Hello, readers, and welcome back to So Glad You're Safe! Just right off the bat, I'd like to once again apologize for the schedule slip; finals were really getting to me, so I had to make compromises here and there. Now that I'm done, however, I'd like to get back into writing! Since it's been a little while since the last chapter, I feel a recap is in order: in the last chapter, Zinnia made her presence known to our young protagonists and managed to steal Wally's Key Stone for reasons known only to her at this time. Also, Steven's been keeping an eye on a still-unconscious Looker who fell out of a portal in the sky a few chapters prior and a strangely familiar boy in a white cap has been keeping an eye on Steven while our white-hatted hero is off doing other things. I promise all will be revealed at a later date, but for the time being, let's hop right into it!
Devon Corp, Rustboro City, 3:15 PM
Steven sighed as he sank into a luxurious chair, a hand to his forehead. His eyes were closed and his expression was troubled. There was much to discuss with the new Hoenn Champion, Brendan; the impending meteoroid, what may have caused it, the strange portal in Ever Grande, and of course, the mysterious man who fell from it.
"Steven, my boy, all that frowning will age you prematurely," Mr. Stone complained from the other side of the table, trying to cheer up his son. "Why, your hair will be silver in no time!"
"..."
"Oh, come now. I was only kidding."
"Sorry, Dad," Steven sighed, "but I'm just not in the mood…"
The elder Stone nodded in understanding, his face uncharacteristically solemn. "I can't blame you, Steven. There are some dark days ahead of us. But you know what? We can't understand what darkness is without the light to guide us! That's why it's important to smile in the face of danger. At least I think so, at least. Ah, if only your mother was here…"
Steven said nothing, but looked away from his aging father. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Brendan and May arrived in the room.
"Champion Brendan! And May, was it? The Pokémon Contest coordinator girl? It's nice to properly meet you both," Mr. Stone chimed with a smile.
"O-oh! Thank you, sir," May nodded briefly, smiling.
"It's an honor, sir," Brendan nodded as well. "I understand you and Steven have some important information to tell us?"
"But of course! Sit, please," Mr Stone replied. "The time has certainly come, hasn't it, Little Stone?"
Steven let out an audible groan. "Please don't call me that…"
Brendan and May both chuckled before Mr. Stone cleared his throat, getting back to business. "Alright, younguns. What I'm about to tell you is very important. It might just seem like boring exposition disguised as a history lesson, but I'm serious."
Pausing to make sure that the two teens were still listening, he continued when he met their gaze. "Are you two familiar with the Great War of Kalos?"
Both teens shook their heads.
"I see," Mr. Stone sighed. "In any case, the Great War took place about 3,000 years ago in Kalos. Many people and Pokémon lost their lives during this war, most notably the prized Floette of the ruling king of Kalos. The king had constructed a large machine that could bring deceased Pokémon back to life. Such was the case with the king's Floette."
"That's wonderful!" May cheered before realizing she had interrupted. "Oops! Sorry…"
Mr. Stone and Steven shared a grim chuckle before the elder Stone continued. "It's quite alright, but there's more to the story. The machine was originally powered by the life force of Pokémon for the sole purpose of reviving Pokémon, but the king, still angered over what his enemies had done to his beloved Floette, had the machine converted. It would forever be known as the ultimate weapon, for one blast from its mighty core was enough to completely obliterate both sides and end the war."
"Wow," Brendan sighed, his eyes closed. "All those deaths… and for what?"
"Indeed," Mr. Stone nodded. "It is thought that the sheer power of the weapon's beam had shot all the way up into space, hitting meteoroids that would then break apart and enter the Earth's atmosphere as the Mega Stones we use to this day!"
"I had no idea," May awed.
"It's quite riveting, isn't it?" Steven chuckled. "That brings us to the here and now. You see, it was my father here that wanted to harness this same energy to benefit mankind and Pokémon alike. I forget the science behind it, but the end result was that which fuels much of modern Devon Corporation's technological endeavors; Infinity Energy."
"Infinity Energy," both teens repeated, nodding.
"Precisely. Which brings us to our final point," Mr. Stone spoke up, his usual jolly smile gone. "Brendan. May. These are dark times we face now. As we speak, a large meteoroid is on a collision course with Hoenn. It's estimated by our top scientists at the Mossdeep Space Center that it would land south of Route 131, but we simply cannot that to happen. Pacifidlog Town would be wiped clean off the map, lives would be lost, and it's entirely possible that more of Hoenn would be impacted as a result. That is why we need the two of you to obtain a Meteorite Shard from Granite Cave in Dewford."
"... You lost me," Brendan said, raising an eyebrow as May looked at him oddly. "Why do we need the shard?"
"... Ah! It appears I forgot to mention something crucial," Mr. Stone laughed, causing everyone present to sweatdrop. "Brendan, my boy, we have devised a foolproof plan to save Hoenn - no, the world! My colleagues in Mossdeep plan to launch a rocket full of pure Infinity Energy up into space! The resulting collision should either destroy the meteoroid entirely, or teleport it away altogether! Either way, we're saved! Wahaha! That is, of course, should you get the Meteorite Shard."
Steven rolled his eyes. "Let's not get too presumptuous now, Father."
"Brendan," May stated, trying to remain calm, "it looks like the world is in danger again. Are you sure we're gonna be okay?"
"As long as you're by my side, I can get through anything," Brendan answered sweetly. "You'll come with me to Dewford, won't you?"
"O-of course! I'd never let you head into danger alone now," May chirped, winking.
"Even with my Pokémon?"
"Weeeeell…"
The young couple shared a laugh along with Mr. Stone, Steven folding his arms and smiling. The fate of the world hung in the balance, yet these two remarkable trainers could still find it in themselves to laugh. Fascinating.
"They're quite adorable, aren't they, Steven?" Mr. Stone asked. "In a way, they remind me of you and that tall blonde from Sinnoh! Ahaha!"
Steven's face turned several shades of red as the younger trainers giggled. "D-Dad!"
The elder Stone merely chuckled in response.
"Well, if that's all, we're off to get that Meteorite Shard!" Brendan cried, already headed towards the door with May close behind.
"Thanks again, you two," May followed up with a smile, "we won't let you down!"
"Godspeed, you magnificent trainers," Mr. Stone muttered as they left. "Godspeed."
Turning to his son, he shouted, "Steven! Grab the Link Cable and meet Professor Cozmo at the Space Center as soon as humanly possible! By the time you lot get set up over there, those two should be over there with the shard."
Steven nodded, standing from his seat and hugging his father. "I'm on it. Stay safe, Dad."
"Likewise, my son," Mr. Stone concurred, returning the embrace. "Likewise…"
"I just don't get it," Brendan sighed, leaning against a cavern wall. "We've looked all over the place, and yet…"
"Brendan!" May called from not too far away. "Over here!"
Not wasting a second, Brendan immediately sprang into action and raced in the direction of his girlfriend's voice. He came to a clearing in Granite Cave when he saw May standing not too far away from a large cave painting towards the back of the room. The strange woman from before, Zinnia, stood near the painting, a Whismur at her feet.
"Amazing, isn't it?" she asked, marvelling the mural. Looking closely, Brendan and May could see that there were three large Pokémon depicted on the painting, strange markings decorating their bodies. The boy in the white hat was able to recognize the blue, whale-like figure as Kyogre, the Legendary Pokémon that Team Aqua had nearly used to drown the world. The girl in the red bow could see that the red, dinosaur-like figure was Groudon, the Legendary Pokémon said to be the longtime rival of Kyogre. Though May had never seen it in the Hoenn region, she recognized it from the PokéMythologies book series her father was so fond of. Neither teen recognized the third, serpent-like being..
"The Alpha, the Omega, and the Savior," Zinnia mused, gesturing to Kyogre, Groudon, and the third Pokémon respectively. Turning to the young couple, she continued, "Are either of you familiar with the concept of the Weather Trio?"
"Nope," Brendan answered simply.
"I-I've read about them in books, but…"
"Hmm. I see. In any case, I know what you're here for," Zinnia replied, revealing the Meteorite Shard.
"What?" May questioned suspiciously. "How did you-"
Zinnia laughed. "I have my reasons. Ordinarily, I'd challenge you to battle myself, Champion. Today, however…"
With a snap of her fingers, two short hooded figures appeared at her sides, causing Brendan and May to flinch in surprise.
"I'll tell you what," Zinnia began, smiling. "If you beat these two in a battle, the Meteorite Shard is yours."
"That's all?" Brendan chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Alright then; May! Are you up for a Double Battle?"
May nodded firmly in response, clutching a Poké Ball in her right hand.
Zinnia laughed heartily. "Well said! Go ahead, my two little assistants. Make this interesting!"
Almost immediately, the two unidentified figures summoned two Pokémon; a Blaziken and a Swampert. Brendan and May looked at each other and nodded before bringing out their own Pokémon, Brendan's Swampert and May's Sceptile.
"Blaziken," one of the hooded trainers ordered in a feminine voice, "Blaze Kick on the Sceptile!"
"Swampert, hit your weaker counterpart with an Ice Punch!" the other hooded trainer shouted in a masculine voice.
At once, both Pokémon rushed towards Brendan and May's trusted partners, readying their attacks.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade on the enemy Swampert!" May commanded, pointing for dramatic effect.
"Swampert, block that incoming Blaziken!" Brendan ordered.
As the hooded boy's Swampert rushed at Brendan's with an icy fist, May's Sceptile intercepted the attack and struck the enemy Water-Ground type with a single stroke from its leafy appendage. The poor Pokémon cried out in pain as its one weakness was exploited, causing it to collapse in one hit.
"Swampert, get up! It's too soon to give up now," its trainer cried.
His companion's Blaziken, meanwhile, was well on its way to attacking May's Sceptile. With a war cry, it leapt up into the air with a flaming foot, having combined Blaze Kick and High Jump Kick into a single spectacular move.
"Amazing," May muttered, utterly awed at the flair of the attack before coming to her senses. "Sceptile, dodge it!"
"I got it," Brendan claimed with a smile. "Swampert! Use Waterfall!"
Doing as he was told, Brendan's Swampert surrounded himself with water and began to ascend into the air to meet the Blaziken head on. The Fire-Fighting type's foot collided with Swampert's head, but the latter Pokémon refused to stop its attack. Within seconds, the force of the water and the inertia of Swampert's attack was too much for the Blaziken to take. As the two broke away from each other in midair, Sceptile leapt into the air and off of Swampert's back, lunging towards Blaziken with a fierce Dragon Claw at the ready.
SLASH!
With a cry of pain, the enemy Blaziken fell to the ground as its opponents landed gracefully.
"Damn," the hooded girl swore. "That was… pretty good, actually…"
"I got careless," the hooded boy sighed, recalling his partner. "I'm sorry, Swampy. You deserved better…"
"Nicely done, May," Brendan complimented, giving a thumbs up. "Extra points for style!"
"Hee hee! You weren't too shabby yourself," May giggled, winking as she and Brendan recalled their partners.
Zinnia sighed, smiling. "You know, you two really should have brought more Pokémon with you. What if this was a real high-stakes battle?"
"We know…"
"Sorry, Zinnia…"
"Don't worry about it. A deal is a deal though," Zinnia stated, walking up to Brendan and tossing the Meteorite Shard into his hands. "Do with it what you will, but keep this in mind; how much of the truth do you really know? And if forced to choose between the two, would you rather cling to the truth or your ideals? Think about it."
Before either teen could respond, Zinnia, her Whismur, and her two hooded helpers vanished in the blink of an eye.
"That was weird… who were those two anyway?" May asked, staring at the place where they used to stand. "They seemed strangely familiar somehow…"
"And what was that about 'the truth' and ideals? And what about this painting?" Brendan continued, eyeing the Meteorite Shard in his hands. Sighing, he added, "I really don't get her sometimes…"
Suddenly, Brendan's PokéNav started to ring. Handing the shard to an eager May, he picked up the device.
"Hello?"
"Brendan? It's Steven. Do you have the shard?"
"We do."
"Excellent. Come to the Mossdeep Space Center as soon as possible. It's time."
The plot thickens! Kind of... I promise next chapter will be more interesting, but we can't hop from Point A to Point B just like that, now can we? ;) Thanks again for reading, and I highly encourage you all to let me hear your thoughts, questions, comments, concerns, and any constructive criticism you might have! Let me know what works, what doesn't, all that good stuff; this will make it easier for me to improve as a writer and give you higher quality writing as a result. Thanks!