Author's Note:
Here we are, back with Generation Z – Hoenn Alone! Been awhile for this story, but as I said with Lumiose University last week, I'm feeling more motivated than ever and I think I can get on a roll here. I'm really looking forward to what's in store for this story, so I can't wait to get to it. Hopefully you enjoy what's to come as well.
As for this chapter, it's a big one. Hope it's not too crazy for you.
Chapter 10: A Connection For Eons
When Bonnie saw the Petalburg Woods up ahead, she felt a rush of excitement, knowing that beyond those woods, would be the final route that led her towards her first gym battle. She may have been able to try challenging Norman, although according to May he generally required trainers to use three Pokemon, but Bonnie knew in her heart that it was worth the wait. Ash too had challenged the Rustboro Gym as his first in Hoenn, and Bonnie's Hoenn League rivals appeared to be heading that way as well. It was the perfect opportunity to get her feet wet as a trainer, and get some training in for her Pokemon.
She looked at her pokeball that contained her newly evolved Beautifly, smiling as she thought of taking on her first gym with it. Dedenne would always be her best friend, but having a Pokemon that she'd caught and trained on this very journey, without relying on Clemont, or Ash, or Serena...it was pretty exciting. The memory of Beautifly's heroic evolution played in her mind for what was probably the hundredth time since their group had set off from the site of the battle that morning. Beautifly was so strong. She really proved those bullies wrong.
Thinking of the group of bug types they'd met, Bonnie remembered the helpful Dustox that had actually been quite kind to Beautifly. It had seemed quite sad to see her go, but Bonnie knew that it had vowed to protect the group in her honour, and that no longer would the bullying she had gone through be accepted and suffered by any of the others. Bonnie had felt a bit guilty leaving with the new hero of the group, but they did seem to be in good hands...or wings...
"Bonnie...earth to Bonnie! Hellooo!"
Her head snapped up at the call, a confused look coming to her face as she noticed May and Clyde up ahead, nearing the edge of the Petalburg Woods. Rotom was with them, but appeared too distracted by some kind of movement in the bushes to care about Bonnie's whereabouts at the moment. May on the other hand, seemed to notice Bonnie was deep in thought, and patiently waited as the young trainer made her way over.
"Something on your mind?" the Coordinator asked, noticing Bonnie still holding Beautifly's pokeball. "Worried about Beautifly?"
Bonnie shook her head, although she wasn't too sure she knew what she was denying. Maybe she was worried about Beautifly. She supposed it was the rest of her kind they'd left behind she was worried about, although she hoped that Butch and Cassidy were unlikely to go after them again. There would unfortunately be other targets out there, and Bonnie was pretty sure she would cross paths with them again as they sought those targets.
"Beautifly's friends will be okay," Clyde said encouragingly, seeming to understand Bonnie's doubt as she glanced back in the direction they'd come from. "I know she led the fight yesterday, but it was a team effort. They're stronger now than ever because of Beautifly, so they'll be okay."
May nodded, looking Bonnie in the eye. "Clyde's right, Bonnie. Bug types are stronger than they're given credit for. I know if my Beautifly was with a group like that, I wouldn't be worried at all. They're gonna be fine now that they know they can fight that well."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Bonnie said, feeling like a weight was leaving her shoulders. "I just want them to be safe. I hate people like that Team Archaic. They're just like Team Rocket..."
"At least they seem just as incompetent," May told her, smiling and laughing as she mimicked Butch and Cassidy being blown away just like Jessie, James and Meowth often were. "Really, I can't believe we took so long to beat them. Should've been able to do it in our sleep!"
Bonnie knew May was overstating it a bit, but she did feel a bit better thinking further on how Butch and Cassidy did seem to be pretty low in the ranks in Team Archaic. She did hope that those higher up weren't much more capable, however, she doubted that was the case. But at least for now, Butch and Cassidy probably weren't going to be calling in reinforcements for a group of bug types.
For a moment, there was silence among the three trainers as they turned to look at the Petalburg Woods ahead of them. Bonnie knew that this would be another goodbye, as May needed to return to Petalburg City before setting off for wherever her coordinating would take her. She had mentioned she would be heading to Slateport City within a few weeks, so Bonnie did hope she could have her first couple of badges by then so they could meet up there.
"So the path to Rustboro City is through here, right?" Clyde finally said, looking at the thick forest ahead, a hint of fear in his eyes. "Is it...far?"
"Not too far," May assured him, smiling encouragingly. "Once you make your way through, it should be pretty straightforward. You'll be in Rustboro before you know it. Maybe you'll even catch Max while you're at it."
Bonnie nodded, feeling the urge to quicken her pace at those words. She didn't want Max getting too far ahead. She was already playing catch up, and she needed to know she could beat him when the time came. "Thanks for your help, May. It was great to meet you!"
"You too, Bonnie. And you guys as well," May added, looking to Clyde and Treecko, and then Rotom who was finally floating over. "I think Serena was right about you, Bonnie," the Coordinator said after a moment, looking at the sky. "You're going to give Max fits, I'm sure of it."
"That's the plan!" Bonnie said confidently. "Right Dedenne?"
"Nene!" the Antenna Pokemon replied cheerfully.
May laughed, looking pleased by the bond the two shared. "Well, hopefully I'll see you guys soon enough. Good luck out there, and win that badge, Bonnie!"
"Don't worry! I will!"
And with that, May turned with a wave, on her way back to Petalburg City, and Bonnie, Clyde and Rotom made their way into the Petalburg Woods.
Bonnie had to admit, it was a little creepy going into the big forest, and as she and Clyde walked further, it seemed to get darker, the trees around them blocking most of the sunlight. It wasn't like she hadn't walked through some dark forests before, but this was definitely one of the darker ones. She was glad to have Clyde with her, but she did feel a little less comfortable without May guiding them along. If they were to run into Team Archaic again, they wouldn't have an experienced trainer at their backs this time.
"Pretty quiet around here, don't you think?" Clyde suddenly asked, after a few minutes of walking, with Bonnie simply trying to keep her mind on the path ahead.
She paused for a moment, looking around as she realized Clyde had a point. It was pretty quiet. There were almost no sounds, not even the sound of wind rustling through the leaves or a Pokemon moving in the bushes. Bonnie couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about it, but she tried to put on a brave face. She needed to be the leader here. "Yeah, I guess it's just a good day for the Pokemon to rest without much sunlight. Probably not as fun to run around."
"Zzt, but Bonnie, according to my calculations, this forest gets approximately-" Rotom surprisingly shut up as soon as Bonnie shot him a quick glare. She knew he was going to say something about Pokemon in here being used to the trees blocking much of the sunlight, but she felt none of them needed to hear that at the moment.
"Nene..."
Bonnie glanced up at Dedenne, the Antenna Pokemon looking a little spooked from atop her shoulder. She gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to ease any fears he might have, before she looked ahead again. "Let's keep going. The more ground we cover today, the faster we get out of here, and onto Rustboro City." She then looked at Dedenne again. "And then we get our first ever gym badge!"
"De nene!" Dedenne chirped happily, spirits lifting quickly from Bonnie's confident declaration.
They set off once again, but Clyde, seemingly to avoid the eery silence, struck up a conversation. "So...do you know much about the gym you're challenging. I've heard Roxanne is pretty tough, but there's not much I can give you pointers on."
"Well...it sounds like she's a rock type trainer," Bonnie said, remembering May and Max discussing Ash's battle with her. "I guess Beautifly and Dedenne are at a bit of a disadvantage in that case. I wish I had something I could use as a secret weapon." She couldn't help but think of Ash's Greninja using a move like Aerial Ace to make up for his weakness against grass types. It definitely came in handy for his battle against Ramos at the Coumarine City gym, and later against Sawyer and his Sceptile.
Clyde seemed to think about that for a moment, before looking thoughtfully at Treecko. "Well, grass types have an advantage over rock types, don't they? Would you like to use Treecko in your battle? I'm sure he'd be willing to help."
"Treecko tree," Treecko added, nodding his head.
Bonnie couldn't hide the horror on her face at the question. Of course she appreciated Clyde's willingness to help, but the mere idea of using another trainer's Pokemon in an important battle like this was ludicrous to her. "Clyde! A gym quest is meant to help me and my Pokemon grow together so we can be strong enough to battle in the Pokemon League. I can't do that if I'm using another person's Pokemon!"
"I guess that's true," Clyde murmured, nodding quickly as he noticed Bonnie's look. She was pretty sure he was hiding an amused smirk at her reaction, but she ignored it, keeping her focus on the path ahead. She was somewhat hoping a Pokemon would show up, thinking that if she could find another one that would be a better matchup against a rock type, she'd be greatly improving her chances at a badge.
It was then that Rotom decided to give his own input. "Zzt, Pokemon trainer Bonnie should listen to Clyde's point about rock type Pokemon and their weakness to grass type Pokemon." An image of a rock being broken apart by a tree growing out of it appeared on his screen. "However, what Pokemon trainer Clyde did not point out, is that a Pokemon does not have to be a grass type to know a grass type move!"
Bonnie rolled her eyes, knowing that already. "I'd be a pretty lousy trainer if I didn't know a Pokemon could learn moves that didn't match its type, Rotom."
"Zzt, allow me to finish!" Rotom snapped, a red face appearing on his screen, surprising Bonnie enough that she allowed him to continue. "Fortunately for Pokemon trainer Bonnie, she has a Pokemon that is capable of learning a grass type move that would significantly increase her chances of success in her upcoming gym battle, which currently sit at a probability of twelve point two percent."
Bonnie ignored the low probability of success remark, too interested in knowing the move Rotom was referring to. She couldn't think of what it may be, only knowing that as of now, she had Dedenne with his Tackle attack and two electric attacks, along with Beautifly with only her own Tackle attack and bug and flying type moves. None of those were going to be particularly effective against rock types. "What move are you talking about?" she finally asked, as she looked at Rotom, the PokeDex now floating in front of her.
Rotom waved his arms excitedly before an image of a Beautifly appeared on his screen. "Your Beautifly can learn this move! It is known as-"
He couldn't finish as just as he was about to say the name, a screech almost seemed to rip through the forest. Bonnie, Clyde, Treecko and Dedenne immediately clutched at their ears, the sound piercing through them, while Rotom appeared to just shake uncontrollably from the painful sound. Bonnie, struggling to look around to see what it might be, noticed the first signs of Pokemon, a few flying types darting into the sky, while a Slakoth, not looking nearly as tired as the others she had seen, made its way quickly through the trees in a panic.
"What is that?" Bonnie tried to yell out, looking at Clyde and Rotom, hoping one of them would know. Unfortunately, neither seemed to be able to hear, each looking too pained. She looked around again, seeing a few more Pokemon running or flying off, before suddenly, a sharp pain was felt in her head and she clutched at it, a bright light flashing in front of her eyes.
It was just like with Beautifly when she'd seen the images of her as a Wurmple. However, now Bonnie was seeing something she couldn't quite recognize. It was a brief image of two Pokemon flying, but it disappeared before Bonnie could register what they were, and all she saw were the colours red and blue. Then, a second image flashed before her. The red shape seemed to be falling, and there was smoke all around the two Pokemon. Kooo! Bonnie heard in her mind, and she knew that the red Pokemon had been hit by something. She could almost feel it herself.
Finally, a third image appeared in her mind, and Bonnie felt an immediate sense of dread, along with a dull pain in her chest that felt strange, as though it was imagined, yet real at the same time. What Bonnie saw, was a much clearer image this time. She remembered the day she'd set out from Professor Birch's lab, struggling to find a Pokemon, finally catching Wurmple, and then, seeing what Rotom believed were two legendary Pokemon. What she saw, was one of them, hurt and lying in a net.
Kooo!
Bonnie gasped, dropping to her knees as the images and sharp pain disappeared. She shook her head, looking around as she realized the piercing sound was finally gone, and there was silence once more in the forest around them. She glanced up to her shoulder, ensuring Dedenne was all right, before looking to Clyde, Treecko and Rotom, seeing the three of them looking shaken, but otherwise okay.
"What was that?" Clyde finally asked, eyes wide with surprise. "That sounded horrible."
"Zzt! Error! Unable to analyze!" Rotom cried out, a big 'X' on his screen.
"Rotom!" Bonnie suddenly shouted, unable to keep her calm, knowing in her heart she needed to confirm what she saw, and sure that something was wrong. "Do you remember the Pokemon we saw on that night I caught Wurmple?"
Rotom looked confused, or at least as confused as he could look. After a moment, however, he seemed to understand, images of the red and blue legendary dragon types appearing on his screen side by side. "Zzt, I cannot confirm with one hundred percent accuracy that these were the two Pokemon we saw, but according to my statistical analysis, the probability that they were the legendary Pokemon Latias and Latios is-"
"Never mind that," Bonnie said, grabbing Rotom and pulling him closer so she could get a better look at the images. "Latias..." she whispered, closing her eyes and trying to remember the image she'd seen.
Kooo!
Bonnie's head shot up up, eyes widening as she looked around, trying desperately to spot where the sound was coming from. "Where did that come from?" she asked the others, looking to Clyde, while letting Rotom squirm free from her grip and float up a few inches.
"Zzt, where did what come from?" the PokeDex asked, a question mark on his screen.
"Did you hear something else?" Clyde added, eyes narrowed as he looked at her in confusion. "It seems really quiet again.
Bonnie looked at them like they were crazy, gesturing to the air around her like it was obvious. "Didn't you just hear Latias?!"
"Wha...Latias?" Clyde looked flabbergasted. "Bonnie, are you okay?"
She felt frustration bubbling up inside her, and she shook her head as she turned around. She had to find Latias. She knew it in her heart that it was in trouble. "Let's go, Dedenne!" she yelled, her electric and fairy type nodding his approval as she suddenly took off, not even looking to see if Clyde and Rotom were following.
Bonnie ran with pure desperation fueling her. She was sure that she would be exhausted once this was over, but right now, she knew she needed to find a Pokemon that needed her help, and as far as she knew, it seemed to be calling out to her. Part of her was thinking that it was even guiding her, as she took twists and turns through the forest that she really had no idea about. And the further and further she went, the clearer and clearer the call seemed to get.
Kooo!
"Don't worry, Latias! We're coming!" Bonnie called out, Dedenne calling out from her shoulder as well. Bonnie had no idea if Dedenne could hear the call she heard, but she appreciated his loyalty nonetheless. He would join her no matter what, knowing that all she wanted to do was help a Pokemon in need.
As Bonnie turned another corner, she saw a shape moving in a clearing up ahead and she paused briefly, trying to get a better look. She quickly realized that she'd managed to lose her friends, feeling a little guilty about rushing off without making sure they were following. However, she couldn't feel guilty for trying to make sure a Pokemon was safe, so she tried to focus on that, just hoping that Clyde and Rotom would eventually find her.
"...gotta be around here somewhere. Boss is gonna be thrilled when we show him we got it."
"A legendary Pokemon? Yeah, ya think? Of course he's gonna be happy. We've got a big raise and a promotion comin' our way, man! And a big fat raise!"
Bonnie clenched her fists, sure that these were the guys that had hurt Latias. At least they don't seem to know where it is, she realized, noting that they seemed to be searching for it. She quickly rushed into some bushes next to her, squinting as she looked ahead, noticing two men become clearer as they came nearer to her. She could barely hide her gasp as she saw their uniforms. "Dedenne," she whispered, struggling to stay quiet as rage bubbled up inside her, "they're from Team Archaic."
"Dene..." the Antenna Pokemon said quietly, the anger in his voice as well.
The two of them stayed very quiet as the two Team Archaic members walked in their direction, heading around the corner and the path they had come from. Bonnie was pretty sure they were heading the wrong way, feeling that Latias had guided her in this direction, but she was a little worried that they might run into Clyde and Rotom. She knew she just had to hope that didn't happen, though, knowing that Latias was in danger right now, and needed help as soon as possible.
"Let's go," Bonnie muttered, once the men were out of sight and couldn't be heard anymore.
She and Dedenne came out of their hiding place slowly, Bonnie wanting to ensure that Team Archaic was gone before heading further down the path. When she was sure, they moved quickly, Bonnie trying to focus to hear Latias if it cried out to her again. As she and Dedenne reached the clearing that Team Archaic had emerged from, she paused, trying to listen for any sound or sign that Latias was near.
"Kooo..."
Bonnie went still, looking to Dedenne, unsure if the sound was just heard by her again, but seeing Dedenne looking up, clearly reacting to it. It had been a faint sound, but Bonnie knew that Latias must've been near. And with Dedenne hearing it as well, that meant that Latias didn't need to guide Bonnie through her mind anymore. She just needed to figure out where to go next.
"Beautifly, I need your help!" she called out, pulling the pokeball that held her bug type out and clicking it open. Beautifly appeared in a flash of light, flapping her wings as she hovered in front of Bonnie. "Beautifly, I'm looking for a Pokemon called Latias. I know it's around here somewhere, but I need you're help finding it. Can you fly around and check?"
"Beauuutifly!" Beautifly sang out, nodding before flying above the trees and taking off.
Bonnie smiled, watching her Pokemon set off with a sense of pride. It really did feel good knowing that she'd helped it get to this point so far. She couldn't wait to see what else she, Beautifly and Dedenne could accomplish together. She couldn't ask for better Pokemon to be helping her find Latias and make sure it was okay.
For a few minutes, Bonnie and Dedenne searched from the ground, not venturing too far from the clearing Beautifly had left from, but trying to cover as much ground as possible. Then, Dedenne grabbed Bonnie's pant leg and pointed to the sky, crying out as Beautifly descended towards them. Bonnie smiled, looking up as the Butterfly Pokemon landed atop her head.
"Did you find anything, Beautifly?" Bonnie asked, pretty sure she knew the answer, as Beautifly probably wouldn't have come back so soon if she hadn't found anything.
"Beautifly!" Beautifly answered happily, setting off once more, indicating for Bonnie to follow.
Bonnie ran after her, letting Dedenne quickly scurry up to her shoulder before doing so. As she followed Beautifly through the trees, Bonnie was impressed at how quickly her bug type had adjusted to her new ability to fly, easily maneuvering through the trees. While Bonnie was sure it would still be tough to get over the fear of flying types, she was sure Beautifly would manage it, her Pokemon looking stronger and more confident each day.
After making their way through the trees and deeper into the forest, Bonnie saw yet another small clearing up ahead. Beautifly flew over top of it, nodding to confirm this was where there destination was. And, as Bonnie and Dedenne approached, she saw the shape of the Pokemon she was seeking who had called out to her for help.
"Latias!" she said, eyes wide as she saw the dragon type.
It was a beautiful Pokemon, and Bonnie was sure that it was even more incredible when flying. It looked somewhat bird-like, with no legs, but two plane-like wings. Its backside was red, with two fins, while its front was mostly white other than its face which had red markings. On its chest was a blue triangle, which Bonnie noticed appeared to be scratched and bruised a little. As she took a step forward, the legendary Pokemon's yellow eyes opened weakly and it made a pained sound.
"Kooo..." it murmured weakly, although it appeared to smile as it looked at Bonnie.
Bonnie took that as a sign that she could approach, and she slowly moved forward before kneeling in front of the legendary Pokemon. It was quite a remarkable creature, and Bonnie was stunned that she was now so close to such a rare Pokemon, although at this point she had seen quite a few. She glanced at Dedenne, seeing him scurry down her shoulder and move towards Latias' chest, checking what appeared to be its wound. Bonnie winced again as the sharp pain came to her head and she saw the image of Latias being struck again. When she opened her eyes, they met Latias' and she knew that it had sent her that image...somehow.
A moment later, Beautifly landed next to them, and it was then that Bonnie noticed the net lying a few feet away from Latias. She glanced at her bug type, realizing that it must've removed it when she'd found the dragon type. Bonnie was once again filled with pride as she smiled at her Pokemon. She was sure Latias was much more comfortable not being trapped in that at least. Of course, it's injury was still not good, and clearly needed treatment. Fortunately, Bonnie was pretty confident she had what was needed.
"Don't worry, Latias," she said confidently, resting her hand on the legendary Pokemon's neck and lightly petting it. "I'll have you fixed up in no time, and then you'll be flying through the air at super speed again!"
"Kooo," Latias answered, a little more cheerfully, and managing another small smile.
Bonnie smiled back, and then got into action, pulling off her backpack and opening it up. She rummaged through it before pulling out a potion and a couple of Oran berries, hoping that those would heal Latias' wound and give her the energy she needed. She gave Latias an apologetic look before picking the potion back up and aiming it towards the dragon type's chest wound. "This might sting a bit, but it will make you feel better. Can I spray it?" Latias nodded, looking like she was bracing herself for the sting. Bonnie did it quickly, hoping to get it done with as soon as possible to make Latias more comfortable. When she was done, she noticed Latias wince a bit, but otherwise, it seemed all right, the chest wound looking noticeably better. Bonnie then pulled out the Oran berries, handing one to Latias, who gratefully ate the first one, her energy immediately seeming to return a bit.
"Denene?" Dedenne asked it, smiling encouragingly.
"Kooo," Latias said happily in answer, stretching her neck a little before eating the second Oran Berry. When she finished it, her eyes seemed to flash with renewed energy and she stretched once more, before slowly rising off the ground, a red aura shining briefly around her. Bonnie realized that she was floating, and couldn't help but admire Latias briefly, before closing up her backpack and putting it back on. She wasn't sure that Latias was fully recovered, but at the very least, it looked like it could move again.
"You look like you're feeling a lot better!" Bonnie told the Eon Pokemon excitedly. She then looked up, remembering that Latias was with another Pokemon, which she assumed was Latios. "We need to find your friend, don't we?"
Latias nodded, but didn't appear to move, simply closing her eyes. Bonnie stayed quiet, realizing that Latias appeared to be trying to concentrate as best she could. As Bonnie watched, she noticed Latias enveloped by the red aura once more, the dragon type's eyes opening briefly, a red glow seen there as well, before the light dimmed and stopped. Bonnie wondered if Latias was somehow calling out to Latios, but she couldn't be sure.
It was then that Latias turned towards her and glanced down, as though gesturing for Bonnie to look at something. Bonnie followed the legendary Pokemon's look, as did Dedenne, and they noticed something lying on the ground between them and Latias. Dedenne scurried up to it first, sniffing it before looking up at Bonnie, who stepped forward and knelt down. She glanced at Latias questioningly, before the Eon Pokemon nodded and she continued, reaching her hand out to touch the object.
As soon as she touched it, whatever it was, a bright light flashed in front of Bonnie's eyes. It was similar to when she saw the images of Latias before, but this time, she felt no pain. It was as if she was floating, moving to someplace else. She shut her eyes, feeling a little nauseous from whatever it was. When the movement finally stopped, however, she opened her eyes, seeing only a wide open field in front of her, surrounded by beautiful cliffs and waterfalls on each side.
It took a moment for Bonnie to get her bearings, but once she did, she noticed Dedenne was with her, the Antenna Pokemon having scurried up to her shoulder. She looked to him in confusion, wondering where they were, before she noticed movement up ahead and heard voices. As she squinted her eyes, getting a better look at what was going on, she realized it was a person, a girl about her age, and two men. They seemed to be arguing, and there was a Pokemon behind the girl, whimpering in pain.
Bonnie quickly realized that the Pokemon was Latias, and she once again felt rage bubbling up inside her. Someone was hurting it again! If it was Team Archaic again, she was going to make them pay with everything she had. "Let's go, Dedenne!"
When she reached the commotion, she was surprised once more, doing a double take as she looked at the people in front of her. The two men appeared to be...knights? They had armour and swords and everything, with brown cloaks that were too similar to the colours of Team Archaic's uniforms. Bonnie was sure it was them, but she was pretty confused about the outfits. Their Pokemon didn't seem unusual at least, with a Machop and a Houndour in front of them.
Bonnie's eyes then went to the girl, and if Dedenne wasn't at her shoulder, she would've been sure she was looking at a reflection of herself. The girl looked almost identical to her, although wearing a white dress as opposed to the outfit Serena had given Bonnie. Other than that, it appeared she had the same partner Pokemon with her as well, with a Dedenne staring menacingly at the opposing Machop and Houndour from in front of her.
"Leave this Latias alone!" the girl shouted, a fist clenched in front of her. "I will give you just one opportunity to leave in peace, but if you do not, you will be punished greatly. I'll take you to the king myself!"
"He's not even your king, you Kalosian brat," one of the knights said. "Step aside, girl! Houndour, Flamethrower!"
"Look out!" Bonnie shouted, although it appeared she didn't need to, the Dedenne immediately blocking the attack with a Thunderbolt. It was clearly very well trained. Of course, two against one didn't seem fair to Bonnie, and she wanted to help. "Dedenne, you use Thunder Shock and help her!"
"Nene!" Dedenne nodded, jumping from her shoulder and unleashing his own electrical attack. Bonnie smirked, watching the attack rush towards the Houndour, knowing they were landing a direct hit. There was no way these guys would get away with hurting Latias.
However, nothing seemed to happen. The Thunder Shock appeared to simply pass right through the Houndour, making no mark on it or the ground it struck. In fact, nobody even seemed to have noticed the attack at all. Neither the girl, nor the knights had even reacted to the blast of electrical energy. Bonnie looked at Dedenne with wide eyes, wondering just what was going on.
"Dedenne...is this...just some kind of vision?" she asked, having no other explanation for it. Her partner Pokemon just shrugged, before the two of them looked at the scene in front of them once more.
"I wouldn't attack me if I were you," the girl warned, her blue eyes flashing angrily. "Dedenne won't allow anything to get near me, and I have friends ready to strike if you want more."
The knights simply laughed at that, the one with the Machop nodding for it to get into battle position. "Your weak threats don't scare us, girl. We're getting that Latias, no matter what we need to do to you and your little rat." He then unsheathed his sword and pointed ahead. "Seismic Toss!"
"Macho-"
Bonnie's eyes widened as she saw the fighting type blasted into the air by what she was sure was a Boomburst attack, the blue sound waves looking almost exactly like the ones Ash's Noivern produced. She stared up at the Machop, seeing it descending to the ground, wincing in pain, before an Ice Beam struck it from somewhere near a waterfall, and a water attack hit it from somewhere above a cliff.
"Nene!" the girl's Dedenne shouted, before joining in, aiming a Thunderbolt at the Houndour, before a brown blur hit it in the side, sending it towards a yellow and red Pokemon that seemed to punch it into the air before disappearing.
As both Pokemon dropped in front of the knights, the girl that Bonnie looked so similar to took a step forward, her Dedenne coming to her side. "Leave," she commanded, a menacing look on her face that appeared to work this time. Bonnie almost laughed as they ran off, although she couldn't help but notice them leave their injured Pokemon.
"Nenene," the girl's Dedenne cried out, rushing towards the hurt Machop and Houndour. His trainer followed, kneeling down to give the two of them each an Oran Berry. Bonnie heard her murmuring words of comfort to them, before she got up and turned around, returning to the injured Latias.
"Latias, are you all right," she whispered, stroking the injured Pokemon's neck, just as Bonnie had only a few minutes before. There was a soft murmur from the Eon Pokemon, and Bonnie could see the girl smile. "Of course, Latias. I will always protect you. Forever and ever until the end of time. We have a connection. A connection that will last for eons."
Bonnie bit her lip as she heard that, feeling her heart race at the words. She knew it was important that she was seeing this. She just couldn't quite figure out why. Her fist clenched, and she felt something digging into the skin of her hand, and she looked down, opening it to see what it was.
"A flute," she whispered, looking up quickly as she heard her words echo, the other girl showing Latias the very same flute that Bonnie was holding. "Let's make a vow, Latias. "When you sing, I will come and find you. Always. And when I play this song on my flute, you will find me." She then played a soft tune, which Bonnie felt was very similar to the song she had sung for Squishy so long ago. "It's a song I play for all of my friends," the girl explained. "Maybe one day you will help me play it once more for the one I made it for."
"Kooo," Latias murmured, leaning forward and touching the flute with her nose.
At that moment, Bonnie saw yet another flash of bright, white light, before she felt something moving her hand. She shook her head a bit, slowly opening her eyes, before seeing Latias before her once more, nosing the flute in her hand. Bonnie glanced around, confirming she was back in the forest, before returning her gaze to the legendary Pokemon in front of her.
"Did...did you show me that vision, Latias?" she asked after a moment to gather herself.
"Kooo," Latias answered, nodding before floating forward and nuzzling Bonnie's cheek, making the young trainer giggle.
"Does this mean you want me to have this flute?" Bonnie asked when Latias backed up a bit. "You want me to be able to call you for help, just like you called me?" The Eon Pokemon nodded, looking overjoyed as she looked into Bonnie's eyes. "Thank you, Latias. I'll be super careful with it. And don't you ever hesitate to call me for help again, either. I won't let those meanies from Team Archaic get you."
"You shouldn't be making promises you can't keep, kid."
The voice made Bonnie jump and she quickly turned around, her heart beginning to race as she noticed the two members of Team Archaic from before. She couldn't help but notice that they had a Houndour and a Machop with them, which seemed like way too much of a coincidence to her. However, she couldn't let that get to her now, and she quickly stepped in front of Latias, not sure if it would be battle ready yet.
"Beautifly! Dedenne!" she called out quickly, the Butterfly flying quickly to hover in front of her, while Dedenne hopped down from her shoulder, cheeks sparking. "Don't you dare go near Latias, you bullies!" Bonnie warned. "She's not yours!"
"Guess she's kind of right about that!" one of the men said, laughing. "Latias belongs to the boss, not us!"
"Yeah, but for now, it's in our possession," the other one said more seriously. "So kid, be smart and get out of our way."
Bonnie shook her head defiantly. "No way! Dedenne, use Nuzzle on Houndour! Beautifly, you use Gust on that Machop!"
The Archaic grunts were too shocked to respond, watching, dumbfounded, as their Houndour was hit by Dedenne's electrical cheeks and fell to the ground paralyzed, and Machop was sent flying through the air by a mini tornado. Bonnie felt a rush of satisfaction as the two men stared in stunned silence. She knew she could handle them. There was no way she was letting Latias get hurt.
"Dedenne-"
"Bite! Then use Smog!"
Bonnie gritted her teeth, seeing Dedenne was too close to get out of the way. Despite Houndour being a little slower due to the paralysis beginning to take effect, it was still easily able to grab hold of the Antenna Pokemon and give him a nasty bite, before unleashing a dark, purple smoke from its mouth that surrounded Dedenne. He ended off with an Ember to send Dedenne flying towards Bonnie, before stumbling to the ground as electricity sparked all over its body.
Meanwhile, Machop had recovered as well, leaping back into the air and striking Beautifly with a hard Karate Chop, sending the Butterfly Pokemon to the ground, landing hard next to Dedenne. She seemed to recover fairly quickly, but Bonnie could see that Dedenne didn't look good, and that Beautifly was probably her only hope now.
"Beautifly, use String Shot and wrap up Machop!" she quickly called, before running forward and picking up Dedenne to keep him from further harm. He had the sickly look of a Pokemon that had been poisoned.
Houndour seemed to attempt to stop the attack with Ember, but luckily, Dedenne's Nuzzle attack had at least made that difficult for it, as it fell to the ground, wincing from its paralysis. However, Machop seemed perfectly capable of defending itself, easily dodging the String Shot and leaping forward to grab hold of Beautifly before his trainer ordered a Seismic Toss.
"Beauuutifly!" the Butterfly Pokemon cried out in pain, slowly rising up off the ground, looking tired but determined to fight for Bonnie.
"You can do this, Beautifly!" Bonnie encouraged, glancing back at Latias, who had her eyes narrowed, watching Beautifly intently. Bonnie was surprised, seeing the red aura around the dragon type again, but she quickly turned back around, knowing she needed to focus on the battle. However, she was surprised to see that Beautifly now had the same red aura around her! Bonnie wasn't quite sure what it was, but she was sure that Latias was helping. "Beautifly, use-"
"Flyyy!" Beautifly suddenly cried out, flapping her wings as a green glow appeared alongside Latias' red aura. Bonnie's eyes widened as she saw both Machop and Houndour enveloped by the green glow as well, before each fell to their knees, a green orb shooting out from each and returning to Beautifly, who straightened up as the orbs hit their mark.
"Look Rotom! It's her!"
"Zzt! Bonnie!"
She turned quickly, smiling as she noticed her friends arriving, looking tired, but otherwise okay. "Rotom!" she called quickly. "What move is Beautifly using?" She would have greeted them, but she needed to win this battle, and Beautifly seemed to be using a pretty strong move.
"Zzt! It is the move I was mentioning before! Beautifly has learned the move Absorb!"
"Yes!" Bonnie cheered, pumping her fist as she pointed forward, seeing the scared looks on the Archaic grunts' faces. "Beautifly, use Absorb one more time!"
"Beautifly!" the Butterfly Pokemon called out, nodding before the green glow enveloped her and her opponents again while she flapped her wings quickly. As she did so, Clyde and Rotom quickly made their way to Bonnie, each looking stunned by the Latias behind her, but saying nothing in the moment. While Beautifly's attack did its damage, Clyde fortunately had the awareness to grab a Pecha Berry from his bag and give it to Dedenne, the Antenna Pokemon perking up a bit as he ate it, watching Beautifly's attack from Bonnie's arms.
"C'mon Machop! Get back in there!"
"You too, Houndour. Don't fail us!"
"KOOO!"
Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, none of them knowing where it had come from. Bonnie glanced back to Latias, wondering if it may have been her, but it didn't seem to be. However, the Eon Pokemon did seem to know what it was, looking happily towards the sky. Bonnie followed her gaze, stepping back quickly with her friends as a blue shape whipped down and came to a stop in front of them.
"KTOOO!" the other Eon Pokemon, Latios, screeched, opening its mouth and unleashing a ferocious Dragon Pulse. The shining dragon-shaped attack launched forward at full speed, striking the Team Archaic grunts full on, sending them and their Pokemon flying off into the distance.
"Kooo!" Bonnie smiled widely as she watched Latias rush forward to greet her companion, the two Eon Pokemon nuzzling one another affectionately. Latias appeared to murmur something to Latios, and Bonnie could see the surprise in the blue dragon's eyes, before it appeared to smile and nod to her in thanks.
"Guys," Bonnie said, turning to Clyde, Rotom and Treecko, "I'd like you to meet my friend Latias, and her companion Latios. It was Latias that was calling out before, which is why I ran off. Those guys from Team Archaic were trying to hurt her and take her to their boss or something."
Clyde seemed to wince at that, but he smiled as he looked towards the two dragon types. It was clear he appreciated the rare opportunity to see such rare Pokemon. "Nice to meet you Latias and Latios."
"Zzt! What an opportunity!" Rotom cried out excitedly, snapping a few pictures of the Pokemon, who looked at him in confusion. "I thought we had missed our chance when they flew away so quickly the last time!"
Bonnie just laughed at that, giving a quick apology to the Eon Pokemon before looking to Latias. "Thank you for helping Beautifly in our battle, Latias. We wouldn't have won without you."
"Kooo," Latias murmured, nuzzling Bonnie once more before looking to Latios, who was looking to the sky.
"You have to go now, don't you?" Bonnie asked, smiling. Latias nodded, but she looked towards Bonnie's hand that held the flute and the message was clear. "We'll see each other again."
Latias nodded once more, looking overjoyed to hear Bonnie say those words. And as she rose into the sky, alongside Latios, Bonnie was glad to know the words were true. She held the flute tight in her hands as she watched the two legendary Pokemon disappear into the sky, above the trees. She knew in her heart that when she played that song, Latias would come.
Bonnie could hear the voice of the girl from her vision. We have a connection. A connection that will last for eons.
Author's Note:
And there we go...Bonnie now has the flute that can call Latias! But what was with that vision? Who was the girl? (Should be able to guess that one) And where were those attacks coming from? Could those be hints of anything? Hmm...I wonder.
Anyways, hopefully that wasn't too crazy a chapter and you like where things are going. Obviously more is to come, but for now, I'm sure there are a few questions. If I can answer without spoilers, I'm glad to do so. So ask away. And other than that, I'll see you all in the next one.