Chapter 3
Haruka wakes up the next morning, on the itchy grass, and on her butt.
"What the?" She shifts positions and looks around her, "How the hell did I end up down here?"
She stands up shakily and her knees wobble. She grabs onto the tree for support and rubs her temple at an aching spot. She takes a few deep breaths and stays in a bent, still position.
Dewott and Kirlia climb down and look at her with worried eyes and also with expressions saying, 'we told you so,'
"Ugh, you guys were right. That's the last time I try sleeping in a tree." She slowly regains her posture and stretches, "Let's move on."
She lets her pokemon play with each other on their walk towards Castelia City. Kirlia twirls around like a graceful ballerina and teleports away from Oshowatt when he tries to tag her. Haruka giggles at the sight, making her content. It takes thirty minutes to arrive at the humongous city, but the time is given back when Haruka explores all around. She buys herself and her pokemon Casteliacones and decides to visit Burgh's (the gym leader) Art Studio. She's easily bored and walks away from the talking tour guide and exits, yawning. She wipes tears from her eyes and her eye catches a quick movement of silver clothing, very much like the Team Plasma grunts. Haruka dismisses this as nothing, and goes on to take on the Bug-type gym.
The honey walls were as annoying as non-stop chirping Kricketune. Haruka's hair and face were all sticky and she was forced to send her pokemon back into their balls in order to protect them from the sticky honey.
When Burgh saw her, he laughed out loud, "Oh, an opponent! I'm surprised you had the patience to get through all of my sweet honey walls." He glanced at her again and a bit of paint from his paintbrush dripped off and onto his pants as he cracked up, "What a mess you are! You see, this is the reason why I don't many challengers."
Haruka had gripped her pokeballs tightly in order to restrain herself from strangling the young artist. She had won, and she still doesn't like him.
What idiot thinks about honey walls as an obstacle? More like messy walls… Haruka thinks, as she scrubs herself clean in the pokecenter shower stall. She pours a generous amount of shampoo onto her palm and washes her chocolate brown hair.
Walking out of the pokecenter, she plans to head to Nimbasa City, where the famous model and gym leader Elesa are. But her plans must be delayed, due to a group of Team Plasma rats.
"Those weirdoes, what are they up to? So damn annoying!" Haruka murmurs, quietly following them. Hiding behind potted plants and trees, she sees the grunts entering a tall, square building. Looking around, making sure no one is watching her, she swiftly jogs over to the automatic, glass doors and enters.
She is met by Ghetsis, still in the disgusting two-eyed robe. He's currently ranting on about something, but he hears the doors open and turns. He glares down upon her and his eye scrunches up as he stops himself mid-sentence.
"What do we have here? An intruder?" He barks at the group of ditzy grunts she was following. They flinch at his harshness and look at one another, wondering which one of them let the stray in.
"You dimwits," he mutters, not bothering to wait for an answer, "I've told you countless times to make sure the doors are locked after you enter. The next time this happens, I will make sure that our king lowers down your statuses!"
He turns back to Haruka and asks almost dangerously, "Miss," he starts, "What are you doing here?"
Haruka, deciding to speak up, says, "I was following your little, pathetic group of grunts. They led me here, and I'm pretty sure you people are planning something nasty."
She takes note of six men in tall, odd looking hats and plain, boring robes. They all have blank looks and are discussing among themselves about a topic.
Ghetsis raises his eyebrows and says lowly, "How can you be so sure of that?"
"I heard your speech in Accumula." Haruka answers, staring directly into his wicked eye.
"Oh, you did? It was quite good, wasn't it?" Ghetsis then strokes his semi short green mane, and says, "Liberating pokemon… Yes, that's the right way to go. In order for them to be happy, we must set them free!" He smiles cruelly at her, "How can you call this masterpiece idea evil?"
"Because it's bullshit, that's why." Starting to get angry, fury beginning to boil up inside her, she takes a step forward and spits, "While you're thinking about liberating pokemon, why not get rid of that stupid robe too?"
Some grunts burst out laughing, but with a deathly glare from Ghetsis and the other six gnome- like men, they shut up. Ghetsis frowns and glowers at Haruka, "I don't like you, little girl."
"The same can be said for you."
He remains scowling, "One day, you'll regret what you've just said to me. You'll see that my way is right. You will agree with our king, and you will be begging for my forgiveness!"
Haruka coldly asks, "Who's this king you're talking about?"
"None of your business. It is our duty as Team Plasma," he then gestures to the other six gnome men and himself, "And us, the Seven Sages, to protect out king's identity." Ghetsis then smirks at her, "Get out of here, girl. Go play with your little dollies or something."
"Not until you tell me what you're up to!" Haruka shouts, clearly irritated.
Ghetsis exhales sharply and doesn't do anything. The awkward silence in the room makes the grunts feel uncomfortable. Ghetsis and Haruka remain glaring at each other, and the other six sages usher the rest of the Team Plasma people out of the building.
"We're innocently planning a beautiful future for Unova." Ghetsis simply says.
"No, you're crazy. I'm not moving until you give me the full story."
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" he sneers at her.
Haruka stands strong with her pokemon, "I happen to get that gift from my mother. Moving on, I will not, will not, let you get away with this ridiculous liberation idea, Ghetsis. Perhaps you should take a drug test soon."
Ghetsis grits his teeth and shoves his way past the girl. He snaps, "You impudent imp! When my idea is put into success, your pokemon are going to be the first ones released!"
He storms out and disappears down the street. Haruka stares down at her two pokemon.
There's no way I can let that happen, no way, she thinks, I even received a personal threat from the all "high and mighty" Ghetsis. That stupid bastard.
"Dew?" Dewott shakes her head, snapping her out of her mind.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. Thinking, just thinking." She plasters a smile on her face, "C'mon, best friends, let's get out of here."
After the encounter with Ghetsis, she returns her pokemon to their pokeballs for their rest. She clings to them tightly and heads on the Nimbasa City, thinking of a way to stop him.
She arrives at the loud, cheery city and sits on a bench, thinking deeply about pokemon emancipation.
"Of course it's wrong," she mutters to herself softly, "Cheren's right. What the hell is he thinking?"
Sitting up, she wonders where her two childhood friends are at the moment. Are they together right now? Are they battling? Are they hurt?
She doesn't feel like calling them, she can do that later. Instead, she decides to (surprisingly) go to the library. She needs some peace and quiet.
The cool air in the library greets her and the smell of books calls to Haruka. Resisting the urge to walk out, she forces herself to walk deeper and into the History section.
"Hmph," she grumps, "Out of all sections, I walk into history."
Haruka hates reading, yet, she decides to read a tedious book to calm her mind and probably bore herself to sleep.
"Excuse me, miss," the short, pinchy faced librarian says, "Pokemon are to be kept in their pokeballs at all times in our library."
"Sorry." Haruka mumbles, returning her tired pokemon. She scans the rows of history books and her eyes land upon The Legend of Unova.
She picks it out and finds a chair and table. She sits and opens up the dusty book. She begins to "read".
Haruka doesn't actually read, but skims through the thin book. But her eyes catch two names.
"Shinjitsu… Risō…" she whispers to herself.
Suddenly, her head starts to ache in pain. She tilts her head down and rubs both of her temples with both hands and squeezes her blue eyes shut.
"Ugh, my head…" She groans quietly and opens her eyes slightly, "Why does my head…"
She's cut off from her vision blurring, and she immediately closes them again.
"What the hell is going on?" She whispers, panic rising inside of her. She starts to shake.
Pictures begin to show up inside her mind, and she squeezes her eyes even tighter. She sees the figure of a woman, in a long, elegant, goddess like dress walking with an enormous pokemon.
"R-Reshir… Reshiram?" She silently blurts out, snapping her eyes open.
Reshiram? She thinks, What's a Reshiram?
The woman like figure is very fuzzy, and soon she fades away. She is replaced by a tall, broad shouldered man like figure, with long, wavy hair in a ponytail, wearing prince like attire.
"N?" She whispers to herself, close to crying from fear. She shakes harder, and soon freezes.
The man is accompanied, like the woman, with a large black pokemon, red eyes peeking out from the fog.
"Zekrom…" She hisses, and looks down at her, again, quaking hands.
"Zekrom?" She asks, louder this time. A few people look her way, and look at her like she's a crazy person.
Then the tears begin to fall, and the pinchy faced librarian hops down from her chair and hurries over.
"Miss?" She asks worriedly, "Are you alright?"
Haruka stands up, then in someone else's voice, not hers, says, "Risō, where are you? Come back to me, come back to me… Please…" Haruka slumps down onto the ground, her messenger back with her two pokeballs spilling out, her face contorts to an angry one, "You traitor! Where are you?! Come back! Come-"
Haruka blacks out.