Pokemon Adventures: Hunt of the Plates
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon Adventures/Special.
This feels so weird... happy very late birthday, Crystal. I should've done this on the last chapter... And also happy early birthday, Emerald and Blue!
Began writing on May 25th, 2012. Currently drafting Chapter 18 of Arc 3.
Chapter 26. Vs. Tornadus: United We Survive
- Hall of Origin, Throne of Loyalty -
The colossal, dimly-lit chamber was empty except for an enormous throne set in the middle. Set further apart from the rest of the pocket dimensions that consisted the Hall, the only sound audible was the distant echo of Palkia's brawl with Zekrom.
In any other occasions Regigigas would've immediately set off to flatten them both, but not now. Not when his minions were on mission.
There was a reason why, despite being emotionless golems, Regirock, Regice and Registeel commanded fear and respect among the lower-ranked deities: besides being the Hall's official war machines and order enforcers, all their senses and functions were connected to Regigigas. He saw everything they saw, spoke through everything they spoke, delivered his judgements with their hands.
And what he was seeing through them right now... stank.
Turning one of his seven eyes the Colossal Pokemon glanced at Registeel, kneeling in front of the gigantic throne with its back turned on him. He was not thrilled when Latias had forcefully Teleported it back to him, but decided not to push the issue; it would've been only a matter of time before he made the same decision.
Regice wasn't faring any better on Mt. Moon. Black and Steven had successfully lured it to the summit, where the open ground allowed them to push their advantage of sheer numbers. Even as Regigigas watched on an Emboar and a Metagross threw themselves at the Iceberg Pokemon, followed by a Musharna, Carracosta, Bisharp and Armaldo.
Things were even worse for Regirock, caught between a hammer and an anvil. The Mountain Pokemon (having regenerated his arm via Ancientpower) was surrounded by Red, Green and Ruby's Pokemon, and Sapphire's unintended injury had thrown them all into a state of cold fury.
Regigigas didn't doubt the fact that if he urged his minions to push on, they would eventually succeed in their mission - but not without heavy casualties on both sides. Although the golems were highly expendable - and most certainly repairable - , he had no wish to push them to that limit to capture a couple of fiercely-resisting mortals, no matter how valuable they were. The chances were that they'd end up crushing other innocent mortals, anyway.
And in any case, he knew that the call for retreat would come soon. It was about time they moved on to Plan B.
Another reason his minions were so feared is that he possesses absolute mastery over them - they were utterly incapable of disobeying his command. If he ordered them to fly, they'd fly as much as they're capable, whether it involved jumping off a cliff or disintegrating themselves into molecular level. In other words, they were the closest thing to an omnipotent being besides Azelf and Arceus herself.
Since such a challenging command was extremely difficult and draining, Regigigas hard ever put this ability to use. Now was the time, if no else.
"Return," he rumbled quietly.
- Viridian Forest -
Beep - Beep -
"What now?" Red's wondering voice hardly reached Ruby's ears as he kneeled in front of an unmoving Sapphire, a fresh tear welling in his eyes every time her body would convulse in a fit. He let this happen to her. Had he been just a little quicker, if he'd not wasted so much time with his meaningless battle with Celebi... could he have prevented it?
Is this how she felt, when she was looking into the bleeding scar on his forehead all those years ago?
Mustering all his remaining will to force face the current danger, the young Dex Holder raised his head to see Regirock still cornered by Red and Green. To his confusion, however, the Mountain Pokemon had lowered his fighting stance, with orange eyes flashing red with ominous beeping noises.
"COMMAND INPUT REGISTERED: COMMENCING RETREAT SEQUENCE," rumbled the stone golem mechanically, suddenly leaping back from the surrounding Pokemon with impossible dexterity for its bulky size and slow movement.
"What - it's retreating?" Muttered Green with disbelief, but even as he spoke Regirock jumped backwards again, just in time for a golden portal to open up directly behind him. Within an instant it swallowed the deity's massive form, then popped out of existence as if it had never been.
For awhile Red and Green just stood there, dumbfounded by Regirock's sudden departure, but Ruby's attention snapped straight back to Sapphire. Even at first glance he could tell that she'd broken more than just a few bones, and for that he couldn't even dare to touch her. What if she -
"Don't think about that, Ruby," said Green sternly as he knelt down beside the junoir Dex Holder, apparantly having read the panic in his expression. "Sapphire's strong. She'll pull through like she always did. You have to believe that."
"But she's hurt so much," Ruby moaned, almost feeling the pain of the impact from Sapph; it threatened to break his guts. "She needs help, but how do we move her in this state?"
In desperation his gaze wandered to Green, then followed the senior's line of sight to a silent Red. The Fighter's face was furrowed in concern and deep thought, and when he raised his eyes again they were glowing with determination.
"Ruby, you stay here and take care of Sapphire," he said, sounding more like a leader than ever before. "I'll go to Saffrom and find Yellow. If she's under attack too, I'll help her out first before coming back with her."
Ruby nodded hard, for once glad to be informed precisely of what to do. "I'll keep her safe. What about you, Green-senpai?"
"I trust Red to return with Yellow in time," replied the Raiser with a nod of acknowledgement to Red. "I'll see to the others' safety. There's a good chance they'll make for the Victory Road if they're in line with my thoughts, so that's where I'll be off to."
"Alright, then. Aero, come out!" Red shouted, releasing his Aerodactyl from his Poke Ball.
"Let's go, Charizard!" Green followed, mounting the great Flame Pokemon within less than two seconds. With a great bellow Charizard and Aero took off simultaneously, bearing their Trainers in opposite directions and leaving Ruby alone in the ravaged woods with Sapphire.
"Ruru, Coco," called the young Dex Holder, beckoning the Gardevoir and Delcatty closer. "I know I'm asking a lot, but try to heal Sapph as much as you can with Heal Pulse and Heal Bell. Can you do that for me?"
He didn't need Yellow's powers to read the determination in their eyes; they all cared for the fiesty girl as much as he did - okay, maybe a little less.
"C'mon, Sapph; I know you can hold on till Yellow-senpai comes," murmured Ruby as he stared into the now-closed eyes of his first love. "Please... please don't leave me. I owe you too much to let you go like this. I didn't even tell you that I'm the most sick liar in the world..."
- Mt. Moon Summit -
Beep - Beep -
"COMMAND INPUT REGISTERED: COMMENCING RETREAT SEQUENCE," Beeped Regice with its yellow eyes flashing blue, suddenly rising into the air higher than it should be capable of. Black's mouth gaped open in surprise as a golden portal burst into existence in the sky, allowing the Iceberg Pokemon to enter before closing up again and leaving him and Steven alone on the mountaintop.
"Was... was Regice ever capable of that?" The young Dex Holder managed to croak out, unable to believe that the ice golem was really gone. No battle had ever devastated his teammates like the deity had, not even his fateful showdown with Grey(N) less than a month ago.
"No, this isn't its own doing," replied Steven as they wearily checked on their exhausted Pokemon. "If you remember what it said, Regice was commanded to return. I suspect that its master, Regigigas, has recalled it to his side. The question now is why."
Black could agree with the former Hoenn Champion, and was just about to begin pondering over the fact when a jolt of thought passed him, almost making him drop Musha in shock. How could he have been so dumb to forget?
"Prez!" He shouted, causing all his Pokemon to shoot their heads up in alarm. "She's probably being attacked too, and the rest of our seniors! I can't stay here. I gotta go help her!" (#1)
"Calm yourself, Black," saide Steven quietly, rising together with him. "I know how you feel, but listen to your head first. You and I made it through, didn't we? White isn't alone either."
"This isn't a matter of whether she'll make it or not!" Stated Black hotly, allowing Boar, Musha, Sharp and Costa gather around him before returning them. "I'm her employee, it's like my duty to keep her safe! I'm sorry, Steven, but the training cuts here. It's time I use what I've learned from you." (#2)
"... Very well," said Steven after a short pause, his expression becoming graver. "You're a brave young man, Black, throwing yourself in another danger so readily after barely surviving from one. I wish you luck."
"Thanks, Steven. What will you do, then?" Asked Black as he sent out Brav, latching onto his leg at once.
"I'll try to find out why the deities are suddenly acting hostile," said Steven as his Metagross levitated beside him using Magnet Rise. "I suppose Wallace is too busy with his own battle to help me, but I can get Cynthia to help - and Brandon and Lucian too, if available."
"I hope you get some answers!" Called Black as Brav quickly lifted off into the air. "Whatever our history, I considered at least most of the deities our allies. If that wasn't the case, we'll have to know why. Safe travels!"
- Pewter Gym -
"Golem, Kabutops, keep using Rock Slide!"
"Don't stop, Probopass! Ancientpower!"
"Please hold out, Gigalith! Rock Slide!" (#3)
White could barely hear her own shout, let alone Brock's or Roxanne's, under the sheer noise of boulders cascading down from the celing onto Tornadus. A few feet above the Cyclone Pokemon the rocks would stop, snared by the massive cyclone that enveloped the ogrelike deity, only to have more falling into it.
How long have they been like this? White lost count - of course, not that she had the heart to count, anyway. While the relentless rockfall had stopped Tornadus from slugging them all around the floor and pushed him into the defensive, White knew that as soon as their attacks loosened up - and ceased to amuse the deity's twisted sense of humor - she'd be a goner; it was just a matter of time.
But in the meantime, as long as they were persistent in their endeavor she'd be safe, right? She'd gotten that assurance from Brock, Roxanne and their Pokemon, and sort of from herself.
But not from Tornadus.
WROOOOAR!
There was a great burst of wind that sent everyone rolling several feet backwards, and White steadied herself just in time to see the boulders they've been throwing flying around everywhere as if they were a bunch of pebbles.
Out came Tornadus, wrapped tightly in a fierce twister that dared anyone to approach, making a blindingly-fast power dive straight for White. The young Dex Holder barely had time to recall Gigalith right in front of her before the Cyclone Pokemon's thick arm wrapped around her waist, plucking her off the ground like a Swellow snatching up a Wurmple.
"Hel - " her scream got lost in the wind as the twister warped around her to let her in, allowing Tornadus to smash into the Gym wall and blast through the thick concrete with her tucked beneath his elbow. Then the deity began shooting straight up in the air, way higher than any Flying-type Pokemon would dare to reach.
The sheer speed and the lack of oxygen soon got to White, and as her consciousness faded away a single word escaped her lips:
"Black..."
- Hall of Origin, Room of Space (Palkia's dwelling) -
"Sorry, Reshiram made it out. But Rayquaza's - " Ho-oh began as he entered through the dimensional portal, half-expecting Palkia and Zekrom to be fighting still. However, the sight that did greet him was more surprising - and a lot less cheering, at that.
Palkia was sitting cross-legged and leaning on a side of the wall, fanning herself wearily with her fins. In the center of the chamber stood Dialga, fangs bared in belligerence and one foot firmly planted on Zekrom's sprawled form on the floor.
"... I came at the wrong time, didn't I?" Sighed Ho-oh as he reluctantly took in the sorry sight. Even though his opinion didn't match well with Zekrom or Reshiram in this matter, there was something fundamentally wrong with the sight of him being trampled upon in such a humiliating fashion.
"No, you couldn't have chosen a better moment," replied Dialga nonchalantly, lowering his head to leer menacingly at Zekrom before adding: "After all, your news must be a great disappointment to the little escapade the two have been planning, isn't it? Don't you think so, brother?"
"Mock me all you'd like, but what you're about to do still fills me with despair," retorted Zekrom, bowing his head with obvious sadness. Ho-oh could empathize; after going through all that fiasco, the chance that Reshiram was very slim, of not zero. "Then again, perhaps I deserve it. I failed them all..."
"Then you think the rest of us are any happier about it?" Dialga snarled, letting that sad anger breach his mask of apathy again. "Drop that pretense of nobility unless you wish to disgust me further, Zekrom. As deities we act to preserve the universe, even if it costs us our honor and pride. If you're not ready to give it up for what we swore to protect..."
"So this is all about self-sacrifice?" Zekrom snorted in mock surprise, pushing off Dialga's foot to stand up and glare at him in the eye. "Face it, Dialga. All we're doing is giving up one thing we swore to protet in exchange of another. If you're fine with that, so be it. I won't stop you from carrying out our duty anymore. But know that the world would forever be inhabited by cowards who let someone else die for them when they were strong enough to save both."
"I wouldn't call myself a protector unless I'm prepared for such disgrace," snapped Dialga as he turned his back on the Deep Black Pokemon. "So you won't help us but not stop us? Who's the coward now, I wonder? You make me sick, brother. Get out of my sight."
Zekrom merely crossed his arms and scowled at the Temporal Pokemon, but Ho-oh didn't need psychic powers to know the pain flowing through his heart. Deciding it was about time he changed the subject, he quickly cleared his throat to demand attention - which, fortunately, he got.
"Done squabbling?" Muttered the Rainbow Pokemon, fixing Zekrom and especially Dialga with a stern look. "On my way back I received about six reports for retreat. You've noticed? We're falling back."
"And well they may," remarked Palkia as she finally joined in the conversation. "I thought I'd seen the most of mortal tenacity when they burrowed the powers of Chaos to brain-drain us, but I've never seen one human, let alone sixteen, fight so fiercely against our kind. And our side find it hard to fight back properly because the mortals are perfectly justified in their efforts."
"They'll have to understand," replied Dialga bluntly, that cold mask back on again. "They can question us after they're brought to the Hall, if there's time left for it. It's fine of the lesser deities have failed to seize them... It's about time we meet them with the power they deserve to witness."
OMG, I think I've pissed off enough fans already. First Sapphire gets her guts blown, now White is snatched... Who's next?
#1. If you've noticed, this is the first time I made Black call White 'Prez'. I just decided to follow the English translation more closely now.
#2. Also a nod to the English version. Black's Pokemon will go with their English names now. I'll have to think more about Pearl, though.
#3. Starting from Arc 3 I'll nickname White's Pokemon too, as her Deerling's officially named Jessica in the manga.
kinglugia, thanks for pointing out the blunder... I'm still kinda screwed with the real-world timeline.
Dreamingflower (forgive my liberty to skip all the xs), we'll be seeing Crys in the chapter after this one. As for the Lati twins, not until Chapter 29, I'm afraid.
HinaAngel, Yellow's in Saffron City fighting against Terrakion with Sabrina for dear life. Just in case you forgot! :)
Hero of the Dark, that's exactly what I'm trying the hardest to avoid (besides typos). Thanks for reminding, and let me know if I'm straying from it! :)
I see that many reviewer wanna kill me for what I did to Sapphire, eh? XD Don't worry! If you truely believe in her survival, she will. That's all I can say for now, but you should also be hoping for someone to save her fast; even though she's not a NORMAL human, she still is a human.
Points to take notice of in this Chapter:
1. Regigigas recalls Regirock and Regice, allowing Red, Green, Ruby and Black to help their other comrades.
2. Red departs to Saffron to fetch Yellow, Green to the Victory Road to meet the others, Ruby remaining in Viridian Forest to protect Sapphire.
3. Black heads to Pewter to help White, but she is taken by Tornadus...
4. Dialga helps Palkia overwhelm Zekrom, but what would he mean that the Dex Holders will be met with power they deserve?
In Chapter 27 we turn in particular to the Lake Guardians Mesprit and Azelf as their hearts begin to waver... until then, R&R!
Writing completed on May 27th, 2012. This is Yowl of Time, out.