Hey guys! Sorry for the super long wait but thanks ever so much for being patient! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please be sure to leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Enjoy
(Several years ago)
"One hundred! Excellent score sweetie!" She looked up at her mother who softly rubbed her head, praising the young raven haired girl who basked in glory, but was suddenly startled by the slamming of a paper on the table.
"Ninety two?! How can that be?!" Her eyes quickly shifted over to her brother who flinched at every word being yelled towards him, his test being waved rapidly in his face by his father who kept scolding him.
"I-i'm sorry….." He closed his eyes, stiffening up at that frightening voice.
"I expect better results Tyler! Your sister got a perfect score, so why didn't you?!"
"I don't know". He mumbled, on the brink of tears as he was being calmed by his wife.
"Honey, you have to relax, he'll work harder next time, isn't that right Tyler?"
He nodded, nervously looking up to see the scowl on his father's face, "It took me a lot of connections and phone calls to get you two into this private school because I want you two to be the top students in it…..don't make me regret wasting my time on getting you in, understood?"
They both nodded, "Yes father".
(A few years later)
Brown met brown, there eyes sparked intensely as they kept them on one another, his fists were tightening and turning white as he put more pressure into them, "H-how….." he muttered, looking into the eyes of his twin who held a calm expression, crossing her arms as she held her head high.
"You still need a lot of training to do before you can beat me". Her eyes averted themselves from her twin sibling who was now building with rage.
His Skorupi was lying on the ground, unconscious and badly beaten as her Vibrava held a smug look, staring down at the poisonous pokemon who was unresponsive, he quickly rushed over, picking his pokemon off the ground and up into his arms, slowly lifting his head up as he stared into her eyes once more.
He pressed down on his teeth, gritting them harshly, "I don't understand…...we've always trained together…..we did everything the same, so why…...why do I still keep losing?"
"You lack the desperation".
Their heads snapped over to the older man approaching them, there father, he looked over at the raven haired girl, shooting her a proud smile, "Well done Karen, excellent as always".
"Thank you". She bowed, lifting her head up shortly to stare at Tyler who frowned.
"What does that mean?" Asked the young boy, holding tighter to his pokemon.
He crossed his arms, giving a firm expression to his son who immediately became intimidated, "You want to be good, but you don't have the desperation and need to be the best like your sister, she wants it badly, and so do her pokemon, but you…..I have yet to see that spark in your eye, the fire".
"I do! I want it badly!" He looked over at Karen who remained still, expressionless, almost like a robot.
"Then show me, show me by defeating Karen one year from now at the Private trainers tournament held by our family". He said nothing else but just those words, taking one final glance at his children before leaving.
"Tyler…." She took one step, pausing right after when he stepped back.
"Nothing I do is ever good enough for that man….mom's just the same…..no matter how hard I try, I'll never be as perfect as you".
"That's not true". There was no emotion behind those words, but he could see the sincerity in her eyes, disregarding it and shaking his head along.
"How would you know, you're always being praised by the family while I'm constantly being torn down".
"You don't understand, I do-". He quickly interrupted.
"It's pointless…...when there's two…...one of them is effective…..while the other is a broken toy, and that's just how the world sees us".
(One year later)
He could feel the sweat trickling down his forehead, wiping it off as he kept his focus strongly on the battle, ignoring all of the whispers he could hear from the audience, the audience consisting of half of their family members and the rest of well known battlers who were close friends to the family.
"This is it…..Tyler versus Karen, they're both down to there last pokemon, Tyler's been trying for years now to beat Karen, but they're on two completely different levels!"
"I agree, Karen's champion material and Tyler is just not cut out to be a trainer, it's sad, but it's the truth".
"He needs to know that there's a limit to knowing your capabilities as a trainer".
He shook his head, still trying to ignore all the constant remarks being made about him, but the more he listened, the more he couldn't help the pounding feeling in his chest. His eyes shifted over to the throne like chair where his father sat at, legs crossed with a seemingly bored expression crossed over him.
"Drapion use crush claw!"
"Dodge and use Sand storm!"
It charged over to Flygon, lifting it's sharp claws as it was ready to grab it's opponent only for it to take off, sweeping past the poison type and then soaring up to the sky, flapping it's wings down at the ground where the sand from the ground was blasted up, swerving into a deadly dust storm.
"Dra-" it couldn't see at all, having it's eyes closed as it looked all around, hoping to sense Flygon's wing vibrations.
"Dragon tail!" It swooped down into the sandstorm, racing towards Drapion as it's tail began glowing with a turquoise light.
"Use ice fang!" He shouted, holding his fist out as Drapion caught Flygon's attack on time, biting down on the dragon's tail where it began freezing over.
"Dragon claw!" She ordered.
"Counter it with poison jab!"
It still had it's grip on Flygon's tail, stopping dragon claw from hitting it in the face with it's own attack, there claws clashed, now holding against the other.
A tiny smirk formed on his lips when he saw the quick look of surprise on his father's face which vanished in seconds.
"Impressive". He could hear the audience gasping and whispering.
"Switch it up with poison fang!"
He caught her off guard with that, leaving her dumbfounded when a purple sludge began appearing from it's teeth, landing it's way on Flygon who was affected deeply by the painful bite.
"Take off!" She shouted, following Flygon's every move as it took off into the sky, dragging along Drapion who was still attached to it's tail.
"Grab onto Drapion!" It wrapped itself around the poison type.
"What the-" he looked over at Karen who glanced back, no emotion present.
"End this with dragon rush!"
It spun until it began drilling through the air, creating it's own flow as a piercing whistle rang through everyone's ears.
"Drapion dod-". He flinched, covering his face as both of them crashed to the ground, destroying the floor which was left crumbled with pieces of rubble flying in several directions.
"-ge…" he lowered his arms, peeking one eye open only to see a large crater in place of the impact, Flygon stood in the center with Drapion unconscious at it's feet.
"Drapion is unable to battle! Victory goes to Karen!"
His smirk dropped while his eyes remained wide open, shaking in fear and panic from all the whispers and stares he was listening, "I…..I lost….again".
"I thought for sure he would win this one, but looks like she's still stronger than him".
"I knew it from the beginning that it would turn out like this".
"Second place…..like always".
"It's always been Karen who's been the better battler, Tyler…...just isn't born to be a champion".
"Shut up!" he blurted out, startling them all, only silence came afterwards. He clicked his tongue, storming away only to stop at the sound of his father's voice, he turned back, seeing that he was making his way over to Karen.
His mother came along, both of them hugging her with a smile, but she had no reaction to it, only remaining with a deadpanned expression.
They began making their way towards his direction, he stiffened up, ready to hear the worst, but nothing was said, they walked past him, acting almost as if he wasn't there.
"Let's celebrate!" Cooed his mom, leading the audience back to their estate where a banquet was being held.
He had stood silent the entire time, watching as they all left, all except one, Karen, who was still in the same spot from there battle, staring solely at him in silence.
"Congratulations". He murmured, calling back Drapion and then taking off.
"Hm…." she watched him get further and further away, now frowning to herself with a sigh.
~~~~~~~~~`(Later that day)~~~~~~~~~
He stood by his father while his twin was on the other side, being silent as they let adults talk, "I always knew Karen had potential, so what do you say?"
"I don't know, let's ask her". They turned down to the young girl who stared back up at them.
"Karen…" the man with glasses smiled at her, "...I was really impressed with your battling today, overall, I've been so intrigued with your progress ever since you were a little girl, would you like to come study abroad with me in Sinnoh this year?"
"What?" His eyes shot open, as did hers.
"Every year I've taken the winner of your families tournaments to come train with me, I have a private facility in Sinnoh where students like you are put through League training, basically a jump start into joining the Elite nation".
She felt the pressure from her father's eyes, "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity Karen, this chance will guarantee you a spot into joining the League".
"I-I ca-".
"Of course she'll go, Karen will be an excellent member to the Elites one day". They shook hands, leaving only Tyler and Karen to themselves.
She looked over at him, but he turned away, leaving her by herself.
(Several days later)
"Tyler…." she stopped upon seeing her twin standing in front of the two trophy cases set up in the living room. She sighed, noticing how Tyler was gazing at the cases, one of which was hers, the one that had a lot more trophies, including the newest one she won earlier.
"...Maybe they're right….maybe I wasn't born a gifted battler, but I'm still a good trainer….I've already accepted that no matter how hard I try, I just can't compare to you…...but I will never give up on my dream, someday I'll get there…...but for now…..I think I just need some time to myself".
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I can't be here….it's too much…..the pressure, the demands, the expectations…...mom and dad will never accept me unless I get to your level, but it's just impossible, that's why…...I've decided to take some time off from battling".
She stared at him in surprise, "A-are you sure that's a good idea?"
He turned back to face her, "I have to take control of my life, I have to get away from everything".
He brushed by her, leaving Karen standing in the center of the room by herself, turning back to watch as Tyler disappeared upon turning the corner, a tiny whisper escaped her lips, "What about me?"
~~~~~~~~~(Night)~~~~~~~~~~~
He grabbed the last of his necessities, lunging his backpack over his shoulder as his honchkrow landed over his shoulder, "Let's go".
He opened the door to his room, stepping out into the hallway and down the stairs as he made his way to the front door, "So you really are leaving….." he stopped, keeping his hand just inches away from the knob.
Something told him to not look back, already knowing that Karen was standing by the stairs, giving him a firm stare as he took in a small breath, "Does it matter? Mom and dad won't miss me, and I'm sure you'll be relieved to see me go".
He felt a sudden rush of cold shivers when he opened the door, "Is that what you think?"
A small stifled laugh escaped his lips, "You'll never understand….you'll always be the perfect child prodigy, they only need one kid….and it's not me".
She frowned, "Stop it…...I do understand, I-" she jolted when his head snapped back.
"Stop, you have no idea what it's like to be me…...to be living in someone else's shadow, let alone your siblings, to get shot down, torn, to have the world slam you down, you don't know the feeling of any of it!"
He could see the tears building up in her eyes, not wanting things to worsen, he quickly went out, not noticing how she ran after him.
"Don't go!"
"I have to! I can't be here anymore!" Everything quickly got quiet.
He sighed, now combing his hand through his hair in a nerve wrecking manner, "I have to…...every day becomes more and more difficult….it's not my life I'm living here…...it's a nightmare".
She had nothing to counter with, only seeing the pain through his eyes when he said those words, "W-where will you go…"
He took out a golden envelope, showing it to her, "I got this a few weeks ago…...it's an invitation to some institute called Champion's…...I haven't told anyone about it, at least until now…..you".
"Champions?" She kept staring at the envelope.
"It'll be something new for me, the admission doesn't start for another six months so for now…..I'll just be journeying through regions, experiencing new things". He stashed it away.
"Take me with you!" He was taken aback.
"What?"
She grabbed his hand, "Take me with you, please!"
"Y-you leave to Sinnoh at the end of the week, what are you saying?"
"I don't want to go, It was never my choice".
He sighed, shaking his head towards his twin, "I'm sorry Karen….but I'm going, by myself".
"Please, Ty-". he shook his head again, giving her a soft smile to comfort her.
"I'll come back again soon…...and so will you". he released his grip from her hand and stepped back, throwing a pokeball into the air as it bursted open. "Drapion! let's go!" the poison type came out, allowing Tyler to climb onto it's back, taking off into the night.
"Don't go…..don't leave me…"
(Meanwhile/Present)
They had their backs pressed against one another, making sure to have eyes on every direction.
Tyler pointed to his opponent who had a Braviary, "Use aerial ace Honchkrow!".
Both flying types took to the sky, going back and forth as they tried to strike on each other, but dodged each other's moves without a wink.
"Grab Honchkrow!"
It wrapped it's wings around the dark type, trapping it within as it shot down for the ground, not once hinting that it was ready to stop.
"Honchkrow!" He covered his face from the blast of air created from the impact.
They both laid weakly on the ground, shakingly getting back up, "Stay strong Honchkrow!"
It looked back at Tyler, nodding as it took off once more into the air, being chased by Braviary who tried once more trapping it.
"Drill peck!" It kept it's wings out, spinning slowly and then picking up more speed as it turned into what seemed like a drill, racing through the air and towards Braviary.
"Crush claw!" Called it's trainer.
"Bravi!" It waited for the dark type to get closer, grabbing it within it's claws grasp where it began flailing, unable to escape.
"You can do it Honchkrow! I know you can!" He shouted, biting on his lip anxiously when his pokemon kept cawing and flailing around uncontrollably.
"Don't stop!" His fists tightened from the suspense, gripping firmer and firmer as he continued shouting.
"It's useless, crush that Honchkrow Braviary!" It's claws began tightening, shortening the breath of its opponent.
"Drill peck!" He snapped, shouting with all his might which seemed to have snapped his pokemon back into reality.
"H-honch…...k-krow…." The air around them began tightening, becoming almost unbearable for the normal flying type, it's body began stiffening, now being dragged through the air as Honchkrow took control of the space around them, piercing the winds and drilling straight through a row of trees which shattered in a single clean hit.
It had released it's grip on the dark type, falling over on the ground weakly from all the hits, "I'm not done yet, use Brave bird!"
It's eyes shot open, it took control of it's flight and shot upwards at a rapid pace, tackling Honchkrow in it's gut and taking it up higher into the sky, both of their bodies now being engulfed in flames.
"Moon blast Gardevoir! " ordered Ari who was up against a Houndoom.
It charged after the Psychic type, firing a blazing flame thrower onto Gardevoir who split right through it with the pink sphere of energy it had released, hitting Houndoom straight on.
"Use fire fang!" It got back up, now charging again where flames ignited within it's mouth.
"Dodge it!" It teleported right before it could bite her, appearing in one spot where Houndoom rushed over only to teleport again and do the same steps repeatedly.
"Enough with these games!" Shouted his opponent.
A smirk appeared on Ari's lips, "Alright then, how about I play fire with fire then".
It didn't teleport this time, waiting for Houndoom to get closer as it waited for its trainer's orders, "Fire punch!
"Houndoom!" It jumped, aiming straight down at the psychic type with it's mouth wide open.
She held her arm out, allowing for a blue flame to engulf her fist as she struck it directly onto the dark type's nose, sending the canine pokemon crashing back against the ground with a whine.
"H-houndoom!" They looked back at Ari whose notorious grin made them cringe.
"Beauty can be deceiving".
"Psycho cut Gallade! " Leonardo commanded, battling against a Bisharp who was evenly matched with his pokemon, there moves were too quick for anyone's eyes to keep up, jumping from tree to tree which were left to crumble through from all of their attacks afterwards.
"Use dual chop!" Bisharp's blades extended out drastically, glowing with a rainbow hue as it jumped into the air.
It sliced through every one of Gallade's attacks, nearly captivating Leonardo's eyes from it's hypnotizing moves and swordsman skills, it swooped through the air, aiming directly towards Gallade with it's bladed arms.
"Dodge and use close combat!" It evaded being hit by one of it's opponents blades, landing on top of a tree and then jumping up where it came back down with a flip, both of its bladed arms had begun glowing a dark red, growing just as big as Bisharps which both clashed against each other's.
*KLINK!*
They were unseeable to the normal eye, being almost too quick as only flashes of their colors were visible in sight, all they could hear was the constant sound of blades colliding and reflecting off the other.
"Gallade!" It dodged Bisharps blade from under, blocking it with it's own sword and then striking it'a foot straight onto the steel types chest, kicking it through the air and through a row of other pokemon aiming to surround the group of students.
"Dodge it, dodge them all! We can't afford to strike back Glaceon without hitting Eira!"
Arcanine followed along with Harvey's orders, evading each and every one of Glaceon's attacks, as well as Bouffalant's, both of whom were double teaming against the fire type.
"Hang in there Eira…." He still held onto her, seeing the visible burn marks all over her body darkening.
"I-i can't…...my body feels like it's melting from within". She pressed her teeth down together, holding back the urge to cry and scream out loud.
He heard them snort, "If you won't attack her, then we will!"
"Bouffalant! Use Wild charge on Glaceon!"
It's body became shrouded in volts, tackling itself against the ice type who was rammed into a boulder, shrieking along with Eira who also felt the pain and impact, the sensation almost being as if a hot wrecking ball struck down on her body.
"Stop it!" She screamed out loudly when she could no longer feel in her left arm, tiny small electric currents began running up and down her body.
*She's burned and paralyzed, at this rate…...the damage could become irreversible if I don't put a stop to this*
"What do you want?!" He demanded, unable to think of another plan to save her.
"We want the girl".
He stood up, pointing at himself, "Take me instead! For whatever you have planned for her, do it all to me!"
"You're not the one who commands a-"
"I don't care! Do you know who I am?! I'm the successor to the Dragon clan's Sigfreid branch, I'm a much stronger trainer than her!"
"H-harvey…." Her head slowly turned over to glasses wearing boy, she didn't know what to think, all she was able to do was listen to the words he spoke.
"Did you say…...Sigfreid branch?" One of them said, the other whispered into it's partner's ear.
"Very well, come with us and we'll spare the girl in exchange".
He picked up Eira, hurrying over to Ari whom he handed the wounded girl to, "W-what the…"
"Take care of her…..please…."
His lips came just inches away from her cheeks, a small whisper mellowing out for only her to hear, words which were enough to awaken her fully.
Ari tried pulling him back but was too late, "W-wait! Harvey!"
His scream alerted the others who watched Harvey join the two cloaked figures, his Arcanine ran over, joining it's trainer side as they walked into the black portal appearing behind them.
"Harvey don't do it!" Shouted Leonardo.
"Stop! Don't go!" They screamed for him.
They got no response back, just watching as their friend disappeared into the darkness.
"Everyone huddle up!" Shouted Ari, being joined by the others who quickly huddled into a group, facing every direction where there opponents were now closing in on them.
"Let's give it our all!" Exclaimed Blake, he pointed ahead, commanding his shiftry to fight.
Attacks were being fired from every direction, chaos showered over them as fire, thunder, water, and grass attacks clashed.
"There's too many!" Levy tangled her hand with Leonard's, becoming frightened as they were being overpowered.
Tyler sighed, "She's right you guys…...what do we do?" He looked over at Ari and Leonardo who were at his sides.
They gave him a firm stare, "We keep fighting".
"Go!" They shouted, having all three of there pokemon jump into the air, unleashing attack after attack towards their opponents.
"Sandstorm!"
The dust at their feet was being swept up by a strong wind, alarming everyone as they watched all the sand and dust turn into one giant cyclone, trapping all of the students within and creating a barrier between them and their attackers.
"Take cover!"
They kept their backs towards the sandstorm, making sure to shield their faces from the rough grains slicing through their uniforms.
"Tyler!" He turned around when he heard his name, coming face to face with one of the masked figures.
They took his hand, sparking him to pull it away, "What the hell?! Who are you!"
Everyone else turned to look, now on the defense towards the masked person who seemed to want to help them.
"Hurry! We don't have much time!" They grabbed his hand again, pulling him along and leading the others who felt no other choice but to follow as well.
An opening in the sandstorm formed for them to go through, allowing them to escape as their attackers were more focused on trying to break through it. They kept running, taking cover towards the borderline leading back into the forest.
He pulled his hand away, stopping and keeping a distance as the cloaked figure stopped as well, "Who are you! Why did you help us?!"
Everyone stared in silence, waiting for a response, they heard it sigh, holding back there breaths as they were beginning to pull down their mask and hood.
His eyes shot open, he could hear the others gasp from behind, "K-karen….."
"Tyler". She tackled him into a hug, leaving his friends who were confused, not knowing who she was.
Ari pointed to Karen, "Tyler…..who is she?"
"I'm his twin". She made sure to stay by his side, allowing his friends to take a close look at them.
Leonardo rubbed his eyes, "Dude! She's hot!"
He piped down when he saw the venomous eyes Tyler gave him, his attention turned back to his twin, "Karen…..What…...What are you doing here? What's going on?"
She seemed hesitant to answer, meeting eyes with every single one of them, "I'm…..I'm with an organization called Dawn's Templar, they're the people terrorizing your school right now".
She was startled when he grabbed her shoulders, "What?! Why are you with these people?!"
A frown formed on her lips when she shoved him away, catching him by surprise when she did so,"It wasn't my choice, I was forced to join!"
He looked confused, "W-what? How?"
"What do you mean?" Asked Leonardo, slowly making his way closer to the female.
She sighed, "That man who offered me to study abroad…..he's one of the heads of the organization, dad doesn't know anything, he thinks I'm still studying at this prestigious facility when in fact…..the moment I arrived, they began trying to brainwash me…...all of us….these people are dangerous, they've collected many strong trainers and turned them into mindless soldiers".
"Are you serious?" Exclaimed Ari, looking back at the others who were now worrying.
Tyler shook his head, still not understanding everything, "Wait…...if they've been brainwashing people, then why aren't you like them?"
She leaned against a tree, sliding down where she sat on the ground, clutching tight onto her knees, "Because I'm not stupid enough to fall for there bullshit, when I heard there plans to raid Champions, I remembered Tyler…...how you told me you were planning on coming here…. I had to play my part in order to come here, they only let the students who they feel are ready to conquer leave the facility while the others stay behind and continue training, I had to come and warn you of the dangers, I had to see you and make sure you were ok".
He knelt down in front of her, bringing her into a hug which she returned, "I'm sorry…..". He whispered.
"...You begged me to take you away and I was selfish…...it's because of me that you're in this mess, it's because of me that you're involved with these people….I'm so sorry".
He could feel her tears draining through his clothing, "...I'm just glad I could see you again, I was worried that they would take you away and hurt you".
"I'll never let that happen".
"Hey….Karen…." They were interrupted by Rosebella who came over, kneeling down beside them as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Why is Dawn's Templar attacking the school? What do they want?"
They could hear her take in a deep breath, almost frightened at what she was about to tell them, "I'm not exactly sure, but it has something to do with the Tower of Triumph as they call it".
"The tower". They all mumbled together, confusing both Blake and Tyler who were clueless about it.
"Yes, the master's of the organization are trying to collect the people who they say will bring the tower to life".
"Kings". Whispered Rosebella, exchanging glances with both Leonard and Leonardo.
"But most importantly…..they said they needed to bring back the one person who would be able to change everything for them".
"Who?" Asked Tyler.
"She's the girl who commands knowledge over all the roads, they say her power will allow them to manipulate roads and help them change the order of events for some war".
A sigh escaped Leonard's lips, suddenly grabbing everyone's attention, "The ruler of the most difficult and consequential road….the Pledge queen".
(Dakota/ Anastasia/Luis)
He began laughing when he saw her quietly praying to herself, hoping that something would come and help her in this fight.
"Kids like you make me question how you got into this school, pitiful…...weak…...fragile…...you give a bad meaning to the Elites".
"Stop it!" She whipped her head back and forth, refusing to hear anything.
"Don't listen to him!" Shouted Anastasia.
"Ahhh!" She clutched onto her head, releasing a powerful cry, one which ignited an earthquake to erupt.
He kept laughing, holding his balance against the shaking ground, "Is this…..is this possibly the Rumble road activating?! Amazing!"
Anastasia remained on her knees and hands, holding tight against the earthquake, "T-the rumble queen…..is her?"
*It's useless…..I can't do much without my regalia with me*
"M-mismagius…." It kept looking around, seeing Dakota drop to her knees as she continued screaming.
"Gengar!" A circle traced around the shadow pokemon from below the ground, blasting a white light through the crack which trapped Gengar within, nearly pulverizing it in the process.
"Gengar no!" The light vanished, leaving only the ghost type on the floor completely beaten down.
He growled, pulling out what looked like a small cannon blaster, he aimed it towards Dakota, firing what seemed like an electric net.
"Mis-..." her eyes opened, growing wide when she saw her Mismagius get in the way, allowing itself to be captured and receive multiple electroshocks.
"-magiussss!" It hissed with every zap, staring over at Dakota with a tiresome expression.
"NO!" She rushed over, attempting to rip open the tent only to get shocked when she touched it, sparking her to retract her hand.
"Good thing I brought another net". He fired a second time, shooting out a net which reflected through her eyes as she watched it get closer, unable to move as she felt numb all over.
"Look out!" Anastasia flinched, closing her eyes tight as she awaited the worst.
"Who the hell are you?!" Their heads quickly snapped over to the figure standing in front of Dakota, a fiery blue energy all over his fists as he held onto the net which he tore apart.
"L-luis!" Cried Anastasia, relieved to see him.
"I felt the earthquake, good things don't necessarily come from those". He flung it to the side, having the Lucario by his side rush over to Mismagius, tearing open the net in one clean hit with Aura sphere.
His eyes shifted over to Anastasia who was still clutching to the spot where she was shocked, "Just who are you and why are you terrorizing them?"
A scoff escaped his lips, "That has nothing to do with you!"
He shot his fist towards the masked man, "Aura sphere!"
Lucario jumped, firing the attack down on the man who barely dodged it, now being blocked by the smoke of the attacks impact to the ground, he kept coughing, making sure to keep his eyes open on every direction.
Luis appeared right behind him, striking his fist on the man's back where he was thrown forward onto the ground, "It wasn't a question you bastard, it was more of a demand".
"Wow…" she watched Luis and Lucario work together to beat the man down, then looked down at her hands which were trembling viciously.
"I'll never tell!" He growled, immediately shutting up when both Luis and Lucario struck their fists onto the ground just inches beside his head, purposely missing him.
A slight whimper came out of him, "I still won't tell! Kill me if you want! I'm loyal to my masters!"
"Well when I'm done with you, you'll be wishing you never met them".
"Wait!" They stopped, looking back at Dakota whose expression darkened, her hands balled into fists.
"What the-". He stumbled back, eyes growing wide at the sight in front of him.
"Let me take care of him".
Faint illusions of several pokemon standing all in a row appeared behind the young blonde, roaring and growling as a yellow energy began surrounding her body, the first thing he noticed about it was that they were all ground type pokemon, "W-what is this….."
(Celebrant/ Zero/Troy)
Ramona had grit her teeth together, taking cover behind her Venusaur, eyes leering venomously towards the white haired boy, "Unbelievable…"
"Ahhhhhh!" Everything was dissolving, the walls were disintegrating from a purple liquid oozing from them.
They both dropped to the ground, being released from captivity as Zero stayed on his knees, black vines with sharp thorns began appearing over his arms and neck, Celebrant quickly retreated, keeping a distance away as black thorned vines were growing in place of where Ramona's plants previously took over.
"T-thorn King….." Mumbled Luciana in her sleep, sweat began trickling down her face, as if energy was being constantly stolen from her.
"Zero snap out of it!" Shouted the Ace, he screamed when one of the dark vines whipped him back, forcing the white knight to crash against the ground from the force.
Angry tears filled her eyes, "I've never seen you like this….not even when we were together…...do you….do you really care about her that much?!"
He slowly rose onto his feet, breathing heavily in grunts as his dark eyes stared her down, "More than I ever have for you".
"Wait…" they both whipped their heads over to Celebrant, a surprised expression he had.
"...you two…..together?"
He began laughing, almost using it as a method to mock and humiliate her, "It was only for fun, what we had was nothing serious, I never thought of you as anything more than just a toy".
Celebrant took notice of the pain in her eyes, she held her tears back, hoping to avoid his words yet couldn't, they struck her like daggers, digging deeper and deeper into her heart, "You played with many girls hearts, you made me believe I was different, I actually believed you cared about me, but when I lost my title….you threw me away like a ragged doll…I became only a faint memory, along with my legacy as the former queen, I was no longer important…..you and this entire school are monsters! I'll get revenge on everybody! I'll make you all pay…... starting with her".
"G-guh!" The bud harboring Luciana had shrunk, squeezing the blonde within who began groaning uncomfortably.
"No!" Celebrant came closer to her, feeling a bit less intimidated by Ramona after seeing the truth in her eyes.
"Ramona…..I understand…. Zero hurt you, he brushed you away like you were nothing, the school looks down on you if you're no longer powerful…..the consequence of being with the Elites is strong, you'll be loved and worshipped, but thrown away when you're no longer apart of them, but it shouldn't be enough for you to harm the innocent lives who come here to learn, let alone Luciana who has done absolutely nothing to you…..please….you ruled as the queen who taught her fellow peers to fight for what's right in the world….what happened to that girl?"
She placed her palm over the left side of her forehead, clutching some of her hair in a tightening manner, "That was the weak me…...the reason why I lost my title, because I was weak, in our world, playing by the rules won't always get you what you want, sometimes you have to get your hands dirty".
A large vine shot up from the ground, taking both Ramon and her pokemon, along with Luciana, up into the air, sprouting out through the ceiling as both Zero and Celebrant looked like mere ants below.
"Luciana!" A second black vine shot up, taking along Zero who went after them, leaving only Celebrant to remain on land.
"Celebrant!" His head whipped over to the hole in the wall, Troy was standing there, holding Celestial in his arms as he crossed in.
"Troy!? W-what are you doing here! And with Celestial?" He rushed over to them, staring down at Celeste who began whimpering in her slumber.
"Where's Luciana?"
He followed Celebrants fingers which began pointing up towards the hole in the ceiling, the two vines intersecting as Zero and Ramona sparked intense glares.
"Give her to me!"
"Sorry, but I'm going to need every inch of this girl for what I have in store".
"We have to get this on Luciana". He grabbed Celestial's palm, opening it up to show the silver rosario
in her grasp.
Celebrant gasped, "How…...how did she get her hands on this?"
"Beats me, but she said we have to get this on the queen's neck before it's too late!"
"Leave it to me!" He grabbed the silver neck piece only to drop it with a hiss, a soft sizzling sound was coming from his hand.
"Agh!" There was a burnt red spot on his palm from touching the Rosario.
"Mn…...the rosario…..it can only be touched by those…..those who have excellent energy control…." They looked back down at the dual haired girl who was regaining consciousness, her eyes fluttered open, meeting with Troy's and then with Celebrant's.
"But I'm the thunder road guardian, shouldn't I be-"
She shook her head, stopping the white knight from speaking any further, "You may be a king, but that doesn't mean you are advanced in controlling your road, you have much to learn like the others".
He put her down, still holding her by the arms to make sure she wouldn't fall, "I'll go…..I'm the only one right now who can hold this Rosario".
It was snatched back into her grasp, now making her way over to the large vines only to be pulled back by Troy, "You can't do this! You're still not well enough, let me do it!"
"No…...that's my sister up there, I'll be the one to do this, you two stay down here and wait for my signal".
"Signal?" They looked at each other, not realizing she had called out her salamence whom she climbed onto, taking off towards the sky.
"What do you think will happen if I just let her drop from here? Will her head shatter with a millions cracks?" The bud was now hanging over the side of the vine, swinging the unconscious blonde loosely in the air.
He gripped his fists painfully, the vines embodied around his neck and arms were digging deeper into his skin, nearly piercing and allowing blood to seep through, "I'll drop you first before I let that happen".
"How about I just drop you both?" Salamence rose up in between them, carrying Celeste who was standing on it's back, glaring coldly at both Zero and Ramona who were startled by her appearance.
"Celestial!"
"Y-you! Who are you! And why do you look like her!" She pointed down at Luciana who was still hanging dangerously over the edge.
"I'm guessing Luciana forgot to mention to you that she had a twin".
"T-twin?" Fear struck through her eyes when Celestial's icy gaze pierced into her.
"That's right, and I don't appreciate you handling my little sis like that". She struck her hand forward, "Hyper beam!"
"Solarbeam!"
Venusaur had released its attack first, being powerful enough with the bright sun they were under only to be left in shock when Salamence's black energy blast cut right through it, hitting the grass type who took grave damage from it.
She stepped off the dragon's back and onto the same platform Ramona was on, slowly walking towards the raven haired girl who was backing away, trying to keep a distance only to stop when she almost fell off, "You picked the wrong person to mess with".
"G-gah!" She gripped her hand around Ramona's neck, squeezing it tightly as she looked back at Zero.
"What are you doing standing around, save my sister".
He narrowed his eyes onto Celestial but complied with her orders, a large purple ring appeared beside him, both a vespiquen and Beedrill came out from it, black symbolic ink markings surrounding their bodies as they raced over to Luciana with Beedrill cutting through the bud and Vespiquen catching her.
"No!" Ramona grabbed Celestial's arms and tried shoving her away but was forcefully held down.
"Let's go". The vine he was on began descending more and more down as he was accompanied by both pokemon and Luciana.
"I will not let you ruin this! Petal Blizzard Venusaur!"
It's roar had conjured up a pink mist to appear in the sky, thousands of petals had suddenly appeared in mid air, swerving dangerously around them and slicing through the large vines, "Ngh". she looked down at her sleeves which were being sliced open from the petals, cutting through and leaving open wounds on her arms and shoulders.
"Look!" They saw Zero coming down with Luciana, shouting when they were suddenly held back by the blizzard, forcefully pulling Zero and the Queen back up into the air.
"Stay strong Salamence!" She shouted when the roars of her pokemon began piercing her ears.
"Solarbeam!" It released another blast of green energy.
"Dodge it!" Ordered Celestial, having no idea where the attack went because of the thick pink mist.
"Sala!" It was struck head on, being sent rapidly back where it collided with another building.
"No!" She struggled on holding back Ramona who fought back roughly this time, eventually gaining an upper hand on Celestial who was more focused on her wounded pokemon.
"Celebrant! Troy!" They watched as Zero commanded both pokemon to release Luciana who came falling from above as they were pulled further into the sky.
"Agh!" They pulled away from each other with Celestial falling over the edge and now dropping from the sky.
She took in a deep breath, releasing a loud scream which echoed endlessly through the swirling winds, "Luciana!"
*Luciana…..Luciana…..Luciana…..Luciana* her name kept repeating itself in her slumber, becoming a repetition as the voice slowly became familiar.
*GASP*
Her eyes shot open, "Gotcha!" There was a slight flinch when she landed on boths boy's arms, seeming alarmed and confused as to what was going on.
The first thing she came to see was her twin coming down through the air, holding the rosary in her hand which she threw down, "Catch it!"
It shot down with her forceful throw and with the intense winds, allowing it to drop directly into her twin's hands as she looked down at it, immediately being hypnotized by it's unique beauty, She looked back up at Celestial who was getting closer and closer, "Put it on!"
Hesitation came into play, what would happen were her thoughts automatically, but nonetheless, she still felt a bit of assurance since it came from her sibling's mouth, "O-ok".
A bright light surrounded the neck piece when she put it on, appearing once more in her eyes as she gasped out almost in a frightening manner, like the oxygen was being dragged out of her, "W-what's happening!" Exclaimed Celebrant, being left to care after the blonde as Troy rushed over, throwing himself in the process and catching Celestial in his arms as they tumbled to the floor together.
"Seventeen Regalia's awakened, Pledge road activate….." The silver in her eyes brightened even more with a cross like symbol showing in the center of where her pupils should be.
Celebrant was startled when a large silver halo appeared above him and Luciana, his mouth slowly parted open for what he witnessed through the glowing ring, "...Locating all Road Kings in five…...four…..
They were still on the ground, his body shielding her as he looked back to see Luciana's hypnotic state, "W-what did you do?"
Her chest was rising up and down rapidly, no hesitation on her face or tone as she stared Troy with firm eyes, "I awakened the Pledge Queen's true power".
"...one…"
(Victoria)
"Freak?! I'll show you!"
"The only thing you'll be showing me are your tears old man!" She threw her pokeball out, calling out the partner she was prepared to fight with.
"Empoleon!" It landed down below, just being a short distance away from Rhyperior whom it glared at.
"Smart move, but it doesn't mean you'll be able to take out my pokemon, go Rhyperior! Use drill run!"
"Rhy!" It burrowed into the ground, leaving a gaping hole in place as Empoleon remained in place, trying to sense its opponents movement.
He mocked out a laugh, "It's useless little girl!"
Her steel gray eyes darkened on the ground, a white ring formed in the center of them, "Jump Empoleon!"
It shot upwards just in time as the ground pokemon sprung from underneath, missing Empoleon who was facing downwards from the air.
He was taken hugely by surprise, "What! Impossible!"
"Let's go Empoleon! Hydro pump!"
"Empoleon!" It shot down a powerful blast of water, striking the rock type directly who was sent crashing down on the grass forcefully.
"Use Metal claw!" The water type shot down, holding both of its fins out which were quickly transformed into steel matter.
"Counter it with Hammer arm!"
The smoke cleared away, allowing both trainers to see when Empoleon and Rhyperiors attacks clashed, a large clanking sound could be heard as the attacks collided, erupting and releasing out a disturbing screeching noise.
"Ngh". she tapped up her hears, unable to bear hearing the sound which was like nails on a chalkboard.
"Use Megahorn!"
It pushed Empoleon away, quickly storing energy into it's horned drill which was now glowing green, "Look out!"
"Empo!" It was charged into by the rock pokemon, jamming it's horn straight against Empoleon who was picked up in one swoop, being thrown back all across the field where it broke through the pillar holding Victoria.
"No! Empoleon!" It was swaying back and forth, trying to keep still with her holding on.
"Uwah!" It fell backwards, sparking the young Frontier to throw herself off and land with a roll, looking back at Empoleon who was still on the ground, yet was also pulling every bit of strength to get back up.
"Oops, does someone have a boo boo?" A cringing smirk appeared on his lips after he faked a worried pout.
Her eyes sharpened with intense hatred for her opponent, "Not one bit". She got back on her feet, shooting her hand towards her opponent and his pokemon.
"Surf!" She growled, being backed up by Empoleon who finally stood up, being outlined with a blue essence where a large wave of water appeared behind it.
"Empoleon!" It seethed, sending the large roaring wave straight for it's opponent while missing Victoria where it had split into two, allowing her to stand in the center of the moving water.
"Hmph, use dig!" It burrowed into the ground once more.
A smirk curved up onto her lips, "Water pledge!"
It pierced its tritan into the ground, causing it to shake as large water geysers began sprouting out all around them.
"Rhy!"
"No!" His eyes followed the ground type as it was sent up into the sky after being forced out of the ground by the pressure of the water.
She kept leering at the man, hoping he would combust into flames for whatever reason, yet she knew that was impossible, "Whirlpool".
Every geyser quickly began moving, stretching out and moving in a clockwise manner where they all combined into one giant whirlpool, trapping Rhyperior within who was being dragged continuously around the water.
"Get out of there!" He shouted, watching helplessly as his pokemon was trapped in an endless loop.
She was staring up at the whirpool, eyes voidless as Empoleon handed it's tritan over to her,"Pretending to be tough when you're just as weak as the rest, it's really pitiful, and another reason why I hate males, they think they're tougher than girls, you think you can mock me because I'm small and a female?"
He took a step back when she shot the tritan forward, pointing at him with it, "This battle was simply too easy for me, is this really all you have to live up to?"
Look of confusion, as well as some fear and disgust appeared on his face, what was she talking about, what was the whole deal with her saying she hated males in all, "W-what the hell's a matter with you kid, you're sounding like a tyrant right now".
"That's what happens when you share the same blood of an actual tyrant, a monster, shall I show you what I mean?" She swiped the tritan across the air, leaving him speechless as the whirlpool grew larger in size, becoming more than 30 ft tall with Rhyperiors roar gurgling and fading from within.
"No! You crazy girl!"
She crossed her arms, holding the tip of the tritan over her simpering lips, "The fun's not over yet".
(Mercy/Russell)
"And that's everything…...well at least to my knowledge". She kept staring at Russell who was frozen still, being silent as he was still processing every single word she had just said.
"So…..so I've been chosen…...to tame a road to this tower and become its king?"
"Yeah…...it's your destiny".
He grabbed a handful of sand, staring at the grains sinking through his open fingers with a solemnly look, "I can't believe it…..all this time, I thought I was never going to be somebody important…..but I was wrong….I am important…...I'm a King to this sacred tower where I'm destined to fight and prove myself as the King amongst others…..it's just….unbelievable".
"It's not as amazing as it sounds, being a road guardian comes with its consequences, you're putting your life on the line, you've become an official target for every other King and anybody who wishes to destroy you".
His eyes shifted up to her, "Are you one of them? Do you want to destroy me as well?"
Her silence made him immediately think wrong, but the motion of her head shaking quickly changed it, "I have nothing against you….it's the regalias and the tower I want to help destroy….with all of them gone, we can all be free and the madness will end…..it may not be the peace we all wished for, but it's the peace we can live with".
A slight frown formed on his lips "But…...did you ever stop to think that maybe becoming the Storm King will allow you to bring the peace we all wished for, you or I can restore serenity into the world…"
His body jolted when she got up on her feet, coldly staring him down, "No, nothing good can ever come from having that much power, it can turn even the purest heart into stone".
"How do you know that?" He stood up as well, standing just inches away from her, he could feel her heavy breathing, that same cold glare intensifying, he quickly understood that the subject was deep for her.
"The one person who mattered to me is now shrouding with hate and darkness, my father was so obsessed with becoming a king that he turned on his own brother who was chosen to tame the flame road, he despised him, even though they were so close before, craving all that power he couldn't have made him into a heartless monster, I had to suffer his abuse constantly, I had to hear the same thing everyday, that I was a nuisance, it was my fault he wasn't chosen, it was my mother's fault and that's why she left us, my entire existence was a disturbance to him but he only kept me out of pity , my life was pointless, but the only thing keeping me here was Rosebella, and even so, she despises me from the same craving for power….I don't want power, I just want the people I love back, power is meaningless if you're not happy".
"..." Her eyes shot open for what came next, he had grabbed and pulled her into an embrace, her body stiffened, she didn't know what to do, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to because her body was on complete shut down.
His brows were furrowed, he stared out into the sea, placing one hand over her hair which he began stroking, "Why can't you just let go of the darkness inside of you….you can bring back the people you love, but letting poison run through your veins and darkness invade your heart doesn't make you any better, you're just like them".
"S-stop…" He could feel her trembling within his embrace, her voice withering and cracking in between sounds.
"...W-why do you care, it's my problem…..no one else".
With her ear pressed against his chest, she was able to hear his heartbeat, it fastened in just seconds while she was able to also hear him breathe in deeply, "Because I understand….I know the pain, you feel alone, it hurts inside, so much that you just want to rip your own heart out, there's an evil place in the back of your head that you constantly turn to, I go through the same thing, but I fight and learned that I can't be living with hatred and inquity, I'm a human who deserves to find happiness, and I want you to do the same…..I want to bring the real Mercy out, I want to see the real you, because right now, I know this isn't it".
"H-how would you know that? What if this is the real me". She retorted, hoping he became convinced, but of course, he wasn't.
He pulled her away, holding her by the arms as he looked down at her, both of their eyes meeting, "It's not….a beautiful face like that was born to only smile and laugh, not frown and cry".
Something thumped inside of her chest, the feeling was unsettling, she was unfamiliar with it, but then, why was she somewhat mildly happy way deep down about his comment of her being beautiful? Even she was clueless to the answer.
She couldn't find the words to counter against his own, she felt her body heat up and turned away, avoiding all type of contact with him.
"The world has gone sixteen years without seeing your smile…..maybe it's time you stop making them wait". Her eyes shot open, the feeling, it only increased within, becoming more and more unbearable, his soothing voice, the way he mellowed those words out to her ears, it made her feel weak all over.
"Y-you idiot…"
That wasn't the response he quite expected, yet the reaction he saw when he looked around her was more surprising, she was completely red, redder than when one has a fever, her lips were rolled inward while her eyes were shining, glistening under the bright sun, was she shy? Embarrassed? Or was it Anger, he had no clue.
"M-mercy?" This look was unlike anything he had ever seen on a girl, mostly because he never associated with them, but it's an expression he quickly became curious about, why was she like that?
(Yun/ Michael)
"Aqua tail!"
There tails were engulfed with water, shaping themselves into a larger version of their own tails which they began swinging around uncontrollably, eventually hitting espeon who turned out to be a puppet, exploding upon contact which left the red haired woman wondering where the real pokemon was at.
"Let's go Gengar! Foul play!"
A black hole appeared in the center of the field, sprouting dozens of black shadow tentacles which clashed against the trio of Aqua tails, raveling against one another.
"Espeon use quick attack!" A quick flash appeared behind the three Gyarados, it bounced from the back wall over to the next one, leaving only a white streak of light to follow it.
"Get that Espeon!" She shouted, annoyed by how it only kept bouncing from wall to wall, circling around the three serpents as a means to confuse them.
"Gyara!" One of them had begun following the psychic pokemon while the other two fought off Gengars shadows, whipping its tail wildly towards everywhere it saw Espeon.
"Follow it with double team!" There were multiple Espeons now zig zagging from wall to wall, striking back and forth on Gyarados who was being knocked from side to side.
"Is this what you plan to do? Play these little tricks to confuse me? I don't have time for you, I've come for only one thing and that's Celestial".
His eyes sharpened into a mean leer, "How do you know her and what do you want with her?"
A fanged smirk curved over her lips, "Is that really any of your business?"
He had no hesitation behind his words, "I'm making it my business".
Michael jolted when Yun's head whipped back to him, "How long has this battle gone on for?"
"U-uh, approximately 13 minutes".
A similar smirk appeared on the King's mouth, "I'm ending this at 15".
He shot his hand upwards, "Rain dance!"
Dark clouds began appearing over them, showering the entire field with rain and loud roars, "W-what are you doing?!" She snapped back, flinching at the sound of the roars.
"Use Psychic!"
The rain had stopped immediately, freezing every drop mid air and all around, five wormholes opened up through the dark clouds, releasing the blasts of water which were sucked in through Espeon with its powers, washing over the three Gyarados who were pummeled down by the brutal force.
His smirk widened as she took notice of that one word escaping his lips, "Thunder".
"Gengar!"
It rose it's claw up, releasing a destructive bolt of lightning to come crashing down, hitting each and every drop of water in sight which ignited a chain reaction of explosions to occur on every inch of the field.
"Espe!" It jumped back, joining sides with Gengar who created a large green forcefield around the two, protecting them from the chain of explosions activating all around.
"Gyarados!" She watched in terror, hearing their cries and screeches multiple times before processing everything that just happened, the sight was just too much for them to take in, the way every spark of electricity traveled from drop to drop sparking it to heat up and explode was incredible, it was like a display of fireworks went off.
"A-amazing…." He breathed out, feeling his eyes burn from the intensity of the light being released through the attacks.
"G-gyara…." One by one they came tumbling to the ground, smoke rising up from there electrified bodies as they were completely out cold.
"You…..you beat my Gyarados…...I-impossible". She was more than scared, she had fear visible in her eyes, taking a step back as Yun approached her, returning his pokemon who were completely unharmed.
"If someone is called a King, it's for a reason, I'm above others in power and clearly this fight proved that I'm above you".
Michael looked away, tightening his hands into fists, *He took down three Gyarados like it was nothing, his strategy, his plan of attack, it was genius, pure gold, The King truly is a frightening person*
"Bound her".
"Huh!" Two shadows rose up from the ground, spiraling around her wrists as they pulled and forced her down to her knees.
"W-what is this!"
He began making his way over, Michael following right beside him, "It's called an interrogation, so if you don't want anything happening to you then you better start giving me answers".
(Mark/Rika)
"Which way do we go?" Rika panted, tired from the constant running they were doing.
Mark had no clue, both of them did, they were only running to avoid all the invaders, but now they didn't even know where they ended up at.
"There's two of them!" They looked back, seeing a group of masked men now chasing after them.
"Quick"! Mark and Rika took off, being blocked immediately by an Onix shooting up from the ground.
"Agh!" They fell back from the rumble, staring up at the stone pokemon in fright.
"Help them out!"
"Onix!" its stoned body stiffened, being surrounded in a blue glow and also being lifted from the ground where it was thrown back at the masked men who evaded the pokemon in time.
"W-who did that?!" They looked around, stopping when they saw the masked figure who had mysteriously teleported in front of them, she wore the same cloak as the invaders which she pulled off, revealing her ridiculously long pastel pink hair and baby blue eyes to them.
"Are you two ok?" She extended her hands out to them, startling both boys when a Gardevoir and Gothitelle appeared behind her.
"You're one of them". Rika refused to give his hand to her.
A sheepish grin appeared on her lips, "I was….but I guess I'm undercover now, or as others put it, a traitor". She placed a finger over her lips, winking at the two boys who seemed even more confused.
"Get them!" The same group of men returned, both Mark and Rika's hands were grabbed by the pink haired girl where they all teleported away.
"Uwah!" They ended up on top of one the buildings roofs where both males landed on the floor roughly.
Rika rubbed his head, staring sternly at the girl, "Who are you? And why are you undercover with them?"
"I'm subject 3709, but they gave me the name Valentine…..I came here to find the people who will be able to help me".
"Subject? Are you….an experiment?" Asked Mark unsuringly.
"I am….I was created using the DNA of two prisoners being held captive back at our headquarters". Her voice got softer while her eyes became voidless, shifting away from contact with the two boys.
"I can't believe it…..a genetically engineered human…...what exactly were you created for Valentine?"
"My purpose is to rule over the mystic road, when I was created, I was modified to bond with Psychic pokemon, but I have still not tamed it's road….I can't, it's nearly impossible".
"Why is that?" Questioned Rika.
"Because I was not chosen by the tower naturally, the only way for me to tame that road is if the people I'm with can get a hold of the one person who can manipulate the roads and the tower".
"The pledge queen". Answered Mark, stunning the pink haired girl who puzzled on how he knew that.
"Yes, with her, the roads can be changed and new kings will be chosen".
"Let me guess". Scowled Rika, "The new kings they intend to choose are minions of theirs".
"Yes, they want to bring in the current guardians of the roads and start by manipulating them into joining their side, if that fails, they'll destroy them and have the pledge queen choose a new successor to that road".
Mark sighed, shaking his head in a baffling manner, "It's chaos, the entire order of events for everyone's futures will be put in jeopardy, we can't let this happen".
"You're right, which is why I need to get to the pledge queen first".
"We can help with that". Nyla and Lukas were on the other side of the roof, approaching the three of them.
"W-where did you come from?!" They quickly became defensive.
Nyla folded her arms, flashing them a devilish smirk, "No need to be afraid, we're not enemies, in fact, we're here to help".
"How?"
Lukas chuckled, "Easy, we have eyes and ears all over this place, the Queen is actually not too far from here, but we better hurry, it seems the real challenge has just begun for everyone".
"Why do you say that?" Valentine looked at him nervously.
"Because the Queen's slumber has been interrupted".
(Hector/Mira)
"Iria!" He managed to escape from the pile of rubble trapping him.
"We have to stop him!" He quickly rushed over to help Mira, freeing her from the fallen concrete as they took off.
"I thought he was her brother! So why is he doing this?!" He growled.
"He is! But he's been clouded with the dark power of the regalia, he doesn't care about anyone but himself right now!"
He stopped, grabbing Mira by her arms in a frightening manner, nearly startling the young girl by his force, "Mira, what do you know about him?!"
"I-i don't kno-" she tried making an excuse but flinched when he yelled once more.
"Don't lie to me! If Iria is in danger then tell me now!"
"Ok!" She blurted out.
He could feel her trembling, "I-I came from the future to stop Ryder….."
His grip on her was released, he stepped back, looking at her in disbelief but also shock, "W-what? S-stop him from what?"
Her head rose up slowly, her eyes settling softly over to him in a sorrowful manner, "To stop him from taking Iria's life…..he plans to kill her".
A tiny gasp escaped his lips when his eyes shot open, "W-what did you say?"
She nodded, "In my time…...Iria had been murdered by Ryder who becomes my mentor and master later on, he regrets his decision and asked me to come here and stop him from repeating his mistake, he wants me to save Iria…..If I don't…...everyone's futures will suffer".
"Iria….will die?" His arms dropped to his sides, he turned down to the ground, balling his fists tightly.
"H-hector…" she tried reaching her hand out, but quickly pulled it back with a hiss, startled by the burning sensation she got through the air.
She was left stunned when she noticed the faint red aura surrounding him, *This….this is what I saw with the flame king during my time….is he…..a road guardian?*
"Mira…."
"Y-yeah?"
"Did the future Ryder tell you where he takes Iria after he captures her?"
"He did…...it's with a secret group that resides in Sinnoh, w-why?"
"I'm taking Iria back".
"Y-you can't go alone! That place is dangerous!"
A chilling smirk formed on his lips, the aura around him grew, lifting the temperature of the air around them, "I'm the Flame king, nothing is more dangerous than me".
(Eric/Mika)
"Water shuriken!"
It dodged every attack being aimed at it's direction, releasing a blade of water to strike it's opponents.
"Thunder punch!"
"Gren!" It was struck from behind by Electivire, being pummeled directly into a tree which shattered upon impact.
"Focus blast!"
It was still being held by Electivire, allowing a Nidoqueen to store power before releasing it's attack onto the water type.
"Nido-!" It released a blinding red beam of energy towards Greninja only to stop midway in place.
"Looks like I got here just in time". Both Mika and a Gardevoir appeared next to Eric, Gardevoir had been the one to stop Focus blast with it's psychic powers.
"Send it right back". Ordered Mika, smirking when Nidoqueens attack was sent back to it, causing a huge explosion with the results in an unconscious pokemon.
"Mika! W-what are you doing here!?"
She rolled her eyes, "What does it look like? I've come to help you idiot".
A soft smile formed on his lips, causing her to blush automatically, "I haven't heard those words in years".
"S-shut up". She whipped her head the other way, pointing to one of their opponent's pokemon.
"Use Psychic!" Electivire no longer had control of it's body, releasing Greninja who immediately protected Gardevoir from another pokemon.
"Do it you two!" They shouted.
The electric type was sent crashing against several of the masked figures while Greninja conjured up another shuriken which was now being controlled by Gardevoir who used it attack all of it's other opponents.
Fight after fight more pokemon were being called out to go up against Greninja and Gardevoir, "We have to bring out reinforcements!"
He was ready to pull out the rest of his pokeballs only to hiss when a small shock caught him and Mika by surprise, "Huh!"
A rotom began circling around them, traveling through each of their pokeballs which had burned them out, he growled in frustration, "No! Our pokeballs don't work, we can't call out our other pokemon".
"Psychic!"
"Hydro pump!"
"Psyshock!"
"Dark pulse!"
There pokemon were slowly tiring out, not much energy they had as more and more pokemon were being summoned to fight them, "What are we going to do?" Mumbled Eric.
They went back to back, immediately being surrounded by the masked figures and there growing number of pokemon, "Protect!" Shouted Mika, having her Gardevoir create a green sphere of energy which negated all of their opponent's attacks.
She clicked her tongue, pondering quickly on what to do next, "Crap….we're surrounded…...even worse, we're trapped inside this bubble".
"Hey Mika…." He lowered his head down, tangling his fingers against her own, she tensed up, not knowing how to react.
"W-what…" she mumbled, unable to control the rising temperature of her body.
"Just because we stopped talking to each other…...it didn't mean we weren't friends….at least to me….Mika, I promised you something many years ago…...and I never once went back on it…..I've been searching day in and day out for your grandmother…..it may not seem that way…..but I have…...I still haven't had luck…...but I will never give up…...that's my ultimate promise to you".
She faced the ground this time, allowing her hair to hide her face, tiny droplets had fallen into the grass, he could feel her hand trembling, her body slowly shaking against his, "Y-you…..you idiot…This isn't the time for that".
"I know…...but I want you to remember my words, all of them".
She breathed in deeply, fighting to hold back her tears, "….It would have been much easier if you just hated me…...it's because of me that you've endured so much…..so why are you still trying to help me….." Her voice was cracking in between, as if she couldn't find the strength to talk correctly.
A black hole began opening up below her and Eric, she jolted when he tightened his grasp on her hand, "I will never hate you Mika…...my life was miserable up until the moment I met you…...that's when you changed the world for me, forever".
She couldn't breathe, it's like he had grabbed her heart and clenched it in his palm, squeezing repeatedly to the point where she could hear her own beat, "Don't say that!"
He rested his head back towards her own, letting out a gentle whisper, "Why…...it's the truth".
"Hey Mika…" he sighed.
"...What…." She tightened her eyes shut, taking long deep breaths to keep her composure.
"Can we make another promise?"
"What promise is that?"
He watched as all the flamethrowers and water attacks were being reflected against protect, "..." everything became silent.
"...Promise that….." She became alarmed when he released his hand away from hers, moving away from Mika who quickly spun around.
"E-eric? What is this?!" She tried moving, but couldn't, now noticing that she was slowly sinking into the dark hole along with her Gardevoir, his pokemon being the whole cause for it.
"...Promise we'll find each other again…" he shot her a faint smile, one full of disdain and brokenheartedness.
She shook her head, now being down to her neck, "N-no! Eric! Don't do this!"
Tears had begun falling when she was engulfed whole by the vortex, the last image in front of her eyes being of protect fading away, leaving Eric to be captured by their attackers.
A shrilly scream had echoed into the air.
"Eric!"
Ok so there you have it, sorry for the wait but I hope it was worth it for you all, so it seems things are only getting deeper with the tower and the regalias, how do you all feel? Please make sure to leave me a review and let me know what your thoughts are, I love seeing your guys's reviews, it really gets me motivated to keep writing, anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and make sure to look out for the next chapter, until then!
(What's to come in future chapters)
Her eyes widened for the truth, "Y-you're a road guardian?"
Candice nodded, frowning at Eira's baffled expression, "I had to lie, if Crystal Genesis indeed found out that I was the Ice roads guardian, they would have taken my regalia, I couldn't let that happen, I had to keep it safe at all costs".
"Why?" She seemed confused on why her cousin was so determined to do so.
"Because….." She grabbed Eira's arm, holding it out where she placed the light icy blue device over the young girl's arm.
"...You're my Successor Eira, the towers next Ice queen".
~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~
She stood frozen, eyes growing bigger as Celebrant kept staring down at her, "W-what". He seemed nervous and a bit thrown off by her reaction, did he do something?
"C-celebrant?" She stuttered out, he nodded.
"Who are you?" He asked, forming a tiny smile as he found nothing threatening about her.
"I…...I…my names Mira". she turned red, looking away in embarrassment.
"Mira? That's a pretty name". His smile was warm, bringing tears to her eyes from all the memories she was remembering from her time.
"A-are you ok?" He grabbed her shoulder, jolting when she suddenly tackled him into a hug.
"I missed you so much". She buried her face into his torso, not caring that she was staining his shirt with her tears.
"M-mira?! W-what's wrong? Did I say your name wrong?" He didn't know what to do, this girl he just met suddenly began crying in his arms and he had no idea why.
"N-no". Her words were coming out like muffles through his shirt.
"Then what is it?"
She faced up at him, tears still streaming down as Dakota walked in, freezing on the spot at what she saw, "I'm just….really happy I could see again, dad".
"D-DAD?!" They both shouted, his head whipped over to Dakota whom he had barely noticed was by the door, her expression was more than what the word shocking could describe.
~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~
They were silenced by Celestial's approach, "Iria is not your successor, Ryder".
"What? But how can that be, we're related by blood and-" she intervened, cutting Ryder off with a chuckle.
"Most of the time, blood relatives will inherit the status as King to that road, but in rare occasions, the road may not find that person a good match and choose another person to take over, when you meet your successor, you will know".
Iria stared at the ground, "So then….what road has chosen me?"
"Only time will tell….."
~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~~O~
He watched her open the gates, stepping out from hiding, "Where are you going?"
She was startled by his presence, "A-ari".
A frown was on his lips, "Answer me, where are you going?"
Her face quickly found interest on the ground when it was all she was staring at, "I found him".
His eyes widened, "Him? You mean your father?"
"Yes, that monster has finally come out of hiding, it's finally time, what I've always wanted".
"Is this really what you want?" His frown deepened, the darkness in her eyes only grew, he could feel the hateful aura surrounding her.
"Yes….that bastard's finally going to pay for all the things he's done, I'm going to make him beg and cry, I want him to suffer!"
"Victoria-" he took one step, stopping when Hector interfered, a small travel bag over his shoulder as he joined the young frontier's side.
He was even more shocked, "Hector? What's he doing here?"
The regular smile he normally had wasn't present, just an ice cold leer, "I'm going with Victoria, we're doing this together".
"S-since when?" He was more confused than ever, what did they both have together, why was he helping her, why were they going together? Nothing made sense.
She couldn't look him in the eye, only turning her back as she was escorted by the flame king, "I'm sorry Ari, but I promise I'll be back soon".
"Wait! Don't go!" He chased after them, falling back when the gates closed and had been engulfed with flames, an attempt to keep him from following them.