The Pokémon Burial Ground
It was later in the afternoon the next day when Brendan and May got to Route 121, and to the south was Route 122. "So, to the south of here is Mount Pyre, right?" Brendan asked.
"Yep, that's the burial site of all Pokémon in Hoenn. Sort of like Lavender Town in Kanto," May said. "My mother's Delcatty is buried there."
"Well, would you like to go visit her grave?" Brendan asked.
"Sure, that would mean a lot to me," May said happily.
Gwen, however, seemed to be a bit distracted. "Gwen? Something wrong?"
No, just thought I sensed something familiar in the distance, she said.
"Alright, well, did you hear us say we're heading to Mt. Pyre?" May asked.
Yep, why don't you two lead the way? Gwen said as they got to a dock with a Pokémon nurse sitting around. She waved, but didn't speak other than that.
What caught Brendan's attention most, however, was the group of Team Aqua grunts that could be seen on the sides of the mountain. "Shit…them again," he said. "Gwen, can you get us to the entrance of Mt. Pyre?"
Yeah, no problem, she put her hands on their backs and they teleported to the main entrance. Let's go stop those idiots.
"Agreed," May said as she pulls out Miranda's Pokéball. They all entered the grave yard, seeing a few mourners at graves, but no members of Team Aqua could be seen inside. "It looks like we need to catch up a bit before we can beat those clowns again."
Then let's go faster, Gwen said with a smirk. Brendan just led the way. The three of them walked quickly, ignoring the other people in the mountain and avoiding the wild ghost Pokémon that roamed the graveyard. They made it to the top floor of the graveyard and exited into open air where they saw a few Pokémon roaming around in the grass. While they were intrigued by the Vulpix, Chimecho, and the occasional Shuppet and Duskull, Brendan and May just kept moving until a thick fog began to roll in. Gwen led them up a flight of stairs and that was when they saw the four members of Team Aqua, with Archie harassing an elderly couple, trying to take what appeared to be a large sapphire from the woman's hand.
Arceus damn it all! Gwen said as the grunts noticed Brendan and May. They sent out two Carvahna, a Golbat, and a Mightyena.
"Gwen, just use Hyper Voice, we can't waste time here!" Gwen shrieked, sending the sonic wave out and beating the four Pokémon easily. "Nice work!" Gwen smiled as May sent out Miranda. The Grunts all sent more Pokémon out, not wanting to give up.
"You two stop Archie. I'll keep these four busy," May said.
Alright, be careful, Gwen said. May smiled at her and Brendan.
"Of course, I'm not a pushover like these four," she said.
"Hey, do you mind? We're still standing here!" a Grunt said with an offended tone. Brendan chuckled slightly, but stopped when he heard Archie cackling. He turned and saw that the leader of Team Aqua had hit the elderly man over the head, and kneed the woman in the stomach.
"Archie!" Brendan said, getting the man's attention. "What the actual fuck? First you have your grunts try to rob Devon Corporation, then Captain Stern, and now you're beating up the elderly to get some stupid rock?"
"Oh, it's the annoying little scamp," he said too confidently for Brendan's tastes. "Well, seems that you don't know anything at all really. Take a good look at this 'stupid rock.'" He held up the gem and Brendan saw what appeared to be a lower case alpha in the center. He thought back to what he and May had read at the Weather Institute, and it didn't take him long to realize what the stone was.
"That's the Blue Orb, isn't it?" he asked.
"Aye, it is. This is how we will achieve our ultimate goal. Now, it's time for a new, perfect world to be created," he said.
"You mean by using Kyogre, the leviathan Pokémon that formed the seas? You actually believe that you can control something like that?" Brendan asked.
"I don't expect a teenager to understand my lifelong ambitions," Archie said with a scoff. Brendan, however, was looking at the elderly couple who were still struggling to get up. As much as he wanted to stop Archie, he knew that a Pokémon battle would put those two in harm's way. That was a risk he was not about to take, and Archie saw that in his eyes. "Team Aqua, we're moving out!" Team Aqua recalled all their Pokémon as a blue helicopter appeared overhead, dropping two rope ladders for them to climb, and they did so like sailors climbing the mast of their ship. Not even Gwen had a chance of stopping them from getting away.
Brendan cursed under his breath before going over to the elderly couple. "Are you two okay?" May came up beside Brendan and they both helped the couple to their feet.
"Y-yes, we'll be fine," the woman said through a struggled breath.
"I've taken harder hits in my day," the man said with a chuckle. "I'll be fine…but I fear that it won't be for long. Now both the Blue and Red Orbs have been stolen, and both were taken by men who aim to awaken the ancient Pokémon, Kyogre and Groudon."
"Yeah, we learned about that at the Weather Institute. The orbs awaken those two, right?" May asked.
The woman shook her head. "That's only half of it. Have either of you two heard of something called Primal Reversion?" Brendan, May, and Gwen all looked at one another, remembering what Steven Stone had said when they were back in Granite Cave on Dewford Island.
"Yeah, we've heard of it, but only from legends one time," Brendan said. Both the elders looked a little surprised.
"Ah, that is impressive. So few people actually know that part of the legend. However, there are some parts of the legends that only my husband and I know. What we're about to tell you is something that has been kept secret for generations. The Red and Blue Orbs don't just awaken Kyogre and Groudon, the orbs trigger their Primal Reversions."
I don't like where this is going, Gwen hesitantly said to just Brendan and May.
The woman's expression turned fearful. "If the super ancient Pokémon are reawakened in their Primal forms, the world would be destroyed in their clash. Nothing but those two would survive," she said.
"And one last thing," the man said as he pulled a gold token of sorts with the Team Magma crest on it from his pocket. "That Team Magma group that took the Red Orb left this. I don't know what it is, but it might help you fight them."
Brendan and May didn't say anything as Brendan took the Emblem and put it in his bag. After all, what could one say in response to hearing something like that? The keys that could kick-start the end of the world were now in the hands of two eco-terrorists who had no idea what they were about to unleash on the world.
"I see you two understand what's at stake here. However, there is good news. The orbs take time to reawaken both Pokémon. That amount of time is usually about a month after the orbs are removed from this mountain. So, I suggest that you use that time to train up. You'll likely need it if you're to help stop this threat," the man said. Both Brendan and May nodded as they began to descend the mountain.
-
After what felt like hours, but were really only minutes, Brendan finally spoke up. "We really shouldn't worry too much about this. How many times have we beaten both Team Aqua and Team Magma? This time will be no different."
May smiled. "Yeah, I know…but this just means that we will need to work extremely hard and prepare like they're going to succeed in awaking Kyogre and Groudon. Any normal opponent we can beat…but I don't think we could beat that level of power."
"In that case, how about we work to find the last member of your team? You'll need all the power you can get," Brendan said.
"You mean here?" May said with a tone of slight fear in her voice.
"Well, yeah, why not?" Brendan asked.
"Ghost Pokémon…tend to creep me out a bit," May said.
Brendan smiled sympathetically before noticing something a bit odd over May's shoulder. "I see, well then, maybe you should tell that to the Spiritomb behind you." May jumped and turned around, seeing the spirit Pokémon floating behind her, a smile that was really creepy to May.
"HOLY ARCEUS!" she shouted and ran behind Brendan, the Spiritomb looked a bit sad at May's reaction as it started to drift off. When she saw its expression turn, she began to feel bad for having reacted that way. "H-hey, wait, come on back. I'm sorry for shouting, you just startled me." The Spiritomb looked back at her with a look that seemed to ask if to ask whether it was okay if he stayed with them for a while.
"Sure, why don't we bring him with us? This Spiritomb seems to be friendly. Plus, he may even be good in contests," Brendan said.
"You mean for more of a dark, spooky appeal?" she said with an intrigued tone. "I think you're right." The Spiritomb perked up when he heard her say that, even though she still seemed a bit apprehensive near the ghost-type. That was when Gwen approached the other Pokémon.
This is Asteroth. He seems to be a bit shy, but he's also a bit of a prankster as you found out earlier. He seems to really want to travel, and he thinks May will be a good fit for him. Don't ask how he knows, his explanation is quite confusing, even to me.
May nodded and smiled slightly as she pulled out an empty Pokéball.
Wait, he wants to battle you first, Gwen said with a smile. He wants to test you as a trainer before joining you. As she said that, however, she got a questioning look on her face, as if she was sensing something in the distance.
"Of course he does. I was expecting nothing less," she said with a slight chuckle as she grabbed Miranda's Pokéball and sent out her first and strongest Pokémon. Asteroth, on the other hand, took on a serious expression, as if he knew how important this battle was. "Alright, Miranda, use Blaze Kick!" Miranda's foot lit up with flames as she leapt forward and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick, sending Asteroth flying and crashing into a nearby rock. That, however, was not about to beat the ghost Pokémon. Asteroth then formed a Shadow Ball before throwing it at Miranda. The attack hit hard, sending the Blaziken sliding back. He then fired a powerful Dark Pulse at Miranda, hitting her squarely in the chest and sending her sprawling into the dirt. "Use Flame Charge!" Miranda got to one knee and pushed off the ground, running fast and gathering flames around her body as she got faster, crashing into the Spiritomb and sending it into the ground again. That's when May threw an empty Pokéball at Asteroth. The Spiritomb was taken inside and the ball dropped to the ground, rolling a couple times before it stopped and clicked as the Pokémon was captured.
Brendan smiled. "Congratulations, you've captured your sixth Pokémon," he said as he approached and kissed his girlfriend. He cut it short, however, when he felt a strong wave of apprehension from Gwen. When he looked to his Pokémon, she was looking at the trees along Route 121. "Gwen, is everything okay?"
Y-yeah, I'm fine, she said, but her thoughts betrayed her words, as Brendan began to see a couple of Gwen's memories, particularly those dealing with her mother's death.
"Gwen, you know that you can't lie to me," Brendan said with an eyebrow raised. "You're thinking about your mother, aren't you?"
Gwen sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach. Yes, but I honestly don't know why I'm remembering it.
"Want to keep moving?" May asked. "That might help."
I guess. Maybe it's just being in a cemetery that's brought up these bad memories, Gwen said. Want to teleport back to Route 121 instead of walking?
"Sure, it'll save us time," Brendan said as he looked to the western horizon, seeing a large mass of storm clouds approaching. "Besides, we should get to a Pokémon Center before that storm hits us."
"Agreed, I hate getting caught in storms," May said. Gwen simply smiled and placed her hand on their shoulders, immediately teleporting them to the pier at the border between routes 122 and 121. The three of them began to walk to the east, moving toward Lilycove as quickly as they could. They had gotten to the halfway point when Gwen stopped.
Brendan, May, stop! she said forcefully. The two trainers did as they were told, looking at Gwen with concern.
"Gwen, what's wrong?" Brendan asked.
I know the reason I was remembering my mother's death. I've been sensing it since May started her battle with Asteroth. It wasn't Mt. Pyre. She looked to the trees as she spoke. That flock of Honchkrow and Murkrow that killed my mother is on this route. As if they were waiting for that cue, the entire flock appeared from the trees.
"Gwen?" Brendan said.
Brendan, I'm sorry, but this is something I need to do. This flock killed my mother, so I think it's time I get some good, old-fashioned revenge, she said.
(Pokémon speech will be translated)
"Well, I thought I recognized a scent," the head Honchkrow said. "But I never thought the little hussy would ever mess with us in our territory." Gwen said nothing, glaring at the Honchkrow who had killed her mother in front of her.
"Gwen, if you need help, let me know" Brendan said.
Brendan, I appreciate the sentiment, but no. I need to do this alone, she said.
Brendan wanted so badly to help his Pokémon, but he knew that she was right. This was her personal vendetta, and for it to mean anything, she needed to do it on her own. "Well, I won't stop you. But I want to help in just one way." He placed his hand on his Keystone and began the Mega Evolution process. Gwen transformed into her most powerful form, her power and anger radiating out.
She smiled at Brendan. Thanks Brendan. This shouldn't take too long. That was when Gwen turned to the flock, seeing a look of overconfidence on the leader's face.
" 't seems the little hussy got stronger since last time. This should be more enjoyable than your bitch of a mother." That was when the storm came overhead, raindrops falling slowly at first, but it gradually grew into a deluge. Gwen, however, seemed too angry to care.
You murdered my mother, and caused me so much pain. This may not be satisfying, but I don't care. This time, you'll know fear! As she said that, her voice was steadily increasing in volume until she was using Hyper Voice, hitting nearly every member of the flock. The leader and the eight strongest members were the only ones to escape the attack. The rest of the flock dropped to the ground, stunned from the power behind the attack.
"I ain't feelin' fear, so why don't we skip the formalities. BOYS, USE BRAVE BIRD!" The nine survivors of Gwen's Hyper Voice all dove at her, flames building around their bodies as they flew at Gwen.
You won't get me that way! Gwen teleported behind the Honchkrow, throwing a massive Thunderbolt at the flock, shocking half of them, but the rest dodged. Unfortunately, the rest of the flock was recovering and getting in the air, along with the thunderbolt victims.
That was when Brendan saw Gwen's face for the first time since this battle began. Her cheeks were soaked with tears. "Gwen," he whispered, seeing just how painful these memories were for Gwen.
Oh fuck it all! Gwen shouted as she held her hands in front of her. Energy gathered in front of her as a golden sphere, which shifted to a pearlescent pink before it was fired in a single, thick beam of energy, hitting only the head of the flock, focusing all her power on that one target. In that moment, all her anger culminated drastically increasing the power of her attack until the beam surrounded the Honchkrow entirely, and she didn't let up. Brendan watched in near horror as the Honchkrow in the beam was burned to the point of being charred. Once all of his feathers were burned off, Gwen stopped her attack, letting the Pokémon fall to the ground, his body smoking despite the cooling rain. The rest of the flock looked at Gwen with absolute fear as she looked at their leader before slowly glaring at the rest, even as tears streamed down her face.
I'll show mercy to the rest of you. Be aware that this is the last warning you will ever get. If you ever attack anybody else for any reason but a normal Pokémon battle, I will find out, I will find you, and I will end all of you. Take this pile of charcoal you call your leader and get out of my sight!
(End of the translations)
The Honchkrow of the flock picked up their leader and flew off as Gwen returned to her normal form. That was when a soaked Brendan stepped forward to her side. "Gwen…" He said, not entirely sure what he was going to say.
I know, you're concerned that I'll snap again, but believe me, I won't do this again unless they give me a reason.
Brendan nodded in understanding. "Alright, I trust you, but I will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't lose it like this again." Gwen smiled and pulled May and her trainer in for a hug, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I promise, it won't happen again, she said, letting a short silence fall. We should get to a Pokémon Center and get out of this storm. As she said that, lightning flashed to reinforce her point.
Brendan nodded. "Agreed. But if you ever do anything like this again, I will put you into your Pokéball."
Gwen blanched at that threat. Understood.
"By the way, how the hell did you use Hyper Beam just now?" Brendan asked.
I have no idea. My emotions just got so high that the power simply came to me. I know I couldn't do that again without learning the attack for real.
Brendan nodded. "Well, maybe we can find a TM for it to teach you, or find a move tutor."
Gwen laughed. Yeah, we'll have to see.
May just smiled. "Hey, you two, this is touching and funny, but can we please get out of the rain?" she asked. That got Brendan and Gwen moving, and within the next hour, they were in Lilycove, entering their room at the Pokémon Center.
"Alright you two, what do you think we should do tomorrow?" Brendan said as he stepped out of a hot shower. May, who had just gotten into a new concert t-shirt, this one from The Braviaries, looked really tired.
"Well, there's the Lilycove Department Store, I kind of want to go there," she said, half asleep.
And then there's the contest preparation, right? Gwen said.
"Yeah, there's that too," May said.
Brendan got on the bed, lying next to May, hugging her from the side, kissing her cheek before she turned to kiss him on the lips. "Why don't we discuss this tomorrow?"
Of course, because I'm exhausted, Gwen said. With that, they all fell asleep, barely under the covers.
The next morning, Brendan and May were just about to enter the department store when Brendan stopped. "Hey, May!"
May and Gwen both stopped. "What's up?"
"I want a rematch. Right here, right now!" he said. Gwen seemed to like the idea, as did the multiple pedestrians going into the store who had overheard the conversation.
May just smiled. "I was wondering when you'd challenge me. I accept." With that, they both took their positions, Gwen feeling excited for this battle.
"Let's have a full battle here!" Brendan said as he pulled out Nikki's Pokéball. "Ready?"
May pulled out Erza's Pokéball as well. "You need to ask?" They both threw their Pokéballs, and their battle began.
There we go, this chapter is finally finished. I hope you enjoyed it, and I apologize that it took so long, but preparations for finals took priority, and they were a pain in the ass. Anyway, next chapter is the battle, and May's next contest.
As always, please leave a constructive review.
Until next time – jmoul18
