To the reviewer who mentioned Gracia's perfect link, I know. But she looks like Musharna more with the pink hair and reddish eyes.
Krom and co. entered Icirrus City, the chill in the air causing Castle Face to grumble. "Freeze my fucking steel type ass of while you're in a heated camper! Just FUCK ALL OF YOU!" he roared, glaring at the three as they left the camper smiling. Krom pet the beast, turning as Kyouhei's X-Transceiver rung. It was Simba, and the boy smiled as he answered. "Hi daddy!" he said, waving to the Halfling. Simba chuckled.
"Hey kid. Thought I'd give you a present for being such a great kid. Call me back when you get to the Icirrus City Poke-Center, okay bud." he said, and Kyouhei smiled, hanging up. Krom shrugged, following the boy to the Poke-Center. Krom felt that he shouldn't be left alone; as he killed the last Nurse he was alone with. He ran to one of the booths the building held, smiling as he picked up the phone.
He called Simba, who answered. "That was quick. Not bad." he said, laughing at the boy. A flash of light next to Kyouhei caught his attention, and he turned. A Pokeball sat there, pink with a heart on it. "Sable picked the ball out. Hope ya like it." he said, smiling before hanging up. Kyouhei picked up the ball, loosing the Pokemon inside. A Growlithe sat smiling up at him, barking at his new trainer. The Growlithe was gold instead of orange, and Krom blinked.
He pulled out his Pokedex, checking the Pokemon's moves. "Growlithe. Moves: Wild Charge, Outrage, Close Combat, Flare Blitz." it said, and Krom smiled. The Pokemon had impressive moves, as Simba wanted the best for his adoptive son. Kyouhei kneeled before the Pokemon, petting it happily. "I'll call you Puppy." he said, and Krom laughed. The boy had a knack for giving Pokemon ironic names, as Growlithe was the Puppy Pokemon.
Krom smiled, telling Castle Face to camp north of the city. He headed to the Icirrus city gym, saying he had to go alone. He walked into the gym, which was coated in ice al about. Krom frowned, not liking how cold the gym was. He looked across the field, seeing Brycen, the leader. Krom frowned, feeling that the leader looked familiar. He couldn't pinpoint where, but he was familiar to the red eyed trainer.
"Krom Hitoawa. I see you have arrived. Allow us to for go introductions and commence this battle." he said, sending out a Cryogonal. Krom smirked, sending out Jack. The otter roared, causing the snowflake to shudder.
"Cryogonal, use Hidden Power!" he called out. The snowflake shot balls of yellow energy, the hidden power electric. Krom called for Ice Beam, the otter shooting a beam of ice that froze the balls, causing them to clatter to the ground. Brycen frowned, calling for Bind. The snowflake shot toward the samurai Pokemon faster than he'd think, and Krom called for Aqua Jet.
Jack coated himself in water, bursting forth. He collided with the snowflake, defeating it. Krom smiled, watching Brycen return it. The leader sent out a Weavile, the Pokemon's raspy cal making Jack frown. "Weavile, use Low Kick!" Brycen called out, and the vile Pokemon exploded. Being able to move at higher speeds than Jack, the Pokemon swept Jack's front legs out, causing him to rear up. Krom called for Hydro Pump, and Brycen called for Night Slash.
Weavile was faster, slicing Jack's stomach and causing him to fall back. Brycen seemed angered, and Krom watched the Pokemon roar as he flipped off of his back. Brycen called for Ice Sharp, and the vile Pokemon shot a ball of ice at Jack, the Pokemon drawing it's scale like blade to block. Krom called for Air Slash, the ball of wind flying straight for the Weavile. Brycen yelled for the Pokemon to avoid it, and Krom smirked.
"Jack, keep him in the air!" he called, and the otter roared. The otter spat water from his maw, flipping and landing on his back. He spun in circles, the water battering the dark Pokemon. Brycen growled, watching his Pokemon trapped in the air. Krom called for Megahorn, and the otter flexed his back muscles, launching himself in the air. His spiked horn slammed into the side of the Pokemon, causing it to cry out.
Jack landed first, watching the Weavile fall defeated to the ground. Brycen continued to frown, returning the Pokemon. He sent out a Bisharp, and Krom furrowed his brow. An ice leader with a steel Pokemon?" This Bisharp was raised by my sons, the Shadow Triad. They are all is left of them after you and the Halfling killed them." he said, and Krom blinked. The Shadow Triad were the children of Brycen! That's why the leader seemed familiar. Krom looked to the otter, who growled. "Night Slash!" Brycen called, and the ninjatic Pokemon sped forward.
Krom called for Razor Shell, the otter's blade scale glowing blue. He launched himself forward, and the two flew past each other, neither indicating pain. They both spun, the Bisharp glowing silver as he used Iron Head. Krom called for X-Scissor, and the otter drew the second blade scale. He leaned back, allowing the Bisharp's attack to force him up on his rear legs. He swung down with the blades, inflicting an X shaped wound on the Bisharp.
The Pokemon stumbled back, and Krom called for Aqua Tail, the otter bouncing down. His front legs held up his back ones as he flipped toward the Bisharp, the scale on his tail glowing and extending. He struck the Bisharp, defeating it. The Pokemon crashed into the ground, and Brycen returned it. He frowned, sending out his final Pokemon, a Beartic. The bear roared, calling out for his fallen friends.
"I will have my revenge for what you did to my sons!" he called out. The bear was on all four legs, beard of ice coming down. Brycen called for Aqua Jet, and the bear cloaked himself in water, exploding at the otter. Krom called for Aqua Jet, and the otter mimicked the bear. They crashed into each other, grunting. The otter skidded back, and the bear reared up on two legs, growling. Brycen called for Icicle Crash, and the bear grunted, forming a large icicle between his paws. He flung it at the otter, and Krom called for Slash. The scale like blade the otter used glew white, and lengthened.
The otter shot forward, slicing the icicle in half. The Beartic used Stone Edge, and the otter sliced the stones with his blade, jumping and coming down. Brycen called for Ice Punch, and the bear swung his ice coated fist at the otter. The blade struck the fist, a shockwave ringing out. The air shifted, and it became slightly warmer in the cold gym. The bear skidded back, and the otter hit the ground growling. Krom smiled, enjoying the battle.
The Pokemon panted, the damage they sustained taking its toll. Krom called for Waterfall, and the otter cloaked himself in rapid water, exploding at high speeds toward the bear. Brycen called for Ice Punch, and the bear swung his fist at the charging otter. He hit the otter in the chest, the Pokemon's horn tearing fur from his chest. Krom called for Copycat, and the otter drew on of his blades, hand coated in ice. The blade became cloaked in ice, and he swung down, knocking the bear to the ground. The bear growled, struggling to stand. Krom smiled, and then he noticed the leader's face.
He seemed torn, and Krom frowned. He decided to end the battle, calling for Dragon Tail. The otter's tail scale grew and glowed a bright blue, before he struck the bear and defeated it. The otter smiled, crying out his victory before Krom returned him. He watched the leader, who growled as he returned the bear. Krom watched him pull something from his kimono, knowing it wasn't a badge. The leader exploded across the gym with speed only a trained ninja could posses, having a kunai at Krom's throat in seconds. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you." he growled out.
Krom frowned. "Go ahead and kill me. But know this, you'll be leaving my Pokemon distraught, my wife a widow, my friend in even worse condition than he is, and angering Pinwheel Village. The ninja have honor just like the samurai. So, let me ask you this. Do the ninja find honor in killing an unarmed man who won't fight back?" he asked. Brycen growled. Krom glared at him, his eyes appearing to glow.
"Kill me if it will make you feel better. But remember this. I killed one of your sons in self defense to protect my Pokemon, friend and myself. And remember that it is their own faults as well. If they wouldn't have accepted Cheren's offer, they'd still be alive." he said, reminding Brycen of the former Aspertia leader's hand in their death. Brycen withdrew the knife from Krom's throat. "I took no pleasure in their deaths. Neither did Simba. But who honestly did?" he asked. Brycen sighed, nodding.
"What you say is true. Their greed was their undoing. I should be taking my anger out on Cheren instead of you. I apologize for harming you." he said, noticing a cut on the by's throat. Krom blinked, laughing. "No problem. I don't feel thing. But, do you have a gym badge for me?" he asked smiling. Brycen smiled, handing the boy a badge for his gym. Krom smiled, thanking the leader and heading back to the Poke-Center.
Saria just received her Pokemon back from the nurse when Krom walked in. He blinked, looking at his wife. "Should you really trust her?" he asked, having had bad experiences with previous nurses. Saria giggled. "No. She worships Kyurem. Brycen made sure we could heal our Pokemon properly." she said, and Krom smiled. He handed a nurse his Pokeballs, all but Granitwarf receiving a proper healing. Once he received his Pokeballs back, he headed back to camp.
He released all of the Pokemon, allowing them to rest and relax. Krom smiled, looking about. All the Pokemon were happy, and no evil forces appeared to be in the shadows. He laughed, watching Kooky scare off baby Druddigon.
The leaders congregated, and the first one to open their mouth was Skyla. She exploded, yelling loudly. "Since when can that thing fucking fly a plane into my Skarmory?! She's dead now! A fucking PLANE!" she wailed, tears pouring from her eyes. Her girlfriend, former Nimbasa City Gym leader Elesa, comforted her, much to the chagrin of the Sinnoh leaders. Simba laughed. "Off course he can fly a plane. How else would he use Aerial Ace?" He said, smirking. Homika laughed, strumming her bass.
Krom saw a Mienfoo off in the distance, and he smiled. He called upon Rafiki, the Chimchar coming to his side. He walked up to the mouse, who danced about to music, as he wore headphones, some music playing device in his shirt like fur. The Pokemon locked eyes with the chimp, who jumped off the trainer's shoulders. The two locked eyes, and burst forth.
The Mienfoo fought to a rhythm, unleashing one punch, stopping, then unleashing rapid blows. The Chimchar avoided each one, striking with Sucker Punch. The mouse stumbled back, growling as it used Aura Sphere. Chimchar used Flamethrower, the only flame on him coming from his maw. It struck the sphere, and the sphere dissipated. Krom noticed the stubby tail of the chimp twitch, and the Mienfoo jumped. It came down, using Hi Jump Kick, and the chimp grabbed it's leg.
The chimp spun, flinging it into a tree. The Pokemon collided with the tree and called out, growling as it stood. The chimp laughed, and the Mienfoo exploded, unleashing a Mach Punch. The chimp stumbled back, grunting. The mouse used Thunder Punch rhythmically, causing the chimp to call out. The Oozaru watched with a glare, staff clenched in hand. The Chimp spun, unleashing a Blaze Kick to the mouse before glowing blue and morphing.
The newly evolved Monferno called out looking similar to his first form. His face was flatter, and he had small bone like pads on his elbows and knees. His hands and feet were black, and he had no flame on his tail. His large forearms were rounded, and thick. Krom cheered the chimp on, watching it stream at the mouse using Flame Wheel.
It struck the mouse, knocking it back and defeating it. Krom smiled, throwing a Pokeball to catch the mouse. Krom watched the ball rock even more than normal, the rhythm similar to the one the mouse fought with. The ball stuttered, and then popped once. Krom cheered, loosing the mouse and naming it Bruce. The group headed into Dragonspiral Tower, minus the massive Mahmut.
Krom kneeled in the abandoned tower, praying to Zekrom. He asked the god for strength and protection, as all that happened since he started his journey might have been due to his lack of worship. The dwarf smiled, throwing knives he forged into a fire as an offering, and Saria pulled out a lock of hair. Kyouhei giggled, throwing an old shirt into the fire. Krom wasn't about to be outdone by his friends, and walked up to the fire. He took a final knife and slit his wrist, letting his blood run into the flame, the sweet smell filling the noses of the group.
Saria healed Krom's wrist, and smiled at him. They heard a noise, and spun. They gaped at the sight of Hyuu leading the Westborough Baptist Church into their domain. Mahmut roared, a deafening sound that shook the trees.