Sorry about the delay in updating (School and work commitments) but heeeere's Johnny!... I mean the new chapter...
The wind whistled across his face as Nate traveled west to meet The Don.
"Man I really hope this pays off." He said to himself.
It had been two weeks since Nate sent out the AK pilot when The Don finally sent his reply. If Nate wanted the answers he sought, he had to meet The Don on the edge of the Route 111 desert. When Nate arrived, The Don was already waiting for him, as planned.
"How nice it is to see you again AK pilot Nate." The Honchkrow began in his Italian accented voice.
"Nice seein' you too." Nate replied, "What have you been up to since our little skirmish at Mt. Chimney?"
"Oh... you know. A little of this and a little of that. I could go into specifics but then I would have to kill you."
"Yeah heh heh..." Nate chuckled nervously, unsure if The Don was being serious or not. "Now what I contacted you about-"
"You wish to know about a Pokemon from my time in their service."
"Yeah! How did you know?"
"There are always people willing to tell what they know, if the proper incentive is placed before them." The Don replied. "Now speak to me his name so that I may be of service to you."
"I want information about a Meowth named Shoteneko."
"You are in luck. I do in fact know of such a person." The Don replied, "Shoteneko was a scout class soldier in the military, working under the command of Reuniclus. During a Pokemon attack on Slateport city he was injured and sent back to Mt. Coronet."
"What else do you know?" Nate asked, eager to get the answers he had come for.
"Although we are not quite sure what was his catalyst, Shoten changed when he returned to the battlefield. He began to act erratically and showed odd strength in his moves."
"Like creating a Tower of Thunder at the first Battle of Verdanturf?"
"That is correct." The Don replied. "Officially he was declared KIA at the First Battle of Mt. Chimney."
"You say that like there's an unofficial version."
"Unofficially, Shoten was a follower of a taboo ideology in the Pokemon military. When his squadmates found out about this, they turned on him mid-battle. His body was never recovered."
"What was this taboo ideology?" Nate asked, wanting to know more about Shoten's downfall.
"This ideology is the following of the ancient hero: The Slash."
"He's the hero who saved both humans and Pokemon before the Great Schism, right? I can see why he's a taboo subject."
"What you do not know is that the followers of his ideology usually go mad trying to emulate his heroics. If you require more information on this ideology I suggest you read this." The Don then tossed over a copy of The Slash: A Legacy of a Hero
"Thank you, Don. Between what you've told me and the information inside this book, I should be able to find the answers I've been looking for."
"I am glad to be of service." The Don replied before taking flight. "I am always available if you need assistance but next time it will cost you."
Nate just stood there deep in thought staring at the book The Don had given him.
This book may hold the key to all of the questions we've had since Light's arrival, who he is, why he's so powerful. I should feel excited to find the answers I've been seeking but will this knowledge tear us apart?
Still lost in thought, Nate took flight once again back to Verdanturf where his comrades were preparing for battle.
Verdanturf
Preparations for the final battle were well underway. Light had officially announced Silver's promotion to commander of the NAA nearly a week ago and the moral boost in the troops was seen almost instantly. Everyone was hard at work prepping machines, gathering intelligence, or fine tuning strategy. When Nate returned to the base, Silver was discussing the battle plan with a few soldiers.
"First we'll keep them off balance and then- Ahh Nate you've returned!" Silver said.
"Yeah and I have some important information to discuss with both you and Momo."
"Is it about the next battle?" One of the nearby soldiers asked.
"This information has to do with what will happen after the next battle." Nate replied.
"Momo's currently training out in the woods." Silver said, "Let's join her out there for a little more privacy."
As the two walked out to meet their comrade, Silver asked, "Was it a productive trip?"
"I believe I have the information we've been looking for." Nate replied.
When the two reached a clearing in the forest, they came across Momo jumping from tree to tree, branches growing and shrinking from energy manipulation, allowing her safe landings every time.
"Hey Nate glad to see you're back!" Momo said as she leapt to the forest floor. "Did your contact have the information?"
"Yes he did." Nate replied, "Shoteneko was a part of the human military and responsible for the Tower of Thunder seen during the first battle of Verdanturf. He was declared KIA during the following battle at Mt. Chimney but his body was never found."
"That battle happened about six months before Light's first appearance at Fallarbor." Momo stated. "It's not too much of a stretch to say he stayed hidden in the wilderness near Fallarbor Town until the heat died down."
"Is he trustworthy?" Silver asked, getting to the real reason behind their search for Light's identity.
"That's a gray area." Nate said presenting the book to his comrades. "Shoteneko was a follower of The Slash, a taboo figure in the Pokemon military. Many of his techniques are listed in this book."
"Listed here are some of Slash's most famous techniques" Silver read, "Shadow Ball Shield, Dark Pulse Armor, Magnet Lift via Thunderbolt... All of these are techniques Light uses!"
"So Light uses some of the same techniques as Slash," Momo said, "The Slash is the type of figure we've been trying to emulate in the NAA: someone who doesn't discriminate between Pokemon and human. Why would that make him untrustworthy?"
"Because all of The Slash's followers go mad trying to be like him." Nate said, gesturing at the book. "Most of his followers die on suicide missions trying to be heroes but none of them had an entire rebellion at their disposal."
"That would explain a lot." Silver said, "Like why he refuses to retreat in battle and why some NAA troops are acceptable casualties to him."
"What should we do?" Momo asked. "Can we let someone like that continue to hold a high ranking position in the NAA?"
"I think we should-"
"Thank Arceus I found you!" A soldier said, cutting Silver off mid-sentence.
"What is it soldier? This is a private meeting." Momo said.
"It's a message from sub-commander Light. The base is under attack!"
Back at Base
"Darn it!" Light muttered to himself, "I knew we were waiting too long to attack. Knights engage on the ground! All special attacking Pokemon find an opening in the mountain and start targeting the enemy!"
"There's still no sign of Silver, Nate or Momo!" Said a messenger Rattata.
"Where the heck could they be?" Light said. "Relay this message to everyone you can find: If the fighting gets too hairy, retreat into the mountain. If Silver and the others turn up, tell them I'll be on the front lines."
Light then shot off into battle, a Shadow Ball already forming in his hand for the first enemy he came across. This unlucky person was a low flying AK pilot, who's machine detonated upon contact with the sphere.
Following her was a squad of about five Knights who open fired at the sight of their defeated comrade. Light simply used Magnet Lift to escape into the air and used a Shadow Ball Shield to block any shots that got remotely close.
"Dark Pulse!" Light cried, as the beam shot out, the squad of five dispersed and began to fire at Light from different angles.
Light, barely able to evade these shots, was only able to counter with an occasional Shadow Ball that never hit it's mark.
"Keep it up men, we have him on the ropes." One Knight yelled. "For the Olympian!"
Olympian eh? That must be their commander. "Time to finish this!"
Light made an unexpected turn in midair and began gaining altitude until he was on par with some of the AK pilots. Then he just stopped and let gravity carry him back to the Earth with gut wrenching speed.
"He's insane!" The Knight commander yelled, "Shoot him!"
While the enemy Knights were able to start firing again, they were unable to keep pace with the rate Light was falling. Bullets and lasers all round him, Light simply continued his call until he was about three stories from the Earth. Rather than hit the ground flat on his back, Light twisted his body and yelled "Iron Tail!"
The result was the ground crumbling beneath the attack, creating a huge spherical crater that trapped all five enemies.
"The gradient is to steep to get out! Charge him!" A Knight yelled.
Like the well oiled unit they were, all five units charged Light in unison, who only said in reply, "Night Slash"
Once all five were in range, Light spun around like a top to hit each Knight one after another, until all five were destroyed.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Light cried, "Who's next?"
His answer came surprisingly quick.
"How about me?"
Light spun around to see an AK pilot standing at the edge of the crater with arms crossed. With the sun at her back, all that Light could make out was the orange color of her machine and the long ponytail that waved in the whipping wind.
"And who are you?" Light asked.
"My name is Grace but most of the military refers to me as the Olympian."
AN: And there you have it! The final battle for the Hoenn mainland has begun, and boy is it going to be a long struggle. I'm going to try and lengthen some of the upcoming chapters but this battle will still probably end up running another couple of chapters. A big finale for Pokemon New Age's second arc.
A big thanks once again to PsychicEevee0103 for the submission of Grace! She has probably been the most fervent supporter of Pokemon New Age so if you haven't checked her profile out... You should probably get on that.
The battle heats up next chapter as Light faces off against Grace. Will the NAA defeat the Petalburg forces? What decision will Nate, Momo, and Silver make regarding Light's past? Can this Author's Note get any longer? Find out next time on Pokemon New Age!