Draco: I will have Eagun message Wes at some point. I do have to maintain that display of technological ineptitude. But midway through the march Realgam Tower is not the place to be invited to return to Agate.
Also, there's supposed to be a Cipher Peon dropping down from a #CeilingCling after you insert all the keycards, and I would maintain that for the pseudo-remake, but the Shadow Pokémon in Realgam are being relocated, so I don't really want to shoehorn a Peon fight at the start of this chapter just for the gameplay angle.
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Chapter 18: Cipher's Commanding Officer
"Green... red... blue... yellow."
The colored Poké Balls embedded in the walls began to flow with color as the Cipher Admins' Battle Passes were inserted. As Wes inserted the last one, the door began to shift; he and Rui turned to see the bars enclosed on the locking mechanism retreat.
"Okay," Rui mused. "Here we go."
She and Wes stepped onto the lift, and as it took them forward, the tunnel made it clear that they were finally stepping into the body of Realgam Tower proper. This seemed to be a lobby of sorts; a business desk sat straight across from the entrance, with an elevator behind it, and an entrance sat to either side that Wes assumed to lead to the Courtyard that the newscaster had mentioned. Three more statues were spread throughout the lobby; Raikou stood to the left, Entei to the right, and Suicune was braced between the desk and the elevator.
No less than eight Trainers were gathered here, and Wes was convinced they were all on Cipher's payroll. He glanced at Rui, who nodded, understanding what he was about to do; then the Snagger stepped forward.
"I assume everyone here is looking for a battle," he proclaimed.
The entire room turned to face him, and he threw a pair of Poké Balls forward; he'd made sure to patch up his team before unlocking the door, and Espeon and Umbreon were fresh and ready as they appeared before him.
"Who's first?"
+x+x+x+
Of the eight trainers, five of them had Shadow Pokémon - and clearly knew what they were. Wes found himself Snagging a Sawsbuck, Swoobat, Heracross, Tangrowth, and Lickilicky as he cleared out the lobby, although Wes ended up blowing three times as many Ultra Balls as there were Shadow Pokémon. The Trainers were infuriated, but didn't take off, instead finding themselves seats around the lobby; whatever Cipher was doing here, it involved a good few fights, and nobody who had come for them was about to pass up on them.
Another suit was standing in front of the elevator, although he seemed a good deal shorter than the ones at the entrance; as Wes and Rui rounded the Suicune statue, he quickly sidled up to them, whispering; "A little dominating, don't you think?"
Rui blinked. "That voice... Silva?" she asked quietly.
Silva lifted his shades, winking at them before lowering them again. "I snuck in here under the guise of one of the officials," he muttered. "From the sounds of it, the head of Cipher is waiting up top."
"Yeah, we've heard," Wes hissed. "The Admins have been talking about some 'General Nascour'."
"Good." He beckoned towards one of the back doors. "But I think I saw someone duck into the Courtyard. Guy dressed in green."
"Thanks for the tip," Rui agreed.
Silva smirked before straightening up. "Are you going up, or not?" he asked loudly, his voice having dropped an octave.
"Not quite yet," Wes replied, "sorry."
He and Rui made their way through the left doors. Realgam Tower continued to impress; the Courtyard was a wide-open area that could host a school of Wailord, yet was protected from desert winds. The sun was beating down on them, yet the Courtyard was surprisingly cool - and didn't have an Ice Rock sitting around to affect the environment, either. There was a PC sitting between the entrances to the lobby, and a vending machine of some description.
Someone was indeed standing there - a Cipher Peon in green armor.
"Huh?" Wes started. "That custom...!"
The Peon turned around. "Welcome," he greeted tauntingly. "It has been a while, hasn't it? You know who I am? We met quite a while ago, in Phenac."
"You were with Miror!" Rui realized. "In the Mayor's house!"
"Yes," the Peon confirmed. "My name is Verde. And today is the day I get back at you for that humiliation!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon Verde!
He and Wes both seized a pair of Poké Balls off their belts; Espeon and Umbreon appeared on one side of the field, and Rui started when a Muk and Servine appeared on the other. "Wes-!"
"Yeah, I know that one!" Wes insisted. "Thanks for making my job easy!"
"Easy?" Verde demanded. Then, when Wes drew out a Quick Ball; "Oh, wait, you're a Snagger!"
Wes swiftly raised the Ball at his side; as soon as his Snag Machine converted it, he hurled it forward. Espeon unleashed a Psychic ripple around Muk, shaking the Sludge Pokémon as the Snag Ball made to envelop the Servine. It quickly fell to the ground as Muk flung a wad of Sludge at Umbreon.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
"Yes!" Wes cheered, catching the Ball as it bounced back.
"Well, dang," Verde muttered, seizing his third Ball, "I almost regret missing that in Phenac!"
He sent out a Grumpig to take Servine's place; he flung a Shadow Ball at Espeon, who quickly made to finish off Muk with a Psybeam. Umbreon charged the Manipulate Pokémon, hitting him with a Payback; Espeon made sure to heal up before the next Shadow Ball came flying, and Umbreon finished off the Grumpig with a Faint Attack.
Verde shook his head. "Credit where it's due," he admitted. "You earned your spot on the blacklist."
"You'd better believe it," Rui retorted.
The Peon dashed back inside; after a moment, Wes looked over the battlefield. "You know, this is a really nice place to battle," he observed. "If this is the Courtyard, I'm looking forward to seeing the Colosseum."
Rui hummed uncertainly. "Yeah, but the Cipher boss is in the Colosseum."
"A really nice suit worn by a horrible person is still a really nice suit," Wes argued.
"Fair."
+x+x+x+
With the Courtyard checked out, Rui and Wes made their way up the elevator. The upper floor was a similarly extravagant foyer of sorts, with two arced staircases to either side leading to an upper level. A door was visible nearby, which Wes assumed to lead to a private room; perched above the elevator housing was a sizeable silver statue of Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Phoenix's wings spread wide.
Standing before the elevator was a most ominous figure - a man dressed in tight purples that showed off his musculature, not built but toned, with a spiked skirt of sorts that hung from his waist and a black metal gauntlet on his right hand. His hair was a much brighter silver than Wes' own, and looked absolutely bizarre - it seemed to extend in all directions in wispy strands, like imitating the rays of a star.
As Wes and Rui stepped out of the elevator, he turned around to face them.
"Ah, you've finally reached me. I must say I am impressed."
Wes started. "You...! We saw you in Phenac!"
"I'm grateful you remember me," the man confirmed. "I did have the feeling that I would one day face you in battle... but I never imagined that you would be the one to seek me out here." He smirked. "Wes, Rui... allow me to welcome you to Realgam Tower Colosseum."
He set his right hand on his chest - and Rui started when she saw the stone on the back of his gauntlet.
"My name is Nascour. I am the Commanding Officer of Cipher." He lowered his hand. "Very soon, we will be ready to greet your arrival in style. I will await you - above."
The general turned aside, marching his way up the steps to their left.
"That was... a Key Stone."
Rui's murmur caught Wes by surprise. "What?"
"On his hand," Rui replied. "He was wearing a Key Stone."
"He was?" Wes glared. "I guess we're in for it, then."
He stepped out to look at the upper level; there was an elevator at the top of each set of stairs. Nascour was riding up on one; Wes and Rui started up the other set of stairs, only to find the elevator just now coming down.
Someone was standing inside it - a girl with long pink hair, garbed in a fancy minidress.
A nasty grin appeared on Lovrina's face as she regarded the two of them; she hit the emergency stop on the elevator, halting it all of three inches before it would land and throwing the door open for her to step out. "Well, well," she mused, "if it isn't the troublemakers who barged in on me and Naps at the Lab."
"Lovrina..." Rui grit her teeth. "You're Nascour's last line of defense!?"
"Of course!" Lovrina countered. "I'm the one who figured out what Ein's little science fair project could do to Pokémon in the first place. As soon as I was able to test it, Nascour made sure I was promoted to Administrator of Endarkenment. I'm the whole reason Shadow Pokémon are a thing! It's only natural I'd get to defend some of the toughest Shadow Pokémon I ever made!"
Wes narrowed his gaze. "You couldn't beat us last time," he reminded her. "What makes you think you'll do it this time?"
"Nascour is counting on me," Lovrina retorted. "Like heck am I gonna let you charge in there and give him trouble when I can take you down right here and now, and earn his favor!"
You are challenged by Cipher Admin Lovrina!
She twisted around before throwing two Poké Balls forward; a Gardevoir and Roserade appeared before her, and Wes quickly sent out Espeon and Umbreon to oppose them. Gardevoir promptly raised her hand to her mouth, kissing it lightly as Roserade twisted to unleash a bright pink storm; the Petal Blizzard struck Espeon harder than it did Umbreon, but then Gardevoir aimed her hand at Umbreon, and the Draining Kiss followed up painfully, a glowing light parting from him and soaring to her.
With a low growl, Umbreon charged forward, striking Gardevoir with a furious Payback; Espeon quickly followed through with a Psychic that had the Embrace Pokémon reeling. Not wanting to risk anything when they were this close, Wes promptly withdrew Espeon, sending out Altaria in her place; the Humming Pokémon quickly unleashed a Flamethrower, washing across Roserade before the next Petal Blizzard could come out.
Lovrina withdrew the Flowering Pokémon with an angry shout, sending out an Alomomola to take her place; Gardevoir managed to hit Umbreon with another Draining Kiss, and though he managed to endure the blow, Wes decided not to risk it, withdrawing him and sending out Ampharos. A Thunderbolt from the Light Pokémon slammed into Alomomola, who managed to endure the blow; rather than retaliating, she turned to Gardevoir and loosed a Heal Pulse, easing much of her wounds.
Altaria retorted with a Dragon Pulse that slammed into the Embrace Pokémon full-force; she sent a Moonblast back the way it came, but Ampharos' Power Gem bombardment ended up knocking her out. Lovrina withdrew Gardevoir, screeching as she sent out a Froslass to take her place; the Snow Land Pokémon promptly loosed a colder Blizzard at Wes' side of the field, striking Altaria hard enough to knock her out and landing an unpleasant blow on Ampharos in the process.
Wes withdrew Altaria, sending out Lucario to take her place; Rui quickly set off his Lucarionite as Ampharos hit Alomomola with a second Thunderbolt, knocking her out. Once the Mega Evolution subsided, Lucario charged at Froslass, bombarding her with a ferocious Bone Rush as Lovrina sent out a Togekiss; no sooner had the fifth blow struck Froslass than the Jubilee Pokémon released an Air Slash to throw him aside.
Ampharos followed through with a Power Gem, knocking out Froslass before the next Blizzard could come out; Lucario quickly righted himself, and he and Togekiss both flung Aura Spheres at each other. The attacks missed each other by moments; Togekiss took the blow rather easily, but Lucario was floored by hers, his Mega Evolution fading as he was knocked out.
Wes withdrew him quickly; Ampharos quickly brought a Thunder down on Togekiss, knocking her out in return.
Lovrina yelled furiously as she withdrew her Pokémon. "You filthy little trash!" she snapped. "Always interfering! Always getting in the way of my chances!"
"Nascour invited us to the Colosseum," Wes observed. "I didn't think he'd send you to take us out."
The Cipher Admin looked about to retort; but then she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose as she forced herself to calm down. "No... No, you're right," she conceded. "That's not why I'm here." She opened her eyes, smirking at him. "He didn't ask me to take you out; just to get you down before the big fight." She made to step aside. "The elevator, will take you straight up the Colosseum. And by the time you get to Nascour, he's gonna wreck you both!"
With a giggle, she made to take off. "Good luck, Snagger. See you on the way down!"
She circled Wes and Rui, descending down the steps that they had taken.
+x+x+x+
There were no less than three elevators leading up to the Colosseum - the one that Nascour had taken, the one that Wes and Rui were taking, and another one that seemed to be further out (which Wes assumed to lead to the spectator's benches). They arrived to find a positively massive battlefield, a titanic Poké-Ball imprinted on it in blue and red, with smaller Poké Balls centered on each and a small structure in each corner; the elevator deposited Wes and Rui in the center of the smaller Ball on the blue half. Sure enough, there were audience stands further away from the battlefield than a Manetric could leap, and full of spectators already; as they stepped out, they were nearly deafened by the loudest crowd they'd ever heard.
Wes' gaze narrowed as he realized the mood of the crowd was... not totally positive.
"Realgam Colosseum, Opening Battle, battle 1." The announcer's voice echoed around the Colosseum; Wes looked to the other side to find the other lift arriving, and a Cipher Peon stepped out. "Our challenger has been wreaking havoc all across the Orre region, inflicting devastating losses on a certain group. And it seems some representatives of that group are eager for the chance to take him down."
In an instant did Wes realize what was going on; Nascour intended to have him fight for the crowd before he could fight Cipher.
"Let's see how long it takes him to repay his debts in entertainment!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon!
Cipher's trick or not, it was still a battle challenge, and Wes intended to fight fair; he seized his Poké Balls at the same instant as the Peon, throwing their Pokémon out at the instant the announcer ceased speaking.
"From the blue corner - Espeon, Umbreon!" Espeon and Umbreon glanced back at Wes and nodded before turning their attention to their opponents. "And from the red corner - Braviary, Mandibuzz!" Wes glanced at Rui, who shook her head to assure him there were no Shadow Pokémon on the field. "Such energy!"
"This is it," Wes proclaimed. "Let's get through these grunts, and make the boss show himself."
Umbreon nodded, charging forward in a Faint Attack at Braviary; Espeon quickly followed suit, unleashing a Psybeam that was right behind him.
"The stage is set, and the curtain is up!"
+x+x+x+
Four Peons ended up facing Wes there in Realgam Colosseum: the first Peon with a Braviary, Mandibuzz, and Sigilyph; a Peon with a Simipour, Swanna, and Seismitoad; a Peon with a Simisear, Darmanitan, and Chandelure; and a Peon with a Simisage, Leavanny, Ferrothorn, and Maractus.
Wes might have been fighting fair, but the Colosseum sure wasn't; he didn't get his Pokémon healed between bouts, which left Rui pumping Potions into his Poké Balls between Peons. As the fourth Peon headed back down, Rui handed Octillery's Poké Ball back to Wes, remarking, "That's our last Hyper Potion."
"We've got some Full Restores," Wes reminded her. "Let's hope they last us."
The crowd's cheers changed, a rhythm of "Battle! Battle! Battle!" echoing around them as someone emerged from the structure behind the lift. It was Nascour.
"Bravo, bravo." There was a threatening edge to his voice as he came to a halt where the Peons had positioned themselves for each fight. "Well done. I've never seen such exceptional battling. You'd make a excellent show-battle trainer for Cipher. Would you even consider it? I'd vouch that you'll become a star across Orre in no time."
Wes opened his mouth to retort.
"...Perhaps I might have made such a proposition," Nascour confessed, "if I had the chance before. But I'm not so generous as to present you such an opportunity now. You have interfered with Cipher at every turn. Pyrite, Agate, Mt. Battle, the Under, the Lab... Failure after failure, all because of one Snagger who turned on the gang at the worst possible moment."
He raised his right hand before him, curling it into a fist to show off the Key Stone in his gauntlet before opening his palm before him.
"I will destroy you in battle, here and now. You will know the humiliation of total domination before this crowd. Your Pokémon will be wrenched from your hands, and endarkened into the Shadow Pokémon that will head Cipher's army!"
He brought his left hand around before him, and reached for the Poké Balls hanging from his right side.
"This is the end for you!"
You are challenged by Cipher General Nascour!
His fingers found his Poké Balls, and he flung them forward like a Warrior drawing a blade. A Dusknoir and Alakazam appeared before him; Wes promptly sent out Espeon and Umbreon, who regarded their opponents curiously.
"Get them!"
"No holding back!"
Dusknoir gathered a Shadow Ball in her hands as Umbreon charged; Espeon quickly loosed a Psychic pulse that ripped up around the Gripper Pokémon, a moment before Alakazam raised a Light Screen on Nascour's side of the field. Dusknoir's projectile flew towards Espeon, and it was just connecting when Umbreon struck with a harsh Payback, leaving the Ghost-type reeling back as her attack connected with the Sun Pokémon.
Wes withdrew Espeon, sending out Lucario in her place. "Close range!" he warned.
Rui drew out her pocket watch and touched the Key Stone as Lucario blitzed forward; the Mega Evolution was still lighting up around him as he struck Alakazam once, twice, thrice with Extreme Speed. Umbreon quickly finished off Dusknoir with a Faint Attack; as Lucario's speed wore off, Alakazam attempted to strike with a Thunder Punch... and whiffed.
Nascour withdrew Dusknoir with a huff. "You think you're alone?!" he demanded.
His next Poké Ball emerged; a Blaziken was standing there, and Rui saw something bound around his ankle - a black band with a familiar stone embedded in it. "Look out!"
The Cipher General caught the returning Poké Ball in his left hand and brought it towards his right, touching the Key Stone set into his gauntlet around the Ball; the same illumination that had empowered Lucario now ripped up around Blaziken, catching the Aura Pokémon off-guard. When it burst, the Blaze Pokémon's crest had formed a threatening V above his brow, streams of flame flowing from his wrists; the vast majority of his feathers were now deep red, but there were several dark spots on his legs and chest that looked burned.
"Make them scream!"
Lucario narrowed his gaze as Blaziken charged towards him; a long bone appeared between his paws, and he moved forward, meeting what would have been a ferocious Blaze Kick on his Bone Rush. Blaziken landed, quickly weaving around two more swipes of the bone before making to retaliate with a Sky Uppercut; Lucario caught the attack on the center of his weapon, but it had enough force to lift him slightly off his feet even as his weapon faded out, and he quickly vanished in a blur of Extreme Speed before Blaziken could follow through, his Brave Bird cutting through empty air as Lucario landed behind him.
Umbreon gave the two Mega-Evolved Pokémon a wide berth as he moved to strike Alakazam; the Psi Pokémon's next Thunder Punch connected, but the Moonlight Pokémon only retaliated with a Payback, knocking him out as well. Wes quickly withdrew Umbreon as Nascour withdrew Alakazam; a Xatu was sent out in his place, and Wes sent out Ampharos to counter. The Light Screen was starting to fade out, and when Xatu struck the Light Pokémon with a Giga Drain, Ampharos promptly retaliated with a Thunderbolt that had her reeling.
An Aura Sphere was thrown at Blaziken, who was left skidding backwards from the blow; he charged forward in retaliation, and Lucario didn't have the chance to avoid the next Brave Bird that slammed into him. Blaziken didn't come off great, either, but was considerably more stable; when Lucario made to strike with another Bone Rush, he was able to retaliate with a Blaze Kick that sent both of them skidding backwards.
Ampharos' Power Gems soared between the two Mega-Evolved Pokémon, connecting with Xatu and knocking her out as a Psychic ripped up around the sender. As they charged at each other once again, Nascour withdrew the Mystic Pokémon, sending out a Walrein to take her place; Wes quickly saw the opportunity, withdrawing Ampharos and sending out Octillery.
"Switch!"
The command came as Blaziken was high in the air; Lucario quickly realized the battlefield and vanished, leaving Blaziken crashing hard into the surface he had been standing on as his Extreme Speed slammed into Walrein. The Blaze Pokémon was still picking himself up when an Octazooka slammed into him from the side; his Mega Evolution began to subside as he was knocked out, earning a yell of shock from Nascour as Walrein hit Lucario with an Ice Beam.
An Aura Sphere quickly followed, knocking out the Ice Break Pokémon as well.
The Cipher General was furious as he withdrew his Pokémon. "I'll admit you're very skilled," he proclaimed. "But I'm afraid that won't be enough!"
He threw his last Poké Ball forward - and a Metagross appeared on his side of the field. It glared at the Pokémon present and cried out - and Lucario and Rui both reacted. "Wes-?"
"Seriously?" Wes sighed.
Rui turned to him. "Is that-?"
"Yeah, that's one of them." The Snagger smirked, reaching into his Bag as he glared at Nascour. "Thanks for making this easy!"
"What?" Nascour was dumbfounded until Wes' hand came out brandishing a Master Ball - and the Cipher General's shock made it clear that he knew what was going on. "No!"
Wes held it out as his last side, and his Snag Machine whirred, lines tracing the most powerful Poké Ball before he brought it back.
"Stop!"
The Snag Ball was flung forward, and arced through the air; the Shadow Metagross had no chance to retaliate before the Ball opened up, enveloping it in a rush of light. Nascour was left stupefied as the Master Ball closed and fell to the ground.
Click!
The Ball didn't even shake; it bounced back towards Wes, who caught it with an outward swipe of his hand. A victorious grin rose on his face, and he pumped the hand holding the Master Ball into the air; after a moment, it acknowledged his party of six, and the Ball vanished, leaving his fingers free to close into a fist as he brought it down before him.
"It's over!"
Draco: You know, as I'm wrapping up this chapter... I feel like Colosseum would have been better served with Wes being properly vocal. Like, Wes isn't a newbie trainer starting when the player starts the game. He's a former member of Team Snagem, he's got his own history. There's just so much missed opportunity here. It's not like the Pokémon Company is averse to having non-silent protagonists. The Mystery Dungeon player Pokémon are all talkative in their heads. I think I'd have him properly vocal in the pseudo-remake. Not voice-acted, I talked about voice acting in Chapter 2, but having dialogue like Rui does.
As I mentioned last chapter, the Cipher Admins will still have their Shadow Pokémon for the rematches in Realgam Tower if you failed to Snag them, with a specific Pokémon assigned to replace each. Miror B's Armaldo replaces Sudowoodo, Dakim's Houndoom replaces Entei, Venus' Milotic replaces Suicune, Ein's Manetric replaces Raikou, and Lovrina's Togekiss replaces Ho-Oh. (Remember that list.)
I normally try and keep the fight scenes in this story as roughly analogous to core-series gameplay mechanics, but I totally turned that Mega Lucario vs. Mega Blaziken clash into a fully actionized fighting-game match straight out of Pokkén Tournament and I am not ashamed in the slightest.