Eden
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter Twenty Nine.
. . .
"Oh my gosh, it's like we're in some beehive! There are never ending grunts appearing from all corners of this building!" Belle whined after taking out another Plasma member, sending them to cower in fear. And just to prove her point, a couple more appeared from the right side of the room. "Uuuugh!"
"The less you talk, the more you take down," Cheren reasoned with a grumble, heading towards the group that appeared. He was also annoyed with the amount but saw no point in complaining.
"We should all just calm down, we are doing fine," Red murmured, his Snorlax rolling around in front of him to create a path while his Espeon created harmless vibrating psychic waves to drive away anyone who came near. Pikachu stayed perched on his shoulder, long ears twitching at every sound, eyes alert. They were his enforcers, guardians and executioners.
"Dude, what do you feed that thing," Cheren questioned wearily, making sure to stay out of the trainer's range.
"Almost anything. This guy is a vacuum cleaner." Red smiled fondly at the large Pokemon, knowing not to judge a book by its cover. Snorlax may be huge and may not be able to move around as swiftly as others, but this Pokemon had enormous strength behind all those rolls.
"Whatever you say," Cheren looked away and began to get more serious as he went up against more resistant opponents.
"How do you think Touko is doing?" Belle questioned aloud and frowned when one of her Pokemon fainted.
"Believe in her, Belle, she's not as vulnerable as you think," Red assured her, watching until she nodded in agreement.
"Yeah Belle, sheesh, have some faith," Cheren snorted and dodged the rock thrown his way.
But Belle was right about one thing, there was a never ending amount of grunts, no matter how many they took on and defeated. Defeat one, three more takes their place. Even with Red's Snorlax knocking people down like bowling pins was not enough to clear the way.
"Dammit, this isn't working!" Cheren cursed and turned towards Red once again. "What do we do now? We can't keep this up for long, even with the forces we have."
"You are correct," the older male agreed and tapped his chin with a single slender finger in thought. He hummed momentarily before snapping his fingers. "It would have been easier if I had blue prints of this place before hand but that can't be helped. We will have to clear the entrance of the elevator and rush the gym leaders in before anyone can stop us."
"Got it. Belle!"
"Right behind you!"
The duo made their way to the elevator, taking down the grunts in their path. Once they made it across the room, they held the doors open, preventing the machine from closing and going up to get more reinforcements. Belle was starting to breathe hard and panic. She was now down to two Pokemon. Cheren noticed this and frowned.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"But... "
"If they all faint just stick with Red or myself, we won't let anything happen to you."
"Heh, thanks," Belle smiled, relief washing over her.
"By the way, how is Touya and the others doing?"
"Let me call him, hang on a moment," Belle kept her eyes on the massacre in front while she fished for her cell phone in the messenger bag she brought. She pressed the speed dial button for Touya and waited for him to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Touya," Belle greeted and smiled. "We just want to know how your end is doing."
"It's going good so far. We were able to fly up and crash into one of the higher floors without anyone noticing. Talk about luck, with all these goons running around."
"No kidding? Well we are holding up well down here... or as well as we can go. They are like a bunch of ants, coming from anywhere and everywhere! It's like—"
"Okay, Belle, hang up that phone, this isn't a social call," Cheren was giving her this look of disbelief, wondering how she could completely forget the situation she is in.
"Ah, s—sorry! I have to hang up now, Touya. Just wanted to know if you got to your post."
"Don't be sorry, and don't let Cheren tease you too much, that's my job." Belle snickered. "Love you."
"Love you too," Belle sighed and pressed the 'End" button. "Alright! I'm ready to roll!"
"Ah, rejuvenated now are we?" Cheren smirked and called out another Pokemon to help clear the way.
Red shook his head as the two friends began to bicker endlessly while still being able to keep their attention on the battles in front of them. They had reminded him too much of his childhood friend and himself, it almost made his skin crawl. They were both friends and enemies. They could be having a civil conversation one minute and arguing the next.
"Maybe it won't hurt to give him a call," Red mused, completely relaxed in the chaotic environment. Plus Belle was able to call someone, so it should be fine if he could too.
He sat there for a couple seconds, staring at his phone before the number finally came to mind and he quickly dialed before he could forget and placed the device next to his ear. It rang a total of four times before the guy decided to finally pick up.
"I was wondering when you were going to call. We were suppose to have our battle two years ago, but guess who wasn't at his damn mountain!"
"Green, we both know the outcome of that battle so you should take it easy."
"Why you little— What is with all that noise? Is someone yelling? Are you in some war zone?"
"Sort of, yeah."
"... And you pick this time to call me?"
"Well since others are doing it—"
"Hah, still trying to fit in? You're like the awkward loner kid in school."
"... " Red only blinked, face expressionless.
"I know how your face would look like at this moment... and it would do nothing but piss me off."
"Maybe you're right," Red agreed, not really caring if he was awkward or alone. He had his mom, his Pokemon and this bastard to keep him company.
"Pika!" Pikachu spotted someone who stumbled past Espeon's psychic waves, getting too close to his trainer for comfort. The little rodent began sending little electric shocks around the grunts feet, causing the male to screech and dance away.
"What was that?"
"Ah, a enemy got way to close for comfort and almost spilled my coffee." He bent down and picked up his mug, a small frown tugging on his lips.
"You? Coffee? You hate the stuff!"
"... "
"But your mom loves it."
"She does."
"Jeez Red," the other male made a loud, fake sigh but behind it all was hiding deep concern. "Do you need help? Should I come there, wherever you are?"
"Hah, who needs help from second best?"
"You haughty bast—"
"I should go. Belle was not able to talk on the phone for long so neither should I." Red hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
He took a long sip and smiled ruefully through the bitterness. Perhaps he should try being more social, except he could never find anyone else who likes the solitude you find in mountains as much as he did. Except for Green. That guy came to visit every once in awhile.
. . .
"Touya, this was such an amazing plan in the beginning, but now it's a complete waste of time."
"Daizy, it was the only plan we all could come up with so stop complaining and keep looking."
Daizy continued to grumble, quite dramatically, while opening one door after another. The so called amazing plan was that a group of them break into the building on one of the upper floors, just in case the group at the bottom could not get up, and hunt down all seven Sages.
"According to what Lithe said, all the Sages would be here today for some meeting, but he did not know exactly which room they would be in because apparently this place is filled with a million meeting rooms."
"Hella lot of bedrooms on this floor," someone else from the group complained.
"We will have to split up then," Touya advised. "I want half of you to check the floors below, split up into teams of two from there. The rest will come with Daizy and I to the top floors."
"Roger that!" A few saluted before heading off to and down the stairwell.
"Okay, let's head up. Two of you will take the next floor, two will take the floor after that, and so on. Any questions?" Few shook their heads and he nodded. "Alright, let's move on. Daizy and I will go last."
"If you wanted me all alone, Touya, you should've just asked," Daizy deepened her tone until it was husky and sultry, but most of all, mockingly.
"Don't flatter yourself," Touya shook his head at the young girls antics, crossing his arms when she laughed joyously. "How can you be in such high spirits in this situation?"
"You aren't excited?"
"It is a nerve wracking situation to be in," Touya pointed out blandly, gesturing the young woman to go ahead of him after the last person went into the stairwell.
"Let's just say I am here for a separate mission." Daizy went up the stairs, taking two at a time to keep up with the others.
"Are you a spy?" Touya knew she was not because everyone was heavily monitored at the base but still, one could never be too cautious.
"Nah, I would never be able to pull it off. I just know that I have to see someone, or two someones. Then it's possible that I'll leave this place after that."
"Wait, leave? As in you're not going to fight?"
"Of course not. You guys got this in the bag. The Plasma may be big in numbers, but they are still pretty weak. You have to make sure they don't gang up on you or you will be in trouble. I would like to avoid fighting at all costs, my parents did enough of that."
Touya frowned but said nothing, he knew it would be wrong to force her to stay behind, heck, a few of the people in their group had backed out before reaching the tower. On the way up they had encountered many grunts, more than it seemed possible, but Daizy had reasoned that it was probably because the elevator was being held by someone to prevent the grunts from using it.
When they had finally reached their floor, it was not all that empty. It was not all that surprising. Plasma verses Plasma, Red had spoken of some people in the vile group not agreeing to everything that had been done by the King, and were now fighting back for the right of trainers. It was truly an amazing thing to see and it was great progress.
"Well this floor is taken care of, let's go to the next," Daizy demanded cheerfully and spun on her heel to go back into the stairwell.
"Wait, I think I see those goddesses," Touya squinted while looking down the hall and saw two middle aged women at the end, fighting against a group of Plasma members. "It doesn't look good, they're out numbered." He took off in a sprint, dodging and ducking around the battles.
"I am going on ahead then! If you don't see me after this then don't bother looking. I'll be long gone. It was great knowing everyone, especially Touko. Say goodbye to her for me." Daizy headed back into the stairwell and went on her true mission.
Touya never bothered going after her, knowing that once she put her mind to something, there was no stopping her. He skidded to a stop beside the goddess with soft pastel pink hair. "I hope I'm not too late."
"You're just on time," Anthea smiled, feeling a bit more at ease now. She wiped her brow with a sleeved wrist and turned back to her battles.
"We have been collecting the Pokeballs Mr. Red had sent us but truth be told, we never really battled before." Concordia murmured, looking at their opponents warily.
"You traitors!"
"How could you do this to our King!"
"He will annihilate you once he finds out this treason!"
"W—we don't mean any harm!" Anthea tried to reason, a hand resting on her chest. "We are doing this for our King's best interest!"
"Lies!"
"Don't bother," Touya shook his head, feeling sorry for the Goddesses who were now sporting matching frowns. "These kind of guys have thick skulls. Nothing you say will get through to them. Let's just defeat them and carry on."
"Right," the two women replied in unison, squaring their shoulders and steeling their resolve.
. . .
Daizy stopped at a floor that was close to the top and collapsed once out in the hallway. She regretted running up those stairs and never taking up Touko's multiple offers to jog with her during training sessions. She was laying there, vulnerable, and gasping for air like a fish out of water, it was pathetic. Shouting from down the corridor made her forget about the scolding she was going to supply herself and began crawling down the hallway, her legs still feeling like jelly.
"Don't try and stop me! I have to go after Touko!"
"Calm down, she's got this, she will win."
"How can you even—just get out of my way, I have a job to do!"
"Job this, job that, all you care about is your job. Let's go on a proper date, right now."
"Lithe, how can you even act like this with what's going on right now? You're part of the King's squad too so I suggest you do what you're suppose to do!"
"And what if I quit?"
"Quit?" Rozi blinked owlishly, as if that word did not exist in her vocabulary.
"That's right. Drop my badge right off the building and leave."
"C'mon Lithe, you can't be serious."
"You don't have to fear Ghetsis anymore, Rozi. Let's just leave this place, right now."
"No! This organization is too powerful and you are speaking of turning your back against N! He trusts us, don't you dare be a coward now."
"Yo." Daizy had laid her cheek on the floor as she watched the two bicker and though it was interesting, they did not have time to stand around and squabble.
"D—Daizy?" Rozi whipped around and saw her little sister laying there on the floor. "What happened!" She rushed over to her side, dropping on her knees and looking her up and down for any injuries.
"I'm fine," the younger sibling sat up and waved off the older woman's worry. "I just ran up a mountain, I'm tired."
Rozi stilled her mother hen actions and stared at her sister in disbelief. After a cocky smirk was sent her way, she raised her hand and slapped Daizy across the face.
"Rozi!" Lithe shouted, appalled at her actions.
The force of the slap was so hard that Daizy's head snapped to the side, but she did not cry, nor did she scream. Instead she gave Lithe a reassuring smile and accepted Rozi's embrace. The older sister sat there on her knees, sobbing into the crook of her younger sister's shoulder.
"Hush, you crybaby. Everything is fine," Daizy cooed, hoping to calm the sibling down but it had the reverse effect.
"How c—can I be calm! Y—you went missing for y—years and suddenly show u—up out of the damn stairwell!" Rozi blubbered and held on tighter, nearly choking the other with her vice grip. "I was so w—worried!"
"I'm sorry, really I am," Daizy began to pat Rozi's head in a comforting gesture, grateful that her sister was beginning to calm down. "But dad joined this corrupt corporation and brainwashed you too, saying you'll marry the future king of Unova, yadda yadda. I don't want to be apart of this world, it's not healthy and full of wrong."
Rozi sniffled. She knew she was heavily brainwashed by their father after her promotion. He fed her ideas of living in luxury without Pokemon. She never did have much of a connection with her own and only thought about having a life with the King. She would have never went through all of it if she knew it meant the risk of losing her sister. " I never knew you felt that way."
"Father made it clear that I would be disowned if I ever spoke to you about how messed up his beliefs are. He knows how close we were."
"We still are, are we not?"
"Of course. You're the only one I won't abandon. Mother left father for this very reason, his greed for power. And that will be his downfall."
Rozi said nothing for long moments and finally stood up, helping Daizy to stand as well. She looked over at Lithe who was giving her a small smile and she could not help but return it.
"Looks like you win. I wish you had told me about this sooner, I would have went along more quietly." Rozi huffed and gave Lithe a halfhearted glare.
"I didn't even know she was with the rebels, Red never said anything."
"No one knew! I like to surprise people."
"Still a troublemaker I see," Rozi mumbled fondly and let out a long sigh. "Alright, so if we're going to escape we have to hunt down Maru and Saiga."
"Last I remember, you gave them orders to head down to the lobby and cause havoc," Lithe reminded her with a coy smile.
"Oh yeah," Rozi scowled and pulled out her pager. She pressed a small red button and placed it back in her pants pocket. "Now they will come back to see what's up. They'll be fast no doubt, probably think there's trouble."
"There is trouble," a voice whispered.
"Who's there?" Daizy looked up and down the hall but saw no one.
"Daizy, get behind us," Rozi demanded and made a move to block her sister but the younger sibling stepped out.
"So much for avoiding fighting," Daizy scowled. "I haven't been slacking these past few years, you know. I can take on whoever will come at us."
The trio waited in silence and for a minute they thought someone was jerking them around until one, two, three people in black cloaks slinked out from the shadows, only their eyes were revealed. They stood side by side, still as a mannequin, the air chilling immediately.
"The Shadow Trio," Lithe greeted with distaste, lips spreading into a sneer. "How nice of you to join us, but we were just leaving."
"Leaving? No one is leaving," the first one, on the left, spoke quietly and took a small but threatening step forward.
"Correct, instead you will be staying. In the cells, we prefer," The second one, on the right, had a slight trill in his voice, giving the trio a more horrifying effect.
"Did you think we would not watch over you after the incident with Hoshi?" The third one questioned, his voice deep and calm. "We had to make sure you did not make the same mistake as he. But while tagging along you we found our spy. Two Pidoves with one stone." You could practically hear the smile in his voice.
"Lithe? You were the spy?!" Rozi all but shrieked at her boyfriend, disbelief coloring her tone.
"Hmm," Lithe hummed annoyingly. "Now is not the time to discuss such matters."
"He's right!" The second exclaimed, pulling a pokeball from inside his cloak and stepping back.
"We must destroy those who stands in Sage Ghetsis' path to power. We will not go easy on you just because you are former Plasma members," the first one threatened, taking out his own pokeball. "Though, I suppose we shall show you our thanks for serving our King all these years. We will try to make your defeat less painful."
. . .
Emboar tumbled backwards from the finishing blow Zoroak sealed him with, grunting in pain and discomfort. He tried to stand once again but his energy was finally depleted. The large Pokemon collapsed, signaling he had fainted and was now unable to battle.
"Hmph, your Pokemon lasted a long time. I'm impressed." N crossed his arms in confidence, watching Touko's reactions but frowned when he saw her smile genuinely.
"Yeah, he did and I am proud of him. You did good, Emboar. Now rest up, you deserve to." She called the Pokemon back to his ball and sighed. It was now time to use her final Pokemon.
N did not feel comfortable with how relaxed she looked. The last time she revived her Emboar at least three times before giving up and moving onto the next Pokemon. But here she was accepting the defeat no problem. How could she still be calm after all this? She only had one Pokemon left while he had two.
"Go, Zekrom!" Touko threw her Masterball to the ground, closing her eyes, just before the huge white flash appeared, and opened them again in time to catch the ball and look at the large legendary Pokemon.
"Zeeeeraaah!" The Pokemon cried out and spread it's wings, trying to intimidate the small Pokemon below him.
"Tch," N cursed silently and knew that his Zoroak did not have a chance against his opponent but he refused to point that out to Touko by calling his Pokemon back to his ball. It would be cowardly and an embarrassment. It would give her too much hope and courage and he needed to do everything he can to crush all that.
Touko analyzed Zoroak and knew the Pokemon would not survive even the weakest blow from her Zekrom. Emboar did extremely well to wear down his opponent, she would have to reward him with bacon strips after all this was done and over with. The thought made her snicker.
"What is so funny?" N frowned much more deeply, wondering exactly is going on in Touko's head. Had she finally snapped?
"Oh, I was just thinking of giving Emboar some bacon when I get home."
"Bacon... are you mocking me right now?!" N shouted and began to breathe heavily through his nostrils. How dare she take it easy, how dare she insult him by thinking of anything else besides their battle. Was she so confident that she already had plans after she won their battle?
No. NO. He will win this battle, it's much too soon to give up now. Her unbreakable facade was getting to him in the worse ways possible. Breathe in. Breathe out. He needed to focus everything on this battle, he could not allow the enemy to distract him, no matter how cute she acts. But wearing the dress from their first date didn't help things. It gave him hope that she would stay with him no matter what happens.
"If you shake your head any harder then it might just snap off your shoulders," Touko frowned and gave the King a puzzled look. "I may have played dirty in the beginning, taking advantage of your disinterest in the battle, and I'll do it again but it won't feel fair or legit if you're not totally in the battle. Take me seriously."
N stopped all movement, totally unaware that he was even shaking his head in the first place. He was in complete denial and here Touko was, acting haughty, acting like she was the better one, breaking through his thoughts and giving him a chance to attack or do something.
"Are you messing with me?"
"You were the one acting like a bobble head for nearly two minutes."
"We both know the outcome for this round, why not just get it over and done with."
Touko felt her shoulders sagged a little. Was he already giving up on Zoroak? Did he not know that he had a high chance of inflicting damage to Zekrom before fainting. He was making the same mistakes she did in the beginning.
"Very well. Zekrom, finish him."
Zekrom dashed forward and backhanded the smaller Pokemon, sending Zoroak to faint in the process of skidding across the building.
N called the Pokemon back to it's ball, placing it on his belt before taking his last and final pokeball out. His eyes were shadowed by his hat but even if Touko tried to glimpse she would only see them clenched.
He was biting the inside of his cheek so hard, clearing any negative thoughts and thinking of the now, the future. That's what was important and this moment deserved his full attention.
"Go, Reshiram!" He threw the pokeball a bit too hard, causing it to bounce twice before revealing the other legendary dragon Pokemon, Zekrom's other half.
"Raaaaah!" The Pokemon bellowed, spreading it's wings out and stretching it's long neck upwards to give the appearance of largeness but Zekrom was not intimidated, instead, it copied the others actions to show he was not backing down.
"Zekrom, use Thunder!"
The large dragon obeyed instantly, the charge of it's attack attracting grey clouds, and aimed at it's opponent. Sadly, the attack missed. Touko felt herself quiver a little, knowing that there was a chance of it missing but kept her cool. There will be other chances.
"Reshiram, go in and use Fire Fang!"
The white dragon zeroed in on it's other half, molten hot flames coating long sharp fangs, and aimed for the chest, landing and slicing across. Zekrom roared and flinched, missing it's chance to attack back, which N gladly took advantage of.
"Great, now use Overheat!" Reshiram quickly charged the power and exploded the area surrounding Zekrom with intensive heat.
Touko breathed in and out slowly and tried her best to ignore how sweaty she became after that move. That was an extremely powerful blow on his part but she knew they could pull through this. "Dragon Claw!"
Reshiram saw Zekrom close in and tried to back out before the move reached it, but it was too slow, and was hit across the stomach and part of it's wing. It cried out in shock and pain.
"You're doing good, Reshiram, don't worry. Use Flamethrower!"
Reshiram cried out again, this time in anger, and opened it's mouth wide, aiming hot flames towards it's enemy. Zekrom was able to dodge easily, due to the other Pokemon having a hard time moving around with a slightly damaged wing.
"Zekrom, try using Thunder again!"
Zekrom did just that, focusing intently on Reshiram. This time the attack landed perfectly. The white dragon roared in anger, along with his trainer.
"Use Flamethrower again!" Reshiram, in it's anger, was quick to act this time and landed a hit on Zekrom.
"Ugh, Thunder, again!" Zekrom's attack was only half successful. It would have landed but Reshiram was prepared this time and dodged effectively.
Touko felt her shoulders shake from the intensity of the battle and silently cursed her nerves. Both of their Pokemon had taken a beating, and were panting, she knew they wouldn't last much longer. But that did not falter her determination or courage. The winner was still undecided at this point but all it'd take is a move or two to really determine the outcome of the battle. She won't lose hope.
"Hah, you know Thunder has a chance of missing, so I do not know why you consistently use it. Of course that last time was hopeless since Reshiram acted faster then you anticipated. Honestly, Touko, you should how this will turn out by now."
"Hmpf, don't get ahead of yourself, King," she mocked, upset that he had the gall to predicted the end of their battled.
"Some people never learn, I suppose," he sighed loudly, almost sounding bored, as he referred to their first battle. "You know, I can give you some Revives, if you ask politely."
Touko knew he was baiting her while gloating at the same time. She didn't take the bite and continued their battle.
"Zekrom!"
N frowned momentarily, distracted, as he was hoping she would take up his offer because it would be all he needed to have power over her but saw her shoulders shaking and mistook it for fear. 'It is certainly better then what I expected,' he thought smugly before giving the battle his attention again. He barely heard Touko call out "Fusion Bolt" and grinned, full of confidence and ready to counter it.
"Let's finish this, shall we? Fusion Flare!"
Reshiram had powered up it's attack first and aimed the powerful attack directly at it's other half, followed by a loud victory screech when it landed. There was a puff of smoke followed by the attack, confusing N and his Pokemon, before the beam of Fusion Bolt shot through and landed square onto the white dragons chest.
"Good job, Zekrom, now follow that with Dragon Claw!" Touko ordered, her face showing the barest hint of glee from the fact that her plan followed through perfectly.
"Wha— But—," N was dumbfounded by what was going on, and so was his Pokemon. He could have sworn his attack had landed, and it is so strong that it should have made Zekrom fainted but the Pokemon was still standing tall and strong.
"While you were lost in your own little world, I guess you did not hear my command."
"Command? I heard you, it was Fusion Bolt."
"No, before that."
"Before?"
"Mhmm. Substitute."
"What?!" N grounded his molars together and frantically searched for Zekrom.
Reshiram, wounded and confused, stood in a daze and did not, could not, dodge the Dragon Claw aimed towards it's chest. The powerful attacked doubled in power due to Reshiram being weak to the element, and the Pokemon fainted on impact, signaling the end of the final battle.
"I win." Touko mumbled, calling back Zekrom to his ball, but she did not feel happy.
N called back Reshiram into his pokeball as well without a word and stood there, not knowing what to do. What could he do? He was confident in the beginning! He believed that everything would be the same. She was suppose to cower in fear and revive her Pokemon multiple times! She was not suppose to be like... like this!
"N? Please, say something," Touko whispered and saw the surprise look on his face when he realized that she was now standing in front of him.
"Something?" He questioned, his voice taking on a note of hysteria. What did she expect him to say in a moment like this? Congratulations? Great job?
"Yeah, it's getting pretty awkward just standing here," she frowned, watching a repeating twitch at the corner of N's eye. "What do we do now?"
"We? Now?"
"Yeah, just because I won doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly ditch you."
"You want to be with me? After all I've done for you, separated you from your family and friends, lied about your Pokemon, imprisoned you for a year... after all that?"
"Uh huh," Touko gave a small, sad smile when N gave her a look of disbelief. "You can and will be amazed at how love truly works. What I have been through was indeed painful, so much that not a day goes by where I can not remember what it felt like being trapped but through it all I gained a new feeling I thought impossible."
"You have got to be kidding me," N scoffed and stepped away, he could not breathe with her standing so close. "You are just delusional. You only think you love me because I've been a little nice to you."
"You have been more than nice," she smiled, undeterred by his defense mechanism. "Hey N, lately, I've been thinking so strangely about the clouds and how they slowly seem to fade away. Maybe someday, we will find a way to disappear—just you and me. How could I survive without your love and the hope you bring me? Even when the sky is falling down, I know I have you, and that's all I need."
N stared wide eyed at the new champion in front of him, smiling freely, pouring out her feelings so easily. Every word she spoke screamed out 'genuine' while all he wanted to do was paint it in bold red letters spelling 'LIES'. But she continued to stand there, after defeating him, waiting to go somewhere with him. She should be with her friends, celebrating this moment. He sniffed. And then he cried.
Touko quickly embraced him and closed her eyes, allowing N some dignity. She did not whisper soothing words in his ears, only embraced him tighter and accepted his bruising hug. She knew things would not be easy in the beginning. Baby steps are a must. Maybe she will take him to a secluded area where they can live until they get better with each other. Or maybe—
Loud, enthusiastic clapping ruined the moment and the two broke apart.
"That was really sweet, honestly Touko, you have such a way with words," Ghetsis sneered and stepped from the stairwell.
"I won, Sage Ghetsis. Unova will go back to the way it was."
"Whatever you say, your highness," the elder mocked and snickered.
"... " Touko watched the man with suspicion. He was too calm right now, she had expected him to be screaming and shouting at his own son's loss!
"But, ah, you will have to go through me first."
"W—what? I just defeated the king of Unova! I have won fair and square!'
"Hah, stupid girl! Do you honestly believe that pathetic boy ran the whole show?"
"What are you talking about?" Touko felt a chill run down her spine when Ghetsis offered her a smile that was way too gleeful and much too sinister.
"He was only, what is the word... a spokesperson? Yes, something like that. He spoke out in public, speeches already made for him, he did the proper paper work, yadda yadda. But the brains behind the whole operation is me."
"You?!"
"Yes. Look at me. Do you honestly think people would see sense if I was the one doing the speeches? N was all for it, volunteering. His innocence helped his determination, thus fueling people to believe he is a good person so they should trust what he says. I, myself, am more harsh and demanding. That is why, when you were at one of my first speeches, people were confused. I was putting too much on their fragile shoulders to handle. But do you want to know the real truth behind it all?"
"The real truth." Touko demanded with a deep frown.
"The truth is... Pokemon Liberation is a lie."
N gasped and clutched onto his kings robe, hands trembling. "T—that's a lie, father! That's not true!"
"Haaa, you were always so oblivious to everything, always so stupid and happy-go-lucky with the plans. I am not even surprised you never suspected anything, but I am disappointed for having a son like you."
N stumbled backwards until he bumped into the railing, the only thing holding him back from falling to his death. Would it even matter if he died? Nothing in his life was going according to plan and his goal now seemed like... such a waste. Everything he worked for, everything he dreamed of happening turned out to be a load of crap, thrown back into his face by his own father.
"N, don't lose yourself," Touko ordered and turned back towards the chuckling, vile man across the roof. "You are complete and utter scum. I'm going to defeat your sorry ass and have you jailed for all the crimes you have committed!"
"That is if you can beat me," Ghetsis grinned darkly and opened the stairwell door. "Please, meet a friend of mine. You may have heard of him in the beginning of your visit here."
A tall being stepped through the door and stood, almost proudly, by Ghetsis. Touko felt her mouth pop open at it's features. "Is... is that a Pokemon? I've never seen one like that in Unova!"
"I know," Ghetsis answered rather smugly but it did not reach his eyes when his son did not give any reaction. Oh well, guess his audience will be limited to one since he finally broke the boy. "Mayor Biggie was a fool for even capturing this beast, but I am grateful to that fool nonetheless."
Touko glanced at N but saw he was staring blankly at the ground, uncaring that the rain was soaking his cloak, thus soaking his clothes as well. Even she began to shiver.
"Rare Pokemon or not, Zekrom will take care of this." Touko promised and reached for her pokeball.
"Not so fast," Ghetsis thundered and pressed a large round button hidden within his cape.
Touko saw the Pokemon give a violent jerk forward before bringing its hands to hover on either side of it's head, three bulb like finger tips on either side creating two triangles. The eyes went from normal to electric blue seconds after and she felt, more than saw, a small current pan out all around them before the Pokemon went back to normal.
"What did you do?" She whispered suspiciously, looking all around to see if anything had changed.
"Why don't you try and fight me and see?" Goaded the elder sage, pleased to see the stupid trainer rile up so easily.
"Fine, I warned you. Go, Zekrom!" Touko tossed the ball and waited for any signs of the white flash but none came. Confused, she went and picked up her pokeball before calling out again, "Zekrom!" Still, nothing.
Ghetsis could no longer hold it in. He laughed and laughed and laughed until his sides were sore and he was having trouble breathing. "It works perfectly!"
"What did you do?" Touko asked once again, in a tight controlled voice. She was beginning to feel true fear overcome her.
"Well, you see, I was working on this nifty invention for the longest time, even while you were stationed here! It's a small black box and it does the greatest wonder! When placed in a certain area, a trainer cannot use their pokeball!" Ghetsis was really having too much fun with this.
Touko twisted and turned her head looking for said box but found nothing in view on the roof.
"Tsk, I said a certain area! Obviously I'm not stupid enough to have it out in the open where anyone can find it, you daft girl. It's hidden in the building, but that is where good 'ol Mewtwo comes in. You seen this black collar around his neck? I have that linked to the box so when I press a secret button to activate it, this guy here gets a painful shock and he uses his psychic powers to expand the boxes usefulness. So now everyone in Unova can't use their Pokemon."
Touko felt her mouth drop open. She didn't know what to say, do, or remember how to work her limbs. The sage had truly gone into the deep end and there was no way to help him. "Why?" She finally asked and out of all the questions she wanted answered, this one was the most important.
"Why? Because I want all the rare Pokemon to myself so I can be the true ruler of Unova! I have programmed and tweaked with my own pokeballs so my Pokemon can be called upon." Ghetsis inhaled deeply through his nose just so he could continue on smiling, truly happy with his work. "At first I thought you would get in the way of everything, distracting that insolent child of mine away from his duties but everything worked out in my favor. He sulked over your departure and never paid close attention but to his own work. Never bugged me, unless needed to, not even asked for a single thing! I almost feel like I should thank you."
Touko stepped back until she too hit the railing and collapsed on the ground beside N. They were completely powerless and totally naive. The whole time they believed that the other was the true enemy, completely focused on each other's presence when this entire time, the great Sage had been the master behind the puppet show.
"Yes," Ghetsis agreed, as if reading her thoughts. "You two were just pawns in this silly little game for grown ups. I would have loved to see it progress more, but I don't want either of you to get any ideas into your head, thinking you've won and such. Might as well stomp out that flame before it grows, right?"
"What are you planning to do now?"
"I can't decide if I should shove you two off the tower, looking for it to be a mistake, or just you and have N claim me leader of Unova because the work is just too much for him. Or I can just have you locked up, brainwashing you every waking hour until you begin to behave like a regular citizen."
"You are a disgusting man—no, you don't even deserve to be called human. Monster!"
"Tch, watch your tongue when speaking to your elders." The man scolded but his smile remained, not rattled by a little girls petty babble. "Unova shall truly turn into a great place under my ruling! With me leading the masses I can slowly take over other regions, bringing others under my wing with a false sense of "equality" and "harmony", and all they have to do is—" Slow but loud clapping by the door paused the elder Sage in his gaining monumental speech.
"Very lovely, but you're boring me old man," Touya stepped through the door, tone bored, with Belle, Cheren, and Red following behind.
"Brought the whole gang, I see?" Ghetsis sneered but gave a nonchalant shrug after giving it a quick think over. "Might as well. I will have to drill it into every single person's head for the next few weeks until everyone understands who exactly is in charge around here."
"I didn't come here for sedation," Cheren snubbed arrogantly, pushing his glasses up with his middle finger purposely. "I just want to know why my Pokemon were suddenly summoned back to their pokeballs and why they can't be called back out."
"Hmph, well you see here, I have this nifty—"
"He has some machine that knocks out the circuits that controls the mechanism of the Pokeball." Touko replied dully, struggling to stand on shaky legs. Ghetsis shot a glare her way, positively livid at being interrupted from his would-be epic ramblings. "No one in Unova will be able to use their Pokemon, except him, while that machine is running."
"Kindly point out the location of—whoa... " Belle turned to Ghetsis and was ready to demand, quite cheerfully, where the machine was but got distracted by the human figure like Pokemon beside him, jaw dropping.
"What's wrong—uhhhhh," Touya gave the same reaction upon seeing the large Pokemon. "What is that!"
"That is Mewtwo," Red muttered darkly, side stepping the two to get a better look at the tall Pokemon. "What are you doing here, old friend?"
There was a flicker of recognition in Mewtwo's eyes but he never responded, didn't move. He stayed firmly by the old Sage's side, small electric zaps directed down to his bones from the collar when he tried to move out of place.
"So you encountered this beast before?" Ghetsis questioned, mild annoyance etched on his features.
"Yes, years ago. He had entered a cave I was occupying, looking for solitude, a place away from civilization. He had some weird Pokemon that looked so familiar yet different."
"Different? Like from a different region?" Touko questioned with a frown before glancing down at N to see if he showed any interest. None. It appeared as if he was wallowing in despair, silently.
"They could have been. But I am not going to say anymore. I promised Mewtwo that his secret will be kept with me until the day I die."
"I demand you to tell me your secret at once!" Ghetsis hissed harshly towards to captive Pokemon, his anger shooting up closely to a boiling point.
Mewtwo clenched his teeth together and stayed quiet, enduring the painful pin pricks of the collar.
"Still so defiant, I see. Fine," Ghetsis sighed and turned to Red. "Looks like this is the day you're going to die, so spill before you take your last breath. Kyurem!"
A large grey dragon appeared after the flash from the pokeball, appearing beside Ghetsis, and cried out at the crowd before it. It swiveled it's head left and right, getting a good look at it's opponents before baring it's teeth threateningly. It also had on a matching black electric collar.
"That.. that's!" Touko gasped, not believing that another legendary Pokemon stands before her.
"It's Kyurem," Cheren whispered and furrowed his brows. "I thought it was only a legend."
"But here he is," Touya muttered, staring in disbelief. "In the flesh."
"Whooooa," Belle stared eye wide, open mouth with some drool beginning to make it's way down to her chin.
"Your Pokemon are sad," Red frowned sadly, looking between the two distressed Pokemon. "Kyurem wishes to be free and alone. You have hurt him greatly."
"What, you can communicate with them?" Ghetsis sneered condescendingly before looking at N and said mockingly, "Looks like you're not all that special, boy."
There was a flicker of emotion in N's eyes before he looked over at his father with a growing, burning hate.
"Should have had that look and attitude in the beginning, then none of this would have happened," Ghetsis snorted and turned back to Red. "Now, how should I kill you? The same way I killed Hoshi?"
"W—hat," N's voice croaked, thick with emotion.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? Oh right, it's because I didn't want you to turn into more of a blubbering mess after that wench left. I killed dear ol' Hoshi with Kyurem's lovely wing here," he gripped onto one of the thorns sticking out of the wing at the end, not caring that it was sharp or that it cut his hand. "Don't worry, because he worked with us for so long I gave him a quick death. Might have not have been painless, but it was quick."
"You monster!" N screamed as he stood up and tried to run over to the man he called father, but Touko quickly wrapped her arms around him from behind and used her weight to try and bring him down again.
"Don't, N, he might hurt you too!" Touko sobbed and winced when N tried to pry her hands off him, even going as far as digging his stubby nails into her skin. "Please, don't."
"Using Pokemon to harm humans, to end human life... that is the ultimate sin," Red whispered and stared at Kyurem in sympathy. "I will free you from your wrath and imprisonment, both of you."
"And how do you plan to go on about that, you fool. Have you not been listening to what I've been saying this whole time?" Ghetsis felt his anger return when Red showed no fear towards him.
"Allow me to show you. Snorlax, Charizard, Pikachu, go!" He threw all three pokeballs at once.
"What, b—but, how! You can't bring out your Pokemon!" Ghetsis hollered and checked his remote to see that his device is still working properly.
"In fact, I can. I come from a different region, so my pokeballs have different coding."
"But pokeballs are all the same!"
"Kind of. The pokeball is designed to a region is fixed so that it can capture Pokemon within it. Every region has different Pokemon. If I had brought over some empty balls and tried to catch a Pokemon here, I might have given them a concussion."
"Dammit. Well, I guess Unova would not have been enough for me, why not aim for the whole world? After I defeat you I'll just take all of your Pokemon and the pokeball coding with it. But don't you think it's unfair, two against three?" The older man smiled lecherously at the unknown Pokemon before him, close to the point of salivating.
"No, I don't think it's unfair. Charizard here will light the railings on fire so you have no where to run. Snorlax will body slam the roof, making it impossible to run and within twenty minutes the building will most likely be ready to collapse. I'll only be fighting with Pikachu. You, on the other hand, have two legendary Pokemon to fight with. Don't be so scared." Red taunted with a small cold smile.
"You bastard," Ghetsis hissed and pointed towards the yellow rodent. "Destroy that little shit, Kyurem! Outrage!"
"Touko, you and the others get far away from the building. I assume once it starts shaking no one will be hanging around inside." Red ordered, keeping his eyes on the battle.
"R—right, come on!" Touko tried dragging N towards the exit but he wasn't budging from his spot, still trying to reach Ghetsis. "Help me!"
Touya and Cheren came over, each grabbing a hold of N's arms and dragged him towards the exit, Touko and Belle ahead of them.
Anyone they saw in the stairway were warned about the building collapsing and they made sure to pop their head into almost every door on the way down to do the same. By the time they reached the lobby most of the people have cleared out to the building shaking violently.
Outside a lot of trainers and Plasma members stood around, watching the building vibrate and the distant red flames at the top. The gym leaders were currently surrounding the remaining Sages and Shadow Trio to make sure they made no moves to run away. The two goddesses were away from the crowd, their hands clasped together in a silent prayer and none of the squad members were around.
Officer Jenny and her crew began to take over the tiny island, instructing trainers to get onto the boat and head back to the main island while they cuffed the criminals, including the goddesses and N.
"Wait!" Touko felt her heart catch in her throat when she saw N being treated roughly. Her stomach churned. "Please, don't arrest him!"
"Miss White," Officer Jenny saluted the young woman but kept the cuffs firmly on the young king. "I am sorry but he is being charged. Even if you did bring him down, it doesn't give you the right to decide his future but it does help us lock him up for breaking many laws. Sorry for the inconvenience." She turned away and ignored Touko's pleas.
The officers were now helping the gym leaders surround the Plasma members, including N, so she could not get close to him even if she tried. Soon she and her friends, along with everyone else, was ushered onto a boat and taken to the main lands. Minutes later Liberty Garden Tower collapsed.
Red had effectively destroyed the device Ghetsis created by the fall of the building, ultimately freeing Mewtwo and Kyurem. The human like Pokemon gave a nod to the trainer before flying off into the direction of Johto while the other legendary went in the direction of it's own home.
He had called back Pikachu and Snorlax and hopped onto Charizard before the Pokemon captured Ghetsis with his claws. They lifted off the building before it collapsed and headed towards Castelia City. Red dropped down where Officer Jenny was and handed over the criminal before finding Touko.
"It's okay," he murmured, watching the angry crowd that was beginning to surround. "Perhaps it is best to leave before a riot forms. I'm sure the gym leaders can handle it."
"Good idea. I'm beat, I just want to sleep," Cheren rolled his shoulder tiredly.
"We deserve a nights rest," Touya agreed and stifled a yawn.
"Touko," Belle whispered to her friend when she saw her tortured look. "Just rest for now, you are going to drop on your feet. Let's check on the situation in a few days, when everything has quieted down."
"... " Touko bit the inside of her cheek and turned around after seeing someone throw a soda can at N's head. "Let's go," she demanded and walked off.
Touko may have won the battle but it felt like she lost the war, because now N was going to be put behind bars and no doubt it would be for a long time.
. . .
The end.
I'm kidding.
A/N: Don't kill me, I love you guys long time. Also, I'm sorry I could not respond to everyone's reviews, I have been away for almost a month. And the reason why this chapter took forever was because of the battle scene between Touko and N. It was... completely messed up. A huge thanks to my Beta's for fixing up the chapter and I am eternally grateful to Minagi for helping with the battle scene!
PS. I hate battle scenes. I hate writing about them. I dislike reading about them. They will put me to sleep faster than my sleeping pills. I love playing them, that's it. c:
