Pokémon Radiant Sun
Well howdy folks. Welcome to another chapter.
So two insane things happened this past week.
One, Daniel Bryan was cleared to compete in a WWE ring again, much to the absolute amazement of everyone in the entire world and it makes many people, including me, quite happy.
Two, this story has hit over 600 reviews.
That's a pretty damn impressive feat. We're drawing ever so closer to actually beating my current highest reviewed story, and that was during the peak of Zombies popularity and with a much shorter story than this.
So again...Thanks. For the favorites, the follows, the PM's, the questions, the reviews, and all of your support. You all are just the best.
Shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter, which includes TheOneWhoSaysMeep, Anasazi Darkmoon, Champion of the Divine Sun, Madame Rodoshe, Angelfir3, operettaoceanic, Sai Og Sus, Cottonmouth25, BraviaryScout, Gokan123, SonicIKE, Ways, and a new reviewer known as MoonlightButterfree. Thanks again for the fantastic support and feedback, as well as the questions!
Special shoutout to Sai Og Sus, who was my 600th reviewer and has supported this story with feedback since the very beginning! Much thanks, my friend!
Side note: This chapter's title had many, many different changes. "A Deadly Disagreement" was the alternate chapter name for this one, but I went with something else.
Enjoy.
Chapter 54: A Wicked End
Two Years Ago…
Plasma Frigate
Colress smiled slightly at the sound of the teleporter activating behind him. He could hear the new figure that had emerged from the device panting slightly, though they stepped forward, ready to confront him. It would be interesting to see where this would go.
They had landed in the Giant Chasm a few days ago, and Ghetsis had been insufferable in his musings. Revenge this, destroy Unova that...So short-sighted. Colress had much grander ideas in mind for this entire display. Kyurem was a fascinating subject, and the past few months and had shown him just how powerful the crueler methods of Neo Team Plasma were. However...there were still other avenues to be pursued before he could verify his hypothesis, and now his ever-so-helpful assistant had finally arrived to help him settle the debate once and for all.
Would he defeat Colress and go on to stop Ghetsis and his plans?
Or would the power of evil and cruelty truly be what allows Pokémon to unleash their true potential?
The scientist whirled around to see a familiar boy with messy brown hair, a blue jacket and white pants. His face was contorted in a fierce scowl as he glared up at Colress, before his face turned to confusion.
"You?" Nate murmured, taken aback as Colress grinned at him.
"Welcome!" Colress greeted the boy cheerily, putting a hand on his hip. "You must be so confused, Nate. Allow me to explain."
"I was asked by an acquaintance to help with his research. What I desire is to bring out the entirety in Pokémon potential!" Colress explained, looking down at Nate as his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "If I can accomplish that, well...I don't care what it takes!"
"You're their leader...You've been behind all of this!?" Nate demanded, anger creeping into his voice. "These assholes unleashed hell on Unova two years ago and you helped them do it again with a smile!? How could you?"
"Simple. I don't really care what happens to others, so long as I find the answers I'm looking for. Neo Team Plasma. Kyuem. And especially that bitter old man. All of them are a means to an end. That is how much I care about this. My entire life's goal will be realized tonight, my young friend." Colress replied to Nate's fury, but the boy took a step forward and threw a hand out, eyes blazing.
"How can you just ignore everything they're doing for the sake of your goals? They're hurting people! They're hurting Pokémon! You're a scientist, Colress. You can do so much good with what you can do...How can you justify what you've done?" Nate asked, genuinely confused that the helpful and friendly man that had assisted him several times over the course of his adventure had turned out to be the man leading Neo Team Plasma.
"In the pursuit of science, sometimes you must set aside what is right and wrong and focus on progress. This has always been easy for me, though perhaps this may be a personal problem with me." Colress shrugged, chuckling softly. "I may just be a bit of a sociopath. Ah well."
"Right and wrong? You killed people back at Opelucid City! You're torturing Kyurem right now! How is this the right way to find out their true potential?" Nate asked, gritting his teeth in fury at the scientist's reasoning. Colress' next words hit him like a punch to the gut.
"If it means the strength must be brought out by the interactions between Pokémon and Trainers, than so be it."
"If it means you have to use a merciless approach, like Team Plasma's, and force out all of the Pokémon's power, then so be it!"
"And yes, if the entire world is destroyed as a result…then so be it." Colress whispered, his grin becoming Cheshire with delight. A wild eagerness had taken hold of the man, as if the puzzle pieces to a lifelong problem had finally fallen into place now that Nate was here.
"That aside! The reason I have been traveling all over Unova and battling many Pokémon Trainers is because I was testing the viability of this approach to bringing out the full strength of Pokémon. In that respect, Nate, you've done an amazing job." Colress praised Nate, gesturing towards the furious teen. "I thank you, sincerely, for helping me."
"I'll stop you...I'm going to put an end to this! I'm going to save Kyurem!" Nate barked, drawing a Poké Ball and calling forth a massive Emboar that roared, releasing a small wave of flames as it swing its arms down.
"Excellent...Nate. Tell me if you have the answer I desire or not! If you're ready, come at me!" Colress yelled, throwing his arms aside and drawing a Poké Ball of his own, ready to clash with the prodigy child in this battle of ideals. Which would hold the greater truth?
Colress couldn't wait to find out.
Doctor Colress couldn't hold back a laugh as he felt his Metagross mentally link with him and his Klinklang, allowing him to issue commands via thought instead of calling them out. His palms hummed with deadly energy, even as Kennedy's ashes were swept up in the ocean breeze rushing past them.
"Open fire!" one of the Cipher Grunts yelled, jerking up his weapon and firing. Colress laughed even louder as his Metagross floated in front of him, its eyes glowing bright blue. The dozens of glinting bullets were stopped dead in their tracks, suspended by the powerful Iron Leg Pokémon, who dropped the useless bullets onto the ground with a clatter. Each of the Grunts were thrown backwards, their weapons flying into the air and snapping in half before dropping to the ground, useless.
"After everything Cipher has been through, it's astounding that you Grunts haven't learned by now. Never underestimate a Psychic-type with a bad streak." Colress said softly, his eyes glinting with malice as the four Grunts called out attacks. Streaks of flames raced towards the scientist and his Pokémon, who scattered at Colress' command.
"Thunderbolt! Meteor Mash!" Colress instructed his two Pokémon. Metagross floated off of the ground and soared towards a Magmar, slamming a glowing fist into the other Pokémon's face before suddenly unleashing a blast of energy at the nearby Rhydon. The beast roared in fury before slamming into Metagross, knocking it back.
Meanwhile, Klinklang was unleashing waves of electricity at the horde that was attacking it. While the Pokémon was strong, it was slowly being overwhelmed as it unleashed a massive Thunder on a snarling Shadow Kabutops that was lunging towards it, downing the Shadow Pokémon with a single strike. The Gear Pokémon suddenly cried out as a Fire Blast from a Flareon suddenly hit the Steel-type in the side, knocking it backwards with a groan. Colress' eyes widened in surprise as several fire attacks suddenly erupted towards his strongest Pokémon, smashing into his Klinklang and knocking it out.
"I miscalculated. You five were assembled together to take me out. Of course you're teams were designed to combat mine…" Colress realized, his smile fading away before he frowned. Most of his Pokémon were steel and Electric-type Pokémon, and almost all of the Pokémon battling him had the advantage against him.
"Very well. Then I'll have to take things up a notch." Colress thought as he drew out two Poké Balls, calling forth two more Pokémon. A massive moving puddle of rainbow sludge and a large red and white sphere. An Alolan Muk and an Electrode.
The children's eyes widened in horror as they saw the expression on the Electrode's face. It had a blank expression with absolutely no emotion, it's eyes twitching ever so slightly every so often. The air was distorting around it, as if an invisible aura were around it.
"Is...is that a…?" Sun trailed off, unsure if he was just seeing things. His suspicions were confirmed when Colress snapped his fingers and the Electrode let out a cry before its eyes glowed black and the Pokémon rolled forward, slamming into a Talonflame that was swooping low to hit them with a Flame Charge. The bird jerked back, crying out, before being put down with Psychic by Metagross, both of its wings snapping up and breaking with a awful snapping sound.
"Let me out of here!" Dusk the Absol suddenly said to Oliver, her expression frantic. "I need to go help Master Colress!"
Oliver hooted in reply, shaking his head, before the Absol lashed out. The attack knocked Oliver back and dispelled the shield. Dusk charged at the nearest Pokémon, which was the Shadow Venusaur that was randomly lashing out at everything near it, now that it and the Shadow Nidoking no longer had a Trainer.
"Protect!" Sun called to Oliver, who was panting in pain and bleeding from Dusk's Slash attack as he landed on the ground. Oliver nodded and threw up another shield while Penny flew down to the ground next to him, letting out a concerned chirp. Brago growled next to Sun as he sprayed Super Potion on his Starter.
"I can't believe this is happening…" Lillie whispered, watching Colress as his Pokémon frantically battling off the Cipher squad that was attacking all of his Pokémon at once. Again, Colress made no visible efforts to command his Pokémon, but every attack unleashed landed without fail, perfectly calculated by the genius and doing massive damage. Despite this, however, he was outnumbered heavily and his Pokémon weren't invincible. This was made evident when both his Shadow Electrode and Alolan Muk were knocked out and Colress was forced to return them.
Dusk leapt over to Colress' side even as the scientist called out a Porygon. Both Pokémon stood protectively in front of the scientist, even as the man's frown turned into a scowl. It was a terrible thing that made the children feel true fear.
Colress wasn't just annoyed. He was angry, and it was a horrifying thing.
"This isn't good...Captain's gone and this bastard's wiped out most of our teams." One of the Grunts hissed, standing behind a Shadow Durant and a Shadow Gloom.
"Doesn't matter. We can't let any of them know we're here. Not yet. Alola will fall, just like the others. Master Greevil is counting on us to succeed!" one of the other Grunts replied, turning to Colress. "We'll take you down or die trying, Doctor Colress!"
"Is that so? Well...I refuse to allow Cipher to hurt anyone else under my watch. I refuse to be manipulated again." Colress said, a smile made of permafrost forming on his face and a note of horrible, awful fury in his voice as he made a sharp gesture in the air. Porygon and Dusk leapt forward with savage cries while the battered Metagross groaned before floating into the air again.
Colress surprised everyone by suddenly hopping onto the top of his Metagross's head before it suddenly rushed forward with a loud roar as Colress held out his hands, firing two balls of crimson energy at the Cipher Grunts. One of the men had the sense to throw himself to the ground, but the other was too terrified to move and was struck in the throat. The man let out a strangled rasp as he fell, and within moments he was nothing but burning flakes.
"Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust." Colress remarked as Metagross' eyes glowed, lifting a Donphan into the air and sending it hurtling across the street and into the trees. It's Trainer yelled out before also being struck down by a crimson orb shot from Colress' other hand, obliterating him as well and filling the sky with red particles. Both of the remaining Grunts had expressions of horror on their faces, but they stood their ground.
"Shadow End! Shadow Wave!" the taller of the Grunts yelled to his Shadow Durant and Shadow Gloom. The Durant chittered furiously as it charged forward, a swirling aura of darkness around it as it slammed into Dusk, knocking her to the ground before Colress' Porygon blasted it with a Tri Attack, freezing the bug solid. Metagross then hurled the icy block backwards down the street with Psychic, shattering it and knocking the steel ant out cold. However, all three of Colress' Pokémon were hit with a tidal wave of darkness that Colress' himself wasn't' spared of.
The children all yelled out in distress as Colress was thrown off of Metagross and hit the ground with a howl of pain, clutching his chest. The scientist rolled onto his stomach and forced himself into a kneeling position, panting from the effort before Porygon and Dusk rushed the Shadow Gloom, knocking it out with a Slash and a Psybeam. Colress added injury to insult as he held out his left hand, which was stained red with his own blood now, and fired another ball of energy at the Grunt he had just defeated. The ball struck the man in the leg as he tried to jump away.
"So close...But now your life is at an end." Colress panted as he stumbled to his feet, a cruel grin on his face as he listened to the man howl in agony as his body began to burn away from his left foot upwards, leaving the man a writhing mess before he was nothing like his comrades.
Colress slowly turned to the final Grunt, who was standing beside a Shadow Golurk, looking scared beyond belief.
"I have defeated four of your comrades, and I believe you're down to your last Pokémon." Colress noted as the man suddenly pulled out a handgun and aimed it right at the scientist's head. Colress vanished right as the man fired his weapon. The Cipher Grunt growled in frustration, except for when Colress reappeared right behind him, grabbing the back of his head.
"Now...What to do with you?" Colress whispered as he tightened his grip on the Cipher Grunt's neck. Dusk shot out a Dark Pulse while Porygon fired a Shadow Ball at the Golurk, which roared in pain at the attacks. The Ground/Ghost-type Pokémon rushed forward, its fists glowing purple, before being struck down with Psychic and falling to the ground with a groan.
"N-no...How could this happen?" the Grunt whispered, eyeing the several knocked out Pokémon of his comrades, who were now dead at the hands of the man they were supposed to kill. Colress threw the man forward, sending him toppling to the ground. The Grunt rolled onto his back and threw his knife at Colress. The knife somehow bounced off of an invisible shield that had sprung up around the scientist when he hit a button on his arm. Colress chuckled softly as he raised both of his hands up, radiating a crimson glow with deadly purpose.
"You're companions are dead and you will join them, unless you tell me what I want to know." Colress said coldly, his smile as sharp as a knife. The Cipher Grunt gulped audibly and nodded slowly, knowing that the wrong answer would mean a painful end to him.
"Now, why did you five attempt to kill me? Kennedy was blinded by revenge, but I'd like to hear it from someone more neutral." Colress asked the man, tapping a button on his left data-pad.
"Grand Master Greevil ordered us to kill you. After everything you've done, it only made sense. You're the only real threat to us left since Aria and Wes are gone. Though I guess Aria's back now, so we've gotta find a way to get rid of her for good this time." The man explained, earning a surprised look from Colress.
"So you know she's alive and in the present again?" Colress asked sharply, earning another nod.
"Borlath...he had a contact from here tell him. I don't know who, I just know that he knows and told the Admins. I swear!" the Grunt yelled, fear making his voice crack.
Colress frowned deeply at that, obviously troubled, and so was Sun. If Cipher knew where Aria and the Snag Machine were, then they would probably return. And who knows what kind of destruction they'd unleash to get what they wanted. And on top of that, Sun and his mother would be in great danger should Cipher catch wind that this was where they were hiding out, if they didn't know already.
"Where is the base established here in Alola?" Colress asked, his eyes narrowing.
"It's on Ula'ula Island!" the Grunt replied, his voice breaking slightly.
"Where on the island?"
"I...uh…" the Grunt hesitated, and Colress sighed.
"Wrong answer." Colress said, sighing softly before he fired two blasts of energy through the chest of the Cipher Grunt, making him howl in agony before he dissolved into ashes and was blown away moments later by the seaside breeze. Colress hissed as both of his hands began to release red sparks. The scientist quickly removed his gloves and set them on the ground, sighing deeply.
"Overloaded the cells. Hmm...They did better than I hoped for prototypes. Still, they need work." Colress muttered before looking down at the fallen knife the Cipher Grunt had tried to throw at him.
"This is troubling. I wasn't expecting Cipher to make a move on Alola anytime soon. It has nothing they would want, save for some exotic Pokémon you couldn't find elsewhere. To think that they had set up a base of operations somewhere on Ula'ula Island is incredibly worrying. And they have fairly powerful Trainers at their disposal as well. I came far too close to defeat during this battle." Colress said aloud to himself, scowling as he examined his injured chest, which was still bleeding through his shirt. He'd have to alert the Kahunas about this mess. They couldn't let Cipher get a handhold in the region or else calamity would follow.
"It seems I have more work to do, alongside my pursuit of purifying Shadow Celebi." Colress remarked as he turned to his Metagross, Absol and Porygon. "Excellent work, you three. Thank you for your help."
All three Pokémon let out cries in response, with Porygon and Dusk affectionately nuzzling Colress. The man chuckled softly before returning his Porygon, and then turned to the children he had been protecting.
All three of them were taking the events that had just happened about as well as he expected them to. Mainly Sun and Lillie were having currently panic attacks and Hau was trying to calm them down, with no success. Lillie obviously was freaking out about the deaths of the Cipher Grunts while Sun was distressed about Cipher being there in general. Hau likely wasn't in a great state of mind after this either...So what to do?
"Metagross…" Colress thought at his Pokémon, who glanced at him. "Use Psychic on those children. Make them forget what just happened, if you would."
"It's going to be okay, you guys. Calm down." Hau said to Lillie, who was sitting on the ground, shaking in horror at what had just happened. Sun glared at Hau and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"This is NOT okay! Cipher knows where I'm at! They're going to come after me and Mom, Hau! Dad's going to kill her! Kill me! This is the exact opposite of okay! So stop saying that!" Sun screamed at his friend, who flinched in response.
"Dude, I'm just trying to…" Hau trailed off as his body glowed blue. The boy suddenly collapsed onto the ground, hitting his head rather hard on the ground.
"Ouch. I didn't mean for that to happen." Colress apologized as Hau began to float in midair, floating towards Colress. Sun and Lillie both stiffened as the Metagross' power began to influence them as well. Lillie passed out after a few moments, leaving Sun the lone child that was conscious.
"W-why?" Sun grunted, feeling his mind shudder as a coldness creeped through it. Colress smiled sadly at Sun, walking towards the boy and stopping a few feet short of where he was.
"Because you poor children have been through enough already. What I did to them shouldn't weigh down on anyone's conscience but my own. Now sleep." Colress said, his words gentle. Sun fell into sleep and darkness claimed him.
Gladion opened his eyes, sighing as his alarm went off. The teen rolled over and tapped his phone, shutting off the device before sitting up. He glanced around the dingy hotel room that had been his home for the past two years and sighed again.
"That alarm annoys me."
Gladion yelped and tumbled off of his bed in surprise at hearing his partner, Type: Null speak. The beast was lying down on the floor, watching his Trainer with faint amusement in its voice. Zubat was currently sitting on its head, chittering softly.
"Agh...shit." Gladion groaned, stumbling to his feet and rubbing his neck.
"You slept for a while. Are you okay?" Type: Null asked the teen as he finally stood up, stretching. The boy adjusted the sleeves on the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing and nodded.
"Yeah. You just startled me was all. We got back late, so…" Gladion shrugged and said, "We're going to be training today, so after some breakfast we'll head out."
"Good." Type: Null replied, nodding before lying back down on the ground. Despite his newfound gift of being able to speak to Gladion, Type: Null wasn't necessarily a very chatty Pokémon. But that was fine with Gladion, since he wasn't really a talkative person anyway.
Gladion quickly showered, got dressed and ate before throwing on a backpack. He recalled Zubat and gestured for Type: Null to follow him. He opened the front door and blinked in surprise, seeing a cluster of people waiting just outside the door, before slowly shutting the door in their faces.
"Null...Would you blame me if I just stayed in today?"
"I'd be disappointed. But I'd understand."
"I don't know how much longer I can deal with Team Skull. They're…" Gladion struggled for words, but thankfully Type: Null was there to finish the thought.
"Abhorrent. But necessary. You made your choice, Gladion. You're stuck with them for now." Type: Null replied as Gladion pressed his hands against his head, groaning in frustration.
"This is my day off from their crap. Why can't they leave me in peace?" Gladion asked Type: Null, who was probably going to reply when a loud voice behind the other side of the door answered for him.
"We just wanted to swing by and surprise you with something, but if you're going to be an ass, then we'll leave then!" Kayla barked, her voice thick with irritation. Gladion's curiosity was piqued and he opened the door, where Bone Unit 71 was waiting for him, as well as a new addition that caught Gladion completely off-guard and that he hadn't noticed at first.
"Heya! So this is where you stay, huh? Cool." Demi said cheerfully, grinning at Gladion. Gone was the bright sundress the girl had been wearing, and now she was adorned in the garb of Team Skull, mainly white shorts and a black tank-top. She wore the usual Team Skull accessories, though Gladion was surprised to see that she wasn't wearing the hat that most of Team Skull wore, with her hair instead done in two pigtails, with one being dyed blue and the other being dyed pink while the rest of her hair was jet black. Demi pulled up the face cover she had and said, "I think Team Skull is a good look for me. Not digging the pants, but hey, I can work with it."
"The pants? Really? That's your complaint about their uniform?" Axen asked, chuckling at the thought of it. Demi crossed her arms, grinning still.
"I'm used to dresses. It feels weird wearing pants after so long. But again, I'll work with it." Demi responded, laughing before she noticed the collar on Type: Null's neck.
"Oh wow, Null. Liking the new collar. It suits you." Demi said cheerily as she pet the monster on the head. Type: Null hummed in response, showing his pleasure at the compliment.
"Thank you." The beast replied, making Demi yelp in surprise and the rest of the Team Skull Grunts drop their hidden jaws in shock. Gladion couldn't help a small smirk at their surprise, but hid his enjoyment of their amazement after a few moments.
"I got a new toy for Null. Needless to say, it's helpful. And no, I can't get them for you all." Gladion explained as Bone Unit 71 looked at Gladion, earning several scoffs.
"I didn't want one anyway, yo." Kayla huffed, looking up at the Spearow on her shoulder. Type: Null stepped forward, eyeing the girl with narrowed eyes.
"You're lying." Type: Null stated, earning a glare from the girl. Kayla bent down until she was level with Type: Null, gritting her teeth.
"Oh really? And how would you know that, freak?" Kayla whispered, a cold smirk on her face. Gladion clenched his fists and stepped forward, ready to yell at her, but Type: Null's response was more than enough to put the young woman in her place.
"I can sense your heart rate. It's currently much faster now, which is one of many indications of someone lying. Your body posture and the slight redness of your face also indicate you're bluffing. You are jealous of Gladion." Type: Null accused Kayla, who jerked back as a fierce blush of embarrassment crept into her face.
"I...I will never be jealous of that emo prick, yo!" Kayla growled at Type: Null.
"Another lie."
"Busted." Kevin chuckled, putting his hands on his hips.
"S-shut your goddamn mouth, Kevin! At least I have my Pokémon still!" Kayla barked at the teen, who's eyes narrowed in anger. Gladion stepped in before the fight could escalate further.
"Wait, what happened to your Zubat?" Gladion asked. Kevin looked away, clenching his fists.
"When I ran into that Sun kid and his buddy, we were trying to steal a Drifloon. Some dumb hick named Hapu chased us down and battled us with that Sun guy, and she wrecked my Zubat. He...broke a wing and had some pretty bad internal injuries as well…" Kevin trailed off, closing his eyes. "Plumeria took Zubat and sent him away to some place where it could get help, so...I don't have him anymore. I don't have any Pokémon."
Gladion couldn't help the pang of pity for the Team Skull Grunt. No matter who you were, having a Pokémon that was that badly injured was nothing he'd wish on anyone. And since he had a Zubat, who had also dealt with a major injury once before, he was sympathetic to the young man's plight. Demi put a hand on Kevin's shoulder.
"We can help you catch another Pokémon to help you out until Zubat's okay again. How's that sound?" Demi asked the teen, who sighed and shrugged.
"Damn this shit got dark." Axen remarked, chuckling despite how tense the scene was. "About as dark as Gladion's room on a typical Friday night."
"Shut it. Why are you all here anyway?" Gladion asked them, hoping to get back to the point so they could leave him alone. Demi stepped away from Kevin and walked forward, grinning at him as she removed her face cover.
"Demi here got added to Bone Unit 71, since we found her. Well, you found her. Demi asked about where you were, I decided to show her where you lived so she can harass you at her leisure, and here we are." Kayla said with a small laugh, making Gladion scowl.
"You're the worst." Gladion grunted, crossing his arms while Type: Null laughed softly beside him.
"So, Gladion, you wanna come train with us? Figured the more people we can get in on this, the better." Axen said to the teen, crossing his arms.
"Train? With...you all?" Gladion stated, his tone deadpan. Team Skull hardly ever trained. They were too busy harassing people and thinking up schemes to ever put any thought into making themselves better. It was why Gladion had so little respect for them, on top of everything else they did. Guzma and Plumeria were the only ones besides himself who regularly trained within Team Skull. Not even the Bone Brothers bothered with it. That said, he did recall Bone Unit 71 going into the wilds and battling Pokémon every now and then, so maybe they had some shred of dignity as Pokémon Trainers. Maybe.
"Yep. Demi managed to beat fourteen of us with just one Pokémon before she got beat herself. She even beat me and Tim at the same time, yo. That shows she's got the makings of a true bone-hard gangster, ya know?" Axen replied, shrugging after a moment. "She suggested we train in our downtime, and after awhile she convinced us. Maybe we'd have more luck if we were stronger. She came up with the idea of asking you, since you're stronger than most of us. For now."
Gladion scoffed at the remark, knowing it'd be a cold day in hell before he lost to a Team Skull member. That said, he did need the training. He just hoped they would get off his back and let him train without too many problems. Gladion closed the door behind him and stepped out, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he replied. "I guess I'll join. But if you assholes start your crap, I'm leaving."
"Love you too, sweetheart." Axen remarked, flipping off Gladion as the boy stalked ahead of them, hunching his shoulders while Type: Null padded alongside him. Demi crossed her arms, thinking hard.
"You're wasting your time, Demi." Kevin said to the girl, who sighed.
"No, it's just...going to be harder than I thought." Demi responded, a fierce glint appearing in her eye. "Call me pushy, but I'm not going to let something like this continue! Especially not after everything you all told me about him."
"Whatever. Let's get going." Kayla grunted, walking after Gladion. Demi shrugged and walked after her, flanked by Tim, Axen, and Kevin.
Her life had been quite interesting over the past two weeks or so. She had gone from reluctant Trial-goer to member of Team Skull. And while she regretted that she had abandoned some of her friends in the process, she knew they were better off without her.
Upon arrival in Po Town, Demi had stayed at the decrepit Pokémon Center and stayed with Bone Unit 71. When Plumeria had arrived back to the town, Demi had to run the Gauntlet. Basically, battle as many Team Skull Grunts as she could back-to-back until she lost. She had managed to beat fourteen of them before Torch was knocked out, but that was certainly a lot more than any of them had expected. Plumeria recognized Demi's skill and inducted her into the group of outcasts, who welcomed her with cheers and yells.
And now…
"Now I'm going to make a change. For all of the kids who get forced onto this path. For all of the people whose lives got ruined because Alola can't move on from their traditions. And for Feya." Demi thought to herself, taking a slow, deep breath before exhaling slowly.
"I will protect Alola's future, even if I have to stand against the past and everything I once cared about. That is the path I walk. I'm a part of Team Skull now, and we'll fix Alola the hard way." Demi whispered, clenching her fists as she looked up at the beautiful sky overhead.
"Ah, you're waking up. Excellent."
Sun groaned as he tried to open his eyes, only for him to flinch and shut them again as harsh light blinded him. After a few moments, he strained his eyes open and found himself sitting down on the floor of a small bedroom of sorts with white walls and a clean sterilized feel to the room. Sun felt something on his shoulder and was surprised (and flustered), to find Lillie sleeping against him. Hau was still sleeping on the bed a short distance away, while Colress smiled at him from a nearby chair.
"You all slept for a while." Colress noted, earning a look of confusion from Sun.
"Slept? Weren't we on Route 8? What's going on?" Sun asked the scientist.
"Yes. You still are. We're currently in the mobile lab owned by the Aether Foundation, as well as a place I have long since commandeered for my own study. The Aether Foundation allowed this after I paid them a hefty price, but I still allow them to carry out their own work if they need to." Colress explained to Sun as he rose to his feet. Beside him, Lillie stirred and blearily woke up. She moved off of Sun and yawned before she noticed Sun beside her. The girl quickly pieced together what she had been sleeping on and scooted away from Sun with a squeak, blushing bright pink.
"Good morning." Sun replied with a small smile, amused at Lillie's embarrassment. She was all for being affectionate when they were alone, but when anyone else was nearby she was the most awkward person around him.
"G-good morning. Um, where are we?" Lillie asked. Colress explained what he had told Sun, to Lillie's horror.
Colress realized exactly why Lillie was freaking out again and said, "I disabled the cameras here, as well as the security systems. You're safe here."
"But how did we get here? I'm so confused. Last thing I remember was you giving Sun and Hau a TM and then...nothing." Lillie mumbled, putting a hand to her head.
"I do have to apologize for that, since it was my doing. It wasn't my intention and I wish I didn't have to do what I did, though." Colress said to Sun and Lillie, his smile fading.
"What...did you do?" Sun asked, confused.
"I had to have my Metagross carefully go into your memories and remove all traces of Cipher's attack just a few hours ago and the resulting battle that took place." Colress said to Sun, whose expression turned to one of absolute horror.
"Cipher...they're here." Sun whispered, looking down at the ground. Sun felt a hand on his shoulder looked up to see Lillie looking at him, silently offering him her support. Sun sighed and hung his head, trying to think of what to do.
"You said there was a battle that took place? Why did you have to remove our memories of the fight? I didn't even know that was possible." Lillie said to Colress, who smiled grimly.
"Lillie, my young friend, I am going to offer this warning to you and Sun." Colress said to the two children, who looked at Colress expectantly. "Never underestimate a Psychic-type Pokémon. They're capable of some of the most horrific things I've ever seen. Most of the deadliest Pokémon I've encountered were Psychic-types."
"Really?" Sun asked, surprised by this.
"Yes. Shadow Celebi, Avis the Xatu...Jojo." Colress shivered at the last one, earning a confused glance between Sun and Lillie. "The point is that, with a well-trained and very powerful Psychic-type, you can carefully alter the memories of another person. That is what I did to you three, because you all were incredibly distressed after I destroyed the squad that had been sent to kill me. You three shouldn't have to shoulder any more stress than you currently do. Especially after Captain Kennedy recognized Sun and threatened to bring him to his father."
"W-what...Kennedy? Why...how could he?" Sun whispered, thinking back to his interactions with the man. The right-hand man that had been under the employ of his father since before Sun was born. He had been a kind yet reserved man, who never refused to let Sun play with his Pokémon when his Dad was off elsewhere. He was a good man...How could he have turned to Cipher's darkness?
"Sun…" the boy looked at Colress and saw him giving the boy a sad look. "Perhaps I can shed some light on the how and why."
"You see, sometimes people are blinded by their own pursuits and goals in the attempt to reach a higher goal. They can convince themselves that the ends absolutely justify the means, no matter what. After someone does this, then...They're already within evil's grasp." Colress explained, smiling slightly.
"How do you know this?" Lillie asked the scientist.
"Because once upon a time, I had fallen victim to the same evil logic that has caused the world so much suffering. Team Aqua and Team Magma operated under the principle that all the wrong they were doing was justified so long as their goals were met. N also believed in that philosophy, allowing Team Plasma to wreak incredible destruction just to liberate Pokémon from humans after Ghetsis whispered lies in his ears for the child's entire life."
"I was consumed with my curiosity and my research. I was content to allow the entire world to fall into ruin at the hands of Ghetsis just to find my answers. I didn't care, because the ends justified the means." Colress explained, crossing his arms. Lillie and Sun remained silent, trying to process this. Colress continued, closing his eyes.
"I am a man of science. I was gifted with an intellect that far surpasses even the greatest of the Pokémon Professors of the world. I can revolutionize whatever I set my mind to, but no matter what I did...a single question kept coming back to me. The true potential of Pokémon...where does it lie? With Trainers or on their own? Through cruelty or love? That question drove the events of the uprising of Neo Team Plasma, until I was taught some sense by a child who bested me in combat." Colress said, a faint smile on his face.
"He taught me that the path of love and trust with Pokémon truly brings out the best results when commanding them. I dissolved Neo Team Plasma shortly after the events of the Giant Chasm, convinced that there were other roads to walk to find my answers." Colress concluded, though his smile faded.
"However, one point remains. I did not stop what I did out of the goodness of my heart. I stopped because I would not achieve my goals going the path of Team Plasma, so I decided on another route. And while I wish I had not caused so much needless death and destruction, I can't bring myself to care." Colress admitted, though Lillie spoke up.
"What do you mean? Of course you care! You've told me that you work so hard with your science to redeem yourself after what you've done! You've helped so many people." Lillie said to Colress, who shook his head.
"I have, Lillie. But I have hurt countless others. And I don't care. I walk a similar road that Amber Fontaine walks, though I still know the difference between right and wrong and don't wish harm on the innocent. The road of the atoner allows me to live a better life than the road of the monster, something Amber regrets from time to time based on our last conversation." Colress remarked, adding a few moments later. "I'm just apathetic, Lillie. It's a major problem with me that I am trying to solve, but it's slow going. I wish to solve this weakness and become a better person so I can care."
"The problem of you not caring?" Sun asked.
"The problem of being emotionally dulled to the point of being able to slaughter five men and not bat an eye. I enjoyed killing them, because Cipher has caused me and my allies suffering in the past. But I shouldn't be like that...I'm trying to become a better person." Colress responded, offering the children a somber smile.
"Is that why you helped Wes and Aria, back when Cipher was appearing in Unova? To start on your path to redemption by doing the right thing?" Sun asked Colress, who shrugged.
"It started that way, but quickly became personal after the first time Amber attacked me. After the Nimbasa City incident, I fled from Unova and went to Kalos, where I began studying Zygarde. After all, the best way to deal with a Legendary Dragon like Kyurem is with another Legendary dragon. Along the way I met Dusk, and that was when I got an idea." Colress explained to the two children, who were listening intently.
"Pokémon are special creatures with incredible powers, and are able to change the lives of those they interact with. As I had learned at the Giant Chasm, they truly grow in response to love and trust. The same must apply to humans as well. After all, my Pokémon had fallen to Nate's not just because I had failed to foster a strong relationship with them, but because I myself was weaker emotionally than that brave young man who defeated me."
"I decided when I met Dusk, wounded and abandoned by her former Trainer, to use her to try and develop a proper relationship with a Pokémon. Of trust and compassion. And I've found that to an extent, I have succeeded. But I have a long way to go...But I'm okay with that. After all, if I am going to discover the way to bring out the greatest potential in Pokémon, shouldn't I work on bringing out my own potential?" Colress asked the two children, who both nodded.
"I believe in you, Doctor Colress. I know you can better yourself and start truly caring about things." Lillie said to the scientist, who smiled at the girl.
"Thank you, Lillie. However, I do enjoy being on the side of good, all things considered. The company I keep is entertaining and feel as though the benefits of helping them will make the world a better place, which is where I've directed my efforts since I abolished Neo Team Plasma." Colress replied, though Sun spoke up.
"Even if you're still having problems with the whole caring thing, I think it's good that you care enough to want to change. To better yourself. That shows you're a lot better than most of those others villains out there." Sun said to Colress, making the man blink in surprise. "You're not a good person, not after what you've done. But you're not a bad person either. You offered to help Lillie, and you've saved our lives on more than one occasion. You're helping people and Pokémon, and you do a great job in whatever you do. I think if you stay on this path, you'll become the person you wish to be and find your true potential."
Colress seemed speechless, and looked away from the children, deep in thought. After a few minutes of silence, the man chuckled softly and turned back to them, smiling now.
"Maybe so. We'll see, won't we?" Colress said, his normal amused tone back. Lillie nodded happily, but Sun had questions for the man.
"What do we do now? Cipher knows where I am and knows that we're hiding out here? What's to stop Dad from coming here and killing us?" Sun asked Colress.
"I wouldn't worry about that. Kennedy showed surprise and indicated that he had no idea you were here, showing Cipher doesn't know where you and your mother are hiding. Given that I killed all five members of the group and none had a chance to report in, I imagine you and your mother are safe for now. However, I'd advise extreme caution from this point forward. They're here. And should they find you once again, you should be ready to fight for your life." Colress warned Sun, who nodded slowly.
"I'll have a conversation with the others about this, as well as be keeping an eye on things. That said, I will be at the Aether Paradise quite a bit, working on purifying Celebi. So my attention will be divided. I expect the Kahuna's and our friends will be making sure that Cipher does not expand their efforts here." Colress explained to the two children, walking over to a large white box to the side of the room.
"Now, in order to ensure silence, because I did just technically murder five people and that sort of thing is frowned upon in most societies, I'm going to give you a gift, Sun." Colress said as he opened the box, pulling out a black collar.
"Is that one of your translation collars?" Sun asked the scientist, receiving a nod.
"Yes. I've decided to entrust these to you and Hau in exchange for silence. I wouldn't want the gruesome details of what's happened to get out. I'm already enough of a liability without people knowing I can create devices that can reduce them to nothingness." Colress explained to the two children, who both nodded.
"Wait a sec, are you bribing us?" Sun asked the man.
"I'd like to call it a business transaction. A piece of revolutionary technology, in exchange for not mentioning the casual murder I committed a short while ago to anyone you meet."
"So...bribery. Got it."
"Wait, what do I get?" Lillie asked, confused.
"Well, I'd offer to give you a collar for Cosmog, but I haven't managed to get one that works on Nebby. Maybe after some fine-tuning I can manage it, but for now you'll have to go without." Colress said with an apologetic smile. It was at that time Hau suddenly rolled off of the bed he was on and fell onto the floor with a yelp. The boy scrambled to his feet, panting before he fell back on the bed.
"Uggh...My head." Hau groaned, putting a hand on his head.
"My apologies, Hau. You hit your head when my Metagross knocked you out. I treated your head the best that I could, but I'm not professional and I don't have access to a Pokémon with Heal Pulse and the knowledge to heal human injuries." Colress said to Hau, who just shrugged.
"It's all good. So what did I miss?" Hau asked, but Sun quickly spoke up.
"That's it? Colress explains that he had to knock you out and you just...accept that?"
"Sun...I honestly just roll with it. This is definitely not the weirdest thing to happen me. That honor goes to what happened on Route 3. Definitely weirder than this. Especially since Sun's not covered in honey, there's not a horde of Yungoos dancing to show-tunes, and Lillie isn't wearing cat ears and laughing at me." Hau remarked, earning an confused look from Colress.
"Wait...what?" Colress asked, but Hau shook his head.
"Yeah, I don't like talking about it. I couldn't sit properly for a whole week, and I don't think I can ever look at pancakes the same way again." Hau remarked, earning a sigh from Sun and a giggle from Lillie. Colress shook his head, giving on trying to figure out what was going on just then.
"Anyways, let's just move forward here. I'll be contacting the proper people and deal with this startling bit of information as soon as possible. Lillie, I've taken the liberty of calling Kukui already. He'll be here shortly to take you back to the lab, since we've moved Shadow Celebi and the Aether Foundation has no reason to be there again. Kukui's worried that it may not be as safe as he thought for you out in the wilds." Colress said to the girl, who slowly nodded.
"I...understand." Lillie said quietly, nodding. Sun frowned at that, having enjoyed spending time with his friend. But he understood why she needed to go, at least for now. Things weren't really safe anywhere, but at least they could count on Professor Kukui and Burnet to protect her.
"Now that we've got that out of the way, let's try out these collars!" Hau said excitedly as he walked over to Colress, grabbing a few of them and throwing three to Sun. The boy yelped as one hit him in the face and the other hit him in the stomach. Lillie actually managed to catch the last one, since Hau's aim was off.
"You suck, dude."
"Hehehehe..."
Sun called out all of his Pokémon and replaced the current Attachment Collars with the TACV's, allowing each of them to speak to the humans with no problems.
"So, now I can talk to you all?" Sun asked as each of the collars hummed and beeped for a moment.
"Give the device a moment. It's deciding on a voice for them." Colress said with a chuckle, though he was inwardly hoping that this bribe and erasing the children's memories would be enough for them to not mention what happened earlier to anyone. Especially authority figures.
Sure enough, the devices stopped beeping and Sun re-attached the Held Items onto each of the Pokémon, though he swapped Brago's Amulet Coin for a Firium Z and gave Penny the Amulet Coin instead. Sun took a step back and looked at his trio of Pokémon, grinning at them.
"So...how does this work?" Penny asked, only to jerk back as she heard her own 'voice'. "What the...so weird."
"You're telling me." Oliver muttered, preening slightly before looking back up to Sun. "So I guess I can't get away with calling you mean names anymore, can I Sun?"
"You call me names?" Sun asked, surprised.
"I do it because I care." Oliver answered, though the smile he wore indicated that this wasn't entirely true.
"None of them are pleasant. Then again, not much about Oliver is pleasant." Brago remarked with a laugh, earning a nasty look from the Dartrix.
"See, I'm not the only one who thinks so!" Hau whooped, clearly happy about this. Oliver rotated his head and casually threw a blade quill at the boy, who threw himself to the ground to dodge it.
"No one asked for your opinion, shithead." Oliver chirped at the other boy. Oliver rotated his head back around to see Sun's shocked face.
"Did you just swear?" Sun asked, bewildered by this.
"Yes, yes I did. And I know that it's not polite to say things like that, but that kid has gotten on my nerves since the day I met him. Waaay too cheerful. This world is a mess, you've gone through unimaginable suffering, the this idiot still finds it possible to brush aside all problems like they're nothing." Oliver muttered darkly as Hau got to his feet.
"He's not...entirely wrong there." Penny stated after a moment, though she added. "Me and Brago have no problem with Hau though, Trainer."
"Right. That's Oliver's fight to pick." Brago remarked, offering Sun a grin.
"I stand by what I said." Oliver replied, preening one of his wings.
"That's still not a nice thing to say about Hau, Oliver." Lillie said to the bird, who shrugged.
"I know that, Miss Lillie. Not going to apologize for it. If anything, it's the Master Kahuna's fault for teaching me all those bad words in the first place." Oliver responded, once again shocking everyone present.
"You...learned how to talk like that from Tutu?" Hau asked, earning another look from Oliver.
"Do you have rocks in your ears? Yes! He and that Professor of yours have such vulgar vocabulary. Most of the Pokémon raised by the Kahuna talk like this. I'm hardly unique in that regard." Oliver responded, sounding amused at the collective surprise of the humans.
"Hau, would you blame me if I called my Mom and told her the Kahuna taught my Pokémon bad words? If anyone deserves a kick to the balls right now, it's him for teaching Oliver how to swear." Sun asked the boy, whose eyes widened in horror. The boy didn't respond, except by calling out his Brionne, Cassy. Hau quickly attached a TACV to the Brionne and knelt down to her.
"Cassy, that collar allows me to understand you. That established, I have a question for you. Did you learn any bad words because of Tutu's swearing back home?" Hau asked his Starter, earning a sheepish expression from the Pop Star Pokémon.
"Umm...I...Y-yeah, kind of." Cassy said evasively, looking away from her Trainer. Colress and Lillie couldn't help but laugh as Hau face-palmed, falling to his knees. Sun just shook his head and pulled out his phone to inform his mother about this latest development and to let her know he was alright. He was also intent on having a discussion with Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala about their language around impressionable young Pokémon.
Boosh. There we go.
Now that Sun's team has the TACV's, they'll regularly be able to speak from here on in. Pokémon speech that's translated or communicated via telepathy is going to be in italics, as done before.
Next chapter involves a very interesting battle and a very interesting reunion. Stay tuned!
Q&A
From: operettaoceanic
What happens if Kennedy's still alivelike teleport with a Kadabra) Will he tell 'Ash' that Sun is in Alola? And will he kill Sun's mother?
Kennedy was killed, along with the rest of the team that encountered Sun, so no, he won't be telling anyone anything. The Kadabra was knocked out as well, though I didn't mention it. And if Ash did find out about where Sun's mother was hiding...I don't even think he knows if he'd kill her outright should the moment come.
From: Sai Og Sus
Does it really matter that Kennedy's related to Sun considering how small his contribution to the plot? I mean, you can give his role to a random Cipher and it will still be the same. We still get to see Colress losing his tolerance.
That was honestly my bad. Kennedy was meant to have been introduced about ten chapters ago, instead of like two, but in the mess of Tech School and everything else going on for me it just slipped my mind until recently that he was going to be in the first Cipher group Sun encountered. He'll be fleshed out a bit more in flashbacks, but he's dead, so it's mainly just for the sake of backstory and character-building.
And it couldn't have been given to another Grunt because not all of the Cipher Grunts know Sun. Cipher wasn't actively known to be in Kanto until Celadon City was attacked.
However, the Admins know who he is and a few of the Grunts and other leading officials in Cipher know about Sun, which is why Kennedy was needed in last chapter. To show the very real danger Sun and Laura are in should Cipher find out where they are.
Also, I wanted to bring up a very interesting idea that not many seem to think about. As far as we know, Colress got off scot-free back in Unova. Now, I've rectified that in my own canon, but there were definitely some real consequences of his actions and I wanted to explore that. And it wasn't so much as him losing his tolerance as it was eliminating a threat.
That's all for now, folks. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because it was certainly a fun one to do. Please show your support with a favorite, follow and/or favorite! It takes just a moment and seriously means the world to me to see how much people enjoy my work.
Take care and stay awesome.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
