Hey all! DarkSlash9 here with another chapter of Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura. I'm sorry that this chapter took quite some time to come out. I've been going through a pretty bad rough patch in life. Given the current state of the world, I'm sure you all could more or less deduce where I'm coming from, so I won't go into detail. Things are certainly getting better, but I'm not out of the woods yet. But at the very least, I'm happy I've finally squeezed this chapter out of my tired ol' noggin.
Now, on to more pressing matters...
*POLL RESULTS!*
Well, it's been a little over 5 years, and I'll tell ya, this thing's been close since the beginning. Only in recent months did the gap widen juuuust a bit. In total, there were 396 votes! And of that 396...
May - 218 (55.5%)
Serena - 178 (44.5%)
Yes, the Advanceshippers rallied behind our favorite brunette and won her the poll.
HOWEVER...
44.5% is quite a lot of voters. So, I've decided to do something that, in a way, caters to everyone (or maybe that was my plan all along... ;).) Some of you already saw it coming, and I commend you for that! I think that with what I've got planned, both the Amour and Advance shippers reading this fic will have reason to smile at the end. BUT... May winning the poll still matters to me. This doesn't mean her victory here will amount to nothing.
Simply put, this isn't going to be a stereotypical 3-way relationship ending. I wanna give it a twist, which is what I always aim to do when writing a trope that's frequently used in fanfictions. But rest assured, Amourshippers... Serena's not gonna be left in the dust. :)
But anyway, without further delay, enjoy the chapter!
XIX
[Dark Order: Main Headquarters...]
It hadn't taken long for a few unlucky grunts to come across the bisected corpse Commander Alexander had left behind, before his departure. Alas, yet another comrade of theirs found murdered in a pool of their own crimson life stream. These unwarranted killings were happening more and more often, and such an incline did not go unnoticed by the Dark Order's soldiers. Of course, there had always been the risk of dying when stepping out of line in the presence of a Grand Disciple. They did not tolerate foolishness. However, it seemed the Commander's definition of "foolishness" had recently expanded; merely existing around him had begun to feel dangerous. He'd truly become more unpredictable than ever, and it was terrifying.
As a couple of bottom-ranked operatives disinfected the spot where their dead co-grunt once laid, another one turned around, sensing a cold but familiar presence approaching. Sure enough, a man in a white lab coat with long, curly hair equally as white was approaching from down the hall, his glasses reflecting the gleams of the lights above.
"Another fool?" inquired Dr. Feinberg, having just returned from his trip to Unova. "What was his name?"
"Nickelback." answered the grunt, lowering his head. "And he wasn't a fool, my lord. We saw the surveillance footage of his death; all he'd done was ask the Commander how his day was going, and then... and then Commander Alexander just cut him down and left. It's hard to deem such a death as deserved..."
By the time the grunt had finished speaking, the Doctor had already walked past him. But, hearing the grunt's words, Feinberg paused for a moment. With his back to the cleaning crew, none of them could see the expression his face held.
"Where is the Commander now?" he asked.
[Dark Order: Unova Base...]
With his entire room flipped upside down, as well as its gravitational pull being reversed, it was safe to say Captain Kurt was the pinnacle of perplexed. However, there was little time to stare; the Commander had fired a Dark Aura Sphere at him. Not letting mere confusion hamper his battle instinct, Kurt rolled out of the way, quickly rising (or perhaps, descending) to his feet.
There they stood; two Grand Disciples, upside down, feet planted on the ceiling, staring one another down.
"What is this?" spat Kurt, fists clenched. "You come to my base unannounced, in an effort to take my life...? Hmph, now that I've recited the scenario aloud, I find myself far less surprised. This is on brand for you, isn't it? Killing subordinates, sending good, hardworking soldiers to their deaths with nothing but a witty punchline... I should have expected this eventually. You're just insane, aren't you? An ingenious, calculating mind that snapped when the endgame of its life's work drew near. There's no rhyme or reason to the way you've run this organization since the breaking of Master Brecht's seal. This battle is the greatest proof of that. Without me, the Dark Order loses her path to the Distortion World... but to you, I am expendable? No, you have become the expendable asset. You're leading us to nothing but failure, and I will not tolerate it any longer!"
"You conveniently left out the part where you hosted a meeting with Dr. Feinberg in an attempt to conspire behind my back. That's more than enough of a reason to exterminate you. C'mon, I know you'd do the same if you were in my shoes." noted Commander Alexander, as the D and G unowns levitating around him moved closer to his body. "Please understand that I simply came here to cut the grass, Captain. Let it grow too high, and the snakes can slither freely."
As soon as the two unowns made contact with Alexander's body, they vanished. At the exact moment that they disappeared from sight, the room's orientation and gravity instantly returned to normal, causing both men to fall back down to the real floor. Refusing to fall victim to the mysterious trick a second time, Captain Kurt landed on his feet and rushed towards Commander Alexander, who had also stuck his landing. As soon as his masked attacker was in arm's distance, the Captain threw a punch, which Alexander caught.
"How do you know about that?" grunted Kurt, rearing his free hand back for another punch. "No one else was in the room but him and I!"
With ease, Commander Alexander caught the second punch.
"All secrets lay unmasked to those who've always watched." bewitched Alexander, now holding both of Kurt's hands. "Truth is, I've seen more than you could possibly imagine, Kurt."
As soon as the Commander had finished speaking, his mask began to shift around. After two seconds of that, it ejected itself off of his face and into Kurt's, with enough force to not only fell him, but send him sliding across the tiled floors. Well aware of what had hit him, Captain Kurt immediately looked up, in an effort to see the one face that was hidden from every member of the Dark Order, bar none. Unfortunately, all he saw was an M-shaped unown soar right into Alexander's face, which was still somewhat concealed by the shadows of his hood. When the unown made contact with his visage, it morphed into his mask, perfectly covering Alexander's features once again.
"The M... forms the mask...?" thought Kurt, rising to his feet. As he did, a Z-shaped unown appeared beside the Commander. Kurt's eyes narrowed. "Z...?"
"Don't think about it too hard." called Alexander, shooting a jagged arc of pitch black lightning from his palm.
Captain Kurt narrowly dodged the attack, having never seen such an element in use before. Though it bore the appearance of lightning, it did not seem to be made of electrical energy. In what his adrenaline-rushed mind could put together while evading the several other obsidian blasts subsequently shot his way, it seemed to be a type of... magic? He distinctly refrained from labeling it a type of Black Magic, as Black Magic required an inanimate, non-living catalyst to house the power. Whatever the Commander's strange abilities were, they seemed to be coming from the unowns that kept appearing around him.
Though Kurt could not discern the nature of such an ability, he could, however, spot another clue.
"Z... for Zap." thought the Captain, aloud.
"Very perceptive." commended Alexander, clapping his hands. "I figured that mask trick might've gave it away. Not that it matters, though."
Kurt responded with a scowl, one that peered straight into the two eye-hole slits of Commander Alexander's mask.
"You've bonded with unowns. That much is obvious." he stated. "But these are not abilities unowns possess... How many do you wield?"
Alexander snorted.
"If you think I'm going to explain the full nature of my powers to you, like some sort of anime villain on the verge of winning..." he deadpanned, a W unown manifesting on his right. As soon as Kurt's eyes focused on it, Alexander vanished, instantly reappearing behind him. "You've got another thing coming."
He then drew back his fist, channeling a frightful amount of Dark Aura into it. With a deadly level of precision, he rammed it into a specific area on Kurt's back: where his heart would be, should the attack succeed in plowing through his chest cavity. Yet, when the fist made contact with the Captain's back, the desired results were not yielded. Instead of punching clean through Captain Kurt's upper body, as it should've, Commander Alexander's hand simply jabbed Kurt's back. It was a completely harmless blow.
Captain Kurt looked over his shoulder, flashing a confident smirk. In response, Commander Alexander sighed.
"Oh great..." he grumbled, in complete understanding as to what had just happened.
Just as he had when the Commander had initially assaulted him, Kurt powered up, blowing Alexander away from his body. However, this time, Alexander did not land skillfully on his feet. Due to their positioning, his back collided painfully with the wall, momentarily knocking the wind out of him.
Finding humor in the Commander's failed attack, Captain Kurt let out a deep chuckle, only for his face to return to being dead serious just a few seconds into it.
"Fine, don't tell me." he conceded, turning around to face the slightly dazed Commander. "It doesn't matter how many parlor tricks you have up your sleeve. As long as I am Captain Kurt, the Dispiriting, you will never take my life."
Through the slits of his mask, Alexander glared at Kurt, watching as the latter continued to power up his Dark Aura. Captain Kurt, the Dispiriting; loser of no battles and recipient of no defeats. His massive build, oft-unexpected speed, and golem-like durability were quite discouraging to any foe who faced him, but what truly made all who dared to duel him lose their confidence was none other than his special ability, named after the very same feeling of hopelessness he inspired in his foes. Unlike Lord Kamerion, he didn't need multiple chances at life to beat down his opponents. Every battle he took part in was a game of wills, and if his Aura's willpower surpassed his opponent's in magnitude, they'd be unable to commit to any killing blows meant for him. Defeating him was a mental task, infinitely more than it was a physical one.
Commander Alexander let out yet another sigh; it was time to get serious. He'd come too far to face defeat... especially to someone as insignificant as the purple-haired man that stood before him. If it were to be a battle of wills, then he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that victory would be his to hold. His will and his will alone was responsible for everything; more than Kurt's roided-out bicep of a brain could ever hope to fathom.
"Captain, If I couldn't kill you... I wouldn't be here." he started, calling forth his own display of Dark Aura. It eclipsed Kurt's. "I'll tell you what, old sport. I'll give you a little something - think of it as props for your bravado in the face of a death you're too prideful to accept is certain. You wanted to see my collection, right?"
"I already told you," seethed Captain Kurt, increasing his Dark Aura output to match Alexander's. "It doesn't matter how many parlor tricks you-"
Kurt's eyes widened as his mouth stopped moving, in favor of staying agape. As he'd been speaking, the Commander had yanked open his trench coat and held one side of it outward, exposing a slim but toned torso in a skin-tight black tank top, as well as legs clothed in standard Dark Order pants. But it was not the clothes under the coat that silenced Kurt, but the items inside it. Inside the coat were 28 miniature black pokeballs, neatly stationed on black, paisley-patterned fabric. With seemingly no prompt at all, exactly half of the balls glowed and opened, releasing 14 unowns into the room. Once freed, they floated and bobbed around Alexander's growing flames of scarlet essence, all of their eyes locked onto their foe.
"Let's see how you handle us at half power." sang the head of the Dark Order, crimson light leaking out of his mask's eye slits.
[Sunyshore City: ~At Night~...]
"We shouldn't have hunted after these aquatic twats at half power." growled Gary Oak, absolute frustration festering from his frowning face. "That Rosa thinks she's slick. Of course she took the gals with her, knowing it'd be a cakewalk with her around. I see through her whole strat. They probably got the orb early, didn't they? They're probably having a slumber party or some shit as they laugh and giggle at our strife."
"It's not all girls." muttered a monotone Ash, practically dragging his feet across the sidewalk. "Max is there too..."
"He's the prettiest boy in the Fellowship, the kid got a pass." grumbled Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder.
"I don't give an itsy bitsy spider on a waterspout of a fuck whether Max is there or not." declared Gary. "Point is, if Rosa was half as brilliant of a tactician as she thinks she is, she'd have known we'd have been better off sticking together. We probably could've had both orbs by now if we didn't split up. But no, instead we split the Fellowship like a goddamn pistachio shell and let Max and his harem run off with the nut."
Gary's words held the anger of an entire day spent walking through the blazing Sunyshore City Sun, from morning to nightfall. Not a single lead to the whereabouts of their target had been found, and such a statistic only served to eat away at the group's morale... and their temperaments. Was it that Team Aqua was apparently comprised of master escape artists able to cover their tracks like second nature? Perhaps. Or was it that they weren't all that slippery, and that they were just normal thugs being pursued by a dysfunctional quartet of absolute bullshitters? Not impossible.
Though night had fallen, the day's heat had left its mark on our heroes. Gary had become more aggressive and rambunctious as the day progressed, becoming a true loose cannon with no filter in play. All of Ash's radiance (which hadn't really been all that bright to begin with) had been charred to blackened smithereens, a shadow of dejected apathy snuffing out his light. Paul had become a self-reassembling time-bomb with a botched clock system; he'd explode and verbally desecrate a poor sap with no warning, and then return to silence... with everyone uneasily aware that it would happen again.
And then there was Nate.
He was having a blast.
"And I know THIS toasty-boy here is having a blast!" snarled Gary, pointing his thumb at Nate. Nate had been bobbing his head to the music of some street performers they'd just walked past. No such expression of delight was to be tolerated in the current Gary's midst. "In fact, Nate's the REAL reason we split up!"
"He is?" questioned Ash, not sounding very curious.
Nate slowly turned his head in Gary's direction, a dead stillness in his eyes. Then he pointed to himself.
"Yeah, you are!" sassed Gary. "You heard Rosa, Ashy-boy. You too, Nate. She wanted you to have, and I quote, 'a manly adventure with the boys'. End quote. IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?! Nothin' gets the testosterone flowing like gettin' sizzled with the homies, yeah Nathan?! Viagra be damned! And your skin looks amazing! You're fucking handsome, Nathaniel. Those warm, hazel eyes of yours are a motherfucking force to be reckoned with-"
"Shut the fuck up before I rip you a new one and sew it closed again with the hairs I'll pluck off of your head one at a time." sounded a voice everyone recognized to be Paul's. He was looking straight ahead, the calmest expression concealing the most irate angst. "Your bitching and moaning is the most revolting thing in my immediate area, and three of us have 8 hours worth of half-dried pit-stains and swamp-ass. Your voice is literally like a dental drill in one ear and a jackhammer in the other; I speak for everyone here when I say I'm tired of fearing that my eardrums will rupture. Splitting up was my idea. If you've got some shit to work out, I'm right here. Right. Here. But, in the event that you don't: stop fucking talking."
"Oh, I'll work it out!" hollered Gary, finally mustering up the courage to back-sass Paul. "Fuck it grape-juice, let's open up a Planet Fitness while we're at it!"
While Nate quietly watched the ensuing war of words with great interest, Ash tuned it all out in favor of retreating into his mind.
Unfortunately, there were voices there, too.
"Perhaps it would be wise to take a break from the search." advised Lucario, somewhat saddened that he had to introduce such a simple idea. "At the rate this is going, no progress can be made. There are far too many... conniptions."
"LucariBro, I dunno what that last word meant, but you're so right it hurts." muttered Pikachu, rubbing a paw down his face. "I'm hella saddened you're the first to pitch such a simple idea."
"RAWWWWWRSHNUGGLR!" agreed Charizard, from inside his ball.
"Couldn't agree more, Charizard." thought Ash, looking upward for the first time in hours. "Gary. Paul. Nate."
Gary and Paul both turned to Ash, abruptly ending their argument right when it was about to get spicy. Meanwhile Nate simply turned his eyes towards Ash, still facing forward.
Ash made sure to look each of them in the eye before continuing.
"Let's stop looking for an hour... and get some food." he spoke, making sure his words were clear, concise, and heard by all.
...
Nate nodded.
"...Sounds good." grumbled Paul, eyes closed.
"Yeah, I'm down." sighed Gary, dismissively waving a hand in the air. "Burgers, on me."
...
...
[15 minutes later...]
...
...
[Bernie Berger's Bangin' Burger Bistro & Bar...]
Lucario's advice, crafted from common sense so tragically uncommon on that day, had laid the foundations for rejuvenation and renaissance. It was amazing how much life the prospect of sitting down and eating food had breathed into the gang. Ash's simple proposal had affected them all more like a fairy's spell, producing instant pacification and better tidings. The quick search for a burger restaurant had yielded mouth-watering results, with the city's most famed burger shack being the first to be spotted.
"Fellas, I'd like to apologize for how I behaved today." cooed Gary as he slid into the seat of a booth-style table. While everyone else made moves to sit down as well, Gary grabbed one of the four glasses of iced water stationed on the table. He slurped up one of the ice cubes and began chewing it as he continued speaking. "Y'know, *crunch, crunch* honestly, *crunch* I think all of us were just a liiiiiiitle too hot n' hangry to cooperate properly. Except you, Nate. You've been fantastic, my sweet summer child. Regardless, we're now here, at a table, getting some really cool signature burgers. Unlimited refills on glasses of water, too. Let's let bygones be bygones and enjoy the good vibes here, hm?"
The "good vibes" did not stop everyone from scowling at Gary once they were all seated.
"...Alright," conceded the brown-haired Researcher. "I was a bit more rowdy than everyone else. I admit that. But hey, like I said, we're burying the hatch. Let's not forget that I'm the one paying for the food. I have indirectly bought your forgiveness, all of you. But don't even worry, this is just the beginning of our come-up. We're a pack of lycanrocs, and once we've supped and been nourished, the hunt will really begin. This dinner is only the starting point. You hear me, Nate? Tonight's about to be more than 'a manly adventure with the boys'; it's gonna be an action movie with the squad."
Nate, who was seated next to Gary, made no effort to acknowledge Gary's words. While Gary had been speaking, Nate had begun coloring a sheet of paper with some crayons, the type of craft tools the restaurant's servers usually gave to children. Though he was very focused on his drawing, he had heard everything Gary said. He just didn't really care for any of it. At all. All of his care was focused on the inspired scribbles of his crayon hand.
"What'cha got there, Nate?" asked Ash, curious. "Drawin' something? What is it?"
Nate looked up at Ash for a second... and then went right back to drawing.
Ash, completely lost, nodded. "Yup, I uh... that's what I thought it'd be... (._.)..."
"Hm," hummed Gary, taking a gander at the illustration with a mouthful of ice. It was actually amazingly detailed, seeming to transcend the limits of cheap dollar-store crayons. "Looks like *crunch* he's *crunch* drawing... Oh, this is just precious. He's drawing a brunette, wearing a visor, with really long hair partly tied up into two buns on the sides of her head. She's sitting on a swing set, in a prairie, on a partly cloudy day. 'This for Rosa, old sport? I think she'll love it."
"He doesn't care what you think." noted Paul, reading his menu.
"Eh, you're right." agreed Gary, raising his cup so he could munch on yet another ice cube. "No matter what he draws her, he's still getting laid once they're reunite-"
It was at that moment that Nate dropped his crayon and brought his hand to Gary's cup, snatching it from him. For a brief time, he just held it in his hand, leaving Ash, Paul, and Gary somewhat puzzled. It was only when the cup gained a soft orange glow and the water began to steam and boil that they all realized Nate had just eradicated all of Gary's ice, and then some. Truth was, the only thing that annoyed Nate more than Gary's voice was Gary's ice-chewing. Deciding he'd remove himself from the former's range as well, he then got up and walked away, heading in the direction of the bathroom. He left the drawing on the table.
"Good going, Gary, you pissed him off." scolded Ash, eyeing Nate's illustration. "You didn't think Rosa would be a touchy subject for him?"
"Why would she be?" inquired Gary, raising an eyebrow. "They're obviously an established item. It'd make a lot more sense for you to get all pissy whenever your girl(s) is/are brought up."
While Ash let out a slow and tense exhale, Pikachu groaned, lolling his head back.
"Here we go..."
"First off, they are not my girls." corrected the Chosen Guardian, ready to drop an essay on Gary's lap. "No matter the relationship, I do not own either of them. I don't think of anyone as another person's property, Gary. They are their own people, living their own lives. I'll never refer to them as anything less than that. Now, second, I... Second, I, um... uh... *sigh*... (._.)..."
"Well said." noted Paul, reading his menu.
Gary's gaze shifted to Paul.
"What about you, big guy?" he asked. "This is a rare opportunity to hear about your romantic endeavors, if you're willing to share."
"I'm not." noted Paul, reading his menu.
"And that's why we love ya." dismissed Gary, resetting his sights on Ash. "You, on the other hand, are the worst."
Ash frowned.
"What did I do?"
"It's not what you've done, but what you haven't done." replied Gary, attempting to reach for his cup, but pulling back when he remembered it was still piping hot. "How much longer do you wanna keep foxtrotting around commitment? You're right, they aren't your girls, nobody owns anyone. But your actions - among other things - have time and time again had an influence on the way May and Serena feel. In a haystack of uncertainties, the only two needles of undeniable truth are that they love you, and you love them. But here you are, not giving them any sort of clarity on how to process the emotions they experience when with you. You just do shit and wallow in self-pity afterwards because, even though your intentions weren't malicious, you know you've committed some no-nos. Think: why did a player like me decide to settle down and marry Leaf? It's certainly not because we're getting 'older'; we're 22, still in our primes. It's because, in my many years of playing 4-D chess with 40 hoes, I learned that when you find that deep, true, and beautiful connection with someone... you don't play. You be clear, concise, and committed."
"So, what's your suggestion for when one finds that connection with two different people?" asked Ash, folding his arms. "You're not the first person to give me some philosophical paragraph explaining what a dipshit I am, you know."
"Not the first, but hopefully the last." replied Gary. "I know I'm not the only one tired of waiting for this shit to come full circle already. Just flip a coin or something. If you want my personal opinion on who to pick, just know it's the same as it was 5 years ago. Serena. But look, I'm not trying to make you choose who, I'm just trying to make you choose. It's gotta be done, man."
"Or not." noted Paul, reading his menu.
Before Ash or Gary could question what exactly Paul meant, a server approached the table with a notepad in hand. There was absolute nothingness in their eyes; the dusty, dead look of a minimum wage worker underpaid and underappreciated.
"Welcome to Bernie Berger's Bangin' Burger Bistro & Bar. I'm Sam, and my favorite Bangin' Burger Sauce is the Bangin' Honey Mustard." greeted the server, their voice lacking the pep required for the opener. "What can I get for you gentlemen tonight?"
"I'll have the mushroom & swiss burger, well done." answered Paul, no longer reading his menu.
"I'll get... hmm... how about a regular double cheeseburger with bacon?" asked Ash, politely. "Medium well."
"Hit me with that pretzel bun burger with the crispy onions and all that." said Gary, as he smoothly stole Nate's untouched cup of iced water. Pleased with his theft, he took a lackadaisical swig of the beverage before continuing. "Medium rare, please."
"An absolutely bangin' choice. Anything for your friend?"
"The spiciest *crunch* thing on the menu will *crunch* do." answered Gary.
"Where is he, anyway?" murmured Ash, eyeing the direction Nate had gone. "He's been taking a while."
...
Meanwhile...
...
Nate had finished relieving himself quite early into his absence. There were three reasons he'd remained in the bathroom for a little longer than needed. For starters, it was a very nice and well-maintained bathroom, with paintings of beaches and rays of sunlight all over it. Such encapsulations of Mother Nature's glories were some of the simple pleasures he'd always cherish in such a complex world. Second, he was nearly as much of an acolyte of the arts as he was a lover of the land. The bathroom's paintings were crafted with exquisite brush strokes, diligent attention to color theory, and, of course, passion. He could've stared at such brilliant pieces for hours.
Lastly, he was in no rush to return to Gary Oak's side. Nate had spent the entire day basking in the radiance of the Sun, absorbing the very warmth and light responsible for life itself. Yes - he was communing with the celestial matriarch, the golden wellspring of life to the crops, the trees, and the grasses. Oh how it caused him great aggravation to sit with Gary, a flagrant forsaker of her blatant blessings. Out of everyone, Gary's complaints had come the closest to ruining Nate's sunshine splendor. Ash and Paul were a little more bearable, but in the end... none of them were Rosa. None of them understood him like she could, and it was made woefully obvious with every interaction. Somewhere along the lines, his lack of a voice seemed to have become misconstrued with a lack of intelligence. Such a notion wasn't birthed to imply that anyone in the Fellowship thought Nate was dumb, per se... but rather to acknowledge the key differences in how everyone but Rosa spoke to him. She was the only one who still, mostly, talked to him the same way people did before he lost his voice... before he was turned into whatever he currently was.
All things considered, Nate figured he'd have rather sat in the bathroom's silence for a couple minutes than continue playing the involuntary role of class pet.
However, he knew someone would come looking for him eventually. After one last look at all the bathroom's paintings, Nate made his way back to the table. Or at least, he would have, if he hadn't stopped in his tracks mere seconds after exiting the lavatory. From the bathroom's exit, he was able to see through a rather large window that a group of people were seated at nearby. It wasn't the people sitting near the window that caught his attention, however. They were just a couple of douchebags. It was the cars outside the window, the ones stopped at a red light, that Nate's vision was fixed on. There were three blue Hummer H2s, and in the passenger seat of the front one, he could clearly see a man with a blue and white striped bandanna.
Team Aqua.
For a few seconds, a critical impasse was reached in Nate's head. He knew he had to notify Ash, Gary, and Paul of his discovery, but without being able to just shout their names, he'd have no choice but to run back to the table. But, by then, the red light would undoubtedly turn green, and he'd lose sight of the Hummers. Nate's hands balled into fists; such were the unique snafus of being mute. As he stood there, stuck, he saw the cars on the perpendicular road of the intersection come to a halt. Team Aqua's light would be turning green any second.
...With his decision made, Nate adjusted his visor.
...
Meanwhile...
...
"Good question." complimented Gary, looking over his shoulder. "Tummy troubles, I guess."
"We'll also get him a bottle of ginger ale, please." chimed Ash, nodding to the server.
"Sure thing." confirmed Sam, soullessly writing down the order. They really hated their job. "If you could just hand me your menus, I'll get you that ginger a-"
Suddenly, a completely unforeseen sequence of events unfolded, cutting Sam's dry dialogue off. First, a handful of people's terrified screams and shouts could be heard. Then, there was the sound of glass shattering. And then, lastly, there was a white light that shone just outside the building, a light so bright that everyone in the restaurant found themselves mildly blinded by it. The light's brief reign over everyone's vision was accompanied by a rush of heat, and though it was quick, it was hot.
Just as startled as everyone else, our heroes hadn't sprung into action until a random bystander cried: "BRO HE JUST TURNED INTO A FUCKING RAPIDASH... NO, SERIOUSLY, LOOK- BRO WHAT-"
"Ohhhhhhhh no." droned Ash, hopping out of his seat. Without skipping a beat, he darted to the window Nate had jumped through, preparing to do the very same act. "Oh what the hell- I fuckin'-... I-... NATE?!"
All Ash could see from inside the restaurant was Nate, who was indeed in Rapidash form, galloping down the street and out of sight. Intent on giving chase, our hero sprung through the window and onto the bewildered streets, where countless pedestrians were gathered in shared curiosity. Sadly, Ash had no time for interviews. Now that he was outside, he could see better.
"He's chasing..." he thought, squinting his eyes. "...three blue trucks? ...WAIT, IS THAT-"
"I find it hard to fathom any OTHER reason he'd jump through a window." mused Lucario, as Ash began jogging. "Regardless, this is our chance. You must pursue."
"Run these mothafuckin' streets, bitch!" hollered Pikachu, holding on tight as Ash's jog turned into an Aura-enhanced sprint.
While Ash zipped, hopped, and dashed through traffic, a spicy serving of sassiness stir-fry was cookin' back at the table. It all begun when Paul quickly stood to his feet. Things started going south when Gary remained seated. These greatly differing reactions to the situation at hand simply couldn't coexist, as far as they both were concerned. Naturally, they acknowledged this anomaly through a short but fierce stare-down.
"The burgers, Paul." stated Gary, remaining calm. "We don't even know what Nate ran after. Could've been a bidoof or something. Ashy-boy's got this."
"Or it could be Team Aqua." replied Paul, glaring into Gary's soul. "Get up. We're going."
Gary's eyes narrowed, a confrontational look in them.
"Make me." he uttered, his voice void of its usual light-hearted twang.
Paul opened his mouth to say something back, but promptly closed it, a far better idea coming to mind. He gave Gary one last poisonous glare before turning around and heading towards the restaurant's exit. Without looking back, he left, stepping out and onto the still very much bewildered streets. Once again, countless pedestrians were gathered in shared curiosity. But there was far less of a show for them, this time. Paul merely walked to the edge of the street, spotted a taxi, and got the driver's attention. Once the mustard yellow sedan pulled over, Paul got in, claiming the passenger's seat.
"Where to?" asked the driver, turning to his newest customer.
"You like burgers?" asked Paul, eyes closed.
"Actually, I've been a dedicated vegan for 3 years straig-" started the driver, as pitch black tendrils of energy spawned around him. "Wha-"
As soon as Paul opened his eyes, the tendrils wrapped around the screaming taxi driver, engulfing him in their spatial properties. As the driver's cries of terror dwindled into the background, Gary Oak's cries of horror came to the forefront, and with them came Gary's body. By the time the swap was completed, Paul was leaning forward in slight nausea, while Gary was in the driver's seat, looking as if he'd just seen Hell itself.
"Fucking shit!" he frantically roared, his eyes darting around. "What the hell?!"
"Drive." ordered Paul, sighing off the strain of the Chaos Badge. "They're down the street."
"FUCK!"
"DRIVE!"
"ALRIGHT! GOODNESS!" bellowed Gary, shifting the taxi's gear from 'park' to 'drive'.
Putting the pedal to the medal, Gary and [by extension] Paul joined the chase, speeding through the streets of Sunyshore City with little to no regard for neither traffic laws nor pedestrian safety.
There were few words in all of the English dictionary that properly described the wonders Captain Kurt had witnessed in his struggle against Commander Alexander. The battle had started small, but had quickly evolved to a gargantuan scale; an inevitability for warriors of their caliber. It had only taken the first few moves for the two Grand Disciples to blow out the roof of the Dark Order's Unova Base, the pair of combatants seamlessly transitioning to a fight in the mountainous area the base had been hidden in. On the peaks, they dueled, and in the valleys, they clashed, flares of Dark Aura illuminating the landscape with every blow.
As the battle progressed, Kurt had begun to gain something of an idea of how Alexander's abilities worked. Every time one of his unowns had come to the forefront of his swarm, he performed some sort of miracle, a magical phenomenon that's name corresponded with the letter the unown was shaped. J allowed him to jump higher. Q caused the ground to quake. R allowed him to reflect projectiles. Each new trick came as a perilous surprise to Kurt, and the situation was nothing short than harrowing when taking into account that there were 14 of them to deal with.
And that was without mentioning the large reserves of Dark Aura the Commander had.
Each straight-forward attack from the masked man felt like stopping a train. His punches were immeasurably heavy, and his kicks were swift. As battle-hardened as Captain Kurt knew himself to be, he was well aware that Alexander's might was pushing him to new limits. As much as he hated to admit it, his title of The Dispiriting was the only thing keeping him in play. It seemed Commander Alexander's will wasn't all that ironclad; though they were hefty, none of his obviously lethal attacks had succeeded in killing Captain Kurt. But something in the back of the Captain's mind told him he wouldn't be able to tank the hits forever... eventually, a victor would have to be decided.
"I cannot beat him in a war of attrition..." thought Kurt, sprinting along the side of a mountain. "This is only half of his power...? How can one man bond with 28 pokemon? It's absurd. There must be some sort of trick to it... I doubt the Chosen Guardian himself could sustain that many links, and he's half Ke-"
Unfortunately for the Captain, he'd spent a little too much time immersed in his thoughts. His attention had dwindled, allowing the Commander to get the jump on him. In an instant, Alexander appeared directly in front of Kurt, stopping the larger man in his tracks. Too startled to react in time, Kurt quickly found his foe's hand wrapped around his neck. With a low grunt, Alexander thrashed Kurt's body into the mountainside, holding it in place afterwards to initiate the second part of his assault: strangulation.
But, as hard as Alexander squeezed... the life did not leave Kurt's eyes.
"This again...? Please..." wheezed the Captain, smirking. "You... cannot... kill me..."
Commander Alexander's first response was nothing more than an amused snort. His second one, on the other hand, was a bit more aggressive. Still holding onto Kurt's throat, the Commander leapt across the valley beneath them, towards another mountaintop not too far away. Halfway through the leap, an exclamation point unown slithered out of his coat. Its ability was rather simple: augmenting attacks. In that specific instance, it served its purpose quite well; Alexander and Kurt had gone from two men merely soaring across the valley to a wild bullet of Dark Aura that made contact with the nearest mountain in milliseconds. The collision was massive in scale, rocky debris spreading in every direction.
Unlike Alexander's earlier chokeslam, this one didn't stop at the elevation's rocky surface. The sheer force of the impact caused them to burrow deep into the mountainside, drilling far enough to open small spouts of molten rock. Luckily, lava moved slow, and the coat of Dark Aura surrounding them provided protection. But of course, staying inside the mountain would mean certain death - which was exactly what Commander Alexander wanted. He was sure he could have killed Kurt if they continued their battle normally, but it would have taken time; something too precious to be wasted on a trivial squabble. Magma, a non-sentient third party, would get the job done far quicker.
"Let's see if your willpower can withstand this." he cooed, Dark Aura accumulating in the hand that held Kurt's neck. "Kapten yang terjebak, kapten yang terjebak... slither and suspend, Aura Penitentiary."
Kurt's eyes widened as, upon completion of the Commander's spell, several bars of solid Dark Aura manifested, tightly wrapping themselves around his body like rope. Once they'd wrapped his entire body from the neck down, their ends extended and shot into the rocky tunnel that surrounded them, holding him in place.
"You... how did you do this?!" bellowed the Captain, completely restrained. "Dark Guardians cannot weave spells; Spell-Tongue was never passed down by the Order's founders! This is- You-"
"You may wanna suspend that disbelief for a second or two." interjected Alexander, right as he began walking away. "You strike me as the type that'd regret wasting their last moments on answers they'll never get. Die and be at peace, Captain."
Unable to move, Kurt could only look on as Alexander leisurely fled the scene. It seemed the Commander had taken his leave just in time, because not too long after his departure, the lava had begun to pool. Captain Kurt thrashed and squirmed in his restraints, but to not avail. There wasn't much time left for him; at the tunnel's incline, the lava would be reaching his feet in a matter of seconds.
"How..." seethed Kurt, eyes bloodshot in rage. "HOW?!"
"~Under the sea! ~Under the sea! Darling, it's better down where it's wetter! Take it from me! Up on the shore they work all day, out in the Sun they slave away! While we devotin' full time to floatin' under the sea!~" [horribly] sang a man wearing all blue, with a blue and white bandanna to boot. In his lap was none other than the Adamant Orb, which he was happily tapping to the beat of the song. "Turn it up a bit, Gunther! This is my jam!"
"Yes, Archie Jr., sir." complied Gunther, raising the volume. "How's that?"
"Perfect." sighed Archie Jr., reclining his chair back. "I'll be real with you Gunther, I never thought this day would come. My old man's dream of MORE FUCKING WATER is finally becoming a reality. But I didn't do it alone! Believe me when I say I couldn't thirst for a more moist gang of waterboys. This would never have happened without you and the rest of Team Aqua 2."
"Well, when considering the detrimental effects of global warming, it was technically gonna happen anywa-"
Instead of letting Gunther continue spouting such scientific mumbo jumbo, Archie Jr. raised the volume even higher, effectively drowning his right hand man's voice out. At the moment, all he wanted was The Little Mermaid soundtrack, bass-boosted. This was his big night, his shining moment, the centerpiece of his eventual memoir. More water. It was finally happening.
Drunk on life, he glanced into the side-view mirror attached to his door. Behind him were two more blue Hummers; his gang, his source of pride. Behind them was a rapidash, skillfully galloping through highway traffic; a crazy sight, and his source of confusion. Not too far behind the rapidash - and also weaving between speeding cars - was what seemed to be a glowing man, running a clean 65 miles per hour with perfect stride and form. A terrifying sight that served as the source of Archie Jr.'s fear.
Before he could even let out a gasp, he watched as the rapidash jumped into the air, glowed white, and morphed into a chimchar on the way down. It landed on top of the last Hummer in the trio.
"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" cried Archie Jr., watching as Nate crawled along the side of his men's truck, punched open a back-seat window, and entered. "Gunther! We're under attack!"
And so they were. Back in the third Hummer, Nate was steeped in combat confined to the closest of quarters. Two Aqua grunts were in the back seat, and they immediately began to throw hands upon the fire-shifter's entrance. After the first exchange of blows, it became clear to Nate that his chimchar limbs were not sturdy enough to be of use in such a brawl. So he promptly stepped things up, skipping the tragically underwhelming monferno evolution in favor of becoming an infernape.
With far greater attack and speed stats, it didn't take long for Nate to knock out one of the two thugs. Instead of dealing the second one the same fate, he simply flicked some fire into his hair, setting it ablaze. As a result, the grunt screamed in agony while desperately trying to snuff the flames out with his hands. Always an opportunist, Nate used his burning-hot distraction to his advantage by lunging for the door, opening it, and shoving the grunt out of the car and onto the road. However, right as Nate had closed the door and set his sights on the two foes up front, he found himself in a predicament.
As soon as he'd turned around, he found a gun's barrel pointed directly at his face.
"Fuck off!" roared the grunt in the passenger seat, pulling the trigger.
The pistol fired, and out of the barrel came forth... a rather lackluster stream of water. Indeed, it was a water gun. Such a trinket would have posed no threat to anyone when compared to an actual firearm - but to a literal embodiment of all things flame and cinder, it was still a devastating weapon. The clear liquid stung Nate's forehead like the most corrosive acid, with the pain of it all rendering him pinned to the car door, clutching his face. A great fan of teamwork, the driver followed up his partner's act by opening the window right behind Nate. All it took was one quick swerve of the steering wheel to build up enough momentum to launch Nate out the window, onto the same busy road he'd thrown their comrade onto.
Luckily, Team Aqua's men weren't the only ones capable of working together.
"RAWWWWWWRSHNUHGGLR!"
Before Nate could land on the asphalt, he found himself in the clutches of an orange, flying lizard. It took Nate a second to understand what had just happened, but it all became somewhat clearer when he saw a yellow flash zip through the air, landing on top of the second Hummer up ahead. Immediately getting to work, Pikachu activated Iron Tail and plowed through the roof of the blue truck, hopping in. Still a tiny bit dazed, Nate reverted back to human form and shook his head, desperately trying to regain his bearings. As he did, the sounds of supernaturally quick footsteps became more and more audible. Taking this third and final newcomer into consideration, Nate's mind fully relaxed; reinforcements had arrived.
"Hello there." greeted Ash, gradually sprinting into the pyro's peripheral vision. "My turn."
With nothing more than a confident wink, Ash grabbed his staff off his back and jammed the tip into the concrete, launching himself into the air. Right at the crest of his ascension, he grabbed Lucario's ball and pitched it onto the Hummer up front, where he figured the leader of Team Aqua would be riding. Just like Pikachu, upon landing, Lucario quickly worked to blast through the roof of the vehicle. By the time he'd carved out a hole large enough, Ash had already landed on top of the truck as well, ready to enter.
Nate watched all of this with a mixture of relief and irritation. Yes, he'd wanted everyone else to know about Team Aqua, but only when he'd first spotted them. As soon as his chase had begun, he resigned himself to catching them, alone. Now, that glory was gone.
"RAWWWWWRSHNUHGGLR!" roared Charizard, picking up on Nate's disappointment. "RAWWWWRSSHNUGLARRR!"
Nate, still in Charizard's arms, begrudgingly looked up at the winged beast, knowing that his words held truth. Indeed, there was no "I" in "team". Besides, he'd just gotten shot with a water gun; clearly the enemy was stronger than he'd anticipated. Ready to resume his own raid, Nate nodded at Charizard, prompting his fellow fire-type to toss him back onto the third Hummer.
"I see them up ahead, about half a mile's distance." noted Paul, having recovered from his nausea. "Ash seems to have caught up with them. They're about to cross a bridge."
"Yeah cool whatever." rapped Gary, pushing the pedal to the metal. "But uh... doesn't this seem like a bad idea?"
"I'm a cop. If we get pulled over, I can get us out of any trouble."
"You really think I, of ALL people, give a foster-homed fuck about a speeding ticket?" sighed Gary, shaking his head. "Never that. I'm concerned because of those gas-guzzling Hummers. Well, really, it doesn't matter what cars they are. As long as they're not electrical cars, this chase has the chance to go south very quickly. One oodle of fire or arc of lightning too strong and boom, explosion. And I really don't think anyone up there is smart enough to realize that risk."
Paul snorted, folding his arms.
"Well there really isn't much we can do about that from way back here, is ther-"
*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
Both Paul and Gary's eyes widened as, just like the latter had feared, one of the Hummers exploded.
"...Well then." murmured Gary, slowing the car down. "'Wonder who the dumbass was."
"PIKACHU!" roared Ash, still standing atop Archie Jr.'s Hummer. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
"BRUH, HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW SHIT WAS GONNA EXPLODE?!" cried Pikachu, via mental-link. "ALL I DID WAS TRY TO ELECTROCUTE THE ENTIRE CAR!"
"There's fucking GAS in cars!" bellowed Ash, [fraudulently] acting as if he'd been aware of the risk all along.
"YEAH, 'CUZ I KNOW SCIENCE LIKE THAT." retorted Pikachu. "Just shut up and save me, man."
Indeed, Pikachu was in need of saving. The explosion was strong enough to blow a hole clean through the bridge they were crossing, causing the remnants of the destroyed Hummer to plummet towards the body of water below. Without assistance, Pikachu would fall into the water as well.
Ash looked further back, and spotted Nate and Charizard still locked in combat with the grunts in the third Hummer, who had pulled over to avoid falling into the hole. Ash then looked down into the Hummer he was on, spotting Lucario bashing some poor sap's face in with Bone Rush; The Aura Pokemon seemed to have things handled on his own. Coming to the conclusion that Pikachu's rescue was up to him and him alone, Ash jumped off the car and landed near the hole in the bridge. After slamming the tip of his staff into the ashpalt, he closed his eyes, initiating a spell.
"Kapten yang terjebak, kapten yang terjebak..." he chanted, struggling to keep his voice level, due to the circumstances. "Slither and suspend, Aura Penitentiary!"
Upon completion of the chant, several bars of solid Aura manifested along the rim of the hole, shooting downward. With masterful precision, they snaked their way into the falling debris, honing in on Pikachu. Once their destination was reached, they wrapped themselves around him and held him in place, saving the yellow mouse from what was to be a wet, watery demise.
Glad to be alive, Pikachu looked at the twisted, charred metal plummeting into the water below.
"Heh... It'd be wild if that ended up being the car with the orb in it." he muttered. "But ah... it's not, right? ...Right?"
"It's not." echoed Lucario's voice.
Hearing Lucario's confirmation, Ash looked back at the Hummer he'd left Lucario to handle. Much to his satisfaction, the vehicle had come to a stop as well, just a few hundred feet away. Our hero's timing was good; he'd turned around right as the passenger seat's door opened, with a beaten and bruised Archie Jr. tumbling out of it. Tucked under his arm was the Adamant Orb, in all its adamant glory.
With all his men down for the count, the terrified Team Leader could do nothing but cower in fear as the most powerful Lucario of all time stood before him, Bone Rush spear in hand.
"What do you want from us?!" he cried, eyes wide.
"What do you think we want?" asked Ash as he walked over, holding his staff over his shoulder. "Give us the orb."
"Never!" hollered Archie Jr., hugging the orb tightly. "We need. More. WATER! There will be more water! I'd rather die 1000 times than hand this thing over to some tan wizard-knight cosplaying fucktart!"
"1: I'm not a goddamn cosplayer. I'm real." sighed Ash, scratching the back of his head. "And 2: 'More water' this, 'more water' that... Tell me; if you were able to accomplish whatever your stupid plan was, where the hell would you even live? At least Team Magma's goal, like... kinda makes sense. You're just trying to drown us all."
"Shut up!" roared Archie Jr. "Humanity doesn't need more land! You heard me say it once, but since your stupid-ass hairdo is probably plugging your ears, I'll say it again! MORE WATER, BITCH! This Adamant Orb is our only pathway to a planet filled to the brim with beautiful waves and aquatic splendor! If humanity cannot adapt to that paradise, we were never meant to be here at all, then! This orb is everything! THIS IS OUR FUTURE!"
At the end of his small speech, Archie Jr. held the orb up, in the most dramatic of fashions. However, to much his - as well as Ash and Lucario's - surprise, the Adamant Orb was nowhere to be seen. His palm was empty, holding nothing but the weight of his team's nonsensical goals and virtues. That, and the leftover essence of a mysterious black energy.
"Wha... WHAT?!" he cried, staring at his hand in disbelief.
Just then, a taxi pulled up on the other side of the bridge, right beside the third Hummer, which Nate and Charizard had effectively vacated without blowing it up. Out of the two front seats emerged Gary and Paul, the latter of which had the Adamant Orb in his hand. The same energy that had just been around Archie Jr.'s hand now swirled around Paul's, enveloping the Adamant Orb in its pitch black embrace.
"Sorry we're late, Ashy-boy! Traffic!" shouted Gary, kicking the car door shut. Before continuing, he pulled his gun out of his cloak. "But hey, looks like I got here just in time to blast this motherfu-"
Unfortunately, Gary's one-liner would be cut off by a powerful tremor shaking what was left of the bridge, followed by a deep, echoing cry. All those who were present looked to the source of the commotion, which was none other than Paul. The Chaos Badge energy that had been swirling around the Adamant Orb had grown to massive proportions during Gary's greeting, enveloping the purple-haired officer in a swirling pillar of the purest darkness imaginable. Even if Gary had chosen to continue speaking, he wouldn't have been heard. Paul's screams seemed to go beyond the human body's natural limit in decibels, drowning out just about any and every other noise in the area.
"Uhhhh... what's going on?" asked Pikachu, still hanging below the bridge.
"Umm... Paul. Paul is happening." answered Ash, eyebrows raised. "Should I... do something...?"
"It believe it would be wisest to keep your distance for the time being..." advised Lucario.
Fearing the possibility of getting caught in whatever event was transpiring, a wide-eyed Gary quietly backed away from the taxi. He kept going until he was standing beside Nate, who was also staring at the still-growing column of spiraling energy with wide eyes. However, there was no need to fear. Mere moments after Gary's footsteps had come to a halt, both the screams and the darkness radiating from their comrade had ceased. All that was left of the sudden phenomenon was Paul, who was on all fours, breathing heavily, with sweat cascading down his face. The most striking sight of all, however, was the absence of the Adamant Orb.
For a brief moment, there was silence. Nobody had an exact idea of what would have happened the moment Paul came into contact with one of the orbs, however, what they'd just seen had still been the last thing they'd expected. But, as previously stated, the silence was brief. It came to an end via an impressed whistle by Gary, who was still standing beside Nate.
"See?" he started, lightly elbowing the teen's shoulder. "Action movie with the squad. Rosa will be so pleased."
Nate had no response for Gary. Even if he could talk, he wouldn't have. Just like Ash, he was left speechless by what he'd just seen. It was only when Paul finally caught his breath and stood back up that everyone's awe and fear subsided.
"I'm okay." he stated, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"What just happened?" called Ash, from the other side of the bridge. "Where's the orb?"
"YEAH, WHERE IS THE ORB, EGGPLANT?!" roared Archie Jr.
"I... absorbed it..." answered Paul, looking down at his empty palm. "It's merged with the Chaos Badge. I... can feel it... inside me. It started reacting oddly as soon as I warped it out of that dunderhead's hand and into mine. *sigh* Great, yet another supernatural god-jewel superglued to my soul..."
Archie Jr.'s eyes narrowed, his face scrunching up in livid confusion.
"What the hell are you talking abou-"
Unfortunately, the new Team Aqua leader would never have the chance to complete his inquiry. A single gunshot had rang through the night, abruptly cutting him off. Everyone present shifted their gaze to him, spotting him limp on the ground, blood seeping out of a brand new wound in his chest. Then, everyone looked to Gary, who was calmly returning his gun to the confines of his cloak. Everyone's faces held different expressions in response to the rather unceremonious murder, but alas, Gary gave them all the same apathetic look.
"He was too dangerous to be left alive." he dismissed, with a quick eye roll.
"Was he, though?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope." replied Gary, walking back to the taxi. "Either way, mission accomplished. If you think that deep-sea twat deserved better, kick his body into the water down there, yeah? I'm sure it's what he would've wanted. Now let's get the fuck out of here and eat our burgers. I'm goddamn hungry, alright?"
"There's a gaping hole in the road. On a one-way bridge." noted Ash, returning Charizard and Lucario to their pokeballs. He then leaped into the air, clearing the gap in the bridge with ease. He continued speaking once he landed, just a few feet from everyone else. "How are we supposed to drive back, exactly?"
"...I've got it covered." said Paul, somewhat hesitantly. "Get in the car."
Ash and Nate looked at eachother, shrugged, and heeded Paul's command. With Gary in the driver's seat, Ash in the passenger's, and Nate in the back, they were all comfortably seated and ready to spectate whatever miracle Paul was gearing up to perform. The only team member unaccounted for was Pikachu, who was still dangling below the damaged bridge.
"Hold your horses bucko!" hollered the electric rodent, as loud as he could. "I'm still down here! Bring this juicy yellow booty up before he does some astronomical shit, ya hear me?! I'm serious!"
Sadly, Pikachu would not find himself rescued in time. The moment he'd finished pika-speaking, the bridge had begun to rumble, similarly to how it had when Paul absorbed the Adamant Orb just minutes earlier. Though Pikachu was unable to see the source of the trembles, he knew what it was. There was no mistaking the distinct sense of spiritual unease when the Chaos Badge's power was in use.
Ash and the gang, on the other hand, were given front row seats to the spectacle. Paul had knelt on the concrete, closed his eyes, and placed a hand on it. Black energy quickly spawned around him, but instead of staying around him and him alone, it spread. The bridge had begun to shake when his newly-strengthened obsidian plasma began to outline the structure in its entirety, giving it an ominous anti-glow.
In sync with the exact moment that Paul opened his eyes, the countless chunks of rubble and debris scattered around the area began to reassemble themselves, in the form of a slowed down, reversed explosion. The pieces of asphalt that fell into the waters below were no exception. All of them rose into the air and back into the hole in the bridge, putting themselves back in place like sentient puzzle pieces. Luckily for Pikachu, one of them lined up perfectly to carry him all the way up and onto the restoring road.
"...Fuck." uttered Gary, beyond impressed by what he was seeing.
"...Shit." added Ash, also in awe.
"Fucking shit!" cried Pikachu, frazzled by his sudden incline.
Nate said nothing. He was definitely surprised, though.
The bridge reassembled itself in a matter of seconds, with nothing but a panicked Pikachu and a, once again, heavily breathing Paul standing on it. Before anyone could say anything, Paul dismissed the energy and turned towards Pikachu, leaning over to pick him up. But, unfortunately, Pikachu's passive Static ability kicked in the moment their bodies made contact, instantly paralyzing the purple-haired officer. Unable to move, Paul landed face-down on the concrete, letting out a long, pained groan afterwards.
Always eager to help a friend, Ash rushed out of the car and ran to his fallen comrade, kneeling beside him.
"So uhhh..." he began, placing a hand on Paul's back. "What was that?"
"Yeah! What WAS that?!" added Pikachu, hurriedly crawling onto Ash's shoulder.
With one trivial pump of Aura, Ash was able to dispel the paralysis from Paul's body. Able to move again, Paul slowly picked himself up before answering.
"I reversed time on the bridge, undoing the explosion." grunted Paul, brushing stray strands of hair from his eyes.
"That's freakin' wild!" called Gary, sticking his head out the car window.
"I agree." concurred Ash, helping Paul walk towards their commandeered taxi. "You can do stuff that crazy now?"
"Yeah." confirmed Paul, struggling to keep his eyes open. His legs felt like jelly. He'd always hated receiving help, but considering all he'd been through in a 10 minute time-span... he was thankful that Ash was there to support his weight. "It seems I can do more with the orb in me... but clearly... the exhaustion afterwards remains the same..."
"At least you aren't more exhausted than before... right?" asked Ash, ushering his former-rival into the back seat. "...Right?"
"Right..." wheezed Paul.
The second Ash let go of him, he collapsed into the car, his head landing on Nate's lap. Nate simply stared down at the head he suddenly found resting on him, eyes wide. But then, his gaze softened, and he gently patted Paul's head. It always felt good when Rosa did that to him, so he figured Paul would appreciate it as well.
"Don't... touch me..." groaned Paul, drifting into unconsciousness.
Nate frowned. Apparently not.
"Damn it all..."
On the side of the mountain, Commander Alexander slowly walked, his gaze fixed on the rocky terrain below. He had kept his cool during the entire battle; an admirable feat, in his eyes. After two decades of controlling the Dark Order, one of the thousands of idiots under his command had finally begun to think. Granted, Kurt had been dealt with... but Alexander was never one to omit the bigger picture from his thoughts. Another Grand Disciple had fallen... earlier than planned... by his hand.
The impending ramifications were to be problematic.
It was a frustrating situation. Everything had gone so smoothly for so long; the plans were practically executing themselves, with just tidbits of subtle guidance from him. It was at that thought that he realized his missteps. He'd gotten too lax. The Chosen Guardian's return was supposed to signify the endgame for his goals, it wasn't meant to be his cue to take the back seat in his mission. The Commander sighed; even this late into his story, he was still committing blunders.
"The game's not over yet, though..." he mused, looking up at the sky. "But I'll certainly have to accelerate things a littl-... Oh you CANNOT be serious."
Two sudden stimuli invaded the masked man's senses, prompting him to let out a frustrated growl through gritted teeth. The entire landscape was shaking, and Captain Kurt's Aura was ringing through his soul. Already looking upwards, all Alexander had to do was slightly turn his head to the right. As soon as he did, the peak of the mountain exploded in a cataclysmic display of rock, both molten and solid. As the burning rubble rained down on the mountain range, Captain Kurt emerged from the newly-opened crater, burnt, but still alive.
"Managing to break the Aura Penitentiary - and a mountain - through sheer rage... You just refuse to die, huh?" called Alexander, casually slapping a burning boulder away. "Why'd you even come out? Half of your skin is burnt off, and you've just exhausted your Aura. Such stubbornness... It's just silly."
Kurt did not answer. Instead, he rushed down the mountain in a mad dash, Dark Aura surrounding his whole body. Beyond done with the fight, Alexander channeled nearly all of his Aura into his right hand, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was clear Kurt was out of options, and he was simply putting everything he had into one last charge. Eager to snuff out the infamous willpower that would drive the purple-haired man to such an act, Alexander dealt a mighty uppercut to Kurt's chin, sending the Dark Guardian spiraling up into the air. As Kurt continued to ascend, Alexander followed him up by jumping onto the still falling volcanic debris, scaling the airspace faster than the rocks could fall.
Once he was above Kurt, he charged a Dark Aura Sphere, his eyes glowing through the slits of his mask.
"It's over." he declared, firing the attack.
The sphere connected, exploding upon contact with Kurt's body. As the crimson light of the Dark Aura dissipated, the Grand Disciple of Unova plummeted to the valley below, his charred body no longer capable moving. But when he landed, it was clear that he was still alive; his eyes were still open, and his breathing, though stunted, was still in tact.
Seeing this, Commander Alexander descended from the smoke filled skies.
"Sheesh... I suppose you were right, Kurt." he spoke, landing just a few feet away from the Captain. "Your will to live was truly indomitable. It's been a long time since I've faced an opponent as hardy as you. However... it seems your will is currently focused on breathing, not living. An acute difference, but a difference all the same. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think killing you will be no harder than stepping on an ant, the way you are now, hm?"
Too beaten to speak, Kurt could do nothing but focus on his breathing. Though his vision was fading in and out, he could still see the orange volcanic glow illuminating the smoky night sky, as well the red glow of the Aura blast Commander Alexander was charging in his hand. The Commander's words rang true. In his current state, his will was too focused on the simple act of breathing. The immense pain from his flesh-melting burns had shaken his very foundation, and it was no secret to him that the only way to end said pain was death.
Aware the battle had been lost, Kurt closed his eyes, accepting his fate. The only emotion he could truly feel at the moment was anger. Though he was still completely confused by The Commander's countless mysteries, he knew he was close to figuring him out. Just a few more hours of life would've been enough to uncover all the secrets hidden behind the mask, both figuratively and literally. But even knowledge of that closeness wasn't enough to garner the determination needed to tank his impending execution. Through his closed eyelids, he could still see the crimson luminescence getting stronger and stronger. His end was near.
"I don't like repeating myself, Kurt. But I will, just this once." noted Alexander, ready to fire the killing blast. "It's over."
With his parting words said, Alexander released a consecutive beam of Dark Aura, aimed at Kurt's head. An attack of such density and compression would have no problem pulverizing the Grand Disciple's flesh and bone, rendering his cranium to smithereens...
Had it hit.
Speculating that he should've been dead already, Kurt opened his eyes. The orange light of the volcano still reflected on the sheet of black smoke clouding the sky. As did the red light of Alexander's attack, which had missed its mark by a considerable distance. As Kurt wondered how one of the strongest men in the world could fail to connect a point blank shot, his eyes took note of a new color that illuminated the area, a color different from the previous two: gold. It was then that he looked around, spotting a ring of golden flames surrounding him and the Commander. There was mystical essence about the fire; it was a color he'd never seen the element spawn in.
Confused beyond all reasoning, Kurt looked to Alexander, who was looking at the flames, still as a statue. The sudden appearance of the golden fire had startled him, causing his Dark Aura blast to hit the rocky terrain a few feet away from Kurt instead.
"Sacred Fire...?" muttered the masked commander, under his breath.
Kurt's eyes widened as he realized he'd heard the term before. It was an attack, one known to only two pokemon in the entire world, both of them being legendaries. The first one was Ho-Oh. But he saw no reason for Ho-Oh, a deity native to the Johto Region, to appear there, in the Unova Region. The other option, however, made far more sense. Legends both old and new claimed one appeared whenever a volcano was born... which was just what the Captain's battle with the Commander had unintentionally created.
A mighty roar sounded throughout the mountain range, prompting the volcano to spew even more lava into the air. When the lethal splash of molten rock had cleared up, the figure of a large, quadruped beast emerged from the crater, its eyes fixed on but one person: Commander Alexander.
"Entei...?" thought the Captain, having never seen one before. His oh-so precious breathing then hitched, a new revelation dawning in his psyche. "Wait..."
Before Kurt could shift his gaze back to the Commander, Entei roared again, even louder. As a result, the volcano shot out an even greater amount of lava, with a glob of it looking to be headed straight for the two Dark Guardians that were still staring at the legendary beast perched on the rim of its crater. As the lethal liquid made its way towards their bodies, Kurt fully expected Commander Alexander to evade, but that wasn't the case. Even as a massive splash of molten rock came directly his way, all he continued to do was stand still, seemingly entranced by Entei's regal gaze. Due to this, he was swallowed by the liquid heat, his entire body enveloped.
Kurt's eyes widened as wide as his weakened mind could allow.
"There's no possible wa-"
*PSSSCapHHtain?HHT BZZhelloZZhello?TTTTZZZTPSHHT*
"Captain Kurt, can you hear me? Hello?" sounded an electronic voice, coming from an earpiece lodged in the Captain's ear. "Answer me, you prideful fool."
For the first time in several moments, Captain Kurt's will found itself vested in something other than breathing: speaking. He recognized the voice.
"Fein...berg..." choked Kurt, his voice raspy and low.
"What the devil is going on? HQ received intel from Unova Base that the roof to your chamber has been blown clean open, and there's commotion of outstanding magnitude outside. Is it the Chosen Guar-"
"Immediate... transport... to HQ." wheezed Kurt, cutting Feinberg off. "No... questions..."
Dr. Feinberg paused for a second before answering.
"...Fine."
A split second later, a portal opened beneath Kurt's body. As he slowly sank into it, the landscape around him ceased to be, gradually replacing itself with the interior of the Dark Order's main headquarters. But his eyes remained fixed on the last glimpses of Unova fading into a small circle in the distance. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but after all he'd seen in that battle, he dismissed any skepticism in favor of staunch belief:
At the final moment before the circle closed, he'd seen a damaged - but still alive - Alexander emerge from the torrent of lava, with a charred M unown falling off his face. Having just enough time to see the face behind the now dead mask... Kurt closed his eyes. In a way, victory was his.
"...I know who you are."
...
...
"Ash."
"..."
"Ashy-boy."
Ash's eyes quickly fluttered back into awareness, his mind retreating from his thoughts.
"Uh, wha? Yeah?" he stammered, turning his head to Gary.
The gang was en route back to Bernie Berger's Bangin' Burger Bistro & Bar. Paul's restoration of the bridge had effectively allowed them to make their way back, but the drive was to be a slow one nonetheless. The chaos caused by their chase of Team Aqua had left the roads of Sunyshore City in complete disarray, creating dense traffic in many streets... including the one they were on.
With Paul unconscious, Nate mute, and Gary focusing on finding backroads to subvert the traffic, the car had been quite silent up until then. But it seemed quiet-time was over. Gary Motherfucking Oak was speaking.
"What'cha thinkin' about?" inquired the brown-haired Researcher. "You've been staring out the window for like, 10 minutes, man."
"I dunno..." murmured Ash, reclining his seat a little. "I guess I'm just thinking about-"
"The girls?"
"The girls." confirmed Ash, rolling his eyes at Gary's accurate completion of his sentence. "I'm just wondering if they're okay, I guess. I hope Team Magma wasn't as much of a hassle to take down for them as Team Aqua was for us, you know what I mean?"
Gary didn't answer for a second, but then his lips curved into a sly smirk.
"Well, I can give you somewhat of an idea of what they're up to, if you want." he stated, removing a hand from the steering wheel to reach into his cloak. "Here, plug this into the aux."
Ash looked at Gary's hand, spotting Gary's PDA. Confused, he raised an eyebrow.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I literally just told you, Einstein. Plug it into the aux."
"You know what I meant."
"Remember when we crashed that plane to get to the Dark Order's Sinnoh Base?" asked Gary. "I scanned the whole region."
"Yes."
"And remember how me and Max were the ones that accompanied Serena on her trip to Vaniville Town yesterday morning?"
"Yes...?"
"Welp, during that trip, Serena wanted alone time, but things looked a little sketchy around town. Too sketchy for Max and I to honor her request... not without a little... surveillance."
Ash's eyes widened.
"You didn't." he droned.
"Oh, I certainly did." replied Gary, putting his arm around Ash's seat. "Plug that shit into the aux and press the button on the left side."
Ash did as he was told, but not before shooting Gary a glare of clear disapproval. Perhaps Gary had planted the bug on Serena with good intentions the day before, but the way they were about to use it seemed all too much like an invasion of privacy. But there he was, plugging the device into the taxi's radio system and pressing the button on the left side.
A map of the entire Sinnoh Region appeared on the screen, with a pink dot appearing on the northernmost city.
"Looks like they're still in Snowpoint." observed Ash. "How do I zoom in?"
"Double tap the pink dot."
Ash did just that, prompting the map to zoom in on Snowpoint City, giving him a much clearer view of Serena's exact location. His eyebrows furrowed.
"They're at... Snowpoint Salon & Sauna...?" questioned our hero.
"Pfft. Told you they were probably having a slumber party or some shit." grumbled Gary, shaking his head. "Turn up the volume so we can hear them play Spin the Bottle."
Ash rolled his eyes, turning up the volume. Gary's jokes were so ridiculous, he mused. If Max and the girls had already gotten the Lustrous Orb and were relaxing in the SSS, there was no way they'd be playing a game like that. Max would never participate, Serena definitely wouldn't be in the mood, Rosa would probably just watch for entertainment, and May? May Maple didn't strike him as the type that would willingly put herself in a situation where she'd have to kiss another girl.
Regardless, Ash listened in to the feed from the hidden mic, waiting for a sound.
...
...
...
"Are you sure this thing is working?" he asked, the car remaining silent despite the maximized volume.
"She's probably isolating herself, now that their mission's done." deduced Gary, his face straight. "She's still goin' through it, y'know."
"Yeah... probably." sighed Ash, a pit forming in his stomach.
...
...
10 minutes later...
...
*rustling noises*
"What's that?" asked Ash, almost forgetting what was going on due to the prolonged silence.
"It's her hair brushing against the mic." clarified Gary. "Look at the dot. She's moving, right?"
"Yeah... looks like she's going to another room in the building." confirmed Ash, eyeing the PDA. His eyes then narrowed. "Dammit Gary, I feel like a creep. Why are we even listening anymore? We basically already know they're all okay, I'm gonna turn this thing... off..."
Ash trailed off as soon as the sound of two knocks on a door sounded through the car, coming from the radio system. With extreme interest, he honed his senses and listened in, while Gary simply chuckled and shook his head again.
"Serena?"
"Hi... Is May...?"
"No, it's just me in here. May stepped out a little while ago. Are you alright?"
"Yeah... I just wanted to talk to someone."
"You could talk to me, if you want."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Hah, he tried." laughed Gary, slapping a hand on the steering wheel.
"Shhh!" hushed Ash.
"May's down at the saunas drinking more wine with Rosa."
"Thanks."
...
"HAH, I fuckin called it!" cackled Gary, as the rustling sound of Serena walking resumed. "They even have a bottle to play the game with! Good golly Nate, Rosa isn't the only psychic around here!"
Nate replied by kicking the back of Gary's seat. Meanwhile, Ash ignored them both and continued listening in. A few seconds passed before new dialogue would come through, and when it did, Ash wished he could've turned the volume up even higher. The voices were May's and Rosa's, but they sounded somewhat distant. They were still audible, but it was clear Serena had to have been listening in on them at a distance, or through a wall.
"An eavesdrop within an eavesdrop." observed Gary. "This is freakin' bananas, haha-"
"SHHHHH!"
"Oh, I've got more receipts, hun. Aside from that night, there were about 3 or 4 other occasions where your apparent bisexuality briefly stepped out of the closet for some air."
"Alright, you got me. This is... interesting. I've never really told anyone about it. It feels nice... Though, I don't feel like I was closeted or hiding it, per se. I just..."
"Didn't feel like telling anyone because their reactions might be exhausting to you and not worth the trouble to deal with?"
"Once again, yes and no." replied May. "For some people, that's the case. But for someone like Ash... Specifically Ash..."
"What? Scared he'll think you wouldn't be satisfied with just him?"
"Oh please, he's got nothing to worry about there. Believe me, hah, beliiiiiiieve me... I'd rock his world every night if I had the chance. ... Mmhhhmmmmm... But, uh, yeah, we all know Ash is a little... challenged when it comes to romance. I dunno how he'll process the news that I've been crushing on Serena ever since I met her. And given the amount of time that it's been like this, 'crush' is a teensy weensy bit of an understatement. Or a big one."
...
...
It was then that Paul's eyes fluttered open. Despite the pounding pain pulsating through his head, he lifted it from Nate's lap at warp speed, eager to forget such a pillow had ever been used. Upright and awake, he looked around. The car was engulfed in a bizarre vibe that he couldn't quite discern the source of. Everyone was quiet, and not the type of quiet comprised of young men lost in thoughts. Even without context, Paul could tell the silence was in response to something.
First, he glanced at Nate. The fire-type teen was simply staring out the window. He didn't seem all that bothered by whatever was going on. If anything, he looked completely disinterested - it was almost as if he'd known about whatever had happened beforehand.
Then, there was Gary. Through the rearview mirror, all Paul could really see were his eyebrows. But those were telling enough. They were raised, and they stayed raised as he continued to drive the taxi.
Lastly, there was Ash. Able to see the Chosen Guardian of the Aura's expression through the passenger door's side-view mirror, it became clear to Paul that he'd looked at his companions in ascending order, shock-wise. Much like Gary's, Ash's eyebrows were also raised. However, that was but one facet of the look on his face. His eyes were the widest they'd ever been, and his mouth was ever so slightly agape. He seemed to be staring straight ahead, with neither eye daring to commit the grave sin of blinking.
Growing irritated by his own cluelessness, Paul raised a brow of his own.
"Did I miss something?" he asked, folding his arms.
Ash wouldn't answer, and Nate couldn't answer, so Gary proved to be the only one up to the task. He began his response with a long, high-pitched whistle, similar to the one he released earlier on the bridge.
"Ohohoho, you sure did. Yup. Definitely did." he chuckled, slowing the car down. Bernie Berger's Bangin' Burger Bistro & Bar was in sight, and he was looking for a parking spot. "The plot just thickened. Immensely. Holy fuck... what a time to be alive."
"Congrats on answering me without actually answering me." droned Paul. "What happened?"
"Heh, if you really wanna know... why not ask Ashy-Boy?"
Paul returned his gaze to the side-view mirror.
"Ash?"
Alas, he received no answer. The raven-haired Aura Guardian in question was still silent, his mouth still open, and his eyes still locked in static flabbergast. But, to everyone in the car, no matter the situational knowledge, it was all too obvious he wasn't looking at anything in particular.
He was just frozen, in all meanings save for the literal.
And that's that!
So, real quick, before I go... I do wanna elaborate on the purpose of this chapter, as well as the previous one. The side-quests the Fellowship split into two groups for, specifically. This chapter is the last one before the story shifts into the third and final segment. I basically wanted one last fun little mini-adventure for the group to go on before the vibe of their quest shifts to something... darker. Things are about to get a lot more serious. With that in mind, I purposely wrote Teams Aqua and Magma to be jokes. Plus, both teams are comprised of normal humans, so I didn't think it'd make all that much sense to have them give the Fellowship too much trouble, if you know what I mean.
I also chose to write them that way because, in my personal opinion, Teams Aqua and Magma ARE jokes. Like, seriously. Their goals in Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire are absolutely ridiculous, LOL.
But anyway, I do apologize if it seemed like they came outta nowhere. I can definitely see why some readers thought it was weird.
The next chapter will pick up on the following morning, when the Fellowship regroups. I'm pretty excited to write it, actually. But I'm even more excited for you all to read it. I can't really go into much detail without spoiling, but just know... shit's about to go down.
Seeya then,
~DarkSlash9
