Hey, guys. Sorry this update took a while, this weekend was Homecoming so I was extremely busy.
Chapter 9: Separated
~ Route 15, Kalos ~
"This looks like a nice place to rest, Aster!" Zinnia said as she told Salamence to land beside what looked like the ruins of a building.
The Dragon Pokemon landed smoothly on the grass, beating its wings slowly. "Thank you, Salamence. You've made the Draconid proud," Zinnia said as she recalled it back into its Pokeball.
She looked at her surroundings, breathing in the fresh Kalos air. "I kinda like this place. Everywhere is just so calm and serene."
She spoke too soon. Two shady-looking men walked up from the basement stairs of the Lost Hotel and saw her. She turned and saw them, smiling and waving. "Hello! Who might you guys be?" she asked.
The two men approached her cautiously. They were used to people running away in fear of getting robbed, but this girl didn't seem fazed at all by their presence. One of them spoke up, saying, "Give us your money."
Zinnia laughed. "Sorry, boys, I don't have any on me. You'd have to ask my Grannie, and even then she'd probably turn you down 'cause we're kinda dirt poor. Though, Grannie's in Hoenn, so I don't think it would be plaus-"
"Shut up! Give us your Pokemon, then!" the other man shouted angrily, his patience already growing thin. Intruders were usually either quick to flee or quick to cough up their valuables. This girl was neither, and she was getting on his nerves.
Now Zinnia's smile faded. "You'd go as far to demand I hand over my Pokemon? My friends? I guess you're dumber than you look," she responded without a hint of hesitation in her voice.
One of the men chuckled a little. "Hm. You amuse me, so I'll give you a chance. Let's have a wager battle. I win, I take your Pokemon. You win, and you can have mine. Deal?"
This guy has no idea who he's dealing with here, Zinnia thought. Her lips curved back into a small smile as she took out a Pokeball from her belt.
The man who challenged her took a step back. "Whoa. You're not gonna use that little thing right there?" he asked, pointing at Aster.
Laughing, Zinnia replied, "Oh, you mean Aster? Nahh, Aster doesn't really like battling. I'm gonna be using my other partners, instead."
The man grunted. "Fine by me. Let's see 'em then...as for me, Bisharp, come out!" he shouted as he tossed a Pokeball into the air. In a flash of white light, the Sword Blade Pokemon appeared, its metallic body shining in the sunlight, which seemed to be a little stronger today for some reason.
"Hmm. I don't particularly like fighting against Steel-types, but whatever," Zinnia said, still smiling. She tossed her Pokeball into the air, releasing her gigantic Tyrantrum onto the field. Tyrantrum roared and opened its massive jaws wide, revealing its sturdy and powerful teeth.
– –
~ Sea Spirit's Den ~
Neither side was willing to concede. Team Piplup most definitely had the stronger Pokemon who fought with heart and determination, but Team Aqua's sheer numbers were beginning to be overwhelming for them. Brock did his best to care for the injured, but it was quite difficult to do so in the water.
The battle seemed endless. Team Piplup would use strategy and wit to defeat a wave of Team Aqua members, but they would soon be replaced by more. The defeated members would simply return to the base and come back when their Pokemon had recovered, buying time for the next wave to recover their Pokemon, and so on. It was a vicious cycle, and the relentless barrage of attacks was beginning to take its toll on Team Piplup, who had little to no means of recovery.
"Gyarados! Get up...get up!" Misty cried out desperately as her Mega-Evolved Pokemon closed its eyes and began sinking. With tears in her eyes, she quickly returned it back into its Pokeball, bringing out a new one. "Corsola, it's your turn!" she commanded. She believed in Corsola, but in a battle like this one, Gyarados was without a doubt her most powerful Pokemon. Now it was only a matter of time before her entire team would be knocked out.
"Electivire! Use Thunderbolt one more time!" Gary pleaded as his Electivire stood weakly on his Blastoise's back.
Electivire was about to release a powerful bolt of lightning when another Origin Pulse from Kyogre knocked it off of Blastoise's back, sending it flying into the cold water. It somehow managed to climb back on, but exhausted itself in doing so, since the Thunderbolt Pokemon was certainly not built for swimming.
"Beautifly, return!" May cried out as she recalled her weakened Beautifly back to its Pokeball. I should preserve Beautifly as best I can, so I can keep up the Sunny Day, she thought, thinking that she would be outsmarting their opponents.
Brock could not decide what to do at that point. Marshtomp is down...Steelix and Geodude wouldn't stand a chance in battling conditions like this...but I have Crobat.
He looked around at all the Zubat and Golbat flapping their wings in the air. Though...how will it feel when I'm pitting it against so many of its own kind?
Iris, Tierno, and Trevor were almost done for. Dragonite had taken one too many Ice Beams after throwing itself into the fray too recklessly. Iris recalled it and sent out Emolga, who fared well offensively, but was rather frail defensively. It was forced to fly constantly, without breaks, which was something it wasn't used to doing.
Tierno's Blastoise was exhausted, as it was accustomed to using their half-dance, half-battle strategy. Without a good beat and room for fancy footwork, Blastoise's only use was carrying other Pokemon, which it was unable to do effectively due to its lack of speed.
Alain maintained a serious, unfazed expression. His Charizard was still fighting, tearing through waves of Carvanha with Dragon Claw and striking down the Golbat with Flamethrower, but he could easily tell that it was tiring quickly and needed rest.
Aqua Admin Shelly watched Team Piplup's energy and confidence gradually diminish as the battle continued. Her Mega Sharpedo was really working hard, managing to knock out Dawn's Pachirisu and Brock's Marshtomp. She appreciated her Pokemon's vigor, but none of it really mattered in the end. Her trump card had been sitting in her hand this entire time, and she had been waiting very patiently for the right time to bring it into play.
She pulled out her Holo Caster and selected a contact name. It rang for about 10 seconds until Admin Matt picked up.
"What is it? I'm a little busy right now," he said, sounding slightly perturbed.
"Someone's in a good mood. I was just going to let you know that I'm going to initiate the-"
Matt interrupted her. "Don't tell me...that you're already going to use it? We don't know how long it will last; save it for Lumiose. That's when it'll matter, because then...well, you know what will happen. Don't use it now, it could potentially be a waste."
Shelly argued, "But these kids aren't budging...they've held us up for long enough. It's time we ended this silly skirmish and took Lumiose City, for Arceus' sake!"
"...Shelly. For the last time...don't. That's an order," Matt said in a firm voice.
"We're both Admins...I don't answer to you," Shelly retorted defiantly.
"Don't make me come over there, Shell-" Matt began speaking, but Shelly hung up the Holo Caster. "Shut the hell up...bastard," she said as she commanded one of her grunts to bring her the Blue Orb.
Alain was about to recall Charizard for a rest when he sensed a familiar power stirring within the Legendary Pokemon before him. His eyes widened with fear as he saw Kyogre's body glowing a bright blue, the intricate patterns on its body gleaming yellow.
Shelly had decided that now was the time.
– –
~ Terminus Cave ~
Team Dedenne's battle could have been going better. A lot better.
They had started off fantastically, leading with strong, determined Pokemon. With four solid Mega-Evolutions compounded with the rest of the Pokemon, it seemed as if Team Dedenne would actually be able to pull through and win, especially seeing as how Ash's Charizard benefitted greatly from the sun.
Unfortunately for them, Team Magma was proving to be extremely resilient. The struggle was literally never-ending; they healed their Pokemon after they were defeated, and then fought in place of their comrades as they healed their Pokemon.
"Gallade, use Close Combat!" Max commanded for the fifth time. He was getting caught up in the heat of battle, not realizing that Close Combat was not the right move to be using in this type of situation. The defensive drop recoil was building up with each use, and although Gallade was quick and able to dodge most of the incoming attacks, its defenses were so low that the next solid hit would likely finish it.
"Aggron, use Double-Edge!" Paul commanded. He found himself losing confidence, a feeling he had only experienced once before at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Aggron charged ahead and slammed into a Mightyena with a powerful Double-Edge attack. The Mightyena went down, unable to continue battling...but so did Aggron. The Mega-Evolved Iron Armor Pokemon could not withstand the recoil of Double-Edge and fell, knocked out.
"Pidgeot, I know you can get up! C'mon!" Calem frantically urged on his Pokemon, but Pidgeot had had enough. After being struck by a Rock Slide from Courtney's Camerupt and multiple Smog attacks from a Weezing, Pidgeot's wings failed it and the Bird Pokemon plummeted to the ground.
Bonnie was also having a rough time of it. Her Lapras had been knocked out already, and its Water-type attacks hadn't been doing much anyway in the hot sun. Dedenne had tried to be brave and fight, but one Earthquake attack had been too much for it. Her last Pokemon was no better an option than the other two, but it was all she had.
"Tyrunt, come on out!" she shouted as she tossed a Pokeball into the air. It appeared in a flash of white light, snapping its huge, powerful jaws.
Initially, she had received this Tyrunt as an egg from a fossil research center, who told her that it was one of the eggs of the Tyrantrum she had taken care of. Ever since it had hatched, Tyrunt was always ready for a good fight, and this battle was no exception.
Drew, Cilan, Shauna, and Mairin were also struggling. Flygon wasn't terribly quick, so even though it was able to avoid the Ground-type attacks, it fell victim to poison after being attacked by multiple Koffing and Weezing. Simisage was taking more hits than it would have liked, dealing minimal damage in return due to type disadvantages. Ivysaur was nearing its limit as well, as its attacks were too slow to land consistently, and were relatively weak when they did hit. This was the case with Mairin's Chespy, as well.
Ash seemed to be holding his own. Back-to-back with Serena and Clemont, the three trainers were standing their ground against Tabitha and multiple Magma grunts. However, Sylveon's Fairy-type moves were proving to be ineffective against Tabitha's Camerupt, and it was also taking a lot of damage due to its lack of speed.
Although Chespin withstood Groudon's Ground-type attacks relatively well, Clemont knew that it wouldn't be able to handle another Fire-type attack, especially in the blazing heat. He sincerely hoped more than ever that he and Chespin would be able to make it through this battle, because he had no other viable options. His Electric-type Pokemon stood no chance against the Continent Pokemon's attacks. He supposed he could use Bunnelby, but the Digging Pokemon relied on burrowing underground, which would make it twice as vulnerable to Earthquake.
Charizard was still going strong, unaffected by Groudon's Ground-type attacks and easily able to take its Fire-type attacks, but it had been using Overheat a few times too many and was starting to lose power. It's offensive presence was beginning to be far less intimidating, and its speed was the only thing protecting it from Rock Slide attacks, which would surely finish it off upon contact.
Courtney turned to Tabitha. "I think it's time...they've held us up for far too long. We need to be at Lumiose City in an hour."
Tabitha frowned, but nodded in response. "Fair enough. Matt said he'd prefer if we saved it for the siege of Lumiose, but I'm assuming that these annoying kids are going to be the most powerful resistance we will be facing, so it's better to use it now."
Serena's Sylveon was using Dazzling Gleam when a Weezing came up from behind and hit it with a powerful Sludge Bomb. Sylveon cried out in pain and fell to the ground. It didn't get up.
Serena immediately rushed over to her poor Sylveon's side, trying to get it to wake up. "Sylveon! Get up! You have to keep trying!" she shouted, almost in tears. She didn't notice the ground beneath her start to give in as Groudon roared and began to glow brightly. Massive, blade-like pieces of earth began protruding from the ground as Groudon roared again.
Groudon had undergone Primal Reversion.
"Serena, call back Sylveon and get the hell out of there!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs. On his shoulder, Pikachu cried out with concern, "Pika pika!"
Serena turned back with fear in her eyes. It was too loud to hear him, but she could pretty much get the idea. "Sylveon, return!" she said as she recalled the Intertwining Pokemon back to its Pokeball. She was just about to run back to Ash when a deafening roar echoed through the air. The ground beneath them began to tremble more violently than ever before, and now a huge crack separated Ash, Serena, and Clemont from the rest of Team Dedenne.
"Guys! Get back here! You're gonna cave in!" Drew shouted.
Ash looked down and saw that Drew was right. The earth was crumbling beneath his feet.
Clemont surprisingly acted quickly. There's no choice...I've gotta jump now before I fall. I've gotta do what Ash would do...here goes!
Ash turned and saw Clemont running for it, and was about to follow suit when he heard Serena's scream. He glanced over in her direction, watching the ground slowly descending beneath her feet. He glanced back at Clemont, who to his surprise had actually attempted to jump onto the other side. Unfortunately, Clemont didn't quite make it and was hanging onto the cliffside with just one hand and his Aipom arm.
Groudon roared again, stomping its feet as if it were throwing a temper tantrum. Considering all that it had been through over the past few days, it might very well have been.
Ash had to make a quick decision, something he had gotten pretty good at over the years. He turned and shouted, "Guys! Help Clemont up! I'll get Serena!"
Cilan and Iris both bravely stepped up to the shaky cliff and began helping Clemont up. Just when Iris gripped Clemont's forearm, the ground beneath Iris' feet broke off and tumbled down into what was now a dark abyss. Cilan grabbed hold of Iris, who was now holding onto Clemont. Iris screamed as she tried her best not to look down. Cilan struggled to hold on with both hands, so Simisage grabbed hold of him, helping them up.
Paul frowned as he watched them. "They're going to need more help...Drapion, standby for battle! Help them up!" he shouted as he threw Drapion's Pokeball into the air. The Ogre Scorpion Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light and instantly grabbed onto Simisage with its huge claws, managing to pull everyone up. Clemont, Iris, and Cilan all breathed a sigh of relief, along with the rest of the team.
Unfortunately, Ash and Serena weren't quite as lucky.
During the whole mess with trying to pull up Clemont, Serena had been hanging on for dear life as well, struggling to hold on to the dry, quaking ground. Ash had quickly run as fast as he could towards her, and was now reaching his hand down to her when she began falling.
"Ash! Help!" she screamed, but Ash was already one step ahead of her, diving off of the cliffside and grabbing onto her arm as the two of them tumbled down into the chasm below. Everyone gasped and tried to find a way to help, but it was no use. They had used all of their Flying-type Pokemon in the battle, and they were exhausted.
Charizard's eyes widened and it instantly dashed towards the mouth of the abyss, flying at full speed when it was hit with a powerful Rock Slide attack.
Courtney laughed as Charizard barely managed to scramble its way back to safety with the others. Lying on its side, it roared loudly, loud enough to give Groudon a run for its money, then closed its eyes and laid its head down.
Meanwhile, Ash and Serena were still screaming as they descended into the dark ravine, the light above them fading as they fell.
"Serena..." Bonnie managed to say, choked up and teary-eyed.
Max couldn't help but stare at the fissure in front of him, trying his absolute best to be brave. "Ash..."
– –
~ Route 15, Kalos ~
"Gardevoir, let us rest here for a bit. I understand that you're terribly exhausted," Diantha said.
The Champion of Kalos and the Embrace Pokemon both sat down gracefully beneath a tree on the edge of Brun Way. They were unaware of the girl watching them from behind a wall of the Lost Hotel.
Zinnia turned to Aster. In a soft voice, she whispered, "Hey, Aster. That beautiful lady looks like somebody important, huh? I wonder if she would know where Rayquaza could possibly appear."
Aster nodded and answered calmly like it always did.
Zinnia smiled. "I think I'll do just that. Come on, let's-"
Suddenly, Aster's body began trembling. She covered her face with her large ears, as she always did when she was afraid. Zinnia frowned and turned to look behind her.
Over by a tree, the woman was now standing up, now looking shocked and alert. Beside her, the Gardevoir appeared to be ready for battle, and Zinnia soon saw why. Standing in front of the woman and the Gardevoir was a man with blonde hair wearing light blue-and-yellow clothes. Beside him was a Gengar, who looked rather friendly, but currently wore a mischievous smile on its purple face.
"Who is that?" Zinnia said as she crept up further to get a closer look. It seemed as if the man and the woman were talking. The woman did not look happy at all.
"You...aren't you a Gym Leader of the Johto region? What are you doing working for Team Magma?" Diantha said, seeming repulsed by this man's presence.
Gym Leader Morty grunted. "First of all, I don't work for anyone. I work for myself and myself alone, and I'm here because I had a great vision...a vision greater than any before. If you did not already know, I have a very special gift that allows me to see into the future. Everything I do now is ultimately for the sake of achieving that image," he said. His Gengar smiled as if this was all just for fun, but then had a serious expression on its face when Morty shouted, "Gengar! Mega Evolve!"
He tapped a Keystone on his left wrist as he spoke. Beautiful streams of multi-colored lights connected his heart to his Gengar's, and within moments the Shadow Pokemon had undergone Mega Evolution. It now looked more sleek, the underside of its body was an eerie red color, and it now had what looked like a third eye in the center of its forehead.
Diantha tried to remain calm, struggling to maintain a composed disposition. She had never met this man in person before, and she was unsure of whether she would be able to defeat him. Regardless, she realized that he was using Gengar for a reason...now Gardevoir could no longer Teleport.
– – – –
As always, leave your thoughts down below for me. Thanks for reading everyone, and stay tuned.