... Hey, remember me? Remember this story? It's okay if you don't. I haven't updated in... gosh, three or four months. I bow my head in shame. I have no excuse... Anyhoo... Hopefully with your forgiven attitudes, you can enjoy this 25th chapter of Pokemon Hearts. Sadly, there's not many Pokémon battles, but it's setting up for future action. So, enjoy.
The obligatory list of Trainers and their Pokémon is not necessary for this chapter, so I'll leave it out for now. It takes up soooo much space. Enjoy!
Previously, on Pokémon Hearts… A mind-controlled Kaiba caught Ho-Oh, and the rest are clueless to the fact that he is not acting of his own free will… Only Joey seems to notice something is off, but he is doubtful. What will happen next?
As for the Legendaries, they have caught Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Jirachi, Kyogre, Latios and Latias, Arceus, Manaphy, Palkia, Dialga, Azelf, Mespirt, Uxie, and Rotom. Number remaining: 14
When Joey and Mai returned inside, Ryou Bakura, Malik, and Yugi were sitting on the couch watching the news intently. Mai left the room, but Joey plopped down in an armchair. "What, nothing better on TV than the news?" he teased.
"Bakura suggested watching the news for hints of Legendary activities," Yugi explained, smiling at his best friend. "We thought that was a great idea." Bakura slumped down a little, embarrassed and modest.
"Awesome," Joey said, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together. "Any clues?"
"Just one," Malik told him. "According to the weatherman, there's been a drought. There's no sign of rain. It could be nothing…"
"…but it could also be a Legendary," Joey completed. "Who knows what Legendaries can do? Where's our experts?"
As if on cue, Serenity slid into the room. "Anything on the news?" she asked, her Eevee in her arms.
"Serenity, lil sis, is there a Legendary that can cause droughts?"
She pondered it for a minute, rubbing Hyacinth the Eevee's head. "I'm not sure about droughts, but I know that Groudon is the Legendary of land. Since Kyogre isn't there to balance with swelling seas, maybe it's trying to extend the land."
"Makes sense," mused Bakura. "You extend land by drying up the water, and you dry up water with droughts, right? That doesn't give us any hints as to where Groudon might be, but we at least know it's there…"
"Alright, Groudon's out there causin' a drought," Joey summed up. "Anything else suspicious on the news?"
"No," Yugi sighed. "There hasn't been anything else suspicious. Just a strange light last night, but Mokuba said that was Ho-Oh, and we got that. Just the usual politics and sports…"
Just then, a video of a wide field of flowers in what looked like Domino Park dominated the TV screen, with the news anchor narrating over it. "This beautiful garden appeared seemingly overnight to be discovered this morning," she was saying. "No one knows who planted all these flowers, but everyone can agree that they bring a pleasing fragrance to the surrounding area."
"Suspicious enough?" Malik inquired, grinning.
Joey laughed. "Let's check it out."
Wanting to see the garden, Serenity, Mai, and Téa decided to go, and Joey joined them. The rest of the guys thought it hilarious Joey would want to see a field of flowers in person, but he stood his ground. So, with the sun beating down on them, the four Trainers made their trek to Domino Park.
When they arrived, they were almost overpowered by the perfume of all the flowers. Plants bloomed and grew from every possible crack and crevice in the earth, and it looked as though they were spreading past the park and into the street. Little green shoots were poking through the asphalt. But though the scent was strong, the air was fresh. A deep breath cleared the lungs of car exhaust and left the body feeling reenergized.
"Oh yeah," Joey said, inhaling through his nose loudly. "This is definitely the work of a Legendary. Any ideas, Serenity?"
"I can't remember its name," she admitted, bending down and brushing her fingers against the flowers, "but it's really small, and should be friendly. It'll look like a flower to avoid detection, so watch where you step."
"Wonderful," Mai sighed. "We're going on a scavenger hunt for a four-leaf clover. We should call the other guys in to help search…"
"Good idea," Téa said, pulling out her cell phone. "This is a job that requires more than four people."
Everyone else joined in on the hunt for the Legendary… that is, everyone except Kaiba. He claimed he was tired, too tired to help, and promptly headed for his room, dragging his feet a little for extra emphasis. It was only because of persuasion by Mokuba that they agreed to leave him behind. It wasn't like he got enough sleep lately.
They spent hours searching the park. All the while the flowers spread, now covering the streets that bordered the park. Those roads were blocked off because people were wandering among the flowers, disregarding the borders of the actual park, and no one really wanted to crush the plants with cars anyway. Scientists and news reporters alike marveled and wondered at the rate at which the plants were growing. Vines curled around trees, cool moss snuggled on the dark side of rocks, and of course, flowers blossomed underfoot. Everyone seemed in a good mood because of the perfume and seeming lack of pollution.
The group's breaks consisted on lying in the field of flowers and let the sun warm them. But then the sun had started setting, and still they had no Legendary.
"Uuuuggghhh," groaned Joey. "Where is this thing?"
"We've searched all afternoon," moaned Tristan, picking a flower, biting it, then spitting it out with a grimace. "I've found three four-leaf clovers, but not a single Legendary."
"Let's just go back," sighed Mokuba tiredly. "It's getting late…"
"Agreed," chorused the group. They all stood up from their bed of flowers and stretched. But then Téa pointed at Serenity. "Hold on, what's that on your back?"
The group gathered around Serenity, and Téa pulled whatever was on her back off. What the older brunette held in her hands was a tiny white and green hedgehog creature with a pink flower behind one of its ears. After staring at it for a few seconds, everyone burst out into laughter.
"Let's take you home, little guy," Téa said through her giggles.
Perhaps it was all the light feelings instilled from the purified park, but despite their weariness, none of them could muster up anger. They caught the pokémon, which the pokédex identified as Shaymin, with no problem, and walked back home in peace.
Back at the mansion, Mokuba took the ball which held Shaymin. "I'll just put this in the vault with the others," he told them, running off into the house.
It was not ten minutes later when he sprinted back to them, pale and breathless. "They're gone!" he gasped. "The Legendaries… are all gone!"