Hello dear followers!
I know it's been a long long time since I updated, so I want to first extend a big thank you to new and old readers alike. Rest assured this story wasn't dropped!
Second, happy ficversary to Legendary Adventures! Three years ago today, I first posted Legendary Adventures. I never imagined it would draw any kind of following, but I am immensely grateful for the support.
I'll skip right to the good stuff - the chapter! There'll be a nice long AN at the bottom for more detail if you want.
Previously on Legendary Adventures: After defeating Maylene in a rematch (thanks to Crobat's evolution!), Koa's pokemon were unexpectedly kidnapped by Team Blackout. He teamed up with Avis and managed to pull off a haphazard rescue, but at a cost - Scrapper the Breloom was badly injured. And on top of that, Blake did not seem happy when he found out about Koa's reckless actions.
Fortunately, after a heart to heart, they resolve things. However, Koa's lingering doubts and attempts to change cause him to botch his gym battle with Byron, leading him to travel to Iron Island to train with Kitto.
But danger seems to be close behind... Or perhaps waiting for him already.
Echo (Male Crobat) {Ability: Inner Focus}
Hazard (Male Joltik) {Ability: Compound eyes}
Rascal (Female Tyrunt) {Ability: Strong Jaw}
Anubis (Male Houndoom) {Ability: Flash Fire}
*Scrapper (Male Breloom) {Ability: Effect Spore}
Flurry (Female Spheal) {Ability: Thick Fat}
The ball arced through the air, sunlight reflecting off the white bottom as the red contrasted against the clear blue sky. Time slowed. The weakened Latias, whom he'd whittled down with the help of his team, watched in anticipation. It made contact with her head, and the light drew her inside. Koa's breath paused and he clenched his fist.
The ball shook once and then... ding! Koa cheered, grinning wildly, as his heart soared—
"Only a couple more badges," he murmured to Hazard, still lost in his daydream as he sat in the waiting room. Hazard chittered in excitement from his perch on Koa's shoulder.
Upon landing on Iron Island, Koa had headed to the Pokemon Center to give his team a checkup. All of his pokemon were given a clean bill of health, save for Scrapper, whom Nurse Joy was currently giving a closer examination. There was plenty of time while he waited for her to finish, and that meant plenty of time to daydream about his future.
Starting with getting stronger. A few good wins under his belt would be perfect, and he could make things up to Rascal. Guilt still gnawed at him every time the memory of his disastrous gym battle surfaced. He'd failed her, and he intended to make things right. Then he could put everything behind him and train with Kitto.
Latias... A lofty goal. If he even ended up finding one. Supposedly Hoenn was the most likely spot to see them, but apparently sightings ranged from Paldea to Kanto, and even Sinnoh. Still, it was a goal for now at least, though he had decided on the boat ride that it would be smart to keep his options open. There was no telling what legendary he might encounter after he'd gotten his team strong enough.
Of course none of it mattered if things kept going the way they did. If the beasts were truly retaliating at humanity, how long before other legendary pokemon followed suit? Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away. Things would improve, he was sure of it.
"... attack at Snowpoint Temple."
The crackle of a radio in the back room being turned up caught his attention.
"Witnesses report seeing a quadruped blue creature with a purple mane attacking the Temple in Snowpoint City. Rangers believe they have identified the being as the legendary pokemon Suicune, making this yet another in a string of inexplicable attacks by Johto's famed beasts of the Brass Tower. This station has reached out to Professor Elm, who has declined to comment so far.
Police are advising trainers and travelers to stick to the protected routes and to be extra cautious. If you see one of these pokemon, do not attempt to engage it. Report it to the local Ranger Station or Police Headquarters.
It is still unknown what is behind these attacks, or if Johto's beasts are truly responsible. If you have any information, please inform local authorities."
Koa's heart sank, a chill settling over him, despite his jacket. Hazard tensed on his shoulder, digging his claws in. It was getting worse. His fingers dug into his thighs as he stared at the floor. Half of him longed to get up and catch the first boat to Snowpoint, except what good could he do? Whatever was behind these attacks, he was powerless against. Amity had proved that.
"It's awful, isn't it?" Nurse Joy's voice disrupted his thoughts, and he looked up. She held Scrapper's pokeball in his hands, though her cheery smile from earlier was gone. "I can't fathom why they would want to attack Sinnoh."
"It's not them!" Koa blurted out, standing abruptly. Hazard fluffed his fur in displeasure.
She flinched slightly at his tone. "Oh?"
Koa shook his head, then continued in a calmer tone. "I... I've seen them. Twice. Once at Celestic and once at Amity Square."
Her eyebrows rose at the mention of Amity and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my..." she whispered. "You were at Amity Square? Are you the kid with the Houndoom who evolved?"
Koa blinked, taken aback. "Uh... yeah. You heard about me?"
She nodded. "Most of us nurses are friends and we swap stories all the time. I remember Hearthome's nurse telling me about a Houndoom she examined who evolved after getting attacked by Entei."
"It wasn't Entei," Koa said firmly. "The thing I saw... it didn't look right." The Thing's cold gaze flashed through his mind, sending chills down his spine. Yet the second Entei he'd seen had appeared so gentle. There'd been two there that day, he was sure of it... "Whatever it was, it was some kind of imposter."
The nurse frowned. "How awful... to impersonate a legendary like that. I do hope the Rangers find whoever or whatever those things are then." She held out Scrapper's pokeball. "He's in good health and his leg is healing wonderfully. Give it another day or so to make sure it's fine, then he'll be good as new!"
"Thanks," Koa said as he took the ball and clipped it back onto his belt.
"Koamaru?"
He glanced over his shoulder at the nurse.
"Be careful out there."
Once outside the center, Koa took a long deep breath. He had come here to train, and he intended to focus on that. He'd already formed a loose plan during the boat ride that included training more with Rascal and helping Flurry learn some new moves. And by the day after tomorrow, he could start working on Scrapper, whom he was sure was looking forward to battling again.
He started up the hill, unable to keep the surge of excitement at bay. Picking up his pace, he scrambled up the hill with relative ease, stopping at the mouth of the cave. A faint chill hung in the air, mixing with a metallic tang.
"Iron Island, here I come."
First, he retrieved a headlamp from his backpack and strapped it on. Then he turned his head so he could see Hazard, still perched on his shoulder. "You wanna stay out or go into your ball?"
Hazard clicked his pincers together twice, then scurried down Koa's jacket to his belt, returning himself. Koa patted his pokeball, then turned his attention back to the cave. Still grinning faintly, he headed inside.
Before him sprawled a large cavern, easily as big as a gym's battlefield. The waning light from the entrance showed remnants of the island's history as a mine. Old tracks spiraled off into the darkness, barely visible under new layers of rocks. Metal support beams lining the tunnels sported bite marks, likely from the wild Onix population.
Singling out a random tunnel, Koa wandered towards it, sweeping his headlamp around the area in case anything interesting happened to be lying around. Daylight faded away entirely as he entered the tunnel, and the distant sounds of the ocean faded, replaced by a peaceful stillness. Every so often he heard a faint rustle of wings from roosting Zubat and Woobat.
The tunnel eventually led to another cavern farther down the mountain, somewhat smaller than the first one. He did a broad sweep of the cavern. Rusted ore processing machines lined one wall, ringed by headless pickaxes and wheel-less minecarts. Various minecart tracks led into other tunnels, some of them caved in.
He supposed this had once been a base of operations for the miners, though the pokemon had long since reclaimed it. The thought brought a smile to his face. He remembered learning about how Byron had passed a law a couple decades ago to give Iron Island back to the pokemon, now that most of the ore had been mined.
Halfway into the cavern, just as he was deciding what tunnel to pick, his headlamp passed over something odd. A large black plastic crate, half buried under a rockslide. It looked old, really old, but not nearly as old as everything around it did. He edged closer and peered at him. Under the thick layer of dirt, he could just barely make out some kind of symbol on it...
A yellow, stylized G.
Nausea rolled through him and he turned away. His hands clenched into fists. On an impulse, he grabbed Anubis' ball from his belt and released him. The fire type emerged with bark, then looked around before looking at Koa, head cocked as if to ask 'where's the battle?'
Koa pointed his headlamp back at the crate. He spoke through gritted teeth. "Burn it."
Anubis growled softly, confused.
"It doesn't belong here. Burn it."
Gazing at Koa a moment longer, Anubis turned, embers flickering in his jaws. He took a deep breath, then let loose a stream of fire. Shadows cast by the orange flames danced across the walls as Anubis kept the fire up. In the flames, Koa could see the crate begin to deform, then liquify. A few minutes later it was nothing more than a misshapen, unrecognizable puddle of black ooze.
Darkness fell as Anubis extinguished his fire. Pushing down the trembling rage in his chest, Koa scratched Anubis on the head. "Thanks buddy."
He whined, nuzzling Koa's hand.
"Leftovers from Team Galactic," Koa spat. The scent of the burnt plastic made his stomach churn. He turned away from the remains and hurriedly selected the nearest tunnel and started walking. "They're bad guys, like the people who kidnapped you. Years ago, they came here and messed this place up. They used machines that hurt the pokemon and placed bombs and..."
A growl rumbled in Anubis' throat and he spat embers as his tail lashed back and forth.
"Yeah, me too," Koa said. A pit yawned in his gut that he did his best to ignore. Anger tensed his shoulders. The mere thought of Galactic... their commanders, and—
Taking a shaky breath, Koa ran his hands across the tunnel walls. Unlike the first tunnel he'd taken, this one had smooth, uniform ridges spaced a few apart, and had a rounded shape. Definitely made by a pokemon. It almost appeared like an Onix tunnel, but the ridges seemed shaped a little different.
He wandered through the tunnel as it twisted and curved, Anubis keeping him company. He focused on his ideas for training as much as he could, and kept an eye out for any wild pokemon who looked like they wanted a fight. The ground began to slope sharply downwards, and Koa had to slow down to descend safely.
The tunnel eventually led to a single, empty, dome shaped chamber. No other tunnels seemed to lead out from it. Dead end. Something on the floor caught his attention, and he walked out to the middle. As he drew closer, he could see it looked like... a hole?
What on earth—?
Anubis tensed abruptly and growled. The ground began to shake and a loud rumble shook the whole chamber, tiny rocks plinking from the ceiling to the floor. Something burst out of the hole, filling the chamber with a metallic cry as it rose up.
Koa scrambled backwards, pressing himself into the wall to get away. As he did, he got a good look at the thing. A huge metal serpent, as big as an Onix, lay curled before them around the hole. It looked a little like an Onix too — a body made of segments, though instead of gray it sported a steelier red body.
It gazed at him, its two pale blue eyes glinting in the light.
Anubis had positioned himself between Koa and the strange pokemon, his hackles raised.
Koa quickly withdrew his Pokedex and scanned it, skimming the entry.
"Orthworm. This Pokemon is native to Paldea, and is known to live in dry arid places. It eats iron from the soil for nutrients and is frequently seen with just its head poking from the ground."
"Steel type..." Koa mused to himself. Almost instinctively, his hand started to move towards Scrapper's pokeball before he stopped himself.
Anubis took a half step forward, and the Orthworm's eyes shifted to him.
"Wait Anubis. Let Rascal fight."
Nodding, Anubis relaxed slightly and trotted to Koa's side. Simultaneously, Koa tossed out Rascal's pokeball. She emerged with her signature roar and lowered her head, ready to charge. Orthworm responded with a screech of its own, tightening itself and lowering its head.
No hesitation, Koa chided himself. He wouldn't let this go the same way the gym battle had. "Dragon Tail!"
Rascal exploded forward, tail aglow.
Orthoworm tucked its head in, energy rippling across its body as a metallic sheen enveloped it.
A moment later Rascal made contact. An audible 'clang' sounded and Orthworm barely flinched. Three blue arms shot from the gray segment of its body, and with a swift movement it punched Rascal in the side, sending her stumbling back.
Koa blurted out the next move that came to his mind. "Ice Fang!" It only occurred a second later that maybe if he froze it he could get the upper hand.
As Rascal rushed forward, Orthworm opened its jaws, energy coalescing within. Indecision seized Koa but he barreled over it, quashing his instincts as well. Don't think, just act. "Don't stop!" Koa shouted.
Rascal leaped at Orthworm's head just as it blasted a glob of mud at her. The blow knocked her out of the air and she crashed to the ground, rolling a few feet. Then, before she could rise, Orthworm whipped its tail at her, steel energy encasing it.
Thwack!
Rascal slammed into the wall of the chamber and Koa flinched. She slumped heavily to the ground and didn't rise again.
The Orthworm roared in triumph, then in the blink of an eye, spun around and dove into the earth, tunneling away.
Biting his lip, Koa turned back to Rascal, who was beginning to rise, and walked over to her. He knelt next to her and dug out a Potion from his bag. She cracked one eye open to stare at him, and Koa found himself unable to meet her gaze.
He'd screwed up. Again. Even after trying to start fresh and trying to change his approach. And worst of all, he failed Rascal again. Heat rose to his cheeks and he wished he could vanish into the earth like the Orthworm had. His hands shook as he started to treat her wounds, and a growing pit began to form in his chest. The entire time she remained still, watching him with an unreadable gaze.
Part of him wished she'd be angrier. Roar at him or storm off or return herself to her ball. It was what he deserved. A lump formed in his throat. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't find the proper words. Failure. The words rang in his head over and over. If he couldn't even win here, how was he going to climb Mt. Coronet? How could he possibly hope to reach Spear Pillar, much less fight a legendary pokemon? How could he protect his team if he couldn't help them get stronger? How could he—
"Rascal, I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I let you down again and I—"
Rascal rose abruptly, and in a swift movement, grabbed his hand in her jaws. She didn't bite down, but she squeezed, hard enough to pinch him. "Ow!" he protested. He pulled, trying to free his arm, but she squeezed tighter. He stopped, staring at her in confusion. She glared back, looking determined.
Koa glanced around, then gave Anubis a pleading look. The Houndoom simply huffed and shrugged.
"What?" Koa protested. Rascal hadn't pulled something like this since—
Since that day, on the cliffs of Coronet. Spending the night with her on that plateau. He'd connected with her by trying to give her space. And understanding her. Taking a deep breath, Koa looked into her eyes, pushing aside the dark spiral of thoughts that lurked at the edge of his mind.
Her gaze seemed calm, determined. But beneath it he could sense a forceful anger. Anger directed at him. With a great effort, he forced himself not to look away. Then, as he gazed into her reptilian eyes, something clicked. She wasn't angry because he'd failed... she was angry because she cared.
He'd been so caught up thinking how he'd failed Rascal and his team...Had he even asked how she felt?
He spoke softly, slowly, as he gathered his thoughts. "Do you feel like I failed you?"
Still holding his arm, Rascal shook her head slowly.
Koa swallowed with difficulty. The knowledge hurt somehow, even as he felt the pit in his stomach shrink. "Do you... a-are you mad at me for messing up in our gym battle?" For a good couple seconds, she didn't move. Then she gave a small shake of her head again.
The pit shrank even more. His next words lodged in his throat, then tumbled out all at once. "Do you think I'm a bad trainer?"
Immediately she quickly shook her head. Then she gently opened her jaws and stepped back, sitting down. Anubis trotted over and flopped down nearby, watching him with amusement in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Rascal." The words tumbled out, stiff and awkward.
She narrowed her eyes.
"But not about the battle or losing." He shifted and swallowed, some of the tightness in his chest easing as he found his words. "I got so caught up in everything, I still wasn't thinking about you, or asking how you felt. I should have talked to you first." He reached out and rested his hand on her snout. "Can you forgive me?"
Rascal nodded, then lovingly headbutted him in the chest.
"Oof!" Koa grimaced, clutching his stomach. "Thanks for sticking with me," he wheezed. His eyes watered slightly. "And for caring about me."
Puffing out her chest, she stood, snout upturned pridefully. Then she trotted over to him and returned herself to her ball.
Chuckling, he stood up. Uneasiness and doubt still lingered, but at least now they felt more... manageable. The pit in his stomach felt more like a tiny knot. He'd messed up, but his pokemon would forgive him, as long as he didn't give up on them. And stopped focusing on his mistakes...
He snorted and shook his head. How many times had Blake tried to tell him that? Easier said than done, he supposed. "Next time, I'll do better," he murmured out loud. Dusting himself off, he turned to Anubis, who had been waiting patiently.
"What do you say, Anubis? Shall we go find Kitto?"
Anubis barked heartily, nuzzling his hand, and Koa scratched under his chin.
With a sigh of relief and a grin, he headed out of the chamber and back the way he came.
A short time later, thanks to the help of Echo's echolocation and Anubis' tracking skills, he was trekking up a tunnel towards a circle of light that he assumed led outside. He'd run into a few more wild pokemon, not particularly strong, but they gave him a chance for Flurry to stretch her flippers. Anubis had opted to return to his ball eventually, leaving just him and Echo as he followed the Onix tunnel upwards.
The light at the end slowly grew brighter and brighter, until Koa no longer needed his headlamp. As he approached, he could hear distant sounds of pokemon fighting. He emerged onto a sprawling plateau, one end open to the sea. Steep walls surrounded the other three sides, and in the center an Orthworm loomed over its opponent. Koa briefly wondered if it was the same one. Judging by appearances, Koa had arrived mid-battle.
The Orthworm appeared weathered, its hide dotted with faint dents. Its opponent, Jackie, seemed unfazed, dancing lightly on his toes around the larger pokemon. As he watched, Kitto called a command, and with a swift fake out followed by a Fire Punch, the steel snake went down.
After a few seconds, it rose again. Inspiration struck Koa, and he began to creep towards Kitto, who stood with his back to him. As the Orthworm dipped its head in a nod of respect and departed, Koa crept ever closer to the white-haired trainer. A foot away, he grinned raising his arms, fully prepared to jump him.
"Hey Koa," Kitto said, calm as ever, his back still to Koa.
Koa scowled and dropped his arms to his sides. "Come on," he grumbled. "How could you possibly know I was there?"
Without turning around, Kitto gestured to the ground. Koa looked down, then groaned. Clear as day, his shadow stretched out before him; a dead giveaway.
Kitto shook his head and laughed, then turned around. "Nice try, though. Maybe one of these days you'll learn to watch your surroundings. Speaking of..." His voice trailed off and his gaze drifted upward. He smiled widely. "Echo evolved! Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Koa replied. He held out his hand and Kitto grasped it, shaking it firmly. Kitto's gaze followed Echo as he swooped through the air. He beamed as he watched Echo's midair acrobatics. Remembering his evolution brought a special feeling of warmth and pride.
"So, are you ready?" Kitto's voice broke into his thoughts.
"For what? Me to beat you again?" he retorted, grinning.
Jackie snorted audibly in disbelief.
Kitto chuckled. "Sorry Koa, I'm with Jackie on this one. You're going down."
"One on one again?" Koa asked.
Kitto shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "How about two on two?"
"Two on two? Are you sure?" Koa asked. "Is Kaze's wing healed? I thought the nurse said he might never fly again."
"Oh I'm sure. And as for Kaze... Well, you'll see."
Koa thumbed the pokeballs on his belt. "Fine. You're on."
A familiar rush began to grow in him and he locked gazes with Echo. This battle could be different. All he had to do was focus on what was important. Just like old times. "Alright Echo, you hang back for now." Reaching to his belt, he sent out Scrapper first.
The Breloom emerged. As soon as his gaze settled on Jackie, his eyes lit up.
"I know you've still got another couple days before you heal but you can watch if you want."
Scrapper nodded rapidly, and Koa grinned. Good. It seemed some of his old fire was back.
Kitto, meanwhile, selected a single pokeball from his belt. A moment later a Pidgey emerged.
It alighted on Kitto's shoulder, head held high and eyes blazing and chest puffed out. Its feathers shone and it looked a bit larger as well.
Koa's eyes widened. Definitely not the same shy little bird from Celestic town. "Whoa. That's the same Pidgey? Kaze looks completely different."
Kaze preened his feathers at the compliment, clearly pleased. Kitto smiled, stroking his head gently. "Turns out he's a proud little guy, once he started training."
"So does this mean he can fly again?"
Kitto's only reply was a coy grin. "Well, you'll have to battle us to find out."
With an eager shriek, Kaze fluttered off Kitto's shoulder and onto the ground.
If he was going to use Kaze, then he had a perfect choice. He quickly selected his pokeball and tossed it out. "Go Flurry!" he called.
Flurry emerged onto the battlefield and rolled in a circle, letting out a happy squeak. Then she settled down, narrowing her gaze and staring determinedly at Kaze. Kaze glared back, his gaze burning with equal ferocity.
"First move is all yours," Kitto declared, gesturing.
"Flurry, Aqua Ring." She squeezed her eyes tight. Blue rings of water formed around her body, then condensed around her form, causing her to glow briefly.
"Kaze, Quick Attack."
Letting out a loud shree, Kaze lowered his head, tucked his wings in tight, and sprinted across the ground, becoming nothing more than a white streak.
"Defense Curl!" Even as Koa spat out the command, Kaze drove his beak into Flurry's body and sent her rolling backward. He hopped backwards, almost smirking with delight.
Flurry rolled to a stop and tucked her fins in tightly, a silver glow flashing across her body, then uncurled and stared fiercely at her opponent. Koa quickly composed himself. He hadn't expected Kaze to move like that. "Okay Flurry, get him with Water Gun!"
She took a deep breath and fired a tight stream of water towards Pidgey.
"Counter, Twister."
Kaze shrieked and flapped his wings. A small tornado of purple winds formed, then surged across the battlefield, wrapping up the water before crashing into Flurry, sending her tumbling back. "Now, Gust!" He beat his wings rapidly, stirring up a powerful current that hit Flurry again before she could recover.
Squeaking in frustration, she slapped her fins on the ground. A blue glow flashed over her body as the healing from Aqua Ring kicked in.
Koa scowled. Kitto had trained Kaze well. He moved effortlessly across the ground, as naturally as a bird in the air. "Flurry, use Rollout!"
She hurled herself forwards, rolling straight for Kaze, and barreled into him at top speed. Knocking him aside, she circled around to strike again as the Pidgey got to his feet.
"One more Twister," Kitto called.
Spinning on a dime, Kaze dashed to the side, narrowly dodging Flurry's attack before turning around casting a purple twister of wind at her.
Not again. "Flurry, spin around it!"
Still rolling, Flurry whipped around the twister, using its momentum to hurl herself at Kaze twice as fast. At nearly the same moment, Kaze blurred into another Quick Attack at Kitto's behest. The two pokemon collided, bouncing off each other and rolling backwards before coming to a halt.
For a moment, neither pokemon moved. Koa gritted his teeth. "Come on Flurry..." he whispered. To his relief, Flurry shook herself and started to rise, while Kaze still looked stunned. "Water Gun!" Koa called frantically.
Flurry drew in a deep breath. A pulse of energy flowed through her from Aqua Ring. Then he saw a faint glow of energy in her jaws. She opened wider and unleashed a torrent of water across the field, sending the Pidgey reeling and drenching it.
Kaze didn't rise again.
"Yeah Flurry!" Koa called happily. "That was amazing!" She gave a rapid series of happy squeaks. Meanwhile, Koa pulled out his pokedex to do a quick scan. "Flurry, you picked up Brine?" He asked, surprised.
She nodded, rolling her whole body as she returned to his side.
"Amazing work," he murmured, reaching down to rub her head.
Kitto nodded as Kaze recovered and hopped back to his side. The Pidgey shook himself and began preening irritably. "Not bad, using my Twister to counter like that," Kitto called. "And learning a new move too."
"Thanks! And Kaze is really something, I can't believe he can move like that." Flurry nuzzled against his leg, and he reached down to rub between her ears. "You did so good," he murmured. Kaze was amazing. He should've guessed as much, looking back. Kitto had received Kaze sometime in Unova. He'd surely been doing intensive training with him, especially since he only had two pokemon to focus on.
Jackie slammed his fists together, then jogged onto the field and took up a battle stance.
"Well, who will you use next?" Kitto called.
Scrapper. Scrapper would have been the pokemon he wanted to use next. The Breloom probably would have loved the opportunity to rematch his old rival. But he couldn't.
Koa forced himself to smile, then grabbed Rascal's pokeball, tossing it onto the field. With all their time spent working on Ice Fang and training recently, she could definitely use the experience. Not to mention, she possessed the most raw power out of his entire team. She emerged with her usual roar before cocking her head back and giving him a sharp glare. Koa nodded reassuringly, and she turned her attention back to Jackie and Kitto.
Swallowing, Koa set his jaws and clenched his fists. He wouldn't let Rascal down a third time.
Rascal fixed a predatory gaze on Jackie, who gestured for her to 'come at him' with a glove.
The two pokemon stared at each other for a long moment.
"You ready?" Kitto called.
Koa nodded. "You can go first."
A dangerous smile flickered across his face. "Are you sure?"
Koa nodded.
"Very well. Jackie, it's time. Now! Full Combo Strike!"
Confusion flickered through Koa. What kind of command was that?
Jackie's eyes glinted and ice built up over his fist. Bending low, he spun in a tight circle, driving his fist into the ground as he did. The ice from his fist kicked up, swirling around him and forming into a jagged icy barrier, surrounding Jackie completely.
For a moment, Koa found himself unsure if the result was intended or not. What reason could Kitto possibly have to nearly immobilize Jackie? Pushing aside his musings, he called his attack. "Rascal, break through with Crunch!"
Rascal charged at the ice and sank her jaws into one of the spires, shattering it. That's when Koa saw it. Blue light pulsed from within the ice, growing in intensity. Something inside the ice flashed orange, and Koa's eyes widened. "Get back!" he shouted.
Rascal turned to run backward. The ice shattered and a flaming sphere of blue and orange energy erupted from within. There was no time to dodge, move, or even counter. It smashed Rascal full in the face, launching her into the air. She crashed to the ground and for a moment, lay still. Koa's jaw actually dropped. His mind blanked as he tried to process what he'd seen.
"What...?" was the only word he could think to say.
A huge smile spread across Jackie's and Kitto's faces, and they turned to look at each other. "It worked!" He pumped his fist in the air.
Reeling, Koa quickly gathered himself. "Rascal?"
She huffed, then rose to her feet. "Do you want to keep going?" Her scales were bruised and battered, and she seemed to sway slightly on her feet. Still, a spark of anger still flared in her eyes.
A snarl formed in Rascal's throat and she stamped her foot before nodding.
"What was that?" Koa asked, eyeing Jackie, who bounced lightly in place as he watched his opponent.
"I'll tell you after I win," Kitto teased.
Koa snorted, then turned his attention back to Rascal. "Alright, let's do this."
"Ancient Power!" He'd barely finished giving the call before Rascal acted. She roared and raised a foot, stamping the earth. Chunks of rock surrounded by a purple energy rose into the air. With a swing of her tail, they were flung across the field at Jackie.
Koa had only a moment to absorb what she'd done. Somehow, she'd managed to use Ancient Power to shoot a barrage of attacks instead of a single strong one. He grinned. "Rush in and use Ice Fang and slow him down!"
"Fire Punch double-time!" Flames burst to life around Jackie's fists and he pummeled the slew of rocks as Rascal charged. A few managed to hit, pelting Jackie's face and chest, but the worst of it was countered by Jackie's speedy punches. Of course, that barely mattered to Koa, as he had something different in mind.
Jaws open wide, Rascal lunged forward, biting Jackie's ankle. A swift layer of frost formed, creeping down to his foot and the surrounding earth. At the same moment, Jackie retaliated with a flaming strike to Rascal's face.
She barked in pain and jerked away.
"Ancient Power, full strength!"
Rascal gathered herself and effortlessly launched the rocky sphere at Jackie. Unfortunately, the Hitmonchan seemed hardly tired, and reacted instantly, vaulting sideways and dodging the attack.
"Finish this!"
Rolling to his feet, Jackie put his fists together, a sphere of blue forming between them. He shot it at Rascal, who tried to jump to the side, only to stumble weakly. The Aura Sphere struck her in the side, knocking her to the ground.
Silence fell and Koa gritted his teeth. Not again. Rascal lifted her head, and for a moment hope rose in Koa. Then she slumped back to the ground and lay still.
Koa sighed and returned her. "You did your best," he whispered to her pokeball, before clipping it back to his belt. For a brief moment, a surge of frustration rose up, but he let it pass. Kitto had been training hard, and Rascal had fought well. He couldn't ask for more than that. Next time, he'd be more ready. "So will you tell me what you did now?" he said as he approached Kitto.
The older trainer patted Jackie's back affectionately. "I call it the secret of the fifth move. It's what I came here to work on. A way to combine all of a pokemon's moves into a single combo. We're still refining it, but Jackie is getting the hang of it very well."
"Teach me!" Koa demanded, grinning. Something like that would be perfect to nab him his next win. And give him a leg up over other trainers.
Kitto frowned and glanced at Jackie. "We'll see," he said finally. "It's something that we don't have down yet, but maybe we can figure something out."
Koa shrugged and nodded. That was good enough for now he supposed. He tucked Rascal's ball away and nudged Kitto playfully. "I won one, and you won one, so technically we're even, right?"
"Won?" Kitto snorted. "You're lucky Flurry pulled off Brine at the end there."
Flurry squeaked indignantly at his comment.
Koa rolled his eyes. "Please. Just because Flurry is more skilled than Kaze doesn't mean it doesn't count."
Jackie grunted, and Kitto patted the Hitmonchan's shoulder. "It's okay Jackie, Koa is just mad because he still can't beat you."
A chuckle escaped Koa. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."
"Dinner?" Kitto questioned. "I was planning on making something right before you came."
Koa started to answer, but Echo beat him to it with an eager screech. "Sure," he said with a chuckle.
Less than an hour later, Koa and his team were arrayed around a fire with Kitto and his team, a bowl of curry for each of them.
"So what's the story there?" Kitto asked, nodding to Echo as he took a bite of food.
The memory of Echo's evolution filled Koa with a pleasant warmth, and he smiled. "He evolved after I lost to Maylene the first time I challenged her." Kitto quirked an eyebrow in question, but remained silent as Koa continued. "I got uh... pretty overconfident I guess. Stupid, now that I look back, but I rushed into her battle to prove something to some trainers and lost."
Hazard looked up from his tiny bowl of food to give Koa a pointed look. "Lost badly," Koa added with an awkward laugh. In between bites of dinner, which was as delicious as all of Kitto's meals, he caught Kitto up on his gym battle with Maylene, Echo's evolution, and then his rematch.
"Pretty impressive," Kitto said. "Did you challenge Byron yet, if you were Canalave?"
Koa chuckled awkwardly. "I uh... Byron sort of called off our match. So that's why I came here. To train and get back on track," he added cheerfully. He glanced at his team, who had all almost finished eating. Except Scrapper, who'd barely touched his food. Koa looked away, back to Kitto. Suddenly he got the impression Kitto was studying him.
"I saw something outside Veilstone." He blurted, smirking. His hand unconsciously brushed the feather. Gently, he withdrew it and held it up for Kitto to see. In the fading light of the sunset, it rippled with a prism of colors, sending light dancing across the rocky earth. The pokemon fell silent for a moment as they gazed at it.
Kitto gasped as he stared at it, the rainbow reflecting in his red eyes. He looked down slowly and made eye contact with Koa. "Is that... you saw Ho-Oh?"
Koa nodded, his cheeks hurting from grinning. He handed it off to Kitto as he recounted the sighting breathlessly. Even as he did, the words felt paltry compared to the memory of the great phoenix, soaring overhead, feathers shining like fire.
Kitto handed the feather back with a low whistle. "Incredible," he murmured.
A comfortable silence fell as Koa tucked the feather away and took another bite of his food. He couldn't help but notice Scrapper's meal was still only half eaten. His gut churned and he put aside his meal with another forceful still remaining. He swore he could feel Kitto scrutinizing him.
"The news said that Suicune attacked the temple at Snowpoint," he blurted.
Kitto's brow creased, and his frown deepened to a scowl. "Another attack?" he asked, voice dark.
Koa nodded numbly, both angry at the thought but relieved to focus on a different problem. "Between Celestica, Amity and now Snowpoint... that's all three of them."
"And now Ho-Oh."
Koa's gut churned. "It's not a coincidence. Something is wrong."
"So what do you think Ho-Oh was doing here?" Kitto asked.
Koa shrugged and shook his head. "Ho-Oh sightings are almost always around Kanto and Johto... but if the legendary beasts of the tower are being seen here then maybe Ho-Oh came because of that."
Kitto nodded thoughtfully. "So Ho-Oh is chasing the beasts here?"
"I don't think so," Koa said. "Assuming that what I saw was somehow fake, then maybe Ho-Oh and the beasts are trying to fight the fake ones?"
"That sounds plausible," Kitto replied. He hummed in thought. "Something doesn't add up though. Why here?"
Hazard finished off his meal and crawled onto Koa's shoulder to listen. "What do you mean?" Koa asked, cocking his head.
Kitto leaned forward. "Okay, what could fake a legendary?"
"Hmm..." Koa drummed his fingers on his leg. "Mew can transform into any legendary, but I don't believe for a second that what I saw was Mew. I know people have tried to use machines to make illusions, but the thing I saw seemed to have real power. And the only other pokemon who can really do proper illusions like that is a Zoroark, I think? But like I said... the thing that attacked Amity seemed too strong for a Zoroark. Oh, or a Ditto but...the eyes were wrong."
"Exactly. So regardless, it's not by accident. If the legendaries are being faked, it would take a lot of effort to do. Someone who knows what they're doing."
Koa blinked and stared blankly at Kitto. "Yeah, and...?"
"That's just it, this can't just be about making illusions or fakes. Whoever is doing this has to know what the result would be. If we assume the real beasts are here trying to chase the fakes..."
"Then whoever is doing this wants the beasts here on purpose," Koa said slowly, his eyes widening. He met Kitto's gaze, his horror reflected in them. His stomach churned and static buzzed in his ears. It was happening all over again. Someone using legendary pokemon. First Team Galactic, and now whoever was doing this.
And you're too useless to do anything.
Setting his jaw, he stood up, jostling Hazard. Mumbling an apology, he nodded to Rascal. "How about some training before we turn in for the night?" A spark flared in her eyes and she stood up, growling eagerly. Koa couldn't help but notice Scrapper staring at her. He looked away and picked a spot a safe distance from Kitto and their camp.
As he walked, he could see Kitto in his peripheral vision, watching him with a thoughtful gaze. He kept his gaze ahead. Better to get away before Kitto could ask questions he didn't feel like answering.
For the next hour, Koa lost himself in training. He ended up working with his whole team, save Scrapper, refining their moves. He worked with Flurry as well, trying to get the basics of Aurora Beam down, though to her disappointment the closest she got was a jet of chilly water. She gave a mournful bark as she shot yet another jet of water at the rock they'd been using for target practice.
Koa patted her head as he knelt next to her. "Don't worry Flurry, we'll keep working on it, you'll get it."He stood up, stretching and yawning, and glanced towards camp to see that Kitto had cleaned up and was training with Jackie and Kaze. He briefly considered trying to explain his abrupt departure, then quickly decided against it. Even thinking about the legendary situation caused a surge of unpleasant emotions.
Blake was probably right. He couldn't do anything, so he should stay out of it. Maybe tomorrow things would look up... somehow. His team lounged around the fading the fire, either dozing off or relaxing after training.
"I'm turning in," he called to Kitto. He started towards his tent, only for Kitto to call out to him.
"Wait."
Swallowing, Koa turned around.
Kitto had stopped training with Jackie to walk over to Koa. He spoke in a low voice, brow creased in concern. "Is everything alright with Scrapper?"
The knot of emotions resurfaced full force and for a moment, Koa blanked. "Yeah, he's fine," he managed after a moment, hating the way his voice wavered. "Just a minor injury he's healing from, but he'll be fine. Actually, the nurse said he's ready to get back to training tomorrow." Regret swallowed Koa as soon as he finished talking.
Liar.
It's not a lie, just a condensed version of the story, he argued to himself. Kitto didn't need to hear how he'd gotten Scrapper injured. That was done and gone. "Maybe Jackie can show Scrapper some moves then?"
"Sounds like a plan," Kitto replied, his tone light. Too light.
Koa nodded and ducked into his tent as quickly as he could, then dropped onto his sleeping bag. He was sure Kitto knew he'd lied. It's not a lie, he protested. Somehow the argument failed to make him feel any better. With a sigh, he crawled into his sleeping bag and did his best to steer his thoughts away from Scrapper, legendary pokemon, or his half-truths.
Long after Echo crawled into his tent with Flurry and Anubis, Koa still lay awake. Time dragged and he tossed and turned as quietly as he could so he didn't wake his sleeping pokemon. He mentally reviewed his plans for tomorrow's training, then reviewed them again, then again. Then he tried to quote his favorite book from memory and got as far as the first paragraph before drawing a blank. He eventually entertained himself by inventing a story about traveling to another world and being turned into a pokemon who became a hero. Just after he'd settled on a Manectric as the pokemon he was most likely to turn into, he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Imagination blurred into dreams and he saw himself climbing a mountain. His boots sunk ankle deep into the snow as the winds around him howled endlessly. He could just barely make out Raikou's tracks winding upwards. Lightning split the sky. Thunder crashed and ice slowed his ascent.
As he neared the summit, Raikou's shadow stretched out, beckoning him onwards. Except when he reached the top of the mountain, a Manectric lay waiting, a Manectric as big as a Raikou. Slowly it turned around and fixed him in a cold, sightless gaze. It howled with the voice of a Suicune, ice surging around it.
Then it lunged.
With a strangled cry, Koa turned and fled. The dead-eyed beast gave chase. Snow and panic swallowed Koa as he surged forward. He threw his weight into the drifts, only to stumble as the cold suddenly gave way to hard pavement and absurdly tall warehouses hemming him in on all sides.
He tried to move forward, only to find his leg stuck. Looking down, he saw the steel jaws of a trap clamped around his boot. A voiceless scream escaped his lips. He tripped and fell onto the concrete. Ahead, another figure struggled, also caught in a trap. His heart lodged in his throat. "Scrapper!"
The Manectric stalked past him as if he were invisible, closing in on Scrapper. Shadows gathered around it and its body began to morph, legs growing stockier and a smoky mane billowing from its neck, until it resembled an Entei. Scrapper, oblivious to the approaching beast, struggled fruitlessly in the jaws of the trap.
Koa's cry of warning died on his lips, coming out a whisper. He tried again, the hoarse squawk drowned by Entei's howl as orange-red energy gathered around it. Koa's breath caught. With leaden limbs, he lunged for the legendary, only to flop helplessly to the ground. He had an instant to look up at Entei, standing over Scrapper, before fire engulfed everything in smoke and searing heat, his own scream of despair lost in the cacophony.
Charred grass crunched beneath his hands as Koa coughed and crawled sluggishly forward, searching for any sign of Scrapper. He kept crawling until the smoke around him faded and he saw endless sky, all of Sinnoh laid out around him. He was on top of Mt. Coronet. Sheer cliffs surrounded the peak on all sides, trapping him.
A primal avian shriek split the air. Golden light burned away the last of the smoke and a great shadow blanketed Koa. He looked up, his heart stuck in his throat. Above him hovered Ho-Oh, massive wings covering the sky and blotting out the sun. It scrutinized him with burning scarlet eyes.
Koa shrank back, searching its gaze for gentleness or mercy, but found only disappointment. Disgust. It shook its great head. Opening its beak, it released a stream of prismatic fire, razing the earth around Koa before letting loose a terrible cry that shook the skies. Koa fell back, cowering as the legendary loomed over him.
Ho-Oh advanced, and Koa scrambled backward, his own shadow stretching out in front of him... growing longer and longer, until it spread unnaturally outwards. Terrible oozing blackness rose from his shadow, crawling up Ho-Oh's legs and up its body, draining all color from it; swallowing and consuming until nothing remained of the great phoenix but writhing darkness. Six black tentacles tipped in scarlet sprouted from the abhorrent crimson-eyed beast, looming larger and larger—
Koa's eyes shot open. Two yellow eyes floated in the air above him and he almost screamed until he recognized Echo's concerned gaze. The Crobat had perched on his chest, and judging by the sticky dampness on Koa's face, had just given him a good lick to wake him. Blinking groggily, Koa reached out and scratched him behind the ears.
"Hey buddy." His heart drummed in his ears and he drew an unsteady breath.
Echo trilled softly and nuzzled his chin.
"I'm fine. Just a..." The ominous red eyes flashed through his mind and he mentally winced. His gaze darted around the tent until he spotted the shadow of Scrapper's sleeping form. The knot of fear in his chest eased. "Just a weird dream. You can go back to sleep."
The only response was a doubtful narrowing of the Crobat's eyes.
Koa did his best to ignore his starter's worried look and push the images of the dream from his mind. In some ways, he was beginning to regret coming out to Iron Island, even if it meant seeing Kitto. With a soft sigh, he rolled over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. Despite his reluctance, he soon drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.
Once again, thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I couldn't do this as easily without you.
First, important changelog notes:
-Koa's goal remains to climb Mt. Coronet and reach Spear Pillar. However, further clarification has been added that while travelers used to be able to reach the peak, it has since become 'cursed' or forbidden. See the beginning of ch 3 for more detail. Koa hopes to be the first since Galactic to reach it and perhaps even sway the legendary guardians to trust humanity...
This is a minor tweak but significant. All chapters discussing the goal of Mt Coronet have been changed to reflect this, CH 3 beginning getting the biggest. (Hopefully I caught all the switches, heh)
-Added 2 small scenes to CH 1. First about the library and koa, second of trainers discussing goals. I miiight almost recommend rereading but its not that serious unless you're super curious!
-Adjusted the lore said in Callahan's speech in Hearthome slightly (CH 8). Not necessary to reread unless you feel like it.
-Lots of really minor grammatical/formatting tweaks on the entire story!
-I uh... forgot to account for old ANs when reuploading adjusted chapters and have thus lost all the commentary and review responses. So sorry everyone!
Further status updates: So quite a few big irl things happened. Big moves, big sickness, big everything, and generally lots of stuff changed for me which slowed down my writing. Turns out hospitals don't always boost creativity. Nor do tons of life changes.
Also I hit yet another snag with some future plot points and establishing said ideas, so working out the kinks along with everything else was a heck and a half. I have some plot ideas I've been sitting on since almost when I started this fic but also wavered heavily on what direction to take so that complicated things a lot, especially when it came to building up to these ideas as well as I had hoped...
But I've made my choice, and I'm sticking by it! I hope you all enjoy what's to come...
Nonetheless, I have made significant progress these past several months with regards to writing and planning! Lots of big things are happening.
Which brings me to my 'surprise'. This is only the first of four(!) chapters that will be posted throughout this month, to wrap up this arc! I worked extra hard to get all these chapters done in a few months for you all. There will also be a bonus special episode from an unusual POV. I'm quite excited to share these with you, and I hope you enjoy!
As always, I welcome all your well-mannered and kind comments! I may not always be able to reply, but I promise I read them and treasure each and every one!
After this month I'm not sure when the next update will come, but hopefully not two years out this time, lol. Providing life doesn't get chaotic I can get back to updating every couple months. We'll see.
Well, that concludes my AN! Thank you for reading and enjoying.