Pokémon Radiant Sun
So, that Nuzlocke I've been doing. An interesting turn of events on Poni Island resulted in my losing three of my main team, after losing another one of my Pokémon to Faba at the Aether Paradise. Basically I was stuck with one decently-levelled Jolteon and nothing else, so I've been grinding like crazy and had to backtrack to other areas I hadn't been to so I could hopefully catch more stuff.
That said, this Nuzlocke had taught me many things about Sun and Moon.
For one thing, you can apparently get an Electrizer on Poni Island. I did not know this, and that annoys me because I seriously wanted Sun to have an Electivire on his team early on when I was still hashing out his team. Sadly, I'm committed to my current choice and I'm already too attached to a certain character to change my mind. Just wouldn't work out by just slapping that personality on another Pokémon.
Also, Drifblim and Mudsdale are awesome. I wish I had known this as well, because well...see reasons above. That said, I wouldn't have gone with Drifblim anyway because it shares types with Sun's existing Pokémon and that doesn't work out.
Currently grinding before the Grand Trial with Hapu, since I'm not going to risk losing anymore Pokémon and I've had bad luck on the final stretch of the game already. Just going to play it safe.
Current Team:
Kaha the Jolteon
Tetra the Garchomp
Brock the Nosepass
Hyu the Starmie
Ginny the Granbull
Dino the Aerodactyl
Anyways, back to the plot. Exciting things are happening and continue to happen! I could've had this out yesterday, but several days of sleep deprivation hit me at once and I literally slept all day Friday. So...my bad.
I hammered out about 10,000 words of this over the course of Saturday and Sunday, so let's see how it goes!
Shoutout those who reviewed since the last update, which includes RC-DA, TheOneWhoSaysMeep, Sai Og Sus, Ultimate blazer, Angelfir3, BraviaryScout, SpoonyAzul, Okamiden14, operettaoceanic, and two new reviewers known as Alex TF and SomeCallItKye. Thank you all so much for the support and feedback.
Special shoutout to my friend (and fellow member of the Freelancer Collaboration) SpoonyAzul for being lucky review number 800! Thank you for being a soundboard for when I need some feedback on crazy ideas and for being a good sport when I taunt you about all the tragedy that happens in this story. It's crazy how much this story continues to grow week by week, and the fact that we're only 192 reviews away from hitting 1,000 is absurd. Let's keep the good times rolling!
And another thank you to those who responded to me in regards to last chapter's remarks in the AN regarding some of the recent reviews I've gotten. Seriously, the support means so much more to me than I can express. My job isn't easy by any means, and after a hard week and struggling to get chapters out on a schedule as good as the one that I have, it's frustrating seeing some of the reviews I tend to get. Those who tend to leave those kind of reviews apologized this go around, which I thank you for, though honestly there's nothing to apologize about because you were just doing your thing as a reader. That said, I will apologize for reacting in such a dramatic fashion, and I thank everyone who's responded with patience and understanding.
Also, I finally made a decision regarding Hau and Gladion's teams in this story. What I decided...Well, you'll find out and see. But I'll answer the unspoken question with an answer…
A combination of both.
For the first section regarding the battle, I highly recommend having the extended version of the theme "Black Powder" playing in the background (from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep). Helps set the mood and it's what I have playing in the background as I wrote this scene.
Also, again, "All Things Must Die" is sung by Casey Lee Williams and composed and written by Jeff Williams. It's played again in this chapter, starting off from where it stopped last chapter. And I'm aware that the inclusion of music and lyrics during a scene like this does break off the flow, but ever since I decided on doing this scene, I couldn't not listen to this song while it happened so...Here we are.
Enjoy.
Chapter 66: Kingslayer Part 2
The wind began to howl as the Trainers on the stage glared each other down. The Admins of Cipher and Team Rocket knew that even with their considerable forces and the Legendaries at their beck and call…
Now it seemed the equalizers had arrived for their enemies. A Champion they could handle.
But two of the greatest Trainers of all time...the two youngest Champions in recorded history?
Not as simple.
"U-Umbral Noivern! Put them down! Umbral Rend!" Greevil practically screeched, clenching his fists and throwing out a hand as the corrupted dragon roared in fury, flaring out its wings as its claws began to burn with darkness.
"I'll start this off. Pidegot, stop it with Mirror Move!" Blue barked as Pidgeot rushed forward to meet the haunted beast, its own talons beginning to burn with darkness. Pidgeot winced in pain at even copying the Umbral Move, but the effect was achieved nevertheless, as both attacks clashed and managed to cancel the other out, both beasts being sent flying backwards as a powerful force washed over everyone and stage and sent them stumbling back.
"That thing's strong. Red, you ready for this?" Blue asked his best friend, who just replied with a nod.
"Dragon Pulse!" Greevil yelled out, before turning to the others with him. "Help me, you idiots!"
"Naturally. Me and that brat have unfinished business." Giovanni growled in reply, calling out a Rhyperior and a Kangaskhan to back up his Persian. He then addressed Red and said, "It's been a long time, boy. I've returned to make good on my promise. And with it, end your miserable life like I should have over a decade ago!"
Red, to his credit, didn't really seem to register the furious words of Giovanni. However, the kingpin did see the young man's expression shift slightly, one of the very few times he showed emotion. And what Giovanni saw made his blood boil.
Red was smirking, ever so slightly, in amusement. With one finger, he silently curled his pointer finger inward towards Giovanni, the message he was sending towards the mastermind behind Team Rocket as clear as day.
Come and get me.
"Hyper Beam! All three at once!" Giovanni bellowed, with all three of his Pokémon charging up flickering black orbs of energy that erupted outwards towards the man. Red barely even registered that the three deadly beams were rushing towards him, instead he just snapped his fingers and the stage in front of him exploded in a shower of water and earth, a glimmering shield appearing around Red, Pikachu, Charizard and the newly arrived Blastoise that had come to protect his Trainer. The three attacks struck the shield with incredible force that actually created a shiver through the stadium due to the power behind them. But the shield held firm, with Red crossing his arms as Giovanni's Pokémon poured more and more power into the attack, seemingly asking the criminal leader if this was the best he could do.
Sadly for Giovanni, his three Pokémon had to take a moment to release the attack and recharge their energy, such was the price of using one of the deadliest attacks known to Pokémon. Red threw out his hand and his Pikachu leapt into air, electricity dancing from its cheeks as the Mouse Pokémon prepared to attack.
"Pii...kaaa….chuuu!" the small Pokémon screamed as a literal storm of lightning hurtled towards Giovanni and his trio of Pokémon. Kangaskhan and Persian screeched in agony as the attack surged through them, dropping them both to the ground. Rhyperior snorted as it began to recover from using Hyper Beam, stomping forward.
"Rock Blast!" Giovanni roared, returning his fainted Pokémon and glaring down Red. The Rhyperior held out its arms began to fire raw chunks of rock at the Pikachu as it landed on the ground. Red snapped his fingers and the speedy mouse darted to the side to dodge the gunfire-like attack, with Giovanni's scowl becoming more and more pronounced.
"Stone Edge!" Giovanni bellowed, clenching his fists hard enough to draw blood on his palm. Rhyperior roared in response, throwing its arms upward and causing blue pillars of rock to jut upwards. Red's eyes widened as he threw himself to the side, barely avoiding being impaled by the attack as his Charizard and Blastoise were bashed by the rocks and Pikachu was knocked skyward with a cry. Red got to his feet and adjusted his hat before he looked up at his Pikachu.
Giovanni grit his teeth as he saw that Red wasn't even remotely thrown off by the attack. Instead, Red punched forward silently, and Pikachu suddenly dove down towards Rhyperior with a glowing tail, spinning several times through the air before bringing it down like a sword into the side of Rhyperior's head. The Drill Pokémon stumbled to the side before collapsing onto the ground, a trail of blackish blood dripping from its skull from being hit with such a powerful Iron Tail.
"With...just one attack…" Giovanni spat, clenching his fists. Red held out his arm as Pikachu jumped back to his shoulder. Red and Giovanni stared at each other for a time on the stage before Red looked over at Blue, who was battling Greevil with his Arcanine, Pidgeot, and Exeggutor.
"You think I'll be stopped now!? At the night of our greatest triumph! Never!" Greevil snarled as Umbral Noivern dodged a burst of flames and swooped down, slashing outwards with its wings and leaving deep slashes in Blue's Exeggutor as it prepared to use Psychic. The Coconut Pokémon toppled to the ground with a scream of pain, darkness and greenish fluid pouring from the side of the Pokémon. Blue sprinted forward and returned his fallen Pokémon, a scowl of hate on his face as Greevil cackled with glee as Umbral Noivern roared and released a ball of darkness at his Pidgeot, which the bird dodged by descending through the air.
Aria grinned ferally as Venus and Dakim squared off against her, though the Snagger found herself backed up by Zoey and Lance, with the Champion being flanked by his loyal Dragonite.
"Been awhile since we met, sir." Aria said quietly, with Lance smiling thinly at the remark.
"It has. We'll need to have a discussion about the whole time-travel thing someday." Lance said before his smile faded, the man throwing out an arm. "For now, we fight! Red and Blue will handle Greevil. We must ensure no one stops them from bringing that man down!"
"Sorry, but no can do!"
Lance whirled around in time to see Dawson kicking him in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground. Aria aimed a punch at the man but that was dodged easily by the mercenary, who leapt back and took aim with his pistol before quickly moving his arm and firing at the Dragonite looming behind him. The Dragon Pokémon roared in agony as a chunk of its stomach was obliterated away, leaving a bleeding charred mess that made the beast double over, only for it to be suddenly hit by a massive gout of fire and ice that made it scream in pain.
"Jace, back us up!" Zoey yelled out as her Blaziken rushed forward to engage the trio of Shadow golems, who were raring to go once more. Aria watched the display for a moment, taking stock of the battle. Cipher and Team Rocket had done an incredible job of ensuring none of the Gym Leaders or International Police could interfere on-stage, and with Shadow Articuno and Shadow Zapdos now circling overhead, it meant they were on their own.
"They're idiots...But they want this to go down one specific way. With all the major players battling it out with no interference. And I'm gonna make sure we stand tall at the end." Aria thought before she unclipped a Poké Ball and held it out.
"Sophie! Thunderbolt!" Aria yelled out as she called out her Jolteon, who landed on the ground and fired off a bolt of lightning as Shadow Regirock, who groaned in pain and shuddered for a moment before suddenly being knocked to the ground with a Hyper Beam from Dragonite, which succeeded in making Venus and Dakim back off and dealing massive damage to the other two members of the corrupted Regi Trio. The beast turned its hateful attention to Dawson who had fired at it again, this time blowing a chunk off of the arm the beast was attempting to crush the man with as it swung around. This wasn't helped when a Hyper Beam and an Ice Beam slammed into the Dragon Pokémon and sent the Dragonite toppling to the ground.
"No!" Lance screamed, lunging at Dawson and jamming a fist into the man's throat. Dawson stumbled back with a croak before whipping out his sickle and slamming it into Lance's chest, making the man's eyes widen in pain before Dawson ripped the blade free in a spray of crimson kicked him to the ground, where he fell and went limp as blood flowed from the wound.
"Champion Lance!" Zoey yelled out, rushing forward in horror. Dawson raised his pistol to shoot her as well, but he was cut off when a sniper round blasted the gun from his hand and make the merc yelp in pain.
"Zoey, get the Champion to a medic!" Oliver barked out to the singer, who nodded. Oliver kept his rifle trained on Dawson, who was smirking slightly. Aria stepped in front of them as she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Sebastian, come out and use Heal Pulse!" Aria commanded as she tossed the Poké Ball into the air. It exploded and a shower of light erupted forth, coalescing into a grinning Lucario standing before her, wearing a familiar black collar around his neck.
"We've cover you. Aegislash, Braviary! Let's go!" Oliver barked out as he called out two of his Pokémon to battle Venus and Dakim alongside Zoey. Due to the size of the stage and the amount of chaos already going on, pretty much everyone was relegated to using only one or two Pokémon at once.
"Gotcha! Guessing I help this guy out?" Sebastian asked as he knelt down to Lance and his palms began to glow. Lance's Dragonite twitched and shuddered beside them, letting out a small cry as it saw how badly injured his Trainer was.
"We'll protect you, Seb. Just keep up the healing." Aria said as she stepped forward, only for a very familiar face to teleport in a few meters front of her with an Xatu standing at their side.
"Amber…" Aria growled, clenching her fists.
Amber Fontaine didn't reply right away, instead taking a moment to admire Dawson's handiwork of bringing down the Champion and his prized Pokémon thanks to the combined efforts of the Admins Dakim and Venus. Even if they weren't particularly powerful, the Regi Trio were still considerable forces when used properly. Avis vanished from Amber's side as the woman finally looked at Aria.
"I don't know how you survived getting thrown through time. But I guess that doesn't matter now. I finally get to kill you myself." Amber said softly, a murderous smile coming to her lips.
"You think you can pull that off?" Aria asked, gesturing to the woman's cast. "You look like you need a hand. And an arm."
Amber's smile slipped from her face while Dawson snickered behind her. The assassin didn't even bother replying but instead turned her attention to the stands where the sound of screams could be heard, followed by flames exploding across the stands and incinerating a squad of International Police. Aria whirled around in horror before looking back at Amber, who was chuckling soullessly at the grisly sight.
"Looks like Damien is clearing out the stands...Didn't know he got sent ahead. That thing scares me sometimes." Dawson said with a shudder as he saw a blast of energy suddenly erupt from the stands, hitting two International Police agents and their Pokémon as they tried to rush the stage and attack Greevil as he battled with Blue with a horrifically brutal showcase of battling, though it looked like Red was waiting for a point to where he could jump into the fray himself.
"Good. Then let's even the odds. I'll battle, you watch my back." Amber said to Dawson as Avis flickered into existence beside her.
"Thunderbolt!" Aria barked out, with Sophie responding with a barrage of lightning. Amber leapt forward and did a one-armed handspring to dodge the attack before getting thrown through the air with Psychic by Avis, who fired a Shadow Ball at Sophie. The Jolteon dodged before quickly forming an orb of blue electricity in her mouth and firing a bolt of lightning at Avis. The Xatu teleported to the right to dodge, only for the Shock Wave attack to suddenly veer off towards her and shock the daylights out of the Mystic Pokémon due to the fact that Shock Wave never missed.
Aria barely avoided the brutal mid-air kick from Amber as the woman dropped to the ground, grinning sadistically as Aria swung out her hand, a black blade springing from the Snag Machine. Aria rushed at Amber and swung a fist at her, but Cipher's Angel of Death was too quick and dodged the stab and grabbed Aria's arm with her only good arm, kicking the Snagger hard in the chest and sending her crashing to the ground. Aria rolled to her feet and charged at Amber again, with the two woman exchanging a handful of furious blows that were interrupted when Amber was hit with a bolt of electricity that made her shout out in pain, making her body seize up.
Aria rushed forward, attempting to stab the woman, only to be thrown back by a blast of Psychic as Avis teleported in front of her shouting, "No!"
The Snagger crashed onto the stage and painfully got to her feet, wincing as her leg throbbed with pain. Sophie began firing more Shock Waves at Avis, who to her horror couldn't dodge them with ease and had to keep using Protect to block, though due to the frequency she was using it was failing as often as it worked. Amber rose to her feet panting, her face contorted into a terrible scowl.
"I despise being in this situation. When I can use my arm again, I'm going to have so much fun." Amber hissed as she pulled off a Poké Ball from her belt that had a glowing purple crack down the side. "Umbral Rhyperior! Go!"
"What!? You...oh god, you have an Umbral Pokémon." Aria whispered, taking a step back in horror. Flashbacks of a certain psychotic Hypno came to mind as Amber grinned evilly at Aria, the Rhyperior appearing in a flash of darkness from the Poké Ball with a scream of agony and fury.
"After some field-testing, I've managed to uncover some attacks that it can use without having to recharge. Rhyperior! Umbral Smash!"
The beast charged towards Aria as its arms began to burn with darkness, but was waylaid by Lucario leaping at the beast and punching it with glowing palms and savage screams. Umbral Rhyperior swiped at Sebastian, but the Lucario leapt to the side and began hurling Aura Spheres at the beast, making it roar in response. Avis appeared over the battle with a cry, sending a Shadow Ball at the Lucario and knocking him away before getting zapped by Sophie as she rushed over to fight.
"So, the time has come for me to confront the Snagger! How exciting!" came a voice from the side. Aria whirled around and saw the Masked Admin standing side-by-side with a strange four-legged monster that looked very well-armored, with a wave of heat radiating from the beast as well as a shadowy cloak around it. Aria dug into her pocket and pulled out a Pokédex, which booted up and scanned the Pokémon.
"National Pokédex scanning...Entry found in Sinnoh Pokédex." The device stated after a moment, booting up an image of the Pokémon in question.
"Heatran. The Lava Dome Pokémon. It dwells in volcanic caves. It digs in with its cross-shaped feet to crawl on ceilings and walls. Boiling blood, like magma, circulates through its body." the Pokédex intoned, with Aria looking up in surprise at the man.
"I thought you were in my old home. Well, no matter. Shadow Heatran will put you in your place." The Admin remarked lightly, with Aria noticing that his accent was very similar to that of Professor Kukui's and Hau's.
"You're Alolan...Doesn't matter. We're putting you all down tonight!" Aria barked as she glanced back at her Lucario and Jolteon as they fought off Umbral Rhyperior and Avis, but were faring badly as the Xatu kept teleporting and throwing Shadow Balls at the pair, and it was only a matter of time before Rhyperior managed to hit one of them...
As if on cue, Umbral Rhyperior suddenly stepped forward and backhanded Sebastian with a glowing arm, sending the Lucario rocketing backwards and crashing into a steel post, dropping him to the ground and knocking him out. Aria stepped forward with a cry of horror, but then whirled around and saw that the man was ordering an attack.
"Heatran! Shadow Rave!" the Masked Admin barked, throwing out a hand as the Sinnohan Legendary snarled, stomping down its feet as a shadowy aura rushed forward and pooled in front of the beast. Then, a barrage of black spikes flew from the portal and soared towards Aria, who leapt to the side to dodge the barrage and rolled to her feet, throwing out her arm and extending a hand out and aiming the blade within the Snag Machine at the Admin, scowling at him.
"Oh? And what's that supposed to do?" the Admin asked, tilting his head slightly. In response, Aria clenched her fist and the blade shot towards the Admin, who swore and hit the ground, allowing Aria to regroup as Sophie joined her side. Aria looked behind her and saw that some of the Gym Leaders had managed to break onto the stage. Now Blaine, Sabrina, and Brock were battling the Admins and keeping them at bay.
Zoey was now battling Umbral Rhyperior with her Blaziken, with the Blaze Pokémon frantically trying to put down the beast, but to no avail. Dawson stood behind Amber, glancing around and trying to find a way to jump in and help in the mayhem unfolding.
"Dawson, I need a blade." Amber said, turning to the man.
"Borlath said you shouldn't fight." Dawson reminded her, but Amber looked at him with an annoyed glare.
"He also didn't expect for shit to hit the fan. Greevil is barely holding off Red and Blue! We need to get back into this fight. So I'm going to do what I do best. So. Blade?" Amber said pointedly, jerking a thumb at the three way battle between Red and Blue against the Grand Master of Cipher.
Amber was glad that more of the serum obtained from President Lusamine was used in the creation of Umbral Noivern, because that was only way it was managing to even survive against a very powerful Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, Pidgeot, and Arcanine. Greevil bellowed a command for an attack that made Noivern vanish and reappear above Red's Blastoise, swinging both wings down in an arc and slashing the Shellfish Pokémon deeply enough to knock it out.
Dawson scowled and yanked a silver dagger free from his belt, handing it to Amber. "Done."
"Perfect." Amber replied quietly, stalking towards Aria as she flipped the blade in her grasp. Suddenly she heard the sound of wind rushing and turned in time for the butt end of a sniper rifle to bash her upside the head, sending her staggering backwards with a howl.
"Not a chance!" Oliver growled as his Braviary swooped low in front of him, letting out a fearsome screech as Lance slowly rose to his feet beside him, panting and coated in crimson.
"Are you okay, sir?" Oliver asked the Champion, who slowly nodded before he turned to his fallen Dragonite. Lance pulled out a Revive his pocket and pressed it against the head of the Dragon Pokémon, bringing it back to his senses as some of the beast's wounds slowly healed before his eyes. Dragonite rose with a shudder and Lance turned around to face Dawson and Amber, with Oliver keeping his gun tried on the two of them.
"Why haven't you shot them yet?" Lance asked the International Police agent, who grinned.
"I hadn't yet because my boss keeps giving me shit about my doing my own thing and now following orders. I was hoping you weren't going to have me take them alive or anything." Oliver said before he fired at Amber's heart, only for the Admin to be teleported away by her Xatu just as Oliver pulled the trigger.
"Holy shit, that's getting old!" Oliver sighed as Amber reappeared to the side, now riding her Xatu with a grin. The Xatu let out a caw and was about to attack when suddenly a massive roar filled the stadium, drawing everyone's attention to where Greevil had leapt onto Umbral Noivern soared high into the air, trying to get away from the two Trainers attack him and his beast. Red leapt onto the back of his Charizard with his Pikachu while Blue did the same with his Pidgeot. Soon enough the trio were several hundred feet in the air.
"You're not getting away from us, you bastard!" Blue bellowed as he shot into the air after the Grand Master of Cipher, urging his bird to go faster. It was clear that all three of the Flying-types were hurt pretty badly, but each of them were strong enough to push through the damage and continue to battle.
"Umbral Wave!" Greevil roared as Umbral Noivern did the same, with the beast rearing back its head before jutting it forward, two balls of energy forming within its ears. Both Red and Blue soared out of the way, barely avoiding the wide wave of energy before both Pokémon slammed into the Umbral Noivern with an Aerial Ace each, making it snarl in agony as it wobbled in the air, making Greevil scream in anger and horror as he realized how bad his position was. This worsened when Red's Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt at Umbral Noivern, which in turn shocked the old man riding atop its back.
"Stop standing around you morons! Help him!" Amber barked to the others, looking over at Avis, who nodded. Then both of their attentions were drawn back up and both were awed by the sight the came next.
Red stood tall on top of his Charizard as the Lizard Pokémon was suddenly engulfed in raging blues flames as it raced towards Greevil, who was watching the approaching Trainer with horror in his eyes at the determination gleaming in Red's. Greevil tried to issue a command to stop Red, but was cut off when Blue had his Pidgeot slam into Umbral Noivern from behind with Aerial Ace and stun the dragon and its Trainer.
"Is that…?" Aria trailed off, but Zoey finished her statement by saying, "Blast Burn...The Strongest Fire-type move."
To everyone's horror, Red leapt off of his Charizard and fell through the air, though he landed on Blue's Pidgeot below as his best friend swooped beneath him with a wild grin. This left Charizard free to collide with the wounded Umbral Noivern and the screaming Greevil as they tumbled through the sky. Charizard roared and drew back both of his burning fists before smashing both of them into Umbral Noivern.
The resulting explosion of hellfire and energy was enough to make everyone cover their ears as a wave of heat and smoke filled the stadium, which quickly cleared due to the stadium being open to the sky and allowed the battlers to see the results of the attack from Red, and what they saw shocked them.
Umbral Noivern was flapping its mangled wings just enough to maintain its current altitude, but it was covered in nasty burns and one of its ears was completely burned away, as was one of its eyes. Regardless, the beast roared in fury and opened its mouth and fired a raw beam of darkness at the Charizard in response, only for Blue to swoop in and knock Charizard out of the way to dodge the attack, which sailed into the distance and created a massive explosion far away. Red and Blue glared down the beast and the man who had evaded doom, since Greevil now stood atop a Aerodactyl a short distance away, glaring back at Red as the young man leapt back onto his Charizard, who was panting heavily at having had to use such a powerful move.
To their horror, Umbral Noivern began to twitch and its mangled wings began to glow purple. The two young men watched as the skin, meat, and bone that had been destroyed by Charizard's attack began to knit itself back together, healing itself in a way that shouldn't have been possible.
"See the power of Cipher! Your attacks mean nothing to Umbral Noivern! In just moments, it will recover!" Greevil cackled, crossing his arms smugly as Red and Blue exchanged a look. Blue then looked forward.
"Aerial Ace!" Blue barked, with Pidgeot rushing forward and slamming into Umbral Noivern. The Sound Wave Pokémon snarled in pain, but this was before Red's Charizard flew in front of it and delivered a brutal Dragon Claw to the chest of the Umbral Pokémon, ripping open its chest before the Lizard Pokémon fired a Dragon Rage directly into Umbral Noivern's body, creating a massive explosion in mid-air.
"No! Umbral Noivern, destroy them!" Greevil screamed, only to see Umbral Noivern fall out of the sky with a hiss. Greevil looked upwards and saw an exhausted Charizard flapping its wings towards Greevil and crash into him and his Aerodactyl, sending the two into a spiral through the air.
"Holy shit…" Aria whispered in awe as the two beasts struggled for dominance in midair, with Greevil shrieking in the skies. Aria then started as she saw Zoey sprint over to a nearby speaker, pulling out her phone and hooking it up to the speaker. Zoey looked up and saw Aria staring at her in surprise.
"Hey, screw you! I spent weeks writing this song! It's gonna be played one way or another, damn it!" Zoey barked as she loaded the song in question, with it playing loud and clear through the speakers a few moments later from where she had left off with the live performance.
(Continue "All Things Must Die")
This is the end!
Here's where you'll die!
Legends should scatter,
So just say goodbye.
Greevil clung onto his Pokémon for dear life, but that didn't protect him from Red, who crawled up his Charizard's shoulder and glared at Greevil with his cold eyes. The young man's mouth curled into a snarl before he drew back his fist and punched the man as hard as he could in face. Greevil's head jerked back as he let go of his Aerodactyl, sending him flying off of his Pokémon and tumbling towards through the air with a scream of pain.
No one will miss you,
When you're fin'lly gone
At your conclusion,
Sing your swan song!
"No! No, no, no!" Greevil screamed as Umbral Noivern tumbled through the air, even as Red's Charizard slammed into it in midair and bit down on its neck for good measure, ripping backward and making it snap.
Murder, unkindness, conspiracy!
Embers extinguished in effigy!
Just close your eyes!
The world seemed to slow down as Greevil tumbled from the sky Several Cipher Grunts commanded their Flying-types to go to their Master's aid, but they were quickly shot down by those they were battling. Those on stage likewise tried to assist, but the Gym Leaders were quick to leap in and draw their attention away from the plummeting leader of Cipher, who's screams filled the stadium.
Don't fear demise!
Black out the sky!
All things must die!
Amber suddenly teleported to the man's side as Avis used Psychic to halt his progress, only for a sniper round to suddenly tear through Avis' wing and a Braviary to collide with her in midair, knocking Avis away from Greevil with Amber barely holding onto her Xatu, sending Greevil falling towards earth once again as the screams of those who followed the leader of Cipher filled the stadium alongside his own, a plea for someone to save him from his fate.
However...it was not to be.
Greevil crashed onto the ground from the sky with an almighty crunch of bones. Most of those on-stage either winced at the sound or let out yells of horror at the brutal fall and crash. Venus and Giovanni sprinted over to the fallen leader of Cipher, who was twitching slightly as he gazed upward, blood dripping down his mouth.
"Grand Master Greevil! Please...no!" Venus pleaded with the man as he shuddered and shook, trying to force air through his crushed body. It was clear that the man was injured beyond repair, and that his life was nearing its end.
"Damn it...damn them. All of that planning and maneuvering, only for that damned brat to show up and ruin my plans all over again!" Giovanni snarled as Greevil choked and sputtered, trying to move despite the life leaving his body. His eyes widened as Amber entered his field of view, looking down at him with a small frown. A green shield surrounded them just as several dozen bullets suddenly hit the shield, creating a series of small cracks within it.
"You really think they'd let you have a touching moment to say goodbye?" Amber asked Venus dryly, glancing over at several members of the International Police firing at their shield with weapons, rousing their Pokémon to prepare to attack in earnest. Cipher and Team Rocket had been completely thrown off now that Greevil had fallen, allowing the Gym Leaders and International Police to suddenly push back against them and kill or capture them in droves.
Amber looked down at Greevil, her mouth curled in a faint smile of amusement. She felt no sadness, no sorrow for the man as he tried to cling to the world of the living. That said, she hadn't felt any true emotion in a while. Instead, she chose to address the dying man on the ground.
"You're an idiot. We couldn't do all the work for you, you know. And it looks like you screwed us all over. Have fun in hell." Amber said to the shock of Venus and Giovanni, stepping forward and kneeling down to better look at the man. After a moment she leaned down and whispered into the man's ear something the others didn't hear. However, the reaction Greevil had to Amber's words were instant.
Greevil's eyes widened and he somehow managed to twitch his body upwards, reaching for Amber's neck with his mangled arm before his arm fell to the ground. Amber chuckled hollowly and said, "I tried. Oh well."
Greevil tried to must a glare at the assassin, but found even that was becoming impossible. The man tried to steady his breathing, but found his lungs no longer functioned. Again and again, he found himself unable to breathe as his heart slowed and life left his eyes, which glazed over…
And then, it was with that...the Grand Master of Cipher died.
"No...no…" Venus whispered as she shook her head, tears streaming down her face beneath her mask. Giovanni rose to his feet, eyeing the splintering shield around them. Amber reached down unclasped a Poké Ball from the corpse, one that had a glowing purple crack on the side and clipped it to her own belt, eyeing the Umbral Noivern that had crash-landed on the ground with an almighty boom. Amber was that the beast wasn't stirring, so it was probably dead. Though the broken neck tipped her off.
"Avis!" Amber barked out, with the wounded Xatu appearing above the International Police and unleashing a massive blast of Psychic energy that knocked them all aside. Amber and Giovani separated as Dakim, the Masked Admin, and Dawson joined her as she was joined by her Xatu.
"Now what!? Umbral Noivern is dead and so is Greevil!" Dakim growled at Amber, who opened her mouth to reply only for Avis to be hit with a powerful Thunderbolt that dropped her to the ground, unconscious. The Admins turned to see Red and Blue advancing their way, flanked by Aria and Lance as the Gym Leaders began to clean house, now that Cipher and Team Rocket were panicking and demoralized.
"Rhyperior, stop their advance!" Amber barked out as her Umbral Pokémon turned away from Zoey and Oliver and turned towards the Champions and Aria, letting out a snarl. Amber quickly returned the corpse of Umbral Noivern. "Umbral Artillery!"
The beast screamed in response and held out its arms, energy forming within its palms. The energy them erupted outward and created a sound not unlike gunfire, forcing the heroes to scatter as Umbral Rhyperior unleashed deadly rocks fired at a insane speed and allowing the villains a moment's reprieve.
"Rhyperior is good, but it's not going to take down three Champions and a brat that can give me a run for my money. And we all know I'm the best Trainer out of all of us here." Amber spat, kneeling down to Avis as Dawson scrambled to get a Revive out.
"So now what?" Giovanni growled, grabbing Amber by the throat. "You all said you had this under control!"
"Correction: Greevil said he had it under control. I knew pulling a stunt like this wouldn't work out as flawlessly as pitched. But you idiots thought you had it in the bag." Amber scoffed before she kicked Giovanni in the gut, sending him to knees as he coughed and sputtered. "Besides, our backup should be here any moment now-
As if on cue, a figure literally stepped out of the shadows behind them. Clad in a mask like the others and dressed in a white suit, the tall figure looked over the carnage of the battlefield before their eyes landed on Greevil's slain form, his ragged black hair billowing behind him.
"You idiots!" Borlath shouted at them as he stormed across the stage, turning his attention to the Champions as Umbral Rhyperior was assaulted by Red's Charizard and Blastoise, knocking the beast to the ground. "All of that work! All of that planning! All of those lives...Wasted because of you! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
It was horrifying to all of them as Borlath stormed towards Red and Blue, who were also caught off-guard by the ferocity of the Cipher Admin. Red snapped his fingers and Pikachu leapt in front of him, which stopped Borlath for a moment and seemed to make him come to his senses.
"Right. Of course. Of course…" Borlath muttered, inhaling and exhaling a deep breath to calm himself. "Greevil will be accounted and mourned for later. For now…" Borlath placed a finger to his ear and said, "Sound the retreat. We're falling back and regrouping."
"Oh no you don't!" Blue barked, throwing out his hand. "Arcanine, Extremespeed!"
The Arcanine blurred as he rushed towards the Senior Admin, only for a swirling pulse of darkness to suddenly slam into the canine from the side and send him crashing to the ground, senseless. Arcanine shakily rose to its feet, only for a series of water-shaped stars to suddenly slash into its skin from above and drop it to the ground, unconscious. Everyone on stage looked up in surprise, as did Red and Blue.
"What?" Blue hissed as his eyes darted around the stage, only for him to spot a shadow standing on top of the stage above them, illuminated by the moon. It looked like a frog, but with a strange object wrapped around its neck that was billowing in the wind. Blue and Red turned back to Borlath as he pulled out a Poké Ball and shot a red beam into the stands, returning whatever had attacked Arcanine to its ball before clipping it to his belt.
"I'll buy you time! Get out of here!" Borlath yelled out to his comrades as he suddenly reached to his neck, his hand touching a strange pyramid-like gem on the necklace wrapped around his neck. The necklace pulsed red for a moment before suddenly a wicked wind kicked up.
"All Team Rocket personnel, retreat! Borlath will cover us!" Giovanni snarled as he pulled out another Poké Ball, calling out a Hypno and placing a hand on Greevil's body. The crime boss turned to give Red one final glare before teleporting into thin air with the fallen leader's corpse, avoiding being hit with two sniper rounds and a Thunderbolt.
"Damn!" Lance snarled, looking around frantically. All over the stadium, the criminals were disappearing from the stadium and retreating from the site. Meanwhile on the stage, all of the Gym Leaders and their allies turned their attention to Borlath. The man didn't even shift as several weapons became trained on the Senior Admin of Cipher, who watched them warily.
"So, kill or capture?" Lance asked as he held a hand to his barely healed wound.
"Kill. He's way too dangerous." Aria said in reply as she finished reviving her Lucario. The wolf rose to his feet as Aria barked out the command. "Sebastian, Aura Sphere!"
"On it!" the cheerful Lucario replied as he leapt forward, charging up the ball of energy. However, as he approached the man a strange object suddenly flickered into existence before him and made the Aura Pokémon stop in his tracks, staring at it in awe.
It was a strange pyramid, adorned in glowing runes. Everyone on stage stared at the strange relic in awe, but were startled when it suddenly began to move around of its own accord in a strange series of jerking movements, slowly glowing red with every movement until…
It exploded, revealing a strange Pokémon none of them had ever seen before.
It had a vaguely humanoid body of orange with a gleaming purple crystal in a cavity that was in its chest. Its arms were shaped like tentacles intertwining together into a double helix of orange and blueish-green. Its face was oddly-shaped, though its eyes were narrowed in anger at the enemies assembled before it.
"What...was is that?" Blue hissed, pulling out an old and rather battered Pokédex from his pocket. It shuddered for a moment before speaking.
"Scanning Pokémon...Kanto entry not found. Scanning for Johto entry...not found...Hoenn entry found." The Pokédex intoned, with Blue holding up the Pokédex for a moment.
"Deoxys. The DNA Pokémon. The DNA of a space virus underwent a sudden mutation upon exposure to a laser beam and resulted in Deoxys. The crystalline organ on this Pokémon's chest appears to be its brain. Deoxys emerged from a virus that came from space. It is highly intelligent and wields psychokinetic powers. This Pokémon shoots lasers from the crystalline organ on its chest." the Pokédex spoke, with Blue lowering it a few moments later to stare at the strange creature.
"Deoxys...help me deal with these people that are thinking about stopping us from leaving, if you would." Borlath said politely to the Pokémon beside him, receiving a short nod before the DNA Pokémon flickered from sight, appearing a few hundred feet above them all. With an almighty groan, the crystal in its chest gleamed like a beacon before a massive criss-crossing beam of energy erupted from the Psychic-type. The alien Pokémon hummed loudly over the stadium as it swept its beam across the stage, creating a massive series of explosions that sent most of those on stage to their knees.
Lance staggered to his feet, clutching his bleeding head. He looked at Borlath as Deoxys descended gracefully to the ground, its body morphing and becoming more menacing-looking. A Steelix and a Gyarados burst out from the smoke behind the Champion and rushed at the strange Pokémon, only for Deoxys' eyes to shine blue and send both Pokémon hurtling backwards with a loud hum. Lance nearly sighed with relief as his Dragonite landed on the ground beside him, still injured from before but still able to continue.
"That thing is strong...But what is it?" Blue asked, still confused.
"Another Legendary. Borlath, did you twist this being into being your slave too!?" Lance demanded of Borlath, who shook his head.
"I'm less inclined to use Shadow Pokémon than the others, though they have their uses. Deoxys follows me out of loyalty, however. It fell from the heavens hundreds of year ago in a meteor. And I was lucky enough to have caught wind of its existence, and followed the trail of whispers until I found my friend trapped within the space rock. I spent the better part of five years freeing it from its prison, and it's been a great ally ever since. It doesn't quite like it when its friend gets attacked either, do you Deoxys?" Borlath asked the DNA Pokémon beside him, who shifted in front of the man. Lance's eyes widened in surprise as he heard several gunshots ring out from International Police attempting to shoot Borlath and his Deoxys, only for the bullets to crumple as they drew closer to the man.
"I can't attack, since I'll just be shot dead the moment Deoxys leaves me. But Deoxys should be able to repel any attack coming my way, so you all can't kill me." Borlath noted dryly, a grim note of humor in his voice. His response was a rush of attacks from Red's Pokémon, to which Deoxys replied by morphing into its Defense Forme and creating a bright red shield that blocked all of the attacks, though it did leave the shield a flickering and broken mess that vanished after a moment and replaced with a new one.
"Damn him…" Blue growled as Red walked past him, limping slightly as he held a knocked out Pikachu in his arms. Clearly the attack from Deoxys had done a lot of damage to the mostly battered Pokémon and Trainers on stage. A good portion of those who had been caught in the blast had been knocked out.
"You know...I have no idea how we're going to bounce back from this, Lance. Greevil is the only one who could keep everyone in check. Now...we're in a bad state." Borlath admitted with a heavy sigh. "It's going to be chaos now. All we really wanted to do was talk, Lance."
"I somehow doubt that." Lance said coldly, crossing his arms.
"Well, that's what I wanted. Cipher's end-goal has always been world domination, and my goal would be achieved through that end. But now...I guess it doesn't matter now. Greevil is dead...And I don't know what to do." Borlath said as he slowly shook his head.
"I mean...You could just die. Do us all a favor." Aria remarked coldly, glaring down Borlath.
"It's not that simple, Aria. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything. I honestly wish it didn't have to be this way. With that, I bid you all farewell." Borlath said to the group, giving them a small wave as Deoxys moved behind him. Aria held out her hand and fired a black blade towards the Admin, only for the frog Pokémon from before to suddenly flicker out of the shadows and grab Borlath, before pulling him and Deoxys into the shadows and vanishing on the spot. The blade soared past where the Admin had been and hit a faraway seat in the crowd, making Aria growl in fury.
"He got away! That bastard always gets away…" Aria hissed as she looked around, seeing that most of Cipher was either knocked out, dead, or had fled when given the order by Borlath.
"So...do we win?" Misty asked as she limped over to the group.
"I'd count this as a win, but with losses." Sabrina said quietly, glancing over the slain International Police and civilians within the stadium. The Saffron City Gym Leader then said, "Cipher will be indefinitely set back. I don't think they'll be coming back from a loss this bad, however. Their leader is gone and so is a considerable chunk of their forces."
"Team Rocket's strength depends heavily on Cipher's, which has been cut down drastically. I wouldn't be surprised if Giovanni bailed and struck out on his own with Team Rocket now that Cipher did most of the work for him and re-mobilized the group." Oliver chimed in as he made his way over to the group of Gym Leaders, keeping an eye out for any stragglers. Red, Blue, and Lance made their way over to the group and all fell silent.
"You all did great today. I'll have to prepare a statement to read out for later today, but I'd like to think this is the first of several victories we'll be able to hand Cipher and Team Rocket should they continue to meddle with the lives of those in Kanto. I genuinely don't see Cipher rebounding from a loss like this, truthfully. Greevil has been the mastermind behind Cipher for decades, and his death will demoralize the Admins." Lance said with a strained smile to the others, leaning against his Dragonite now that the fight was over.
"We shouldn't discount them as a threat just because the head has been cut off." Aria remarked, drawing all eyes to her. "Greevil may have been the leader, but I can still tell you for sure that the rest of the Admins won't go down as easy as he did."
"Hmph. You overestimate them, girl." Koga said dismissively, crossing his arms. "I'd imagine that they'll be licking their wounds for a long while yet. More than enough time for us to stamp them out of our home once and for all."
Aria shook her head in response, but didn't respond verbally. Instead she drew out the Timer Ball that held Shadow Moltres. Red and Blue looked at the Snagger before they both turned to the Champion of Kanto.
"I hope you know we canceled our vacation to deal with your problem. We haven't been Champion for over a decade." Blue said pointedly to Lance, who narrowed his eyes at the young man.
"And you took an oath, when you defeated me all those years ago, to protect Kanto with your heart and soul no matter what. You may have lost that title less than a few hours later, but it still stands. And Red has never lost the title of Champion, since he departed for Mt. Silver. As far as I know, no one has defeated him in battle...right?" Lance asked as he turned to the young man, who just coughed in response. Lance's eyes widened in surprise as Blue turned to him in shock.
"Wait, what? You actually lost!? To who!?" Blue demanded angrily, stomping over to his best friend and glaring in his face. Red's face was utterly blank, which didn't help the situation at all. "Who beat you!? When did this happen!?"
"…"
"Don't silent treatment me, you bastard! Tell me!"
"..."
"He's a mute, Blue. Stop antagonizing him."
"Sabrina, you shut your damn mouth! This guy CAN talk! So talk. Talk!"
"..."
"That's...I'm gonna...You fucking suck, Red."
...Snicker.
Zoey walked over to Aria, keeping an eye on the squabbling Champions and Gym Leaders and wrapped an arm around the sulking woman's shoulder.
"So...That's Red and Blue?" Zoey asked, bemused at the proceedings. "When you said that two of the greatest Trainers in the world were showing up for this, I imagined they would be more...intimidating."
"Yeah, I get what you mean. But they're scary strong. So, what do you think? About Cipher?" Aria asked the singer beside her, who shrugged.
"I honestly don't know. I'm hoping they disband and go away. Borlath is a bastard and a great actor, but he sounded genuinely unsure of what Cipher's next move after this is. For now, I say we should just take a breath of relief. Now that Greevil's gone, Kanto may just push those idiots out of the region. Especially with Red and Blue involved." Zoey said bracingly, though she couldn't manage a smile. Likely because hundreds had died at a concert she was performing at and Borlath and Amber had gotten away.
Aria was surprised when a Lucario suddenly hugged her from the side, grinning happily while Sophie the Jolteon joined her.
"You two okay?" Aria asked, kneeling down to Sophie while Sebastian hugged her still.
"Yeah. Sore, but I'll be alright. This dork might need to get looked at." Sophie said lightly, with Sebastian giggling at the light insult as he pulled away from Aria.
"I haven't had a chance to fight in forever! Sophie gets all the fun, since we have to blend in back in the other place." Sebastian complained, crossing his arms but still smiling.
"I'll try and use you all a bit more. If this Island Trial thing happens, we'll get some good training in for whatever comes next. I might even catch us another teammate." Aria said to Sebastian, referring to the fact that she only had four Pokémon. Like Sun, she was very picky about what kind of Pokémon she caught. That of course made the cheery Lucario jump up and down with glee while Sophie just sighed, though she was smiling regardless. Aria sat down on the ground while the others began to work on cleaning up the mess left behind and recovery. Lance would eventually come to her and explained that he wanted her to stick around Kanto for a while, but Aria shot him down hard. She was going to go back to Alola and train.
Because the time they fought, she wouldn't let Amber get away.
"That was...horrifying." Lana stated as Adrian Battlestorm suddenly cut into the broadcast, apologizing for airing such a violent and bloody spectacle. Turns out the man was just as stunned as the audience and not a single person at the studio had thought to cut off the footage until after Greevil had died, so none but those at the stadium had seen Team Rocket and Cipher depart and saw Borlath lay waste to the stadium with Deoxys.
"Serves Cipher right. Greevil's dead…" Hugh grinned and fist-pumped outwards. "This is awesome. Cipher is going to be scrambling hard after this. I knew Aria could do it! "
"She was pretty cool out there, wasn't she?" Lillie said quietly, a small smile on her face. She had been shocked and horrified by the bloodshed she saw on the stage, but she was grateful no one she knew had died. Small comforts. However, when she turned to look at Sun to see how he was processing this recent turn of events, she saw that the boy was frowning thoughtfully.
"Sun? Is everything okay?" Lillie gently asked her friend, who was still watching the screen thoughtfully. To her surprise, Sun's frown slowly began to change into a small smile. It was a tiny one, but it was a true smile of happiness and relief from the boy that had suffered so much at the hands of Cipher.
"Lillie...things couldn't be more okay. Cipher's leader just got taken out! They're going to have no idea what to do and then...I don't know what'll happen next, but this is the best thing that could've happened!" Sun said excitedly, with what Lillie was happy to see was hope burning in his eyes for the first time in a while.
"Maybe they'll pull out of Alola and try to help their friends in Kanto, and just get wrecked again!" Hau remarked with a grin, earning a laugh from Hugh and Sun.
"Maybe. And then Mister Oliver...Wow! He was so awesome!" Sun gushed excitedly, clenching his fists as he looked back to the TV, which was replaying Oliver bashing Amber over the head with the butt end of his rifle during the fight, some of which Adrian Battlestorm was replaying for those who had missed it.
"Is that where Oliver's name comes from? You seem to admire him a lot." Lana asked Sun, who blushed in response but nodded.
"He's an old friend of my Mom's. He...helped us after Dad left. I...really admire him. When I was about to move to Alola, he was really supportive of me becoming a Trainer and encouraged me to give my new home a try. To make it the place where I created new hopes and new dreams. I owe him a lot." Sun said a little awkwardly, a small smile on his face.
"He sounds like a great person, Sun." Lillie said warmly to her crush, who grinned back at her in reply.
"I think we should all get back to the point. The leader of Cipher is dead, and both Cipher and Team Rocket just got dealt huge defeats on live television. I declare this a time where we go get food." Hau stated very formally, pounding a fist against his chest. "Lana, I bequeath this task to you, because you live here and know the good places to go for lunch."
Lana giggled at Hau being silly, though she grinned in reply. "When you're best friends with a chef like Mallow, you usually do. Especially since the best restaurant in the city doubles as her house. Everyone ready to go?" Lana asked the others, who nodded. Lillie then yelped as Nebby suddenly burst out of her bag with a triumphant cry, only to be grabbed and put back down by a terrified Lillie.
With that, the group departed for the restaurant in question. Lillie fell in step with Sun while Lana and Hau walked ahead of them, with Hau trying to make small talk with the Water Captain. The boy found himself in a very odd position indeed, and honestly wished he could make sense of it. That said, he wasn't in any kind of rush to sort out his situation with Lana. They were good friends, who just wanted to see if there was more to their friendship and relationship.
Meanwhile, Lillie was walking in silence with Sun, smiling at the silent joy radiating from the boy she admired so much. He hadn't spoken much since Cipher's defeat at the Kanto Superdome, but she could feel it. His relief. His joy. Like all of that stress was rolling off of him, becoming a tangible feeling of happiness that made her own heart feel lighter.
"How much relief does he feel? Knowing that Cipher's leader is dead and that the group will likely never recover from such a blow? He must feel so much relief...I'm happy for him." Lillie thought as Nebby wriggled within his bag.
Lillie decided to gather her bravery and walk closer to Sun, who noticed this and looked at her with a smile. Lillie offered him a smile in response and, praying to the Tapu for luck, slowly reached down and grabbed Sun's hand even as a fierce blush crept onto her face. The boy looked confused for a moment before he blushed slightly, but grabbed Lillie's hand in his and gave it a small squeeze.
"Everything will be okay, Sun." Lillie said softly to her closest friend, who slowly nodded in agreement.
"You know what Lillie...I think you're right." Sun said sincerely, grinning at her as the two children walked down the path with their hearts light with joy, not seeing Hugh discreetly snapping pictures of them holding hands down the path and grinning in triumph.
"Yo, yo homie! Now that's what I call laying down some fire!" Axen boomed as the flames dissipated around them, leaving a scorched parking lot. "I guess that happens when you actually train, amiright?"
"Thanks, um, homie! We've been practicing." Demi replied with a hidden grin as Torch snorted in front of her, flames erupting from the Quilava. "We're not done yet! Swift! Follow up with Flame Wheel!"
Torch released a barrage of stars into the air and the group of gangsters watched in awe as the Quilava leapt into the air, a spinning ball of fire as the stars whirled through the air in a spiral. The flaming Quilava smashed into one of the stars, smashing it into fine particles of light that mixed with the flames, leaving a dazzling sparkle in the air as the Quilava landed on the ground next to Demi, who hopped on her feet with joy. The Team Skull Grunt picked up her Quilava and hugged him tightly.
"That was perfect, Torchy! You're really getting good at this!" Demi praised her Pokémon as he barked happily in her arms. Kayla let out a low whistle, watching the beautiful fiery sparkling air with wonder.
"Seriously, that's freaking wicked. How'd you learn to do that?" Kayla asked the newest Grunt, who laughed nervously in response.
"Well, I used to practice stuff like this on the road. Truth be told, I never really wanted to be a Trainer. Not the typical one, anyway. I always wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator or Pokémon Performer. You know, just show off and have fun with my Pokémon. But…" Demi trailed off, looking away from her friends.
"Let me guess. Your folks didn't like your career path?" Kevin asked, crossing his arms. Demi silently nodded and sighed quietly, shaking her head.
"I just don't get it...How can people just be so selfish? Alola pretends to be such a happy, fun-loving place, but when so many children get forced into the Island Challenge by their families and get tossed aside like trash if they give up…" Demi let out a angry sigh and set Torch down, shaking her head. "No. I'm not thinking about this anymore. Let's just...get back to work."
"Alright, yo. Sounds like a plan, yo. Let's find some Trainers to throw down with, so we can nab their Pokémon!" Axen boomed, taking the lead and walking the group out of the parking lot, with Gladion of course stalking behind them with his body slouched and his hands jammed into his pockets. Type: Null lingered close by, glancing around for potential enemies and the like.
Despite them being on the same page, at least as far as Gladion saw it, both Demi and Gladion had obligations to assist Team Skull. So instead of training like he wanted to be, Gladion was forced to trudge through Heahea City and search for weak Trainers that these fools could actually beat so that they could steal Pokémon. They hadn't found anyone they had managed to beat yet (or rather, hadn't found anyone dumb enough to stay around when getting threatened by Team Skull), so they had been prowling around the city for a while now. Night was quickly approaching, but the group was determined to find some kind of mark.
"Damn, yo...You hear about that concert in Kanto?" Axen asked the others after about another hour of nothing. Axen and Kayla had been beaten twice each while Demi had lost a battle of her own. Gladion got the impression that she hadn't been trying that hard though.
"I did. Plumes was talking 'bout it earlier. I guess that big bad guy from Cipher got killed." Kayla remarked with a shrug. "Doesn't matter that much to me. As long as those weirdos stay away from Alola, I'm good yo. Don't need them to be creepin' in on my style, but even if they come after me I'm gonna go wild, yo."
"I don't know about going wild, but I could go for some dinner." Axen muttered, rubbing his stomach. Demi and Kayla both looked at him and it seemed like the latter was about to roast him for this when her own stomach rumbled loudly. The teen blushed and stomped forward, with the others chuckling behind her.
Gladion sighed inwardly and continued behind them, just wishing for them to finally be done with their crap and head back to the Shady House. Type: Null snorted beside him, and Gladion rested a hand on the monster's helmet, scratching it after a moment as they continued down his way.
Thankfully for Team Skull, not all places in Alola were going to turn down their money. So grabbing a couple burgers and fries from Button's Burgers in Heahea City wasn't too big of a hassle, though Kayla nearly jumped the counter and beat up the cashier for not being fast enough for her tastes. The group sat down outside and ate, unaware that a pair of gleaming eyes were watching them from a nearby hedge.
"So, we finally managed to steal some shit dude. Not any Pokémon, but some money here and there and got some training in. I guess that's a plus." Axen remarked as Tim nodded beside him. "You guys think we'll have better luck in another city?"
"Yep. I'd give Konikoni a shout tomorrow. Honestly though, I think I'm gonna try and track down a new Pokémon." Kevin remarked, sighing deeply. "I miss Zubat."
"We'll figure something out." Axen said bracingly, making Kevin nod silently in response. "So, on an unrelated note, you think if I try my moves on Plumeria tonight I might actually score? I mean, I've gotta break through eventually."
"Orb ,edohc latot a er'uoY. Ton ylbaborp." Tim responded dryly, though no one could make sense of what he said. This however, allowed the figure watching the thugs to make their move.
Type: Null was the first to sense something was wrong, slowly turning towards the left and spotting a small boy running towards the group. Before the beast could say anything, the little boy swiped one of the bags of burgers off of the table and ran down the street with them, making all of the Team Skull Grunts hop to their feet in indignation.
"Catch that thief, yo!" Kevin yelled out, sprinting after the black-haired child. Gladion and Demi followed them, but Gladion was the only who was managed to catch onto a very interesting detail about the child that had stolen their food.
It had a black tail.
The little boy made a mistake of darting down an alleyway, which meant that when Team Skull caught up to him he was effectively cornered since it was a dead end. The boy dropped to his hands and knees, baring his teeth in a growl as his tail lashed behind him.
"Dafaq is up with this kid?" Kevin asked, crossing his arms.
"No idea. But he's gonna pay. No one disrespects Team Skull." Kayla growled, cracking her knuckles as she walked forward.
"Are you really going to beat up a little kid?" Demi asked Kayla, who turned to face her friend.
"Damn straight." Kayla replied, whirling back and taking a step forward the growling child, only to find Gladion standing in her way. "Oh great. Why the hell do you care if we beat up a kid?"
"I don't. I do care if you beat up a Pokémon." Gladion said pointedly, looking over at the cornered child as he continued to growl at him. Demi took in the boy's appearance, seeing his ragged black hair and the bushy black tail frantically waving back and forth, along with his sharper than normal teeth. And then it clicked.
"A Pokémon...Wait, I think I know what you're talking about." Demi stated, with Gladion nodding in response. The Enforcer turned around and began walking towards the cornered child, with Type: Null padding alongside him.
"How are you going to handle this, Edgelord?" Kevin asked the teen, who shrugged.
"We'll see. But I'm handling it my way. So back off." Gladion responded before he finally stopped about ten feet from the boy, who was actually shaking in fear now and had stopped growling, though he had scooped up the bag off burgers and was ripping apart the bag, tearing into the bag like an animal and eating as quickly as he could. Gladion watched the display with surprise, seeing the small child eat three cheeseburgers with a ravenous gleam in his eyes.
Gladion crossed his arms, staring down the boy as he slowly crouched on the ground, glaring at Gladion with narrowed eyes.
"You know it's wrong to steal, don't you?" Gladion said to the boy, who flinched at the reprimanding tone in the teen's voice. "Why don't you show us what you really are?"
"What is he talking about?" Axen muttered as he crossed his arms. Needless to say, he was surprised when the little boy cowering at the end of the alleyway began to glow bright blue and shrink down into a small grey fox-like Pokémon with red and black accents. Gladion nearly gasped when he saw the state of the Pokémon that he recognized as a Zorua.
The little wolf was covered in dings and scrapes, but what alarmed Gladion was how thin the Tricky Fox Pokémon was. It was practically emaciated, which made Gladion's heart clench after a few moments.
"It's starving…" Demi whispered, horrified at how she could easily see the rib-cage of the Zorua. The poor Pokémon clearly hadn't had a good time of things and hadn't been eating regularly. It was now incredibly clear why it had stolen from them.
"Shit...Well, now I feel bad. Can't beat up a starving little fox...Well, I could. But I'd definitely regret it later." Kayla muttered, shaking her head. Still, the Team Skull Grunts were a bit less angry now that they saw that the thief was just a starving little fox. Some of Team Skull had done the same exact thing in order to survive, when money was short and they were unable to get back to Po Town.
Gladion looked at the little fox with sadness, thinking hard. This little fellow had been through a lot, Gladion could tell. Gladion did what came to him instinctively, remembering how his mother and father had taught him how to comfort and placate agitated Pokémon.
"It's okay...I'm not going to hurt you." Gladion said quietly, kneeling down to the terrified fox baring his fangs at the teen. Gladion extended his hand forward as the Zorua barked out something, fear gleaming in its eyes.
"Null? Care to translate?" Gladion asked his Partner, who grunted.
"He wants us to leave him alone. It's just a kit, Gladion. No more than a few months old." Type: Null responded as the Zorua cowered at the strange Pokémon speaking in front of it. Gladion's expression softened as he beheld the terrified and starving little fox. He had seen Pokémon like this back at the Paradise, and knew he had to help it somehow. Gladion reached out his hand and the Zorua flinched and shrank back, now trembling in fear at Gladion. Undeterred, the teen continued to hold his hand out.
Meanwhile, the Team Skull Grunts were watching the exchange with skeptical expression.
"So, how likely is it that I'm gonna get to eat some burgers?" Kevin asked sadly, rubbing his stomach. Unlike Gladion and Demi, who had grabbed their food before chasing after the Zorua, it was Kevin's food that had been stolen.
Axen shrugged in reply. "About as likely as me understanding what Tim says."
"Nexa, kcid ym kcus."
"What's that? Little Timmy is stuck down a well? We have to save him!" Axen declared, earning a middle-finger salute from the tall Team Skull Grunt.
Gladion continued to ignore the idiots behind him and continued to crouch down on the ground, extending his hand out for the Zorua, who began to slowly inch forward. After a few tentative steps, the little fox was close enough to sniff Gladion's hand.
"See? It's okay...My name is Gladion. Are you still hungry?" Gladion whispered to the Tricky Fox Pokémon. The small Pokémon nodded warily in response, to which Gladion said, "I'm going to reach into my bag and leave some food on the ground for you. Please don't run away. I just want to let you know so I don't scare you, okay?"
The little Zorua nodded slowly, and Gladion reached into his bag and set his cheeseburger on the ground, unwrapping it before the small fox. Gladion sat down on the ground in front of the burger and smiled at the little fox, who trembled slightly as it licked its lips. The Zorua then lunged forward and attacked the burger on the ground ravenously, tearing apart the burger with its sharp teeth easily. Soon enough the burger was eaten, though the Zorua now looked like it was going to be sick.
"Right...I've heard that its a bad idea to feed people who are starving way too much food." Gladion muttered as the Zorua whined softly, though it looked up at Gladion and let out a soft yip.
"It says thank you." Type: Null remarked, lowering its head down. The Zorua let out a growl, but quickly hid behind Gladion's leg, peering at Type: Null warily. "Gladion, this little one cannot fend for himself. He's too young and not from this island, as far as I know. Given his current path, I imagine this little one will starve to death if left to his own devices."
"He can just keep stealing! It worked on us." Axen pointed out, with Type: Null looking over at the teen and staring at him.
"That's because you're a pack of morons. Except Demi, of course." Type: Null responded before turning back to Gladion, who was now petting the Zorua gently. The Zorua didn't seem to know how to react to this, but eventually lay down on the ground and shut his eyes, sighing softly after a moment.
"You're right, Null. I guess...Alright. I've decided." Gladion said as he stopped petting the little fox, who looked up at the teen that had showed it the first bit of kindness it had seen in quite some time.
"Zorua...Would you like to come with me?" Gladion asked the Tricky Fox Pokémon, who cocked his head. "I don't think you'd be very safe out here, stealing for food. But if you came with me, I could help you out. And maybe...You could help me out. What do you say?"
The Zorua seemed confused, but decided after a moment to leap into Gladion's lap with a yip. Gladion smiled at that, stroking the dirty fur of the fox with relief. Gladion reached into his bag and pulled out a Poké Ball, which he captured the Zorua with. The ball dinged immediately, signalling that the little fox put up no resistance. Gladion called Zorua back out and scooped up the fox in his arms, turning around to face Team Skull.
"Kevin, I'll pay you back for the burgers later. For now, I'm going to get this little guy looked at and make sure he gets some help." Gladion said as he walked towards them.
"We'll be by in a few day then and just text you for when we're ready to drop some fools." Kevin responded as Gladion nodded before he turned to Demi, who Gladion could tell was grinning at him beneath her bandanna. Gladion stared at her for a moment before he looked forward and walked away, carrying the young fox with Type: Null walking beside him.
Demi turned to Kayla, pointing at Gladion. "That's what I see in him. And why I like spending time with him. Where you all would have seen an easy mark, he saw a Pokémon that needed help. He's a good person, just like I told you all he was." Demi said as she watched the teen clad in black make his way down the sidewalk and vanish from sight as he rounded a corner, still petting the small grey fox in his arms.
Kayla had been watching Gladion with a curious look on her face, hidden by the bandanna she wore. After a moment she chuckled quietly and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll give him this one. That was probably the best thing for that little fox, and it was a really nice thing for him to do. That said, he's still an asshole."
"True dat, yo. Now let's go bust up some fools!" Demi proclaimed, earning four deadpan looks from the Team Skull Grunts.
"Still needs work, Demi."
"Damn it! Being a gangster is hard..."
Well now, that was quite an action-packed chapter.
Next chapter, we get a very big revelation. What will that be? Heh…
You want to know, but at the same time...You probably don't.
Q and A
From: Sai Og Sus
Honestly, with how overpowered the move Teleport is, I'm surprised that no one try to market it? Imagine the demands, all other public transport will be out of service.
*Makes a mental note of the idea for later*
Seriously though, I bet there's people in-universe who actually do that. Being able to travel instantly to other places is so useful that I honestly don't know why you wouldn't go out of your way to have a Pokémon that can use that attack.
That said, I'll also mention here that Shadow Sneak also does the same thing as Teleport, albeit at a shorter range. Dig does as well, with an even shorter range. Team Rocket and Cipher used all three moves of that to seemingly appear in the stadium, and use it to great effect. It helps that Cipher uses different Pokémon.
However, there is a slight strain involved with traveling via Pokémon in such a manner, and it's not exactly comfortable. Theoretically it could happen, haha.
From: Okamiden14
Great chapter but a question kept popping up in my head and I took my time to review this chapter so I could figure out exactly what I meant. Its been a couple days and I finally figured it out. Where's Ethan? Wouldn't it be logical to track down Ethan as well since he is the only that has ever beaten red? Other than that good chapter, I've also noticed your spelling has improved a lot!
That's a very good question. Honestly? I have no idea. Hence why I made a slight reference to it earlier. Game Freak hasn't used Ethan in another story or game so it's been left up to our imagination. Canonically within the games, I see the Player Character becoming a sort of honorary Champion of sorts. Like, they're recognized as someone who's beaten the Champion but not the Champion of the region, since they don't have any duties or stay within the Pokémon League or anything. That's how I've always interpretted beating the Elite Four and the Champion, save for Gen VII, since you actually become the first Champion in the region.
Cheers on the last bit. I try to look over these chapters as much as possible, but stuff just slips by me.
That's all for now. Please show your support with a review, favorite/follow, or offerings to the Dread God Nyarlathotep. Also questions, but the usual rules apply.
I'm off to take a nap before work. Happy early 4th of July to all of my fellow Americans out there!
Stay safe and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
