Chapter 25: Protect the Sanctuary
Roku's P.O.V.
Legend Keeper HQ
"What the..."
"Did he just...?"
I walked over to the stationary Poke Ball and picked it up, looking at it before tossing it up into the air and releasing a very pissed off Latias.
"What the hell was that for?!" she shouted. "You just randomly decide to throw a Poke Ball at me?!"
"I did what I had to do," I said calmly. "Sorry."
Latias glared at me for a bit, then she sighed and said, "It's OK. Just give me some warning next time!"
I nodded and smiled real big, turning to Aria and touching my Key Stone once more. The look on Aria's face as Latias went into the spherical cocoon was enough to make me laugh victoriously.
"A power beyond evolution..." I said silently before looking up and smirking. "Mega Evolve!"
The cocoon exploded, revealing an even sleeker Latias than before. Her red down had changed to a lavender color, and her wings were now integrated into her arms to make her look more like a jet fighter. The Pokedex said that Mega Latias had an increase in her Attack and Defense, and major increases to her Special stats. Truly a devastating Mega Evolution.
"Damn...Whatever!" Aria shouted aggressively. "I can beat you, even without Mega Evolution! Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"
Salamence fired off the beam of energy, but Latias' new sleek form let her dodge flawlessly.
"Latias, counter with Dragon Breath!" I ordered.
Latias flew up nice and close before unleashing the purple breath attack, sending Salamence reeling back. Once he stopped, he was shivering, the rare paralysis effect taking its turn.
"Salamence, you have to move!" Aria shouted desperately.
I couldn't help but smile victoriously. I could end it right now if I wanted to.
"Latias, finish them with Mist Ball," I said calmly.
Latias charged up her attack and looked Salamence right in the eye before launching the blue energy ball. The Dragon Pokémon roared in pain before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"What the...how did I lose?!" Aria shouted furiously. "Especially against a little pipsqueak like you!"
"Ugh, I'm not little!" I said defensively. "I'm 17!"
"Why you...!" Aria shouted, stepping towards me with her fists balled. However, a sharp blow to the back of her head rendered her unconscious. I looked up to see a man dressed in a very sharp suit standing there. He flipped his silver hair back into its original position and locked his eyes onto mine.
"Who are you?" I managed to ask. I had to admit, his eyes pretty much froze me in place.
"I should be asking you that," he said. "You can't just be some random Trainer off the streets."
I nodded and said, "I'm not. My name is Roku Kimura. I'm here to help out."
"Roku, hmm?" he said. He stepped forward and held out a hand. "I'm Steven Stone. I'm currently the Champion of the Hoenn Pokémon League."
"Whoa, no way!" I said, unable to keep my excitement in. I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "It's an honor to meet you!"
"We'll have time to introduce ourselves later!" Zuki said. "We gotta get down to the main room! Cedric needs us now!"
"She's right about that," Steven said. "Cedric told me to come and see what was holding you up. Most of the grunts managed to get into the Sanctuary, and we're having a bit of trouble fighting them off."
"Well, what are we standing around here for?" I said, returning my Braixen to his Poke Ball. "We gotta get moving!"
Steven led the way to the Sanctuary, which Reia explained was the area which all of the Legendary Pokémon that the Legend Keepers rescued roamed free. Once we got there, I was taken aback by the Sanctuary's massive size. The entire area was almost all forest, but there were environments suited for any Pokémon.
I continued to look and found the remaining Champions fighting off an army of grunts, as well as the other two admins.
"OK! Let's finish this!" I said. "I have an idea."
I looked at Latias. She looked back at me and said, "What?"
"We're gonna swoop down on the admins and try to get them to follow us," I explained. "This may involve strafing a few of the grunts as well. In the meantime, Steven, Reia, Zuki and Calem will head down and assist the other Champions in holding back the swarm."
"Wawawait! What do you mean 'we'?" Latias asked. "What are you planning?"
"Well, it involves me becoming the pilot of a jet fighter, if you catch my drift," I explained.
"Oh, so you think I'll let you ride me like a flying horse, is that what you're saying?" Latias said, her protest obvious.
"Come on, you used to fly me around all the time, what's so different about this time?" I asked her.
Latias pondered it for a bit, then she said, "OK, point taken." She got low enough to the ground to let me climb on her back.
"Be careful, Roku," Reia said worryingly. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"We'll be fine," I reassured her. "This girl's the steadiest flyer I know."
Latias nodded and said, "Yeah! We'll be fine! It's not like we haven't done this before."
Reia nodded and smiled, backing away from us.
"OK! Here we go!" I said, drawing my sword and pointing it forward. "Onward!"
Latias nodded and said, "Hold on tight!" before lifting up and launching us over the fence that surrounded the observation deck. She went right into a steep dive and kept going until we had reached the army of grunts.
"OK, Latias!" I shouted. "Open fire! Mist Ball!"
Latias fired off the ball of energy right in the middle of the crowd, causing a few of them to fly off and hit the ground, unconscious, while the remaining ones ran off for fear of suffering the same fate. The two admins looked up and saw me flying through the air.
"How the hell did he get Latias?!" I heard Jay shout.
"I would guess that Aria failed in holding the reinforcements back," Michael replied.
"Roku! What took you so long?!" Cedric said with a smile.
I jumped off and landed beside him, pulling out Luna's Poke Ball.
"Had a small blockade to get through first," I replied. "Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Well, either way, I'm glad you're here," Cedric said. "We're facing quite the Trainers here."
Jay and Michael threw out their Pokémon, eager to get the battle started. Hydreigon and a dragon Pokémon I'd never seen before slammed onto the field. I pulled up my Pokedex and looked it up.
"Dragalge, the Mock Kelp Pokémon and the evolved form of Skrelp. Dragalge's toxin is so powerful that it can melt through the hull of a tanker. They spit this toxin indiscriminately at anything that enters their territory."
"Eww," I said, looking at the Dragon- and Poison-type Pokémon. It looked like a dried up piece of dead kelp that had somehow come back to life. As a Poison-type Pokémon, my best option was either Latias or Braixen.
"Latias, front and center!" I eventually said. My new partner swooped down and hovered in front of me.
"What the...is that Mega Latias?" Cedric questioned. I smiled and held up Reia's Mega Ring.
"Well, Roku," Cedric said, chuckling slightly. "You never cease to surprise me."
Cedric pulled out a Poke Ball and sent out his partner Pokémon, Manectric. I pulled up the Pokedex again.
"Manectric, the Discharge Pokémon and the evolved form of Electrike. Manectric rarely appears before people and is said to nest where lightning strikes occur."
"An Electric-type, eh?" I said. "You've got great taste, Cedric."
"Yeah, now let's see if you're as good as Reia says you are," Cedric said, not wanting to waste any time. "Manectric, Thunderbolt!"
Manectric fired off a massive arc of electricity at Hydreigon. Not wanting to fall behind, I shouted, "Latias, Mist Ball on Dragalge!"
Latias shot off the energy sphere attack in Dragalge's direction, landing a direct hit and sending him flying back. Hydreigon was sent in to retaliate, firing off a Dark Pulse at her and hitting her spot on.
"Latias! Are you OK?!" I shouted worriedly.
Latias shook her head and said, "I'm fine! I can still fight!"
"OK! Use Recover!" I ordered.
Latias' body glowed and all of her wounds dissipated. Manectric followed up with a Thunder Fang on Hydreigon, paralyzing him and allowing us to finish him with a Dragon Breath. Now all that was left was Dragalge.
"OK, time to finish this!" I shouted. "Latias, Mist Ball!"
"Manectric, Thunderbolt!"
The two Pokémon launched their attacks straight at the crestfallen Dragalge, slamming into it and sending it flying back into its Trainer. Both human and Pokémon lay there, completely incapacitated.
"What...what the...?!" Jay shouted angrily. He returned his fallen Hydreigon and tried to run away, but the Champions beat him to the punch, surrounding him with their Poke Balls out. Jay huffed as he and Michael were escorted out of the Sanctuary.
After a few hours, we had finally cleaned up most of the damage that had befallen the HQ. While I was looking over the Legend Keepers who were running around trying to fix the place up, Cedric came up behind me and slapped my back, almost sending me sprawling forward.
"Well, Roku," he said, chuckling. "You're certainly strong enough to hold your own. Just like your mother."
I nodded, then a wave of guilt washed over me. The last time I spoke to her, I pretty much destroyed any connection I had with her. I excused myself and went to the lobby, pulling up my P*DA and dialing my mom's number.
After a few rings, she answered with a frantic tone in her voice.
"Roku?!"
"Hey, Mom," I said calmly, although I was feeling pretty nervous. "Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry about that last phone call. You know how I get when I get news like that."
"Roku, you talking to me again is the only thing I need to know that you're sorry," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry too. Something in my mind told me you'd find out about us sooner or later."
"In any case, I'm glad you came clean," I said.
"Roku! We need some help over here!" I heard one of the other Legend Keepers shout.
"I gotta go. We'll talk later, OK?" I said.
"Yeah," Mom said. "Goodbye, Roku."
"Bye, Mom," I said before hanging up.
Roku's P.O.V.
Legend Keeper HQ
Later that night, I was called down to Cedric's office for a visit. I already knew what this was about; this must be the initiation that Reia told me about.
I stepped into his office. Cedric turned around, smiling as I walked in.
"Roku! Glad you could join me," he said.
"I'm ready for my initiation now," I said.
"Ah, so you already know where this is headed, eh?" Cedric said. "Right then, follow me."
I followed Cedric out of his office and into an empty room, which was then lit up, revealing a stadium. All of the Legend Keepers were gathered in the stands, eager to see how the new guy would fare.
"I may seem friendly now, Roku," Cedric said, pulling out a Poke Ball. "But once I'm on the battlefield, all bets are off."
"That's funny; I think the same way," I replied.
"This will be a three-on-three match!" the referee boomed. "The first Trainer to have all of their Pokémon unable to battle is the winner! Both Trainers are able to substitute Pokémon! Mega Evolution is allowed! Are you ready?!"
Cedric and I both nodded.
"Trainers! Bring out your first Pokémon!"
"Zoroark, battle stance!" Cedric said, throwing out his first Pokémon.
"Riolu, I choose you!" I shouted, throwing out my choice.
The two Pokémon burst onto the field, eager for battle.
"Let the battle begin!"
Author's Note: Soooo…how long do you think I should extend this battle? Two chapters? That's what I'm thinking. After all, it IS Roku's initiation.
Also, I might need some help on what Cedric's Legendary partner will be, so anyone who has an idea, post them in the reviews, which I haven't even gotten any yet! How am I supposed to know if you guys like this if I'm not getting any feedback?!
That's it for this installment. Strato Abyss signing out.
