Chapter 10: It Attacc, It Protecc, But Most Importantly, It Walcc?! Accumula City's Furret Walk!
N has never seen Touko train her Pokèmon before.
He had many opportunities to do so in the past, especially during their time in Chargestone Cave, when he tested her by obstructing her path with a select group of Team Plasma. He admits that he had spent a good portion of his initial journey gathering information about her and assessing her character, but when it comes to how she is towards her Pokèmon, N can only describe her team's unwavering trust towards their trainer. A part of him was reluctant to learn how exactly people train their Pokèmon, after all.
So when Touko tilts her head and hums softly, N decides to watch her closely.
"How do I teach you Dream Eater?" she mumbles. "First, we're going to need a Pokemon durable enough to endure several attempts. Ah, that's it!"
She whips out a Quick Ball from her bag. "Come on out, Valyn!"
The Vanilluxe huffs out some cold air when he is released from his ball. He waves at N and Touko with his tiny, icy hands.
"Valyn, can you help me with something? I just need you to go to sleep for a while."
The Ice-type Pokèmon catches Lillil's gaze. She grins shyly and lifts her leafy arms up. Valyn realizes instantly what exactly his trainer wants him to do. He slowly shifts his vision from Lillil to Touko and back to Lillil again.
"Clink!" Valyn keeps his carefree smile. Touko lets out a triumphant cheer and leads her Pokèmon towards the tall grass.
"Alright, let's do this! Lillil, Sleep Powder!" The Lilligant releases a cloud of green pollen over the ice cream Pokèmon. A drop of cold drool drips down from Valyn's mouth as he dozes off to sleep.
"Perfect, now try to find his dream and then absorb it into yourself," Touko instructs. Lillil closes her eyes and concentrates on her teammate. As she focuses, a small pink cloud is drawn from the Ice-type Pokèmon, and a visible look of discomfort distorts Valyn's usual carefree smile. The manifested dream hovers over to Lillil, who then swallows it whole.
"Did she do it?" the heroine asks herself. She gets her answer a moment later when Lillil collapses to the ground, clutching her head.
"Ah! Lillil!" her trainer gasps as she rushes to her Pokèmon's side. As she cradles the Lilligant, N makes a cursory glance and recognizes the pained look on her face.
"She has a brain freeze," he states.
"What?" Touko dumbly blurts out. "You mean that Valyn's dream was too cold for her to handle? How does that even work?"
N hums. "It might be a side-effect of her move failing. For now, let's treat her headache."
"Right." Touko pulls a Full Heal out from her bag and sprays a bit of the medicine onto her Pokèmon. "Does that feel better?"
Lillil nods her head several times before slowly steadying herself on her foot. She turns to the sleeping Vanilluxe and closes her eyes again.
"Alright! This time, for sure! Use Dream Eater!"
What follows is a cycle of brain freezes and failed attempts. After an hour of this, Touko throws her hands up in frustration.
"Arggh! This isn't working!" she cries, "I don't know what we're doing wrong."
"I wonder…" N bends down to the Lilligant and asks, "Can you tell me how exactly you're absorbing the dream?"
With her arms, Lillil mimics the act of prying something apart and then engulfing it.
"She said that she's been absorbing the dream as it is. There must be a missing link between the dream manifesting and her absorbing it. If that's the case, then I have an idea."
Facing Touko's Pokèmon again, N suggests, "Lillil, try using Dream Eater as you would with Giga Drain."
She nods and concentrates again. A storm of pink dust swirls around the Vanilluxe, and his slight grimace morphs into a knocked out expression. A pink aura surrounds Lillil as the energy of his dreams enters her body.
Touko gasps as her Pokèmon completes the move. "T-That's it!"
Lillil twirls once and smiles up at N. He merely grins back and pats the flower on her head. "Your welcome. I'm glad my advice was helpful."
N turns to Touko, who's staring with gratefulness in her eyes.
"You really saved me a lot of time. It would have taken me several more hours to realize that," she admits.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Even though I'm super close to my Pokèmon, that doesn't mean I understand everything about them. I'm still learning something new every day. That's why I dedicate a lot of time when I train them. It's not just because I want to win battles."
"I never knew that," N says, "I assumed that you were naturally gifted as a trainer."
"Nope, not at all! Just dedication and hard work."
That faraway haze reappears in his gray eyes. "Of course. Being a trainer is a lot more than giving commands to your Pokèmon in a battle. Touko is no different from an average trainer, and yet, she possesses such immense strength."
"Oh no! I think we pushed it a bit too far. Valyn fainted," Touko rushes over to her unconscious Pokemon, "Accumula Town isn't too far from here. I'm going to take him to the Pokèmon Center."
"I'll be right behind you."
"Okay, let's go!"
When they exit the gate leading into Accumula Town, the two immediately notice that there is something off about the place.
The town itself hasn't changed much. The three apartment-style buildings are still there as well as the small house on the hill behind the Pokèmon Center. The town square in the center looks exactly the same as the last time Touko was here.
There's just a bunch of Furret everywhere.
Some are walking with the townspeople, brushing up against their legs or running around them as a cute gesture to grab their attention. A few are resting at the town square, savoring the only patch of grass in the concrete pavement.
But then, Touko spots a few walking up the walls of the apartments. One of the Furret resting on one of the rooftops suddenly leaps across to the next building. The gap is too wide for a normal jump to cover, but the Furret clears the leap as if it's playing around in a small river. Its friends must have been impressed, for they also take turns jumping across the rooftops and back as some sort of chicken game.
Both Touko and N gasp at the feat.
"Hey, N. Have you met any Furret that can walk on walls or jump like that?" she whispers.
"No, I have not," N mumbles back with the same astonished tone. "Something is not right here."
A lone Furret looks over the edge of the roof, claps its hands together, and soars into the sky. Its majestic and long body temporarily blocks the sun as it basks in the gentle breeze that pets its fur. The wild Pokèmon begins to dip as if to fall, but it presses its tiny paws against the air and uses the momentum to slowly stroll back down to the ground.
"D-Did that Furret just walk in the air?!" Touko exclaims, "What is going on?! I think my head just imploded."
"I'm going to talk to them. They should know the reason why we're seeing such an impossible formula." N leaves her side and heads to the first Furret that he finds. Touko continues to blankly observe the Furret, who are now walking back up to the rooftop the same way it came down from it.
"Heroine, are you alright?"
"No. No, I'm not. Why isn't anyone else bothered by this?"
"Let us question the townspeople. We must ascertain the truth."
Touko's gaze lands on N. He's surrounded by three Furret, and he reaches his hand out to pet one of them. A genuinely serene smile accompanies his approachable demeanor as he asks for information about the strange happenings in the town.
"Yeah, I can leave the wild Pokèmon to him."
Upon exploring the town more, Touko realizes that there are an abnormally high number of trainers hanging around. Some have been training at the town square, battling against each other, but most are just lingering around, seemingly uneasy. The heroine asks a few of them for information regarding the Furret, but she keeps getting the same answer: they have always been like that, ever since they have stepped foot in the town.
After getting that response a third time, Touko instead asks, "There's a lot of trainers hanging around. Is there some sort of tournament happening here soon?"
A blue-haired boy shakes his head. "No, that's not it at all. I would be out of here if I could, but something is trapping us here."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it's best if you try to leave yourself. For some reason, only the trainers are trapped. The people living here who don't have a Pokèmon are allowed to come and go as they please. We've been trying to come up with a solution, but at this point, I might just release my Pokèmon and then recapture them."
After thanking the trainer, Touko heads back towards the gate. She passes through the entrance leading to Route 3 and finds herself staring at the giant herd of Furret running around the town square once again.
"No way. How can this be?"
"Touko!" N calls, "I saw you try to leave town. Did you find something?"
"Well…"
After explaining what the other trainers have told her, N glances at the gate. "The Furret told me the same thing. We can't continue our journey if we're stuck here."
"Woah, I did not expect to see this," a voice chimes in from behind them. Touko recoils, while N leisurely smiles.
"Hello, Mei," he greets, "How is Nacrene City doing?"
"Doing better, that's for sure," she nods, "Lenora said that she can handle the rest, so I'm doing my own stuff again."
"Busy as ever, I see. What are you doing today?"
Mei points to her bag. "I actually have to deliver something to Professor Juniper, but since you guys are also heading to Nuvema Town, I thought I should catch up to you two...Oh!"
Mei's eyes are drawn to the black and white cap on Touko's head. Her head flicks over to N, where Touko's pink and white hat rests. Mei cheekily grins, leaning forward and resting her pointer finger and her thumb on her chin. Her patented thinking face.
"Touko, when did you start wearing N's hat?"
"T-Today, actually."
"Ohhh? And how did this happen?" Mei teasingly probes.
"This morning, I asked her if we could swap, and she said yes. It's going to take some time to get used to," N explains.
"Annnd, why's that?"
"Because pink is not a color I'm used to seeing on me."
"I think it fits you," Mei beams, "You could use some more color, anyway. Right, Touko?"
The heroine shakes her head. "He looks better in black and white."
"No way! He needs something that accentuates his green hair!"
"His hair already stands out! Besides, not many colors match that shade of green!"
"But the pink of your hat does!"
N blinks at the two arguing trainers. Reshiram chuckled from within its luxury ball. "How amusing."
"Ahh! What are we doing?!" Touko cries out, "This is no time for arguing! We need to find a way to leave this town!"
N catches the confusion on Mei's face. "We should ask Nurse Joy if she knows more," he suggests. "I can explain on the way there, Mei."
The actress's smile curves nervously. "T-This can't be good."
After placing Valyn in Nurse Joy's care, Touko and her friends learn that the Furret have arrived at Accumula Town three months ago, and the strange physics-defying phenomenon that they've been seeing has come around the same time. The trainers who have been trapped here have heard rumors about the town and wanted to investigate for themselves.
Exiting the Pokèmon Center, they see the Furret walking down the streets in perfect unity. A flute clearly rings throughout the town, playing a breezy tune accompanied by a keyboard piano and an archlute. The Furret walk to the beat, even occasionally chirping in unison whenever the chorus repeats. Some of the trainers are recording the performance on their Xtransceiver.
"Aww, they're so cute!" Mei coos. "I wonder if they'll let me join them."
Touko laughs. "They're really getting into it. I'm sure they don't-!" Before she can finish her sentence, Mei is already strolling with the wild Pokèmon, humming the song as she does.
"She certainly marches at her own pace," Touko mumbles. N grins as the Furret begin to head their way. The heroine loses her balance when several Furret walk behind her and shove her towards the crowd of wild Pokèmon. They pay no mind to Touko's startled gasp as they sweep her off her feet, carrying her on their backs. Returning to their little march as if they haven't just snatched a bystander, the Furret drag Touko around the town.
Mei clutches her stomach, tears forming in her eyes from laughing too hard. "Nice job, Furret!"
"Ohhh, once I figure out how to escape from this, I'm gonna get you, Mei!"
"If you can escape!"
N chuckles at their antics, captivated by the bright smiles on their faces. After the wild Pokèmon complete their second loop around town, he rushes to the horde and attempts to free Touko from their grasp. However, the Furret are determined to keep her hostage, and they scurry away from him, bringing her to one of the apartments. They start scaling up the wall with Touko in tow.
"I hope I don't fall," she prays. Once the Furret reach the rooftop, they let her down. She picks herself up and takes in the view. Below are the trainers, all staring back up at her. Past the city boundaries is Route 1, a long trail of grass and trees that split in two directions. From Touko's right, a tiny sea separates the main route from its eastern half. Over the trees, she can see the gate leading into Route 17. And further down, a large ship with white sails and a large booster at its tail lingers in the sky.
"A ship?" Touko wonders. "What is it doing there?"
"That's the Plasma Frigate," Mei answers as she casually struts up the apartment wall to stand by the heroine's side. "After everything that happened with Neo Team Plasma, they thought it would be best to dock it there."
"They?"
"The ex-members of Neo Team Plasma and my acquaintance."
"...You mean Colress?"
"Yes. You don't need to worry about them planning anything. Without Ghetsis, they can't do anything."
Touko tips her hat down. "But the Shadow Triad are trying to bring him back. If they do, will those ex-members follow him again? I can't let that happen."
Mei glances at the heroine as she lifts her head up and rests her gaze at the small patch of houses at the end of her vision. "Do you miss Nuvema Town?" she asks.
"Yeah, I do, even though I always thought it was a bit too quiet for me."
"It's definitely different from Aspertia City. Living in a place that small makes you want to see the world."
"I think I've seen enough of the world for now. I guess I'm at the point where I want to settle down for a bit."
A soft grin rests on Mei's face. "After this journey with N, right?"
"Yeah. I've seen a lot of the world, but I wasn't getting any closer to finding N. I...actually came back to remind myself why I was searching for him. I've roamed at least five different regions, chasing rumor after rumor, and it made me think that N doesn't want to be found. That I was being purposely misled. It became harder to control my frustration, and that slowly made me forget what it is I wanted to tell him. So I came back to the Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel and..."
"You found him again."
Touko can only nod.
"Have you asked him if he got your message?" Mei questions.
The heroine turns her gaze to the floor. "No, I have not. Our journey-!"
She stops herself then. If she reveals that their journey so far has been a roller coaster of confusion and embarrassment that drained her strength and sanity, Mei is going to ask why. "Uh, well, actually...I've just been so absorbed in our journey that I keep forgetting to ask him. N is moving forward into the future, and I should do the same. I don't want him to dwell on his past."
"I get what you're saying. But I think you shouldn't ignore your other feelings, either. If you have something you want to say to him, you should. I guarantee you that he'll listen."
Touko blinks at Mei's words, not understanding what she meant. She halfheartedly answers, "I'll keep that in mind."
When the blue sky is slowly swept aside by orange and pink light, Touko and her friends face a new problem.
"You're out of rooms?" the heroine echoes back to Nurse Joy.
"I'm afraid so," the nurse replies. "With this many trainers and no way of knowing when they can finally leave town, there have been many battles fought over these rooms. To be honest, I've stopped registering people into my log because of how many times the room keys get traded around."
"That is troubling to hear," N says. "I'd imagine that you've been busy nursing their Pokèmon after their battles."
"Yes. Oh, but don't worry about me. I hardly get any work since this is such a small town, so this is a welcome change."
"So, I guess we're camping outside tonight," Touko remarks as they exit the Pokèmon Center. "I don't have a problem with that."
"Have you ever slept while hugging a Furret?" N eagerly asks the heroine. "A Furret's fur is very soft. It's almost like a second blanket."
"No, I haven't. Is it really that soft?"
Mei is toying with her Xtransceiver when she gasps a bit too loudly. "Oh no, it's going to rain tonight!"
"Wait, what?" Touko hovers over Mei's shoulder, spotting the small rain cloud on the screen. "No...I don't want to sleep out in the rain."
"Then we should obtain a room key," N suggests. "Let's split up and find out which of these trainers have one."
Mei heads toward the park, immediately pulling out a Pokè Ball and pointing it at them. N walks down to the gate leading to Route 1, asking any trainers that he bumps into. Touko enters the Pokèmon Center again.
"Alright! Time to investigate again!"
It doesn't take her long to find someone who has a room key. A black-haired trainer is leisurely swinging his around, watching the line of trainers waiting for Nurse Joy to treat their Pokèmon with a smug grin. She can feel that jolt of excitement course through her veins. She's going to wipe that smile off of his face.
"I challenge you to a battle for that key!" Touko pronounces, her eyes flashing with determination. The random trainer merely snorts.
"Another one? Well, it doesn't matter to me. My Pokèmon is only going to be stronger from this. I accept your challenge. Let's take this outside!"
Once the two are a good distance away from the Pokèmon Center, Touko releases her Pokèmon first. A small crowd gathers around them, and Mei and N squeeze their way through to watch their friend battle.
"Pele, let's go! That room key will be ours!" A zebra-like Pokèmon stomps her hooves against the concrete. A wave of electricity travels down her white mane. The random trainer releases a Beartic, a bipedal, polar-bear-like Pokèmon with an icy beard and tufts of white fur over its stomach.
"Pele, Ion Deluge!" Golden particles disperse from Pele's black and white body. The tiny orbs scatter throughout the town, and some of them bump against a thin blue layer high above.
"Beartic, Icicle Crash!" Condensing air in its hands, the Ice-type Pokèmon forms a sharp dagger and hurls it at the Zebstrika. Pele, without moving from her spot, bursts into flames. The instant combustion lessens the impact of the Beartic's attack, steam erupting from Pele's head where the ice shard hits her.
"Flame Charge! Don't give the Beartic a chance to breathe!" Fueled by her trainer's command, Pele charges towards her opponent. She runs with the speed of lightning, fire flickering behind her. The Beartic stumbles each time Pele strikes, the speed of her attacks growing with each hit.
"Ugh! Use Super-!"
"Not a chance! Double Edge!" Touko shouts. The electric particles saturated in the air come to life as Pele tucks in her head and bashes against the Beartic. They crash in between the two benches in the park mindlessly watching the battle. A wave of faint blue energy ripples across the town, disguised by the yellow aura emitting from Pele's Ion Deluge. Pele retreats to her trainer's side and waits for her next orders.
"Get up, Beartic! I know you have some fight left in you!" Responding to its trainer's voice, the Ice-type Pokèmon shakily picks itself up. Small burn marks litter its body. It takes a step forward but then has to immediately clutch its stomach.
Touko, after noticing that her opponent won't last much longer, commands her Pokèmon to use Flame Charge once again. After the consecutive speed boosts from earlier, Pele closes the gap, ready to finish it off. That is...until a Furret walks in between Pele and her target.
"Ahhhh! Pele, stop! Stop!"
Touko's order does little to prevent the inevitable collision. The wild Pokèmon stands on its hind legs as Pele, unable to slow down, charges towards it. At the last second, a thin barrier surrounds the Furret, protecting it from taking damage from the Flame Charge.
The heroine deeply sighs. Her opponent irritatedly shakes his head. "Ugh, they always do this! Don't they know it's rude to interrupt a battle like this?!"
The Furret, after tilting its head at the annoyed trainer, calls for its friends to join it. Soon, their battlefield is drowning in Furret, all weaving their way around the Beartic and under the Zebstrika. The group then splits up, some heading to the ice-type, while the others stand by Pele's side.
Touko hears the crackle of lightning, but it isn't coming from her Pokèmon. The Furret on her side all release a pillar of electricity towards Pele, clapping their hands as their attacks serve to charge the Zebstrika. The temperature then drops, and gusts of snow swirl through the battlefield.
"Stop, stop!" Touko's opponent cries out. "Stop using Blizzard!"
The heroine can't help but grin. She understands what the wild Pokèmon are doing, and she jumps on the chance they have given her. "Wild Charge, Pele!"
The Furret scatter for the hills the moment Touko issues her command. Pele's attack connects with the Beartic instantaneously, a lightning bolt traveling on land. Another large wave of blue energy engulfs the town, but just like the first pulse, no one seems to notice.
The battle is over. After retreating from the fainted Beartic, Pele trots to the defeated trainer and gingerly plucks the room key from his waist.
"Good job, Pele," the heroine says as she takes the key from Pele's mouth. "I can tell you were itching for a battle." The Zebstrika merely snorts, lifting her head defiantly.
"That was amazing!" Mei exclaims as she runs up and fawns over Pele. The Electric-type Pokèmon dodges each of Mei's attempts to pet her, even going so far as to stomp her hooves and let a few sparks race down her body as a warning.
"You might want to stop, Mei," N says. "Pele doesn't like strangers touching her. You'll get shocked at that rate."
The actress stares at him as he flashes a bashful grin at the Zebstrika. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you're speaking from experience?"
"He sure is," Touko interjects. "Back when I was visiting the Nacrene City Museum for the first time, after I battled against N, Pele wasn't happy when he said he was going to save all Pokèmon. He gave her a pitiful look and tried to pet her, but instead, she shocked him really hard."
"Really?!" Mei gasps. "Now that I think about it, I can totally see that happening!"
The two female trainers laugh. N catches Pele eyeing him with a glare.
"...I guess you still don't trust me," he states. The Zebstrika nods and withdraws back into her Pokè Ball.
"Well, time to see what kind of room we got!" Touko says as she dashes to the Pokèmon Center. N trails after her, trying to get her to slow down. Mei watches them run off before turning her gaze to the park, a thin frown on her face.
The moon rises and casts a sleeping spell onto the rural town. Touko collapses onto the bed, the only bed in the room, after winning a three-way argument about who gets to sleep on it. Well, she wouldn't call it a win. Apparently, the three of them all wanted someone else to claim the bed, and that sparked a debate that only ended with several rounds of rock-paper-scissors.
At first, only the sound of rustling sleeping bags pokes at her tired consciousness. Her mind drifts into a dream that involves her standing in the heavy rain at a train station. The umbrella in her hands does nothing to stop her from getting wet. The wind shoves her from behind, and flashes of blue light race among the clouds.
"Heroine, wake up!"
Touko sits up, ready to scream. Her mouth automatically opens, a scold waiting on her tongue, but a leafy arm covers it.
"Lillil? Why are you up so late?!" she harshly whispers.
"I requested her assistance in waking you. But now is no time for your usual lecture. You must hurry and transform!"
"Wait, why?! Don't tell me-!"
"I sense Cure Bolt's power."
Touko glances down at the luxury ball. Now that she is more awake, she can hear the harsh splash of heavy rain splattering against the doors of the Pokèmon Center. The steady chorus of thunder rings in her ears. Neon blue lightning chases away the darkness of the night.
"Lillil, watch over N. If he wakes up, use Sleep Powder." The Grass-type Pokèmon salutes and hops off of her trainer. The heroine pushes herself off of the bed and notes the empty sleeping bag lying next to N's sleeping form. The light from their bathroom is on, squeezing through the tiny gaps of the doorframe.
"Oh, Mei's using the bathroom. I should transform in another place."
Opening the door as quietly as she can, Touko tiptoes her way to another bathroom further down the hall. She closes the door and then wills herself to transform.
"The Heroine of Truth, Cure Flare!"
When the Precure flies out of the Pokèmon Center and into the pouring rain, she is greeted with the sight of chaos. Gray clouds prevent the moonlight from seeping into the town. Pillars of lightning crash down onto a massive Wobbuffet, which towers over the apartment buildings around it. A small, black streak flickers within the storm of blue, crashing into the giant Pokèmon.
Cure Bolt spawns in front of Cure Flare with another flash of lightning. She's breathing heavily, her legs wobbling from the effort to keep herself on her feet. The Wobbuffet coats its cyan body with neon blue energy, which it then releases with a pained cry. Bolt raises her arms and braces herself.
Jumping in front of the blue-haired Precure without hesitation, Flare places her hands up and blocks the attack with a wall of fire. The rain pours down on her shield, creating a blast of hot steam that coats the two magical girls.
"Are you okay, Bolt?" Flare questions.
"Y-Yeah, thanks."
Now that she is in a position to see the front of Cure Bolt, Flare takes in the petal-shaped sleeve on her right shoulder and the blue ribbon on her chest that is shaped like a pair of bells. She is also wearing a choker, but instead of the plain silver one that she has, it's black with a hexagon ornament and a bow that serves as its clasp. Bolt's top is short, like her tutu skirt, ending just above her stomach. Her hands are covered by a pair of fingerless black gloves. Black stockings stretch down to her ankles, where a band of blue hexagons separates them from her black boots.
"She has a very simple outfit...Is that because of her or because of the Pokèmon lending her its power?"
Flare shoves those thoughts away. She can come back to them later. "So is this what's trapping the people of this town?"
"Correct. I've been attacking it with all I have, but it's being really stubborn."
Flare turns to the giant Wobbuffet. "Let me give it a shot!"
She winds up her fist and launches herself forward. A burst of steam erupts from the impact of her punch to the Wobbuffet's guts. She follows up with a swift front kick and then a roundhouse kick, but the giant Pokèmon doesn't budge from its spot. This time, a red aura surrounds its cyan skin, and Flare is sent back once it releases that energy back to her. She summons five fireballs and aims it at the Wobbuffet, but the rain shrinks their sizes, and by the time they reach their intended target, they are as small as a Pokè Ball.
Cure Bolt lines her fists with plasma and pounds its guts just as Cure Flare bashes her foot into the Wobbuffet's face. Its body swings back before rebounding to its original position, reversing the force and springboarding the two Precures back towards the Pokèmon Center. The Wobbuffet releases another shockwave of red energy that hits them both, and while Flare is merely shoved against the Pokèmon Center, Bolt is sent flying into the trees bordering the town.
"Bolt!"
"Tch...I know that Wobbuffet have a lot of endurance, but still! This is ridiculous!"
"This rain is also decreasing the power of your attacks, Flare," Reshiram chimes in. "We have no way of stopping it, so we are at a disadvantage."
"Reshiram, are you in my bag?"
"Yes."
"Focus on her powers. If you sense anything familiar, tell me later. For now, I need to cooperate with her."
"Very well, Flare."
"Bolt, do you have any ideas on how to take it down?"
The blue-haired magical girl closes her eyes as she lets out a short groan. "If this is a Wobbuffet, then we have to overwhelm it. The problem is that it is seemingly able to take a full-on attack with ease."
"Then let's do a combination attack," Flare suggests. "It can't take two attacks at once. You've already weakened it a great deal, too."
Bolt perks up, as if struck with an idea. "Yes, and I've just come up with the perfect combo! I want you to use that move you unleashed back in Nacrene City."
The orange-haired Precure recoils in shock. "Wait, you were there?"
"Of course. I was keeping an eye on you to see the depths of your determination. Your battle in Nacrene City left quite a strong impression on me."
"I'm glad to hear that. Okay, I'll follow your lead," Flare says, flashing a bright smile. "I'm not sure what you plan to do, but I'll trust you."
Bolt returns her smile. "Thank you, Flare. You have to attack it first since the rain is lowering your power. I'll launch my attack right after."
"Alright, here I go!" Fire roars in her ears as she centers her power into her fingertips. A white turbine sprouts from her bag, churning the fiery heat in her blood. An orange aura surrounds her. She points both of her pointer fingers, now lit with a pair of flickering embers, up and concentrates on forming a large sphere of fire. The rain flees from the heat gathering within her grasp. Orange light bathes the sleepy town.
Flare winces from the effort she has to put in. "I-It's still really hard to control this!"
"I am with you, Flare. Now, together!"
"Precure!" Flare and Reshiram proclaim as she crosses her pointer fingers together before slamming her hands down. "Fusion Flare!"
White feathers circle around the fireball. The makeshift sun slowly ascends past the rainclouds before swallowing the Wobbuffet whole. For a moment, it scatters the dreary cover and allows the moon to cast its light over the town.
The crackle of lightning ends the brief reprise of clear skies. Neon blue electricity ignites from Cure Bolt, and two rings of energy encases her. A black turbine charged with electricity attaches itself to her bag. Her eyes open, her preparations complete. She flies to the retreating clouds and congregates them within her orbit. Five dots transfixed in a pentagon shape hover over the giant Pokemon, with another larger dot in the middle. The flames from Cure Flare's attack begin to wane.
"Precure!" Bolt exclaims. "Fusion Bolt!"
She crashes down onto the Wobbuffet with an ear-splitting boom. Six thunderbolts, one of them split in half by a black streak, drop down from the formation in the clouds and imprint a burnt pentagon into the town square. The two benches snap; fissures of charred wood embedded into the back of the seats. The tree behind the giant Pokèmon, meanwhile, is cut open, and a core of molten orange spews forth from the trunk.
The Wobbuffet shrinks down to its normal size, letting out a bewildered cry as it reverts back to normal. A gray object similar to the one found in Nacrene City tumbles towards Cure Bolt.
She bends down to pick it up, but her legs give out.
"W-Woah!"
"I got you!" Flare says, grabbing Bolt's arm and steadying her.
"Thank you," Bolt sheepishly says. "That took a lot more out of me than I thought."
"Looks like there are some things you don't know." The blue-haired magical girl pouts at Flare's cheeky comment.
"You're more of an enigma than anything else I've been dealing with."
"Really? Honestly, I would be too, if I was in your position."
Bolt runs her finger over the object she had just picked up. Flare notices this and asks, "That came from the Wobbuffet, right? What is that?"
"It's the device the Shadow Triad used to transform Pokèmon into Kugekis. However, this is an earlier model, so it doesn't have the capabilities to fuse humans and Pokèmon together."
"An earlier...model?"
"I'm sure they've told you this before, but what they're doing is experimenting on people and Pokèmon. They clearly believe that fusing humans and Pokèmon together will help them achieve their goal, but as for how the two are connected...that's something I'm still trying to figure out."
Flare frowns. "So you also don't know how they're going to bring Ghetsis back."
Bolt nods as she tucks the device into her bag. "While I'm grateful for your assistance, I am still going to keep the terms of our agreement. Figure out who I am, and I will join you."
"Still going to make us chase for hints, huh?"
"I think we deserve another hint, don't you think?" Flare attempts to negotiate. Bolt flashes a cheeky grin, one that's too familiar in Flare's eyes.
"I already gave you one, Cure Flare. Now, goodnight."
The morning sun pokes at N's back, and the slight brush of heat is enough to pull him back from the realm of sleep. He hears the rustling of a sleeping bag next to him.
"Morning, N," Mei says as she rolls up her sleeping bag.
"Good morning. What time is it?"
"Close to ten. Did you know there was a thunderstorm last night? I'm surprised that you slept through it. You're normally a really light sleeper."
He takes a peek out of the window and squints at the crowd of people huddling around the town square. The wild Furret are nowhere to be seen.
"There's some commotion outside, but I can't see what it is. Come with me, Mei. I don't want to wake up Touko just yet."
"Letting her sleep, huh? Good idea. Let's go."
After fixing himself up for the day and putting Touko's hat on his head, N and Mei exit the Pokèmon Center and squeeze their way through the crowd. The former king gasps as he takes in the sight of the tree oozing a searing orange color and the benches destroyed beyond repair. The charred pentagon etched into the grass looks freshly made.
"Who could have done this?" N questions. "Could it be from the thunderstorm? I've never seen lightning naturally strike in such a matter. No, it can't be natural."
"Guys!" A trainer shouts from the western gate. "I-I can leave town! We can leave now!"
N and Mei turn to the cheerful cry, observing the hoard of trainers rushing into the gate.
"Alright, we're not stuck here anymore!" the actress exclaims.
"We've only been here for a day," N cheekily notes. Mei heads back to the Pokèmon Center, but N lingers behind to stare at the strange shape drawn into the park.
"First, it was the giant specter in Nacrene City. And now, this and the weird barrier surrounding this town. There's something happening in this region, and I have to figure out what that is."
"N, are you going to join me for breakfast?" Mei calls, peeking her head out from the Pokèmon Center entrance.
"Ah, yes. In a bit."
N wonders why he's the one risking his life here.
He nervously gazes at Mei, who is at the opposite corner of the room watching him with her usual playful smile. He glances at the girl sleeping on the bed and places his hand on her shoulders.
He shakes her once. Touko groans. He shakes her a bit harder. Touko swats his hand away.
"I can't do this, Mei," he hisses. "She's going to attack me if I wake her up."
"Come on, N! You need to get used to this sooner or later. Besides, it's almost noon! I wanna get moving already."
Conceding to his fate, N once again grabs Touko's shoulders and rattles her.
"Touko, wake up," he says. "Please wake up."
"Hmmmmm...give me five more minutes…"
"No, Touko. Get up now."
He lifts her head up from her pillow. Her eyes snap open, registering N's slightly miffed frown. She doesn't immediately notice how close N is to her, but once she does, she backs up against the bed frame.
Unperturbed by her behavior, N greets, "Good morning, Touko. I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep, but everyone here, including your Pokèmon, are ready to head out. The barrier around the town is gone, which means we can continue our journey."
Touko rubs her eyes as she tries to register what he's saying. "The barrier's...gone? Of course it is...Cure Bolt and I were…"
She sits up straight. "That's right! Last night, we reverted a Wobbuffet back to normal…!"
N heaves a sigh of relief when Touko doesn't immediately scold him. "We'll be waiting for you downstairs," he says as he pulls away and gets off the bed, "Take your time."
Mei and N exit the room, leaving Touko alone to prepare for the stumbling through her morning routine, she picks up N's hat and places it on her head.
"I really wish I could sleep more. At least I didn't collapse for three days…"
"You can sleep all you want once you reach Nuvema Town. Let us not keep your friends waiting."
"Before we go down, did you figure out what Cure Bolt's hint is?"
"I have a theory, but I am not confident in my answer yet. There is a certain piece that I need in order to accept my conjecture as truth."
"I see. I'll brainstorm with you once we have some time to ourselves, but for now, let's go home."
Heading down the hall to the lobby of the Pokèmon Center, Touko finds N and Mei talking to a group of musicians. N has that glint in his eyes, a sign that he is ensnared in their conversation.
"Touko! Perfect timing!" Mei greets, spotting the heroine first. "Alright, let's go!"
She grabs Touko's wrist and drags her out the door, N and the musicians trailing behind them.
"Slow down, Mei! Where are you going?"
"Those musicians want us to listen to a piece of theirs. They said that the inspiration for it was N!"
They head to the house on the hill behind the Pokèmon Center. As one girl picks up her violin that was resting in its case, another girl delicately runs her fingers down her piano. A boy in a purple shirt grabs his drumsticks and sits down in front of his drums. Another male musician blows into his trumpet, warming up with a few practice notes.
The girl with the violin sets a beat with a metronome and then turns to her audience.
"We'll play the piece twice. We don't really have a name for this song yet, but nonetheless, please tell us what you think at the end."
They start with the sound of brisk anticipation, like someone walking up towards an ominous place. The violin and trumpet commands the starting melody, with the piano joining shortly afterward to bring a sense of drive and serenity into the piece. It then culminates into a glorious calling that speaks of the true meaning of resolve. A soft brass solo at the end drags the melody back to its earlier motif of acceptance before it repeats back to the beginning of the piece.
Once they have finished their performance, N claps enthusiastically, evidently moved by the emotions conveyed by the performers. The violinist and the rest of her group, after moving away from their instruments, bow to their audience.
"It is a lovely melody," N praises, "It captures the inner turmoil of a hero and the trials he had to face as he heads to the future."
Mei grins. "For me, I hear a hero returning to his former glory, eager to set things right."
The violinist turns to Touko, who has been oddly silent. "And what do you think?"
Reshiram's heroine lifts her head up. A glint of remorse lingers in her blue eyes. "I hear...a hero who must accept her destiny of bringing a king down."
As the song resonates over the town, a Furret looks up one of the apartments and gently pats the brick wall. Without hesitation, it crawls up the wall, reaching the rooftop to take in the view of the Plasma Frigate.
Profile: Pele
The Thunderbolt Pokèmon. Touko met Pele back when she was a Blitzle living on Route 3. Her aggressive nature stems from wanting to prove herself as an able fighter. She's one to attack first and ask questions later. In battle, she's a reckless Pokèmon, willing to charge in headfirst, even if it means taking recoil damage. Because of this, Pele is Touko's most difficult Pokèmon to train, especially after she evolved into Zebstrika. At first, she had trouble fitting in with the rest of the team, often clashing with Ritsu, but after fighting many battles with them, she was eventually accepted for who she is by the rest of her teammates. The only Pokèmon on Touko's team to handle spicy food, and the last Pokemon to be converted to the magical girl "hype train."
Gender: Female
Type: Electric
Nature: Lonely
Characteristic: Quick tempered
Ability: Motor Drive
Move set: Ion Deluge, Double-Edge, Wild Charge, Flame Charge