AN: Thanks for your patience, everyone. The reception to the first chapter caught me a bit by surprise, so it took a bit of time to turn what I assumed would be a one-shot into a full fledged story, but it's happened! The story is finished, minus some editing polish, so stay tuned. The wait for the rest of the chapters won't be as long as it's been for this one. I hope you enjoy the continuation of Final Gambit.
[Chapter 2]
Steven learns quickly that the land is no place to face a god of the seas. Sootopolis's lowest level is already flooded, sending waves crashing against the side of the house that had been their shelter. Salty spray joins the rain, and Steven is quickly soaked to the bone as he hurries to reach higher ground. Metagross needs to be within range to reach Kyogre, and he'd rather not drown right out of the gate.
His partner materializes on one of the city's mid levels, its claws sinking into the sloping volcanic stone like anchors. It doesn't take much to locate Kyogre circling overhead; the beast's massive wingspan slices through the swirling clouds with ease, an ominous silhouette flickering in and out of view as lightning rips through the sky. As he catches sight of the legendary beast, whatever command Steven had been ready to give dies on his lips, words suddenly feeling insignificant in the shadow of a god.
But Metagross won't be intimidated. It has prepared for this moment; they both have. Its gaze flicks down to where its trainer gapes at their opponent, and it sends a confident psychic pulse. Steven flinches, and finally tears his eyes away from the sky, finding Metagross's unwavering red stare. It gives a low rumble, and Steven can see the way its legs flex and tense. If they aren't ready now, they'll never be. He takes a steadying breath and nods.
Metagross turns its stare skyward and roars defiantly.
At first, nothing happens, and Steven wonders if Kyogre heard their challenge over the raging storm. But in an instant, he wonders no more as a bolt of blue energy slams into the cliff side, obliterating the spot where his partner had stood.
"Metagross!"
He's scrambling over chunks of stone and rubble before he realizes what he's doing. His heart is in his throat as he reaches the crater, the white rocks scarred black from the ferocity of Kyogre's attack, and he peers down.
Metagross is conscious, but barely. It lets out a painful groan and tries to rise as Steven slips down the side of the crater. His feet land with a splash; it's raining so hard the hole is already filling with water. Overhead, Kyogre's piercing cry splits the night, and Steven suppresses a shiver as he digs for his stock of healing items. For Kyogre to already be this strong after only waking so recently... They can't afford to take another hit like that. Metagross is tough, but steel can endure only so much before it yields.
"Let's… Let's be more careful from now on, okay?"
His partner's rumbled reply is deadly serious, all trace of its usual sarcasm destroyed along with the rubble in that crater. Its eyes close momentarily as the potion takes effect, and it hums a note of thanks.
Back on its feet, Metagross shakes itself off and hunkers low, sharing a look with its trainer; an unspoken vow of loyalty that Steven has seen from his starter time and time again. They both know the stakes, what the end of this battles means. Not just for Steven, but for Metagross too. Because ever since it found out about the plan— Steven's tumbling emotions had been easy enough to sense— it swore it would be by its trainer's side until the end, regardless of how unbearable the thought of continuing on without him is. This was never their battle to win.
With a powerful push, Metagross darts one way, while Steven dashes the other. In their bid to stall Kyogre as long as possible, they can't both be taken out in the same attack. Not that Steven even wants to admit he might lose a partner in this crazy plan; the thought hurts too much to even consider as a possibility. And as the rain drums down, he swallows that sinking fear and channels it into desperate belief, a second pokeball ready in his hand. His shout is lost to the wind, but Metagross feels it through their mental connection, loud and clear. Failure is not an option.
In a flash, Skarmory is out of its ball and Steven is already urging it skyward before he's fully situated on its back. His loyal flyer obeys, but the warble it gives as the ground falls away below them belies its nervousness. Steven takes a moment to catch his breath before he gives his pokemon what he hopes is a reassuring pat. "Metagross will keep Kyogre busy. Just keep us out of the battle, but not too far. If Metagross gets hit, bring me to it as fast as you can."
The plan sounds good, and Skarmory caws in confirmation, but the creeping doubt slithers down Steven's spine along with the soaking rain. How long can they truly keep this up? He has faith in Metagross, but without knowing how long it will take for all the pieces to fall into place… Steven shakes his head to banish the thought as Skarmory banks in a wide turn. There is no margin for error, but there's even less room for doubt.
As if on cue, his starter's flash cannon slices through the clouds, eliciting a startled screech as it scores a direct hit against Kyogre's flank. Its retaliatory strike is swift, but Metagross is prepared and already is on the move, safely dodging back into the maze of of Sootopolis' streets.
Kyogre's roar of frustration echoes through the empty city, and for the first time since the beast was awakened, Steven feels a flicker of hope burn through the suffocating weight of his decision. But like any flame in a downpour, it's extinguished in an instant as an entire city block is leveled as Kyogre lashes out, and his heart sinks again.
Steven's second silent prayer of the night is for Phoebe and Wallace to return swiftly. Guerrilla warfare only works when there's someplace left to hide.
The wind and rain continues to swirl in a vicious tempest that only grows with each flap of Kyogre's fins. Steven curses under his breath and ducks closer to Skarmory's back as the storm buffets the two of them about. It's not easy flying, especially with the beast looming so close overhead, but after nearly being swallowed beneath the massive waves at ground level, Steven is thankful Skarmory is willing to brave the storm.
Below them, Metagross groans as it clambers out from a jagged hole where Kyogre had sent it tumbling, and in the lightning flashing overhead, Steven can see its hide is dented in more places than he can count. Despite its injuries, his starter is undeterred, and it launches itself back at the leviathan with a throaty roar, promising to keep Kyogre occupied for as long as it takes.
But just as it has every time since the start of their battle, Kyogre is able to swat everything Metagross throws at it as if the powerful steel type is no more than a Surskit. Again, Metagross slams into the sloping cliff side, demolishing an abandoned house when it falls to the ground. And again, as it picks itself clear of the rubble and staggers back to its feet, Steven has to command Skarmory to roll out of the path of another volley of lightning aimed their way. He clings to his flyer's rain-slicked back with cold, numb hands and tries not to look at the churning waters below.
Except that some part of him feels the urge to stare at the angry sea until a familiar speck of white breaks the surface. The lower crater of Sootopolis is completely underwater, and he knows Wallace will choke when he sees his city slipping beneath the waves, but right now the only thing he wants to see is Wallace safely coming back from the ocean depths.
Just as he's peering over Skarmory's wings in the faint hope that maybe Wallace will be there this time, his flyer squawks in warning. Steven's head snaps up and finds the sky much closer than before. But it's not the clouds that have closed in.
Kyogre has discovered their presence.
Metagross is too far away to grab Kyogre's attention, so its glassy-eyed gaze has swung to the next closest target. Steven doesn't have to say a word, Skarmory can feel the air crackle with electricity, and as Kyogre's jaws open wide with a shriek, his partner is already fleeing for their lives. The air around them grows hot, and sparks dance through the sheets of rain. Kyogre's attack will swallow them whole.
Without warning, a blue blur rushes past Steven's head with a metallic cry. Time seems to slow as Metagross rockets through the air and collides with the sea god mid-flight. But the air is rife with charge, and Metagross's flying tackle is only enough to send the attack off course, not stop it. The sky erupts in a brilliant bolt, and Steven's stomach drops as Skarmory rolls into a dive.
They spin haphazardly to the left as the thunderbolt soars right, and as Skarmory pivots out of the path of Kyogre's strike, Steven feels his grip on its back loosen beneath his numb fingers. For a brief second, he believes they've made it through the worst of it. But even though the attack missed them, it hit something else. As Metagross tumbles toward the ground it roars in warning; they're on a collision course. Skarmory shrieks in dismay and twists out of the way.
But his flyer's dodge isn't clean enough. Metagross's leg clips Skarmory's wing, and the jolt of the connecting blow separates Steven from his partner. Steven's heart is in his throat as suddenly he is now free-falling toward the churning waters below. His pokemon's frantic cries are muffled by the rushing wind as he plummets.
This wasn't the way things were supposed to end.
Wallace is coming up from the depths into Sootopolis' crater lake when he sees something crash through the surface above. He squints through the murky water, the rough conditions make it hard to see, but when lightning flashes and he catches a glint of silver against the sea of black, his heart stops.
"Oh my god."
Gyarados can sense its trainer's panic and surges toward the drifting body. No, it's not a body, he's still alive, he has to be... Wallace grabs Steven's sinking form with both arms and holds tight as his partner breaks for the surface. With a mighty splash, they exit the water and make for the nearest solid ground.
To Wallace's dismay, they come to a stop on the roof of the Sootopolis Gym. The floodwaters are already lapping over the edges, but there's no time to mourn the loss of his Gym. In a flurry of agitated wings, Skarmory lands next to Gyarados and nervously watches Wallace check on its trainer's breathing.
But as soon as Wallace leans close, Steven coughs and Wallace nearly drops him in surprise. The Champion is soggy and disheveled and barely able to sit up under his own power, yet he laughs between coughs.
"Wallace, am I glad to see you! Your timing could not have been any better."
"Steven, are you insane? You could have died!"
A flash of something dances across Steven's features, but rather than acknowledge Wallace's dismay, he changes the subject.
"Did you catch one?"
He glances towards Wallace's belt as the Leader helps steady him on his feet. Wallace notices and nods, producing a shiny new dive ball in his hands.
"I wouldn't have come back without it."
"Brilliant." Steven wastes no time in digging out two pokeballs of his own and offering them to his friend. Wallace just stares at him in disbelief; he recognizes that first pokeball.
"Steven, why are you handing me Metagross's ball?"
"And Skarmory's too. I need that Relicanth on my team, and your Wailord as well."
But Wallace still doesn't move.
"Steven, what is going on?"
"I have to ask you to just trust me this time, Wallace. It's just temporary," he lies through his teeth. "I need a very specific set of pokemon for this whole plan to work. I know it sounds crazy, but I've triple checked; this is what has to happen. In exchange, I entrust these two to you."
"What do you mean, 'entrust'? What about the others?"
"They still have a very important role to play."
Reluctantly, Wallace retrieves a second pokeball and hands both over to Steven. The weight of the two that are placed in his palm in return are significantly lighter. Skarmory watches the exchange in silence, and in the distance, Metagross's roar echoes across the deserted city.
Kyogre's screech overhead causes both of them to involuntarily duck, and Steven gives a grim smile.
"Now all that's left is to wait for Phoebe to arrive."
If Drake were a betting man, he would've put money on this being the first rainfall the desert had ever seen. Resting with his back against a wet sandstone slab, he watches his Flygon fret and fuss over the foreign moisture falling from the sky. It huffs and rumbles and glares daggers up at the sky, and Drake secretly wishes that dealing with gods was as simple as flying up there and beating them back down to the ground.
But he knows it's not that simple. No matter how many dragons he commands, it still wouldn't be enough to stop Kyogre's rampage. Which is why he has to believe in something that's not raw strength. Something written in texts from an age that time forgot, a time when mortals remembered to fear the gods.
Drake's hand tightens around his PokeNav, the earlier message from Steven called up on screen. 'Once they're awake, do whatever it takes to bring them back to Sootopolis. I'm counting on you.'
He scowls at the screen and then scowls at the sandstone tomb before him. "Whatever it takes," he mutters, pulling his coat's collar up tighter to his chin. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, lad."
Drake can't decide which is worse, the wind, the rain, or the wait. He bets he knows which one Flygon hates the most. And then he decides the thing he hates the most isn't any of those three options after all.
It's the fact that, until now, he's forgotten what it's like to fear.
Glacia is angry. No, she's beyond that; she's livid. And there's not even anything worthwhile to kick on this godforsaken beach she's standing on. She watches Walrein fortify its ice dam at the shoreline, a weak effort to keep the rising tides at bay, and shivers. Her back is nearly against the rocky formation behind her, the beach slipping away inch by inch beneath the effects of Kyogre's wrath, even from here. Why on earth Steven wanted her to fly to the other end of the region just to drown anyway is beyond her. All she knows is that it's what the young Champion asked of her, so that's what she's going to do.
Part of her wonders why she can't just obey orders without question, it'd be a lot easier in the long run. Sidney seemed to have no trouble with that when they parted ways, banking Mandibuzz in the direction of Route 121. He'd been eerily silent the whole flight, which was odd considering he usually had such a colorful outlook on things that it put Drake to shame. But ever since they left Sootopolis, he'd been staring toward the horizon with a focus that she'd never seen from him before. For whatever problems he had with authority in his life, and there had been many, she secretly was impressed with his unwavering loyalty to the League.
Which prompts another round of frustration to bubble to the surface. Here she is, on this tiny insignificant rock, slowly sinking into the sea, and for what? She's a protector of this region, and she doesn't even have anyone to protect. Her family is safe and sound in Sinnoh where the legendary creatures are either benevolent toward humans or keep to themselves.
But as Walrein barks in dismay as another wave crashes over its barrier, Glacia chides herself on her error. Anger always did make her short-sighted. Hoenn is where her family is now. It is home to her pokemon — her partners — who she would be lost without. It is home to her colleagues and friends, who for all their antics nearly feel closer to her than her own family. And it is home to so many more that she has a responsibility to protect, as she swore as part of the Hoenn Elite.
And maybe that's why she's so mad about all of this. She's worried. Because the only time you should worry about losing loved ones is to the whims of time itself. And the only time you were supposed to fear the legends is when you misbehaved and your mother threatened that Giratina liked to snack on naughty children. And the only time you should be standing in the pouring rain waiting for a signal unknown is only in the most dire of circumstances.
Glacia sighs and crumples a fistful of her dress.
Because here she is, soaking wet and worrying over the fate of everyone she knows and loves. She's worried for Sidney, she's worried for Drake and Phoebe, she's worried for Wallace. For Steven. For the region. For the world.
The wind is blowing so hard the rain stings Phoebe's face as Dusknoir hurries the pair of them back toward the heart of the storm. They're still a ways off from Sootopolis, but Kyogre's presence weighs heavy in the air. Except the heaviness Phoebe feels in her heart isn't from the sea god's menace. She clings to the museum's ancient tablet with all her strength despite the dread that fills every corner of her being.
When she had arrived at the museum and asked for the tablet, breathless and soaking wet, the curator paled so quickly she thought the man might faint. But he held his composure and retrieved the artifact, handing it to her with shaking hands.
But in the end, it hadn't been the curator's reaction that left Phoebe unsettled. The truly terrifying thing had been that the second Phoebe's fingers brushed the ancient stone, the spirit's voices cried out all at once, and she nearly buckled from the force. It had taken considerable effort to conceal her alarm and bid the museum director farewell.
Even now, tucked in her arms, the tablet oozes malice; she can feel it clear as day. Dusknoir sends a worried look her way as she shivers. If the secrets locked away in the carved glyphs were so ominous that even the dead feared them, what on earth could Steven hope to achieve with such dreadful power?
But not once in all her time as an Elite under his charge has Steven ever lead her to doubt him. And now is not the time to start. She just has to believe that he knows something about this tablet that the spirits do not. She has to. So she squints into the wind and urges Dusknoir on, the precious cargo tucked away, gnawing a sinister hole in her heart.