Chapter 27 Race to Twist Mountain
Huffing for air, Hil scrambled after Cheren, frantically searching for footholds in the ground. They were climbing a steep hill and Bianca was lagging even further behind. Hauling himself up to the ledge Cheren had led them to at last, Hil panted and collapsed onto his back. Noodle squeaked and hopped free of Hil's hood right away, shooting Cheren an annoyed hiss. "Hey, Cheren, quick question," Hil asked breathlessly, "why are we climbing this far in if we're just here to bond with your pokémon?"
"Well, we don't need to just bond, we need to get a move on as well," Cheren said matter-of-factly.
"We only just got to Mistralton yesterday! We're leaving already?" Bianca was whining as she reached Hil. Shivering from the exertion, she sat down next to him as well.
Noodle hissed at Cheren again and Hil copied the sound. He earned two deadpanned stares as he did. "Yeah, what Noodle said. This blows," he muttered, indignantly ignoring both of their looks.
"I thought we said we were going to slow it down for a little while, Cheren," Bianca chided him as she tore her gaze from Hil. "So that you could bond with your pokémon. Bonding takes time. It's not something you can rush."
"Well, I heard Team Plasma was heading to Icirrus City," Cheren irritably defended himself. "Icirrus has some historical site there they may be interested in and besides, it's good to get over there, anyway, because that's where the next gym leader is. Gym Leader Brycen. I can bond with my pokémon on the way and if we get there before we're done, then we can stop and do it before we challenge the gym leader."
Hil groaned and laid flat on his back. They hadn't even done any 'bonding' and he was already done with Cheren's attitude. "That's not how it works, Cheren. Bonding isn't exactly a one-time deal."
Cheren glared back at them from a few feet away. The mountains behind him had a few noticeable crevices that led to the network of caves running throughout Twist Mountain. They had already experienced a couple in their mad dash to keep up with Cheren's rugged pace. The air was cool, crisp, and not a single cloud marked the sky. It was comfortably temperate considering it was going on summer now. Not that anyone would have known that from the bleakness of Twist Mountain's dreary, brown terrain. It was such a nice day despite it all. It would have been a perfect day for them all to let their pokémon roam, and just get to know each other. But as Cheren kept on, it was becoming clearer and clearer that was likely not going to happen. "Well, we still need to head to Icirrus City in the future. I don't understand why it's a problem whether we do it now or later."
"Watch out below! Geronimo!"
The three friends looked up just in time to see Alder skidding down a cliffside just behind them. He jumped at the last second to stick the landing and keep from crashing into the group. Hil sat up as the Champion tossed them a slackjawed grin and wave of the hand. Bianca waved excitedly back at him. Cheren just scowled. Hil inwardly cursed and wanted to flop back against the ground. Alder was hardly Cheren's favorite person if their encounter back before Driftveil was anything to go by, and as he was already in a bad enough mood, getting him to cooperate post-Alder encounter would be borderline impossible.
"Hi, there! Now, don't tell me," Alder insisted as he moved closer to them. He rubbed his chin as he pointed at the friends one by one with his other hand. "Cheren… Bianca… Hil?"
"That's us," Cheren said through gritted teeth.
"Don't mind him," Hil dryly said from where he was still seated. Thoroughly annoyed, he added, "He's just on his 'I gotta be strong' deal again."
"Well, I do!" Cheren spat. "I can't face who I need to like this!" Hil found it odd that he didn't name N. It… is N that he feels he needs to face, right? Hil thought momentarily.
"I see I arrived at a bit of a sensitive time… Well, that's fine! I'm out on my voyage givin' advice as I see fit. You're a fine trainer," Alder interjected. He shrugged at Cheren's incredulous gawking. "I've heard you've beaten every gym leader on your first try. Within minutes. Made gym leaders look like buffoons. Almost as much as this other guy I've been hearin' about with the green hair… Anyway, point is, why not celebrate your current achievements some before rushin' off to be stronger?"
"Because they don't…" Cheren shook his head and coiled his arms to his sides, turning away from the Champion. He looked like a compressed coil ready to spring at a moment's notice…
"They don't what?" It was Bianca who pressed him this time. She tentatively placed a hand on his right shoulder, and he flinched under her touch, glancing back at her, wide-eyed and… scared? Hil anxiously fidgeted, plucking at his fingers, worried this might devolve into another fight and this time, in front of the Champion of Unova, no less. A familiar, icy sensation bit at his fingertips and made him want to sit down, to get away from the coming storm. But, stubbornly, he made a conscious effort to fight the feeling.
Cheren gave Bianca a sideways stare. Alder frowned and craned his neck some to lean in while Hil braced himself for whatever scathing remark Cheren had in store this time. "They don't matter right now, my accomplishments so far, when there's still so much to do," Cheren said as he exhaled defeatedly. A stark contrast to the ferocity Hil had expected, he looked up in surprise at his friend.
"Of course, they matter," Bianca said softly. "Cheren—"
"No," Cheren stepped away from her and threw his arms out to his sides, as if he were making sure he had nobody close enough to touch him again as Bianca had seconds ago. He scuffed his shoes against the ground and averted his slate gaze. Tufts of charcoal hair blew in the breeze as wind picked up across the mountainside. "If I'm not strong for you all, then I am not strong enough yet, and thus, it doesn't matter." Bianca went to say something else and he raised his voice to continue. "What good am I if I'm not strong for you two? What use am I?" He sighed and brought his hands up to clutch at the back of his head. His voice carried an alarming amount of raw emotion as he concluded with, "What good is a broken bridge?"
Bianca and Hil exchanged looks that made it painfully clear neither had any idea how to respond to this revelation. Hil couldn't imagine what Bianca must have been feeling; just the morning before, she and Cheren had woken up believing they were partners and understood all they had to know about one another. As for Hil, he was floored because Cheren had never… seemed to have such problems before. Hil had briefly worried there may be more to it after his discussion with Alder before they entered Driftveil, but at the end of the day, it was Cheren. He was just… the guy who excelled at it all and pushing himself to the limit seemed to be how he got his thrill.
Alder muttered something to himself and put his hands on his hips, looking Cheren up and down. "Son, the only one breakin' any bridges is you. Er, burning bridges…? You get what I mean."
"Well," Cheren huffed and seemed to dig his fingers into his hair. His face was reddening as he came to the realization that he was admitting all of this in front of Champion Alder. Even so, it didn't stop the tidal wave of words. Hil supposed that made sense… it sounded like Cheren had been holding back for a while, and the dam behind his lips was finally giving way. "I've got the perfect home life. I've got all the money I could ever want. Everything comes easy to me. I've got no right to complain about anything. Meanwhile, my friends…" Cheren eyed Bianca and then Hil. Both shrank away from his stare slightly, but not out of fright; rather, they were just simply astounded still. They wanted him to keep talking, to keep explaining, so they could understand, but it was still unsettling to listen to. "My friends have gone through actual bad stuff. I don't have anything that bad going on in my life. So, I should be there to help them, to be there for them, and if I can't do that, then what am I? I'm Cheren, the perfect student, the smart guy, the…" Cheren lowered his arms and wrapped them around himself. "If I don't uphold that… if I'm not the best at what I do… then there's always someone else that will do it better, and…"
"Cheren…" Bianca whimpered speechlessly.
Hil had just looked away and reached a hand up to scratch Noodle behind the head. Cheren's admission cleared a few misconceptions he'd always had about his friend, but it also brought a stinging, sobering understanding. Cheren, like others he scorned that acted strange around him over his father's incident, had also been treating him differently over it. His had been less overt, but he had been pitying Hil all the same, bottling his emotions up to remain 'strong' for Hil. In fact, it stung far worse than he wanted to ever concede, since Cheren had been what felt like his closest ally ever since Vince's accident.
But as he slowly became more aggravated at the thought, Noodle abruptly jumped from his shoulder and shied away from his touch. When Hil insistently scooted closer to him to pet him again, Noodle hissed and glowered at him. Hil knew that expression and he had only seen it a handful of times before, and they were always whenever Hil was acting in away Noodle knew wasn't true to his nature. Noodle was an amazing judge of character. Unfortunately, Hil wasn't in the mood to listen to him.
Hil huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, I think I've got a right to be upset," Hil whispered at Noodle in annoyance. At his ongoing stare, though, Hil began to second-guess himself.
"Look, kid," Alder was still speaking to Cheren, "there's always gonna be someone faster, stronger, better than you. That's all fine and dandy. But if you don't appreciate what you got now, being Champion's not gonna make you feel any better." He paused. "Won't make you feel any more alive. Trust me."
"Cheren… you're not our 'bridge,' or anything else like that," Bianca shook her head as she abruptly embraced him in a hug. He held his hands up and away from her uncertainly but made no efforts to push her away. "You're one of us, too. Whatever you're going through, it matters just as much. I promise. You can let us help you, too, you know…"
Maybe Hil was being unfair…
"I just… can never think of what to say, and so I tried to always show I was there for you two, and then you started not wanting that anymore and… then N… I didn't know what to do… And this is so mortifying…" Cheren's voice was cracking under the pressure. "I-I'm sorry, Champion Alder… this is very unbecoming of a future challenger, I'm sure."
"Don't mind that, kid. Besides. I've seen worse."
That amusing remark earned a sad, forced laugh from Cheren and Bianca both as Cheren finally returned her hug.
No, Hil knew he was being unfair.
It was understandable that others, especially his closest of friends, would have strong feelings about what had happened to him, with his father. Even if after a while the constant odd looks and uncomfortable interactions became frustrating… he couldn't deny that everyone else had some right to be rattled. Cheren, especially. Even prior to Vince's accident, he had always been who Hil ran to with problems. Guiltily, he wondered how he could have been so blind for so long to how Cheren adopted his problems, made them his own, and never spoke of any himself… Much like how Hil turned to Church for comfort, Hil hadn't even recognized he'd been doing the same to Cheren for years.
As long as he could remember, even.
Bianca softly said, "Don't mind that, Cheren. Nobody here is upset by this. See? It's okay. Right, Hil?"
Sometimes, Hil thought Noodle might have been a mind reader. As if sensing Hil's shift in mentality over the issue at hand, he had curled back up close to Hil's side, allowing his trainer to stroke his smooth body. Hil nodded briskly in response to Bianca. Showing his internal struggle right about then would have been devastating to the progress Cheren had just made. He recognized that it had to have taken a lot to wrench such honesty from his friend. "Of course." He shifted awkwardly and stood up. He anxiously put his hands in his pockets and failed to meet either her or Cheren's eyes, but he meant what he was saying. He hoped they'd know that. Then he lit up with an idea on something to say that might strengthen his words. "We… we left Nuvema together, we're gonna stick together. Right?"
"Thank you," Cheren breathed quietly as he buried his face in Bianca's shoulder. Hil could just barely see his face between Bianca's shoulder and Cheren's hair, but he imagined that was on purpose. Cheren sounded embarrassed and breaking down in front of the Champion was certainly not the most ideal way to start being more open with one's thoughts.
Pride welled in Hil's stomach at having said something to help him, though, and worries over being pitied were soon forgotten. It consumed so much more energy to be angry at someone than to forgive them. More than that, he didn't truly want to be at odds with Cheren. Privately forgiving him for the perceived transgression of misplaced pity was far kinder than remaining silently angry at him for something he arguably couldn't have helped…
"Sorry, I know I'm kinda the odd one out here," Alder laughed uneasily, "in this touching moment and all… but I've just got one more suggestion for you, Cheren. Your goal is your goal. As I said before, having one is commendable. We might not have the same views, but that's okay. Just… keep your friends close, you hear? They might offer some advice one day you might really wanna take… And they may not always be around for ya. Cherish 'em while you can." Alder closed his eyes momentarily and seemed to be recalling some distasteful memory. He shook his head slightly. "But anyway… I have something for you lot that might make travelin' ole' Twist Mountain here a little easier." Brandishing three TMs for Surf, he offered them to Cheren, Bianca, and then Hil. Bianca took Cheren's so he didn't have to let go of her and show his face.
With that, Alder saluted them, and began a rather uncontrolled descent down the incline Hil and his friends had climbed up earlier. Only then did Cheren unloop his arms from Bianca. He gruffly thanked her for taking the TM for him and fiddled with his bag to put it away. Hil overlooked the TM in his hands as well and then shrugged and put it away in his backpack. He was pretty sure only Crest could learn that move, but they'd need to get to a Pokémon Center before he could teach it to him, if he decided he wanted to. TMs were fickle. It was essentially showing the pokémon the move play out on a device of some sort, and then let the pokémon attempt it until they got it right. It was a laborious process he had not yet participated in and was unsure if he wanted to start.
"So…" Cheren's voice was a little gravelly. "Can we stop about here, then, to… bond with our pokémon?"
Hil and Bianca both lit up at that suggestion.
"That sounds great," Hil beamed.
"They did what?!"
Her father's voice could only be described as frantic. His face was etched with worry, too, and he looked as if he might have been strangling his Xtransceiver. Professor Juniper sighed shakily and waved a hand at him across the camera. She was resting in a private room at the Pokémon Center in Mistralton City following her encounter with N. She had felt like she deserved the rest and relaxation. "Dad, please, don't panic… I just wanted to tell you. Police came and checked out Chargestone Cave, but… they couldn't find a trace of him or any of the other Team Plasma guys I saw hanging out in the cave… They were just gone."
"Cowards," her father growled, "always disappearing whenever they start to feel the heat. Ganging up on my little girl like that…"
Mixed between feeling a little insulted and warmed by his protective display, Professor Juniper just shook her head. "I just wanted to call and let you know that's why I was a little late. I'll be over there at Dragonspiral Tower soon."
There was a short silence. "Okay. But you head straight here, okay? I want you with me. Team Plasma's plucking at my last nerve. The whole region's last nerve if I'm being honest," he grumbled. Professor Juniper knew he was right. In fact, they were heading for Dragonspiral Tower because the gym leaders had recently (prior to her assault in Chargestone Cave) gathered in a secret meeting, inviting her, her father, the Elite Four, and some representatives of Unova's highest law enforcement to discuss Team Plasma's growing boldness. As always, it boiled down to one frustrating conclusion: everyone knew at this point Team Plasma was not the peaceful organization they seemed. They each had stories to back up their claims now. But like a Dwebble, Team Plasma was hidden under a rock somewhere, and there was nothing for any of them to do but wait for them to move. Except nobody had any idea what they might do next if left to move freely. That had been the hotly debated topic of their meeting.
Some, such as the triplets, Burgh, and Shauntal, had argued against actively searching for Team Plasma. The triplets insisted it would make it too hard for them to mobilize if Team Plasma began to rear their ugly faces somewhere unexpected. Burgh, weary and sounding as if he hadn't slept in some time, reminded everyone that the public was strongly divided over the issue and would likely react, possibly violently, if they began to tear through Unova looking for the adversary through the use of gym leader-endorsed search warrants. He had made sure to add that he hated having to give them leeway, but he felt it was in the interest of public safety to not overreact. Shauntal had stressed that a frantic combing for Team Plasma's hideout might further incite panic, causing even more rumors and misinformation over Team Plasma to spread.
Others, namely Lenora, Elesa, Skyla, and Caitlin had encouraged an active search. Their arguments were largely the same. Public opinion be damned; Team Plasma had to be stopped. Lenora reminded everyone that the usual process was simply not working. Somehow, Team Plasma was avoiding all means of capture. Caitlin dryly brought up the fact that not even Psychic-types could pinpoint their men after they fled the scene of a crime and that Stoutland would be clueless after a certain point in following their trail. Elesa and Skyla had both simply agreed that desperate times called for desperate measures.
Everyone else was somewhere in the middle on the issue, and although the discourse went on for over twelve grueling hours and well into the night, the conclusion was disappointing for everyone: hunker down at your respective cities and wait for Team Plasma to act. Only the professors were issued different marching orders. Clay and Drayden had figured out that Team Plasma intended to head to Dragonspiral Tower and reawaken the Ancient Dragon of Unova said to slumber there. "For a while," Drayden had sighed, "Ghetsis seemed to believe that it was the King's remains that were stored in the tower, not the Dragon's. I don't know how he figured out his error. But he did, and now we've got a very serious problem."
The sacred building had been sealed centuries ago. Professor Juniper had studied the myths some time ago out of sheer curiosity. History and myths were not her concentration, but Unova's history, steeped in mystery and glamor, had always fascinated her when she was a young child. Drayden, during her visits to him with her father as a kid, had enchanted her with stories of the Ancient Dragons of Unova and the Heroes of Truths and Ideals. It was a wild tale of two brothers who clashed so violently over their beliefs that the entirety of Unova was drowned in the furious lightning and thunderstorms of the victorious brother's Dragon, forever reshaping Unova and leaving his losing brother, and his respective Dragon, to an unknown fate. According to what Professor Juniper had gleaned from her research, the victorious brother went on to become a king of Unova's ancient monarchy and following his death, Dragonspiral Tower was erected and the remains of his Ancient Dragon were stored there. The building had been finalized with no formal entryway to keep humans and pokémon alike from disturbing the Ancient Dragon's eternal rest.
In the past, Professor Juniper might have brushed away much of the story as romanticized legend and gross exaggerations. She loved Drayden despite believing he was somewhat of a religious zealot when it came to Unova's history, and although she enjoyed the stories, she had never for a second believed all the details to be true. Such pokémon simply couldn't exist; there were myriad factors that could prove why that was impossible. It defied all her understanding of pokémon as a professor. But faced with the damning reality of Team Plasma and the ferocity with which they pursued their quest, as well as the seriousness of the threat they posed, she couldn't afford to let her doubts get in the way. It was her, her father's, and Brycen's responsibility to keep Team Plasma away from the tower while everyone else kept watch over their respective cities.
"Thank you, Aurea," her father's sincere tone ripped her from her thoughts briefly. She smiled at him weakly. "I love you. See you soon." With that, he hung up and Professor Juniper stashed the Xtransceiver away in her coat with shivering hands.
A thought had dawned on her as she reeled over the severity of the situation during the conversation.
Unova was in an unspoken war that many of its own citizens denied, and even more supported the opposing side. They were rotting away from the inside like a diseased apple. For the first time since she had begun to hear Team Plasma's infamous name echoing in their streets, she wondered if hers, along with the rest of the League's efforts, were too little, too late.
"N, are you ready to face Gym Leader Brycen?" Marlon asked dutifully as they entered the chilly air of Icirrus City. His voice was devoid of emotion and direct. Thanks to the Shadow Triad members Ghetsis had so kindly allowed the King to borrow, navigating Twist Mountain had been easy, and they had arrived just a day following N's victory against Skyla. Marlon's orders for this new day, however, were clear: have N defeat Brycen, and then have him come to the foot of Dragonspiral Tower, sending one of the Shadow Triad to alert Ghetsis once they were going to do so. Marlon had been told that Team Plasma's scientists had finally located what they sought: the Dark Stone, and it lay at the highest point of the tower. Nothing mattered anymore to Marlon than simply fulfilling Ghetsis' orders as quickly and efficiently as possible.
N had pulled many footmen to Chargestone Cave following his victory in Mistralton City. Marlon had been aggravated at N throwing yet another wrench in their progress, but upon learning he wanted the time to further evaluate his choice in 'Hero,' Marlon had been instructed to allow him to go through the motions. Marlon had been one of the final Team Plasma members N's chosen 'Hero,' Cheren, had faced. He had been unimpressed with the boy. He was stern, silent, unfriendly; powerful, yes, but without even being the real New Hero of Truths, Marlon worried the person required to stop N now needed more than just raw power. Facing the boy that he was supposed to be praying would fell Team Plasma had left him feeling hollow like he'd never felt hollow before. Cheren had crushed more than just his partner pokémon.
Perhaps he had just come to accept that this was his existence. Ghetsis' pet and holder of N's leash.
"Yes," N said softly. "I'll go face him right away."
N had been acting strange since Chargestone Cave. He fidgeted often and touched his hands to the Poké Balls on his belt frequently, and after Chargestone Cave, he had almost hesitated in releasing the pokémon he had asked for assistance in beating Skyla. Marlon knew why, knew of the incident with Professor Juniper. He had wanted to mock N for his frightened shock at what had happened back there. He had heard the story from the Shadow Triad members involved in it. That N had spoken badly of Professor Juniper and so they had misread the situation, believing N was about to exact some cruel justice on her, but they had been quick to admit to Marlon, Ghetsis' right-hand man, that they recognized they should not have made such an assumption about N. They knew N was different than Ghetsis. It was just… difficult to escape his influence. Marlon had curled his lip at them and had contemptuously growled, "Well, if that ain't the truth."
Marlon reminded N to head to the Pokémon Center right away once he defeated Brycen. He knew that at least one of the Shadow Triad would be with him every step of the way. The other would likely be tailing him, not that it bothered him anymore. With that, Marlon retreated to the Pokémon Center.
He was dressed modestly today. He had been allowed a simple black hoodie and long, dark pants to cover the gaudy silver Team Plasma uniform beneath so as not to alarm the locals before they had a chance to enact their plan at Dragonspiral Tower. The only noticeable piece of his uniform now was the pale gray hood spilling over the black hoodie's.
It was just a matter of time, now. A matter of time before N received his Ancient Dragon of Unova, before he crushed the final gym leader, Drayden, and then ascended the Pokémon League. Just a matter of time before he implemented his absolute control over Unova that would ultimately be stolen by Ghetsis. There was no hope in him to be had for Cheren and throughout it all, Marlon had himself to thank. Ghetsis may have been horrible, but he was the stupid kid all of those years ago who had merely agreed to his platform, and now, he was his loyal Stoutland, too scared of the pointy end of his master's boot to bite the hand that fed him. Oh, how he missed the salty breeze of the ocean and the glaring sun of Humilau… His skin had grown pale, though he was still darker than most in Team Plasma, from his time shackled in the silver robes. He never bothered to do up his rich blue hair anymore, and even that seemed to be fading, losing its luster.
Be worked like a Stoutland, be as ugly as a Stoutland, Marlon mutinously thought as he took a seat in the Pokémon Center's café.
A warm coffee sounded wonderful. It was the comfort of a simpler time that he knew would soon be lost to him under Ghetsis' tyrannical reign. Ghetsis' key to control lay less than a mile away in a tower his Carracosta could have thrown a rock at. In the past, Marlon might have inwardly lamented what N would go through once he discovered Ghetsis' true plans, once he was no longer valuable. Today, Marlon felt no such remorse. He had struggled in the hell that was being under Ghetsis' thumb while knowing the full story long enough. Almost angrily, he thought, perhaps it was time someone else knew the same pain he did.
He got up to get a coffee and sat down again with the drink burning at his fingertips through the cup. He sipped the scalding fluid and hardly flinched when the near-boiling liquid touched his lips.
He'd felt far, far worse pain.