Pokemon Adventures: Where Legends Cross
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon Adventures/Special.
OMG, can't believe I finally made it up to the twenties XD Let's go!
Sorry about the very ill-informed author's note in the last chapter; I was writing that in, er, detention. In this chapter we stick to Black as he struggles to reach N, but there are several obstacles in his way. After that we'll actually move to Ruby, Em and Dia as they protect Tubeline Bridge from Jupiter and Saturn, and after that... well, you'll know if you read, yes? :)
Began writing on June 24th, 2011. FINALLY COMPLETED THE FIRST ARC DRAFT! XDDD Currently drafting Chapter 2 of the second arc.
Chapter 20. Vs. Garbodor: The Siege Begins
- Team Plasma's Castle, Front Gate -
"Wait! N!" Black shouted as he rushed up to the gate and pounded on it, but the door was heavy and refused to budge. He was just about to send out Poka and smash the gate down when a sound of faltering footsteps prompted him to look back, just in time to see a limping Alder vanish in to the stairway that lead down and up back to the Central Plaza.
"Alder!" Black cried in alarm, racing as hast as he could after the defeated Champion. Despite his half-decimated condition, Alder moved with such speed that Black only managed to catch up to him in the large chamber at the bottom of the stairs, where it led back up to the surface of the Central Plaza.
"You shouldn't be coming after me, son," Alder told him quietly. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold out for a little longer, but I can still go and warn the Elite Four. You must move on into the castle."
"You're not going anywhere in that state!" Black insisted, and was about to have the old man lean on him for support when a most familiar and unpleasant voice struck his ears:
"Garbodor, use Gunk Shot!"
"Sharp, protect Alder!" Black roared quickly, sending out the revived Bisharp just in time for him to take on the thick ball of sludge that hurtled out of nowhere, which splattered harmlessly against his steel armor.
"Come out, Zinzolin!" Black yelled angrily, hastily covering Alder as he waited for the violet-emblemed Sage to appear. His challenge was answered when the said Sage appeared from the stairs Black had just ran through a minute ago -
- except he was followed by five more Sages.
But that's everyone except Ghetsis! Thought Black grimly as the six Sages swiftly glided across the floor to block the exit leading back to the castle, each with their Pokemon ready to attack: Garbodor, Carracosta, Whimsicott, Stunfisk, Throh and Heatmor.
"This is as far as you go, Trainer." Zinzolin spoke up first.
"Our King expects much from you, but as his subjects it is our duty to strike you down here, lest any wrong be done to him," said Gorm quietly.
"Have no spite on us; this is where you end," whispered Ryoku as the Sages began to advance.
Black gritted his teeth in frustration. He had no time for this! He wasn't even sure if he could beat all six of them at once, assuming at Alder was unable to battle and would need protection.
"Garbodor, Sludge Bomb!" "Carracosta, Hydro Pump!" "Whimsicott, Cotton Spore." "Stunfisk, Thunderbolt!" "Throh, Circle Throw!" "Heatmor, Flamethrower!"
"Beartic, Icicle Crash!" "Swanna, use Air Slash!" "Excadrill, Bulldoze!" "Zebstrika, use Spark!" "Leavanny, on with Struggle Bug!" "Watchog, use Retaliate!"
Black instictively ducked with Alder as the for Pokemons' moves came hurtling at them, only to have a second barrage of moves soar over his head and crash into the first, cancelling each other out effectively.
"What?" Exclaimed Black as he looked behind, just in time to see the Gym Leaders of Unova - except Cilan, Chili and Cress - bursting into the chamver with their partners at front, Drayden and Iris in the lead with their two Haxorus.
"Black! Are you o - my goodness, Alder!" Skyla remarked as the Gym Leaders stepped in front of Black, forming a barrier between him and the Sages.
"Druddigon, come out and help!" Drayden growled quickly, sending out the Cave Pokemon to support the faltering Champion for Black. "I see we're a little late, boy. Where is N?"
"In his castle," panted Black as he got to his feet. "I need to get past the Sages to reach it."
"Good, we can do that fer ya," growled Clay as he glared at the Sages. "We'll handle these geezers here, boy. Don' worry 'bout us and get a move on."
"Are you sure?" Asked Black, even as he returned Sharp while preparing to make a run for it.
"We couldn't come quick enough to save Alder," said Brycen grimly as he readjusted his visor. "This is the least we can do now... hurry! Only you can stop N and whatever he plans for this world. There isn't much time!"
Black gulped as he looked into the Gym Leaders' faces, the infinite trust they held in him piling upon his shoulders like a mountain.
"May luck be with you," he spoke rinally, rushing out between Clay and Skyla straight toward the exit.
"Stop them!" Bronius exclaimed quickly, as his Throh and Gorm's Carracosta at one leaped out to tackle him.
"Haxorus, use Dragon Tail!" Drayden and Iris yelled simultaneously. The two Haxorus were suddenly right beside Black, halting the two attackers with one sweep of their mighty tails that sent them flying into the wall with a crash.
"Charge!" Yelled Lenora as the other Gym Leaders quickly rushed forth, and as he reached the stairs Black could hear the cries of open battle behind him.
Gritting his teeth in apology and anticipation he rushed on, the Light Stone pulsing away in his hand.
- Tubeline Bridge, western end -
"Toxicroak, use Dynamicpunch!" Saturn ordered, sending the Toxic Mouth Pokemon rushing against the barrier set in front of the bridge entrance with its fists glowing white with destructive energy.
"Bro, pull it back with Confusion!" Diamond cried at his Slowbro, who slowly turned to the Toxicroak with his eyes glowing blue.
"Tangrowth, Energy Ball!"
A green orb of natural energy struck Bro in the side, sending him staggering as a horde of Golbats flew at him. Moo quickly dispatched them with a well-timed Ice Shard, but that left the Toxicroak to shoot forward freely and land a devastating punch on the barrier, which thankfully didn't shatter.
"Hold the barrier, Mr. Mime!" Emerald barked at the Barrier Pokemon standing behind the wall, who nodded as it reinforced the Barrier harder.
"Zuzu, use Earthquake!" Ruby shouted as his Swampert shot forward in front of Dia's defenders, launching a powerful shockwave with his fists that instantly knocked out about thirty enemy Pokemon, including Jupiter's rampaging Skuntank.
"Tch," said Jupiter as she quickly returned the defeated Pokemon. "Tangrowth, aim for the boy. Focus Blast!"
A white orb of pure energy left the Vine Pokemon's hands and hurtled towards Diamond. Before he could even react, however, a large shape lumbered in front of him and took the attack meant for him full in the face.
"Tru!" Exclaimed Dia in shock as the Torterra stumbled back with an angry bellow, involuntarily making the defense line falter and fall back slightly.
"Damnit, don't back out! Mienshao, Aura Sphere!" Diamond flinched as he heard Emerald yell out from behind, followed by the attack from his Martial Arts Pokemon shooting over his head to collide with the Tangrowth's second Focus Blast, causing a miniature explsion that knocked out five more grunts.
"Ruru, help Em with the barrier!" Looking back slightly at Ruby's command, Dia noticed the older boy's Gardevoir hurry over to Emerald's Mr. Mime, lending her psychic powers to strengthen the protective wall. "Dia, you might wanna fall back to the barrier. Your Pokemon are exhausted!"
"But I can't let them pass the bridge!" Diamond protested, even as he did see that his entire team was worn after taking so many hits from Team Glalactic; the siege had been going on for how long, an hour or two? They had managed to obliterate a good part of their army, but a large bulk of it still remained to hammer them back.
"Kadabra, use Psybeam!" Saturn quickly took advantage of his distraction, allowing the psychic attack to land on Tung. The Lickilicky staggered back several feet again before lashing out his long tongue out in retaliation, sweeping away several Graveller that tried to rush in with a strong Power Whip.
"Dusknoir, use Shadow Sneak!" Dia watched in amazement as a long shadow of the Gripper Pokemon suddenly shot out from behind him, surging forward to connect to the Kadabra's shadow. The Psi Pokemon had no time to react before Dusknoir's fist suddenly shot out of the shadow and struck it in the face, knocking it out instantly. Ruby and Emerald's battle skills far exceeded Diamond's.
"I grow tired of these games," snapped Saturn angrilt as his Toxicroak whacked back Don with a Brick Break to the head. "It's obvious that you can't fight us and hope to win. Give up and move already!"
"If we can't stop you from entering the bridge," growled back Emerald as he glanced back at his Sceptile. "Then I shall destroy it myself rather than see you cross it!"
Diamond looked at the shorter boy in shock. "But then we won't be able to cross it ourselves!" He protested.
"Exactly," said Jupiter, smirking as if enjoying his distress. "You are bluffing. I know that you need the bridge even more than we do. Isn't that so?"
"Oh, so I'm bluffing, am I?" Emerald hissed dangerously. "Sceptile, use Frenzy Plant!"
The Forest Pokemon quickly moved behind Mr. Mime and Ruru on all fours, the yellow pods on its back bursting open to reveal a multitude of tough, thick vines that crawled toward the body of the bridge, enveloping a whole quarter of it within a matter of seconds as they began to squeeze.
"What?" Diamond figured that Saturn's outraged expression wasn't so different from his own. "No, stop that Sceptile! Toxicroak, use Poison Jab!"
"Tangrowth, destroy the barrier!" Jupiter shouted, sending the Vine Pokemon shooting forward with the rest of Team Galactic and their Pokemon.
"Although destroying such a beautifully-built structure is against my wish..." Ruby's voice suddenly reached Dia's ears from behind. "Mimi, Zuzu, back Diamond up! Staro, take to the sky!"
At once the Milotic and the Swampert rushed up behind his Pokemon's barrier. Feeling boosted by the senior Dex Holder's trust in him, Dia somehow found the courage to look at the incoming horde of enemies with unwavering eyes.
"Let's hang on a little longer, okay?" He asked his teammates, who roared confidently in unison. "Alright, CHARGE!" He shouted as his Pokemon all braced themselves, preparing to meet their foes head-on -
"BLAST BURN!"
A ferocious roar further ahead abrutply caught Diamond's attention, causing him to look up at the hillside where Team Galactic had first marched over. The next moment an incredible wave of fire suddenly swept across the landscape, engulfing the entirety of Team Galactic under a thick blanket of red and yellow which stopped about a foot in front of Diamond's astonished Pokemon.
"What?" Exclaimed Saturn and Jupiter simultaneously, whirling back to see the source of the sudden disaster.
"Hey, Ruby!" Looking back at Emerald's cry, Diamond noticed the blond boy's expression lighted by surprise as well. "That voice, it was..."
"I know," said Ruby with a nod, a glorious smile splitting his face. "They came."
"DIA!" The most familiar and awaited voice in the world suddenly struck Diamond's eardrums, pulling his gaze back to the top of the hill. At its very summit stood a tall boy with a red jacket and a black Trainer's cap, a billiard cue slung over his shoulder as he inspected the scene below with his Typhlosion. A little off to his side was agirl who wore a blue-white set of clothes that oddly matched Ruby's her fanged mouth wide open in a relieved smile as she rode atop a large Donphan. And behind them, riding upon Tarohiko, was Pearl himself, looking as if he was staring into heaven's gates as he looked down upon them.
"PEARL!" Dia yelled back at the top of his voice, Tru and Don adding their own roars. Without hesitation his friend urged his Tauros forward, rushing past (and sometimes trampling over) Team Galactic with the other two Trainers right behind. The grunts left standing didn't stand a chance against their stampede; they fell like leaves everywhere their feet touched, until - virtually - only Jupiter and Saturn were left standing by the time the three Trainers joined the three waiting by the bridge.
"Dia, you're okay!" Pearl yelled with joy as he literally slammed into Diamond and gave him a bear hug, who returned the gesture tightly as their Pokemon happily crowded around them. After breathlessly letting his friend go, Dia looked back see Sapphire (yes, he knew) throwing herself over Ruby, ending up tumbling onto the grass together entangled.
"Oops," she laughed sheepishly as she pulled up slightly, looking down at his face with her eyes shining. "And I promised not to soil you the next time."
"Hm," replied Ruby, making no effort to brush himself clean - like usual - or even attempt to sit up. "Actually, I think I'd do it over again if I could."
Gold chose that moment to give a loud cough, forcing all attention to him.
"Sorry to disturb the joyful reunion, all ye friends and lovers," he said comically, rolling his eyes before swinging his billiard cue to point at Jupiter's Tangrowth, lying scorched and defeated under his Typhlosion's feet. "But can we give all the tears and hugs a pause until we purge some scum out of this place? The cleaner the merrier, right?"
"Yeah, morons," Dia heard Emerald mutter behind them.
"Er," said Pearl awkwardly as he turned to face the older boy with Diamond, who noticed both Ruby and Sapphire blushing out of the corner of his eye.
"Toxicroak, use Brick Break!" Saturn's angry yell suddenly slapped Diamond's ears. Whirling back in shock of having forgotten him completely, he paled as he saw the Toxic Mouth Pokemon leaping straight at him, its wicked claws aiming for his neck.
"Toro, use Blaze Kick!" Sapphire's shout rang out just then. The next moment, a large clawed foot covered by fire came out of nowhere and slammed into the Toxicroak's face, sending it tumbling thirty feet across the ground and landing face-flat in front of the outraged Saturn's feet.
"Sceptile, bind them!" Roared Emerald as he popped up from behind Diamond. The Forest Pokemon was right beside him at once, the thick vines on his back (which had removed themselves from the bridge while Dia wasn't looking) quickly snaking towards Jupiter and Saturn, wrapping tightly around their legs and rendering them immobile.
"Nice one, Em, cavegal," remarked Gold, his smile fading slightly as he turned to face the two Team Galactic Commanders. "Hm, now what to do with these two scumbags...?"
"Go, Octillery!" Saturn hissed in reply, flicking out a Poke Ball with his free hand to summon the Jet Pokemon in front of him and Jupiter.
"Your fight's with me, Saturn! Go, Torahiko!" Pearl shouted as he shot forward from Diamond's side, unleashing the snarling Luxray from his Poke Ball; Dia didn't stop him, knowing his grudge against Saturn for their hardly-fair match at Lake Valor.
For a second the nerdy man looked down at Pearl with disdain. Then, in a surprisingly cold voice for a man bound in vines he ordered: "Smokescreen."
"Fleeing again?" Emerald shouted in a rage as a small explosion of smoke at once surrounded Saturn and Jupiter, hiding them completely from view.
"Staro, use Defog!" Ruby ordered hurriedly as his Staraptor swept down from above, releasing a powerful blast of wind that quickly blew the Smokescreen away - only to reveal that both Commanders had already vanished.
"Gah," Pearl spat in disgust as he turned back to Diamond. "Those jerks should receive a medal for running away, those cowards."
"I'll say," agreed Gold as he walked over to them with a bittersweet grin. "Eh, no matter. Happens all the time. Oh, right," he said as he turned to Ruby and Sapphire. "Cleanup's done, love birds. You can do what you were about to do now."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, senpai," Ruby stuttered quickly, looking away with a blush. Dia blinked as he noticed Sapphire doing the same beside him, and decidedly not to ponder too deeply into it; such emotions were best left to privacy. He could hear Emerald snorting behind the two, from irritance or amusement Dia couldn't tell. Perhaps it was both.
"It's good we ran into such good company," Pearl spoke quietly from behind Diamond, making him turn his head to glance at his smiling face. How long has it been since he had last seen that face?
"It's good we ran into each other," he pointed out, smilling as well. "And in perfect timing too. We nearly ended up destroying the bridge."
"Yep," chuckled Pearl, clapping him twice on the shoulders before walking away to talk to Emerald. Dia's smile widened, knowing all that passed unspoken between; Pearl knew he would understand as well.
"Yo, fellas!"
A tough voice spoke from further above, snapping Diamond's head toward where it came from. Looking up the hillside he noticed someone walking confidently down the burnt slope toward them: a very tall and muscular man, dressed in a pair of military pants and a green sleeveless shirt that exposed his bulging biceps. His sunglasses were slightly askew under his blond hair, revealing a pair of blue eyes that oddly matched his wide grin. Padding behind him was a large Raichu, its cheeks sparkling with electricity as it eagerly looked down at the six Dex Holders below.
Quickly looking around, Diamond saw that everyone else had his confusion mirrored on their faces - except one.
"You!" Gold exclaimed as immediately rushed forward to meet the man, billiard cue swinging dangerously in his hand and Exbo growling threateningly by his side. "I know you. You're from Team R - "
"Lieutenant Surge, formerly of the Navy and current Gym-Leader of Vermilion City, Kanto." The man at once cut in shamelessly, laughing heartily as he looked down at the dumbfounded Dex Holders with no enmity in his sort-of-friendly eyes. "Nice to see ya kiddies up for a good workout! Mind if I make the game even more interesting?" (#1)
- Route 7, near Celestic Tower -
"Blue-san, look!" White suddenly cried as she pointed far up ahead to the sky, disrupting Silver's conversation with Blue during their rest. Narrowing his eyes with annoyance, he followed the younger Dex Holder (underlevelled, in his opinion)'s gaze to find a patch of pitch-black cloud that wasn't there a few minutes ago slowly rise above the already-gray sky. Having heard the story from White, he didn't need reminding to know what that meant.
"Team Plasma," he spoke quietly, habitually taking a step in front of Blue in a semiprotective stance. "They're moving."
"Precisely."
Whirling behind in surprise, Silver noticed a woman walking out of a road leading away to Celestic Tower. She was a tall, lean figure, wearing a pair of white pants and a pink tank top, her sharp red eyes somehow mismatching with her short black hair. Sliver thought he had seen her before, but with longer hair...
"How long have you been waiting for us, Sabrina?" Blue asked casually as she turned around to face her former enemy and temporary ally, showing next to no surprise to find the Gym-Leader of Saffron City here in Unova.
"Awhile," said Sabrina nonchalantly as she stopped in front of them with a wry smile. "I was aware that you were in an awful hurry... am I not right?"
- Victory Road -
"They're coming..." whispered a lone figure in the middle of a large, dark tunnel, a Kirlia murmuring concernedly around the slightly-shivering person.
"All of them, so much darkness... they're coming here. I can't let them reach him before me!"
Well, well, how is that? Now we're moving into the second part of the first arc, as the Dex Holders begin to join up together while moving as one towards N's Castle. Sooner or later Black will have to face him, but who would be beside him at that point? Well, all will be revealed in time!
#1. In the games Surge is a former Air Force major, while in the manga he's a sailor. I sorta got these mixed up.
Hm, I did say that there'll be a lot of new characters, right? Well, no doubt you'd have been disappionted when the Sages showed up all at once, but hey, I didn't trick you, did I? Nice to see ya both, Lt. Surge and Sabrina. About time some old faces start showing up. No Koga in this arc, I'm afraid. I suppose he's too busy being a dad. Learn from him, Boss...
And who might the last fellow that showed up in the last part, eh? You're free to guess! The answer will be known in the next chapter, when Cynthia enteres the Victory Road herself. I'll be expecting some hunches in the reviews, but I wonder how accurate they'll be? XD
Also happening in Chapter 21: Black finally joins the other Dex Holders! Which ones? That's up for guess to, ha! *gets stoned* Also another new faces, though they'll not be ones you'll expect or partucularly wait upon. Can't reveal any more than that, so till then! R&R!
Writing completed on June 26th, 2011. This is Yowl of Time, out.