Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 15: Hidden behind a mask
AN: I'M ALIVE! FINALLY after being set free from that accursed college for spring break, I finally finished something! Now, how long was that? *Looks at update date*.
Ah fuck.
Alright, so I owe you all a huge apology. I mean I did say last time that Sun and Moon would take over my life, but in the mean time, so did college, work, Breath of the Wild (which is fucking amazing) and a bunch of other obligations. Of course that doesn't excuse my tardiness, but it at least gives you an idea of why I was dead for the past few months.
Hopefully you all will still enjoy this chapter regardless, and I need to work on Platinum With and Fidelity, cuz I kinda let them rot.
And for those who reviewed while I was gone:
FantasyLover88: Thank you! Hopefully these last two matches of the tourney will meet up to your expectations!
Guest (11/15/16): Hey, to each their own, I suppose. Wait I can't be biased on shipping yet.
Tony Anderson: Thank you!
Defender31415: Thank you! The story's gonna start picking up on romance, now that there's a clear love triangle going, and I might do another Q&A in the future. Maybe, who knows.
And I mean Nate isn't invincible, and if there's something he didn't see coming, that'll make odds of him winning all the less likely.
Bob'sBurger: Yeah irony is funny at times. Oh this can only lead to messy heartbreaks. And drama. LOTS of drama. And thanks, I kinda wanted to make some twists here and there, and having Nate lose is a great one imo.
Camilla: Oh thank you, this love triangle's only gonna become more interesting as things and emotions escalate from here on out.
TheDarkMaster4000: Thanks for catching onto the mistakes, they should be fixed by now. And thank you, glad you enjoyed the entirety of the last chapter. Will he go back to the movie gig?
Idk didn't think that far ahead atm.
BreadNotDead: Aw, that sucks. Hopefully you get a 3DS soon (if you haven't at this point). And oh well, things don't turn out as planned sometimes, and that's certainly the case for Nate.
Arcturus360p: Oh my God, yes! Someone who understands how much of a douche college is! And yes, Persona is amazing. And I won't abandon you guys, don't worry. I will get my ass handed to me by life though.
Anonymous Traine: Nope, as far as anyone's concerned, Schwartzer and Weiss are characters of PoYS.
Awsomeman726: Idk maybe he's who you think he is. Maybe not.
thoriq2307: Only time will tell, really.
I M Poik: Let's see if your idea is right. And here's the next chapter for ya!
X-keeper 13: Why thank you! Much appreciated! And you might be onto somehting...
sdhat11: Well that's the first I've heard of this analogy. And love does things to a person. Sometimes good. Other times...not so much.
TeamPiperM: Idk he might. Read to find out.
Guest (3/20/17): I dunno, she might be. Who knows.
Musashi6930: Why thank you! Sorry for the delays, I've been caught up with a lot as you can see. Hopefully this amends it all!
And there we go! Alright to the story!
"AAAAAND IT'S OVER!" the announcer boomed as the crowd roared in cheers. "After a reverse sweep with this new Pokemon taking out both Keldeo and Lucario, Colress takes it over Nate, and will move onto the finals!"
Nate's eyes widened as he glanced down to Luca, who was sprawled on the floor, charred from the opponent's finishing flamethrower and unconscious. On the other side of the field was Colress, with his mechanical bug monster, Genesect, or 'MKI' according to the scientist, who had defeated him in spite of Nate's best efforts.
"Hm, very good," Colress addressed to MKI as he recalled the bug back into its pokeball, before heading over to Nate and extending a hand out. "That was a good match. You've certainly improved since last time."
Nate glanced back up and gave Colress a blank stare, before sighing and begrudgingly accepting the handshake. "I would've planned differently if I knew you still had that piece of shit in the back."
"You should've been wary about the possibility of MKI to begin with," Colress chuckled. "Regardless, that was a good battle. Your Pokémon are of prime standards as expected."
"Whatever," Nate muttered before he tended to Luca. "Yo, you alright?"
"-Ngh...Nate...?-" Luca groaned as she managed to wake up.
"You did well, girl," Nate comforted the canine as he recalled her. "I'll get you healed up."
"Incredible sportsmanship from both competitors!" the announcer yelled. "Up next will be the other semifinals match between Cheren Heilian and Schwartzer!"
"What...just happened...?" Yancy asked.
At the backroom, everyone present just stared at the monitor screen in shock, having watched the whole battle.
"Nate...he actually lost," Hugh muttered, genuinely surprised. "...to Team Plasma..."
"But what the hell was that thing the four-eyes sent out last?" Roxie asked. "I never seen anything like it!"
"Yeah..." Iris mumbled, before glancing to the other two girls. "Uh...are you two alright?"
Rosa and Yancy just kept staring at the screen with the most vacant, shocked expression on their faces. They just couldn't believe what they saw. That Nate had actually...lost. After seeing the boy win against countless odds, they were just accustomed to the sight of Nate winning. That along with Nate's strong conviction was the source of their admiration for him and why they viewed him on such a high pedestal (no matter how much Rosa tried to hide it).
To see him actually lose...it was surreal.
"Rosa...? Rosa!" Hugh yelled.
"Oi, Yance!" Roxie yelled.
As the two snapped out of their stupor, Nate kicked the door open and trotted in, noting the heavy atmosphere in the room and gathering everyone's attention to him.
"The hell's wrong with you guys?" Nate asked. "It's like a funeral in here."
"Nate...?" Yancy asked, as she went up to him. "Are you alright?"
"Eh? I'm fine," Nate shrugged.
Rosa glowered at Yancy, before rushing up to Nate herself.
"Are you sure?" Rosa asked.
"Sheesh, what's with you guys? If I said I'm fine, then I'm fine," Nate groaned, assuring the two. "I miscalculated, and lost because of it. Simple as that."
"You're taking this pretty well," Hugh commented as he walked up to them. "Considering it was Team Plasma you lost to. And their current leader nonetheless."
"I mean, what else do you want me to do?" Nate asked. "There's no helping to losing. Not gonna cry over spilt milk. Now if you excuse me, I need to heal up my team."
With that casual dismissal, Nate left the room to go heal his team up, leaving the rest of the trainers to themselves.
"He's taking it well," Iris said.
"Yeah," Roxie agreed, before noticing the two girls still glancing towards where Nate had left. "Yo, staring at the door isn't gonna change anything. C'mon, the next match is gonna start."
Rosa and Yancy glanced back at Roxie, before reluctantly heading back. Hugh narrowed his eyes at Rosa, before stopping the girl with a hand on her shoulder.
"Alright, what's up with you?" Hugh decided to interrogate.
"What're you talking about now?" Rosa asked.
"You're acting way too clingy to him," Hugh noted. "Ever since yesterday you've been like that. What's with the sudden change of attitude?"
"...It's nothing," Rosa huffed. "Nothing's changed, alright?"
Hugh did not look convinced, but decided to not press on about the matter. If she refused to say what was on her mind, then Hugh would not be getting it out of her any time soon.
"Fine," Hugh muttered, before glancing to the screen. "It looks like Professor Cheren's match is about to start, anyways."
Everyone switched their attentions to the screen as the last two combatants made their way onto the stage. Despite leaving the matter, Hugh still could not help but wonder why Rosa is suddenly acting so strange as of late. She seemed much nicer around Nate and less haughty overall around him. It was almost as if Rosa started to develop feelings for their rogue friend.
Hugh shook his head at that thought. That was ridiculous. There was no way prideful Rosa would fall for Nate.
"AAND LET'S BEGIN THE SECOND HALF OF SEMIFINALS!" the announcer boomed. "Can we have both Cheren and Schwartzer to the stage!?"
From their respective sides, Cheren and Schwartzer emerged onto the battlefield in the midst of the roars of the audience.
"So you are my opponent now," Schwartzer commented. "I'm not going to lie, I was looking forward to face you in battle."
"Likewise," Cheren replied. "After seeing you go through the competition, I just wanted to have my turn at battling you."
"Oh? Well I'm honored to hear that," Schwartzer chuckled. "Hopefully you'll fare better than everyone else I fought until now. Frankly, I'm starting to get bored that no one can defeat Haxorus. My other Pokémon need exercise too, you know."
The black-cladded man held out a pokéball, while Cheren did the same.
"I wonder if you can pull it off," Scwartzer challenged.
"And the second semifinals match will begin!
Trainers, get your Pokémon ready...!
And BEGIN!"
Both competitors sent out their Pokémon. To everyone's surprise, they were both haxoruses; the normal, dark yellow-green one belonging to Cheren, while the shiny black one belonging to Schwartzer.
"It would seem that we have a haxorus mirror match in our hands!" the announcer yelled. "Which one will reign supreme!?"
"Haxorus, Dragon Dance!" Cheren yelled.
"Swords Dance," Schwartzer commanded calmly.
Haxorus paced in a circling motion, boosting his attack and speed, while Shiny Haxorus summoned several red swords to surround him.
"Now, Outrage!"
"Meet it with Dual Chop."
Haxorus roared ferociously as he lunged at Shiny Haxorus in a frenzy as the swords around Shiny Haxorus dissipated into a red mist that flowed into the black dragon. Shiny Haxorus's twin blades became blue scythe blades, as he slammed them into the incoming Haxorus's frenzy, stopping his non-shiny counterpart in his tracks.
Cheren clicked his tongue as he saw his haxorus struggled against his black adversary. He was hoping for the Outrage to do some damage after the Dragon Dance, but apparently it wasn't enough. Especially if he met the attack with his own attack boosted by a Swords Dance. Shiny haxorus pushed Haxorus away, before bringing the other blade down upon Haxorus. Haxorus managed to parry it, but the force pushed him back away from Shiny haxorus. Haxorus panted heavily, exhaustion from the Outrage overtaking him, before proceeding to shove the lum berry Cheren had him hold to cure the confusion. Shiny Haxorus growled as he waited for his opponent to make their next move.
"Earthquake!" Cheren yelled.
"Dual Chop."
Shiny Haxorus prepared another set of blue blades as he rushed towards Haxorus, who stomped the ground to cause an earthquake to impede the black dragon. The faulting plates of the ground slammed into Shiny Haxorus's gut, causing him to flinch slightly, before he powered through and attacked Haxorus. Haxorus was able to dodge the attack thanks to the boosted speed, leaving the blue blade to slam into the ground, creating a visible crack in it and embedded into it slightly.
Haxorus tried to go in for an attack while Shiny Haxorus seemed to be open, but the black dragon immediately ripped the embedded blade out of the ground and swung it at Haxorus, slamming it into his gut. Haxorus gagged from the impact, before Shiny Haxorus slammed the other blade across Haxorus's face, slamming him into the wall.
"Haxorus!" Cheren cried out.
"Dragon Dance," Schwartzer calmly ordered.
The dragon fell off the wall as Shiny Haxorus performed a similar motion that Haxorus did at the beginning of the match. Haxorus struggled to get back up, while Shiny Haxorus finished his preparations.
"Rock Smash."
"Outrage!"
Shiny Haxorus darted for Haxorus and went for a frontal lunge, while Haxorus managed to get up and retaliated against the incoming attack. Haxorus slammed his foot into Shiny Haxorus's gut, but not before taking the frontal lunge straight into the gut as well from Shiny Haxorus. Haxorus, unable to take any more attacks, fell to the ground, while Shiny Haxorus gagged a little, but shook it off.
"AAAND Cheren's Haxorus falls the its black counterpart!" the announcer exclaimed. "However it put up quite a fight, and Schwartzer's Haxorus didn't win the fight unscathed!"
The announcer's words held fact, as Shiny Haxorus couldn't help but pant somewhat. Schwartzer was internally amused. This was the first opponent that was able to make Shiny Haxorus show any kind of fatigue. Perhaps he might actually have to use his other members for this match...
"Jellicent!"
Cheren had swapped out the fallen haxorus for his jellicent; the Water-type wraith floating down onto the field.
"Interesting..." Schwartzer commented as Shiny Haxorus got ready for the next opponent.
"And Cheren sends out his jellicent! It showed quite some work in Cheren's previous matches, but how will it stand up to the shiny haxorus?!"
"Ice Beam!"
"Dual Chop."
Jellicent shot an icy laser at the black dragon, whereas Shiny Haxorus lunged forwards with prepped blue blades, powering through the Ice Beam with all his might, before charging straight for Jellicent.
"Will-o-Wisp!"
Jellicent was able to dodge the attack, before blasting Shiny Haxorus with ominous fireballs, burning the dragon in the process.
"Now, Hex!" Cheren yelled.
Jellicent's eyes glowed a bright red and purple and released a dark blast at Shiny Haxorus, immobilizing the dragon and causing him immense pain.
"And out comes a nasty Hex combo from Jellicent! But is it enough to finish off the juggernaut that is the shiny haxorus?!"
"Oh, so he thought it out," Schwartzer commented. "...However."
Shiny Haxorus revealed a small green berry he had hid behind one of his scales and proceeded to eat it.
"A lum berry?!" Cheren gasped.
"Two can play at this game," Schwartzer simply responded. "Dual Chop."
"Kh! Ice Beam!"
Shiny Haxorus's blades turned blue as Jellicent shot back and hastily shot an Ice Beam at the dragon, this time aimed at the dragon's leg. Shiny Haxorus sliced through the Ice Beam before it could hits his leg and slammed the blade onto Jellicent, sending the jellyfish wraith into a wall. The force was enough to knock out Jellicent, as the Water-type slid off the wall unconscious.
"And Jellicent is out as well!" the announcer yelled. "Despite a hard-hitting counter assault, Shiny Haxorus still takes it once again! But can it last for much longer?!"
Cheren glanced back at Shiny Haxorus as he recalled Jellicent. While his plan to cripple the behemoth failed due to their own preparations, it still left a good mark on it. For the first time in this tournament, Shiny Haxorus was panting near exhaustion. It seemed like just a little more, and he could actually defeat Shiny Haxorus.
'But then what?' Cheren thought.
Sure he could defeat Shiny Haxorus. It was a possibility. And then what happens after that? Schwartzer still had at least two more Pokémon that he hadn't revealed once throughout the whole tournament. Schwartzer could have anything at this point, and there was no way Cheren was prepared for what could come.
...No, he shouldn't feel that way right now. What was important now was to go as far as he could go. Throw everything he has against him. Leave with a battle he wouldn't regret.
"Serperior!"
For his third and last member, Cheren sent out Serperior to fight Shiny Haxorus.
"And for his last Pokémon, Cheren sends out Serperior! Can it finally put Shiny Haxorus down and clutch through with a victory?!"
The grass serpent glared at Shiny Haxorus, who was still panting from going through Cheren's other members.
"Dual Chop."
"Swords Dance!"
Shiny Haxorus lunged for Serperior with his two blue blades, but Serperior was able to easily avoid it, before summoning red blades of his own that circled around him and were absorbed into him.
"Iron Tai!"
Shiny Haxorus turned around to retaliate, but Serperior had already brandished his own tail, which was a silver luster, and slammed it against the dragon, pushing him back somewhat.
"Rock Smash," Schwartzer commanded without losing his cool.
"Iron Tail again!" Cheren yelled.
Shiny Haxorus lunged forward as Serperior prepared another Iron Tail attack. Shiny Haxorus lunged straight forward, but Serperior was able to narrowly avoid it, before slamming his tail on Shiny Haxorus's head once more. Shiny Haxorus growled lowly in agony, slowly becoming dazed from the repeated strikes from Serperior on his head.
"Now, Leaf Blade!"
Serperior's tail glowed green this time as the leaf on the end of his tail sharpened, and sprung at Shiny Haxorus while the dragon was recovering. Before Shiny Haxorus could react, Serperior proceeded to slice the Leaf Blade across Shiny Haxorus, with enough force to slam Shiny Haxorus off his feet, and make the black dragon fall to the ground. Serperior backed off in caution, just in case Shiny Haxorus managed to withstand the attack. As the dust cleared, Shiny Haxorus remained still on the floor, unconscious from the blow.
"AAND SHINY HAXORUS IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!" the announcer bellowed as the crowd roared in excitement. "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, AFTER IT SWEPT THROUGH SO MANY COMPETITORS ON ITS OWN, THE SHINY HAXORUS FROM SCHWARTZER FINALLY GOES DOWN!"
Serperior sighed somewhat in relief, while Cheren found himself panting in mental exhaustion. They did it. They were able to take out the Shiny Haxorus that acted as the juggernaut of the tournament. Even if it took nearly all of his Pokémon to do it.
"...Well now," Schwartzer chuckled, clearly amused. "To think Haxorus would finally be bested. Congrats on that."
Schwartzer took out a pokéball, before recalling Shiny Haxorus, muttering some words of consolidations to the black dragon. He then swapped out the pokéball for another one.
"Y'know, you're interesting," Schwartzer said to Cheren. "I like you. You obviously know what you're doing, and you have multiple strategies prepared to subdue Haxorus. A shame though. If you knew what the rest of my roster was, then you could've beaten me."
Cheren gulped. Right, Shiny Haxorus was just his first Pokémon. He never revealed what his other part members were for the entire tournament.
"I did have something interesting in mind for this matchup," Schwartzer said. "I really do have to make it to grands. I have some business to settle with the man waiting there. I can't exactly afford to slip up."
Schwartzer threw his pokéball into the air, where it released Schwartzer's second Pokémon. Landing onto the battlefield was a reddish-brown quadruped Pokémon, with orange and gray dots spotted all across its body, claws on each of its four legs in a cross formation, and its face covered by an iron mask with red-orange eyes uncovered.
"Oh come on," Cheren could not help but let out a laugh out of the sheer hopelessness of the new matchup.
"A-A-A-And Schwartzer reveals his next Pokémon; the legendary Magma Pokémon, Heatran!"
Heatran let out a high-pitched screech as the entire battlefield suddenly felt much hotter. It then stared at Serperior, who was just gaping at the Fire-type monster in sheer disbelief.
'So I go through all that trouble to take out the haxorus, only for him to have a bloody heatran waiting,' Cheren thought sardonically. 'Bloody fucking wonderful.'
Cheren honestly did not know what to expect. He did assume that Schwartzer could have anything, but he did not expect the mysterious trainer to have a legendary Pokémon amongst his ranks. The fact that it had a complete type advantage over Serperior, both offensively and defensively, was just the icing to the cake.
"Flash Cannon."
Heatran opened its mouth and fired a laser of light at Serperior, who had to dodge it for dear life.
"Aqua Tail!"
Serperior's tail suddenly surrounded with a whirpool of water, before Serperior lunged for Heatran and brought it down upon the Fire-type. Heatran, in response, let out another screeching roar, releasing an immense amount of heat that stopped Serperior in his tracks, while causing the water around his tail to evaporate.
"Magma Storm."
While Serperior was flinching from the ear-piercing sound that was Heatran's scream, Heatran shot a vehement stream of fire at the grass snake. The fire blasted the snake, before it quickly surrounded Serperior, trapping him in a blazing vortex.
"SERPERIOR!" Cheren cried out.
Serperior screamed in agony as the storm raged on, illuminating the entire arena with its intense light. Cheren could do nothing but stand and watch powerlessly as Serperior was ravaged by the infernos, while Heatran and Schwartzer simply watched the attack do its work. Eventually, the storm ceased, and Serperior was finally released from the fiery death trap, and fell to the ground, charred and burned, and in no condition to fight.
"Serperior is unable to battle!" the announcer declared. "After a swift retaliation, Schwartzer takes it over Cheren, and will move onto the finals!"
The crowd roared in applause as Cheren sighed and recalled Serperior.
"You did amazing out there," Cheren smiled. "Get a good long rest."
Schwartzer recalled Heatran, before walking over to Cheren with a hand extended out.
"Good match," Schwartzer complimented.
Cheren stared at the black-cladded man, before sighing and accepting the handshake.
"Good match," Cheren said, before sighing. "As expected I suppose. You're damn strong."
"You're pretty good yourself," Schwartzer said. "To be able to defeat Haxorus...that's no small feat."
"Thanks, although I didn't win..." Cheren chuckled. "Didn't expect you to have a heatran though...I thought it only existed in Sinnoh..."
"Perhaps," Schwartzer shrugged. "I do look forward to fighting you again in the future."
"Likewise," Cheren nodded as he bowed slightly and made his way off the arena.
"...As expected from you," Schwartzer murmured as he saw Cheren off, before walking off the arena himself.
"We will take a short 10 minute break before we proceed to the Finals match!" the announcer informed the venue.
Nate simply stared at the screen as his Pokémon were being healed, having watched the battle.
"Well that's something," Nate muttered absentmindedly.
"Sir, your Pokémon are ready!" the nurse informed Nate.
"Thank you," Nate nodded as the nurse handed him his Pokémon back, before promptly leaving the arena. The boy looked around, seeing that not too many people are around at the concession stands, before letting his team out to get some air.
"Alright you lot," Nate said, getting their attention. "We lost."
The Pokémon looked either looked depressed or angered, before giving Nate an apologetic look. Luca could not even bring herself to look up to Nate in shame for losing.
"Oh come on, don't look like that," Nate muttered. "We did our best, and lost. Simple as that."
"-Sorry Boss...if only I was stronger, then...-" Nite mumbled.
"-Damn it! If only I was stronger...-" Deo growled. "-Then I wouldn't have lost to him...-"
"Alright, Nite, lighten up. And Deo, calm down," Nate grumbled. "Look, no matter how much you whine about it, it's not gonna change the fact that we lost to him."
Deo glared at Nate, but sighed and calmed down, knowing that raging about a loss was pointless.
"At this point, we just get better," Nate said. "If I knew he still had that shit in the back, then I would've planned much better. We just get back at him next time. Alright?"
Everyone glanced at Nate, before nodding reluctantly. Nate sighed. Obviously his Pokémon are taking the loss to heart. He could understand that; they were pretty close to winning it all, and they worked hard to get to it. But they lost in the end, making all of their hard work null and void.
"We'll get him next time," Nate said encouragingly. "Now c'mon you lot. Back into your pokéballs."
Nate recalled his team back into their pokéballs, except for Brav and Luca.
"-You know you can let it out,-" Brav said to him. "-You may be able to hide it from the others, but you can't fool us.-"
"Keh! Can't hide shit from you can I old man," Nate muttered as he loitered around. "...Yeah, I might be pissed off that I lost to him..."
Looking back at it, he lost to Colress. While the rogue will admit that Colress is a formidable battler, he was still Team Plasma. Losing to Team Plasma left a rather bitter taste to him.
Losing to Team Plasma...
Losing to Team Plasma...
To Team Plasma...
Nate gritted his teeth in anger as he stomped the ground, making an audible and visible crack on the concrete pavement.
"Fucking Plasma..." Nate growled in pure rage.
It was obvious that he was taking the loss to heart as well, in spite of how he showed himself in front of his other Pokémon, and was just as frustrated, if not more, as Deo was. Brav and Luca could sense the frustration Nate was emitting, with Luca wilting in shame for losing the match for him. Nate noticed Luca, before exhaling and calming down.
"Look, it's not your fault," Nate assured her. "Honestly it's my fault for not planning this out better enough."
Luca looked up to Nate, before smiling slightly, feeling somewhat better. Nate smiled back, before rubbing her head.
"Oh, so you can understand them?"
The three suddenly shot up and glanced behind them to see a figure in a hooded robe. The hood was completely concealing the figure's face, making it impossible to see it.
"...And who are you?" Nate asked cautiously, as Luca growled and got into a defensive stance.
"Calm down, I come in peace," the figure said with a noticeably masculine voice.
"...I see," Nate muttered, not letting his guard down. "So what do you want?"
The hooded figure stared at Nate and Luca critically with cold, purple eyes. Luca never dropped her stance, while Brav kept watch over them, just in case the hooded figure did anything peculiar or threatening.
"...I sense much darkness...much hatred in your heart," the hooded man said. "...But, there is potential."
"Alright, the hell're you talking about?" Nate growled, starting to get annoyed.
The hooded figure stared at Nate, before swiftly backing away, almost sliding away.
"...I'm going to bestow a role onto you," the figure declared.
"What?"
Before Nate could react, the hooded figure flung his arm outward, throwing something at Nate and Luca, whom caught it. In Nate's hand was a peculiar, yet beautiful looking round stone, while in Luca's paw was a similar looking stone, but colored yellow-orange, with a blue and red swirl crystallized inside it.
"Keep those on you," the hooded figure said as Nate and Luca examined them. "You'll need them for the crisis that is to befall this region in the near future."
"'Crisis that is to befall...'? The hell're you–?" Nate asked as he looked up, but was surprised to see that the hooded figure was nowhere to be seen. "The hell? Where did he go?"
They looked around, but could not spot the man anywhere. It was as if he vanished without a trace.
"...That was weird," Nate muttered, before glancing back at the stone.
He had never seen anything like it before. Surely he could sell it for a rather hefty price. But what the man said...it worried him somewhat. The man could be crazy for all he knew. But something, something in his gut told him that he and Luca should keep the stones. And Nate was not one to take his gut instinct for granted.
Nate stared at the stone a little longer, before putting it along with Luca's stone into the bag and recalling Luca and Brav.
"And the Finals will begin momentarily! Can Colress and Schwartzer please come back to the arena?!"
Nate glanced back up to the arena. Apparently the last match was to begin. The boy shrugged, before heading back, deciding to check out the last battle of the tournament. If he did want to get back at Colress, then he might as well gather as much data as possible.
...Or at least that was the plan, until someone grabbed him from behind.
"The fuck?!" Nate blurted, not even noticing the person, before glancing behind him. The person in question was a woman with long brown hair wearing a white sleeveless overcoat over a white and gray dress, with white sleeves that covered the arms that were keeping Nate from running. Her face was concealed with a white opera mask.
"Oh you look interesting," the woman smiled a rather mischievous smile that made Nate internally worry. "The name's Weiss. You wanna do something fun with me?"
"...Excuse me?" the boy blurted bewildered with a blush.
"AND THE FINALS MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" the announcer yelled. "From the blue corner, his wish is to bring out the power of his Pokémon, and he certainly did! It's Colress!"
The scientist walked onto the stage in the midst of the roars of the crowd cheering, adjusting his glasses as he awaited for his anticipated opponent.
"And from the red corner, demolishing the competition like a black knight, it's Schwartzer!"
The black-cladded man walked onto the stage in the midst of the cheering as well, face completely hidden from his imposing black mask save for his sharp red eyes.
"And it's down to you, eh?" Schwartzer asked.
"Indeed," Colress said. "Time to see what all the fuss is about with you firsthand I suppose."
"...To be honest, I personally wanted to run into you," Schwartzer admitted, catching Colress's attention. "The current leader of the recently resurrected Team Plasma. It's rather interesting really that Ghetsis would just hand the position over to you. Not saying that you don't seem qualified for it, but it's intriguing really."
"...What are you getting at?" Colress asked with somewhat narrowed eyes.
"Why would someone as power-hungry as Ghetsis Harmonia purposely leave the command of his precious syndicate with someone else?" Schwartzer asked. "Did he just not want to lead again after being foiled by a 16-year-old boy in a sense of karmic irony? Or is he planning something else on the sidelines and left a babysitter of sorts to not lose any progress?"
Colress narrowed his eyes further. This man, whoever he was, knew. Or at the very least he was on the right track.
"...You did your homework," Colress merely said.
"Why thank you," Schwartzer said, amusement notable in his tone. "I am a man who learns from his mistakes after all."
Before Colress could ask what he meant, the announcer cut him off.
"Trainers, get your Pokémon ready...!
And BEGIN!"
Both Schwartzer and Colress sent out their lead Pokémon simultaneously. Predictably, Schwartzer sent out his shiny black haxorus, but Colress in response sent out his metagross.
"And we have the infamous black haxorus, and the metal titan Metagross!" the announcer yelled. "This will be a match to remember!"
"Dragon Dance."
"Agility."
Shiny Haxorus performed his waltz, circling around as red sparks raged out around him, while Metagross suddenly bulleted for Haxorus, closing the gap between them in an instant.
"Ice Punch!"
"Rock Smash."
Metagross raised its forearm as it was incased with an icy energy before bringing it down upon the black dragon. Shiny Haxorus, in response, parried it with his attack, but was scraped by it in the process, leaving his blade to get frozen.
"So you're going to try and match Haxorus's speed and strike him down before he can attack," Schwartzer deduced. "That's one way to go by it."
"Of course," Colress responded. "I would need a suitable answer to such an unstoppable force if I want a chance to win, after all."
Schwartzer snorted. The metagross was indeed a suitable answer. Its naturally high defenses and Steel/Psychic typing meant that Dual Chop would not do much, while Rock Smash becomes neutral on hit at best, and it would be able to tank both attacks fairly well. Agility outranks Dragon Dance in terms of boosting speed, so Metagross would be consistently faster than Shiny Haxorus. And with Metagross's natural power, a well-placed Ice Punch would be fatal for Shiny Haxorus.
"...Ah well, I've been in worse scenarios before," Schwartzer shrugged. "Swords Dance."
Shiny Haxorus summoned several red swords that circled around him, before they dissipated and were absorbed into the dragon.
"Ice Punch!"
"Dual Chop."
Metagross vanished out of Shiny Haxorus's sights thanks to its blistering speed, while the dragon prepared his two blue blades. Metagross shot out behind the dragon to smash another icy claw into him, but Shiny Haxorus immediately reacted, smashing a blue blade through the ice and meeting the claw itself, before Shiny Haxorus flung Metagross away. The metallic spider landed back on its claws, but faltered slightly due to the pain the attack caused.
"Dragon Dance."
"Earthquake!"
Shiny Haxorus repeated the Dragon Dance once more, while Metagross smashed his claw into the ground, causing an earthquake to shake the arena. In spite of the tremoring ground and the faulting plates smacking into him, Shiny Haxorus never faltered, completing the dance and boosting his attack even further while further enhancing his speed.
"Now, Rock Smash!"
Shiny Haxorus reeled in, before bulleting towards Metagross at an even faster speed than the metallic spider, before slamming straight into it, pushing the Steel-type back. Metagross lost its balance and fell on one leg, as Shiny Haxorus skulked over it. Before Metagross could do anything, Shiny Haxorus slammed his tail against it, slamming it into a wall.
"Finish it off," Schwartzer commanded.
Shiny Haxorus nodded, before lunging straight for where Metagross landed to end the fight, but as Shiny Haxorus was about to land the finishing blow, Metagross shot out and slammed a surprise Ice Punch into Shiny Haxorus's gut. The dragon cried out in pain, but powered through and slammed his foot into Metagross's face, smashing it into the ground and finishing it off. Metagross was unconscious and unable to fight any further, but not before leaving a nasty Ice Punch for Shiny Haxorus to take. The dragon was panting heavily; the damage dealt was extreme, even if it was one or two hits that managed to land.
"And Metagross goes down!" the announcer yelled. "What will Colress do now against the haxorus after all these boosts it acquired!?"
Colress nodded, before recalling Metagross and replacing it with Beheeyem, staying utterly calm. The Psychic-type floated as it stared at Shiny Haxorus.
"Oh and it looks like Colress sends out Beheeyem to challenge the mighty Haxorus!" the announcer yelled.
"Don't tell me..." Schwartzer muttered as Shiny Haxorus got ready to battle.
"Trick Room."
Beheeyem lifted one of his arms and emitted a strange distortion, where a bizarre sensation filled the area, distorting the dimension of the arena itself.
"Oh? It would seem that Colress made the first move, and set up a Trick Room!"
"Should've known," Schwartzer clicked his tongue as he looked around, examining the Trick Room. "It's been a while since I've seen this in play..."
"Psychic."
Beheeyem suddenly disappeared from Shiny Haxorus's sights, before he felt himself suddenly being lifted up into the air. Beheeyem had reappeared behind Shiny Haxorus and casted a Psychic upon the dragon, before lifting up the dragon and slamming him back down onto the ground. As the dragon struggledto get back up, he turned around, but Beheeyem was no longer there.
"So he had another answer to Haxorus," Schwartzer muttered.
"Signal Beam."
Beheeyem reappeared above Shiny Haxorus and shot a strange light straight at him. Shiny Haxorus tried to block it, but under Trick Room, he moved too slowly to intercept it and took the Signal Beam to the face. The dragon growled as he got back up, while Beheeyem loomed over him, waiting for his trainer's next command.
"Beheeyem is on a rampage! Can Schwartzer answer back quickly?!"
Schwarter stared at Shiny Haxorus as he was struggling. Clearly Colress had planned this out; up to a backup plan should Metagross fail. At this rate, Shiny Haxorus would lose pointlessly.
"...Haxorus, return."
Shiny Haxorus glanced back, before nodding as Schwartzer recalled the black dragon. Schwartzer immediately sent out Heatran in replacement.
"Oh? And Schwartzer has made a mid-battle switch, swapping out Haxorus for Heatran!"
"So you decided to retaliate," Colress narrowed his eyes. "Beheeyem, Thunderbolt."
Beheeyem vanished in front of Heatran, reappearing at a safe distance away from the molten lava monster and shot a current of electricity at him. The Thunderbolt made a direct hit to Heatran, but the behemoth managed to shake it off relatively easily.
"Well that's not good..." Colress muttered.
"Lava Plume," Schwartzer commanded as he lifted his robe up to cover himself.
Heatran roared out and released a massive burst of smog and flames from his back that quickly enveloped the entire arena in a giant wave. Beheeyem had nowhere to dodge and took the full brunt of it, while Colress was forced to cover his face with his arms to shield himself from it as much as he could. When the plume ended, Colress found his white outfit dirtied with smog and burn marks, while Beheeyem struggled to stay afloat, burn marks covered all over his body. Schwartzer, on the other hand, was somehow protected from the attack by his robe, which surprisingly withstood the attack unscathed.
"What a devastating attack," Colress gaped. "...So that's your answer to my counter-play."
Obviously Schwartzer had experience with Trick Room, seeing how he immediately swapped out Shiny Haxorus for Heatran, which was much slower. While not as slow as Beheeyem, it was obviously a more suitable choice to send out than compared to the black dragon. And it also serves as a much harder matchup for Beheeyem due to its Fire/Steel typing and incredible bulk allowing it to handle Beheeyem's attacks with ease. Not even an Analytic-boosted Thunderbolt did much to Heatran, and that was Beheeyem's best option for attacking it.
Meanwhile Heatran had no problems sitting in front of Beheeyem's face. It could wait and let Beheeyem attack before striking back, not worried about having to chase it down. Especially since it came with Lava Plume, which covered the entire arena, so Heatran could simply sit there and spam Lava Plume and Beheeyem could not do anything about it or evade it for that matter.
"Lava Plume."
"Tch, Trick Room!" Colress quickly yelled.
As Heatran roared again, Beheeyem quickly emitted a strange light before getting enveloped by another Lava Plume. The distortion that covered the arena dissipated, returning it to normal. Beheeyem, however, ended up taking a Lava Plume once more, and plummeted to the ground.
"And Beheeyem is unable to battle!" the announcer yelled. "Schwartzer indeed answered back to Colress's strategies with a devastating attack after another!"
Colress gritted his teeth as he recalled Beheeyem, while Schwartzer and Heatran simply stared down the scientist, waiting for his next move. Against this monster, he had only one real answer.
"MKI, come forth!"
As his last Pokémon, Colress sent out the dreaded genesect, christened MKI, to the field. There was a blue drive-like device attached to its cannon now.
"And out comes the new Pokémon as Colress's last Pokémon!" the announcer yelled. "It was able to defeat Nate in the semifinals, but will it be enough to save Colress from Schwartzer's wrath!?"
"Oh, so you actually did it," Schwartzer snorted as Heatran got ready.
"-Target identified...-" MKI droned. "-Scanning...scanning...scanning complete. Target identified: Dex Number 485: Heatran. Target data acquired. Enhancing appropriate offense attributes.-"
MKI proceeded to emit a red spark around him in response.
"Magma Storm."
"Techno Blast!"
Heatran shot a blast of infernos at MKI, who responde by firing a blue beam of light at it. The beam made contact with the flames, and surprisingly doused it down, causing an immense amount of steam to cover the field.
"...A Water-type move...?" Schwartzer asked. "...What did he replace for it...?"
"Thunderbolt!"
MKI gave Heatran no time to rest, shooting a bolt of electricity at him. Heatran jumped to the side, avoiding the attack, but MKI followed it up with another Thunderbolt, striking the Fire-type down.
"...He still has Thunderbolt," Schwartzer muttered, remembering how MKI displayed its entire move set against Nate. "...The odds of him keeping Ice Beam are high, unless he forgone it, hoping that Metagross and Beheeyem would deal with Haxorus..."
Heatran shot another Magma Storm at MKI, but MKI kept retaliating with the Techno Blast attack, making it evaporate upon collision. This was getting Schwartzer nowhere.
"...Heatran, return," Schwartzer suddenly commanded.
Heatran nodded, before jumping back and allowing Schwartzer to recall him back to his pokéball.
"What?" Colress asked, genuinely surprised that he would recall Heatran against MKI. "...Is he planning to send out Haxorus?"
"...Let's hope you got rid of Ice Beam for this," Schwartzer said as he threw a new pokéball into the air.
The ball opened to release a bird-like dragon Pokémon with an aerodynamic body. The lower half of its body is blue with jet-plane wings and fin-like feet, with a red triangular marking resting on its chest. Around its neck hanged a lustrous blue orb on a necklace.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Colress blurted.
"A-A-And Schwartzer replaces Heatran with Latios!" the announcer gasped. "WOW! Not only Heatran, but the legendary Pokémon Latios as well! Just who is this trainer Schwartzer!?"
"That's something I'm sure everyone wants to know," Schwartzer commented. "...Latios, scout for Ice Beam."
"-As you wish, Master,-" Latios said curtly, before taking to the skies."
"After it!" Colress gritted his teeth, not at all happy with the last member of Schwartzer's team.
MKI nodded, before transforming into a saucer-like form and flying after Latios. While MKI's air speed was impressive, it paled in comparison to Latios's speed, as the robotic bug was forced to chase after Latios with no hopes of catching up. The two flew through the air in an intense game of tag, with Latios showing no signs of being tagged.
"Tch, Techno Blast!" Colress yelled out.
While chasing after Latios, MKI shot a blue laser at the dragon in hopes of shooting it down. Latios saw it coming, and quickly maneuvered to avoid it.
'-...It would seem that the opponent does not have Ice Beam,-' Latios informed his trainer telepathically. '-Otherwise it would've used it by now.-'
From underneath Schwartzer's mask, a grin formed.
"Checkmate," Schwartzer declared quietly, before yelling his next command. "Luster Purge!"
Latios nodded, before performing an aileron roll while dispersing several balls of light from behind. Once MKI got close to the balls of light, they quickly detonated, releasing a harsh blinding light that bombarded the mechanical bug, strong enough to force it to stop and force it out of its saucer mode to simply defend itself.
"Hidden Power."
Latios proceeded to perform a u turn and bullet towards MKI while it was fazed by the light. Before MKI could recover, Latios shot several orbs of energy at it, bombarding it with even more projectiles of energy. MKI screeched in pain as Latios shot it down, the attack clearly doing significant damage to it. As Latios stopped the attack as he flew past MKI, the cybernetic bug was unable to keep itself afloat, plummeting down to the ground. As Latios made his descent down back to Schwartzer, MKI made a hard thud onto the arena, its eyes dimmed and body immobile.
"And the Pokémon goes down!" the announcer yelled. "With an answer to all of his strategies, Schwartzer defeats Colress commandingly! Our Driftveil Tournament Winner is Schwartzer!"
The crowd erupted in an applaud that rang through the entire facility as Schwartzer was declared the winner.
"Nice work," Schwartzer complimented, petting Latios.
"-Of course, Master,-" Latios smiled, pleased by the praise.
Colress, meanwhile, walked over to the now defunct MKI, and sighed.
"At least all that data will prove to be vital," Colress said, before recalling MKI. "There is definitely room for improvements."
"Good game," Schwartzer said, walking over to Colress. "As expected, you proved to be a worthy foe."
"And you as well," Colress said back, shaking Schwartzer's hand. "To think you also had Latios...I would've kept Ice Beam if that was the case."
"So you did get rid of it," Schwartzer commented.
"I assumed Metagross and Beheeyem were enough to suppress Haxorus," Colress commented. "But alas, I couldn't even take it down."
"Now then," Schwartzer said, red eyes gleaming at Colress. "You mind telling me what your 'boss' is up to?"
"...How about a trade of info, then?" Colress countered, pushing his glasses back up. "...Who are you? And how do you know all of this?"
Schwartzer stared back at Colress, who was unfazed by it.
"...Ah well, worth a shot," Schwartzer shrugged. "That's not exactly a good trade, anyways."
"And with that, the Driftveil Tournament comes to a close!" the announcer yelled. "Thank you all for participating! We'll see you all next time!"
"AAAAHAHAHAA! THE TOURNEY WAS A SUCCESS!" Clay guffawed at the front lobby. "I knew it was a good idea to invite you lot!"
Rosa and the others were gathered in front of Clay, who wanted to thank them personally for accepting his invitation to the tournament.
"Well it was fun at least," Roxie muttered.
"Yeah, it was a fun tournament!" Bianca chirped.
"Yeah!" Iris agreed.
"Sure it was..." Rosa grumbled.
"Oh lighten up," Hugh chastised.
"But still, I appreciate y'all for helping me out," Clay said. "Thanks to y'all, this tourney went off without a hitch!"
"Clay, did you know that Colress was participating?" Cheren asked. "He is a part of Team Plasma, you know."
"To tell ya the truth, no," Clay admitted. "He was a last minute entry."
"And is something wrong with that?"
They all turned to see Colress, glancing through a tablet tapping away at it.
"Colress!" Hugh and Rosa exclaimed, alarmed.
"Now, now, I come in peace," Colress said.
"So can we help you with anything...?" Cheren asked, glaring at the Team Plasma member.
"I merely came by to say my thanks," Colress said. "All these battles provided excellent amounts of data for me to work with, after all. Speaking of which, where's Nate?"
Everyone gave the scientist a confused glance, before looking around to see that indeed, Nate was nowhere to be found.
"Actually yeah..." Yancy mumbled. "Where is Nate...?"
"He said he would go blow off some steam," Hugh said. "He should be back by now."
"Regardless, I wanted to thank him as well," Colress said. "But I would assume he wouldn't accept my gratitude so easily and honestly. In return, however, please do give this to him when you do see him again."
Colress took out a small yellow box-like contraption, before handing it to Hugh.
"What's this?" the blue-haired boy asked, examining the box.
"The 'Electrizer'," Colress explained. "If an electabuzz holds it and is traded, it will evolve it into an electivire. I'd assume this would be something Nate would want."
"...Thanks, I guess..." Hugh muttered.
"Now then, I will take my leave," Colress nodded, as he left the group.
"Right, I gotta head back to the gym," Clay said, before he prepared to leave. "Enjoy the rest of the festivities, y'all!"
"Right, I gotta head back too," Roxie muttered as Clay left, before turning to Yancy. "You...just be careful."
"R-Right..." Yancy nodded, which was enough for Roxie as the rock star left.
"Well I'm off, then," Iris said, seeing no point in staying around. "Bye Hugh! Bye everyone!"
With that, Iris left the building, leaving Rosa, Hugh, Yancy, Cheren and Bianca.
"...Does she like you or something?" Cheren asked Hugh.
"Huh?" Hugh asked, not understanding what Cheren was getting at.
"Wait a minute..." Rosa said. "Let's follow Colress!"
"What?!" Hugh blurted, turning to his childhood friend. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"
"I mean, he's with Team Plasma, right?" Rosa reasoned. "Maybe by following him, we can find out where their base is or something."
"I highly doubt that'd be the case," Hugh argued.
"Actually, she may be onto something," Cheren said.
"Really?!" Hugh and Rosa blurted, turning to face their former professor.
"While it's highly unlikely that we'll find their base of operations," Cheren reasoned. "If we do follow him, then we may be able to find something useful that'll help us find out what Team Plasma is up to."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Bianca asked.
"It's Team Plasma," Cheren replied. "You and I both know what they're capable of. We need as much as we can work with."
"...Yeah..." Bianca murmured, remembering how Team Plasma worked two years ago. "...Let's just be careful though..."
"Of course," Cheren assured her. "We learned our lessons from last time. We won't make the same mistakes."
"Right," Bianca nodded, before turning to the three kids. "So you get the idea. We're following him, and hopefully find something. Be careful though...this is Team Plasma. Who knows what they could have."
"Right," Rosa said, while Hugh nodded.
Bianca nodded, before noting Yancy's worried expression. Right, she forgot about her. As far as Bianca knew, this girl was simply tagging along with them. Bringing her with them to Team Plasma was not a good idea.
"Would you like to sit this one out?" Bianca asked Yancy nicely.
"Eh?" she asked.
"It's alright, this is really dangerous, after all," Bianca said. "If you don't want to go in, then I'll stay back with you."
Yancy looked slightly conflicted. She did have a point, anything involving Team Plasma was dangerous. And she was not as good of a trainer as Hugh or Rosa or Cheren.
But she would be damned if she just sit on the side and be useless and let everyone else do all the dirty work.
"...No, I'm going," Yancy declared. "I want to help as much as I can."
Bianca smiled. That dedication was admirable. It honestly reminded Bianca of herself two years ago.
"Alright, but be careful," Bianca said.
"Uh huh!" Yancy nodded determinedly.
"Uh, shouldn't we go now and try to catch up to him?" Rosa asked.
"Right, let's go!" Cheren exclaimed.
As the group rushed out the arena to find and follow Colress, Yancy glanced around, still not finding Nate anywhere.
'Oh Nate...' Yancy thought. 'Where are you...?'
"Y'know, out of all the things I'd expect to happen when you're kidnapped by a random lady," Nate remarked as he crawled through the duct. "This...this is not one of them."
After being dragged against his will by this masked lady in white, Nate found himself infiltrating a rather large, futuristic boat of sorts, and was currently crawling through an air duct.
"Oh come on, it's exciting, isn't it?" the lady, Weiss, if Nate remembered correctly, asked from behind. "It's like one of those stealth games."
"And why am I doing this again?" Nate asked.
"Because you said so."
"Well I didn't exactly had the option to do so."
In reality, he did agree, but the situation was just too bizarre for Nate to properly decline. And before he could straighten up, Weiss had already dragged him to the boat and had already stuffed herself and him into an air duct. So really, there was no backing out now. Especially since Weiss was behind him and essentially blocking his way back.
"Tell me when you find an opening," Weiss called back. "You should find one around the next left."
"How do you know this?" Nate asked as he entered the next left duct.
"Call it some research," Weiss simply replied teasingly as she followed Nate.
Nate growled under his breath in annoyance, before finding an air vent, just as Weiss predicted. He peered down and looked around to see if there was anyone in the room. No one appeared to be in the room, from what Nate could see.
"All clear," Nate said as he proceeded to carefully remove the air vent cover and slip into the room, with Weiss following right behind. "The hell are we?"
"It would look like we're at a bedroom of sorts," Weiss pointed out.
"Yeah, but...where...?" Nate asked.
As the two looked around, the door suddenly opened as two Team Plasma grunts walked in.
"Hey, what the–?!" one of them blurted as they walked in on the two intruders.
"...What?" Nate asked, before suddenly finding himself being pulled against his collar. "WHATTHE–?!"
Weiss had grabbed Nate by the collar and pulled him away while simultaneously smashing her foot across one of the grunt's face, knocking him out cold.
"WHOA WHAT THE–!?" the second grunt yelped, before Weiss had held a small spray container in front of him and spraying him with some kind of powder. "AGH?! What the...feeling...sleepy..."
The second grunt quickly collapsed, having fallen asleep within a matter of seconds.
"...What did you spray him with?" Nate asked.
"Oh some Spore concentrate from amoonguss," Weiss informed Nate as she let him go. "It's a sort of knock-out spray."
"I see..." Nate muttered, somewhat baffled by the transition of events that were happening as Weiss dragged the two grunts and hurled them on a bed.
"There, nothing suspicious here," Weiss smiled, before turning to Nate. "You're pretty good at this."
"Good? We almost got caught," Nate shot back.
"I mean it's good considering I basically kidnapped you and forced you to be my guinea pi–assistant," Weiss said as she took out a small red box. "Here, have a consolation reward."
"Huh?" Nate said as he accepted the small red box. "A Magmarizer?"
"Maybe you can use it," Weiss said. "I certainly won't find any use for it. Now c'mon, we better get a move on."
Weiss checked the hallways outside of the room before sprinting out of the room, where Nate still looked confused, but gave up and followed the white-clad woman, seeing no other option at all.
"But why the hell were there Team Plasma grunts?" Nate asked as he caught up with Weiss and put the small box into his bag. "Are they raiding this boat or something?"
"Close," Weiss said.
"Close?" Nate asked bewildered. "The hell do you mean by close?"
Weiss said nothing else on the matter as she maneuvered through the hallways with Nate behind her, avoiding more and more Team Plasma grunts as they ventured further into the interior.
"There's more of them..." Nate mumbled.
Weiss glanced around, before quickly sprinting forward and behind another corner, with Nate begrudgingly tailing from behind.
"And where are we headed, exactly?" Nate asked, starting to get annoyed.
Weiss did not respond, opting to continue leading the way, further frustrating Nate. The boy was seriously contemplating on just ditching the woman and escaping this damn boat. But considering she knew where she was going apparently and he did not, it was more of a wise decision to just bear with it and keep following her.
"Here it is," Weiss suddenly said.
Nate glanced up to see a dimly-lit corridor, with some kind of glowing panel at the end of it.
"It's a dead end," Nate said, confused. What was so special about a panel?
"You need to watch more anime," Weiss shook her head as she walked towards the panel.
"The fuck's anime?" Nate asked, before watching as Weiss stepped onto the panel and suddenly disappeared. "WHAT THE–?!"
Nate just stared at the panel with widened eyes, trying to comprehend what just happened. The woman just stepped on the panel and suddenly disappeared!
"What kind of horseshit...?" Nate asked, before he could hear people approaching. "Ah shit..."
Panicking slightly, Nate decided to take his chances and stepped onto the panel. Upon stepping onto it, he found himself being teleported for a few seconds, before being thrown into a completely new room.
"AGH!?" Nate yelped as he fell onto the floor. "Agh...the hell was that...?"
He groggily got up to find himself in a rather dark room. It was decently large, with a desk, and several monitors behind it, displaying several areas of the boat. From the monitors, he could spot several Team Plasma grunts. Nate then spotted Weiss at the desk in front of the computer that sat on it, typing away at it.
"...Alright, what the hell's going on?" Nate asked, finally having enough. "What is this place? Why are there so many Plasma grunts out there? Who are you? WHERE the hell are we?"
"...Well I guess you should know after I dragged you this far," Weiss admitted as she kept going through file after file. "There's a reason I said 'close' when you asked if Team Plasma was raiding this place."
"And that reason being?" Nate asked.
Rosa finally spotted Colress; the scientist heading for the Driftveil Harbor.
"Finally..." Rosa said, with the others right behind her. "C'mon."
The group silently followed Colress as the man headed for a rather large boat.
"A boat?" Cheren asked. "A means of transportation?"
As they hid behind a pile of crates, Colress glanced up to the boat, where a plank suddenly extended from the boat before the scientist. Colress nodded, before glancing behind him.
"You lot can come out, you know," the man said, catching them off guard. "I know you're there."
Begrudgingly, the group hesitantly emerged from the stack of crates that they were hiding from.
"And how did you know?" Hugh asked.
"I figured you lot would do something like this," Colress admitted. "I mean, I am the current boss of Team Plasma after all. If I was in your shoes, I would've done the same thing."
"...So now what...?" Rosa asked as she reached out to her pokéball.
"Well, since you made the effort to follow me," Colress said. "Would you like to come on board?"
Colress gestured to the boat, offering the group to ride on board. They all glanced at each other, hesitant to take the offer.
"You think this is a good idea?" Yancy asked.
"I mean...might as well..." Rosa shrugged.
"...All of you, stay on your toes," Cheren said. "We have no idea what's waiting on board."
The group nodded, which Colress took as a confirmation. The man walked up the plank, with the group following from behind. On board the ship, the deck was massive, larger and more open than the arena, with mechanically-stylized sails taller than the eye can see.
"...What is this place...?" Bianca asked.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The group turned to see a man with white hair wearing a large, heavy purple coat and a tall hat colored an equally dark purple. He was being accompanied by two Team Plasma grunts.
"Oh hello, Zinzolin," Colress said nonchalantly.
"Care to explain why you brought intruders on board?" the man, Zinzolin asked.
"Good grief," Cheren muttered, recognizing Zinzolin. "You're the Sage that was at the Cold Storage two years ago."
"And you two are two of the three trainers that confronted me there," Zinzolin replied, recognizing Cheren and Bianca. "So where's the third one? Hilbert?"
"Not here at the moment," Cheren shot back. "Though we won't need him to take care of you."
"Oh, how bold," Zinzolin chuckled, before turning to Colress. "So tell me again why you brought them here?"
"Oh what's the harm?" Colress asked as if he did nothing wrong. "It's not like they'll be able to do anything."
"Sometimes I can't tell if you're confident or arrogant at times," Zinzolin sighed. "I'd figured you to be the more calculating one between us. But whatever."
As Zinzolin glanced at the group, more Team Plasma grunts gathered around them, now surrounding them with numbers that far exceeded theirs.
"W-What is this place...?" Yancy asked.
"Oh yes, I should introduce myself," Zinzolin said. "I am Zinzolin. Former member of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, and current co-leader of the newly resurrected Team Plasma. And this, young lady..."
Zinzolin spread his arms out wide open in dramatic effect, showing off the boat and increasing number of Team Plasma grunts.
"This...is the headquarters of the new Team Plasma," he answered. "The Plasma Frigate!"
"This is Plasma's base?!" Nate blurted.
"Yep," Weiss said. "Since their castle is now basically rubble buried under the League, they built a giant boat instead. And this very room..."
Nate's eyes widened at Weiss's next words as a chill crawled across his spine.
"This very room, is the command room of Ghetsis Harmonia, Team Plasma's underground leader."
Meanwhile, across the region, in a desolate and icy cold cave, one Kyurem was resting there, eyes closed as a heavy snore echoed through the vacant cave. The dragon slept peacefully, until the sound of footsteps and an extra sound of something clanking onto the floor echoed through the caves, waking the dragon up as the footsteps became louder.
"It would seem that we have a guest," Kyurem said.
The two cryogonals that were accompanying Kyurem floated in front of him in defense, as the footsteps grew louder and closer.
"-Who goes there?!-" one of the cryogonals yelled.
The footsteps grew louder and louder, before a man entered the room Kyurem was in. The man had pale green hair while wearing a black cloak with an eye pattern on it that concealed his body with a red eyepiece over his right eye. The man held a cane with the Team Plasma emblem on it with his left arm as he approached the dragon, with a rather calm, cool and collected smirk on his face.
"And who might you be?" Kyurem asked.
"Greetings, 'Original Dragon'," the man offered. "No, now you are known only as 'Kyurem'.
"I am Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. And I have an offer for you."
To be continued
AN: And let's stop there. So the winner of the tournament is Schwartzer! Oh yeah and they found Team Plasma's base and Ghetsis is making his move! What'll happen next? That's a tale for next time.
And again I sincerely apologize for the massive delay to this. I will get to work on Platinum Witch and Fidelity immediately, so please bear with me. And thank you everyone who was patient with me. I know it must've been a long wait ^^'.
And current teams:
Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Nite (Pignite) / Buzz (Electabuzz) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark)
Rosa: Eve (Eevee) / Ottavia (Dewott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss)
Hugh: Flygon / Servine / Magmar / Tirtouga / Heracross
Yancy: Audi (Audino) / Teddi (Ursaring) / Snor (Snorlax) / Toge (Togekiss)
No changes here. Alright, I'll see you all next time!