Opelucid Arc: The Fearsome Dragon
The next morning, Nurse Joy greenlit Mari's condition, so the girls immediately packed their bags and set out. It was fresh and the air smelled of rain and wet grass as they marched off in the direction of the Moor of Icirrus. On the way, Jacky's Xtranceiver suddenly rang and she got startled by it, as she didn't expect any calls. She tapped the display and Yuna's face appeared on it. "Hello, Jacky!" the ninja girl greeted her.
"Oh... Hey, Yuna. What's up? Why did you call me?"
Mari looked over Jacky's shoulder. "Ayo!",
"Mari, good to see you!" Yuna's face lit up with delight. They could see her home village in the background. "I wanted to talk to both of you.",
"Yeah, go ahead. We're just walking", Jacky informed her. "You're not interrupting anything.",
"Okay, nice! So, about-" Yuna was interrupted by a child's face shoving itself in front of her. "Oh, what's this? Is this the device you're using to talk to other people that are far away? Why can I see them from here! Is that magic?",
"Haruka, please get your hair out of my face-" Yuna gently pushed her away so she could see again. "Aherm! Well, I just wanted to formally invite the both of you to our annual Springbloom Festival in February next year. It takes place every year when the first early-blooming flowers appear." Haruka tapped the screen curiously and Yuna pushed her away again. "Stop it, Haruka, this is not a toy!"
They could hear Kaze's voice scolding the little girl off-screen. "Enough now, Haruka. When she says stop, you stop."
Haruka puffed out her cheeks. "Let me, this thing is so cool!",
"In February, you said?" Jacky repeated. "That's still a while away.",
"I know, but I wanted to bring it up rather sooner than later.",
"Yeah, makes sense. Sure, if you invite us, we can stop by, what do you think, Mari?"
Mari tilted her head. "What exactly is the festival about, if I may ask?",
"We celebrate the arrival of a new spring heralded by the blooming of the first flowers of the year", Yuna explained. "Winters are cold out here and it's harder to hunt because many creatures enter a phase of hibernation. So we celebrate the fact that these harsh times are slowly coming to an end.",
"Sounds interesting. Hm... Sure, why not."
"So you're coming?", Haruka giggled and gave up pouting, instead throwing her arms in the air in jubilation. "Yay! I can't wait to tell Saizo!",
"...Saizo?" Jacky frowned. "Wait a minute, wasn't that the guy from the other clan...?", "Yeah, that's right", Yuna nodded. "Our villages live in peace now as best they can, even if it doesn't always... uh, work out the way we'd like it to. But oh well... Our clans have a lot of differences, even now, but if we have one thing in common, it's that we celebrate this time of the year. So we thought it is a time as good as any to bury our hostility once and for all.", "That's good news." Mari opined.
"Heeheee! Let me take that!" Haruka reached for Yuna's Xtranceiver again, and her image on their displays jerked as Yuna pushed her arm away. "No, Haruka, that's mine.",
"Aw, man!" Again, she lapsed into pouting, but Kaze just shook his head and lifted her onto his shoulders, making her laugh again. Yuna just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we'd be happy to show you our traditions and celebrate our heroine."
Mari pulled a face when Yuna referred to her as "their heroine". She almost forgot about that title.
"This will be a great festival, both clans will celebrate together", Yuna continued explaining. "There will be contests, lots of food... Maybe by then, the hero of the Mahtaria Clan will have made an appearance, too. If so... then both heroes will face off against each other in the big battle.",
"Oh. Okay..." Mari nodded, pretty much intrigued at this point. "Sounds good... So, what are these competitions?",
"Pokémon battles, battles among the ninja, the traditional fan hunt...",
"Fan hunt?",
"The centerpiece of the Springbloom Festival." Yuna nodded. "Those who want to participate get together in pairs, and each pair is given two fans to protect. Then, in the forest, the groups show off their skills and try to steal the other pairs' fans. The hunt continues until sunset. Whoever can present the most fans at the Great Fan Rock wins.", "That sounds really fun, actually", Mari thought.
"This year, Mom and Hana won." Yuna literally beamed. "This is going to be great! I've been looking forward to it all year!",
"I appreciate you guys inviting us", Jacky ensured her. "Thank you!",
"No problem! I'm glad you guys will be there! Bye!" Yuna hung up.
They crossed the Moor of Icirrus and Jacky tried hard not to step into the murky water. Soon, they reached a gate- the gate to Tubeline Bridge. The big and modern metal bridge led over the river and thus connected the outskirts of Icirrus with the ancient city of Opelucid. As they crossed it, they stopped briefly to gaze out over the river. They could see the impressive silhouette of the Borderline Mountain Range towering behind Opelucid. "The Pokémon League of Unova is up there, in the mountains," Jacky murmured, looking dreamy as she gazed toward the point where the mountain peaks merged with the horizon. "The stadium is on the top of Cocona Peak. I can hardly believe that beyond these mountains lies the Galar Region... We've already traveled so far up north.",
"As far as I recall, there are two routes leading through these mountains, aren't there?" Mari enjoyed the breeze. "Two Victory Roads, the final challenge before the League.",
"That's correct." Jacky nodded at her. "One starts at the edge of Route 10 behind Opelucid... and the other carves its way up from beyond Humilau and the Giant Chasm. Which route you take doesn't matter, as long as you embark on this final challenge to ascend the mountains and reach the Pokémon League by your own strength alone.",
"Cocona Peak..." Mari pointed at the highest mountain in the distance. "It's the highest mountain in the Borderline, right?",
"Yes, I think so. I can't wait to finally get there..." The sight of the majestic mountains that housed the destination of her journey gave Jacky more motivation than ever. "Come on, let's keep going!"
They crossed the bridge and reached the other side. "This bridge is really impressive, but it doesn't hold a candle to Skyarrow Bridge", Mari said in amazement. "Shame we only saw it in the distance when we crossed the river... By the way, there's a huge mall on Route 9. It's the largest department store in all of Unova, so you bet they sell all kinds of stuff there. It's just as impressive as Join Avenue.",
"Ooooh, that sounds tempting. I'd love to go shop there, buuut...", Jacky raised her finger into the air, "...I need to stay strong and raid the gym first. It's been ages since we last challenged a gym.",
"No objections on my part. I don't like shopping that much anyway", Mari shrugged. "I just mentioned it to you because I thought you'd be curious to check it out.",
"Yes, I definitely will. Later.",
"Haha... Okay. I'll let you challenge the gym first then.",
"Thanks, Mari! You're the best!"
They finally made their way to Opelucid via Route 9. The city itself was beautiful. It looked like it had survived midieval times and carried a certain mysterious charm in the air. Also, the city seemed peaceful and not as crowded as Driftveil or Castelia. Enthusiastically, they strolled through the cobblestone streets until they arrived at a tall building with two impressive dragon heads sticking out of its roof. "Here we are..." Mari looked up at the building's roof. "That's the Opelucid Gym, the seventh of Unova's League... The dragon-type gym.",
"Dragon-type, huh?" Jacky repeated to herself. "That definitely fits the city's atmosphere. Let's go in!"
A man with snow white hair and a beard was talking to a purple-haired young lady inside the massive arena. "Hmh... Fine, Iris. Fine. I will participate in coordinating the Pokémon League this year. I know it's a Unovan tradition to have gym leaders volunteering at the venue. But it will be one of the last years I'll take it into consideration. I'm not the youngest anymore.",
"Thanks, grandpa. You're the best!", the girl chirped. "Besides, you're the one with all the knowledge. The most recent rumors are concerning. If they turn out to be true, then...",
"I doubt there is any truth to them. This beast has been asleep for centuries, it's unlikely that it wakes up so suddenly.",
"But maybe something has stirred it up in its sleep and... that's why it has started to awaken.",
"The castle that was once constructed around Cocona Peak has been buried beneath the mountains by now. There is no way any remnants of the disaster from back then would cause it to wake up. Unless...",
"Unless what?",
"... I would have to investigate these rumors in person. I will keep an eye out for any traces.",
"Thank you. It would be most tragic if something were to happen during the biggest tournament of the year..."
They both looked up when the girls entered the building. Mari stopped in her tracks when she recognized the girl. "Wait... that's... That's Iris! The current Unovan Champion!",
"Whoa..." Jacky's eyes widened. "I remember I saw her match against Alder some years ago! The match where she dethroned him and took the title! She's amazing!",
"Hmmm?" Iris overheard them and chuckled. "Oh, you've got guests, grandpa."
The gym leader turned to the girls. "Ah, duty calls, I see. Welcome, youngsters. I suppose you're looking for me?",
"Are you the gym leader...?" Jacky asked, still stunned about the Champion's presence.
"Yes. My name is Drayden. I'm the mayor of Opelucid and also its gym leader. This is my adoptive granddaughter, Iris. I am sure you heard of her.",
"Hello!" She waved at the girls with a smile. "Don't let me intimidate you, I was just paying my old man a visit and, I'm sorry to admit that, annoying him into helping out as one of the coordinators for the Pokémon League tournament this year! And who might you be?",
"I'm Jacky from Aspertia", Jacky introduced herself.
"I'm Mari," Mari added. "We're here for the gym challenge.",
"Ah. Contenders, mh?" Iris clapped her hands. "Oh, I think I have heard of you guys before. You're the renowned saviors of the Sinnoh Region who bravely fought off this madman Cyrus and stopped him from claiming godhood! My pleasure to make your acquaintance!",
"Uh..." Jacky's mouth was agape and she stared at Iris like a Feebas on dry land. "Y-Yeah, that feeling is mutual.",
"Hehe... I'm happy to know esteemed travelers such as yourselves will be participating in the league tournament this year. This ought to be exciting! Well, I won't bother you any longer then! Grandpa needs to turn his serious mode on for this and he sure as anything can't do that with his cute granddaughter around, right?" She winked at her gym leader and then left after a short wave.
Drayden sighed. "Don't mind her. Despite her title, she's just a extroverted young woman with a really loud mouth. Anyway, you said you're here for the gym challenge?",
"Yes, that's right!" Jacky nodded at him and was finally able to recover from her previous shock. "But, uhm... let me ask a question first. Iris mentioned something about you coordinating the league tournament this year?",
"That's correct.",
"What does that mean, exactly?",
"Well, Unova's league tournament takes place annually, at the beginning of December. And such a large-scale tournament requires structured organization and coordination. It's been a long-standing tradition for current and former gym leaders of Unova to help out with these matters. After all, we are or used to be members of the league. There are three coordinators every year, and these positions are reserved for members or ex-members... honorary members of the league. Iris came to me with the request of taking over one of the three positions this year. Some troubling rumors have surfaced recently, and I am somewhat of an expert in this matter so she wanted me to make use of that opportunity to investigate them."
"What rumors?" Mari wanted to know, but Drayden waved it off. "They sound ridiculous if you ask me, but as they say, better save than sorry. Don't concern yourselves with such matters. After all, that's not what you came here for." He crossed his arms. "The challenge of this gym is gonna be a little different from the rest.",
"Really...? In what way?" Jacky asked, her curiosity had been awakened.
"So far, every battle you've had has been in the scope of a two versus two. But here, it's different. In my gym, you'll be fighting three-on-three. All other rules will remain the same.", "Okay..." Jacky nodded slowly. "But why exactly is it different here?",
"All gym battles used to be a three versus three in the past, but the league committees decided the challenges were too tough and many trainers quit half-way through, so they reduced them to a two against two to make it fairer. But I disagree with their stance on this. If future league contenders want to be competetive, they should prove themselves accordingly, to show that they are worthy of participating in the master class. That's why I rejected their proposal and kept the three against three.",
"I understand. The gym challenges were already quite hard in the two-against-two format... it's hard to imagine they used to be even tougher in the past... This is certainly going to be a real challenge, but I'm ready!"
Drayden nodded and marched onto the large battle field of the gym with his chin raised. "I like your enthusiasm. Let's see how long you can hold onto it." He turned to her, watching her closely. His aura was one of authority and, above all, experience. This man had certainly been a member of the League for many years, perhaps even decades, and his views and opinions made it clear he was not the kind of guy to take things lightly. "Step forward to the line if you are ready," he instructed her. Jacky obediently stepped forward. "Heh... Not even the slightest bit of hesitation. That's some confidence you got there. Well then, now there is no turning back anymore. The challenge has hereby officially begun. My Dragon Pokémon and I will now put your skills to the test." He took out a Poké Ball and sent his first Pokémon onto the field. "Kingdra, I'll start off with you!",
"A Kingdra..." Jacky detached one of her own Poké Balls from her belt. "From my battle with Laslow, I know these are tough opponents... I wonder if he has already taken this gym on... If he did, then I'm positive he won... so I must do the same. You're on, Scizor!" Jacky threw the ball into the air and her Pokémon appeared on the field, bravely readying itself to face down its foe.