Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its characters.
"This is ridiculous!" A distressed voice stormed aloud. "How come you can't best a lone Pokémon and his plushy toy?"
"Tsk, you think this is so easy?" A clearly perturbed Grunt shouted to the man standing behind him and his group of three. "Go on big-shot, do it yourself." The small, angry-looking, man barely had time to finish his outburst at his companion before his Weepinbell came crashing against him, victim of a Fire Blast.
The self-pointed commander of the group stepped backward instead of forward. He glared at the impassive Arcanine blocking their way inside the little town. "Where are the others?! Where are our flanking platoons?" His panic-widen eyes drifted to the peaceful mood still reigning over Littleroot, he wailed seeing no response coming in from there.
Dashing in between the tall grasses, a small silhouette passed right beside the obvious floating Koffing. A brown-furred tail flew from below, striking the purple ball of gas all the way to the single trees at the edge of the forest.
"Hah! This is not even a challenge anymore." Linoone jumped back to his friend side, grinning in a devious manner. "At this pace, I will get more than you, old man."
Leon, who single-handed took three pairs of Pokémon from the invaders, just chuckled and nodded, humoring his over-eager friend.
In the wake of the still going battle of the two Pokémon against Team Rocket, an echo of angry steps sounded from behind the tree lines. A larger group with seven Grunts came running in, panting and eyes bulging eyes adorning their faces.
"Finally some back-up!" The cowardly chief sounded out. "Where were you people at? We have a big crisis here."
One of the seven walked past the others, breath fast and rugged. "We… tried to get in… from behind…." He bent down, supporting his hands against his knees. "There's a crazy strong guy in there." His index finger shot up, pointing right at Littleroot. "He wiped out all the others."
"The funny-looking guy sure did his job, huh?" Linoone glanced up to Leon, making the older Pokémon crack a big smile.
"One person..." Just the mention of this outworldly trainer made the acting commander took some steps back, by this point he almost halfway on the path to Oldale Town. "NEVER MIND THAT!" He shouted with a strange surge of confidence. "With your arrival, we are far too numerous for one person to handle! Take care of this meddling trash in front of us and let start the rai-"
In before the startled commander words could start a swing in their mentality, a massive gush of wind stormed from above the clouds. Those poor Grunts didn't stand a chance against that surprise attack, all eleven of them got exploded far high in the sky; If luck is on their side, they will likely land at the cold waters of the sea.
From the aftermath of the elusive storm, that faded as fast as it came, the form of a gracious blue dragon landed on the grass. An imposing figure jumped from the Latios back, reaching in from a spot close to Linoone and Arcanine.
"Heeyy, look who's here." The little troublemaker skipped a few jumps closer to the arriving trainer. "How's that, huh? We took care of the town just like we promised."
Mesmerized by the fact that he can clearly understand what the little Pokémon is saying, Brendan took a few moments to just look at Linoone and put his thoughts in order. 'A guardian really can talk with them, huh…' His mind wandered to some bits of the talk he had with Rayquaza.
"Spiegel? Are you okay there, buddy?" Glancing upwards onto those red glowing eyes, Linoone felt different. The little fur ball of a Pokémon felt himself getting crushed ever so slightly by the ravenous glare that man throw at him. "You are… the other guys?" Linoone asked with a shocked expression, his words making Brendan change his own expression from an angry scowl to a curious frown. "So, he… lost?"
Brendan drifted his eyes to a side-glance to the massive Arcanine, still standing in front of Littleroot as an unmovable sentinel. "Who are you?"
Linoone looked broken at that question, broken by the confirmation that this person is not the same one that he knows. With a blank expression on his face, the small furred Pokémon hissed at Brendan and dashed away onwards the silent trees at side of Route 101. Seeing his little companion flee without a word in between the trees, Leon spared one long stare at Brendan and then ran right after Linoone.
"Brendan?" From the lone road coming of Littleroot, came the sole trainer who pushed back against Rainbow Rocket's other offensive. Wally passed by the tall grass in front of the entrance, taking Leon's position as the gatekeeper. His ice-blue eyes staring at his friend's figure with curious and careful intent, never showing too much but still showing a glimpse of relief.
In contrast, Brendan's faintly glowing pair of ruby eyes glued themselves onto Wally. He knows that if Wally is here, Littleroot is more than safe, but if he is here. "You protected Littleroot?" Brendan asked in a rhetorical manner.
"In some way, I did." Wally responded with a cool, detached voice. "I was stuck in Petalburg when everything happened. Luckily for everyone there, Norman was with me. With his help, we completely pushed those criminals away from the city." Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he changed his attention away to their surroundings, eyes frantically searching for something. "In truth, with Norman there, we feared that Littleroot was left defenseless. So I came here as fast as I could, just to find a pair of Pokémon holding the punks away all by themselves. Haven't you seen a Linoone and an Arcanine around here? They really saved Littleroot."
"They left." Brendan responded, pointing to the way where those two made their escape. Feeling the rush somewhat leaving his body, Brendan took a long breath, letting his bottom fall on the grass as he sat up. "Wally…" He called out to his friend, looking at him with a strange pair of pleading eyes. "Is my mother... here?" He bit his lips, shaking his head in disapproval of his own question. "Wally, do I have a sister?"
Wally glanced at his friend, speechless. He seemed to mull over something deep in his mind, something that made him frown at Brendan's desperate eyes. "Then, it's true? There are two of you now?" He noticed how the other man faltered at his inquiry, how his nails dug down at the dirty in frustration and anger. Somewhere inside his heart, Wally felt relieved; relieved that even after the concerning threat the other Brendan made months ago, his friend is safe and sound. However, another side of him felt saddened and irate. If Brendan is right here, bruised and battered, but still alive; What happened to the other one, the Brendan who cried in front of him, the Brendan who proclaimed his deep love for his friends. "You look awful. What happened to you? Had a run up against this crazy invasion of them?" Wally asked, in a way fearing for the answer.
"Nah…" Brendan replied with a curly, sad little grin. "Had a fight against myself. Heh, or something like that. We were too busy punching each other, tearing the world apart… to sort that part out."
"You… Where is h-" Wally shook his head and closed his eyes. "Whatever it was, you need a break. Everyone needs it." He quietly stepped over to where his friend is sitting and extended one hand to him. "Come, you should rest in your old house. There is still a lot for you to take in."
Smiling with a bit more warmth in his lips, Brendan took his friend's hand, letting Wally pull him up. To his surprise, the man who when he last saw him was also punching his face, now pulled him into a friendly cozy embrace, wrapping one arm around his large back. While it felt a bit weird to be this close to Wally after so long, Brendan felt at peace. Letting his friend carry the pace of their stroll, Brendan walked inside Littleroot with the support he needs, to an encounter he fears.
After so long, after loathing himself so much because of this. Is finally time to set his feet home.
"See, that's the place." Max called out to his traveling companion, in nothing more than a louder whisper. "What you think? Doesn't sit right with me that they left the entranced unguarded."
"Whatever…" Spiegel chose to ignore the blond's furtive act. Instead, the brown-haired young man brashly stomped forward, slamming his feet against the soft sands of the desert. His blue eyes fixated on the not so concealed door at the base of the red-like mountain.
Seeing his helper charging in without much ceremony, Max jumped from his little hidden spot behind a large stone, latching his arms on Spiegel's left arm. "Oi! What's this? What are you planning with this stupid brave act?" He hissed angrily at the other man.
"You asked for my help, right? You wanted me to wreck that place, isn't that right?" Sapphire gems glared down at the blonde's startled face. "I only came here to crush something. Don't get in my way." He trashed his arm forward, tossing Max on the ground. "Or else…"
"It sucks, I know. I really do sympathize with you. But is it really worth?" Max spat back, his cool words managing to catch Spiegel's attention and heated gaze. The warning glare those blue glowing eyes are shooting at the undercover agent, made his entire body shiver. "Look, I am just saying… that lashing out at everything is not the best idea." He said, raising both of his hands in a hasten apology. "Just think about the positive parts of that whole ordeal. They trusted you enough to leave your stuff behind, right?"
A loud tired sigh escaped Spiegel's lips. "Shut up." He groaned in frustration, already regretting his decision of coming here. "Just shut up, please. Like you wanted, I will get their attention; you do what you need to do in there." Frowning in silence, Spiegel left Max behind him. He resumed his previous bold charge at the secret base, but now instead of raging and scowling, the poor soul is now brooding as he marches.
Max noticed the subtle change in his companion's behavior. From glaring and fuming, to walking slowly with his shoulders hanging low. "What a mess…" He commented to himself, watching the longhaired-trainer walking. "Two lover boys may be a bit too much, even for you, Zinnia." Pulling himself up, Max trailed behind his escort/ brute muscle, waiting the perfect moment to do his impeccable stealthy job.
Giovanni is quietly watching his subordinates running wildly from one side to the other, his restless index finger tapping at his seat's arm. Inquiring eyes drift from person to person, fishing for just one that will take the bait and be the unfortunate recipient of the veteran leader's anger.
Two oblivious Grunts dared to wander close enough to their master's platform at the aircraft's bridge. Taking notice of Giovanni's presence and heavy gaze, they froze in panic almost immediately doing a half turn.
"Report." Giovanni's voice sounded, making those two cringe at their bad luck.
"M-m-master!" A tall crimson-haired male grunt slapped the side of his boots together. "I-in what do you require a report from?"
Already in the last straw of his patience, Giovanni grabbed the edge of both of his seat's support, pulling his body forward as he leaned in, towering over them. "Do I seriously need to describe this to you?" He asked with a dangerous tone. "Give me a report on everything!"
Seeing their leader growl furiously in response at his simple question, made the male Grunt completely freeze in place; mouth wide open with his limbs shivering like a green leaf. The companion by his side, a female Grunt with dark green hair, noticed the increasing tension around Giovanni, so she swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped forward.
"M-master, the hull of the ship took extensive damage from the impact, both from that unnatural event and by our forced landing." Despite the negative news on her part, she noticed Giovanni's expression softening even if just a little. Something that pushed her to continue without fear. "While we were forced to leave the sky due to the damages, our repair team is working on the fixes as fast as they can. By their estimative, we should resume all functions by the dawn of tomorrow."
"What of Orpheus?" Giovanni pressed forward in his inquiry.
While it was barely noticeable, the edge on Giovanni's voice sent a strange chill on the poor woman's spine. She nodded slowly, choosing carefully how she should approach this question. "S-sir, I believe the magnetic hall was not affected in any way by our set back. Project Orpheus is safe and functional. You simply need to give the word and the team shall start it."
At that, Giovanni relaxed, resting his back against his seat once more. "That is not necessary, not for now. Although time is running, is still too early for that." He took his right hand to his face, running his fingers on his jawline. "Status on the two orbs?" His eyes glanced down back at the trembling duo.
"Both in place, sir!" The male Grunt shouted aloud as he woke up from his shock.
"Good… If we lost Orpheus in a stroke of bad luck…" Closing his eyes and frowning, Giovanni clenched his left fist. Just the tough of losing that what he risked so much to create, made his blood boil. "What of Dialga and Palkia?" His question was directed to either one of the two, as his tone of voice has cooled down, the pair has stopped shaking.
On that question, both Grunts exchanges a long glance at each other. The green-haired woman cleared her throat in a way to get her master's attention. "Lady Leyla is the one in charge of Palkia. Enforcer Josh requested to watch over Dialga. Our lady has already reported from her designed spot and it is waiting for orders. But… Enforcer Josh has yet to confirm his arrival at Sky Pillar." She lowered her head at the end of her last sentence, barely sparring a cautious glance at the imposing man at the top of those steps.
However, to their surprise, Giovanni is smiling. Not a shred of anger, despite being fuming just a few moments before. The seasoned leader just chuckled and waved one hand in front of him. "Worry not about his whereabouts. Even if he likes to be swept away by his whims, Josh will not fail, he can't." An evil smirk flashed on Giovanni's lips, his right carefully grazing at his chin. "He was created purely for this." Taking a moment to quietly laugh in a funny thought only himself knows, Giovanny glanced back to the busy members of his team running about the place. "Resume your work as normal. Let Hoenn struggle a bit more in this futile war."
"Yes, Master!" Both Grunt saluted their leader, and taking their chance to leave this position, they charge right back into the mess of people.
"War, huh?" Giovanni hummed happily to himself. "Can you perceive beyond the shadows that surround this region, young Brendan?" He chuckled again, imagining what the young trainer would say back. "I will be eagerly waiting for this answer; until then… just keep dancing according to my music."
A piece of wood never looked more frightening than this thin light-brown colored door. Brendan reached with his right hand to the handle, his fingers grasping firmly on the cold surface of the metal object, yet his arm didn't move past that. He eyed the small glass window right in front of him, due to turvy transparency of that small square peek hole, his eyes could barely distinguish what is the inside of the room and what is just a reflection of the sunlight.
Wally eyed his friend's hesitancy, giving him a funny look. "Go on." He said in a soothing voice. "Get back in your family's life."
Brendan gave a short glance at his childhood friend, returning his encouraging words with a wide grin. He nodded two times and finally turned the handle. A squeaky ringing noise sounded as he pushed the door open, a little odd considering how well conserved the entire house seems to be.
Feather-light steps sounded from within the main hallway, working in a strange unison with the sound of a little baby crying. "Shh… Daddy just went to visit some friends, you don't have to cry." An older woman carrying her little girl in her arms, wandering into the living room, her eyes completely focused on her teary-eyed daughter. She embraced the cute little baby, pressing their cheeks together; something that managed to make July stop crying and giggle, even if for just a moment.
"Mom…" Brendan called out to the older woman, his wary voice startling her by the point she jumped and turn to face him.
His mother looked at him, a sweet smile breaking her lips apart. "Brendan." The way she said his name carried a motherly love, a special kind of love that Brendan hadn't witnessed for years. "Brendan!" Then her gentle features completely faded away, a worried look painting her face in a purple tone. "By everything that is sacred, look at you. All bruised up, hurt and dirty! What happened?"
Regardless of the sudden rant exploding from his mother, Brendan gave the woman a genuine smile. "Mom, I'm fine." He dusted some of the sand still glued to his clothes, ran two fingers on a thick line of blood marking his chin. "See, mostly unharmed." His smile changed to a goofy grin.
"Mostly… unharmed…" She repeated his words slowly, very slowly, finding none of the humor her son was displaying. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY! Now listen here, young man. You can go around pretending to be a tough adult to anyone you want. But that will not work with me, you hear me?"
"Sorry, mom…" Brendan replied lowering his head.
"You better be. Because you will always be my little boy and I will always worry about you." Now smiling as only a mother can, she paced forward, using her free arm to pull her son in a strange postured embrace. "I worry even more when you show up all bloody like this." She said in a warm whisper.
In a way, Brendan felt glad that he showed up here in the condition he is. He loved how his mother clings on to him as if he was going to vanish at any moment. "Really, sorry for scaring you, mom." He said quietly; his mother nodding quietly her cheek tickling his neck as she moves.
"Now, you better go to your old room and change. No, even better, take a good and hot shower." She ran her hand across his arm, finally feeling how tall her little boy has grown up. "I think your father's clothes will fit perfectly on you, they may be a little tight, but is better than those ruined clothes you're using now."
Quirking an eyebrow up, Brendan pulled himself back to look at his mother's eyes. He tried to open his mouth and protest, but.
"Brendan, that's an order!" She waved one finger in front of him, July giggling at her action; somehow, the baby girl found her reprimand look the funniest sight in the world.
Hearing her fluffy tiny voice, finally dawned on Brendan that his mother is holding a baby. His eyes immediately shifted down at her, his glowing red eyes staring directly at her big bubbly grey eyes. July gave him a little smile, raising one arm up, her hand trying to reach his shirt as her tiny fingers twitched in the air.
"Hey, you!" A soft pair of finger flickered against Brendan's forehead, making him hiss in a little annoyance. "Shower, now. Shoosh, off you go." His mother pulled him by his arm and turned him around in the direction of the long hall.
"Brendan." Wally who had remained in silence save for a few chuckles during the whole exchange now called out to his friend. "I see you around, okay?"
"Going already?" Brendan asked in return.
"I need to go back to Petalburg, you know… That place is kinda my responsibility." Wally shrugged, giving off a little grin. "Littleroot is not in danger anymore and even if those people were to return. Well, you're here now. They couldn't ask for a better protector."
The young champion just nodded, showing a gratitude smile back to his friend.
"Sure you can't stay for lunch, Wally dear?" The mature woman asked in her motherly way, smiling ever so fondly of the green-haired boy.
"Sorry auntie, duty calls." The tea-green haired boy gave the old woman a playful wink, paired together with a jovial grin. "But will make sure to send my master back to Littleroot. July seems to miss her old man, isn't that right, July?"
"See you later then?" Brendan asked with a certain expectation, a little worry glinting in the bright of his eyes.
"Yeah… See you later." Wally said back in a neutral way, his face betraying a little hidden feeling that is lurking deep in his chest. "See you later, friend."
"Please lay down. We don't know the extent of your injuries." Looker pleaded the restless young man to give a rest on his brave/fruitless actions but to little effect.
Ethan tried to pull off the chains that bind him against the wall and while the noise he is making is quite remarkable for someone so exhausted and hurt, he is doing little more than giving the old man in the room a raging headache.
"Those… cretins left them right at sight just to aggravate me." His golden eyes fixated at the displayed set of Poké-Ball in a small table at the other side of the room. His gaze is so focused that they see almost unhealthy in a way, to his mind. "Worry not, old man. In some way or another I will get my arms out of these chains, and I will get us out of this place."
"Then what? You're no condition to walk properly, let alone fight." The veteran police officer shook his head at the brazen nativity of his young companion. "Preserve your strength, for when the time comes we might need you."
"Know what? You're strangely calm for someone that was yelling profanity at Giovanni just a few hours ago." Ethan adjusted himself properly against the wall, finally stopping the infernal bangs of chains against concrete. He eyed Looker's expression, searching for any hints on that puzzling expression of that person. "Spill it out old man, what twisted schemes you have under that long-sleeved coat of yours?"
With a twitch of his left eyebrow, Looker brought his left arm up. He pulled the sleeve of his coat down his arm, revealing an old looking wrist clock. He kept glancing at that gadget for a few seconds, then turned back to look at Ethan. "I noticed that Josh was very fond of you. He is never fond of anyone, not from what I gathered. Care to share your experience with that boy?" He asked, changing the topic altogether.
And that did not pass unnoticed by Ethan, he caught the way Looker tried to shift the conversation away. While he found that behavior very odd, he decided to let the man have his way. "If you're talking about that creep looking skinny guy. I never met his face before. Kinda glad too, that guy is messed in the head; that's very clear from the way he looks at people."
"Yet he takes great interest in you. Strange, no?" Looker pondered, grazing his thumb and index finger against his chin. "Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you the Champion of Johto?"
"That I am, what of it?" Ethan replied with a scoff.
"So you're the man who defeated the legendary trainer, Red. That covers a lot of the mysteries about his interest in you." The old officer nodded in his own remarks, not noticing the deeply annoyed scowl he was receiving from Ethan. "That boy has a fanatic obsession with Red. I don't know what Giovanni has put in his head, but clearly made him a dangerously unstable person."
"The way you're talking is as if you know him from before, you know, before this mess with Team Rocket." Ethan said back, a genuine curiosity showing in his face.
"No… Met him for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The youngster tried his hardest to crush me under a collapsing building." Looker relieved his recent encounter with Josh and the events that led him to this situation with a saddened chuckle. "I memorized his file, not that he is special. I did the same with each commanding officer under Giovanni's insane crusade."
An interested hum was the response he received from Ethan, a sign for the older man to continue.
"A single photo is the only evidence, or rather, proof of Josh's childhood. He is young in that photo… very young." Looker cursed low under his breath, while it was too low for Ethan to understand, he could still recognize the name Giovanni escaping the officer's dried lips. "Still, even with this disturbing fact, that is not the strangest part about Josh."
"He can get even stranger?" Ethan said with a short laugh. "Must be something outrageous, like a third arm growing on his forehead."
Looker gave the young champion an indifferent look and just ignored the unneeded 'joke'. "While we are one-hundred percent sure that the boy in that picture is Josh. That boy is nothing like the broken man you saw today." He leaned in against his wall, resting his sore back the best he could. "Chubby face, pink cheeks, messy blond hair, and the most innocent and cheerful blue eyes a child can have. That was the appearance Josh had as a child. See the strange part about this?"
"Sure you got the right kid?" Ethan asked with a playful grin again.
"Raven colored hair, sharp complexion, piercing red eyes… Nothing like his old self."
"But an awful lot like someone I know." Ethan replied this time with a serious tone. He stared fiercely at Looker, his golden eyes almost puncturing a hole on the older man's figure. "You're not suggesting that-"
A blustering clatter erupted from the core of the hidden base. The ground-shaking and so are the walls, as if the entire mountain was crumbling on top of itself. An unnerving flicker of light began to turn the already grey atmosphere of this cell into a frightening experience. A ruthless quake took control of the foundation, this shockwave hitting the room so hard that the already flickering lightbulb popped in a mess of broken glass.
"T-this. I-is. T-the s-shittiest hotel I've ever slept in!" Ethan's voice echoed in the dark, he stuttered almost in every word as his bottom bounced on the ground with the rending seism.
Then, from nowhere the earthquake stopped. Replaced by an uproar of voices and various lesser explosions. A nervous stepping sound came from outside the room, Ethan and Looker exchanged look with a cautious curiosity.
Without notice, the door banged open, a distressed figure rushing inside like a wind-devil. "Looker!" Max shouted with a huge sigh of relief. "Sir, you gave me the scare of my life." The younger investigator dashed to his teacher and senior officer.
"Max… I'm glad you picked my signal." Looker pulled his watch out of his wrist and tossed it on the ground. "Sorry for making this blunder."
"Non-sense boss-man. I won't fault you for doing your job." Max smiled cheerfully. "Hazardous situation is just one of quirks of your line of work. Now keep quiet for a bit, I will break you out of those things." He tackled, pushed and almost bit the iron chains. Max tried even to kick the base of the chains out of the wall, only to hurt his toes. "These goddamned things won't come off."
"We have tried those moves plenty of times." Ethan commented with a tinge of sarcasm in his words. "Get one of my Poké-Balls over there." He pointed to the stack of balls now lying on the dusty ground.
"Who are you again?" Max shoot an accusing glare at the bruised raven-haired man.
"It's okay Max. He is a friend." Looker eased his subordinate wary suspicious. "That man is the Champion of Johto."
He edged closer to the stranger, using the light from the hall to look properly at that person. "Ethan? The Ethan?! Holy shit man, what they have done to your face? I couldn't even recognize you." Max blurted out, shock by the swollen face of the other man.
"Lots of punches, a wall to the face and a very nasty needle." Ethan shrugged, even though it hurts just to give his trademark playful smirks. "Anyway, one of the balls, please."
"Y-yeah… okay." Max crawled over to the set of Poké-Balls and tossed one of them in the air, calling out one of Ethan's companions.
Visible tired with his bruises still not healed, Proto landed with his quick feet on the floor. The Scizor looked at his surroundings a bit confused by the darkroom but took him little time to find the only faintly glowing orbs at the side of the room.
"Proto." Ethan called out. "Take care of these chains, please." He raised his arms up, the heavy chains making noises as their grinded against each other.
Even in dark, Proto could see the state his trainer, his friend is. The scarlet fighter cringed and scowled in anger seeing Ethan like that. "O-osu…" Still, he complied and walked over to Ethan's side. His sharp claws made quick work of that old piece of metal, slashing those bindings away from his trainer's arms.
For the first time since he woke up in this awful place, Ethan felt a sense of relief rush within his body. He caressed the marked spot on his arms, hissing at the touch. "Help the old man too, please." Without taking his eyes away from his arms, he asked his hurt Pokémon friend.
Giving a worried glance to Ethan, Proto nodded deeply again and walked over to Looker. His red claws slashed those chains away with the same ease as before. With his job done and his body still needing rest, Ethan grabbed hold of Proto's Poké-Ball and called the red fighter back.
"Now is that time you were talking about, old man?" Ethan asked. He tried to stand up by taking support on the wall, but as his knees were almost completely straight, his legs wobble taking his backside to the floor again. "Dammit…" He hissed quietly.
"Indeed it is. However, you're in no condition to help." Looker just had to glance over to Max for the blonde to nod and start to gather the balls on the floor. "Don't worry young man; we will help you get out of this place."
With Ethan's belongs secured, both investigators wrapped one arm across the golden-eyed champion's back. They let him put his arms around their necks, supporting his weaken body on a standing position."
Another pair of feet sounded the hallway outside; someone in a very big hurry is coming their way. "WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?!" Spiegel appeared at the door, a conflicted look on his face. "Got your prize?" He asked Max, his patience clearly running out from whatever happened on his end.
"Yeah, that and a plus, I guess." Max eyed the tired and bloodied trainer at his side. "Guide the way. Now is the part where you really need to work."
Spiegel wanted to return that one with a not so friendly come back, but he just shook his head and turned to leave. Hearing the slow-paced footsteps coming behind him, he began to walk forward, even if against his liking, guiding them ever so properly.
From every corner, they turned inside that maze of hallways a new wave of Grunts rained upon them. With Ethan in his state, it not only rendered his capabilities of fighting but also Max and Looker, even though Max wouldn't fight anyway if he was able. With that, Spiegel took to himself to fight against each and every challenger that appeared to halt their escape.
By the droves Rainbow Rocket Grunts fell by the sides, their battles ending quick and in a ruthless way. However, the efficiency of Spiegel's reprisal, a heavy toll is taxing not only him but also his Pokémon team. In the last outburst of his strengths, his Absol fainted in exhaustion right after exploding an enemy team together with the heavy metallic exit door.
Taking their first step on the sands of the desert, all four of them sighed deeply in relief. Spiegel stepped aside, making way for the other two to carry Ethan through the tight entrance. He watched quietly their struggle to maintain their pace and keep a hold of their injured companion.
Thump… Thump… from the same broken door, they just escaped, a hard pressing stomping sound echoes. The trio stopped, turning ever so slowly to look at the roaring sound; Spiegel felt the stone against his back trembling at each sonorous stomp.
On pure instinct, he pushed himself away from the mountain base just in time before that little passage exploded to bits. A large and aggressive Tyranitar came out, shouting angrily and bashing anything in its way.
"You really didn't expect to leave that easy, did you?" Raz mocking voice came from behind his stone tyrant. "To take a single step further, you will need to get to me. I would threaten you to not scramble in different ways, but…" He glanced at Ethan and the other two. "I guess you can't even if you wanted to." An evil grin spreading over his lips, his taunting eyes going from the group in front of him to the man closer to him, starting at him from his left side. "Now, now… Lady Luck must be smiling to me today. LOOK WHO I JUST FOUND!" The muscled-head is practically frothing at Spiegel, large veins bulging at the side of his neck.
With a slight quirk of his brow, Spiegel stepped back just enough to be out of that crazed Pokémon's range. "The hell are you on about? I never saw your ugly mug before." He spat back at the mohawk haired man; his casual reaction only serving to push Raz even more in his unreasonable rage.
"Oh Brendan, you break my heart. You just kill my precious Tentacruel and then forgets about me? Tsk, tsk, tsk… So cruel…" Raz faked tears in his eyes as he ran the back of his right hand on his face, then he cracked up in the most hilarious laughter. "Don't you worry though; I will make you remember me very good, and pay that little stunt in Lillycove ten times worse than what you did. Tytanitar, BREAK HIS BONES!"
As if embedded by his trainer's unbridled rage, Tyranitar roared madly and charged in. With heavy stomps, sand flying everywhere, the large Pokémon pounce at his target sweeping the area with his short arms but with deadly strength.
Thanks for the distance he created between him and his unchained aggressor, Spiegel was able to dodge the blow with a short jump to the side. He rolled down a mound of sand, creating enough momentum to get twice the distance he had before.
"ARE YOU WAITING FOR, EXPLODE HIM TO BITS!" Raz shouted from the top of his lungs, the man is entering such a dangerous state of mind that he can't even notice the strong bumps he is crashing on top of his own head. "Go, go, use HYPER BEAM!"
A blazing ray of light erupted from Tyranitar's mouth. A white, almost transparent, beam of pure light cascaded without relent, obliterating any hard surface it faces on its way. Spiegel dropped to the left, leaping higher than he ever did to take shelter behind the sturdiest rock formation he could find. That powerful beam exploded against those stones, sending their pieces everywhere and just as the entire foundation of that surface began to crack and crumble, so did the power-infused ray of light.
'Close… too close…' Spiegel wiped a stray drop of sweat running down from his forehead. 'I need to think of something, anything.' He wandered his right hand to his pockets, trying to process any kind exit he could use. 'They can't… not after so many battles.' He frowned feeling the dormant state of his Poké-Balls.
'Use me…' A familiar deep tune ringed inside his mind. A voice he judged silenced ever since last night, yet the whispers came again. 'I can save you from this.'
"Kyogre…" Spiegel bit his lower lip in a strange frustration. "I can't… not again. I will not prove him right. I'm not a monster."
'There is no shame in seeking your own salvation. I want to help, I need to help.' Kyogre's once demanding, oppressing manner of speaking has somewhat changed. His working coming more as guilty filled, his intention turning into a bigger mystery than before even more on how pleading his suggestion sounded.
'Think, me, think.' Spiegel chose to ignore the primal's plea. He instead glanced to his surroundings, scanning for any useful tool at his disposal, but nothing came to mind.
"Go on, unleash your power again! Use Hyper Beam!" Raz's voice echoed from behind the little dune between them. The crackling on the air gave away the incoming attack, out of ideas and driven to a strange corner, Spiegel shrunk over against the ground, holding his arms in front of his head.
He waited for the impact, embracing himself to withstand a deadly force, yet nothing came. Instead, from the other side of this open arena, three voices cried loudly in pain as sand exploded in the air. Dawning on him what happened, Spiegel jumped from his hiding spot. His blue eyes darting directly to the three men sprawled all over the desert's ground.
Stomping angrily and loud, Tyranitar changed his course and target. Going from Spiegel's location right over to Ethan's, who is lying with his back facing the sky.
"I didn't get to compliment ya, did I?" Raz said in his boisterous manner, the muscled trainer walking beside his towering Pokémon, both stopping right on top of Ethan. "You took a direct hit from my friend here, yet you didn't crook right at the spot. Pretty tough for a scrawny looking guy." He patted his prized companion on the back, nodding down to the downed man. "Shall we test if you can take another one?" He chuckled and whistled loudly.
That cruel whistling sound was the trigger to push Tyranitar into an even madder fit of anger. His small focused eyes glinted with a strange dreading determination; he was going in and going to kill.
"Spiegel!" Kyogre's voice echoed inside his head again, louder than ever before but without a hint of the same threatening aura he always carried in other times.
"Goddammit!" He shoved his hand down at the lone pocket of his left leg, only one Poké-Ball is there, only one answer is coming out. Closing his eyes in the act, Spiegel threw his arm forward tossing the cerulean Poké-Ball against the evil duo.
It was a moment, a moment too soon, the exact moment before Tyranitar could smash his heavy arm against Ethan's lying form. Within scorching heat of the desert, a sea of water came from nothing. Steam, freezing waters and soaked sand; the area around them transformed like a trick of magic.
Kyogre's immense form clashed against Tyranitar, the power in his tackle strong enough to eject the stupidly heavy Pokémon to the other side of the desert. The impact Kyogre's dome of water crashing against the sand, caught an unsuspecting Raz head-on, sending the tall man flying all the way back inside their hidden base, his body barely avoiding the tragic fate of exploding against the mountain's base.
"First… that red freak. Now… the blue freak. Can't you play nice for once?" Coughing hard from the impact his back got from his landing, Raz grabbed the sides of the doorway, supporting himself up as he glared at Spiegel's form. "I'll kill you." He boldly declared. "Josh is right. What is the point of struggling every time if I can end it all by killing you. I will fucking kill you, you bastard!" His right foot exploded down against the sand, the man ready to charge and ready to kill with his own hands.
But before he could take his whole body out from his base, a massive sphere of water surrounded that bit of the mountain, pressing the land against itself, crushing the doorway just enough to trap the huge man within its grasp.
Spiegel held his right hand in front of him, his blue eyes shining as it did on that lone isle, as it is doing now as he fully controls Kyogre's actions. "I can say the same." He growled, narrowing his gaze in a threatening way. "You're one of the many annoying hindrances in my life. With a squeeze of my hand and no more of you."
"Hah! Do it then!" Raz challenged Spiegel head-on. His eyes showing a bit of fear but still holding huge confidence in them. "You don't have the balls. Had the chance before on that stupid cave, and you couldn't. Think I will buy this crap? Go on CRUSH ME! Show me how much of a monster you really are."
That word shook Spiegel's resolve to press forward. He cannot do it, not when Brendan's mocking voice rings inside his head, telling him how much for a monster he is.
Lowering his head in defeat, Spiegel began to lose his hold on Kyogre's body, in exchange making the water sphere lose its tight grip, little by little the earthen trap releasing the man inside of it.
"I am no monster…" Spiegel said in a tiny whisper, audible only to himself.
"HAH, in the end, you got no balls." Raz trashed wildly trying to free his body from that annoying hole. "But I do. When I get my hands you on, there will be no mercy, no cold feet. I will kill you, boy!"
Spiegel frowned at the heated threat his enemy is spewing. He only needs to clench his hand and that's it, the problem will be solved… Yet he can't.
As his arm was preparing to go down, his resolve to go through completely fading away, a strong clap of a hand sounded on his left shoulder. A feeling, a powerful and fulfilling sensation spread inside Spiegel's body. His bright blue eyes changed in a rapid and wild manner, now golden light paints his iris. Seeing the world under the gaze of that golden light, feeling his heart under embraced by the warmth of that golden flame, He gritted his teeth and clenched his hand without a second thought.
The earth came crashing down, pressed into a compressed ball of mush and blood by Kyogre's sphere. With not scream, nor a cry of pain, Raz got crushed under that weight.
Ethan pulled his hand away from Spiegel's shoulder, the golden light that infused the brown-haired young man faded away as fast as it came.
"What… WHAT DID YOU DO?" Spiegel turned his head in an instant, his eyes as bigger as saucers, his mouth open with shock and disgust.
"I gave you the courage to do it." Ethan replied with a stern voice, his eyes not leaving those blue eyes not even for a second.
"No… no… I killed him… I… I…" Spiegel curled down, holding his head with both hands. "I am not a monster. I am not."
"No, you're not." Ethan grabbed the panicking man by his arm, taking strength from Arceus knows where, he pulled Spiegel up and forced him to stare at his 'handwork' "You can't be a monster, see. The monster is there, squished bellow those rocks… dead."
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Mallory S Nocturne chapter 26 . Sep 2 – I get that feeling. I once tried to catch Ho-Oh without using the Master-Ball… Let's say that it didn't went so well. But in terms of impactful memories with a Pokémon, that was to be with my Typhlosion. That guy was a beast, took down everyone on Elite Four practically by himself.
Mr MogiGaming chapter 26 . Sep 3 – Glad that you liked his introduction. I saved him for so long just to put him in the story in the right time. I hope that I didn't hyped Rayquaza so much and then not delivered in the end.
Oh and no, no mega form on that time.
DOOT76 chapter 26 . Sep 5 – Like Ho-Oh, Rayquaza is different from the other legendary Pokémon. They are the big bosses in their region, so they deserve the best spotlight; in the case of this story, Rayquaza is the one getting it.
While he has the most important role of the three, Rayquaza needs to be given a proper time and a proper motive to act. To me that makes everything more fun and epic. What will he do next? That's a good question.