Chapter 41: Eon Rematch
Summary:
Following a long time-skip and extensive training, the team returns to the dungeon they failed at previously, and even gain some new companions. With some personal time for Solais, later on.
Notes:
Bigger chapter than normal, this time. The main point of this is to show a glimpse of what the team is capable of. When they focus specifically on training, especially when the training is done with the help of three of the world's strongest Pokemon. While they might seem overpowered for now, don't expect it to last.
Since this, the Raid, and the tournament, are meant to show the payoff to their training over the course of the time-skip. Along with some other smaller changes that were pretty much bound to happen. I'd say the date is about…middle of December, now. Unless someone has really been keeping track. I should've been, myself, in hindsight. I'll have to go back and figure it out, that's for sure.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
[Three days before the tournament]
[Zeryph, begin recap]
Time flew past in the blink of our eyes. Day after day of intense training, enhanced by having the Creation Trio help us. Had anyone seen the way we were training, they would've called us insane. No doubt about that. I first introduced the brothers to how our training works, showing them how we set it up and everything. While Dialga and Palkia seemed unsure of live combat training, Giratina didn't feel the same way.
And although he did hold back, his form of combat training was crazy. He wore us down until we were exhausted, every single day. Only for us to rest, and then have to do it again the next day. Dialga and Palkia had to talk him into at least holding off on weekends. And this was only the combat training. When we face him for real, he's gonna take one of the top spots on the list for our hardest opponents. If not THE top spot.
And it's likely that he'll keep it, too. That is, if we don't receive a challenge from Arceus. Especially since they don't have game limits to hold them back. But then again, neither do we. And we're already taking full advantage of that. In fact, thanks to the brothers and their training, I had even gained some levels, myself.
Quite a few, in fact, thanks to the brothers not allowing me to sit out and watch. I guess it's because I mentioned that when I get stronger, my team gets stronger, too. It was also the first I'd properly checked my stats, in a while. Only to discover my Strength and Agility were way higher than they should be.
[Zeryph]
[No Set Class]
[Title- Chosen of Arceus]
[Level 20 (0/12,500 to next)]
[HP- 850/850]
[Mana- 1200/1200]
[STR- 75]
[END- 50]
[AGI- 65]
[INT- 50]
[LCK- 50]
[CHA- 50]
[PER- 50]
[WIL- 50]
And the reason they're so much higher- the weights. My whole team is carrying several tons at a time by now. I'm assuming that it's thanks only to the system that we can get away with it, without gaining any bulk. That said, the moment the weights come off, we're fast enough it looks like we're teleporting. If we don't hold back, anyway.
But it also means we can hit way harder, too. As well as jumping higher. And in Evan's case, evasive flying is much easier. Because of how strong we are, we'll have to come up with a way to handicap ourselves for some things in the future. Might be interesting to see what challenges we can come up with.
Melanie's training with Liz has been going well, too. Very well, in fact, to the point that she's even been sent to some of the other centers in Kanto on occasion, during the time we were training. Liz's relatives were surprised to have her there to help. But the explanation that she was basically training as a nurse, quickly won them over.
The Nurse Joy from Viridian even said that she'd like to have Melanie work as an assistant, when she's not busy with our team. I can understand why, after I found her asleep at her desk that one morning. I'm surprised she's the one that happened with, and not the Joy in Vermilion, considering the Lieutenant's reputation. Melanie's gravity control has also improved by a large margin, thanks to Palkia. To the point she's no longer drained, and her force cloak is almost impossible to break. On the rare occasion it does, she isn't affected by the backlash nearly as bad as she used to be. Now, it only stuns her briefly.
As for Mewtwo, his shadow training with Giratina has progressed by quite a bit. He's now able to enter the form at will for a brief time. It's only about thirty seconds for now, but while he does have it active, he gets a crazy boost in power. Interestingly, he can't use it if he's already in his mega form. Currently, he's unable to stack them. When I asked why, he said it had something to do with how he focused his power.
On that note, the brothers, and even Suicune, recognize him as a proper Legendary now. Even holding a small ceremony about a week ago to do so formally. I made an update to his Dex entry to reflect that. Samuel's surprised reaction during the call when I reported that info was to be expected. Even better was when he saw all the brothers gathered in one spot. The silent awe as he stared for nearly a full minute is something we all occasionally laugh about, now.
Kalina has fully mastered her type-switching. To the point she can change type subconsciously, just based on what move her target is going to use. Lexie was a big help with that, given her own ability to change types at will with Libero. That said, Lexie doesn't have to counter other types anymore, and can focus on fighting against Grass, Bug, or Steel opponents. And leave the adapting to Kalina.
Palkia even commented on how Kalina herself has a very high amount of potential. In the same sense as Mewtwo does. I'm pretty sure the Silvally species is supposed to be classed as Legendary, itself. I dunno, but if what the brothers did for Mewtwo is any proof, they're likely going to wait for Kalina to prove herself. All she's done so far is train, but we'll be seeing what she can do pretty soon.
Evan's training has been on and off a bit more, and he's now much faster as a flyer. He and Kaorah are both capable of supersonic flight by now. And, he'd figured out where Ash was training, and helped his Pidgeotto to evolve early, herself. The pair had started seeing each other, on weekends. On the agreement that they can't tell either team, mine or the kiddo's, what our training schedules are like.
Speaking of the kid, his Charizard has become a fair bit more agreeable, too. In calls where I check in, he lets his Charizard appear on screen. Charizard's eyes held a strong sign of competitive spirit, and I could tell that he was getting increasingly hyped for the tournament with every week that passed. Especially after he'd first seen Kaorah on one of our calls. Immediately acknowledging her as a powerful opponent who he couldn't wait to face for himself. I think he could tell we were mated, too, but he didn't say anything about it.
Besides, I'm pretty sure he's supposed to find a female of his species when Ash leaves him for training. What's her name? Charla? Yeah…that's her. Obviously, he hasn't met her yet, but I'm pretty sure they do end up together.
Anyway, back to my team, with Solais. Her block and counter strategy has gotten even better. And now she's figured out how to time Payback so it goes off right as she gets hit. Sort of like Dante's Release. In fact, Mewtwo even suggested that it was like Solais really was trying to replicate the Royal Guard style of combat. She'd learned how to time Detect to be almost perfect. Her main issue currently is dealing with more than one opponent at a time. Her mega form takes care of that issue, especially with Magic Bounce.
Lexie's speed has greatly increased, and practice with her mega form has been going great. We had discovered, that the longer she stays as a mega, the hotter her flames get. But it comes at the cost of getting more draining on her if they reach stage two or stage three. White-hot or blue-hot, respectively. But at these stages, her attacks get a major boost. At blue-hot, she can burn someone just by standing too close for too long. There's spots on the ground from her training at full power, scorched spots caused by her burning what she touched.
Cerise has become quite dangerous, thanks to Giratina's training. She's learned how to phase into the shadows and completely disappear. And when she's unseen, she's at her most dangerous. Her ranged attacks, especially with Spirit Shackle, make her a threat to anyone, even those who are somehow faster than she is. And thanks to Giratina, her arrows can't be broken, without extreme effort. As she's learned how to channel her power into each one. She's even learned how to bypass the Normal-type immunity to Ghost attacks, by infusing her arrows with a little bit of Grass energy. Allowing her to root even Normal-types in place.
We're working on how to get her arrows to where they can cancel abilities and transformations, like a Nightstalker's Tether. It's still in the very early phase, but it'll come in handy once we refine it.
And lastly, Kaorah. She's received the toughest training out of everyone, all focused on her. She's been raised up as though she's supposed to be the team's ace. And she definitely shows it, although, our true ace is Mewtwo right now. His idea was to make it seem like she was, so that when he gets sent out after her, people don't expect him to be as strong as he really is.
Just a few days ago, I had the team hold a training battle just to see where everyone was. The battle was easily one of the most destructive I've seen. The faked version of Viridian City was nothing more than craters and rubble by the time everyone finished. Proving what I said earlier about us being very OP now. Well, that's until the System throws us a curve ball with a difficulty spike.
But at the very least, far as Kanto goes, we're the strongest ones in this region now. By far. However, from what Evan was allowed to hint at, Ash has found his own way to keep up with us, which is good.
I'd hate to get all the way to the tournament, then just sweep his team like we will with everyone else. Interestingly enough…our training has caused the route to Mt Silver to be even more closed off than normal. With the guards saying there's something dangerous going on up here.
When I first told them it was my team's doing, they couldn't believe it. Until I'd proved it to them by having everyone walk down to the gate. Still, as our days of training are closing out, we've got a few more things to do before the tournament. I've already made sure to sign up for the tournament, too, so I don't have to worry about missing registration.
Anyway, unless there's anything else I missed, that about wraps up recap. So now, it's onto what we're doing today, the dungeon. The same one we'd tried before we began.
[End Recap]
I woke up with Melanie snuggled against my side. We had implemented the weekly rotation schedule during our training period, but I didn't feel like I should mention it in a training recap. Still, it's Melanie's last day for her week, which means tonight, it'll be Solais.
"Morning, Zee." She said in English. That's another thing. She and the others have gotten more comfortable with speaking English now. That said, when we weren't training, they, her and Mewtwo, were teaching the others how to speak English, themselves. Lexie and Kalina even helping on their own. Solais was the one who took the longest to teach, since Psychic stuff didn't work on her.
"Hey, angel." We shared a kiss, and I smiled. "Ready to give that dungeon another try, today?" I asked her.
"Sure. The Eon twins are in for a shock, aren't they?" Melanie sat up and began to stretch, before pulling herself out of bed in order to stretch her legs. "How many of us do you think it'll take, now?"
"I'd prefer you all work together, unless you'd like to lose again." Melanie giggled at what I said. "Still, I wonder what would happen if we had more than the time we had for this. Maybe we could use the time Ash's group is at the Orange Islands to train even harder."
"Are you trying to break the planet?" Melanie and I shared a short laugh when we heard what Suicune asked us. "I don't think Lord Arceus would appreciate that." She rolled off her bed before stretching once her paws were on the floor. Another change was that she'd officially joined the team, herself.
[Flashback, two days earlier.]
"Zeryph, could you step aside for a moment?" I heard Suicune say, just after we'd finished supper.
"Sure, what is it?" She grabbed one of my arms with one of her ribbon tails, and began to lead me outside. Once we were, she stopped.
"I felt the need to make this discussion a little more private, though you're free to tell the team afterwards." Suicune sat down, and smiled. "Look…I was originally going to wait until you could challenge my brothers and beat them, before letting you get me. But it seems like…I've changed my mind. I want to join your team, officially."
"Huh? Are you sure about that? Wouldn't it be more satisfying to earn it through battle?" I asked, as I sat down across from her.
"While, yes, it would…I feel now that it's not necessary. I've seen from the way you and your team dedicated yourselves to training, and that training battle a couple days ago proved what it can do. I can confidently say that, were you to face my brothers and I now, you would win. It would be close, but you definitely would." I nodded, and Suicune paused to let me process what she'd said.
"So, you're ready to just join us, then?" I asked her, and she answered with a nod. "Alrighty then. I'm gonna guess you know how these work." I pulled one of my few Ultra Balls from my inventory and held it out. "You don't have to stay with us constantly, as I understand that you do have to help out with stuff in Johto on occasion."
"Oh, no, it's fine. I think I'd rather stay with your team. I think Ho-oh would be happy, himself, if he learned of it. And, he'd also be very understanding." Suicune reached out with her right front paw, pressing it against the ball. It popped open and drew her in. After the usual three shakes and a click, I let her back out. Prompting her to stretch.
"Good…now that we're finished with that, let's go get some sleep." She said as she began to walk back inside. I stashed her ball away in my inventory, safely with the others. Then I began to follow her back in, smiling softly as I did.
[End Flashback]
Lexie met us in the hallway as we stepped out of the room, and I found her arms around me in an instant, the two of us sharing a kiss.
"Morning, big boy." Her accented voice will never get old. Regardless of which language she speaks in. "Did ya sleep well?"
"We did. I'm still getting used to y'all speaking English instead of whatever the Pokemon language is called." Lexie giggled softly.
"Well, it was my idea. And you're the one who went along with it. Course, we're not gonna speak English when we're out and about, where others can hear us." She smiled. "C'mon, we've got a morning workout to do." Like with the other mornings, Liz met us outside. Our training had boosted our endurance quite a bit, so now the morning workout was really just to wake us up. I suppose it's fair to call it a morning warm-up now.
Liz had also gotten to see what Mewtwo is capable of with a harnessed shadow form, and though she still didn't really like the idea, she had gotten used to it by now. Especially since it was a proper, focused fury now, rather than being uncontrolled. I had set the rule that he wasn't allowed to use it in training, outside of with Giratina. So, he couldn't use it during our training battle a few days ago.
Speaking of Mewtwo, I felt his arms wrap around me, and he planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I reached up to rub his right cheek with my right hand. As he pulled away, he began to join us in stretching. I could feel the power coming off him, now. It felt the way it should, if that makes any sense. But, he kept it under control. So much that you had to almost be touching him to feel it. But whenever he let it go, the psychic pressure was extremely intense.
Even to myself and his teammates. Including Solais, who was surprised that it had any effect on her. And whenever Mewtwo used his mega form, he had the potential to force weaker opponents to kneel if they couldn't fight through it.
Although Mewtwo's mega form would normally have Steadfast, the fact that nobody on the team can be flinched, means it's basically pointless. Especially since Mewtwo's not only ridiculously fast now, but also because of his teleportation strategy. Which we really refined over the course of our training. Now, thanks to some magic training, he has runes he uses as markers. If it's marked, he can teleport anywhere within its radius. And, he can teleport us as a group now, without getting exhausted. Regardless of the distance that it takes.
Following stretches, we began our usual run. Only now, we go all the way down to the gate and then back up, going for a full two hours. Now that the guards down there had seen us enough, they would smile and wave when they saw us. After the two hours were up, we cleaned up as always, then started on breakfast.
Lexie found herself having to make more, after we introduced the brothers and Arceus to what she could do. On top of how hard we've been working. Which is fine, as she'd gotten Mewtwo and Melanie to both start helping out when we did. Liz and her team had also started to help out.
Orange Islands should be easier, far as that goes, even after Brock leaves the group for Professor Ivy. I absolutely plan to save her, by the way. I'll make sure she doesn't get lost to…whatever it is that happened I can't exactly remember, something to do with Unown, I think. Which will ensure Brock doesn't have to deal with that memory.
After breakfast was over, I rounded up my team and began preparing to open the dungeon portal. When I heard someone call out to me.
"Wait, Zeryph. If you don't mind, I'd like to come along. I want to see what your team can do." Liz said, having just managed to catch up with us. She hadn't seen the training battle, but she had seen the shape everyone was in afterwards. When I told her it was a training battle, she couldn't believe it.
As we stepped through the portal, there were two flashes as the Eon Twins appeared.
"Hi Zeryph!" Latias grinned and waved, cheerfully. With Latios giving us a softer smile with a nod. "How have you guys been since we last saw you?"
"Great. We've trained harder than we ever have before." I smiled back. Latias has an infectiously positive personality, it would seem. I felt myself stumble when she abruptly flew up to hug me, one which I returned with a small laugh.
"Latias, settle down." Latios spoke up. "She's been excited over you and your team, for every day since we first met you. Ya know…she even got Bianca to look into the stuff you did here, so she could see it. You've got yourself a fan, clearly."
"Uh-huh. You're the most awesome trainer I've ever met, officially." Latias grinned as she pulled away. "And…whoa! You guys and gals…you all feel crazy strong now." Latios nodded, agreeing with what his sister said. "Hey, bro, maybe we can take it up a notch, this time."
"Sure. I think they can handle it." As Latios spoke, Latias returned to her position. "Are you ready, everyone?" When we gave our agreement, the twins' power flared. Both of them changing into larger versions of themselves. Their normal colors changing from red and blue, to purple. Their triangle symbols changing to match their normal colors. But their eyes remained the same.
Then, I gave Mewtwo the nod. The ground shook, cracking under his feet as he brought his full power to bear. Shifting form in an instant. Dust fell from the sides of the arena, which now had open sky, unlike the last time we were here. I suppose, to keep the thing from collapsing on us. This decreased the shadows for Cerise to hide in, but she'll manage.
Latios and Latias gained looks of respectful awe, when they felt Mewtwo's true power. As the others began to crunch some Empowerment Seeds, their own mega forms flared to life, though they were nothing like his, at this point. Kaorah was the only one to decline, stating that she actually felt stronger in her base form.
Liz even shot me a surprised look. She knew we were getting stronger, but not to this level. So, Mewtwo powering up had been quite the surprise. It helps that most of his full-power training was in the Distortion World, so nobody outside the team, and the brothers, had any idea of what he could really do.
[BGM Suggestion]
[Yasuharu Takanashi- Standing Upon Rumbling Ground]
"Ready?" I asked. As everyone began to nod, Mewtwo pulled his weights off, holding them up slowly. "Begin." In the same moment he dropped them, he appeared above the twins, a full-charged Psystrike in both hands.
"What!?"/"So fast!" Both twins commented at the same time, the pair just barely avoiding Mewtwo's attempt to end it in one go. The ground shook like someone had just used Earthquake as Mewtwo's attack landed. The pure power behind it causing quite the explosion. Melanie pulled me and Liz close, using Force Cloak to shield us from the debris. There was a second boom, to a lesser extent, as Mewtwo's weights finally hit the floor.
"I missed." Mewtwo's deadpan reaction caused Liz to giggle. He then began to hard-focus on Latios, quickly putting him on the defensive against a relentless onslaught of attacks. Mewtwo's attacks were, for the moment, slow. But the power behind them was devastating. As for Latias, she found herself having to deal with Kaorah, with Solais and Cerise attacking her flanks while she was distracted.
I just want to remind that Mewtwo's the only one to drop weights. His strategy works a lot better without them. And his reaction time is insane, on top of that. Giratina's training is the reason for this. As he'd learned to evade not only what he can sense, but what he can't, as well.
Because of this, when Latias found an opening to shoot an attack his way, he waited until the last moment, then switched places with Latios. Causing a startled reaction from the dragon he'd been facing.
"Sorry!" Latias, momentarily distracted, took a hard hit to the side of the face from Kaorah's tail. This caused her to sway to the side, wincing from the force of the impact. Then she took a second hit, from below, thanks to Solais. She quickly teleported away, giving herself some breathing room in order to charge up a Mist Ball. Only for it to be shot out of the air by Cerise.
The orb exploded in her hands, leaving Latias dazed for the moment.
At the same time, Latios had charged up Luster Purge, before bringing its full power to bear at point blank range. A glowing rune marked on his right arm suddenly pulsed, and Mewtwo appeared above with a bright Aura Sphere in hand. He slammed it downwards, causing Latios to cry out in pain as it dug into his back. The sphere then exploded, forcing him into the ground which cracked as he hit. When the dust cleared, his eyes were swirls, and he was back in his base form. He was bruised, with some light cuts, but none of his injuries were serious.
In the same moment, Mewtwo teleported, not allowing himself to touch the ground, and tapping Latias on the neck with a single finger.
"Dead." He then smiled at her.
"Aww…we lost." Latias accepted her defeat, immediately. Despite that, she still seemed to maintain her positivity. She powered down, then flew over to her unconscious brother to check on him. Just as Melanie began to heal him enough for him to wake up. Latios shook his head as he picked it up, groaning from what was likely a headache. Melanie used her improved Restoration to soothe it.
"Sorry if I put too much into that." Mewtwo said quietly. I had stashed his weights away, as he won't be putting them back on until we're done.
"No, it's fine." Latios smiled at him, then gently brushed Melanie off as he began to levitate once again. "You've all grown so much. Last time, we were the ones who won easily. Glad to see it has changed now."
"Hey, bro, do ya think we could possibly…entrust that to them?" Latias asked her brother.
"The…Soul Dew? Are…are you sure? We're the ones who are supposed to protect it, so…if we did, wouldn't that mean we have go go along with them?" Latios asked in return.
"I mean…would that be a bad thing? Sure, we'd miss Bianca, buuut…we can always go back and see her, right?" I signaled for my team to go wait by the door to the next area, while I sat down with the twins to talk. If they go through with this, then their whole debut movie will change.
"You two, you don't have to do that, ya know?" I spoke up. "Sure, I'd be happy to take care of it, but…wouldn't a lot of things change? Like…all the water in Alto Mare being drained?" I asked them.
"He's right. That's why we can't let it leave." Latios said.
"But, that doesn't mean I can't help secure it, either. I know someone who would be a great help to you two." I smiled. "Guys, I'm gonna go along with them, but I'll be back in a few minutes." I felt the twins grab my hands just as the System began to return them home. The world shifted and I stumbled as we arrived in what happens to be the Secret Garden. A few months ahead of when it's first meant to be seen.
"Are you OK?" Latios quietly asked.
"Fine. My portals are usually a bit more stable than teleporting like that. Even Mewtwo's feels much better than that did." I heard someone running up to us, just after we appeared.
"An intruder? La-" As she'd started to say their names, the twins interrupted her at the same time with a brief pulse of their psychic power. I guess, showing her brief flashes of the images of our battle just moments before.
"It's OK, Bianca. He's worthy of being here." Latios said, quietly. With Latias nodding in agreement.
"Who is he, anyway? Wait…hold on. You're Zeryph, aren't you?" Bianca asked me.
"Sure am." I smiled. "They wanted to bring me here, because of this, specifically." I knelt next to where the Soul Dew was. "To find a way to keep this safe…in a way that would also make sure Alto Mare itself, is safe. Without risking a tsunami."
"Huh? You can do that?" As Bianca was asking, I channeled power into my right hand and snapped my fingers. In two simultaneous flashes of light, blue and magenta, Dialga and Palkia appeared. In their true forms, this time, as to avoid any confusion. Bianca was startled by them, as were the twins. But, the latter two quickly went from surprise to awe.
"Zeryph, you need something?" Dialga's voice rumbled. "I hope you realize that doing this, changes the timeline, right?"
"Ah, original timeline's already shot to hell, anyway." I said. "Regardless, I need to see if you two can find a way to keep this secure, without dooming the entire town."
"Hmmph. And here I thought you were responsible." Dialga said, shaking his head, but he was smiling. "Well, I can't deny that you're doing the right thing, here."
"Right. Well, let's see what we can do." Palkia spoke up. Unlike Dialga's rumbling voice, Palkia had a smoother, metallic sound to his. Ironic, since Dialga's the Steel-type. The brothers began to focus their power, and I felt the world shift, noticeably. "There we are. Now, nobody outside of anyone here can enter this place. And, a man named Lorenzo. Latias told us of him at the last moment. The only way to get in, is if one of us lets someone in. With certain limitations, of course."
I felt myself get nearly tackled by Latias, who was very happy again.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Latias said, quickly. I winced when she began to squeeze a little too tightly. My HP actually began to decrease slowly, as a result. Though I was still able to return the hug, somewhat.
"Sis, you're, uh…squeezing too tight." Latios said, and I nodded in thanks. Latias blushed as she pulled away.
"Sorry! I was…am…really happy. We can actually get out and explore the world beyond Alto Mare now." She smiled, warmly. "Zeryph…could we maybe…go with you, for a bit? Not as part of the team for now, but as traveling companions?" She asked.
"Huh? Are…are you sure?" Bianca asked her.
"Yeah. I mean, he did help us out. We don't have to be stuck here constantly, anymore. It was honestly…getting kinda boring." Latias admitted. Latios even nodded in agreement with her.
"Alright, well…come back and visit, when you can." Bianca received a much softer hug from Latias. "And, Zeryph, you'd better take good care of them, ya hear?"
"Oh, they'll be just fine with us." I said, with a smile. "We already have two more Legendaries, with a potential third, and then four more on call. You've already met two of them." I gestured to the brothers. "I'd rather not bring Giratina here, as his solution would've been to put this place in… never mind."
[C'mon, I'm not that bad.] Giratina's voice growled in my head. I mentally chuckled, in response. Mewtwo had figured out how to make sure a telepathic link could be held, even in Giratina's home. So he's able to talk with us without opening a rift, unless he needs to say something to Solais.
"Alright, well…I guess I'll see you two later, right?" Bianca asked the twins.
"Sure. And, Zeryph, we're good to go. Bianca, make sure you catch the tournament when it goes live." Latias said. I pulled open a dungeon portal as the brothers disappeared, causing a surprised reaction from Bianca.
"I will." Bianca then shared a brief hug with Latios, once she got over the shock of seeing me open a portal. She waved to us as we disappeared through the portal. Just as I willed it to close, I saw who I think is Lorenzo enter the garden. It's unfortunate that I'd have to miss talking to him, but that's fine. We'll have time for that, later.
My team was surprised to see the twins return with me. Once I explained why, they all understood. Mewtwo chuckled and shook his head, but he was smiling.
"You and gathering Legendaries, Zeryph. Who's next? Rayquaza? Zygarde? The wolves from Galar? The Regis?" He asked me.
"Rayquaza's the next one I plan to visit, actually." I told him. "We can wait on that though. We've got a dungeon to finish up." The door to the next area began to open, drawing my team's attention. Mewtwo's blades flared with a flick of his wrists. He and Kaorah shared a nod, then rushed into the next room as soon as the doors were open.
I had to quickly explain to Liz- the Pokemon she would see are not real, though they do resemble the real thing. Though, she caught on pretty fast when she saw their faded colors. And the way they broke like glass whenever they were hit hard enough.
Latios and Latias watched in silent awe, as they got to see just how efficient my team really was. I could see the stars in the latter's eyes, as she watched with excitement.
"Wishing you had some popcorn, right about now?" I asked her.
"Yes! I had no idea you guys were this good. The stuff on your gym battles is nothing like this." Latias grinned at me. "Also, how did everyone pick up English, so fast? Bianca's the only other one who understands us."
"Psychic-types." I said, simply. Latias then smacked her face with a groan.
"Why didn't I think of that." She muttered, then sent a half-hearted glare at Latios when he chuckled. "Quiet, you. Zeryph- hold still." I felt her probe my mind, and I let her have what she wanted. I then offered a hand so that Latios could do the same. This also allowed me to key them into the team's telepathic link.
"Much better. How do humans have such a complicated language, anyway?" Latias asked, once she had finished her search.
"Oh, believe me, even as someone who's a native English speaker…it's ridiculously hard. I don't flub like I used to, though. In my past life, it was a family curse. But we always thought it was hilarious anyway." Latias responded by giggling, turning into a loud laugh as I shared some that still stuck with me, even now.
Latios even began to quietly laugh when Latias shared some with him. I feel like I understand him better, being the quiet guy who prefers to listen. Rather than being the outspoken one like Latias is. I used to be socially awkward, myself, and I won't be surprised if he also is. Especially given how he lived in isolation for so long. We'll break him out of that shell, some day.
"Oh! You have Suicune, right? Are you going to join in on Alto Mare's water chariot race, when that comes around?" Latias asked me.
"Wouldn't that be kinda…unfair?" Latios asked.
"Oh, like we'd care, considering…" I then showed them both my memories of the Laramie race, from a while back. And, besides, Suicune is a Water-type, anyway. So unless there are specifically rules against Legendaries, they'd have no choice but to allow her.
"Whoa…yeah, so, you definitely don't seem like you'd care. I can just picture people reacting when you turn up to the start like with Suicune of all people." Latias said. "And, it seems like everyone's done, now." I'd been talking with the pair, so I didn't notice the progress my team had made. Normally I would be watching them, but I got a little sidetracked.
"Looks like it. C'mon." The twins began to follow behind as I moved to catch up. The door to the next boss arena opened as I approached it. I sensed something powerful, then our second boss fight was revealed. It looked to be a Genesect again, but this time, it was something different. His body was solid black, looking to be made of crystal. Dim white light pulsed from some spots on his body, and his eyes were made up of multiple colors.
"Hostiles detected. Preparing to engage." His monotone voice broke the brief silence, as he began to channel power into his cannon.
[Necrozma/Genesect]
[The unexpected challenger]
[Fusion, level 22]
[Ability- Prism Armor]
[Sorry for the surprise, but your team's strong enough that the normal boss wouldn't have been a challenge, so we swapped it for this instead. Hope you don't mind.]
Taking things up by multiple levels, I see. I wonder why the level is much lower, although, it's probably because this isn't the real Necrozma. But still, kinda out of left field. Then again, most of what I've done today has been, so I can't really complain.
"Wormhole energy detected, switching into Beast-counter mode." Kalina suddenly spoke up, with a voice that didn't sound like her own. Her eyes locked onto the fusion in front of us. Before I could even start to form a plan, she charged with Multi Attack, her type shifting into Dark as she swung for her target. Though it blocked with a forearm, the fusion still let out a grunt.
It then began to charge up a Brick Break with its free arm, swinging at her, only to miss as Kalina seamlessly shifted into a Ghost-type, causing it to phase right through her, harmlessly. Kalina then jumped away, forming a Shadow Ball, before firing it at the fusion. As the fusion prepared to dodge, a well-placed Spirit Shackle put a stop to that, forcing the fusion to take the attack head on.
There was a click as the fusion's drive changed, then the fusion rounded on where the arrow had came from, and blindly fired into the shadows with Techno Blast. Cerise had already moved, though, and the momentary distraction allowed for Mewtwo to hit them in the chest with a Psystrike.
The fusion grunted, but wouldn't be able to retaliate fast enough to land a hit. Mewtwo was already gone by the time they had thought of countering. They were then blind-sided when Kalina landed another Multi Attack. She then bit hard onto their arm, grabbing hold and shifting type to Steel to weigh herself down.
The position she was in, meant that the fusion couldn't use any fire attacks to counter. Held down, they had no way to move away as Solais and Lexie hit them at the same time, with Night Slash and Flame Charge, respectfully. In the same moment, Mewtwo hit them with a full power Psystrike from both hands. Launched backwards, they were helpless as Evan dove from above with Mach Rush, then Suicune slammed the ground, creating a wave of ice that froze them in place.
With the final attack coming from Kaorah, who Evan had carried into the air. She slammed down with Earthquake, shaking the arena like a struck bell. The thunderous boom accompanied the impact, as well as the feeling of the ground itself breaking. Some parts of the arena's walls even crumbled under the force of the impact. I have no doubt that attack had killed the fusion. A boss fight that was over just as soon as it began.
With the boss gone, Kalina shook her head as she returned to normal. While Necrozma isn't actually an Ultra Beast, I'm surprised that…whatever that was, recognized it as one. Even though it wasn't the original, and was part of a fusion, no less.
"You OK, Kalina?" I asked her.
"I'll be fine. Dunno what that was, though." Her voice was back to normal, too. "I guess we'll have to figure it out, later."
"Making a mental note to never get on your bad side. Goodness me." Latios commented on the very quick battle.
"Seriously, though. That was fucking awesome!" Latias gave her own commentary.
"Latias!" Latios shouted, glaring lightly at her. Latias suddenly looked sheepish, a light blush appearing on her face.
"S-sorry. I'm uh…not allowed to swear. Sometimes, I forget." She admitted.
"And why not? None of us have any issue with it." I told her.
"I don't want her getting into that habit." Latios said.
"Might happen anyway, cause we all do it, here." I said to him. "If it bothers you, we can tone it down."
"Please." Latios let out a sigh. "I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does."
"That's fine." I gave him a pat on the shoulder. Then I heard the next area's door open, and my team began to engage the horde that was waiting for us.
"Ya know, I know something that bothers Latias, too." Latios said, quietly. "Do you know what a crush is? Not in the move sense or anything like that." I nodded. I think Latias heard him, too, as her blush returned with quite a bit more force.
"Latios, don't you dare!" Latias got onto her brother.
"Ah well, I think Latias has-" Latias slapped her hand over his mouth, interrupting him.
"Nothing! Ihavenothing!" She said loudly, then rounded on her brother to glare at him. "You keep your mouth SHUT! That includes mentally, too. Don't act like I don't know what you're thinking, mister." I felt her blocking Latios out of the link.
"C'mon, man. Don't let secrets slip like that, it's not cool." I said.
"Thank you, Zery." Latias smiled, then she seemed to realize her slip. "Zeryph, sorry. Didn't mean to shorten it." She felt her brother's head move as he seemed to chuckle, or try to. "Shut. It." She glared at him, even more intensely. I just grinned and shook my head. Having the twins around is definitely going to spice things up. Considering the dynamic they have going, for sure.
Latias continued to glare at her brother, only releasing him from her grip as I started to move to catch up with my team. The twins caught up pretty quickly, on their own.
"Ya know, if they were to join you now, you would have the most ridiculously stacked team in history." Liz said to me. "Four Legendaries, and a potential fifth. I can't wait to see how your team plans around this, going forward. So you guys don't absolutely sweep every gym you face."
"We'll figure something out, I'm sure. We're still gonna put on a dominant performance for the tournament, of course, but we're gonna settle things down afterwards." The arena door began to open as I was talking. And on that note, I believe it was previously mentioned we were meant to get a recruit. That seems to have changed. The dungeon rewards updated to no longer have that. I guess because I had recently gotten Suicune, on top of the potential for both of the twins.
Maybe something more with Latias, too, considering what Latios might've been hinting at. But I'd rather let her make that confession, herself, than let Latios spoil it for me. I would like to go over the next two bosses, but…after my team totally stomped the last one, I'm not so sure I can go over it here. Especially since this dungeon was generated about two months ago, for when our levels were much lower than they are now.
And, as for the third boss arena…empty. I think the system wasn't prepared for us to pull something like this, so it's kinda glitched right now. Nowhere near as badly as when Arceus broke it just to get me back. I got a notification saying we could just walk to the loot room, which proves that case. But It definitely seems like our next dungeon will be able to handle us.
I'm hoping to see it pull the stops and really throw us a challenge. Same can be said for the raid, which I plan to run tomorrow. As we claimed the loot, the experience was much lower than it was going to be originally, as was the rest of the payout. I only got two tokens out of it, which I decided to use later.
We returned to the outside world, about half an hour past noon. I was prepared for the dungeon to take longer, not for it to end and leave us a whole half a day free. So I decided to let everyone relax for a while, and figured we'd plan for the raid later on. The twins shivered lightly as the air near the mountain was colder than they were used to. Especially with it being early winter by now.
Kaorah then told them both about how we all had to hike through a blizzard, one day. In deep snow with temperatures below freezing. The twins were unnerved at such an idea, Latios even saying they'd likely freeze to death. I decided to give them both something. Scarves, at the very least, since the pair couldn't really wear coats, given the shape of their bodies.
Given our free day, I decided to take the twins to Pallet Town to meet Samuel. We sat down for a little while, so he could talk with the twins. On top of that, Latias got to see the world…properly. Instead of being confined to Alto Mare. Instead of being stuck in the garden. The twins also ended up getting to meet my aunt for themselves.
Following that, we just wandered around for a little bit. I would've thought the tournament would be in the spring or summer when it's warmer, but I guess not. Maybe next time we do a tournament, it'll be in better weather. Unless the stadium is enclosed, anyway. Still, the cold air gives us an idea what Sinnoh is gonna be like in…any other season.
Before heading back to the mountain, I took the twins up to Viridian. In order to get them both fitted for flight harnesses. They both understood my reasoning, since it would make group transport even faster. Ash's Pidgeot also needs one, too, now that I think of it. Once the twins were properly fitted, I helped them get it on so they could get used to it. Then we flew back to the mountain Pokemon center after taking a while to just go up and free fly for a bit.
Flying with Latias actually ended up being pretty fun. Especially since she figured out that, while I was locked in, I would not fall off no matter what. This lead to her even using her Mega form, which called for some adjustments. And her powers to make sure I didn't have to take the Gs caused by such high speed. Latios didn't seem too happy about her leaving him in the dust. When I told him to let her have her fun, he just sighed and shook his head, before saying he'd meet us back at the center.
Which brings us back to where we are now, just as Latias returned to the ground and shifted back into her base form. My hair had been blown back by the wind, so I reached up in order to ruffle it. Setting it back into its usual look. I then helped Latias out of her flight harness.
"Did you have fun?" I asked her, earning a happy nod in response.
"I did. To get up and fly is just so…liberating. Makes you feel free, in a way nothing else can." She smiled softly. "So much better than…ya know." We started to head inside, and noticed the frown Latios had. He just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't mind him." Latias said to me. "He's probably just jealous he hasn't clicked with someone, yet."
"I'm right here, ya know." Latios deadpanned. "Anyway, Lexie said that supper would be ready by the time you got back, once I said where you were. Zeryph…a word, please, before you go eat. Even with how…delicious, it all smells."
"Go on, Latias. We'll catch up." Latias leaned down to nuzzle me, giving me a warm smile, before going to join the others for supper. I saw Latios's frown deepen.
"Look, I'm gonna be blunt. I…don't like how quickly things are going. She hasn't felt like this before, and I don't feel right letting her get attached so easily. I hate to have to say it, but-" I put my right hand onto his left shoulder.
"Stop, OK? Look, I get it, she's your sister, and you're concerned for her. But this is likely the first time she's gotten to get out and be herself. To fly so freely and have fun like this, without having to worry about the garden and the Soul Dew." I smiled softly. "Let her live, dude. If your personalities were reversed, I guarantee, you'd be the same way."
"But…I don't feel right, when-"
"Stop it." I interrupted him again. "I know you're worried, believe me. I've had two lives with siblings. One was my brother, the first time around. And in this life- a cousin. Both younger than me, so I get what that's like. I understand it better than anyone. Let her be happy, man." I said. "And…if you're having so much trouble with trust…then at least, have a look at this." I placed my hand on his forehead and focused. Latios's expression slowly shifted into one of silent awe, upon realizing what I'd shown him.
"Arceus…the Creator…chose you?" He took a slow breath, then smiled. "All right…nobody better, really. I should've figured it out sooner, when you brought Dialga and Palkia into the secret garden. I'm…sorry I didn't catch on, sooner." His smile didn't fade. "Just…slow it down a little bit, yeah? I don't want my sister rushing into something as serious as a relationship."
"I understand. I'm gonna make sure she does, too. If it seems like she's rushing things, I'll make sure to slow her down. Now…conversation out of the way, let's go eat." My nose had caught a scent I knew well. One matching that of Manwich sauce, which means only one thing- sloppy joes. One of the messiest, yet most delicious, forms of sandwich there is.
One of the things I actually taught Lexie how to make, and she doesn't do them often. At all really, so it was a pleasant surprise. The twins looked as though it was the most delicious thing they've ever had. Which, considering how isolated they used to be, it probably was. Latias was just starting on her second, by the time her brother and I had caught up.
I gestured to a spot on my face, when she looked toward me, silently signaling that she had some stuck to her upper lip. Which she quickly picked up on, taking care of the problem with her tongue.
[Ya know…I think she likes you, Zeryph. Like…really likes you.] Melanie said quietly through a telepathy link. [That's gotta be a record. You've only seen her twice, and she's this enamored.]
[Heh, yeah. I think Latios tried to hint at her having a crush, but I'd rather hear her say the words, herself.] I said back. The link was just myself and Melanie right now, so nobody else heard us. I'm not surprised either, since Melanie's able to sense emotions.
[When I asked her, she said that she looked into what we got up to, when she and Latios got back home, last time. And discovered what our career has been like, so far. Including that bit in Fuchsia.] Melanie said. [Seems you've found your biggest fan, Zee.]
[Seems like it, yeah.] I smiled. After supper, we all started to head to bed, with me showing the twins to what will be their room. Suicune said that she'd sleep in a different room, tonight, since Solais and I wanted some 'us' time.
"It was great to get to know everyone." Latias said, stopping just outside her bedroom door. "Especially you, Zeryph. If I'd known things would've gone this well, I would've brought up my idea sooner."
"I bet you would've." I walked up close to her. "Still, have a good night. Hope you and your brother are able to sleep well, even away from home."
"We will, I'm sure. Would you mind if we go see Bianca, in the morning?" She asked.
"Not at all. Mewtwo and I can take you there." I said. I then reached up, pulling her head down enough to give her a quick kiss on the forehead, causing her face to light up with the brightest blush I've ever seen. I pulled away and smiled. "Anyway, good night." I then retreated to my room before she could stop me, but I still heard her break into happy giggles.
"How long has it been since you've had someone like you that obviously?" Solais asked, after the door was closed behind me.
"The way she does? It's on the newer side of things. Sure you've seen me get lovey with the other girls, and the same from them. Even with Mewtwo. But nobody has been anywhere near as obvious as Latias has." I said. As I sat down on my bed, Solais reared up, placing her front paws on my legs. And she placed her forehead against mine.
"Mmm…speaking of being lovey." She said quietly. "I think I've got the least attention out of everyone. How about you…correct that?" Solais gave me a soft smile. "Even if it has been a long day, you might as well round it off properly."
"You sure?" Solais nodded, then she moved in order to get up onto the bed. As she did, she rubbed her side against me.
"Yeah, and, don't change my form, either. I don't mind the anthro form. But still, I think I like it more when you love us the way you do, regardless of our current form." Solais moved herself into a proper position, one which would allow for me to not worry about her tail. Folding her front legs beneath her chest, while keeping her hind legs stretched out, but with her stance spread.
I channeled power into my right hand, then cast the soundproofing spell on the room. Before I stripped out of what I was wearing. Solais looked back and blushed softly. With it deepening when she felt my hands grab her hips. I got onto my knees behind her, then leaned down. Giving her slit a slow lick with my tongue when I was close enough.
"Oooh~" She moaned loudly as I got to work. "Zeryph…that tongue…mmmm...is…is amazing." I felt her lean back against me, wordlessly asking for more, which I was glad to oblige. Pressing with my tongue against her entrance until it finally slid in. Earning a gasp and a low moan. Solais leaned back further, and I moved so that I could hold her better. She began panting softly between loud moans.
"It's been…way too…long, since…the last…one." Solais moaned out. I pulled away, my tongue slipping out and causing her to whine in disapproval.
"Hey, lay on your back, for me." I said softly, her somewhat sweet taste still lingering on my tongue. As she rolled over, I moved up to place her back against my chest, moving her into my lap. I was mindful of her tail, of course. My right hand, placed on her belly, began to steadily move downward. My middle and ring fingers found her now soaked slit, and I began to slowly rub in small circles.
"I think you'll like this, even more." If her soft moans and whimpers were anything to go by, It seems like she did. After teasing her entrance with my fingers, I pressed down until they slid in. At which point, I began to move them in and out at a slow and steady pace. Her moans quickly grew louder than when I was eating her out.
Her hind paws clutched lightly at nothing, since they weren't on the bed. I felt her lean back against me as I began to settle into a pace she seemed to like. Her moans began to be broken up by soft panting, once again. Her eyes slowly blinking closed as she really started to enjoy it. Her head laying back onto my shoulder.
Her legs began to slowly sway as she began to try and move her hips in time with my fingers. Her hind paws still clutching at nothing. I began to place soft kisses on the left side of her neck.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" I quietly asked.
"Mmm…yes, yes it…does." My hand shifted slightly, allowing me to continue with my fingers, while also rubbing slow, soft circles with my thumb. While I started to softly rub her belly with my left hand. Her moans steadily grew louder as I continued, and I felt her lean further back against myself.
"Zeryph…fuck…" Solais let out a whine. "You're…gonna…make me…" Her climax interrupted what she was gonna say, causing her to loudly moan. Her inner walls clamping down on my fingers. Her hind legs kicking lightly, and her front ones squeezing my left arm against her chest. Her body shuddered as she rode it out. I kept moving my thumb, rubbing slowly, until she finally came down from her momentary high.
I pulled my fingers out, slowly, then lifted my hand in order to lick her juices from my fingers. Solais continued to pant softly, her legs settling after a moment. I let go of her, allowing her to shift position.
"I'm…not sure, which is better. Between your tongue, or your fingers." She finally spoke up, after catching her breath. She didn't take long to get back into the position she'd started with. "You don't mind skipping ahead, do you? I don't feel as confident with my mouth as the other girls do. Maybe sometime, but…not this time." I got up behind her, onto my knees once again, and she moaned softly when I began to rub against her. She looked back at me over her shoulders.
"Stop teasing me, and get it in there." I lined myself up with her entrance, then began to slowly push in. I didn't have to wait for her to adjust this time, so I started my thrusts immediately. "Ooohh…you have…any idea…how long I've…waited…for this? The other girls…always hog you."
"That seems like something you'll need to take up with them." It didn't take me long to settle into what I knew Solais liked the most, based on the last time.
"Well…at least…I get you…all week, now." Solais began to clutch at the sheets lightly, as my pace began to increase. Her claws tearing through the fabric in moments. "Harder, Zeryph. H-harder." I gladly went along with what she wanted, and she began to sway along with my movements. Her moans growing louder, and her soft panting returned. Breaking up her moans just as it had before.
She laid her head down on her front paws, so I couldn't see any changes in her expression. Her moans were soon mixed in with her breathing. Her hind legs twitching slightly, as her rear claws also began to tear into the bed.
"It's…so good. D-don't…don't stop." Solais moaned out. "L-love you…Zer-zeryph."
"Love you…too." I growled softly. I felt her position shift, she wanted to take it even more than she already was. Quietly asking for me to push deeper, so I did. Her claws dug further into the mattress, and she began to sway more as I subconsciously began to thrust harder. I began to feel myself drawing close, and my low growls told her what I was feeling.
"Yes…inside…all of…it." She looked back at me as she spoke. Then, as I started to cum inside her, she let out a loud moan, and I felt her inner walls clamp down as she reached her second climax. Milking me of everything I had to give, this time around. I began to slow down, letting her ride it out until she settled, then I slowly pulled out. Without me to hold her up, Solais flopped onto her right side, panting loudly as she tried to catch her breath.
"That…was…great." She gave me a warm smile, without picking her head up. "You and I…need to…do this more…often…ha…"
"Yes, I think we do." I rubbed along her left side with my right hand. "I just hope there's some spare mattresses."
"Hah…yeah…same here." Solais pulled her claws free, and settled into a position that was less awkward for her. Her breathing settled, and she moved to get up. "Again? I know your endurance is much better than it was, two months ago. To be fair, Lexie did also take you for more than one round, too."
"Sure." I leaned down, kissing the end of her snout, then moved as she rolled over onto her back once more. Bringing her front legs to her chest, while spreading her hind legs. Her pussy was still dripping, a mixture of her juices and what was leaking out- from what I left her, I mean. I grabbed her legs at her ankles, then positioned myself to push back in. Solais responded with a happy purr as she felt my length inside herself, once again.
"Love you, Zeryph." She said, her warm smile was still there.
"You said that, already." Solais giggled in response. "Anyway, love you too." Our second round lasted a little bit longer than the first. Technically, her third round, but still. We decided to stop afterwards, since our endurance now would've kept us up most of the night. And we do need our rest for the raid, tomorrow. When we finally did settle down to go to sleep, Solais snuggled up to my side and laid her head on my chest. She fell asleep, purring softly as she did. That was the sound I let myself fall asleep to, with my left arm wrapped around her.
Notes:
So, yeah, decided to keep the Eon twins around for a bit. Had a lot of fun this chapter, writing the two of them. Between Latias being outgoing and energetic, and Latios balancing that with his quiet, calm and serious personality. I feel like the pair will fit right in, going forward. Had to come up with something to allow them to leave their home, but I think my solution works. With Team Rocket being disbanded, the movie already would've been changed.
