Hey guys, thank you for being so patient with me. Also, I appreciate you sending me your OCs, but I'm gonna try and cut down on them for a while, if that's OK. Finally, here's chapter 36! Please read, review and enjoy!
P.S. I do not own Pokemon. Cameron, Drake, Reina and Rita belong to their respective owners.
Previously, Hikari and Tatsuya met three Trainers, Drake and his cousins Reina and Rita, who will be assisting Cedric in exploring Dragonspiral Tower. Our heroine also defeated the Gym Leader Brycen and earned the Freeze Badge. But she has no idea what's in store for her in the next few minutes…
"Oh, so that's where Sawk got the scar on his eye?" Tatsuya asked as we left the Icirrus City Gym. I was just telling him how Sawk had lost to a Beartic years ago and his eye was scarred as a result.
"That's what sensei told me," I replied. "That's why he was so determined to beat Brycen's Beartic during the battle." We passed through the entrance only to find two people standing before the Gym. "Cheren and Bianca? What are you guys doing here?"
Cheren looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Hikari, I've been talking with Bianca, and I'm wondering… Since we left Nuvema Town, has something about me… changed?" He paused as he looked down at his open hand. "Thinking about what I want to do… Thinking about what I should do… It felt like there was nothing…" His hand fell to his side before clenching into a fist. "Have I really become stronger? Or is it just my Pokemon that have? I don't know anymore!" Cheren shouted, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Cheren…" I muttered sympathetically, unsure what to do. It almost looked like he was holding back tears; I had never seen him like that.
Bianca gently placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, hey. Cheer up, Cheren… Isn't it nice to see everyone?!" Cheren looked at her and gave a slight nod, but didn't say anything in response. Normally he would've had some sort of comeback, so he must've really been down in the dumps.
Suddenly, someone came running up to us before skidding to a stop. I was surprised to see that it was Cameron. "OK, this time I'm not gonna lose!" he declared before noticing us. "Hm? Hikari, were you in the Gym just now?"
"Uh-huh, and I got the Freeze Badge!" I said, holding out the Badge.
"On your first try?! Brycen kicked my butt yesterday!" Cameron said in amazement. "That's it, consider yourself my official rival!" he shouted, pointing directly at me. Boy, was this guy energetic!
"Oh dear, now you have three rivals," Tatsuya said with an amused tone. "This is interesting…"
"Quiet, you!" I retorted, punching the older boy's arm while he laughed.
Then, unexpectedly, Brycen walked out of the Gym. "Who are you?"
"Oh, c'mon! We only battled yesterday!" Cameron shouted, a little irritated that Brycen didn't seem to remember him. "It's me, Cameron!"
"And I'm Bianca, and this is Cheren…" Bianca said before the Gym Leader spoke again.
"I know you are there! Why don't you show yourselves?" Brycen demanded. Seconds later, three dark figures appeared and surrounded us.
The Shadow Triad! I thought as I looked around, surprised at their sudden appearance. Brycen hadn't been talking to Cameron at all; he somehow knew they were there!
"… Impressive, Gym Leader of Icirrus City," one of the figures commented. "We, the Shadow Triad, are beings of the shadows… and not easily noticed."
"Who are these guys, ninjas?" Cameron asked as he backed away a little, but held out a Poke Ball just in case.
"They're members of Team Plasma," Tatsuya explained, putting up his brave face. "As far as I can tell, they'll only take orders from Ghetsis or N."
"Our mission was to speak only to Hikari, but so be it," another Triad member stated.
Glaring at them, I stepped forward. "What do you want from me?"
"Ghetsis has a message for you: come to Dragonspiral Tower," he replied.
"It is there that our lord N waits for you," the last Triad member continued. "… Now, our mission is complete."
"Dragonspiral Tower?!" Brycen exclaimed, his eyes widening behind his mask. "What's going on? Hey! Tell me…" But before he could finish, the Shadow Triad vanished.
Cameron looked over at me. "Whoa, their boss wants to see you? Are you really gonna go?"
"Don't really have a choice," I said, clenching my fists. "I've got a score to settle with N, anyway. Might as well do it now!"
Brycen nodded before facing Cameron. "Young man, if you're here for a Gym challenge, hang on for a bit. I have to go to Dragonspiral Tower!" I smiled. Having the Gym Leader on our side might help against Team Plasma.
"I'm going, too," Cheren piped up, back to his old, stubborn self.
"And if you think I'm gonna let you go in alone, you're nuts," Tatsuya said, smiling at me. Victini nodded in agreement.
"Whoa. Wh-what should I do?" Bianca stammered, trying to get her thoughts together. "F-for now, I have to go to Dragonspiral Tower… OK! I'm going with you!"
"Me too!" Cameron exclaimed. "Emboar and I will take out anyone in our path!"
"You guys…" I muttered, really happy that they were all backing me up. "OK then, let's go!"
And with that, we all ran toward Dragonspiral Tower as fast as we could. Brycen and Cheren were faster, and we eventually lost sight of them.
As we ran, Tatsuya glanced over at me. "Hikari, you sure you're gonna be OK with N seeing you in a dress?"
"Well, I don't really have time to change, now do I?" I retorted as I restored my Pokemon's health.
"Oh yeah, I didn't get a chance to say this, but that dress looks so cute!" Bianca commented.
"Yeah, dare I ask about that?" Cameron added, knowing darn well that I wasn't wearing a dress when we first met.
"Uh… no," I finally answered with a slight blush. There was no way I was gonna tell him that the only reason I was wearing the darn thing was to get Tatsuya's attention!
We were almost at the tower, and I could see dark clouds in the sky. Cedric was looking up at the sky, and the two girls from the Pokemon Center were standing next to him. "Cedric!" I called as we ran up to them.
"Oh, Hikari! And Tatsuya and Cameron, too!" Cedric responded as he turned in our direction. Then he turned to Bianca. "And you must be Bianca. I didn't have time to introduce myself before, but I'm the other Professor Juniper. The Professor Juniper who gave you the Pokedex is my daughter."
"Nice to meet you, professor!" Bianca said with a bow. "Thanks to Professor Juniper, I got to go on a journey and start figuring out possibilities for my life. I'm very, very grateful to her!"
"Is that right?" Cedric replied with a smile. "Grand, grand."
One of the girls, the one in red, spoke up, catching the professor's attention. "We can chat later, professor." Then she turned to me and my friends. "Tatsuya, I'm glad you brought back-up. My name is Rita, and the other girl is my sister Reina. Guys, here's the situation. Some members of Team Plasma – a pretty large group of them – broke through the tower wall and went inside."
"Since then, dark clouds have started gathering around the tower," Reina continued. "Our cousin Drake went after Team Plasma, along with Brycen and a boy wearing glasses, but…" Her voice trailed off, a worried expression on her face. I realized that the two sisters must've been the cousins that Drake had mentioned earlier that day.
Reina then spotted me, and her face immediately brightened. "Omigosh, you are so cute! Tatsuya, is this that friend you were telling us about?" Tatsuya just blushed, not saying a word but apparently it was enough of an answer for the older girl.
Rita just walked over and rapped her knuckles on her sister's forehead. "What did I say about embarrassing him?" she scolded, making Reina pout. I had to admit, those two were kinda funny.
Once we had all calmed down, Bianca suddenly raised her hand. "Professor, what's the Dragonspiral Tower?"
"Ha! I guess you would be curious," Cedric replied. "Well, I'll explain briefly. Dragonspiral Tower has stood tall since long before Unova was founded. On the top floor, the legendary Dragon-type Pokemon waits for a person pursuing ideals to appear… That's what is said."
"The boy with glasses is our friend," Tatsuya said. "We have to go after Team Plasma with him."
Rita cracked a half-smile. "Admirable of you. But it's also pretty risky."
"Don't worry! My friends are really, really strong, and they've beaten Team Plasma before," Bianca said reassuringly. "But… I'm not all that strong, actually. I admit it." She looked over at Cedric shyly. "I'm not very strong, so I was thinking… It would be nice if, maybe, I could… stay here and be your bodyguard?"
Cedric grinned at the blonde-haired Trainer. "Why, thank you! That makes me feel much safer! Now these two can go after Drake. Ladies, you're relieved!"
"Thank you, professor!" Reina and Rita said, bowing before turning to me, Tatsuya and Cameron.
"Well, it's up to us! Let's climb the tower!" Rita shouted before the five of us headed for Dragonspiral Tower.
It didn't take us long to reach the ruined tower. We could see the huge hole that Team Plasma had blown into the side, and a makeshift bridge now led inside. A couple of Team Plasma members were standing outside, and when they saw us, they immediately put their guard up.
"Hey sis, you want to take care of these guys?" Reina asked with a determined smile.
"Only if you'll help me out," Rita replied as she pulled out a Poke Ball.
Reina and Rita are challenged by Team Plasma Grunt and Team Plasma Grunt!
The grunts let out a Krokorok and a Liepard.
"Oh, this'll be too easy!" Reina said. "Go, Walrein!" She threw her ball and a large blue walrus-like Pokemon appeared.
"Houndoom, take 'em out!" Rita shouted as a fierce dog Pokemon with horns leapt out of its ball.
"Walrein, the Ice Break Pokemon. It shatters ice with its big tusks. Its thick blubber repels not only the cold, but also enemy attacks."
"Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon. The flames it breathes when angry contain toxins. If they cause a burn, it will hurt forever."
One of the grunts gulped before giving a command. "Slash attack on Houndoom!" Liepard rushed forward, its claws ready to scratch the Dark Pokemon.
"Dodge and use Flamethrower!" Houndoom successfully avoided the attack before releasing a large jet of flames from its mouth. It was powerful enough to send Liepard flying backward, utterly defeated.
The foe's Liepard fainted!
"Hurry Krokorok, use Crunch on that thing!" Krokorok would've chomped down on Houndoom if Walrein didn't slide in front of it, taking the blow instead. I admit I was impressed by its endurance.
"Nice save, Walrein! Now Blizzard!" The Ice Break Pokemon unleashed a huge Blizzard attack which knocked out Krokorok instantly.
The foe's Krokorok fainted!
Reina and Rita defeated Team Plasma Grunt and Team Plasma Grunt!
I was utterly speechless. Those two were such strong Trainers! "Remind me not to get on your bad side!" I told them as we raced past the stunned grunts. "Did you know they were that strong when you spoke to them earlier?" I asked Tatsuya.
"No, that never really came up," the older Trainer answered before giving me a weird look. "Wait a sec, how did you know I talked to them earlier?"
Busted! I thought, my whole face turning red. "Uh… We'll talk about it later, OK?"
"Ha ha, fair enough," Tatsuya chuckled as we all ran into Dragonspiral Tower.
When we got inside, the wild Pokemon inside were going nuts. Something was definitely scaring them, and I had a feeling that Team Plasma's activities had something to do with it.
"Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokemon. In fights, they dominate with onslaughts of flowing, continuous attacks. With their sharp claws, they cut enemies."
"Druddigon, the Cave Pokemon. It warms its body by absorbing sunlight with its wings. When its body temperature falls, it can no longer move."
"Golett, the Automaton Pokemon. The energy that burns inside it enables it to move, but no one has yet been able to identify this energy."
"Whoa, what's gotten into them all?" Cameron wondered.
Suddenly, the whole tower shook and we heard a loud roar. Tatsuya grabbed me in order to steady me, while Cameron and the twins braced themselves against a wall. When the rumbling stopped, Tatsuya looked at me with a concerned expression. "You OK?"
"Uh-huh," I answered, not letting go of Tatsuya's jacket. "Tatsuya… something's going wild at the top of the tower."
"It's gotta be Zekrom," Tatsuya nodded in agreement. "What's N thinking?"
"Get a room, you two!" a voice shouted. We looked to see Cameron with a smug smile on his face.
In response, Tatsuya and I quickly pulled away. "You're dead, Cameron," I grumbled, feeling my face heat up. "Everyone OK?"
"We're good!" the twins piped up. "But there are more grunts coming!" Sure enough, more grunts had followed us through the entrance.
Rita let out a large brown Pokemon with fruit hanging from around its neck while Reina let out a smaller black Pokemon with sharp claws. "You three keep going, we'll hold them off!" the girl in red called.
"Tropius, the Fruit Pokemon. Delicious fruits grew out from around its neck because it always ate the same kind of fruit."
"Weavile, the Sharp Claw Pokemon. Evolution made it even more devious. It communicates by clawing signs in boulders."
"Are you sure?" I asked, pausing at the staircase.
"Just go! We got this," Reina said. "Take care of Drake for us!" Then the twins turned around and prepared themselves for battle.
I nodded, shouting "Good luck!" to them before following the boys up the stairs.
On the second floor, there were several fallen pillars. We had to climb our way around and over them in order to reach the third floor. On that floor, we navigated our way through a puzzle involving ramps and false pathways. Eventually, we made it to the fourth floor, where we found Brycen and Cheren battling against several grunts.
Brycen noticed us coming. "You three! We'll hold them here! You go on ahead!" he shouted as Beartic squared off against a Watchog.
"No, I can't let you guys fight them alone!" I shouted, watching as Cheren pitted a long, green snake Pokemon against a Liepard. Apparently his Servine had recently evolved.
"Serperior, the Regal Pokemon and the evolved form of Servine. It can stop its opponents' movements with just a glare. It takes in solar energy and boosts it internally."
"This is nothing!" Cheren responded as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "But there sure are a lot of them… Oh, what a complete bother!"
Cameron suddenly reached for a Poke Ball on his belt and ran up to a grunt. "Hey, you! Battle me right now!"
Both Tatsuya and I were surprised. Cameron was going to try to hold them off along with Brycen and Cheren!
The Gym Leader turned to the dirty blonde boy. "Are you sure?"
"Hikari needs to get to the boss, and she can't do it with all these guys in her way!" Cameron answered. "Besides, how could I pass up a chance to fight alongside you?" He then called out a tall Pokemon with blades for arms. "Gallade, Psycho Cut!" The Pokemon's arms glowed blue before it slashed at a Trubbish.
"Gallade, the Blade Pokemon. When trying to protect someone, it extends its elbows as if they were swords and fights savagely."
I smiled as I watched the three of them battle. "Thanks, Cameron!"
"Let's go while we have the chance!" Tatsuya said as we ran past the battling Trainers.
As we reached the fifth floor, my feet started to feel sore. "Oww… stupid shoes," I grumbled as I fiddled with the dress shoes I was wearing. Why did I decide to wear the shoes, too?
"Guess those weren't really designed for running, huh?" Tatsuya asked as he knelt down beside me.
"You can say that again," I replied as I took out my spare boots from my bag. "Alright, much better!" I said cheerfully, having switched the shoes with my usual boots.
As we started walking through the circular maze that was the fifth floor, Tatsuya started talking to me. "OK, tell me the truth. Why did you really decide to wear that dress? And does it have anything to do with Reina and Rita?"
I flinched. There was no more avoiding the subject. "Well, I… Yeah, I guess I was just a little… jealous," I admitted, not looking the older boy in the eye. "I-I mean, they're so pretty, and you looked like you were having fun with them, so I…"
As we stopped in front of the staircase, Tatsuya stared at me for a few minutes. "… You were jealous?" he asked dumbfounded. "How come? I barely know them."
"That's not the point!" I blurted out, shaking my head. I suddenly realized that this could be a good time to tell him how I feel. "It's because…" Clasping my hands together, I looked Tatsuya straight in the eye. "Tatsuya, I l-"
"Pika pi!" a high-pitched voice cried out, startling us. We turned to see Pikachu running towards us. Man, way to ruin the moment! Oh well, there were more important things going on.
"Pikachu? Where's Drake?" I asked as the Mouse Pokemon skidded to a stop.
"Pika. Pikachu! (Upstairs. Hurry!)" it replied before leading us up the stairs to the sixth floor.
We found Drake hiding behind a large stone column. He spotted us and put a finger to his lips, telling us to be quiet before motioning for us to come closer. "Glad you made it," he said softly as Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder. "Is the professor safe?"
"Yeah, he's with a friend of ours," Tatsuya answered.
"I'm glad you're alright, Drake," I told him. "Your cousins were worried about you."
Drake smiled momentarily before another earsplitting roar shook the tower. All three of us braced against the pillar while Victini and Pikachu clung to their Trainers. Drake was the first of us to recover. "It sounds like something's on a rampage at the top of the tower!"
"That thing is Zekrom, the legendary Dragon-type Pokemon," I explained. "Sounds like Team Plasma's already brought it back!"
"What?! Why would they bring back such a dangerous Pokemon?" Drake asked.
"Their leader seems to believe that he can befriend Zekrom," Tatsuya responded. "And we have to stop him!"
"For some reason, he called me to this tower," I continued. "I hate doing what he wants, but I have to get to the top no matter what!"
Drake grinned and patted my head. "Then I'll just have to help you reach him. You two ready?"
Both Tatsuya and I nodded at the same time. "Let's settle this!"
With the help of their friends, Hikari and Tatsuya are almost at the top of Dragonspiral Tower! Will Hikari have the courage to face N and the legendary Pokemon? Stay tuned!