I. Ever Grande
-/-
Ever Grande City.
It was a name that had annoyed him ever since the first time he had ascended that majestic Waterfall, setting the Pokemon League apart from the rest of the world, the gaping maw of Victory Road challenging him to step up to the final leg of his journey.
Not the hardest leg, sure, but still the last.
Ever Grande had a live in population of 15, including the Pokemon Center at Victory Road's entrance, with an additional commuting staff of 20 or so, with the odd overnight visitor in the form of friends or challengers for the League. So with a grand total of 40 people (At best) in Evergrande, the moniker City made no sense to Brendan.
Of course he had theories, 8 years of living there had given him plenty of time to think on it after all, but most of them revolved around the idea of the unofficial 'My region is better than your region' rivalry that Kanto and Johto shared bleeding through to Hoenn as well, wanting to top Indigo Plateau with a whole city, a grand one at that.
Brendan wouldn't lie, Ever Grande was actually pretty grand once you emerged from the cave network in front of it to the imposing glass and steel architecture of Hoenn's Pokemon League, but to call it a city?
Maybe Hoennites were just suckers for a grandiose title? cave of Origin, Sootopolis, Mossdeep... Sky Pillar. All very grand names, all very imposing. So at the end of the day, maybe Ever Grande was just the logical conclusion of the regions long list of larger than life naming conventions.
The sounds of clashing met his ears, with a curious twitch of his eyebrow, he dropped his gaze down to one of the arena's below his balcony, catching Sidney's Crawdaunt bearing the brunt of a punch delivered by a brand new Gengar that Pheobe had been pouring time into, a change to her team she had said. An unexpected one as Gengar's were a rarity in Hoenn, or so she had said.
Smiling as Crawdaunt let lose a Hydro Pump that caught the Gengar dead on, he noticed the mistake Sidney had made, assuming Crawdaunt's immunity to the Ghost Type would carry him through this.
Phoebe had this.
With a cry, Crawdaunt shrieked with shock as a torrent of Toxic erupted from the point Gengar's fist had made contact, absolutely drenching the lobster Pokemon in a viscous purple veil.
What Phoebe ordered next, he didn't hear, but watching a bolt of Electricity escape from Gengar's outstretched fist, it wasn't exactly hard to determine that it was a Thunderbolt she had ordered of the Ghost.
"They're getting better." A familiar voice sounded from above him. "A delayed Toxic would have been beyond her just a few years ago, and even though he lost, Sidney's Crawdaunt seems to be able to launch of it's Hydro Pump with a lot more speed."
"That's nothing." Brendan replied, as Sidney sent out his Absol, eager grin spread across his face. "Watch Absol down there, that thing can almost out-speed Blaze."
A small silence stretched as the battle continued below them, Absol launching itself past Gengar, almost quick enough to vanish, a vicious cutting wind following in it's wake, slicing into the purple Pokemon with a vengeance.
"Impressive." The voice murmured. "Instead of having Absol whip up the Razor Wind with his horn, he had it generated by Absol's sheer speed, shaping the gale as it runs instead of when it whips it's head. You know, anymore of this and I'll look like such a lack luster Champion in comparison Brendan."
Turning away from the battle below, Brendan turned his eyes up, taking in a suited form on his roof, a luminescent blue Pokemon easily balanced next to him. Raising an eyebrow in response, even though he knew exactly what Steven was getting at, the grey haired man clarified. "They're getting stronger every day, they already far outstrip where they were when I was Champ, and it's all on you Brendan."
"You give me too much credit Steven." Brendan laughed up at the former Champion, the man who had given him the second toughest battle of his life. "They're getting better by themselves, not on my orders or anything."
Steven offered a laugh in return. "Maybe not, but it's still on you. Despite your age, they seem to look up to you far more than they ever did me or even Wallace. They don't want to just be the best in Hoenn, they want to be the best in the world, all because they see their Champion as such."
This was a common conversation, one that made Brendan more than uncomfortable. When he had become Champion, he hadn't done it for anyone but himself and his team. He hadn't wanted four of the strongest trainers in the region, all at least twice his age, to put him on a pedestal for his accomplishments. And yet, they did. They improved themselves day to day, because for some bizarre reason, they wanted to make him proud.
It still baffled him, even 8 years since taking the title, that four fully grown, powerful trainers would look up to a kid who was only just approaching his nineteenth birthday, but there it was.
He turned back to Phoebe and Sidney's battle just in time to watch Absol tag Gengar with a wicked Night Slash, purposefully ignoring Steven in favour of watching the battle unfold. A quick switch saw Gengar replaced with Phoebe's ace, a mean old Dusknoir that could take a hit and deliver back twice as hard. "Hey, when did her Dusclops evolve?" Steven asked curiously.
"About a year ago now." Brendan replied. "I'm not sure the exact details, but it was on her trip to Sinnoh."
"Ah, that makes sense. Dusknior's did first appear around Mt. Coronet." The former Champ mused. "Still, I've never seen one in person before and as I understand it, it's a tricky process to get a Dusclops to evolve in the first place... I wonder how she did it?"
Sidney gestured to Absol, it dashed in and struck true, a night slash cutting across the slow Ghost's body, only for the dog like Pokemon to be grabbed roughly before it could retreat and launched into the air, a rain of hard punches slamming in to it on Phoebe's say so.
"I've not really asked, can't say I'm much a fan of Ghost Types to begin with. But I'm sure if you asked, she'd be more than willing to tell you." Brendan replied to the unasked question. "Not that you need to ask permission Steven, you are an ex-Champion after all, hell, her friend. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to see you."
"Maybe another time." Steven mumbled, turning towards Brendan with a frown. "You've got an appointment to keep."
Not drawing his eyes away from the battle below, Absol darting back from Dusknior as it hit the ground, a Shadow Ball launching from it's mouth met by an opposing one from the unerring Ghost, Brendan raised a brow. "Since when?"
"Since about 20 minutes ago." Steven replied, a sigh obvious in his voice. "I only found out about 30 minutes myself."
Turning his eyes away from the battle, the current Champion had to hold back a grimace. "All of them?" There was only one group with enough political pull to request a Champion's presence on such short notice, and there were usually fairly heavy events surrounding such a call.
The last time he had been privy to such a thing was 7 years ago now when Hoenn had been simultaneously drowning and scorching itself to destruction and Steven had still been Champion.
"Rayquazza isn't awake again is it?" That would not be something Brendan would enjoy dealing with again, last time he had only escaped on a fluke. Even if he and his team were leagues ahead in strength compared to how they were all those years ago, Rayquazza was an absolute monster of a Pokemon. Wincing at a phantom pain in his chest, his expression turned almost pleading. "Please tell me that green and yellow prick isn't awake again."
Steven offered a commiserating smile. "Wouldn't know, they just told me to grab you and get down to the conference room quick smart."
Finally turning away from the battle below, Dusknior Faint Attacking into Absol's blind spot and hitting it with a mean Ice Punch, Brendan rubbed his eyes almost in time with Phoebe's cheer of victory. "Well then, let's go see what the grand old Professor's Council has to ask of us?"
-/-
Professor Birch was an odd duck among his peers.
Whereas the Professor's of the rest of the world enjoyed being as stuffy and intimidating as they could, Birch proffered a more open and casual personality when dealing with the people he talked to, no matter if they were some hotshot Champion, an over-enthusiastic Daughter with aspirations that swung wildly between more than one extreme or a room full of his infinitely stuffier peers.
Although the casual way that Juniper had acted had thrown him the first time they had met, there was still more than a bit of that pretentious propriety beneath the assumed casualness that the rest of his peers shoved to the forefront. So even though it was a lot easier to talk with her then, say, Professor Birch, she still held an air of disapproval whenever they were bought together in a professional setting and he was unwilling to adopt the assumed pretensions and proprieties that his colleagues would force forward in those same such situations.
So odd duck was how he would refer to himself. It represented the fact that he never put on airs, that if you met Professor Barnabas (Barney to his friends) Birch, you were always meeting the real him and never an adopted persona.
For him, being an odd duck among Professor's was a point of personal pride that he held closer than even the recognition he got as the foremost authority on Pokemon within the Hoenn region. That recognition was still a close second though.
Although sometimes... Sometimes it just wasn't worth it.
"You couldn't repeat that could you Teddy, I think I just had something idiotic in my ear." Barney shot at Professor Theodore Rowan, his Sinnoh based counterpart, the second oldest member of the council just behind Samuel Oak of Kanto, the man's mustache bristling in barely contained rage.
"It goes without saying that a roustabout such as yourself would be deaf on top of all your other defects." The man shot back with as much of that over-inflated self-importance that was the rule among Pokemon Professor's. "I merely questioned why we were entrusting such a task with Hoenn's Champion when clearly the better representative would be Sinnoh's own Champion Cynthia. Not only is she also a woman, as is the Kalos Champion, but she is also older and far more experienced than Hoenn's Champion." With a smug old smirk, the man finished. "Why this is even a question at this point, eludes me."
Tamping down on the bubbling rage threatening to burst out on behalf of Brendan's pride, Barney let of a small smile. "Cynthia? Last I heard she had been dethroned, by a kid even younger than Brendon was when he beat Steven. Are you telling me this is untrue?"
Rowan stopped short at that. Regaining himself quickly, let it never be said that Teddy Rowan was anything buy a consummate gentleman. "While it is true that Dawn was able to overcome Cynthia on her first attempt, Cynthia reclaimed her title a few months later." A pause to consider his words. "Dawn is a powerful trainer, but she does not have the dedication to be a true Champion of the League. Therefore when Cynthia came back, Dawn was unprepared to retain her new-found title."
Aurea Juniper of Unova nodded. "While Cynthia is indeed the more experienced Champion between herself and Brendan, she does not have anyone she can entrust the League with in the wake of her extended leave, we have already gone over exactly while the previous Champion is unfit for the duties more than enough and Cynthia has held the title for so long that those who came before have either long retired from the competitive circuit or cannot be brought in to take charge in the time frame we have been offered."
From there Professor Julian Elm, representative of Johto, took over. "Brenden on the other hand has both Steven Stone and Wallace Winters who can cover for him in the event of an extended absence. Neither Sinnoh nor Unova have a similar network they can tap into, unless you're holding something back Aurea?."
Juniper smiled innocently. "My word Julian, such an accusation. One might think you don't trust me to be honest with you... Now why would that be?"
A match of wills quickly popped up, Juniper's sly smile matching Elm's suspicious stare second for second until a cough echoed from the screen that displayed Samuel Oak, creator of the Pokedex and foremost authority on Pokemon in the world.
As well as the only Professor in the conference to have ever held the title of Champion.
"Enough of this childishness." He scolded softly, causing Elm to look away embarrassed and Juniper to raise her hands in apology. "Barney, I understand you idignancy on behalf of Brendan, but the needless provocation was not needed." Birch had the decency to blush, but the smile never left his face.
"Theodore, Aurea is correct. We have discussed Cynthia's eligibility as envoy back and forth and up and down more than enough, bringing it up again just to insult the chosen Champion was unnecessary and even more childish than even Barney's actions." Now Rowan was a proud man, but even he knew better to argue with the assertions of Samuel "Arceus-Damned" Oak, and he took the chastisement with only a slight huff before rearranging his face back into it's regal standing.
"Aurea, Julian, you have history. I know this, but please, keep it out of these meetings. All it does is add tension that is unnecessary."
"Of course Professor Oak." Elm responded respectfully. The man had always held a reverence for the Kanto based Professor, almost as big as his inferiority complex in Oak's shadow. Johto and Kanto as close and intertwined as they were. Aurea just nodded, smile never leaving her face.
"Now, let us stop this pointless quibbling, our Envoy has been chosen and both he and the young Stone Heir will be here shortly." With a smile, he continued. "We cannot have them being disillusioned of our all-powerful facade now, can we?"
-/-
The Ever Grande conference room was restricted to only the cleaning crews, the Elite 4 and their Champion and any and all other VIP's that the League would play host to over the years.
It was on the other side of the League building, meaning that a challenger or visitor couldn't just stumble upon it looking for the bathroom. You had to know it was there and what it's purpose was.
Like the rest of the League Building the walls were glass, framed in steel made from the shed skin of Aggron's and Lairon's, draped with rich plush red and blue curtains.
Running along almost the full length of the room was a deep Mahogany table, etched with the wear and tear of years of service. At the end there was a large plasma TV screen that took up the entire wall from the top of the table to the ceiling.
On the screen were Professors Juniper, Rowan, Birch, Elm and Oak. All broadcasting live from their respective laboratories.
Well, Birch was broadcasting from Petalburg Woods, but he was weird that way.
As they stepped into the room, both Brendan and Steven gave a bow of respect to the five, before taking up seats at the opposite end of the table from the Professors. This was the Professor's Council, the most respected scientific authority on Pokemon in the world, only accepting the greatest minds in the field and only ever one member from each region at a time. These four men and single woman held almost as much power as each region's governing body, if not more, and were responsible for shaping the most influential Trainers and Researchers worldwide.
And they had called him here, to a meeting with all five members of the Council, which could only mean something the local militia's and law enforcement agencies within Hoenn couldn't handle had popped up and he was being drafted in to offer his assistance.
"With all due respect Professors, if this is Rayquazza, I'm letting Steven handle it." Brendan started, grim determination in behind his eyes. He knew that such a statement was pretty much a direct dereliction of his responsibilities as Champion, but forgive him for having a legitimate fear of a creature that had almost killed him and seeing Birch's compassionate nod, he knew he had at least one ally on the council.
Rowan's derisive snort was ignored. Like he really cared what he thought.
"Don't worry Kiddo." Birch smiled. "Rayquazza hasn't decided to throw another bitch fit although... I guess we would've seen Groundon and Kyogre first huh?" I felt Steven stiffen just as quickly as I did at the mention of Rayquazza.
While I had been coaxing the giant green dragon into action, he had been in command of the effort to contain Groudon and Kyogre, making sure that they didn't decide to start striding across the region and across the land as opposed to wrangling each other and the flies that were Steven and his task force in the middle of the ocean outside Sky Pillar.
It wasn't such a fun month for either of us and we came out with a fairly even spread of scars between the two of us.
"Don't worry yourself Mr. Snow." Professor Juniper piped in, referring to him by his last name. "The task we would ask of you is considerably less risky than that of staring down the Earth Shaping Trio."
Okay, that had his attention. "What do you need Professors?"
At that Professor Oak took charge, smiling down at Brendan with an almost Grandfatherly smile. "My, my. You have definitely come quite far from the nervous tag-along-trainer that I remember from the last time we called on the efforts of the Hoenn Champion." He blushed at the Professor's compliment. "But I suppose you have become a Champion all your own now, haven't you?"
"Professor Oak, I remind you we are on a schedule." Professor Rowan interjected with a brusque respect. "We have no time for idle chatter."
"Hardly idle Theodore, just basic manners. Even so, you have a point, we cannot take to much longer than we already have debating the issue." Turning solemn, he stared at the two Champion's with eyes of stone, hardening their spines in their chairs. "I am sure you are both aware of the Kalos region, yes?" Oak didn't stop to acknowledge twin nods of assent, a picture of a lilac haired man appeared beneath Birch and next to Juniper. "This is Professor Augustine Sycamore, an up and coming researcher in Kalos and a man I have recently taken an interest in, his research and theorems into Pokemon evolution based on bonds between a Pokemon and it's Trainer especially having caught my attention." As Oak stopped for a second to gather his thoughts, Brendan took the moment to bring out his Pokegear, a quick internet search bringing up a basic profile of the man named Sycamore.
"I have started up a dialogue with him in the last year, the beginning steps in offering him a place on this Council of Researchers, and I must say the things I have learned of Kalos are startling. Tell me, Steven, you have met their Champion, yes?"
Steven gave a stiff nod. "Diantha. I had the... pleasure." Now there was something Brendan hadn't heard in the ex-Champ's voice before. He had talked to Maxie and Archie with a mix of frustration, pity and slight understanding before, during and after the events of Hell Month. But at no point had Steven ever held hatred towards the two men.
But the pure disgust in his voice when he mentioned the Kalos Champion was palpable.
"And tell us Steven, in your opinion, in the event of a crisis just how is Diantha likely to respond?"
"Respond?" Steven spat, again the fact that Steven could hate anything like this baffled Brendan. "Diantha would sooner watch the world burn before stepping down from her ivory tower. Unless the threat was directly against her or her precious little castle, I don't believe she would do anything, I doubt she would even care all's said and done."
The Professor's all nodded in agreement, but Brendan... "She's Champion though, right. I'm sure she'd do something, anything, against a threat to her home. How could she not?"
Steven looked to him, smile playing on his lips. "Wait until the Intercontinental League Open next year, you'll get to meet her and see for yourself."
"Actually." Professor Elm smiled. "He might be meeting Diantha a lot sooner than that."
"Indeed, Professor Oak nodded through the two Elite's confusion. "Your assessment of Diantha is much as Augustine has been telling me. Cold, distant and uncaring, she's the most powerful Trainer in Kalos, if it doesn't concern her, she isn't bothered. Which is why he has asked something of me that I was weary of offering at first, after all, our options aren't as open to act as we would please." Oak smiled, wide and toothily and in a second, Brendan was reminded of a Cloyster, clamping down on it's prey with only smiley death awaiting whatever poor sap was unlucky enough to be caught in it's grip.
"Of course that was when Barnabas reminded us that Hoenn has not just 1, but 2 ex-Champion's on hand who could take over temporarily should the current Champion be occupied in a foreign region, dealing with problems that it's own can't be bothered to deign with her attentions."
It was at this point Professor Elm took over, a stack of papers in his hand. "Professor Sycamore has sent Professor Oak several reports citing numerous sightings and actions of aggression taken by a group of people calling themselves Team Flare. Their goals for the moment are unclear, all that is clear is that they are a criminal element with no compunctions against theft, assault or even murder."
Hardening his eyes, Brendan's mind had already been made up. Not even Archie and Maxie had gone that far, actively evacuating a township or city whenever they were set to bring ruin.
"From our own personal history across all 5 regions with Criminal Teams;" Here Birch grinned, punctuating the word 'Teams' with air quotes. "And Prof. Sycamore's own personal worries, we have decided that this Team Flare are too dangerous to let roam around without issue, especially considering the apathy Kalos' Elite 4 and Champ. are showing the situation."
"We think you can figure out the rest, unless Birch has overstated your intelligence." Rowan groused, his mustache bristling.
Brendan nodded, turning to his predecessor. "You want to hold the fort for a while, or would you rather I get Wallace in?"
Steven smiled, understanding and just a hint of playful bitterness dancing across his face. "I'd rather you get Wallace but that would mean he'd have to sort out getting Juan to cover for him and by the tone of things, I'd say we don't have that kind of time, correct Professor's?"
The scientists nodded, Oak looking a little bit rueful. "Honestly, I'd prefer to send the Indigo League's Champion, but he's gone and holed himself up somewhere on Mount Silver, barely comes out for anything but to stock up on food and necessities... And as we've mentioned, time's an issue. No time to search through an entire mountain range for him..."
Both Hoenn Champions nodded in acceptance and Brendan smiled. "When do I leave?"
The Professor's smiled, well, Rowan nodded, but Brendan was sure that was his version of a smile. Birch looked down at him with a fond smirk. "Pack your bags today kiddo, you're outta here ASAP."
-/-
It was pointed out to me that Brandon is the Hoenn Battle Frontier's Big Boss and that Brendan is the R/S/E protagonist's name. This is my screw up, and I have made sure to avoid that same pitfall here.
0. Blaze will be edited shortly to fix the mistake with a few more lines added to create an altogether tighter narrative flow.
So holy hell that was a long chapter, but here it is. Brendan's off to Kalos, the Professor's are like a government unto themselves and Phoebe has a Gengar here.
Shit's cray.
Jordan Out.