Skye is a fun person to be with. Pity that we don't have a lot of time to get to know our Flier better due to what is going on right now. Skye is busy with her Ranger duties while the rest of us are busy with interpol stuff. If we aren't, then we are busy preparing ourselves as best as we can be.
Volkner had taken it upon himself to train me up to snuff because in his words, I am still not good enough to be taking on international level threats like Team Rocket and I agree wholeheartedly.
However, he and his pokemon won't be free all the time and so when he isn't free, he gets his ex Head Gym Trainer, Kayla, to train me. According to Volkner, he will get Kayla and I to work together on the big day so it is also necessary for us and our pokemon to know each other better. To him, getting Kayla to train me in his absence is akin to killing two birds with one stone.
Today, both Volkner and Kayla aren't free, but Volkner's pokemon are around to help. So, Volkner had asked his pokemon to help train mine by letting them do things that he had his own pokemon do in their training regime.
Looking at the training regime Volkner had his pokemon go through, I will just say this.
It's insane.
Case in point, how long has it been since I last saw Kratos getting easily manhandled and beaten around as if he is still a helpless little larvitar? Like, sure, it was less than a year ago since he received the Fuzzy beatdown but to me it felt a lot longer than that, like it has been years since then.
However, seeing how Kratos, the strongest member of my team getting easily thrown around like a ragdoll by almost every member of Volkner's team (Yes, even his pachirisu) really showed us the difference between us and a team as expected from those of a Gym Leader. Scratch that, Volkner is definitely way more powerful than any ordinary Gym Leader, Flint and Lucian had told me that much. According to them, Volkner was already solidly Elite Four in strength even before his retirement and could only be stronger now. Is he already Champion level in strength? That, I do not know, but I won't be surprised if he really is.
Kratos does seem to enjoy the harsh training session Volkner's pokemon subjected them to, always getting up with a defiant roar no matter how many times he was beaten down into the ground. Most of my pokemon welcomed the extra training Volkner's pokemon had so readily offered on his orders. Volkner is still busy doing things that only he and a select few have the skills and capabilities to complete. Kayla is helping him in that regard even if I'm not certain how and what she is helping him with. Volkner trusts his pokemon to get the job of training my team done even in his absence, which goes a long way to show just how disciplined his team is and how much his pokemon respects him. This is something I never expected from someone as annoying and unlikeable as Volkner.
I am not alone. Akamu is also busy training his team whenever he is free. Volkner had said that Akamu does not need his team to help with their training since their combat styles are so fundamentally different, and also because despite the fact that Akamu's team is largely focused on support instead of direct combat, he is still a very powerful and skilled trainer in his own right. I never once doubted Volkner's words or Akamu's capabilities even Akamu and I had never battled or sparred with each other before. I have no doubts that Akamu's team of fairy types can easily beat the strongest powerhouses on my team even at their worst.
"Fairy types are not known for offense. In fact, fairy types have arguably the weakest physical offense among all pokemon typings but yet possess one of the strongest defenses against ranged attacks. From that alone it is not hard to see that playing offensive is not their strong suit, which leads us to one conclusion, that fairy types are at their strongest when fighting defensively."
Fairy Specialists are hard to meet, especially one as experienced as Akamu. He has been very helpful when offering me tips on how to better train Joy and specialise her in a more utility-based role rather than offensive.
"The cleffa line is a little bit of an outlier even among fairies due to its much more versatile movepool, but that is also what makes it so valuable as a fairy type. It is just too versatile for a fairy type and you can mould it to fit pretty much any role you want it to fit on your team. If you want my advice, I would say train it in the direction of a defensive battler that can support the team with a wide array of recovery and support based moves, because you already have a number of powerhouses on your team as far as I can see."
A loud crash followed by Kratos' defiant roar sounded out in the distance, further punctuating Akamu's point. I don't need to look at him to know that he was pummelled into the ground once again.
"You brought up a very good point." I replied as I held Joy in my arms, who like me, was attentively listening to Akamu's advice earlier. "I do already have a handful of powerhouses on my team and I even have a few saboteurs, but I lack pokemon that can really properly support and assist the team."
"I'd say your team is still quite well-balanced all things considered." Akamu said as he watched the ongoing training session with me. "I had wanted a clefable but the cleffa line is especially rare in any part of the world. You need more than just connections to get your hands on one. You are very lucky, Vel."
Akamu then examined Joy with a critical eye.
"I believe it won't take long for your cleffa to evolve into a clefairy, although nobody can say for sure because we know too little about their species as a whole. You might want to ask the experts like Professor Oak, Professor Elm, or Shannon when it comes to Pokemon Evolution. What I do know, is that if your cleffa does evolve into a clefairy, give it some time before evolving it into a clefable with a Moon Stone. Preferably a few months at the very least. Rapid evolution is not always healthy to a pokemon's well-being."
"That… is something I never considered." I admitted. "I will keep your words in mind."
Another ghostly shriek sounded out from somewhere near us, causing us to turn our heads in that direction. I cannot help but let out a frustrated sigh when I see dusknoir trying to bully the younger ghosts that are usually taking residence in my shadows, again.
'Rena, please call Archer over.'
Archer arrived almost immediately in a red blur, violently smacking dusknoir into a nearby tree and cutting its hands off as they dissolved into grey wisps of smoke. Dusknoir regenerated his body soon enough and answered Archer's actions with a bellow of challenge, ready for another deathmatch.
"You seem like you have problems trying to tame this particular dusknoir."
I cannot help but sigh.
"It just won't listen to me, and I thought I have a slight advantage when taming ghost types due to the whole reincarnation superpower thing. Guess it's not as effective as I thought."
"Not all pokemon and trainers are fated to be with each other. There are pokemon that I had wanted on my team but decided against in the end because our personalities and natures are just not compatible. It happens." Akamu reassured me before falling into deep thought.
"Dusknoir… If I recall correctly this species of pokemon has formidable defensive capabilities, especially so for a ghost type. It is the type of pokemon that I will want on my team. Its style of battling would fit right in here."
"Do you want it?" I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly. "If you do, I could just give dusknoir over to you. No trade needed."
"Let me give it a try first." Akamu answered as with a hand gesture, he quickly summoned his entire team over to his side. His team is largely made up of fairy types with a few exceptions. Carbink, shiinotic, comfey, klefki, sylveon, ditto, decidueye, dhelmise, delibird, smeargle, and an alakazam. Most of these pokemon are a rarity in the Hoenn region. I will be hard pressed to see any of them under normal circumstances.
Archer stepped back when Akamu walked up to take charge of the situation, more than willing to let the intimidating looking man take care of the troublesome dusknoir. Dusknoir eyed Akamu warily, smart enough to know that Akamu and his team of fairies is more of a threat to him than me and my team.
I have a feeling that Akamu taking ownership of the disagreeable dusknoir will only be good for all of us, including the dusknoir. After all, dusknoir's capabilities as a ghost type leans more heavily towards a more defensive style of battling, something that Akamu is an expert in. If all dusknoir wants is to grow stronger instead of travelling the world, then him being a part of Akamu's team will be more suitable than being a part of mine.
"I guess we just found dusknoir a new home, eh, Joy, Archer?"
Joy replied with a hum from where I am holding her in my arms. Archer is silent as per usual but there is no mistaking that amused gleam in his eyes.
Let's see how long it will take for dusknoir to be beaten into submission.
"So, yeah, I will need some help in this area because time is of the essence and I cannot possibly comb all three areas in such a short amount of time. I asked Looker for help and he pointed me to the both of you, saying that Lance had given him the green light too."
An obviously sleep deprived Nova approached us the moment Akamu and I were done training, saying that she needs some help in the task that she was given. Since Akamu and I are free, we agreed to help.
"Investigating Kanto's Legendary Birds? It's a little hard to imagine Lance would agree to having foreigners poke around with things regarding their legendaries."
"You are right." Nova agreed when Akamu voiced his concerns out loud. "But the situation now is unprecedented and there's no telling who is on which side because there's no real guarantee that the list of known spies the informant gave Lance is complete, as comprehensive as it is. The interpol members, aka us, are the rare few who are guaranteed to be clean and working for Indigo's interests while possessing the necessary skills to undertake such a mission."
Nova handed both of us a file of documents each for our perusal.
"To keep it short, our task is to reach the nests of the individual Legendary Birds. Once done, we will have to confirm that they are indeed safe and if they are in Kanto. If they are, good. If they aren't, then we will have to solve a puzzle to summon them back. The requirements to enter each nest are different, so please keep that in mind. Zapdos' would be the easiest to reach since it had shifted its nest from atop Rock Tunnel to the Power Plant about two hundred years ago, which means that its current nest is not subjected to the protection the ancient tribe provided it with, so it's very likely that whoever is going to find Zapdos would not need to solve the puzzle at all. The details of each bird and their nests are in the file, so look through them in your free time. My own investigations and what Indigo knows about these pokemon had led me to believe that their nests are located at Seafoam Islands, Victory Road, and the abandoned Kanto Power Plant, just like in the games from before. We will have to pick a place each and investigate them individually."
"Uhm, can I opt out from Seafoam Islands? My body really isn't suited to go to cold places."
"I can go to Seafoam Islands." Nova volunteered. "I'm a little curious about that place myself."
"So do you want to go to Victory Road or the Power Plant?" Akamu asked me and I took a few seconds to think about it.
"Power Plant." I decided. Victory Road is a place where absurdly strong pokemon reside in and I have no interest in going to a place like that while searching for a Legendary Pokemon. Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. Power Plant it is for me.
"Then I will take Victory Road." Akamu confirmed our plan with those words.
"In that case, then we should set off as soon as possible, preferably today or tomorrow morning at the latest. We don't have much time." Nova reminded us once again about the urgency of this mission. "Eusine is handling the investigations of the Johto's Legendary Beasts and we are already a little behind schedule as it is. We really need to buckle up."
Thank god I brought along my goggles with me when I departed for Kanto.
That was the first thought in my mind after 15 minutes into flying across Kanto's skies on Snap's back. Volkner's gallade had very helpfully teleported us to Indigo Plateau, drastically cutting down on the travel time for Akamu, Nova, and I. From there, Akamu headed straight for Victory Road while Nova and I flew towards Seafoam Islands and the abandoned Power Plant respectively through flying on our pokemon's backs. As to why I'm glad I brought along my flying goggles?
Kanto's winds are crazily strong. Hoenn's winds felt so much tamer in comparison. Snap had no choice but to fly against the winds during our flight to reach the Power Plant and the cold harsh winds would have stung my eyes so badly if it wasn't for the goggles. Our flight is also a little slower because we are not used to flying against such a strong headwind.
It took us hours to finally reach the large mountain near Route 10 where Kanto's Rock Tunnel is located. From what I knew, just a little further down from here is the location of the abandoned Power Plant that I am supposed to investigate. Volkner had told me that he had been there before in his youth, but even he had never fully explored that place.
There is a somewhat interesting story behind the how and why Zapdos ended up making its nest here in an abandoned Power Plant according to Nova's investigations and the information provided to her through the Indigo League. In this world, modern electricity appeared around 200 years ago. As with all shifts in eras and modernisations, the initial appearance of something new would mean that people are still experimenting or fumbling around on how to properly manage and regulate it. The same goes for the appearance of modern electricity in this world.
The abandoned Kanto Power Plant that I am now heading to was built in such an era where the idea of modern electricity was just in its infancy stage. Kanto was the first region to build a power plant and back then, nobody had a clue on how building a power plant to supply electricity to an entire region would affect its surroundings and especially the ecosystem. Add that to the fact that this is a world of pokemon and electric types do run amok, in hindsight, it's not hard to see that something unexpected would occur.
To electric types, electricity is food. What would the emergence of a Power Plant at Route 10 mean to the wild electric types? To them, the Power Plant is practically a place where they can have their free buffet. It does not help that coincidentally, Zapdos' nest had always been located somewhere near Route 10 where the Rock Tunnel is also located. Even Zapdos itself views the large amount of electricity generated by the Power Plant as a free food source and decided to shift its nest here based on that factor alone, forgoing the protection the ancient tribe gave its original nest in favour of food.
Thus, just one month after the completion of building the Power Plant, the occupants within it were forced to abandon it when a large swarm of wild electric types flooded the area and took over the place, including Zapdos itself. According to Professor Oak, the presence of the Kanto Power Plant back then had severely disrupted the migratory patterns and wild pokemon distribution in Kanto as wild electric types from almost all over Kanto migrated to the Power Plant to make their new homes there. This is the reason why even till today, most electric types native to Kanto can all be found in the area around Route 10.
The failure to account for how the Power Plant would affect the ecosystem had also forced Indigo to draft up new laws, regulations, and countermeasures when building future Power Plants or similar infrastructures that are still in effect today. The other regions had also learnt from Indigo's mistake and put similar precautions in place when they finally started building their own Power Plants. Rumours have it that the generator of the abandoned Power Plant is still up and running, but nobody can verify that rumour because the route that leads inwards into the interior of the Power Plant where the generator is located is being zealously guarded by the electric types who have made their homes there. They are very protective of their food source.
I released Ness, Hulk, Archer, Joy and Rena out from their pokeballs the moment Snap touched down at the front of the abandoned Power Plant. For a building that had been built about two centuries ago and infested with wild pokemon since then, it is surprisingly intact. Sure, it looks rather run down and is in serious need of repair, but it is still standing and it doesn't seem that it will collapse anytime soon. That in itself is a miracle.
"Guys, I need your help to scout the place for us. Find us a way into the Power Plant where the generator is."
Like Nova had said, Zapdos' nest is no longer in its original location as stated in the ancient records. If I want to reach its nest and check on its status, all I have to do is to find where it has made its residence within the Power Plant. If it's obvious that it hadn't been around for a long time, then would I need to go where its original nest was and solve the damn puzzle in order to try and summon it back to Kanto.
My personal army of ghosts rose from my shadows with a resounding hollow cackle upon my words. They had gotten used to taking orders from me by now and like me, they love to explore new places. Not only that, the Power Plant is an abandoned building with plenty of dark and shadowy areas for them to hide in, an attractive place in the eyes of any ghost type.
The ghost types scattered and disappeared soon after I gave them their orders, eager to embark on their new expedition. It will take a while for them to return, so I decided to go explore the surrounding area with the rest of my team. The scenic view here is something to behold, maybe partly because of the fact that this area of Kanto is considerably further away from civilisation. Right beside the Power Plant is a river with running water so clear that you could almost see the riverbed if you peer into it. This is saying something considering that this river is definitely a very deep one. Then there are the surrounding mountains and the cloudless skies, giving the area a very rugged and untamed look, a stark contrast to how serene and peaceful it is at the moment.
If only the rest of the world is as peaceful as this place is now. Wouldn't that be great?
As always, my ghost types did not fail me. Through Rena, Dolly and Wacky had informed me that they had mostly explored the place except for one particular segment of the Power Plant where it is being heavily guarded by powerful electric types and causing them to be unable to proceed further in their exploration. I realised why Dolly and Wacky said that the moment they brought us into said area within the Power Plant through Shadow Sneak.
Electivires. This area is where electivires marked their territories.
Electivires are extremely powerful pokemon. However, they are rarely seen even among the hands of Elite trainers for very good reasons. For an electabuzz to evolve into an electivire, they need to fulfil two requirements. Firstly, the electabuzz has to absorb a tremendous amount of electrical energy in one go. Such an enormous source of electrical energy is something which is hardly available in the wild and even for electabuzzs in human captivity. Secondly, the electabuzz in question has to also be strong enough to withstand the sudden intake of electrical energy. If it isn't, then they will simply die from overloading themselves and result in a huge electrical explosion.
This problem had been mostly circumvented with the invention of the electirizer, an item created for the sole purpose of helping an electabuzz evolve by packing the huge amount of electrical energy needed into a single small box. Needless to say, such an item is also ridiculously expensive and hard to get your hands on due to how hard it is to produce such an item in the first place. Thus, this is why electivires are rarely seen in any parts of the wild, even in the hands of Elite trainers.
But, seeing as how this is a Power Plant that was initially created to generate electricity for the whole of Kanto, it made sense to have electivires prowling about here. The generator here has to be still up and running, that has to be the only explanation.
So now, we have a problem on our hands. If we want to continue with our investigation on Zapdos we will have to trespass on the wild electivires' territories and they are definitely no pushovers. Even experienced Elite trainers will have problems trying to deal with them and would most likely opt to turn around and leave instead of bringing the electivires' wraths down on their heads. That is not including the numerous other electabuzzs and elekids living in this area and the other species of electric types that marked their own respective territories in the adjacent segments within the Power Plant. Just one wrong move and every single electric type within the Power Plant will be out for my blood.
Urgh, Volkner should be the one taking this job.
There's no way that I can beat the entire electivire colony on my own when so many other trainers more skilled and experienced than me had failed, but my goal isn't to beat them. I just need to get past them to reach further into the Power Plant. I do have an idea in mind, but I am not too sure if Kel and the other ghost types with me are going to like it and I will have to recall the other members of my team for now.
"Kel, Perish Song."
That is the Plan A that I have in mind, making every single pokemon in the vicinity who heard Kel's Perish Song faint together with her. Thankfully, Kel isn't too fussy when it comes to the method used as long as we get the job done as a team. I really love her for her teamwork mentality.
Earth shattering bellows could be heard right after Kel had used her Perish Song and I knew that some of the wild pokemon here must have realised what was being used on them. I quickly released some of my pokemon out for battle. I cannot release my entire team because it is a little cramp within these dark corridors and I have no wish to bring down the entire Power Plant in our little spat. I am not going to be the one responsible who brings down the place where Zapdos is said to be roosting at. I am not suicidal.
Ness, Hulk, Archer, Lily and Bigblue appeared for battle and met the charge head on. Rena, Dolly, Joy, and Wacky stayed by my side as I recalled Kel back to her pokeball, cancelling the effects of Perish Song on her. With this, now the only ones affected by Perish Song are the wild electric types here and the various wild ghost types that were hiding in my shadows that I am unable to hide inside pokeballs.
"We just have to hang in there for about three minutes! Push them back but try not to wreck the place too much! This is Zapdos' nest!"
Bigblue took the lead and used his favourite Battering Ram combo, immediately creating distance between us and the angry horde of electivires and electabuzzs heading our way. Lily's tentacles whipped around as she quickly snared a few unlucky targets and sucked their energy dry within seconds. Like Bigblue, Ness put herself right at the frontlines thanks to her immunity to electricity as a ground type, easily smacking the electabuzzs about and holding her own against the electivires with help from Archer and Hulk. The five of them should be enough to hold the electivires back until the Perish Song takes effect.
As always, things never go according to plan. From right behind us are various other species of electric types converging onto our location. I'm not too sure if they are coming to the aid of the electivires or if they are simply here to fight. Either way, I have to make sure that they stay down until I leave the Power Plant.
"Alright, Plan B. Let's see what you guys can do."
The various wild ghost types gleefully emerged from my shadows and dashed on ahead to take down the voltorbs and electrodes heading our way. The ghost types had picked up quite a few things from my team when it comes to combat although they are not that strong individually. However, we are not aiming to win this battle. We are simply here to investigate the rumoured Zapdos nest.
And thus, when the voltorbs and electrodes unleashed an enormous blast of Discharge, my ghost types also very cheerfully used a Destiny Bond at the same time. It still weirds me out sometimes, how vengeful ghosts can be and the extent in which they are willing to win their battles at all costs, even if it means bringing their foes down with them using a suicidal attack.
The end result of the short fight with the wild voltorbs and electrodes is that the unconscious bodies of the various living pokeball lookalikes could be seen strewn about behind us while my team of wild ghost types could not be spotted at all, probably disintegrated into wisps of smoke from being in such close proximity with the earlier Discharge.
While I was formulating our battle plans before we sneaked in here, Dolly and Wacky had reassured me many times through Rena that even when they had dissipated, these ghosts will eventually find their way back to me no matter where I went after their bodies had regenerated. I know that my personal army of ghost types are definitely not dead, but still…
I focused my attention back to the front where my powerhouses are holding off the electivires and electabuzzs. They are doing well so far, which is a good thing. Three minutes are about to be up soon. It wouldn't be long before they succumb to the effects of Perish Song.
Like I had predicted, the wild electric types soon started to fall unconscious one after the other in a staccato of dull thuds, signalling the end of our battle.
"Sorry." I whispered to the numerous unconscious bodies of electivires and electabuzzs as I quickly made my way through them the moment they finally fell prey to Kel's Perish Song. I don't have a lot of time. The electivires are barely injured in the short fight so it wouldn't take them too long to regain consciousness and be back in action. If they do, this time they will really be out for our blood and I have no wish to tangle with them any longer than necessary.
"Dolly, Wacky, hurry."
Dolly and Wacky sped off ahead of us to scout out the route as the rest of us followed behind, with the rest of my pokemon surrounding me with me as the center. The abandoned Power Plant is a huge facility and even with the help from my ghost types, it still took us a fair bit of time to navigate this uncharted area of the Power Plant.
Wacky made his reappearance as he passed through a wall to reach us, gesturing wildly and talking in excited howls and cackles. It is times like this that I really wish I have the same 'mastery' of my gift that my fellow reincarnators also possess, to understand the language of the pokemon types that we are fated with.
For now, I will have to make do with Rena's translations.
'They found a room which fits your description of having a giant machine that produces electricity. Not only that, Dolly found many yellow feathers, which are most likely dropped from a flying type. That has to be where the thunderbird made its nest. Dolly is securing the perimeter for us right now.'
'I agree.' I nodded as we picked up our pace and let Wacky lead us to where he and Dolly had found what is most likely where Zapdos made its nest.
My eyes widened when we finally reached our destination. For some reason, something just does not seem right.
Dolly reappeared before me in a cheerful cackle. Right in her arms are a bunch of yellow feathers that she presented to me. They are short, in a glinting bright yellow that still have obvious traces of electricity sparking about. While they probably are not going to do Dolly any harm if she can easily pick all of them up without issues, I am not going to risk touching those with my bare hands. The human body is a lot more frail when compared to those of a pokemon. What may seem fine to Dolly may not be fine for me.
No, what had my full and undivided attention is the state of the large room where the generator is at. Like I had suspected, the generator is still up and running, but the state of the room…
It had been utterly trashed. Not only that, it has to be a recent affair. The holes in the walls, the destruction unleashed and had left their marks here on the floors, they are definitely recent. Maybe just a month or two ago at the latest and maybe a week or two at the earliest and no matter how I looked at it this doesn't seem like good news to me.
Someone, or someones, had reached here before I did. Not only that, if my fears are indeed true, then these people had not only bypassed the electivire colony -the strongest wild pokemon colony in this abandoned Power Plant- who zealously guarded this room, but also most likely fought Zapdos. It will explain why so many of Zapdos' feathers are lying about. The amount of feathers scattered about is too much for it to be normal shedding of feathers for flying types. These feathers have to be dropped during a huge battle. Zapdos has to have at least been injured, which will explain why so many of these feathers are lying about.
Shit. Now that I had calmed down a little, I could see a noticeable amount of splats of dried blood on the floor. I just don't know whose blood had been spilled. I also spotted a bunch of bloodstained yellow feathers lying around and I really hope that Zapdos is alright, because these feathers have to belong to Zapdos.
Looking at this, I am sure that even if Zapdos is alright and nursing its wounds somewhere out of reach of mortals, it won't be coming back to its nest anytime soon even if I solved the cryptic puzzle Nova had told us about. There is no way it will be heeding our summons anytime soon, at least not soon enough to lend Indigo its aid for the coming Rocket crisis.
"Jarvis, scan this entire room and record the scene here. Send it to Volkner and Looker immediately, now. Tell them that I suspect that it is very likely that Zapdos had done battle with someone or something here and that we should expect the worst to have happened. Dolly, help me store all the feathers you can find in this box, including those stained with blood. We are taking them back for investigation."
At this point, I can only pray that the worst I had feared had not happened, that Team Rocket had not captured Zapdos. If they really did that, then…
We are really in big trouble.
Character and pokemon list:
Velda Vera, Age: 13, Female, Pokemon Trainer, Runner-up in the 528th Ever Grande Conference
Pokemon on hand:
1) Rapidash (Flamel), male
2) Swampert (Bigblue), male
3) Banette (Dolly), female
4) Flygon (Snap), male
5) Absol (Kelsa), female
6) Charizard (Toothless), male
7) Cradily (Lily), female
8) Espeon (Rena), female
9) Pachirisu (Fuzzy), male
10) Tyranitar (Kratos), male
11) Cleffa (Joy), female
12) Nidoqueen (Ness), female
13) Pangoro (Hulk), male
14) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless
15) Scizor (Archer), male
16) Lapras (Chill), female
17) Gengar (Wacky), male