Chapter Fifty-Two- True Strength
"Reshiram! I require your power!" Siegfried cried at the top of the Dragon Tower. "Help me protect Spes! Please!"
…...
"Out of the way!" Niles shouted, pushing back numerous grunts' Pokemon. Their teams consisted of all Shadow Pokemon. They seemed different from the Kyogre Sal defeated a month ago. They were all Mega Pokemon, from Sableye and Gengar to Pinsir and Scizor. Niles jumped back, his Tyranitar defeated. "Lux, go on ahead!"
"But-!" Lux grimaced, before nodding his head in confirmation. "Got it."
"I'll help you here!" Linda assisted, staying by her son. Nero joined them as well.
"Can't let you guys have all the fun!" She laughed.
"Staraptor, Brave Bird!" Niles demanded. Staraptor flew through the crowd, only to get launched back by a Mega Aerodactyl's Stone Edge. "Return! Dragalge, Sludge Wave!"
…...
"Hello, Amity." Sigurd greeted the remaining members of Lux's group. "This won't end like last time."
"Sigurd." Draco growled, sending out Salamence. "You're right. This won't end like last time."
"Sigurd." Aine snarled, letting her Treecko hop from her arm. "Anri informed told me something strange. You were at Amber, during a Liberator operation."
"Simple. I'm using them as well." Sigurd elaborated. "She told me that I can have my revenge against the man I hate, Siegfried Amity."
"What?" Lux gasped. "Just how many guys hate my dad?"
"That's a fair question actually…" Draco chuckled. "But go on ahead, Lux."
"Got it…" Lux agreed, running ahead. Albert jumped to his sister's side.
"I've got your back." He smirked. "We can't abandon our tie as siblings."
"Hmm." She remarked. "You've gotten stronger. Remind me to get you an Eld family jacket."
"Of course." He grinned, turning to Sigurd. "I am Albert Eld, the Fire Gym Leader. Prepare to be defeated."
"I am Sigurd, the Fighting Gym Leader." Sigurd snarled. "I will crush anyone who stands in my way!"
…...
"Come on, let's-" Lux gasped, facing their next opponent. It was a blonde haired, pink eyed girl their age. "Rina!?"
"Hello, Lux." She greeted. She donned an attire similar to their last meeting. It consisted of a yellow button up, ripped jeans, black boots, and a ripped denim jacket. Notably, her right arm was in a sling. "I'm not Rina."
"What do you mean?" He interrogated.
"My name is Anri." She informed, tossing out her Venusaur. "Anri Wilson. Rina was the facade I used to deceive you. I'm a master at never showing myself."
"Rina…" Lux grimaced. "Luna. Gena. Go deal with Zekrom." He commanded, gesturing to the stairs. "I'll fight Ri- Anri."
"Good luck…" Luna sulked, hesitantly following behind Gena, before glancing to her former friend. They made their way to the top. Galen and Ford were the only other people atop the tower. It was completely empty, with only large stone railing surrounding them. A pedestal held a single black stone in the center.
"Evan's children." Galen frowned. "Welcome."
"Mr. Galen…" Luna sulked. "Do we have to fight?"
"Luna..." Gena averted her gaze. "He's our enemy…"
"I know." She acknowledged, sending out Absol. "I need to be strong." Gena sighed, tossing out her Aegislash.
"That Absol…" Galen paused. "Nevermind…" He tossed out his Garchomp and Metagross, calmly. "I won't hold back."
…...
"So, how much of it was a lie?" Lux interrogated.
"Everything." Anri asserted. "It was all a lie."
"Really?" He tilted his head. "You didn't enjoy goofing off with Luna? You didn't have any fun? You didn't feel sorry for my mother's death?"
"Hmm..." Anri averted her gaze. "I didn't. Leaf Storm!"
"Fire Blast!" Lux commanded Lampent. She waited out the attack, before countering with a massive Fire Blast. Venusaur stumbled, before falling in defeat.
"Scrafty!" Anri sent out the mohawked fighter. "Knock Off!" Scrafty charged Lampent, before defeating her with a dark palm strike.
"Lucario!" Lux swapped to his own fighter. The two battlers paused in hesitation. "I know…" He sighed.
"Car!" Lucario howled in determination.
"Go!" Lux ordered.
"High Jump Kick!" Anri countered. Scrafty and Lucario jumped simultaneously, with Scrafty striking first, knocking Lucario down. She rolled to the side, falling still on the ground. "Defeat it!"
"Scra…" Scrafty grimaced, pouncing at its sibling. Lucario hopped out of the way, allowing Scrafty to crash into the ground. A large sphere formed in her hands, before she launched it at Scrafty, defeating it. "T-ty…"
"Crobat!" Anri changed Pokemon. "Brave Bird!" Crobat began to shine, before slamming into Lucario, nearly defeating her.
"We can't lose!" Lux motivated. Lucario planted her foot in the ground, covering her right fist in ice. Her aura covered the battlefield.
"Zen Headbutt!" Anri ordered. Lucario swung at Crobat, who flew under the attack, and headbutted her. Lucario stumbled back, defeated.
"Gardevoir!" Lux continued. "Psyshock!"
"Brave Bird!" Anri repeated. Crobat evaded the volley of psychic blasts one after another, before closing in to strike.
"Give it your all!" Lux inspired. Gardevoir bombarded Crobat as it attempted to attack her. Crobat pushed through the pain, crashing into Gardevoir, defeating them both. "Roserade!"
"Delphox!" Anri tossed out her Fire/Psychic type. "Psychic!"
"Sludge Bomb!" Lux commanded. Roserade spun out of the way of the oncoming attack, before countering with a blast of poison.
"Fire Blast!" Anri pushed. Delphox launched a wave of fire at Roserade, shuddering from the poison.
"Stay on the defensive!" Lux directed. Roserade nodded quickly, before focusing on evading Delphox's attacks. Delphox fell to her knees, struggling to continue.
"Keep fighting!" Anri snapped. "We can't lose either!"
"Giga Drain!" Lux ended. Roserade spun forward, draining Delphox of her remaining strength.
"Mawile!" Anri growled. "Ice Fang!
"Dodge it!" Lux ordered. Roserade attempted to skip away, but was caught by Mawile's jaws. Mawile slammed her into the ground, defeating her.
"Fraxure!" Lux struggled. "Earthquake!"
"Play Rough!" Anri smirked. Fraxure slammed the ground, knocking Mawile into the air. He jumped after her, punting her to the ground. "Gabite!" She swapped to her last Pokemon. It stood over a foot and a half taller than Fraxure. "Dragon Claw!"
"Outrage!" Lux commanded. Fraxure spun around, engulfing the field in flames. Gabite hastily leapt over the flames, slashing at Fraxure. He stumbled back nearly defeated.
"Finish it!" Anri demanded. Gabite let out a bloodcurdling cry, similar to Galen's Garchomp, and began pummeling Fraxure.
"Don't give up Fraxure!" Lux inspired, fearfully.
"Meow!" Meowstic joined.
"Vee!" Eevee cried, running to the battlefield. She tackled Gabite, only to get swatted away.
"Eevee!" Lux panicked, retrieving his Pokemon. "Don't do that!"
"Frax!" Fraxure growled, catching Gabite's strike. "Xure!" He snapped, slowly pushing Gabite off of him. "Frax-Frax!" He roared, beginning to glow. His body morphed into a Haxorus, standing numerous feet above his opponent. He bellowed powerfully, tossing Gabite into the air and blasting it with a wave of draconic energy. An explosion filled the room, with Gabite flying out of it, defeated.
"I… lost?" Anri fell to her knees. She laughed, wearily. "Makes sense… You've definitely become quite something…"
"Here." Lux held out his hand as he approached her. "Will you come back, Anri?" He smiled, gently.
"I thought you wouldn't forgive New Order." She groaned.
"My mother taught me otherwise." He elaborated. "You can still come back."
"I… no." She denied, standing up. "But, come on. You still have my father to face."
"Anri…" He sulked. "Why won't you come back?"
"Because…" She grimaced. "Family is more important that friends. I have to do everything he says! Even if… Even if I have to abandon the joy I found with others!"
"Rina…" Lux slipped.
"That name!" She cracked, teardrops streaming down her face. "She was just a facade to fool you. But, somewhere along the lines, I realized that I could let out some of my real self as Rina! It meant so little, but brought so much! I could be an idiot! I didn't have to remain calm! I didn't have to hide my joy! I could just be a delightful little valley girl who loved to whine and flirt! I didn't have to be stoic Anri!" She covered her face, choking on her emotions. She recollected herself, facing him. "I can't leave. Goodbye Lux." She parted, walking up the stairs.
"Got it." Lux nodded, following her up the stairs.
…...
"Time for me to leave…" Sigurd growled, checking his transceiver. "Gallade, return."
"Do you think I'll just let you leave!?" Draco interrogated.
"You're on your last legs." He elaborated, walking to the stairs. "Farewell."
"Get back here!" Albert demanded, sending Typhlosion at him. Gallade slashed him back within the blink of an eye.
"Weak." He insulted. "All of you. The only challenge I seek is Siegfried Amity."
"You're not going anywhere." Niles announced, cutting him off from the stairs. He was joined by Nero and Linda.
"Can't let you do that!" Nero laughed. "You're grunts were pretty strong! But, not strong enough."
"You're under arrest, Sigurd." Linda grimaced. "It's a shame to do this to an old friend."
"Arrest?" He leaned back. "No. Not without my revenge!" He denied, backing into a wall. He felt it briefly, before- "Destroy the wall!" He commanded his Gallade. It struck the wall, shattering it immediately. "Only fate will decide if I succeed." He explained, jumping through the hole.
"You idiot!" Draco shouted, running to the hole. He lost sight of him as he fell off the cliff that the tower bridged from. All he could see were the rushing waters two hundred feet below.
"Will he survive?" Linda panicked. "That's at least a three hundred feet drop!"
"Two hundred and ten." Nero corrected. Linda gawked at her briefly in a face that said, 'Seriously?'
"Anyway…" Aine groaned. "We should deal with Zekrom."
"Right." Niles agreed, leading the group forward.
…...
"No…" Luna fell back, her Pokemon defeated.
"Crap…" Gena growled, kneeling by her sister.
"Now!" Ford shouted from behind Galen. "Come, Zekrom!"
"Hey!" Lux yelled as he ran up the stairs. Anri ran ahead of him, joining Galen's side.
"Just in time." Galen smirked. "Watch as we recreate the original dragon!"
"Luna. Gena." Lux ran to his friends. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah…" Luna laughed, wearily. She took his hand, and stood up. "We lost though…"
"Badly…" Gena groaned, getting up.
"Haxorus!" Lux shouted, tossing out the newly evolved dragon.
"Ah…" Galen paused, observing him. "Just like your father…" He chuckled, returning his Metagross, leaving just his Garchomp. "I… can't just ignore this moment."
"You fool! If we lose this, I blame you." Ford snapped from behind. A massive black dragon began to form from the orb. It let out a piercing screech, as Ford sent out a white dragon and a grey and blue dragon. A device next to her began to activated, surrounding the grey dragon. It roared, causing the two other dragons to become small glowing orbs again, before flowing into it. Its body began to morph, standing imposingly. It changed into a black and white dragon with a gold trim. Blue and red stood at the tip of its horns. "Say hello to Perfect Kyurem."
"Hmph." Galen scowled. "Dragon Claw!"
"Dragon Claw!" Lux countered. Haxorus slashed at Garchomp, who leapt over him, attacking him from behind. They were about the same size, however Garchomp restrained him while he was down. It grabbed him by the arm, while pushing his face into the stone. "Haxorus!"
"Still not there?" Galen sighed, turning to Kyurem. "Nonetheless, we must leave." He informed, mounting Kyurem. Anri hesitantly followed behind. Garchomp slammed Haxorus' head into the ground, knocking him out, before returning to its owner. Kyurem began to fly away, leaving the group slack jawed.
"Oh, come on!" Niles snapped, sprinting up the stairs. "Whatever… Let's just head back."
"Yeah." Lux frowned, returning Haxorus.
…...
"Welcome ba-" Ryuu attempted to greet them.
"I challenge you." Lux interrupted. "One on one battle of dragons!"
"Very well." He accepted, entering his gym. Lux followed him without a word.
"D-do we follow?" Luna tilted her head.
"Yeah." Draco grinned, entering the building. "I've seen this before."
Inside, Ryuu made his way to the opposite side, while Lux waited on his. Ryuu sent out his Dragonite, while Lux sent out Haxorus. They stood nearly the same height.
"Oh?" Ryuu sneered. "I'm impressed. Looks like it's not as much of a runt as I thought. In fact, I'd say it's larger than most Haxorus."
"That's why you shouldn't underestimated a Pokemon." Lux lectured.
"Ah, don't start." Ryuu growled. "You're gonna lecture me on respecting all Pokemon. That all Pokemon have amazing potential, right? Well, let me tell you something. Dragons only respect the powerful. Your Haxorus was one in a million. Is it so wrong to use the power we're born with? You and your father refuse to accept that this is just nature. But of course, you're just a naive-" Ryuu paused as Haxorus rammed his fist into Dragonite's face, launching it to the side. "-Child?"
"That's your own fault. You really shouldn't waste your time monologuing." Lux taunted. Haxorus bellowed in agreement. "Now come on. I'm tired of watching you mock my family. Show me this nature you lord over me!"
"Pretentious little-" He snarled. "Dragon Rush!"
"Now!" Lux commanded. Haxorus stepped to the side, planted his foot in the ground, and slammed his tail into Dragonite, launching it back into the air. "Follow it up!"
"Hyper Beam!" Ryuu pushed. Dragonite repositioned itself, firing a massive beam at Haxorus. Haxorus countered with a Dragon Pulse, causing the two to collide. A gigantic explosion filled the room, with Dragonite retreating from it, landing on the ground. Haxorus charged it, covering his claws in energy. The two exchange blows with each other, before Haxorus grabbed Dragonite, slamming into the ground. "Take it to the sky!" Ryuu snapped. Dragonite recovered and flew around Haxorus, grabbing him from behind. It dragged him into the air, preparing to drop him.
"Wait for it!" Lux directed. Haxorus nodded in understanding. The moment Dragonite let go of Dragonite, he rammed his tail into it, dragging it down. He grabbed onto the falling dragon, bombarding it with repeated blasts from his mouth. They crashed into the floor, shattering the stone tiles. When the dust cleared, Haxorus was on top of Dragonite, forcing its face into the rubble, and yanking on its arm. He let out a threatening roar.
"Dragonite!" Ryuu wailed. Dragonite let out an enraged shout, enveloping the field in flames, launching Haxorus away. Dragonite howled once more, flying into the sky, before barreling towards Haxorus.
"It's all you, Haxorus!" Lux inspired. Haxorus let out a determined roar, and grabbed Dragonite by its fists, holding it in place. They exerted their strength over one another, finding a near even match.
"Hyper Beam!" Ryuu demanded. Dragonite began form energy in its mouth. Haxorus took the opportunity to headbutt his opponent, staggering it, before charging blast of his own. Dragonite shook its head, before launching a weaker blast at Haxorus. The two attacks collided once again, causing another explosion to fill the room. Both of the battlers leapt out from the smoke, staring one another down. Haxorus let out a powerful screech, tired. Dragonite followed with an even fiercer howl, before it grimaced, falling to the ground. "What!?"
"Good work, Haxorus!" Lux praised. Haxorus let out a second victory cry, before hobbling to his side. "Now do you see? Haxorus won."
"Damn brat." Ryuu insulted, tossing him a badge. "That's the Devastation Badge."
"I don't want it." Lux informed. "I refuse to accept a badge from someone who refuses to acknowledge the strength of all Pokemon."
"Well, then you're going to be here a while." Ryuu mocked.
"I don't mind." He retorted. "You'll be stuck with me until you say, 'any Pokemon can become powerful!'"
"Honestly…" Ryuu groaned. "Fine. Any Pokemon can become powerful…"
"Good." Lux smiled, leaving. "I'm going to hold you to that."
"Amitys…" Ryuu rolled his eyes. "I take it that the rest of you want to battle?"
"Yeah." Gena confirmed, gesturing to Luna. "Me and her."
"Fine." He sighed, leaving. "I'll just heal my ace."
"So, where to now?" Lux asked Linda.
"I heard that the Electric Gym Leader is back." Niles announced. "When I went there they just gave me a badge."
"A-ah…" Draco grimaced. "The Electric Gym Leader is… Edy Tesla… Sotiria."
"Got it." Lux beamed. "Another ally."
"You're serious?" Aine interrogated. "You'd really forgive Edy?"
"Duh." Lux confirmed. "I forgive anyone who wants to be forgiven."
"Fair enough." Aine accepted. She flinched slightly as a snowflake fell on her head. She ran her hand across her head, before looking at the sky. "Snow?"
"Right, it's winter." Lux recalled. "'Course Oasis won't see snow, but everywhere else should."
"Good thing you got that coat." Linda commented, glancing to the rest of the group. "The only ones who'll need to change are Gena and Luna."
"I'm fine." Gena asserted, holding her scarf. "Luna?"
"No, no, no." Luna stomped, puffing out her cheeks. "You're changing Sis! I'm not letting you catch a cold while I'm all healthy and warm!"
"I'm fine." She repeated.
"Then I'm not changing!" Luna argued. "What do you say to that?"
"...Fine." Gena groaned, looking to Linda. "Just don't make me look silly…"
"I only promise to try~!" Linda laughed. "Let's make a quick stop at home, alright?"
"Ah I miss the Noiverns." Niles relaxed. "So soothing…"
"I completely forgot about those…" Lux grinned. "Well, let's go!"
