Morgan had already been waiting about twenty minutes when she got a text from Sera: 'Camped south of town, just waking up. Be there in like an hour.' So it seemed she had time to kill…
Oh hey! While she was in Mauville… He hadn't really gotten back in touch with her- (unless one of the unsigned letters was his? Probably not but she couldn't be sure)- but she supposed she may as well stop by Inver's place.
Releasing Mithril, she asked, "Hey. Do you remember where that Psychic Place was?" She felt certain the beeps to follow were affirmative but snarky. "No one asked for sass, mixter," she teased back.
When she arrived, she found him just opening shop for the day, and somewhat groggy, but still happy to see her. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Surprise?" teased Morgan. "Aren't you supposed to be psychic?"
"... Look, not all psychics do premonition, okay? I've got a specialized practice here." Morgan smirked a bit in response.
He invited her in, apologized for not getting back to her sooner, and also for not having been able to turn up much. He'd found reports of other trainers who claimed to have experienced a change in their abilities after arriving in Hoenn, in one way or another; and realized that all current and former competitors he could find had a similar 'there one minute, here the next' experience. But confirming that her case was not unique was hardly report-worthy.
"Mm, that kind of sucks, yeah. Thanks for trying, though," she said.
Inver nodded. "I'll continue keeping an ear out as well."
Morgan could imagine Mithril snarking something about using both, and she smiled. Inver looked between them questioningly, though. "...What is it?" she asked. And.. why did she now get the feeling that Inver knew something she didn't? Or rather, that Mithril knew Inver knew something she-...?
"When did you pick that up?" he asked.
"Pick what up?"
He blinked. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. But I could sense your telepathic connection, so I was just curious."
Tele-...? "...Wait. All this time I thought I was just imagining Mithril, but xe's-?"
Yes, she now realized Mithril was saying.
"Oh. You didn't realize you were doing it?"
She thought on it. "I don't… think I usually hear xir clearly so much as get vague impressions, so maybe that's why?"
"Ahh." Inver put a hand to his chin. "It sounds like it's still very unrefined, either because your mind is not properly susceptible yet or because Mithril's capacity for telepathy is still developing. Though many Psychic-types do, not all Metang or Metagross have the ability at all, you know. You're fairly lucky xe's one who did."
"Huh. Neat?"
"Since you expressed interest in learning psychic arts, I'd suggest working on refining that, and seeing if your bond with xir can open any more doors from there."
"Oh?" Suddenly, Morgan's mind flashed back to Claydol driving back the Chatot. (Had Mithril been the one to tell her they were called Chatot, then?) When the wave passed through her, she felt… something. It hurt, but it also felt… familiar, in retrospect. "Oh! Yes. Yes, thank you. We will definitely work on that." She smiled lightly. "I guess this turned into a pretty okay trip after all."
Inver chuckled. "Well I'm happy to help!"
"Sorry I'm a little late!" Sera said.
"No problem. I expected it," replied Morgan.
"I found a great place to camp on Route 110, though. I'd tell you where, but it's a Secret." Sera winked.
"Hm? Oh, heh. A permanent, personal Secret?" Sera nodded happily. "So what. Is it filled with plushes and contest magazines?" Morgan teased dryly.
Sera thought about her secret base, with its earth and fire patterned carpets, dim lighting, simple bed, and- most prominently- literal shrine to the deity of earth where she had set up candles to light. "... Yeah, something like that."
"So now what. It's been longer since our last battle than we'd even been adventuring before… our break," Morgan muttered. "But we haven't trained much in that time, so… Are we going to battle anyway, or are you here to babysit me longer, or are we just gonna flip a coin to see who heads west first, or…"
Sera shook her head. "Don't think of it as babysitting-" Morgan groaned; it was clearly too late. Sera giggled. "No, this one's on me. I just want to walk together today. Tomorrow I'll even let you go ahead of me if you want." Morgan sighed, but grudgingly agreed.
Truth be told, Sera did have ulterior motives. She was supposed to be meeting Tabitha to help provide a little PR and peacefully, legally obtain some information from the Hoenn Weather Institute. She knew it might be a little risky, but thought maybe if Morgan saw how reasonable and friendly Magma could be, it might earn her… if not respect, perhaps at least tolerance or passing interest?
Of course, now that their Navs were both fully reactivated, Sera couldn't just waltz up to Team Magma willy-nilly, but the rendezvous was schedule at a Secret spot, and with signal cut off, they'd be able to ditch their Navs long enough for the endeavor, hopefully.
Now, all they had to do was get there…
Morgan thought it odd there was no ferry service and seemingly no easy way around the inlet, but apparently that was intentional. According to Sera, the natural division of the region meant East Hoenn had developed a somewhat more dangerous population of Pokemon than West Hoenn, and most agreed it was good that needing to be able to cross either the sea or the mountains to travel between them helped prevent citizens from getting in over their heads.
It was telling, too, then, that East Hoenn was far less populated that its sister: a single, uniquely wild city inland, a port city, and several islands hardly compared to the west.
Sera insisted Morgan ride Tank across the water with her. She realized she didn't have a huge variety of prime surf candidates anymore, but Morgan was still not convinced Sera wasn't just ("just") suggesting that to make Morgan hold onto her the whole time.
Doing so resulted in mixed feelings, somewhere between 'not complaining' and '...but actually.'
How could Sera just act like nothing was wrong? Did she think being friendly or Morgan's being distracted by a more permanent injury would make up for killing Cerebus? Morgan had done a little researching during her downtime. Blaze Kick had been repeatedly shown to land critical hits more than most moves. As encyclopedic as Sera's Pokemon knowledge was, she had to have known- especially as a nearly-signature move of her prized Pokemon. Even if she didn't think it was likely, she should never have increased the risk.
But she was also cute and soft and warm… Which could have easily turned into too hot, but their bare feet in the water kept them fairly cool, and Tank kept such a nice leisurely pace… They gently rocked with the waves, but not enough to make her feel sick, just enough to be nice...
Morgan mentally sighed. Well, this was mentally unpleasant, but not physically, she supposed, so she'd count that as a silver lining.
Thankfully, it only took about 10 minutes to cross, and Morgan was able to quickly pull herself away to dry her feet and pull her boots back on. She went ahead then, knowing Sera would be close in tow, but thinking if she could have just a little distance it might help.
The vegetation out here was starting to get a lot thicker and more decidedly tropical. Morgan wondered if its off-route areas were proportionately thicker and more dangerous, or if the charted routes were just less developed by comparison to the wilds here.
She did not have long to ponder, however, as her attention was soon draw to a pulse of energy from nearby. She jumped, but then realized it was aimed not at her, but at her Nav, which continued to float alongside her, but seemed now engulfed by a thin aura.
Examining it, she found it cycling through options and searching for signal, reminding her of the first time she visited Inver's shop. ...Of course! Why didn't she think of that? If psychic interferance could temporarily mess up-
But wait who would be doing this? She braced herself for ambush as she looked around, but her eyes landed on… That looked like Mithril, but all… weird and blue. Near the Metang, a familiar silver-haired trainer stepped out of the trees, starting to wave at Morgan- but his smile soon shifted to a look of fear as his gaze jumped to Sera coming up just behind her.
He stumbled a step back, hissed something under his breath, and ordered his Metang to gltich Sera's Nav as well. Morgan thought he still might bolt, but Sera was already doing a double-take as she saw him. "I-! S-Starla?! Is that you?"
Steven cringed and groaned. Morgan turned slowly to Sera. "You mean Steven?"
Sera looked between the two, then said to Morgan. "I? No, I'm pretty good with faces; I'm almost positive that's Starla Stone, heir to Devon and League Champion."
The Champion sighed. "Well, you got two out of three," he replied. "It's Steven."
After a few seconds, Sera covered her mouth. "Oh- Oh gods I'm sorry I didn't mean to- I didn't know?"
Ah, shit. And now Morgan realized she'd been an ass back in Granite Cave. Welp. She couldn't remember exactly what she'd said anymore, but was pretty sure it wasn't as shitty as Sera, at least. "Well, that answers how your voice is so much deeper than last time." What? Why did she say that? Ugh, damn her lack of filter lately.
But to her relief, Steven's face actually lit. "Is it? I thought so, but I hear myself all the time, and so do most of my friends. It's nice to get some outside confirmation." So that could have gone horribly but Morgan was glad it worked out.
Hesitantly, Sera asked, "W-what are you doing here, though?"
Steven crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "Well, I was waiting for Morgan, but I thought she'd be traveling alone." He muttered something Morgan didn't quite catch, but she pieced together enough to guess he hadn't been watching her broadcast this morning.
...Oh, but heh. "Does that mean you've been tuning in after all?"
"Occasionally," Steven shrugged, though he wore a coy smile. As it faded to a more gentle one, he added, "I'm glad you're back on your feet, though I'm sorry you had to come back to these ridiculous Games. I was hoping I might be able to help."
Sera seemed a little surprised at the Games comment, but held her tongue in that regard in favor of, "S-sorry if I'm intruding…"
Steven shook his head. "You're all right. Just don't mention this to anyone. Dad seems like he's… starting to come around, but he's still convinced the general public simply couldn't handle someone as important as me being trans." He rolled his eyes heavily.
Sera tilted her head. "...Um. Isn't Lisia one of the biggest stars in Hoenn, though? And she's-?"
The sound Steven made might have been called a chuckle if it weren't so derisive. "Sometimes blamed for 'corrupting' me," he finished. "Her little brother and I have been inseparable since we were kids, and she used to babysit us a lot."
Sera tried not to smile, but ended up saying somewhere between a squeak and a mumble, "That's adorable…" Morgan barely knew who Lisia was and wasn't sure if she was supposed to know who the mentioned brother was, so she couldn't really comment.
"Well, daddy dearest is still somehow convinced she did anything but provide context for what I was feeling. And-" he then put on a mocking tone- "oh, but sweetie! I guess it's fine for something frivolous like a contest star, but you have a serious reputation and responsibility! How will people put their faith in you if they can't see you as consistent." He shook his head. "Or some nonsense like that. He's come up with a lot of excuses but I've gotten Cobalt to help erase most of them." He nodded to his Metang.
"I'm so sorry," murmured Sera.
"Yeah, that.. What a dick. I'm sorry for helping him get in touch with you," Morgan said.
But Steven shrugged lightly. "Nothing for either of you to be sorry about. And actually, I'm grateful to you, Morgan. He's still got… a long way to go, but that letter was the closest thing I've gotten to an apology, even if it did mostly seem like hoping to placate me so I'd get back to running the League his way." He smirked. "Based on the news lately, it seems people start questioning Devon's competence when they're denied the brute strength needed to enforce all their ridiculous policies and silence dissenters. Who'd have guessed."
Morgan huffed something akin to a laugh. "Why do I get the feeling you. You'd have guessed." Steven smiled coyly and offered a sweeping shrug in response.
But Sera frowned. "So… Morgan and I had to face two organized rebellion groups on our own because you're fighting with your dad?"
"Hm?" Steven shifted his weight again. "Well it's a little more nuanced than all that. His personal disrespect helped serve as my breaking point, but I dislike a lot of his methods of leadership in general. Using these violent 'Games' as a distraction not the least among his listed offenses." He brought a hand to his chin. "You could call this… a persuasion tactic."
"Seems reasonable," said Morgan.
"But? I mean… I've realized more since I actually became a player that the Games could probably use some revisions, but players get full free health care and even some ability to revive our Pokemon. It's more violent than contests, but? Is it really all that…?"
Steven sighed. "Do you really believe it's that simple?"
"...Wha'd'you mean?" Morgan could take a few guesses, but didn't want to; Sera, however, was entirely bewildered.
He shook his head. "Just… I hope you aren't taking your Pokemon for granite." His eyes suddenly widened as he fumbled and corrected, "..Granted…"
… "Wait!" It suddenly clicked now. "Are you the one that helped me revive Cerberus?"
Steven smiled. "I am. Is… he doing all right, by the way?"
"As far as I can tell. He seems a little calmer and more cautious than he used to be, but I'm guessing that's not uncommon?"
He nodded, but then, "...Wait. But how did you know it was…" His already pale face went whiter. "...Please don't tell me I forgot to turn off Pokéfy."
"What?"
He covered his face. "I… I have this word replacer app that-... I swear I wasn't sitting there coming up with rock puns while you were grieving. I'm so sorry."
"Eheh. I love that app," said Sera. "But I guess it's lucky you were watching when you were, huh?"
"Not at all," replied Steven, seeming to welcome the subject change. "When I got word of the incident in Fallarbor, I made my way to Mt. Chimney and decided to hang back when it seemed like the two of you could handle it. I kept a very close eye on you in the days afterward, though, just in case our friends got any bright ideas about seeking revenge."
For some reason, that seemed to get Sera on edge. Weird. Maybe she didn't like the idea of Big Brother watching? But she didn't seem to have a problem with her Nav, so Morgan didn't know what her deal was.
"Well, thank you," said Morgan. "I definitely appreciate it a lot. …. I uh. I know my tone probably understates that. But really, I don't know what I'd do without him."
"I could tell..." Steven approached, then, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let me ask you… Both of you.
"What do Pokemon mean to you?" More to Morgan, he asked, "Are they a means to an end?" And more to Sera, "A test of skill?" Splitting his focus more, he asked, "Are they friends, or tools, or some combination of both? Should they exist to enrich our lives, or us theirs, or can there be some measure of both? Is it mutual give and take, or cycles of alternating back and forth?"
Neither trainer seemed to be jumping to give him an answer, and eventually he sighed. "Well, I suppose it's good you're not too quick to answer. Perhaps that means you're still seeking the truth, rather than thinking you have it figured out already." He removed his hand at last and turned away, smiling lightly, raising a hand to his chin. "Forgive me. I know we only met once, and it probably seems like an eon ago. But somehow, I just find myself wanting to know what you think..."
Morgan… wasn't sure what to make of that. But she… might not mind sharing her thoughts, or knowing his, for that matter… She couldn't tell if it was still just his stunning appearance or the way he spoke or something else, but there really was something captivating about him, wasn't there…
"I suppose I've kept you longer than I meant to, but before-"
He was cut off by a loud borderline-avian cry. Just then, two Pokemon literally appeared from thin air.
Is one of you the human known as the Champion? a telepathic voice rang out, crystal clear even to Morgan. It seemed to come from the red creature.
"I am?" answered Steven.
Please, help us, implored the blue one. Our leaders are in danger.
Sera seemed unnerved by the request, fidgeting and checking her watch. What, did she have some place to be? Oh, actually, Morgan imagined she was just worried about how long their Navs had been offline. Well, not much to be done now.
All the same, when Steven asked if they would help, Sera answered, "Of course. What can we do?"
Sera had called dibs on Latias, and Morgan was 98% sure it was just because she was red. But… There were two of them, and three trainers. More, these were apparently children, not as large as adults of their species. So Latias was barely big enough to carry Sera alone. Which left Latios to carry both Steven and Morgan.
Morgan had tried not to complain too much about riding Tank behind Sera.
Morgan was mentally complaining about riding Latios behind Steven.
Specifically, she was complaining about landing. And it being over. Why was it already over?
On the bright side, this far out, their Navs had no hope of achieving a signal. So that was a plus.
Their rides had explained along the way that their leaders- a sibling duo- guarded two sacred stones, and that strange invaders had arrived on the island seeking them out. Granted, they had Steven at "sacred stones", but they'd continued anyway. Most of the flock was in hiding, but the leaders refused to abandon the stones, so a few of the youngest members had fled to find help. They dared not accompany the humans close enough to the invaders to be noticed, but they'd pointed them in the right direction before becoming invisible once again.
As they walked, Morgan began to hear an inkling of a voice, like the faint touch she heard when Mithril spoke to her, but she couldn't make it out, at least at first. It grew louder and clearer. Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts. And a few moments later, again, in a different voice. Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts. Twice more it was repeated, first by the first voice, then the second. Finally, it stopped. Sera and Steven didn't look like they'd experienced anything strange? ...O...kay. Morgan would have asked, but worried they may think she was losing it.
A minute later, they walked up on a group of Team Aqua members, because of course they did. They were being followed by a group of Team Magma members, because…?
A brick wall of a man standing easily six-and-a-half feet tall or more seemed to be in charge of Aqua. "-find your own mission for once!?" he was in the middle of shouting at Magma's leader, a petite girl with pink hair and-...
"You don't have a sister, do you?" Morgan quietly asked Sera.
"What? No, now shoosh." Okay, good point. If they hadn't been noticed yet, maybe they could pick something up by eavesdropping.
"Following you is… efficient."
The man growled. "I swear by the sea if you don't stop sayin' that I'm gonna-"
"You will not harm me," the girl answered. "You should remember… you have tried. Such efforts… do not work in your favor."
"Oh yeah?" That seemed to fluster him. "W-well, what if I just beat up all your lackeys, then?"
"Whoo! You tell her, Matt!" a female Aqua grunt cheer, among a few whoops and hollars from others.
"Their presence is desirable, but optional."
"... M-..Mistress Courtney?" questioned a nervous male grunt.
Matt scoffed. "Whatever. Just stay out of our way. I'm gonna get those Mega Stones for my bro and you're not about to stop me."
"Mega Stones?" Both groups turned. How was Steven the one who got them noticed.. On one hand, Morgan supposed someone as powerful as him did not need discretion as often as most. On the other, he'd been laying low for apparently almost a year now? How could he not be quiet for all of five minutes?
"Hot damn, who's that?" one of the Aqua girls asked.
"I wouldn't mind finding out…" mumbled one of the Magma girls.
"... I'm both envious and aroused, holy shit," muttered an Aqua guy.
Morgan was glad she wasn't the only one.
"Wait, I think I know him from somewhere…" said a Magma guy. The trio and Admins all looked to the grunt questioningly, the trio more apprehensive. "Ah, where was it… Is he a contest star, or something, maybe?"
"... Yes," said Courtney.
"What? No, that's not it!" cried an Aqua girl. "I watch contests all the time and I've never seen him."
"Was he on a late night show?" "I'd pay to see him in a late night show if you know what I mean." "Dude settle down he's right there." Such banter went on until both groups were pretty thoroughly involved in the chat.
"We don't have time for this!" Matt finally snapped, silencing them.
"Then perhaps you have time to explain just what you're doing here," Steven said at last.
"I don't have to explain jack to you, prettyboy," Matt growled.
"The Mega Stones," answered Courtney. "No more, no less. … That is what… What we of Team Magma seek. It is presumed… Aqua wants the same."
"You-!? Why would you do that?!" Courtney did not acknowledge him with so much as a glance. "And wha'd'you mean presume? You literally stole this plan from us!"
"Irrelevant."
As Matt was about to go off again, Morgan spoke up. "This is super amusing and everything, but can we move it along, please? Isn't this the part where we battle, or something?"
"Huh? Who's this kid?" Matt asked.
"Wait… Aren't those the trainers from Mt. Chimney?" asked one of the Aqua grunts.
"Shit, I think you're right!" answered another.
Matt brightened at that, letting out a hearty laugh. "Ah! Now I see!" he exclaimed. "So you're a pretty strong dude, aren't ya?" Was he talking to Morgan? Heh, that was one impression she'd never expected to make. "Tell you what, kids. You stay out of our way, and we won't have to rough you up."
Just then, a new Aqua grunt came barreling out of the nearby woods, pushing his way through the Magma grunts between himself and Matt, then stopping and panting heavily to catch his breath. "S-sir! I think I found them!"
"AHA! Great job, boyo!" He clapped the grunt on the back.
They started to walk off, then, when Morgan called. "Hey! What did I just say?"
"I'm afraid if you think we're going to let you steal such precious treasures from the Pokemon of this island, you are sorely mistaken," added Steven.
"... Y-yeah," added Sera weakly. Man, she was quiet today.
Matt glared down at them, but then shifted to a forced smile. "Look… You seem like cool dudes. And I love strong, interesting dudes like you. But most of all, I love my bro Archie. So unless you want me to start lovin' you real good, I suggest you stay out of my way. Because my bro wants those Mega Stones, and you're not about to get between me and serving my bro."
A small cough rose from Magma's side: "No bromo…"
"Who fucking said that?" Matt snapped, suddenly livid. Squaring up, he stormed over to the Magma ranks. Courtney remained put, stone-faced as ever, but the grunts all cowered a bit in the mountainous man's shadow. "Yes," he told them. "Fuck yes bromo. Yes romo and yes homo. When I say I love my bro, I mean I fucking love my bro, and I love fucking my bro. Now which one of you little chickenshits has a problem with it?!"
There was no response.
"That's what I fucking thought," he spat. Shoving half the group aside, he declared, "Make way for the homo superior." ...Morgan wondered what it said about their worlds that she understood that reference? But Matt pushed his way through them and headed toward the woods from which the scout had come, but was cut off by Flash suddenly blocking the path.
During Matt's tirade, the trio had spread out, each releasing a few Pokemon, and now finished moving into position to box both groups in. Tank, Mithril, Cerebus, Cobalt, Pelt, Kitsun, and Steven's Skarmory and Aggron.
"I think you'll find you're not going anywhere," Steven said pleasantly.
While Matt growled, Courtney replied, "Anticipated. Squadron… formation. Target… locking."
The Magma grunts organized. The Aqua grunts went wild. Both admins sent out Pokemon as well. Shockingly, despite the numerical advantage held by the teams, having the Champion on their side counted for something. Steven took down about three quarters of the opposing Pokemon by himself. The rest were easily dispatched between Sera and Morgan, particularly with Kitsun's Miracle Eye to help with the Dark-types. Several weaker enemy Pokemon and Courtney's Camerupt were killed in the crossfire.
It didn't surprise Morgan that this finally got a reaction out of Courtney, but what that reaction entailed certainly did.
Eyes suddenly bright- very bright?- she licked her lips menacingly, then produced a strange chiming sound that Morgan didn't think she could imitate if she tried. "Unanticipated," said Courtney. Wearing an eerie smile, but voice nearly as monotone as ever, she went on, "Commencing… experiment. You. Forever. " There was that chime again. An unnatural laugh followed, before she went suddenly blank again and turned away unceremoniously. "Returning home." Magma's ranks followed awkwardly behind her.
"...That wasn't terrifying or anything," muttered Morgan.
"Gods, I know, right?" commented Matt. "Try dealing with that all the time."
Steven crossed his arms. "You know, I'd like to have every one of you arrested, but as far out as this island is, waiting for authorities could be tedious. As such, I suggest you get moving as well, before I decide it's worth the wait."
"..Y-yeah!" said Matt. "We'll uh… do that. Let's move out, boys!"
All the Aqua grunts followed, but one of the girls did ask, "...Sir?"
Once they were all gone, Steven pondered, "Will the Legendary Pokemon truly be safe now, or will they just come right back to try again?"
I suspect they will indeed, came a strong, decidedly masculine voice. A Latios nearly seven feet long appeared then.
A Latias- smaller than him but much larger than the one that carried Sera here- appeared as well. My brother and I have discussed this in detail. You young trainers fought valiantly in defense of our home and our treasures out of the goodness of your hearts, and we would like to reward you for your effort.
"What?" asked Sera. "We don't need any-"
Precisely, replied Latios.
With your blessing, said Latias, we would accompany you for a time.
Our flock will seek out a new home, Latios went on. Perhaps in time we will rejoin them, or perhaps new leaders will be selected. In the meantime, our treasures seem safer in your hands than in those of humans who would take them by force.
"I-? O-okay," stuttered Morgan. So a minor god was asking to join them? "But wait. There are three of us, and two of you, right?"
Latias floated to Morgan, then, and Latios to Sera. We have made our decisions, Latios said.
I-if you would have us, added Latias.
"What about Steven?" Sera asked. The dragons did not answer.
After some ten seconds, Steven smiled lightly. "Very well… In that case, it seems you'll both be in need of these." He pulled a bracelet from his pant pocket, and the stickpin from his shirt pocket. "I'd intended to give one to Morgan, but it seems under the circumstances…"
Sera stared, mouth agape. "What? Y-you can't just part with your Key Stone?"
Steven shrugged. "It will take some time, but I can always forge another."
"..Forge?" asked Morgan.
"Find," said Steven. "I can find another, probably."
Huh. Well, okay. Sera gave Morgan first pick, so she went with the stickpin, while Sera took the bracelet.
"Congratulations," said Steven. "It seems you're now both users of Mega Evolution."
