Chapter 12: The Forest's Guardian
Roku's P.O.V.
Ilex Forest
Reia, Zuki and I walked into the gate that lead to the Ilex Forest, a large forest sprawling between Azalea Town and the road to Goldenrod City. We were told that the forest had a shrine in the middle of the forest that pays homage to its guardian.
"If a forest this big has a guardian, it must be some awe-inspiring Pokémon," I said.
"Who knows? Not even I have seen Celebi since Team Prime's takeover," Zuki said.
"Celebi, huh?" I said curiously.
We were walking around the forest during this time, and I decided to look up Celebi's name in the Pokedex.
"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon," the Pokedex said. "It has the power to travel through time, but it is said to appear only in peaceful times."
I immediately busted up laughing once I saw Celebi's picture. It looked like an onion that had grown a body, arms, legs, and wings. By that time, we were near the shrine.
"What are you laughing at?!" Reia shouted.
"I thought Celebi was going to be awe-inspiring, but I see I set my expectations a little too high," I said, Luna snickering at the jab at Celebi's size.
"Now that's just plain rude!" said a voice out of nowhere.
I froze instantly, my skin beginning to crawl. "Did you hear that, or is it just me?"
"Hee hee, you didn't imagine it," said the voice again.
"Yeah, I can hear it, too," Reia said.
"Same here," Zuki said, an uneasy tone in her voice.
Just then, a bright light flashed in front of us, blinding all of us. Once the light died down, I was left staring, jaw pretty much on the ground, at the same onion-headed Pokémon I laughed at earlier.
Only in the picture, it was smiling. This Celebi had a pissed-off look on her face.
"How uncouth of you! To poke fun at my petite proportions!" Celebi said angrily.
"Gaah! Sorry," I said. "When I heard that you were guardian of this forest, I thought you were gonna be a giant, incredible beast of a Pokémon, not a little wood sprite."
"Roku…you're just BEGGING for an ass-kicking, aren't you?" Reia said, shaking her head.
"Hey, I didn't even think this Pokémon existed! Legendary Pokémon usually DO turn out to be just that: legends!"
"Actually," Zuki corrected. "Celebi is what we classify as a 'Mythical Pokémon'. They're far rarer and valuable. Team Prime would piss themselves if they ever captured a Mythical Pokemon."
"Whatever," I said. "But if Celebi here wants to pick a fight, then I'll more than oblige."
"I don't want to fight you, but if you keep making fun of me, I'll have no choice but to put you in your place!" Celebi shouted angrily.
I stared her down for a few minutes while also contemplating my situation. The Pokedex said that Celebi was a Grass- and Psychic-type Pokémon with considerable Attack and Special Attack, as well as decent Speed. Her move set included a wide variety of powerful moves, such as Future Sight and Leaf Storm, as well as the dreaded Perish Song. I finally decided not to take my chances.
"Listen, Celebi," I said, trying to reason with her. "I don't want to fight you either. So, I'm sorry. I guess I judged you a bit too soon."
"Hmm…alright. I forgive you," Celebi said. "I'm sorry I tried to start a fight. My mouth tends to get ahead of my brain at times."
I nodded. Celebi wasn't a bad Pokémon at all. In a sense, she was just like me.
"So, what brings you folks through the Ilex Forest?" Celebi asked, taking a perch on the tip of the shrine.
"We're heading to Ecruteak City," I said. "I'm meeting a friend there."
"Ah, a new recruit, huh?" Celebi asked.
"What…?" I said in awe. "How do you…?"
"Only a Legend Keeper would be able to understand me," she said. "That, and I could see your badges in your pockets."
"This is why I don't like Psychic-types," Zuki said, irritated. "They poke at you with their minds."
Just then, a Dusk Ball came flying in out of nowhere with a massive whoosh, kind of like the sound of a jet turbine firing up. It Caught Celebi in its rays, wiggled twice in midair, then hit the ground, wiggled one more time, and clicked.
"Celebi!" I shouted.
I then saw someone else jump up over the shrine and snatch the ball. He flipped past us and landed on his feet flawlessly.
"Heh, and Zareis said this Pokémon would be hard to catch," he snickered. "That was too easy!"
"Hey! What did you do to Celebi?" I said, standing up and going into a battle stance.
"Isn't it obvious, kid? She's mine, now," the guy said, turning around. Reia and Zuki gasped at the same time.
"Jay," they said together.
"Heh, looks like I'm already famous," he said cockily. "The bitches are already flowing in."
"Let Celebi go," I said slowly.
"HA! And some little runt is trying to say he's better than me!" Jay laughed. "Maybe I'll let her go if you can defeat me in a battle!"
"Are we talking, or are we fighting?!" I said, pulling out my Poke Ball.
"I'm gonna enjoy this," Jay said cruelly. "Go, Hydreigon!"
Jay threw out his Poke Ball, sending out an incredibly vicious Dragon-type Pokémon. I pulled up my Pokedex, because Hydreigon was unfamiliar to me.
"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokémon, and the evolved form of Zweilous," the entry said. "The heads on their arms do not have brains. They use all three heads to consume and destroy everything."
"Yeesh…" I said nervously. Hydreigon was classified as a Dark- and Dragon-type Pokémon, which is a very vicious combination, and it specializes in fast attacks from both close and large quarters. The only Pokémon I had that would stand a chance against a Pokémon like this, and it was a very slim chance, was Riolu.
"Go, Riolu!" I shouted, sending out my only chance at victory.
"Heh…OK, I'll take it easy on you, squirt," Jay taunted. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Rush!"
"Riolu, use Counter!"
Hydreigon dashed forward with extreme speed, but just as he was about to make contact, Riolu blasted him back with a massive punch to the center head, knocking it back and dealing serious damage. It was a wonder in itself that Hydreigon was able to stay in the air after a powerful counterblow like that.
"OK, then! Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" Jay shouted.
"Riolu, Foresight!"
Riolu narrowly dodged the beam of energy as it seared past, nearly catching the tip of his tail.
"Now, hit him with Force Palm!"
Riolu dashed forward with a loud battle cry, nailing Hydreigon in the face again, this time paralyzing him.
"Finish it! Force Palm!"
Riolu walked up and drew his palm back, saying, "You got served," before smashing him viciously in the face, knocking Hydreigon out.
"Yes! Well done, Riolu!" I shouted.
"Heh, a little too soon to be celebrating, isn't it?" Jay said cruelly, pulling out another Poke Ball.
"That's odd," Zuki said. "I thought Jay's only Pokémon was Hydreigon."
"Go, Giratina!" Jay shouted, throwing out the Poke Ball.
"Oh, shit…" Zuki said, a horrified look spreading across her face.
I hit the ground as the ball exploded and released a massive, horrifying Pokémon. The earth beneath me trembled as it hit the ground, and its roar was enough to send chills down my spine.
"Hahaha! Now you will be destroyed by the mighty power of the Distortion World!" Jay shouted. "Giratina, use Shadow Force!"
Giratina opened a strange portal and disappeared from reality. This gave me ample time to look it up in the Pokedex.
"Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon," the entry said. "It was banished for its violence. It silently gazes upon the old world from the Distortion World."
"Roku! Get out of there!" Zuki shouted. "You don't know what you're dealing with here!"
I clenched my teeth. A Legendary Pokémon of that size could easily destroy us. I decided to back down, but I was already too late.
"GAAAH!" Riolu screamed as Giratina struck him with a powerful attack from the portal. He hit the ground and lay still.
"No, Riolu!" I screamed, running up to him. Thankfully, he was still breathing, but he was seriously injured. I returned him to his Poke Ball and said, "OK, Jay. You win."
"Yeah, I know, but I ain't finished yet," Jay said. "Giratina! Destroy these fools!"
"NO!" I shouted.
"Go, Greninja!" said a voice from the treetops.
I looked up to see a blue streak fly at Giratina and slash it repeatedly, my mind recognizing this as Night Slash. I looked at the point of origin to see a Trainer dressed in a blue jacket and jeans with a red outdoor cap. He sported a P*DA on one wrist, and a strange looking bracelet on the other.
"What the…Calem, is that you?!" Reia shouted.
The Trainer looked at Reia and smiled. "Glad to see me, neighbor?"
Latias' P.O.V.
Legend Keeper HQ
Latias paced in her den, seething with anger. The tale of the ultimate weapon was nothing more than a plan to put her to sleep so that Cedric could carry her back here.
She could feel her anger building up…
BAM!
Latias punched the wall of her den, leaving a decent-sized hole in the dirt. Her rage not yet subsided, she drilled at the wall repeatedly until she had extended it to the end of her virtual area. That's where she fell, crying.
"Why does he have to keep me here…?" she said to herself. "If he wants to protect me, then why does he imprison me like this…?"
"It's for your own protection," said a voice from behind her.
Latias turned around to see a badly scratched Cedric, standing there with the marks of her enraged assault dripping blood.
"You see, you and your brother are part of an even bigger picture, though you may not know it," Cedric explained. "This is why Team Prime wants you, and your brother, dead."
Latias' face soon became riddled with horror and confusion. "They want us…d-dead?"
Cedric sat down beside her, laying a soft arm on her back. Then he began to tell her of an ancient legend, one known only by the Legend Keepers and Team Prime themselves.
"It all started before the creation of this world…"
Roku's P.O.V.
Ilex Forest
"Giratina, Shadow Claw!"
"Greninja, use Mat Block!"
Giratina dashed forward with a vicious Shadow Claw, only to be blocked by a thick bubbly shield that Greninja had spawned up.
"Now, use Ice Beam!" Calem shouted.
Greninja sent forth an ice cold beam of energy that struck Giratina and froze it in its tracks.
"What the…?!" Jay said, horrified.
"Now!" Calem shouted, revealing an odd device on his arm. A Poke Ball spawned up on it, but this one was flashing brightly.
"Snag Ball, GO!" he shouted, lobbing the ball at Giratina. Jay tried to block it, but it exploded, dematerializing and catching Giratina in its rays and flying back to Calem before rematerializing back into its original shape.
It wobbled once…twice…three times…then, a click rang out, confirming a successful capture.
"NOOO!" Jay shouted, hitting the ground. "That was my only chance at making the boss proud!" Then, he remembered the Poke Ball on his belt.
"I've still got Celebi, though!" he shouted. "You may have won the battle, but you lost the war!"
"Greninja, Thief," Calem said calmly.
Greninja dashed forward with amazing speed and knocked into Jay, pummeling him to the ground and running back, Poke Ball in hand.
"What the…? What just happened?!" Jay said, flabbergasted.
I walked up and delivered a sharp blow to the back of Jay's head, knocking him out and silencing any other snide remarks he had to make. I looked back at Calem, who had sent out Celebi and was making sure that she was OK.
"Celebi! Are you alright?!" I said, running up to her.
"Yeah, I'm good," she said, stretching her back. "Not much fun being cramped up in a Poke Ball."
"Good," I said, sighing with relief. "The Poke Ball hasn't created any bonds between you and Jay. You should be fine as long as we destroy it."
"However," Calem said. "Since I was the first one to have sent her out, she has formed bonds with me."
Zuki nodded and said, "He's right. Celebi has to decide whether she'll stay with Calem or break the bonds, in which case we'd have to clear the area. Dusk Balls have a higher explosion rate than normal Poke Balls."
"So, what do you say, Celebi?" Calem said. "Are you going to travel with me, or are we gonna hit the dirt?"
Celebi thought long and hard about Calem's question. Eventually, she spoke.
"This forest and its Pokémon have relied on me to guard it for a very long time," Celebi said. "It was a tough decision…but I'll have to…"
All of us were already clearing the clearing, waiting for an explosion to ring out.
"You didn't even let me finish!" Celebi shouted. "I was going to say that I'll be traveling with you!"
Calem exited the tree he had climbed in for safety and said, "You mean…you'll come with me?"
"I want to do something for this world," Celebi said. "Saving the world is another way to protect this forest and its inhabitants. So I'll devote my entire life to achieve that end!"
I nodded in approval. Celebi really knew how to give a good speech.
"Then it's settled," Calem said. "You're my Legendary Partner. Let's make this work." He held out a hand. Celebi took it and gave it a firm shake.
"Alright, then!" I said. "Let's move on…to Goldenrod City!"
Author's Note: So, in case you readers hadn't noticed, part of the main plot was revealed in two ways. I'll leave you to your own inferences, cause I don't do spoilers.
Roku and the group will be traveling to Goldenrod City in the next installment, as well as saving another of the Kimono Girls. I think this next one is Naoko, but I'm not too sure. I should get back to HeartGold and play ahead so I can get the names and partners of the Kimono Girls.
Oh, and did anyone figure out the device that Calem was wielding? Players of the GameCube series of Pokémon would know this.
By the way: Does anyone have a particular song they listen to when they're kicking ass on a game? Mine would have to be Uprising by Instrumental Core or Monster by Skillet. Both are great songs and worth a listen.
That's it for this chapter. Strato Abyss signing out.
