Chapter 10: "The Gift". Unwanted Reunions.
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Josh and his team felt how motionless the air felt once they've woken up. Maybe it was the big relief of coming to a new part of the Region and being in a laxed area. Either way, it became apparent to them with quietness setting in as well. They step out, seeing the same lights waving around. "Uh Cy, what's the thing about this place again?" asked Josh, "Oh man, J. Im afraid I dont have much about this place..S-sorry about that.. ;" Cy said, "Dont sweat it, Cy. Im sure it shouldnt be too bad for us. Oh I know!. Tiff use Bounce to see what we're dealing with in these parts" Josh ordered her, which she nods to. Tiff goes into the air with her springy legs, and sees walls of sand blocking her beyond the small town's gate exit. "*lands* I a canted seeings. it ton sands" Tiff told him, "Sounds like a sandstorm..Looks like we'll have to drag out feet through it as best we can. Let's see what this town's like first" Josh declared as they walked into the entry room. To their surprise there wasnt anyone there to greet them...Even worse, once they got there, no one was to be seen despite a bunch of one-story houses being built. Is that spooky or what! They found a young man with tall spikey hair in a black robe (covering his arms) and a young lady that was well-endowed with long ponytails, both tattered and beaten while on the ground in the distance. Seeing this Josh and Cypress ran to their aid.
"[Josh] *kneels over to them* Hey what happened to you two?! You're in really bad shape! What happened with this town?!"
"[?]...*opens eyes to him* Not so loud will you? I am resting for a reason."
"[Josh] How am I supposed to calm down? You both are hurt really badly! Cy, get 'Tricia's Healing Pulse ready!"
"[?] Pl...eas..se...Leave..us...n..now..."
"[Josh] ! What the..Are you crazy?! There's no way I'll leave now!"
"[Cypress] J is right! I'm a Ranger and I'm supposed to help people when they're like this!"
"[?] If you're so curious. My arms were broken. There was a major battle we had. Name's Howard. Over there is Rachael."
"[Josh] You mean..Dont tell me...It was them, wasnt it.."
"[Howard] Yes, them. The group of lunatics. We tried working closely with them, now look at us..We did our best to save as many people and their homes. Now they all migrated to the other connected towns."
"[Josh] (Could...Could that explain why me and Cy got rid of those towers so easily? Maybe the heavy-hitters were dealt with by these guys.)"
"[Cypress] Sooo what about that bridge? W-what exactly happened to it? The whole thing looks like it stretched for 4 miles."
"[Howard] If it wasnt for us, all of the bridges would've been gone. *sees Josh & Cypress' eyes jump* There 10 Pokemon they had who were able to do very large attacks, depsite most being in their 2nd evolution stage."
"[Josh] Y-yeah, we're...Kinda trying to investigate that while I'm out on my Journey...Sorry to hear about this..Guessing you two're the Gym Leaders?"
"[Rachael] *grunts while being healed* Ghnnn..Y-yeah...I got..Poison Type Pokemon..While he has Ground Types.."
"[Cypress] Y-your Pokemon cant help take you to any Centers?"
"[Howard] If we could, we would've. They're in even worse shape than us, and the towns people wont come out of hiding."
"[Josh] Dont you worry..We'll talk to them! Im sure they dont feel good at all being hidden like that. I'd bet they need to know they're safe again."
"[Cypress] J...Wouldnt that mean we'll have to stay here for a while? We wanna make sure they can come out without being afraid and all.."
"[Josh]...I think it does, Cy...But I know I cant be here long. Again you two, Im really sorry for what happened here..We just took-"
"[Howard] Dont be."
"[Josh] ! W-what do you mean? How can you say that?"
"[Howard] You came this far, haven't you? There aren't that many good people in this Region, let alone in among the Gym Leaders. You think we're any different?"
"[Josh] Dh- We- We know that! It doesnt mean we have to let you all suffer! What good does that do anyone?!"
"[Howard] Hmph. Spare me the good will. Those goons were about to do us a favor by getting rid of us. It's either they do it or I d- *gets punched in the head by Josh; spits out blood* So...You really are the faithful type."
"[Josh] What the hell is wrong with you?! People are still worth saving and that'll never change! What kind of Trainer destroys his own city with people in it?! I thought you two tried your hardest to protect this place!"
"[Howard] Hmph..You thought I really gave a damn? Rachael put in the most effort compared to me. I'd be worse off if I tried as much."
"[Josh] What the hell happened to you...why're you like this..?"
"[Howard] It's called the inevitable, dimwit. What can we really do against Team Zenith? It's only a matter of time."
"[Josh] So you're just gonna give up without trying...You're a coward.."
"[Cypress] (Oh J..He's getting real mad now..)"
"[Howard] You think we can beat them with enough effort at this point? Hmph. You're dreaming."
"[Rachael] No...He's right, Howard..*catches his attention* You..might not think anyone can stop him...but...if him and his team came this far.."
"[Cypress] We..We also met this really strong Trainer named Vreyian. I've never heard of a team that strong other than the Champion. Then there's this crazy guy we met named Deimos who's also too strong for us."
"[Howard] Then you two were out of your league from the get-go."
"[Josh] SHUT THE HELL UP! *catches his gaze* What's wrong with being behind others? Nothing...You can always become as strong as they are with enough training and experience. That's what my dad taught me.."
"[Howard] Your father's a fool then."
"[Josh] Alright that does it! ◣ ◢#"
"[Cypress] *struggles to hold him from behind* J! Dont let him get to you! He just doesnt understand! ;"
"[Josh] Let go me, Cy! He needs some sensed knocked into him!"
"[Howard] So you dont know then. What makes most Trainers like Vreyian's special."
"[Josh] ! Wait...You...Know Vreyian...?"
"[Howard] I know of Trainers like him. Like us Gym Leaders, they themselves are Pokemon Masters. They pick and choose the best teams they can get. Raising them, and even going down the path of modifying their Pokemon through many means with the help of Team Zenith."
"[Josh] He...You're saying Vreyian did that..?"
"[Howard] Did it? Heh. Him and the Champion kickstarted the whole thing."
"[Josh] So..All this...Really is cuz of him...My dad...These battles.."
"[Howard] You wanna save the people yet you have so little knowledge?"
"[Cypress] W-well actually, we do know alot about this. Some of his team told us. They told us just about everything...But now we know how it all backfired on Vrey.."
"[Rachael] Wait...Backfired...?"
"[Josh] My dad...He had one of his Pokemon killed Vreyian's Alakazam. He's been unbelievably mad at him ever since..I just..Cant really figure out why..Was he his first Pokemon or what? I kinda hope someone knew. I can imagine it's really touchy for him to tell me."
"[Rachael] I've..Known him myself for two years. Ever since we broke up.."
"[Josh] O O! Y-you do?! Do you know what his deal is then?!"
"[Rachael] I've not seen him for a while..Last I saw of him was with his whole team. He enjoyed having a close bond with his team as their Whisperer. So much that...He left me..Then went to face the Champion at the time..That was your father, right?"
"[Josh] U-uh huh..When he lost his Alakazam.."
"[Rachael] I see...That one..He used to tell me so much of what that Alakazam told him. It was very wise. Even taught him how he can improve his training methods while shaping his brain for battles with it's psychic powers."
"[Josh] ! P-Psychic Pokemon can do all that?! O O;;;"
"[Howard] Now do you see the gap between you and Trainers of Victory Road?"
"[Rachael] He had him since he was an Abra..Catching him was the hardest thing he did when starting out but when he did, that was when he decided to be a Trainer and start his Journey."
"[Cypress] I-I can imagine. Abras tend to teleport when they're spotted, so you barely have a second to catch any."
"[Rachael] Of all his Pokemon..He was closest to that Alakazam..So much so that he didnt want him to go through any augemntations like the rest of his other teammates."
"[Josh] I get it..He really was special to him...If there's any more to that, I'd feel really sorry for him...And I thought I was close with the Lopunnys I have.."
"[Howard] You got here with just Lopunnys?"
"[Josh] Yeah. Two of 'em. With some of Cy's help."
"[Howard]...Rachael..Could they be the daughters of your Lopunny?"
"[Josh & Cypress] (WAIT WHAT?! OoO)"
"[Rachael] If it's their parent, the last time I saw her was a few routes before Rosrosen Town..I had her save herself so she wouldnt get taken by Zenith.."
"[Josh] Well..Knowing them, they'd wanna meet her. Aint that town after this West Quin's Gym, Cy?"
"[Cypress] Y-yeah, in fact that town's right before the next Gym. We'll be on the last stretches soon, J."
"[Josh] Yeah..*sees Patricia getting woozy from healing* H-hey Cy, let's give 'Tricia a break from healing these two and take 'em to the nearest town to rest in."
"[Cypress] Right! Let's get to it, J!" he agreed to do, having his short Pokemon hold up and carry Rachael, while Josh had Tiff carrying Howard. The way they skipped earlier had large patch of land that was connected to North & West Quintile Town, which would take them saaay 24 minutes to get to. This area was divided into two cities; One being much bigger than the other and smaller one had more of a country feel to it. Birmington City & Ashamberville, with the latter of the two being the closest. They still had to be careful and take it easy while carrying them since their bones were still broken, so the travel times was practically doubled. Once they were able to get there, the Pokemon Center was thankfully the first building they see. Once they got inside and had these Gym Leaders along with their Pokeballs taken in for hospitalization, they see some familiar faces. Namely Suzy, Crave and Amber. "Oooooo~, well if it isn't Joshy-washy. Who would've guessed" Crave comments, "S-suzy, what're you doing with one of Vreyian's Pokemon? And who's that...Is that a Sneasel?" Josh asked, "N-no, this is a Sneaseler. Um...I..Got alot of explaining to do huh..We were going to a cafe here before heading back out. Let's meet there.." Suzy lowly said while looking down, "Uh, y-yeah. Let's.." Josh replied, agreeing to meet her there. An uncomfortable, confusing air was left at that moment. "*slaps the back of Josh's head, getting his attention* Comes on, Jush. It just sum gurl righ? What neverus of? T T" Tiff said to him, "It's..Not easy to explain, Tiff..I rather just talk to her with this lil group she got. Hope you dont mind being a bit left out for this" Josh replied, "Nah uh, I ams talking tuh them twos T T" Tiff insisted, forcing a sigh out of Josh as they made their way out of the Center. Josh, with his head down, followed them to the place, reflecting on what's happening today and dealing with some conflicting information. From Vrey's beginnings, how his dad was always a good man in his eyes, Zenith's progressions, Suzy now being out of the house and seems to be on her own Journey despite knowing her condition, and of course a bunch of other stuff! He still needed answers and he was slowly realizing that Crave could give him even more info, along with the Sneaseler they're with. The cafe itself had no inside and very few products around. Goes to show how desolate and sad things have gotten, even in this area. It wouldnt surprise anyone if they heard the town had only 30 people as the population count. Ignoring this, these three Trainers with their Pokemon out picked a table and had a sit-down to catch up.
"[Crave] There's more you wanna know, right?"
"[Josh] For starters, mind telling a bit more about Vrey and his Alakazam? Now I know how much he meant to him."
"[Crave] Gladly! That girl you took to the Center, he had him protect her. If he was alive now, none of that would've happened to lil' ol' Rachie."
"[Josh] Yeah..."
"[Tiff] Me & Jush coulds of taken those damn dum Zennies on owns ownses! Righ', Jush!"
"[Josh] U-uh r-right. Especially with that Mega form you can go into now. It's been wiping the floor for the most part."
"[Crave] Void was always pretty jelly of his precious Alakazam. When he saw how he died, he didnt look it, but he was glad in a way that more attention is put on him and is Vrey's new star player. I even heard him laughing his lil' ass off the night of the incident. That Void was always a little devil."
"[Suzy] G-gosh..How mean of him. Well..C-congrats on getting the Mega evolution for your team, Josh. A-and the Badges you got so far.. "
"[Josh] (She isnt looking my way...I cant blame her..It's not my place to be upset about it now..)"
"[Tiff] Stay away from my Jushy! HE MINE! BITCH! OVO"
"[Josh] ! WHOA! Tiff! What the hell got into you?!"
"[Tiff] Sworry. I justs hatesing its went Human whores like her be making yous upsetter like tat. -V-"
"[Suzy] o_o; (Did...Did his Loppuny really call me that..? What a mouth she has..I wanna holler back but..my throat's feeling a bit..)"
"[Josh] *hears her wheezing* ! (Oh no, her condition's triggering!) Tiff, you're apologizing to her right now! oVo"
"[Tiff] Or what's? You aint a sleepening with mes again? T3T"
"[Crave] *sees Josh jolt back* Oh boy, there she goes being a handful like always. -u-"
"[Macey] S-s-sish, pweash juss say you're sawwy to her.."
"[Tiff]...Sawwy. TwT"
"[Cypress] T-tiff, please do it for Suzy. Cant you see she's been through alot as is? "
"[Tiff] I thoughts I a coundnt say sorry? Memember? TwT"
"[Josh] Tiff...If you dont cut it out..! I'LL TELL EVERYONE YOU STILL WET THE BED! OVO"
"[Tiff] N-no I donut! Pleash! Pleash dont tell them! TTnTT"
"[Cypress] Well..we..kinda just heard it so...-3-;"
"[Tiff] Noooooo! XM"
"[Josh] Then apologize or Imma tell them all the other naughty things you've been doing in battle -v-. *hears Suzy giggling* Huh? Suzy?"
"[Suzy] *reduces laughs to snickers* S-sorry about that. I couldnt..Control myself well there. You three are so silly. u"
"[Josh] *siiighs* Well. For all the trouble these girls gimme, cant say they make the Journey dull."
"[Amber] Maybe if me or Crave were with ya, we'd set that troublemaker you have straight. She just needs a good kick in her ass."
"[Tiff] Ands whos are a you too? -3-"
"[Amber] Im Voidy's girl. He was with me before Vrey, but now he cant help but be close to that boyfriend of his."
"[Tiff] Waih, Void likes Verey? He gay fer him?"
"[Amber] Not like that, you dent - -. More like he's been best buds with him and wants to do what he can for him. I dunno how it works with guys like that."
"[Tiff] You try to getting hims brack?"
"[Amber] No no, Im just in it for the kids."
"[Crave] And to help Suz' find a really good doctor. Better than some everyday Nurse."
"[Josh] I getcha. So...Void just left you and the babies yall had?"
"[Amber] Yep. I can tell he didnt care. Im not mad at all. If he wants to be with his man, let 'im. u u"
"[Josh] (She says that..But I can tell she's still hurt by it. Not an inch of praise about him coming from her at any point.)"
"[Cypress] Do I know of any doctors...Well, there is my dad."
"[Josh] Oh that's right, I never asked about your parents. Sorry about that, Cy. Alot's been on my mind yknow.."
"[Cypress] D-dont mention it, J. I understand u. He's been working his hardest to train a bunch of other aspiring doctors near Yllodile City and his lab is on Valcone Peak's summit. There aren't that many in the medical field for this Region so he wanted to do something about it. Aint that great of him? ^u^"
"[Macey] S-so you wanna be a Rangier for a smilmilur reason?"
"[Cypress] Y-yeah kinda, Mace /u/. Rangers can always use the help for a Region like this."
"[Suzy] Y-your Lopunny is p-pretty smart, isnt she? (〃.〃)"
"[Josh] Y-yeah, she kinda is aint she? Just wish Tiff could be half as...Yknow."
"[Tiff] Watch what you says, Jush. I'll bites it again. T T"
"[Macey] S-sish, be more nice. Pweash ;.."
"[Suzy] (If...Maybe if he was with just this one...M-maybe I wouldnt mind if../ /)"
"[Crave] (Ohohooo~, someone's getting interested in Macey? I smell quite a bit down there from her. This is quite a discovery. eue)"
"[Chasm] {Hey Crave. Get your fat, perverted ass over to Panzer Isle -V-. We're waiting for you there.}"
"[Crave] (Ugh! Tell that man to wait til tomorrow. Im helping this boy's girlfriend out.)"
"[Chasm] {Whatever. I aint promising shit, so dont blame me or be surprised if Void shows up and makes jerkies out of yall.}"
"[Crave] (Fine fine. It wont take long anyway.)"
"[Suzy] W-well it was..Nice meeting you and your Lopunnys, but I gotta go, ok?"
"[Josh] A-alright. See you three, later then. *sees them walk away, with Crave teasing with her ass before giggling out the ooor* (T-that filthy Salazzle... )"
"[Tiff] Jush, I saw that. You lookid. T T"
"[Josh] N-not that I tried to. You should know how she is with us. e e"
"[Cypress] Uh we should check back on those two at the Center. T-they may need more time to heal, but yknow..Before we forget."
"[Josh] Yeah good call. It did slip my mind. Let's go ahead and check" he complies; The team rose up and soon exitted the premises themselves. It didnt go quite the way our favorite Trainer wanted, but at least he got to see Suzy again and gave her a somewhat better meeting with them, if not, ended up walking away with some introspection. Macey's sincere sweetness caught her off guard to say the least, while...Yeah Tiff didnt make things that much better. Imagine if the Fire Gym sisters were there. They'd probably stay all day at that point u. All that is really on Josh's mind now is how he'll deal with the West Quintile's Gym Leaders. He questioned himself but still had hope that the two extra Z-balls will help him pull through for yet another difficult battle that awaits him. Let alone, if it's enough for Deimos and his team.
Speaking of him, Deimos decided to test the strength of his Seven Saviors, now 5 in total. "I sense her within this building. Whatever mortal resides here shall be swiftly smited by my hand. May they pray for their soul to still be bound to his or her body afterwards. *kicks open the door and jumps inside; sees a Sylveon next to the Gym Leader* (THERE!) *points at the Leader* YOU FIEND! UNHAND PURITY THIS INSTANT!" Deimos then demanded. The Gym Leader turns around, stunning him with her enlightened gaze, leaving him speechless. "*opens eyes to him* You...Yet another Believer. Just as I.." she said, "B-Believer? W-why yes, of The Great One! Indeed so! Now look here! I have summoned myself here to retrieve a certain Savior of mine. You are in possession of her, and I've come to take her back! What say you to this occasion?" he asked, letting her decide, "Fellow mortal. You have stepped upon the premises of my Gym. It should behoove you to prepare for battle. Send your so-called Saviors out" she told him, "Very well, cur. It is a duel then! May our battle be remembered for eons to come, and the future witnessers learn of your soul leaving you to add to mine!" Deimos shouts with a Pokeball in his hand, "(I'll gag if I hear any more of his stupid ramblings. Just get on with it and lose already =V=)" his Sylveon thought to herself. The Gym Leader reaches for her Pokeballs behind her with eyes closed. Deimos notices that she hasn't flung any after a moment. "What's the meaning of this? I demand that you send two from your team at once! My patience runs thin!" he demanded, "Do you have The Gift?" she asked, "Gift? What in blazes do you speak of?!" Deimos replied, "...I am afraid I am too great of an opponent for you as of current. Please. Allow me to show mercy to you. *hears him grumbling while reaching for his Pokeballs* Two Pokemon. Two attacks. If you can subdue my team of two with your's, I will allow our battle to commence proceed further" she calmly told him, "Fine then, cur...Just hold your tongue and show me your damn Pokemon! *sees her throw out two Pokeballs, does the same at the same time* (What is this Gift she was rattling about? What the devil could it be?) *sees Ruin & Regal [Kingambit] land in front of me* Hmph! Let us witness how well the twosome of your Pokemon fair against mi-! *sees an Iron Valiant and Gardevoir appear in front of her* Hold on now! What the devil is that foreign thing you've summoned?! You created that automonomous abomination, have you?!" Deimos reacts, "Not quite. That is an Iron Valiant. A newly discovered Pokemon. An increasingly rare breed primarily originating from the Paldea Region. What you see are my two most prized partners among my other Pokemon" she explains, "Drrrgh! I've not come for a lecture. Not when the gravity of the matter centers around a Theivorous One such as yourself! (Damn me! This may prove to be an insurmountable challenge after all. I've yet to do battle with Pokemon of their Type and stature. I must attack in a learned, calculated manner if I've a chance to provail) Ruin, cast your judgement and rain with your Apocolypse to smite these poor, false souls" Deimos ordered. His Salamence shouts a loud roar, blowing a hole in the roof, raining down meteors upon his opponent's team, making a big explosion on them with large chunks of molten rocks recoil and spread upon impact. He felt a wave of pride in the attack as he jumped in joy but a light shot [Moonblast] from the attack's dust, stunning him. Deimos and his Kingambit turned to Ruin, who was falling in behind them (since he was pushed back that hard) with a large hole in shoulder and an even bigger one in his wing. "No...Ruin..WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Deimos reacts, "So you are not aware. *sees him turn this way* First you do not have The Gift, and now this is amiss to you...That move of your's had no efect. It was a Dragon attack, which do not work at all on Fairy Types. However with the reverse...You are unfortunate enough to see firsthand the devastating results of that. *bows* My apologies. Kinship happens to lack any semblance of mercy" she told him. At this moment, Deimos became weak and sick to his stomach. So much so that he fell to his knees. Poor guy. "*punches the ground with a knuckle* NO! *stands back up and points forward* REGAL! Swear vengenance and attack this acursed woman's team! Rob them of their exsistence AT ONCE!" Deimos loudly commandded his Kingambit, who charged at them with a bright and gray flash of light in front of his body [Steel Beam] before seemingly disappearing [Aerial Ace]. "(A decent effort, but...) *raises a hand* (I've already seen this, so no surprises here) *halts him in place in mid-air when he approached from behind, tilting him upwards to fire into the air* Now, Kinship...Do the honors and leave nothing left of him" her Gardevoir [Bliss] said, "HMMMPH!" Kinship loudly grunted. He got close to him and started giving him many punches and kicks to Regal's body [Close Combat] as he remained motionless in the air, unable to do anything to defend himself from these many, great blows that were deeply denting his armor and had him pour blood through the really cracked in spots. Regal's brain was turned to mush from all the thungerous shocking interally, making his eyes roll back in seconds due to the agonizing pain he felt throughtout his bacttle. "*sees Regal raise a claw up* Kinship. Break his Spirit" coldly said the Gym Leader, "*sees Kinship raise his hand at me* (What..is he..going to-) *feels a suggen burst of force erupt throughtout my body [Spirit Break], hearing many bones crack* KIIINGAAAAA!" loudly shouted Regal is immense pain, "*hears him heavily breathing* (He may not be able to move..But just so we're certain)" the Gardevoir said, charging an Aura Sphere at the Kingambit, shooting the blue ball at the opponent and he falls flat on the ground, knocking him out cold like this. Deimos was in awe, realizing how he failed his team in battle yet again. He tightly griped his arm while returning his two battered teammates. The boastful now deeply hurt Trainer started exiting the building. "Your Sylveon. Purity. She will be your's to use next time have our battle" his opponent told him, "...Your name...What is your name, Mindful One?" he asked, "Irmala. I will be waiting" she answered, "So will I. While she pampers me and gives me my favorite poffins, so please take your time UuU" Purity told him, "...Mark my words, Mindful One..You cur of a Believer...Once I have assembled my Seven Saviors..Your reign of terror and falsehoods are numbered! I will devour your soul as I look through it! I will hold your life in my hands AND THAT IS FINAL! AM I CLEAR?! OVO;" he shouts at her, "..Very. If that is the destiny for my soul, who am I to change? Life in the mortal plane is only temporary. I will look forward to it. ^ ^" she told Deimos, surprising him with a bright, blessing smile that stunned him, making him grip his chest as he stumbled away. A few steps upon being outside, he fell to the ground. "This...What is this...Affliction? What is this profound occurrence within my soul?...Have I, Deimos, Master of Darkness...Been smitten?...No...NO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS! It's not true!...Bah! I shall sort out this foreign affliction once I've retreated into darkness. May that I also find Fiend in the near future...And possibly has The Boy's help as well" Deimos was declaring to himself before having Piety, his Zoroark help him walk steadily. What a drama queen. Keep it together for once before you look bad again!
Josh & Cypress decided to take their time for the rest of the day instead of jumping straight into the next Gym. Instead, after some training with the Twins, they saw that it'd be worth it to make Patricia and Bell be able to talk more so they dont feel left out. Cy's Audino was a faster learner of the two, knowing up to 60 words within 3 hours of teaching, opposed to Bell's 18 after 2 hours. N-not that she's dumb or anything. Pokemon aren't naturally suppose to go further than Pokespeech (along with the many things in the story xD), so it'd be incredibly difficult for any Pokemon to orally, let alone clearly articulate what people like you or me can comprehend. These two Trainers realized this a while back. Josh even called up his friends, asking them if had any tips or if they tried with their Pokemon, which most haven't. Only Jake ever attempted with his Minccino. Even then he was only able to have her learn 3 words, but she kept forgetting how to say them after a few days. It was sad to hear, but at least Josh took it as he was getting somehow with how he went about having his team communicate with him. Cypress pitched in as well, but with his own ideas to teach differently. These ranged from have bags of snacks and items he had in his backpack labeled as certain words and they had to pick which was which for a word they had to say, passing around a ball they had to remember was given a word or phrase, and completing each other's sentences. Josh let them use his phone to type out words and this helped too. However, what was most helpful was Macey's advice, who was telling them to start with words that sound alot like what they say in Pokespeech. Going into the next day, they were able to make a really good warm-up to start their day. They even found a few discoveries that made speaking easier!
"[Cypress] Ok Bell, saaaay...Idea!"
"[Bell] Idle!"
"[Cypress] *giggles* Close but try again. u"
"[Bell] Ideal! No wait- Idea!"
"[Cypress] Hey you said it right! Even when you were correcting there. You're learning! ouo"
"[Bell] Gedehehehe, guess I yam! ^ ^"
"[Patricia] That was gereat, Bell. I know you'll get it in no time. / u\"
"[Josh] And I thought Mace was the only fast learner. She's starting to talk with no problem."
"[Cypress] What Im thinking is that she'll speak better once she's in a good mood. *scratches under her chin* Isnt that right, 'Treece? ^u^"
"[Patricia] *flares ears upwards and leans towards him* Audiii, Y-yes. It's really wurking, Cypress. /u/"
"[Tiff] I a bets I cuhn out speak her."
"[Josh] We still need you to speak better first, Tiff. x)"
"[Tiff] N-no we does not! "
"[Josh] How long did it take for Vreyian's team to talk again, Mace?"
"[Macey] Hmmmm, if member roight he said about 4 month."
"[Josh] 4 months, eh? It's a while, but I guess that's about right for his team to speak as well as they do."
"[Cypress] Remember those Gym Leaers? Some of them could speak almost as well. Maybe they had special ways to teach them too."
"[Josh] Yeah, that's a thought alright. It's looking like you gotta do a bit of cheating to make 'em talk right. This Kindergarden stuff works but not nearly as well."
"[Cypress] Do you...Maybe think that Team Zenith has a few or ways to speed things up?"
"[Josh] Cant say for now, but I wouldnt be surprised. Say, maybe you can have the Rangers start looking into this."
"[Cypress] M-maybe...It's just that..It seems we'd have the most luck starting out at Victory Road. None of us at any base are strong enough to have Trainers help from there so.."
"[Josh] Sounds like another goal for us to me. You'll be a really good Ranger by the time we get there. ^u^"
"[Cypress] Aww thanx, J. I-I'll do my best. /u/"
"[Tiff] Do Josh like himself some Cyprus? TWT"
"[Josh] Tiff, you know it's not like that! You of all people should know that by now."
"[Tiff] *giggles* I just kidding. w"
"[Josh] If anything I should be asking you about what you like. You always like doing dirty things to Pokemon girls to win. 3"
"[Tiff] N-nope! I no intuh any girlses! oVo; If muh butt was as biggers as sis' I'd tease them with it, BUT STILL! OVO;"
"[Macey] *covers ears over my face* Siiiish~, dont talking about my buuuutt! /n\\"
"[Bell] *feels some warm emotions from Tiff's mind* (Oooooo, wait until Im able to read minds. I'll be able to tell Mace just how dirty her sister is. ಡuಡ)"
"[Cypress] I-I think we're ready to take on the Gym Leaders now, J. What do you think?"
"[Josh] Hmm..Wel...I wish you had another buddy to tag along with you for some muscle on your end, but I think we can make do this time."
"[Cypress] *turns to Patricia and Bell* You two think you got our new strategies down by now?"
"[Patricia & Bell] Mmhmm! ouo"
"[Josh] It's settled then! Let's head out and show these Gym Leaders we mean business!" he told them and they gave a resounding "Aye!" before they headed out of the Inn they rented. Though it was a good day's worth of training, Cy's Pokemon are more pumped than ever to win for their Trainer; Willing to really give it their all in this battle. Given what Types they're dealing with, Josh finds that Cy will be quite pivotal in dealing with half of the Gym Leaders' team. What scares him the most however is the possibility of dealing with many moves from each of their Pokemon. Who knows if a deadly combination can even lock down either of the sisters in their Mega form. Nonetheless, like everything else, Josh faces this challenge head-on and plan accordingly. With some traveling, the team finds themselves standing in front of West Quintile's Gym. Before they could enter, Josh received a call. A very important one.
"[Josh] *looks at the phone* ! (V-Vreyian...? Wha-wh...What could he..Possibly want..?) *answers the call* H-hello?...Vreyian?"
"[Vreyian] Hey boy, where are you now?"
"[Josh] Im...At West Quintile...W-why'd you ask?"
"[Vreyian] So you're there. I see..Good for you to make it this far."
"[Josh] What do you- What about it? What's this all about?"
"[Vreyian] You seem to be taking your sweet time doing all this, yeah? Well, word on the street says you've been piecing together my life's story and know alot about my M.O."
"[Josh] W-where're you getting at? I-I dont like where this is going! You know that, right?!"
"[Void]...Go ahead and tell 'im, Vrey."
"[Vreyian] Kid. Lemme know if you hear this."
"[Josh] *hears a loud CLICK* O O! W-what the hell was that?! D-dont tell me that's a-!"
"[Vreyian] A gun. That's right. Not just any gun. It's designed for subduing damn-near any Pokemon. I modified the shells myself to...Let's say, do more than that. Imagine what they'd do to people."
"[Josh] VREY, I SWEAR! IF YOU TRY TO-!"
"[Vreyian] Listen kid. I dont have much time. These last two Gyms are nothing like the others so far. You're likely to lose on the first try. All that said...You have a week."
"[Josh] WAIT WHAT?! A WEEK?! WHY?!"
"[Cypress] (Oh no...J's getting really mad..and it doesnt sound good at all..Dont tell me it's Vreyian..)"
"[Vreyian] You know how long me and my team've been searching for him...Im tired...They're tired...We just want it all to end. One way or another. If he wont come out of hiding...Maybe he will once enough chaos goes down...You're his son. You're...The best lead I got..."
"[Josh] V-vrey, please! Let's just calm down and not do anything too-! *hears a long bzzzzzzzzt sound*...He...Hung up..."
"[Cypress] Uh...J...It...Sounds really bad...What exactly is..."
"[Josh]...Later...Let's head in, Cy."
"[Cypress] O...Ok..." he lowly complies to his insistence. The positive, exciting air was sullied by something grim. They entered Gym, seeing how plain and empty the place was. Only the Gym Leaders stood before them on the other side of the room. Josh felt a heavy mix of sorrow ane perflexities swirling in his stomach as he started frowning; Now not looking forward to battling. He felt more concerned about his internal battle than the one at hand, and Cy was there at his side, feeling empathy for him every step of the way. This sight brought a smile to Howard's face. "Hmhmm, what's wrong, challenger? Where'd all that hopeful spirit go? I thought you were going to use it win against us. Dont tell me you came by just to say you're giving up" Howard told him in mocking tone, "...Shut up...Just start the damn battle already.." Josh lowly told him, "J...Umm, m-mind if you give us a minute? ^ ^;" Cypress asked, "Hmph. Just dont keep us waiting for long" Howard told them, "*turns around with Josh* Hey J, look...I know what Vreyian told was really bad and all..But..You shouldn't let it take you outta the game yknow. We'll lose for sure, and...I still need you for this..These Gyms are still incredibly hard../. \" Cypress was talking him down. The Leaders were hearing Josh's friend talk to him some more, only really picking up murmurs here and there. Rachael insisted on letting them taking their time, resulting in a 4 minute long waiting period on their end. Once it was up, Rachael spoke up. "If this'll help, this Gym is 2-in-1, and used to be seperated by East and West. Due to damages by Zenith, we decided to just have it all here. Sorry for the short notice, but if you win, you'll get both Badges" she told them, "See? It's not as bad as you think. All we need to do is win and win some more, right? /ouo\;" Cypress was trying to encourage him, "...*takes a deep breath* Cy look..I'll focus this time...But we're talking after this..Got it? *sees him nod; turns myself around* Alright then. Im ready" Josh told them. He was about to throw out his first Pokemon, but stared at the Pokeball. He thought some more about the situation, but tried his best to reinstill hope within himself. Josh knew he cant afford to waste time, so whatever he did, he has to make sure he made it count. Deep down, he also knew Cy was right. Everything in mind, it was at this moment, he ignored his uncertainties and threw out his first Pokemon, finding a new sort of strength once Tiff was front and center. The Mega Stone in his bracelet starting to shine at this moment too.
