Chapter 16

The Next Steps

After he laid Blake down in Sharpedo Bluff to sleep, Alex pulled out his expedition orb and said, "call Paul, Tesla, and Lana."

Alex sat his expedition orb down as Blaze entered; however only Paul and one other pokemon appeared, Lana the Mawile.

"Where's Tesla?" Alex questioned.

Lana shook her head and replied, "he left a few days ago to look around some villages, probably left his orb on silent."

As Blaze rolled his eyes, Alex shook his head and replied, "Blake managed to regain some of her memories, though it took a run-in with a very dangerous psychic to accomplish it."

"Who?" Paul pressed.

Alex gave a serious look and said, "Saraxis, Belle is keeping her under for now, and I will personally take her to Galewind Prison."

Paul and Lana gave a stunned expression; the Mawile managed to regain her composure and said, "I'll alert Warden Ketch immediately."

"Blake needs some time, but as soon as she's able, I'll see what she remembers," Alex assured them.

Blaze then cut in and said, "Give me some time alone with her, she's gonna be very fragile, and we can't force her to ask questions."

Alex hesitated for a moment but nodded and said, "ok, in the meantime, Lana, try to get through to Tesla; she needs to know that Blake's memories aren't gone; they're just locked away. That gives us a bit more to work with since the other former human arrived the same way."

Lana nodded before her hologram vanished, however before Paul could hang up, Alex said, "wait, Paul, there's one more thing for just you."

Paul nodded and asked, "what is it?"

"Has the watcher visited you?" Alex asked, earning an odd look from Blaze.

Paul shook his head and replied, "no, I haven't seen him in four years, you?"

Alex nodded and said, "I saw him two years ago, called out, and he showed up to give some advice but otherwise no."

Paul nodded and said, "ok….how did you get in contact with him?"

Alex shook his head and replied, "I just activated my white matter form and called out his name."

The Charizard then looked closely at Alex and said, "you haven't been sleeping, have you?"

"What, no…" Alex denied.

Blaze cut in and said, "yes, yes he hasn't for the last month."

Paul sighed and warned, "don't do that to yourself, get some rest, ok?"

Alex nodded, and soon after, Paul's hologram vanished.

Blaze then put his hand on his partner's shoulder and said, "you never told me you got another visit from Professor Malcolm, anything else you haven't told me?"

"No, I just needed someone to share my thoughts with who may understand my position," Alex admitted.

Blaze turned to leave and said, "ok, remember that we're gonna get through this, and much like Koh taught you, you don't have to bear your burdens alone."

Ruby and Tide were walking in the square towards school when a new Pokémon waddled into town. It was a yellow, bipedal Pokémon with a white belly. It had conical ears with black stripes and a red orb on its forehead. Its long neck had several black rings around it near the base. Its stubby arms resembled flippers, and each foot had a single white nail. It had a long, black-striped tail with a red orb at the tip.

The Ampharos had a treasure bag and a silver ring around its right flipper with a gemstone. It walked up to the Keckleon market and asked, "do you have any reviver seeds?"

Before the Keckleon could even finish nodding, the Ampharos said, "I'll take all of them!"

Ruby and Tide then heard the school bell and ran off without a second thought as the Ampharos headed to the Cafe

The Greninja that had been watching Ruby was sitting in Cafe Connection when the Ampharos entered. The second she saw the new arrival, she dissolved into the water, teleporting away.

She appeared on the hill overlooking Serene Village and looked at the sun's position. It was around noon, so that meant he would be here soon.

Right on time, a glowing pair of lines appeared in front of her, and a portal opened, almost as if someone had slashed a hole in reality. Out of the void came a lime-green Mega Lucario holding a sword. He sheathed his blade as it vanished in a blue flash before a new weapon appeared in his hand.

At first glance, it appeared to be a silver bo-staff, but the metal had small gaps in it, as it was segmented into different pieces. It was within a holster that could allow it to be carried on someone's back.

"It's beautiful," the Greninja remarked as she handed the Lucario her sais from behind her and took the staff.

As she holstered it on her back, the Lucario teleported her old weapons away and said, "the timeline has changed; in 8 months, you will make your attacks."

"Lupin, you said we are going to attack in one month; what changed?" The Greninja questioned.

Lupin shook his head and said, "our diversion is not ready yet; we need time; otherwise our plan here may fail due to outside interference. Your patient Tempest, you can wait a little longer."

The Greninja nodded and replied, "do we really have to use the codenames when it's just us? I can wait, but the other Winds will be very unhappy."

"It's just best to get used to, and do not concern yourself with the others; I will explain things to them, along with delivering their upgraded weapons. Sirocco will keep the others in line.

Tempest nodded but hesitated to say more.

Lupin noticed this and said, "what else is bothering you?"

"There is a former human in this village, her name is Ruby, and given her silver eyes, I believe you know who she really is," Tempest revealed.

Lupin gave a curious face and said, "what are the odds she ended up here? She may be of use,..but unless she can use her eyes, she is not a threat."

"Something I am trying to confirm, but I cannot risk anything yet, as a very familiar electric type just wandered into town," Tempest explained.

The Lucario looked out over the village and said, "it's doubtful that Tesla is here for anything other than his usual wanderings, but it's best to wait him out and see."

"I'll watch and wait…then see what I can find out," Tempest assured him.

Lupin gave a smile and summoned his sword. As he slashed open another portal, he chuckled and said, "You and the other Winds are more than up to the task. Once we strike, we will strike fast, and strike hard."

Author's note- It's painful how long it's been, semester finals messed up my writing hard...Happy New Year!

1. The plot is finally begining to move, and Im so excited for what comes next

2. There's obviously going to be a time jump eventually, but there are a few more things needed to be done.

3. Lupin has been getting around hasn't he? He's been in Outriders, RWBY:Distortion, Pokemon: Genesis and now he and his Winds of Destruction are preparing to make their move here. His relationship to the other Winds will be expanded on later.

Next time-Ruby and Tide dash off to Poliwrath River while Alex takes Saraxis to the most secure prison on the planet for some worldbuilding and setup!