A/N: New day, new chapter. Also, going to put a bit more info as far as the Legendary marks go (they're still a work in progress and nothing fully concrete until maybe the second arc hits; might have to do a lot of brainstorming to figure things out as I have ideas but need to get them sorted out to make sense).
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's nor Pokémon. Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OCs. And prepare the soap for Ren's potty mouth
Chapter 9:
(?)
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiser, but I'm afraid I can't help you with this."
"Ma'am, please, I need the information. There's got to be something, anything..."
"Look, whatever...interest you have with the Legendary marks, you're going to have to go-"
"My best friend saw his brother and his own Pokémon die, and those marks appeared. If there's even the slightest hint that you have a clue to what they mean and why they appeared, please...I have to know."
"..."
"...you're right, this was a waste of bloody time."
"Wait. I can steer you in the right direction, but the rest you'll have to find out on your own. Deal?"
"Deal."
(Present, Ren's POV)
"Rise and shine, Ren," Yusei announced before sunlight burned behind my eye lids.
"Shit! A little warning next time," I groaned, turning over and burying into the pillows. "It's too early..."
"It's only nine."
"Ngh...the morning is evil..."
"No comment. Anyway, I've got to make sure you're up and around since I'm meeting with someone today."
I lifted my head out of the pillows. "Wait, what? Who?"
"Friend of mine I met a while back. She heard I was still in Unova and wanted to meet up while she's here."
Maneuvering myself into a sitting position, I stretched my arms over my head. "So, wait, then should I head back to the Center when we're done?"
"No, when it gets close to time, I'll leave Argen to keep watch."
"But won't that leave you undefended?"
"I've still got one more if push comes to shove. Though, I kind of doubt they'd try to ambush me when it's you they're after."
"Yeah, but you technically jumped in to help Roxie before I got the chance to get there. If these are the same Team Plasma goons, they don't like it when any Trainer interferes with their schemes."
"I'll be fine, don't worry. As much as I rely on Argen, Stardust is no slouch in fighting either."
"If you say so. Which reminds me, you haven't really shown what kind of Pokémon this Stardust is."
"It's...a bit complicated with him. As much as I do want to introduce you to him, I also can't risk his safety at this time. Sorry."
"So he's like a very rare Pokémon? Or really dangerous?"
"Rare, yes. Dangerous, though? Mm...possibly."
"Possibly? What do you mean by that?" I was rifling through my clothes to find something clean to wear (training in the desert was not the smartest of decisions, I'll admit to that; sand just gets everywhere).
"I never used him in an official or unofficial fight before. The first time we met, he was so badly injured it was a miracle he was even alive. It took a long time for him to even trust me, and even longer to show him that not all humans were like those who hurt him. So far, there hasn't been any indication of who did that to him which makes me think it was only poachers and not some organization."
"Oh...shit...some people suck."
"That they do. Anyway, get dressed. We've got to get going if there's any chance of getting a bit of training in today."
"Okay okay, I'm hurrying." Once pulling out a clean set of clothes, I went to the bathroom to change.
It didn't take us long to get to a good training spot on Route 4. This time, though, we stuck to the roads instead of in the sand. A bit tricky to do with people coming and going from the little gathering of Trainers still going on, but we managed.
Jason was already proving to being the new fastest on the team, much to Emerald's annoyance. To compensate, Emerald focused on honing his physical attacks better to at least have something that was his own since while Jason did mainly lean to physical attacks they weren't quite very strong yet. Training the new three was a bit...tricky, at least with Fortune the Igglybuff. Any time I let her out to practice, she'd try to bounce off to fight the wild Pokémon nearby. I didn't want her to attack recklessly and end up hurt, so I often had to recall her and wait for the wild Pokémon to head off before letting her back out. Sue (the Swablu) was a bit calmer, but she definitely showed a very sassy side, often nipping me or flying out of my arms once she's had her fill of being brushed/petted. Cupid had a few hiccups with his training. Checking his nature, I found that he'd had to solely be a special attacker as his physical stat was lower than normal (then again, never met a Woobat or Swoobat that was mainly physical).
As for Toil...I still hesitated with training him. He didn't seem to have any lingering effects due to Reshiram's blessing, but it was obvious his fire moves were much stronger than they should be which made me super nervous. Was this going to be just how it is from now on? And what if I get any other types associated with the marks? Could I even bring myself to using them? Plus, that voice came back after years of being silent. Was it Reshiram's? It did tell me to just burn that grunt to a crisp in revenge for Gecko, Pyre, and Ellis. What would have happened if I had listened?
But I couldn't exactly dwell on it forever, or risk Toil falling so far behind that he may never catch up to the others and could be at risk for Team Plasma's retaliation. Even being cautious with having him fight, I wanted to make sure all of my Pokémon were on par with each other and had their chance to shine. With this next Gym, it would be good to have all options ready for the battle.
I checked in with Chelsea on how Auren was doing. She told me that he had started his own training with using special moves instead of physical. He got Dark Pulse down fairly quickly, though trying to focus an Aura Sphere was a bit harder to do for him. She said it wasn't anything to worry as he was still a bit too inexperienced to focus his aura into an attack. There was a small incident with him trying to use Dragon Pulse. Nothing too terrible, but it became really clear that he was not at all allowed to use that move in the fields of the ranch.
After a few hours, Yusei had to go meet up with this friend of his. He left Argen behind as he said he would. I trained only a bit before calling it a day. It was way too hard for me to try and command the Pokémon on opposite sides of the field. Besides, I felt like we were closer to being prepared for the Gym battle. Just needed to get a few more practices in.
I pulled us to a nice, quiet area to rest. Argen laid next to the bench I parked on, not quite asleep but relaxed enough. Emerald curled up on the empty space next to me, Toil laying against his tail. Cupid rested on my shoulder while Sue was right on top of my head. Jason sprawled out at my feet, his tail curled around Fortune who thankfully was fast asleep and not bouncing to battle the nearest Pokémon that dares make eye contact with her. I felt myself snoozing in the quiet atmosphere...until my Xtransceiver began ringing.
"Arceus dammit," I groaned, bringing the device up to my face to see who was interrupting this serene time. I blinked when I saw the name. Eric. I sprung forward, disturbing all my partners and somehow not waking the giant Luxray. "Hello?!"
"Ow, hi to you too, Ren," Eric replied. The video feed showed him rolling his pinky finger in his ear due to my shout.
"Sorry..."
"I guess since the signal is really strong, you're in Unova, right? How'd the trip fare?"
"Erm...could have been better." I really didn't want to make him worry and say that I got attacked by Team Plasma goons in normal clothes. "How's your little research?"
"So-so. I've gotten some new information this time. Not much, but more than trying to look in libraries. Anyway, where are you? I'd rather not say it over the Xtransceiver if possible." I heard footsteps coming up.
"Oh, I'm on Route 4, right near-" I looked up to see the source and found that it was none other than Eric himself. "-Castelia."
"Well that solves having to take out Olga for a quick flight." We both hung up the call. "Anyway, let's...why do you have a giant Luxray?"
I looked to where Argen lay. He had lifted his head at the sound of footsteps to see if they were a threat. I turned back to Eric. "Long story."
(Yusei's POV)
I hated giving Ren the runaround involving Stardust, especially with how open he's been about some things with me, but I've gotten so used to hiding what Stardust is that it has become a habit. That last Team Plasma attack had been the closest thing to throwing away caution in a while if it wasn't for that jamming device they used. Besides, at this point, the people that had been after Stardust in the first place have fallen silent for a while now. With how many times I had to fight them off, they know he's refused to leave my team, right?
It didn't take too long to find the right cafe Akiza told me to meet up with her at. With Argen watching Ren, I didn't get the usual nervous looks. Right as I stepped in, I was greeted by a familiar face.
"Started to wonder if you weren't going to show."
"Now when have I ever missed catching up with a friend?" I replied with a smirk.
"That's true," Akiza replied. We chuckled, giving each other a quick hug. "Gosh, it's been way too long."
"It's only been two years."
"Well, considering you seem to always hit a place with low signal."
"Yeah, sorry. Orre isn't exactly the best place to keep in touch at. I was lucky to be able to check messages most days."
"At least you got to Unova all right, but I thought you were supposed to be in Nuvema long ago?"
"Ah, that. There's been a bit of a...hiccup." I got jostled forward by an invisible force. "I see Rose is out."
"She's probably wanting you to let Stardust out."
"He is, just probably waiting outside. He doesn't like closed in spaces."
"All right, back to the topic. What was this hiccup?"
I sighed. "Let's get to a quieter place to talk. It's going to be a big one."
(Ren's POV)
"I wasn't expecting you to rope someone in on this," Eric said, looking at Argen from his seat.
"I panicked, all right? You try having Plasma goons on your ass almost 24/7 and tell me you wouldn't be begging the nearest strong Trainer for help," I retorted, perhaps a bit too harshly.
"Sorry, I should have just brought you with me, Ren."
"...well, I'm the one that thought I could handle this shit on my own. And I wanted you to find any information over the marks. I would've just slowed you down."
Eric looked like he wanted to refute that remark but sighed. "About that...there wasn't much to be able to look up but I did find a few things." He pulled up his bag and rummaged through it. "I tried going to see what information I could get from a former holder of a Legendary Mark. Not that she gave much, though, saying that she couldn't give too much direct intelligence. She led me to a few sources I could find, however."
"Please tell me they gave more."
"Yes and no. Some gave the same Tauros crap of 'they're revered and feared, certain physical changes once the marks show up,' yada yada."
"I've heard all that, anything else?!"
"Hold your Ponytas. I did manage to dig up a few things over the dragon marks. There was one other to have the whole mark, the ancient king of Unova. Of course, back then, it was one dragon, not three."
"That gives a lot."
"There's some hit and miss info, most of it has been erased due to time. It seems like there had been one last time the trio left their marks some decades after the Original Dragon split. Unfortunately, like I said, most of that is lost. All other texts giving details said that depending on the power level of the Legendary—or Legendaries, in the off chance a group gave one mark on a person—it can cause adverse effects on the wielder."
I tensed at that. "Like...what?"
"On a minimal level, just some small lasting damage. Usually a change in body chemistry like temperature or heart rate. The other side...well, it can kill the holder."
Kill the holder... My left hand gripped my right arm hard. Just great. Might as well have a ticking bomb on my arm than these marks. It'd do the same thing. "Well...never got told that yet."
"And your mark is incomplete, Ren. You only have one dragon show up on it. The other two marks are empty, meaning one wrong move and it could backfire horribly, on you or anyone around."
I chuckled darkly. "Great, just great. I get given power by a god-like Pokémon, and it's going to up and take my life one way or another."
"I'm sorry, bud, but that's all I could find right now. A lot of people that have marks tend to not like having people asking about them. Considering they're often hunted for that power, I can hardly blame them."
"Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'm just the only idiot to rope a strange into this because I was desperate." I looked down at my arm. "And all because Reshiram took a look at me and said, 'Yeah, let's ruin this guy's life.'"
"I don't think that's what it was thinking, Ren."
"Then what was it thinking?! I'm no hero! I can barely keep a thought straight, much less be in command of an all powerful Pokémon! And I can't even rein in its abilities to the point I'm afraid of having any Fire or Dragon-type Pokémon in the off-chance I boost their power too high!"
"Ren!" Eric grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. "Calm down. We'll figure out some way to get through this, okay? Me, Jazz, AJ. We're not leaving you to face this alone, all right? No one's expecting you to be able to control Reshiram's power right off the bat, but panicking and losing your head isn't going to make it go away either. Until a time comes up that there could be a way for the marks to be taken back, we'll just have to work around and learn how it works so nothing bad happens again. You're not going to die, not as long as there's a way to prevent it."
That's what I thought about Ellis. He seemed to untouchable and could handle anything the world threw at him...and look where that ended...
(Yusei's POV)
After explaining what had happened in the last few weeks, Akiza and I sat in silence for a bit. She held her head in her hands as she let out a loud sigh. "Yusei, what in the world have you gotten yourself into?"
"About the same mess as back in the day," I replied with a shrug.
"I'm serious. Are you sure this is smart? Team Plasma isn't your run of the mill thugs. They launched a whole full-scale attack on the Pokémon League, for Arceus's sake! And outside the confirmed casualties, who knows how many others were taken out?"
"I know, and given my history I should be keeping myself out of this kind of trouble. But still, when he asked for my help...I don't know, I just knew what that was like. Being chased by power-hungry maniacs because of something completely out of your control."
Another breath. "Well, as much as I want to, I can't stop you from going through with this. Just promise me that if things get too be too much for you to handle, try to reach out for help, okay? Even heroes can't do everything alone."
I nodded. "I will, I promise. Besides, it's not like I'm ever alone anymore."
"You know what I mean. Anyway, we better get going. I still have to catch up with my travel companion."
"You're traveling with someone?"
"More of a partner of convenience than a serious travel partner. Besides, I believe he was heading where you came from."
(Ren's POV)
About half an hour or so later, Yusei came back with the person I assumed he went to meet up with. Fortune had started to wake up after the talk with Eric, so I put her back in her ball so she wouldn't hope off to find a random opponent. Considering what I had been told, I wasn't in a good mood to be chasing after a little Igglybuff that wanted to fight anything that breathed.
"Luuuuxx," Argen yawned, stretching his front legs.
"Looks like you had extra company," Yusei greeted as Argen went up to him.
"Yeah, just a bit," I replied. "Oh, right, this is-"
"Hey Eric."
"Hey Akiza," came the interruptions from both of our friends.
"...Arceus, are you f***ing kidding me. You already know each other?"
"What, not allowed to have any other friends?" Eric teased.
"You could have mentioned you were traveling with someone, asshole!"
"And where would be the fun in the surprise then?"
"Screw you."
A/N: Not where I wanted to end it, but I was afraid if I didn't find a good enough stopping point then the chapter may get too long. And a bit of a hint at another character that (hopefully) will appear/have a bigger role in the second arc (which is still being outlined). I might try with brainstorming possible prequels involving the not seen character and another that won't be shown at all but will be talked about.
Also, anyone excited for what will be shown on Pokémon Day? Just going to say, if they do Unova remakes that hopefully they'll be good. Or maybe just skip the remakes and do a Legends-style for Unova instead (let's see this original dragon, GameFreak! Less work for me XD).