Pokémon Radiant Sun
I've played a lot of Pokémon games in my 23 years of living. Just a simple fact.
Pokémon Yellow was the first game I ever played. I've been a diehard fan of Pokémon for most of my life, loving every installment the franchise had to offer.
Yellow. Red. Blue. Silver. Gold. Crystal. Sapphire. (Not Ruby, oddly enough) FireRed. LeafGreen. Emerald. Pearl. Diamond. Platinum. HeartGold. SoulSilver. Black. White. Black 2. White 2. X. Y. Alpha Sapphire. Omega Ruby. Sun. Moon…
Stadium. Snap. Stadium 2. Red Rescue Team. Pinball. Pokémon Colosseum. XD: Gale of Darkness. Blue Rescue Team. Ranger. Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Explorers of Time. Explorers of Darkness. Explorers of Sky. Magnagate: Gates to Infinity. Super Mystery Dungeon.
And out of all of those games, all of those wonderful journeys and adventures…Only two of them affected me so much personally that I actually wanted to begin writing fanfiction. Three, if you include Sun and Moon together.
One of them, obviously, was the Mystery Dungeon series. More so the first two parts of the series rather than the latter two entries…
And as for the second and more influential one…it was Pokémon Colosseum.
Those two games (Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness), while flawed in some aspects, made me realized just much I loved Pokémon. It was a more serious and darker take on the franchise that I adored as a kid, making me feel like a true hero fighting against the bad guys for the first time since playing a Pokémon game. It was the most I ever felt invested in Pokémon and it made me care more about the series than I ever had before. I credit those two games for kick-starting my desire to tell stories of my favorite characters and even for this story, in a way.
It was when I discovered fanfiction, before I ever knew that it was a thing.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I figured it was about time those two spin-offs got a little bit of love. No, they're not the greatest games of all time, not even in the Pokémon series, but they're the games that influenced me the most as a writer and a fan of Pokémon and it's why I've decided to take some inspiration from a series most seem to write-off or ignore. That's why I've decided to mix things up a little with things like Cipher. Now, don't worry about some of the new stuff overshadowing the story of Pokémon Sun. That's not going to happen. And also, don't worry if you're unfamiliar with those games, because it'll all be explained in due time. But I'm hoping it will add an extra element of something special to the story and compliment it, as well as showcase something even better to come down the road if all goes well with this story and if enough people show interest.
A prequel and a sequel, of sorts, to this story. More will be explained later, like I said.
Sorry to drag that speech out. Figured I should explain my thoughts on something I have never talked about before. It feels good to finally get some of these ideas out there, even if its in a limited capacity.
Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Cottonmouth25, danlagunas14, My Wunderwaffle iz missin, Sai Og Sus, and a new reviewer known as Dario Flaman. Thanks for the support and feedback!
Warning: This chapter contains intense material. You've been warned.
Enjoy.
Chapter 13: Remember
Hellfire filled the streets as aerial footage of the city was shown on the TV. A horrific screeching cry filled the air as the flaming figure on the screen suddenly soared higher into the air, flaring out its wings. The flaming bird then opened its mouth and let loose a massive plume of white-hot flames that bathed the streets below in raging fire, consuming everyone in its path.
"That's a Moltres! What on earth is going on there?" Hau demanded, going pale as the legendary bird let out a fearsome screech of rage, flapping its wings as more and more fire was unleashed from the creature and onto the fleeing citizens below, enveloping them in fire. Hau had only seen pictures of the bird, of course, but most people would recognize such a well-known legendary on sight.
"Destroying everything in its path, of course," Vivian replied quietly, her eyes narrowed at the graphic footage on the large TV ahead of them.
"W-what? Why?" Hau asked the girl.
"Because it has no control over itself. Cipher pulls its strings now. It'll burn down the entire city at this rate, if they don't give in to Cipher's demands. And if what Cipher did in Unova is any indicator, they'll have backup coming soon." Vivian replied coolly, as the TV showed another shot of Trainers running towards the fiery bird, ready to battle it.
Hau and Lillie then caught sight of them – Men and women in white body armor slipping out from the cover of the alleyways or teleporting from out of thin air. Seemingly unconcerned with the rampaging legendary, the armored individuals stepped forward to confront the trainers running towards the Moltres.
"And now the opposition comes…This turned from a disaster to something much worse." Vivian remarked as more and more Cipher members slipped out into the open, releasing Pokémon into the street, prepared to stop anyone in their path as the Moltres departed from the one street to set ablaze another. Everyone watching the TV could see the flickering purple aura around the Pokémon that the criminals were using, each one of them fierce expressions on their faces.
"Why are they doing this…This is terrible." Lillie whispered, holding Nebby's bag closer to her for comfort. Nebby peered out of its bag watched the screen ahead of it with horror, shaking slightly in fear as it heard Moltres scream in fury before launching itself higher into the air, bathing more buildings in furious red fire above the city. Windows began shattering from the sheer force of the heat, sending burning glass onto the fleeing civilians below.
The camera then cut to another helicopter hovering above the city, showing another shot of the city that was less damaged by the rampaging Moltres, but was still a battleground between the Celadon Police Department and the criminals known as Cipher. A loud voice suddenly spoke up, their voice magnified.
"We warned all of you for weeks, and now it's time to reap what you sow. Stand down or we'll burn this entire city to the goddamn ground!" the voice bellowed from Cipher's side, with many of the men and women standing there yelling out similar sentiments. With that, Cipher unleashed their Pokémon upon the Pokémon Trainers of Celadon, who returned the favor.
Within a matter of seconds, the streets became a bloodbath as Pokémon tore into each other with in a wild frenzy. The opposition to the criminals unleashed everything they had at their disposal, with some trainers taking time to try and put out some of the flames that were raging around them, to no avail. Meanwhile, the Pokémon under the control of Cipher attacked with no mercy, their bodies continuing to flicker with darkness as they mercilessly attacked Trainer and Pokémon alike.
"Wait, we have breaking news from Flowergrove Street! It seems that the Elite Four member Bruno and former Elite Four member Agatha are on the scene, joining the fight!" the reporter shouted at the camera, a noticeable look of relief on his face as the camera footage suddenly shifted to a live feed of a muscular man sprinting down the street with a small army of Fighting-type Pokémon around him. Farther behind him a woman was slowly walking down the street as well, a swarm of shadows swirling ahead of her as a massive snake circled her protectively. Bruno's Pokémon leapt into the fray and began pummeling anything within sight, finally giving the criminals some pause. With the two powerful trainers bolstering their ranks, the opposition began to finally stop Cipher's march through Celadon on that street, with the two powerful teams of Pokémon supporting the opposition, the battle intensified from there.
Bruno then released an Onix onto the street, the massive rock snake bellowing angrily at the criminals in front of it. Bruno's Onix hurled a barrage of stones at several Golbat and Fearow soaring overhead, only to be knocked down by a Nidoqueen as it fired an Ice Beam from its horn and coated the rock snake in ice. It quickly broke free and released a blue beam of foggy energy at the horde of flying types, most of which managed to dodge, but those that didn't were knocked out. Another Ice Beam hit the rock snake, as well as several water attacks, which proved too much for the beast and it collapsed to the ground.
"Agatha, get that Moltres! I'll clear the path!" Bruno shouted as he returned his Onix. His Machamp bounded forward instead, leaping ahead and grabbing a Zangoose as it lunged at Bruno. The four-armed Pokémon let out a shout before hurling the Zangoose skyward, allowing Bruno's Hitmonlee to kick it back down the ground. The mongoose Pokémon landed on the street with a nasty crunch as Bruno strode past it. The man then grabbed the arm of a nearby Cipher member that was approaching him from the side and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him forward before punching the man in the stomach, sending him to his knees. Bruno delivered a swift kick to the man's head, knocking him clean out.
Agatha simply looked upwards at the helicopter that was recording her and offered them a small smile before sinking down into her own shadow.
"Find her. She's going to take down that Moltres!" the reporter in the helicopter shouted down to something on his collar. The TV the shifted to another reporter in the streets, sprinting through a street filled with fire, a Charmeleon standing next to her. The Moltres could be seeing soaring just a few hundred yards away, a flickering purple aura around it as the bird opened its beak and releasing another spray of flames into the city turned inferno. As the bird landed on a nearby building, screeching loudly into the night, a series of explosions hit the back of the bird and knocked it down into the streets.
"You've done quite a bit of damage, you know." A crisp voice spoke from behind the reporter, who whirled around in surprise and saw Agatha walking past her. Several Pokémon appeared from out of nowhere in front of the Ghost-type specialist, who was staring down the mighty legendary with a fearless expression.
"I've been alive for a long, long time, Moltres. And in that time I've never seen something like this before. So I hope you're ready to be brought back to your senses!" Agatha said coldly as she raised her cane slightly before tapping it on the road. All of her Pokémon charged up various attacks, unleashing them all at once upon the fiery bird. Moltres screamed in agony, stumbling backwards in the street before unleashing a purple and red fireball that exploded where Agatha had been standing…
But the old woman was now standing behind the Moltres, grinning now as the reporter by her side shook with fear. The two of them had been saved at the last second by a shadow swallowing them and depositing them elsewhere. The reporter had a confused look on her face and upon seeing it, Agatha explained.
"Shadow Sneak, my dear. Now you both get on out of here. This is no place for you." Agatha said as a large grey ghost Pokémon with yellow markings on its chest appeared from out of nowhere, looming protectively over the elderly trainer.
"Dusknoir, stay close. Everyone else, put that bird down! It won't get to the rest of the city if we end this now!" Agatha shouted as her team rushed forward, even as Moltres flapped its wings and sent more fire down the street, making the already burning hot street even more unbearable to be in. The reporter watched all of this in amazement before turning to the cameraman, who had remained silent during this time.
"Come on, James. We're out of here. Back to you Tim." The woman was then joined by her Charmeleon, who was looking rather worse for wear but was otherwise OK. The Pokémon was returned and the camera was set on the ground, providing a view of Agatha battling the Moltres, her team releasing a constant barrage of attacks to slowly batter away at the legendary bird.
The footage of the battle then cut back to a helicopter view of the city, where it became obvious just how much damage that Moltres had done to it. Half of the city was ravaged, while the other half was untouched as of now, which hadn't been noticeable at first due to the chaos of the scene.
The feed was silent, as was the Pokémon Center in Hau'oli, as the news team tried to figure out what to do. Clearly they had never covered such a hectic situation, especially one where one of their reporters quit on the spot. Several people then started as the camera suddenly zoomed in on a new group of people joining the massive battleground that was the main and biggest road in Celadon, where a majority of Cipher and the opposing Pokémon Trainers where clashing. Then one of the Trainers in the lobby spoke up.
"Looks like the Gym Leader, Erica, is there now! Now those jerks are gonna get it!" one of the members of the audience in the Pokémon Center yelled as several figures sprinted onto the street, led by a woman with flowing black hair wearing a kimono. At her side was a man wearing a green pinstripe suit with a black bow-tie. Both of them released about a dozen Pokémon onto the streets while the others behind them sent their own Pokémon out. Where the streets before were a chaotic battleground, it had now become nothing short of a war zone. Attacks flew left and right as the Gym Leader and her trainers unleashed their fury on the Cipher grunts, who were getting further pushed back down the street despite the strange darker Pokémon they were using. Pokémon leapt at one another in a display of open chaos, attacks aimed haphazardly with no regard for order. Trainers could be heard screaming commands over roars in the night, but it seemed to do little for the Pokémon tearing each other apart in the streets. The Trainers themselves were also the targets of the Pokémon, and there were several times the camera moved to a different part of the battle just before a trainer was taken down by one of the darker Cipher Pokémon.
"We've got a team down in the streets, reporting live from the battleground that has become Celadon City!" The reporter suddenly yelled out, and the TV footage switched from a zoomed in aerial shot of the city to a shot from an alleyway, where a frazzled reporter was standing there looking quite nervous.
"Yes Tom, I'm here reporting live from the streets of Celadon, where things have broken down to...I don't even know what to call it at this point. I'm here in this alley with my Rhyhorn for my own protection, but I don't think that'll dissuade any of Cipher from…well, attacking. Rocky here is ready to throw up a Protect at any given-" the man was cut off as a green barrier suddenly flickered into existence around them, stopping a barrage of white energy spikes from impaling the both of them. The reporter looked skyward and saw a Cloyster firing streams of ice and spikes down at the Pokémon and Trainers below before being struck down by a massive bolt of thunder. The Cloyster fell into the mass of Pokémon with a faint cry.
"Absolutely incredible…Such ferocity and carnage! Cipher has been making threats for weeks now, with rumors circulating for months about them. Now it looks like we're seeing just what the Oore-based crime syndicate has in store for Kanto." The reporter said with some sense of horror in his voice. He then went silent as Erika and the trainer in the suit stopped near the camera, talking with one another.
"Mister Oliver, keep an eye on my back. I'll clear the path!" Erika said quietly but firmly, before letting out a series of whistles. Each of Erika's Grass-types nodded in unison. On cue, her Jumpluff unleashed a ball of bright white light into the sky that exploded, allowing a harsh light to shine down on the group battling in the streets. As one, all of Erika's Pokémon began charging up various beams of green and white light before unleashing six massive Solar Beams at the enemy, carving a path of glorious destruction that left a trail of unconscious Pokémon and seriously injured Trainers in its wake.
Erika was then yanked backwards by Oliver, just in time to avoid a Scyther slashing downwards at her with evil in its eyes. The mantis Pokémon lunged at Erika again, but was repelled by a Dodrio slamming into it, furiously pecking it with all three heads before unleashing a flaming, jolting, icy beam of energy that knocked it out senseless onto the burning street.
"We're idiots…Laura warned us about these monsters and we still didn't prepare nearly well enough for this massacre." Oliver muttered as his Gallade teleported into existence behind him, eyes shining like beacons as he made two approaching enemy Magmar seize up in pain before sending both flying into nearby buildings. Oliver then looked up and saw his Talonflame soaring above him before swooping down and breathing fire down on three approaching Raticate, making them screech in pain as the flames enveloped them.
"We can't keep this up forever. None of our Pokémon are built to handle a fight of this magnitude for this long." Oliver said calmly to Erika, but a grim smile on his face as he shouldered a black cane with intricate designs flowing down it. Oliver then looked to his Gallade, saying, "Status of the evacuation?"
"The Pokémon Center has been evacuated, as have all of the local hospitals. I've also dispatched several Cipher members en route. We're losing ground on all streets but this one and the one Bruno went down." The Gallade replied, sketching a salute to the older trainer.
"Good work. Erika, what's the plan? Just open warfare at this point won't do anything except wreck the city further." Oliver asked the Gym Leader, turning back to her.
"Bruno and Agatha are making their way towards the center. That's where their leader is coordinating the attacks. This was all planned out, Oliver, down to the last little detail. They're attacking this part of the city specifically while leaving the rest untouched." Erika said as she watched her Pokémon battle ahead of her. Her eyes then widened in surprise as a figure in white armor suddenly leapt past the Cipher grunts wielding a large gun and began unloading shots into any Pokémon or Trainer that they could, downing several in quick succession.
"Tangela, hit that one with a Vine Whip." Erika said, pointing to the Cipher grunt that was aiming their gun right at her. The assailant was ripped from the ground by the angry Grass-type and hurled skyward, where they crashed back down onto the street with a heavy thud that they didn't get up from.
"Mister Oliver, you need to get as many people to safety as you can. Get any trainers with Pokémon that can use Teleport or Shadow Sneak as possible and get everyone away from here. They're not going to destroy this city while I stand." Erika said quietly but firmly, fire reflecting in her eyes as she eyed the battle ahead of her with cold fury.
The man beside her offered her a nod and said, "You better not die, Miss Erika. If you do…I'll never forgive you."
"I don't plan on anything except saving this city. Now move!" Erika pulled out another Pokémon and released a Venasaur, which let out a roar upon release. Erika placed a hand on the dinosaur Pokémon and said gently, "Just like we practiced, OK?"
"Saur!"
"Go! Frenzy Plant!" Erika shouted as the Venasuar let out a furious bellow. After a few moments, massive roots erupted from the streets and began tunneling forward, tearing apart the ground ahead of them. The roots threw apart Pokémon and trainer alike aside like toys, though some of the more savvy trainers ordered their Pokémon to destroy the attack quickly.
Oliver watched the display for a moment before clapping his Gallade on the shoulder and vanishing into thin air once again.
"That's right everyone! Keep fighting!" Erika shouted as some of the other trainers joined her on the front lines. A fierce grin on appeared on the normally reserved Gym Leader's face as she hopped on top of her Venasaur. The crowd behind her roared in approval and began pushing Cipher further back as one, now that the Frenzy Plant had taken care of some of the opposition.
"This…I've never seen a battle like this before." Hau said quietly, transfixed to the television screen. Lillie was simply trembling in horror, due to her dislike of Pokémon being hurt. Seeing something like this nearly broke her heart. Sun remained still, save for him shaking slightly as he watched the screen with a sheet-white face.
"They might actually do it…" Vivian whispered, the smallest of smiles on her face. Unlike before, Celadon City seemed to have had warning of the attack in advance. The fire wasn't as immediate as the ice had been, and they were actually fighting them back. Maybe they could do this. Maybe they could save their city before it became too late.
And then she caught sight of a new group entering the fray. Men and women in matching uniforms of black, with a crimson R emblem on their chests. Vivian felt that small ember of hope extinguish in her chest as she recognized and realized that her suspicion was correct.
"This…This just in! We…w-we now have confirmation that Team Rocket has joined the fight. I repeat, the criminal group known as Team Rocket, who hasn't been seen in Kanto in about a decade are now joining Cipher in the fight! As if this could get any worse, we now have the ousted villains of Kanto and Johto joining these terrorists in the fight for Celadon City!" the reporter shouted as several Team Rocket members released their own Pokémon, bolstering the tanks of Cipher. All of them were grinning ear to ear, with a few even clapping the Cipher members on the shoulders and letting out rallying cries. One grunt stepped ahead of them, wearing a maniacal grin.
"Alright, boys and girls! Let's show this idiots to fear our names again!" the Rocket grunt yelled, pointing a finger towards the opposition. The other grunts roared in agreement, making their way forward as their Pokémon rushed forward with the other Cipher members. The camera then zoomed in on a man in a Team Rocket uniform with green hair, standing atop a car at the back of the mass of criminals and watching the mayhem unfold. The camera zoomed in on the man as the reporter began speaking again.
"That's…that's one of the Team Rocket Executives, Proton! He's supposed to be in the Goldenrod City jail! What he is doing here!?" the reporter yelled out over the harsh noises below. The Rocket Executive known as Proton could be seen wearing a sadistic smirk as he bellowed orders to the Rockets on the street, who began working with the Cipher members to quickly begin pushing the opposition back. Proton himself let out a harsh laugh before releasing a giant purple bat that soared into the air with a cry. The Executive then released a Weezing and hopped into the streets, his evil smile widening as he began ordering attacks, pulling a pistol from his belt before charging forward.
Erika clenched her fists in anger at the sight of Team Rocket. So those dirtbags had joined Cipher, huh? Well...She would do what she should have done a decade ago. Deal with the scum herself. Erika shouted a series of orders to her Pokemon, who unleashed another wave of Solar Beam attacks that stopped the enemy in their tracks. Erika saw a bit of hope come back to the group beside her as some of the Trainers began shouting new orders to their teams, unleashing more deadly attacks on the opposition.
"Keep fighting everyone! We can do this!" Erika shouted, urging the group of frightened Pokémon Trainers forward.
"No…You can't." Came a voice from behind her, like a whisper in the wind. Erika felt agonizing pain explode from her heart and felt her into body stiffen in response, a cold tingling sensation rolling through her body. She slowly looked down and saw a slim blade sticking out of her chest, dripping with crimson as someone gently laughed behind her. The Gym Leader let out a small gasp as the blade retracted and she fell from her Venasuar, hitting the ground as the life left her eyes. Her killer leapt from the now-furious Venasaur, now unleashing a barrage of deadly leaves at the Cipher member that had killed the Gym Leader. The Cipher member raised a single pistol and fired three shots directly into the head of the plant dinosaur, bringing it down.
"Pathetic." With a shake of the head, the Cipher member turned around and began walking towards the reporter and the cameraman that had captured the entire scene. The duo quickly began running away from the woman before they realized they were trapped in an alleyway with no way out. Before the two could do much else a loud bang suddenly rang out from behind them. The reporter jerked back once before collapsing onto the ground in a heap.
"Jeffry! No! Rocko, get her!" the cameraman yelled out. The Rhyhorn by his side let out a snarl before bounding forward, though it was thwarted by a strange green bird-like Pokémon that appeared in front of it out of nowhere above the Cipher member.
"Can't be having that, now can we?" the Xatu chuckled at the Rhyhorn that had stopped in its tracks. The rock Pokémon then narrowed its eyes and kept charging, only to be lifted off of its feet and sent hurtling back down the alleyway, where it hit the building behind it with hellacious force. The Rhyhorn then fell to the ground and remained still, knocked out in just one hit.
"W-w-what!? No! I…You…please, don't kill me!" the camera shouted out, his voice begging the new figure as he dropped the camera onto the ground, providing a view of the reporter lying still on the ground in a red puddle.
"Pick up that camera, or you get the same treatment." An amused voice spoke to the cameraman, who replied by wordlessly picking up the camera, which was now focused on the woman who had killed the reporter and the Gym Leader of Celadon in cold blood.
She wore a white mask of sorts on her face that covered her face from the nose up, but her fiery orange hair billowed behind her as the fire behind her completed a silhouette of terror as her light-blue eyes stared into the camera. The woman herself rather tall and was clad in Cipher's signature white body armor, coated in crimson fluid and stained black by the fire that had been raging around the city. Six Poké Balls were clipped to her belt and the pistol in her hand was aimed directly at the cameraman who was shaking slightly now. The woman's Xatu floated behind her, giggling now and levitating the woman's bloodstained knife above her.
"Oh lovely…It's her. Just what we all needed." Vivian hissed walked closer to the TV, glaring daggers at the woman in question, who began to speak again.
"This is a message to those who stand against us." The woman spoke, amusement pouring from her brisk voice as she aimed the barrel of the gun at the camera. "Remember what we did to your heroes back in Unova. Remember what we did to the government that tried to stop us. Remember what we did to those who were supposed to protect you. Remember the name of Cipher, because you will all drown in the shadows of our triumph. "
"Remember our names, those of you who are watching from around the world…because we're coming for you next." The woman spoke to the world, slowly squeezing the trigger of her gun. Before the cameraman had a chance to respond the gun went off a second time, making the camera fall to the ground once again, cutting off the feed to the battle.
The screen went dark.
"Like I said before…Our little friend Sun here got out before things went south. If he hadn't…he probably wouldn't be here with us." The violin girl said quietly in a strained voice, scowling as she shook her head in disgust at the screen. People around them were chattering worriedly to each other. Some of them were even trying to phone people back in Kanto.
"Oh my god…How…How could they? Those people…they're…they're monsters." Lillie whispered, quaking in fright at the horrific and bloody showdown she had just witnessed. Hau was simply speechless, though he was now looking at Sun, who hadn't moved or done anything since the news report had started.
"S-sun? You...You're going to alright...right?" Hau asked nervously, looking at the boy. Sun started then, as if coming out a trance of sorts, before looking away from Hau, muttering something he didn't hear.
"Sun?" Lillie asked quietly, feeling quite worried herself now that she was focusing on the Kanto-native again. Sun didn't reply, instead facing away from them with his fists clenched. A tremor wracked through the boy for a moment before he began walking away from them and walking towards the front door of the Pokémon Center.
"You know that going out there won't make what they did go away, right?" Vivian called sourly to him, getting an annoyed look from Hau. Sun made no indication that he had heard her other than quickening his pace out of the building.
"Sun! Please, come back here! We can talk about this!" Lillie called out to the boy, making a move to go after him. Sun ignored Lillie's words and ran out through the front doors of the Pokémon Center, the rainfall enveloping him completely as he sprinted out into the night.
