Chapter 22: Drawing The Enemy Out
While things were all happy for Emerald after winning her final Gym Badge, the same couldn't be said for Professor Sonia.
Ever since she'd been informed that there was a spy in her lab, she'd been tirelessly searching the place up and down and running over every possible clue that could lead to figuring out who the spy was so they could get rid of her. That was all she knew, that the mole was female due to Mary referring to it as "she" in the conversation Emerald had recorded back in Spikemuth. Sonia had investigated everything from the Pokémon in the lab to her own Yamper to make sure that he hadn't been unknowingly bugged in some way. She'd even interrogated Margot to make sure that she wasn't the spy. To her relief, Margot passed the test and was able to answer her questions without contradicting any of the facts or providing an explanation that was full of holes. Sonia felt bad about that as she felt that she was being a bad friend to her assistant. Margot just assured her that she was perfectly fine and that it was OK to be cautious. At least she had no reason to suspect her anymore.
"I honestly think that whoever this "agent" was might have done a runner." Margot suggested, "Maybe once Team Royal's hideouts were compromised, Sordward and Shielbert suggested the agent sneak away and leave before she could be found out. I think we're safe now."
"It's nice to think that we are, but as long as Sordward and Shielbert remain at large, we're not out of the woods yet, Margot." Sonia muttered, "Those two could try anything and we have no idea where they are so we can stop them. If we'd managed to weed out their agent, we could've gotten their final hiding place from her…" she added bitterly.
"Not necessarily." Margot noted, "They might not have told the agent where they are either."
"Good point." Sonia acknowledged, "Still, I'm sure Ruby will find those creeps eventually. The sooner they're put away, the better."
The door to her lab opened and to Sonia's surprise, the very girl she'd just mentioned walked inside. Ruby had flown in to Wedgehurst on the back of Soundwave and entered the lab, looking more like she was half-dragging herself towards Sonia rather than walking. The poor teen looked as if she was physically restraining herself from falling asleep with how tired she looked. Her eyes were half-closed and had dark rings under them, suggesting that Ruby hadn't had a rest lately. Sonia ran over to her with concern in her eyes. At this moment, she looked like a mother tending to a troubled child.
"My gosh Ruby, you look shattered!" Sonia exclaimed, "Oh bless you, you better sit down and rest a minute!"
She led Ruby over to a chair and sat her down. The Champion was too tired to even protest as she was forced to sit and get off her feet for a minute. Ruby gave a loud yawn. As soon as she was sat down, Sonia poured her a cup of tea and handed the mug to her.
"Here, have some of this. It'll make you feel better." the professor said kindly.
"Thanks." Ruby muttered, her voice not quite sounding her own.
She sipped the tea. It tasted of peppermint and felt refreshing to her. She hadn't had a drink for a while so it felt good to get something down her throat. Sonia waited for her to recover. After a couple more sips, Ruby finally spoke.
"Any luck finding their agent in this place?" she asked.
"Nothing at all." Sonia explained, "Margot believes the agent might've run off before she could be found. We've gone over everything and found nothing to suggest that the agent's even still here so it's possible that she may have gone."
"If I were that agent, I would've done a runner too." Ruby agreed, "With Team Royal all captured and only their bosses left, it would be wise for the spy to cut her losses and run. It just means that we're no closer to finding Sordward and Shielbert…"
Her tired eyes looked down to the floor in disappointment.
"I've been flying all over Galar in hopes of finding them and still nothing." she growled, "None of the captured Royal grunts can help me because the brothers haven't told them where they are and I have no leads to go on. Just what am I going to do in order to catch those bastards?!"
She slammed the table angrily with her fists, making her mug of tea jump as if frightened by her. Sonia recoiled. She wasn't used to seeing Ruby like this and it made her feel worried for the child's mental health. If she kept going like this, she was going to do serious harm to herself. She stood beside Ruby and patted her on the back for comfort.
"Please Ruby, don't stress yourself out so much." Sonia said softly, "Just remember, you're not in this alone. All of Galar is on the lookout for Sordward and Shielbert, it's not all on your shoulders, love. I imagine Leon's working just as hard to find them as you are."
Ruby sighed and nodded slowly.
"You're right. It's not just me looking for them. Sorry, it's just that as the Champion of Galar, I kind of feel as if it's my responsibility to find them." she said glumly.
"Leon kinda felt the same way when he was Champion." Sonia noted, "But being Champion of Galar doesn't mean everything is down to you. Just remember that. I don't want you to wear yourself out, Ruby."
"I understand." Ruby replied appreciatively, "But I just feel like I can't rest until those two are caught. The longer they remain at large…the longer Galar is in danger."
Sonia and Margot both agreed.
"If you want my opinion Ruby, you could always try luring them out into the open." Margot suggested, "I bet you could set a trap for them as you did Team Royal back in the power plant."
"I could, but I doubt Sordward and Shielbert will be stupid enough to fall for another trap." Ruby muttered, "They're clearly dumb, but I doubt they're THAT dumb. After what happened in Hammerlocke, I imagine they're going to be much more careful from now on."
"True." the blue-haired assistant murmured, "But if you set up bait far too tempting for them to resist, they might just come out anyway."
"Or instead of baiting them, we could call upon Zacian and Zamazenta themselves." Sonia suggested, "They'll be of great help in finding the brothers! With their plan involving them, that'll be enough of a reason for them to come out and help us!"
Ruby leapt out of her chair in excitement. Her tiredness suddenly seemed to have disappeared at this very moment.
"Sonia, you're brilliant!" she exclaimed, "That's it! If we call those two for help, they'll track the brothers down! Either that or their presences will goad them out of hiding to try out their plan and thus deliver themselves right to us! It's brilliant!"
The future suddenly didn't seem so bleak now. Maybe there was hope of catching the brothers after all. However, Margot seemed uncertain.
"Wait a minute. What if we bring Zacian and Zamazenta out and the brothers carry out their plan?" she put in, "If we bring them out, that gives them a chance to do whatever they plan to do, which is no doubt to corrupt them and turn them against us. If that happens, we've just handed them the keys to our destruction!"
"Oh don't worry, I have a back-up plan for that." Ruby said with a smug smile on her face.
She winked at Sonia, who in turn winked back at her. Margot was puzzled. Back-up plan? When did Ruby come up with one of those?
"And what would that back-up plan be?" Margot asked curiously.
"That's my secret and I intend to keep it that way." Ruby said firmly, "Me and Sonia both agreed that it's best we don't share it with anyone, not when Sordward and Shielbert have a spy we haven't caught yet. The most you need to know is that it's not a plan I just thought up on the spot. Oh no, we coined it up shortly after I became Champion. We just hope that we never need to use it."
"I see." Margot replied, "Let us hope indeed that we won't have to resort to it."
Ruby nodded agreeably. She turned to Sonia.
"I'll go and call my sisters to let them know what's happening, as well as pick up that little something." she said, "You and Margot keep an eye on the lab and make sure the spy doesn't come back, if she really has gone. Those Wishing Stars must stay here where they belong."
"Oh if anyone we don't know gets in, my faithful Yamper will give them a shock, and I don't mean the frightening kind." Sonia said with a devious smile.
"And I've been developing a way to weaponize a Butterfree's sleeping powder." Margot put in, "If we catch the spy, I can put her to sleep in an instant."
"Sounds like things are in order." Ruby said brightly, "I'll see you both later."
She finished her cup of tea and got up from the table. She left the lab and jumped back onto Soundwave's back. Her faithful Noivern had been outside the whole time waiting for her to finish in there. He flapped his wings and took to the skies once more, leaving Wedgehurst as an overview road map on the ground.
"Where to now Ruby?" Soundwave asked in his trademark growling voice.
"To Professor Magnolia." Ruby explained, "I need to fetch something from her."
Soundwave nodded and turned his attention towards Magnolia's house at the end of Route 2. It amazed Ruby to think that she and Sonia had coined up their little contingency a year ago and now they might be in a position where they need to use it. And at least Sordward and Shielbert would have absolutely no idea on what it was as only she and Sonia knew about it. Wouldn't they be in for a surprise when their precious plan fell to pieces in front of their eyes…?
"Duraludon and Sandaconda are unable to battle! Nidoking and Inteleon are the winners! The winner of the Hammerlocke Gym Challenge is Sapphire Silverlock from Postwick Town! She has completed the Gym Challenge and now progresses to the semi-finals over at Wyndon Stadium!"
It had been the end of a well fought battle that had gone just as well as it had for Emerald. After she'd won her Gym Battle against Raihan, Sapphire had been the one to go next after Emerald. It seemed funny how whenever the twins were in a Gym Battle, they always went one after the other. Like Emerald, Sapphire was able to win without losing a single Pokémon. She'd started off with Celestia and Spike, using them both to take out Flygon and Gigalith respectively and then once Duraludon and Sandaconda came out, she recalled Celestia for James Pond and used him to deal with Sandaconda while she Dynamaxed Spike to fight against Duraludon. Raihan had given it his all but Sapphire's strategic battle style had won out in the end and now she too was joining her sister in Wyndon City for the semi-finals.
Upon returning to the lobby, Emerald grabbed Sapphire by the hands and did a victory dance with her. She didn't care if anyone was watching, she was just overjoyed that both she and Sapphire were going to Wyndon together. Ashley couldn't help but laugh at the two, thinking their sisterly interactions were adorable.
"You won! You won! Yay, the Silverlock twins both get to go past the Gym Challenge!" squealed Emerald.
"Ha, ha! Yes we do, though I would rather make it to Wyndon with my ears intact." Sapphire remarked, wincing at how loudly Emerald was squealing.
"Sorry, you know I get loud when I'm excited!" Emerald said sheepishly.
"I know the feeling." Ashley cut in, "Bianca's just as bad when she's happy about something. I swear when that girl got excited, she could deafen an entire room of people! Cheren even said if she became a superhero, her superpower should be a sonic scream." she laughed.
"I bet me and Bianca will get on just nicely if we ever met." Emerald said brightly, "So I guess it'll be your turn next." she noted, "Though I doubt you'll have any trouble winning that badge given your status."
"Yeah, being the Champion means I get special treatment." Ashley replied, "The Gym Leaders bring out stronger teams and use more Pokémon to fight me with but even then, I haven't really struggled against any of them. Only Bea and Marnie really gave me a challenge in this circuit so I hope Raihan can give me a good final battle before I join you girls in Wyndon."
"Raihan's full team is no walk in the park as Ruby can tell you." Sapphire confirmed, "So he'll give you something to look out for."
"I look forward to it." Ashley said eagerly, "You two can go on ahead. Don't wait for me. I'll catch up after I'm done in the Gym."
"If you're OK with that, that's fine." Emerald said sweetly, "Though I bet Sapphire will be disappointed that we'll be going without you." she added teasingly.
"Emerald, sometimes you REALLY make me wanna thrash you!" Sapphire snapped in annoyance.
"I'm sure she can live without me coming along with ya." Ashley retorted playfully, "Enjoy yer trip to Wyndon and I'll see ya both later!"
Emerald and Sapphire waved goodbye to the Champion of Unova as they left the stadium to catch the local train to Wyndon City. Ashley remained where she was so she could have her Gym Battle once the recuperation period was over. Once Emerald and Sapphire walked back out into the open air, they turned left to go to the train station. It wasn't far from the stadium so they'd be able to get there in good enough time. They'd catch the first train that was available to them and make their way to Route 10. Once that was done, they'd walk through Route 10 to Wyndon City and find a hotel to spend the rest of the day in to rest and recharge their batteries for tomorrow. They'd then find out who the next two finalists joining them in the semi-finals were, though they both knew it was inevitably going to be Paul and Ashley. Paul was probably in Wyndon City right now for all they knew!
But the trip would have to wait. As soon as Emerald and Sapphire entered the train station, their Rotom phones started buzzing. Sapphire answered her's first and was surprised to see that it was Ruby calling them. They had planned to call her once they'd boarded their train but instead, Ruby was calling them! Sapphire's heart leapt. Did she have good news to give?
"Hey my girls! How are you both doing?" Ruby asked cheerfully.
"Both of us just defeated Raihan and won the Dragon Badge each." Sapphire answered, "We've completed the Gym Challenge and we've qualified for the semi-finals!"
"Wow! Congratulations on both of you!" Ruby said happily. She wished she could reach through the phone screen and hug her sisters right now, "I wish I could've seen it but…you know." she said sadly.
"Speaking of that, is that why you're calling? To tell us you've got Sordward and Shielbert?" asked Emerald.
"I only wish that was the case…BUT, I am calling you to tell you that I have a new plan to draw them out." Ruby said with a sly grin.
"Oooooh, do tell!" Emerald piped eagerly.
Ruby quickly explained the plan to the twins, deliberately keeping her voice low so that nobody could overhear what was being said. She didn't want to chance it that the brothers might have an agent lurking in the train station somewhere to hear the plan. After she'd finished, Emerald and Sapphire nodded.
"It seems our ride to Wyndon will have to wait." Sapphire acknowledged, "We'll catch the train to Wedgehurst and then we'll make our way back home so we can go to the Slumbering Weald and get the legendary sword and shield."
"It'll be cool to summon Galar's heroes!" Emerald cried excitedly, "We'll be just like you and Hop last year when you stopped Eternatus!"
"Ha, I guess you're right Em." Ruby agreed, "Though I'd say you two have a considerably less dangerous reason to summon them than I did. I was saving the world last year! Still, I won't keep you waiting any longer. The quicker you get home, the quicker you can get to their resting place. You remember the way, don't you?"
"I do." Sapphire said reassuringly, "How could I forget when you took us there a few days after you stopped the Darkest Day? Once we get the weapons, we take them to Hammerlocke like you and Hop did, right?"
"Yes. It's the highest point of energy in Galar." Ruby reminded, "Once you two are there, you can summon the duo and they'll do the rest."
"The brothers wanted them? They'll get them alright!" Emerald jeered, "We'll catch the train back to Wedgehurst and get going to the Slumbering Weald right away."
The sisters wasted no time saying goodbye. Sapphire hung up immediately and slipped her phone back in her pocket. The twins ran over to the electronic timetable to see where the next train to Wedgehurst was and when it would be leaving. There was a train on Platform One and was due to leave in ten minutes. What great timing that was! They wouldn't be long waiting to leave at least. They joined the queue for the train and paid for tickets to board. They got onto the train and after a few more passengers boarded, the guard blew his whistle and the train started. The last time the twins had been on a train had been their ride to the Wild Area, which suddenly felt like a lifetime ago. They'd come so far, starting off as a pair of new trainers from the quaint farming town of Postwick and battling their way through the Gym circuit with all eight badges claimed and a semi-final placement secured for them. And now they were about to give Ruby a hand in stopping a pair of crime bosses. While it would've been easier for Ruby to get the sword and shield and summon them herself, Ruby had explained that if she was the one to do it, Sordward and Shielbert would likely get suspicious and not even come out at all. Also she was still on the lookout for the two on the off-chance that she might find them before the plan could begin. At least with Emerald and Sapphire doing this for her, she didn't need to be in two places at once.
The train ride passed by in a blur for the twins. They barely paid any attention to the scenery that was rolling by outside their windows as the train carried them through fields and towns and across roads through level-crossings to get to its destination. They were mostly glued to their phones to see what updates were being announced, if there were any. The only real news they got was the official Galar League website updating itself by announcing who the semi-finalists were for the tournament in Wyndon. To nobody's surprise, the twins were going to be joined by Paul and Ashley. Paul had already beaten the Hammerlocke Gym and Ashley had just won her Dragon Badge minutes ago. So that was exciting, the twins and their rivals were all going to be in the semi-finals with a chance to qualify for the Champion Tournament! All four of them were trainers worthy of challenging Ruby, but only one of them would qualify to get that chance. It made Emerald wonder if she or Sapphire even had a chance of winning with such strong competition. Paul or Ashley had the best chances of getting to Ruby given their greater experiences while she and Sapphire were still new. But they'd managed to get through the Gym Challenge easily enough and both had started over with new teams from scratch so they were more or less on an even level. There was a chance that either of them could make it.
But that wasn't important now. Catching Sordward and Shielbert was. The sooner those two were jailed, the sooner they could be on their way to Wyndon. The train eventually arrived at Wedgehurst and Emerald and Sapphire quickly departed so they could get going to the Slumbering Weald. To get there quickly, Sapphire brought Celestia out to give them a ride to the forest. Celestia galloped away as quickly as her hooves could carry her. Sapphire held onto her mane while Emerald held onto Sapphire as tightly as possible. Celestia moved so fast that the scenery around the two seemed to dissolve into a strange mass of colours around them. Rapidash were fast Pokémon, as their name suggested, and their Galarian forms were no slower. They moved so fast that the twins didn't even see their house as Celestia cantered through Postwick Town. A couple of minutes later, they'd made it to the Slumbering Weald. The forest still looked as misty and as foreboding as it did before with very little sound coming from anywhere. Even the Pokémon that lived locally seemed afraid to speak up as if worried they'd attract unwanted attention in this eerie place. Celestia shivered uncomfortably. Even she felt unnerved by the stillness and unnatural quiet of the forest. Even Glimwood Tangle was more inviting than this place. But she didn't stop for a minute. She knew her trainers had a job to do and it meant going through this forest. She followed Sapphire's directions as she directed her to where the resting place of Galar's heroes were.
Sapphire remembered the way perfectly and very soon, the two sisters found themselves arriving at the ancient grave that had been where Zacian and Zamazenta were sealed away and left in their slumber after stopping the Darkest Day the first time. They'd gone back after stopping it again last year and had been in slumber again, waiting for the time they'd be needed once more. Emerald doubted that either of them expected to be needed again so soon. The girls approached the grave. The sound of trickling water was all they could hear while they were in this peaceful place. It was strange that a place like this should be in such a tranquil part of what was usually a murky and creepy forest. This whole area didn't belong in the Slumbering Weald, it belonged somewhere beautiful and more inviting. Sapphire and Emerald jumped down from Celestia and knelt down in front of the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield relics. They hadn't been touched since Ruby and Hop had picked them up last year. It was incredible to think that these rusted, broken looking weapons were the keys to summoning Galar's greatest heroes. Emerald was afraid to pick up the sword, feeling like it'd just fall apart if she touched it. But the weapons hadn't broken when Ruby and Hop used them so she picked it up. Sapphire picked up the shield. The weapons were light and easy to carry. That would make taking them to Hammerlocke City easier than they thought.
"I can't believe we're actually holding the very weapons of Galar's heroes…" Emerald said, her voice a whisper of wonder.
"When Ruby showed us this place last year, I doubt she anticipated we'd get to use the weapons like she and Hop did." Sapphire said humorously, "Let's not dilly-dally. We've got what we came for so let's get going."
"Um, girls? I'm afraid we have company…" Celestia said grimly, pawing at the ground with her hoof.
The twins put down the weapons and looked around to see what Celestia was talking about. Indeed they weren't alone anymore. Two men dressed in smart suits emerged from the shadows of the forest towards Emerald and Sapphire. One was wearing blue and was a little taller than the other, who was wearing red. The most striking feature of these two men were the fact they had very unusual looking hairstyles. One had his hair styled like a sword while the other had his hair styled like a shield. If these two were weapons enthusiasts then they had quite literally let it go to their heads. There was something unpleasant about the way the two walked towards the teenagers, their faces flashing with arrogance and superiority and the way they walked made them look as if they saw themselves as kings roaming the earth and looking down on the lowly peasants that weren't fit to breathe the same air as them. The two men stopped and took a bow, looking very much like mirror images of one another.
"Greetings Emerald and Sapphire Silverlock. You have the great pleasure of meeting us at last." purred the man in blue.
"And needless to say, you two are very lucky indeed as not many people get to meet such fabulous celebrities such as ourselves." sneered the man in red, "And we must also thank you for…"
They were interrupted as Emerald and Sapphire suddenly burst into hysterical laughter at the sight of them. Even Celestia was laughing, her laugh sounding like a cross between a horse's neigh and a laugh. The men were outraged at the response they'd received. Who were these insolent peasants to dare mock them like so?!
"Um…did we say something funny?" the men asked in unison.
"Oh my gosh, who the hell is your hairdresser?!" Emerald guffawed uncontrollably, "Look at you two! You're the silliest looking pair of guys I've ever seen in my life! I mean take you especially," she added, looking at the man in blue, "You look like your hair has a boner!"
"WHAT?!" shrieked the sword-headed man, blushing angrily at the cheeky comment.
"And you look like someone could hang Christmas decorations on you!" Sapphire added, pointing at the man in red.
"I say, what insolent cheek!" snarled the shield-headed man "We will not tolerate being insulted like this!"
"Then don't walk around with such dumb hairstyles and maybe we won't insult you!" Emerald laughed, clutching her ribs as they started to ache.
"Wait a minute…" Sapphire said, her smile running away as the cold feel of realization hit her, "Your hairstyles look like a sword and a shield respectively…you two are Sordward and Shielbert, aren't you?!" she snarled viciously.
"The one and only!" the brothers preened as if that was somehow something to be proud of.
That didn't stop Emerald from laughing even more.
"Are you serious?! You two are the leaders of Team Royal we've been tracking down for days?! With such silly names and even sillier hair, I'd think you two were the leaders of the Galarian Clown Community!" Emerald laughed, her eyes streaming with tears of laughter.
"I have to agree, the hairstyles and your names are VERY on the nose." Sapphire taunted, "What, were you worried that people wouldn't notice you if you didn't stand out a bit?" she added, smirking.
"Fie! We are not to be mocked you little brats!" Sordward snarled, "We are not clowns in the slightest! We are big name celebrities and we demand respect!"
"Some celebrities you are." Sapphire retorted, "I've never heard of you two before. What are you famous for? Winning the "Stupidest Hair Competition"?"
Shielbert was so cross at the taunt that he turned the same colour as his suit.
"NO! We are descended from royalty! THAT'S what we're famous for!" he snapped.
"No you're not." Celestia cut in, "I can read your minds. You two are descended from a family of usurpers that once seized the throne from actual royals until you were kicked out by the rightful heir's centuries ago. You just pretend you're descended from royalty to try and make your family name sound like something to be proud of."
Emerald and Sapphire were speechless. Sordward and Shielbert looked as if they'd been slapped across the face with Celestia just casually revealing their secrets like that and spoiling everything for them. If they hadn't been so caught up with boasting about themselves, they might've thought twice to try lying when there was a Psychic Pokémon standing nearby. The twins looked to Celestia.
"So that's it? They're a pair of frauds that claim to be of royal blood but aren't?" Sapphire asked.
"Absolutely." Celestia confirmed, "In fact, I can tell you what their whole scheme is about. I picked that up too. They're worried that now the truth about who Galar's heroes really are, people will learn that their family are nothing but frauds and that their names will be ruined. It was their family in the first place that hid the truth from Galar for so long and they merely want to corrupt Zacian and Zamazenta as a way to keep up that pretence."
"That explains the false story we've been told for so many years…" Sapphire deduced "Their family covered up the truth after they stole the throne and kept the lie going until Sonia and Ruby uncovered it last year!"
"And I guess while Sordward and Shielbert's ancestors were in charge, the facts were lost to time until eventually, they were found against last year…" Emerald mused.
The twins glared at the brothers. Sordward and Shielbert didn't even try to deny what Celestia had said. Why bother when she could just tell them they were lying anyway? Their big secret had been unveiled and now their enemies knew the truth.
"So this isn't about proving that Ruby and Sonia are "frauds". You two are on a mission to keep an ancient conspiracy going!" Sapphire growled, "You two have tried to kidnap us, organized a team of criminals to do your bidding, threatened to blow up a power plant, tried to kill Ruby when you blew up your headquarters…all so you can make sure nobody knows your dirty little secret?"
"You two are disgusting!" Emerald snarled, "Me and my sister are gonna beat the crap out of you two and get you both locked away in jail where you belong!"
It was hard to believe that the two had actually been laughing and jeering at them seconds ago and now they suddenly had this boiling urge to flatten their faces into the ground. Sordward and Shielbert smirked confidently.
"Just try it you insolent little children." Sordward crowed, "You two cannot stop us. Our plan is about to unfold and all we need now are the legendary sword and shield to summon Zacian and Zamazenta with."
"So if you two would kindly move and let us take them, we'll be on our way." Shielbert purred, "We'll be generous and leave you both unharmed if you acquiesce to our demands."
The girls didn't move.
"We're not going anywhere." Sapphire declared.
"You want the weapons? You need to get through us first." Emerald said hotly.
The brothers shrugged casually.
"Fine, I guess you've both chosen to suffer." Sordward sneered, "Shielbert, I think we must take action."
"I would agree, Sordward." Shielbert simpered, "Let us show these naughty little children what happens to those who don't do as they're told…"
They both whipped out a Pokéball each. It didn't surprise either Emerald or Sapphire to see that they had Pokémon of their own. Of course they did! Why wouldn't they? Sapphire beckoned for Celestia to come forward while Emerald whipped out one of her Pokéballs.
"I'll take out the literal dickhead." she declared, "You take the other."
"Gladly." Sapphire growled.
She still owed the two much suffering for when they'd sent two men to try and kidnap her and Emerald back in the Wild Area. As they were about to battle, it suddenly dawned on Sapphire that something didn't add up about this meeting between the brothers. How had they known they would be here? What had prompted them to come right now for the sword and shield? And how had they been able to find this place? Sonia's book didn't provide a map to their resting place and she doubted that the two somehow knew the way here naturally. Had they followed her and Emerald here? If so, how had they known they would come here in the first place? They couldn't possibly know about Ruby's plan! Sapphire shook her head. Answers would have to wait for now was the time to fight.
Emerald threw her Pokéball, which contained Thor the Raichu. Thor was delighted to be getting in on the action again after a while and upon seeing Sordward and Shielbert, he smirked. They didn't look like anything to worry about in his eyes. As for the brothers, they sent out their first Pokémon. Both of them had sent out a Sirfetch'd each, both identical with the same move sets save for one different move between them. As if the sword and shield theme couldn't be even MORE on the nose, they both had a Pokémon that carried a sword and a shield! It sickened Emerald to see them both using a Sirfetch'd as she had one of her own. Such a grand Pokémon was wasted on these two! Emerald and Sapphire looked to one another and nodded. This was it, their first confrontation with the men behind Team Royal's attacks and crimes against the Galar region. They hadn't expected that THEY would be the ones to fight them first but, here they were! They were so going to let Ruby know about this when this was over. No need for her plan now, they were going to deliver the two defeated to her personally.
"I'm not wasting any time out here. Thor, go for it with Thunderbolt now!" Emerald yelled.
"Gladly!" Thor crowed, his cheeks crackling with electricity, "Brace yourself, boner brain for this is gonna hurt!"
He pointed his tail at Sirfetch'd and blasted it with the biggest Thunderbolt attack he could muster up. Sirfetch'd squawked loudly as he was electrocuted. He leapt about a foot in the air and nearly dropped his weapons in response. Shielbert's Sirfetch'd didn't fare any better as Sapphire ordered Celestia to use Psycho Cut on him. Celestia galloped towards her opponent and slashed at him with her horn, psychic energy eating away at its health. Both Sirfetch'd were left staggering after the attacks they'd received and were barely able to stand. Sordward and Shielbert were astonished to see that their precious Pokémon were already struggling. They weren't going to be defeated THAT easily!
"Let's see if you like a boosted attack." Sordward muttered, "Sirfetch'd, use Swords Dance!"
"And my Sirfetch'd, use Iron Defence!" Shielbert concurred.
Both Pokémon obeyed with Sordward's Sirfetch'd slicing at the air with his sword while performing a few dance moves while Shielbert's Sirfetch'd held up his shield and his body glowed white for a moment as he boosted up his defences. The stat boosts didn't do either of them a bit of good. Thor and Celestia just attacked them a second time, Thor using another Thunderbolt while Celestia used Dazzling Gleam to get around Shielbert's Sirfetch'd boosting its Defence. Iron Defence only increased its physical defence and Dazzling Gleam was a special attack so for Shielbert's Sirfetch'd, it may as well have not bothered for the attack hit just as hard. In a mixture of lightning flashes and sparkling lights, both Sirfetch'd were knocked out instantly and sent sprawling across the dirt towards their trainers. Sordward and Shielbert were speechless. That was impossible! How could they, the fabulous sword and shield brothers, possibly be getting their butts handed to them by mere children?! They returned their Pokémon.
"Don't get too confident, brats! This battle isn't over by a longshot!" snarled Sordward, "Bisharp, put those children in their place!"
"You too Bronzong!" put in Shielbert.
The brothers brought of their next Pokémon. To Emerald and Sapphire, it pained them to see Sordward using a Bisharp as Ruby had her own under the name of Lancelot. It would feel as if they were fighting him in this match. As for Bronzong, that was an unusual Pokémon that they hadn't seen very often. Bronzong was a Steel/Psychic type Pokémon that looked like a giant bell with a pair of arms, a yoke at the top and a hollow body. It had a Totem pole style face with red unblinking eyes and a rectangular mouth. They were said to be able to bring rains with their haunting ring tolls. The twins could see that they both had a Steel-type to deal with, which would be problematic. While Thor knew a Ground attack, it was better to return him and bring out a Pokémon that was more likely to do the real damage. Emerald and Sapphire returned Thor and Celestia and they both brought out a Fire-type Pokémon each. Vixey the Ninetales and Starfire the Flareon were up next and they could sense their trainers were really keen to win this battle. They wouldn't let them down, they would win for them!
The next fight ended up going very shortly for Sordward. Emerald commanded Vixey to use Flamethrower on his Bisharp and that was it. Vixey opened her mouth and blasted Bisharp full on with flames. Bisharp staggered back, his steel body superheated by the fire and he collapsed onto his back. The single blow had been enough to stop it dead in its tracks. Sordward couldn't believe his eyes. How had this impudent kid managed to defeat his Pokémon THAT easily?!
For Sapphire, she had a bit more of a job as Bronzong were Pokémon that had very bulky defences on both sides. Starfire hit it with Fire Blast, which was the strongest Fire attack a Pokémon could learn, and despite doing a lot of damage, it wasn't a one-hit KO like Vixey had done with Bisharp. Not that it mattered in the end for now Vixey had taken Bisharp down, Emerald simply ordered her fiery fox to finish the job. Bronzong was hit by her Flamethrower and with two powerful fire attacks hitting it back-to-back, Bronzong couldn't stand up to the punishment any longer. It collapsed, making a loud ringing sound as it hit the ground. The brothers were left with two more Pokémon utterly defeated. They felt very embarrassed. They were NOT going to let a pair of impudent kids make fools of them!
"Alright, that's it! No more playing around!" Sordward snarled, "Teach those kids a lesson Golisopod!"
"You too Falinks!" Shielbert cried.
Their next Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. Emerald sighed in annoyance at the fact she was going up against yet another Pokémon that she also owned. Why did Sordward keep having to have Pokémon that either she or Ruby had too? As for Shielbert's next Pokémon, Sapphire recognized Falinks for Bea used one whenever she was in a Championship battle. Falinks wasn't one Pokémon, but six individual little creatures that somehow counted as one. There was one individual Falinks that was larger than the other and in charge, known as "the brass" to its five troopers. The six individuals looked like walking spheres with gold helmets with a red horn protruding from the top, had stubby arms and legs, eyes but no visible mouth and they carried a shield in each hand with a red spike in the centre. To her, it would be like fighting a whole team by herself despite Falinks counting as one Pokémon. It was something she always found puzzling about the species.
Seeing what they were up against, Emerald and Sapphire returned Vixey and Starfire and simply brought Thor and Celestia back out into the fray. Both had a type-advantage over Golisopod and Falinks as they were weak to Electric and Psychic attacks respectively. Sordward and Shielbert refused to be intimidated. Just to make sure they could get a hit in on their opponents, the brothers ordered their Pokémon to use First Impression. Both Golisopod and Falinks were capable of learning the move so both of them used it at the same time. They shot towards their opponents, seeming to disappear for a moment as they moved, and then they slugged both Thor and Celestia hard with Golisopod using his claws and Falinks using its horned helmet. Despite First Impression being a powerful attack, it wasn't enough to deal with the Raichu and Rapidash. Neither were weak to Bug attacks and they were well-trained Pokémon that could take hits well so they weren't going down that easily. Effortlessly shrugging of the attack, they retaliated by using Thunderbolt and Psycho Cut respectively on their opponents. Unlike their opponents, their attacks were super-effective and were able to take them both out in a single hit. Golisopod and Falinks were brought down to the ground, wiped out in one blow each.
Sordward and Shielbert let out a comical cry of horror as they took in what had happened. Their precious Pokémon had yet again got defeated easily while their opponents were barely breaking a sweat?! They were much better than this! They couldn't lose this easily!
"Why don't you two just give up so we can arrest you?" Sapphire crowed, "You clearly can't win."
"For so-called "celebrities" and wannabe crime bosses, your Pokémon all suck! They just go down in one or two hits easily!" Emerald taunted.
"Mock us all you want you pair of pipsqueaks! We'll turn the tables on both of you!" cried Sordward.
"Yeah, we'll make you sorry you messed with us!" Shielbert declared, "Go Klinklang!"
"And you go Doublade!" Sordward added.
They sent out their last Pokémon, which were a Doublade and a Klinklang respectively. Doublade was the pre-evolved form of Aegislash and it was easy to see how it was related, looking like a pair of possessed scabbards with swords crisscrossing in front of them. Klinklang on the other hand looked far less imaginative, being a bunch of gears all grouped together. So they were dealing with two Steel types again. Emerald looked over to Sapphire with a mocking smile on her face.
"You know, for guys who think very highly of themselves, their Pokémon lack a lot in variety." she snorted, "They've used two Fighting types and two Steel types in this whole battle!"
"You're telling me." Sapphire scoffed as she and Emerald exchanged their Pokémon, "Even the eight Gym Leaders we've had to face have more diverse teams than they do. No wonder we're making short work of them."
In order to finish this fight, Sapphire brought Starfire back out again while Emerald decided to let Razer have her turn to deal with Sordward. The Haxorus and Flareon both stared down their opponents, just as keen to finish this battle as their trainers were. Emerald ordered Razer to use Crunch on Doublade while Sapphire had Starfire use Fire Blast on Klinklang. Razer stomped towards Doublade and bit down hard on the ghostly pair of swords. The Dark energy in her teeth sapped away some of its energy and left it almost defeated. Starfire blasted Klinklang with her Fire Blast attack, leaving it reeling from the blazing hot attack. It hadn't quite gone down yet but it wouldn't survive another hit, its health down to its last reserves. Desperate to salvage the battle, the brothers once more tried boosting their stats to try and give them an edge. Doublade used Swords Dance while Klinklang used Gear Shift. Gear Shift raised its Attack by one stage and Speed by two stages. Once more, the stats boost didn't help them out at all as Razer and Starfire just repeated their earlier attacks and effortlessly took them out before they could do anything at all.
Sordward and Shielbert were forced to watch as their last Pokémon collapsed onto the ground. They couldn't believe it. They, the great Sordward and Shielbert…had actually lost?! They were so stunned that they couldn't believe this was really happening. This had to be a nightmare! Their bodies shook with a mixture of rage and humiliation.
"Our opulent Pokémon!" wailed Sordward.
"This is unconceivable! We cannot lose like this!" whimpered Shielbert.
While the two were whining, Emerald and Sapphire returned their Pokémon to their balls and high-fived each other.
"Oh yeah! Silverlock Twins one, Sword and Shield brothers zero!" Emerald taunted.
"That was barely even worth our time." Sapphire said dismissively, "How sad is it that these two were the ones giving us so much trouble this whole time and yet we kicked their asses in five seconds flat?"
"We'll have to call Ruby and let her know that we've got them!" Emerald declared, "She'll be so happy!"
"Absolutely." Sapphire agreed, "And we can also let her know that the legendary sword and shield are safe and we won't need to…"
She turned around to look at Zacian and Zamazenta's resting place…and gasped. Emerald followed her gaze and saw what it was that had made her react like that. The Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield…were GONE! They had simply vanished from the grave with not even a speck of dust left behind! The twins couldn't believe their eyes for a moment and they looked again to make sure they weren't seeing things. Their eyes weren't deceiving them, the sword and shield really had disappeared!
"Oh no! The relics have gone!" Emerald cried in horror.
"But how?! Sordward and Shielbert are right there!" Sapphire protested, "They couldn't have stolen them!"
But as she turned to look at them, she found that to her utter bewilderment, Sordward and Shielbert had vanished too! They'd taken the chance to sneak off while Emerald and Sapphire were distracted. What had been a glorious and satisfying victory for the sisters had quickly turned sour by these surprising developments. The relics had somehow been pinched from right under their noses and the brothers had escaped. What else could go wrong? Sapphire kicked at the ground angrily.
"DAMN IT! We had them right where we wanted them and they got away!" she cursed, "Whoever stole the weapons really picked the right time to do so as if distracted us long enough for them to flee!"
"But who could've stolen them?" Emerald asked, still bewildered at what was happening, "Sordward and Shielbert didn't get anywhere near them! They were fighting us the whole time!"
"Which was probably what they WANTED us to do…" Sapphire growled, annoyed to realize that she and her sister had been played, "Oh for Arceus's sake, how could we have been so stupid?! They only battled us so they could distract us long enough for someone to steal the relics! They played us like a violin and we fell for it!"
"For guys with silly hair, they're surprisingly clever…" Emerald muttered.
"Too true." Sapphire sighed, "I bet it's that agent that they've hidden in Sonia's lab that did it. While we were fighting, their agent must've followed us here too and kept hidden so she could steal the sword and shield."
"And now the brothers have the means to summon Zacian and Zamazenta…and as Celestia informed us, they're going to corrupt them!" Emerald shrieked, putting her hands to her face in shock, "That's what Team Royal meant by "unveiling their true nature"! They're going to try and turn the legendary heroes evil and have them destroy Galar!"
"All so that they can look bad to the public and won't be seen as Galar's true heroes anymore." Sapphire put in, "Sordward and Shielbert get to keep their lie going and Sonia and Ruby will be viewed as frauds. We can't let them get away with this!"
"We'll get those weapons back and stop those two!" Emerald declared, "At least they won't be hard to find given how much they stand out."
Sapphire brought Celestia out of her ball again so they could quickly ride on her and leave the Slumbering Weald. She charged back into the forest and didn't stop until she emerged back out again and into Postwick Town. They didn't stop there either. Celestia kept on galloping until she reached Wedgehurst and she went straight over to the Sonia's lab. Sapphire had decided to warn Sonia about what had happened as the whole thing concerned her as much as anyone else. Also she guessed Sonia might be able to help them track the brothers down. The twins jumped off of Celestia and ran into the lab. Sonia was there looking over some notes until she heard them run in. She was surprised to see the twins but her surprise turned to worry when she saw how frantic they looked.
"Emerald! Sapphire! My word, what's got you both in such a state?" the ginger woman exclaimed.
The sisters quickly filled her in on their encounter with Sordward and Shielbert and the theft of the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield. After they'd finished, Sonia's eyes narrowed with concern.
"That's not good at all. Those two have the relics so they can summon Zacian and Zamazenta and carry out their plan." she muttered, "But you two don't need to worry about that. Me and Ruby have a back-up plan to throw a wrench into their scheme." she added with a reassuring smile.
"You do? What is it?" Emerald asked.
"A few days after Ruby became Champion, we both agreed that a counter measure had to be in place for the extremely odd chance that Zacian and Zamazenta could be turned in anyway." Sonia explained, "So we decided we'd build a couple of Master Balls to capture them with. Master Balls can catch any Pokémon no matter what so if those two try and corrupt them, we can catch them in the Master Balls and stop them right there. End of threat!" she said joyously.
"Wow! You two planned ahead for an eventuality like that?" Sapphire gasped, impressed at the two for having such foresight to plan that far ahead, "And I guess Ruby's gone to get the Master Balls right now?"
"She got them before you two arrived back here to get the sword and shield." Sonia answered, "She's still looking for Sordward and Shielbert at this moment. Even though we have the Master Balls, it's still going to be dangerous the longer those two remain at large. We don't know where or when they'll strike so people could still get hurt, or worse, before we can stop them. We have to act now before it's too late!"
"We know, which is why we came to you." Emerald informed, "Do you have any idea on how to find them?"
"Well from what you two have described, those weirdos don't exactly blend into the crowd." Sonia snickered, "If I heard those descriptions from anyone but you two and Ruby, I'd swear they were pulling my leg! And also we know their plans have involved gathering a lot of Wishing Stars over time…"
She trailed off as the professor went over to a computer screen that had a lot of readings snaking up and down continuously. Emerald and Sapphire had seen it before when visiting Sonia in the past. This was her Power Spot Detector, a sophisticated machine that could detect huge spikes in power if Dynamaxing happened at all. The twins could see where Sonia was going with this.
"…we'll be able to pick it up with my handy little machine." Sonia continued, "I've put up Power Spot Detectors all over Galar so now it's their time to shine. Those weirdos can run, but they can't hide!"
She whipped out her Rotom phone and logged in to access the detectors. Once that was done, she'd be able to pick up readings from each and every one of them all over Galar. If there was a spike in any of the Power Spots, they'd have some idea on where the duo might be. As Sonia waited for the results, she turned back to the twins.
"Did you find out from the two what their deal is with me and Ruby?" she asked.
Emerald and Sapphire explained what Celestia had revealed to them after reading their minds. After they'd finished, Sonia's kind face had become a mask of disgust and fury. The twins had never seen her looking so mad before.
"And they have the nerve to call ME and Ruby frauds?!" she growled angrily, "Those self-important hypocrites! I always suspected that the truth about Zacian and Zamazenta had been hidden deliberately and now we have confirmation! I bet Galarian historians are going to be very interested to hear about that…" she said thoughtfully.
"It'll certainly make those two very upset to see the history books calling their family out for being a family of usurpers who's only claim to fame is covering up the true history of our region." Emerald sneered.
The two were interrupted by a loud bleeping as Sonia's machine displayed the readings of the Power Spot Detectors. They could see that a huge spike in power had happened but what was even more shocking was that it wasn't just in one place where the power was coming from. It was coming from every single stadium in Galar, minus Spikemuth as that place had no Power Spot. Whatever was happening, it seemed that Pokémon were Dynamaxing at the stadiums and the readings suggested that it wasn't natural. The power levels were much higher than normal. This couldn't be good at all. The stadiums could be in real danger and the Dynamaxed Pokémon could be rampaging at this very moment!
So Sordward and Shielbert have reared their ugly heads (and ridiculous hair-dos) at last. Despite their pathetic first impression, they have the sword and shield to summon Zacian and Zamazenta! Our heroes must stop them but they have some "Dynamax Trouble" to deal with first..
Trivia: Sordward and Shielbert weren't actually meant to show up here yet. They were meant to show up in the next chapter but as I was writing this one, events just played out in a way that I could skip a chapter and just bring them in here.
There was also meant to be a scene in where Ruby would announce that the Champion Tournament is postponed until Sordward and Shielbert are captured. It just made sense logically that they'd postpone a big important tournament while national terrorists are at large. But again, things changed in execution and I ended up realizing there was no need for it.
While we're on the subject of Sordward and Shielbert, I was originally going to save their plot for after we clear the semi-finals and the tournament with their plot interjecting before the final battle with Ruby. Once again, it just made sense logically to conclude their plot now rather than later so that's why I'm bringing them in before the tournament even begins. Also do I really need an excuse to write these two out of the plot? The sooner we get rid of them, the better! XD
Also the revelation behind why they're doing this was meant to come sooner rather than later but I suddenly realized, "Hang on, Sapphire's psychic horse is standing right there!" so it only made sense that she spoilt everything for the brothers by revealing their secret. Funny how things work out when you're writing, eh? XD