After dropping off the Eclipse grunts at the nearest police headquarters, and giving a final goodbye to Zephan and Grimsley, Bronze and Tess walked back the hotel. Although Bronze didn't want to talk about the events in the caverns, Tess was seething.
"That witch! Threatening to knife me! The next time I see her, I'll kill her myself!" Bronze was silent, but internally he was worried. Tess had definitely become more vengeful along the journey then he liked, even as much as him to Team Eclipse. Part of it stemmed from Tess not being able to master her Z-Ring, and another came from Jake's betrayal. Whether those wounds could be healed was up to time.
As they reached the hotel, Tess immediately started packing. Bronze was confused. "Tess, why are you-" Tess interrupted him. "Packing? We're leaving for Crescent Island as soon as possible."
"But why-" Tess cut him off again. "It has the Ghost-type gym, right? So you need to get there! Time for you to get into the League. Yes, I know I haven't taken on the Gym! I won't! The League takes place in two weeks, so that means we need to hurry."
Bronze could see her logic, and started packing himself. After they were done, the two left the hotel, and rode Charizard even further north. As the mountains vanished, Bronze saw the Jade Sea in the east in all its beauty. Across the massive channel lay Crescent Island, with the Aborillian Mountains jutting up in the center. The tropical forests lay all over the equatorial island, home for countless Pokémon. Even further north, the Alolan islands could just be barely be seen, glinting in the curved earth.
After another few hours, Charizard swooped lower, allowing Bronze and Tess to remove their oxygen masks. "TESS, DOES THE POKE-NAVIGATOR SAY THAT WE'RE ON ROUTE? I CAN'T SEE PORT DECCA!"
Tess screamed back. "WE SHOULD BE GETTING CLOSE! JUST FLOAT DOWN OVER THE WAVES, AND YOU'LL SEE IT!"
As the gliding dragon bent down above the foamy waves, a small town came into view. Tess smirked. "There it is. I told you we would get there!"
Bronze rolled his eyes. "It's not like I thought we were lost, got it? If you think you can be a better pilot, how about we can ride Garchomp next time?" Tess remembered the unpleasant incident, and stayed silent.
Charizard arrived at the warm beach of Port Decca, while Bronze smelled the salty sea air. Here, at the eastern face of Crescent Island, lay a old town of the Sea Folk, coming south from Alola and Hoenn. The only seaport on the entire sparsely populated island, it was perpetually buzzing with ships and Pokémon coming and going to and from the tropical dwelling.
Bronze and Tess jumped of Charizard onto the sea-splattered sand, the port straight over the single road in front of them. Bronze reset the Pokefinder, and set a course for Murkwater village.
Tess eyed the setting sun, and then glanced at the town. "Nights coming. Better stay here for the night, and go to Murkwater tomorrow." Bronze considered going with her, but then realized he was in for some late night training. "Fine, I'll be out in the forest. Message me once you found somewhere, as I'll probably be sleeping outside tonight." Tess waved goodbye, and Bronze set out for the eastern jungle.
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"Electivire, Focus Punch!"
Electivire bashed the Alolan Purrloin to the side of a palm tree, unconscious.
Bronze cheered his Pokémon on, and administered a Potion. After this long training session in the steamy jungle, Bronze was quite tired. Since Tess had contacted him about staying in a hotel run by some lady named Fantina, Bronze assumed he could sleep.
After putting Magnezone on guard duty, Bronze rolled up in his portable sleeping bag, and went to sleep.
Only after a few hours, he was awoken by Magnezone nudging him. "What...why...what is it?" Magnezone continued beeping, signaling danger. Bronze got out of his bag, now alert in the corpse=light of the moon.
Bronze attuned his ears to the surrounding environment, and could only hear the various cry's of Pokémon, and the chirping of insects. Then, a sudden crash came from the underbrush to close for comfort, and Magnezone beeped again.
"Magnezone, come with me." Bronze grabbed his Poke Balls tightly, and slowly crept through the wet nightforest toward the sound of the commotion. After a few minutes in a direction he had not traveled in before, the Pokedex showed a large clearing in front of him, just beyond the grass line. The noise was quite loud now.
Bronze snuck his head through, and gasped. In the clearing, smashing trees to get various berries, was a absolutely gigantic Pokémon. It's mouth was nearly the size of its entire body, and it had multiple crab like pincers and a body covered in spines.
The Pokedex registered a new entity, 'Guzzlord.' Apparently, it was an Ultra Beast, a remnant of the conflict at the Altar of the Sunne and Moone. It would make sense that a Ultra Beast would be just outside of Alola, and not having traveled back to its own environment, the vast dimension of Ultra Space.
The moonlight glinted off Magnezones metallic hull, and the giant beast seemed to notice it. Turning surprisingly quickly, Guzzlord roared, causing Bronze and Magnezone to fly backward, crashing into the jungle floor. Bronze grabbed at his belt to send out his other Pokémon, but the Poke Balls were gone. Bronze used his Pokedex to search for them, and saw that his three Poke Balls were lying on a ledge directly behind Guzzlord, who was now approaching the two fallen beings.
Bronze jumped on top of Magnezone, and flew around Guzzlord, who tried to swing its arms to grab the elusive duo, while Magnezone launched electric blasts at the giant. However, the Ultra Beast was right on top of Bronzes other Poke Balls, preventing him from calling his other forces.
Guzzlord stopped swinging, and launched a torrent of sludge from its mouth, knocking Magnezone out from under Bronze. Magnezone flew away, dazed from the attack. It was so powerful, it seemed that the flying Pokémon's Sturdy Ability had taken effect. Bronze lay on the ground, trying to think up a strategy to escape, but the only thing he could do was run as the junkivore chased him around.
The enemy Pokémon got a grazing blow on Bronze's back, although it felt like a steel hammer. Bronze went tumbling, his back in agony. Guzzlord reached for Bronze, grabbing him across the waist. The Pokémon hoisted the trainer up, ready to drop him into its mouth. Bronze closed his eyes.
Just as Guzzlord was about to let go of Bronze, a blade of energy came out of nowhere and cut of the limb. Bronze felt himself falling, and then he suddenly was caught by some soft surface. The Ultra Beast bellowed in pain, but its limb regenerated in a matter of seconds, and it stood ready for another fight. Bronze stood, minding his throbbing back, and looked at his savior.
It was a Absol. Bronze was surprised by this turn of events, and remembered the appearances Absol had made before the Battle of Anthien City. "Are you the Absol that was following me around all that time?" Bronze asked. The Pokémon nodded, and sized up its foe.
Guzzlord's gigantic eyes narrowed, and then it charged. Absol launched itself at the titan, and a terrible battle ensued.
Both Pokémon were weakening, Guzzlord from Absol's repeated blows, and Absol from moving far too quickly for its own strength. Bronze still couldn't get to his Poke Balls, and Magnezone was nowhere in sight.
Guzzlord batted Absol to the side, a blow which nearly defeated the elegant creature. Guzzlord limped over, ready to crush the Pokémon for the last time.
Bronze saw himself acting without even thinking. Throwing the Absolite from his bag to the nearly-fainted Pokémon, Bronze touched the Key Stone. A link of pure energy was established between the life force of Bronze and Absol
"Mega Evolve!" Bronze yelled.
There was a strain, like a tugging on Bronze's innards, and then Absol changed form, dodging Guzzlord's blow with incredible speed, and gave a massive energy blast to the giants exposed flank. Guzzlord grunted, staggered, and then fainted with a crash.
Absol reverted back to its normal form, and Bronze stumbled with exhaustion. Mega Evolving one Pokémon was incredibly stressful, and it was a miracle that it had even been pulled off the first time.
Absol trotted over to its ward, and presented the Absolite with a near-grin. "Thank you...have you been following me around this whole time?" Absol nodded in affirmation.
"Have you been wanting to protect me? Why?" Absol stooped low, and began drawing a symbol in the jungle mud. Bronze saw that it was the insignia of Team Eclipse.
"So...you want to beat them too?" Absol nodded again at this, it's demeanor becoming far more grim as it remembered the organization. "I would say you can join my team then! With the Absolite and my Key Stone, we can become even stronger in stopping that evil group."
Absol bowed, signaling its total approval of the idea. Bronze grinned. This was not how he expected this night in the jungle to turn out. "Alright, I think I'll give you your own Poke Ball now. Since you haven't ever been in one before, I can tell you that it is not a unpleasant thing."
Bronze took out a single Great Ball from his bag, and tapped it to Absol's head. The Pokémon disappeared into the capture device in a single burst of light, signaling its capture. Bronze yelled at the stars in joy, and after grabbing his other Poke Balls, ran back to his sleeping quarters.
He found Magnezone exhausted, along with his sleeping bag. Bronze grinned. "Magnezone, you can recover now, you earned it. I have to get some sleep, although I don't know that I could!" Bronze rested back in the bag, finally giving in to the serene waves of dreams.
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On the very same island that Bronze slept, a veritable army of Gym Leaders, strong trainers, Pokedex Holders, and police lay in the Aborillian Mountains.
At the front of this massive group, two men stood. One was a younger, raven haired man in a long coat and hat, and the other was none other than Oak himself.
"Riley, its time. What can you sense?" Riley was holding a shred of a Team Eclipse uniform, eyes closed. Once he dropped it, Riley pointed at a large, smoldering volcano in the distance. "There. The aura is unmistakable. I can hardly bear all the evil that is coming rom the mountain, and what the shred is pointing too. If Team Eclipse has a base here, it will be in that mountain."
Oak nodded, and addressed the league of fighters. "I am not a battle commander, I am a professor. But since it seems that we all have to step out of our comfort zones to destroy Team Eclipse, I can stand in as a general. Squads relating to region, including Pokedex Holders, Champions, and Gym Leaders will travel together. We will map out the area, disable any defenses, and breach the fortress. We are going in blind, so be as cautious as you have ever been. Whatever surprises Cypress has set up, I doubt it is going to be Bounsweet sugar cubes and tea. Lets go!"
The mass of trainers broke up into smaller groups, which took different paths around the rocky terrain, using Pokémon and various devices to map the area, checking for defenses. The only things that turned up, however, were a few wandering Spy Cams, which were expertly looped. The separate forces closed in on the volcano, scanning the interior.
Cynthia yelled at Oak. "It's definitely got a massive complex in there, along with the largest hanger we have ever seen! How are we going to approach the breach?" Oak took the information from Juniper, and made his decision.
"Go in hard at the weak points in the mountain, and breach the tunnels at multiple areas. We will swamp the forces inside, and secure this fortress. You know the drill, come on!"
The groups reached the volcanic rock, and prepared for attack.
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As the regional defenders began to blast their way through the rock, Cypress watched the whole thing play out in a vision. Satisfied, he turned to the rest of his commanders.
"Everything is in order?" Emrett bowed. "Yes, my lord, we are ready for departure to Sevii Outpost." Henry bowed as well. "Are we to stay and fight, lord?" Cypress knew precisely what to say.
"I think not...you are too valuable for capture. I, however, will stay until I have taught those fools another lesson. Imagine their rage once I have killed one of their own!"
Eric bowed, and broke in with, "Will the base be wholly undefended, lord? Such a overwhelming force coming unimpeded would be devastating!" Cypress licked his lips, eye glowing brighter. "Do not worry, good servant. Commanders Charon and Colress have implemented a rather...unorthodox defense system. Considering that our troops are ready to depart, this system will provide a definite distraction. Dismissed."
The Eclipse brass saluted, and left for the hanger, while Cypress concentrated on the exterior of the mountain. He saw the parties almost reach the barrack sector, with a variety of Pokémon and devices.
Oak is here as well...I have been waiting to talk to him in person. This base is no longer needed, of course. How sad, how unbearably tragic that the time my enemies breach the principle stronghold, it has already been abandoned. Except for me...
The blast broke the mountain walls.