Chapter 52: Burning a legacy
Night
Unova
Pokemon League
The sky formed a black star spangled canopy above their heads. They stood agape, impotent and unable to believe the happenings before their eyes. Five individuals perched themselves on the great dome of the central stadium, their pokemon, released from their pokeballs, stood poised and ready for any command their trainers might give. Unfortunately, silence. Not a word was uttered by the five people as they gaped at the heavens. Only the crackling sound of fire roared in their ears and muted heat licked their skin. The horizon blazed in a colourful display of burnt orange, ebony and bursts of white artificial light.
Iris stared, firelight dancing in her limpid maroon eyes. Next to her, haxorus toyed with its focus sash, crimson claws winding around the piece of pink silk. As if the attack by Team Plasma two days ago wasn't bad enough, she now had to contend with the Plasma frigate sailing in the night sky and raining down fire. The flames formed a ring around the plateau and threatened to engulf the buildings in a roaring inferno. Reinforcements? She had a vague idea of a certain organization, Dex criminals, wiping out a faction of Team Plasma. The champion blinked furiously and tried to spy the flag fluttering atop the mast. Iris wondered who the new threats were. Unova's old nemesis Team Plasma or the new international organization that remains as elusive as the inner workings of the Pokemon association? She snorted and fanned herself, if being champion meant restriction, then she would elope and stay with Drayden any day.
A lackey handed her a pair of binoculars. Wiping the lens free of dust and falling soot, she turned the night vision function on and peered into it. Ghostly green apparitions greeted her and she panned the equipment to get a better look. On the deck of the ship, she could make out the outlines of several pokemon and people milling about. The personnel rushed around whilst the creatures remained motionless. Iris came to a stop at an individual who stayed deadly still. From this distance, she couldn't tell if the person was a male or a female and a pair of binoculars obscured their visage. Zooming in further, she resolved to identify the criminal when the person got up. A cap like thing floated downwards and then, the somebody vanished.
A cap...A peak cap. She only remembered of one person who wore such an article of clothing. An ebony haired adolescent several years back, also crowned as one of the youngest champions in the history of Pokemon Champions.
But...No...She slapped herself; the idea of him doing something so heinous was unthinkable. Besides, she had been informed that he busied himself with roaming Mount Silver in Johto.
Two days earlier, morning
Unova
Undella Bay
A cold fog rolled in from the waves of the endless sea and suffused the port town with a chill. Back in Execution's fancy base, everyone woke up and argued over their chores and jobs. Dia absentmindedly pulled himself into the kitchen before remembering that he was off duty today. He checked the list taped on to the counter one more time and ambled off to the common room. The two people in charge of buying breakfast today had already left, bundled up in coats and parkas to ward of the biting cold. Undella Town woke up to the cries of wingulls and swanna as the sea birds perched and swooped along shop fronts. At the harbour, fishermen yelled and sorted their nets, the foghorn of a fishing vessel sounded and the burly sailors, arms decorated with tattoos, loaded up faster and shouted. They promised a good catch. On the stone pier, cafes and shops opened up and the smell of coffee, croissants and warm bread intermingled with the salty tangs of the sea and fish. The pier connected to the seaside town and on either side of it, the beach lay sprawled, all golden sand and pokemon exoskeleton. Very few people visited the beach at this time of the day; nonetheless, one could see a person or two jogging along with their pokemon pets for an early morning exercise.
A bell twinkled and two people walked out of a cafe, their arms laden with brown paper bags and a delicious aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from them.
"Is this enough?" Saph looked into her bag and sniffed, "I'm so hungry...I could gobble up everything...And why does Dia need to eat so much?" Clothed in a trench coat, the girl hugged the parcel tighter and sighed.
"Did we get the donuts?" She nodded, "then...I guess this is enough." Saph pointed that every time they bought breakfast, they always ran short of food. "Dia is still growing; you can't expect him to starve can you? Come on Sapphire, the rest are starving we have to get back." Red adjusted his woollen muffler around his neck and hitched up the bags. "Yeah, I know he eats a lot bu-"
"Stop making excuses for him!" The azure eyed teenager bristled but stopped when her leader motioned her to be quiet with a sharp jerk of his head. Red froze with the paper bag cradled to his chest and stared straight ahead. He and Sapphire occasionally came to this shop to buy breakfast. The Seaside Cafe offered good food and coffee at reasonable prices and the staffs were all friendly and gave them discounts. It was a popular cafe due to its location, right in front of the beach; beach goers only needed to climb a set of stone steps to reach it, the paved front courtyard offered shade and a place to rest whilst the interior boasted comfortable settees. The Kanto native zeroed in on a group clustered on the beach. Two uniformed officials with a young man and woman, he recognized the plastic, almost artificial visages of the twin train conductors; they broke away, tipped their hats and walked off. Red kept on scrutinizing and felt suspicion churn in his stomach. What where those two doing together on the beach? A sensible part of his mind rationalized that they were here for police work. Team Plasma's former pirate ship bobbed a few paces from their noses anyway. Unfortunately, Kanto's ex-champion wasn't much of a thinker. He could only see the fact that Misty and Marlon were on the beach, standing close enough to hold hands. And no, he did not imagine the wide smile splitting the ginger head's face.
"Saph, gimme your bandanna" the girl eyed him in a puzzled manner, "there are two police officers on the beach wearing casual wear, I'm pretty sure they are here for the frigate. I need to conduct a reconnaissance." He kept on staring, biting his lower lip and wondering why he felt so irritated. Thrusting the bag rather crudely in his subordinate's arms, he took the proffered bandanna and wound it around his head, making sure to tuck his raven locks underneath the material. Pulling the scarf over the upper part of his face, he zipped up the parka and zoomed off faster than Saph ever saw him moving. Her commander was no slouch in the athletics department but she had yet to see him move this fast. Shrugging and regretting the lack of headgear, she watched him for a while then turned her heel and marched back to base. Police officers, hopefully they won't subject Undella Town to a rigorous search.
Thankfully, before any of the water type gym leaders got a hint of his existence, a swell of surfer dudes and swimmer girls descended on the beach. Red could hear Green internally reproving him for approaching them without a plan. Misty looked back once, gave the others a once over and continued her hushed conversation with Marlon whilst Execution's tormented commander tried to eavesdrop on their conversation. To them, he appeared as a normal early morning walker.
"So...The frigate is anchored by a chain to the water and surrounded by an easily breakable psychic barrier. I bet it's them, sounds like their modus operendi. All of their buildings have an unbreakable boundary around them, perhaps they weren't cautious with this one...Or they have no use for the ship." Misty swept back her hair and fixed her cerulean gaze at the flag bearing two crossed swords. Yesterday, Surge sent her to Unova citing that she needed a paid vacation. Bewildered, she touched down in Castelia city and straight away, the twin conductors shipped her off to headquarters. There, another brown haired superintendent briefed her on her mission, Misty remained blank faced, internally lamenting her lost holiday. Eventually, the next morning, she arrived on the beach and Marlon, tanned and bursting with energy, greeted her and showed her around Undella Town and Bay. When the conductors arrived, the motely band went down to the beach and ogled the frigate. "I've been informed that the craft is deserted, I'd like to confirm the fact...However the higher ups prohibited me to. I mean...It's only that one time they..." She kept on mumbling to herself as her face grew darker.
"Cool down!" The Unovian waved a hand in front of her face; Misty ceased her morbid mutterings, blushed and looked away. "Rookies make mistakes don't they? And those guys are dangerous, you are lucky to come out with only having your pokemon stolen...reports of the recent bust the police tried to spring on them ended up with heavy casualties. People died Misty. The superintendents are now utilizing the four swords of justice to flush them out."
A strange emotion passed over her face and before the blue haired male could decipher the meaning, she spoke up: "I have another order I must carry out. Volkner and Blaine will be arriving in the evening, our duty is to remove the ship from Unova and deposit it into Ransei's sea space. Neutral ground apparently" she added when Marlon gave her an enquiring look, "they are to dismantle the ship and figure out its inner workings and each region has a right to participate if they are willing to. Since Humilau and Undella are under your jurisdiction, I came here to get your permission." The surfer folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky.
"Sure!" he chirped after a while and scratched his head, "I don't really like the watercraft just sitting there, bad for the tourism industry you know. Go ahead and tow it wherever you want."
"Thank you very much; I'll need a written confirmation later if you don't mind." Misty beamed and nearby, Red, who crouched down on the sand looking like the world's loneliest hobo, twitched in annoyance. Huffing, he got up and resolved to return to their base when a pokeball at his belt wriggled. Peeking down, his eyes widened in alarm when he spied Gyara puffing steam, in the next capsule, Pika sat as docile as a timed bomb. Its owner could feel the rage evaporating from its tiny rodent body. Gently tapping the ball frantically and in an effort to calm down the enraged serpent, he broke into a run and zipped past the duo. Just then, another flash of light near Misty revealed his krabby, the crustacean clicked scarlet pincers and started careering awkwardly after him.
"Krabby get back here you useless thing!" Misty hollered and Red flinched. Useless? Couldn't she train the crab pokemon or something? Clamping a hand firmly down on his shaking pokeball, the ebony haired male dug his other hand into his jeans pocket and fished out a few berries and half eaten poffins. He tossed them over his shoulder and heaved a sigh of relief when krabby stopped to pick them up. Pulling the bandanna lower, he slinked away before Misty could arrive. The ginger headed female materialized seconds later, panting and scolding the crab who blissfully shoved berries in its mouth. She gazed around; searching for the person who gave krabby some poffins, unfortunately the area around her was empty.
Gyara stopped wriggling and when Red let the atrocious pokemon out near the lavishly decorated indoor pool situated in their base, it first blasted a water gun in its owners face before gleefully soaking the human again when it splashed into the body of water. Dripping wet, the Kanto native dragged himself down the stairs and waved his subordinates' queries away, stumbling to his bedroom, he let Pika loose on his table. The electric mouse sat on the desk furiously squeaking up a storm whilst he merely listened. You are horrible! Pikachu screeched and Red nodded in mild understanding, done with unloading its anger, the rodent hopped into the attached bathroom and pulled down a towel. It threw the fluffy cotton sheet at its master who gratefully buried his face in it.
"Pika...we may have a problem." Red's muffled words prompted the mouse to perk its ears, "fetch Gold for me will you. I can't let the police take the ship, I still don't understand the blueprints and the water craft is a huge asset to us. It makes an impregnable mobile base...Green said so. More importantly...Why on earth is she here?" Pika gave him a bored look, "I know it's for police work, but don't you do that in conference rooms? Those two seemed like they were on a date! I mean she wore a cute sundress for Mew's sake...Ah...She looked nice too..." Execution's leader trailed off, irises darkening and his mien morphing into an apathetic mask.
Pika whacked him across his face with a tail.
"Ouch...Thanks for not electrocuting me." He bent down and patted the electric beast's head. "Get Gold for me but don't let Dia or anyone else tag along, I want to speak to him alone."
Evening of the same day
Unova
Execution's base, Red's bedroom
"You want to what?! Are you serious? Green is not here to draw up strategies an-" Gold gesticulated wildly and sputtered.
"Are you implying that I'm incompetent?" Red hissed and his former student took a step back.
"...You sound like a gal dumped you...You okay senior?" The amber eyed man laced his hands behind his head, smirked and plopped unprofessionally on Red's marginally made up bed. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, the older man sighed, if there was a person who could wear anyone's patience thin, it had to be the perverted adult grinning smugly before him. "Don't worry, let's hit the game corner together, I'll hook you up with whoever you like."
"Gold. Focus."
"You should be the one focusing senior," The Johto native sat straight up and pinned his mentor with a serious gaze, "forget about her, Misty is a member of the police and if you don't put a stop to your growing feelings, you will end up making mistakes. When Saph came back alone this morning, she told me you ran off after seeing two police officers converse on the beach. Wait, let me finish." Red closed his mouth and let Gold continue, "You can argue that you managed to salvage some important information, but we both know the main reason why you took off. You wanted to see her and you can deny the fact to me but you can't lie to yourself. I've never...Seen you so despondent. Heck, when I defeated you for the title of champion, you looked so proud and happy. You were full of life." Red didn't say anything, he couldn't. Trust Gold to dredge up everything and lay it bare before his eyes. The younger man was right of course and that is why his words stung deep.
"I understand, I'll try to do my best from now on. However, I still want to go ahead with the idea. Your feedback and make it quick...I'm starving."
"Hmm...Lack-2 can..."
Outside the room, Lack-2 pressed his ear closer to the ornate wooded door and cursed under his breath. Was Red's room soundproof or what? The brunette couldn't hear a lick of what went on behind closed doors. A few hours earlier, his leader's perpetually angry electric rodent scampered into the common room and pulled on Gold's clothing. The black haired man put his magazine down and got up to follow the creature and when Lack-2 also scrambled up, a jolt of lightning drew a black line near his feet. His teacher told him to stay put and after pacing for five minutes and wondering if they discussed anything important or illegal, the boy crept to the second floor and crouched near the door. He heard laughter, a few jibes, Gold's muted perverted jokes and Red admonishing the former for being immoral incarnate. The amber eyed trainer howled with laughter. Then suddenly everything grew quiet and distorted, he couldn't understand what they talked about or even the topics the two older males discoursed. The Unovian's body ached from slouching in one position for so long; his form grew stiff with tension as there was the constant fear of exposure. If Dia ambled up the stairs, the chubby boy had every right to ask him on his suspicious actions. Even worse, if Gold or Red abruptly opened the door, they might find a semi-comatose Lack-2 moaning on the floor in front of them.
"Lack-2 can man the ship, when we stole it from those Plasma dudes, he steered it across the sky and landed it in Undella bay. Kid is precious and has some frightening skills." Red nodded and gestured Gold to carry on, "Using the frigate to arrive at the Pokemon league has its merits, most probably, due to Team Plasma suddenly popping up from underground, there will be a lot of new security measures in place...So yeah, awesome strategy, the ship can survive a mini missile thrown at it. As for your other project...Sir, I really think you shouldn't. It's very ambitious, risky and the outcome may not be what you expect. A legacy..." Gold stopped speaking when he felt something furry wrap around his leg, the previous fog of doubt and anguish clouding his mind melted away and his emotions settled into a haze of confidence and self-assurance. He angled his head downwards to see an espeon rubbing fondly against him and winding its forked tail around his leg. "...Please stop doing that!" He jerked and voiced aggressively, his words aimed at the crimson eyed trainer sitting behind a table "and you swapped your snorlax for Vee didn't you? You really are serious in your plan."
"Are you worried about me Gold?" Red chuckled.
"Well yeah! Somewhere along the line our roles reversed, if I didn't take care of you, you would be stepping into police custody every second month! Seriously, gimme a break will ya? And I'm not even included in the merry gang heading to trash Team Plasma! When last did we work together huh?"
Red smiled, "I've ticked you off-"
"Damn right!" Gold crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled in a wrathful manner. Vee contemplated on jumping on his lap and a few seconds later, it rubbed its head cheerfully against Gold's cheek.
"Thanks for taking care of me." The ex-champion warmly dipped his head and the angry scowl on his subordinate's face melted off. "I hope you won't share the contents of our discussion."
Gold stood up and yawned, "I'll bring dinner up for you, Diamond's special treat. Black is done with the cards...By the way, when are you leaving?"
"Midnight."
The moment Gold tried to descend to the first floor; Lack-2 bowled him over. The Johto native hissed in annoyance as the child kept up a clamorous ramble with him, the breeder was in no mood to talk, joke or do anything and his commander's words replayed in his mind akin to a broken record. Gold swallowed thickly and tried to push the ball of pessimistic feelings down. Everything would go okay; he chanted in his head and nodded to himself. The man walked right past the kitchen and only Dia's indolent voice roused him from his morbid contemplations.
"So what were you and senior Red talking about?" Lack-2 queried with a too innocent grin on his lips.
"Lack-2..." the mentor sighed, "I'm not allowed to say anything okay? Spare me. And suit up; you are leaving for the Pokemon league at midnight. Higher up's orders." Leaving the Unovian in the kitchen, the older trainer grabbed a large ceramic plate set with several delicious looking portions of food and dragged himself out of the chamber.
Golruk proved to be a daunting opponent and when boufallant tore part of the cyan stone golem's arm off, it simply regenerated. Again, Hugh felt the energy drain from his limbs as lilac fire burned bright in the gloomy room's brackets, he pressed his eyes shut, massaged his temples and tunnelled his vision to the battle taking place before him. Shauntal whispered her commands and the ancient creature pistoned a pillar-esque arm straight into his bovine beast. The bash buffalo staggered to one side, pawed the ground and the diamond hard hoof sent up a few sparks; charging, it threw its bulk into the ghost type and sent the heavy beast soaring through the air. Hugh gritted his teeth when the automaton twisted and back flipped in mid-air. In a series of moves which should be physically impossible for the golem, it touched down on the wooden platform and sent a shudder creaking across the ground. Arms outstretched, it waited for the next command and leered as boufallant stored pent up rage. Meanwhile, Shauntal picked up her Xtransciever and talked rapidly in it, there seemed to be some sort of commotion happening outside.
"This match is over," she declared and promptly reigned her partner in a pokeball. Mistrust spread across Hugh's tempered visage as he tried to speak without exploding. How could the match be over and who was determined as the victor? "I understand that you are confused...But," the woman seemed distressed, "certain events have come up and the Elite four have been commanded to sortie." His mind reeled, a war? So why weren't everyone screaming and flailing and shouting their heads off? The buildings were pretty intact, he pointed out and the ghost expert nodded. "It's a bit more complicated than what you think. First of all, we need your help." Hugh crossed his arms and snarled, "Team Plasma is back, they have cordoned the league with tall buildings, it appears that they had an edifice hiding underground and waited for the right moment to strike. They demand that we stop the competition and release all the pokemon or there will be dire consequences." Slowly, the mauve haired teenager uncrossed his arms and let out a vexed sigh, "You seem to have grasped the magnitude of our predicament..." Shauntal flipped her book shut and stared him in the eye, "so now we need your help. All able trainers participating in the league are being ushered to aid us. The numbers of our enemy is simply too great."
Outside, Hugh felt his blood throb; he sat on flygon's back and viewed the huddle of ivory buildings towering menacingly over the league stadium. The cool air rushing through his spiky locks did nothing to dampen the sheer fear he felt. Team Plasma, weren't those goons taken care of? And why didn't the police follow up on their investigations. Police, he snorted. Useless as an untransformed ditto against the might of Arceus. An elderly man made demands, his aged, haughty voice amplified by a megaphone, Hugh pinpointed him and briefly contemplated on sending Boar down and wreaking havoc. However, a tiny mike and earpiece wound around his head reminded him that he worked, temporarily, for the Pokemon Association. A voice, layered with static, commanded him to retreat and reluctantly he descended. Without warning, a torrent of water, hit his sand dragon and the spiky haired male cursed loudly, ripping the ear piece out, he whirled on to the offender and uttered a terse order. Thin blades of rock broke away from the ground and flew upwards; it cannoned into a balcony and broke part of the gothic architecture off. A satisfied smile wound on Hugh's lips when he spied a dozen or so grunts falling to the ground from a great height. Suddenly, another thought struck him and he fished out a potion from his waist-pack. Carefully spraying flygon down with the cocktail of healing chemicals, he gently gave it another command. In his fist, he clenched a translucent bottle of elixir, the vicious golden liquid lapped sluggishly in the bottle. His dragon hovered in the air, its face a mask of concentration, for a while, nothing happened and Hugh eventually tore the wires on his person and let it drop. His instructor on the other end, screeched unceasingly.
Crack
A large fissure opened up between the league stadium and Team Plasma's headquarters. The earth roared as the chasm continued till a visible cleft appeared. Earthquake. In a matter of moments, the trainer calmly observed as the solid ground rippled akin to sea waves. He could see the earth, compressing tightly and then releasing Mother Nature's fury in a disastrous roll. The ground shuddered, the constructions quaked and rifts snaked up the sides of buildings. The smaller marts and pokemon healing centres of the league were reduced to rubble, bright red and blue roofs caving in and exposing the dilapidated interiors. One minute later, a person next to him barked and Hugh beheld Grimsley breathing down his neck. The individual did not look pleased in the slightest. Flygon's stimulated earthquake died down and popping open the seal to the elixir, the crimson eyed teenager tipped the contents down his partner's throat. At once, the dragon regained its vigour; Hugh felt its muscles coiling underneath leathery skin.
"You disobeyed direct orders. I'm disappointed."
"At least," Hugh rasped, "I made them get off their high horse" he pointed, "look, seems like Team Plasma's glorious castle...wasn't so glorious after all." One by one, the complex crumbled down, raining white alabaster and plaster. The wriggling mass of people vacated in an orderly manner.
"Yes...However, you failed to see the bigger picture. They will attack the league with renewed vengeance, any hope of negotiations are now grinded to dust. Get back inside and wait at your new post. If anyone comes barging in..." The gambler took note of the vicious spark in the teenager's eyes, "...If any opposition comes barging in," repeated, "take care of them. Understood?" Hugh nodded and took off, Grimsley silently swore as the end of flygon's tail nicked him across his neck.
Midnight
Unova
Undella Bay, near the frigate
In the dead of the night, a small group of people congregated around the hull of an impressive ship and argued. The trainers bobbed on their surfing pokemon and threw insults at each other, the only light came from a pikachu's flash and the rodent sat on its owner's shoulder and regarded the quarrelling youngsters with an unfathomable gaze. If those idiots started disagreeing, it could go on all night. Angling its head around, the mouse picked up the silent forms of two newcomers; both White and Whi-2 flopped exhaustedly on their pokemon. The duo arrived together a few hours ago and the rodent knew it was not easy to gather up and go for a mission just after a lengthy journey. A swell of spitting tones reached its ears and Pika flattened his sensitive appendages down and tried to ignore them. The source of the conflict sparked between Black and Lack-2, surprisingly when N joined in, it formed into a full out debate. Scampering down Red's shoulder, Pika lifted its master's shirt and thrust a paw into his pocket. It closed tiny claws around a poffin and pulled it out, sniffing to confirm its state of freshness (very fresh actually) the electric beast nibbled on it and gave the squabbling group time till he finished his dinner. If they still wrangled, they'd have him to thank for electric burns.
"All of you...SHUT IT!" Red bellowed. Pika dropped its poffin and watched the pastry bob in the water before going under. "Gold...Be quiet!" The last of the spitting voice died down and a silent lull descended on them, the ex-champion took a deep breath before speaking, "Lack-2, Black...Both of you are a valuable part of my team and it sickens me to see you arguing when we are about to depart for a critical mission. Behave yourselves...As for the rest, thanks for the support…now go back." Diamond, Sapphire and Gold nudged their water types and started to break away, "Gold...take care of them in my absence." The Johto native sent him a thumbs up and Red waited till darkness swallowed up their forms. "Right, Vee will take down the barrier and when we board the ship, I want total co-operation...Understood Lack-2?" The boy shivered, despite Red's words being neutral and kind, it carried a razor-edged threat to it. Silently, the boys got to work, when the barrier shattered in a display of multi-coloured light. The three rose and took off to the helm. Execution's commander summoned charizard, the orange dragon growled at having three trainers ride it. Shooting an arc of fire, it jerkily rose and Whi-2, sandwiched between the older Unovian and Red, squeaked in fright. Wings flapping steadily; it deposited them on the deck of the ship and then moodily ambled away.
Lack-2 clutched the manual stubbornly in his arms and vehemently refused after Black repeatedly pleaded for the book. "No, I can man the ship." The boy snobbishly stated. Black sighed in defeat, took off his cap and ran a hand through messy chocolate bangs and released a pokemon. The boy stared, indignation boiling in his chest as Musha chirped and happily clamped down on a smug Black's head. In an instant, all emotions melted from the teenager's face and Lack-2 peered closely in his senior's pupils. To his amazement, he saw the eye cover up in tiny hexagonals and Black started chanting facts and figures in a robotic manner. Forgetting his earlier vexation, the russet eyed youth leaned even closer, trying to figure out the intricacies of his senior's trump card. The older trainer could pull off miracles when he conditioned himself to this state.
"Black...Doesn't swing that way you know..." a cool voice broke Lack-2's concentration and he reeled backwards, "I'll tell him though. You don't have to be shy of your feelings. Let me see, if you want to buy him something, get him a technical machine. I'm sure he'll agree to go on a date with you." N smiled serenely and nodded knowingly. Being the one most familiar with the ship, the leaf haired youth kick-started the basic functions of the ship. A giant monitor filled up with camera feeds, the bridge compartment lighted up and all the machines whirred and beeped simultaneously. Grabbing Black, the pale faced man guided him to the helm. The wheel had an additional digital assistance and Black got down to work, slender fingers flying delicately and surely over a keyboard as he punched in co-ordinates and took his place at the wheel. He still crunched out things and to an observer, gave off the impression of a computer churning out meaningless statistics.
"I-I don't..." Lack-2 garbled, wondering how on earth the former Plasma scum managed to draw such a bizarre conclusion, he finally settled for saying yuck. "Yuck! Why on earth would I...Eww, no just no. I simply respect Black as a senior and I don't have any...Uh...Special feelings for him."
"Don't be shy!" N trilled and the brown haired child blinked. There were two N's standing before him and when one called out to the other, zorua poofed back into a fox pokemon and threw Lack-2 a knowing sneer before running after its master.
"Yuck." The child repeated again and regretted ever going into his senior's personal space.
Red walked in moments later, his sneakers squeaking on the immaculate floor and took in the scene; he smiled to himself to see his three subordinates working diligently. N sat near the computers and kept a keen eye on the radar and maps in case they went off course. The dim glow of electric blue and green reflected off his poised visage. Black, who had his mouth taped shut, expertly handled the wheel, every few seconds; he would gently swing the wheel and angle the ship on course. As per their leader's instructions, they flew over cloud cover and the level headed teenager did an excellent job. Finally, blood red irises fixed itself on Lack-2. The boy had his face glued to windows and peered in a set of digital binoculars. Red wondered what the teenager wanted to see in the dead of the night, as far as he could tell, everything was dark and forebodingly black. Hearing footsteps, the hazel haired child grinned mischievously and stalked to his leader.
"Where's Whi-2 and senior White?" he queried.
"I took them to the living quarters. They are very tired." Red answered and saw the boy's face fall. "Is something wrong?"
"I want to play with someone..." Lack-2 responded and added in an undertone, "and I miss Gold. Say senior Red?" The older male halted in his tracks, "May I ask for a battle?"
"You are being disgustingly polite." The fighter blandly stated, "and it screams suspicious to me. Sure, I have a map of this ship and since battling here is out of the equation," he pointed to his belt, "select one or two partners and I'll have them follow you."
"Wait...You aren't participating?" The boy pouted and slid his shoes along the floor in a childish manner. "It won't be any fun if you aren't there." Red noticed a mutinous look in the younger boy's eyes, he supressed a sigh and the urge to call Gold to babysit.
"Fine...My team handles themselves rather well so I'll still let them battle on their own. The choice is yours, I'll be on site, working; and if I see them not meeting your standards, I'll personally take the field. Does that sound alright?" The boy nodded vigorously and Red pulled out the map of the ship, brows furrowed, he scrutinized the elaborate drawing and tried to find a spot good enough for a show down. Although, the words and made no sense. What on earth was an orlop? And why was the quarter deck situated indoors? Isn't the deck the surface of the ship? Gallery? What gallery? Do they display pictures? Execution's commander glanced at Lack-2 and saw the boy staring monotonously ahead with arms folded behind his head. He yawned exaggeratedly.
"The quarter deck is usually reserved for honour rituals and functions. The area is spacious and you can use it for a ceremonial battle. Let's head there commander. Geez, I can't believe you don't know the compartments of a ship, didn't you study up?" The superior ignored him and lead the way, the Plasma frigate resolved to be a cold, surgical space with sterile walls, bright fluorescent lights and most importantly, the presence of steel. It felt like walking through a corridor of metal. Locating a brightly pulsing indent on the floor, Red and Lack-2 stepped into the warp panel and found themselves deposited before a fancily decorated area. Here, the hum of machines ceased and stretched out before them, a large space loomed up. The wooden flooring of the hall was cordoned off with ornamental rope coloured in cyan blue and black. Stuffing the map back into a jeans pocket, the duo stepped over the threshold and stared. Drapes hung from the ceiling and Lack-2, curiosity getting the better of him, went to the far end of the hall to look. A picture of N, the tea haired youth wore royal robes and had a golden crown on his head, pierced the onlooker with a sombre, slate gaze. Shuffling around, Red skimmed past six sages in tall hats, each one's facial expressions turning more bumptious than the last. Their faces sneered at him from a great height and at once, the black haired man felt better about destroying this place. Hopefully when they fought, some pokemon or the other would have the good grace to tear these eye-watering banners into shreds.
He spied a raised dais at the corner and made his way there, unloading his bag on the platform, he observed Lack-2 circling the quarterdeck and absorbing everything with a keen eye. The boy even ran his fingers down the fabric and sniffed it.
"Are you still up for a battle?" Quick as quicksilver, Lack-2's expression changed and he bounded gleefully and took his stance. After much insistence, he reluctantly voiced the two pokemon he wanted to battle.
"Your espeon and poliwrath please."
"Aww! Not Pika?" Red grinned.
"Oh heck no!" The Unovian shivered, "That and your venusaur...I'd rather go against Kyurem than them." Another light-hearted laugh left the man's lips and he let the two out. As expected, Red tipped his cap in acknowledgement and the two beasts took their positions. The russet eyed youth let out an inaudible hiss. He wanted the ex-champion to fight, not for the older man to sweat his puny brain on trying to figure out the layout of the ship. Exhaling deeply, the boy opted for focusing on the battle instead. If he defeated these two quickly enough, he'd snag the crimson eyed leader's attention. Letting out his trusty samurott and stoutland, he barked out a series of rapid fire commands and smugly beheld his team mates charge. His opponents won't be able to keep up without their trainer commanding them. To his shock, the duo bounced off an invisible screen spanning the length of the field. Light screen. Lack-2 cussed under his breath, the espeon's eyes were glowing, no wonder, at this rate the psychic would predict all of his attacks.
BAM!
Poliwrath leapt over and dove for stoutland, the canine tried shifting to the side, alas, the water type descended too swiftly and landed on it with a back breaking crunch. The big hearted pokemon uttered a low growl and Poli leapt back and continued assaulting with a series of well-aimed clouts. It punched away a torrent of water heading its way and kicked out at stoutland, the dog flew through the air; a banner wrapped it up and crash landed on a wall. Whining, it feebly slid down and its owner recalled it. The Unovian forced himself to calm down and peeked at Red, who seemed absorbed in his own world. Marvellous, he thought, his superior's pokemon fought flawlessly. The duo regrouped behind the light screen and Lack-2 nodded at his samurott.
"Take the barrier down." the disciplined pokemon impacted against the invisible wall with its long cream horn, a fine crack appeared and the transparent barrier splintered into wafer thin fragments of light. Still Red did not raise his head. Articulating a formidable cry, the quadruple stampeded forth with it's ice-cloaked horn low to the ground. In the coming events, Lack-2 would remember two things: Firstly, the blend of shock and horror twisting on his pokemon's visage as its senses overloaded with pain. Secondly, his water type beast abruptly collapsed, the legs buckled as it ran and in a flash, the sea lion was frozen. Poli shook its hands and both he and Vee padded back to their trainer whilst Lack-2, mouth hanging open in incredulity, patted his pockets for a freeze heal. His samurott looked like a work of grotesque art with its legs contorted, eyes wide open and tongue hanging out. The regal beast seemed disgustingly comical and as the teenager sprayed him down, he laughed, the short snorts did not impart humour at all.
Red's pokemon battle just like him. The Unovian beheld the ex-champion peering intently at a sheet, Vee purred on his lap and Poli had his hands full with snacks. But at least I have a feel of how it goes. Brute strength and order...Hmpf, what a simple minded idiot. A crooked half-grin forced itself on the teen's lips and he swallowed the devious expression before approaching his leader.
"FIRE!"
Black gaped as the league went up in a swirl of flames. Team Execution's leader decreed that they should rest during the day and resume their journey when the sun began to set. The watercraft lowered on a tiny body of water secluded in the mountains making up the plateau. As the orange disc descended downwards, the frigate rose and travelled across the sky. Red asked for all their fire pokemon and even though Black was confused (what did he want with them?) he complied with their orders. When night took over evening, they hovered right above the green dome of the main stadium and here the ex-champion called the entire group out to the main deck. The members took note of how the fire types lined up along the edge of the ship, with rigid, distressed faces. Over to one side, N grimaced at the remains of Team Plasma's castle and resolved to investigate it later. Black sighed happily and lovingly soaked in the sights of his beloved league. He couldn't hear any cheerful screams and knew that the competition was obviously postponed. Brown irises picked out five individuals standing on the great dome. Champion Iris and the elite four. Jubilant, he leaned forward, pulling out his camera and angling it downwards in order to take a picture. A low drone from his commander and everything engulfed in a sea of flames. The older Unovian stared at his leader unable to wrap his head around such an iniquitous manoeuvre. All the fire monsters pressed on the railing and spewed out volumes of fire. The flames cackled malevolently and rained down on the unsuspecting buildings and earth below.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Black screeched but his words drowned in the din of rushing flames, his hands balled into fists as Red ignored him, took of his cap and threw it over board. The ship lowered, controlled expertly by espeon and the teenager's skin blistered with heat as he observed all the other members goggling at execution's leader. Only N remained calm and stone faced. Summoning Aero, the black haired man flew off into the auburn tinted night. Aboard, the others glanced helplessly at each other, Black saw lips moving, questions flying and he felt hollow. Where they here to fight Team Plasma or what? He struggled to remember his mission protocol, unfortunately his memories echoed from the pit of a giant chasm. In the periphery of his vision, N moved and desperately, Black lunged at him in order to question his motives.
Maroon eyes blinked and watered, Iris irritably wiped her eyes and scrutinized the figure approaching her on a dragon. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself, the elite four members patrolled the dome and she designated a spot to herself and ordered the others to keep out. As expected, the opposition aimed for her. With a muffled thump, the individual landed on the ground and she gasped in astonishment.
"Red?" she queried, her guard down due to the sight of a familiar person. "I can't believe it! Are you here to help us? As you can see, we are in a bit of a predicament." Iris trailed off as her young mind whirred and digested the image of the man standing in front of her.
"Nope!" he smiled cheerfully and pushed his bangs up, she noted the sardonic sparkle pervading his crimson irises and immediately regretted her request.
"I'm here to burn down the Unova league." he hoarsely stated.
A/N: And Red and his merry gang goes to trash Team Plasma…or not. At Silver: You're right, Hugh will probably be a wonderful apprentice to Red, but does that happen? Red out strategizing Blue and Green…Heh, you have a solid point and it just gave me an awesome idea :) . At Doyouneedacuddle: I don't have a beta and frankly, I don't want to rely on one because if I do so, this sloppy reading of mine will end up staying with me my entire life. I read extremely fast (skimming if you will) and trust me when I say that I won't notice glaring mistakes unless Word, or Mindy points it out. So I'm trying to force myself to be a better reader. Thanks for your constructive criticism, I look forward to more pointers so that I can better this story. I don't have set days, when my most recent document counter hits 85 days, I upload a new chapter. At Guest: Whoa! There are some good theories you have there. You are right about some things, (Congrats!) this is a fatal battle but not every one of them will be parted. As for Lack-2 hehehehe, I'll stop right there. At eevee: You are the only person in a whole month who told me that I'm talented and awesome and it made me feel better about my existence, good to see you too and you review was a pleasant surprise. You take care as well :) At AceTrainerLeaf: Ahahaha, the games make the league so easy and drab that I started wondering how to spice things up; and it turned out this way. Glad you liked it. At Jack54311: Steven… I really didn't think much when putting him there, he acts as a side character. In the next chapter, a piece of the story is told through his perspective and I thought it'd be an interesting read. At Dia: Ahahaha, it's not that I don't have a schedule, my wifi broke down and it took the service providers a week to fix it. Thanks for the chocolates *gobbles them up greedily* and here is an update :) hopefully it makes up for the hiatus.
Much thanks to all those who read and reviewed; virtual pizza to you. Please keep on reading and reviewing; and constructive criticism is always appreciated. And I apologize for the delay, my internet wasn't working for the past several days. Thanks for waiting.
