As our pokemon ran, I couldn't help but seethe at the thought of Team Plasma. I clenched Zachary's mane in my fingers tightly as I let the anger at Team Plasma fester inside me. They stole my pokemon, they attacked my master, they tried to kill me, this could not go unpunished. It was time for a little retribution.
'I'm worried about you.' Lola said suddenly. I blinked a few times and concentrated on my link with her.
'What do you mean? Aren't YOU angry about all the crap they've thrown at us?' I asked her. I felt a slight pang of indignation, but I couldn't tell if it was mine or hers.
'Of course I am. We all are. The difference is that we're POKEMON. You're a human, you are supposed to have better control. How can you expect us to hold our tempers and obey you when you can't even get ahold of your own anger?' She told me. I blinked again and sighed, leaning into Zachary as he ran, and he made a comforting purring sound.
'No one is perfect, Lola. I'm not going to hurt anyone if that is what you guys are worried about. There's an old saying, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind".' I told her, grinning at the accidental pun. I could feel her annoyance surge through me.
'Stop making sight jokes, this is serious.' She snapped.
'So am I. That was an accidental pun, Lola. It means that if you go out and hurt someone for hurting you, then you'll just wind up killing each other. I'm not going to go on a roaring rampage of destruction just because of the crap Team Plasma has put me through. It's an option, but it's not my first plan of action.' I explained. I could feel her suspicion in me, but she let it go.
'Then what are you going to do when you find them?' She asked me. I didn't know what to say to her. She retreated from my mind to give me space to think about my answer. What WAS I going to do when we found them. I looked up as Zachary stopped running, and we had come up to a really old looking ship. Cheren and Cory looked up at it in confusion.
"What kind of ship is that?" Cory asked. Cheren leaned back on Stoutland and grabbed his chin, frowning.
"It's a really old sailing ship. I didn't think they made them like this anymore when I was little, let alone in this age. It looks brand new too." He said. While they thought it over, I took a closer look at it and gasped, tightening my grip on Zachary.
"Guys, that's the boat that showed up on my way to Castelia, the one that attacked the S.S. Thundurus!" I exclaimed. Cory and Cheren looked at me with wide eyes before turning back to the boat, and Cheren gritted his teeth.
"In that case, we need to get on board." He said. We nodded as I dismounted Zachary. He shook himself and took a few steps backward, running forward and jumping at the ship. I watched in awe as he flew at the ship, slamming into the side. He dug his claws in the hull and climbed up. When he got to the edge of the ship, he crawled to where the gangplank was and climbed onto the ship. Soon, a large, mechanical gangplank shot out at us and slammed onto the dock, and Zachary padded down, sitting down in front of me and panting. I smiled and patted his head softly.
"Thanks Zachary, you should get some rest." I said, recalling him into his pokeball. Stoutland walked over to me and knelt down as Cheren reached out, helping me onto the pokemon behind him.
"Great work, let's go find out where those missing trainers and pokemon are." He said. Stoutland and Yapper barked as they walked on the gangplank, their ears were moving about in many directions, listening for danger. We crept onto the ship and looked around for a moment when I heard a booming voice in my head.
'RUN! GET AWAY FROM HERE OR YOU'LL DIE!' Said the voice. I groaned in pain and clutched my head as I tried to decipher the voice's command, but it was too late. We were surrounded on all sides by members of Team Plasma. They and their pokemon snickered as Stoutland and Yapper huddled close together, and I gritted my teeth.
"It was a trap." I said bluntly. Team Plasma laughed as one of the women clapped slowly, her Seviper chuckling along with her as it coiled around her.
"Very good. Now surrender your pokemon and be destroyed." She said haughtily.
"Don't you mean, 'or'?" Cory asked. Her eyes held an amused and deadly gleam as Seviper hunched on itself.
"Nope. Seviper, get rid of them!" She cried. Thinking quickly, I grabbed Lola's pokeball and threw it.
"Lola, use Crunch!" I cried. Lola burst out of the pokeball and snarled. She ducked her head and latched onto Seviper's neck, throwing it away from us. I snickered and got down from Stoutland as Lola ran back to me, standing in front of me protectively.
"Begone, foul serpent!" I yelled, taunting Seviper and its trainer. The woman glared at me as she clenched her fist.
"Team Plasma, let's get them!" She called. Koffing and Trubbish and Patrat, and various other pokemon rushed towards us, and the three of us prepared for battle.
It was Team Plasma's foot soldiers against a Gym Leader, Aspertia City's most favored trainer, and an Elite 4's apprentice. They never stood a chance against us. Fallen pokemon laid scattered around us on the ship, and Lola, Yapper, and Stoutland were all very tired. They panted hard and made a circle around us to keep us safe even though they were exhausted. Team Plasma glared at us as we faced each other, and suddenly they parted while a large, old man walked towards us, clapping.
"Well done, I would expect nothing less of you three." He said. The corner of Cheren's mouth lifted up as he crossed his arms, staring intently at him.
"Hello Zinzolin. Long time no see." He said. I glanced at Cheren as the man, Zinzolin, chuckled.
"Yes it has been much too long. You've been a thorn in my side for quite awhile Cheren. You might have stopped us from our plans before, but we won't be defeated." He said, stomping his foot.
"What do you mean? What are you planning!?" Cheren asked. Zinzolin chuckled as he clenched his fist.
"We will rule the Unova region, we will once again use a Legendary Dragon of Unova to enforce our control, and this time, you will not stop us. Shadow Triad!" He said, yelling out at the end. Three ninja appeared around him suddenly and glared at us.
"Get them out of here!" Zinzolin commanded. One of the ninja turned his gaze to Zinzolin and narrowed his eyes at him.
"We are not yours to command." He said in an icy voice that made me unsettled.
"I know, but they cannot be here right now! Get rid of them or they will interfere with Ghetsis' plans!" He said. The ninja nodded and they suddenly disappeared, and we huddled up together for safety. A gust of wind blew and suddenly, our pokemon retreated into their pokeballs. The ninja then appeared in front of us and they each grabbed us. I wanted to fight them off, but I couldn't move. I looked down and saw something buried in my arm, and I realized they must have had a concealed knife or something with some sort of sedative in it, preventing me from moving. By the looks of Cheren and Cory, they were paralyzed too as the ninja picked us up, carrying us over to the side of the ship and tossing us overboard.
As we fell towards the water, unable to even scream for help, I tried to think of a way to get us out of this situation. The boat started to sail away as we hit the water, leaving us for dead. Cheren, Cory and I sank in the water, and I could feel myself passing out even though Lola was screaming in my head to stay awake. I could feel her pokeball wiggle on my neck as she struggled to get out, but she was too tired to break out of it. I could no longer fight the sedative and fell asleep, but I saw two forms approach us before my vision faded.
When I woke up, I found myself back in Team Plasma's church. I took a deep breath as I opened my eyes, and I saw a pair of big, red eyes look back at me. I blinked as I sat up, and I heard someone sigh in relief.
"Oh thank goodness you are alright. We were so worried." I heard Rood's voice say. I blinked a few times when he turned on a light, and I found myself in the same room I woke up in the first time I was here. Rood stood at the foot of my bed while my pokemon surrounded me, staring at me with worried eyes. Lola leapt onto the bed and carefully walked towards me, butting her head against my chest.
'Vixen, are you okay?' She asked with a whimper. I smiled and encircled her head, hugging her tightly while my other pokemon, minus Zorua and the strange pokemon, moved closer to me.
"I think so. What happened?" I asked. Rood smiled and gestured to the strange pokemon beside my bed.
"I'm not entirely sure. This Dragonair suddenly showed up with you and two boys draped over its back, and the three of you were out cold. We were afraid you weren't going to make it." He said. I blinked a few times as I reached for my bag, pulling out my pokedex and scanning the giant blue snake.
"Dragonair, the Dragon pokemon, and the evolved form of Dratini. It uses the orbs on its body to amplify its powers, giving it the ability to fly and control the weather." it said. Dragonair bowed its head at me while Lola smiled.
'She and a Magnezone pulled you out of the water when you went overboard, but Magnezone left after it put Cory on her back and told her about this place. Then she brought us over here and Rood let everyone out while the knights took you, Cheren and Cory into the rooms to treat you.' Lola explained. I smiled and reached out to Dragonair, and she looked at me suspiciously.
"Thank you for your help. You saved my life." I said, looking her over. Her long, blue body looked soft, and full of grace, and as she held herself proudly, I couldn't help but beam at her.
"You, you're the one who kept me and Grimsley above water in the Castelia sewers, aren't you?" I asked. She nodded and made a soft, ringing squeal to Lola.
'She said she was just a little Dratini in an alleyway when she first saw you, and was happy to help you when you obviously needed it. She did not appreciate you biting her tail though.' Lola told me, and I chuckled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry about that, but I didn't want to pull you over the waterfall with us. Thanks for your help." I told her. She nodded and turned to the door, slithering out. I blinked a few times and tilted my head before I sighed, hugging Lola.
"Easy come easy go, I guess." I said, making Rood chuckle.
"It seems so. Tell me dear, were you conversing with that pokemon?" He asked. I turned to him with wide eyes as I realized that I had just used my connection with Lola in front of him.
"Oops." I said. Rood laughed warmly and shook his head at me, giving me a smile that matched his voice in warmth.
"Fret not, my dear, I will keep your secret safe. I must say though, it must be wonderful to be able to speak with pokemon on an equal level." He said. I smiled and hugged Lola tightly while I looked at him.
"Well, not completely. I can only talk to Lola. But she translates for other pokemon when I need it. Where are Cheren and Cory? Are they okay?" I asked, suddenly worried. Rood nodded as he turned to the door, and I hurried out of bed to join him. I felt myself lifted up and plopped onto a leathery surface, and looked down to see Sarah.
'Sorrel did it.' Lola said as Sarah waddled to the door. We left the room and I saw Cheren and Cory talking to Rood. I smiled and waved at them while Sarah made her way over to them, the rest of my pokemon following. Cheren smiled at me as though he were relieved, and Cory rolled his eyes.
"Are you alright Vixen?" Cheren asked. I nodded as I leapt down from on top of Sarah and walked up to Cheren, hugging him.
"Yeah I'm fine. Thanks to that Dragonair, we're all okay. How are you guys?" I asked. Cheren smiled at me while Cory took a deep breath.
"We're fine. Still woozy from that knock-out drug those ninja gave us, but luckily the old man had something to counter it." Cory said, gesturing to Rood. He smiled and nodded at us as he clasped his hands together.
"You fell victim to the Shadow Triad. Thankfully, I know all of their poisons well, and I always carry the antidotes for all of them with me." He said, pulling out a bag that clearly came from a Master Prep Shop. I smiled and stood up straighter, feeling better more and more.
"Thanks, that foresight really helped us. So, who ARE the Shadow Triad, Rood?" I asked. Cheren narrowed his eyes as though he were thinking, and Rood took a deep breath.
"They are a trio of young people who are completely devoted to Ghetsis. They have abilities beyond human comprehension that rival those of pokemon themselves. They have no morals, no personalities, no emotions except for their undying love and loyalty to Ghetsis. They are dangerous, so much so that even my lord N did not trust them. He had confided in me that I was the only sage that he could trust with his suspicion, and asked me to research their chemicals so that, if and when needed, I could cure anyone who fell prey to it." He said slowly. I frowned while Cheren cleared his throat, calling attention to himself.
"Well, I'm glad you did. Rood, I never met you, but you were one of the Seven Sages. You make it look like you have changed sides, that you want to help us. Is that true?" He asked. Rood nodded slowly and reached in his coat, producing a few pokeballs that he held out to Cheren.
"Indeed, and I will do anything to prove it, starting with surrendering my pokemon." He said. Cheren shook his head and pushed his hands back, crossing his arms.
"Not what I had in mind. I have some questions for you, and I want you to answer them honestly." He said sternly. Rood returned his pokeballs to wherever he got them from and smiled at Cheren.
"Very well, what would you like to know?" He asked. Cheren stared at him quietly for a moment, giving a curt nod as he figured out what he wanted to say.
"Earlier today, we had found the New Team Plasma. They were on a ship that was ripped right out of the history books, and Zinzolin showed up while we were pummeling the grunts. Before he made the Shadow Triad throw us overboard, he said something that disturbs me. He said that Team Plasma still plans to rule Unova with the Legendary Dragon of Unova." He said. Rood's eyes widened momentarily and he gasped.
"But that's impossible. My Lord N, though we know not where he is, he would not be foolish enough to side with Ghetsis again. The Hero of Truth would never allow anyone to control her, especially not someone like Ghetsis, and both Zekrom and Reshiram are too powerful for him to overcome." He said. Cheren continued to frown and his teeth gritted.
"Could Ghetsis have kidnapped N then? Or, Arceus forbid, Carina? You know, threaten them to make Zekrom and Reshiram to obey him?" He asked. Rood shook his head at Cheren slowly.
"No, if it came to that, Zekrom and Reshiram would kill him and all who followed in his footsteps. The research I did on the Legendary Dragons prior to my lord awakening Zekrom shows that the dragons are incredibly loyal to their chosen heroes, they love them as though they were their offspring." He said. Cheren huffed and he and Rood went into deep thought, trying to decipher Zinzolin's warning. Suddenly, I felt something poke my back and I turned to look at Zachary, who stared at me sternly, pointing to the pokedex still clutched in my hand. I held it out to him and he took it, pressing various buttons on it before handing it over to me, and I looked at the entry that began to play.
"Kyurem, the Boundary Pokemon. It generates a powerful, freezing energy inside itself, but it's frozen body is unable to contain the energy, which constantly leaks out from it." It said out loud, catching Cheren and Rood's attention.
"What was that? Kyurem?" Rood asked, tilting his head. Cheren leaned over and looked at the picture of the gray-colored dragon on my pokedex, and Zachary said something to Lola, who gasped and turned to me.
'Zachary says that when he rescued you and Elesa, he found Kyurem inside the ship in a weird tube. It helped him find you guys and then it used its ice to make a trail for Zachary to follow to get you out.' Lola said. I blinked several times at her and turned to Zachary, who continued to eye me seriously.
"Lola says that Zachary saw Kyurem on the ship. Elesa and I got kidnapped by Team Plasma and took us onto their ship, and Kyurem led him in and out of the ship. Reshiram said something about Kyurem too when she took me out of Castelia, but she didn't tell me a whole lot." I told them. Cheren and Cory looked at me like I had drop-kicked a Lillipup in front of them, and Rood made a curious noise.
"I see, from what I know of Kyurem though, it is nowhere near as powerful as either Reshiram OR Zekrom, let alone both of them." He said. I frowned now and crossed my arms, trying to think of what Team Plasma was getting at. I looked at my X-Transceiver and immediately lifted it up, tapping the call feature and dialing Carina's number. After ringing for forever, I saw her face appear on the screen, but the red dot in the bottom right corner told me it was her videomail.
"Hiya! I'm Carina, and I LOVE talking to anyone and everyone who cares to hear! Unfortunately, I'm busy right now and I can't do that, so feel free to gab to your heart's delight and I'll get back to you as soon as I can, thanks!" It said. I sighed and rolled my eyes, hanging up and shaking my head at Rood and Cheren.
"Well, there goes that plan. What now?" I asked. Cheren thought for a moment and stared at my X-Transceiver.
"Do you have the numbers of the Elite 4? Maybe they'll know something." He said. I blinked slowly and looked at my X-Transceiver again, and I sighed, pulling it up again. I dialed my Master's number and waited as it rang, and Shauntal's face appeared on the screen, and I couldn't help but groan.
"I was sure I called Grimsley." I said. Shauntal stared at me with empty, glossy eyes and a weird smile and I resisted the urge to shudder.
"You did, but he's sleeping so we're taking turns watching over him and taking his calls. What do you need?" She asked. I blinked at her slowly in response.
"Who are you and what have you done with Shauntal? I've never heard you speak so straight." I said to her. She just continued to stare at me, and I sighed again. This was going to be a long phone call.
"Do you know anything about a pokemon called Kyurem?" I asked. She continued to stare at me with her same, creepy look, and I was worried if I had said it loud enough.
"I once used Kyurem as apart of a novel. It was such a thrilling arc in the book! The hero and his faithful Flareon had to go through the Giant Chasm in their journey across Unova, and the snow was harsh. They had gotten to the center of the pit when the blizzard intensified, and even his Flareon couldn't stay warm in it. They tried to take shelter in a cave, but the cold was even worse in there. He thought he was done for when he saw a pair of yellow eyes, but the cold winds stopped. He fell into slumber and when he woke up, he found himself outside the chasm." She said, and I heard Cheren groan. I chuckled sheepishly at him and turned back to Shauntal.
"One more thing, I tried to get ahold of Carina but she didn't answer. When I left Castelia Reshiram told me that Kyurem was once apart of the Original Dragon that helped create Unova. Team Plasma now has Kyurem, but Rood, one of the former Seven Sages, said it isn't as powerful as Reshiram and Zekrom." I said. She nodded slowly and mumbled incoherently, her voice suddenly quiet for a moment before she spoke to me again.
"In a good story, the author has to make their protagonist unique by looking at what is there and what can go against it. In order to write a perfect story, you need to make it seem like you are telling the same story, but then invoke a plot twist that turns it into something else entirely! Assure your reader that things are not always as they appear, and you will broaden their perspective." She said, and Cheren and Cory looked like they wanted to reach through the X-Transceiver and strangle her. I thought over what she said and smiled as I realized what she was saying, and I turned back to her empty, distracted face on the screen.
"Thank you. Tell Grimsley I said "hi" when he wakes up." I said. She smiled and waved as I ended the phone call, and Cory glared at me.
"1, how do you know the Hero of Truth and the Elite 4? And 2, what the fuck did THAT mean?" He asked. I snickered and flicked his nose as I turned my hand down.
"What can I say? I'm really likable when you give me a chance. Anyway, what Shauntal said is that it is entirely possible Kyurem has another side to it that could make it dangerous in the wrong hands. What that could be, I have no clue. I have a feeling Reshiram or Zekrom would know, though." I said, sighing. Of all the times for Carina to not answer my call, she picked the worst. We stayed silent as we thought over Shauntal's words, but no one had any ideas.
And so we stayed in the church while Rood and his knights made sure we got all of the drug out of our systems. I had explained my role in the pokemon league to Cory, from being the apprentice to one of the Elite 4 to my Dark-Type Affinity, and everything in between. By the time we were allowed to leave, the sun had begun setting, and I was disappointed because I would never get to the next town before nightfall. But I still wanted to get out of Driftveil. If I was going to fight Team Plasma, then I needed to get stronger. Even Grimsley said that Carina had defeated him and the rest of the Elite 4 before she challenged the leaders of Team Plasma, and I knew I was nowhere near ready to battle my Master, even if he and his pokemon went easy on me. Cheren, sympathetic to my cause, told me about Mistralton City, which was outside of Chargestone Cave on Route 6. We all decided that Cory and I would keep going on our journey and get strong enough to help Carina when the time came, and in the meantime Rood and his Team Plasma would do research on Kyurem to find out what about the pokemon was appealing to the new Team Plasma.
Cory and I left the church, and after a nod to each other we went our separate ways. He was going to go challenge Clay while I got started on my trek to Mistralton City. I had recalled everyone except Zachary, and we started on the path of Route 6. When it got dark, Zachary lead me through the grass to the forest, where we discovered a weird bush. It was squashed between two trees, and after a little wriggling, Zachary crawled inside. I followed him and we found a large room. It was sheltered from the elements, and was quiet except for the wind. It looked a little bit like the place I reunited with Zachary in, and with a soft smile, I let my other pokemon out again. We built a small fire and enjoyed dinner, taking a small break from the chaos of today.
I don't know how Team Plasma managed to get a pokemon like Kyurem, who sounded incredibly nice, but we were going to stop them and free it.
Even if it killed us.
TBC
I have decided I'm gonna end all chapters on a small one-liner so that people with smaller/larger screens don't have to worry about the line being messy. I hate not having a real border -_-
This was a big chapter, and a hard one to write. I took a LOT of liberty with the plot here just to add a little darkness to it, though I admit it's turned into something of a running gag. Every time Vixen enters a new place, someone or something is going to go after her. I don't intend on stopping that, because it adds to her character, but yeah, everything is trying to kill her. Strangely, I am okay with this.
I dunno if you could tell, but I wrote myself into a corner here. I forgot that by having Carina return to Unova, Vixen could simply ask Reshiram why Team Plasma wanted to use Kyurem even though it was weaker than her. If you've played the games, then you know the answer, and so do Reshiram and Zekrom. I think I did okay on rescuing myself though. I'll put the finishing touches on it in the next chapter.