Chapter 8: By Design
"So, what's gonna happen with the finals, Vivian?"
"They're being postponed to tomorrow." The host answered, smiling. "That was a pretty big scare, even though it turned out not to be a big problem. We had a full evacuation and everything. But the finals will go on tomorrow morning. That'll give your Pokemon some time to recover, too."
"You probably also have to get that wall fixed." Ash said, grinning sheepishly. Serena, who stood just behind Ash, giggled and nodded in agreement.
Dawn laughed. "Yeah, it's got just a small hole in it."
Vivian nodded, chuckling slightly. "You're right. It won't be totally fixed by tomorrow, but the battle doesn't depend on that wall. As long as the big screen starts working, we'll be ready to go. That will give you and your Pokemon enough time to rest up from all the commotion as well."
Serena and Dawn nodded. They were now out of their dresses and in their normal clothes. Everyone was now recuperating after the Team Rocket incident. They stood just outside of the Sootopolis City Pokemon Center, joined by Vivian as well as Officer Jenny.
"It's nice to hear that you all managed to stop Team Rocket, but I'm afraid there might be more than just them up to no good here in this city right now." Officer Jenny admitted.
Ash tilted his head in confusion. "What d'ya mean?"
"While you were taking care of Team Rocket, we had multiple civilians report suspicious activity around the city limits. Apparently a sizeable group of people all dressed in black made their way out towards the Cave of Origin just before you all got there." The policewoman explained.
"I wonder what that could mean." Brock pondered aloud.
"It can't be any good. We know a lot about groups of people who all dress the same." Ash said seriously, crossing his arms and looking over at his older friend, who nodded in response.
Serena, who stood just behind Ash, placed her chin down on Ash's free shoulder, grabbing his arm and looked toward Officer Jenny. Ash wasn't even bothered; he didn't look over to see who it was, he kept his serious expression and his arms crossed. "What else do you know about them?"
"We know they were led by a man with purple hair. Apparently they all have the ancient character Sigma (σ) on their uniforms." Officer Jenny replied, looking over to Serena.
"Sigma…" Ash said, deep in thought.
"An ancient character?" Mallow asked.
"Sigma is part of the ancient language's alphabet. It being used on something like a uniform these days is peculiar for sure." Professor Burnet explained.
Professor Kukui looked serious as well. "We shouldn't assume anything until something happens, though. Let's not jump to conclusions."
"I've still got a bad feeling about this." Brock admitted.
"You and me both, Brock." Ash agreed. He leaned his head over to rest on Serena's, who smiled happily despite the potential danger at hand. Ash was still thinking, even though it didn't seem like there was much to think about. The information provided by Officer Jenny was limited, and all signs seemed to point to some more unfortunate events on the horizon for Sootopolis City.
Just then, everyone heard a huge crash, which sounded like something massive had been broken or shattered. The next sound they heard was an enormous, low-pitched roar.
"What was that?" Ash asked as everyone turned towards the sound, with Serena lifting her head off of his shoulder in surprise.
"I'm not sure, but it sounded like it came from the direction of the Cave of Origin." Brock said.
"It didn't sound very friendly…" Serena noted as she tightly gripped Ash's sleeve, becoming anxious.
"Hey, do you all remember what the Professor said about Groudon and Kyogre and the Cave of Origin the other day?" Lillie asked her classmates, becoming nervous herself.
"Well, sure. Why?" Sophocles asked.
"You're not suggesting…" Kiawe started.
"That was a legendary Pokemon's roar." Kukui affirmed.
"Let's go check it out!" Ash looked to his friends, a determined look in his eyes.
Everyone nodded seriously as they all began to run in the direction of the Cave of Origin.
"Kyogre, respond!"
At the bottom of the right branch of the Cave of Origin, there was a small team of scientists, led by a tall man with a very muscular build. He rocked a bald head, an angry scowl, and a Team Sigma uniform. The Red Orb, sitting on top of a pedestal of sorts, began to glow. There was a giant pool in front of the men, and the water soon began to move. Something was happening beneath the surface.
The water then gave way. From the middle of the giant pool arose the front half of the body of the legendary Pokemon, Kyogre. It looked angry, like it hadn't wanted to be awoken from its slumber.
"Kyogre! We are Team Sigma. We are not here to hurt you. We want to see you do battle with Groudon. Your nemesis is already awake. We will not stop you, so we encourage you to go find your enemy and fight until the end of time!" The bald man shouted.
Kyogre simply roared at the group, and went back under the water, leaving the cave. Everyone there knew there was a path under the water that led to the outside of the rock formation, where Groudon already was.
The bald man touched his earpiece and spoke. "Leader, Kyogre is awake. We assume that it's off to find Groudon at this very moment."
"Excellent. Well done, Epsilon." A low-pitched, confident voice spoke back. "We have done our job. It is possible that Groudon's roar has stirred up some activity in the city; we need to be prepared, should the police come to oppose our actions. For now, evacuate everyone from down there and meet me and Chi back near the entrance."
"As you wish, leader."
The group of eleven, plus Officer Jenny, were approaching the Cave of Origin (although Professor Kukui had to carry Sophocles on his back). They couldn't really see too much of the inside of the cave from outside, but as soon as they did enter and their eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, they saw a sizeable group of people, all dressed exactly alike. The group looked at the team dressed in all black, wondering what it was they were doing here. Serena moved a bit closer to Ash, grabbing the back of his jacket again. She was ready to defend herself and her new friends, but she couldn't help but find herself more determined in close proximity with Ash.
Officer Jenny was the first to step forward. "Alright, listen up, you lot! You are being officially questioned by the police department of Sootopolis City! Tell us what's going on here!"
As the information they heard had described, a tall man with purple hair stepped forward. He certainly seemed to be the leader of this group. As he did so, he let a snarky smile cross his face, a bit overconfident. "Hmph. Everyone, stand by for battle."
"Lairon!"
"Shelgon!"
"Dusclops!"
"Seviper!"
The group of grunts, as it seemed, released several of each of the Pokemon they had heard called out, plus some others, such as Cacturne, Sableye, and Manectric. There seemed to be about 4 or 5 of each of those Pokemon.
Ash growled, a scowl on his face. He looked around at his friends. Though some were clearly anxious, they were all prepared to fight back against these thugs and stop whatever it was they were up to. People like Brock, Serena, and Dawn all already had Pokeballs at the ready.
"If it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you're gonna get!" Ash shouted. Pikachu agreed confidently, electricity sparking in his cheeks as if to threaten them. It had been a long while since they had gotten to have a really serious battle, with something more than a grand trial or an Ultra Beast capture at stake. He hadn't had a proper serious battle since saving Lillie's mom. And that hadn't even lasted for all that long, considering he had ended it with only one move. Despite the evident danger at hand, Ash couldn't help but break out into a toothy grin. He had missed this kind of thing.
Serena looked up at Ash to see him grinning his signature grin. It was a grin she had come to adore, but what she had taken note of was Ash's voice. Ash had always been loud, but through all the years of yelling for various reasons, his voice had grown to be quite strong. Now that he was older, his voice went down whenever he got loud, instead of going up. Serena loved the sound of his voice, especially now that he was just about fully grown. His voice wasn't the smoothest or even all that deep compared to other guys his age, but he did sound grown. Even though his voice had gotten deeper, it was still full of life and energy. She gripped Ash's jacket and her Pokeball tighter. She had to shake off her thoughts for now. There was something more important going on. But that didn't mean she was going to let go of Ash just yet.
"Heh heh. Just try and see if you can get past us. We'll stop you dead in your tracks. Or," The purple haired man started. "We'll just stop you dead. Whichever comes first."
"Well, at least you're skipping the bullshit and telling it like it is." Kiawe commented. Lana punched his shoulder. "Ow! Someone had to be the first one to curse! I took one for the team."
Ash grinned wider, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. "I'd love to see you try, purple dude!"
The raven-haired trainer grabbed two Pokeballs from his pocket, and turned his head toward his partner. "Pikachu, let's show 'em what we're made of!"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed confidently, hopping off of Ash's shoulder and landing right in front of his trainer, once again sparking his cheeks as he growled at the other Pokemon.
Ash threw his Pokeballs into the air. "Torracat, Lycanroc, let's go!"
Ash's two strongest Alola Pokemon appeared from their spherical homes, materializing on either side of Pikachu, both growling at the opposing Pokemon.
Ash looked to his friends. "Well? Are we just gonna stand here? These guys are clearly up to no good, and we're not gonna let them talk to us like that, right? Let's show 'em what we got!"
Brock nodded first. "You're right, Ash. We won't back down now. Swampert, Steelix, let's go!"
Dawn nodded in agreement, grinning at Ash. "Let's get 'em! Mamoswine, Togekiss, come out!"
Serena took a deep breath. She let go of Ash's jacket and grabbed a second Pokeball from her bag. She tossed them both into the air. "Braixen, Sylveon, I need you again!"
"Lilligant, come out!"
"Primarina, let's go!"
"Charizard, you're up!"
"Vikavolt, I choose you!"
Lillie looked on anxiously as her friends all released their Pokemon, all ready for battle. She was shaking every so slightly. She was scared with how little she knew about the situation at hand. She didn't even know if the legendary Pokemon had been awoken, and she knew even less about the Pokemon themselves. She didn't have a whole lot of material to study the legends of other regions with over in Alola.
Lillie looked down at her partner, Snowy, in her arms.
"Vul!"
Lillie was taken aback for a moment; Snowy looked determined as it turned to face her trainer, ready to battle. "Snowy, you… you really wanna battle?"
Snowy nodded, still looking determined. Lillie closed her eyes, steeling herself. All her friends were all ready to battle; despite her inexperience, she knew they would want her help. She just wished she had more experience and more training with Snowy. But she would give her all, no matter what the circumstances happened to be. Besides, she was old enough to be considered an "adult" at this point. There was no reason she should be backing down when the battle hasn't even started.
"Alright, Snowy, you join in, too! Let's battle!" Lillie commanded, shaking away her anxiety for the moment. Snowy jumped out of Lillie's arms and into battle stance.
"I suppose you've left us with no other choice. Arcanine!" Officer Jenny called, releasing her trusty police partner to her side.
Professor Kukui couldn't help but smile at his students' behavior. He was proud of them for being ready to defend themselves; they looked so strong and confident, too. Naturally, Ash had been the one to start it all, given that he was a natural leader (and pretty loud, too, so that made his words extra convincing), but he was still proud of all of them. And it looked like Brock, Dawn, and Serena weren't backing down either.
Still, Kukui wasn't sure about this whole thing. He knew that concealing his identity as the Masked Royal would easily be thrown out the door if his students got into too much danger, but he was skeptical about this. Something felt off. And until he knew what it was, he was going to refrain from joining the battle. He shared a look with his wife, who looked concerned, as if she also knew that something was wrong here. Surely, it hadn't been these people who had made that huge noise.
"That's awfully big talk, kid. So let's see if you can actually back that big mouth of yours up with some real power." The purple-haired man said, throwing his Pokeball into the air. A Metagross appeared from the sphere.
"But whatever power you have, it's nothing compared to what you're gonna see once you know what we've done here!"
"That's enough, Chi."
Everyone's attention was drawn towards a powerful, deep, echoing voice coming from behind the group of Team Sigma members. The big group parted perfectly down the center to make way for tall, lean man dressed in all black. His facial features were mostly hiddened by the darkness of the cave, but he seemed to be in his mid-30s or so, and his face showed only hints of sadism and anger, and not much else. His face was clean-shaven, but his features were rugged. He might've been considered handsome if he didn't look so angry. He looked to be rather emotionless at the moment. However, the group could also see that the man had a sigma embedded the chest of his outfit. The group relaxed slightly and looked at the man and his team of scientists in confusion.
"There's no longer any reason to fight. We have completed part one of the experiment." The man in black addressed 'purple dude'.
The man waved his hand dismissively at the group. "You all are but mere young adults. Kids your age do tend to feel like they can take on the world, when they are really destined to fail. You don't realize what you're getting yourself into, do you?"
"Well, no, actually. We were kinda hoping you would tell us. But purple dude over there wouldn't talk very much." Ash remarked rather plainly.
This got a chuckle out of the tall man. "I see. You seem to be an entertaining and determined group of kids. Well, then, since we have done what has needed to be done already, you can't do much to stop us now. Allow me to introduce myself."
The man motioned to himself and his team. "My name is Doctor Ivo Shadowfade, but call me Shadow. I'm a researcher. I am the leader of Team Sigma. This is just one very small division of our ranks. The man you refer to as 'purple dude' is Commander Chi."
"Enough of this! Tell us what you've done here!" Officer Jenny demanded, losing patience.
Shadow chuckled again. "Very well, officer. What you have witnessed here, what you heard and your encounter with this team here, it was all by design. MY design. I have been planning this for a VERY long time. And now, the day has finally come for my master plan to finally come to life. So I will tell you what I've done. That roar you surely heard?"
Shadow grinned menacingly. "That was Groudon."
The group gasped in shock. "THAT was Groudon?" Kukui inquired.
"Ah, I see you kids do have some chaperones. Yes, my fellow researcher, it was. You see, I have been working for a very long time to accomplish my main goal as a researcher; to see the legends of Hoenn in action, and observe them. Simply reading what vague text we have about them simply does not do justice for me." Shadow said.
Shadow smiled sadistically. "Kyogre has also been awakened by my second-in-command. As I'm sure you're aware; those two are bitter enemies, and have been since this world was created. Their battle here will be catastrophic."
"Why would you do that, knowing that their battle will cause so much chaos?" Brock called to Shadow.
"I have been studying legends for as long as I can remember. I have been working for a very long time to see these beautiful creatures in person. I, frankly, don't care what it costs. I will do anything, sacrifice anything I have to in order to see them in action and to be able to study them." Shadow said. The group listened in horror, realizing just what could really happen due to the awakening of the legendary Pokemon. And some were in somewhat of a shock; this had been sprung on them so suddenly.
"Don't you realize how big this is? How much bigger this is than you? These Pokemon are LEGENDARY. People only see these things on cave walls, or in their wildest dreams. When the world was created, these Pokemon roamed the planet. I'm doing nothing more than restoring the world to the state that it was intended to be in from its creation. And in the process, I'm going to observe them; study them, and their amazing power."
"You're wrong! This isn't bigger than us! This IS us! By doing this, you're putting all of our lives at stake! Not just ours here, and everyone in Sootopolis, hell, everyone in Hoenn, but even yours and your teams' too!" Ash shouted defiantly.
He motioned to Brock. "We have SEEN these Pokemon battle before. I think my friend here would agree that we'd rather not see it again. You release these Pokemon just to let them run wild on the world; who knows what could happen; who could DIE because of this! Catastrophic is probably even an understatement!"
Shadow growled at Ash mentioning that he and Brock have seen the Hoenn legends before. "You, a young brat, has SEEN Groudon and Kyogre, awake, before me, someone who has dedicated their LIFE to studying these Pokemon? I'd watch your mouth if I were you, boy. I know exactly what I've done. And frankly, the fact that you have had the chance to see these Pokemon before I have, and you're over a decade younger than I am, pisses me off beyond what words will be able to convey. So I'd recommend that you don't cross me, or else you WILL pay the price."
"And you piss me off, asshole! You released two of the most powerful legendary Pokemon into the wild to battle each other, endangering all of us on the east side of Hoenn and probably the entire region, and for what? Your selfish research? What kind of research are you doing that could possibly justify you putting all of our lives in danger?" Ash retorted angrily.
Serena put a caring hand on Ash's back, looking worried for her crush. She moved closer to him, becoming anxious. She never really got a chance to see him during the Kalos Crisis back then, so she couldn't remember a time when Ash had looked so angry. His argument was absolutely right, of course, but she knew Ash. She feared that he might let his temper get the best of him, if this argument dragged on for too long.
"Is that what it's like to see from a 'heroic' viewpoint? Hmph. Perhaps, once upon a time, I could've seen eye-to-eye with you, boy. But I lost sight of that a long time ago. I couldn't care less what you think, or what anybody else thinks. I have assembled a team here who are all willing to sacrifice their lives for this cause. We are prepared for anything. And I mean anything. The research I'm conducting is on the creation of this world. How did it begin? How were the regions created, and why are they all so different? By studying the Pokemon that created continents and oceans, I intend to learn more about the secrets of this world's creation." Shadow explained.
"You're an absolute monster!" Serena cried out, tears beginning to form in her eyes at the thought of the danger she and her friends were now facing, and what might happen if the situation got out of hand. She closed her hand that was on Ash's back around his jacket in an attempt to find some sort of comfort in the situation.
"Is that right? I've heard worse." Shadow stated plainly. After he said this, everyone began to hear a sound. It was the distinct sound of pouring rain. Ash and company all turned around to look out of the Cave of Origin and saw that the sky had darkened dramatically. It was pouring extremely heavy rain, heavier than most had ever witnessed. They also saw lightning strike close to them and heard the roar of thunder and felt it shake the earth they stood on.
"Ah, I see Kyogre's Drizzle has already taken effect. It must have gotten out of the Cave now. You see, children, Kyogre doesn't actually cause the thunder and lightning. That's actually a result of Drizzle and Groudon's Drought reaching a stalemate. It may be raining, yes, but could you really imagine this battle taking place under the bright sunlight?" Shadow chuckled psychotically. "Yeah, me either."
The group all turned back around to see Shadow seemingly unfold something metal; it looked almost like a segway, but didn't have wheels and looked much more high-tech. It was a sleek design. Ash, Dawn, and Brock all seemed to recognize the machine from their encounter with Shaymin back in Sinnoh. Shadow stepped on to the vehicle which quickly left the ground.
"Now, if you pests will excuse me, I have some research to do." Shadow stated as he flew his levitating segway above the group and out of the cave before anyone had a chance to say anything in response.
"Hey!" Ash shouted angrily as Shadow flew over his head and out of the cave. "Come back here!"
Ash took off through his friends and sprinted out of the cave. Pikachu, Torracat, and Lycanroc all followed their trainer.
"Ash!" Lillie called as he passed her. The rest of the group looked at each other and nodded seriously, following the raven-haired boy out of the cave.
As the group exited the cave, they were immediately bombarded by the pounding rain and the roaring wind. Ash almost lost his hat, and had to hold on to it to make sure it didn't go anywhere. Ash's friends soon joined him just outside of the mouth of the Cave of Origin, staring at Shadow's shrinking figure as it lifted over the rock formation surrounding the city and disappeared to the other side.
The wind blew everyone's hair violently. Ash stood in the lead as the group formed behind him. He turned around to look at all of his friends. Some were anxious, some were deep in thought, some looked angry, like Ash. They were all returning their Pokemon to their Pokeballs for now, to keep them out of the wind and rain. Ash followed suit and returned Torracat and Lycanroc, while Pikachu bounded up on to Ash's left shoulder. Ash looked back toward where Shadow had disappeared.
He took a deep breath. This was the real deal. This was supposed to simply be a fun field trip. But now, they were involved in something that would determine the fate of Hoenn, and possibly the entire world. It happened very suddenly, yes. A few hours earlier, they were enjoying themselves at the Wallace Cup. But there was no time to think about that. Ash knew that he couldn't just sit and watch as this horror unfolded in front of his eyes. But he also knew that he couldn't afford to let his temper get the best of him. There was far too much at stake. Not just all of Hoenn, but all of his friends were here too.
He could turn to his teacher… or could he? Professor Kukui had never been much of a battler, to his knowledge. He had to take the lead, and bring his friends comfort. Especially people like Lillie, who had become like a sister to him over the past year and a half, most definitely were feeling scared and needed to feel some sort of comfort now. Like always, he was fighting for his friends.
Nobody even noticed as Commander Chi and the small division of grunts filed out the cave and made their way toward a submarine that would take them out of the city and onto a nearby island.
Serena looked up and saw Ash deep in thought. She looked worried for him. He was a natural leader, which she really admired about him; but now, nobody truly knew what it was they were up against. She figured he was probably thinking about what their next step should be. As her short hair was blown by the wind, she huddled up close to her boy, looking concerned for him, and for all her new friends. "Oh, Ash…"
Ash felt Serena huddle up to him on his right side, and looked down at her. He smiled. She was his light in this dark time. Having her next to him always seemed to make him smile. Such a simple thing to make him do so. But he was glad she was there. He felt more confident in himself and in their immediate future just having her next to him. But her anxious look made him even more determined to lead his group to victory; or, at the very least, safety.
Mallow and Lillie were hugging each other, with Lillie nervous and scared, and Mallow trying to comfort her. The green-haired girl didn't know what they were going to do, but she hoped Ash or her teacher would come up with something.
Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles were huddled up as well, hiding from the rain and wind, hoping to get warm and keep each other from blowing away.
Brock and Dawn both looked upset, as if Shadow's selfishness had struck a nerve with them, just like it had with Ash. They both turned to Ash, who they knew would be their leader in this time.
Professor Kukui looked deadly serious. He held his wife with one of his arms, and held his hat in place with the other. He wasn't sure how to tackle this new threat, but he hoped that, maybe, Ash would know something, given that he's apparently dealt with Groudon and Kyogre before. But none of them knew much of anything about the threat of Team Sigma themselves.
"Ash, I know how you're feeling. You want to get at that guy, Shadow. But we just can't do that right now. Our immediate threat is the battle between Kyogre and Groudon. We need to figure out something to stop those two from wrecking everything. They'll destroy the city in no time flat if we don't come up with something." Brock told his friend.
Ash turned to his older friend and nodded. "I know, you're right Brock. I know you're thinking the same thing I am; we both know what we need to stop those two."
"But how do we get to it? We have absolutely nothing to go on. No way to summon it." Brock said.
Ash's determined look became a little more worried. He looked back over at Serena, who wrapped her arms around his torso to keep herself steady, resting her head on his shoulder. He took her in her arms, holding her protectively against the rain and wind. They all looked out into the dark sky and wondered what it was going to take to stop the entire region from being flooded or destroyed. "We have to figure out something. Without it, I don't know what we'll do."
A girl with short, dark hair looked into the distance. Above Sootopolis City, and the whole east side of Hoenn, were the darkest clouds she'd ever seen. She saw the pouring rain and lightning strikes all the way from her position on a certain island. Just behind her was a tower whose top was the highest point of elevation in the entire Hoenn region.
Her face was deadly serious. The girl wore a tight-fitted black t-shirt and black short shorts, along with knee-high black socks and black shoes. She wore a torn, gray cape around her neck. She also had a small bag on her back.
"I knew this day would come eventually. Before we do this, we have to check up on that city."
A small pink Pokemon agreed from her arms. The girl looked down and the round Pokemon and smiled. "Perhaps there will be people brave enough to help us, too."
She brought out a Pokeball and released it. "Salamence!"
The blue and red dragon materialized. The girl hopped on to the dragon's back with ease. She stood on its back and gave her command calmly, but there was an evident hint of excitement in her voice.
She had been raised and trained herself for this moment; but now that it was here, she couldn't help but be a bit excited. She found adrenaline pulsing through her now that there was real, present danger. She pulled something out of her bag and stared at it for a moment, contemplating. She held it tightly.
"We will summon Rayquaza. Such is the destiny of the Draconid people. But first, Salamence, fly me to Sootopolis."
So finally, you know just about everything you need to know about Shadow for right now! I know it's not a very creative name or anything, he shares a first name with Eggman, but I couldn't really come up with another name for him. To be honest, coming up with an interesting villain is the hardest part about writing stories for me. The antagonist has to have some sort of character I can work with. And it's especially difficult to come up with something that isn't a total ripoff in a world that already has seen so many different villains in its world throughout the years. But once you have a villain with a good personality and clear motivations, it all just falls into place. You have a villain; you have a story. Simple as that.
Hopefully Shadow is interesting enough for y'all! I want to give him a backstory at some point down the line, though I don't know when that will be. But until then, keep enjoying all the Amour cuteness coming at you as this story continues!
Also, as you surely noticed, Mallow has a Lilligant. Since I kept her Tsareena as a Steenee, I just decided to give her Lilligant to be a viable battler as opposed to her Shaymin or Steenee. That's all. Hope y'all don't mind. ALSO oooo who could mystery girl be (it's pretty obvious) but OOO WHO COULD IT BE?
One thing I'd like to address is that many of you were very eager to point out that the Red and Blue Orbs were destroyed back in Hoenn during the Advanced Series. And, while I can't remember that, I'm taking your word for it. But it's far too late to go back now. It's possible I run this story through a friend, and it undergoes some revision sometime later this year. However, as of right now, I'm continuing on as planned.
Song: "By Design" by Lightscape, from their 2017 EP "Circles"
This band seriously doesn't get enough attention for how good their music is. If you like modern rock music, I highly recommend you give this EP a spin. It's fucking excellent.
