Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 3: Aggression
AN: Here's Chapter 3 folks! Hope you enjoy!
Nate and Tep left Aspertia City and reached Route 19, the local route that neighbored Aspertia. The lush green that spread throughout the area with clear skies, large steeps and had crystal clear ponds. A gem of nature, if he had anything to say about it.
Up ahead, he saw his two (unwanted) companions. The bun-haired Rosa was currently battling a small, purple cat Pokémon, a purrloin if he recalled, with her oshawott.
"Now, Ottavia! Tackle!" Rosa commanded.
Ottavia looked slightly hesitant, before charging at the purrloin, dodging its attack and tackling the cat and knocking it out.
"Yes!" Rosa cheered. "Nice job, Ottavia!"
Ottavia smiled shyly at the praise. Meanwhile the blue-haired Hugh was battling a small chipmunk-like Pokémon, a patrat if he recalled, with his snivy, avoiding a bite from the patrat.
"Snivy, Leer!" Hugh commanded. "Then follow it up with Vine Whip!"
Snivy leered at the patrat, unnerving it and keeping it from moving, as two vines emerged from Snivy's collar and whipped the patrat with them, knocking it out as well.
"Good work, Snivy," Hugh praised the snake, in which Snivy nodded in acknowledgment.
"Huh...they're pretty decent," Nate muttered to himself, observing their battling. "Well I guess that's to be expected since they were chosen to complete the dex."
Nate then noticed the girl's eevee watching her master's battle on her shoulder. What did she call it again? Eve? A rather simple nickname, although he wasn't one to talk. 'Luca' and 'Tep' weren't exactly creative works of art either. And he also Hugh's Vibrava, spectating besides the boy. He couldn't judge their skills just yet. They were only commanding young Pokémon. Ones that have little to no battle experience what-so-ever. While that would've made little difference, these two already own Pokémon, and are experienced in some way. He needed to see them battle with their first Pokémon; see their skills to the fullest, to determine their true potential.
Nate glanced to the side to see another patrat, seemingly glaring at Tep. Tep returned the glare with his own.
"-Whadda ya want?-" Tep growled, trying to be as intimidating as possible.
"-You think you're so tough?-" the patrat asked. "-Let's fight.-"
Tep glanced at Nate, his expression begging him to let him fight the patrat to prove his dominance.
"Well now," Nate said, intrigued. "I suppose you could use some training. Alright, Tep, you're up!"
"-Alright! I won't let you down, Boss!-" Tep exclaimed as he jumped off his shoulder and got back from the patrat.
As Tep got ready, Nate quickly scanned the patrat in front of him.
"Patrat, the scout Pokémon," it read. "Extremely cautious, one of them will always be on the lookout, but it won't notice a foe coming from behind."
"I'm gonna have to do this a lot, huh," Nate muttered, before scanning Tep.
"Tepig, the fire pig Pokémon," it read. "It loves to eat roasted berries, but sometimes it gets too excited and burns them to a crisp."
Nate quickly scrolled through the data to find Tep's personal data.
"Naughty Nature...Likes to thrash about...Ability is Blaze...and only knows Tackle and Tail Whip," Nate read through the provided data. "Sounds about right. Well let's kick this off. Tep, Tackle!"
Tep wasted no time to execute the given command, as he charged at the patrat at a surprisingly fast speed, smashing into it and sending it flying. Patrat landed back on its feet, before lunging in for a bite.
"Dodge, and use Tail Whip!" Nate ordered.
As Patrat lunged for Tep, Tep twirled around where he was standing, making Patrat slide beside it, while rubbing his tail along the patrat, lowering its defenses.
"Alright, now go in for a pursuit with Tackle!"
As Patrat fell back from missing, Tep lunged at the chipmunk and smashed into it once more, sending him back a further distance much faster, sending it into a lake. The patrat floated back up, knocked out and unable to fight anymore.
"Not bad," Nate said.
"-That'll show you to never mess with the Boss!-" Tep roared.
"Nice job, Tep," Nate praised the pig. "Pretty impressive display for a newbie."
"-Hehe! I aim to please, Boss!-" Tep responded.
"That was pretty good," Hugh complimented.
Nate glanced at Rosa and Hugh, who had watched Tep's display.
"Well, that was to be expected from you," Rosa huffed. "Anything less would've been somewhat betraying considering your display back at Aspertia."
"Whatever," Nate muttered.
As Nate went ahead, Rosa glanced at Hugh as he tended to his Snivy.
"So, Hugh," Rosa said. "You do remember what you said about our battle, right?"
Hugh glanced back at her, figuring out what she wanted.
"We are on our journeys, now, so let's battle!" Rosa challenged. "Snivy against my Ottavia!"
"Although I get that you want to fight me with Ottavia," Hugh said. "You sure you should be challenging a Grass-type with a Water-type? Especially with Snivy learning Vine Whip?"
"It doesn't matter!" Rosa scoffed. "We will battle with our new partners!"
Nate glanced at the arguing duo, before glancing at the 'new partners' that would participate in their battle should they go through with it. While Rosa was insisting that they battle, with Hugh trying to reason with her to at least train her oshawott more before pitting it against an opponent who clearly has the type advantage, Ottavia, the oshawott in question, wasn't too sure of the whole thing, staring at the ground more than at her opponent, while Snivy didn't seem to mind too much.
Nate rolled his eyes. The odds that this would work out for the girl were slim. If she was so proficient, then she would have realized that.
"If you two are done fighting," Nate said, getting their attention. "Then let's get moving. We should at least get to the next town before sundown."
"What!? Who're you to boss us around?!" Rosa yelled.
"He does have a point though," Hugh chimed, noticing the sky beginning to darken. "We should at least reach the next city before dusk hits."
"Grr...Fine..." Rosa groaned, agitated that Hugh took Nate's side.
"You can fight him when we get to the next town," Nate said. "C'mon let's go–."
"BROTHER!"
"Oh goddamn it, what now?!" Nate growled.
The trio turned around to see a small girl carrying what appears to be two maps, being escorted by Bianca and Cheren.
"What the–Val?" Hugh blurted.
"You know her?" Nate asked him.
"That's his little sister," Rosa explained.
Nate's eyes widened slightly as Hugh approached his sister.
"What're you doing here?" Hugh asked in a somewhat scolding tone. "You know better than not to go out into the wild without a Pokémon."
"Sorry," Val mumbled. "But I forgot to give you this and you left already..."
Hugh looked curious, as Val handed him one of the maps.
"A Town Map..." Hugh muttered, before checking his belongings to find that he didn't have one on him. "So I must've forgot it."
Hugh smiled as he rubbed his sister's head rather affectionately.
"Sorry for making you bring it," Hugh said.
"It's no problem..." Val mumbled shyly. "I also have one for Rosa too."
Rosa looked a bit surprised, before walking over as Val handed her the other map.
"You didn't have to prepare one for me too," Rosa said.
"It's fine," Val said. "We had a spare one, anyways."
"Well, thank you regardless," Rosa smiled as she accepted it.
As Rosa put away her map, Val noticed Nate, before looking away.
"? Something the problem?" Nate asked, making his tone less intimidating.
"Sorry...but I don't have one for you..." Val mumbled. "We only had two..."
"Ah? Oh it's alright," Nate waved it off. "I already memorized the geography of Unova anyways. I don't need a map."
"I-Is that so?" Val asked, somewhat surprised. "You remember the entire Unova region?"
"Yep," Nate said. "Thanks for trying to be nice though."
"-Yeah, you should accept the Boss's gratitude!-" Tep exclaimed.
"Not now, Tep," Nate muttered.
"I don't believe you," Rosa said accusingly. "There's no way you could have remembered the ENTIRE Unova region."
"Try me," Nate challenged with a cocky grin.
"Is that so," Rosa said. "...What route are we on?"
"Route 19," Nate said matter-of-factly.
"What's the next town?"
"Floccesy Town."
"Where's the next gym?"
"At Virbank City, the next city after Floccesy after you go through Route 20."
"What's the mountain on East Unova?"
"Reversal Mountain."
"What's the town closest to it?"
"Lentimas Town. And Undella."
"The route that you go through from Oeplucid City to get to Victory Road?"
"Route 10, and it's closed down due to a huge landslide destroying the route."
Rosa leered at the boy as he wore a very smug grin on his face.
"Go on. I can keep doing this all day," Nate challenged.
As Rosa and Nate were having their little 'dispute', Hugh faced Cheren and Bianca, before bowing to them.
"Thank you for escorting Val to us," Hugh said.
"It was no problem," Bianca assured him. "I was about to leave, until your sister came along and asked if I could take her to you guys, since she figured that you guys were still in Route 19."
"To be this young, and yet so responsible," Cheren mused. "It really warms my heart to know that the future generation will be like this. If only you were that much responsible back on our journey, Bianca."
"Wha–?! I was totally responsible!" Bianca pouted.
"If I wasn't with you during our journey, you would've forgotten your Trainer Card back at the pokécenter back at Driftveil," Cheren commented.
"Well you're the one who keeps on training until all of your Pokémon collapsed from exhaustion!" Bianca argued. "You needed to give them more rest! Hilbert knew that too!"
"Hilbert had more problems on his plate than we could ever handle," Cheren shot back. "I doubt training to exhaustion was on his mind at the time."
As the two began to bicker, Val went up to Hugh.
"Brother? I recognize Professor Cheren, but who is this lady, anyways?" Val asked.
"Oh that's Bianca," Hugh explained. "She's Professor Cheren's childhood friend and is the assistant to Professor Juniper who gave us the pokédex. She also went on a journey with Professor Cheren."
"Uh huh..." Val said as she examined the two. "Are they dating?"
Their bickering had stopped the moment she asked that, before turning their attention to the little girl.
"HUH!?" they both blurted, both blushing furiously.
"What makes you say that?" Hugh asked Val.
"Well I mean they're bickering like a couple," Val said. "Plus, they seem to care for each other a lot if their arguments mean anything."
Both veterans stared at her for a good minute, before turning away from one another, still blushing.
"Well I mean, Cheren was always into training a lot..." Bianca murmured, twirling a strand of her hair with her finger. "And he never knew when to stop, so I had to always get him to take a break and yeah..."
"Bianca was a handful to take care of, and she always kept going on ahead," Cheren muttered as he cleared his throat constantly. "So I had to look out for her whenever she did something reckless or absurd..."
"So are you two dating?" Val asked, flustering them even more.
"I think you should stop there," Hugh said.
"R-Regardless!" Cheren cleared his throat, signaling that the conversation was over. "The map should prove useful to you three. Unova is a vast region after all."
"Yeah you two have fun with your maps," Nate said. "Less crap to carry for me. Now then, if there aren't any more interruptions, let's get going to–."
"HEY! OVER THERE!"
"OH GODDAMN IT!" Nate yelled, frustrated that he was interrupted, before turning to the direction of the voice. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!"
They all turned to the direction of the new voice, high up a steep cliff looming over the route. On top of said cliff, was a man with long flaming red hair tied back in a spiky ponytail, tan skin, and dark eye and wearing tan cloak-like vestments with a black collar, red and orange trim on the sleeves, and orange and black trim across the middle.
"Well aren't you the energetic one," the man mused.
"Alder?!" Cheren gasped.
"What? Alder? You mean as in the former Champion!?" Rosa gasped.
Alder had a smile on his face as he jumped off the cliff, plummeting to the ground before landing on his feet, seemingly unfazed.
"Damn, tough grandpa," Nate muttered, impressed that the man had withstood the fall.
As Alder walked up to the group, Rosa froze up somewhat, while Nate leered at the old man. The man looked around, before noticing Cheren and Bianca.
"Huh? Well if it isn't you two!" Alder boomed. "It certainly has been a while! Cheren and Bianca, if I recall correctly?"
"Y-Yes, it has been, Alder," Cheren answered.
"I've heard you've become a gym leader!" Alder said to Cheren. "That's great! So? How's the position treating you?"
"It's good," Cheren replied. "It's a great experience, and I'm teaching young trainers."
"Good, good to hear," Alder smiled. "And you Bianca. How have you been doing?"
"I-I've been doing good, thank you Mr. Alder," Bianca replied. "I've been working as Professor Juniper's research assistant. I've also provided three new trainers with the latest pokédex and the set of the Unova starters."
Alder raised an eyebrow as he looked to the trio.
"Oh? And you three must be the new trainers," Alder said.
"H-H-H-Hello A-A-Alder! I'm R-Rosa Echoes!" Rosa stuttered, nervous in front of the former champion of Unova. "It-It's an honor to meet you!"
"Easy there, girl," Alder chuckled. "Relax. It's nothing to be nervous about. You're talking to an old coot after all."
"And I'm Hugh Matis," Hugh greeted himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you. With all due respect though, you are the former champion after all. My friend has her rights to be nervous."
"I supposed you have a point," Alder said. "Although you seem to be relaxed despite being in the same position as your friend."
"One of us has to stay calm," Hugh shrugged, earning a laugh from the old man.
Alder then faced Nate, who looked the other way. Alder squinted his eyes at the boy, before widening them after recognizing him.
"Why, aren't you Nate Warren?" Alder asked. "Hilbert's little brother and Fiona's younger son?"
"Damn it, he remembered..." Nate muttered, before glancing at the man.
"Wait you know him!?" Rosa yelled in shock.
"He visited my family once..." Nate muttered. "And I did run into him...kind of...once before...he knows Hilbert after all..."
"Why, you've grown into a fine young man!" Alder laughed. "It seemed like only yesterday, when you were still a small young boy."
"Well y'know, trees grow, grass is green, and people do tend to grow after ten or something years," Nate muttered.
"Although, if I recall correctly, your brother said that you had a lucario and a braviary on you," Alder said.
"Y'mean Luca?" Nate asked as he released the golden canine.
Luca materialized in front of Nate, before taking note of Alder and backing away into a fighting stance.
"Relax, he's not an enemy," Nate quickly dismissed Luca's caution, causing the canine to relax somewhat.
"Ah yes, the shiny lucario!" Alder said as he examined her. "A fine Pokémon you have here. It's clear that you've taken care and trained your lucario very exceptionally. Very good!"
Luca still eyed the man suspiciously and cautiously, clinging onto Nate's arm.
"Uh, Alder, if I may ask," Cheren interrupted. "What are you doing here, anyways?"
"Oh I was out taking a little walk," Alder said. "And then I happened to see you all."
"A walk? Up to a cliff?" Bianca asked.
"It was enthralling," Alder said.
"And why bother with us?" Hugh asked.
"Good question!" Alder said. "You see, one of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk toward the future together with Pokémon. While I recognized Cheren, Bianca and young Nate, you two caught my eyes as trainers with potential."
"Really?!" Rosa gasped.
"Indeed," Alder said as he eyed Ottavia and Snivy. "Your Pokémon look very fine. They seem to trust you despite being new Pokémon, according to Bianca."
"Th-thank you Alder," Rosa said. "If you would like, please take a look at my other Pokémon."
"Mine's too," Hugh decided to join in.
They both released their respective partners, as Eve and Vibrava materialized in front of them.
"Oh," Alder mused as he examined the new ones. "An eevee and a vibrava, eh? Very rare Pokémon. And they look exceptionally well."
Eve and Vibrava looked at Alder curiously as he faced their trainers.
"You two seem to be more than capable than newer trainers," Alder said. "Although not a much experience as your Pokémon would let on."
"Huh?" Rosa and Hugh asked.
"Indeed! I'll train you a little!" Alder announced.
"REALLY!?" Rosa practically screamed.
"Calm the hell down, damn it," Nate growled.
"But the former champion is telling us that he'll train us!" Rosa argued with Nate. "How can I calm down!?"
"Simple. You don't lose your shit, like a normal person," Nate shot back.
"Why you–!" Rosa growled at the thief.
"Quit it," Hugh sighed.
"Energetic, I see," Alder simply chuckled. "Come now, my home is just up ahead at Floccesy Town. You don't mind if I take them from here?"
Alder turned to Cheren and Bianca.
"They're all yours," Cheren said. "Hugh. We'll escort your sister back to your home."
"Thank you," Hugh said.
"Oh and before I forget," Bianca said, taking out three chips and handed them to the trio. "Install these into your Xtransceivers."
"Huh?" Rosa asked as they accepted the chips. "What are these?"
"These chips are the C-Gears," Bianca explained. "They collect data from your Pokémon and your dreams. It also allows you access to the Entralink."
"The Entralink?" Hugh asked.
"It's a mystical place, found at the heart of Unova," Cheren explained. "It serves as a boundary that connects dreams and reality. We had the C-Gear in our journeys and they helped out in the end. Perhaps they can help out in yours."
Nate said nothing, before inserting the chip into a slot in the Xtransceiver, installing the device.
"You're not gonna question it?" Rosa asked Nate. "This chip could more than likely track you, you know."
"They can already do that without this, probably," Nate replied. "Besides, this may actually prove to be useful."
"Alright, have fun!" Bianca called out as the two left with Hugh's sister.
"Well then, let's go," Alder said as he walked ahead, leading the trio.
"Well at least we're making progress..." Nate groaned as he followed the old man. "Why the hell do I have to do this though...?"
"We're in the presence of the former champion!" Rosa shot back. "Why aren't you more excited? Also show some respect!"
Nate simply rolled his eyes as the trio followed the old man.
In a short amount of time, the group reached Floccesy Town, a small town with a rather calm and rural feel to it. The group made a quick stop at the pokécenter to heal their Pokémon before heading to Alder's home. It was a rather large house compared to the other houses, where two school kids were having a mock battle in front of the house.
"Pansage, Vine Whip!" the boy commanded, as his green monkey shot a vine at the opposing blue monkey.
"Panpour, dodge and use Water Gun!" the girl commanded, where her monkey dodge the incoming attack and shot a stream of water at the pansage, who took the brunt of the attack with little difficulty.
"Oh, looks like things are lively here," Alder commented.
The two young trainers noticed the old man, and stopped their battle.
"Mr. Alder!" the two exclaimed as the two and their monkeys rushed up to the man.
"Hey! Pretty good battle you two were having there, Seymour, Cassie," Alder complimented. "You two are improving."
"Thank you Mr. Alder," the boy, Seymour, said.
"Uh...Mr. Alder?" the girl, Cassie, asked, noticing the three. "Who are these three?"
"Oh these are some young trainers that caught my eye," Alder explained. "I offered to train them a little."
Alder turned to the trio.
"I'd like you three to lend a hand with your Pokémon," Alder said. "Try sparring with these two."
"Huh?" Rosa asked. "What would that accomplish?"
"I'm sure fighting more experienced trainers such as you three will prove to be a great experience for these two," Alder said. "Plus, I'm sure your new Pokémon would like their first experience against a trainer."
"I suppose," Rosa said, somewhat disappointed that she couldn't have a spar against the former champion himself.
"This will also make for a good experience for you two as well," Alder said to the two kids. "These trainers may be tough, but you can learn from losing as well. More importantly, haven't I been telling you just to enjoy Pokémon battles?"
"Well I suppose," Seymour said.
"We'll accept!" Cassie replied.
"Excellent!" Alder exclaimed. "So? Out of the three of you, who would like to battle?"
"These two," Nate volunteered Rosa and Hugh.
"What?!" the two blurted.
"Who made you the boss?!" Rosa demanded.
"Oh so you would pass up the opportunity to show these two young trainers your skills, oh 'future champion of Unova'?" Nate amusingly asked. "Surely you would make a fine example of a proper trainer."
Rosa was about to say something, but what the thief said tempted her. This was a good chance to show off her 'superior' skills to two trainers who were obviously rookies. It would also be a great chance to impress the former champion who would no doubt spectate the battle.
"W-Well I suppose it can't be helped then," Rosa muttered.
"Well I guess Snivy could use the practice," Hugh said. "Alright, we're in."
"Good!" Alder exclaimed. "Then let's begin!"
"Ottavia!"
"Snivy!"
Rosa and Hugh released their respective starters, as Ottavia and Snivy both materialized in front of their respective trainers.
"-W-What's going on...?-" Ottavia asked, looking around until she spotted the two monkeys in front of her.
"Ottavia! This is gonna be your first trainer battle!" Rosa called out. "Let's win this!"
"-A-A trainer battle...!?-" Ottavia gasped.
"Don't fret and calm down," Rosa said, noticing Ottavia's panic. "We can do this."
"-...A-Alright, I'll give it my all,-" Ottavia said, gaining some reassurance as she faced her opponents.
"Looks like Snivy managed to calm Ottavia down," Hugh commented.
"A great trainer always know what to do to get their Pokémon in the fighting spirit," Rosa scoffed. "Now, let's begin!"
"Pansage, Vine Whip on the oshawott!" Seymour commanded, not wasting anytime.
Pansage extended a vine and lunged at Ottavia, who frantically jumped back.
"Looks like you have that handled," Hugh said. "We'll focus on the panpour."
"Got it," Rosa said. "Ottavia, Tackle!"
Ottavia landed away from Pansage and lunged for the green monkey, tackling it with a good amount of strength, sending the monkey back.
"Pansage!" Seymour cried.
Pansage landed in front of Seymour, before growling and getting back up. Meanwhile, Panpour was shooting Water Gun at Snivy to no avail, as the snake was simply too fast for the monkey.
"Vine Whip!"
Two vines emerged from Snivy's collar as the snake charged for Panpour.
"Stop it with Water Gun!" Cassie quickly commanded.
Panpour tried to shoot Snivy down with Water Gun, but Snivy evaded the attacks swiftly, before slamming the vine at Panpour's torso, sending the monkey back.
"Are you alright, Panpour?" Cassie asked in concern.
Panpour got back up, refusing to be defeated and glared at Snivy, who only kept his calm expression.
"These two are tough..." Cassie commented, as Pansage at tackled once more by Ottavia. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Seymour said after confirming that his pansage was still able to fight. "These two are really strong..."
"Show no mercy, Ottavia! Continue with the assault!" Rosa ordered.
"-What does 'assault' mean?-" Ottavia muttered. "-I guess she wants me to keep attacking, I guess...?-"
Shrugging, Ottavia lunged for Pansage once more. Meanwhile, Nate was simply spectating the battle in front of him, yawning silently.
"Well I'm bored..." Nate muttered. "Damn it, should've actually participated in this one. This battle is so straightforward that it's boring..."
As Nate sighed and began to tinker with his pokédex, he picked up on something, taking a slight sniff.
"What the...?" Nate muttered, before sniffing once more. "This scent...it smells familiar..."
Nate followed the apparent trail of scent to see an opening besides Alder's home. He glanced back at the battle. Rosa and Hugh were busy with their battle and obviously were occupied. Alder was distracted with overseeing the battle. Seeing this as an opportunity, Nate quietly snuck around the battle and past Alder without anyone noticing, before silently entering the opening besides the man's house. The opening lead to a small collection of trees that obscured Nate's vision. However, Nate was able to find the path he wanted to follow by following the scent he had picked up beforehand. Going past the several trees that blocked his way, he ventured through the small woods, before entering a larger opening, and hearing a sound akin to a sword slashing through an object.
"What the hell...?" Nate muttered, before taking another whiff.
He wandered into the opening, going through a rather zigzagged path of trees, before stumbling across a clearing, with an abnormally large stone with three slashes engraved into it. Several smaller slashes were littered across the stone, with the perpetrator, a quadruped, blue colt-like Pokémon with a cream-colored body. It had a large, feathery red mane, long dark blue ridged eyebrow-like protrusions and a single cream-colored horn that curved slightly. The most noticeable trait was the huge scar that ran across the colt's right eye.
"Well, well," Nate said out loud, getting the colt's attention. "No wonder that scent smelled familiar."
"-...What the...?-" the colt muttered, before recognizing the boy. "-Wait! You're that human from the castle!-"
"The same one who helped you survive getting killed by your 'master'," Nate said. "It's been a while, 'Unicorn'. How's life going for ya?"
"-I told you, don't call me 'Unicorn',-" the colt growled in annoyance. "-I have a name.-"
"Yeah, yeah, 'Keldeo'," Nate muttered.
"-How the hell did you find me here, anyways?-" Keldeo asked.
"Living in the wild for several years of abandoned childhood has its perks," Nate replied. "One of them include a sense of smell that far exceeds a normal human's smell."
Keldeo simply grunted in irritation as he carefully examined Nate.
"-So...what do you want?-" Keldeo asked.
"Can't a friend just drop by and say 'hi'?" Nate asked, only receiving a deadpan stare from the colt. "Oh fine. I just happened to catch your scent while I was watching a vanilla battle."
"-Uh huh...-" Keldeo muttered as he continued examining him. "-...Didn't knew you even had clothing like those.-"
"Huh?" Nate asked, before taking note to his clothing. "Oh I got these from my...'employers', so to say."
"-So you were domesticated by 'humans'?-" Keldeo asked with some amusement in his tone. "-Didn't think you would let yourself get into such a fate. It's pretty amusing.-"
"Bite me," Nate grumbled. "It's not like I wanted this to happen. I just ran into some 'complications'. Let's just say a heist went horribly wrong."
Keldeo simply laughed at Nate's misfortune, making the thief grumble in irritation.
"So? What the hell're you doing?" Nate asked, noting the giant stone.
"-I was practicing my swordsmanship,-" Keldeo commented, stopping his laughter. "-Also was trying to remember I forgot long ago...-"
Nate eyed the stone, noting the three slash marks engraved into it.
"And the stone?" Nate asked.
"-This stone is sacred to me,-" Keldeo said. "-The engraved marks are the swings of the swords of my masters. I was hoping that I could remember it by examining the stone.-"
"And?"
Keldeo examined the stone with empty eyes. The memories of his masters training him here, and marking the stone as proof of their bond were nostalgic as they were clear as day.
And yet, he couldn't remember that move he so desperately wanted to recall.
"-...No luck,-" Keldeo muttered. "-Maybe if I can find Masters, then I can remember it.-"
"Oh and speaking of those bastards," Nate said, earning a murderous glare from the already intimidating colt. "Hey they tried to kill me. Don't judge. Anyways, how was your search for them. Last time I saw you, you ran after that shitty priest as he made his getaway."
"-He got away,-" Keldeo grumbled. "-And I couldn't find where those ninjas went.-"
"Y'know for a cute little pony, you sure brood like an emo," Nate commented, before the 'pony' point his horn at Nate's neck.
"-Call me 'pony' again, I dare you,-" Keldeo snarled.
"Kidding, kidding," Nate groaned, holding his hands up in resignation. "Beside the point. So I'm gonna guess they're still in Plasma's possession?"
Keldeo simply nodded in response.
"-I'll find them,-" Keldeo said. "-I'll free them. And I will take Plasma down. Even if I have to slaughter every single one of them.-"
"...Beautiful..." Nate muttered sarcastically. "...Since you've must've been going around Plasma-hunting, any signs of them?"
"-Oh hell yeah...-" Keldeo growled, peaking Nate's attention.
"Wait, so they're actually back?" Nate asked.
"-On my way back, I saw some of them in Route 20,-" Keldeo explained. "-I assaulted them, but they got away, retreating to that ranch.-"
"And you're sure those were Plasmas?" Nate asked. "Even if your hatred is easily triggered by them, you are a bit biased against humans."
"-While I distrust all humans in general,-" Keldeo admitted. "-There's no mistaking them. They were definitely Team Plasma.-"
"...Alright then," Nate said, taking Keldeo's word as truth. "Wait why're you telling me this then? I am a 'human' you know."
"-You already helped me out in the past,-" Keldeo said. "-And although I hate to admit it, I'm grateful for that. At the very least, you can be trusted.-"
"Well now. I'm actually touched by that," Nate said.
"-But if you get in my way, don't expect any mercy,-" Keldeo quickly said.
"...Duly noted," Nate muttered. "Now then. I should take my leave–."
"-Wait,-" Keldeo said. "-You still have those two on you?-"
"Huh?" Nate asked. "Well I still have Luca. Brav went back to the wild. Couldn't overwork the old coot. He deserves some rest man."
"-So you still have the jackal?-" Keldeo asked.
Nate responded by releasing Luca, letting the shiny jackal land in front of him.
"-What's wrong, Nate?-" Luca asked, before noticing Keldeo. "-You...!-"
"-You, jackal,-" Keldeo growled. "-Fight me.-"
Luca looked somewhat flabbergasted, while Nate had a rather incredulous look.
"...Interesting," Nate commented. "Explain your reasoning."
"-I simply wish to fight her,-" Keldeo said. "-What's wrong with a simple competition?-"
"I see," Nate said. "Your call Luca."
"-I don't mind a good fight,-" Luca said, prepping a Bone Rush staff.
"And there you have it," Nate said as he released Tep.
"-Huh? What's going on, Boss?-" Tep asked Nate, before noting Luca and Keldeo. "-Why's the Lady Boss facing a blue pony?-"
"-I'm not a pony!-" Keldeo growled.
"Pay attention Tep," Nate said, ignoring Keldeo's outburst. "You're about to see two highly skilled Fighting-types beat the shit out of each other."
"Now! One last Tackle!" Rosa yelled.
As Pansage tried to whip Ottavia one again, Ottavia grabbed the whip and yanked it, pulling Pansage forward and making the monkey lose his balance, before proceeding to tackle him one more time before falling.
"No, Pansage!" Seymour cried.
"Victory!" Rosa cheered. "Great work, Ottavia. Nice first debut!"
"-Th-thanks,-" Ottavia said timidly.
"How could I lose when I had the type matchup...?" Seymour muttered.
Meanwhile, Snivy had had enough fun toying with Panpour and finished the monkey off with a vine whip.
"Panpour!" Cassie gasped.
"Nice job, Snivy," Hugh complimented as he knelt down to pet the snake.
Snivy looked up to Hugh and grinned approvingly.
"That was truly a rousing battle!" Alder exclaimed. "I could tell that all of the Pokémon were enjoying themselves as well!"
The schoolkids looked up to Alder as they healed their Pokémon, while Rosa and Hugh simply recalled theirs, since they didn't take too much damage.
"How about it, you two," Alder asked the kids. "Pokémon types are very important in battle, aren't they? Water is strong against Fire...Fire is strong against Grass...Grass is strong against Water..."
"Yes indeed, Mr. Alder," Seymour said. "They're really important to consider during battle."
"Indeed," Alder said. "Type matchups don't decide everything, though!"
"Like STAB?" Rosa interjected.
"'STAB'?" Cassie asked.
"'Same-Type Attack Bonus'," Rosa explained. "Basically when your Pokémon uses an attack with the same type as their own, such as your panpour using Water Gun, then Water Gun would get a boost in power."
"Wow, I didn't know," Cassie said in awe.
"It's a fundamental in battling," Rosa said. "It's always important to always have a move that corresponds with your Pokémon's type. It'll serve as your main weapon, per say."
"You learn something new every day," Rosa smiled.
"Well you two, I hoped you learned a lot from this battle," Alder said.
"Uh huh!" Cassie smiled.
"Yes, this proved to be a valuable experience!" Seymour responded.
"And I have to thank you two for lending a hand," Alder faced Rosa and Hugh. "I apologize if you were looking forward to having a match with me, since I said that I would 'train you a little'."
"N-No, it's quite alright!" Rosa quickly stammered. "Anything to help out someone like you, Mr. Alder."
"But still," Alder said as he eyed Ottavia's pokéball. "An oshawott, eh? Ah I remember a samurott who bested me in combat."
"You mean Hilbert Warren's samurott, right?" Rosa asked.
"Oh yes, indeed," Alder said. "A ferocious battler those two were."
"Yes they are!" Rosa exclaimed enthusiastically. "Hilbert Warren is the greatest! Quite possibly the best trainer in the world!"
"Oh, it looks like we have a fan of his," Alder chuckled.
"Yes! He inspired me to become the future champion!" Rosa was quick to explain. "I even chose Ottavia because I wanted a samurott like him."
"Well now, it would seem that Hilbert has influenced quite the young trainer," Alder said. "And one full of potential."
Rosa was ecstatic. A champion had complimented her! It was like a dream come true.
"Uh, Mr. Alder," Rosa said, getting over her ecstasy. "If it's alright, do you know who the new champion is?"
"The new champion?" Alder asked. "Why if I recall, it was–."
"Hey, where's Nate?" Hugh interjected.
They all looked at Hugh, before looking around. True enough, the blue trainer was missing.
"Where did he go?" Rosa asked. "He was here during the battle...right?"
As they all looked around, an explosion rang through the field, getting their attention.
"What was that?!" Seymour gasped.
They all looked towards the source of the explosion, where several more began to resonate soon after.
"Ten bucks says that's where he is," Hugh said.
"What is that lowlife doing?" Rosa groaned.
The two trainers headed for the direction of the sound, passing besides Alder's home.
"You two stay here," Alder said as he followed.
"Mr. Alder!" the two kids cried out.
The three went through the small woods, following the sound of what now appeared to be a fight, as they ventured into the woods.
"What is this place?" Rosa asked.
"This is the path to Pledge Grove," Alder explained. "Where the Swords of Justice were rumored to train here."
"What's Nate doing at a place like this?" Hugh asked.
As they ventured deeper into the trail, a voice could now be audible, albeit faintly.
"Aura Sphere!"
"Aura Sphere...?" Rosa asked. "Definitely that lucario of his."
The trio finally reached to their destination, and to their surprise, reached a clearing with an abnormally large stone. In front of it was Nate, commanding Luca, who was fighting against a blue colt-like Pokémon, while Tep was watching from besides Nate in awe.
"Keldeo!?" Alder gasped.
"Wait, you mean Keldeo? As in the mythical Pokémon and the rumored fourth member of the Swords of Justice?" Rosa asked. "THAT Keldeo?!"
"Yep, that's the one," Hugh muttered.
Keldeo's horn had grown into a large shining sword, as he exchanged clashes against Luca and her Bone Rush staff. The two were evenly matched, although Luca's staff was beginning to break from the force of Keldeo's sword.
"Push him back and go for a pursuit!" Nate yelled.
Luca did as she was told and managed to push Keldeo back, but at the cost of her staff breaking, before rushing at the colt with her paws charged with aura.
"-Damn it bitch!-" Keldeo snarled before disappearing.
"-Wha–?!-" Luca gasped as she stopped.
Keldeo reappeared behind her, where Luca was suddenly slashed apart.
"-AAAGH!?-" Luca gagged.
"-Lady Boss!-" Tep cried.
"Tch, Aerial Ace..." Nate muttered, before taking out his pokédex and scanning Keldeo.
"Keldeo, the colt Pokémon," it read. "When it is resolute, its body fills with power and it becomes swifter. Its jumps are then too fast to follow."
"'Resolute'?" Nate muttered. "The hell does that mean?"
"-What's the matter Thief!?-" Keldeo taunted. "-Surely you and the bitch are better than that!-"
"-Why you!-" Luca growled.
"Calm down," Nate ordered. "He's obviously taunting you so that you'll slip up. You can still take him."
"-You think so?!-" Keldeo yelled as he released a gust of chilled air at Luca.
"-Kh...!-" Luca muttered as she defended herself.
"Tch...Extreme Speed!" Nate yelled.
Luca managed to withstand the gust and charge at Keldeo at a blinding speed. Keldeo saw Luca charging at him and crashed at him, sending both of them back.
"You alright there, Luca?" Nate asked.
"-I've had better days...-" Luca muttered.
"But still..." Hugh muttered. "How did Nate come across such a rare Pokémon...?"
"I guess the rumors of Pledge Grove being the home to the Swords of Justice were true," Alder mused.
Rosa meanwhile, was more engrossed with the battle, trying to study all of their movements.
"He's keeping up with such a strong Pokémon..." Rosa muttered.
As the two Fighting-types collided once more, Luca's staff broke from the impact. With no weapon to take on Keldeo's sword, Luca jumped back and charge an aura sphere in her paws with all of her power.
"-EAT THIS!-" Luca roared as she launched it at Keldeo.
The orb bulleted towards Keldeo, who sliced it in half. As Keldeo sliced it, Luca prepped another Bone Rush staff and bulleted towards Keldeo.
"-SHIT!-" Keldeo swore as he aimed his front hooves at Luca and shot boiling water at her.
Luca ended up getting hit by the boiling water, but powered through and brought her staff at Keldeo, who met it with his sword once again, now locking themselves into a stalemate.
"-...Woah...-" Tep finally said.
"...This is our loss," Nate declared.
Everyone sans Alder was shocked as they looked at him incredulously. The former champion, however, seemed to agree with the boy.
"What? But no one's down yet," Rosa commented.
"-Yeah Boss! Lady Boss is still up!-" Tep argued with Nate.
"Not for long," Nate replied, confusing everyone sans Alder. "Take a closer look."
All eyes turned to Luca, who held her position, but upon closer examination, she was panting heavily, as if fighting back a wincing pain. Her arms were revealed to have been burned, as she was struggling to keep up her position, much less keep her grip on her staff.
"-Wha...? What's wrong with the Lady Boss?-" Tep asked.
"She's burned," Nate answered. "Must've been from Keldeo's 'Scald'."
"-Huh?-" Tep asked.
"You're a Fire-type, so you don't have to worry about it," Nate explained. "But when a Pokémon gets burned, their attack gets cut in half, and they'll take passive damage as time passes on."
Luca was visibly wincing at the pain brought by her status condition, as she found it harder and harder to keep up her position. Keldeo, on the other hand was just staring at her, waiting for her to break her position and succumb to the pain of the burn.
"Bone Rush and Extreme Speed won't be as effective now since their power is cut in half," Nate said. "And her only other options, Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse, won't be enough to take on Keldeo; the former Keldeo's now able to deal with effectively, while the latter will only benefit Keldeo."
"Benefit how?" Hugh asked.
"Keldeo's Ability is more than likely 'Justified'," Nate explained. "If he gets hit by a Dark-type move, then he'll get an attack boost."
"-But surely Lady Boss can handle it, right?-" Tep asked.
"Unfortunately, if she continues this fight without healing the burn, she's going to lose," Nate said. "She can't even hold her staff without struggling in pain. Keldeo on the other hand was able to match Luca's fighting prowess, holds the type matchup, and hasn't even broken a sweat yet."
To prove his point, Luca finally succumbed to the burn's pain and dropped down, letting go of her staff and holding her arm in pain. Keldeo simply looked down upon the jackal, daring her to make another move.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we forfeit this match," Nate informed Keldeo. "This match goes to you."
"-...Very well,-" Keldeo said as his sword reverted back to his horn.
Nate went over to Luca as she tried to nurse her burned arm.
"You did well, Luca," Nate comforted his partner. "Take a rest."
Luca had a look of anguish on her face as Nate recalled her back to her pokéball.
"Wait, you're just gonna give up like that?!" Rosa yelled.
"What point is there to continue a battle I know I'm going to lose?" Nate asked. "Luca's in no position to continue the battle, and Tep sure can't take down Keldeo."
"-Then allow me to prove you wrong and battle Keldeo!-" Tep yelled.
"Can you really?" Nate asked the fire pig.
Tep stared adamantly at Nate, before glancing to Keldeo and freezing. The vicious pressure that Keldeo was giving off was tremendous; it was crushing the small fire pig as he just stood there. The colt was frighteningly intimidating than he had noticed. Tep felt like he would be demolished at any second.
"Do you still think you can win?" Nate asked, snapping Tep out of his stupor. "Know your limits. I'm not belittling you, but you're way over your head if you think you can win this. Understand?"
Tep looked up to his trainer, before slowly nodding.
"If you're not gonna fight it, then I will!" Rosa suddenly yelled as she barged through.
"Rosa, wait!" Hugh yelled as he tried to stop her.
"Oh?" Nate asked. "You think you can take on Keldeo?"
"It's a mythical Pokémon!" Rosa yelled as she released Eve. "I'm not gonna let this chance slip by, unlike you!"
Nate scoffed, but interfered with Hugh trying to stop her.
"What're you–!?" Hugh yelled.
"Eve, use Take Down!"
Eve charged at Keldeo and rammed into the colt, but Keldeo didn't even budge nor flinch.
"I-It had no effect?!" Rosa gasped.
"-What do you think you're doing?-" Keldeo snarled at Eve, making the fox cower. "-GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!-"
Keldeo kicked Eve hard, sending her crashing into Rosa, sending her back as well until Nate caught her.
"Eh–?" Rosa blurted, surprised that he actually caught her.
"You still think you can handle him?" Nate taunted.
Rosa gritted her teeth in annoyance at Nate's mockery, but yet again, he had a point. Keldeo was much too strong for her to handle, no matter how much she wanted the rare mythical Pokémon. As Keldeo, irritated that the little creature would dare take him on, was about to pursue the eevee, Alder quickly released a giant moth-like Pokémon that blocked Keldeo and screeched into his face.
"-Tch!-" Keldeo muttered as he backed off, recognizing the threat at hand.
"Volcarona..." Nate muttered.
"While a good competition is great," Alder said. "I won't let you harm the children."
Keldeo eyed Volcarona, noting that the atlas moth is most likely much stronger and threatening than Luca, even if it was a Fire-type.
"-Tch, I'll heed for now,-" Keldeo muttered. "-Nate!-"
Nate looked up to the colt addressing him.
"-Remember this,-" Keldeo said. "-Team Plasma is still alive. And I intend to eradicate them. I don't care if I owe you, if you get in my way...-"
Keldeo's sword suddenly formed and pointed at his neck.
"-I will show no mercy,-" Keldeo made himself clear.
"...Duly noted," Nate said without flinching.
Seemingly satisfied that his warning had gone through, Keldeo leaped over the stone and disappeared into the woods.
"...What an encounter," Alder gaped. "To think we would run into Keldeo..."
"Yeah..." Rosa said, before realizing that Nate was still holding her. "L-Let go of me!"
Rosa began to flail around demanding that Nate let her go. The boy obliged by simply dropping her to the ground.
"OW!" Rosa yelped, before getting up and glared at him.
"You said to let you go," Nate said innocently.
Rosa grumbled under her breath as she got up and checked up on Eve.
"Are you alright Eve?" Rosa asked Eve, who groaned in response. "I'm sorry for making you go through that."
"Y'know, you could've prevented that if you hadn't tried to take Keldeo on," Nate said, earning him a glare from Rosa. "Just saying."
"You still should've at least tried to win," Rosa grumbled. "How could you just admit defeat and let such a rare Pokémon go!?"
"Because we would've lost if we continued that fight," Nate shot back. "What don't you get? Luca was burned, so physical attacks weren't an option, Luca's movements were restricted because of the burn, and Keldeo was more than capable of fending off aura spheres and closing in for a strike. And there's no way Tep can fight Keldeo. How do you expect me to win in that scenario?"
Rosa was at a loss of words, before trying to find a way to argue it, but Nate's logic stopped all attempts.
"Besides, I have a feeling we'll run into him again," Nate said.
"Huh? Why?" Rosa asked.
"Nate, what did Keldeo say to you?" Alder asked.
"...Team Plasma's back," Nate told them.
"WHAT?!" they all gasped.
"Impossible!" Rosa yelled. "Team Plasma was disbanded two years ago! They can't have possibly return!"
"Ghetsis was never caught though, was he?" Nate pointed out.
"So you think Team Plasma has finally resurfaced?" Alder asked.
"The colt has no reason to lie," Nate said.
Hugh suddenly barged through and grabbed Nate by the collar.
"So is it true then?" Hugh practically demanded.
"Hugh!" Rosa cried.
Nate didn't flinch, examining the boy's expression. It bared more animalistic rage than shock. The way Hugh 'asked' him about the accuracy of Keldeo's information was more of a snarl if anything. As if he was more than eager to hunt down said Plasmas as much as Keldeo was.
"...We'll just have to wait and see," Nate replied calmly. "We'll run into them eventually if he's right."
Hugh glared at Nate, before releasing him and heading back.
"What's his problem?" Nate asked Rosa.
"Let's just say...he hates Team Plasma," Rosa simply put it.
Nate glanced at Rosa, before glancing back at the retreating Hugh.
"For now, let's head back," Alder suggested. "It's almost dusk."
They all looked up to see that the sun was almost done setting. They shouldn't be out in the dark for too long.
"...Fine," Nate said.
The group had returned to Alder's place, where they saw the two schoolkids waiting for them with worried expressions on their faces, along with Hugh, who was leaning against the fence with a brooding expression.
"No worries, we're fine," Alder assured the kids. "Now, you two should head back home. It's getting very late."
"Of course," Seymour said.
"Have a goodnight, Mr. Alder!" Cassie exclaimed as the two kids headed back.
"As for you three," Alder addressed the trio. "How about you stay at my place for the night."
"Are you sure?" Rosa asked.
"No worries!" Alder chuckled. "There's plenty of room. Plus, it's getting dark."
"Alright then," Nate said.
As they headed into Alder's house, Nate was stopped by Hugh, who grabbed his shoulder.
"What?" Nate asked the boy.
"Look..." Hugh muttered. "Sorry for what I did back at the woods...it's just..."
"Ah, forget about it," Nate waved his hand dismissingly. "It's not the worst interrogation I had in my life."
"I see..." Hugh said as he let go of Nate.
"...So I heard you hated Team Plasma, eh?" Nate asked, alerting Hugh's attention. "Rosa told me the very basic. I dunno what they did to you to piss you off, but I'm not gonna prod at it until it ends up threatening my business."
"And your business is...?" Hugh asked.
"None of your concerns, that's about it," Nate said offhandedly. "And besides, I can't say that I totally disagree with you on hating Team Plasma."
Hugh looked confused as Nate glanced back at the blue-haired boy.
"We both have a bone to pick with them," Nate told him. "I dunno whose bone is bigger, but we both have a bone to pick."
"And what's your reason?" Hugh asked Nate.
"I'll tell you whenever you tell me your reason," Nate simply said as he headed into the house.
Hugh looked slightly confused, before shaking his head and following Nate in, deciding to drop the subject for now.
After a rather hearty meal made by Alder, the old man showed the trio to their rooms before calling in for the night. Soon enough, the three trainers decided to call in for the night as well, and fell into their beds; Rosa on her own side, while Nate and Hugh were on the other side. There were only two beds though, where Rosa took one, while Nate and Hugh tried to figure out who takes the second bed. Well mostly Hugh.
"You take it, I'll just sleep on the floor," Nate said.
"Are you sure?" Hugh asked.
"I've slept on worse things," Nate dismissed the boy before stripping off his clothing until he was just in his swimsuit, grabbed a spare blanket and promptly fell to sleep.
"If you say so..." Hugh shook his head as he took the second bed.
As the moon rose hours later, and the trio fell deep into slumber, a cold mist leaked through the windows, chilling the room a little. Nate, however, felt the chill, and instantly recognized it. The boy quietly got up and glanced through the window, to find two large, blue hexagonal snowflakes. Nate pointed up to the roof, where the snowflakes seemed to acknowledge the motion, and float up to the roof. Checking to see that the other two were asleep, Nate opened the window as quietly as possible, and snuck out, grabbing the ledge of the roof and climbing up onto the roof.
"So...what's up?" Nate asked casually to the two cryogonals that were waiting for him.
"-You haven't reported in,-" the one on the right said. "-Master sent us to check on you.-"
"Yeah I would guess," Nate rolled his eyes.
"-So? What is your progress?-" the one on the left asked. "-Have you located what Master has asked you to find, Courier?-"
"Nope, not yet," Nate muttered. "You'd think you'd know the response by now, seeing as how I wasn't able to find it for three years now."
"-We still ask in case you do manage to obtain them,-" the one on the right retorted. "-Plus, Master is counting on you to find them. You still owe him.-"
"Yeah, yeah I know," Nate muttered. "Give it some time. What the Boss is asking for is, very rare to say the least."
"-You had the chance to obtain one of them two years ago,-" the one on the left pointed out. "-And yet you let it escape your grasp.-"
"The situation didn't call for it," Nate muttered. "If I had stolen it there, then I wouldn't have been able to escape."
"-You are lucky that Master is patient,-" the one on the right said. "-But patience is not eternal. Master will lose his patience eventually. And when he does...-"
"I know, I know," Nate muttered. "I'd rather not piss him off either. I'm definitely sure Luca can't take him on."
"-At least you know when to kneel,-" the one on the left muttered. "-What is your current condition?-"
"As ironic as I'm sure the Boss will find it once you report it back to him," Nate started. "But it looks like I've finally been caught. And domesticated for a bunch of researchers to help complete their glorified encyclopedia on Pokémon in exchange that I don't get thrown into prison."
"-You? Got caught? By humans of all things?-" the one on the right asked, amused. "-Ironic, truly.-"
"-Master would enjoy hearing this,-" the one on the left cackled.
"Shaddup," Nate grumbled. "I don't need overgrown snowflakes to laugh at me. And besides, I'm not done yet."
"-Oh?-" the one on the right inquired.
"An 'associate' of mine informed me that Team Plasma has resurfaced after two years of disbanding," Nate explained. "I'm not sure if it's true, but he has no reason to lie. So I'm pretty sure Team Plasma is back."
"-And pray tell, why inform us of this?-" the one on the left asked. "-Surely a petty terrorist group has no correlations with Master.-"
"That's not it," Nate hissed. "If Team Plasma is truly back, then chances are that those two will reappear as well."
"-...I see...-" the one on the right said. "-You intend on waiting, letting Team Plasma run around until it gets their attention.-"
"Yep," Nate said.
"-But what are the odds that they'll just ignore it in favor of keeping their lives, not to mention one of the 'targets' safe?-" the one on the left asked.
"Trust me, they'll show up," Nate said. "It's like venomoths to a flame. They'll show up, just to destroy Team Plasma once and for all. All while carrying what Boss wants."
"-...Very well...-" the one on the right said. "-We'll leave this to your judgment.-"
"Oh and tell the Boss that he won't have to constantly send you two just to check up on me," Nate said. "I have a nifty tool that should make these 'progress reports' a lot easier."
"-Is that so?-" the one on the left mused. "-Well then, it looks like your domestication isn't all that bad.-"
"Just tell him to meet me at the Entralink in three days," Nate said, ignoring that last comment. "-Preferably in the forest.-"
"-Very well,-" the one on the right confirmed. "-We shall relay the message to Master. You continue your quest to find and secure the targets.-"
"Understood," Nate said casually.
Acknowledging Nate's confirmation, the two cryogonals floated away, where Nate quietly snuck back into the room, and gently closed the window while making sure that they were still asleep. Relieved that they were still in their slumber, Nate quietly slipped into his blanket and dozed off.
If what Keldeo had said was true, then Team Plasma is back. They would go around Unova doing whatever it is that they're planning, and cause another uproar in the region. It would attract quite the attention. Enough attention to attract them and bring them back into the playing field.
That's what he was hoping for–no, it would happen. They can't resist the chance to destroy the syndicate they despise so much. And when they do make an appearance, then everything would be set.
Then, he'd take what he had set his eyes on.
To be continued
AN: And there you have it! For those of you familiar with the prequel to this, then you should be well aware of Keldeo. If not, then I'm going to put it simply as our favorite water pony didn't have the best time back then. That giant scar across his eye says a lot on its own. Don't worry though, this won't be the last time we see him.
And some of Nate's motives are revealed. Let's see if you guys can guess what they are simply by the conversation he had with the cryogonals.
And to keep track, here's a listing on the main trio's current teams. It'll keep getting updated with each chapter:
Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Tep (Tepig)
Rosa: Eve (Eevee) / Ottavia (Oshawott)
Hugh: Vibrava / Snivy
Hope you enjoyed this. Tell me what you think in the reviews, and see ya next time!