Hello Everyone and welcome to Chapter 10 of Pokemon ReDux! We've finally hit double digits. I apologize for the weeklong delay, as I had to prioritize some other things over uploading the chapter on time, but I promise you that it's gonna be worth it!
After his visit with Saabrina, and receiving a physical and mental health check from one of the doctors, Retsuko went back to his apartment with Kuu and Kaz.
He unlocked the door and opened it to see Kyu sitting back to rest after a sip of beer from a can.
There were bottles of alcohol sprawled across the floor, and Via and Carmen both stood over him, laughing hysterically.
"I'm never doing that again." Kyu said weakly.
"What happened while I left!?" Retsuko questioned.
"We got shitfaced drunk." Carmen replied sarcastically through hiccups.
Retsuko came in and started to pick up the bottles off the floor.
"Waiiiiit. Lemme help you." Via said, slurring her words as she bent down and picked up a few cans.
"How much did you guys drink?" Retsuko questioned.
"Kyu had a bunch of that root beer with alcohol in it so it took a lot of cans but he eventually got mad drunk and puked!" Via explained.
She threw her hands up and plopped onto the floor.
Carmen walked over to Kyu and leaned on the chair, wrapping her arms around his chest area.
Kyu looked up at her and her green eyes met his silver eyes, causing Kyu's face to turn crimson red.
"C-C-C-C-C-C-Carmen!?" Kyu stuttered, his face flushed.
"Hey now... You're a lot cuter when you're flustered..." she said seductively.
She was still drunk and toying with Kyu, who had slightly sobered up after having puked out from Retsuko's balcony.
"Enough!" Retsuko exclaimed.
He appeared behind Carmen and swiftly chopped her in the head. Then she yanked Kyu's motionless body out of his chair and held her arm around him, defending him from Carmen.
"Owie..." Carmen said, grabbing her head in pain.
"No more fan service." Via said coldly.
"Hey, give him back!" Carmen protested, waving her fists around.
Retsuko reached for Via's cup of what seemed to be alcoholic cranberry tea, preparing to partake in her favorite drink but she noticed him and snapped her head around.
"You're not old enough to drink mister!" Via barked.
This caused the nervous Retsuko to instantly silence himself, dangling Kyu's red body around as she yelled and Carmen followed after.
Via prepared to shout something else but she flopped onto the couch and fell asleep, having been worn out.
Retsuko dropped Carmen and Kyu.
"Isn't it too early for all that?" He asked.
Carmen looked at him and flared her nose.
"It's 10 pm. You were gone for hours." She said.
Retsuko checked his phone and his chest sank after reading the digital clock that read 10:18.
One day that could have been used for training was wasted.
"It's still early. We were gonna go and have fun!" Carmen whined.
"Go do that with Gill and Kion. Things are really tense right now." Retsuko said, putting Kyu down onto the couch as he slowly woke up.
He went for the door again.
"Where are you going?" Carmen asked him.
"Training. I'll be back by 1 AM at the latest. Spend the night if you like, but no more drinking." Retsuko scolded.
He left the house after retrieving his other Pokemon and made his way to the field.
Carmen looked at him through the window
"Retsuko has always been something." She sighed.
"You can say that again!" Via said slurred, regaining her consciousness.
"There's something off about him. His smile... He's such a kind person, with a warm smile, but it's looked so sad recently." Via continued, sobering up.
"Huh. I've never thought of it that way." Carmen said.
"Depressing, but mesmerizing." Via replied.
Carmen got up from the window and began to clean up the remaining mess.
"Retsuko changed. He tends to be relatively quiet and he's always been someone who is not good with words and can be quite direct." She explained.
"And he's super awkward." Via added, starting to help Carmen.
"Stop fangirling over my best friend like that!" Kyu scolded, jumping to his feet.
He clutched his stomach as the Nausea returned to him, and he ran out to the balcony to puke again.
"At least He's getting it out of his system." Carmen said, smiling.
"Kyu used to be so uptight and thoughtful. He never acted silly like this!" Via giggled.
"Yeah, but it's cute. He's probably still on the alcohol." Carmen said.
Via looked at her, raising a brow.
"You seriously need to stop teasing him like that." She scolded.
"I prefer playing the long game. Besides, Kyu teases everyone around him. I'm only returning the favor!" Carmen replied with a playful wink.
She put everything in her hands in the trash and Via finished cleaning up the room.
"I'm getting some coffee." She replied in ignorance.
"Kaz, Now!" Retsuko ordered.
Kuu launched a long distance swarm of leaves at her, and Kaz was tasked with dividing It with the blade.
She swung right as the leaves would have hit her, separating the attack in two, before the blade of water bursted again.
Kaz had swung the blade at a speed so fast that the water lagged behind it.
Retsuko got back into position.
"She still can't use the move. Heck, we don't know what the move even is. I should check her Pokedex info." Retsuko said to himself.
He sat down on the grass next to Kuu, and Ace ran up to him.
Retsuko placed a finger on Ace's cheek as he cared up his hoodie to comfort him.
He could overhear laughter coming from his apartment, where his friends were probably eating and playing games together.
"How come I'm the youngest out of everyone and yet all of my friends are so immature. They're busy getting drunk and playing around and I have to manage giving a speech and battling for the losses of a terrorist attack! It's like nobody but me has aged at all mentally since the league." He thought.
He looked into the palm of his hand, which had been in a constantly shaky motion for days.
"Do I even deserve to be Unova's Champion? There had to have been a way for me to prevent the attack on the plaza. The backlash before was bad enough, but... All those people and Pokemon who died." He mumbled.
Retsuko thought back to the fateful day when he had won the Pokemon League by default. Kion sacrificed Khan to save everyone in the stadium from what Kyu had become.
Kion was the rightful Champion of Unova.
The day team plasma attacked the Pokemon League and Kyu got... corrupted. It was the day Retsuko learned for the first time that everyone around him had demons.
Kaz had started to practice the water attack on her own, extremely determined to learn the move.
Kaz's water blade attack spurted into a small sprinkle and then a stream, shooting back and exploding into another burst, sending Kaz flying back into Retsuko's body.
He caught her and fell down onto the field.
"That's it. We need backup."
2027 - Unova, Star City District 5
Kion stood atop a roof outside of a night club in the fifth district.
He and Khan scouted the area, taking a recording with his phone to get an idea of their business hours and patterns.
"So the Unovan Government has been receiving and imbezzlibg into this chain of clubs..." Kion mumbled.
He took out a digital pen and took a note on his phone before it buzzed in his hand.
The bouncers around the club looked up at the rooftop, hearing the noise but Khan pushed Kion to duck down to avoid their sight.
"What is it, Retsuko?" He asked, frantically answering the call.
"We need your help."
The next morning, Retsuko, Kion, Kyu, and Via stood in the empty training field.
Carmen had spent the night at Retsuko's apartment and he'd pulled an all-nighter in the field, but Retsuko shooed her away from the apartment out of fear of her learning their strategy for the tournament, much to her disdain.
"So this is why you called me here." Kion deduced with a hand on his chin, looking at Kaz.
"I need your help teaching Kaz a new move. I figured you'd be a specialist at water types with sword-like moves since your partner is a Samurott." Retsuko explained.
Kion tilted his head and smiled smugly like he always did. "Remember what I told you when you became Unova's Champion?"
Retsuko's eyes widened as he thought back to that moment.
2025 - Unova, Vertress City Gym
Retsuko and Kion were training together in the Vertress Gym After Retsuko had won the League.
Khan threw one of his seamitars at an extremely fast speed, knocking Kuu out of the air and grazing Retsuko's cheek, slamming into the wall behind them.
Retsuko turned around slowly, shocked by how close the blade was to injuring him.
Kion looked at Retsuko coldly.
His green eyes were tinted, and his brows were lowered in a deathly serious expression.
"Retsuko. You aren't trying at all anymore." He growled.
Retsuko folded his arms behind his head and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, Right! I won the Unova League! I'm the strongest trainer in the world!" He boasted.
"Do you seriously think that? Are you just gonna stop training now that you've become a champion?"
Khan grabbed the Seamitar and tugged it out of the wall that it was lodged in.
"Ceaseless Edge!" Kion shouted, as black, red and blue water swirled around Khan, transforming it into it's Hisuian form.
He rushed towards Kuu at an extremely fast speed, destroying everything around them in the gym.
"Kuu! Protect!" Retsuko Shouted in defense, as Kyu activated his own Hisiuan Form.
The two clashed for several seconds before Kuu was overpowered and sent flying into the wall.
Retsuko fell down, weakened by the hit due to his connection with Kuu.
Khan held his blade to Kuu's neck as he stood over him, Kion doing a similar motion as he walked over to Retsuko.
"You're the son of Nagato Kourada. The previous Pokemon world Champion and the strongest trainer to ever grace this world. When we first met, you told me that your goal is to surpass him, and here you are getting cocky about winning a single damn Pokemon League." Kion scoffed.
Retsuko remained silent under his presence.
"You're waiting for shit to happen. I'm still on my grind to be the best and it's showing. You don't deserve to be Champion. I don't want to see Kuu in the Hisuian Form, the form of MY PEOPLE, until you grow the hell up and become a proper champion."
"I am a proper champion. I won the League and proved myself to everyone!" Retsuko retorted.
"No, you won by a fluke. You're defending your bad habits instead of changing them. You should be using this critisism to better yourself, and realize that you won because of pure luck but instead you're using it as ammunition to fire off at other people. What do you think pushed Carmen away?"
Retsuko opened his mouth to make a comeback but shut it after hearing Kion's remark about Carmen.
"If you want to become a trainer stronger than Nagato then you need to see what flaws others on the outside can see that you can't see yourself, and grow. You're digging a deeper hole for yourself. Forget the Media. Realize what can be improved and do it. It's a part of maturation." Kion finished.
He got up, and Khan did the same, walking off with Khan out of the Gym and leaving Retsuko to himself.
Retsuko nodded slowly.
"When we went to Kalos to learn more about my ancestors and the Hisuian Pokemon, I said that I normally don't help out my opponents."
Retsuko clenched his teeth.
"Am I ready?" Retsuko questioned but was once again interrupted.
"But we aren't opponents anymore."
Kyu glared at Kion, who turned his attention to Kaz, who was standing behind Retsuko's leg.
"The energy she radiates when she's next to Retsuko... It's almost overwhelming." Kion thought.
"This time, you don't owe me anything. That Buizel of yours; Kaz, was it? She's special. I can sense it."
"So you'll help us teach her the move?" Retsuko asked.
"Liquidation."
Retsuko gave him a confused look.
"The move Kaz used is likely called liquidation. It's the only move that a Floatzel can learn naturally that can manifest as a blade of water. Kaz is probably struggling with it because she hasn't evolved yet." Kion explained.
He smirked again and reached for his belt, picking up a dive ball and forcefully threw it forward.
It exploded open and revealed Khan, who let out a battle cry right as he was released.
Via opened the pokedex app on her phone and scanned the large pokemon.
"Samurott, the Formidable Pokémon and the final evolved form of Oshawott. Protected by armor, Samurott can defeat opponents with one sword swipe. Its glare can silence them as well." The device chimed.
"Khan." Retsuko breathed.
"Khan is still so beautiful..." Via said shakily.
"I don't understand, what's the strategy here? Khan has a massive great sword that he can use but Retsuko's Buizel has to generate an entire blade from scratch. " Kyu asked, dryly.
"How about you don't question our methods before seeing what they even are." Kion mocked Kyu.
"It's illogical." Kyu continued.
Kion smirked. "Fine then. How about you and Via be our practice opponents?" Kion suggested confidently.
Via raised her hand and began to wave them back and forth in rejection of the offer.
"It may have been two years since we last hung out like this but I still don't like participating in battles. That aspect of me hasn't changed." She said.
Kyu smiled. "I'll help on my own then. Knowledge is power." He boasted.
"You seem to be lacking both." Kion replied.
Kion turned to Via, who refused to look at him still.
Kyu walked to the other end of the field and released an Alakazam from his PokeBall, who landed on the field with his arms crossed.
"Carmen is a psychic type specialist, so we should get Kaz used to fighting those." Kyu said.
"The same type of Pokemon we found at the Plaza attack." Via noted.
Khan drew and held up one of its seamitars and then pointed it in Kaz's direction.
"Um…" Retsuko trailed off.
"Alright, when Kaz used liquidation for the first time how exactly did it manifest?" Kion asked.
"It always starts as a burst of water, in the shape of a quick blade but it flows upwards and explodes into bursts. The blade never has a hilt though, or a grip." Retsuko replied.
"What have you been teaching her?" Kion asked again.
"Kourada Family Style Iaido." Retsuko answered.
"Then that makes our lives a whole lot easier then," Kion said. "Khan, use Razor Shell," Kion called out to his samurott.
Almost instinctively, Khan raised its seamitar to the air, and it began to glow, a torrent of water covering it. It thrust the blade forwards and the energy dispersed after it finished a round of consecutive slashes.
"Alright now have Kaz do the same thing," Kion said.
Retsuko and Kaz looked at each other and back. "Wait, do you expect us to just randomly be able to do that?"
"Kaz has demonstrated the ability to generate and form water. She just can't hold it and use it like you said." Kion answered.
"Kaz has only battled once in her life and that wasn't a normal battle." Retsuko reminded Kion.
"What level is she?"
"Only 8."
"8?! Retsuko, what the fuck are you doing?" Kion questioned.
"What?" Retsuko asked.
"Kaz is going up against a duo of level 45 Meowstic and a level 75 Dedenne. A Dedenne that had a pretty big part in defeating the legendary Pokemon Kyurem!" Kion ranted.
"Oh." Retsuko replied.
"Now do the attack, but just the swinging motion." Kion demanded.
"We're gonna be here awhile aren't we," Retsuko said in an annoyed tone.
Kaz swung her blade forward, and the same burst of water exploded on her as before.
Kion pondered, putting his fingers on his chin.
"I've got an idea. Kyu, time to put in some work!"
Jackson has an Idea on how to help Kaz with the exhibition battle? What will it be? Everything will be answered at the start of the Star City Festival next chapter! Sorry for the delay and the short and awkward chapter this week, but it's going to pay off the next chapter with some extra development from Kyu!