Pokemon Adventures: Where Legends Cross
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon Adventures/Special.
By God, the test comes within three days. *dies* Ah well, screw my doomed destiny. I'm here to write, so I'll just write.
As mentioned we return to White and Blue to see what's been happening after the attack in Lostlorn Forest. I'll spoil this for you: their rescuer is from Sinnoh! XD
Began writing on May 29th, 2011. Currently drafting Chapter 31.
Chapter 15. Vs. Honchkrow: Shedding the Veils
- Route 6, Unova -
Pantpantpantpantpant...
"Hang in there a little, White," Blue urgingly whispered to the younger Dex Holder behind her, as they both rode on the Arcanine that was racing headlong down the road, bearing its own Trainer at the front with Blue and White sitting behind. A Houndoom and a Mightyena ran alongside the Legendary Pokemon, ready to fend off the gang of criminals should they catch up. "We're almost there, it's gonna be all right." She added soothingly as she looked back.
White remained silent, one hand wrapped around Blue's waist (remember, they're riding a dog) while the other held up the Poke Ball in which her injured Samurott slept; during the fierce battle in Lostlorn Forest Dewott had evolved to protect White from Sage Gorm's Carracosta, but was mobbed by a swarm of Golbats afterwards.
Deciding that talking to her woudn't do much good at the moment, Blue turned instead to their savior who had appeared out of nowhere with his three canine Pokemon during the battle to take them out of the villains' midst. "Thank you for rescuing us, sir. Will you tell us who you are?"
The stranger, who was wearing a plain brown coat, turned back to reveal a serious, middle-aged face with black hair and brown eyes.
"An International Police is reluctant to reveal his name so readily," he answered quickly, guiding his Arcanine through the now-clear road. Their pursuers were far behind.
"You can call me by my codename, Looker."
- Two hours later, Mistralton City Pokemon Center -
"THREE teams of villians?" Exclaimed Cilan in horror as he served a cup of tea to a still-discouraged White - even after their Pokemon were all healed -, having listened to the combined statement of Looker and Blue. "But... I don't understand. Team Plasma had been defending cities from other criminals! Are you sure all three of them were chasing you?"
"I am absolutely certain," said Looker firmly. "I've had my experience with Team Galactic in Sinnoh two years ago, and this young lady have confirmed the presence of Team Rocket. And besides, you hadn't seen these two fighting three gangs of criminals in the middle of a forest. It was... it was incredible. Normal Trainers woudn't have lasted two minutes in there, yet they held them off for hours."
"All those heroic acts of Team Plasma must have been a sham," muttered Blue as she paced back and forth the tiled floor of the Pokemon Center, earning curious looks from passerby Trainers. "I suppose those three have been working together all along, but Team Plasma wanted people to believe that they weren't as bad as they are, and the other two played along."
"That's what we've been suspecting too," Looker told an upset-looking Cilan.
"I'm sorry, Blue-san," sighed White, slumping back on the couch she was sitting on with a desolate look. "I should've fought better than that. You ended up protecting me and my Pokemon from the criminals."
"Don't say that," Blue told her softly, shaking her head; for a Dex Holder, she certainly had a very low self-esteem. Plopping down beside White's seat she added: "For someone who just became a Trainer weeks ago, you fought pretty well. You should've seen your Samurott working with my Blasty! Or your Gigalith plowing through those thugs like a bulldozer."
At the mention of his name the Samurott abruptly popped out of his Poke Ball, growling affectionately at his surprised Trainer with a wag of his short tail. Blue smiled at the Formidable Pokemon's efforts as the corner of White's mouth pulled up slightly as the young girl began admiring her newly-evolved Pokemon's armor with wonder and pride.
"The problem right now is," Cilan's concerned voice reached Blue's ears as the Gym Leader continued his conversation with Looker. "What do we do when the villians that were chasing you decide to raid here? We might be able to win if we can meet them evenly, but how will we know when they would come? How should we preapare ourselves?"
"Ah, no need to worry about that; Blue here had already thought of that," replied Looker, giving an impressed look at Blue, who tried her best not to appear flattered. "Right now, above the Pokemon Center's roof sits my Mightyena, along with Blue's Umbreon and White's Unfezant. If any of the three teams approach the city they'll give us a warning. Each Pokemon's been told to alert us to one team each; Team Rocket for Umbry, Team Galactic for Mightyena, Team Plasma for Unfezant."
"That way we can immediately find out when they'll arrive, and even information about who will arrive!" Remarked Cilan in amazement. "Wow, that's a brilliant plan! How did you come up with that, Blue?"
"It's nothing, really," replied Blue, now feeling a little embarassed; aside from her friends, she wasn't used to being praised by anyone.
Just then a shrill wail of Umbry echoed out from the celing, followed by a long howl of Looker's Mightyena. There was no sound of White's Unfezant.
"They're here!" Cried Looker, at once rushing outside the door with Blue, White and Cilan quickly following behind to recall their sentries and prepare for battle. "Team Rocket and Galactic!"
It's come to this, Blue thought grimly as her hand went to Blasty's Poke Ball, knowing that the danger that her dream had fortold was coming. Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres... you led me here for a reason, right? I won't let you down.
Upon arriving at the southern gate, she saw that a band of Trainers - including Gym Trainers under Skyla - had already gathered under Cilan's lead, facing against the incoming black-and-gray wave of grunts from the two teams. Their two leaders had already arrived upon the gate, one a tall redhaired woman in an abnormally white Team Rockey uniform, and the other a woman with pointy red hair and sinister red eyes, in Team Galactic uniform. A Honchkrow and a Yanmega hovered in front of their masters, their eyes gleaming in anticipation for the fight.
"Ariana, Mars!" Yelled Looker, releasing his Mightyena again as he joined the defenders. "So long since I last saw you in jail, isn't it? It's about time you return there!"
"Oh, no," laughed Mars, almost cheerfully as the grunts caught up to their commanders. "By the time we're done, there will be no more jails for us to return to. Team Galactic, attack!"
"Team Rocket, follow!" Ordered Ariana quickly, allowing the dark wave to surge forward with wild cries, unleashing their Pokemon upon the city.
"White, help me stop the grunts!" Cilan cried at the younger Dex Holder, rushing out to meet their challenge with his Simisage. The defenders swiftly followed him, and soon Blue could hear the sound of battle all around them. White quickly ran forth to help Cilan, tackling a Team Galactic grunt with both her Samurott and Gigalith.
Noticing Looker's Houndoom lounging at Mars' Yanmega Blue's eyes fell on Ariana, who was watching over the whole mess with an expectant grin on her face. Feeling her old hatred for Team Rocket surge up, she decided to change that.
"Blasty, Hydro Pump!" Blue shouted, causing Ariana to look at her in irritance. Blasty immediately crouched down on all fours, releasing twin blasts of hyperpressured water at the Team Rocket Executive. At the last moment the woman leaped out of her doom's way, allowing the Water-type attack to pulverize a bunch of her grunts, effectively blasting them over the city wall.
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash!" Ariana countered. The Big Boss Pokemon shot forward at its master's command, delivering a powerful slash at the Blastoise with its black wings.
"Blasty, Withdraw and use Ice Beam!" Blue cried quickly. Immediately hiding within his shell to deflect the Dark-type attack, Blasty immediately countered with a twin beam of cold energy from his cannons, covering the Honchkrow's wings in ice and sending it plummeting to the ground.
"From the looks of it you're not even from Unova," Ariana snapped at Blue in annoyance, as cries of Pokemon and human began rising all around them like a flood of wailing voices. A terrible sound. "Why do you insist on taking part in this fight? What have you to gain from here?"
"I can fight for other reasons than pillaging!" Blue retorted hotly, remembering something one of her friends used to speak often. She usually thought him silly or reckless whenever he would say it, but now she found no difficulty in crying out loud as she looked at her friends fighting all around her.
"I fight because... because I just can't leave them alone!"
- Opelucid Gate -
"This is quite a remarkable place," Crys heard Platina speak quietly beside her as they followed the Gym Leaders into the well-designed city of Opelucid. "Overall the city is very advanced, but I sense here and there an ancient air... as if the ground wants to speak of when this place was younger."
"Why, you're absolutely right, dear," Lenora remarked in front of them in amazement. "Opelucid may look really technological and all that, but it is here where the ancient lores of Unova are the most well-preserved - besides, of course, Nacrene Museum," she added hastily.
"Would Black have arrived here by now?" Crys asked Burgh, who was chatting (or at least, trying to communicate) with a silent Brycen as they all walked together down the streets - man, how the people stared!
"Yes, I suppose so," replied the Bug-type Gym Leader. "Knowing him I'd say he'd have already challenged ol' Drayden, or maybe his granddaugher. Why do you ask?"
"From the way you speak of him, he reminds me of someone I know," explained Crys, realizing that she hadn't met the said person for four years straight. What would he be doing now?
"Do you mean - " Platina began to ask her, but a delighted call ahead of the street forced her to stop: "Platina! I didn't expect to meet you here. What about your two friends?"
Looking up ahead in surprise, Crys noticed a tall young woman dressed in an elegant black coat across the street they were about to cross. Her lemon-blonde hair, neatly pinned, was long and almost fell to her hips, and her grey eyes were sharp and intelligent, yet round like an innocent child and sparkling like the clear night sky. And there was just something so... noble about her gait, something that told Crystal that this was no ordinary Trainer.
And right she was.
"C-Cynthia!" The shocked exclamation was uttered by Platina, Lenora, Elesa and Skyla simultanously as they hurried across the street to greet the caller, leaving the other Gym Leaders and Crys to look at each other in confusion.
"Cynthia, dear!" Lenora cried as she put her hands upon the blonde woman's shoulders, looking as if she had found her long-lost niece. "What are you doing here in Opelucid? I thought you were at your house in Undella!"
"Word travels; I couldn't stay after hearing White's message, could I?" Cynthia's voice was quiet but bright as she smiled at the Normal-type Gym Leader. Turning to Platina, her smile widened even more as she spoke: "Why, Platina! What a delight it is to meet you in Unova. Where are Diamond and Pearl?"
"They... they're somewhere here. I came after them," replied Platina, her eyes still wide in wonder. "But what are you doing here in Unova? I was aware that you enjoy travelling, but..."
"It was just supposed to be a short visit," Cynthia admitted sheepishly. "But I extended my stay after hearing about what's going on in here. And I suppose you're a part of this as well?"
Platina nodded, but before she could make a reply Burgh called out from beside Crys as they came over to join the female Gym Leaders: "Pardon me for barging in, mademoiselle, but would you be so kind as to enlighten us of your identity...?"
Crys almost felt nauseated from his gooey words, but Cynthia only laughed softly in amusement at his dramatic pose as Platina turned to them with a pleased smile.
"Crys, and everyone," she said proudly. "I'd like you to meet Cynthia, League Champion of Sinnoh. she was of great help to me and my friends during our adventure two years ago."
"League Champion?" Crystal gasped in amazement. That would put her on the same level with Lance, Steven and -
"If that is so," said Brycen as he took a step forward. "Do you mean to say that you will help us in our plight? I would admit, any help at this point would be welcome, especially so if a Champion from another region would offer it."
"You flatter me," replied Cynthia modestly. "And yes, I will fight with you. I've been acting together with a companion for awhile, and also had a few words with Alder himself yesterday."
"So ya plan on working separately?" Clay asked her. Cynthia nodded softly, just before her eyes met with Crystal's rounding in curiousity.
"Oh," said Platina as she walked over to the older girl apparantly having forgotten her in the joy of reuniting with an old friend. "I almost forgot. Cynthia, this is Crystal, Professor Oak's assistant and a Dex Holder from the Johto region. She came with me to Unova to complete the PokeDex for this region."
"Of Johto, yes?" said Cynthia, exchanging smiles with Crys as they shook hands. "You're lucky to have Platina as a travelmate. She and her friends never ceased to amaze me when we were together during their journey."
"Yes, she's a good person," replied Crystal honestly.
"In fact..." said Cynthia, her eyes glinting as she looked at her. "Crystal, Platina, why don't you come with me? It'll be good to walk beside you again, Platina, and I'd also like to introduce you to my companion."
The two girls' eyes widened at the same time.
"I'd love to but..." said Platina as she looked back at the Gym Leaders. Crys knew what she was thinking; she wanted to go with Cynthia, but thought it rude to ditch them.
"Why are you looking at us?" Skyla laughed at Platina's expression, as if she had read her mind. "You're free to go with anyone you wish. There's no need to ask for our permission."
"Is it fine with you, then?" Crystal asked carefully.
"Of course it is, dears," answered Lenora warmly. "Even if we part ways here, our destination remains the same; we'll meet again in a day or two, wouldn't we?"
"We will," Cynthia promised the kind woman sincerely, turning toward Crystal and Platina with a smile. "Shall we go to a house I've rented here, then? It's not far off."
"Yes!" They answered simultaneously, following the Sinnoh Champion away from the Gym Leaders waving goodbye at them.
"Please tell Drayden we said hi!" Crys called out as she waved back at them.
"Oh, we will!" Remarked Burgh. "Can't promise he'd appreciate it properly, though!"
This time, Lenora apparantly felt oblieged to give him a solid thwack on the head.
"Wow," remarked Crys as she, Platina and Cynthia stood in front of a large but otherwise unremarkable house. "Your tastes are rather... humble. I must've been expecting a castle."
"Vanity is only allowed when you're as rich as Platina," replied Cynthia, laughing slightly at Platina's little blush. Knowing her ancestry, Crystal couldn't help but join along.
Suddenly a wam wind brushed Crys from behind, prompting her to turn around. Looking at the street behind them she saw two people walking down it: and old man with thick arms and white hair (she supressed a shiver at his fierce expression), and an apparantly-young man with his upper body hidden under a long, brown cloak, exposing only his jeans and sneakers below.
Before Crystal could wonder about his odd fashion sense - which was, admittedly, even stranger than her mother's -, the cloaked man gave a quick glance at her and Platina (who had noticed the pair as well) before looking away, resuming his pace to match the old man's as they both walked away.
Was it her imagination, or had the man's mouth pulled up into a tiny smile?
Quickly shaking her head to return to the present, Crys quickly asked Cynthia: "So who is this companion of yours? Did you come together from Sinnoh?"
"No, he told me that he came here about a year ago to train," said the Sinnoh Champion as she leisurely opened the door with her key. "I think's he's a good person to hang out with, nad he's an excellent Trainer too; we tied in a match between ourselves. Or rather, he calls it a tie. I call it my lose."
"But that would mean he's as strong as you!" Platina exclaimed in amazement as they entered the front porch. "It would be an honor to get to know him. What is his name?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Cynthia spoke in amusement, her eyes glinting slightly as she waved her hand at a lone figure standing by the window across the floor with his back turned to them. Crys had only the time to notice his brown spiky hair and his casual black shirt and purple pants - and something about his gait that was uniquelt familiar - before he turned to them slowly, revealing his face to them.
"Wh - whaaaah?" Crys exclaimed in shock.
Phew, that took longer than I would've liked. The damn Internet just keeps crashing, and the junior kiddies these days are so fond of computers. :/
Hm, no footnotes on this chapter, it seems. But we certainly meet a lot of new faces here! Let us welcome back Looker, Ariana and Mars (though, I'm afraid, I think this will probably be their last appearance in this arc), and our beloved Champion Cynthia! Now the setup is nearly complete, and we enter the far more confusing parts of battle... man, this is getting harder is it proceeds. And in the last bit Crystal shares a glance with Maroon... if you didn't notice any significance from that, don't mind; there probably isn't one :)
If any of my faithful readers remembeR, I uploaded Chapter 6 on April 30th, Crystal's birthday. Yes, you get what I'm trying to say; it's June 1st, Blue's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLUE! So happy to see you kicking Ariana's butt specially in this chapter, too! Oh, and also congrats, Emerald, though your birthday was yesterday... XD We hope to hear from you again!
The next chapter we begin by refocusing on Black's gym battle. And we again introduce another character into this chaotic mix: you're free to guess who! XD That's it for today, R&R!
Writing completed on June 1st, 2011. This is Yowl of Time, out.