Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!
Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga
Chapter Forty One
The Ruby's Destiny
Ashley made one last stop at her home in Pallet Town to get ready for her trip to Hoenn. She told her mother she had been hearing a lot about the region lately and was going to photograph pokemon there. If she told her the real reason, Ashley knew her mother would worry. After taking a day to get ready, she headed to Hoenn and went straight for the desert.
The desert Ashley had been directed to turned out to be a rather nasty place. On her way there she found herself grabbing a blanket to wear as a cloak. The desert was rather infamous for nearly constant sandstorms, usually quite severe, so she found herself using said blanket to protect herself.
"This is crazy!" Ashley thought in the midst of the sandstorm. "Who would come out here for a battle? How am I even supposed to see the guy?! I'm really starting to hate this region!" Ashley lifted her hat slightly to try to look around, but couldn't see through the sand at all and almost immediately caught a face full of it. She quickly pulled her hat down in front of her face again.
"My hair is going to be a mess and full of sand when this is over." Ashley shook her head. "No. You know what? Forget it! I can't tell if he's here or not, and how is he even supposed to know I'm here anyway!? I bet I just fell for some stupid prank or something because no one would try to set up something like this! I'm leaving!"
Ashley turned and started off in the direction she thought the exit was in, but she couldn't really tell. With the sandstorm raging around her, she had no way of finding out which direction would lead her out. "This is ridiculous!" She thought. "If I ever get out of here I'm going to find that guy and drag HIM out into the middle of the desert!"
As Ashley stumbled through the desert, trying to find her way out, the sandstorm eventually and suddenly subsided. The desert became calm and Ashley could feel the intense heat from the sun. She lowered her hat cautiously and looked around the desert, thinking at first that maybe she had found the exit. That wasn't the case, however, as she soon realized she had actually gone further in. The sandstorm simply stopped.
"Ok, not that I'm complaining, but what just happened?" Ashley wondered.
"You must be Ashley." Ashley heard a young boy's voice. Looking around, she saw nothing but a very large rock jutting out of the sand. She looked up and saw a boy standing on top of it, looking to be a year or two younger than she was and wearing a khaki vest, shorts, and what looked like a typical archaeologist's hat. Looking him over, Ashley couldn't help but think he seemed somewhat effeminate.
"And you must be the so-called 'strongest trainer in Hoenn'?" Ashley asked him. "I bet he's just a fanboy or something..."
"That's right. The name's Alex." The boy, Alex, replied. "You could have at least replied to that e-mail, then I wouldn't have had to come out here so suddenly."
"Oh...right...guess I should have replied..." Ashley mumbled in response. A thought dawned on her and she cast a suspicious look toward Alex. "Wait! How did you even know I was here then?!"
"I have my ways." Alex replied with a shrug. "Now, here's the deal. I will be using only one pokemon. You can use all six of your pokemon to defeat mine."
"One pokemon?!" Ashley said in shock. "Is this guy serious?! Could he be even better than Red?" Ashley thought it over for a moment. "No...he's just like them! The hunters! They all had only one pokemon, so maybe he's one of them? If my hunch is right, then the pokemon he'll use will likely be a legendary pokemon from Hoenn!" In her mind, Ashley was grinning. "I'll get to see my first Hoenn legendary!"
"So, are you up to the challenge?" Alex asked her.
"You bet! Let's see what that pokemon of your's is capable of!" Ashley replied with a grin, quickly reaching for a pokeball. "Ok Articuno, first shot at this thing is your's! Go!" Ashley called out, releasing Articuno from it's pokeball. Articuno shuddered when it emerged on the field, feeling the heat from the desert sun.
"Well come on then! Where's your pokemon?" Ashley asked impatiently.
"Already out of it's pokeball." Alex replied. "Groudon, show yourself!" He then called out. Ashley looked around but saw nothing, not a single pokemon in sight. Then, suddenly, the ground in front of her and Articuno began to bulge until a giant red pokemon burst from the ground with a mighty roar. The pokemon looked like a large, hulking dinosaur, and Ashley could feel some of her confidence slipping away.
"That thing is HUGE!" She thought. "How am I supposed to fight that thing!?"
"Meet Groudon, the Titan of the Land. According to legend, in ancient times it was Groudon that created the landmasses of the Earth." Alex said to Ashley.
"Definitely a legendary pokemon, and a serious one at that!" Ashley thought, quickly grabbing her camera and snapping a photo of Groudon. "Can't let this opportunity slip by." She thought with a smirk. While the photo printed from her camera, she noticed Articuno fidgeting nervously. "Huh?What's up with Articuno?"
"How is it this pokemon has been awakened?" Articuno thought anxiously as it looked up at Groudon. "Groudon and Kyogre were both put into a deep sleep for all eternity after their conflict nearly destroyed the world! Now Groudon is awakened, and in the hands of a trainer no less?" Articuno looked past Groudon, toward Alex. "Alex...just who is he?"
"Alright, if I'm not mistaken Articuno was the legendary bird of ice. So its and ice type." Alex thought. He had looked up the legendary birds after discovering they were in Ashley's possession. He found enough information to know what type of pokemon each of them were. "Groudon can take that one down easily. You'll have to do better than that, Ashley."
"Is all of this REALLY necessary? Disguising yourself as Alex again? Making the dramatic entrance with Groudon? You almost seem like you're trying to impress her." A voice in Alex's head said to him.
"I barely know her!" Alex thought in his defense. "You can read my mind anyway, so you already know my reasons for this."
"Of course. But it doesn't annoy you then." The voice replied.
"Ok, judging by the look of it, Groudon is a dragon pokemon. So Articuno is actually a good choice for this." Ashley thought. "Alright! Lets get this started! Articuno, attack Groudon with Ice Beam!" Articuno opened its beak and fired a blue beam at Groudon. The beam struck Groudon in the chest, briefly forming into a sheet of ice that then shattered and fell off. Groudon growled in pain but shook it off.
"Ok, ice attacks seem to hurt it, I must be on the right track!" Ashley thought.
"You'll have to do better than that." Alex taunted Ashley. "Groudon, attack Articuno now with Fire Blast!" Groudon opened it's mouth and shot a large fireball at Articuno. The fireball expanded further, growing appendages that gave it a shape almost like a stick figure. Articuno hopped back, but the 'head' of the figure still caught it. The fireball then exploded, knocking Articuno to the ground. Despite the near miss, Articuno was heavily scorched by the blast and had trouble getting back up.
Ashley winced. "Urk! That fireball looked pretty strong, it must be a fire type too! But if it was, then that Ice Beam wouldn't have hurt as much...is Groudon really just that powerful then?" Ashley narrowed her eyes, examining Groudon. "Or is there something else going on here?"
"Now, let's finish this one. Groudon, attack with..."
"Articuno, that's enough for now! Return!" Ashley called out, recalling Articuno before Groudon could get off another attack. Groudon snorted, looking a bit upset at the missed opportunity.
"I bet Ashley has no grasp on what she's dealing with." Alex thought. "Groudon's appearance doesn't exactly give a good idea of what type of pokemon it is, and Groudon's special ability is unprecedented. There's no way she could know that Groudon is the reason the sandstorm stopped so suddenly..."
"If this thing really is a fire dragon, then rock attacks should still be effective on it." Ashley thought as she grabbed another pokeball. "Ok, Aerodactyl, your turn to take a shot at it now! Go!" Ashley held out the pokeball and released Aerodactyl onto the field. Aerodactyl gave Groudon a curious look as he appeared, having little idea what he was dealing with. Aerodactyl quickly flapped his wings and hovered straight up into the air to get ready for an attack run on Groudon.
"Ok, Ashley, lets see if I can use this one to point you in the right direction." Alex thought. "If she attacks with a rock technique, she should see how ineffective it is. I'll fight back with Solar Beam and..."
"HOLD IT!" A voice cut into Alex's thoughts. "Where did she get a Ptera?"
"We call it Aerodactyl these days, Odari." Alex thought in response. "And she probably got it the same way I got Armaldo and May got Cradily." The voice of Odari remained quiet, apparently satisfied with Alex's response.
"Aerodactyl, attack Groudon with Ancientpower!" Rocks shot up into the air and orbitted around Aerodactyl as he drew out power for his attack. He then thrust his wings forward, sending a barrage of rocks at Groudon. The rocks bounced off Groudon's body, seemingly inflicting no harm at all.
"Wh-what?! That thing didn't even flinch!" Ashley cried out in dismay. "So much for it being a fire type..." She thought. "Ok, so it seemed to be weak to ice, and resists rock attacks, so what type would match that?"
"You won't hurt Groudon with a weak attack like that." Alex said to Ashley. "Groudon, shoot down that Aerodactyl with Solar Beam!" Ashley didn't have much time to think over Groudon's type before it went on the attack. Groudon opened its mouth and fired a wide beam of solar energy.
"WHAT THE?!" Ashley cried out in shock. She was expecting Groudon would need time to charge, as was Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl took a direct hit, being unprepared for the attack, and quickly dropped down into the sand. Aerodactyl took a strong hit, but after a few seconds he slowly stood back up and growled at Groudon. The towering legendary pokemon snorted back, unamused.
"You don't seem to have any idea what you're dealing with." Alex said to Ashley. "However, if you've been paying attention, you should have all the clues needed to figure it out. So I'll give you five minutes to put it all together."
"What...what's going on here?" Ashley wondered. "Groudon's type, that Solar Beam, and Alex's attitude...I just don't get any of it!" Ashley tapped herself on the side of her head.
"Come on! Think! Think! Ok, first off, Groudon's type. Groudon didn't like Articuno's Ice Beam much, but I don't think it even flinched at Aerodactyl's Ancientpower attack." Ashley looked at Groudon and thought deeply. "No pokemon are immune to rock attacks, so it must be really resistant to them instead. Strong defense definitely. So weak to ice, resistant to rock..." Ashley snapped her fingers.
"I've got it! Groudon is a ground type!" Ashley announced.
"Two minutes left." Alex replied coldly. "Three minutes is a lot longer than that should have taken to figure out something that simple."
"Urk...what's with this guy?!" Ashley muttered to herself. "What does he want from me anyway? If he's just another one of those hunter goons, why should he care about making it a fair fight? Isn't that taking away his biggest advantage?"
Ashley let out a frustrated sigh. "In any case...I need to figure out how he got off that Solar Beam so quickly." Ashley looked up into the sky, with the brim of her hat shielding her eyes from the intense sunlight. "I should have realized that one sooner..."
"-Can we hurry this up? I want to take a chunk out of this guy.-" Aerodactyl growled.
"-Take your best shot. Or have you done that already?-" Groudon said to Aerodactyl.
"-I've got more than that to throw at you!-" Aerodactyl shot back.
"Time's up." Alex said to Ashley. "Think you've figured it out?"
"Yeah. You had your pokemon use Sunny Day before the match!" Ashley shot back, glaring at Alex. "So you've been cheating from the start!"
Alex smirked and waved his index finger at Ashley. "Not quite." He said to her. "You were on the right track though, so I'll let you in on a little secret. Groudon has a special ability."
"Most pokemon do." Ashley replied bitterly.
"Groudon's is particularly special, however." Alex said to her. "The sandstorm suddenly stopping? The blazing sun? Both those things were caused..." Alex pointed toward Groudon. "By this pokemon's very presence!"
Ashley nearly fell back from the shock of Alex's revealation. "WHAT?! You mean that thing can change the weather without actually doing anything?!"
"Exactly." Alex replied calmly.
"How powerful is that thing?!" Ashley wondered, then took a pokeball in her hand. "Well either way, Aerodactyl definitely can't beat it. Groudon obviously has strong defenses and can resist Aerodactyl's attacks."
"Aerodactyl, return for now!" Ashley called out, holding out the pokeball and recalling Aerodactyl. She then took another pokeball in her hand almost immediately after. "If Groudon is only a ground type, and causes a permanent Sunny Day effect, then I can use that to my advantage."
Ashley held out the pokeball, preparing to release her pokemon. "Ok, you can handle this one, V-" Ashley stopped herself, remembering when she tried to use Articuno earlier. "Wait! This thing might be a ground type, but it does know fire attacks!" She thought, recalling the Fire Blast attack used on Articuno. She put the pokeball back and took another one in her hand.
"Nevermind then! Moltres, you'll take this one!" Ashley released Moltres from it's pokeball. As with Articuno, Moltres was shocked to find itself standing before Groudon.
"-YOU! You're supposed to be asleep!-" Moltres said to Groudon, squawking and flapping it's wings frantically.
"Moltres too? Do the legendary birds have some history with Groudon?" Ashley wondered.
"-Awakened to be humiliated by a human girl, it seems.-" Groudon growled bitterly in response to Moltres.
"So it seems this trainer has Groudon on a leash..." Moltres thought, then looked toward the top of the rock where Alex was standing. "I wonder, how did she do it? Is there more to this trainer than meets the eye?"
"Perhaps this pokemon will make a much better showing now that you understand what you're facing." Alex said to Ashley.
"I understand what I'm facing now, but what I don't get is...who!" Ashley thought, staring intently at Alex. "Alex...who are you? What are you trying to gain by doing this? How did a trainer like you even capture a pokemon like Groudon?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "There isn't even a slave collar on that pokemon!"
"Well, if you're not going to start, then I will." Alex said, interrupting Ashley's thoughts. "Groudon, use Bulk Up." Groudon growled and flexed it's massive arms, causing them to expand and increase his body's strength and durability.
"I'll worry about his motives later then." Ashley thought. "Moltres, use Heat Wave!" Moltres began flapping it's wings, sending a blast of hot air and flames at Groudon. Groudon growled, feeling the scorching heat against it's body. The heat was intensified by the effects of Groudon's own "drought" effect, inflicting more damage on Groudon than it would normally.
"Don't let up! Keep the heat on Groudon with Flamethrower!" Moltres stopped flapping it's wings and then opened it's beak to fire a blast of flames at Groudon. Groudon growled in pain as the flames scorched it's chest and nearly collapsed. Groudon was starting to buckle under the assault from Ashley's pokemon. However, Groudon still had a trick up it's sleeve.
"Groudon, use Rest now." Groudon straightened up and then closed it's eyes, quickly falling into a deep sleep. The damage inflicted on Groudon by Ashley's efforts up until then was removed in an instant, resorting Groudon to full health.
"Rest?! Just when I was finally starting to make some progress to!" Ashley thought in dismay. "We're not going to back down just because your pokemon can heal itself!" She then called out to Alex. "Moltres, attack Groudon with Fire Spin! Then, follow up with Heat Wave!"
Moltres opened its beak and spewed out a spiralling cone of flames. The flames wrapped themselves around the sleeping Groudon, forming into a tornado of flames around it and trapping Groudon inside. Moltres then followed up by flapping it's wings and concentrating blasts of flames and hot air on the swirling firestorm, causing it to increase in intensity. A pained growl from within the flames at that point let Alex and Ashley know that Groudon had woken up.
"Not bad! So is this one of those combos she's known for pulling off?" Alex wondered with a smirk on his face.
"I fail to see how that's anything special." Odari said to Alex. "Now, don't you think you should command Groudon to attack?"
"Yes, boss." Alex replied sarcastically. "Groudon, take down Moltres with an Ancientpower attack!" Groudon growled and began to focus it's power. The rocks that began to float around it were concealed within the flames.
"A rock attack! After that Bulk Up, that'll knock Moltres out for sure!" Ashley had little time to think up a solution, but she called out a command to Moltres as Groudon was going on the attack. "Moltres, Endure it!" Moltres braced itself as several large rocks suddenly shot out of the flames, causing them to waver briefly and almost go out. The rocks smashed into Moltres hard, knocking the fire bird off it's feet. Moltres had braced itself, however, and managed to just barely keep itself in the battle. In a weakened state, Moltres slowly rose up off the ground.
"Only going to get one shot to attack now!" Ashley thought. "Moltres, attack with Heat Wave again!" Moltres started flapping its wings, shaky at first due to its weakened state. Moltres' wings whipped up a blazing heat, sending a blast of flames and hot air at Groudon. The flames were pulled in by the twister, increasing their intensity. Although its body was used to extreme temperatures, even Groudon could feel itself weakening from the heat.
"Groudon, end this decisively and blast your way out with Solar Beam!" Groudon opened its mouth and fired a beam down at the base of the flames. The beam cut through the twister, quickly bringing it to an end. Groudon then kept firing while bringing the beam onto Moltres. Moltres tried to fly up to avoid it, but a glancing blow caught Moltres just before Groudon ran out of power. Moltres couldn't endure even the lightest of hits, though. It dropped to the ground and fainted.
With Moltres fainted, Ashley took out a pokeball and recalled it. "Well, guess I couldn't have expected much more out of Moltres anyway. But still, Groudon was left pretty weak. Alex won't go straight on the offense, I don't think. So maybe Poliwrath could gain the upperhand from here by changing the weather?" Ashley grinned to herself as she returned Moltres' pokeball to her belt, then took another one in her hand.
"Ok, Poliwrath, your turn now!" She called out, releasing Poliwrath onto the field. The fighting tadpole pokemon appeared with an excited cry, raising his hands into the air. The Focus Band given to him by Ashley was still wrapped around his head.
"That pokemon...I don't recognize it at all..." Alex facepalmed. "Knew I should have looked more into her pokemon! I only know of the ones she used against the Elite Four!"
"Well what will you do now?" Odari asked him.
"Well, it's blue. Looks kinda muscular, like a fighting pokemon, but I can't help but feel its a water pokemon due to the color" Alex thought.
"Pokemon. Color coded for your convenience." Odari replied sarcastically.
"Either way, I don't think I'll take my chances with a direct assault. Groudon is pretty weak right now, so it's time to rest up." Alex thought. "Groudon, use Rest!" Groudon closed its eyes and went to sleep, completely restoring its strength.
"Poliwrath, set up Rain Dance while Groudon is asleep!" Ashley called out, though she felt some doubt that it would actually work. Poliwrath began to dance around, and stormclouds formed overhead. The clouds soon blocked out the sun, negating the effect of Groudon's drought ability. Rain began to fall onto the desert sands.
"I can't believe that worked!" Ashley thought, grinning brightly. "Alright! I can win this thing from here, now!"
"Poliwrath, attack Groudon with Waterfall!" Ashley called out, her voice sounding somewhat shaky in her excitement. Poliwrath charged across the desert sands, looking like a football player going in for the touchdown. A watery veil surrounded him, giving him an appearance like a meteor in the Earth's atmosphere. Poliwrath then smashed shoulder-first into Groudon, causing it to grunt in paint and fall onto its back while still asleep.
"No doubt in my mind now. Few non-water pokemon, if any, can learn Waterfall." Alex thought. "Groudon should be able to erase that Rain Dance as soon as it wakes up, but it'll take one more Waterfall before then and that Poliwrath is hitting hard."
"Seems she's having a lot less trouble with Groudon than you did." Odari teased Alex.
"Hey! Cut me some slack! I'm stronger now than I was then!" Alex replied indignantly.
"Ok, again now! Attack Groudon one more time before it wakes up!" Ashley called out, ordering another Waterfall attack. Poliwrath quickly hopped back a few feet while water began to flow arround its body in a torrent again. Poliwrath then jumped up, turning in the air to tackle straight down into Groudon's stomach. Groudon bellowed in pain and quickly bolted up, knocking Poliwrath off in the process. The clouds quickly parted and the harsh sunlight beamed down again.
"Well, that was a wasted effort." Alex thought, noticing that Groudon seemed to be in pretty rough shape. "We'll need to knock Poliwrath out so Groudon can get a chance to use Rest again. Hope one Bulk Up will be enough."
"Groudon, go! Show Ashley your full strength and attack Poliwrath with Earthquake!" Groudon slammed one of its large feet into the sandy ground, sending a powerful shockwave throughout the desert floor. The sand began to shake and rocks jutted up through it, striking Poliwrath and bouncing him around while the shockwaves continued. The terrain eventually settled, dropping a battered and bruised Poliwrath on the sand. Though badly injured, Poliwrath was still conscious.
"That...that looked pretty strong!" Ashley thought in disbelief. "That Groudon hits hard...but we'll put it down for good now!"
"Poliwrath, use Hypnosis!" Poliwrath quickly stood up with a determined glint in his eyes. The swirl pattern on his chest began to spin, sending out hypnotic waves at Groudon. Groudon felt its rather large eyelids starting to grow heavy, and then it fell over as it collapsed into a deep sleep.
"Wh-WHAT?! That thing knows Hypnosis!?" Alex cried out in shock. "Damn it! I didn't see that coming at all!"
"Clearly you should have studied your target more thoroughly." Odari said to him.
"Ok, lets not waste time with another Rain Dance! Lets go straight out with another attack Groudon is weak to!" Ashley thought. "Poliwrath, attack Groudon with Ice Punch!" Poliwrath raised one fist back, which then quickly iced over. Poliwrath charged toward Groudon and jumped into the air, bringing his icy fist crashing down into Groudon's face. Poliwrath's fist struck hard and Groudon cried out sharply and then fell silent, remaining unconscious.
"Well unless your Groudon can instantly restore itself while knocked out, this battle is over." Ashley said to Alex. "Thats what you get for putting all your eggs into one basket!"
"-Huh? Whats so special about this pokemon anyway?-" Poliwrath wondered aloud, looking at the unconscious pokemon he was standing on. Groudon disappeared under his feet, causing Poliwrath to suddenly drop down onto the sand. "-Ow! Hey!-"
"Congratulations. Looks like you've managed to win afterall." Alex said to Ashley. He then approached the edge of the rock he was standing on and slid down to the bottom, then walked toward Ashley.
"He...caught that pokemon?" Ashley thought. "I was sure he was controlling it through some unnatural means but...he actually caught it?" As Alex stopped in front of her, Ashley did a double take, finally getting a good look at him. "WAIT A MINUTE! There's no way you're a boy!"
"You noticed." Alex replied with a smirk, using a more feminine voice now. "My disguise is usually a bit more convincing than this, back when I was using it regularly. I was planning to wear it just for this battle, but you arrived so suddenly that I had to improvise. I tucked my hair under my hat and made sure you couldn't get a good look at me." Alex then removed her hat, letting her slightly longer hair fall down. Though still cut rather short, Alex's hair style did look more noticeably feminine now.
"What...just what are you getting at anyway?!" Ashley angrily demanded.
"-Whats going on now?-" Poliwrath wondered, looking over at the two. "-H-hey! You're not forgetting me are you?!-" Poliwrath looked teary-eyed at Ashley.
"Oh...err...sorry Poliwrath..." Ashley cleared her throat and took a pokeball in her hand. "Poliwrath, great work out there! That was a tough opponent, but you still took it down! You can take a well-deserved rest!" Ashley recalled Poliwrath, then placed the pokeball on her belt and looked back at Alex with a glare. "Now just who are you anyway?!"
"You...really can't tell?" Alex asked her, looking somewhat stunned. "I mean, you really don't recognize me now?"
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "No...why would I?"
"...I'm Melany Stone. Archaeologist. Daughter of President Stone of Devon Inc. Steven Stone is my brother!"
"Err...am I supposed to know any of that?" Ashley scratched the back of her head. "Cause...I don't." Melany let out a sigh.
"Nevermind then...regardless, as I said, my real name is Melany Stone." Melany said to her, folding her arms over her chest. "I thought there was a chance you might recognize me, so I planned to come in disguise. Apparently that was completely POINTLESS though!"
"Aren't you overreacting a bit to this?" Odari asked Melany. "I mean, why are you even complaining? I thought you didn't like being famous?"
"Ok...but even so, what was the point of all this in the first place?!" Ashley demanded in a confused tone.
"That...well...you might have trouble believing it, but you're actually pretty special." Melany smirked. "In fact...you're actually descended from the leader of the Kanto tribe from ancient times, a tribe that eventually became the inhabitants of the Kanto region."
"...Thats what this is about? I mean, I already knew that." Ashley replied.
"You...you knew already?!"
"You get a pass for the dramatic entrance, but someone beat you to the dramatic revealation it seems." Odari said to Melany.
"You know, in my mind, this event turned out a lot differently." Melany sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a red gem. "Here, you might as well take this." She said, handing the gem to Ashley. "That belonged to your ancestor, and contains her spirit. So don't be too surprised to hear it talk to you."
"Somehow, I don't think this will surprise you at all, will it?" A voice said in Ashley's mind. "The name is Aisha, by the way, but I'm sure you knew that."
"...A little surprised." Ashley thought, blinking. She gave Melany a curious look. "Why are you giving me this anyway?"
"Well, that, we need to get to a pokecenter for." Melany replied. "When I fought and captured Groudon, I made a bet with it. If I was successful in capturing Groudon, then it would obey whoever held the ruby. The ruby rightfully belongs to you, and thus control over Groudon belongs to you as well."
"If she lost, she was going to fork over the ruby to that beast!" Aisha's voice said to Ashley. "Can you believe that?! You have no idea how much trouble that would have caused! Groudon's true power is concealed in this ruby, it would have been unstoppable if it got that power!"
"W-wait! You're just going to give me that pokemon?!" Ashley asked in disbelief, ignoring the voice in her head.
"It's only fair. Groudon's true power is sealed in that gem, and the gem rightfully belongs to you." Melany replied. "Anyway, I have a feeling we'll be needing this kind of power."
"Why do you say that?" Ashley asked.
"I have my reasons. I'll explain on the way to the pokecenter." Melany looked around the desert cautiously. "The longer we stand here, the more likely we're going to get trapped in a sandstorm."
"Well this is getting interesting..." Ashley thought. "I came to Hoenn to find Duke. Instead, it seems there's something even bigger going on. If, of course, this isn't Duke's doing somehow..."
"Believe me, there's been a lot going on in Hoenn." Aisha said to her. "I'll let Melany fill you in on the details since she's going to anyway."
Ashley and Melany left the desert, heading south toward Mauville. Along the way, Melany informed Ashley about the conflict between Groudon and Kyogre, Rayquaza's disappearance, and the mysterious cave paintings at the Sky Pillar.
Meanwhile, at the top of the nearby Trainer Hill...
"So you must be the final trainer I must defeat then." A teenager by the name of Vito Winstrate said to his opponent, standing on the opposite side of the indoor battlefield.
"Funny. I was about to say the same." The girl, named Jessica, replied while adjusting her glasses. "Looks like I'm not the only one that managed to fight my way to the top of the Trainer Hill."
"Ah, but I'm afraid a girl like you has no chance at beating me." Vito said to her, grinning smugly. "I am, afterall, a Winstrate."
"Funny. I recall a certain girl, by the name of Melany Stone, beat you at the Grand Prix." Jessica replied.
"Sh-she got lucky!" Vito stammered in response. "But I'll change that! By battling here, my pokemon will become stronger! Then Melany Stone won't know what her! Besides, I recall you lost to May in that same tournament!"
"Hmph." Jessica narrowed her eyes at him. "I did, and thats why I'm here. I won't learn anything from you though. Your idea of a strategy is to use your strongest pokemon and hope for the best."
"That is enough. Both of you." A hidden voice addressed the two trainers. Suddenly a cloaked man with short brown hair stepped out of a hidden doorway on the side of the field and looked between the two.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Vito asked the cloaked figure.
"That...is of no concern to you." The cloaked man replied. "I am simply someone with whom you both share common enemies. Melany Stone and May Maple."
"What about them?" Jessica asked.
"It is quite simple really...I have a proposition for the two of you." The man replied. Duke, the ex-champion of Kanto, then stepped out from behind the man.
"For you two especially we have..." Duke grinned widely. "A legendary proposition."
Author's Notes: Now, I suppose you could say, things are really starting to come together. Groudon's now with its "rightful owner", so to speak, and a bit of foreshadowing as to the involvement of two other trainers. Originally I was going to put the bit about Vito and Jessica toward the end of Legends in Hoenn, but decided to leave it out. I added it in now because it helped to set the scene. One might notice that the mysterious figure now has a 'rival' for the three gem-holding trainers. Still keeping the man's identity a secret for now, but I'm sure a few smart readers might have figured it out...
Also, this is probably the second-last time I'll be using "Alex". He still has one more role to play, however, due to something Alex has that Melany doesn't. Or technically doesn't anyway.
Think thats all there is to say. Happy Easter, folks!
