Prophet Girl and Pinwheel Forest
"Kai! Use water gun!"
"Herdier, take down!"
Lenora's herdier pushes through the stream of water blasted at him, sprinting forward and slamming into Kai. They both fly into the air and land near Andrea's feet. Andrea resists the urge to pick up Kai; she can't distract him from such an important battle.
Kai, from underneath the profound weight of the dog pokémon, slashes at Herdier's eye. Herdier whimpers and recoils, dashing back to Lenora's side of the battlefield.
"Nice job, Kai! Tackle!"
Herdier growls at the otter pokémon menacingly. Kai freezes where he is, not daring to get closer to the agitated pokémon.
"Ok, use water gun and then tackle it while it's distracted!"
Kai follows through as Lenora yells for her pokémon to watch out. Herdier is so distracted by his scratched eye that Kai is able to land both attacks and render Herdier too worn out to battle any further.
"Clever girl!" Lenora exclaims and returns her pokémon. "But no matter how grim the situation, I'll use my research skills to find a winning strategy! Watchog, go!"
"Good job, Kai!" Andrea beams, high-fiving her partner pokémon. "Take a break. Go, Bernie!"
Bernie jumps off Andrea's shoulder and onto the battlefield. Before Andrea can even shout a command, Bernie is rushing towards his opponent.
"Bernie, what—look out!"
"Hypnosis!" Lenora commands.
A series of ghostly rings float towards Bernie. He evades them easily and lands a hard jab at Watchog's stomach. He hits his opponent once more for good measure, but before he can hop away, Bernie is hit by a new round of Watchog's Hypnosis. He instantly drops to the floor and begins to snore loudly.
Andrea curses under her breath; when she first challenged Lenora, she found it funny how easily her pokémon could fall into a deep slumber. She's come to realize the danger of Lenora's strategy, however, as pokémon put into such a deep slumber are unlikely to wake up for a while.
"Bernie! Wake up!"
"Watchog, retaliate!"
Andrea only has to hear the deadly attack to know how dire the situation has become. "No!"
Unable to resist, Pansear lies on the floor like a sack of sand. Watchog rams into Bernie, sending him flying into the wall behind Andrea. She gasps upon the impact and quickly falls to her knees to tend to her injured pokémon.
"...Bernie?"
Her heart stops for a moment because he does not even snore. She places her hand on his chest, waiting. A tense beat passes as Bernie remains motionless and quiet. Slowly, his chest swells, deflates, and swells again. Andrea lets out a long sigh of relief. He's ok.
"Good job, Bernie. Get some rest," she says, returning him to his poké ball. She turns to Kai, who was previously and anxiously standing next to Bernie.
He looks pretty worn out. Andrea winces at the thought of sending her exhausted partner out to fight again.
But she has no other choice.
"Alright, Kai, think you can go another round?"
He nods resolutely.
"Ok. Let's do this! Kai, water gun!"
Without missing a beat, Lenora shouts "Retaliate!"
Watchog reaches Kai before he can even summon up a jet of water. Kai is hit hard, and he is tumbling across the floor in an instant. Andrea's heart stops.
"Kai!" She cries. "Come on, you can do this!"
Kai lays still.
"Kai, please! I believe in you!"
Lenora's mouth opens, in awe of Andrea's passion; she almost doesn't want to shout out another command when Kai slowly gets up on shaky arms. It takes a few moments for him to get back on his feet.
He turns to Andrea and smiles wistfully, as if bidding her goodbye.
"Kai…?"
A hot white light envelops Oshawott's body. Lenora, Andrea, and Watchog shield their faces as the brightness sears into their eyelids. Andrea slowly brings her arms away from her face and gasps in shock.
"Lenora, w-what—"
"Your Oshawott! He's evolving!"
The white light begins to die down; Andrea can barely make out her oshawott's silhouette in the midst of morphing into something else. The light suddenly bursts, breaking into a million shimmering fragments that rain down upon the battlefield. Standing before Andrea is a seemingly new Pokemon, but she knows it can only be the friend who she began her journey with. He is bigger now, and his fur is more pigmented. She pulls out her Pokédex from her bag and scans the transformed Kai.
Dewott: The Discipline Pokémon. Strict training is how it learns its flowing double-scallop technique.
"Alright Kai, show us what you've got!"
He grunts in response, pulling two shells from his body and, whirling them around in his paws, lands in a defensive pose. Suddenly he rushes towards his foe at great speed, lunging forward with his arms positioned behind him. He delivers two quick slashes across the Watchog's body and slides past him. Watchog wobbles on unsteady feet and then stumbles to the ground. Lenora gapes at the scene; it takes her a few moments to process what has happened before she gracefully returns her Pokemon.
"Whew!" She exclaims. "My theory about you was correct! You're more than just talented…" Lenora begins, making her way towards Andrea. "You're a loving and steadfast trainer!"
Andrea continues to grin, happiness emanating from her body as she proudly glances at the evolved Kai, who has positioned himself next to her. "Thank you!"
"Someone with such an enchanting battle style is worthy of the Basic Badge!"
Lenora hands Andrea a shining purple badge shaped in a rectangle. It glows like a beautiful midnight sky, and the gold bindings that structure the badge remind Andrea of the spines of countless books lined up in Cheren's room.
"Now, the next step in your journey is—"
Muffled screams interrupt Lenora. The bookcase blocking the secret staircase slides open, revealing the young face of Lenora's niece. She travels down the first few stairs, shuts the bookcase behind her with the push of a button, and stops walking when she spots Lenora.
"Aunt Lenora!"
"Gabrielle?" Lenora rushes up the stairs, meeting the girl halfway. Andrea follows. "What's going on out there?"
"T-These weird people are threatening Uncle Hawes…I think they're called Team Plasma?"
Andrea audibly gasps. Lenora motions to the exit of the secret entrance. Gabrielle pushes a button, moving the bookcase away and opening the secret staircase to the rest of the museum.
"Andrea, you come too!" Lenora exclaims.
Andrea nods and quickly climbs up the rest of the stairs. She and Lenora rush through the library and into the second level of the musuem's main foyer. A group of Team Plasma members stand near the entrance and, from Andrea's point of view, behind a skeleton of a dragon Pokemon that is rumored to have flown around the world. At the sight of the armor-clad strangers, Gabrielle hides behind her aunt.
"Hear ye, hear ye!"
Andrea's eyes widen comically. "Huh?!"
"Today we, Team Plasma, will enact a significant task that will bring us all—Pokémon and humans alike—steps closer to an ideal world."
Andrea instantly recognizes the speaking grunt as Christopher, the one who abused Bianca's munna at the Dreamyard. Had it not been him speaking, she may have laughed at the pomp of his speech. As her gaze wanders, her breath inaudibly hitches. Standing next to Christopher is Elizabeth, and Andrea feels her stomach clenching, as if bracing a brutal kick.
"Now wait just a minute!" Lenora exclaims. "What on Arceus' earth are you bunch doing?"
"So you have come, gym leader Lenora," Christopher continues. "We, loyal servants of The King and Seven Sages of Team Plasma, claim this museum's Dragon Skull in the name of pokémon liberation!"
Lenora adamantly places her hands on her hips. "Enough fooling around!"
"Team Plasma doesn't fool around," Elizabeth glares, a cruel glint shining in her brown eyes. "To show you we're serious, we'll steal it right before your eyes!"
"I'm not going to let that happen!"
The Plasma grunts peel their eyes away from Lenora. Andrea moves down the stairs, planting herself halfway between Lenora and Team Plasma. The battle-battered Kai stands next to her, still prepared to fight with his partner if need be.
"Ugh, you again?" Elizabeth rolls her eyes. "We don't have time to deal with your childish games right now. Gilia!"
The addressed woman nods, pulls a device out of her uniform pocket, and throws it onto the floor. Gray clouds of smoke arise from the ground and obscure the room.
"What...what's going on?" Lenora cries. "Damn it!"
Frenzied cries and screams erupt as the fog grows thicker. Lenora yells for everyone to calm down and stay where they are. Andrea squints through the smoke and tries spot something, anything to guide her closer to the dragon skeleton, but she cannot even see within a foot in front of her. Just as she is about to cautiously step down onto the next step, her prophetic dream flashes before her eyes: she remembers not being able to run through the smoke, and Team Plasma, and the museum, and the secret passageway.
The smoke clears, but the damage has been done. The skull of the dragon is gone, and dizziness gnaws away at Andrea's consciousness. Blackness closes in on her vision, and she can barely register herself falling back.
Kai squeaks in distress. Lenora dashes forward, grabbing Andrea by the shoulders and holding her upright. She shakes her.
"Andrea? Andrea, honey, wake up."
Within seconds Andrea comes to. She blinks, slowly, and looks around the museum.
Team Plasma is gone. And, unlike her dream, N is not awaiting her beyond the cleared smoke.
"Thanks, Lenora."
Lenora pats her shoulder and runs out of the building. Andrea stands still, taking a moment to recover.
"Oh...Oh!" Hawes groans. "That's Lenora's favorite exhibit...We have to go after them!"
Gabrielle joins her uncle's side and grasps onto his coat.
"I'm gonna get it back," Andrea reassures them both. "I promise."
She squeezes past the crowds of people evacuating the museum and finds Lenora standing in the middle of the street, talking to a stylishly dressed man.
"Good day, Lenora, find any good fossils lately?"
Lenora grimaces. "Burgh, I appreciate your visit, but now is really not a good time to ask that."
"Oh?" The man frowns. "I was going to say it seems a bit hectic around here...What's up?"
"What's up?!" Lenora echoes exasperatedly. "Some Plasma goons just walked away with an exhibit, that's what's up!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Andrea sees Bianca and Cheren approaching her.
"Oh, hi Drea! What's everyone doing here?"
"Is there some kind of problem?" Cheren asks.
Lenora turns around. "Oh, Andrea, I didn't even notice you."
"W-what's going on?" Bianca asks urgently.
"Team Plasma set off a smoke bomb in the museum and stole a skull!"
Bianca gasps at turns to Andrea. "Like your dream!"
"Woah," the fashionable man exclaims. "Do we have a prophetess on our hands?"
Andrea, Bianca, and Cheren squint at the strange man suspiciously.
"I should introduce y'all," Lenora interjects. "This is—"
Cheren gapes. "Y-you're Castelia City's gym leader!"
"That's right!" The man exclaims. "Burgh's the name, bugs are the game!"
"R-right…" Cheren sheepishly replies.
"Usually I come to Nacrene when I'm suffering from that nasty beast known as artist's block, but it seems like I came at a terrible time."
"Ain't that right…" Lenora sighs.
"Anyways, prophet girl, do you and your friends have names?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm Andrea, and this is Bianca and Cheren."
Bianca waves at the man while Cheren merely nods in reluctant respect.
"Nice to meet you guys," Burgh says. "Hopefully someday soon you'll all be challenging the Castelia gym, but it seems like we have a couple things to deal with first!"
"Right. Are y'all down to help?"
"Yes!"
"Ok then," Lenora begins. "Let's split up. I'll head this way. Cheren and Bianca stay here and guard the museum. Burgh and Andrea search Pinwheel Forest," Lenora commands, motioning to the east. "Got it?
"Yes ma'am!" Burgh answers.
"Good! I'm counting on you, everyone!"
"Andrea, was it?"
Andrea looks over to Burgh and nods. Her healed pokémon travel ahead of them, skipping and twirling with the cherry blossom petals that dance in the warm wind.
"If it's alright with you," Burgh continues, "care to tell me about that dream of yours?"
"Um, sure," Andrea replies. "Why though?"
Burgh shrugs. "Just curious."
Andrea sighs and begins to explain everything.
"And then this weird guy I barely know shows up after the smoke cleared and...then I woke up."
"Very weird," Burgh replies. "And you didn't know about the secret passage before challenging the gym?"
Andrea shakes her head.
Burgh hums in thought. "And this mysterious man...how do you know him?"
"We, uh, met at a Plasma rally in Accumula Town—"
"How romantic!" Burgh jokingly drawls.
Andrea feels her cheeks warm up nonetheless. Burgh, noticing the girl's embarrassment, raises his eyebrow.
"A-anyways, then he was like, talking about how he can hear and talk to pokémon, and I was like—"
"Wait, what the fuck?"
"Exactly!" Andrea giggles at the gym leader's casual and eccentric nature. "And then I met up with him recently and he was all like "I've gotta free the Pokémon by becoming a hero!" or some shit."
"Huh. Very Plasma-esque."
"I know…But…" Andrea pauses. "Team Plasma members hurt and steal pokémon. I know N wouldn't stand for that."
"N?"
"The guy."
"Ah."
The paved path they are walking rises toward the sky. Tall shrubs grow on either side of the path, as if preparing the transition into the forest. Burgh and Andrea say nothing as they climb up the hill, too busy trying to catch their breath and ignore the soreness blossoming in their thighs. As the ground begins to level, Andrea and Burgh spot the trunks of pine trees piercing into the sky.
"So," Burgh exhales, breath heaving, "this N fellow...Do you—"
Before Burgh can finish his inquiry, he is interrupted by the ringing of a cross-transciever. Andrea hurriedly rummages through her bag and answers the call. A glitching image of Hilbert appears on the screen.
"Andi! Something...is...on in Pinwheel Forest! I just spotted...of Plasma...bers...shady and—"
Andrea gasps. "We were just looking for them!"
"'We?'"
Burgh squeezes his way into the shot. "Hello! I'm Burgh, Castelia City's gym leader!"
"H-Hey…"
"Team Plasma stole an exhibit from the museum, so me and Andrea are helping Lenora catch them!"
Hilbert shakes his head. "...Shit...you g...all the help you can get."
Andrea smiles. "Thanks, Hilbert! Meet us at the entrance to the forest?"
"Sure! See ya th..."
"Buh-bye."
Hilbert's image disappears instantly. Andrea shoves her cross-transciever back into her bag.
"That guy seemed real...hm, how do I say this...Po—Protective?"
"How?"
Burgh smiles. "Ah, it doesn't matter. Let's just get there as soon as we can."
The forest is dark. Emerald pine trees stretch on for miles and whisper to each other through the wind. The tall grass rustles with occasional movement, and bug Pokemon chirp throughout the vicinity. Amidst the shadowy atmosphere, ivory light shines through the dense foliage, creating rays of brilliance that illuminate the soil into a hue as bronze as Andrea's skin. Andrea, passing through a particularly bright spot, holds her hand up to the revealed sky. Sunlight dances through the space of her fingers as she gazes through the branches. Hilbert blows a raspberry in boredom, kicking up dirt still rich and fresh from a recent rain; the smell of it still lingers in the air. At one point, Andrea thinks it is about to rain again, but the drizzle she feels is only the trees weeping with lingering raindrops. Hilbert stops at a small clearing populated by mossy rocks and turns to his friend and the eccentric gym leader.
"I think I saw them heading that way," Hilbert says, pointing to a dense cluster of cherry blossom trees in the far distance.
"Nice," Burgh replies. "I'll take the shortcut there, you guys go that way." Burgh points towards a road that eventually, Hilbert recalls, zig-zags like a maze.
"Uhm, why do you get to—"
"Ok, see you guys on the flipside!" Burgh whispers, gives them a hearty thumbs up, and leaves.
Andrea and Hilbert are left standing there in wonder.
"He's…"
"Interesting," Andrea interrupts before Hilbert can say anything insulting.
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Anyways. Let's find that dragon skull."
After what felt like hours of wandering through countless twists and turns, Andrea and Hilbert wind back up exactly where they started.
"Ok then... Let's try going this way."
Their feet press into the soft earth, steps crunching as they walk over scattered leaves; so dressed is the ground with leaves and twigs that the two friends cannot even see the dirt. Within minutes of taking a new path, they end up at a vast clearing where weeds and flowers spring up from the earth, free, as if escaping an oppressive grasp. Andrea and Hilbert duck under a thick branch of a tree to advance further into the clearing. Tree stumps and piles of leaves are dispersed throughout the area. Beyond them lays an immense gorge. A thick tree trunk bridges the gap between the two pieces of land.
"We should probably...go that way," Andrea says.
Hilbert mockingly bows. "Ladies first."
Andrea rolls her eyes and steps forward, carefully placing a foot on the log. Deeming it steady, she lifts herself up and balances on it. She swings her back foot around, ready to walk across. Before it even touches the log she is interrupted by an airy cry. Her heart jumps in her chest; her body follows. She is about to lose her balance and fall off the log when she feels strong arms wrap around her waist.
"Andi! I've got you."
Her legs tremble with a combination of fear and nervous excitement. "T-Thanks…"
Hilbert says nothing, remaining there with his arms wrapped around the girl for many moments too long.
"Please let go."
"Right."
He backs away quickly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Andrea follows him, hopping off the log back onto the side they had been on.
"What was that noise anyways?"
"Maybe that thing?" Hilbert offers, pointing near Bernie and Kai.
Andrea follows his gaze and spots a foreign creature playing with her pokémon. Looking more like the bulb of a flower than a mammalian pokémon, Andrea stares in fascination. Meanwhile, Hilbert pulls out his Pokédex and scans the creature from afar.
"Here." He hands Andrea the device. She grabs it and eagerly reads the screen's contents:
"Petilil: The Bulb pokémon. The leaves on its head are very bitter. Eating one of these leaves is known to refresh a tired body."
"Oh! I wanna try!" Hilbert exclaims, beginning to step towards the pokémon.
"Dumbass!" Andrea retorts, holding him back by his jacket collar.
"What? The Pokédex said it's ok!"
"Yeah, but..."
As if knowing what Hilbert is scheming, Petilil whips around to look at the humans. Suddenly, as if overcome with embarrassment, she hops at lightning speed between Hilbert and Andrea's legs and makes her way across the log. Andrea is about to say "Oh well" when Bernie and Kai, still curious about their new friend, sprint after her.
"Guys, wait!"
Hilbert and Andrea shakily walk across the log, trying to find a perfect balance between walking as fast as they can and walking as carefully as they can.
Petilil, disappearing beyond the trees on the other side, suddenly comes to a skidding stop. She turns around and nearly bumps into Kai and Bernie. Kai, registering what is standing behind Petilil, defensively grasps his shells. Bernie steps forward to join his side. Petilil hops behind them both and shakes with shyness.
"Oh? What do we have here?"
Kai growls as the stranger approaches. Before he can do anything else, his human partner and her friend show up. The two brunettes gasp in unison and instinctively step back.
"Team Plasma?!" Hilbert groans. "Not again."
The two uniformed people stare at the boy in confusion.
"Look, kid," one of them says, "We're not sure what exactly you mean by that, but you're both gonna have to turn around and like, go home or something. Team Plasma's doing some important business."
"I'm sure you are."
The man starts at Andrea's sassiness. "O...ok then? Goodbye!"
Andrea steps forward. "We're not leaving without the dragon skull."
The Plasma member squints, finally understanding their intention, and all but growls. "Stubborn brat! When we're through with you, you won't be able to bug us anymore! Go, Sandile!"
"Patrat, go!" The other, previously silent grunt commands.
Hilbert throws his poké ball forward. "Let's do this, Emolga!
"Kai, razor shell!" Andrea yells, pointing at the sandile.
Kai, twirling his shells in preparation for his attack, is interrupted by the sharp grasp of teeth. Squealing in pain, he swings about to try to shake the sandile off of him. Just as he is about to slash the crocodile pokémon with the shell held in his free hand, a barrage of razor sharp leaves comes flying towards him. He barely jumps out of the way, bringing Sandile right into the path of the leaves. Sandile instantly releases his bite from Kai. Kai quickly spares a look towards where the attack came from and sees the curious petilil standing resolutely. He and Andrea stare at the wild Pokemon in shock.
"Emolga, finish it off with quick attack!" HIlbert commands, so absorbed in his own battle that he remains oblivious to Petilil's help.
Emolga swoops down from the air and dives into the Plasma member's barely standing patrat.
"Oh, come on!" One of the grunts groans as her patrat falls over.
"H-How did we lose?" The other exclaims. "You're just a couple of kids on an ego trip!"
"Just give us the skull," Andrea demands.
"We don't have it, brat," The Plasma grunt almost spits out the insult. "If you want it you're gonna have to look for our comrades!"
Andrea is about to say something when, out of the corner of her eye, she spots her pokémon running away. Once again, they are following the strange petilil.
Andrea looks at Hilbert and sighs. "I guess we should go after them," she says, already making her way past the Plasma grunts.
"I think you guys are just sabotaging us because you're jealous of our cool outfits."
Andrea and Hilbert turn to each other and burst out into laughter so deafening it causes all of the wild Pokemon in the area to scurry away.
"D-Don't laugh at us!"
The teens' laughter slowly dies down at the demand of one of the Plasma grunts they had just defeated in battle.
"Yeah!" The other says. "It's only a matter of time before Team Plasma succeeds in liberating all of the pokémon. I bet you guys won't be laughing then!"
"Oh my Arceus," Hilbert wants to laugh again. "You guys are serious about this."
"Is that what the dragon skull is for?" Andrea questions.
One of the women scoffs. "Obviously."
"Ok, well, you're gonna have to hand it over now," Andrea demands, holding her hand out to them.
"Do we look like the kinda girls to carry something so heavy?
"Yeah. We're just here to buy time."
Andrea's shoulders slump as she turns to look at Hilbert. They have nearly exhausted themselves from battling a slew of empty-handed Plasma grunts.
"Where is it then?" Hilbert interrogates.
One of the women shrugs as she closely examines her gloved nails. "Probably with some of the higher-ups."
The other woman slugs her.
"Ow!"
"Dude. Why would you tell them?"
"I dunno...It's not like they're gonna find it, I mean look at them!"
But by the time they turn their attention back to the Hilbert and Andrea, they have already left.
"Hey, I think this petilil really knows what it's doing," Hilbert ponders.
Andrea stares forward, watching Kai and Bernie converse with the strange grass pokémon. "Yeah, maybe."
"Why is it helping us though?"
Andrea shrugs.
Hilbert gasps. "What if it's a trap?"
Andrea squints. "Huh?"
"Yo, listen! It's been leading us to all these Plasma grunts; what if it's taking us to the big boss or something so he can, like, fucking destroy us?"
Andrea cackles. "Ok, Hilbert."
"I'm serious!"
The group of humans and pokémon stops before a hollow log leaning perpendicular on the top of a cliff. Without hesitation, Petilil hops through the log, and, naturally, Bernie and Kai follow.
"Do you think it'll hold us?" Hilbert asks.
"Only one way to find out."
Andrea kneels down and climbs into the log, quickly shimmying her way through.
"I-I'll just come up after you reach the top!" Hilbert yells after her.
"Coward."
"H-Hey! Would a coward do this?" Within seconds he is climbing after Andrea into the log.
As Andrea nears the log's exit, she spots the shins of two people standing on the other side. She instantly recognizes the shoes and pants as part of the Team Plasma uniform.
"Hilbert!" She whispers into the dark.
"Yeah?"
"There's some Plasma people up ahead. Get ready for another battle."
Hilbert groans in protest. Sure, he was all for battling, but battling Team Plasma members? A little annoying, to say the least.
On the other side of the log, the two Plasma members discuss their plan of action. They are interrupted by the emergence of three Pokemon coming out from the log.
"Aw, hey, look!"
The other boy follows his friend's gaze. "Wow! Those are some pretty rare Pokemon! A dewott, a pansear, and a petilil? That's crazy!"
"Why do they look angry?"
"I dunno, dude. Maybe they ran away from their trainers or something. As a Team Plasma member dedicated to saving pokémon, I'll handle this."
"Alvar, I don't think…"
"Hey!" The boy, Alvar, squats down beside the Pokemon. "What's going on guys?"
As he reaches his hand out to pat Kai's head, Kai slashes him with one of his shells.
"Ow! That wasn't very—"
"Hey!"
Alvar stumbles at the sudden sound of a human voice, falling onto his butt and crawling away from the log.
"D-Dude...someone's in that log."
The other Plasma boy sighs. "Probably the trainer…"
Andrea crawls out of the log and stands up behind her Pokemon. "Damn right!"
"H-Hey! You're t-the girl from the Dreamyard!"
It takes Andrea a moment to recall the clumsy boy that was sent away by his superiors.
"That explains why dewott is so violent!" The other boy, whose name Andrea cannot remember, exclaims. "Pokémon used by selfish trainers are tainted beings! They will never be perfect until they're released!"
"First of all, his name is Kai," Andrea retorts. "And also, he doesn't like strangers getting too close to him. Wouldn't you react the same way if some weirdo tried to pat your head?"
"H-Hey!" Alvar stutters. "We're not weird, we're badass!"
"Alright. It must be you guys who have the dragon skull then."
"Uh, no."
"Ok, well, we'll be on our way then," Andrea sighs and turns back to the log. "Hilbert! If you could hurry up, that'd be great."
"Almost there!" His voice echoes.
"N-Not so fast!"
Andrea turns back to the clumsy boy and his passionate friend.
"We're gonna hold you up so that our friends can get away! Go, Patrat!"
"Go, Purrloin!"
"Hilbert! Anytime now would be—"
"I'm here!" He exhales, crawling out of the log. "That was hard to climb up!"
"You ready?"
He nods. "Let's go, Watchog!"
"Go, Bernie! Incinerate!"
Bernie breathes out a plume of fire that burns the two Plasma Pokemon.
"Watchog, use Super Fang on the purrloin!"
"Watch out!"
Purrloin, still recovering from its burns, cannot avoid the vicious clasp of Watchog's fangs. After a few seconds, it falls limp in Watchog's mouth. Watchog releases it at the feet of Alvar's friend.
"No…"
"Bernie, rock smash!"
With a running start, Bernie's fist rams into Patrat's jaw. The Pokemon lurches backward, landing unconscious near Alvar's feet.
"Plasmaaaa!"
Andrea and Hilbert chuckle in unison. These Plasma members, despite their actions, are funny to observe. However, Alvar's friend is not any source of entertainment as he stands solemnly, holding his injured purrloin in his arms.
"If this keeps up, we're never going to save the Pokemon…"
Alvar looks at his friend in shock. He tentatively places a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Jude! It's just one small battle that we lost!"
"But what if the dream we have will never come true?"
Andrea's eyes widen in at his words. Hilbert merely winces at the awkwardness of the scene and tries to pull Andrea away so that they can continue following Petilil.
"We can't think about that right now!" Andrea hears Alvar exclaim in the distance. "We did everything we can and…"
As his voice fades, Andrea finds her thoughts clouded by the voice of N, and his words that are so similar to the boy's. Sounds become muddled, as if she is submerged underwater, as she finds herself utterly focused on her interactions with the strange N; she finds herself consumed by his sadness upon her rejection, so distraught by his ideals, so desperate to do what he thinks is right.
And then Hilbert is yelling at her and it's like she's being pulled out from watery depths, back into the present.
"S-Sorry, I was totally zoning out."
"It's cool. I heard some voices behind those trees over there," Hilbert points ahead. "Let's go check it out."
So Andrea follows Hilbert, Hilbert follows Kai and Bernie, Kai and Bernie follow Petilil, and Petilil halts to a sudden stop as she reaches the voices Hilbert overhead. Kai and Bernie take their places, standing in front of the pouting petilil, who, despite her modesty, is actually quite capable of protecting herself. Just as Hilbert and Andrea begin to approach the scene, the owners of the voices turn to face them. One of them holds what is very clearly the skull Andrea and Hilbert have spent hours looking for.
"Chris, run!" The woman, not holding the skull, yells. "I'll hold them up!"
Andrea sprints after the fleeing man into the dense treeline. The woman, Elizabeth, tries to stop her, but Andrea is nimble and easily evades her grasp. Petilil, Bernie, and Kai follow after Andrea.
"Aw, come on!" Hilbert groans upon realizing he has been left behind to fight the glowering Plasma woman.
Trees turn into green and brown blurs as Andrea weaves in and out of them, desperately trying to keep up with the Plasma man. She finds her legs growing heavy and her chest heaving from the day's excitement and action. Gulping for air, she pushes forward, determined not to lose sight of the man. Then all she can see is brown; the pain comes after the impact, and it takes her a moment to realize she has tripped. She can only watch the man with the skull grow smaller and smaller as she attempts to get up.
"Damn it!"
She is about to give up—ready her excuse to Hilbert—when something flies past her. She looks up and sees Bernie and Petilil continuing to run after the man. At the feeling of something soft touching her leg, she looks down and sees Kai smiling up at her, urging her to continue. She sighs, shakily stands up, and dusts the dirt off her knees. Looking forward, she can spot Bernie's bright red fur through the trees.
"Ready to try again, Kai?"
The otter Pokemon yelps in affirmation.
"Good! Let's go!"
The trees gradually clear out. There is suddenly an explosion of pink encircling a lush green clearing. Christopher tries to advance, go beyond the cherry blossoms, but behind the cherry blossoms stands the edge of an unreachable cliff. He curses.
First Petilil and Bernie enter the clearing, blocking the man from turning around, and then Andrea and Kai appear.
"My my. Are we looking for something?"
"The skull," Andrea exhales, still gasping for air.
Christopher frowns. "Just as I thought. I have no choice but to destroy you here. Go, Krokorok!"
"Go, Kai!"
Christopher remains silent as his krokorok shakes his limbs. Andrea stares at him in confusion. Then his krokorok roars and charges forward with uncanny speed.
"Kai, look out!"
Kai lands a slash at the mighty Pokemon's midsection, but not without being flung back into Andrea's chest from the force of Krokorok's charge. Andrea falls backward, holding onto her Pokemon with all her strength.
"Shit!" Andrea hisses. Kai jumps out of her arms, still relatively unharmed, and rushes forward. He slashes again, his shell emanating an aquatic glow, at the krokorok's chest. Krokorok recoils significantly, falling onto his side.
"Get up, Krokorok," Christopher commands in a manner that is eerily composed.
The Pokemon listens to his master and lunges down upon Kai, closing his jaws upon the otter Pokemon. Kai yelps in distress and tries to wriggle out of the foe's immense mouth. Kai's movements of resistance grow weaker and weaker with each passing second. Tears sting Andrea's eyes as she helplessly watches her Pokemon's struggle. Before she can let out a plea, either to her Pokémon or Christopher, she spots heavenly orbs floating in and out of Krokorok's skin. Steadily, his bite on Kai loosens, and Kai falls to the floor, desperately heaving air into his lungs. Andrea follows the path of the illuminated orbs and sees Petilil absorbing them into her body.
"Petilil!" Andrea exclaims, hope exploding through her nerves.
Petilil glows with the embarrassment of being recognized and swings back and forth shyly. Soon, the green orbs disappear from the air, and Krokorok collapses onto the floor with a thundering echo.
Christopher says nothing. He, with the utmost composure, still, returns his Pokemon to his poké ball and avoids Andrea's glare. But he can only look at the surrounding cherry blossoms for so long; Andrea's gaze grows heavier each passing moment, like a rock being pressed down upon his chest.
"Fine!" He exclaims, facade of callousness breaking. Andrea jumps at the sound of his booming voice. "Take the skull."
Andrea does so, and then backs away from him as quickly as possible. She turns around, about to head back into the forest, back to Hilbert, when a figure dressed in an ornate blue robe emerges from the trees.
"How are you holding up, fellow subject of the King?" The stranger says, walking past Andrea as if she doesn't exist.
Christopher instantly falls to his knees into a knightly kneel. "L-Lord Gorm of the Seven Sages! I'm mortified to inform you that this skull, which we went through so much trouble to obtain, has been stolen from us so easily…"
Gorm looks down at Christopher. He remains absolutely quiet, not even breathing, for what feels like minutes. "It's of no importance."
"W-What?"
Gorm turns away from Christopher, walking towards the tallest cherry blossom in the clearing. Sunlight shines down upon him like a spotlight; the man leans his head back, eyes closed, as if absorbing the warmth emanating from the light. "We can afford to abandon the dragon skull. According to the results of our research, this is not the legendary Pokemon for which Team Plasma is looking. It is completely unrelated."
Christopher breathes out a sigh of relief he was unaware he was holding. Gorm whirls around, focusing his critical gaze upon Andrea.
"However, we will not allow anyone to disrupt our plans and get away with it. We will fix it so that you will never interfere will us again."
Gorm's hand ghosts over his robe, as if about to reach for something in a hidden pocket. Andrea gulps, feeling her skin crawl as if her blood itself was tingling with fear.
"I-Is…" she swallows, "Shit...Is that...a threat?"
Gorm starts, unsure of how to react to the vile language thrown at him. His body relaxes, but his brain swirls in an attempt to come up with a composed response. A loud cheer interrupts his thoughts. Andrea swears and jumps in surprise as Burgh, the owner of the untimely scream, gleefully runs into the clearing and situates himself next to her.
"Oh, sweet!" He exclaims, brimming with palpable energy. "The bug pokémon nearby were getting all worked up, so I had to investigate and see why! So here I come, waltzing into this stunning clearing, and who do I spy with my little eye?"
No one reacts to him, so he continues to speak. "This important looking guy!" He emphatically points at Gorm. "Have you come to help your underlings we so efficiently defeated?"
Gorm, once again, is unable to succinctly respond as two more bodies emerge from the dense cluster of pines.
"Andrea, Burgh!" Lenora exclaims. Hilbert, grinning toothily, stands by the woman's side. "Y'all found the skull! Thank Arceus!"
"Well, Andrea found the skull," Burgh grins. "I just happened to come at a very convenient moment."
"I-I helped Andrea find the skull!" Hilbert exclaims. He is rewarded for his contribution with silence.
"A-Anyways, who's this dude?" He asks, jutting his thumb in the direction of Gorm.
"Is this the boss?" Lenora asks.
"I don't think so," Andrea answers just as Gorm opens his mouth to speak. "It sounds like he's one of the Seven Sages."
"That is correct," Gorm speaks.
"I think the boss is that tall dude with the eyepiece," Hilbert continues.
"That is incorrect."
"Ok, damn."
"...How do you guys know this? Are you two part of a fan club or something?"
"Hell no!" Andrea laughs. "I've just run into Team Plasma a lot."
"However," Gorm interrupts, ignoring the previous comments, "This man you speak of—Ghetsis—is one of the Seven Sages. He will liberate Pokemon with words alone! The remainder of the Seven Sages have ordered their compatriots to take Pokemon with full force!"
"That ain't right," Lenora murmurs.
"Unfortunately, the odds appear to be somewhat against us now," Gorm continues. "To you, the bug Pokemon user Burgh and the normal Pokemon user Lenora, I say...Even though you are gym leaders we will not tolerate any further obstruction. And to you, Ms. Whitelea, I say…"
Andrea's eyes widen. "H-How do you—"
"Know your enemies, know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles…"
Shaking, Andrea repeats, "How do you know my—"
"This time we shall retreat quietly. To secure the liberation of Pokemon we will not hesitate to steal Pokemon from their trainers! In any case, this will be settled someday. I hope you are looking forward to that time as much as I."
Lenora and Burgh separate to let Gorm and Christopher pass through. They retreat into the forest and silently disappear into the darkness of the tree's shadows.
"What are we doing?!" Hilbert exclaims. "Why are we letting them get away?"
"Well…" Burgh begins. "We got back the stolen skull, and if we follow them, there's no telling what they might do."
Hilbert sighs in defeat. "I mean, I guess…"
Burgh smiles softly and turns to Lenora. "So much for a relaxing trip to Nacrene! I think I'll just head back to Castelia and call it a day."
"Alright Burgh," Lenora replies. "Hopefully we'll be seeing you soon."
"Yes," His smile widens as he turns to Hilbert and Andrea. "Well, now, well...I'll be waiting for your challenge at the gym, prophet girl. Yours too, Hilbert...Yes, indeed," He says, nodding to himself. "I'm certainly looking forward to it!"
He too disappears into the forest, beginning his journey back to the bustling metropolis of Castelia.
"Andrea! Hilbert! You guys have the dragon skull you worked so hard to get back!"
"O-Oh, right!" Andrea says, holding out the skull to Lenora. Lenora happily takes it, almost snuggling into it.
"Thank you guys so much," she says. "With a kind trainer like you guys taking care of them, the pokémon with you must be happy."
Andrea looks down at Kai, Bernie, and Petilil. They all, even Petilil, chirp in confirmation and beam at Andrea.
"Here's a token of my gratitude," Lenora says, holding out a sun stone to Andrea. "I have a sun stone and a moon stone, but since you conveniently have a petilil, I'll give you the sun stone. If you give it to Petilil, it'll evolve into a lilligant!"
"Oh, that's actually not my Pokémon."
"Really?" Lenora tilts her head. "Huh. It seems to like you and your team a lot."
Andrea looks down at the petilil curiously. She glances back up at her with fond eyes.
"And for you, Hilbert," Lenora hands him the moon stone. "That's a moon stone. I'm not sure if you'll end up needing it, but it does sell for a pretty penny!"
Hilbert beams with excitement. "Aw man, that's fucking awesome! Thanks!"
"Thank you!" Lenora replies. "I'll be taking this skull back to the museum. You comin'?"
Hilbert and Andrea look to each other and smile, knowing it is a chance to be reunited with Cheren and Bianca. "Yeah!"
"Alright then, let's get going!"
They walk back into the forest, allowing the pine trees to envelop them, and leave behind the clearing of cherry blossoms.
"Woah, Andrea! That new Pokemon of yours is cu-u-ute!"
Andrea smiles, wrapping her arms around the small petilil from the forest. "I know, right? It followed us all the way beyond the forest, so I thought it wanted to be with me!"
"Just like my Mushie!" Bianca beams.
"Right! I have to give this little one a nickname! Let's see…"
Andrea looks up at the ceiling of the museum. Bianca, Cheren, and Hilbert stare at her, waiting in anticipation to observe the naming of Andrea's new friend.
"Gardenia," Andrea says softly, "Like...like my mom's favorite flower."
The bulb pokémon preens with approval. The teens giggle with fondness; even Cheren is smiling. Team Plasma, in their minds, is tucked away in a distant place, nonexistent and unthreatening. For now, they are simply enjoying the company of each other, playfully arguing about what to do once they get to Castelia City, as they all plan to travel through the forest together.