Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 28: Finalization
AN: Either that was the fastest year I've felt, or I actually uploaded faster than 4 months. Oh wait it's the latter.
Yeah this took me by surprise too. I already had an idea of how I wanted this chapter to be set up, so I just wrote out bits of it on my free time from work, and before I knew it, it was done. Also helped that this chapter is slightly shorter in terms of progression than the usual, but very much important. Don't expect this to be the norm, but I am glad I was able to get out a chapter without it taking 4 months.
TheDarkMaster4000: Yeah, the last three chapters were more teetering on filler/character development, and in my opinion, Hugh's felt the weakest to me out of the three, so I don't really blame you. Glad you still liked it though.
FantasyLover88: Yep, the filler arc is done, and now the story can resume!
Anonymous Trainer: Yeah, realistically there was no way Hugh could have gone through all ten areas. I just happened to have a good mean of kicking him out via Benga.
Tony Anderson: Thanks man! You too!
Guest (Jeck): Lol, no worries. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people forgot about Benga.
Okay now back to the plot!
Bianca let out a yawn as she stretched out her arms, welcoming the morning sun bask over Lacunosa Town. The air was rather chilly, but her coat sufficed in keeping her warm. She glanced to her left, eyeing the giant wall that surrounded the city. And off to the background, she could vaguely see what she concluded to be the Giant Chasm.
"To think that this town is this close to such a place," Bianca commented.
It was a wonder how the town managed to keep a relative peace for so long in spite of being so close to the dwellings of such a dangerous Pokémon as Kyurem. Well, less 'relative peace' and more subtle terror that subjugated the townsfolks. Unsurprisingly, the townsfolks were aware that they lived next to the cave that housed Kyurem.
An urban folklore; one that told of a monster that came from a giant meteor, and would come to the town at night with cold winds, taking away any human unfortunate enough to cross its path to eat them. The legend of such a monster had plagued the town for years and even to this very day, with the walls that erected around the town to protect them from the monster. To top it off, the town followed a strict curfew; no one was allowed outside after 8PM sharp. The townsfolk claim to no longer believe the legend, but the walls that still stand to this very day and the curfew begged to differ.
Bianca would have found all this silly, if it were not for the fact that the 'monster' from the legends was in fact real.
She thought back to the events that transpired in the past few days. So much transpired within the span of a few days. So much hidden controversy and corruption unfolded. And a dark past that shaped a boy into a cold, cynical shell revealed. While Bianca was not the type to typically hate people, Bianca still could not help but feel bitter for the terrible people who soured Nate's view on society that turned him to what he was today, and for the vile former mayor who abused the trust of Undella Town for his own gain. Everything unfolded and revealed unnerved the blonde veteran trainer. She was only glad that everything ended up working out, and that her friends Hilbert and Hilda had returned after a long year of mysteriously disappearing. But now with the news that the old mayor was killed, and that Team Plasma had Kyurem in their ranks, she felt a sense of dread, clearly remembering the last time Team Plasma had legendaries under their disposal.
Bianca shook her head, getting such worrisome thoughts out of her head. Today was when the three kids would regroup after their own respective days to themselves. She was eager to see how the vacation days treated them.
"Alright!" Bianca exclaimed, pumping her fists. "Let's do this!"
"You're too loud for this early in the morning."
Bianca looked up to see one of the three kids; Nate on his braviary, accompanied by Yancy on her togekiss.
"Ah, Nate!" Bianca said as the two landed. "And you're...Yancy, right?"
"Ah, yes!" Yancy replied. The two did not really interact with each other back at the factory, so the two did not properly introduce themselves. "Miss Bianca, right?"
"Yep!" Bianca answered heartily. "Nice to meet you!"
"Likewise," Yancy nodded respectfully. "So...are we the first ones here?"
"That's right," Bianca confirmed. "Rosa and Hugh should be arriving soon though."
"Is that so," Nate muttered, before glancing around. "Cowlick isn't with you?"
"You mean Cheren?" Bianca asked, which Nate confirmed. "He went off to the Weather Institute. He said he wanted to check with them to see if there was anything off with the weather that might be linked to Kyurem."
"I see..." Yancy said, nodding her head in acceptance. Nate meanwhile merely leered at Bianca.
"Is something the matter?" Bianca asked.
"You...you and Cowlick are Bro-Hilbert's friends, right?" Nate asked.
"Yuh-huh," Bianca confirmed. "We were childhood friends."
Nate seemed to take the small bit of information in, before letting out a quiet sigh. "How...how was he? Y'know, as a kid?"
Bianca gave Nate a slightly confused look, before it clicked in her head. Nate was curious about how his big brother had lived after the rather...messy separation of their family. Nate only ever met Hilbert once as a child after that event, and it led to a slew of unfortunate miscommunications, but Nate never did know how Hilbert lived as a child back in Nuvema Town.
"Well..." Bianca thought back, recalling the first time she and Cheren had met Hilbert. "Hilbert and Mrs. Warren moved in like around 10 years ago...? My dad and your mom are good friends, so he arranged a house for her and Hilbert, supposedly. He was...really quiet as a kid."
"Quiet?" Nate asked.
"For the first few days, he just kept to himself," Bianca recalled. "Whenever we would invite him to play with us, he seemed to be uninterested, declining a lot."
"So, what changed things?" Nate asked.
"Good question," Bianca replied. "One day, Cheren and I tried to play with him again, and angered a rufflet. I think I accidentally stepped on its food since I didn't see it eating. The rufflet attacked us for ruining its food. And then, Hilbert showed up and threw rocks at it to try and save us. The rufflet attacked Hilbert instead, but unlike us, he didn't cry or anything and took it on head on.
"Eventually my dad came and warded off the rufflet. Apparently, Hilbert was there because Mrs. Warren told him to try and make friends with us, but after that incident, we all grew closer, and Hilbert opened up to us. And here we are now."
"...That does sound like him," Nate admitted gruffly. "He would go out of his way to help people, even if he wouldn't gain anything from it. Hell, he brought Big Sis-Hilda back to our home when he knew nothing about her. They just met, for Arceus' sake."
"Really?" Bianca asked. "Yeah, that sounds like something Hilbert would do."
"So how was Hilda?" Nate asked out of curiosity.
"Oh she tried to kill us," Bianca said rather nonchalantly.
"Wha-!?" Yancy sputtered. "Wait, I thought you all were friends!?"
"I mean we are now," Bianca corrected. "But back then she was still with Team Plasma. And she really didn't like us. Or more specifically she didn't like us around Hilbert. She almost killed us and Professor Juniper before Mrs. Warren came and pummeled her."
"...Yeah that sounds like Mom," Nate said in a rather disappointed expression. "And...I guess it sounds like Hilda?"
"You guess?" Yancy asked in disbelief.
"I mean when we were little she was always clingy towards Hilbert," Nate shrugged.
"I know Cheren told me this term for what Hilda was..." Bianca said, putting a finger to her lip, trying to recall what Cheren labeled Hilda as. "Oh I remember! He said that Hilda was a yandere!"
"...A what?" Nate asked at a loss for words.
"A yandere," Bianca repeated.
"I-Is that an actual term?"
"No, I think it's one of those anime terms, or at least that's what Cheren said."
"The hell is anime?"
"Dunno," Bianca shrugged. "Cheren also said that Hilbert was into that kind of stuff."
"…I didn't need to know that," Nate muttered. "Yancy, you got any idea what she's talking about?"
"Uh...well, I have heard of it a few times, hang on lemme look this up..." Yancy admitted as she used her Xtransceiver to look up the term's definition. "It apparently refers to someone who is strongly and deeply romantically obsessed with someone to the point of being violent and psychotic."
"Oh yeah, that's definitely Hilda!" Bianca agreed with a smile.
"...So no one's normal in the family. Fan-fucking-tastic..." Nate grumbled.
"Is that your type?" Yancy could not help but ask.
"You asking if I was into the psycho type?" Nate retorted. "Hell no. I wouldn't be dating you if that were the case."
"Ah, yeah, you have a point," Yancy said, inwardly relieved.
"HEY!"
The trio looked up to see the remaining two; Rosa and Hugh, arriving on their respective flying Pokémon, Mandi and Flygon, respectively. The duo landed before Nate, Yancy and Bianca, regrouping with them.
"Yo," Nate muttered as a greeting.
"It felt like it's been a while," Hugh chuckled.
"Huh? I thought Curtis was with you, Rosa," Yancy said to the bun-haired girl.
"Curtis had to leave beforehand," Rosa said. "He said he had to make sure your dad didn't do anything stupid while dealing with the whole drama that's going on at Undella. Since you were supposed to have been found, they now have to tell the public media that that was a whole lie, while covering the implications of your dad working with the Riches."
"Iris had to return to the Pokémon League," Hugh added. "They have to worry about Team Plasma too, y'know."
Nate and Yancy seemed to accept those answers, before Yancy and Rosa exchanged glances. The two girls stared at each other without saying a word, creating a rather uncomfortable atmosphere between the two.
"So..." Rosa said. "You and Nate...?"
"Yeah..." Yancy nodded.
"...Right..." Rosa muttered, before letting out a sigh. "C'mon, loosen up. I'm not gonna do anything."
"Y-Yeah...Right..." Yancy mumbled.
"Ugh...look, sorry for everything that happened in the past week," Rosa said, as she extended her hand out. "Bygones?"
Yancy glanced down to the hand Rosa offered, before smiling and accepting it. "Bygones."
"Well...since we're doing apologies," Hugh said, before he bowed to Rosa. "Sorry."
"Wait, for what?" Rosa asked, surprised.
"The hell did you do?" Nate asked, equally surprised.
"I know it doesn't mean much at this point," Hugh said. "But I wanted to apologize. I...haven't been an actual friend to you."
"Wha…?"
"You're my childhood friend," Hugh explained. "And yet I've only ever been defending Nate over you. I haven't been hearing you out, especially at the times when you needed someone to talk to. I thought since it was you, you would be fine. That you didn't really need my help. But...I was wrong.
"If I had done more to try and smooth things out...if I had tried to make an effort to try and hear you out...then maybe things would've turned out differently back then at Driftveil and Mistralton...So that's why I'm sorry!"
Nate and Rosa looked at their blue-haired friend in surprise, before glancing over to each other.
"Y'know you got a point, when you put it like that," Nate said, causing Hugh to look up. "I mean she's your childhood friend, right? Why the hell are you being more biased towards me than her?"
"Right?" Rosa replied. "Like I get we argue a lot, but c'mon, you barely knew Nate but you go for him over your best friend. Clearly being a childhood friend means nothing to you, huh?"
"Isn't it typical for the boy to hear out the girl in her time of need?" Nate asked. "She's your best friend too, and yet you didn't do shit when she clearly needed it."
"And thinking that everything was fine when even a blockhead could tell that nothing was alright? Oh c'mon now," Rosa scoffed.
"Clearly you suck at reading other people's feelings, eh?" Nate and Rosa asked in surprising, yet creepy unison, their grins clearly meant to mock Hugh.
"Hey I don't wanna hear that from you two!" Hugh snapped, not one to take his two friends roasting him out of nowhere. "This whole mess started because you two couldn't understand each other!"
Nate and Rosa stared at Hugh, before breaking down in laughter, shocking the boy.
"Look...it doesn't matter," Rosa said. "It's not your fault at all, anyways. And even if it was, well, it's all in the past now."
"The fact that you're willing to admit it like that is good enough for us," Nate said. "Not that we ever blamed you for anything. We're content with the thought."
"But thanks," Rosa said. "For apologizing, even though you didn't have to. For showing that you do care for us, even at our lowest."
"You guys..." Hugh mumbled, before cracking a grateful smile. "...Thanks."
Rosa smiled back, while Nate snorted. Yancy and Bianca, likewise, could not help but break into a smile as well, seeing the trio comforting and accepting each other. Considering everything that had transpired, seeing the three in a much more peaceful, understanding setting was a breath of fresh air.
"So what did you guys end up doing yesterday?" Yancy asked.
Rosa and Hugh looked up and glanced at Yancy, before glancing back at each other.
"I went to the Village Bridge with Curtis," Rosa answered.
"And I went into the White Treehollow with Iris," Hugh answered. "What about you two?"
"...I guess it was somewhat of a homecoming," Nate said. "And visited Old Man Alder."
"Really?" Hugh asked. "For what?"
"Eh, it was more for Deo than it was for me," Nate said as he sent out Deo, revealing his new Resolute Form to the others.
"Whoa!" Rosa gasped, while Hugh could not help but look impressed and a. "What happened to him!?"
"He got his act together," Nate said. "Simple as that. So how about you guys?"
Without even confirming with each other, Rosa and Hugh took out their own pokéball and sent out Ottavia, now a samurott, and Serperior respectively. The sea lion and serpent looked around, before spotting each other.
"-Eh? You evolved too?!-" Ottavia gasped. Serperior merely gave her an intrigued expression.
"Well that's an improvement," Nate commented as Bo got out of his pokéball.
"-You guys! You both evolved too!-" Bo cheered.
"-Y-Yeah!-" Ottavia nodded, Bo's excitement feeling extra contagious.
"But that's not all!" Rosa announced with a smirk, as she reached for another ball. "For I got my own legendary too! Behold!"
Rosa tossed the ball into the air, sending out her newly acquired genesect, Geno. The mechanical bug landed on its feet, before it looked up to view its new audience/travelling partners.
"How's that?" Rosa asked rather confidently.
Contrary to how Rosa thought they would react (which was in genuine amazement and praise for catching such a Pokémon), everyone looked outright shocked and horrified.
"What the actual fuck!?" Nate blurted, recognizing Geno. He then glanced down to Deo, who looked ready to murder the newcomer in cold blood. "Oh no..."
Deo snarled as he deployed his Secret Sword, before lunging for Geno, who intercepted the attack with both of its arms.
"-Why the hell are you here?!-" Deo growled at Geno.
"Wait! Stop! They're an ally now!" Rosa cried out.
"Cool it!" Nate yelled as he grabbed Deo from behind and pried him off Geno. "There's no point trying to kill him now!"
"-This fuck was with Plasma! He's the one who separated me from my masters!-" Deo argued with Nate. "-You're okay with this!?-"
"That's a good question," Nate said, before glancing at Geno. "So what's the verdict? Can we even trust you?"
"Your worries are warranted," Geno replied in their mechanical tone. "However, I am registered as Rosa's Pokémon. I hold no allegiance to Team Plasma. My loyalty lies with her. If you all are her allies, then I will serve you all as well."
Nate narrowed his eyes at Geno. The last time these two had met in battle, Geno was under Colress' control, and was the Pokémon to defeat Nate back at Driftveil. The last time Nate actually saw Geno was when Schwartz–Hilbert managed to free it from Colress. And if by fate, Rosa managed to find and catch the very genesect. While he understood Deo's anger; if Deo's story was true, then this very genesect was the one who attacked him years ago, which orchestrated to the Swords of Justice's capture by Team Plasma. However...
"...If you say so," Nate shrugged, catching everyone off guard. "If you do stab us in the back, then you're scrap metal. Got it?"
"Acceptable," Geno nodded in response, the only one not in shock.
"-You're okay with that!?-" Deo yelled. "-Just like that!?-"
"We're up against Plasma, who has Kyurem," Nate retorted. "It isn't the time to hold grudges when he's a damn good weapon to use against them."
Whether or not Nate realized the irony in his statement, Nate did not dare to show, but he had a point. Denying Genesect, no doubt a powerful addition to their cause, over a grudge, that was albeit understandable on Deo's part, was a foolish notion. Even Deo knew that and had to admit it begrudgingly. Deo clicked his tongue, before glaring at Geno.
"-If you do betray us for Plasma,-" Deo practically spat. "-I will personally drive my sword through your head. Got that, scrap metal!?-"
"Understood," Geno nodded, unfazed by Deo's threat. Deo merely growled in frustration, before returning to Nate's side.
"-You better know what you're doing, Nate,-" Deo grumbled.
"I hope so too," Nate muttered back. Honestly he was not entirely sure whether or not they could trust Geno or not, even if they were under Rosa's command. But they had no choice anyways. Everyone would just have to trust that Rosa could control Geno.
"Well it's better than nothing," Rosa sighed, glancing at Geno. "You better not do anything to piss off Deo. The last thing we need is two mythical Pokémon killing each other."
"Understood," Geno nodded.
"I'm not sure if you actually do," Rosa sighed.
"Wait...did you hear him?" Nate asked.
"Yeah," Rosa nodded. "He speaks human."
"Wait he does!?" Nate blurted, before he glanced around at everyone else. They all nodded in response, solidifying the truth that Geno could in fact speak human language and that everyone understood him.
"How did you not notice that?" Rosa asked incredulously.
"Hey shut up!" Nate argued indignantly. "You try being able to understand Pokémon for years, and then suddenly one of them can actually talk! How would I be able to notice that!?"
"Anyways..." Bianca said. "C'mon, let's go inside. Professor Juniper's waiting."
As everyone recalled their Pokémon, Bianca invited the group into the house she had stayed in last night. Sitting at the table in the middle of the living room was a woman with brown hair tied up into a bun of sorts wearing a white lab coat; which they recognized as Professor Juniper, and an old woman, who was presumably the owner of the house.
"Ah, you all arrived!" Professor Juniper exclaimed as everyone took a seat around the table. "So how was your vacations?"
"Pretty eventful apparently," Nate commented as he took his seat next to Yancy. "So? What's the topic of debate here?"
"The owner of this house was kind enough to let us stay here for the night," Professor Juniper explained. "And she offered to tell us about the old legend of Lacunosa Town."
"Particularly, the one concerning Kyurem," Bianca added in, catching the children's attention. "We figured this would be good information to have, considering that Kyurem is surrounded by mysteries as it is."
"Very well," the old lady nodded. "You are all aware of the giant hole behind the city, correct?"
Everyone nodded in response, prompting the old lady to continue her tale. "That is the Giant Chasm. But, it was not always that. A long, long time ago, the chasm was created when a big meteorite fell from the sky and crashed onto the land. Hidden within the meteorite was a large, terrifying monster."
'Kyurem...' Nate thought.
"The monster made the Giant Chasm its home," the old lady explained. "The chasm had become an arctic dungeon, imbuing the land with ungodly cold winds that no human could ever withstand. When darkness fell over the land, this monster would appear. The frigid winds of the Giant Chasm would always accompany it."
"What do you mean?" Hugh asked.
"It would freeze everything around it, and devour people without remorse," the old lady went on. "Nothing can stop the monster; anyone who the monster sets its eyes on found their fates sealed. That is why everyone was afraid. Everyone was afraid of a monster that would prey on everything without contention."
"Kyurem ate p-people!?" Bianca stammered. Everyone turned their eyes to Nate.
"...This...I didn't know this..." Nate mumbled, equally horrified by the revelation. The new fact that the Pokémon who saved him had preyed on humans was unsettling to him as well.
"So our ancestors surrounded the town with large, impregnable walls," the old lady said. "To prevent the monster from getting inside the town. A rule was also made, forbidding anyone to go out after dark. That is the tale of this town that dates back thousands of years ago."
"A fascinating tale..." Professor Juniper nodded. "I have to add it to my research records!"
Thanking the old lady for her knowledge, the visitors of the house got up and left the house, regrouping outside the house.
"Well, we know how Kyurem got here, and what it's been doing for so long," Rosa muttered. "But...that doesn't give us any important details."
"Like...what it's planning? Or why it chose to join Team Plasma?" Yancy asked, where Rosa nodded in response.
"On the contrary," Professor Juniper said. "The backstory the old lady told us gives us hints on Kyurem's motives, or at least what it's acting on."
"It did?" Hugh asked.
"She said that Kyurem came here from a giant meteorite long ago," Professor Juniper explained. "And from what Hilbert said, Kyurem is the remains of the original dragon of Unova's legend, having been split apart long ago, which resulted in the creation of Reshiram and Zekrom. But who was to say that the split was a natural event? Furthermore, why would it seek out humans specifically? If it just needed food, then Pokémon would suffice, if not more so."
"Are you implying that Kyurem ate people simply because it hates them?" Bianca asked.
"Yeah, that's right," Nate said, getting everyone's attention. "To begin with, the humans of old Unova were the reason the original dragon was split apart to begin with. Kyurem hates humans for what they did, and for repeating the history of war. His whole motivator for wanting to destroy Unova is because of his hatred for humans."
"And from the story," Professor Juniper added on. "Kyurem's hatred for humans isn't something recent; it lasted for as far as back in the days of legends. It sounds like something we can't simply talk to it about."
"So it joined Team Plasma just because it has a grudge against humans?" Rosa asked.
"It probably saw Team Plasma as a better means of achieving it," Professor Juniper said.
"They made him think I was dead," Nate muttered. "Kyurem was left with no other choice. In fact, those bastards making Kyurem believe I was killed by that fat bastard Zillion reinforced his animosity."
"So in other words, Kyurem is dead set on causing a mass genocide..." Rosa muttered.
"How Kyurem ended up in a meteorite is beyond our understanding...we would have had to witness it to figure it out," Professor Juniper said. "But depending on how long it has been here, it could have restored enough energy and power to rival even that of Reshiram and Zekrom. It was the original dragon after all; regaining the energy to level up to its counterparts wouldn't be too far-fetched."
"Now just imagine how much more powerful Kyurem would become if it reclaimed its lost halves."
A new voice intruded the conversation. Everyone turned around to see a familiar man wearing a large, purple coat, accompanied by two Plasma grunts.
"Zinzolin!" Nate growled.
"Oh, you remember my name," Zinzolin replied. "I must say I feel honored. I would assume you would not bother to remember insignificant names."
"The hell do you want!?" Hugh growled.
"What? We were on our way to survey the Giant Chasm," Zinzolin explained. "And then we heard winds of the esteemed Professor Juniper asking around about the monster Kyurem. So we decided to make a detour to see if that was the case."
Professor Juniper tensed up, as Bianca got in front of her to protect her from whatever it was that Team Plasma was planning.
"Although it is quite strange," Zinzolin said, eyeing Nate. "According to Lord Ghetsis, you were supposedly killed by Zillion Riches. And yet, here you are right now, clearly not killed and still alive... Well, I suppose whether or not you were actually killed doesn't matter in the long run. Regardless of whether or not Zillion was able to kill you, he was destined to become a martyr and take the brunt of Kyurem's wrath for us anyways so that we may convince him to join our cause. If you had actually been killed, then that would've just been icing on top of the proverbial cake."
"...So? What's your reasoning for following that mad priest?" Nate asked all of a sudden. "If you were close to him, then you should know what he is; he'll set everything up for a grab at power and seize it for himself. That's what Kyurem is for. He'll sacrifice anything if it means securing his claim. That includes you, should the need arise. You should know that. So why bother following someone who will surely spell your demise?"
"...Are you showing concern to me?" Zinzolin asked in return, genuinely curious. "I was sure you'd be the type to get straight to the point and just eliminate me without asking questions. Did escaping Death's door give you enlightenment?"
"I don't care about you one bit," Nate retorted. "I'm just don't want to repeat my own mistakes. My blade's only pointed at Ghetsis. I want to discern whether or not it's worth pointing it at you as well."
"Nate..." Yancy mumbled, somewhat touched at how much the boy had changed in such a short amount of time.
"...Interesting...Truly, you are a fascinating fellow, Nate Warren," Zinzolin smiled. "Allow me to answer you then. The reason why I still side with Team Plasma, even in the state it is in now. The reason why I still side with Lord Ghetsis, even knowing that he may one day dispose of me like all the others. It is because I wish to see how the world will change."
"How the world...will change...?" Yancy asked, confused.
"What does that even mean?" Rosa asked, equally confused.
"Listen," Zinzolin explained. "Pokémon are nature. Pokéballs are civilization. Humans who are used to civilization will not relinquish it so easily. Civilization is the identity of humanity. So what would happen in a world taken over by Team Plasma? Out of fear of a power that they cannot hope to defy, they will be forced to throw away pokéballs; a product of civilization.
"I wish to see that! I wish to see just how humans will act if they are pressed to throw away the civilization they cherish so much! Will they submit and discard their civilization; their very identity; out of fear for their survival?! Or will they rebel and fight for their identity, even if their opposition is of a force greater than they can imagine!? I wish to see the will of humanity against all odds!"
"You're crazy...!" Bianca yelled.
"Taking him out right now will do us a lot of favors in the long run!" Hugh growled as the others prepared to take out their pokéballs.
Zinzolin merely grinned as he quickly took out a strange remote and pushed the button on it. A strange light emanated from the machine, which suddenly caused Nate great pain.
"AGH!?" Nate grunted in pain. "The hell!?"
"Nate?" Yancy asked in concern, before she noticed that Rosa was having trouble with her pokéball. "What's going on?"
"What the–?" Rosa blurted as she tried to send out Ottavia. "Why won't it work?!"
Hugh and Bianca tried to send out their respective Pokémon, but the balls will not so much as react at all. Zinzolin merely let out an amused laugh.
"Behold, the Colress Machine!" Zinzolin announced. "It serves many purposes, such as vitalizing dormant Pokémon, or subjugate them to our wills. One of its many purposes include tampering with the mechanisms of pokéballs and render them null! In other words, you cannot use your pokéballs!"
Everyone looked shocked, before Zinzolin proceeded to send out his own Pokémon; a cryogonal.
"Hey! Why can you use your pokéball!?" Bianca yelled.
"Do you really think we would shoot ourselves in the foot like that?" Zinzolin scoffed. "Our pokéballs are set up so that it ignores the effects of the machine."
The other two grunts prepared to send out their Pokémon as they took a step forward. With no means of defending themselves, the group sans Nate took a step back.
"...So you'll side with Ghetsis even if it means Unova; and possibly the world; will get destroyed?" Nate asked. "Just to satisfy some sick curiosity?"
"And what's wrong with that?" Zinzolin asked. "Is it not human nature to satisfy urges?"
"...I understand..." Nate mumbled, before flashing Zinzolin a cold, calculated glare. "I understand that I shouldn't feel bad for pointing my blade at you."
Without any warning, Nate suddenly sprinted towards Zinzolin, brandishing his two knives.
"Wait, Nate no–!" Yancy cried out, fearful that Nate might actually go for the kill.
The two Plasma grunts frantically readied to send out their Pokémon, but Nate was too fast, quickly slashing the balls across their buttons, rendering them useless and unable to send out the Pokémon they contained. Nate darted for Zinzolin and brought his knife above the man's head. Cryogonal acted, sending out its chains to ensnare Nate's arms to protect its master.
Nate growled in frustration, bringing his arms together and swinging Cryogonal around like a rag doll, before slamming the snowflake onto the ground. Nate then proceeded to stomp on the chains and broke them, freeing him from Cryogonal's grasps. With Cryogonal incapacitated, Nate turned back to Zinzolin and brought the edge of his knife to Zinzolin's neck, only stopping as the tip barely reached it. Nate did not lose his composure even as he attempted to murder the man while the machine was pounding inside his head. Nate merely glanced down, spotting Zinzolin's weavile having his claws pointed at his neck in a similar fashion, forcing Nate to stop from finishing off Zinzolin.
"Even if your machine stops the Pokémon from coming out," Nate commented. "It can't do jack shit against humans."
"Indeed," Zinzolin nodded, not fazed by the fact that Nate was pointing a knife to his neck. "The fact that you choose to defy me in spite of the odds being stacked against you is commendable. Your will! Your determination! That is what I wish to see out of humanity in the coming future!"
Nate narrowed his eyes as he glanced down back to Weavile. If he could only find a way to get out of this situation...
"...However..." Zinzolin said as he began to sweat. "It would seem that the odds have become stacked against me. Isn't that right, Black Knight?"
Nate looked at ZInzolin with a confused look, before glancing behind him. To everyone's shock, another familiar figure cladded all in black was pointing a blade that protruded out of his arm at the back of Zinzolin's neck. Accompanied by him was the fire behemoth Heatran, the source of the sudden spike in heat.
"It's been a while," Zinzolin greeted Schwartzer. "What...the last time we met was back at Driftveil?"
"Zinzolin of the Seven Sages," Schwartzer growled. "What do you intend to do with these people?"
"What? I was merely testing out an invention of my comrade's," Zinzolin defended himself. "I had no other ulterior motives if that's what you're worried about."
"Forgive me for finding that hard to believe," Schwartzer rolled his eyes. "Either leave now, or Heatran will reduce you to smoldering ash."
As a response to the threat, Heatran began to open his mouth and charge volcanic flames, backing the threat that Schwartzer made. Zinzolin merely lifted his hands up in defeat. "Of course, of course. I know when to fold. I know that the machine works at the very least. So we'll take our leave."
Zinzolin gestured to Weavile, who nodded and retracted his claws, freeing Nate from a potentially life-threatening situation. In spite of being in a perfect situation to just kill off Zinzolin, Nate brought back his knife and put it away.
"Oh? How chivalrous of you," Zinzolin commented. "You would actually let me go?"
"Beat it before I change my mind," Nate growled.
"Very well," Zinzolin chuckled as he helped the two grunts up. "We have other business to attend to."
Zinzolin pushed the button on the machine again, turning it off. The pain that felt like it was pounding inside Nate's head stopped, letting Nate feel some relief. Zinzolin recalled his weavile and cryogonal, before making his way out of the scene, accompanied by his two grunts as he walked past the group. Bianca and Rosa glared at Zinzolin as they acted as a shield for Professor Juniper. Zinzolin merely laughed as he did nothing and left the scene.
Nate made sure that Team Plasma was out of sight, before putting away his knives and glanced over to Schwartzer.
"After you almost dying, I'd rather not see you in another life-threatening situation like that," Schwartzer said sternly. "That was reckless, even for you."
"It wasn't like I had any other option," Nate shot back, his tone rather dry and annoyed. "And it wasn't like I actually killed anyone anyways. So? What brings you here?"
"I came here after hearing about Team Plasma being sighted here," Schwartzer explained. "Then I remembered that Professor Juniper was supposed to be here today, so I came here to make sure nothing bad happened."
"Is that so," Nate drawled. "Well then good work; everything's fine."
"Hilbert!" Bianca called out as the others approached them. "Huh? Why are you still in your Schwartzer get up?"
"Because as far as Team Plasma knows, 'Hilbert' hasn't returned to Unova yet," Schwartzer retorted. "Although considering that there's the possibility they saw the footage from the mansion, it'll only be a matter of time before they put two and two together. I'd rather keep the possibility that they don't know alive though."
Schwartzer then turned to Professor Juniper, who gave him a stern gaze. This was the first time the two had seen each other in over a year, and Hilbert did disappear without a word.
"...It's been a while, Professor Juniper," Schwartzer said stiffly.
"I heard everything from Bianca," Professor Juniper replied. "Next time you pull something like that, you should really tell others so that they don't worry sick about you. Understand, young man?"
"Of course," Schwartzer responded. His tone suggested that he still felt guilty over his disappearing act.
Professor Juniper's expression softened, before going up to Schwartzer and wrapping her arms around him for a hug. "It's good to see you again, Hilbert. I'm glad you're still in one piece."
"...Likewise, Professor," Schwartzer said, his tone reverting to that of 'Hilbert's' as opposed to 'Schwartzer's'.
"Okay, now that that's settled," Hugh said. "Now what?"
"That's a good question," Schwartzer addressed Hugh. "I assume you all have a good idea of Kyurem now, correct?"
Everyone nodded in response, where Schwartzer decided to reveal his own insight. "Then I suggest you head to Opelucid City. Apparently Drayden has a relic that's related to Kyurem."
"A relic?" Nate asked. "That's related to Kyurem?"
"He theorized that it's a key relic that lets Kyurem absorb Reshiram and Zekrom," Schwartzer explained, making Nate's eyes widen.
"A key relic that–There's something like that!?" Rosa gasped.
"If you wish to see it, then I suggest visiting Drayden," Schwartzer said. "You three are still collecting the gym badges, correct? Then you'll all have to fight Drayden eventually."
"So what are you gonna do?" Nate asked.
"I still have things to do," Schwartzer said. "Namely track down N while Weiss pins down where Team Plasma is hiding their ship."
"N...?" Bianca mumbled, recognizing the name.
"I need to know what he plans to do with Team Plasma," Schwartzer explained. "He is integral to their plan as well. That's why I entrust the matter with Drayden to you all."
"We understand," Rosa nodded, eager to help out her idol in disguise. "Leave it to us!"
"That's a good response," Schwartzer nodded. "Then I leave matter to you all."
"Understood," Hugh nodded, speaking for everyone there.
Nodding and accepting the reply, Schwartzer swapped out Heatran for Latios to leave the town. "Oh and Nate? Do try and be more careful. You were just shot in the chest and back two days ago, so don't push it."
"Yeah I know," Nate said.
"And don't steal anything even if it's damn too easy or they deserve it."
"No promises."
"And don't try to piss off Drayden. I heard he wrestles his Pokémon and they're all giant dragons."
"I won't...!"
"And make sure you're eating properly. If you need money for food, I can give you some right–."
"GAH! I'M FINE!" Nate yelled, getting increasingly annoyed by his brother's barrage of nagging. "I'm not a child anymore! I can take care of myself! Go on! Shoo! Shoo you annoying bugger!"
"...So long as you know," Schwartzer said in his Hilbert tone as he rode Latios. "Oh and make sure you don't trouble your friends too much. Arceus knows you don't have any so don't go squander that–."
"GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE ALREADY!" Nate snarled, fed up and now equally embarrassed.
Schwartzer merely let out an amused chuckle, before ordering Latios to take off to the skies.
"The hell was that about..." Nate grumbled. "Trying to act like an older brother? More like a nagging mom..."
"Hey he's just worried about you," Bianca came to Schwartzer's defense, albeit with an amused giggle.
Nate muttered something under his breath, before skulking off. The other three kids bid their farewells to Bianca and Professor Juniper, before running after Nate. The two adults merely shared a laugh as they saw off the pack of four young trainers. The professor remembered the first time she had spoken to the three of them. Seeing them now, she was able to tell just how matured they became after a journey across a good portion of the region. Nate especially; the first time she saw him, he looked less than thrilled to have been essentially forced to go on the journey with Rosa and Hugh. Now he showed much more open acceptance with the two. Professor Juniper was aware of the finer details of just what exactly happened back in Undella Town and at the Poké Transfer Lab, but it was refreshing to see just how much the cynical, bitter boy had changed for the better. Their interactions outside of the house in the morning (which she secretly saw through the window) was enough proof of how much they've grown as a group when compared to their day one.
"...They surely came a long way, haven't they?" Professor Juniper asked Bianca.
"Yes they have, Professor," Bianca could not agree any more.
After about two hours, the quartet reached their next destination; Opelucid City. The town was once a symbol of history that preserved the old; now the city had made huge leaps in modernization, having discarded its old look for a new, modern look. The group looked around, noting the futuristic white houses that populated the city. Everything looked so futuristic, the state-of-the-art pokécenter looked old in comparison.
"Opelucid City..." Rosa mumbled. "We've come this far..."
"Normally this would be where we get our last gym badge," Hugh commented. "But since we skipped Icirrus City, this would be our seventh gym. If I recalled, this was also the way to the Pokémon League..."
"Route 10?" Nate asked, pointing to the north. From beyond, they spotted a closed gate. "Pretty sure you lot know this, but a landslide closed down the route. If you wanna go to the league, you're gonna have to take the path from Route 23."
"Right..." Rosa mumbled. That would require going all the way back to Undella and taking that Marine Tube that connected Undella to Humilau City, where a new gym had been established not too long ago. The group could have checked out the Marine Tube, but they had found themselves...preoccupied...for a lack of better words.
"So Route 10 is completely inaccessible?" Hugh asked Nate.
"Not really," Yancy replied. "I mean Nate and I were able to sneak in just fine."
"Route 10 is where I live for the most parts," Nate explained. "We went there yesterday to check up on things."
"Really now," Rosa said. "Was...everything alright? I mean the route got caught in a landslide..."
"We're all fine," Nate waved her off. "We were able to see the landslide coming and evacuated everyone. Everyone focused on rebuilding their homes afterwards. It has its perks; namely that only the dumb humans would even try to sneak in to explore, so the Pokémon there get to live in peace.
"But that's not important right now, is it?" Nate continued. "We need to go find this Drayden guy and ask him about Kyurem's relic."
The group nodded, before they walked around, taking in the view of the city in their eyes, while asking around to see if the townsfolk knew where they could reach Drayden. To their relief, the first person was able to help them, as he pointed them to the direction of the Opelucid Gym; a giant building with two dragon heads; black and white respectively; adorned on it, and then pointed them to Drayden's house, which was located near the pokécenter. The group headed over to the house when they were informed that Drayden should still be there.
"Here, huh..." Nate said, glancing at the house. The house seemed normal enough. When Schwartzer-Hilbert told him that Drayden apparently wrestled with his Pokémon, Nate could not help but feel somewhat intimidated after the boy verbally chased off his brother. He was perfectly capable of fighting Pokémon, but that was with a special piece of technology that gave him an even playing field with the more dangerous ones.
"Well, it's not like he actually wrestles his Pokémon or anything," Nate said as he knocked on the door.
The light blue door opened up, where the kids immediately jumped to the side to avoid a rugged-looking dragon with a red head flying out of the door like a bullet, crashing onto the ground a few feet away. The kids stared at the dragon with mouths agape, before glancing back to the door, where a large, muscular man wearing a white shirt and grey pants held up by two purple suspenders, with white hair and a beard that covered his mouth. Sharp, wrathful yellow eyes glared down at the four children. Nate involuntarily stepped back from the sheer pressure the man exuded, while the other three instinctively hid behind Nate.
"May I help you children?" the man asked.
Nate shot his companions a quick, dirty look, before glancing back to the man. "Are you Drayden? Opelucid City's gym leader?"
"You would be correct in that assumption," the man, Drayden, nodded. "I am Drayden. I am the mayor of Opelucid City, and its gym leader."
"...We're trainers working under Professor Juniper," Nate explained carefully. "We came across the knowledge that you possessed a unique relic related to the dragon Kyurem."
Drayden stared down at Nate, seemingly analyzing the boy. Nate, for his part, did not back down, although he could not help but feel ever so slightly intimidated. By the way he hurled that druddigon, Hilbert's warning that this man wrestled his Pokémon was indeed true. Nate could not tell just how much more brute strength the man possessed, and he was not foolish enough to try and challenge that.
"...So you are Hilbert's little brother," Drayden said, catching Nate off guard. "You both look similar. And you both share the same, unyielding spirit in your eyes."
Nate merely narrowed his eyes, slightly annoyed that he was being compared to Hilbert, but decided not to comment on it.
"He has informed me that you lot would come to seek answers regarding Kyurem," Drayden explained, eyes not leaving Nate. "He also informed me that you were Kyurem's accomplice. In a way, that would make you the chosen 'hero' of Kyurem."
Any intimidation Nate felt suddenly vanished, as his mind immediately clicked to that of caution and cold hostility, eyeing Drayden to see what the old man would do. Drayden merely chuckled, as if sensing and responding to Nate's tension. "Relax, my boy. You have found your own path. I will not condemn you for your past actions. What matters now is your actions moving forward."
"...I see..." Nate said, somewhat relaxing.
"Now then," Drayden said. "You wish to see the ancient relic related to that of Kyurem. While I understand the situation, I must, however, test your metal."
"Test our metal?" Rosa asked. "So you mean like...battle you...?"
"You three are seeking out gym badges," Drayden said. "Then it is only natural that you all will challenge me."
"So you want us to prove ourselves by challenging you?" Hugh concluded.
"Precisely," Drayden nodded. "Forgive my selfish request in such dire times, but I wish to test your strengths for the upcoming conflict against Team Plasma."
"Alright then," Rosa said, a confident smirk forming on her face. "You're on!"
"What lively spirit," Drayden chuckled. "However, while I was the one who issued the challenge, I have other matters to attend to regarding the reformation of the city, so unfortunately I cannot accept your challenge today."
"Oh..." Rosa deflated.
"I apologize, but above all, I am the mayor of this city," Drayden said. "Its wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people come first above all. I will accept your challenge starting first thing tomorrow morning."
"Fair enough," Rosa sighed.
"Druddigon!" Drayden called out, as the dragon he had just hurled got back up on its feet. "We must depart!"
Druddigon nodded as Drayden nodded slightly to the kids before leaving with his dragon by his side.
"...So what now?" Yancy asked the three.
"I mean we have until tomorrow to deal with him," Nate shrugged. "Might as well get as prepared as possible."
"And you got any ideas?" Hugh asked. The boy was almost tempted to bring them to the Treehollow, but that would take too much time to go and back. Nate pointed to their east; directly to the other route that neighbored Opelucid City. Apparently, that would be where the group would spend the rest of the day at.
Rosa hummed to herself as she took another bite out of her meat bun that she bought from the vendor. The group had reached Route 9, before setting their sights on a large shopping mall, aptly named 'Shopping Mall Nine'. The department store had a wide variety of items, including medicinal items, pokéballs, basic survival items, and even TMs for powerful moves such as Fire Blast and Hyper Beam. The group took the opportunity to restock on their own supplies, while deciding to indulge themselves on the gourmet food the department store offered with the surplus of money Nate managed to procure for them.
"But still, I can't believe Nate took down an entire biker gang and got us all this money," Rosa commented. "...Then again...yeah I can see that happening. Considering, well..."
"Yeah..." Yancy laughed awkwardly.
Approximately half an hour ago
The group reached Route 9, which housed several Fighting-type and Poison-type Pokémon, and pawniwards. The route also had the country's largest department store, which the group decided to go to for restocking their own inventories and for lunch. Unfortunately, the route was also currently home to a large and rather rowdy group of bikers, whom immediately took note of the newcomers.
"What do we go here? Some fresh meat?" one of the bikers asked menacingly.
"You brats should know better than to trespass on our turf!" another biker bellowed. "The turf of the Black Samurotts!"
"Now leave your money and scram! Oh, and the girls too!" another biker demanded.
Rosa and Yancy stepped back, while Hugh got in front of them defensively. Nate stepped forward, unimpressed.
"Money and women? How generic can you get?" Nate scoffed. "You think we'll just listen to you bastards so easily? Besides, what kind of lame-ass name is the 'Black Samurotts' anyways?"
"Hey don't you dare diss our gang name!" the first biker yelled. "That name is in honor of the one trainer who defeated all of us by himself two years ago!"
"You all got your asses handed to you by one guy?" Nate asked mockingly. "Geez y'all must REALLY be weak if one person's enough to beat all your collective asses."
"Shut up! It takes some damn skill to beat all of us by yourself!" the biker growled. "You'll never be as amazing as that man!"
"Speaking of, not gonna lie, you kinda look like him," another biker commented.
Nate's sardonic expression suddenly dropped. The boy could only think of one person who he could possibly look like that had a samurott. And the time frame they mentioned fit rather conveniently to when that person was still active as a trainer...
And they just implied that Nate could never be as strong as him?
"...Oi," Nate said, his voice suddenly cold as ice.
"So you changed your name because that guy beat all your asses?"
"Yeah, that's right!" the third biker proclaimed proudly.
"...Heeeeh…" Nate mused as he sent out Bo while laughing rather monotonously and creepily.
"N-Nate...?" Yancy asked, understandably creeped out.
"I'm kinda REALLY angry right now and have this sudden urge to beat the living shit out of all of you," Nate declared. "So, let's go retire that name of yours, shall we?"
"BRING IT ON, YA PUNK!" the bikers roared as they sent out their own Pokémon and charged at Nate and Bo.
The fight was akin to that of a drunken brawl and lasted for about ten minutes. At the end of it, Bo stood on top of a mountain of the bodies of unconscious Pokémon and bikers alike, not understanding what he was thrown into or just why he was thrown into it but rampaged anyways since Nate wanted him to go fight some Pokémon. As one of the biker groaned and dragged their bodies out of the pile, Nate proceeded to harshly rest his foot on their bald head.
"So what did we learn today, kids?" Nate asked.
"N-Never challenge you ever again..." the biker whimpered.
"Good," Nate replied. "So what will you do now?"
"W-We'll change our names to the 'Black Emboars' in honor of your conquest..." the biker stammered.
"Goood, that's a good Jeremiah," Nate nodded.
"It's Jeremy," Jeremiah corrected.
"Nobody cares," Nate spat. "Now. Give me all your money. ALL of your money. That includes the rest of you lot."
"Wha-?! But...!" Jeremy squeaked.
"Oh do you want to change your name again?" Nate asked. "I'll be more than happy to comply."
The biker squealed out of fear, before he and the other bikers scrambled to unload all the money they had on them and presented it to Nate in one big pile. "Here! It's all the money we have! Take it!"
"That'll do pigs. That'll do," Nate smirked as he glanced down and counted the money they presented him. Over 100,000 pokédollars. Not bad for a group of bikers. "Now. SCRAM!"
The bikers jumped back on their feet, recalled their Pokémon and jumped on their bikes, before racing off out of primeval fear.
"Good work," Nate said to Bo as he knelt down to shove all the money into his bag.
"-Anytime, Boss!-" Bo saluted.
"You really did not hold back even slightly, did you?" Hugh asked incredulously.
Nate merely huffed at his blue-haired friend, before glancing at the Shopping Mall.
"Welp, lunch and whatever you all want is on me," Nate offered. That seemed to be accepted by everyone and ended the conversation of what amounted to Nate extorting a group of bikers out of their money.
"Man, he was so triggered!" Rosa laughed. "Oh Arceus, that was hilarious to watch!"
Yancy merely sighed at her friend. While she felt some slight pity for the bikers who ended up on the receiving end of Nate's trigger-induced wrath, she honestly could not say that they did not deserve it. They were the ones who tried to extort money (and their bodies no less) from them. It was karma well-deserved, but even they did not deserve the brutality of it all.
Glancing over to Rosa, Yancy was grateful that they were able to work things out in the end. Rosa no longer held a jealousy-induced grudge on her, and they were able to make up and be friends, while Yancy was able to be in a relationship with Nate. Really, she could not have asked for a better outcome.
Speaking of Rosa, she did spend her day off with Curtis, of all people. She remembered her brother being Rosa's confidant who unintentionally led Yancy back to her father and to Undella. Their relationship was a topic Yancy could not help but be curious about, since it seemed to have formed out of nowhere, as far as Yancy was aware.
"Hey," Yancy said to Rosa. "How did you meet Curtis anyways?"
"Huh? What's this about all of a sudden?" Rosa asked.
"I mean, he is my brother and all," Yancy reasoned. "I was just curious how you two ended up knowing each other."
"Yeah, you have a point," Rosa mumbled, recalling how she ended up getting to know Curtis. "Well, it started all the way back at Nimbasa. I found his Xtransceiver that he apparently lost."
"Ooh so that's where it went," Yancy said. She remembered Curtis had mentioned that he lost his Xtransceiver somewhere. She could not help but giggle to herself, remembering how she too had lost her own Xtransceiver before it was found by Nate. It would seem that Rosa found it for Curtis, in a similar fashion no less.
"After that, when I lost against Miles back in Driftveil..." Rosa muttered, scowling at the memory of her loss against the arrogant blow heart. "He ended up calling me through the Xtransceiver. We met up at Driftveil afterwards where I gave him his Xtransceiver back and we spent the day together."
"So that's why you went missing," Yancy nodded. Nate had been rather angry that Rosa had suddenly disappeared without a word. Although Yancy could tell that the boy had been worried, even if he would not admit it back then.
"After that, we traded contact info, and he told me about how you ran away from home," Rosa revealed. "...At first I didn't know what to think, so I hid the fact that you were with us from him..."
"...So what changed your mind?" Yancy asked, although she had an idea.
"Well...it was how close you and Nate grew..." Rosa admitted ashamedly. "He treated you way better than he treated me, even though you came in afterwards. And I...I got jealous...I fell in love with him after he got revenge against Miles for me. And I just felt myself going deeper and deeper into my own envy. By the time we beat Skyla at Mistralton, I contacted Curtis to lead you back to him and your dad, who were at Undella..."
For her part, Rosa looked incredibly guilty for what she did behind their backs. Yancy felt like she should still be mad at her for the blatant betrayal of their trust, but Yancy did not. If Yancy was in Rosa's shoes, she would not feel confident in believing that she would not have done something similar if she was in as deep in her own theoretical jealousy as Rosa found herself in. Besides, Yancy felt that Rosa (and everyone else for that matter) suffered enough.
"So what happened afterwards?" Yancy asked, wishing to continue the story. Rosa looked at her with some surprise, which Yancy returned with a kind smile. "How was your day with Curtis?"
The bun-haired girl looked grateful that Yancy did not seem to hold Undella against her, and decided to change the subject. "It was nice. He's rather kind and understanding. You must be lucky to have a brother like that."
"Yeah," Yancy nodded. "Honestly Curtis made my life bearable before you guys came in. But he is kinda unreliable at times, so he would appreciate someone having his back. Honestly I can see you two make a good couple."
"Huh!?"
Yancy looked up at Rosa's sudden blurt, noticing how the girl's expression looked much more flustered now.
"O-Okay let's not get carried away there!" Rosa stammered. "I mean yeah he's alright, but that's kinda jumping the gun, isn't it!?"
While Yancy was confused, her comment made Rosa remember her mother's teasing of them being a couple. And then Curtis' confession to her, which became very fresh in her mind now.
"C-C'mon, let's get going already!" Rosa blurted, wishing to end the conversation before it became any more awkward for Rosa. "The others must be waiting!"
The bun-haired girl rushed off, unintentionally leaving Yancy in her dust. The pink-haired girl just stared at Rosa's retreating form in confusion. What did she say that made her so flustered like that? It was not as if Rosa had any particular feelings for her brother.
...Or did she?
Yancy gave the idea some thought, before giggling to herself as she followed after Rosa. Whether or not they would make a good couple or not was entirely up to Rosa and Curtis. Although she would not be against the idea personally.
By the time Yancy had exited the department store, she saw that Rosa had caught up to Nate and Hugh, who were having a sparring match with Zoro and Magmortar respectively. Yancy walked over to where Rosa was to spectate the sparring match.
"Fire Blast!"
Magmortar aimed one of his arm cannons at Zoro, before launching a large blast of intense flames at the fox. Zoro dodged the incoming Fire Blasts rather skillfully, before charging dark energy into the palms of his claws as he kept avoiding Magmortar's long-ranged assault.
"Night Daze," Nate commanded as he glanced at the ground below Magmortar.
Zoro slammed the dark energy into the ground, releasing a burst of crimson energy that enveloped everything around him, including Magmortar, who was forced to defend himself. Once the crimson energy dispersed, Magmortar lowered his arms, before seeing that Zoro had disappeared. The hole in the ground alerted both Magmortar and Hugh of Zoro's next move.
"Dig...!" Hugh muttered. "Magmortar, aim at the hole with Fire Blast!"
Magmortar rushed over to the hole and aimed his cannons at it, ready to incinerate Zoro from within his underground path.
"Focus Blast!"
As Magmortar charged fire into his cannons, a Focus Blast shot out from the hole, catching Magmortar off guard and blasting him in the face. Magmortar staggered back, letting Zoro emerge from the ground in front of Magmortar and strike the Fire-type with a well-placed knee strike to the stomach. Magmortar stepped back as Zoro landed on all fours, ready for the next attack.
"Alright, that should be enough," Nate said, ending the spar. "Take five!"
Zoro looked up, before letting out a sigh of air, relaxing his body as Nate walked up to the fox.
"You're in good condition," Nate nodded. "That's good. Haven't really used you in battle, so was wondering if you were falling off."
"-Considering what're we're gonna have to go up against,-" Zoro relied. "-I need to be at my A-game.-"
"Fair enough," Nate nodded, before facing Hugh and Magmortar. "You guys did good too. Looks like that training you had yesterday wasn't just all talk after all."
"Thanks," Hugh replied as Magmortar crossed his arms in a rather prideful manner, basking in the praise. "You're still as strong as ever."
"I'm not gonna get outpaced that easily," Nate snorted.
"-Hey, Nate,-" Zoro said to his trainer, getting his attention. "-You think we'll find N again?-"
Nate stared at the fox, who waited for his answer rather hesitantly, but expectantly. That was right. Zoro's reasoning for joining his team was to find N and his mother. They did have that chance back at Chargestone Cave, but Nate was too consumed by his own wrath and squandered the opportunity. Nate was sure Zoro would leave him after that botched attempt at murdering N, but to his surprise, he stuck with him like the rest of his party members.
"...He'll definitely show up," Nate assured Zoro. "There's no way he won't show up eventually with Plasma running around with Kyurem. You'll see your mom again. You better be prepared when that time comes."
"-Nate...-" Zoro mumbled, before smiling. "-Yeah, you're right. N wouldn't stand around and let that bastard Ghetsis do as he pleases.-"
Nate merely smirked as he let the rest of his Pokémon out. "Alright, the lot of ya. We're taking on Drayden tomorrow. Do what you want but be prepared for the fight tomorrow. Got it?"
They all gave their responses to Nate. Seeing what Nate did, the other three decided to send out their own parties to do the same. While mostly everyone was familiar with each other, everyone who was not from Rosa's party took immediate notice to the sore thumb in the room; namely the newcomer Geno.
"-Wait, what the hell!?-" Luca yelled, pointing at Geno. "-What's that thing doing here!?-"
"-My sentiments exactly,-" Deo grumbled.
"-Did one of you actually catch it?-" Brav asked.
"Rosa," Nate replied, pointing his thumb to the girl. "It's on our side now. I know some of you have mixed feelings about this, so I'm gonna say drop it. It says it's on our side and frankly, we need as much help as possible. So I'm going to trust it. You don't have to like it, but this is necessary."
Everyone looked at each other, before back to Geno. The mechanical bug did not show any signs of emotion, waiting for the others to reveal their judgment.
"-...Well, if Nate trusts it,-" Luca conceded. "-Then I'll trust you. We do need as much help right now.-"
"-Verily,-" Brav agreed, happy to welcome a new ally. Bo, Vire and Zoro did not have much of an opinion on the metal bug, while Deo still scowled at Geno, but did nothing. The others seemingly accepted the former enemy as a newfound comrade.
With the matter of Geno having been settled with surprising ease, the Pokémon dispersed throughout Route 9 to do their own things, whether it be to hold more sparring sessions, explore the route, or to just relax under the sun with each other.
"Kinda feels like another day off now," Nate muttered as he saw the Pokémon engage with one another.
"I mean it's not like it's a bad thing," Yancy said as she sat next to Nate.
"I guess," Nate said as Rosa and Hugh walked up to the couple.
"Besides that, how do we take on Drayden?" Rosa asked. "Among the gym leaders of Unova, he's considered to be one of the strongest, if not most brutal."
"He focuses on brute strength using his Dragon-type Pokémon," Hugh added. "Not only do they have little weaknesses we can actually abuse, but they all fire back hard with their attacks alone. That's not even considering whatever kind of other attacks they tend to learn."
Nate pondered at the information given to him. Truly, Dragon-types are universally considered to be a contender for the strongest Pokémon type. Unova's de-facto legendary Pokémon; the strongest Unova had to offer, were dragons. Out of all the known types in Unova, only Steel could even boast any resistance against Dragon-type attacks, while Dragon-types themselves boast a resistance to several other types. And being one of the later gyms, Nate had no doubt Drayden would prove to be more troublesome without factoring in the Dragon-typing and everything it had to offer.
On the flipside, they had little to work with. In terms of offense, their best bet from a type advantage standpoint was Flygon, and that was only because Dragon-types were vulnerable to themselves. Which also meant that from a defensive standpoint, Flygon was also vulnerable to Dragon types as well. Hugh had mentioned to Nate earlier that Iris was kind enough to teach Flygon Draco Meteor, which would be a godsend against Drayden. However, it came with a rather nasty demerit of lowering Flygon's special attack every time he uses Draco Meteor. At best, Flygon would only get one shot. And to make matters worse, if the challenge is three single battles, then Flygon would only be allowed to be used once, leaving the other two without an effective attacking method.
From a defensive standpoint, only Steel-types resisted Dragon-types. Which meant out of all of their amassed Pokémon, only Luca and the newly added Geno actually resist Dragon-types. While this meant that the two did not have to worry about Dragon-type attacks as much as everyone else, the problem lies within the potential of Dragon-types; namely their access to a wide array of attacks. Like in old fairy tales, it was common for a Dragon-type to carry a Fire-type or a Ground-type move (usually Earthquake) move to overcome Ice-types and Steel-types, two problematic types for dragons. No doubt Drayden would have some form of countermeasure for any incoming Steel-types. In that case it would boil down to whether or not Luca and Geno can defeat their respective opponents before they could do the reverse, and depending on what they know, the race to defeat each other was skewed in the dragons' favor.
Between the three of them (since Yancy was obviously not participating), they each only had either an attacking method or a defending method. Nothing that went both ways. If it were a triple battle, then at the very least they all had access to each other's strong points, but that still left the same issue; none of their Pokémon could do both.
"I got the Blizzard TM from the Department Store," Rosa offered. "I can test to see if Geno can learn it."
"That'll be helpful," Nate nodded. "If not Geno, then definitely Ottavia. Deo knows Icy Wind, so he's an option over Luca."
But then again, Icy Wind was not exactly the strongest Ice-type move, and Blizzard was known to not be the most accurate move out there. At this point they were grasping at straws. While he normally would not be this worked up over a gym battle, they needed Drayden to share his information on this relic of Kyurem, and the only way to make him do so was to defeat him.
As the group continued to assess their options for Drayden, Nate glanced behind him, noticing movement from his bag. To his surprise, it was Eve, sniffing around at it.
"Something the matter?" Nate asked Eve.
"-Hey, is there something weird in your bag?-" Eve asked Nate.
"Weird?" Nate asked as he reached for his bag.
Eve rushed up to the group as Nate opened up his bag and searched its content. Nate did not see anything out of the ordinary; his pokédex, his Xtransceiver, some supplies, the money he stole from the bikers. Then Eve suddenly jumped into the bag to search for whatever she sensed herself.
"Hey, Eve! Stop!" Rosa scolded her eevee. "That's rude, y'know!"
Eve emerged from the bag a few seconds later with a rather peculiar looking stone in her mouth.
"The hell?" Nate asked, recognizing the stone. "Was that what you were sensing?"
"-Yeah-huh,-" Eve nodded as she placed the stone in Nate's palm. "-What is it? It makes me feel funny.-"
"Nate, what is that?" Yancy asked as the others gathered around to see the stone. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Right..." Nate muttered. "I...honestly don't know. Some weird guy gave it to me back at Driftveil."
"Some weird guy? You just got it from them?" Rosa asked. "And you didn't even ask what it was? Or who they were?"
"They disappeared before I could get a chance," Nate shrugged as he examined the stone. "...What even is this? They said I would need it in the future..."
"You sure you should be keeping something as sketchy-sounding as that?" Hugh asked incredulously. "You don't know where that's been."
"Probably," Nate agreed. "But...I kinda get the feeling...that I should probably at least keep this. I mean what's the harm, really? It might actually prove to be useful."
"Is that right," Rosa hummed. "Well, if you say so. Is that all, Eve?"
"-Yep!-" Eve nodded.
"So why did you sense this of all things?" Nate asked Eve. "And why now? I've had this thing since Driftveil. You'd think you would've noticed it by then."
"-I dunno,-" Eve replied, tilting her head to the side. "-I never really noticed until now.-"
Nate arched a brow as everyone stared at the stone, wondering what it was and purpose it served. As Eve stared at the stone in an enthralled trance, all of a sudden her body began to glow.
"-Huh?-" Eve asked.
"Wait what the–?" Hugh blurted as everyone's attention was now focused on Eve. "Holy shit, Rosa! She's evolving!"
"She is!?" Rosa gasped, before confirming it herself. "She is! Yes! Finally!"
"Sheesh, took long enough," Nate could not help but comment.
The four humans gathered around as Eve's body began to change and morph, as the blinding light enveloped her body completely.
"So what's she gonna evolve into?" Yancy asked.
"Considering the sun's out, and there's no evolution stone involved," Hugh said. "It's definitely gotta be an espeon."
"It's...! It's...!" Rosa said with a huge smile of unbridled excitement on her face as everyone witnessed Eve's evolution. Once her body had changed completely and the light died down however, all the looks of curiosity and the smile on Rosa's face vanished, being replaced with looks of sheer confusion. "It's...It's...Uhhhhhhh…"
"I don't think that's an espeon..." Yancy commented as they stared at Eve.
No longer was Eve a small, brown fox-like creature, which made more sense to the quartet than what they were staring at right now. Eve was much taller now, with pale cream-colored fur with pink feet, ears and tail. Her eyes were now light blue, her ears were much longer and vibrantly pink with blue interiors and thicker fur, her legs were much more slender and her tail was a fluffy, slightly curved, pink tail. There was a pale cream bow with a pink center on the base of her left ear and one on her neck. From each bow trailed out a pair of ribbon-like feelers, which were also pale cream with light blue tips.
"-...Huh?-" Eve asked, equally confused as everyone else.
"What the fuck is that?" Nate blurted out.
Everyone, including the Pokemon who evolved into the thing of everyone's confusion, shared the same sentiment.
To be continued
AN: To anyone who saw this one coming, you deserve a cookie. Yep, Eve finally evolved, and this was the eeveelution I decided to go with. I forgot if I asked you guys on betting on what you thought Eve would end up becoming. Regardless, everyone learned a bit more about Kyurem, the group's next objective is to defeat Drayden and convince him to show them the relic of Kyurem, and Eve evolved into something no one seems to recognize. And with Eve's new evolution, all the teams are complete!
Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Bo (Emboar) / Vire (Electivire) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark)
Rosa: Eve (?) / Ottavia (Samurott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss) / Geno (Genesect)
Hugh: Flygon / Serperior / Magmortar / Carracosta / Heracross / Tornadus-Therian
Yancy: Audi (Audino) / Teddi (Ursaring) / Snor (Snorlax) / Toge (Togekiss)
Next time, the group tries to figure out what the hell Eve is, and then go fight Drayden for their seventh badge and the secrets of Kyurem.
See ya then!