Originally, this chapter was 16k long and still isn't done. Therefore, I decided to split them up to at least be able to post this half (and also, sorry for the delay)! With that being said, I am not sure whether this is appropriate, but scene two includes a very short scene of quite severe emotional abuse in regards to N's orphan status. It's pretty short, but if, by any chance, you find that triggering, please skip everything between the lines.
And with that being said – enjoy!
MrMogi: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you liked the Retienne scene – it was the most fun to write last chapter. I never really paid much attention to them while playing the game, but I really liked their importance in the Oneshot this is based on and I wanted to include it here
Too little colours (to describe the world)
Chapter 17
Blacked out vision
.o.O.o.
Touko didn't waste a single second to head to the local gym the moment she had managed to step foot into Nacrene City again. She was cutting close with the time again, her journey's sixth week almost over. But if she got an appointment for tomorrow, she'd still have all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday to train some more and then she'd be able to have her final battle on Sunday – meaning she'd still be on schedule.
Touko desperately wanted to be on time. She hadn't managed to defeat the first gym as planned and she was pretty proud for catching up the lost time – blame her mother's stupid rule for that. She didn't want to lose all the progress she had made again.
All the more disappointing when she showed up to a closing counter and a clerk that seemed to be less than pleased to see her.
"Good evening!", Touko called out, her smile hopeful still – a hope soon shattered by the irritated way said clerk mustered her.
"We're closed."
"But...!"
"We're closed. Come back tomorrow – you won't get an appointment tomorrow anyway. We're heavily booked at the moment."
Of course they'd be. Touko was just on time after all, but if she didn't get her appointment tomorrow, she'd probably only get it on Friday and if she only got it on Friday her second battle – if she needed one, but Touko was realistic enough to know she, probably, did – would most likely take place no earlier than Monday and then she'd be late.
Arceus, this blew.
"Just come back tomorrow and let me close up for the day", the clerk said, turning her back on her, closing up for the night, making her decision all the more final. Touko wanted to protest – she really, really wanted to – but one glance at the cashier told her she'd only waste her time.
Well – new day, new chance?
.O.
Yesterday had sucked – no doubt about that, but that didn't mean Touko was going to have her mood ruined today! She woke up reasonably early – eight o'clock had to be early enough – got out of bed instead of loafing around for another hour or so and got herself dressed in record time. In fact, half an hour later she already raced down the halls of the PokéCenter, freshly showered and with her best set of clothes on. She didn't know why – but today was a good day. A great day even!
Excitedly she checked in at the front for another night – hoping for a single room to have freed up, but she was out of luck. But she was early enough to extend her stay at the dormitory for another day and by now she had gotten pretty used to living in one anyway. So far, she may have neither made any life-long trainer friends, nor had she accidentally spilled her dinner on someone else, gaining a bitter rival that would catapult her to new heights, but she was positive those encounters were waiting just around the corner.
They had to. And anyway – there was N and she already had Bianca and Cheren and Juliet was...well, Juliet was friends with Bianca, so maybe that counted?
She'd have to talk to more people instead of staying glued to her VisoCaster all day long.
At least there were no issues with her keeping her old room. She snatched back her key the moment Sister Joy handed it to her and then raced down to the lockers they rented out to store her stuff. She had gone to the PokéMart just yesterday, her bag stuffed full with potions and other helpful trinket that she, quite literally, could not afford to have stolen.
Running out of money hardly ever happened this early on into someone's journey, of course. Most people had enough money left from their initial start as to not having to worry about running out of supplies, but one could never be careful enough.
Shutting the locker as well, Touko tucked away her key into one of her pockets and then made her way to the museum. She needed to get an appointment for her gym battle and she needed it as soon as possible. Maybe she should have gotten up earlier after all, just to make sure she'd still get an appointment for tomorrow, but there was no changing that now. At least the PokéCenter wasn't too far away from where she ought to be and a few minutes later she found herself in front of the imposing building already.
Taking in a deep breath, Touko felt excitement bubble up in her – and then she entered, shivering at the unexpected cold. The AC was turned all the way up and Touko was not dressed for it – she should probably start sending her summer clothes back to her mother and to ask her to sent some more coats her way.
It was getting too cold for her to run around in shorts and a tank top.
Passing the first desk, flashing her junior trainer card that would grant her free entry, Touko looked around for the desk that handed out the appointments. There weren't many people waiting in line, so Touko was fairly positive she'd get an appointment soon. Getting into line, she inspected the countless artifacts around her, but found almost nothing interesting at all.
She let out a huff and pulled out her VisoCaster, texting Bianca who seemed to have found out her dad was waiting in Castelia for her – which was why she pondered whether she should return to Nacrene and challenge the second gym after all. It was a hard choice to make but…
|Juliet's there still too
|She's less intense than you and Cheren
|Not that I would ever replace you
|But I feel like traveling with her would be helpful at times
|You should meet up with her someday!
|I'm sure you'D get along splendidly!
Touko wasn't too sure about that, but maybe Juliet was willing to have a practice battle with her, which would be pretty neat.
That being said, the line in front of her had moved on and after just another minute of waiting, it was finally Touko's turn.
"Your name and trainer card please!", the clerk asked, a young girl this time with her hair in pigtails and a book on engineering put up next to her. Probably an understudy of Lenora's, from the looks of it. Most gym leaders took up younger trainers under their wing – usually with the intent to have them replace them one day – and most of the leaders had their very own criteria that needed to be fulfilled by any future understudy. Lenora expected academic mastery of her students while Burgh only accepted graduates from the Castelian Art Academy.
It was why so many people were unsure about Iris at first – seeing how many suspected she had only become an understudy due to her status as Drayden's daughter.
"Alright, thank you", the girl said, once she scanned Touko's trainer card, reading all the necessary information from the screen in front of her.
"I see – this is your second gym, correct? The first one being the Trio Gym in Striaton City?"
"Yes."
"Alright – then this is the first gym with an additional puzzle for you – I am sure you already know the drill, but just to give you the rundown: To get to the gym leader, you will need to pass a trial set by Lenora herself. It won't involve fighting – we expect you to start the trial with your Pokémon already well-rested."
The girl looked up at that, her eyes slightly narrowed and Touko shifted uncomfortably. Who would ever show up to a gym battle with Pokémon that were exhausted?
"This puzzle requires reading skills. Do you feel equipped to read books in normal sized letters? Rest assured, should you feel uncomfortable with telling me – or should you change your mind – you can always request the audio guides offered as an alternative at the beginning of the challenge. Do you feel equipped to complete the challenge using audio guides?"
"Uh – yes?"
The girl smiled apologetically at Touko's visible confusion and shrugged lightly.
"I am sorry, but we need to make sure everyone has a fair chance at completing the challenges. If there is any reason as to why the alternative given shouldn't work for you either, we need to ask you to come in again so that we can find a suitable solution. Lenora is insisted she wants every trainer to go through this trial, but I assure you, we will find a solution for everyone. That being said – when do you want your appointment to be?"
"As soon as possible – I don't have anything planed at all."
The girl nodded and concentrated on her computer again, nimble fingers typing something, before she nodded once and pressed the 'print' button.
"The earliest appointment possible will be tomorrow at 13.30. Will that work for you?"
Touko bit her lip – dammit, she had really hoped to get an appointment today – but at least it would give her ample of time to get ready tomorrow.
"Yes."
"Great! We can provide you with a copy of all the details regarding your appointment, if you wish for one. You do not need to bring anything to the appointment other than your team – you are allowed a maximum of two Pokémon. The appointment itself is saved into your trainer card. We ask you to come in on time and please, should the need to cancel arise, do so at least a minimum of two hours before the appointment, otherwise we are required to charge a fine of 500 PokéDollar. Any other questions?"
Touko shook her head, taking her trainer card the clerk had handed back to her.
"Great!", she said, smiling brightly:"We are excited to see you tomorrow and I wish you best of luck in your challenge against Lenora – that being said, your trainer card allows you full access to the museum and the library in the back, so feel free to explore! Don't forget, your journey is all about learning and sometimes, the best way to learn is by picking up a good book!"
At that, she not so subtly pointed at her book, before her eyes moved onto the next person waiting in line, silently dismissing Touko.
With a sigh, Touko stepped aside and then turned around and wandered through the busy halls of the Nacrene (Natural) History Museum. It didn't take her long to get to a more deserted part of the exhibit – one of the ones that had stayed with the museum for years already and that wasn't as shiny as the new Fossil Pokémon exhibit they had put on in celebration of the two new fossils that had recently been discovered.
Ever since the scientists in Kanto had figured out how to clone Pokémon from old fossils, new discoveries caused even more of a buzz. There were so many more things that people could figure out about ancient Pokémon nowadays and the opportunity to repopulate the earth with long gone species was exciting to hear about too. It was truly a pity that introducing them into the wild would cause major environmental damage – but it was nice to see these old Pokémon in action anyway.
That being said, Touko didn't pay much attention to this part of the museum. She had seen plenty of those exhibits already and had never cared much for them anyway – there weren't enough mysteries involved with them and anyway – one wasn't allowed to use Fossil Pokémon for battling either. And the exhibit on the Relic Castle in midst of the Desert Resort that Touko found was a whole lot more tantalizing to check out anyway. She knew some things about it already – due to a presentation she had needed to hold for history class once – but brushing up on her knowledge would probably be useful. Especially seeing how she planed to visit the place on her journey. She was planning to catch several Pokémon there.
Leisurely, Touko strolled from showcase to showcase. There were so many things to discover and she read up on everything eagerly.
The castle had been built around 2.500 years ago and was one of the oldest, still standing structures in the Unova region and one of the newest to be discovered, after the dunes had shifted to reveal the uppermost stone pillars to a wandering pair of trainers. There had been another excavation on the north east coast of Unova recently – a bunch of divers had discovered a building of sorts – but it was underwater and progress was hard to come by.
Apparently it was some sort of temple and or castle that had been home to an ancient king, but archaeologists had yet to fully figure out when it had been constructed and it seemed to be far less well-preserved than the Relic Castle, having slumbered beneath the desert dunes for more than two whole millennial,
Moving on to the next exhibit, Touko studied a mosaic portraying a court scene of sort that featured the legendary Dragon Pokémon of old.
It reminded her of the stories she had needed to study before.
The legendary Pokémon was an interesting piece of ancient folklore. For years, people had believed it to be nothing but an exaggerated legend. Most scholars had suggested it might have been a Hydreigon that had served as inspiration for the legend that had that had been in the centuries to come. A strong dragon type like that, that evolved very late no less, would have been a rare sight to anyone 2000 years ago. It would have been enough to subject an entire region with an army to boot, too, and definitely enough to spawn rumors of godly interference. Add to that the Pokémon's three heads and it was easy to see how people might have thought it had split into two upon the start of the civil war. It was entirely possible both princes had only had a Zweilous at the beginning of it – perhaps descendants from the original Hydreigon – and that had been what caused the rumors and eventual myth.
Really, it had been a plausible explanation, one believed by most. Some disputed that it had been a Hydreigon, instead suggesting other candidates, some people went as far as claiming the Pokémon species in question had died out long ago and no one could know what it had been. But only conspiracy theorists had ever claimed there to be an actual legendary Pokémon – one of a kind – that had roamed the Unova region alongside some chosen hero of sorts. But then? then Hoenn had happened. And had thrown the entire world into turmoil.
Of course, there had been conspiracies before – a successful ritual in Johto and a closed-off cavern in Kanto. A report of a strange 'snake in the sky' seen by those looking close enough and the never-ending stories about a strange tree, hidden deep inside the forests of Kalos, emitting an unearthly glow. But those had been unbelievable reports at best and could be attributed to an ever hungry population, feverishly looking for the newest mystery and conspiracy to gobble up. There had never been any evidence provided, until that fateful accident. Because Hoenn had almost been completely flooded.
Some people believed the unusual weather had simply been that – unusual weather and the whole thing was nothing but a hoax, but eventually, after the eyes witness reports had become too overwhelming, the Hoenn government had fessed up.
Yes, Kyogre existed. Yes, it could control the weather to an extent never seen before. Yes – they were looking into finding Groudon and Rayquaza to ensure both Pokémon could be taken into custody, lest they might cause irreparable damage. And yes, Kyogre had already been caught and the trainer that had managed this incredible feat – no one else but the new champion of the region, which, really, shouldn't surprise anyone – had allowed the Pokémon to be studied by scientist, under strict supervision by several Pokémon rights activist groups.
The news had shook the world, because suddenly, everything was possible. Those legends, frequently dismissed as nothing but bedtime stories that had changed and transformed over time until they had finally been molded into the codified version that researcher could study, had suddenly become so much more. A chance that maybe – they might just be true.
People had flocked to Cinnabar Island to explore the closed research facility that had been host to a group of scientist, believed to have found the legendary Pokémon Mew. People had demanded entry to Bell Tower in Ecruteak City until the national guard had needed to step in to protect the holy site. The forests of Kalos had been some much more often frequented and the government had eventually taken a strange cocoon into custody, said to hold the incarnation of destruction itself, Yveltal.
And a few years later, the Sinnoh incident had happened. No one knew what exactly had occurred on top of Mount Coronoet and the government had been strangely tight-lipped about the whole thing. Eventually they had claimed a terrorist group had tried – and failed – to summon Giratina and had damaged the ruins at the top, leading to its unforeseeable closure.
That had been it and no one but the most brave dared to question it, because if Giratina existed, so did Arceus and whilst it was a common religion to follow – gods were a scary thing.
Which was perhaps why Unova had kept its head down. Their legendary dragons had brought war upon the region and if letting them slumber – wherever that was – stopped that war from coming back – well, only a fool would ever challenge fate.
It was nice to dream anyway.
Coming to a halt in front of another exhibit – a strange, pitch-black stone that seemed to have held some ritualistic importance – Touko noticed a group of tourists next to her looking at a bunch of scrolls that held a retelling of the tale from around 1000 years ago. Not close enough to be telling the truth, but it was best they could do.
Touko was only listening with half an ear, her mind still stuck on how she hadn't gotten an appointment for today, but she couldn't completely block the tour guide's voice from reaching her ears.
"...version speak of a third. However only one such tale has been found around the North-eastern area and it is highly likely the original tale merged with..."
It sucked that she hadn't gotten an appointment, but, sadly, there wasn't anything to be done about that either.
"...miscommunication. One of the princes supposedly tried to organize a coup against his younger brother..."
And she should probably take her leave now – she still had the rest of the day to train and she really needed to beat that first Pokémon of Lenora if she wanted to stand a chance during her second battle.
"….the younger brother allegedly tried to assassinate his twin in retaliation."
Oh. That was a version Touko had never heard before – and probably her sign to leave. Stretching herself, Touko trotted back over to the entrance in no hurry at all. She really should train – but she didn't really want to. Passing the registration desk, Touko let out a sigh in annoyance finding it deserted – she could have slept in had she known that before.
Shaking her head she moved on, greeting the clerk with the head of her nod – who nodded back, then froze and then...
"Wait!", the clerk called out:"You're that trainer from earlier, right?"
Frowning, Touko turned and nodded hesitantly.
"Uh – yes? Why? Can I help somehow?"
It wasn't uncommon for people to ask trainers to lend them a Pokémon or two. Usually to lift heavy object or to get something down from a wardrobe high up – she wondered whether she'd have any Pokémon the lass could use. Wobuff maybe? Probably only Wobuff.
"Cool – you wanted an appointment for today, right? But didn't get one?"
"Yes, I just got one – for my first battle that is – why?"
"Oh, that's great!"
The girl let out a visible breath of relief.
"That's great – a trainer canceled and Lenora doesn't like waiting. She, uh, can be intense about that, too, so...want to fill in? If it's your first battle anyway...well..."
She trailed off and Touko started grinning. What a stroke of luck – what an absolute stroke of luck! And she'd definitely take no offense to anyone telling her they did not expect her to win the first time around.
"No – that's fine. Great, actually – thank you. Really!"
.O.
Two hours could pass surprisingly slowly and fast at the same time if one was a bundle of nerves – and Touko currently was a bundle of nerves. And for no reason either! She had no intentions of winning this battle – the only thing she stood to gain in this battle was a tactical advantage by knowing Lenora's team. She could look it up if need be, but then she couldn't gloat to Cheren anymore.
But she did know how many Pokémon Lenora used already anyway! Two, meaning Touko really needed to be able to beat that first one, if she wanted to come up with any sort of strategy during her second battle. No mistake, her strongest Pokémon had to go first and her strongest Pokémon…well, that was Ollie.
Hesitantly, Touko reached for the Oshawott's Pokéball, her hands trembling. Her starter was undoubtedly still mad and she...well, she already didn't necessarily like battling and she certainly wasn't going to take kindly to being knocked out. But maybe Touko could simply surrender after having beaten the first Pokémon? That would be possible, right?
Perhaps there was a reason for Touko to be a bundle of nerves after all.
She tried to go for a walk to clear her head, but that didn't work, sadly – instead of taking half an hour to explore more of the city, she instead rushed back after a mere five minutes, afraid she might be late and miss her appointment. She had gotten it so surprisingly, she did not want to disappoint the girl from the desk.
Plus, she didn't necessarily want to pay that fine either.
With a heavy sigh, Touko let herself fall against the wall behind her once more, her eyes glued to the clock on her VisoCaster, its fingers moving ever-so-slowly. Ten minutes still.
She glanced at the entrance, still closed – her very first gym puzzle awaited her behind those doors. It would be something with books, Touko was sure of it, but it couldn't take too long, lest they'd run into scheduling problems.
"Miss Touko? Your appointment starts know."
Immediately, Touko shot up, her back straight and arms rigidly held at her sides.
Her first battle! Hurrying, as not to wait any longer, Touko practically ran towards the girl behind the desk who shot her an amused glance, before her eyes were back, glued against her screen.
"You are allowed a maximum of two Pokémon for this battle – please choose them now. You can leave the others with me, they will be safely stored away in a locked locker, for safekeeping."
Safekeeping? Huh? This hadn't been the case when Touko had challenged the first gym.
"Did something happen?", she asked curiously, as she simultaneously eyes her team. Ollie would need to take on the first Pokémon – whatever it would be – and then she'd have to hope that they'd defeat first Pokémon – preferably as easily as possible, so that she knew she stood a chance tomorrow.
"There was a case of a stolen team a few weeks ago. We have yet to find the thief, however Lenora has decided on new measure to ensure no such thing happens in the future. I hope you don't mind?"
"Oh no, of course not!", Touko responded Here, by the way. You can have these three."
Smiling, Touko handed over half of her team, her stomach churning uncomfortably at the thought of stolen Pokémon.
It reminded her of Wobuff and Wellspring Cave. She shuddered at the thought of something similar happening to another trainer – or worse, herself again. Squeezing Wobuff's Pokéball – she had chosen the Woobat as her secondary Pokémon for this battle – Touko swore herself to never let any such thing happen to her team.
They deserved better than to be trained by some stealing scum that hardly deserved the title of 'trainer'.
"Very well – you may proceed to the next room then – good luck and don't forget, Pokémon battles are meant to be fun still!"
.O.
The puzzle was easy. Laughably easy, even – all Touko had to do was find a bunch of books based on a short description given to her at the beginning. It very much reminded her of these stupid exercises in school they had to do every other year where they were shooed into the schools minuscule library and were taught how to find stuff inside. But to be fair, Lenora had always advocated for better education, if her trainer profile was anything to go by. Therefore Touko really shouldn't be surprised her gym puzzle followed the same pattern and, well, she should count herself lucky it had been this simple. Getting stuck on the gym puzzle of all things sounded immensely embarrassing and Touko would rather spare herself the humiliation.
At last, Touko confidentially pulled out the – hopefully – last book to this wild Unfezant chase, revealing a big, fat red button hidden behind it. Satisfied with her discovery, she pressed down on it – needing to hands to move the damn thing. Then she stepped back from the book case, concealing the button once more, before she tried to figure out just where exactly the mechanical whirring was coming from and finding it soon enough in the form of a gaping stair case leading down into the floor.
It was quite an elaborate set-up, if one were to ask Touko. Installing that must have cost a fortune. But that wasn't really of any importance to her, so she tried her best to walk down these stairs as elegantly and composed as possible, only almost tripping one time until she had finally made it into the last room, where she was to face Lenora.
The gym leader was awaiting her already, a book in hand and a surprised 'oh' on her lips when she spotted Touko tumbling down the stairs.
"You're here already?", the gym leader asked, rising to her full height – a staggering 1.85 meters that Touko was incredibly jealous of – a big smile plastered on her face.
"That took you less time than I anticipated – congratulations! Did you enjoy the books you've read?"
Did she enjoy the books..? Touko frowned. Not...really? She hadn't paid much attention to them, mainly skimming through the pages, hoping to the answers faster. Was she supposed to have read the books? Was she required to? Had she messed up this battle already? Was that why she had finished so fast?
"Uh – no?"
Touko hated how her words came out more a stutter than anything else. If she sounded unsure, surely, that wouldn't help her case if she had failed already.
"Not even the one on battle tactics?"
Lenora's grin was wide still, but more frozen and stuck on her face than anything else. She looked reather disappointed and it made Touko feel exceedingly bad about not having read that book either.
But that one had been pretty interesting! She may have seen most of these tactics before, somewhere – usually when she went down yet another YouTube rabbit hole – but that didn't make them any less cool!
And also, Touko somehow doubted Lenora would like that answer.
"Uh...yes? No? I'm really just here for a battle..."
She needed to finish this quickly so that she could maybe train some more before tomorrow's battle, but her answer seemed to be the wrong one still, seeing how Lenora pursed her lips in response.
"I see", she drawled, her eyes furrowed but otherwise not commenting anything:"Well. I suppose we should start our battle then – though I can recommend that one. It's quite exhaustive for only being a beginner's guide. But now – your battle please?"
Finally, Lenora got to why Touko was here. Book recommendations? Well, the gym leader may not be wrong, but...yeah, she'd pass.
Confident, Touko stepped onto her side of the battlefield, her fingers not wasting a second to grasp onto the Pokéball hanging from her hips – and then she called out her starter, a smirk plastered on her face.
This was going great! – It wasn't going so great anymore once she noticed said starter's posture though.
She looked betrayed. And mad and she saw tears spring into the Oshawott's eyes and – Touko regretted her decision instantly.
She shouldn't have brought out Ollie. She should have lead with Rockstar instead. But what was done was done and there was no returning now – her attention returning back to the battle that was about to transpire, Touko bit her lip as her eyes zeroed in on the first Pokémon sent out.
A Herdier.
… … …
A Herdier.
… … "...mis..."
… … … … "...hear us?...right?"
"I'm ready!"
Balling her hands to fist, Touko shook her head, trying to get her mind to focus again on the task at hand, ignoring the worried glances Lenora threw her way. There was no referee this time, which Touko found strange, but perhaps they were watching from further away.
"Take the win, Puppy, go!"
… … …
Puppy. Great. Because that totally didn't thrust a knife into her stomach and then painfully twisted it around. That could have been her Herdier. Maybe it should have been, too.
… … … "..ite!"
This was not the time to think about Lil!
"Try to dodge and re-position yourself in front of that wall over there!", Touko shouted, hoping her command would reach Ollie in time – it didn't. But luckily, her started did have a mind of her own and didn't get completely hit. It still hurt to watch though and from Ollie's angry scream Touko knew the Oshawott was less than pleased by her lack of focus.
But they could change that still!
"Herdier, use 'Take Down', now!"
"Push it away using 'Water Gun' and then get to a wall!"
Take Down was a powerful move – often described as an upgraded 'Tackle' – but it came at with a build-in disadvantage as well and was rather easy to counter, if one paid attention. The attacker slammed into the defendant at a higher speed and with more power than if they used tackle, making it much more difficult to re-direct the move and it would always hurt the user as well. Putting Ollie in front of a wall would risk Herdier missing and crashing into said wall – which would spell a pretty bad end to the attack. If Touko were able to essentially disable one whole move from a rather limited move pool, it would practically guarantee she'd win against the H – the first Pokémon at least and that in turn would be great news for her further plans.
Equally great news was that Ollie did manage to get enough space between – what wasn't as great was that the Herdier knew another attack that could bridge the distance easily and was less risky.
"'REVENGE'!"
Dammit.
"Try to dodge! And – 'water gun'! Again! Keep the distance!"
This wasn't good – Ollie managed to push the Herdier away again but she did still get hit and Touko knew her starter wasn't going to stay on her feet for much longer.
...Not staying on her feet..? Touko's eyes narrowed. Huh. Perhaps this one move wasn't as useless as she had anticipated.
"'Water Sport'! Keep dodging and keep using 'Water Sport'! Until the entire floor is covered in it!"
Hopefully her plan would work out – and it seemingly was. Hit after hit failed to materialize as the opposing Pokémon struggled not to slip on the wet floor – those sign might have had a point after all – and due to Ollie's type she didn't struggle nearly as much, keeping a safe distance at all times and shooting water gun after water gun at the now entirely drenched – and quite frankly rather hopeless – Herdier.
It took up more power points than Touko would have liked, but it was something. They could work with this.
But then things got worse – Arceus, things got so much worse. Because Lenora's next Pokémon was a Watchog and Ollie – Ollie had always disliked Patrat.
.O.
Soft Wave couldn't feel a single nerve in her body anymore, too overloaded with the tingling in her skin.
It had been a hard battle, one fought with tooth and nail but she had won! And then she faced...a Patrat.
No. Worse.
A Watchog.
Soft Wave squeaked when she saw him and suddenly – it felt like all the energy she had felt rush through her body during the duration of that fight – all the power that had almost elevated her gone within a single heartbeat. Any courage she had previously pulled from the depths of her being was gone and she was about to turn tails, when she felt the saving red light of her very own Pokéball enclose her in a comforting, warm hug.
Touko had recalled her. It made Soft Wave want to smile.
.O.
There was no point in keeping Ollie on the battle field any longer. Touko had seen the way the Oshawott had tensed up upon seeing the new Pokémon sent into battle. Touko knew better than to make things even worse for her starter by letting her get knocked out in a battle she was bound to lose. After a moment of deliberation, Touko chose her next Pokémon and called it onto the field, still within the limits of time she had available to her to make such a switch.
Lenora nodded and the battle was on once more – this time, her Watchog faced off against none other than a wildly fluttering Woobat whose nose was already looking for the most curious of things, before zeroing in on the scene before her.
A battle – well, exploring could wait.
Narrowing her eyes, Touko's mind raced – maybe she could win still? Those were two healthy Pokémon she had to Lenora's single one...all she needed to do was dodge any major attack. And if the Watchog had Hypnosis, the move would prove pointless against Wobuff's insomnia.
Which would have been a perfectly fine observation to make, if it hadn't been for the very simple fact that Watchog didn't use Hypnosis. And if it did know that move at all– well, Touko wouldn't figure that out until the next gym battle.
„'REVENGE'!"
Huh. So that was what Lenora's big deal was. The move didn't manage to fully knock Wobuff out, the Woobat valiantly fighting to stay in the air for a few moments longer, but the crunch that followed closely behind sealed her fate and Touko knew when to cut her losses.
"I SURRENDER!", she shouted, before anyone else could say much.
"I surrender", she then repeated and Lenora broke out into a wide smile.
"This must be your first battle then", she said:"You fought well – I'll look forward to facing off against you a second time!"
So did Touko, too – with a plan, hopefully, one that took Lenora's ace move into account while simultaneously also found a way with that immensely annoying Herdier of hers.
.o.O.o.
There wasn't much to do for the rest of the day, Touko noticed. She could train both, Ollie and Rockstar for the gym battle, but there wasn't much use in that. She needed well rested Pokémon if she wanted to stand a chance. Powering the out now would only prove more damaging than helpful. And hopefully, she wouldn't need much more training anyway, with the plan she had come up with.
She really hoped it would suffice. It wasn't that complicated after all, but it took in account the limited amount of possibilities she had. She only had access to two Pokémon and hardly any environmental elements she could make use of. Those were mainly reserved for later gyms – the third one made use of them, apparently and after the fourth every single other one did too, but Lenora?
There weren't even any bookshelves one could hide behind!
But no training for tomorrow it was and Touko felt little motivation to train Emblitz or Wobuff – Wobuff was at the PokéCenter below still and Emblitz was his very own case of difficult. Maybe she'd train them tomorrow, after her gym appointment or maybe she'd take the rest of that day off and relax, basking in her well-earned praise for beating the second gym. Maybe she should call her mum? Maybe she should buy her a souvenir from the city! She could go out and explore the city, finally making use of the great many shops offering all sorts of knicknacks! Or perhaps she could message Cheren and ask to meet up, though he'd probably want to have a battle…Exploring the city it was.
With fresh determination, Touko sprung up, leaving her dormitory in excited hurry, soon enough finding herself on the sunny streets below.
It was nice day. The late summer, early autumn sun did its best to warm the cobblestone and wooden houses and chatter filled the air, as people idly met up after work, enjoying all the attractions the city had to offer! Touko found a cute Purrloin Café that she simply had to visit with Bianca some day and she bought two new key chains made from wood, showing the Plume and Cover fossils respectively.
Eventually, Touko's feet started to hurt, so she found herself a nice little bench to rest on, pulling out her VisoCaster and then she started texting. Bianca first, though her best friend didn't respond – she'd have to make sure everything was alright with her later. Bianca had made it a habit to be less online than she used to be ever since she had started her journey, but she was fairly consistent still anyway.
Next up was Cheren, whom she asked to meet up with eventually. And lastly, N.
|Hey
|How are you?
|are you in castelia yet?
She wondered whether he'd text her back.
.O.
N hadn't expected Touko to text him out of the blue, but he didn't mind – in fact, her message was a welcome distraction. For all the spying and shadowing the Shadow Triad were known for, they had yet to find a way to monitor his VisoCaster. N was sure, had Ghetsis been the one to buy him the device they would have found a way, but as it stood it had been a gift given to him by Concordia and Anthea. Meaning it was save to correspond with Touko.
Seeing how his father had reprimanded him once again and then threatened to revoke his permission tot ravel at all, being able to communicate without fear of being found out was rather nice.
N didn't know where his sudden urge to disobey his father came from but – it felt nice. In fact, he had the urge to giggle uncontrollably when his VisoCaster chimed with another message from Touko. He didn't, of course, seeing how it would be most unbecoming of a king such as himself, yet he did not remember a time where he even would have wanted to in the first place.
Anthea hadn't understood either, but Concordia had pointed out that "doing things banned can supply the human brain with an unexpected rush of both, adrenaline and dopamine, leading to the fluttering feeling that you have described". And that made a great deal of sense, didn't it? Hormones were measurable and their source, should they ever become irritating, their source was easily eliminated.
|are you in castelia yet?
N wondered whether he'd ever be able to convince Touko to switch to proper spelling and grammar, but so far his pleas had been met with the strange expression 'lol' and a shaking head 'sticker' as Touko had called them.
|Not quite yet, however I do hope to arrive sometime next week.
Ghetsis would probably want to meet with him soon, if just to prepare for the third gym battle that awaited him there. Additionally, his father had alluded to another topic that stood to debate and that couldn't wait for much longer either.
|Will you leave for the capital soon as well?
N's hands were shaking as he typed out his question – if Touko left Septerna City she must have obtained her second badge and remembering his own battle against Lenora, N could only imagine what pain her team must have gone through.
He remembered his battle still. His team hadn't complained, taking the battle in strides without a single expression of terror or hatred ever having graced their faces, yet N knew they had simply kept silent, not wanting to disappoint him.
It was horrifying to think that Pokémon would go to such great lengths just to please humanity.
|nope
|i have yet to get my badge
|but it actually had my first battle today
|and I visited the musem which was nice
|they have this exhibiton on this whole dragon stuff
|someone told that old story they always go on about
Old story? Did she mean the legend of the twindragon? Surely, Touko would hold this country's founding myth – if one could call it that, after all N knew it to be truth. He lived in the old castle that proved it true, after all – in higher regard.
|A story about the original dragon?
|Yes
|The one about how Unova came to be and the civil war and all that stuff
|I knew it before of course
|but it was a nice refresher
|i totally didnt remember the whole assassination plot
|or the fact that apparently one of the two brothers tried to unite the people behind him
|to run the other from the throne
|That is false.
The text was sent before N could have really given it any thought. Perhaps he shouldn't have sent it. Perhaps he should watch his words, or rather his messages more carefully. But he had never needed to before. Everyone knew everything in the castle he had grown up in, there had been no use for secrecy.
And besides. He was meant to be the next chosen by the dragon of truth. A lie by omission was a lie nonetheless and he couldn't afford to anger the dormant beast, couldn't afford to fight this battle without its strength supporting him.
|false?
|wdym?
|that stands for what fo you mean btw
|i already explained what that stand forest's
|for*
|by te way, should you have forgotten
|I remember what 'btw' abbreviates, thank you nonetheless.
|And by my remark I simply meant to express that I have been told a rather different version
|Oh cool!
|Mind telling me?
|You want to hear the version I was raised with?
|I mean yeah
|Myths are interesting!
|There's this really good show that was based on johtoian myths
|I watched a youtube channel breaking all of it down, it was pretty neat
|And I can't wait for the next season of 'Sword of Stone'
|It's set in Galar
|but anyway
|What version did you hear?
It wasn't a different version. It was the real one – Ghetsis title – his title – didn't come from anywhere. Both had been passed down for generations and so had the true story of what had happened that fateful night.
Stubbornness had clashed with truth, false idealism with a man willing to negotiate for the better of their country. A dark shadow had cast his dreaded influence across the castle the legendary princes had resided in, until each and every quill had been turned into a dagger.
The hero of Zekrom had tried to justify his plot by claiming his brother had been the one to plot first – but those were empty allegations. Merely a ploy to rally the people behind his cause with little success. Unova had been plunged into brutal civil war that lasted ten years due to his greed and at the end, a once great line fell to ruins.
The hero of white had needed to flee and what had happened to the hero of black remained a mystery, though Ghetsis always spoke of someone out there.
"We are the descendants of a great hero and just like the great hero had a line to pass down his legacy to, so did the traitor. Somewhere out there, you will find your mirror, Natural – your nemesis that you will have to fight to finish the battle of old. No doubt they lead a miserable existence – no doubt they are nothing but squirming worms beneath the shadow of our great family. But be wary of their treachery – for that is what they are best known for."
N remembered listening to his father speak of such things in awe. He spoke of a history he had never known before – all he had were scraps of memories and the occasional stories from older Pokémon but knowing this….it had given him a strange sense of belonging.
Until he had been awoken from his dream by a rude reminder.
"You were an orphan until I molded you into what you are now! Everything you are, everything you own, you owe me! And you will pay me the respect necessary! NOTHING! YOU'D BE NOTHING BUT A DIRTY CHILD LOST IN THE WOODS!"
Ghetsis' words had made him cry that night. He had trembled and shivered and it had made everything worse – all the more worse until all N could beg anyone, anything that he'd pass out. That he'd be taken away, anything but to be reminded he wasn't apart of this family at all.
Anthea and Concordia had tried to calm Ghetsis down, but to no avail until eventually, they had picked him up and simply ran.
N didn't remember whether Ghetsis had chased after them, but he could still remember cowering underneath his covers, wishing Zorua were here, as he heard the man rage and rage and rage.
He hardly ever dared to raise his voice again. Not if such an outcome entailed.
But that night he had and it had haunted him for years. Ghetsis had apologized one day. After two years, N remembered well.
"I should not have shouted, though I must defend my action as well. Your disobedience was highly worrisome and I could not let it stand, lest I was to ruin your future as a well respected king."
Of course Ghetsis had meant well – he always did, after all. But much more importantly, his father's words had made N dare – dare to ask that one question on his mind ever since Ghetsis had screamed and shouted that night.
If he was….adopted – then how could he possibly be the hero of white? If the white heroes blood made Ghetsis royal – how could he possibly be?
N had never dared to follow that train of thought, had never dared to confront the nightmares that plagued him. Ghetsis had given him a place he couldn't imagine to ever leave again and the mere idea he may be nothing but an imposter...it was terrifying.
Until that apology. Until N felt like he had to ask lest he burst into a thousand tiny pieces.
"You are my son", Ghetsis had responded:"Whether by blood or by acknowledgement – you are my son and the white dragon will view you as such."
Ghetsis hadn't paid his concerns much mind, but it had been an answer and the way he had reassuringly grabbed his hands had made N feel...safe. Had made him feel like it was true – and why would it not be? Ghetsis had never lied to him before.
He was the future hero of white, by bloodline, and those lies spread by traitors was an insult to his family's name.
|There was no plot to overthrow the hero of black, but rather a campaign of misinformation to justify assassinating the hero of white.
Perhaps he shouldn't have told her – but then again, telling the truth should hardly be a secret. And in a few years time, all of Unova would know it.
|huh
|never heard that vesion be4
|honestly I lie the one we learned in class best
There was yet another one? Just how much misinformation had spread its seed throughout Unova in these past millenials?
|What version were you taught?
Perhaps learning of all the stories would help him understand people better – may help him make them see the truth.
|In that one there were no plots
|just two btoerhs butting heads
|and then a wardrobe
|*war
|i liked it best because the message is much better
|The message?
|Y
|it shows one shouldnt be stubborn and be open to new ideas
|or, well, wardrobe
|*war
|i hate autocorrect
N had never thought about the message before. It had never mattered – he knew the truth. And it didn't matter still, because the truth had always been so much more important than anything else.
|not that I think thats right
|not always
|there are some things id never budge on, you know?
|there are some things no one should ever budge on
Silently, N stared at the last message Touko had sent him – and then he broke out into a wide smile.
|You're right.
He sent back.
|There are some things no one should ever 'budge on'.
.o.O.o.
Touko's and his conversation fizzled out eventually. Touko claimed she needed to retrieve her Pokémon from the PokéCenter and N was left to his own devices once more.
He didn't mind. It gave him some time think and to ponder the consequences that fake myth had brought upon this world, as he decided to take a walk.
It gave the story a different spin that was for sure and Touko wasn't wrong when she claimed it's teachings may be more profound. Though perhaps she was too self-centred to read the original story for what it was. A tale of selfishness and human greed – how one man's desires could lead to so much misery, how mankind's pursuit of more and more ruined any peace they currently held. It had done so 3000 years ago and it could do so again. A man's lust for power had brought a war and a shattered bond of trust. Nothing but misery for years to come and it all resulted in a broken Pokémon that needed to split itself into two to settle a wrongful war.
Truly, a tragedy. Perhaps he should tell Touko that much – explain why her version was wrong. He couldn't help but think that her not knowing – her being in the dark about the truth – would warp her mind, would mislead her even.
Eventually, N even left the forest for a few moments, not wanting to go to sleep just yet – he'd stay underneath these stars, preferring the open air to the narrow spaces offered by the PokéCenters littered all across the region – and it was this exceedingly small and generally inconsequential decision that would have such a profound effect on – everyhing, really.
.O.
N hadn't meant to stumble upon the camp near the forest's border and he most certainly hadn't meant to creep any closer either once the wind had carried the first voice to him – but then the name 'Plasma' had been dropped and N hadn't been able to rein in his curiosity.
The camp itself looked half-hearted at best. Two tents on the verge of collapsing and a fire in the middle, cared for by a young woman whose eyes were pulled in concentration. Nothing of it seemed to be meant to stay there for long, none of the few things littered across the clearing having been done in wholes.
Clearly, the camp was meant to be temporary.
N could spot a total of four people, sat across the camp – a woman and three men, all of them pursuing various tasks. And whilst none of them were wearing their uniform – it was meant to only be worn for official and ceremonial business, after all – it was clear they were Team Plasma grunts. N could spot a Team Plasma banner, proudly displaying the crest, hung on top of one of the tents and if he was not mistaken, one of the white tunics hung across the clothesline was theirs as well.
Which made their presence all the more notable and perhaps distressing. There had been an official decree by Ghetsis not to camp within the bounds of nature. N had personally asked for this order to be given, remembering well the many times his friends and he had needed to run from curious invaders that refused to stay on the paths.
There was no reason for them to be there. Mankind had taken so much already – they hardly needed anything else.
All the more reason for N to tell them off. Perhaps it was because he was emboldened by the story he had pondered minutes ago.
He was a descendant of royalty, of a hero chosen by a deity, by a hero to the people.
He was a descendant of the white knight and he had every right to enforce his will on his subjects.
N crept closer, keeping to the undergrowth still, but then he accidentally snapped a twig and not a second later the woman's head shot up.
"Who goes there?"
The woman's voice echoed through the forest eerily and for a second, N wondered whether he should leave. He had never been good a public speaking and he couldn't really fight either…
That shouldn't matter. This was a test. If passed, Ghetsis was sure to be proud of him.
"You should not be here."
Willing his voice to stop its trembling, N stepped out of the shadows his posture too rigid to mask his nervousness, though N didn't know.
The woman was not fooled, however. She raised her eyebrows at his sudden appearance, shaking her head and turning her attention back to the fire, though her three companions eyes him suspiciously still. One of them even went as far as sneakily grabbing a crowbar.
"And who are you to tell me that? The local wannabe Absol trainer?"
Wanabe Absol trainer.
"I am neither training an Absol nor do I have any intention of ever doing so."
What a strange expression or rather assumption to make. Which were exactly the same thoughts that woman had, as she turned her head back to him, her expression visibly confused. It was only then they really took his appearance in and almost automatically the woman's eyes were drawn towards the countless bracelets around his wrist, her mouth forming a surprised 'oh' once she spotted the pendant identifying him as a member.
"You're affiliated with Team Plasma too?"
The group let out a sigh of relief and the man lowered the crowbar. Curiously, not a single one of them seemed to be carrying any Pokémon at all, though perhaps N shouldn't be surprised by that. Team Plasma members weren't meant to be carrying Pokémon, unless given special permission relating to protection of other Pokémon.
Yet another reason to question them being here where they weren't meant to be.
"I'm glad you're one of us-"
N highly doubted that he truly was one of them.
"-and not some weirdo. We can't really afford getting spotted by anyone – pray tell, have you heard of our call to action and you've come to join us?"
Call to action? N didn't know that term. Well – he did, but not in the context of Team Plasma. Ghetsis had once said that to ensure to be taken serious, one needed regulations and formulas. It gave them credibility, though it did rob their organization their flexibility as well.
People weren't meant to call for action themselves. They were meant to wait on missions given to them.
"No. I haven't – I stumbled across this camp by accident. May I ask what you are planning?"
They still hadn't answered his question, but it didn't seem like they were going to, seeing how the woman already narrowed her eyes and so did her colleagues.
"You stumbled across this camp...entirely by accident...and you don't even know what we're going to do?"
From the corners of his eyes, N noticed how the man with the crowbar tightened his hold on it and he immediately felt the change in atmosphere from relief to hostility. Four pair of eyes fell onto N's bracelet again and suspicion started to show in their eyes.
"Are you sure you're a Team Plasma member? Not just some spy?"
"Seems like he's trying to fool us...what do you guys think?"
The four of them slowly crept closer and especially the man with the crow bar stepped forward and that was when panic finally startled to settle in. He would not run. He refused to run from anything and...
"I – I have a card?", N offered, his voice trembling as he shrunk back from the murderous gleam in the grunts' eyes.
It was scary. For some reason, N was scared, even though he had a forest filled with Pokémon that surely were ready to jump to his rescue any time. Yet he'd rather not reveal his ability to talk to Pokémon – Ghetsis had warned him other humans might be repulsed by it.
"Mankind fears what it does not know and your gift – they do not know it."
N didn't want to scare off any potential Team Plasma members and he had that card for a reason after all. The card Concordia had insisted he'd get.
"For whenever you need to prove yourself but would rather not disclose your true identity – use this card and any Team Plasma member will offer you shelter."
Making sure not to make any erratic movements, N dug through his pants' pockets until his fingers felt the sharp plastic against their tips. Carefully, he pulled the plastic card out, the crest on the back twinkling in the fire's light, giving it a more orangish hue instead of its usual blueish one.
N much preferred it like this.
Handing it over to the hand stretched towards him, N stepped back again, his eyes flittering from one grunt to another. Would Team Plasma truly hurt another human? N preferred Pokémon, of course, but...he didn't mean for any human to get hurt either! He simply wished for humans to stop bothering Pokémon. To keep both groups separated in order to ensure peace and prosperity for all.
All four pair of eyes snapped towards the card the moment it was held out to them – and then they all froze in shock. N had never actually bothered to look at the card, but he supposed it must have been rare.
"You're – an admin?", one of the grunts asked after a few moments of silence:"A high-ranking admin no less?"
"But – aren't you a bit young for that? How old are you even? 16?"
He was 17, but N supposed it might be hard to tell the difference this late in the evening.
"Well – it has been signed by Ghetsis personally."
At that, they all looked at him in awe and N was once more reminded of his father's status among Team Plasma – and perhaps the entire region.
"Yeah, this checks out – sorry for not trusting you, but we needed to make sure you weren't lying about anything – anyway! Sit down, please sit down!"
And the grunt motioned next to him. There were no chairs, but N didn't mind, carelessly letting himself sink into the soft grass. Anthea would have his head if she fund any grass stains on his trousers, but there was still time until they'd meet up again.
"Thank you", N said when he was offered a cup of water and soon enough found himself involved in a heated discussion on Pokémon liberation. He didn't agree with most of what the grunts were saying – in fact, he hardly agreed at all – but they were learning and that was good and then, finally, he dared to ask what they were planning once more.
"Well, boy."
One of the grunts gave him a toothy grin before clapping him on the back hard enough for N to wince. It didn't hurt much – it did send him scattering though, as to not get touched again – as well as it made excitement rise in his lungs.
"If you care so much – and I don't doubt you do! – why don't you come along? We've got quite a mission ahead of us, if you're interested?"
And he nodded at an inconspicuous building not too far away – a farm of sorts, if N was not mistaken.
"You know what that is?"
N shook his head.
"Everything that is wrong with that world – it's time to free some Cottonee, what do you think?"
Just to let all of you know, but I couldn't find anything on exactly when the Unovan Civil War happened, however the Relic Castle was built 2.500 years ago (according to bulbapedia) by one of the twin heroes (in this story it's the hero of black, N lives in the castle built by the hero of white) so it must have been around that time.
With that being said, I hope you don't mind the delay and please leave a review if you enjoyed!