When Leyna agreed to her husband's plan, she expected him to go over the top and drag her into a situation beyond her capabilities. In her head, Leyna was anticipating an angry Pokémon set off by her husband, who forced her to clean up the mess and view it as "training." However, Hayate has not done one thing since they arrived at their destination.
For someone who endured a lifetime of crazy but thrilling experiences with this man, Leyna was both confused and extremely worried. Her husband is a kid at heart. He's very excitable and has that playful nature, but for him to progress in the opposite directions, Leyna didn't know what to think. The only time she remembers Hayate being this subdued is when…
'No.' Leyna tensed up. She quickly came to her senses, shaking her head at the jump to conclusions. 'I'm getting too ahead of myself.'
But the fear remained, taunting Leyna with flashbacks.
"Hayate." She stopped walking.
Cerulean Cave, a restricted area housing a plethora of powerful Pokémon. It wasn't like Mt. Silver, with its infinite blizzards, but the Pokémon came close in terms of power. The cave is normally restricted because ordinary trainers can't hope to stand up to the challenge. Ordinary trainers that is.
Fortunately for Leyna, her husband is not an ordinary trainer.
"Mhm?" Hayate followed his wife's example and turned to face her. "What's wrong?" he mentally noted the urgency in her call.
"I should ask you the same thing," Leyna ignored his question. "You're being too quiet and calm about the situation, and it's making me very nervous. Is something bothering you?" She folded her arms and let her aura come to life. "Want to challenge me?"
Husband and wife had a stare down, silver eyes clashing against piercing blue. Leyna's aura ensured Hayate's every word is truthful. Years of practicing the art turned the Moriyama matriarch into a human lie detector. No one, people nor Pokémon, can lie to her. It's like listening to a heartbeat. The rate changes when under stress. Lying causes tension, and with aura, Leyna will make sure her husband is incapable of telling fibs. Any fluctuation is observed critically, and Leyna isn't merciful towards liars.
She despises all liars.
"We won't be followed down here," Hayate broke the silence. "It was either here or Mt. Silver, but I won't put you through that sort of experience, not yet at least."
"Cerulean Cave isn't much better," Leyna retorted. "And we've climbed Mt. Silver before."
"Cerulean Cave doesn't have an eternal blizzard either. At least here, it's only the Pokémon we need to worry about. Anyone dumb enough to terrorize the Pokémon here is in a for a rude awakening."
Leyna clicked her tongue. "But every second we waste here is more time Team Rocket can exact their plans."
"Maybe, but no matter what we do, we're not going to learn anything useful. None of Team Rocket's operatives have been brainwashed, and we're constantly being hounded. We'll waste more time mindlessly running around. This way, we can catch our breaths and come up with a new plan."
She concurred with that statement. "That doesn't make me feel better."
Her husband nodded. "Me neither, but with war about to break out, we need all the time we can get."
"War?" Leyna parroted, her mouth hung low.
"It's hard to believe, but yep, something big is about to happen, and I can describe it as war. You see, Team Rocket is allied with an organization from Sinnoh called Galactic. They're the ones who kidnapped Green and Prof. Rowan, but all I know is that they're after the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. However, to do that, they need the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs, and wouldn't you know it. They have someone with sneaky fingers. The Adamant Orb has already been stolen."
"How? Shouldn't it be guarded?"
Hayate laughed. "You would think so but nope. It was displayed in a museum, ripe for the picking. Happened in broad daylight too, but our Sinnoh operatives are on the case. Champion Chase isn't going to let Team Galactic do as they please."
"This is all too complicated," she sighed. "Our home gets attacked on our son's sixteenth birthday, innocent people have been kidnapped and possibly tortured, and more things are piling on top. Hayate, what are we going to do?"
The man in question sling his arm around his wife's shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. "The best that we can."
"That doesn't help."
Massaging her shoulder, Hayate escorted her deeper into Cerulean Cave. "Red told me of a Pokémon that used to inhabit this place. It was a man-made Pokémon resulting from Team Rocket's attempt to clone Mew."
"Mewtwo. I'm aware of the story. Red captured it a long time ago though, right? Why would it come back here?"
"Who knows? Isolation, training, or both. The area isn't short on good training partners, and its restricted access will make sure few people invade. That's why we're here. By isolating ourselves, we'll give our pursuers a choice to make. Either they can continue chasing after us thinking they have us cornered, or they'll leave us alone because of the strong Pokémon lurking around. It doesn't matter what they decide, we'll be ready, and in the meantime, you and I can get some needed practice and reprieve."
"So, you expect us to stay here? A deep, dark, dank cave is our temporary hideaway from the world?" Leyna had her hands placed sternly on her hips, her piercing blue eyes glaring at her unbothered husband, who looked around with a small smile. She couldn't believe him sometimes.
"Hey, we've tackled worse. It's better than Mt. Silver and its harsh blizzards. Compared to that, this should be a snap."
Leyna pinched the bridged between her eyes and let a heavy breath leave her nostrils. "Hayate, I love you. I really do, but you need to learn something. I am not built like you. I am not as strong as you. Battling is in your blood, not mine."
"What difference does that make?" he replied softly. "I understand where you're coming from, but in due time, you will need more than aura under your belt. There are a handful of people in this world that can use theirs, and aside from Ryūga, you are the strongest one. The only person that can best you is dead, and Ryūga doesn't have a fraction of the experience and control that you do."
Hayate grinned. "Sir Aaron don't have anything on you."
Leyna wasn't feeling confident about it though. "I don't know, Hayate. I think we should just keep looking for Team Rocket's stronghold."
"Even if we do, we'll still need to find the people they kidnapped, and I highly doubt they would be in the same place. For all we know, they might be in Kalos or Orre. That's why I'm saying we should gather our strength first. That way, we can set it all afire without having to worry about much. Our kids won't need to get involved, no third parties need to get caught in the crossfire; it will just be us with the G-Men against Team Rocket and whatever they throw at us. That's the best-case scenario."
Hayate continued to convince his wife with little luck. He understood her hesitation and sympathized with her. It's not his style to wait around for the enemy to make their next play, but at the same time, he didn't want to involve innocents. He indirectly influenced Ryūga to join him, maybe without the boy's knowledge, but that's all Hayate will do.
Leyna, on the other hand, wasn't too keen on the situation. She wanted things to end faster and with minimal damage to repair. Ninety percent of her home was stolen from her, and there's no telling where half of them might be. Her mind was a hurricane of bad thoughts and it constantly centered on the family she has left. Hayate, her strong but silly husband, is her source of comfort, but there's only so much of his schemes that she can take. Meanwhile, gray hairs sprouted on her head because of the worriment aimed towards the well-being of her children. Her son is trained to fight and protect, but like his father, he can get out of control too. On the other hand, Maya isn't as disciplined as her elder brother, but she takes after her mother in terms of spirit.
They didn't need to be separated, not at this crucial moment in their lives.
"It's going to be alright," Hayate assured her. He squeezed her and caressed the back of her head. "I may be crazy, but I would never let anything happen to my family. Remember my motto?"
"Protect what you love," Leyna answered.
"Right, and I love you, my big strong boy, and my baby girl. No one's laying a hand on you, not while I'm around."
Leyna let a small smile grace her lips as she snuggled her head in her husband's chest, elated by his words.
However.
"We have to move!" she cried out, her danger senses going off the charts. Just in time for the ground to start quaking.
"That didn't last long," Hayate commented. He reached for Agro's capsule and readied to throw. "Can you give me any details?"
"Hold on," Leyna replied, her eyes closed, and aura charged. "It's underground and moving incredibly fast. It'll be directly under us in a few moments."
"Then let's pick us a vegetable. Agro, time to light 'em up!"
Out from the capsule, Agro the Aggron let out an ear-splitting roar that caused the Pokémon within earshot to retreat.
"We have something below us, Agro. Try to draw it out."
"Aggron!" the behemoth obliged. With a heavy smash of his large tail, Agro split the ground and quickly followed up with a belch of Flash Cannon. Another earthquake destroyed the ground, but it did draw out the Pokémon lurking underground. Aggron copied his trainer's smirk and shielded the couple as the angry Steelix released a high-pitched Screech.
"Is that supposed to scare me or something?"
Steelix reared its head and countered Aggron's taunt with a Dragon Breath attack.
"I think we stumbled into its territory," Hayate hypothesized. "Leyna, since I already have a steel-type, you want dibs?"
"I don't think Virgo and King will be able to handle this."
"That's why I'm here. Agro and I will lend you support. You just give it all you got. I believe in you."
"That makes one of us." Leyna rarely battles. She leaves that to Hayate because he is made for it. She handles the scouting and reconnaissance.
"The first rule of being a trainer," Hayate flashed her his toothy grin. "Never underestimate you and your Pokémon's abilities."
Hayate hopped on Aggron's tail and climbed up to his shoulder in order to relay the plan. Meanwhile, on the ground, Leyna accepted her mission with reluctance and enlarged the two capsules on her person.
"Here we go. Virgo, King, intercept."
The shiny Embrace Pokémon and Poison Pin Pokémon roared onto the battlefield, only to be taken aback by their opponent. A livid Steelix is not the best greeting to a battle. Neither is Hayate and Agro egging its anger on with constant taunts and sturdy defenses.
"We're going on the offensive, guys," their trainer spoke up. "King, since you have better attacks against steel, you'll be our main muscle. Virgo, I want you to back him up. Don't worry about accidentally hitting Hayate and Aggron. They can take it. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Rino!"
"Then King, start us off with Double Kick, and Virgo you double stack Calm Mind followed by Moonblast."
King growled approvingly and followed his trainer's orders, sprinting behind Aggron to conceal himself and them popping out from behind when Steelix least expect it, burying his hind feet into the Iron Snake Pokémon's middle segment twice-fold.
Unfortunately, Steelix barely felt it and grinned wickedly at the weak attempt. It opened its jaws and tried to Crunch down the Poison Pin Pokémon, but the steel-type was blindsided by well-timed Moonblast and found its anger returning with a vengeance. Following a terrifying roar, Steelix let the cave tremble from the force of its Flash Cannon.
"Meet the attack, Agro!" Hayate commanded and then braced himself when Aggron mirrored the move. Two Flash Cannons collided with one another and brought about a vehement explosion that rocked the area. Boulders scattered, increasing numbers of stalactites falling in unpredictable patterns. The walls started to crumble, but the fight continued regardless, Aggron barreling through the smoke and pushing the thrashing Steelix deeper inside.
The Iron Snake Pokémon coiled its tail around Aggron's arm and twirled them around. Aggron slammed into the wall, and Steelix charged towards him with Double-Edge, ramming its metallic body into the behemoth's, and imprinting Aggron's form into the structure, but Steelix wasn't done yet. A raging storm spiraled around its extremity as water gathered. Steelix lashed forward with its tail, swinging violently and bashing the limb into the prone Aggron, propelling the behemoth and his trainer through the wall and into the next floor, where the bottom of Cerulean Cave rests. The basement normally requires one to swim through the tunnel to get to the mass of land in the middle, but Hayate and Aggron were knocked through the wall and fell in the deep lake.
"Hayate!" Leyna cried out as she watched her husband disappear and Steelix laugh victoriously. It wasn't long before the steel-type turned its attention to her, Virgo, and King. Immediately, the Iron Snake Pokémon swung its tail, Iron Tail rampaging.
"Virgo!"
The Embrace Pokémon stopped the snake with Psychic, albeit barely. Virgo was astounded by the Pokémon's tenacity.
"King, Double Kick."
Nidorino didn't waste time and scaled the Iron Snake Pokémon. At the top, King delivered its attack directly on Steelix's head, hopefully where it would feel it this time, but like last time, the steel-type Pokémon barely felt anything. To be insulted like this served to make Nidorino angry. He pawed with his forefeet like a Tauros and made another mad sprint.
"King, wait!"
Too late. Nidorino was already preparing another double attack, when suddenly, Steelix used Screech to make Virgo drop Psychic and then wind up one more Iron Tail before slithering around King with staggering speed and bringing its glistening tail harshly atop Nidorino's entire body.
"King!"
The dust cleared, and King was rendered unconscious with the swirls of defeat in his eyes. To rub salt in the wound, Steelix slapped the defeated Nidorino away with a flick of its tail and watched with amusement as he slid to his trainer's worried feet.
"King, are you okay?"
Leyna couldn't get a response. Nidorino was out cold.
"Thank you for your assistance. Get a good long rest," Leyna returned Nidorino to his capsule. "It's you and me now, Virgo."
"What about Hayate and Aggron?"
"There's nothing we can do with Steelix in the way. They'll be alright. I would be disappointed if this does them in."
Leyna and Gardevoir stared down the grinning Steelix.
"I think we should Mega Evolve," the trainer suggested, but Gardevoir threw out her arm.
"No," she stated. "Let's hold off on that for now. We shouldn't rely on Mega Evolution to solve our problems."
"But."
"We can win without Mega Evolving." Gardevoir used Calm Mind to bolster her power and gathered the energy of the moon within her palms. "We'll show them now. Moonblast!"
Steelix evaded the fairy's attack by burrowing underground via Dig. Despite its large body and heavy size, Steelix slithered about with surprising agility.
"It's coming right below us," Leyna stated, her aura putting in tremendous work. Her Pokémon dashed backward, using Psychic to pull Leyna along to avoid Steelix's flaming maw.
"Shadow Ball!"
With the abundant source of rocks surrounding them, Steelix gathered the necessary ingredients for Stone Edge, which absorbed the hits from Gardevoir's multi-fire Shadow Ball. The rest were launched with deadly precision, forcing Gardevoir to focus her Psychic on the projectiles and craft a barrier to shield her and Leyna with.
"Put up a reflect and counter with Dazzling Gleam." Leyna wiped the sweat from her brow. Her heart was hammering in her chest, legs tingling as they moved alongside Virgo. Steelix did mess around. Any attack it did was also aimed to hurt her as well. Leyna had to keep moving while formulating a strategy to win. The rest fell on Virgo.
A yellow barrier encased the Embrace Pokémon, whose body shined with beautiful rainbow sparkles that, at the same time, assaulted the Iron Snake Pokémon relentlessly.
It wasn't enough though. Steelix remained strong, still standing but is now taking more considerable damage. The ties of battle have shown itself across the steel-type's body, marks and imperfections lay waste to its visage. Meanwhile, Virgo was on high-alert, her adrenaline pumping stronger than ever before. It's the first strong Pokémon to push her this far. Ordinarily, she managed a lighter routine than her mate and Hayate's faction. She was still strong but comparing her to Hayate's Gallade is like comparing a leaf to a tree. She is unable to keep up with her mate on the battlefield.
Those times need to change. All she can see before her is the shining knight of her mate braving the fight with no hesitation, his shiny form dazzling as his bladed arms cut through his opponent's defenses, and his fists deliver the final blow that renders them defeated. She would always be in the back, cheering him on.
Not anymore.
"Virgo, Shadow Ball!"
The projectiles flew out like bullets.
To counter, Steelix used its mighty tail to knock the ghost spheres away, but Virgo wouldn't allow it to happen so easily. Her eyes glowed blue, and the spheres became outlined with the same hue. Waving her arms in rhythmic patterns, Gardevoir changed the Shadow Balls' course, separating and moving groups to surround Steelix.
The Iron Snake Pokémon looked up and down and all around, completely fenced in by the multitude of spheres hovering in mid-air.
There was nowhere to run.
Bringing her arms together, Virgo commanded the Shadow Balls to attack. All crashed simultaneously into Steelix, and the smoke that engulfed it increased as more and more went in.
The cave shook under the force of the explosion, and as the smoke died down, Virgo and Leyna waited with bated breath.
"I'm afraid to use my aura to sense it," Leyna commented. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.
"There's no need," replied a tense Virgo. Bursting from the smoke was Steelix, coated in a purple and yellow energy, its massive body making a direct charge at the duo as Giga Impact emitted an intense pressure. Gardevoir seized Leyna's arm and waited for the right time to use Teleport, in which she carried them both a good few meters away from the crash Steelix made into the spot they last stood. The girls were bracing themselves for the earthquake once the energy was released.
They rode it out safely, but Steelix was feeling the effects of Giga Impact and needed to recharge for a few minutes.
"This is our chance," Leyna declared. The acceleration of her heart quickened, finally glad that the battle has reached a conclusion. "While it's resting, blast it with the strongest Psychic you got."
"Right," Virgo nodded and unleashed one more wave of Shadow Balls. Still recharging, Steelix braved the attacks, unable to see Virgo gliding across the floor. The final Shadow Ball struck, and Gardevoir made her move. She forced Steelix's head down with Psychic and concentrated the energy to deliver a powerful blast to the steel-type.
Steelix cried out in pain and slammed into the wall behind it, landing in a heap.
"Go, pokéball!" Leyna called out, chucking the empty capsule. Another wave of suspense washed across the duo.
One shake…
Two shakes…
No, Steelix broke free of the capsule.
"So close," Leyna gritted her teeth.
Steelix slithered closer, prompting Virgo and Leyna to move back.
"Virgo?"
"It's saying how much fun it's having. 'You won round two, but let's see how you handle round three.' That's what it said."
"Okay, I think it's time we bust out that keystone," Leyna suggested.
"No," Virgo stated, more sternly this time. She slid the hair out of her eyes and extended her right arm to the max.
"Virgo, please."
"We will not resort to Mega Evolution to solve all our problems," the Embrace Pokémon replied, charging one more Shadow Ball.
"What's the point of having it available if we don't use it?"
"Hayate and Aggron could've used it. Instead, they chose to fight with their base strength. We can do the same."
"But we're not trained like them," Leyna pointed out, still trying to convince her Pokémon. "We're lucky to have gotten this far on our own without Mega Evolution."
"That means we can go even further!" her sudden outburst startled Leyna. "Mega Evolution tests the bonds between Pokémon and trainer. But if we rely solely on that, what's the point of having this base form? Are you saying I'm only strong when I Mega Evolve?"
"No, I'm not saying that at all," Leyna denied, actually hurt by her Pokémon's words. "I've been with you since you were a little Ralts."
"Then why don't you believe in me?!" Virgo snapped her head to her trainer, making her flinch back. Leyna saw the anger in her partner's eyes. She saw the anger…and the heartbreak. "Is it because I'm not your mate's Pokémon that you don't see me as strong? Do every Pokémon need to be compared to Hayate's?"
"No, I'm not saying any of that, Virgo. You know me better than that."
Steelix was being really nice, letting Leyna and Virgo have their little conversation. Its right eye twitched as they did, but because it was being nice, Steelix didn't let the twisted anger building up in its body manipulate its actions. Even though Leyna and Virgo are completely vulnerable and won't suspect a surprise Flash Cannon, the Iron Snake Pokémon allowed them to talk.
Steelix is a nice Pokémon, isn't it?
…Nah
Opening its mouth wide, Steelix belched a Flash Cannon straight at the unsuspecting Virgo and Leyna, whose bickering stopped in time to see it coming, but there was no time to dodge it.
Luckily, Virgo and Leyna have genuinely good mates. So good in fact that Virgo's mate shielded the two, and Leyna's pulled them away from the blast. Both were rendered speechless when Hayate came into view, the girls' focus now refined once again.
"I'm gone for several minutes, and you two are arguing? What the hell happened?!" he raised his voice. "A Steelix is about to blow you to bits, and you can't settle some indifference?"
The first thing he should've asked about is their safety, but after seeing such a display, he knew they were. If an angry Steelix doesn't bring much concern, there's no need to ask.
"Orion, Swords Dance, triple stack," Hayate commanded.
"No, I want to fight it," Virgo declared and closed the gap between her and her mate, seizing his arm and yanking him back. "This is my fight, Orion, and I would appreciate it if you stepped down."
"But."
"I'll win this and show you that I don't need protecting, that I can be strong too, with or without my trainer's encouragement," she glared at Leyna, who returned the gesture out of habit.
"Aww, that's so admirable!" a new voice suddenly joined the conversation.
Everyone's instincts went into overdrive. The two couples and Steelix looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one around, and the voice in their heads didn't go away.
"I'll help you then."
Leyna and Gardevoir became engulfed in white light.
"Leyna!"
"Virgo!"
"Hayate/Orion!" the girls gasped, but there was nothing they could do. The blinding light expanded, forcing everyone to protect their eyes, but when it faded, Leyna and Virgo were nowhere to be seen. They disappeared, and the boys were left with the ghostly sensation of their mates' presence slowly vanishing.
"Leyna!" Hayate screamed and turned in an alarmed state. His voice echoed, but no voice responded to his cries. The man began to twitch, his fingers flexing in and out as his breathing grew heavy and sporadic. His angry silver eyes narrowed on his hands.
His wife was taken right before his eyes. He couldn't accept that and began to hyperventilate. "No, keep it together, Hayate," he told himself. "You got to keep it under control." His hands latched onto his cranium, his rapid breaths seeping through his grinding teeth. He was losing it.
"Orion, can you sense them? Any of them?"
"No, they're completely gone," the Blade Pokémon replied, using every fiber of his psychic power to locate their mates, but as he said, all traces have been removed. There was no link to follow back. Whoever took them made sure no evidence was left behind, and like his trainer, it made Gallade all the more furious.
"Hey!" Hayate shouted, looking up at the cave's ceiling. "I don't know if you're still there. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but what do you say about a trade?"
"A trade?" the voice replied, its source still present. It was child-like, full of energy, and the boys absolutely loathed the mischievous tone blatantly expelling from each syllable. The trainer was growling now, lowering his head to mask the sensation building up.
"Yeah, you give me back my wife and my buddy's mate in the same state you stole them, and in return, we won't rip your limbs off one by one." He raised his head, letting whoever is playing this nasty trick on him see the bloodlust in his eyes, the unquenchable thirst for vengeance overflowing from his feral pupils. Hayate was about to snap.
Instead of being afraid of his threat, the jokester laughed. "You'll have to catch me first!"
Hayate's frown deepened. They were laughing at him now. His wife has been taken, and the perpetrator has the gall, the audacity to laugh at his misfortune.
"I'll kill you," he stated in a low but clear voice. "I will look for you. I will find you, and I will kill you. Harm a single hair on my wife, and I'll crush you beneath my feet?"
"Would you resort to hurting innocent Pokémon?" the voice inquired. "She's just one person."
"She is my wife! I don't care if you're Arceus itself!" Hayate replied venomously. His hair started to levitate as a sinister aura, one cloaked in dark-violet, rose from Hayate's angrily trembling body. He tried to keep his thoughts sane, but without the anchor keeping them away, Hayate succumbed to the sensation within. Without his precious Leyna to soothe his anger, Hayate gave into the rage.
He screamed. "RAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Feeling their great emotion, the rest of Hayate's Pokémon broke free from their capsules, shocked by the ominous gale their trainer's aura kicked up. They shielded their faces, crying out to their trainer, but he couldn't hear them. Orion couldn't hear them.
Even Steelix had to slither a few paces back, but the pressure swallowed the space between them in an instant.
Hayate chanted, "What you've done is an act lowest of the low. You so beneath my contempt you have not even a name." He lifted his head, his silver eyes now glowing blood-red. "You DARE touch my sovereign?! YOU DARE HURT WHAT'S MINE!?"
The monster inside cast away the chains that held it back.
The stain is real.
The Pokémon inhabiting the cave were interested to see what sort of force could produce such an evil aura. Curiosity getting the better of them, the Pokémon tracked it down; however, imagine their faces when they spotted a lone human screaming to the heavens with his fists pumped and a malevolent aura billowing out from his presence in waves.
None of them dared moved from their spot.
Hayate hunched forward, still releasing his aura. He grunted and trembled, feeling the rage boil within. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Hayate! Hayate! Can you hear me?!" Leyna cried but to no avail. She can only watch as her husband falls to his anger. Not even his Pokémon can soothe him, and here she was, trapped with her captor and forced to watch her beloved suffer.
Leyna spun around, meeting eyes with the captor. "Please, you have to let me go. I'm begging you. I need to stop him."
Her captor gave no response, intently watching the raging man let go of his inhibitions. The woman wants him to fight the monster, but to the wife stealer, it seemed like the husband doesn't intend to do that.
"Please!" Leyna exclaimed. Tears flowed like waterfalls from her eyelids. "I don't want to see him become like this. You have to let me go back to him. I beg you."
"I don't have to do anything," the captor finally spoke.
Leyna clenched her fists, angered by her captor's flippant response. "Do you see this?" she gestured to the viewing window. "Do you see what your actions have done? I am the anchor keeping that man from losing his mind, and in one fell swoop, you destroyed everything I have worked hard to maintain. Why? Why would you do this?"
Leyna's captor floated about. "It's necessary, but you are the one I have my eyes on."
"What are you talking about now?" she was done playing these games. That's all it seemed to be to this Pokémon. It's funny, Leyna always wondered how the ancestor of all Pokémon acted. Many sources interpreted them with a child-like demeanor. Others displayed it in a motherly-like manner. The former earned the point this time.
"I know who you are, Leyna Moriyama," Mew stated. It didn't surprise the captive. "You and your husband have done a lot for your fellow humans and the Pokémon that live alongside you. Your actions have not gone unnoticed."
"Thank you," she took the compliment in stride. "It's an honor to receive such praise, but do not change the subject. Answer my questions."
Her lover is losing his sanity, and the ancestor of all Pokémon didn't bat an eyelash at the malevolence exploding from his being. Virgo and King were imprisoned in a barrier with the latter still unconscious from the fight with Steelix. Meanwhile, Leyna was able to move about freely, but with the window showing the downfall of her husband's sanity, she dared not move from her spot.
"Don't you remember what your Gardevoir told you?"
"That means we can go even further!" Virgo's words echoed in her head. Leyna looked across the room, where the barrier with her Pokémon lied. Virgo had given up trying to escape. She was seated with her legs drawn up to her chest, arms hugging them, and head lowered.
"I'll win this and show you I don't need protecting!"
"I remember," Leyna replied. "But what does that have to do with you?"
Mew floated closer, its eyes hardening. "Don't you agree?"
"I only like to survive."
"But you have to be among the strong. Don't you want to be stronger?"
"I don't care," Leyna stated. "I never cared about strength."
"You will once you learn your mate's true feelings."
The woman raised her left brow. "His true feelings?"
"About how much you're a burden to him," Mew stated, no remorse or tact at all.
Leyna felt like she was slapped across the face with a Feebas. Her mouth fell open and started imitating a Magikarp fresh out of the water. "Excuse me."
"You said your husband will go insane without you to keep him in check. Now that you are, he can let loose and do whatever he pleases, knowing you're not around to reel him in. This is what he wanted."
"You're lying," she accused. Mew was under her lie detector.
"Am I? Or are you in denial? Think about it; his subdued nature, subtle tactics. That's not how your husband normally acts."
"And what would you know about me and my husband?" spat back the Moriyama matriarch.
"Only what your memories revealed. I searched through them."
Leyna clenched her fists as Mew simply hovered around her. "He knows the present situation is grim. The only way to combat it is to go all out, but he cannot do that with you around. True, he's upset about your untimely disappearance, but on the inside, I bet he's elated that the shackles are now gone."
"No," Leyna denied Mew's claims. "Hayate wouldn't willingly let himself fall into despair. As extreme as he is, he's not weak-hearted, and Iwill not stand here and let you turn my husband into a murderer for whatever sick plot you have cooked up in that childish head of yours!"
Mew watched Leyna run past it and make her way to the barrier housing her Pokémon. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far. Inside this place lie many ancient Pokémon that are protected from forces aiming to harm them. Upon first glance, it looks like an enormous tree, but in actuality, it's a living rock formation made of crystals that feed on sunlight. Said crystals extend far beyond the formation itself, emerging from the ground like roots throughout the surrounding areas.
The Tree of Beginning, home to the Legendary Mew.
Inside this tree, there are three guardians, and right now, they have made their presence known. Rock, ice, and iron trapped the woman in a triangle of spikes, unable to escape. Next, the ground began to shake as multiple cries drew near. King and the now interested Virgo stood frozen as the three guardians came into view.
The three Regi's: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel blocked the woman from continuing. With her path blocked by very intimidating Pokémon, Leyna had no choice but to back away.
"I can help you prove him wrong," Mew stated. "Your capabilities are extraordinary. All you lack is better guidance. I can help you better utilize your potential and show your husband how strong you truly are."
Leyna chose her words carefully. "Why should I care? For that matter, why do you have such a strong interest in me?"
The titan trio stared her down, ready to attack if she gave them the idea, but Mew was there to keep their worries at bay.
"Aura saved my life and helped put an end to a great war," it declared. "Majority of the world doesn't even know what it is anymore, and only a handful of Pokémon are capable of using it."
Mew created an Aura Sphere and asked Leyna to read it with her spirit. The readings she got were staggering.
"I can read your Aura, Leyna. You are very loving. You enjoy showering your loved ones with affections. I know because I, too, am like that. However, while you are loving, your husband is vengeful." Mew crushed the Aura Sphere between its tiny hands. "He's strong because he's willing to take the routes no one would, but it's because of his vengeful spirit that I did not take him. He would cause more destruction than reconstruction. Without you to convince him, I'd never convince him to do anything, so that's why I chose you instead. But if you don't like it, I could just choose from one of your kids."
"Don't you dare!" Leyna screamed, her aura exploding like a Fire Blast. No one harms her children. "You leave my babies out of this! I don't care what you do to me, but my children are not be involved in any of this!"
"Then we are in agreement," Mew smiled, dancing in midair. "However, I fear it may already be too late."
"What?!" Leyna's glare was so fierce that the titans began charging up a triple Hyper Beam. They stopped when Mew gave the command.
"The countdown has already begun," it replied to Leyna's outburst. There was no need for the woman to retort. The look on her face said it all.
Dismissing the guardians, Mew, Leyna, and her faction remained. "A lot is happening around the world, things that have been in the making for years. Forces are being gathered at this very moment, preparing for war."
Leyna stopped to think back. Hayate mentioned the same thing earlier, but she thought he was just overreacting. Is war truly about to break out? And what is this selection process?
"Your husband is aware of the dangers," Mew said as if reading Leyna's mind. "He knows what's going to happen, and yes, war is imminent. Forces have allied themselves with one another and intend to take the fight to other regions. We will be caught in the crossfire. When that happens, the world as we know it will be destroyed."
Mew wasn't helping the lady one bit. Did it not care? No, Mew cared a lot about its home and the individuals that inhabit the world, but at this present moment, there was no time to be playful. Humans cannot sense what the Legendaries can, and the overwhelming feeling Mew sensed cannot be described with mere words.
"I…I need to sit down," Leyna managed to find her voice. She held her head, feeling her world slowly spiral out of control. There were images flashing in her head, the nightmares and eerie daydreams that haunts her. The attack on her home during Ryūga's sixteenth birthday and the resulting nightmares continued to plague her. She thought they were over.
"This is too much. This is just too much!"
"Which is why I require your help," Mew said.
"Why me?" Leyna repeated. "Why does it have to be me? I'm not a fighter like my husband. I can't handle these types of situations as effectively as he can. He's the one you want. I'm just here to keep him on track. What help could I possibly be?"
Mew did not have time to get through to this woman. It surprises the ancestor how low her self-confidence is when her husband isn't around.
"In the present time, you are the one whose aura is the most perfected. I am gathering people like you to help me prevent the world from ending. Your husband's aura, while strong, isn't benevolent like yours. You can attest to that. However, say I reject your husband's assistance. He will come for you regardless of the situation, and he will no doubt improve in strength as well. I will help you as I mentioned before, therefore, killing two birds with one stone."
"But."
"There's more, but I won't overload your mind." Leyna's concern went ignored. "I suggest getting some rest. When you awake, hopefully, you'll be refreshed."
Mew didn't give the woman a choice. Its eyes glowed blue as its tail started to swing like a pendulum. Hypnotic waves expanded, closing in on Leyna, who fell victim to the pattern. Her eyes grew heavy, and her body began to lose strength. Hypnosis put the woman to sleep, and Mew's Psychic lifted her body and carried it over to the barrier where King and Virgo waited. Like her trainer, Mew put the Embrace Pokémon under the same hypnotic spell and healed King's wounds while rending him under the same status. The barrier fell apart, and the trio was left to their slumber.
In the meantime, Mew flew out of the room and soared up, high above the Tree of Beginning. The skies looked clear, but Mew could sense the dangers drawing near. It pondered how much time was left. Quite a few, but as the ancestor knew, Dialga waited for no mon. It needed to hurry.
"It will take some time before He collects all seventeen Plates. That's doesn't give me much breathing room though."
Mew closed its eyes. "Father will start immediately once he's fully awake. I have to search while he's still slumbering."
"My son, can you hear me?" Mew flew off like a speeding rocket. "If you can, I need you to contact your trainer. Time is of the essence! Get them and bring them to my home. I will explain there. Hurry! Father must not get the Plates!"