A/N: I'm so, so, SO sorry that this chapter took a while to get out. I was hoping I could post it last month, but so many things got in the way. If you've been following my latest profile updates, then you'll know that I just got a part-time job, and it's thrown a monkey-wrench into the monthly schedule that I prepared for myself this year. Because of this newest development in my life, I've had to rearrange my priorities on this site and for fanfiction in general. Don't worry, I still do have time to write and post things, but the opportunities to work on ongoing projects won't be as plentiful as they used to be. Plus, I'm still searching for a full-time job that I can call my own, so there's that.
Oh, and there's also the oh-so-famous Southern California summer heat-wave that I'm currently contending with. Woe is me, apparently. I mean, it's like my body's ALLERGIC to temperatures that are 80 degrees and above. Anything like that, and my body just shuts down on me. XD It's unbelievable.
Oh, and speaking of rearranging my priorities on this site and for fanfiction in general, I need to announce a big schedule change for this fic. Since I'm working for about half of the week as part of my new job, I'm going to have to drop my old goal of updating this three times a month, every ten days. From here on out, I will be updating this twice a month, every 15th and 30th or so of every given month. While this'll moderately slow down the amount of time it'll take for this whole fic to get finished, it'll also give me more breathing room to prepare chapters in advance and also work on other ongoing projects. Fortunately, I've been working on the overall plot of this fic, and the length should be balanced out according to these new schedule changes.
Now, there's more for me to talk about, and it's in relation to this fic's schedule changes and plot restructuring. But I am going to save that for the ending Author's Note, because I don't want this one to get any more longer than it should be.
Alright, enough of this godforsaken rambling! On with the long-awaited chapter. ENJOY!
P.S.: Due to the slowly improving situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I am going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
-Stay informed on the COVID-19 vaccines and get shots if you're able to
And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.
TEAM ROSTER
-Team 1 (Sinnoh): Ash, Serena, Dawn, Zoey, Kenny, Ursula, Paul, Trip, Leon, Verity, Cynthia, Gardenia, Crasher Wake, Bertha, Flint, Lucian, Reggie, Johanna, Professor Carolina
-Team 2 (Galar): Goh, Chloe, Bea, Sheena, Baraz, Raihan, Sonia, Nessa, Kabu, Milo, Mustard, Allister, Opal, Melony, Piers
-Team 3 (Kanto): Lillie, Gladion, Lusamine, Brock, Misty, Tracey, Ritchie, Daisy, Violet, Lily, Agatha, Scott
-Team 4 (Johto): Gary, Jimmy, Vincent, Lyra, Khoury, Barry, Tyson, Silver, Professor Oak, Professor Elm
-Team 5 (Alola): Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, Sophocles, Hau, Olivia, Mimo, Professor Kukui, Wicke, Acerola
-Team 6 (Unova): Iris, Cilan, N, Bianca, Stephan, Georgia, Burgundy, Anthea, Concordia
-Team 7: TBA
-Team 8: TBA
Humilau City Pokémon Center
UNOVA REGION
As Nurse Joy and her Audino checked on all his Pokémon and gave them the proper medical attention for their sustained injuries, a teenage boy quietly sat on a sofa, intently reading the brochure in his hands while waiting for the ever-famed nurse to work her magic. This boy had long, unkempt, spiky brown hair and matching eyes. He was also wearing a dark-blue-and-black-striped jacket, what appeared to be a black-and-turquoise wet-suit underneath it, a pair of silver shorts, red-and-black sneakers, and a red tennis visor with a black-and-white Poké Ball insignia.
"Doesn't matter if you lost, man," a voice greeted. "You did great out there."
The boy smiled as he lowered the brochure and lifted his head in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Hugh. Always comin' in with a last-minute compliment, aren't ya?"
His friend, a scarlet-eyed boy with spiky dark-blue hair resembling a Qwilfish and wearing a bright-red-and-white-striped training suit, nodded.
"As always," he replied, a hint of smugness in his voice.
"NAAAAATE!"
The brown-haired boy blushed fiercely, knowing what was about to come. Seconds later, a fair-skinned teenage girl with sparkling sapphire-blue eyes and shoulder-length pink hair, and wearing a white blouse, a baby-blue dress underneath, and a white hat with a pink bow, nearly tackled him off the sofa while embracing him in a tight hug.
"YOU WERE SOOOOO CLOOOOOSE!" the girl wailed, nearly being close to tears.
"Whoa, whoa!" Nate exclaimed. "Calm down there, Yancy! It's not like I died or anything!"
"Jeez, bro," a new voice commented sardonically. "Those were some stupid moves you were using there, Nate."
Nate frowned as a second girl approached the group, her twin brown pigtails trailing behind her. She was wearing a pink-and-white visor on her head, a salmon-pink tank-top tied into a bow around her neck and a salmon-pink semi-Poké Ball insignia on her chest, and frilly mustard-yellow shorts over black leggings.
"A bit aggressive," the second girl explained snobbishly, "not to mention forceful and exhausting on the chosen Pokémon, and only relying purely on random chance. Not something you want to rely on while going up against the Unova frigging Champion. Now, please tell me you didn't get through the entire Unova League on that strategy alone, bro."
"Give him a break, Rosa," Yancy interjected, her cheeks as pink as her hair as she held onto Nate. "He did his very best out there, and that's what counts!"
"Yeah, sis," Nate added defensively. "She was the toughest Trainer I've ever battled. I mean, with a team like that, there was no way I wasn't gonna get creamed in some way today. The only way I could minimize my losses was go straight on the offensive!"
Rosa crossed her arms with a childishly sour pout. "Orrrrr, you could've done the simple thing and bring an all-Ice team to the Champion League."
"Yeah," added Hugh. "You've got, like, a dozen different Ice-types ready to kick some ass for you! And plus, I heard the Champion has a really big thing against Ice-types!"
"I sure would've loved to see those rumors in action..." Rosa remarked.
Nate scowled. "And what, make it easy for me?! I didn't come all this way just for my battle with the Champion to be an absolute pushover! No, if I'm going to take the crown of Champion, then I want my final battle as an ordinary, average Pokémon Trainer to be a reflection of all the strength my Pokémon and I have accumulated this past season!"
Yancy smiled dreamily. "That's right, Nate. And you're the type to fight using all the strength you've got..."
"Unfortunately," Rosa replied bluntly, "all the strength you've got right now wasn't good enough, bro."
"Yeah..."
Nate looked down at his brochure, which depicted a dark-skinned girl with brown eyes and thick, long, dark-purple hair tied in a small and spiky bun. She was wearing a large white-and-carnation-pink dress, a small golden crown with a pair of emeralds encrusted into it, and royal garments. He then tightened his grip around it.
"I thought I hit my limit, but...I guess I just need to set the bar higher..."
"That's the spirit, Nate!" Yancy cried encouragingly, still blushing intensely while pumping her fist up and down in the air like an amateur cheerleader.
"You know..." Hugh piped up, proceeding to gaze out of the Pokémon Center's entrance, "I wonder what kind of limit the new Champion has..."
"And that just about wraps it up, everyone! Thank you for your time!"
Closer to the Humilau shoreline, an interview had just ended. The same dark-skinned girl from the brochure turned away, deciding to ignore the reporters who were being ushered away by one of her many assistants. Once she was confident no one had their eyes on her, she released a heavy sigh of relief and used one of her royal-looking sleeves to wipe the sweat off of her forehead. Then, she glanced longingly toward the Humilau horizon, just as she heard someone joining her side. The girl cracked a smile.
"Well, it took us a while," she said, trying her best to sound satisfied while her dizziness from the overwhelming interview finally began to recede, "but we're finally here, huh Haxorus...?"
The Axe Jaw Pokémon turned towards her and nodded. "Haxor."
IRIS
"O-Oh!" a jittery voice cried suddenly from a short distance. "Th-The Elite Four! Wh-What brings you all here?!"
Iris's eyes widened in surprise, and she turned. "The Elite Four?"
Indeed, she saw four people, now her underlings, approaching her and sidestepping another one of her assistants. To her immense surprise, they now shared one thing in common: faces of grave concern.
"Ahhh, there we go," said one of the four, a young, shoeless muscular man with dark skin and saffron-and-black hair and wearing thick, baggy clothes; his voice was dry and harsh in its sardonicism. "There she is. There is our wonderful brand-new Champion."
MARSHAL
Iris scowled, while Haxorus took a step forward, prepared to defend her if necessary.
"I can do without the sarcasm, thank you Marshal," Iris spat.
Marshal pursed his lips nastily. "And I can do without a Champion who constantly gives us the cold shoulder when she is needed the most."
"Needed the most?" Iris felt a sense of dread quickly bubble in her. "Why, what's going on? Did I miss a big appointment or something?"
"AN IMPORTANT-?!"
Marshal was cut off by a book slamming into the top of his head. Grunting, he exasperatedly clutched his scalp with his hammy hands and glared at his attacker, a purple-haired woman wearing dark-colored clothing and a large collar.
"Calm yourself, Marshal," the woman said. "Yelling at our new Champion isn't going to move things along any faster than it should."
SHAUNTAL
"Calm myself?! Calm myself?!" Marshal pointed an accusatory finger at Iris and Haxorus. "Did you see all those reporters who just left?! Those weren't news reporters; they were Arceus-damn paparazzi! Our Champion is turning a blind eye to the situation and wasting her time with those...th-those leeches! That...That is NOT the proper behavior of a Champion, as expected by the Unova League-!"
"Wait, situation?" Iris interrupted. "What situation?"
"Oh, now she's all concerned."
Iris clenched her teeth and crossed her arms firmly. "I hadn't heard anything about a situation, Marshal, because I was in the middle of a battle with a challenger. You know, being a proper Champion, as expected by the Unova League."
"The Champion's correct, Marshal," said another one of the four, a tall, lean, black-haired man wearing a black-and-red-outlined suit and a yellow scarf. "You should conduct yourself with a little more professionalism. I understand that you've been upset about Alder's defeat and concession, but your persistent dislike of the new Champion, it's quite concerning."
GRIMSLEY
"Agreed," added the final one of the four, the only one Iris recognized when she was formally introduced to all of them; a beautiful, well-dressed woman with blonde hair as long and thick as Iris's once was, she yawned to punctuate her single-word sentence.
CAITLIN
Marshal glared at his colleagues, outraged that they were all being generous toward Iris. Nevertheless, he swallowed his pride and looked away like a stubborn child. Meanwhile, Shauntal approached Iris and gave her and Haxorus a sweet and maternal smile.
"I'm sorry about that, Iris," she said. "Anyway, about this situation-"
"It's really dire," interrupted Grimsley. "And no, it's not another appointment with the Pokémon League, if that was what you were worried about."
"Huh?" Iris blinked incredulously. "Dire?"
Black City
– Two hours later –
The couple hesitantly approached the small stall at the quiet, isolated end of the bustling street, their unhappy Nidorino stomping childishly beside them while their Nidorina looked longingly at him in concern. However, to the couple's dismay, they found a small sign left on the counter.
"Out on lunch?" read the woman in disbelief. "Will be back at 1:00?! Wow, what a bunch of frigging baloney! What kind of S-Class Pokémon Connoisseur just advertises their services in such a-a flashy manner, only to lead their customers to this little pigsty! And not only that, b-but they just abandon their post for a bite and leave their prospective customers in the dust!"
"The consequences of the Pokémon Connoisseur Association's laziness," the man deadpanned, as the Nidorina squeaked in unhappiness. "Come on, babe, let's just sit here and wait for the Connoisseur to come back."
"Well, when they do, I'm gonna be giving 'em an earful! I'd give 'em ALL an earful!"
"Connoisseurs whose businesses are slow, I guess?" The man procured his Rotom Phone and scrolled through it. "Oh. Ah, man. According to the local reviews, this clinic opened about a couple of months ago. Two out of ten stars."
"Two?! I'm surprised this person even has a star! Well, that score's gonna go down to zero when I am done here!" Then, the woman looked down at Nidorino, who was grumbling angrily at her. "Come on, Nidorino! I did everything you wanted and you're still giving me attitude?! What else do you want from me?!"
"Can I help you two?" a new voice asked politely from behind them.
The couple turned and saw a teenage boy walking towards them. He was tall and slender, with slicked-back chartreuse-green hair with a four-pointed tuft, and light-green eyes. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt under a black waistcoat with two large, gold buttons; black trousers with a black belt; and a green bow-tie. The two were stunned to see a snappily-dressed boy like him in a place such as this, and the woman couldn't help but jump to conclusions.
"O-Oh! H-Hello!" she greeted before clearing her throat. "Are you the Pokémon Connoisseur who set up shop here?"
"Oh, no," the boy replied, shaking his head with an amused smile. "I do know the Connoisseur manning the stall, though. She's not perfect, but she tries her best."
"Well, we need someone who is one of the best, not trying to be." The woman picked up her grouchy Poison Pin Pokémon as he squirmed uncomfortably. "Thank you, though, young man. I suppose we'll be taking our business elsewhere-"
"Hold up!" the boy interrupted, his smile widening. "I am a Connoisseur myself! A-class, to be exact!"
"You are?" the man asked, blinking with suspicion. "May we see your license?"
"Sure thing!"
The boy reached into his pocket, procured the license, and showed it to them. They examined it from top to bottom for a couple of seconds before the woman nodded in approval.
"Seems legit to me! Look, I really, really, really need your help!" She showed the boy her grouchy Nidorino. "I don't know what's going on with my Nidorino! He's been acting this way all day, and I've done everything I could to make him happy but it's...it's like he's been replaced with an evil twin or something!"
"Don't worry, I'm happy to help." The Connoisseur gave her a warm, friendly smile before twirling around dramatically, a move that surprised his new customers. "It's evaluating time!"
CILAN
"Uh...excuse me, wha...?" the man asked.
Unova League Headquarters, Black City
"Alright. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You can do this."
Slapping her cheeks lightly in order to keep herself laser-focused, Iris got out of the helicopter that she had been riding in, closely followed by Shauntal and Caitlin. The three females then stepped off of the helipad in an organized, uniform manner, quickly being joined by Marshal and Grimsley, both of whom had exited from the second chopper in their little entourage.
As soon as they left the helipad and prepared to enter the access stairwell, the quintet stopped in their tracks. Standing beside the doorway to the stairwell was a man none of them ever expected to see.
"Why, hey there Iris!" the tall, old redheaded man greeted, his jovial voice still larger than life. "Long time, no see!"
Iris blinked, unsure over whether she should feel shocked or amused. "But we last saw each other last month..."
"HA HA HA HA HA!" Everyone was startled by the man's laidback laughter. "Ahhhh, I see the title of Champion is treating you well! Obviously not as well as it did for me, but you'll get there one day, Iris!"
ALDER
All of a sudden, the sound of a bitter scoff filled the air. Everyone turned towards Marshal, who had his arms crossed and his gaze directed away from the others, especially Iris.
"Yeah, one day," the Elite Four member commented sardonically. "One day."
"Hmmm?" Alder blinked. "And you are...?"
"Huuuh?!" Marshal glared at the former Unova Champion, affronted and outraged. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you forgot me again, Alder! It's me, Marshal!" When this was met with more confusion, the muscular Elite Four member pressed on. "Your apprentice from a long time ago?!"
A couple of seconds passed before Alder's eyes lit up in realization. "Ohhhhh, I remember you now!"
"Thank Arceus for that!"
"It's Marshton, right?!"
Marshal fell over, gagging pathetically from complete shock, while Iris struggled to suppress a giggle. At the same time, Shauntal stepped forward, her lips twitching distastefully.
"Now's not the time for greetings, Alder," she said. "If you'll excuse us, we have a very important meeting to attend to-"
"Ahhh, so I've heard, cutie!" Alder interrupted, shooting her a flirtatious smile that only succeeded in making her writhe in discomfort. "After all, I've been invited to attend this very same meeting!"
The Elite Four member scowled disapprovingly. "One, don't call me cutie. After all these years, you still have not learned from all the other times you tried to flirt with me, Alder. And two, I don't recall anyone sending you an invitation to this meeting."
"Of course I was invited! After all, I invited myself over!"
Now, it was Shauntal's turn to fall over, gagging in disbelief. This gave Grimsley the opportunity to step forward himself, though he looked rather intimidated in Alder's presence.
"L-L-Look, A-Alder," he stammered, "w-we a-appreciate you b-being here t-to express your, uh, concern a-and solidarity, b-but-"
"But what? Screw the Unova League Conference rules! I've been this region's Champion for the longest time in its entire history, so I should still have a right to know what's going on in my home turf!" He looked at Iris and gave her a friendly smile that reminded her of a certain raven-haired boy from long ago. "Now isn't that right, Iris?!"
Iris looked at Alder for a brief moment, then at the Elite Four. Shauntal, Marshal, and Grimsley were subtly shaking their heads at her, while Caitlin looked like she was about to doze off, per usual. But when she looked back at Alder, the Village of Dragons native recalled all of her experiences with the former Champion, starting with her original journey throughout Unova, and the decision was already made for her then.
"Alright, come on, Alder," she said. "We're wasting enough time as it is."
Shauntal and Grimsley both sighed softly in disapproval, while Marshal slapped his forehead in disbelief. Caitlin simply let out a light snore as her response.
Black City
"Thank you so, so, so much, Cilan!"
"Yeah! We owe you one!"
The lone, slim, fair-skinned girl stopped in her tracks, her blood swiftly running as cold as an Ice-type move the moment she heard the familiar name. With her lilac-colored eyes widening in stunned despair, she dropped her wrapped sandwich without a second thought and began running over to the stall she had set up, her curly, bob-cut purple hair swaying back and forth with every step. As soon as she found her stall, the girl's worst fears were immediately realized.
"Oh, don't mention it!" the green-haired boy replied with an ever-friendly smile. "But next time, though, you really need to keep in mind Nidorino's diet and palette sensitivities before you make him participate in another one of those contests, ma'am. Always keep in mind, it is the Pokémon's preferences that matter in a relationship between Trainer and Pokémon, not the other way around!"
"Yes, yes!" the well-dressed woman replied, just before taking the boy's hands and shaking them frantically. "I will take your advice and keep it close to the vest! Again, I really, really appreciate your help, Cilan!"
"Okay!" The boy chuckled, apparently overwhelmed by his customer's gratefulness. "Take care now!"
"NO!" the girl cried, stepping forward before the couple and their Nidorino and Nidorina could make their leave. "No, no, no! Wh-What seems to be the problem, ma'am?! I-I'm a Pokémon Connoisseur, an-and I can attend to your a-and your Pokémon's needs!"
The woman blinked incredulously and scanned the girl from head to toe, taking in her slightly masculine outfit, consisting of a red blouse, a pale-pink long-sleeved shirt with a red tie-like ribbon on the collar, and tight-fitting black pants.
"You're a Pokémon Connoisseur?" she asked.
"Y-Yep!" The girl saluted, though it looked more cheesy and overly dramatic than what she would've liked. "Burgundy, S-Class Pokémon Connaisseuse, at your service!"
BURGUNDY
"Wait, you're Burgundy?" the man asked, one of his eyebrows quirked.
"Yes!" Burgundy puffed out her chest in pride. "That's me!"
"So you're the one who advertised that Arceus-damn pigsty!"
To accentuate his claim, the man pointed at the stall that Burgundy had left unattended for a few minutes (or several, for that matter) so she could get lunch. For a moment, Burgundy struggled to remember the excuse that she had prepared in advance, but once she did, the damage was already done.
"You are so lucky your friend over there vouched for you," the woman commented, pointing at Cilan. "We were prepared to report you and your practice otherwise!"
"R-Report me?!" Burgundy's eyes grew large in fear. "N-N-No! Pl-Please excuse me for the appearance of my office-"
"Your office?" The man rolled his eyes and took his significant other's hand. "Come on, babe, let's get outta here."
"NO!" Burgundy jumped in front of the couple, blocking their path. "D-Don't believe a word that comes out of that...that fraud's mouth! I'm the one you can trust, not him-"
"It's alright, Burgundy," Cilan interrupted politely, stepping forward and patting his rival on the shoulder. "I already took a look at their Nidorino and found a solution to their problem. You don't have to-"
Burgundy swatted Cilan's hand away. "Don't you dare, Cilan!"
"What?" The boy blinked, looking genuinely puzzled by her behavior. "What am I doing?"
"Stealing my customers away from me, that's what!" Burgundy gritted her teeth at him and put her hands on her hips. "I don't know what you told them, but your so-called professional advice is not gonna hold up! I know what the problem is with that Nidorino of theirs, and I will be the one to diagnose it, not you! So step aside, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, because it is my time to shine!" She then turned her head. "Now then, where were- ACK!"
Burgundy was stunned to see empty space where the couple once stood. Looking over her shoulder, she could easily see the two and their Nidorino and Nidorina making their getaway, returning on the public sidewalk yards away.
"W-Wait!" she called, but her shout was weak; she had already accepted the inevitable. "Don't go..."
Then, once the couple disappeared into the milling crowd of pedestrians, Burgundy's shoulders sunk, and she moaned in despair. Cilan took one sympathetic look at his self-declared rival and patted her on the back in consolation, even though that earned him nothing but an exasperated growl.
Unova League Headquarters, Black City
"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Champion Iris!"
A weary Iris cracked the friendliest smile that she could possibly muster at her appointed liaison with the Unova League Conference. The slim, neurotic, Watchog-looking man guided her, Alder, and the Elite Four down the hallway and towards the conference room.
"Why in Arceus's name were you not answering our phone calls?!" the liaison snapped exasperatedly, the sweat dripping down his face from his scalp. "All of the other attendees are here as requested!"
"I'm so, so sorry!" Iris replied, frazzled. "B-But I had an interview scheduled for today, a-and I-"
"Ah, great," Marshal interrupted gruffly. "So, being interviewed by a bunch of vultures and putting yourself out there for the world to see is a lot more important to you than getting to the bottom of the crisis unfolding as we speak, huh?!"
"Now, now, Marshton!" Alder interjected, patting the other burly man on the shoulder. "When I was Champion, I had my fair share of interviews, even those that conflicted with other scheduled events! It's times like those that leave us with no other choice but to pick one over the other. Lots of risk analyses need to be done in order to weigh the interests of taking one option over the other! There is never an easy decision to make, but what matters is-"
"Wait, are you serious?!" Shauntal exclaimed in disbelief.
"One option is clearly more preferential over the other in this case!" cried a mind-boggled Grimsley.
"Wait, wait, wait, what in the world is he doing here?!" the liaison snapped, his skin paling at the sight of Alder. "Does he have the necessary clearance?!"
"Apparently, he does," Marshal growled. "Our new Champion invited him in."
"W-Well..." The liaison glared at Iris, who recoiled at his unhappy, disapproving look. "I-If that's what the Champion wa-wants...b-but Iris, it's supposed to be your responsibility to fill him in on the situation beforehand if you allowed him in!"
"S-Sorry, sorry!" Iris cried. "I-I'm still wrapping my head around the details myself, to be honest."
Marshal scoffed. "You're still wrapping your head around the details. Unbelievable..."
"We'll talk about this later," the liaison hissed, and he ushered the group down the hall with even more urgency. "But for now, we gotta begin this meeting! It's gonna start at any time now!"
As Iris continued towards the conference room, she couldn't help but shoot an angry glare at Marshal. To her dismay, the muscular Elite Four member was staring back at her, the hatred evident in his expression. She struggled to contain the outrage that she felt when Marshal looked away from her with a huff.
"Oh, for the love of Arceus, Marshal!" she thought furiously. "Gimme a damn break! The only reason I didn't know about this emergency meeting during the interview was because I had my phone on silent! And besides, who takes calls in the middle of an interview, anyway?! I bet you'd still chew me out if I took that call in the middle of that interview and then left in a hurry!"
By the time Iris finished her musings, she and the rest of her group had finally reached the conference room. The liaison reached the door first and opened it, allowing the others to enter. There, Iris was greeted by a myriad of familiar faces.
"Oh, thank goodness!"
The speaker, a tall, thin young man with bright-green eyes and chin-length, thick, wavy honey-brown hair, stood up from his chair. He looked like some sort of high-cultured artist with his choice of clothing, consisting of a cider-green, V-neck, long-sleeved shirt; a red scarf wrapped around his neck; a brown belt with a buckle that almost resembled a Butterfree or a Beautifly; and a pair of red pants with dark-green and black vertical stripes. He ran up to Iris and grabbed both of her palms, startling her.
"We were worried sick about you, Iris!" the man cried. "When you didn't answer our phone calls, we thought you were in serious trouble!"
BURGH
"Yeah!"
The next speaker was a young woman with light-tan skin, blue eyes, and dark-red hair, which was tied with an accessory resembling a propeller and a bun. She wore a long-sleeved, light-blue crop-top that showed off her midriff; bulky dark-blue gloves; light-blue shorts; a dark blue holster attached on her right thigh; and dark-blue straps of fabric with white buckles that wrapped around her stomach and hips. She ran up to Iris and Burgh, her normally upbeat face radiating an aura of immense relief.
"I mean," the woman continued, "the Unova Champion League Conference was a few miles near the area and all..."
SKYLA
"Wait," Iris replied. "This happened near the Unova Champion League Conference?! Sh-Shauntal told me there was some suspected criminal activity in the general area, b-but I never would've guessed it was that close!"
"Of course..." Marshal said in a harsh, gruff whisper. He then mumbled something incomprehensible that Iris could only guess was additional insults directed towards her.
"Settle down, Marshal," a new voice said, and Iris's heart jumped with relief as she stared at the other end of the room.
Standing there was an old and weathered but tall and muscular man with white hair and a white beard, which covered his mouth from below and resembled the toothy lower jaw of a reptile. He also wore a white shirt with rolled sleeves, a pair of gray pants with purple suspenders and spiky shoulder pads with spikes, and black gloves.
"I told you before," the man continued, "I have my utmost faith and confidence in Iris's abilities as the Unova Champion. She may still have a lot to learn about this position, but there is no doubt in my mind that she will grow and mature with the times. And now..." He directed his gaze towards the side. "Now is one of those times."
DRAYDEN
Iris followed her former mentor's stare and saw that he was looking at a TV screen large enough to encompass the whole wall beside her. It was currently depicting a live news report of activities by...
"Wait, Team Plasma?!" the Champion exclaimed, reading the headline.
"Yes, Team Plasma."
This time, the speaker was a tall, slender young man with fair skin, grayish-blue eyes, and long jet-black hair with a tiny tuft sticking out from the top of his head. He wore a white dress-shirt, an orange necktie, and blue dress pants.
"It appears that they've escaped from jail some time ago," the man explained, his voice cool and professional. "They just stormed a remote location somewhere in northern Unova."
CHEREN
"Where, exactly?" Iris asked.
"A place called the Full Court." Cheren glanced at the dark-skinned girl. "Do you know it?"
"It...sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't recall from exactly where..."
"Well, it just so happens to be a rumored resting place of the Legendary Pokémon Kyurem."
Iris immediately snapped to attention, memories of her adventure with Keldeo returning to the forefront of her mind.
"Kyurem?!" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Kyurem..." replied a petite young girl with bright blue eyes, pale skin, and long layered white hair tied into a high, spiky ponytail, and wearing a loose sky-blue-and-magenta-striped dress over a black vest and long black-and-teal boots. "And, as it turns out, it's no longer a 'rumored' resting place."
ROXIE
"What're you talking about?" Grimsley asked, while Caitlin yawned beside him.
"Oh yeah, the four of you were on your way to Humilau when those developments came in," remarked Burgh.
"The rumored resting place is now confirmed," Drayden said gravely. "Kyurem itself left the area with Team Plasma."
"It...It did?!" Iris squeaked.
She looked at the screen again, just in time to see a replay of handheld video footage depicting a familiar gray-and-blue, bipedal, draconic Pokémon with shining yellow eyes without pupils, tiny two-clawed arms jointed together from its oddly shaped blue wings, and three-clawed feet. It was willingly stepping onto a metal platform carried on steel chains by two helicopters as a group of people observed.
"D-Do we know if it was captured?" she asked.
"No, it wasn't," replied a large, brown-haired man wearing a large cowboy hat and other Wild West-themed clothing that gave him a semblance to a prospector. "The scientists who were in the area and recorded that footage said they saw no resistance by Kyurem whatsoever."
CLAY
"And look at that video, Iris," Drayden advised, pointing over her shoulder.
Iris looked back at the news report and saw another startling sight: the swarm of Cryogonal that had sworn allegiance to Kyurem. They were flowing out of the mouth of the cave from which Kyurem had presumably come, moving in a uniform manner, like a stream. None of them bothered to stop Kyurem from stepping onto the platform, nor did they make any sort of attempt to stop Team Plasma from taking their leader away. In fact, as soon as the helicopters carrying the sheet of metal took off with Kyurem in tow, all of the Cryogonal followed after them in a nonaggressive manner.
"It seems as if Kyurem and its army of Cryogonal have allied themselves with Team Plasma," remarked Clay.
"I'm afraid this situation is getting worse by the minute," Cheren added.
"But...But why?" Iris asked, her mind swimming with disbelief. She recalled her last meeting with the Boundary Pokémon and how it had been persistent on finishing its duel with Keldeo, but beyond that, there was nothing malevolent about it that she could sense.
"Does it matter why?!" Marshal snapped. "The bottom line is, Team Plasma's back, they've apparently got Kyurem and a whole shit-ton of Cryogonal on their side!"
"And it gets worse," Clay replied.
He took the remote from the nearby conference table and used it to change the channel to another news network. It was broadcasting an image of Unova's map, with a dot marking Kyurem and Team Plasma's current flight pattern. They were apparently slated to reach Black City in over half an hour, much to Iris's shock.
"Oh, great!" Marshal cried. "Just great! Now they're on their way to Black so they could wreak havoc here! Excellent! Just what we needed! I was becoming intolerant of the little heat-wave we've been having here, anyway!"
"We need to come up with a plan of attack quickly," another voice said.
The speaker was a stunning woman who had the body of a supermodel, being tall, slender, and young. She had bright, almond-shaped, blue eyes and short black hair with long extensions that were tied into two diamond-patterned braids. She also wore a blue-and-yellow crop-top and shorts; a large, fluffy yellow coat; and a pair of ballet flats, one of them red and the other blue. Additionally, she was wearing headphones with conic spikes protruding out of the earpieces, with the right spike red and the left blue. Finally, she had nail polish applied to her fingernails, with the polish being colored red on her right hand, and blue on her left. Of all the Unova Gym Leaders, this woman was a stunningly far cry from the woman Iris first met on her original journey.
ELESA
"We're in the middle of the tourist season right now," added Elesa. "There'll be bigger crowds, and bigger crowds mean a lot more panic in the streets. Unnecessary collateral damage."
"But what can we do?" Skyla asked. "I don't know if anyone remembered their history lessons, but Kyurem's supposed to be one of the strongest frigging Legendary Pokémon there is! Not only is it an Ice/Dragon-type, but it can also access the powers of both Reshiram AND Zekrom at its own will!"
"Not to mention they've got all those Cryogonal by their side now," added a tall, well-built man with wild deep-blue hair, light-blue eyes, and deep-blue eyebrows; he wore light-blue swimming goggles that were currently hanging around his neck, a skintight sports shirt, and tan cargo shorts.
MARLON
"Well..." Alder interjected. At the same time, he shot a side-glance at Iris, who nervously hitched her breath underneath his gaze. "That's for our new Champion to decide, now isn't it?"
"Wait, me?!" she squeaked, surprised.
"Ah, great..." Marshal grumbled.
"Yes, you," Alder replied approvingly. "So tell us, Iris, what's our strategy gonna be? You're the Dragon expert, after all. I think coming up with a countermeasure against the likes of Kyurem will be child's play for you, at the very least."
The tan-skinned Champion gulped audibly. "W-Well, uh... Th-The plan is, uhhh..."
Iris scanned the room and each and every one of his old colleagues in turn, nervousness evident in her expression. She could see the mixed reactions her demeanor was evoking: Marshal, Clay, Cheren, and Roxie were disapproving; Drayden, Shauntal, Elesa, Skyla, Burgh, and Marlon still looked supportive; and Grimsley and Caitlin looked preoccupied with other matters, namely Grimsley's phone and Caitlin's slumber. She knew she shouldn't disappoint them any further or totally dash their hopes and expectations of her...
And yet...
"What am I even supposed to say to them?" she thought worriedly. "What's the inspiring plan that I could give to them?! Yeah, let's rush into battle and go up against the most powerful Dragon-type Pokémon in existence! The most powerful Dragon-type who has access to the powers of Reshiram and Zekrom AND an army of Cryogonal! I know that's a pretty tall order, but hey, we can do it! No pressure!"
"I..." Iris could barely feel the copious amounts of sweat developing on her forehead and dripping down her bronze skin. "I-I... I-"
"Ah, that's just great," Marshal growled, catching everyone's attention. "We've got a crisis on our hands, potentially one of the worst crises Unova has faced in recent memory, and our new Champion is reduced to a stuttering mess during the frigging planning stages. Yeah, way to go, girl."
"H-Hey!" Iris was teetering between dismay and outrage at this point. "Don't blame me! How was I supposed to know I'd be Champion while Unova would be caught in such a big situation-"
"HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!" Marshal's shout startled most of the others as a white-hot fire began to form in his eyes. "HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW?! HOW...HOW COULD YOU- NO, HOW DARE YOU NOT THINK UNOVA WOULD BE IN A DIRE SITUATION SUCH AS THIS?! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!"
"I've only been Champion for three months!" Iris protested. "How was I-?!"
"THREE MONTHS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO GET YOURSELF SITUATED!"
"Come on, Marshal," Shauntal interjected with concern. "Give her a break."
"GIVE HER A BREAK?!" hollered a stunned Marshal. "GIVE HER A BREAK?! SHE'S A CHAMPION, MARSHAL! CHAMPIONS SHOULDN'T BE SWEATING AT THESE KINDS OF THINGS! BUT LOOK AT HER! SHE'S JUST A NOOB!"
"HEY!" Iris snapped furiously.
But Marshal ignored her. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN ALL THE NEWS OUTLETS GET A HOLD OF THIS CONVERSATION?!" When no one responded, he continued, "ARCEUS-DAMN IT! THE FATE OF UNOVA'S RESTING IN OUR HANDS, AND OUR PRECIOUS CHAMPION'S RUNNING AROUND BLIND, FOR ARCEUS'S SAKE!"
Iris gritted her teeth and stomped on the floor angrily before she could help herself. "I'M NOT RUNNING AROUND BLIND, MARSHAL!"
Then, all of a sudden, a flash of white light erupted from Iris's pocket, spurred on by her shout. The bright flash took on the shape of a draconic figure before fading to reveal...
"HAXOR!"
The Haxorus protectively stepped in front of Iris and towered over Marshal, glaring down at the latter and snorting right at him threateningly. But the Elite Four member wasn't daunted by his presence even in the slightest; instead, he chose to maintain eye contact without blinking or breaking a sweat.
"Haxor..." the Axe Jaw Pokémon snarled.
"Haxorus, what in the world are you doing?!" Iris exclaimed, running up to her first Pokémon and tugging his arm.
"Well, well, well," Marshal said with a taunting smirk, "gonna let your guard Dragon attack your colleague, Champion?"
By that point, Clay, no longer pleased with Marshal's behavior, stepped forward and grabbed his burly arm, holding onto it with a vice-like grip.
"Okay, time to tone it down now, Marshal," he growled. "Before you do something you're gonna regret."
"But did you hear her?!" Marshal snapped.
"You heard him."
Everyone disbelievingly stared at Alder, who hadn't spoken since he entered the conference room. He had his eyes closed and his arms crossed while leaning his towering, well-built body against the wall, but there was nothing about his posture that exuded his usual casual, absentminded self. Instead, there was something surprisingly authoritative about him, and it caught everyone's attention, including Iris.
"We're standing here now, aren't we?" Alder asked, his voice now deep and serious. "The situation's evolving with every minute that passes by, and we're all just struggling to catch up. So, contrary to what some might think-"
Marshal blushed intensely in embarrassment at the remark.
"The responsibility of constantly staying informed and keeping oneself prepared falls on no one's shoulders. And I mean no one's. Regardless of what could've or should've happened back then, it ultimately didn't, and our responsibility now is to make sure the situation stops evolving." He scanned the room and address each and every one of his old colleagues in turn. "It does not matter if Team Plasma's got Kyurem and an army of Cryogonal at their disposal. We may lack physical strength and numbers, but we've got our mental strength, not to mention the home advantage."
"Hold on, Alder," Elesa said. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
The former Champion nodded firmly. "You guessed correctly. We're going to engage the threat directly."
"Are you serious?" Burgh asked incredulously.
"Well, they're on a collision course with Black, the famed center of the Unova League. I cannot imagine any other reason why they'd have us in our sights. So if they want a fight, then a fight is what we're gonna give them!"
"And how are we gonna give them a fight while they have that...?" Marlon asked, pointing at the TV screen as it replayed the footage of Kyurem joining Team Plasma.
"Simple." Alder's stunningly serious face vanished in an instant and was replaced by his usual wide, buck-toothed smile. "We give them everything we've got, and THEN some!"
"That doesn't sound like a good plan," deadpanned Grimsley.
"Let alone an actual plan," Roxie added.
"Ahhh, come on! L-Look, Team Plasma's got powerhouses on their side, right? But I didn't bring up our mental strength and our home advantage for nothing, you know!"
"What're you getting at, Alder?" Shauntal asked suspiciously.
"We use Black City's terrain and architecture to our advantage! After all, Team Plasma's never been to Black as far as we are concerned! If they can't find their way around the city, then we can gain the upper hand against them!"
Finally, the eight Gym Leaders and the Unova Elite Four caught on to Alder's strategy. They looked amongst one another and nodded and muttered in approval, while Iris stood to the side and observed with a mixture of dismay and awe.
"Wow," the girl thought. "Alder's personal qualities may not be all that desirable, but his strategies sure can be when he actually puts his mind to it. But me? I...I've been trying my hardest to be a serious and respectable Champion since day one, and yet, I'm just as popular as Alder in his downtime, if not worse. I wish I could command that kind of respect and attention from my peers like Alder can..."
"It's settled, then!" Marshal barked abruptly, his eyes shining like a little kid. "We follow Alder's strategy and form a plan of attack based on Black City's terrain and architecture!"
"But what about the citizens and the tourists?" asked Elesa. "What're we gonna tell them?"
"That's obvious!" Iris blurted out. "We tell them to evacuate right away!"
"And risk a citywide breakdown of order?" asked Marshal. "I don't think so."
"I agree with Marshal on this one," added Grimsley. "We should tell them to shelter in place."
"And tell them what?" Skyla asked. "That there's about to a big-ass battle in their streets?"
"We'll tell them there's a horde of wild Poison-type Pokémon on the loose," Alder piped up. "That's it. The less details, the better off we'll all be."
"Now there's our Champion!" Marshal cried proudly.
Iris's eye twitched in anger, but she was unable to voice her discontent as the rest of the Unova League gathered around to discuss the finer details of their strategy. Left with no other choice, she swallowed her pride and joined the rest of the group, listening in on the conversation and absorbing all of the details that were being thrown around, like a sponge.
Unfortunately, she found herself positioned next to Marshal when she joined the discussion. The burly Elite Four member scowled at her once she made her presence known, and this prompted Haxorus to stand in front of Iris again, growling and preparing himself for some sort of defensive measure. But the Elite Four member scoffed and leaned to the side to look at Iris.
"No matter what you say or do, little girlie," he snarled, "you'll never truly be the Unova Champion. You're waaaay out of your league, and you'll learn it sooner or later."
"Is that a threat I'm hearing?" Iris asked angrily.
Marshal immediately withdrew from his position, but he was still scowling. "No, not at all. Just a warning."
He broke off from the others and walked over to the other side of the room, leaving behind an irritated Iris. But as soon as she halfheartedly looked back at the others, her look of exasperation slackened, and her lower lip began quivering...
– An hour later –
"Ugh, it's about time..."
A winded, exasperated Iris stepped out of the Unova League Headquarters complex, her brain pounding inside her head and her chest feeling heavy. She and the rest of the Unova League spent the last several minutes coming up with what they felt was the perfect strategy against Team Plasma's advance upon Black City. Though she threw in a couple of useful suggestions of her own, Iris couldn't help but feel that the entire thing would be futile. After all, there was no forgetting the myths of Kyurem that the Village of Dragons elder imparted upon her, all those years ago...
"Elder, who's the strongest Dragon-type Pokémon?"
"If I tell, you might not like it very much, Iris."
"But Elder, you know that I love all kinds of Dragon-types!"
"This Dragon-type Pokémon came into being with Zekrom and Reshiram. And it was bestowed with unsurpassed strength and power. This Pokémon's body is constantly giving off a harsh, freezing wind."
"Really? Well, that sounds way too chilling to me. I'm not a big fan of cold."
"Kyurem is the strongest Dragon-type Pokémon in the world..."
"Kyurem is the strongest Dragon-type Pokémon in the world..." Iris recited to herself in her mind. "And Elder was most certainly not joking around when she said that. It's...It's almost like she was trying to warn me about it-"
"Ah-HA! Found ya!"
"Huh?"
Iris was abruptly shaken straight out of her reverie by the sight of familiar icy-blue eyes. She blinked once before finally recognizing the person standing in front of her. It was a teenage girl about her age, with dark-pink hair and clad in a long dark-teal dress with a teal blouse underneath, along with a mustard-yellow cap and gloves. The Unova Champion sighed in exasperation and turned her back on the newcomer.
"Oh, it's you again," Iris deadpanned. "Are you really gonna shoot for your tenth straight loss?"
"Not this time!" the girl proclaimed while proudly jabbing a thumb at herself. "This time, this time, I am gonna show you the true worth of my title 'Dragon Buster'!"
GEORGIA
Before Iris could respond with another snappy retort, she suddenly remembered Team Plasma's impending arrival, along with the Unova League's strategy. Swallowing her pride once again, she turned around to face her old rival.
"As much as I'd love to kick your butt once again, Georgia," she replied, "I'm afraid I don't have the time."
"Oooooooh, so the new Champion of Unova doesn't have the time." Georgia smirked tauntingly. "What's wrong, Iris? Are you running away from my Ice-types like the scaredy-Glameow you are? I wonder what the public would think once they find out you have that silly fear of Ice-types-"
"It's not a silly fear! It's a justifiable, totally rational one! I mean, who wants to freeze to death?!"
"Oh, don't worry, little wittle Iris. My Pokémon don't bite. Much."
Iris gritted her teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Georgia, I don't know if it's gonna through that thick lil' skull of yours, but you are standing in front of the Unova League Headquarters." She pointed to the side. "See that sign over there? It says 'Unova League Headquarters'."
Georgia scowled at her. "I can read, thank you very much. And all the better to challenge you to a battle too!" She took out a Poké Ball and lightly bounced it on her palm with an arrogant smirk. "Ohhhh, I just can't wait to kick your butt and your silly Haxorus's too, all in front of your peers and equals! That way, I can prove myself as the Dragon Buster to the entire Unova League!"
Iris recoiled at the thought, especially since she knew a possible defeat in front of the Unova League would subject her to more disparaging comments from Marshal. But once again, she swallowed her pride and remained firm.
"What I meant to tell you, Georgia," she replied, "is that I am here on urgent Unova League business. All challenges to a battle with me will have to be put on hold in the meantime-"
"Oh, yeah right," Georgia interrupted. "You're just scared to come up against me and my Beartic! You know, I remember how close you were to defeat the last time we fought!"
Iris's eyelid twitched nastily. "Close to defeat? I didn't even lose a single Pokémon!"
"W-Well, m-my Beartic was close to defeating your Haxorus back then! And guess what?!" The pink-haired girl took on an overdramatic pose of triumph. "My Pokémon and I have tripled our strength since the last time we fought! We could take down your entire team of six with ease now!"
"Th-That's great, Georgia, but I'm serious." Iris narrowed her hazel eyes seriously. "I can't fight you. Not right now. Wh-Why don't you go back to the Pokémon Center or wherever you came from? I'll let you know when I'm ready for-"
"HA! Like you will!" The self-proclaimed Dragon Buster threw her Poké Ball, summoning her signature Beartic, which let out a loud roar that shook the windows of the Unova League Headquarters complex. "Come on, Iris! Accept my challenge and battle me! I've got a victory to clinch from you, so I'm not leaving until you do!"
Iris grew increasingly alarmed by Georgia's resolve. "Georgia, I'm serious!"
"I'm serious too!" The other girl gritted her teeth, her anger and irritation finally bubbling to the surface. "I'm the Dragon Buster, and yet I keep losing to the likes of you, a Dragon-type specialist who's now the new Unova Champion somehow? I can't even-"
"I didn't 'somehow' become the new Champion!" Iris snapped angrily, Marshal's insults and lack of confidence returning to her mind. "I earned that title, fair and square!"
"Then prove it to me! Battle me, Iris! Battle me, and show me your true power as the new Champion!"
"FINE!" Disregarding her original plan and letting her emotions guide her, Iris produced Haxorus's Poké Ball. "I'll prove it to you!"
Georgia smiled with gleeful triumph. "Alriiiiight! There's the Iris I remember!"
But before Iris could throw her Poké Ball...
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" a new voice cried, piercing the air. "Now what's going on here?"
Iris's heart abruptly jumped at the sound of the voice; there was no mistaking it. "Could it be...?" She looked to her side and saw two familiar people approaching her and Georgia. "It...It IS!"
"Huh?" Cilan's eyes widened at the sight of the Unova Champion and her sense of style. "Iris? Is that you?"
"Heh heh heh..." Iris started sheepishly twiddling her fingers. "I-In the flesh..."
"Wow!" With wide eyes, the Pokémon Connoisseur scanned the new Champion from head to toe. "It...It's been a while!"
"It sure is..." Iris also scanned her friend and former traveling companion. "You...You haven't changed one bit."
"I wish I could say the same for you!"
"Blah blah blah, who cares?!" Georgia snapped, while her Beartic crossed its arms and tapped its foot impatiently. "Hey, lovebirds! Are you done talking now? Or do I have to go through the whole hugging and smooching scene first before we get down to business?!"
Cilan chuckled nervously. "It's nice to see you too, Georgia."
"Darn right it's nice, greenie!" Then, Georgia took notice of Cilan's companion. "Oh, hey Burgundy!"
Burgundy waved at the so-called Dragon Buster with a friendly smile. "Hi, Georgia! It's been a while!"
"It sure has." Then, she looked between her unofficial friend and Cilan. "He ignoring you too?"
"On the contrary." Burgundy scowled at the higher-ranked Connoisseur. "He's trying to give me advice on how to become a better Connaisseuse! HA! Advice! Can you believe that?! As if I need advice on how to improve my Connaisseuse-ness! Especially from a...a...a dummy like him!"
"But you do need advice, Burgundy," Cilan replied, unbothered by his rival's insult.
"No, I don't!"
As Cilan tried to talk some sense into Burgundy, Iris immediately remembered what she and the Unova League planned to do when it came to the civilians. Looking at Cilan in particular, the Champion stepped forward with a cordial smile.
"I-It's so nice to see you again, Cilan," she said, "but I'm afraid I have to get going."
"What?" Cilan asked, surprised. "So soon?"
"Yeah. I've got some business to attend to now, and I can't afford to skip out."
"Business? What sort of business?"
"She's the new Champion of Unova, Mr. Genius Detective," Georgia said wryly.
"What?! You're the new Champion?!" Cilan beamed proudly at Iris and grabbed her hands, causing her to blush brightly. "I'm so PROUD of you, Iris! R-Really, I am!"
"Th-Thanks, Cilan," Iris began, "but really, I need to-"
"Wait, hold up!" Georgia marched towards Iris and Cilan, her fists clenched and her frown pronounced. "You're not going anywhere until we have that battle you promised me, Ms. Champion! Or did you REALLY forget?!"
"I-I didn't forget, Georgia! B-But seriously, I-I need to go-"
"Don't you dare flip-flop on me, Iris! I said it before, and I'm not gonna say it again! I'm NOT leaving this place until we have that battle!"
"Oh, come on, Georgia!" Cilan protested, stepping in-between the two girls. "If Iris has some business to attend to, then you should let her!"
"Business, huh?!" The self-titled Dragon Buster huffed stubbornly. "What could be more important than a challenge like this?!"
"IRIS!"
Everyone looked towards the main Unova League Headquarters building and saw Shauntal and Grimsley running towards them. Shauntal looked absolutely worried, while Grimsley was preoccupied with concern.
"Shauntal?" Iris asked. "Grimsley? What's wrong?"
"Something's happened!" replied Shauntal. "We gotta abandon the plan and head to White Forest straight away!"
"The White Forest?" Cilan asked, confused.
"Why?" Iris asked, growing extremely concerned. "What happened?"
The White Forest
"Wait, hold up there, Bianca! Don't go running down the trail like that!"
The blonde, green-eyed girl stopped and turned to face her traveling companion, her large but simple green beret nearly falling off her head in the process. She couldn't help but scowl as the large, tanned, auburn-haired boy struggled to catch up to her.
"Oh, come on, Steven!" she cried. "It's just a hill! Running down it will be a whole lot faster than walking down it!"
BIANCA
"Well, we all know your track record of running too fast," the boy replied. "And I just don't wanna see you get hurt, that's all!" Then, his blue eyes widened, and he frowned in exasperation. "And it's STEPHAN!"
STEPHAN
"Jeez!" Bianca puffed her cheeks out like a Minccino stuffing its mouth. "You're just like my dad, Steffen."
Stephan stopped and hung his head with embarrassment. "It's Stephan..."
The blonde turned back towards the trail she was taking. "Now come on! The day's wasting away, and I wanna catch Iris before she leaves Black!"
"Jeez." Stephan carefully followed after Bianca as the girl continued her descent down the steep hill they were traversing. "It's just Iris, Bianca. It's not like she's gotta be somewhere else."
"She's the Champion for crying out loud, Steppan! Of course she's gotta be somewhere else urgently! You know, I betcha her schedule's swamped with tons and tons of things!"
Stephan sighed. "It's Stephan..."
Eventually, the duo reached the bottom of the hill, with Stephan nearly stumbling in his step as he did. As he recovered, he started to feel the ground shake.
"Whoa, whoa!" he cried, looking around while the tremors grew by the second. "Wh-What's going on?! An earthquake?! I-In the middle of the White Forest?!"
"Uhhhhh..." Bianca's eyes were staring over Stephan, and they were widening with fear by the minute. "I don't think it's an earthquake, Stefano."
"Close enough..." Stephan deadpanned in embarrassment..
Not hearing what he said, Bianca simply pointed above him. "Look!"
Stephan followed the direction of her finger...and gasped in horror, just as a gargantuan shadow enveloped them both.
"Sweet mother of Arceus..."
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
"Come on, don't give up now, sister!"
"Hush now! We must stay calm!"
The three people ran through the brush and vegetation of the White Forest as fast as they could, not bothering to stop or slow down for anything, not even as their muscles started to tire out and threaten to tear from overexertion. Leading the way were a Gothitelle and a Gardevoir.
The trio consisted of a lone man and two women, all of them young and slim. The man had green eyes and chartreuse-green hair tied into a long, bushy ponytail; and he wore a white shirt with a black undershirt and beige pants. One of the women had golden eyes and yellow hair tied into a ponytail with a blue band while two locks stuck outward; and she was clad in a baby-blue blouse and a light-yellow skirt. The other woman had wine-colored eyes and long pink hair with two locks over her chest; and she wore a green cloak, a white shirt underneath, and a light-pink skirt.
N
ANTHEA AND CONCORDIA
"I...I don't think...I can...run...any longer..." wheezed Concordia.
"You can!" Anthea whispered in concern. "You absolutely can, sister! Just keep holding on to my hand!"
But Concordia was essentially dragging her feet at this point. One of her shoes was missing, revealing a grimy, scraped-up foot, and her legs were buckling as they overexerted themselves. Realizing she was about to become dead weight, N stopped and turned towards Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir, please," he said, his voice gentle, "I need your assistance."
The Embrace Pokémon nodded and used its Psychic to lift Concordia a few inches off the ground. The woman sighed with relief, while N nodded in approval and continued running with his companions in tow.
But they didn't get as far as a yard when an electric laser tore through the canopy and hit the ground in front of them. N gasped, stopped running, and shielded his face from the flying earth with both of his forearms. Once the loose dirt and soil stopped pelting him, he lowered his arms, just as the ground beneath his feet began to rumble, and a great shadow loomed over him, his foster sisters, and their Pokémon. They all looked up and spotted their pursuer.
It was a great aerial vehicle, which resembled a classic sailing vessel with a half-dozen masts and sails, but its body was made out of gunmetal-gray metal, and it sported long, jagged, almost draconic wings that protruded from its sides. The long bow of the vessel was encased entirely within silver metal, and it sported a single, long horn at the end, giving it an uncanny semblance to an Aggron. Gigantic clouds of smoke trailed from the vessel, likely from sets of exhaust pipes, but they were already sparkling and crackling brightly with electricity; they were so large that they were creating their own weather systems.
"RUN!" N cried in alarm.
He ran to the left this time, with the others following him.
"Osha, osha, osha, oshawott..."
The Shiny Oshawott waddled through the brush and vegetation of the White Forest, carrying a Grepa Berry and a couple of Bluk Berries in its arms. It soon heard a rustling noise in nearby bushes, and it quickly took shelter behind a large tree trunk, with its cache in tow. Seconds later, a Venipede crawled out of a bush, squeaking hungrily and looking around for a few moments, before proceeding onward and disappearing into some brush a few feet away.
Once it no longer heard the sounds of Venipede's crawling, Oshawott hesitantly poked its head out from behind the trunk to see if the Bug-type had truly disappeared. Upon confirming the coast was clear, the Sea Otter Pokémon fully emerged from its hiding spot and continued waddling through the forest. Before long, its nostrils caught the familiar, homely scent of its habitat ahead.
"Oshawott, oshawott, osha-"
A large leg stomped on the ground in front of it.
"WOOOOOTT!"
Oshawott dropped its Berries and impulsively took cover underneath the nearest bush that it could find. Fortunately for it, whatever interrupted its trek had continued running, and it was being closely followed by others as well. The Sea Otter Pokémon soon crawled out from its new hiding place, just in time to see the familiar dress of a Gothitelle disappearing in the brush.
"Osha...?"
Then, a massive shadow began to eclipse the entire area, and the moss-coated forest floor started to tremble. Engrossed in terror, Oshawott looked up, and then it gasped in horror.
"OSHA!"
N continued running as fast as he could, letting the adrenaline flow through his body and guide his muscles, even if they wanted to give up on him. After all, there was no way he was going to let himself be captured by Team Plasma, who had somehow escaped from the confines of incarceration, and he wasn't going to let them lay their hands on his foster sisters either. He wasn't going to give Ghetsis the satisfaction of quenching his thirst for revenge and fulfilling what he had set out to do in the first place at the same time.
"Agh!"
The green-haired man looked over his shoulder and saw Anthea lagging behind this time. He stopped out of concern and returned to Anthea.
"What's wrong, sister?" he asked worriedly.
"My...My foot..." Anthea moaned. She lifted her foot to inspect it, and N was dismayed to see the large splinter of loose wood protruding from the heel of her shoe, along with the small trickle of blood from her own heel. "Oh, dear..."
"I've got you."
N lifted Anthea into his arms without a second thought and continued running across the White Forest. Gothitelle sprinted beside him, and Gardevoir followed right behind him while simultaneously carrying Concordia with its Psychic. But after running a few yards, N noticed something shining ahead of him. Then, once he emerged from the brush and sunlight hit his eyes, he came to a stop and gasped in dismay.
There was a large lake in his way.
"Oh, dear Arceus," he muttered, just as Concordia and Gardevoir caught up with him.
"We have to find another way around, N," Anthea said.
But just as N tried to run to the side, another, more powerful electric laser hit the ground behind the group. The ensuing explosion sent N, Anthea, Concordia, Gothitelle, and Gardevoir all flying into the outer ring of the lake. This was quickly followed by additional lasers, which hit the lake and the surrounding shores, sending water and mud flying everywhere.
Swiftly recovering and sitting up from shallow water, N watched as the great airship Team Plasma was riding in appeared right over the canopy of trees, its many cannons all directed towards the lake. All around him, wild Pokémon were fleeing from the area, both on land and in the lake. He wanted to stand up and keep running, run with them, but he can see his injured, exhausted foster sisters sitting up in the water as well, and their stunned Pokémon trying to recuperate from the energy they wasted.
Then, the airship came to a stop right over the lake, and its undercarriage opened up. N, Anthea, and Concordia's eyes narrowed into slits as they watched the small squadron of futuristic passenger aircraft emerge from the airship and make its descent towards the body of water.
"We...We have...to run...for it..." panted Concordia.
"Where can we run to, though...?" N asked bitterly, eyeing the cannons above him.
The aircraft soon landed, and their hatches opened up, from which many Syndicate grunts began filing out. However, N was focused on the aircraft that led the squadron, which had also landed but not opened up yet.
Eventually, however, it did, and out stepped a man with red eyes and long, bushy pale-green hair. He wore a white robe with a collar-like piece of an elaborate design, colored brown with blue rectangles, above it. This piece held a two-toned cloak with eye patterns above his robe; the left side of his cloak was colored purple, while the right side was yellow. The ever-familiar Team Plasma crest was emblazoned right beneath the collar of this cloak. N narrowed his eyes, recognizing the garbs and noting that he had not seen them in quite a while.
"Ghetsis..." N whispered bitterly.
Ghetsis grinned at him maliciously. "It's good to see you again, N."
N looked around and watched as the Team Plasma grunts and their Pokémon took a multitude of tactical positions around the lake. Ghetsis released an evil, taunting chuckle that pierced the air despite its low volume, and N gritted his teeth, as did Anthea and Concordia.
"How long has it been since we last laid eyes on one another?" Ghetsis asked. "Three years?" He looked around curiously. "I don't see those kids that tagged along scurrying around here. Especially that boy with the Pikachu."
"Leave them out of this," N snarled in response. "This is no longer their fight. This is just between me and you now."
"On the contrary..."
Ghetsis waded into the cold, murky water and slowly approached N. Anthea and Concordia scooted closer towards their foster brother, while Gothitelle and Gardevoir warily prepared themselves to defend their friends if necessary, despite the presence of enemy Pokémon. Eventually, the Team Plasma leader was towering over the three foster siblings, and with a widening grin of malevolence, he knelt down slightly.
"While I would most certainly agree with you on that statement," Ghetsis whispered, "my new, ehhh...colleagues would think otherwise."
N's eyes widened in surprise. "N-New colleagues?"
Ghetsis shrugged dismissively, as if this was a friendly conversation. "How else do you think Team Plasma escaped from the shackles of incarceration?"
"You've striven for nothing more than the conquest of Unova," Anthea snarled. "There was no possible way to keep your ungodly ambitions caged for so long."
Ghetsis raised his eyebrows by a centimeter. "Ahhh. Thank you for the compliment, daughter."
Anthea recoiled in disgust. "Don't call me that. I am not your daughter. None of us are your children."
"We never were," added Concordia.
"Oh, really?" With an amused smirk, the Team Plasma leader began pacing around N, Anthea, and Concordia, circling the trio like a predator. "Tell me, who was the one who took you three out of those dreary orphanages? Who gave you three shelter and provided you with food and drinks that you've never even seen before? Who raised you three to become even greater people than any of you could possibly comprehend?! Hm? Who did all of that? Who among us has shed blood and sweat and tears to mold you three into the people you are today? Who is the one person you should thank?!"
"We've only got ourselves to thank, Ghetsis," N hissed, his anger plainly showing through his usual composure and aloof nature.
"You never raised us," added a defiant Anthea. "No. You only pretended to raise us. You deceived us and used us for your own purposes, for your own needs. We thought we could trust you, that we could hold on to every word that came out of your cursed mouth."
"But when you first tried to capture Reshiram all those years ago," Concordia continued, "we finally saw you for what you truly were: a greedy monster who loved only one thing in the world, and that would be his own reflection."
"At least an abusive parent would have the gall to show how much they do not care for their own child," N finished. "But a compulsive liar like you? You and your conniving, manipulative ways are worse than any abusive parent out there. So if you think you did a single thing of note for our childhoods, for our development, then you're badly mistaken."
"And how am I mistaken, N?" Ghetsis stopped pacing and eyed the young man with his uncovered red eye. "Hm? I could have picked the boy standing next to you, or the girl sitting in the corner all alone, or the baby still lying inside the crib and sucking milk from a bottle instead of its mother's teat. I could have picked anyone."
N couldn't help but smirk himself. "For that, I don't have to thank you, but I can tell you this: picking me over all of those other children in the orphanage was your greatest mistake, Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius."
Ghetsis's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Your lessons about the worth of Pokémon in this world may have been resting on the foundation of a lie, but..." N stood up on his feet, ignoring how the Syndicate grunts tensed up and prepared to fight to defend Ghetsis if necessary. "I have taken them as the truth and molded them into my own ideal. And I will continue to hold that ideal close to my heart and soul." He lifted a clenched fist. "Which is why I'll tell you this, Ghetsis, from the bottom of my heart: no matter what you do to me, even if my own life hangs by a thread, I will stop at nothing to protect the Pokémon of Unova, for they're more important to me than life itself! And that includes the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram!"
By that point, N had fully stood up on his feet. Ghetsis and the Syndicate grunts watched as the green-haired man took a firm, determined posture.
"So I'm afraid you're going to have to kill me," N finished, "because you're never getting Reshiram again."
Ghetsis's sneer reappeared. "So, you're now going to take the offensive, N. That's so unlike you, my boy. Brave...and yet so foolish. After all, you're hopelessly outnumbered."
"He's not outnumbered!"
N, Anthea, and Concordia gasped and shot their stunned gazes towards the shoreline of the lake. There, they saw a pair of Trainers standing there: Bianca and Stephan, though both groups didn't recognize the other.
"You leave those guys alone right now!" Bianca hollered bravely.
"Wh-What she said..." Stephan added hesitantly.
Unova League Headquarters, Black City
Iris and the rest of the Unova League burst onto the helipad, where the two transport helicopters were waiting for them. However, this time, they were followed by Cilan, Georgia, and Burgundy.
"Wait, Iris!" Cilan called, over the whirring of the helicopters' rotors. "What's going on?! Why're you leaving for the White Forest?!"
"I'm so sorry, Cilan!" Iris called back, halting and placing a hand on her friend's chest to stop him. She then stared up at him sheepishly. "I can't tell you. It's...It's classified."
"Then un-classify it!" Cilan grabbed Iris's hand, causing her to blush softly again. "Let me come with you! I can help you with...with whatever it is that you guys need to do!"
"Oh, heck no!" Georgia snapped, shoving Cilan aside so she could confront Iris head-on. "I'm coming with you, and I am gonna show all those Gym Leaders and Elite Four wannabes that this Dragon Buster is a more powerful Trainer than you could ever hope to be!"
"Sorry, kids!" a new voice barked. "No can do!" Alder stepped into the fray, surprising the group of youths. "Look, I know you mean well, Dent-"
"Uhhh, th-the name's Cilan," Cilan interrupted, stunned. "Seriously, where'd 'Dent' even come from?"
"But Iris is right. This operation is for special eyes only."
"Including yours?" Burgundy asked, crossing her arms. "I thought you're not the Champion anymore?"
"I have special clearance from the current Champion."
"Then Iris can clear us too!" Cilan cried. He then looked at Iris. "Right, Iris?"
Iris blinked, her expression quickly softening. Then, to everyone's dismay, she sadly shook her head after a few moments of silence.
"No, Cilan," she replied reluctantly. "I...I can't let you or Georgia or Burgundy tag along. This is something I've gotta do on my own." Iris turned her head away, hiding her quivering lip. "I'm sorry. It's for your own protection."
"For our own-?" Cilan began, but Iris had already begun to walk towards the helicopters.
"He-Hey!" Georgia barked, outraged. "You can't just walk away from us like this, Iris! Not when we've still got a battle to take care of!" When Iris did not respond, she said tauntingly, "Arceus! Being Champion really turned you into a coward, didn't it?!"
Iris froze, and Cilan could've sworn he heard her hiccup in shock from Georgia's taunt. But the Champion took a couple of quick moments to recompose herself, and then she joined Drayden, Shauntal, Caitlin, Cheren, Elesa, and Marlon on a helicopter. As she did, Alder joined Cilan's side and consolingly patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Dent," he said. "Her not bringing you along on this operation just shows how much she still cares for you. A few years may have passed and changed her, but what hasn't changed about her is her compassion for her friends."
"I just wish she could put her trust in me like she used to," Cilan replied longingly. "We've faced many things before. Why can't she let me face this one with her?" He looked up at Alder. "What's even happening, Alder?"
Alder's eyes narrowed. "A serious situation, kiddo, and that's all you and your friends need to know." Then, with one last pat to Cilan's shoulder, he began walking towards the second helicopter. "You three head to the Pokémon Center and take shelter there. Maybe you can watch the news and figure out what's going on through that venue."
"B-But..."
His voice trailed off helplessly, and the Connoisseur simply watched as Alder waved at him while boarding the chopper. As soon as he got on, the chopper lifted off into the air, followed by Iris's. Cilan, Georgia, and Burgundy watched the entire Unova League make their departure, unable to do anything to tag along. And as her helicopter started to fly off towards the Black City skyline, Iris's hazel eyes met Cilan's green ones.
"Iris..." Cilan whispered somberly.
Iris simply gave him a small smile and a smaller wave, just before she went out of sight. As the two helicopters headed off into the distance, Cilan sighed heavily, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Stay safe out there, Iris," he thought.
"Huh?" Ghetsis turned his body towards Bianca and Stephan. "And who in the world are you two?"
"We're the two Trainers who are about to kick your butts!" proclaimed Bianca.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ghetsis's lips then curled into a sneer. "But I don't give a damn. Just because you and your little boyfriend-"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Bianca corrected nervously.
"I'm not her boyfriend!" Stephan exclaimed at the exact same time.
Ghetsis ignored them both. "-Think you can come up against the likes of Team Plasma and the Syndicate, it doesn't mean we will just cower before your very feet. On the contrary..." The green-haired man held out his arms. "If it's a battle you two want..."
The Syndicate grunts and their Pokémon directed their sights on the two Trainers, the humans chuckling and snickering mockingly while their Pokémon growled viciously.
"Then a battle is what you're going to get!" Ghetsis hollered. "Prepare yourselves, children, for you are about to face the true might of the Syndicate!"
"Oh, hell yeah!" a Team Flare grunt cried.
"Let's get 'em!" a Team Magma grunt snarled.
With that, the Syndicate's Pokémon charged at Bianca and Stephan, forcing them to quickly procure their Poké Balls.
"Come on out, everyone!" Bianca yelled.
"You too, guys!" added Stephan.
They threw their Poké Balls, summoning their teams: Bianca's Emboar, Cinccino, Escavalier, Musharna, Chandelure, and Pansage; and Stephan's Zebstrika, Sawk, Liepard, Stoutland, Mienshao, and Pangoro. All twelve Pokémon roared at the incoming army of opponents, or otherwise took on defensive postures in preparation.
"Gothitelle, use Psychic!" a voice cried.
"You too, Gardevoir!" another voice added.
Many of the Pokémon's outlines suddenly started to glow a thin light-blue aura, and they were effortlessly thrown aside before they could reach Bianca's and Stephan's Pokémon. Immediately afterwards, Anthea's Gothitelle and Concordia's Gardevoir joined Bianca's and Stephan's teams to face the Syndicate's remaining Pokémon.
In response, Ghetsis glared at N, Anthea, and Concordia. "You!" he growled.
"If you're going to attack those children," N snarled back, "then you'll have to get through us first."
Ghetsis's eyelid twitched, and then his lips curled into a nasty sneer. "Ahhhh, so you're finally going to take the offensive option, N. After all these years, you've decided to see the worth in getting down and dirty to get exactly what you want."
N smiled triumphantly. "You are still mistaken about me, Ghetsis. I still haven't accepted the offense as a viable strategy. Right now, it's just defense. Self-defense."
Both of Ghetsis's eyelids twitched now, and with a yowl, he lunged at N. However, Concordia's Gardevoir reacted quickly, using Psychic to take a hold of the Team Plasma leader and then hurl him towards a deeper side of the lake. The green-haired megalomaniac screamed for just a moment, before his voice was literally drowned out by a large splash.
"NO, COMMANDER GHETSIS!" a Team Aqua grunt cried in surprise.
A Team Plasma grunt gritted his teeth in anger and then pointed at N, Anthea, Concordia, Bianca, Stephan, and all their Pokémon. "GET THEM ALL! DON'T HOLD BACK!"
The Syndicate's Pokémon resumed their charge, and this time, they were met by their opponents.
Bianca's Emboar tangled with several large Pokémon belonging to Teams Plasma and Aqua, keeping them at bay with its brute strength and searing Fire-type attacks.
Bianca's Cinccino used its diminutive size and oil-furred body to its advantage, outrunning several Pokémon belonging to Team Rocket and shrugging off any smaller attacks fired by them.
Bianca's Escavalier and Stephan's Sawk worked together against their own opponents, with the former using its shell-like body to withstand a vast multitude of attacks while the latter exploited any openings or vulnerabilities to its advantage.
Bianca's Musharna emitted a large fog of Dream Mist from its body, which put most of the Syndicate's Pokémon to sleep, or otherwise slow their movements down to a painfully sluggish pace, thereby giving its allies a better edge in battle.
Bianca's Chandelure found itself up going up against Pokémon belonging to Team Flare, and it barely maintained an edge against their Kalosian Pokémon and their unique attacks.
Bianca's Pansage stuck beside Stephan's Zebstrika, facing off against Pokémon owned by Team Galactic and intervening with its Grass-type attacks when Zebstrika's own Electric-type moves were unable to knock down any of them.
Stephan's Sawk, like Bianca's Emboar, used its own brute strength to overcome any opponents that came its way, and it also employed its mastery of Fighting-type moves to beat down any particularly difficult enemies.
Stephan's Liepard and Mienshao both used their superior agilities to their advantage, outpacing Team Magma's Pokémon and striking them in any vulnerable areas that they could discern.
Stephan's Stoutland powerfully dashed through the shallow water while using Take Down, easily knocking aside enemy Pokémon like a bowling ball with bowling pins, before tackling its true opponent, a Team Rocket grunt's Steelix.
Stephan's new Pangoro still proved to retain its ferocious, borderline-unruly behavior in the wild, swiping at a variety of enemy Pokémon with its paws and using up-close-and-personal moves like Arm Thrust and Circle Throw.
And finally, Anthea's Gothitelle and Concordia's Gardevoir took on support roles, using Psychic to hurl away any opponent Pokémon trying to ambush their allies.
As the battle continued to rage all around them, Anthea and Concordia approached N, both of them still looking worried.
"N, we need to leave," Anthea advised urgently.
"We can't get caught up in this violence for any longer," added Concordia.
"But...we can't leave those children," N replied, resolutely looking at Bianca and Stephan. "Look at them. We met only a couple of minutes ago, and they're already giving their all to protect us. They're just like Ash and his friends. I can't just run away and leave them to the unknown."
"Even so, brother, they're still Pokémon Trainers," Anthea said, and she couldn't help but recoil at the term. "They know how to exploit a Pokémon's powers to give them an advantage."
"I know that young boy Ash Ketchum was an inspiration to all three of us," added Concordia, "but we have to remember that not all Trainers are going to be like him."
"We've seen examples of the contrary since we parted ways with him!"
"But running away isn't going to solve anything." N narrowed his eyes slightly. "It didn't solve the problem with Reshiram years ago, and it's not going to solve the problem now. We need to be more proactive in stopping Team Plasma instead of being reactive."
"Now that's the spirit, N," a voice said.
N, Anthea, and Concordia whipped around and gasped. A bespectacled, dashing man with yellow eyes, blond hair, and a grayish-blue cowlick that encircled his head was hovering towards them above a hovercraft, its engines barely touching the lake's surface. He was wearing a gray, laboratory-styled trench-coat with tech panels and technologically advanced gloves, as well as black pants and black boots with gray accents.
"Colress," N growled.
"It's so nice that you remembered me," Colress replied with a sneer. Then, he looked at Bianca and Stephan. "Trainers! Syndicate! Stop this battle at once!"
Both sides halted in an instant, with Bianca and Stephan glancing at the scientist in confusion and the Syndicate grunts glaring at the Team Plasma scientist with irritation.
"Come on, Colress sir!" snapped a Team Magma grunt.
"We were just about to kick their a-" began a Team Flare grunt.
"Uh, uh!" Colress interrupted, wagging an index finger obnoxiously. "Watch the language! After all, any sign of hostility is going to dissuade our enemies from making a truce."
"A...A truce?" Bianca asked, stunned. "A-Are you serious?!"
"Yeah, right!" Stephan spat. "What makes you think we'll fall for that?!"
"We're the Syndicate, boy," Colress replied as he eyed N, Anthea, and Concordia. "I don't know if you've heard all about the history of Team Plasma-"
"We've heard a few things," interrupted Stephan. "None of which sounded all that good."
"Then you can put those concerns to rest. Team Plasma is no more, in spite of our return. Instead, we are part of a vast, wide-reaching alliance known as the Syndicate. We have shed our original goals and aligned ourselves with a new one."
"And that is...?"
"The peaceful transition from the era of old to a new, golden era. An era of peace and prosperity." He shot a genuine grin towards N. "One where Pokémon truly do not have to serve as mankind's tools."
"That's exactly what Ghetsis told me, a long time ago," N growled. "And it all turned out to be a lie. So what makes you think I can take your word for it, Colress?"
"Because I'm not Ghetsis." Colress chuckled. "It may not sound like the best excuse, but that megalomaniac can't even let go of his ambitions even if they killed him in the end. I'm the logical realist of this unit. And it is my logic and realism that are telling me the Syndicate is close to unlocking the gates of history in the making, therefore we are guaranteed a glorious victory at the end of all this."
"The gates of history in the making?" Bianca repeated.
"What are you talking about, Colress?" N snarled.
The Team Plasma scientist chuckled. Then, he raised his right hand high into the air, brought his thumb and index finger together...and snapped his fingers.
A second later, multiple beams of light-blue appeared from above, some of which struck the lake and surrounding shores, creating a large, thick layer of ice that covered the entire area. N, Anthea, Concordia, Bianca, and Stephan gasped as the ice started to encroach on them at unnaturally high speeds.
"Wh-Wh-What's going on?!" Bianca cried, instinctively holding onto Stephan's arm in fear.
"Wh-What in the world is doing that?!" Stephan shouted.
However, N sensed a certain presence in the area, and he narrowed his eyes. "I know who..."
He looked up at the sky, and the others followed his gaze. They all saw the draconic being levitating in the sky, its yellow eyes gleaming menacingly.
"Hello, puny humans. I believe you hold treasured knowledge that I am seeking."
"KYUREM!" N, Anthea, and Concordia shouted simultaneously.
"Kyurem?!" Bianca and Stephan exclaimed at the same time.
Acting on instinct, Bianca then procured her Pokédex, activated it, and aimed it at the Dragon-type Legendary.
"Kyurem, the Boundary Pokémon," the device explained upon registering Kyurem's cold presence. "It generates a powerful, freezing energy inside itself, but its body became frozen when the energy leaked out. It now uses its powers over ice to freeze its own body in order to stabilize its cellular structure."
"That's...That's it?" Bianca deadpanned while staring blankly at her Pokédex. "That doesn't sound like the most flattering Pokédex entry for a scary Pokémon like that-"
"SILENCE!"
Bianca nearly dropped her Pokédex in shock. "EEP!"
At that moment, N stepped forward and called out, "Kyurem! What are you doing?! Are..." He looked around, examining the smirking Colress and the rest of the Syndicate. "Are you with them?!"
"Indeed I am, human," Kyurem replied. "These humans have approached me moments ago and offered me a proposition that was simply too enticing to decline."
"But why?!" Anthea cried.
"You've lived in peace with these lands for millennia!" added Concordia. "What has upset you so?!"
"Only the greatest threat to the existence of Dragon-types everywhere..." The Boundary Pokémon continued to eye N, and it growled, "The power of the Dragons was, is, and forever will be unmatched, human! And I refuse to let anything impede that power! Which is why...I must resort to the drastic. The unthinkable. Even if my actions bring me nothing but the wrath of Judgment!"
On cue, swarms and swarms of Cryogonal flowed out of the White Forest like cells in blood vessels and hovered directly above the lake's surface. In mere moments, these Crystallizing Pokémon effectively surrounded N, Anthea, Concordia, Bianca, and Stephan, threatening to overwhelm them. At the same time, Ghetsis shot out of the water, now riding on the back of a Hydreigon.
"So, human, believe me when I advise you of this: the consequences of disobeying the command I issue to you will be not for the faint of the heart. Lead me to my brother."
Kyurem's yellow eyes glinted greedily, and it bore its sights straight into N with a hungry expression.
"Reshiram."
"Reshiram?!" Bianca repeated incredulously.
"The Legendary Pokémon?!" added an equally stunned Stephan.
"The one that sides with truth..." N realized.
Castelia City
In the skies of Castelia, a blur of gray and purple zoomed through the small, wispy banks of clouds, breaking them apart like the seas parting in a biblical gesture. This blur was followed by an arrow-shaped formation of dark-purple with a red tip. Their speeds were unmatched, and if they went any faster, they would definitely break the sound barrier.
"Where are you taking us, Mewtwo?" the Red Genesect asked. "You've changed course, but you are not telling us anything. I do not trust an ally who keeps secrets."
"My sincerest apologies, Genesect," Mewtwo replied earnestly. "But I've been trying to focus. All these years of mastering myself and my powers, and I still keep encountering the next barrier to my true self."
"What have you been trying to focus on?" asked one of the other Genesect.
"A disturbance." Mewtwo narrowed her eyes. "I sense a disturbance. We must attend to it! Quickly"
"And where is this disturbance?" the Red Genesect asked.
"Further up north. But I...I can sense something truly horrific ahead... We must prepare ourselves."
The Red Genesect nodded once, and it and its brethren continued following Mewtwo as closely as they could. The Genetic Pokémon used her Psychic powers to further propel herself along the skies, while her eyes were set ahead, the gears in her young mind whirring.
Chapter 15:
IVORY
Politoed, the Frog Pokémon. If Poliwag and Poliwhirl hear its echoing cry, they respond by gathering from far and wide. Whenever three or more of these get together, they sing in a loud voice that sounds like bellowing.
fppnhnqpouc,azkazekbptksz.
Next Time:
N: We'll never give you Reshiram.
Marshal: Time to kick some Team Plasma ASS!
Cilan: We've gotta go help her!
Georgia: The Dragon Buster is here to save the day!
Iris: NOOOOO!
Colress: The famous new Champion of Unova...
Bianca: Wh-Wh-What'll we do now?!
Kyurem: I urge you, human...take care of your problem, and take care of it thoroughly.
DRAGON
A/N: And that concludes this chapter! Here we get to see Iris's new life as the Champion of Unova, and even though she is an accomplished battler, her skills in regards to the job's more professional and bureaucratic aspects are still a work in progress. Even worse, she doesn't have the support of absolutely everyone in the Unova League, and she hasn't built up the charisma she needs to inspire the others. Let's see if this unfolding crisis gives her the push she needs to become the Champion Unova needs!
Oh, and it looks like Kyurem has joined forces with Team Plasma! More on the background of that will be revealed later (in the near-future, actually), but this is something that was directly drawn from another fanfic of mine, "Return of the Hero". It also featured an evil and antagonistic Kyurem, but I was never too fond of how that story turned out in the end. Hopefully "Judgment's Fall" will be a bit of a saving grace for that plotline. Also, there's another reason why I had Kyurem align itself with Team Plasma, a reason that I am completely excited to try out, but you'll see what that is WAAAY down the road. I'll leave a trail of bread-crumbs on that until then. ;)
And yes, Nate, Rosa, Hugh, and Yancy did indeed appear in the beginning of this chapter. But do not get your hopes up, since these appearances are just cameos and nothing more. Their presence is just a playful nod toward "The Way We Will Be", because I know everyone is pretty ecstatic for an update on that. :P Plus, I know this fic's got too many characters as it is.
Speaking of which, it's time to address the elephant in the room now.
I've read everyone's reviews for the previous chapter, and I can see that character overload fatigue has already begun to set in. I understand that there's SO MANY FRIGGING CHARACTERS in this story, but do remember that not ALL OF THEM are going to be main characters, or people you should be paying attention to. Notice how I bolded certain names in the team rosters? Those are the characters you should pay attention to. Everyone else is just there for the fanservice at the very least. And even then, not all of the bolded characters will have significant character arcs that you'll have to juggle.
Now, I'll just give you a rundown of the story's basic outline, since I intentionally didn't mention it earlier before because it's technically a bit of a spoiler on how the story will go. But since there's character overload fatigue setting in with you all, I suppose it won't hurt now, just to try and help you understand what I'm aiming for here.
There's going to be a grand total of NINE main characters, but you'll only have to worry about eight right now. Each one of these eight leads their own team of supporting characters, and those are the region-based teams, or subgroups, in the team roster section that you keep seeing. The main character and all of the supporting characters are bolded, obviously, while the others are more minor players that I've recorded as a way to better help readers keep track of who'll be in the chapter. And from these eight subgroups, two each are part of a distinct, overarching plotline that requires them meeting up and forming larger teams. One by one, these plotlines (four in total) will converge and get resolved until there is one plotline featuring EVERYONE, which is, of course, the climactic final showdown.
To put it in a list-based breakdown:
1) There are EIGHT teams, or subgroups, that we'll be dealing with, each with a main character that we will be following and a small roster of supporting characters who help this main character develop as we move along. All these characters are bolded in the lists that start off the individual chapters.
2) These eight subgroups will first converge into FOUR larger teams, each of which is the center of a larger, overarching plotline that applies to the two subgroups.
3) Then, one by one, these four teams will converge even further, turning into THREE larger teams and then TWO.
4) And then finally, the last team joins with all the other characters into ONE BONANZA OF CHARACTERS, just in time for the epic finale.
Basically, it's kinda like "Avengers: Infinity War". First, there was Iron Man's team on Titan, which featured Iron Man and Star-Lord as the protagonists of their own subgroups. Then, there was Captain America's team in Wakanda, which had Captain America and Scarlet Witch as the protagonists. And finally, there was Thor's little team at Nidavellir, although I suppose Thor was the only protagonist and Rocket and Groot were just supporting characters. After a lil' setup, splitting up, and mixing between all of these little subgroups, the three final teams are formed, then Thor's group joins up with Captain America's, then Iron Man's group does (although that happens in "Endgame" after the Snap, but that's beside the point), and then the climactic showdown begins!
...Yeah, this was a pretty long explanation. Now that I look at it, it certainly sounds a lot more technical than I originally intended. I do hope it helped, though. If not, I'll try to clarify further in the opening Author's Note in the next chapter, or even communicate with you individually via PMs if necessary. I have absolutely no intention of keeping you in the dark on this process for any longer.
And yes, I do know this story's treatment of that kind of plotline is completely different from that of "Avengers: Infinity War". I have an extra team added in, and I've got a LARGER roster of available characters to work with, which means the setups are going to be longer and more intricate. But don't worry. Once I've introduced all eight subgroups and properly set up everyone's individual stakes in this entire mess, things will indeed start moving along quicker. Subgroups will start meeting up and merging into teams, teams will meet up to form larger teams, things will start getting a whole lot more simpler and streamlined, and we will reach the final battle in no time.
In fact, I do plan for some subgroups to start meeting up once I'm done with Iris's part of the story! Which ones, though, you'll have to guess.
(A little aside, writing this made me realize an advantage Archive Of Our Own has over this site. Unlike here, where I can only tag a maximum of four characters and no more, I can tag as many characters and pairings as I want over at AO3. I think that's why none of my reviewers over there feel fatigued by this story compared to here. So far, at least. Because they know what they're dealing with because of the ever-growing list of tags. Or maybe there's something else at work? I don't know. I am off on a tangent now at this point.)
Now that the rambling's over, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:
-DarkHero12:
1) Actually, "Avengers: Infinity War" has three teams, as I described above. And even if I've got eight teams described in the roster, there are supposed to be four official teams in total; these eight are just subgroups.
2) Sorry about the slow pace. Right now, this phase is about introducing all of the key players and the stakes that they'll have here. It'll start speeding up once groups start meeting up.
3) I'm not sure I understand you when you say most of the chapters don't focus on the main characters. If you're saying Ash and Serena are the main characters, then I am afraid you're a little mistaken. Yes, Ash and Serena are up front and center in this conflict, and yes, I did promote this story as being an AmourShipping fic. Indeed, their eventual romance is going to be a key in ending the conflict. But even so, Ash and Serena aren't actually the only main characters here. I DID say they were A key to ending the conflict, after all, not THE key. There are others they're sharing the screen with, and those are the leaders of the other teams. So, in that case, yes, the plot IS actually moving. Honestly, this is where I feel should be more like AO3, because I think AO3's tagging system would be better in communicating the kind of story this would be about without really giving quite a lot away. But if you did have that in mind when you say most of the chapters don't focus on the main characters, well...I'm still not sure what you mean, then. I'm sorry.
4) Well, a couple of things DID happen in the Johto chapters; they were just too subtle to be noticed. But yeah, I'll have to admit that arc wasn't the most refined out of all of the arcs I've introduced so far. My bad.
5) These teams have learned from their mistakes and pooled their resources together over a matter of months, all with the help of Team Rocket, which was preparing for this operation for WAY longer than that. That's why they are so good now. I know about more than half of their accomplishments have taken place off-screen, but I can assure you, more will be revealed in due time.
-Eggman (guest reviewer):
1) Yeah, it's a shame all of that happened while his head was turned away.
2) Hm, good guess! Now, let's see if that'll hold water when we finally get around to his part!
3) Thanks! I hope you were able to enjoy this chapter after a long wait! :D :D :D
-Ander Arias:
1) I know I said this story was Ash/Serena, but it's not even going to be 75 percent about them. Probably around 60-65 percent. This is why I also said in the fanfic's summary that "Ash and all of his friends" and "multiple other ships" will be involved in this fight, and I was not lying about that part either. This is why I am now complimenting Archive Of Our Own on their tagging system, as seen above. None of my readers at AO3 seem to have fatigue problems with this story so far, judging by the reviews I'm getting.
2) Actually, Silver appeared in the Japanese opening of "The Legend of Thunder!", so you could consider that an anime appearance.
3) Like I told DarkHero12, Ash and Serena may be main characters, but they're not THE main characters. Ash and all of his friends, past and present, along with Gary, are pretty much the main characters of this fanfic. I have made efforts to prioritize Ash and Serena's screentime, but for now and until all eight teams are introduced, their appearances will only constitute a plurality of the story's chapters and not a simple majority. But don't worry, for things WILL start to speed up as soon as we're done with the last team's introduction.
-Thatoneguy753:
1) I do have Syndicate-only chapters planned for the future, and we will get some bread-crumbs of development for the major players beforehand, so that should remedy the problem of the Syndicate looking OP. But for now, I'm focusing on introducing all the heroes first.
2) As I've mentioned earlier, Ash and Serena are main characters, but not exactly THE main characters. This fic is indeed focusing on the main characters, just like you said; it's just that there's a wider net for that description, and FF's tagging capabilities left me unable to reflect that.
-GuardianDemonsWriter:
1) Obviously, this chapter wasn't posted "next week" as you posited. Sorry about that. I hope this chapter made the wait well worth it in the end! :D
2) I'm leaving your questions about the Ultra Beasts open-ended. The answers to that don't have any real bearing to the story, so it's totally up to you!
3) Yep, Manaphy is all grown up now! It'll be interesting once Ash is brought up, to say the least. ;)
4) You'll find out what happens to Ash in the chapter after the next one. And that's all I have to say about that. ;D
-Kagayaki-sama:
1) It's okay. Take all the time you need; I'm in no rush to see your name grace the review box. :)
2) Yep! I finally managed to fit Acerola and Rotom Dex in! Hooray for me!
3) Someone at AO3 pointed this out to me in their own review. Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. I guess my partial unfamiliarity with the SM saga bit me in the butt with this one.
4) Maybe, maybe not... ;)
5) Yes, the Naganadel that escaped IS indeed the one that belonged to Ash.
6) You'll find out the answer to that question later down the road.
7) As you can see here, N, Anthea, and Concordia have made their debuts in this story! It's been a while since I last saw a BW episode, so I hope they were as in-character as possible.
8) I feel like there are 100-150 total characters in this story, actually. Not 200. Even so, you absolutely DO NOT have to worry about following each and every one if them. As I mentioned before, Ash and all of his past and present friends and rivals are the ones you should pay attention to, and even then, the number of actual protagonists is fewer than that. All the other characters you see here are just minor players, here for the fanservice and nothing more. And that means less character arcs to actually keep a track of. But yes, I'm indeed taking my time to introduce them all and set up what kinds of stakes they'll have in this conflict. I'm not going to deny that. It's just that I wasn't sure if all of this could be squeezed into a single introductory chapter per team. Don't worry, though; once I'm done introducing all eight teams, things WILL begin speeding up and getting a lot more action-oriented, I promise. :D :D :D
9) No, you didn't offend me. None of you did. I do appreciate the constructive criticism. I too did start sense that things were getting pretty slow and overstuffed. (Although I didn't really expect people to start hoping we get back to Ash and Serena ASAP.) But I feel like this is the most efficient way to set everything up for every team, especially since we have not seen many of these characters in years, unlike "Avengers: Infinity War", which drew from a vast continuity that is a WHOLE LOT more consistent, younger, and up-to-date on its characters than the anime. So the only thing I can do for now is urge you and everyone else to be as patient with me as you can be while I round out the teams that remain. Once I'm done with them, things can truly get more exciting.
-Rimshot (guest reviewer): It's going to be a long journey. I'll just leave it at that.
-Pierrot (guest reviewer):
1) Meowth falling head over heels with Chloe, huh? Now that's something...
2) Faba and Nanu are going to be fine, but they'll be out of the game for a bit of a while, I'll have to say.
3) Yep, that sure was a twist, wasn't it?!
4) Yeah, the Syndicate has gotten a few steps further ahead of everyone now that they have the Ultra Beasts and a LOT of unfettered access to the Ultra Space. I wonder if they'll be getting their big prize from there soon...?
5) Don't worry. Things will start to get more balanced out and even once all the teams are introduced and start merging with one another until we get to the end. And don't worry, there's indeed going to be an "Endgame"-style moment at the end of the story. I think it'll be pretty amazing. ;D
-KHfan98:
1) Remember, Samiya is a sea temple that's carried by the tides. Therefore, it can be anywhere in the world at any given time. It just so happened to be near Alola at the time the Syndicate invaded and Kiawe's group crashed into the sea.
2) We'll see the two Mewtwos fight, but not in this mini-arc. And the male Mewtwo is wearing the armor from "Evolution" and not "Mewtwo Strikes Back", in all essentials.
3) Hmmm, interesting. Kubfu, huh? Makes me want to update "Kubfu and the Strike of Rapids", after all this time...
-Guest reviewer:
1) Well, it's like what you said in your review. A fourth of the 81 characters thus far have their own conflicts. Those are the ones that you should be paying all of your attention to, not all 81. And even then, we'll only be following eight semi-distinct character arcs and not about 20.
2) Even with all of the relationships and dynamics I've been setting up, they'll all coalesce around eight main characters in the end. We're just in the setup phase. Once we're done being introduced to all eight teams, then things will get more streamlined and easier to follow.
3) Sorry to hear you're abandoning this story. But I promise you that things will start to get a whole lot more interesting once we get around to Act III.
Wow, over 19,000 words, including the Author's Notes. This is easily the longest chapter I've ever written now. I wonder if I'll ever get to the magic 20,000-word chapter in the future!
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!