Chapter 69: Tower Siege
Lucas, Morgan and Skyler carefully crept across the room, gingerly watching every single step they took as they heard shifting and cracking beneath their feet. Though they were in a hurry, they dared not walk any faster than their snail's pace. A few steps earlier Skyler nearly fell through the floor where a rigged tile collapsed under the slightest touch, only not falling three stories to the stone floor below because Lucas dove forward and grabbed his friend's arm with all his might. Such were the dangers they faced in the Mirage Tower.
While exploring Meteor Falls, Lucas, Morgan and Skyler learned the seemingly dormant Team Cosmic was active again, and after a particularly dangerous goal: the capture of the legendary Pokemon Rayquazza. While they stopped Cosmic's operation at the falls in a situation that tested Morgan's conscience, they learned from the captured grunts that there was another half to their recon: while the two explored the falls for the Pokemon, the rest of the group was in Mirage Tower, the equally mythic ruin said to be one of the few places Rayquazza was thought to be found. Meeting up with the Pokemon League, the de facto members of the Pokemon Region's government, they strategized a plan to build up forces to cross the desert and take out the Hoenn branch of the evil Pokemon organization in a final blow, and the three teen Trainers from Johto volunteered to go ahead and sabotage Cosmic however they could.
It was a noble but poorly thought out decision. They were severely outnumbered, stuck in the Tower with no immediate support and no way to quickly contact anyone from outside the desert, the punishing landscape making electronic communication impossible. And now they faced the dangers of the Tower itself in a race to beat Cosmic to their goal, and figure out what they would actually do when they met up with the group.
After dragging up Skyler, Lucas looked to his Pokevice again in a futile attempt to get research. The on-drive Pokemon Guide to Hoenn said little about the tower, certainly nothing that would defuse its pitfalls, and it was still offline, making internet research impossible. The three Trainer's frustrations were palpable and Morgan asked the Dragon Tamer to repeat what he had told them before their ascent through the tower, "I know you told us already, but you're the only one who knows anything about Rayquazza or the shrines it's supposed to be at. There's got to be something you've missed that will make getting up here easier. You said you explored the other shrine, right? Was it as dangerous?"
Skyler shook his head as he caught his breath. Him falling was the second near-miss the group experienced. In a previous room a swinging blade had almost cut Lucas had his Rhydon not raised its arm in the last second, "Not even close. The other shrine was in Granite Cave. The lower floors of the shrine are tourist attractions, they have paintings on the walls like the falls, and the upper floors had traps and stuff, but they were frustrating, not dangerous. Shifting sand and trap doors that slide you down a floor or two like a game of Shoots and Ladders. None of this Indiana Jones stuff,"
"The first two floors weren't so bad here, either. But the last two rooms...man, I never thought I'd feel bad to see all those shredded Cosmic uniforms," Lucas added, sitting back and running his hands through his limp hair. Between the desert and his survival bothering with his Mohawk just didn't seem all that important.
Skyler closed his eyes and thought aloud, "The myths about Rayquazza outside of Hoenn are few. In fact the only reason I ran out here to look for it is because I met a Trainer from Hoenn who told me the legend. And since then I've been listening to every piece of information I could find. The story goes that the dragon is supposed to be one of the three creator Pokemon of Hoenn,"
"I remember hearing that. An expert in Sinnoh was telling me that Hoenn is supposed to have been created by three Pokemon: one that created the land, one the created the sea and one that created the winds, and that all three Pokemon would war with each other if they met again," Lucas failed to disclose that this expert, Cynthia, was another person he had been infatuated with when he met her in her hometown. Mentioning that to Skyler somehow didn't feel right.
"Yes, that is true. Groudon split the ground with his cries, causing magma to come up and create masses of land. Kyogre caused the great rains that flooded the world and created seas, lakes and rivers. Since their creation the two would fight, one making more land, one making more water. The two fought for eons, and because of them no life could exist. So a star from heaven fell from the sky and ripped apart a mountain, and a great dragon was born, bringing with it the air and winds. The third joined the fight, causing the world to come to a sort of equilibrium. People, plants and other Pokemon could start living, but the three warring Pokemon continued to fight and make life unbearable.
"Three jewels were created by the power of Pokemon and people working together, and when these stones were shown to the creators, their desire to fight ceased. Kyogre went beneath the seas to sleep, and Groudon buried itself beneath the land, while Rayquazza took to the skies, only resting on occasion. One shrine in the middle of the arid land to watch over Groudon, and one in the sea to watch over Kyogre, and in the falls of its birth," Skyler concluded.
Morgan's eyes widened and then she smacked herself on the forehead, "Oh, we are a bunch of idiots. Let's just hope Cosmic is as stupid as we are,"
"What do you mean?" Lucas inquired.
"I should have paid more attention the first time Skyler told this story. It says everything we need to know in that legend. Just like every other ancient legend of Pokemon in every other region, the ancient people never exactly made it easy to find the Pokemon they worshiped. As a Trainer, you always had to prove you were worthy to even face them," Morgan gestured to the young men to follow her train of thought, but when they looked at her quizzically she threw up her hands in frustration and spelled it out for them, "If the creator Pokemon were quelled by people and Pokemon working together, it stands to reason this shrine and all its awful traps are tests to prove that a Trainer is worthy by how well they work with their Pokemon,"
"If that's the case, why didn't it work to just fly up to the top?" Lucas pointed out.
"Because that would have been too easy. But you noticed didn't you? That that blast of wind was exactly like a Pokemon's Razor Wind attack," Morgan countered.
Lucas looked around the room they had tried crossing and pondered over Morgan's conclusion. It just made too damn much sense to argue with, as much as he would have liked to. He was also relieved that she was seemed to be going back to her old self, the snarky, surly Pokemon know-it-all with the terrible fashion sense who would have been a lot cuter if she just toned down all that damn makeup. He then cursed himself for not coming up with the idea sooner. After all, his Pokemon saved his life in the previous room, it should have been obvious after that, "Then maybe we should try what we were planning earlier, just on a smaller scale,"
After that, climbing the tower became easier, and more importantly, faster. First to pass the room with the falling floor tiles, the three climbed on Morgan's Honchrow as it coasted quickly and safely across the booby trapped floor. Floor after floor, room after room, traps were defused with carefully timed ice attacks, crossed with flight or the protection of one of Lucas' rock and ground type Pokemon and the combined teamwork of Pokemon and Trainer. After what seemed like only a short amount of time, the sound of booted footsteps and a familiar whining echoed just a room ahead of them, "Oh my God I hate this freaking tower! First the desert dries out my skin like leather, now all these freaking traps! I swear to God, if Martinez is out cold, let's just leave him! I just want to find that stupid Pokemon and get the hell out of here! And have we heard back from Snokes and Vale?"
"Not yet Captain, the radios still aren't working out here. I haven't even been able to communicate with the detail downstairs. They haven't reported in almost two hours,"
"All I know is they better hope that freaking Pokemon isn't at the falls, because if we picked the wrong spot to check, I am going to freaking lose it!" From behind a fallen column, Lucas and the others could observe what was happening. They had found Cosmic, but it appeared that their obstacle was not as bad as they expected. This was both good news and bad. Up ahead Lucas' ex Marcia lead a group of about seventy subordinates, many of whom looked badly injured from the tower's traps. The number could be manageable, especially if the Pokemon League were to be informed now. The bad news was while they could hope for the best, there was no way that the seventy grunts and their commander was the last of the presence of Cosmic in Hoenn. As big as this operation was, it was clear there must have been another base the organization was using somewhere in the region.
Morgan eyed the young woman with a grim look on her face, "Lucas, that's your ex? God, you have the worst taste in women!"
"Not true, if I did I would have hit on you," Lucas hissed back. The three continued to watch the Cosmic brigade carefully, still formulating a plan. While the tower's hazards reduced their opponents significantly, they were still outnumbered at least ten to one.
Marcia looked differently than she had in Mauville, further distancing Lucas from his memories of her. She was dressed in full uniform now. In addition to the billed cap she wore at the electric plant she had a blue officer's jacket with gold abulettes on her shoulders and a short skirt trimmed with lavender. While the rest of the grunts wore combat boots, she chose blue high heels, and while it was clear that the uniform was designed to have a blouse under the jacket, she chose to not wear it, exposing her cleavage almost down to her navel. The teen boy had to control his temper. While his hatred for this girl who had betrayed him more ways than one threatened to boil over, he also remembered what it could be like to let that hatred go after witnessing Morgan almost go too far with a Cosmic grunt just the other day. Instead, he focused on the plan Steven had given him before leaving Fallarbor.
On a scrap of paper he wrote down exactly what he saw and how to get through the tower. He gave as much detail as he could, including the most important part that Rayquazza had clearly not been found yet. Summoning Jaws the Garchomp, he carefully put the piece of paper in the Pokemon's mouth and told it exactly what to do. The ground and dragon type was fast and tough, and would be able to quickly cross back across the desert without being stopped by the surly Pokemon that made the sands home. It could find Steven and show the League exactly where to get to the tower. He would be without one of the heaviest hitters on his team, but if all went well he would barely even need to fight at all.
They had a plan now. Cosmic was still struggling to get from room to room, having not discovered the secret to safe crossing. Between the group's fundamental ideology and Marcia's inability for compassion, there was no danger they would ever discover the easy way. Lucas and his team could afford to hold back and watch from a distance, waiting for even more of the tower's snares to take down more and more of the grunts. The longer it took for Cosmic to travel, the safer the other team felt because they knew the Pokemon League would be on their way. Granted, the group would still have to face the dangers of the desert themselves, but with Jaws showing them the way and knowing what they'd face, it wouldn't be nearly as hazardous as Lucas' own journey to Mirage Tower. Slowly, achingly, Cosmic got further and further up, and eventually, they figured they were almost at the top of the tower. Many hours were wasted, the numbers of grunts thinned out even more but they knew they were at their final destination, and Lucas and the others knew they would have to act soon. After the final room of traps there was an open air bridge that led to the room at the center of the tower on the top floor. They could hear the gentle whipping of wind from the vents just beneath them, the vents that blew out the dangerous gusts of air that had torn apart a few of Marcia's colleagues. The door to the center room was a large stone double door with a relief of Rayquazza etched on its surface. The art and style was the same as what Lucas and the others had seen at Meteor Falls, and upon seeing it Marcia smirked a satisfied smile.
"Freaking finally! Jones. Open the door. Time to get that Pokemon and leave this god forsaken deathtrap once and for all. God, and I thought the trick house was lame!" Marcia ordered.
Lucas turned to Morgan from their hiding spot, "Are you ready with King Lucas?"
"God I still hate that stupid nickname you gave my poor Pokemon. But yes, it's time to deal with this Cosmic trash," Morgan replied.
Skyler put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Just remember, we all have a personal stake in this. Please don't let it cloud your judgment,"
"Don't worry. My mind is crystal clear on what I have to do," Morgan jumped up from her hiding spot and threw her Pokeball with all her might, "King Lucas! Hypnosis!"
The remaining Cosmic guards whipped around in shock as they noticed the black haired girl in her loud, purposefully torn clothing. But before they could react a small stone appeared from the Pokeball. An eerie, human-like laughter echoed in the upper chambers of the tower as green and purple mist ebbed all around them. Marcia, for all her faults as a person proved she was more than capable as a commander, as soon as she realized what was happening, shouted to her troops, "Quickly! Everyone put on your gas masks now!"
But as fast as their commander's reaction was, most of the remaining conscious grunts failed to act in time. Most wobbled and collapsed as the Pokemon's attack overwhelmed them and only Marcia and five of her subordinates remained awake. The Spiritomb gathered itself together and waited by Morgan's side for its next command. The dark type Trainer simply waited for her teammates to put in their next part of the plan. Marcia and Morgan locked eyes, and once more Morgan had the terrifying look she did in Meteor Falls. Marcia failed to see the danger and stepped forward to the seemingly single Trainer who dared to interfere with her, "Who the hell do you think you are, bitch?"
Lucas and Skyler looked to each other and then to Morgan, hoping that they wouldn't have a repeat performance of her terrifying dark side. Their fears were misplaced. The girl put her hand on her hip, giving her snarkiest Morgan pout and snorted, "I'm here to stop you from committing heinous acts against humanity and Pokemon. Walking around in that skanky outfit is practically an act of unforgivable violence,"
Lucas threw a hand over his mouth to stifle a snort. Marcia was livid, "You got some nerve criticizing my clothes. I look hot. You look like some coked out groupie from Black Sabbath. And we'll see how smart your mouth is when my boys curb stomp you. Get her!"
The remaining grunts summoned out their Pokemon, more stolen, high leveled creatures of various types and species. But in her rage Marcia didn't think things through. The bridge that would be the field of battle creaked and crumbled under the weight of the new combatants, with Morgan remaining on one side, while the others stood closer to the stone doors. The plan was going perfectly. Now Lucas stepped forward to add more fuel to Marcia's temper, "Hey now Marcia, if we're going to have an old-fashioned beat down, let's at least even the odds a bit,"
The Cosmic commander's mood shifted when she spotted her ex boyfriend, "Lucas! I'm so glad to see you again. I haven't given up yet. And I know you can't stay mad at me when you'd see me in my uniform. I told you Lucas, it's so sexy,"
"Actually, Morgan was right. You look like a discount stripper," Lucas sneered.
Marcia snarled, "Oh I see, you're still playing the good guy. Fine. We can do it that way. But don't go crying to me when I take you out. And when did you trade in Mr. Fine Lips for this hag? Turning me down for him, I get. For her? And you said you stopped getting high..."
"Oh no, Mr. Fine Lips is right over there," Lucas gestured slightly with his head to behind where Marcia and her grunts were poised for battle. While the two Cherrygrove Trainers were antagonizing the Cosmic captain, Skyler had clung to his Dragonair as it wove itself through the carving under the bridge, passing beneath the chaos and now the two were going through the Rayquazza marked door.
"NO!" Marcia shrieked as she turned to run after the blue haired Dragon Tamer.
"Achilles, Earthquake!" finally the last piece of the three Trainer's hastily constructed plan fell into place. Weakened by the Pokemon and the grunts, the bridge collapsed beneath their feet as the summoned Tyranitar roared and stomped his foot on the ground. Marcia kept running, once again saving her own hide at the expense of her subordinates and in the last second clung to the edge of the door as the pieces of stone and sand fell to the bottom of the tower below her. Lucas and Morgan climbed onto her Honchrow's back once more and glided over the commander to catch up with Skyler.
"Don't worry, we got this now!" a familiar voice came behind the entrance of the final trap room. Steven was standing next to a young man in a wheelchair and oxygen tank who was commanding a Gardevoir. The psychic Pokemon was using its powers to hold up the grunts that had fallen with the bridge, and behind them were other members of the Pokemon League in desert gear detaining the other grunts left behind.
Lucas gave a wave as he landed on the other side to the central room with Morgan, "Took you long enough!"
"I never miss my timing with an opportunity. It's why I'm such a great business man!" Steven replied.
"This! Isn't! Over!" Marcia shrieked. She had pulled herself up and ran into the room after her ex.
The final room of Mirage Tower had no ceiling. Instead, it opened up to the sky above, closest to the border between where the air remained still with the raging sandstorm just above it. Skyler simply stood in the center of the room, looking above it in awe. Just past the blinding sands was a massive, moving shadow. The shape was long and thin, but utterly gargantuan. It undulated but stayed in place, a pair of glowing eyes looking down on the lanky Dragon Tamer. Skyler sank to one knee, out of respect or simply being overwhelmed Lucas doubted even the Trainer knew in that moment. Celes remained in front of his Trainer, waiting for a command. But the only one who moved forward was Marcia.
"Yes! It's real! And it's going to be mine! I mean, Cosmic's!" Marcia shouted triumphantly. She pulled out an Ultraball and ran forward.
"No you don't!" Morgan and Lucas got in her way with Achilles taking the lead.
Marcia stood defiantly, "I used to have a Tyranitar. I'm not scared."
"No, you didn't. You had a stolen Tyranitar," Lucas corrected.
"But Achilles is mine. He's the last Pokemon that survived when my dad was murdered. I was too young to do anything about Team Rocket, but I can do something about your organization and you. I won't use your tactics, and I won't sink to your level. But neither one of us is moving aside," Morgan stood, eyes blazing. Though her tone and body language had that dangerous darkness to it, Lucas no longer worried about his rival. She may not have conquered her demons, but like himself, she was learning to control them.
"I am Skyler, Dragon Tamer of Blackthorn City. My ancestors and my ancestors ancestors have trained dragon types since the beginning of our clan. I do not come in the hubris of attempting to catch you. I simply want to see if I am worthy!" Skyler finally shouted. Lucas and Morgan watched in amazement while the Team Cosmic captain watched in frustration the scene before them. Celes swerved protectively in front of his Trainer as the glowing eyes came closer. Rayquazza came down, its face and mouth peering through the sandstorm and regarded Skyler thoughtfully, its shadow blocking out the light in the room. It let out a roar and then flew back into the sky, disappearing from sight. Skyler bowed his head and stood up, "Cosmic will not be getting Rayquazza,"
"And neither are you! Guess you're not so worthy either!" Marcia spat.
"Are you kidding? It came face to face with me. And it didn't attack me. I got exactly everything I wanted," Skyler smiled euphorically.
Marcia let out a scream of rage. Lucas threw up his hands, "Oh for the love of God! Marcia, shut up!"
"It's Captain Rose!" she whined.