Track 10 - Tuesday
It had been roughly a week since Leinani's battle with the triplets. She did not spend any more time in Striaton City. Instead, she opted to camp on Route 3. On her small journey, she encountered a large kindergarten where children up to age six all played with Pokémon. It reminded her of her younger brother, although he was only one year away from going on his own adventure. She took time to play with the kids and show off her Pokémon, but once their parents came to get them, she was back on the road.
Route 3 was wide and long, especially in comparison to Routes 1 and 2. However, to Leinani's displeasure, it offered roughly the same variety of wild Pokémon as the previous two. Anytime that she saw a Patrat, she became filled with rage.
Halfway through her journey on Route 3, she came to a fork in the road. One road offered her a cave to explore, and the other road would lead her to Nacrene City. She chose to skip over the cave exploration and go straight to her next gym badge.
And she couldn't have been happier with her choice.
Nacrene City was a place for artists and musicians. Warehouses that had been built a century ago were recycled into art or music studios. Retired trainers lived in sharehouses where they could collaborate on projects.
Some of the remaining warehouses were remodeled to be independent boutiques or restaurants with a sense of flair that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.
One of the old and abandoned railroad systems had left train carts stranded in the southern area of the city. Children who were not of age to be Pokémon trainers played around these carts.
Most of the people of Nacrene City lived in brownstone apartments, which allowed thousands to pack into such a narrow space of land.
In the middle of the city was the main attraction, the Nacrene Museum. Leinani had read about it before she came to Unova. It was one of the most famous museums in the world, and it brought in many tourists.
But more importantly for Leinani, it was the home to her next gym badge.
It was a large building made of concrete and marble. It stood out by not only its size but its architecture as well. While most other buildings in the city were recycled from wartime a century prior, the museum was built when the Pokémon League was first established. It was a pristine building that didn't try to hide the ugly past of Unova while still showing the beauty of the land.
Leinani enjoyed walking around the museum and looking at the different exhibitions. They varied from clothes that the ancient people of Unova used to wear to bones of the Pokémon that roamed the land millions of years prior.
Leinani approached the exhibition of two particular complete fossils. One was of a Pokémon with a thick black shell while the other was of an avian Pokémon that could barely stay in flight. Leinani smiled at the thought of her own ancient Pokémon, which was traded to her by a rival from Kalos. She could not find the fossils for her particular Pokémon, but she didn't mind.
"Enjoying the bones?" a voice asked from the side. Leinani turned to find a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat. He had pale skin, almond-shaped eyes, and short greying hair. He smiled at Leinani. "My name is Hawes. I'm the assistant director of the museum! I also give tours, and I saw that you were particularly interested in our fossils."
Leinani laughed to herself. "Was I standing here for that long? I just have myself a fossil Pokémon, so I guess these bones have endeared themselves to me. You're the assistant director? That means that you know the gym leader, right?"
Hawes laughed. "Know her? She's my wife! I can introduce you. Are you a trainer?"
Leinani lightly patted Rowlet on the head. "You bet ya. I'm a semi-finalist from last year's Manalo Conference, and I've come looking for a battle!"
"Semi-finalist! Nice! I'll take you to my wife. Follow me," Hawes exclaimed.
They continued to walk around the museum. Hawes led Leinani to an area of modern Unovan history. He told her the story of Nacrene City and how the city was practically reworked and recycled from what it was so long ago.
But, what interested Leinani the most was a singular white stone that sat on a red cushion. It was protected by glass. Leinani peered at the stone, which looked hundreds of years old.
Standing in front of and observing the glass was a woman. She had dark skin and poofy hair that she had sprayed to keep up. She wore a peach button-up shirt and bellbottom dark green slacks held up by a thick white belt.
Leinani was unsure if she was more interested in the white stone or the woman.
"Miss, this is my wife, Lenora! She's also the director of the museum and gym leader," Hawes said while he motioned to the woman.
Lenora eyed Leinani and grinned. "I take it that you're a trainer, miss-"
"Leinani," Leinani answered. "Leinani Koa. This is my partner, DJ."
Rowlet trilled.
"Pleasure to meet you. DJ as well. I take it you're from Alola?" Lenora wondered. "Your flower-print shirt looks too authentic to not be."
"She is!" Hawes answered. "And apparently, she's a very strong trainer."
"I'm okay," Leinani muttered shyly.
"It's not every day that we get a visitor from Alola," Lenora exclaimed. She thought about the statement and grinned. "Well, it probably is every day. We get a lot of visitors."
Leinani avoided Lenora's gaze, and she looked at the white stone in the glass.
"The Light Stone?" Leinani mumbled as she read the sign. "A replica? What? It's just a rock?"
"This one is just a rock," Lenora retorted. "But the real one was much more than just a rock."
Leinani observed the woman. Lenora reminded her of her mother. She knew only by looking at her that the woman was a strong trainer. "Well, where's the real one?"
"Over three years ago, almost four now, the real stone was given to a trainer from Nuvema Town. The Light Stone has a counterpart, the Dark Stone. That stone was used by Team Plasma to summon the legendary Pokémon, Zekrom. I'm sure that you've heard of the Nuvema Four, correct?" Lenora asked.
Leinani shook her head and shrugged. "I'm from Alola. We've had our fair share of incidents with legendary Pokémon and Ultra Beasts. It's kind of hard to keep up with what's happening in other parts of the world."
Lenora and Hawes shared a glance, and they laughed.
"Can you tell me about this Nuvema Four?" Leinani asked. "What happened?"
Lenora smiled and approached the white stone. "Four years ago, a group of terrorists posing as Pokémon activists called Team Plasma made themselves known in Unova. Led by a maniacal man named Ghetsis and a misguided king named N, they used the Dark Stone to summon Zekrom. In legends, it is said that Zekrom is a Pokémon that fights for ideals, while its counterpart, Reshiram, fights for truth."
Leinani shrugged. "What's wrong with both? Ideals should come from the truth, right?"
Lenora nodded. "You're smart. Life is not always black or white. Anyways, Team Plasma began a domestic strike. They claimed that they wanted to free all of the Pokémon in Unova. N used Zekrom's power to attack and terrorize different cities and locations in Unova. But, when they made it to the White Forest, they came face to face with the Nuvema Four."
"I take it that the Nuvema Four stopped them, right?"
Lenora looked at the replica Light Stone and shivered. "Yes, but not without a price. I gave the original Light Stone to a young female trainer. She had a great amount of courage, and she would do anything to fight back against N and Zekrom. Using the Light Stone, she brought Reshiram to the fight. But, it was too late for some areas of the region. The White Forest had been completely destroyed by Zekrom's lightning strikes."
"Sounds familiar. When the Ultra Beasts attacked, so many people lost their homes," Leinani said quietly.
"N and Zekrom were ultimately defeated by the Nuvema Four and Reshiram. The four continued their journeys, and all of them have grown into very powerful trainers. I wasn't there to witness it myself, but it sounds like N realized the error of his ways after seeing the bond that the Nuvema Four shared with their Pokémon. He and Zekrom flew off to another region, and they disappeared for two years," Lenora explained.
"Two years?" Leinani wondered.
Lenora put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, Unova had peace for about two years. In that time, the White Forest developed into Black City. However, no matter how hard trainers from all over the region and the police fought, Team Plasma did not fall. Instead, they went underground, and they planned an even more sinister attack."
"Were the Nuvema Four around to stop them again?"
"Not this time. The details behind the second attack and how it was stopped are not all publicly known. Team Plasma's leader, Ghetsis, used another legendary Pokémon, Kyurem, to launch an attack on Unova. They used the Pokémon's powers to freeze a multitude of cities and neighborhoods in the north. Ghetsis claimed that this was for the freedom of Pokémon, but we later on came to know that he wanted to be the sole trainer in Unova," Lenora explained. "He was a terrible man."
"Sounds like an absolute sociopath," Leinani commented.
"What we do know is that a group of trainers from Aspertia City were the ones who stopped Ghetsis and Kyurem. Their names were never made public. Rumor has it that N returned to battle against Ghetsis. But, once he came back, Ghetsis used a device that fused N's Zekrom with Kyurem. After all, there is a legend that theorizes Zekrom and Reshiram were once one with Kyurem," Lenora said.
"And what came of Ghetsis, N, and all of Team Plasma?" Leinani asked.
"Ghetsis is now in prison, and N is a fugitive. Rumor has it that he escaped to another region once again. Most members of the reborn Team Plasma were put on trial and placed in prison, but there is always fear that they may return. Many members of the original Team Plasma have made their own group. They are the ones that believe in Pokémon activism without violence, but the stigma behind the name remains," Lenora said.
The two were quiet. Leinani reflected on her own experiences back in Alola. It only made her miss her brother even more.
"You're here for a challenge, Leinani?" Lenora asked.
Leinani nodded. "Yeah. But, it doesn't have to be right away. I want to take some time to train my Pokémon. My last battle wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be."
Lenora crossed her arms. "You look like a strong trainer. You remind me of our daughter, if I may be forward. I wish that she'd call more often."
Leinani adjusted her black hat. "Actually, I've been thinking about calling my family. It's been a while. My dad is from Unova, and my mom was born in Alola. My little brother and I are mixed babies. Meeting you two has reminded me of my parents."
Lenora smiled. "You call your family, and when you're ready, I'd love a battle, Leinani."
Leinani balled her fist. "Thank you."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, this chapter, and chapter 15 in Shining in Sinnoh have all been building on the history of the universe that I'm working with. It's been a bit exposition heavy (to a degree). Maybe the timing is bad? Or perfect? I don't intend on including Team Plasma in this story, nor a Neo Plasma or anything like that. I'm creating this story with… other things in mind. This chapter was to kind of world-build and give Leinani a better understanding of Unova.
That said, writing this out really made me want to write a Black and White 2 story. Maybe someday.
Next chapter, Braedon takes on Roxie! Can he get his second badge?
Next Leinani chapter, she'll battle with Lenora! Can she get her second badge?