Chapter 35: An Internal Conflict
Olivine Lighthouse
Jasmine was backed up against the wall, her face stricken with horror as she faced the Pokémon that used to be so kind to her. Somehow, Amphy had gained enough strength to defeat her and all of her trainers without any problems. And now the monster that had replaced the gentle Pokémon was advancing on the young Gym Leader.
"Amphy...please..." she whispered, so quietly that she barely heard the words leave her mouth. But the Ampharos didn't respond. Instead, it just growled at her as it charged up an electrical attack, ready to take Jasmine's life.
Jasmine closed her eyes. This is it...I'm really going to die...
But then, out of nowhere, a scream rang out. No, not just a scream...a battle cry. Jasmine opened her eyes to see a figure shooting through the open glass...
Olivine Airspace
This was a dumb idea, but it had to work.
We flew right up to the Lighthouse as fast as Latias could go, and that's when I stood up with my sword drawn.
"Roku, what the hell are you doing?!" Latias shouted.
"Don't worry about me!" I shouted back. "I just need you to throw me inside the Lighthouse as fast as you can!"
"You're crazy!" she cried, horrified. "What if you splat against the glass?! I don't know if I'm accurate enough to-"
Latias went silent when I knelt back down and hugged her around the neck, lightly laying a kiss on her forehead.
"I believe in you, partner," I said reassuringly. "We can do this together. I just need you to trust me."
A very frightful blush spread across Latias' face, but her look of confusion turned to one of determination. She nodded and circled back around, giving us just enough distance to work with.
"OK...I trust you!" she cried before blasting off and throwing me at the open glass. I let out a powerful war cry as I flew through the hole and hit the ground, rolling to a stop.
"Roku! You're here...!"
I groaned and looked up to see Jasmine looking at me with tears in her eyes. Initially, my thought process was crap, she saw me make that terrible excuse of a landing, but I eventually realized the situation I was in and promptly scrambled to my feet, sword in hand.
"Nice landing, jackass," Amphy snickered. "Your parents must be so proud of you."
"Crack jokes all you want, it's not gonna change the fact that I'm about to do to you what Red did to Team Rocket three years ago," I retaliated.
I heard a small giggle come from Jasmine. Guess I earned some of my style points back.
"Big talk for someone who's about to be extra crispy!" Amphy shouted, throwing the Thunderbolt attack that she had been charging at me. I barely had enough time to throw my sword up and deflect the attack before Amphy rushed in at me with a charged fist, throwing a Thunder Punch right at the sword and causing me to slide back. I grunted and winced from the impact. For such small arms, that Ampharos could hit like a truck.
"Latias, switch me!" I cried out, rolling to the side as Latias flew in, slamming directly into Amphy and sending her flying. I dashed in as soon as Amphy stopped sliding and swung, landing a direct hit across her chest.
"Agh! Lucky shot, kid!" Amphy snapped. "But it's gonna take a lot more than that to take ME down!"
Amphy began charging up more power, but this time, it was a deep purple color, similar to the energy signature that Latias used so frequently. I hopped backwards and put my sword up, ready to guard against the attack, totally forgetting that I had a dragon of my own that was still raring to go.
"Latias, Mist Ball! Make sure it doesn't launch that attack!" I shouted hastily.
Latias caught on almost immediately and threw her signature attack right at Amphy's mouth, causing both energy balls to explode right in the Electric-type's face. I took this as an opportunity and shot forward, my sword trained for Amphy's chest.
I thought I could make it. But apparently Arceus wanted to see me struggle a bit more, for the smoke concealed an inconveniently placed Magnemite that my foot just so happened to make contact with. I fell forward and smashed my face against the floor, my weapon leaving my hands to go sliding away from the confrontation.
"Dammit Roku, you had ONE job!" Latias exclaimed, letting out an exasperated sigh and using her psychic powers to lift me back onto my feet. My shin and ankle were on fire, but I guess that's what you get for tripping over a solid metal ball. Thankfully, Amphy was still reeling from the blast, allowing me a little time to rub my sore shin and curse Arceus' name before hurrying to pick up my sword.
"OK…let's try this again!" I grunted, running forward and plunging the blade deep into Amphy's chest. An almost demonic scream erupted from Amphy's mouth as a viscous black ooze flowed from her body to the sword, completely covering the blade. I pulled the sword out and quickly thrust it into the air, the energy that once plagued Amphy exploding off of the godly weapon and dissipating into thin air.
Both Amphy and I sank to the floor, Amphy clutching her chest and breathing heavily. I kept a firm grip on my sword and a close eye trained on the Electric Pokémon, ready to strike if whatever I had just done wasn't enough to purify her.
"Amphy…?" I heard Jasmine whisper as she rose up from her spot against the wall. "Are you OK…?"
"I-I…" Amphy stuttered, looking around slowly. "What happened here…? I don't remember a thing…"
"Hah…looks like everything's good now…" I said with relief, dropping my weapon and hitting the ground. I felt Latias quickly rush to my side and check on me, but I quickly assured her that I was OK, and that I was merely taking a breather.
"Oh, Amphy…!" Jasmine cried as she hugged the exhausted Pokémon, tears streaming down her face. "I thought you were…! I was so worried…"
I looked back up at Amphy inquisitively. "Can she understand you?"
Amphy simply shook her head. "No, she hasn't been able to understand me like you do…and despite the number of questions I have as to why you are different, I believe a 'thank you' is in order."
"Don't worry about it," I said, waving my hand. "It's all part of the job."
"That may be so, but only you could have helped…" I heard Jasmine say after she released Amphy. "I…caught a general idea on what you two were talking about, even though I can't speak to Pokémon the way you can. But…if you hadn't come along with that blade, I don't think any of us would be alive right now…"
"Speaking of…are they gonna be OK?" Latias quipped as she looked around at the unconscious Trainers and their Pokémon.
"We should probably get them some medical attention…you two included," I suggested.
That was basically what happened from there. Reia and Calem showed up with Nurse Joy and some paramedics, something about being such an idiot for rushing the glass like I did and how worried they were. Well, that last part was Reia. Calem just called me an idiot.
It was nighttime by the time we were finally allowed to leave. I left my Pokémon with Nurse Joy just so they could get a little extra love and care before we set out again. I was sitting on the beach, looking out across the waves, and it dawned on me just how far we'd come in only a month or two. I had met Reia only a couple days after I had set out with Luna, on a journey to find a dear friend of mine who had just disappeared out of the blue. Now I'm five Badges in on the Pokémon Gym Challenge, I'm a member of a secret organization dedicated to the protection of the Legendary Pokémon, and I'm building up a solid team through hard work, determination and friendship. And something in my gut told me that I was just gonna keep going further. After all, I had to be strong if I was going to fulfill Celestrix's request.
That also got me thinking. I hadn't heard from the mysterious dragon goddess in several days now. I figured she would have something to say about the things I've been accomplishing or at least have another gift for me. Either she's just been quietly watching lately, or something happened to her. Hopefully it wasn't the latter.
"Couldn't sleep…?"
I looked behind me to see Jasmine walking up, wearing a light blue dress accompanied by a white cardigan.
"Sort of. Just feeling a little restless, I guess," I replied as she sat down next to me. "What about you? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"The doctors said I would be OK, just a few bumps and bruises," she answered, her soft smile setting me at ease. She held up an arm and made a muscle. "You don't have to worry about me…I'm stronger than I look."
"Haha…OK, I guess I can take your word for it," I said with a chuckle. I went back to staring at the moon, which was shining brightly over the sea and illuminating the beach with its soft glow. Jasmine and I sat there for a moment in silence, just watching the rolling waves.
"I…never got to thank you properly for what you've done," she said after a bit. "Not just for Amphy…but for me and the entire city. Without Amphy to light up the Lighthouse, ships wouldn't know where to find safety in the night…so…thank you."
"Don't mention it," I said with a smile. "I'm always happy to help. That IS my job, after all."
"You said that to Amphy too, back at the Lighthouse…" Jasmine said quietly. "Is your work merely an obligation…? Or are you not satisfied…?"
"Huh?" I said, her question catching me off guard. "I…honestly, I never thought about it that much."
I looked up at the moon once more, somehow feeling like I was searching for answers by looking up there.
"It's more like…an obligation that I put on myself, rather than the Legend Keepers putting the obligation on me," I explained. "I genuinely love Pokémon, so much that I would use my gift with them to try and understand not just their speech, but their thoughts, their feelings. The Legend Keepers allow me to take it a step further to protect those Pokémon that bend and shape the very fabric of this world to their will." I clenched a fist. "And to destroy those who would disturb the natural peace of the world."
I felt something touch my hand. I looked down to see that Jasmine had laid her hand on mine and was looking down at it.
"I'm not sure what I should be doing, to be honest," I continued, my gaze shifting down to the beach. "I want to be the protector…the warrior that these Pokémon need…but sometimes, I just wish I could have led a more normal life with my Pokémon. I could have limited my adventures to just taking the Gym Challenge and busting my ass to be the Champion. Instead…I had to thrust myself into matters I know nothing about."
I stood up and pulled the sword from my back, watching it glint in the moonlight.
"This sword…it was given to me by a deity Pokémon that's placed too much faith in me," I said softly. "This weapon can only be wielded by someone who's pure of heart and harbors no ill feelings in their soul. If someone with hatred in their heart tries to pick this weapon up, it feels like the heaviest object in the world." I lowered the blade and my head with it. "And I'm gonna be honest…whenever I resent myself for involving myself in this war…it starts to feel heavy."
Jasmine stood up and stepped in front of me, placing a hand on my chest.
"You don't come off as the type that would question whether or not he was doing the right thing," Jasmine pointed out, looking at my sword, then back at me with soft hazel eyes. "Tell me, Roku…what does your heart tell you?"
"My heart tells me to strike down the ones responsible for this damned war in the first place," I answered bluntly. "So that the Pokémon of this world and worlds beyond this one can live without fear."
"I'm probably not the best person to be talking about this sort of thing with you," she said, lightly patting my chest. "But a good friend of mine once told me that you should follow what your heart tells you. There are two things you can be in this world: an unstoppable force or an immovable object. And it's up to you to decide which is best for you."
I cocked an eyebrow. As corny as it sounded, Jasmine had a point. But that just left me with another question: which one suited me the most? The unstoppable force? Or the immovable object?
Why not both?
I felt a surge of power and then a warm sensation coursing throughout my body. Jasmine gasped and stepped back, her eyes locked onto the sword, which had started glowing with a white aura. I held the sword up and smiled. I think this was Celestrix trying to help me out with my internal conflict.
"Yeah…I think I get it now," I said with determination, the glow finally dissipating. I replaced the sword on my back and chuckled a little, looking at Jasmine with a brighter look than before. "Thank you, Jasmine. You really opened my eyes."
"Oh, I'm not sure I was that much help…" she said shyly, looking away. "But…you're welcome."
I looked at my P*DA and winced.
"I should be heading to bed…gotta be ready to depart tomorrow," I said.
"You're not going to leave without taking me on first, are you?" Jasmine said as I started to walk away.
"Uhm, I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship with a girl I barely know…" I said with a raised eyebrow as I turned back to face her. Jasmine immediately blushed a deep red and covered her face.
"I-I m-meant a G-Gym Battle…" she stammered, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh…Oh!" I exclaimed, feeling a rush of heat to my own cheeks. "I am SO sorry! I totally forgot that you ran a Gym here…"
"It-it's fine!" she quickly said before running past me. "I-It's time for me to say goodnight as well! I-I'll s-see you tomorrow!"
Before I could say anything else, Jasmine was already running. I let out a sigh and slapped my forehead, kicking myself mentally for being so stupid.
"Smooth."
I screamed and jumped a little as I turned to see Luna looking at me with the most shit-eating grin I've ever seen on her face.
"How long have you been standing there for?!" I said frantically.
"Long enough to see you send that girl running off all flustered," Luna said with a giggle. "Are we gonna add this one to the harem as well?"
"Why, are you a part of this harem as well?" I shot back, causing Luna to blush a little and slightly lose her cool.
"You wish, weirdo!" she said, making a poor attempt at a comeback. I merely laughed and walked back to the Pokémon Center, Luna trailing after me.
Unknown P.O.V.
Team Prime HQ
"Sir, it looks like the Ampharos at the Olivine Lighthouse has been purified."
"Hmm…so he DOES possess a Regalia. This just makes things more interesting."
"Sir, what should we do? If the kid can purify Shadow Pokémon, we might lose to the Legend Keepers…"
"Don't worry. Even if he manages to purify all of our Shadow Pokémon, we still have the XD001. No one can purify a Shadow Pokémon that has had its entire genetic code infused with Shadow energy."
"Does that mean it's…?"
"Not quite. But it should be soon. I have another experiment that I want to run as well, so it should delay that child long enough to complete XD001."
"Very good, sir. Just say the word and I'll dispatch some agents."
"Hmhm…you've fallen right into my trap, Roku Kimura. And I'll make sure that you don't escape this one."
Roku's P.O.V.
Olivine City Pokémon Center
"OK, let's go over this one more time."
Reia and I were up early that morning, hoping to get our strategy down and get a warm-up session in before our upcoming battle against Jasmine. From what I picked up from Nurse Joy and whatever I could dig up on the web, Jasmine was a Steel-type user that relied on powerful attacks and staunch defense. That doesn't really mean much, though, since we have two Fire-types with us that can take care of a Steel-type with little to no problem.
Reia and I had everyone lined up outside and were going over our plan of attack.
"Alright everyone, this can either go smoothly or it can be one of the toughest battles we've ever fought," I started. "Jasmine is a Steel-type user, but that doesn't mean that she won't have means of protecting herself against types she's weak against."
"That being said, Lyra and Delphox, you're gonna be the ones that come in last," Reia chimed in. "Just to make sure you're both ready when we need you."
"You got it," Delphox replied with a nod. "No sense in rushing in head-on without any clue as to what we're even going against."
I cocked an eyebrow. Delphox wasn't usually like that. The fight with Chuck must've cause him to rethink his normal plan of action. Lyra laid a paw on his shoulder and smiled, causing Delphox to sheepishly smile back at her.
"OK, Lucario, I'm gonna have you go in first," I continued. "You're a Steel-type too, and fast enough to avoid just about anything she can throw at us. Think you can handle that?"
Lucario nodded and flexed his aura a little. "You can count on me."
"Mind if I tag along?" Snivy asked, raising his little hand. "I may not look like it, but I'm pretty tough, and the Steel-type doesn't have as much of an effect on us Grass-types."
"Actually, I was just about to ask you that," I responded with a smile. "Your ability and raw potential would help us out a lot. Hell, we might even be able to evolve you in this battle."
Snivy smiled real big and nodded. This would be the first real battle he's been a part of since we encountered him on that island, and I knew he was itching for a chance to prove himself.
"Snivy," Lucario said, looking at him. "I think I'll let you go before me. You would be a great opener for the battle because of that hidden ability of yours. I doubt Jasmine would be able to see it coming."
"Really? You'd do me the honor?" Snivy said happily, his voice full of gratitude. "Thank you so much! Upon my honor, I won't let you down!"
"It looks like I'm gonna have Sudowoodo and Eevee go in first," Reia started, looking at her Pokémon. "Reaper would probably have a bit of trouble against the Steel-type considering his typing, and Sudowoodo at least knows a Fighting-type move."
"Yeah, but can the little furball handle it?" Sudowoodo said, looking down at Eevee. "His tiny body might not hold up against something like a Steel-type."
"Hey, don't make me bite your ankles, old hag," Eevee snapped. "I'm tough enough to survive a Rollout from that fat Miltank, and I'm a lot stronger than I was back then."
"Old hag?!" Sudowoodo gasped, turning towards him. "Boy, I oughta…!"
"Enough!" I quickly yelled, making everyone look at me. "We've come too far to be fighting amongst ourselves. Teamwork is key—I mean, it got us this far, right?"
"Roku's right," Lucario said calmly. "Bickering like children isn't going to help."
Eevee and Sudowoodo merely growled at each other before looking the other way.
"If you're really concerned for Eevee, I might have something that can help."
I turned to see Calem walking up to us with his Greninja following closely. He stepped up to Reia and handed her a curious-looking green rock.
"The way I figure it, every Eevee has a form they're destined to become, just like how Luna was meant to be an Umbreon," Calem explained. "Your Eevee is super impulsive and doesn't want to slow down for anyone, and is eager to prove himself to everyone. So naturally, I think he should be a Jolteon."
Reia cocked an eyebrow. "An Electric-type could be helpful…and Eevee did learn Double-Kick a while back, so this could be a really good opportunity." She turned to Eevee and held the stone out to him.
"What do you think, Eevee?" she asked gently. "Wanna get even stronger with us?"
"Can a Charizard blast fire from both ends?" Eevee said with a smirk before touching the stone with his paw.
A bright light flashed out as Eevee resonated with the stone, his own body beginning to glow with a blinding white light. The stone seemed to melt into his changing form, and when the light died down, his own light shattered off of him like glass, revealing a sleeker, more toned body with yellow and white spiky fur. His eyes were a deep brown, almost black, but you could see a glint of determination in them. Jolteon stretched his new body and felt the electricity crackle through it, making him shiver slightly.
"Ooh, that tingles," he quipped. "I'm definitely gonna like this form even more."
"Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon and one of the evolved forms of Eevee," rattled the P*DA. "Jolteon's lungs contain an organ that generates the electricity it uses to attack. The crackling sound of electricity can be heard every time it exhales."
Jolteon was already experimenting with his new powers, sending off small zaps of electricity everywhere and causing others to form a wide circle around him.
"Looks like he's already taking to the new form," Calem said calmly. "Guess you should thank me, huh?"
Reia giggled and hugged him really tightly, causing Calem to be a little awkward, but he hugged her back, chuckling lightly.
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," he said with a smile. "Now let me go before your boyfriend gets jealous."
Reia blushed and quickly released Calem, screaming at him for making assumptions. I laughed and shook my head. Calem came off at this cool, kind of pompous trainer, but deep down, he really was a good guy.
I guess that's why he's a Legend Keeper, I thought to myself. I shudder to think what would happen if we were fighting against him.
"Roku, Reia, it's almost time," Latias piped up, pointing to her P*DA. "We should head out."
I nodded and returned everyone to their Poké Balls, save for Luna and Latias, and waited for everyone to do the same before we started our walk to the Olivine Gym.
Author's Note: Aaaaaand done! Reia's got a stronger Pokémon and we ACTUALLY see the Sudowoodo she caught back in Goldenrod! I'mma be honest, I almost forgot about her. And to those who are curious as to what she sounds like, think of a sassy black woman. That was the general idea.
Anyway, the battle against Jasmine is up next! Stay tuned, and as always, please read and review.
Also, a little PSA here: there's a troll running amuck through the site preying on writers like us who are just trying to push our content out for the readers to enjoy. He goes by many screen names, but his recent one is Advancearcy's true love Austin. I'm not gonna share the whole story here, just because that's a lot of digging and typing to do, but you can read all about his misdeeds on Advancearcy's page on DeviantArt, where she keeps a journal of this guy. You'll notice that he's already left a couple of negative reviews on this story telling me to fuck off and that Ash and May are the only viable couple in the fandom, and while things like that are merely worth a chuckle out of me, his actions are unforgivable. So please, help me burn this asshole at the digital stake and show him that we're not people to mess around with. And if you're reading this, Austin, know that you picked the wrong knight to fuck with. This ends here.
Apologies for any coarse language that might offend anyone. And once again, please read and review.
Strato Abyss signing out.
