The name bounced around in my head.
Kyurem, I'd never heard of a pokemon named Kyurem.
I'd checked the Pokedex. I'd tried to get ahold of Bianca to no avail.
Kenya shifted around as the other trainers slowly took their turns. She'd given up on her conquest of cutting the line.
As the people in front of us dwindled, people started to show up behind us. It was an hour before it was the two of us standing by the door.
It opened, and a boy stepped out; he frowned at me and disappeared into the busy street.
"Next." Kenya and I stepped forward. "One at a time, please."
"I'm with him—" Kenya started.
"One at a time."
Kenya backed off.
She offered encouragement as I followed Burgh into the gym.
My mind was beyond distracted. I could hardly focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
A chill was growing within me. I stopped walking, frozen in the middle of a hallway.
"Are you okay?" Burgh asked.
I raised a stiff hand to my head, curling my fingers around my temple. For a moment, I couldn't speak. Burgh stared at me, face illuminated in the dim light.
I regained myself, gathered my focus.
"Yes."
Burgh led me to a battlefield.
I sent out Pignite without a thought; Burgh sent out his pokemon. Swadloon.
He started giving orders.
Pignite looked over its shoulder at me. I nodded.
"Pignite. Take it out."
I don't remember much of the battle. We won.
I didn't remember leaving, either. I remember seeing Burgh holding the badge.
His face was off-putting. Somewhere between disappointment and frustration. I ignored.
Kenya was waiting for me outside. I walked past her. We maneuvered through the busy streets, making our way north.
It took us a few minutes to get to the exit. We headed out onto Route 4.
We walked for half an hour through the sandy road; I kept trying to call Bianca. The winds started picking up.
"Give me your hand!" Kenya shouted, reaching out to me. I took her hand. We walked close together as we continued forward.
I noticed a cliffside and gestured to it.
Kenya was covering her eyes.
I pulled her in the direction of it. There was a road beside the cliff and an overpass above it.
The winds started dying down as we continued along the road. The road led to a large open sandy area.
"You think she's here?" I wondered out loud. I noticed a man standing by the edge of the area. I walked over to him.
"Hello there." The man smiled. Kenya wiped her eyes.
"Have you seen a blonde girl with a green hat?" I asked. He thought about it.
"I believe so."
"When?"
"She came through a while ago. But she shouldn't be here. Neither should you."
"Why not?" I crossed my arms.
"He's mourning today." The man gestured past us. Another man was standing towards the middle of the area. He had long orange hair.
"Hey, isn't that?" Kenya squinted to get a better look. I started walking towards him.
"Its Alder, the champion." I said. I walked over to him, Kenya on my heels. He looked up as I got close.
"Can I help you?"
"Excuse me, champion, sir." Alder raised his head, sharp eyes passing over us.
"I'm not in the mood to give autographs. Please leave me be." He spoke sternly.
"How long have you been here?" I asked. "A friend of mine came through here and Were looking for her."
He thought about it for a moment before waving me off.
"I didn't see nobody." Kenya made a sour face. I tried again.
"She has blonde hair, and she was probably wearing a green hat," I noticed another man walking. He was near a set of statues. I considered asking him instead.
"The ruins." Alder got up, wiping his eyes. He stood tall and dusted himself off. "She went into the ruins." He gestured to the statues.
"Thanks." Kenya and I made our way over.
"Wait." Alder caught up to us. "I'm sorry the two of you had to see me in this state. Allow me to guide you." Kenya got close to me, whispering.
"Why's he following us?" I shrugged.
Cheren would likely kill to be in this situation.
The other man was examining the statues as we walked over. He was dressed similarly to the plasma guy that attacked the Nimbasa museum.
Alder led us down a flight of stairs between the statues.
There was a tunnel leading two different ways. The walls were lined with torches.
"Do you come here often?" Kenya asked. Alder sighed. He led us through several torchlit corridors. It wasn't until we found ourselves back at the stairs that I started to worry.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked.
"Please stop talking." Alder rubbed his temple. He glanced up at the stairs. The other man was making his way down.
"Its been a while, Alder," The man said. Kenya and I shared a glance. The man stopped halfway down the stairs.
"Zinzolin," Alder held up a pokeball.
"Oh. No. I'm not going to try to battle you." Zinzolin said. "Our king is likely the only one who can match you. Even with your missing ally." Alder scowled, putting the Pokeball away.
"How many of you are there?" He asked.
"Just me for the moment. I didn't come here to see you, though. Honest." Zinzolin folded his arms, smiling.
"Plasma has been disbanded," Alder said. "What could you possibly after?"
"Disbanded? No. Divided." Zinzolin continued down the stairs. "There was a great purge in our family. After that trainer defeated N, our hearts were tested." He placed a hand on his chest. "We were forced to shed our skin. Those who remain are only the most loyal to the cause."
"Zekrom and Reshiram are gone." Alder stepped forward to meet Zinolin. "Kyurem is too weakened to be of any use to you." Zinzolin shook his head.
"The fate Zekrom and Reshiram shared was truly unfortunate."
"Hey!" Bianca yelled. She appeared at the end of the corridor. Someone was with her.
Nathan.