Good news everyone! The third chapter is finally here! Not only that, but I actually don't feel like leaving a lot of commentary at the beginning.
Chapter 3
Only minutes had passed since the group left the Pokémon Center, and already, Iris had been consumed with worry over what the Old Matriarch would think of her. For most of the time that she spent worrying, part of her mind had been thinking about what new moves her Axew had learned so far while another part of her thought about his actual physical growth, but above all else, she had been thinking about the sad truth that her Axew hadn't evolved yet. As these negative thoughts continued to plague her mind, in an attempt to regain her composure in front of her friends, who were beginning to notice how disturbed she was, she tried to think of some way to distract herself. As the large statue in the center of the village came into their view, Iris' prayers were soon answered when Cilan began to speak.
"Iris? What is that statue in the center of the town supposed to represent, anyway? I know that they're legendary Pokémon, but I was hoping that you would be able to tell me more about them," Cilan asked in an attempt to help Iris calm down. Upon hearing this, a gleam of excitement came to Iris' eyes similar to that of a child who had just received a new toy. Just from one look at her now, you could already tell that her worries suddenly became nothing but afterthoughts as she prepared to answer Cilan's question.
"Then allow me to explain," Iris said with total enthusiasm. "Before the founding of the Dragon Village, there were many stories told and written about the legendary dragons you see before you. Depicted on the left side of the statue is Zekrom, the dragon of ideals, while on the right side you see Reshiram, the dragon of truth. Both are said to possess immense powers that are matched by very few outside of themselves and texts have even stated that they both played tremendous roles in the creation of the Unova region." As Iris took a moment to catch her breath, she already noticed that her friends were amazed by how much she knew about these legendary Pokémon.
"Why do you know so much about these legendary dragons, Iris?" Georgia asked in order to satisfy her curiosity.
"Well, while I still lived in the Dragon Village, I would always go to the library here to read myths and stories about these legendary Pokémon if I had time to spare," Iris quickly responded upon hearing Georgia's question. "Moving on. As of right now, little is known about where these dragons are, and there is even less known about how to gain an audience with them, but from what I've heard, they will only reveal themselves to those with the strength of will to control them, and even then, those people have to prove themselves worthy of the power of these legendary Pokémon by besting them in battle. If I remember correctly, Ash has actually seen Zekrom before." Upon hearing this, Georgia had begun to stare at an embarrassed Ash as if he had done something that no one had expected him to be capable of. Cilan only kept his typical, serene expression on his face as if everything said was old news to him. The group continued to share these feelings with each other until they heard an elderly voice out of nowhere that surprised all of them.
"That's a good explanation, Iris, but you seem to be forgetting a few things?" The whole group jumped and began to wonder where the voice came from until they noticed a short figure directly in front of them whose height barely came up to around Iris's neck. She wore a burnt sienna hood decorated near the top with a small, green ring with a thin, black zigzag in the center. The hood covered her shoulders and hid her weathered, old face, which, despite not looking ancient, still showed signs of decades of life experience. As far as age is concerned, the same could also be said about the beige dress she wore that stretched down to her feet and was decorated with a broad zigzag that circled around the center of the dress with a hue as purple as her hidden eyes. "Don't worry, I'll finish the rest," the elderly woman continued as Iris and friends were still shocked by her appearance. "At one point, Zekrom and Reshiram were actually one single entity forged by their combined powers and controlled by a pair of twin brothers. One day, these two brothers began to argue, and eventually, this single entity split into the two legendary dragons we know today. With Reshiram sided with the older brother, who sought truth, and Zekrom sided to the younger brother, who sought ideals, the two pairs began to fight each other for the sake of their beliefs. The battle raged on for what seemed like an eternity until finally, after both sides were exhausted, the two brothers agreed that neither side was absolutely correct. Once the fighting stopped, both brothers, along with their respective dragons, went their separate ways, never to see each other again." As the elderly woman finished the story, the group still stood, astounded by the story that was told just now. After a few moments of silence, the elderly woman spoke once again. "It's good to see you back in the Dragon Village, Iris," the elderly woman said with a smile on her face.
"I- It's nice to see you again as well, Matriarch," Iris said, recovering from her temporary shock.
"Well, it's hard to hold a good conversation while standing, and I'm sure you and your friends are tired from the journey here, so follow me," the Old Matriarch said as she began to walk away. Iris soon followed with the rest of the group following suit, still recovering from their shock as well.
...
Short moments passed before the group found themselves at the entrance of a cottage near the statue of Reshiram and Zekrom. As the group walked toward the front door of the cottage, they took notice of the unique paintings that decorated the outer walls of the building. The pictures themselves felt like something from ancient times, but once they entered the building, they felt as if they had gone back in time. In the center of the large room was a long, but short, mahogany table with small, white pillows scattered around it. Around the room, the group took notice of the various drawn pictures of both people and Pokémon that decorated one side of the wall and the crammed bookshelves that stood on the wall opposite of the drawings. Behind the table and opposite of the door they entered, they saw multiple black and white photos of the Old Matriarch in her younger years as well as numerous other people and Pokémon. These old photos were separated by a pair of red curtains in the center decorated with thick lines of blue, green, and yellow that traveled across them. As the Old Matriarch began to rest her knees at the pillow closest to the curtains, the group began to take their seats on the opposite side of the table. The Old Matriarch began to speak as both Pikachu and Axew proceeded to rest on the laps of their respective trainers.
"It's good to see you again after your long absence from the Dragon Village, Iris. A few things have changed ever since you left, but it seems that you've been through a few changes as well," the Old Matriarch said with a deep voice that acted as a clear sign of how much she had aged.
"Thank you, Matriarch, but honestly, I have to thank the friends I made during my travels for my current growth," Iris said, still feeling a little nervous.
"And I'm guessing that these three are the friends you're talking about," the Old Matriarch said as she analyzed Ash, Cilan, and Georgia with a cautious eye. "Rather than stay silent as if you all were getting lectured, why don't you all introduce yourselves?" Somewhat surprised by what she said, the group quickly recovered and began to speak one at a time.
"I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner, Pikachu," Ash said as he looked down at his Pikachu, who gave a cheerful shout.
"My name is Cilan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Matriarch," Cilan said, giving the closest thing to a bow that he can from his current position.
"And I'm Iris's rival, Georgia," she said, trying to sound as confident as possible.
"Hmm…I thought I remembered seeing a trainer like you from before," the Old Matriarch said after taking another moment to analyze Georgia. "You just seemed so cheerful with that Cubchoo resting on top of your head. I even remember talking to you quite a few times while you were here. You had such a lively and kindhearted spirit and would always ask me so many questions, but you seem so much different now than you did then. Did something happen?"
"Nothing you need to worry about," Georgia said as a slight blush of embarrassment came across her face and a grin appeared on Iris's face. Georgia only continued as she ignored her rival, who struggled to keep herself from laughing. "I just went through a few changes like any other person," Georgia said as she looked down in shame.
"Well, whatever happened, it seems to have made you stronger than you were when I saw you before, and it seems to have helped with Iris's and Axew's growth as well," The Old Matriarch said, taking a quick glance at the Axew in Iris's lap.
"But it's still far from its final evolution," Iris remarked, feeling as shameful as her rival was. "I've been trying to train it one step at a time up to now, but even after we've been together for so long, he still hasn't made much progress. The training that Axew has had against Ash's Pokémon has been very helpful, but I-"
"Iris," the Old Matriarch called, stopping Iris from spouting another word of self-doubt. "There's no need to be so worried over how much your Axew has grown. All Pokémon learn and grow at their own pace, and how much it grows also depends on its Trainer's state of mind. So long as your Pokémon knows that you're trying your best and that you're keeping your mind at peace, it will grow when it needs to the most."
"So long as I do my best and keep my mind at peace, my Pokémon will grow when it needs to the most," Iris thought to herself as she gave a quick glance towards Cilan. The Old Matriarch had noticed this, but only gave a knowing smirk before speaking once again.
"Well, if you still have uncertainties in your mind about your own skills, I'm sure both you AND your friends can help you realize your own strength in the Dragon Village Tournament being held tomorrow," the Old Matriarch said with a smirk on her face.
"Tournament?!" Ash exclaimed, surprising everyone in the room except the Old Matriarch. "Do you mean the tournament that's held here only once a year? That tournament?"
"It seems we have a battle fanatic in the room," the Old Matriarch said after giving a small laugh, "And it seems that someone already told him about the tournament. There are four spots left for the tournament, so all of you can participate and have fun."
"Oh yes! I can't wait for the tournament tomorrow! I even have a new move that I want to try out!" Ash exclaimed, excited after hearing this news.
"Getting excited over such a small tournament? You're such a kid," Iris said with the same smug look she always had whenever she teased Ash this way. Ash only responded with a look of annoyance towards Iris as the Old Matriarch decided to speak in order to break the tension.
"Speaking of kids, I'm sure that a certain mother is worried about her child right now." Iris was confused for a moment by what the Old Matriarch had said, but suddenly had a look of shock on her face and gave a gasp when she realized what the Old Matriarch was talking about.
"Whoops! I'm sorry, Matriarch, but I have to leave right away!" Iris said as she quickly rose from her seat and ran out of the same door that she entered the room from. Ash and Cilan only remained surprised by her sudden exit while Georgia simply groaned as she straightened her hat.
"Ugh! She can be such a pain sometimes," Georgia said with a tone of annoyance as she also began to rise and chase after Iris.
"It's nice to know that Iris has made so many good friends," the Old Matriarch said after Georgia had left the cabin. "She also seems to be especially close to you, Ash."
"What do you mean by that," Ash responded, confused by what the Old Matriarch had said.
"You'll know what I mean later, but you won't find out any sooner here. Iris's home should be to the left of the statue. Her house should be the one with a green roof, and don't worry, I'll take care of tournament registration for the four of you, so all you need to do is pick one Pokémon to use for the whole tournament and tell me your choice tomorrow morning," the Old Matriarch said as Ash and Cilan rose to their feet. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, too," Ash and Cilan said together before leaving the cottage.
As soon as Ash and Cilan left the cottage, they suddenly noticed Georgia standing near the statue of Reshiram and Zekrom, much to their surprise. As the twosome walked towards her, they began to notice that she was simply staring into space, somewhat unaware of her current surroundings. It was as if she just saw a ghost from her past.
"Georgia! Wake up!" Cilan shouted, breaking her from her temporary trance. "You seemed a bit distant. Did something happen?" Cilan asked, hoping for an answer.
"N- No, it was nothing," Georgia stammered, trying to hide what truly happened from Ash and Cilan, who, after a few seconds, only responded with a shrug of their shoulders.
And that's the end of the chapter. Sorry if it was a bit shorter than usual. Funny enough, I'm feeling a bit generous today, so I'll tell you something special. In the next chapter (or the one after, depending on how much space I have to work with), we'll get some actual battling. It's going to be a practice match between Ash and Iris. I'm not sure how it will go, but I'll do my best.