out by the roar of the supernova. Containers, crates, and a nearby watchtower all crumpled into the massive explosion. The star ripped a massive hole in the platform where Team Pluto had been standing seconds ago, and plummeted into the ocean.
Water shot up like a geyser, then crashed down onto the surrounding platform, drenching Ash and his Pokémon. Blue-tinted smoke rose from the sinkhole.
Ash slumped to the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath him. All of the Pokémon lie unconscious from Noivern's Draco Meteor. Riley and Hayden slumbered nearby.
Then, the sunken star bursted, far under the water. The rest of the platform cracked, and everything on it sunk into the ice-cold ocean.
Granite Isle - ?
Existence swam into blurry view. The air was cold, frigidly so. She was laying on something hard. It wasn't very comfortable.
A heavy appendage grazed her eyes, which bolted open at the sudden smack. It was her arm. Clearly, it was still asleep.
"Oh god, you're awake!" A voice said to her left. Before she could turn her head, gentle hands were already cradling it into a slightly more comfortable position.
Her vision whorled. It was dark. Multiple specks glittered above her, but because her blurry vision, all she saw were dim circles of somber light.
"Serena? Serena?" The voice said.
Who was that? Serena. Why was this person saying her name? She began to get irritated at her lack of clear sight.
"Hnnh…," Serena moaned, desperate to prove she was still alive and capable of functioning properly.
"Oh boy. You don't sound too good."
Who was that? I...Iris. Yes, her name was Iris. But where were they? What happened. The last thing she could remember was—
"Huah!" Serena wailed, rolling over in an attempt to stand. Instead, she fell off whatever she had been laying on, and hit the hard ground.
"Oh my god, Serena!" Iris exclaimed, instantly at the girl's side.
Serena forced her eyes to find Iris. Even though it felt like her neck had been twisted, then uncoiled, she located the Dragon Master next to her. Iris had propped her back up against her "bed."
"A...a…," Serena stuttered, her teeth clattering together from the cold.
"God damn, can someone bring her a little more than a giant piece of paper?!" Iris called out to someone.
A heavy fur quilt was wrapped around her, and Serena tugged it tighter around her. "A...a…!"
"Yes, Ash is...fine," Iris said, biting her lip. "But you have to get some rest Serena."
"N...n…," Serena groaned, raising an arm. But her body was no longer her own. She watched through her eyes as she slumped sideways, just as her vision turned to nothing.
Iris stood. Serena was bow tucked back onto her makeshift bed, bow clad with the heaviest blanket Team Rocket could produce. She gave one last somber look at the shivering honey-blonde before turning back to who she was talking to.
"So what did she have to say?" Meowth asked, sitting on a rock.
"Nothing much. I think she wanted to know where Ash was."
"And?"
"I told her he was fine!" Iris said angrily. "What do you want me to say?"
Meowth put his two hands out defensively. "Woah, woah, chill ya grill Champion twerpette! I just wanna know how she's doin'!"
Iris rolled her eyes and slumped down on the rock beside Meowth. "Whatever."
"You should get ya rest," Meowth suggested. "Musta been hard fighting Team Pluto like dat."
"Musta been hard for your Boss to keep an idiot like you around for so long," Iris retorted venomously.
"Now ya snappin' at me!" Meowth whined. "This is the thanks I get?"
Iris sighed, shame burning on her face. It wasn't often she felt ashamed of things she said. But Meowth had a point, and Iris wasn't one to argue with facts.
Team Rocket had saved their lives. Maybe not her's in particular, but the other four...they were all indebted to them. Team Rocket had pulled Ash, Riley, and Hayden from the water, and rescued their Pokémon too. They'd nursed Serena's hypothermia for the past hour. They'd provided a shelter atop Mt. Vitreus for the group to recover. And they'd destroyed what was left of the Boathouse, and Team Pluto's warships.
"Sorry," Iris murmured.
Meowth frowned sympathetically. "Hey, I was just messin' around Twerpette. But if ya so stubborn on stayin' awake, then have another cup of coffee, and let's join the rest."
Iris looked up. "Why?"
Meowth frowned. "They wanna talk to you about what you lugs can expect in da future. In terms of Team Pluto. And since you're the only one awake…."
"Fine, fine," Iris grumbled. It was true. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep everything away. But, since Meowth had suggested it, she didn't want to comply. It was still Team Rocket. Last time she'd seen them, they were planning on taking over the entire Unova Region with the Weather Titans and the Mythical Pokémon, Meloetta.
She followed Meowth to a matte black helicopter emblazoned on the doors with the emblem of Team Rocket. Jessie and James were currently talking with five other Rocket agents inside, but they all fell silent upon seeing Iris, and offered solemn looks.
"Champion," James murmured.
Iris glared at him. "How does everyone know that?"
Jessie stepped forward. "Irrelevant. But since Champions are a part of the International Police, perhaps you can shed some light on a few dark patches of intel for us."
Iris turned her glare on the magenta-haired woman. "I haven't contacted them at all since I got to the Crimson Isles. But they left me with the task of finding out as much as I could about Team Pluto. Perhaps you can shed some light for me."
James brushed Jessie aside. "How about we start by telling you everything we know, and you can fill in the blanks with what you know."
"Fine."
James lifted a tablet and began reading. "Team Pluto is a terrorist organization based on eight of the nine Crimson Isles, whose sole purpose is to free their god, presumably a Pokémon, from another realm of reality."
The Rocket personnel turned a questioning look Iris' way. Iris frowned and slid to the ground.
"Well, they're not a terrorist organization. In fact, I think they want to remain as obscure as possible, at least until their plans are complete."
"On the topic of their plans," Jessie interrupted. "We've been keeping tabs on their communications with one of their allies based in Kanto. It's codenamed 'Project Typhon.'"
"Of course it is," Iris said sarcastically. "Tell me more about their allies."
Jessie shifted on her feet. "We don't know much about them. We sent a team out to what we thought was their safehouse, in Fuschia City, but they never returned. The one thing we know is that their organization was exiled from society many years ago, and they hope that when Team Pluto's Project Typhon is complete, they can reveal themselves to the world again."
Iris cocked her head. "Exiled from the world…. Riley told us about them. They're called the Shadow Paladins. They're led by a man named Tobias. He competed in Sinnoh's Pokémon Conference a few years back, and he swept through easily with his Darkrai."
James nodded, remembering the man. "So...the Shadow Paladins?" James asked, readying his tablet to record the new information. "And you're positive this information is correct?"
"My friend is an Aura Guardian," Iris scowled. "The Aura Guardians' chief enemy were the Shadow Paladins."
As James typed out what Iris told him, Jessie turned back to Iris.
"Can you tell us anything else about Team Pluto?"
Iris racked her memory. "The god they're trying to free, it's called Omegeus. It's Arceus' counterpart."
James typed that out as well. "Arceus'...counterpart. Interesting. One last question, then we'll allow you get some rest."
"Allow me?"
James blushed. "Er, we'll stop harassing you." That seemed to satisfy Iris, so James continued. "We only know of the woman named Macaria, who we met the last time we met. Do you know of any more of their notable members?"
"I fought against a woman named Melinöe who we ran into once before on the Fungal Isle. Also, a man named Zagreus who tried kidnapping Ash on the Haunted Isle," Iris replied.
"Melinöe, huh?" James muttered. "She was one of ours before she betrayed us!" He spat. Then he recomposed himself and finished typing everything down, then nodded to the violet-haired girl. "Very well. Thank you."
"Hey Twerpette, sorry about the hospitality, but you'll have to sleep on one of these benches," Meowth apologized, motioning to the benches lining the chopper's interior. "There's blankets underneath."
Iris cursed quietly and nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks. But I'd like to see Hayden before I sleep."
"This way," Jessie said, departing the chopper. Outside, crumbled pillars of granite and wind beaten ruins covered the expanse of Mt. Vitreus' peak. Serena lie nearby on her metal table, which was situated against a crumbling stone wall. Various medical machinery was strung all around her, filtering her life through her body as she recovered.
"She'll freeze out here," Iris muttered. "Out of everyone here, the one with hypothermia has to sleep outside."
"There's no room inside the chopper," Jesse said nonchalantly. "Not with all her equipment."
Iris nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from the cold. She trailed Jessie through the ruins like a ghost; silent and detached from what was going on around her. A thousand-year old gravel crunched beneath her feet.
They stepped through one last arch before coming upon a desecrated courtyard. A cracked granite fountain sat in the middle. Moss cloaked its surface, and vegetation sprouted from between the bricks of the crumbling walls. In the far corner of the ruins lie a lump.
"Hayden…," Iris breathed, surging forward past Jessie to kneel at her boyfriend's side. "Hayden?"
"He won't wake for another hour or so," came a voice behind her.
She wheeled around. At Jessie's side stood Riley, looking unfathomably exhausted. Bags hung from his eyes like meat out to dry. The buffeting cold looked like it could topple him at any moment, yet he stood his ground. His face was pale, and a deep sadness etched wrinkles into his zombie-like form.
"I'll leave you two to talk," Jessie declared, departing from whence she came.
Riley limped right up to Iris and stared down into her chocolate eyes. Sorrow swam in his own blue ones. "Iris…. I'm so sorry."
Despite the fact that he'd broken his promise to keep Hayden safe, Iris couldn't find it within herself to lash out at the Aura Guardian now. They'd both had a hell of a day, and looked as though Riley was about collapse.
"H-He'll be okay, right?" Iris shivered.
"He will. Though I thought it'd be wisest if he awoke away from Team Rocket. I'm not sure what happened to him back in Mt. Vitreus, but I'm sure he will tell me when he finds it appropriate. I'd hate for him to attack again."
Iris stood. Riley took a step back, as if to offer space, and she felt a twinge of guilt. "I...I'm sorry too Riley. I was wrong to get angry at you earlier. To be honest...I'm not sure what I would've done different. So...also, thank you." Hopefully the cold of night would keep the heat from rising to her cheeks.
Riley nodded respectfully. "It's not a problem." He sighed a held up his palm. A faint blue light danced between his fingers before blowing out in the next brush of wind. "Damn. I'm messed up."
"What's that?"
Riley turned back to Iris as if he forgot she was there. "Earlier. I used up way too much of my Aura. It'll take a while for it to regenerate to a healthy level." He chuckled, though it sounded painful. "Also, Ash borrowed some of mine and Lucario's Aura to complete his Auran Star."
"Auran Star?" Iris questioned.
"Yes, it's an extremely powerful technique, though typically, only an extremely skilled, fully-trained Aura Guardians can complete successfully."
"He is the Alpha Child."
"Even still," Riley countered instantly. "He's had not ten minutes of training. Another attack like that...another technique of any sort, and he'll probably kill himself."
"Where is he?" Iris suddenly asked. She hadn't seen the raven-haired boy since Team Rocket whisked him from the ruins of the Boathouse along with Hayden, Riley, and all their Pokémon.
"He's unconscious deeper in the ruins," Riley answered. "Lucario's tending him there while I'm here. Despite their assistance, I still don't trust Team Rocket. One of their members joined Team Pluto, you know?"
"I heard."
Moonlight dribbled onto the courtyard, lighting it up like a spotlight. Then the clouds passed back over and the darkness emptied back. Gales of wind blew pebbles across the ground, over the trodden stone. A shock of curiosity overtook Iris, and she frowned and whirled back towards Riley.
"What is this place?"
Riley turned back around and faced the Dragon Master. "The locals call it the Granite Ruins. But many hundreds of years ago when the power of Arceus was strongest, this was a temple to one of the Mythical Legends. It was called the Temple of the Moon."
"A temple to the moon...Cresselia."
"Not just Cresselia," Riley corrected. "She was but one aspect of the moon."
"Darkrai."
"Yes."
Iris shuffled on her feet. "So what happened to the temple then?"
Riley rubbed his temple. "The legend of the Temple of the Moon is a most curious one indeed. The most common foretelling is that Arceus or Omegeus...when they ascended Cresselia and Darkrai to Mythics, the power of the moon was no longer theirs to command...as with all Mythics, they had an affinity for a particular aspect of the universe, but their ascension made them extremely powerful, yet unrepresentative." He paused and scratched his head. "Perhaps another Pokémon was given the title…," he mused.
Iris frowned. "Well, you're an Aura Guardian. Shouldn't you, like, know everything about everything?"
Riley laughed softly. "The world is a vast plane. We've but scratched the surface of its mysteries." He turned away and walked back towards the arch. "I should go back to check on Ash."
Iris nodded. "I'll stay with Hayden."
"Are you sure?"
"Goodnight Riley."
The Aura Guardian nodded and walked away. Once again, the moonlight passed over the courtyard. But this time, clouds did not waft by to extinguish it.
"The Aura Guardian is right," Cresselia chuckled to herself, as she watched Iris from perched atop a tall pillar nearby. "But some mysteries are best left unsolved." A single flap of her wings rocketed her into the night sky. "The Omega Child rises."
Next - Chapter 22: The Keeper of Dreams Descends
Author's Note
Sorry it's been awhile, blah, blah, blah.
You'll notice there was no synopsis at the start of the chapter. Well, that's because 1. I've decided there's no real reason for them since when you read the chapter, you'll find out what happens anyways and 2. I couldn't think of a synopsis for this chapter. So, henceforth, no more synopses.
Things are kicking into high gear, and the first of four ultimate Aura/Shadow techniques has been revealed. That's two for each! I hope you guys liked the way I portrayed the whole Boathouse brawl in general, so let me know how I did (thanks in advance).
Also, although the new Alola Region Pokémon won't be included in this story, or the sequel, I couldn't help but make a jab at Lunaala when Iris and Riley were talking about Cresselia and Darkrai, so cheers to those of you who caught that on the spot!
Finally, although it's summer, don't expect the updates to come much more frequently, since I still have summer school (chemistry is one hell of a bitch). Sorry :/
Anyways, that's all from me. I'll see you in the next chapter.
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