Thanks to IanAlphaAxel for reviewing the previous chapter.
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Chapter Thirty Two: Let the Battle Commence
Cheryl sprinted through the forest undergrowth, leaping over logs and jumping across streams, as she made her way back to her home deep in the heart of Eterna Forest. Dead leaves littered the ground, each one crunching beneath her feet as she ventured deeper. Spring season had started two weeks ago, and usually this was a time for rebirth and celebration, but the trees had not grown back their leaves. Her father often claimed it was a bad omen if the trees did not regrow their leaves.
There was a slight chance spring had started late of course. Sometimes the blossoming season wouldn't begin until they were a month in, but usually there was a sign spring was coming. Normally she'd catch a glimpse of newborn Pokemon on the way and homes being built, but there was nothing. It was as if she was standing in a graveyard and the dreary weather did nothing to ease her concerns.
Dense fog surrounded her, restricting her visibility to just a few metres. Fog at the beginning of spring season wasn't common, but it did occur, hanging around for a couple of hours before lifting. However, the present fog never lifted and it showed no signs of leaving in the near future. There was a stillness in the atmosphere that made her skin crawl, and her stomach twist from uneasiness. Aside from the leaves and the sounds of her breaths, it was quiet. Too quiet.
She continued venturing deeper into the forest, sticking close to the trees, feeling less exposed next to them. "Keep calm, Cheryl. There's nothing to be concerned about. Just find the Old Chateau and take the artefact, just like your father said. Team Galactic are no longer a threat," she said, in between deep breaths.
Although nothing had been officially stated on the news, sightings of Team Galactic members had disappeared from newspapers and local stations, lending to the theory they had simply vanished. It made travelling around much easier since she wasn't worried about running into one of them. Her Chansey wasn't trained to be a fighter, but a healer instead. Avoiding combat was necessary if she wanted to be successful in her career. Her companion traipsed behind her.
Treasure hunting was something her family specialized in. They were seen as hoarders to members outside their home, and people often complained about the mess, but Cheryl knew different. The treasures they searched for were clues to their ancestors, the druids of Sinnoh. Little was known about them, and her parents believed uncovering the ancient artefacts would help them understand the druids better. She wasn't quite sure what her parents wanted to know, but she carried out her job without asking questions. Her father never gave her a straight answer, often claiming she would know when the time was right.
Chansey stopped walking choosing to stop at a pair of twin trees whose branches had become entwined. Frowning, Cheryl stepped forward and stared up at the trees then glanced down at her companion. Chansey seemed to think the trees were fascinating – she couldn't see why since they looked like ordinary trees to her. "What's the matter, Chansey? Did you find something?"
Chansey jumped up and down, flailing her arms around in the air. Moving a stubby right limb forward, she brought Cheryl's attention to the second tree's trunk. There was a ladder with a few rungs missing, climbing upwards to a destination unknown. Her first thought was that it was just an abandoned tree house, but her Chansey seemed to think there was more to it. She continued pointing at the ladder.
"All right then, I'll climb up and check it out. You stay here and keep guard, okay?" Chansey nodded. She moved towards the ladder, heart beat beginning to quicken. What had her Pokemon sensed that she could not? Placing two hands on the remaining rungs, she began to climb, lifting herself up to the next few rungs. She continued climbing until she reached the first branch and hopped onto it, wrapping both her legs and arms around it, to stop herself from falling down.
Once she was certain she wasn't going to fall, she lifted her head up and turned to observe her surroundings. The fog was as thick as ever, but her eyes managed to catch a glimpse of something moving in the near distance. A Pokemon? Curiosity poured through her. Temporarily forgetting about her Chansey, Cheryl hopped down, and headed in the direction she had last seen movement.
There were no tracks in the ground because of the leaves, but the figure had been kind enough to leave directions on the trunks of the trees. Arrows coloured blood red pointed towards the north. She moved from tree to tree following the arrows until she reached a part of the forest she had never witnessed before. The fog was strangely not as dense here thus allowing her to see her environment more clearly. A ring of trees stood before her, their gnarled branches looking like many pairs of arms reaching towards something. She half-expected them to start moving, but they remained still.
At the opposite end, she spotted a cobblestone winding pathway leading deeper. Keen to learn more, Cheryl set a foot on the path and began to follow it. More gnarled, leafless oak trees lined both sides of the path, but she ignored them, continuing forwards. Eventually, she reached the end. Gazing upwards, she spotted an abandoned house before her.
.
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Clearly it was old, judging by the structure. It was two storeys high and built entirely out of wood. There was nothing modern about this building at all. Aside from a few loose planks, the house itself seemed to be in fairly good condition, as if it had remained untouched for decades. Was this the Old Chateau? But that couldn't be right – this didn't resemble any chateau she had seen in the pictures. This was just some abandoned woodcutter's hut.
She turned around preparing to head back home, but the path was no longer hers. Someone else had followed her and was now standing a few feet away, dressed in ragged old cloths. A young female of no older than eight years old stood before her, head tilted to the right, brown wide eyes staring back. Cheryl breathed a sigh of relief. Young kids probably thought the fog made for a good game of hide-and-seek.
"Please don't leave," the girl said, brushing aside her wild brown curls from her face. "Please say you'll stay behind and play with me." Raising both her arms, the girl stretched them before her, tilting her chin downwards, giving Cheryl a pleading look.
"All right, but I can't stay for too long."
The girl smiled. "Come inside my home."
Uneasiness feelings poured through her, but she forced them aside and followed the girl into the house. The house was furnished, which was surprising since it didn't look like much on the outside. Candles replaced light bulbs, and fallen logs made for furniture, and there were even paintings on the walls of Pokemon and their trainers. Each work of art had a script beneath them, but her eyes couldn't decipher them. Druidic script?
Cheryl sat down on a log and gazed around, studying each painting. One had a painting of an old man with a thick brown moustache, and the other had one of a woman with three black fins painted on both sides of her cheeks. The other paintings had various images of people engaged in duels with Pokemon, most of them with people lying in their blood. Wincing, Cheryl looked away. What was a young girl living in a place like this?
"A battle was fought in this region centuries ago, and our people spilled their blood to protect the land from it."
Cheryl turned to her right. The girl was now seated beside her, hands resting on her lap. Dark matted hair clung to her face, looking as though it hadn't been touched by a comb in weeks. "What are you talking about?"
"We lived. We fought. We died." She reached out suddenly, fingers curling around her arm, her skin freezing to the touch. Cheryl tried to pull her hand free, but the girl was surprisingly strong. "We could not best it in battle, and so we locked it in a cage far below the surface, but the latches will not hold forever." The girl weakened her grip, pulling away abruptly, returning her hands to her lap.
"You're not making any sense," Cheryl replied, rising to her feet, disturbed. "This is a joke, isn't it?"
The girl stood up. "It's happening again. Someone has disturbed the sacred circle atop the great mountain, and now the seals have weakened."
She took a few steps back making contact with a wall. Her eyes briefly flickered to the paintings on the wall, drawn to the two people in the frames. Their eyes seemed to be watching her. A chill raced down her spine. Were the paintings alive? "I don't know anything about these seals you speak of. Please, just let me go."
"You came here searching for the artefacts of the past, descendant of the druids. Would you return now empty-handed to your home?"
Cheryl frowned. Descendant of the druids? "How did you…"
"I've been trapped in this house for centuries – I've seen many people such as yourself search this forest looking for clues, but their intentions are impure. You however, are unlike them. Their blood flows through your veins. I can sense it. You can save your race from meeting the same end as ours."
"I don't…" All she wanted right now was to leave this house and never look back. Surely, this had to be a prank of some kind, organized by wild trainers. Seals? Battles? Pokemon and trainers fighting? It sounded like something they'd play on a television show. "I'm leaving." She turned around to leave, pushing her hands against the door to push it open, but the door would not budge. It appeared to be jammed.
"The seals have broken, and now the master will arise. He has been freed from his tomb, free to unleash his rage upon the world you love." She lunged forward, grabbing both arms, digging her nails into her skin. "You cannot allow this to happen. You must not let them succeed. We failed to defeat him, but perhaps your people will succeed where we have not."
Cheryl jerked her arms free once more, feeling as though she had dunked them in a bathtub of ice cubes.
"I have been trapped in this house for centuries now. All I want is to be at peace, but as long as the beast lives, I live as a spirit trapped between the realm of the living and the dead," the girl said softly, eyelids drooping. Her body flickered, and Cheryl jumped, scared. She knew spirits roamed Hearthome's Gym, but actually coming into contact with one was a frightful experience. "Warn your people. Do not make the same mistake or else damn your race into ruin. Snowpoint Temple is where the battle will take place. Reseal the gate, and lock it away for eternity. Blood is your key."
"But how do we seal it? You're not telling me anything!" The ghost girl gave her a sad smile then vanished, leaving Cheryl alone with unanswered questions. She remained still for a couple of moments, squeezing her eyes shut, then pinched herself to test if this was actually a reality. Reopening her eyes, she found herself still in the building, and slumped against the wooden walls, a pit of dreading building in her stomach.
The battle would be scheduled to take place at Snowpoint Temple. If she left now, she'd have some time to prepare the ritual to trap the Regigigas back within its cage before it gained its true power. She hurried away without looking back once.
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Winter had passed, but the days were still long and cold in the city of Snowpoint. The snow had melted away, and new seedlings were sprouting, but the citizens still awoke to a chill. The cold climate drove people away even in spring and summer months hence why the population of Snowpoint was a small one. Still, despite the cold, there were still a handful of people who had chosen to remain in Snowpoint, even if the sprint wasn't as warm as anywhere else in the region.
Candice was one of the few people who stayed at home. In her eyes, there was no other place quite as beautiful as Snowpoint. While many hated the cold, she hated the warmth. The warmth made her feel sluggish. Leaning forward in her chair, she glanced down at the open notebook on her table. The gym was currently being redesigned after half the gym had melted away as a result of the battle she had against Dawn.
While the gym was being rebuilt, she had spent her time down at the local temple, studying the puzzles. Her grandparents had often spoken of the ancient power that lurked beneath, but she never paid it much attention, preferring to spend her leisure time reading romance novels instead. Lorelei had assigned her the task of studying Snowpoint's history and that was why she was here now.
"I don't understand what I am supposed to be looking for," Candice murmured.
Alicia, one of her gym students, shrugged. "Didn't Lorelei mention something about some chamber down below?"
"Lorelei says many things, but they're usually about mastering the Ice-type. I don't see how spending the day at the local temple is supposed to help me in that." She walked over to the far wall and examined the strange script. The writing was supposed to be of druidic nature though no one had managed to decipher its meaning. "All I know is that some druids lived here and they built a temple."
Alicia reached a hand down into the pocket of her pink woolly jumper and pulled out a small journal. She batted her blonde curls away from her face then opened the book, reading aloud the first few sentences on the page. "Snowpoint Temple was built over a century ago by the druids to mark their arrival to Sinnoh. They built the temple to protect themselves from the blistering cold, but also to defend themselves from the hostile creatures."
Oh, so that's why Snowpoint Temple was so important, Candice mused. She had a few books about the history of Snowpoint City, but hadn't cared enough to actually read them. "Anything else?"
Alicia shook her head. "It doesn't say much else. Just white space. There's a note here in small print – Lorelei says to research the temple a little more then report back to her via mail." She held up the book and brought Candice's attention to show she wasn't making it up.
Research the matter? What else was there to look into? It wasn't as if anyone living today lived in the time of the druids and could make sense of the symbols. She was about to throw her hands up in the air and call it a day, when Alicia crouched down, pressing her hand against the cold floor. She looked up, brows furrowed. "I can feel something moving below."
Candice raised a brow, but didn't say anything. She dropped down to her knees then placed her hand on the floor and left it there, waiting for the motion Alicia had spoken of. Nothing. "I don't feel anything, Alicia. Now come on, let's just head on down to the boatyard and see if the captain has arrived." She rose to her feet, and prepared to walk away when she felt the ground beneath her tremble. "Did you feel that?"
"I told you." Alicia glanced down at the ground. "What do you think it is? It can't be-" A violent tremor shook the ground, almost knocking the two girls off their feet. The walls began to shake with enough force that cracks were beginning to appear in the walls and the floor. "Earthquake!" she screamed, making a burst towards the entrance.
Candice sprinted after her, shielding her head with her hands, as she raced for safety. The ceiling began to cave in, as the shaking increased in intensity. Walls began crumble, unable to withstand the violent tremors no longer as cracks in the ground appeared. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, ordering the citizens in the city to flee, but her the loudness of the quake drowned her cries.
People who remained now exited their homes. They raced towards the emergency area which happened to be before the temple itself, except the temple was no longer standing. The quake lasted only a few seconds, but the damage had been quite significant. The pride of the city, the Snowpoint Temple, now lay in ruins, but the rest of the city remained untouched.
"What in the name of Arceus was that?" Savannah cried.
Her other gym students approached her with the same surprised looks. "Since when did Snowpoint City get earthquakes?" Sergio said, running a hand through his dark locks of hair, cautiously moving towards the site of destruction. The other students moved with him.
Candice rushed forward, throwing her arms to the side. "That's the thing – Snowpoint doesn't have a history of earthquakes. No one mentioned anything about that when the city was built." She glanced down at the ruins, and couldn't help but feel a little sad – the temple could be rebuilt, but it wouldn't be the same.
"Hey, check out the cracks!" Sergio cried out. "Is it just me, or do they form a shape?"
Candice looked down. The cracks created by the quake formed an image of five-pointed star within a circle.
"Druidic symbol," Alicia whispered.
Silence fell. The gym students stood around Candice, watching the ruins with a mixture of fear and interest. One thing was obvious – this was no normal earthquake. Earthquakes didn't create active images on the earth. This was something else. A chill raced down her spine, and it wasn't from the cold. "Candice!"
At the mention of her name, Candice turned her head around, brows arched in surprise. Running towards her was Cynthia and Steven. A surge of relief poured through her. If anyone knew what was going on around here, it would be these two. "The strangest thing just happened. We just got hit by a short earthquake," she said, then drew their attention towards the fallen temple. "It created those markings in the ground. What do they mean?"
"It has begun," he said softly, then turned to face Candice. "The druids sealed a powerful Pokemon deep below the earth to protect this world from destruction. The seals have been broken, and it started with the breaking of the columns atop Mount Coronet." He jerked his head towards the markings. "Regigigas lives below, sealed away in a cage for centuries, waiting for his moment to rise again."
"But he can be stopped," said a new voice coming from the direction of the docks. A girl with long green hair hurried forward. "I'm Cheryl. I'd say more about myself, but we don't have time." She brought a hand down to her pokebelt and unnatched her single pokeball then threw it forward. A Chansey emerged from the white light.
Steven summoned forth his Metang, and Cynthia brought out her Garchomp. "The other gym leaders and members of the Elite Four will soon be here," Cynthia said. "Together, we can overcome anything. Prepare yourself – this will not be a battle so easily won."
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The week had been long and consisted of many long meetings with leaders from around the region. People wanted to know if the laws were going to be changed or if the laws would remain the same. Journalists continued to ask her questions about how the partnership would work, and some even began to doubt it. Dawn was so worn out at the end of each day she was asleep before she even hit the bed.
Bertha had promised her it would get easier in time as people became accustomed to her being the Champion alongside Cynthia, but three months had already passed and it seemed there were more people organizing meetings with her and the Elite Four members. It was getting to the point she wanted to rip out her own hair and inform the media she was resigning.
But she couldn't do that. She had promised to serve. "It will become easier in time," Bertha said softly. "The most important thing you need to decide is how you're going to lead while Cynthia is on her break."
"What do you mean?"
"This is your chance to prove to people you deserve to be the Champion alongside Cynthia."
"That's difficult to live up to."
Bertha nodded. "Be the leader you want to be; don't be a leader people expect you to be."
Dawn frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Other trainers have risen to the top position before in other regions, but they were disliked. Blue and Lance are prime examples – Blue used the position to flaunt his skill, caring little for those around him, and Lance tried hard to be the perfect Champion to match up to his predecessor Red. You need to decide your own path and set your own rules for yourself to follow."
Wise words, Dawn thought. She didn't expect anything less from Bertha – the woman had been a part of the league for a couple of decades now, making her the longest serving member of Sinnoh's Elite Four. The woman had even guided Cynthia in her first few weeks helping her to settle into the position as Sinnoh's representative. "Thanks, Bertha."
The woman smiled. "We should head to the lounge – Aaron has news to report."
Dawn rose to her feet then helped Bertha stand. The woman had recently turned sixty, and had taken to using a walking stick to assist in navigating around the area. Once she was on her feet, she grabbed her walking stick and followed Dawn towards the lounge where the other members of the Elite Four waited.
"…Snowpoint Temple?"
"…We'll come right away, Byron."
"Cynthia and Steven need our help."
The boys were sitting down at the coffee table. Byron was also present in the room much to her surprise. She hadn't received word he'd be dropping by so soon. "What's going on, boys?" Bertha said, entering.
Three heads lifted up. "Dawn! Bertha! You have to check this out," Aaron said, gesturing down at the coloured photos, his brows furrowed. "None of this is making any sense."
Both females made their way towards the table. Dawn glanced down, picked the photos up, and searched through him. The photos were of mysterious hieroglyphs. She looked at Byron. "I assume you brought them to our attention?"
"He arrived about an hour ago," Lucian answered. "They're from Cynthia's grandmother."
Dawn placed the photos down on the table. "What are they of?"
Byron took in a deep breath, and rubbed both his temples. "It's druidic script. They would draw symbols and these symbols would act as seals on certain objects. As I told Steven and Cynthia, the first of these seals was placed on Mount Coronet, the highest point in Sinnoh. They hoped it would bring them closer to Arceus who they believed would protect them from evil spirits."
"And how does that tie in with the photos?" Flint asked.
"Seals? There are more of them?" The thought of having to deal with more Giratina-like creatures was not welcoming. It had been luck that had enabled them to have escaped the realm. Her thoughts moved to her father who had been the one to open a rift to the Distortion World? Was he in trouble again? Her first instinct was to return home and tell him, but she knew her duties as a Champion had to come first.
Byron nodded. "Five seals in total, according to Steven, and I have no reason to doubt him. The other seals only break when the first has... the final one is beneath the Snowpoint Temple. That's where the others are right now. Whoever opened the first seal…"
"Didn't know what was happening," she replied curtly. "No one knew. We can't blame anyone. The most important thing right now is stopping whatever this creature is."
Lucian nodded. "She's right, Byron. We can't blame anyone else, but ourselves for not paying more attention to druidic history. If we had known about any of this earlier, none of this would happening. But now we must band together and conquer this threat. Have you informed the gym leaders, Byron?"
Byron nodded. "They are on their way to Snowpoint City now."
"Then let us be off."
"But what of the remaining grunts of Team Galactic?" Aaron said. "They're still out there."
Flint snorted. "The grunts are without a leader – they are not intelligent enough to be a threat."
Dawn sank back in her chair, brought a hand to her mouth, and gnawed on a fingernail. Charon was dead, and her father had long abandoned Galactic, severing all ties he had with them, but what was to stop them from uniting under a new leader? She decided she'd ask her friends Barry and Lucas to keep an eye on Galactic activity. Somehow, she didn't think they were finished just yet. "I'll send some of my friends to track them down," Dawn said. "But Lucian is right – we need to go to Snowpoint City now and end this."
"I will stay here at the league," Bertha said. "I no longer have the strength to roam the region, but I will do what I can from the base."
No matter how much she wanted to go after her parents, she knew she could not. "To Snowpoint City."
"What do we tell the people? What about the trainers planning on taking the league challenge? What do we say to them?" Flint said. "The league can't be open if only Bertha is present."
"We keep quiet – if we close the league then panic will spread across the region," Bertha advised. "We have to pretend everything is under control. Some residents are still recovering from the bombings Galactic had caused. Telling them we're still under threat from something far more powerful will do us more harm than good."
"We'll start heading out now," Flint said, rising from his chair. Aaron and Lucian said their goodbyes and followed Flint towards the main entrance. Byron tagged along behind them, a grim expression on his face.
Bertha smiled down at Dawn. "This is your chance to prove to your doubters that you have what it takes to be a fine Champion. Think of this as another challenge to overcome, Dawn. You conquered the gyms, you defeated the Elite Four and you drew a tie with Cynthia. And not only that, you reunited with your father, stopped Team Galactic from destroying this world, and earned the trust of your Pokemon when others would've simply given up," Bertha said.
Dawn knew she was referring to the incident in which her Deino had bitten her several years ago in her first year as a trainer. It seemed like such a long time since the event happened, but she still had the bite marks to remind her of the day she had come close to losing her life. Most trainers would've put their Pokemon down, but she persevered with Deino, and now he was her most powerful Pokemon.
But what if she failed to uphold her duty? And what if Team Galactic had reunited under a new leader, one more cruel than Charon? She knew Team Galactic would come after her father as retribution. Was he and her mother in danger? "What if I fail?"
"Your Pokemon believe in you, Dawn. I believe you can conquer this threat with your Pokemon at your side," Bertha smiled warmly. "It's a lot to ask of one so young in a position of great power, but you can do this if you believe. Everything you have learned over the years… use it now to claim victory."
She fell silent, reflecting on Bertha's words. Combine all the lessons learned over the past few years and use that knowledge to obtain victory over darkness so they could finally live in a world of peace. She nodded. "Stay safe, Bertha."
"You don't have to worry about me, Dawn. You should be more worried about yourself. Go with the blessing of Arceus upon you."
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Grand Lake Hotel didn't look quite as good as it did on postcard, but then again, did any place look as good in the photos? Cyrus wasn't too concerned about it – as long as Johanna had the break she needed, he didn't mind what sort of place he had to stay at. Besides, anything was better than sleeping in his grandparent's place on their uncomfortable beds.
Johanna had spent a few thousand dollars on securing the place, and Cyrus added a few more on top of that to guarantee them the biggest and best room in the entire resort. Despite it being advertised as a hotel, high paying customers were allowed to book out entire houses for themselves, and that's exactly what Cyrus did.
"It's so beautiful here," Johanna gushed, standing on the balcony outside which overlooked the ocean. He moved to stand next to her, taking in the surrounding environment. The sun's rays poured over the ocean, giving the sea a certain shine to it, making it seem more majestic than it was. Waves crashed against the shoreline as the local Wingull flew in lazy circles above the ocean, cawing loudly as they kept their eyes peeled for the opportunity to catch food down below.
In all his years never had he taken time out of his day to enjoy the sights and sounds the world had to offer. It was only now that he had begun to appreciate the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. Johanna laid a hand on his left arm. He glanced down at her, worried. "Are you all right?"
She smiled. "I haven't felt this fine in weeks," she replied, resting her head on his left arm, breathing a sigh of relief. "Coming here was a good idea." She kept her head on his arm for a few moments longer then pulled back, once again looking up at him. "That early morning yoga class helped clear my head. You should come tomorrow morning – it's amazing how much better it can make you feel."
He shook his head. The thought of getting out of bed before the sun was even up just to do some stretching exercises sounded like a waste of time in his opinion. He had seen the advertisements on television and couldn't understand the enjoyment people found in torturing themselves into holding uncomfortable positions for a certain amount of time. "No thank you. I would prefer not to spend the rest of the day feeling sore."
Nor did he want to wear such tight clothing either. He had seen a few of the other male guests getting up early, all dressed in their tight clothes, and he thought they looked ridiculous. Johanna glanced at the time on far wall then looked at him again, a playful gleam in her eyes. "We have another two hours until breakfast opens, but I've got a couple of ideas on what we could do to pass some time." She winked at him.
He knew what she was implying, but decided to humour her anyway by pretending not to know. Although he still failed to understand the majority of romantic gestures, there were some he picked up on straight away. "I do hope you are not suggesting another round of board games?" He actually enjoyed traditional board games such as Monopoly and Scrabble since it tested the mind, but he had taken an instant disliking to Pictionary, which was the only game they had available in this room.
Drawing out concept art for his machines wasn't a problem, but drawing images for text prompts for 'alphabet' was pretty hard to bring to life in art since using text wasn't allowed. Johanna had convinced him to play the other day and never had he experienced so much hatred towards a simple game. Johanna, on the other hand, loved it. He learned she was an excellent artist while he was terrible.
She shook her head. "Not a board game activity." With her hand still wrapped around his arm, Johanna guided him towards the bed then motioned for him to lie down. She brought her head down and whispered into his ear. "I've got a better idea," she said, then pulled back, the teasing smile on her face still present.
He did as she commanded and laid down on the bed, eyes locked on her face, waiting for her next move. She moved to sit on top of him then proceeded to press her lips against his before moving her hands to the back of her dress. She pulled the zipper down then assisted him in removing his shirt, pulling it off, and then discarded it to the side.
She moved her head downwards leaving a trail of kisses as she moved towards the front of his pants. There she paused, before she moved her hands to undo the belt then pulled down the zipper. Johanna was usually the one who initiated these types of intimate moments, claiming 'they had a lot of years to make up for'. Cyrus never turned down her offers, but found he hadn't initiated any of them, save for that time they spent the night together at Hearthome's Contest Hall when Marina was in town.
Cyrus placed both hands on her head, running his fingers through her hair, as she took him into her mouth. Grunts of pleasure escape his throat as Johanna continued her movements, varying her rhythm, then withdrew to lick the tip. He groaned again, unable to stop it from leaving his throat, surrendering himself to her touch. He tenses, groans once more then releases.
She wasn't finished with him yet – she removed her upper articles of clothing, fully exposing her upper half to him then straddled him. She reached down to grab his member then guided him inside her. Once inside, she began to rock her hips, riding him. Cyrus lay still, looking up at her, eyes fixed on her bare chest. She increased the speed of her movements, becoming more urgent and needy, her moans becoming louder with each thrust, sweat covering her skin. He felt himself release into her again, and she responded with a squeal of pleasure as she hit her peak. Once the deed was done, she rolled off and snuggled up against him, a smile of content on her face.
"We should do this more often," she said softly.
He didn't respond, still recovering. He'd let her dominate as long as she never spotted the scar on his back, given to him by Charon back on Stark Mountain. That would just bring up more questions, and already she was suspicious. He didn't want her to worry; especially not after everything she had already been through in the recent years. After a few moments of silence, he figured he should say something, otherwise she'd become suspicious again, so he put on a fake smile and said, "As you wish."
The answer seemed to satisfy her. "Do you think Dawn is all right?"
Cyrus stifled a yawn, a sudden weariness taking hold of him. "She can handle it."
"You're right. She'll make a good leader." Johanna sat up. "Anyway, I'm going to shower and then I'm feeding Julia. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast. Don't be late," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to stand up. Cyrus watched her leave then closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep once more.
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Flint, Lucian and Aaron had already departed for Snowpoint City by the time Dawn had left the league building. For once, an army of journalists weren't waiting around the entrance to the hall, ready to ask her questions about her new role. She summoned her Honchkrow. "We're going to head over to Snowpoint City." The avian nodded, and stretched his wings, lowering himself to the ground to allow her to climb on. Before she climbed on, she spotted Barry in the corner of her eye. Surprised, she moved away from Honchkrow and walked over to Barry. "Barry? I thought we were meeting up tomorrow?"
"I thought I'd drop by earlier," Barry replied. "Just encase you're busy or something, now that you're a Champion." His eyes dropped, and Dawn suspected her friend probably feared he'd lose her to her role.
Dawn shook her head. "You're my closest friend, Barry. You know I'll always make time for you." She smiled at him, hoping it would wipe away the grim expression on his face. It remained. "Barry?"
He lifted his gaze. "Sorry, Dawn. It's just… it's beginning to sink in now that the celebration part is over. You're a Champion. I'm not. You've got new responsibilities to worry about."
"Don't be silly, Barry. You're my friend, and you always will be. You always pushed me to become a better trainer." Had her becoming Champion really affected him this much? He seemed pretty happy a week ago at the celebratory dinner. "Me becoming a Champion doesn't change any of that."
The corners of his mouth curved upwards into a smile. That was one of Barry's greatest attributes – he was never sad for too long. "I had to check, you know. Someone has to keep you grounded."
"Or what, you'll fine me?" she replied in a teasing tone.
He grinned. "So, what's the latest, Champion?"
"Well actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You know how the Distortion World was opened?"
"It hasn't reopened, has it?"
Dawn shook her head. "It's worse. I was just informed by Byron that we need to head to Snowpoint City. The final seal has broken and now something great is going to appear."
"Seals?"
"I have to go and see what's happening."
She turned to walk away, but Barry grabbed her arm. "I'll come with you. You need back up."
"The gym leaders, the Elite Four members, Cynthia and Steven will be there."
Barry's gaze hardened. "We're friends, Dawn. We stick together. Champion business or not, you're not leaving me behind."
Dawn knew she wouldn't be able to convince Barry to walk away. It was going to be dangerous; possibly even more dangerous than fighting Giratina since they were fighting in the real world and not in a separate realm. How many innocent people would perish today? How much blood would be spilled? Hadn't they suffered enough already? "I can't say much more about it since I don't really know all the details, but all I know is there's going to be a battle."
"I want to be there."
"Then let's go and do this together."
He nodded.