Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did, then Raichu would've gotten more attention.
"Speech"
'Thought'
Hoenn's sky and oceans swirled in chaos as sunlight and rain clouds continuously clashed against one another. All of the madness centered above Sootopolis city with the only word left to describe this crisis as apocalypse.
"Do you think that they failed?" Asked Wallace.
"No, we need to have faith in those two." Answered Steven with a solemn face.
Then, as if in response to Steven's hopes, the emerald barrier surrounding the crater city appeared again. This time its shade of color was brighter than before, and the seal started to thicken and brighten before shooting up into the sky.
And then, it all vanished. There was no more blazing light, no more flooding clouds, just the calm evening sky.
Emerald energy sprinkled down to the ground in tiny sparkles all across Hoenn. People walked out of the shelters to see this odd phenomenon occurring. Despite all the questionable events of the day, there was so much happiness in the air.
Even those amongst Team Magma and Aqua could see the beautiful phenomenon. They too, gazed at it and felt this comforting warmth in the air.
Around the desert route of 111, Maxie was looking up at the sky with amazement.
"Is this primal energy from the cave?"
"It's over now, isn't it?" Said Tabitha as he looked up to the calmed sky.
Maxie didn't immediately answer. Instead he reached his hand out as a green sparkle landed in it.
"Yes it is, but it doesn't erase the things that I have done. I condemned the world to destruction and nothing else."
The red leader started to sulk as he reflected on his actions. This didn't go unnoticed by his subordinate though.
"Boss Maxie, as an adult shouldn't you try to accept responsibility for your actions and try to atone for them? I will be your consultant along the way." Promised the admin.
After hearing that warming speech, Maxie turned around to his subordinate with a calm smile.
"...Thank you, Tabitha."
Along the water route of 139, Archie was looking at the same sky and green rain with awe.
"This energy, is it from Kyogre and Groudon?"
"Looks like they did it, right Archie?" Asked Shelly as she popped out of the submarine.
"Yeah, but I still can't forget that I nearly destroyed the entire world. Man, I'm such an idiot." Gripped Archie.
Shelly sighed seeing him like this and she turned away from that disappointing sight.
"Yeah, you might be an idiot. But you're Team Aqua's idiot. So just come back and rebuild the world with us." Stated the admin.
Hearing that from his admin whom he gave so much trust to helped the depressed leader. He got up off his butt and prepared to head back to Aqua's base.
"You're right, lets head back to build the world back."
Steven and Wallace watched the emerald lights in the now calmed Sootopolis city. The gym leader continued to look up with a relaxed smile as his friend was left baffled.
Curious, Steven extended his hand to catch one of the lights. It dissipated and left a feeling of reassurance.
"Is the primal energy flowing out into the rest of the world?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. All I do know is that its over now." Answered Wallace.
Hearing this from the expert, Steven smiled and nodded. He could truly rest now, knowing that this crisis was over.
But this feeling of tranquility was temporary as the geologist felt small tremors in the ground. This was accompanied by a sound of collapse and dust leaking out of the doors of the cave.
Many possibilities appeared in Steven's mind as to what just happened, but only one stood out because of concern.
Erica and Brendan were trapped in there.
Without any regard, he ran to the entrance and pulled the massive doors open. Before him emerged a storm off dust that enveloped him. As the cloud faded it became apparent that the path was blocked by fallen debris.
"Their trapped!" Yelled Steven as he ran over and began to dislodge some of the rocks.
Keith continued to monitor the situation on his device, sweat falling down his forehead. But all this changed when the scans of Hoenn started to change and the weather returned to what it normally was.
Shock adorned his face first, but it was later decorated with happiness. He looked up towards the sky with a calm smile as he placed his glasses back on.
'Well done my friend.'
Kate was looking at the news real on the television with a face of worry. It didn't help that her companion was off to the side in a meditative state and not saying anything. But suddenly, Brett broke his position with a surprised expression.
"Something's different!"
'Are?' Thought the girl. She looked over to the television to see the report about warm green particles falling from the sky in place of the previous disaster.
"What is that?" Asked Kate as Brett walked over to her.
"I don't know, but I know it means that this is all over." Answered the teenage boy with a calm smile.
An odd sensation started to brew. At the first split second that it started, one couldn't really name what it was. But given enough time, and even a baka like Brendan could figure it out. A large dose of sharp pain.
"Ita!" Yelled Brendan as he stood up.
After the pain started to subside, the brunette started to realized his surroundings. He was in a hospital room with a good bit of bandages all around him, especially on his wrists.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the Sootopolis hospital." Answered Steven as he walked in.
"Steven, what happened?" Asked Brendan.
To answer that question, Steven walked over to the window and opened the blinds. That gesture gave a clear view of the afternoon sky and how everything had returned to normal.
Brendan got off of the bed and walked over to see it. For him, it had been too long since he had last seen the calmed sky.
"It's over?"
"Yes, thanks to you and-"
"Erica!" Yelled Brendan as he cut off his friend.
Steven was about to explain to Brendan a few more details, but the injured boy tried to run out of the room too quickly. He came back a few seconds later holding his side.
"Third one on the left and try not to overexert yourself." Said Steven as he pointed towards the left.
Brendan bowed as thanks before exiting in a calmer manner than before.
Following the directions that his friend had given him led the brunette to the correct room. In it, Erica was lying down in bed with her head heavily bandaged. She looked so calm, like she was sleeping.
Seeing her like this, he carefully approached her.
"Not gonna work." Said the girl.
Brendan flinched as she looked over to him with a calm smile, and he too reflected that smile and chuckled.
"Even when you're hurt, huh?"
"I heard you running here earlier." Explained Erica.
Although not the answer he anticipated, Brendan laughed again. Erica straightened up and waved for him to come over. He walked over and sat down on the bed with her and was then pulled into a hug.
"Thank you Brendan." Whispered Erica.
Surprised at this sudden action, Brendan pulled away to look at her. "For saving the world? You did that too."
Erica chuckled a little and shook her head. "Not for that, I mean thank you for coming back to me."
Her answer reminded Brendan of what they said before arriving in Sootopolis city. Remembering the promise, He smiled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Well, its not like I would really want to leave." Said the boy.
"You better not." Joked the girl. "After all, you just got a girlfriend."
"And a pretty one too."
Erica blushed at that comment and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, causing him to blush in turn. They were about to continue when Steven walked into the room.
"On behalf of all of Hoenn, I want to thank you two for your efforts." Said the geologist.
A thanks in that form was so great that it truly made Brendan feel good. Aside from his new relationship with Erica, he now had beaten all of the gyms, and Groudon and Kyogre were-
The brunette flinched as he inspected his body for the Magma Ball. Anxiety burst when he couldn't find it, visible for the others present in the room.
"What's wrong Brendan?" Asked Erica.
"I can't find the Magma pokeball." Explained a panicked Brendan.
His answer also sparked curiosity in Erica as she looked around for the Aqua Ball. And like her boyfriend, she couldn't find the device.
"Don't worry about it." Explained Steven, gaining their attention. "Wallace already took the pokeballs to Mt. Pyre so that they could be safely guarded there."
Knowledge of the current situation eased the minds of today's heroes. However Steven now had a question of his own.
"So Brendan, what do you intend to do?"
The brunette perked up with curiosity at that question. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you've conquered all of the gyms, and defeated one of the legendary pokemon, so what do you intend to do now?"
Steven took a few steps towards the window of the room and looked out at the sky. Brendan followed the movement and was left with more questions than before.
His biggest obstacle to happiness had already been conquered, that being admitting love, so he was indeed left without much other to do than to be with Erica. Thinking about it caused the question to appear more troubling than he thought.
Erica saw this confused behavior of her boyfriend, and she decided to lend a hand.
"I think I know what you can do." Proposed the blonde.
Brendan turned over to his girlfriend, curious to what her answer would be. "Yeah, what is it?"
"You could challenge the Pokémon League."
"Alright, then I'll challenge the Pokémon League!" Yelled the boy as he stood up from the bed.
In the process of jumping up like that, he thrust his fists up in a semi-glorious fashion. He was successful in holding the pose for about a couple of seconds.
"Uh...what's the Pokémon League?"
Steven was left with some surprise at this sudden act of stupidity while Erica chuckled at her boyfriend's behavior.
"The Pokémon League is where the strongest trainers in the region are. You can enter after beating the eight gyms across the region." Explained Steven.
"You'll have to battle against the Elite Four and the Champion, and if you win then you'll be the champion." Said Erica.
"That doesn't sound too hard, who is the champion then?" Asked Brendan.
No answer came forth immediately, instead there was just an awkward silence. Erica looked at Brendan for a couple of seconds before flicking her eyes over to Steven a few times.
Brendan followed her line of sight to the other occupant who was adjusting his tie patiently. It was then that his face exploded with surprise at this sudden realization.
"You!?" Yelled the brunette as he pointed at Steven.
As opposed to an immediate answer, Steven looked over to Erica with a look of pure amusement.
"He is slow, isn't he?"
"Well to be fair, I didn't figure it out till we were in Mossdeep City." Answered the blonde.
Brendan's head swerved to Erica with a demanding expression on his face.
"You knew? Why didn't you tell me?" His girlfriend raised two of her fingers up to answer.
"Well first, we were in a dire situation, and two, I didn't think that you'd want to know until now." Explained the girl.
The brunette was going to argue on the subject even further, but at that point he realized that he looked like a moron. So simply being quiet seemed like a much better idea rather than embarrassing himself.
But the conversation didn't end there. Brendan then took a position ready for a fight.
"Well, I'll challenge you right now." Proclaimed Brendan as he pointed at Steven.
The Hoenn champion was a little surprised at first, but his face regained its former amusement.
"I'd accept that challenge. But," He walked over to the challenger and jabbed his side.
Brendan's determined expression suddenly crumbled down as the pain rushed through him. He fell back onto the bed, holding his right side.
"You don't seem to be in proper condition right now. I'll give you three days." Said Steven.
Defiance was the first impulse on the mind of the brunette, but that didn't last long before his pain flared again. A slow nod confirmed his agreement.
"Then its settled, see you in three days." Steven then turned to leave the room before he remembered something important. "Oh! Before I forget, take this."
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out an oddly shaped flute and handed it to Erica. Brendan got a little jealous that he was giving her a gift, while she was a left confused at this sudden odd gift.
"What is it?"
"It's an eon flute, it can call upon Latios and Latias no matter where you are." Explained Steven before leaving the room.
Now it was just the two of them in that room together, again. And with his new goal in mind, there were several questions popping up in Brendan's head.
"Hey Erica, do you know where are pokemon are?" Asked Brendan.
"Mine are right here." Said the girl as she reached over to a table and picked one of her pokeballs. "I think that yours are in your room."
"Alright, then I'll go check on them." Said thee brunette as he got up and left the room.
Erica waved goodbye to her boyfriend with a warm smile. But once he had left the room, her smile vanished as she looked down. In fact, her eyes now harbored sadness.
'I wish that you said no.'
Expectations held validity as Brendan's pokeballs were all in his room. He was eager in seeing his pokemon and immediately released all of them at once.
Seeing their trainer alright made each of the pocket monsters happy. And the sheer amount of battles in one day definitely added to their worry. The trainer was assaulted by his own pokemon tackling him, affectionately of course.
'Good job Brendan.'
The brunette looked over to Latios, who was smiling in a relaxed manner.
'I must thank you for being able to quell the threat of Groudon's revival.'
"Hey, no need to thank me. And don't forget that you're our friend." Said Brendan, which the other pokemon agreed to.
Latios at first flinched at this sudden comment, but he nodded in acceptance to the claim.
"But, what are you going to do now?" Asked Brendan.
'What do you mean?'
"Wasn't the reason you came out of hiding to fight Groudon and Kyogre?"
It was true, with the giants now quelled, Latios's roll as the guardian had been diminished. This inquiry forced the blue dragon to ponder for an answer. There was always the possibility that they could come back, but that could be any time away.
'Well...I guess I'll stay with you for a while.'
Brendan smiled a happy, laid-back, and large smile. All of his pokemon also shared this smile, and how couldn't they? With the world now safe, and everyone in one piece, they could all rest.
But the trainer's smile suddenly became confident and hot-blooded. He jumped up onto the bed and pumped his fists.
"We've got a new challenge too." That statement caught the attention of all his partners. "The Pokémon League, where the strongest of the strong are. And we're going to conquer it!"
To add even more emphasis to his proclamation, Brendan pointed his finger in the air like Gurren Lagann.
There was no doubt in his mind that they would agree with it. After all they had been through, the only thing left that seemed like a challenge was the level that only champions existed on.
Well, there was one thing that could impede him.
Brendan's side cracked as he was quickly reminded of his current issue.
"We'll challenge it...in three days." Wheezed the brunette.
Steven made his return to Ever Grande City, intent on some training before his challenger would arrive.
'I suppose that the best form of training nearby would be with the Elite Four.' Thought the Champion.
"Steven." He turned around from his pondering to see Wally approaching. "How are Brendan and Erica?"
"They're doing fine, nothing to worry about. Though I think it'll take them a little bit of time to recover." Answered Steven.
Wally was happy that his friend/rival was still kicking and alive. He was about to look further into the matter when Steven started towards a pagoda-like structure.
"Where are you going?" Asked Wally.
"I've got some training to do, Brendan wants to have a battle with me in three days."
This news would change Wally's schedule entirely. Now he had shifted interests from finding Brendan and Erica to training. He turned towards the Hoenn Victory Road and prepared himself for a great deal of training.
Steven watched this act of determination and smirked, as he was now encouraged to train harder.
The next day, Erica was sitting down on her bed in the hospital. She was sifting through some images that she had saved on her Holo-Caster.
"Hey Erica." Said Brendan as he walked in. "How do you feel today?"
"I am doing better. But how are you?" Asked the blonde.
"I'm doing awesome!"
Of course she didn't believe him, he might've been trying to find an excuse to get out and battle Steven.
"Hey, what is that?" Asked Brendan as he pointed to the picture.
The picture that Erica was looking at was of her, Brett, and Keith one year prior. It was also before her hair was cut short. They all appeared very happy, especially Erica.
"It is me with some old friends." Answered Erica.
At first, Brendan was in disbelief as he had never seen her hair that short before. But a closer inspection at her face disproved his doubt and made it obvious.
"Why do you all look so happy?"
"It was the day that I became a champion. They are also champions." Explained Erica.
Knowing that made it easier for Brendan to understand just why she was so good. And thinking even further made him realize something else.
"Why aren't they with you now?" Asked the brunette.
The question was innocent in nature, but it still made Erica feel could. Her face grew grim and she placed the holo caster down. Brendan could easily pick up on her distraught nature and tried to console her.
But all the blonde did was look away.
"What's wrong?"
"...Champions...they don't really get to see...each other. We need to defend our regions from danger, like what happened before."
After admitting that, Erica's face only continued to grow more sad, it was almost like she was going to cry.
Even though he could see it, Brendan was just left confused at her sadness. He quickly came to the assumption that she deeply missed her teachers.
"Well...don't you call them a lot?" Asked the boy cautiously.
"Yeah, I do. But that's not the problem." Answered Erica. "If you become champion...then we won't be able to be with each other."
Just like being hit with a car, Brendan was frozen in place as he realized it. It would be bad enough if one of them was always busy as the champion, but the fact that Kalos and Hoenn were just too far apart made this even harder to swallow.
The brunette was left with a sick feeling in his stomach. He truly loved Erica, but he also loved getting stronger with pokemon. In the end, he had to make a choice.
Brendan stood up and looked down to Erica with a strongly determined face. His face wasn't exactly helping Erica, but she waited to hear his response.
"Then I won't become Champion."
Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it. I am sorry that it has taken so long for this chapter to come out. A lot of things have been happening that I have had a bad time with. Also, I kind of went Super Saiyan 3 on that last chapter and ran out of creative energy for a while.
But I will aim to get the next chapter out much sooner!
Also, thanks so much for over 4000 views. I really appreciate it guys.