Chapter 9 - Titanic Rush - Part 4

"Do not give up," Liliane ordered. "Seamus, attack. Henry, choose another Pokémon. Lilligant, use Petal Dance one more time!"

Lilligant spun around, whipping up pink petals around her body. The petals swirled before expanding, battering Registeel repeatedly. It would have likely collapsed if the Pokémon had not had an iron-hard body.

"Thunder Fang!" Seamus called.

Sandaconda did his best to slither forward. He unscrewed his body, and electric sparks were emitted from him. He snapped forward against the Steel-type, stunning it momentarily.

Registeel turned and observed both of the Pokémon. Suddenly, orange chi began to stir around it, and without any warning, it started a headlong dash, running its body into Sandaconda. The Ground-type was tossed back, and when he landed with a hard thud, sand began to swirl around his body.

"I told ya!" Seamus shouted. "Henry, think hard about what Pokémon ya use. Lilligant won't survive in the sandstorm for long. And, with Liliane usin' Petal Dance like she is, her Pokémon is about to have a real confusin' time!"

Liliane rolled her eyes. "My Lilligant's ability is Own Tempo. She cannot be confused."

Suddenly, Lilligant winced as the sandstorm buffeted her.

Henry gritted his teeth and selected his Poké Ball. He threw it forward, releasing Pawniard once again.

Seamus' eyes widened. "What? We're gon' die!"

"Just trust us! Use Low Kick! Trip it up!"

Pawniard rolled forward, and his body was engulfed with chi. He slid on the ground when he approached Registeel, sticking out one leg. He slammed his leg into the legendary Pokémon, but it seemingly did nothing.

Registeel looked down. It raised his leathery arms, and a ball of electricity began to form.

"Sandaconda, go!"

As Registeel unleashed the ball of electricity downward, Sandaconda snaked his way forward, leaping so that he was above Pawniard. He took the entirety of the attack, but because of his typing, he suffered no damage.

"Thanks," Henry said.

"Keep it up! Petal Dance!" Liliane shouted.

Lilligant stood on the other side of Registeel. She unleashed her attack, blasting the Steel-type in the back. It turned to her ever-so-slightly before it was absorbed by metallic energy. The Pokémon suddenly took into the air, becoming a silver orb.

"Protect!" Liliane ordered.

As Registeel meteored back to the ground, a blue barrier materialized around Lilligant. The barrier protected Lilligant from any damage, but Registeel had managed to land hard enough to push the barrier down, making a small crater in the ground.

"This is truly proving to be difficult," Liliane said with an exasperated look.

Finn placed his hand against the temple's doors. He could feel explosive energy on the inside. "They went in without us. Why?"

"Well, let's just whistle and get in. We can help them," Ethan exclaimed. "Can-can you whistle?"

Finn raised his eyebrows. "Can you not?"

"Maybe? I've never tried."

"Well, you give it a go, and if it doesn't work, then I'll try."

Ethan appeared unsure of himself. He looked at the door, sighed, and took in a deep breath. He pursed his lips together and blew out air, but the sound was neither loud nor piercing.

The door remained still. The only rumble that they could hear was that of the battle going on inside.

"You call that a whistle?" Finn asked.

Ethan's shoulders slumped. "That's why I asked you to do it first."

"Alright, here it goes!" Finn responded angrily. He sucked in before unleashing his whistle, which was just as unimpressive as Ethan's. He looked away from his friend, trying to hide his embarrassment. "It's been a while! I haven't whistled since I was younger!"

"Well, why don't we try together? Maybe that'll make something happen?"

Finn nodded and puffed out his chest. The two boys eyed one another, took in deep breaths, and pitifully whistled together until they were red in the face. They breathed heavily, exchanged looks, and waited for something to happen. Nothing did.

"This is not good," Ethan said with a gasp.

Finn considered his options. If the door was breakable, then somebody else would have destroyed it centuries ago. He wouldn't be able to use any of his Pokémon's raw strength to get in. But, he did have a Pokémon could potentially help. He grabbed his Poké Ball and held it out. It exploded open, and a small, red and white avian Pokémon materialized in front of him. It had a long tail that wrapped around his body, serving as a knapsack.

"I don't think a Delibird is going to do much, mate," Ethan muttered.

"I agree," Finn said. "But, maybe he can whistle? Can you do that?"

Delibird looked at the two trainers with a confused expression on his face. Finn started to do his weak whistle, and Ethan desperately followed. Delibird laughed, turned to look at the door, and began to whistle a tune. He whistled for a long time, thinking of his favourite winter songs. And while he whistled, the door's gears started to churn. Slowly, the door opened.

"Yes!" Finn and Ethan exclaimed.

However, suddenly, Finn, Ethan, and Delibird were blasted with sand, filling their mouths and putting a stop to the whistling.

Henry, Liliane, and Seamus looked back at their friends and smiled.

"C'mere!" Seamus exclaimed. "Join the party!"

Finn quickly withdrew Delibird and grabbed another Poké Ball. He threw it forward while ordering, "Superpower!"

Croconaw emerged and dashed, his body becoming engulfed with chi. He rammed into Registeel as hard as he could, almost toppling over the large Pokémon's upper half.

"Keep it up! Falinks, use First Impression!" Ethan shouted.

His Pokémon came out of his Poké Ball in a straight line. He was absorbed with dark green energy, and before Registeel could recover from Croconaw's attack, Ethan's Pokémon struck. Registeel groaned and fell over, shaking the small chamber.

"Yeehaw!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Hey! How dare you go in without us!" Finn screamed, taking everyone's attention away from Registeel.

Henry crossed his arms. "I think we could have handled it, mate."

"We were struggling, but we all have many Pokémon remaining," Liliane exclaimed.

Ethan shook his head. "No! I'm with Finn. If we're going to do this together, then we have to do it all together! Let's not leave anyone out!"

Everyone appeared taken aback by Ethan's sudden outburst. Out of everyone in the group, he was always the quietest. The sound was almost sucked out of the room except for Registeel's struggle to stand back up.

"I'm sorry," Liliane muttered.

"Yeah, apologies," Henry added.

Seamus smiled and became teary-eyed. "I'm sorry, guys! This one is all my fault! I got a little too antsy! I promise we'll fight the next one as a five-man-er-five-person team!"

Finn sighed. "Hey, can we apologize to each other later on? We kind of have a situation going on right now."

As though Registeel had waited for the group to finish their conversation, it bounded forward. Its body was covered with chi. Lilligant, without instruction from Liliane, placed up her arms and created a blue barrier. However, Registeel's attack blasted through it, and Lilligant was tossed back into the chamber's ancient walls.

Registeel slowly turned its body, and its eyes started to glow yellow. It locked onto Ethan's Falinks, seemingly attached to all its movements. A ball of electricity formed in front of its face, and it blasted it away with a violent force.

"Endure!" Ethan ordered.

Red energy swirled around Falinks, and it withstood Registeel's attack as a unit. Electric sparks emitted from the different creatures that made up its body.

"I can see that Registeel is getting desperate. Now is the time for us to strike!" Ethan shouted.

"Swords Dance!" Henry ordered.

"Sandaconda, keep it still! Use Sand Tomb!"

As Pawniard waved his arms around and slammed his hands against his chest, letting adrenaline take over, Sandaconda spun around, sending sand and dirt across the chamber. The dirt tornado battered against it, causing it to wave out in protest. It took a step forward, forcing its way through the sand.

"Nuh-uh!" Fin shouted. "Rock Tomb!"

Croconaw roared and opened his mouth as wide as he could. Stones ripped up from the ground around him before flying through the air. They came back to the ground and exploded upon contact with Registeel. The rocks stacked up, seemingly trapping the large beast.

"Falinks, use Close Combat!"

Falinks was absorbed by chi, and the group of Pokémon raced down the chamber. They leapt over the collected stones and began to take turns kicking and headbutting Registeel.

"We can't go low," Henry muttered, looking at the stones. He observed his small Pawniard. "We'll use our head as well! Hit 'em hard! Serve up an Iron Head!"

Pawniard screeched and ran as fast as he could, jumping over the debris the battle had caused. He leapt into the air, ramming his head into the middle of Registeel's red eyes. Registeel remained still as Pawniard fell back to the ground. The group of Falinks grabbed him and retreated. Registeel's leathery arms fell to its side.

"Now!" Finn shouted.

"Go, Timer Ball!" Seamus exclaimed while throwing the silver Poké Ball forward. It connected with Registeel and began to absorb it with its red light. It took a few moments, as though Registeel wasn't meant to be captured. And then, the Timer Ball fell into the well of rocks and dust. The dirt tornado stopped spinning, and everyone became silent.

Liliane prepared a Poké Ball in case it broke out. She held it closer to her chest, staring intently at the stones.

But after moments of complete silence, they heard a relaxing ding.

"Woof," Seamus exclaimed as he collapsed onto his backside. "Regi wranglin' ain't easy!"

"You can say that twice," Henry said.

"That'd be a waste of time and words."

Finn and Ethan slowly approached the stones. They looked into the small well, finding the Timer Ball with smoke coming out of its small cracks. Finn grabbed it, and a grin came over his face. "This is excellent! Two Regis down! Two more to go!"

"About that," Seamus said while wiping sweat from his brow. "You think we can take a break and come back tomorrow or the next day?"

"The stress of battling like this has my chest in knots," Liliane added. "And anyways, Henry owes me a dinner."

"Let's not be selfish," Henry said with a smile. He held out his frying pan and looked at Pawniard with one eye. "I owe everyone a dinner!"

The group didn't contact Sonia. Instead, they returned to the small home that Liliane and Henry were staying in. Henry used some of the berries he collected in the forest to make a sweetened creme. He poured the batter into a large skillet and cooked thin crepes for everyone. He squeezed the creme filling to give them a fluffy look and drizzled honey over them.

The group sat around a fireplace while they waited for food. In the meantime, they shared stories of other battles, adventures, and rivals.

"I don't want to sound too cocksure, but I would not consider anyone my rival," Liliane said. "No one has ever challenged me consistently throughout my career. I have always placed highly in every conference I have participated in."

"What about Henry?" Seamus asked as the chef handed over a small blue plate to each of the trainers. "Haven't ya'll known each other for a while?"

"I have been acquaintances with Henry since my first year as a trainer," Liliane answered. "But, we have never battled in an official capacity. I couldn't consider him my rival."

Henry smiled and looked at Seamus. He watched the boy from Orre closely as he stuck the crepe into his mouth. Seamus looked at him curiously, his expression quickly changing to confusion and then discomfort. He screeched and rolled backwards.

"It's hot! Why is it so hot?" Seamus screamed. He dove for some water and began to drink it.

"Consider that my failed dish. I wanted to try some spices, but I realized halfway through that might not be the best idea," Henry said while reaching out with another blue plate. "This one is genuine, and everyone else is safe."

"Is that some kind of payback for today?" Seamus asked before rubbing his tongue with a handkerchief.

Henry's eyebrows raised, and he grinned. "I wasn't thinking about it like that, but I guess so!"

"My older brother, he's a pretty strong trainer," Ethan said, bringing the conversation back. "I'd like if I could beat him someday. Maybe I consider him a rival."

"You said that if you weren't here, you'd be taking care of your brother in Wedgehurst. What'd you mean by that?" Finn asked.

Ethan smiled. "Well, I'm a twin. My twin brother has autism, and it can be extreme at times. If I wasn't going to continue my journey, then I would love if I could take care of him. It'd make it easier on my mum."

Everyone was unsure of how to answer, so they all nodded and ate their crepes.

"When I'm older and my journey is 100% over, I think that I'd like to work with people like my brother. I think that my experiences on the road will help me with that kind of job," Ethan added.

"I've never even thought about what to do after my journey," Finn whispered to himself.

"Also, I'd like to say!" Ethan said with a grin on his face. He exchanged glances with Finn and then Seamus. "I'm glad to have met you. I'm sorry for my outburst today. I'm happy to have a group of misfit friends."

"Me as well," Liliane said. "I don't often get to bond with trainers like I have with you all. This is quite pleasant."

"I feel that 'pleasant' is a weird word to say after battling a legendary Pokémon," Seamus exclaimed.

Henry laughed before swallowing his bite and saying, "That is one reason she has earned the moniker Ever Gentle Lily. Even after a situation like today, she finds the pleasantries of everything."

"There's more to it, but we don't have to get into it," Liliane said before taking a bite.

Henry shook his head and held out his fork. "I think we should get into it! You don't have to confirm anything, but everything is already out there, Lily."

Liliane sighed. "There are rumours that I once befriended the legendary Pokémon, Zygarde. I received the nickname partly because it's a Pokémon that has trust issues with humans."

"The way you talk about it is fishy. Did you or did you not befriend it?" Finn asked.

Liliane smiled slyly. "I like keeping things as rumours. And besides, what may or may not have happened between myself and Zygarde is between myself and Zygarde."

"There are also rumours that she even managed to capture it," Henry added. "I found the magazine, and it's back home. Lily signed it."

"This rumour is simply not true," Liliane said.

"Which means that the other rumours are!" Seamus exclaimed excitedly.

"Perhaps, but it does seem unlikely."

"You're trying to confuse me," Seamus said with a suspicious look. "It's working, but I see well past your ruse! You may be called the Ever Gentle Lily, but I know that you're one tough lady!"

"Maybe."

"Nah, nah. I grew up with five sisters! I know when a lady is strong," Seamus exclaimed. "Respectfully, of course! I also know when someone is acting fishy, and girl, you stink like a Magikarp with rumours like that floatin' around!"

"I will tell you everything after we've found and defeated Regigigas."

Seamus adjusted his straw hat and sat back in his chair. "Deal!"

"Why did you decide to become a cook?" Ethan asked once he finished his crepe.

Henry shook his head. "Chef. Not a cook. They're very different."

"I guess I should be more careful with my words."

"I've been interested in cooking since I was a baby. My family owned a cafe, and I was always around when I wasn't at school. I started by making Pokémon food for our Chewtle. Slowly, I moved on to making food for humans," Henry exclaimed. He smiled at Seamus, who still had the taste of the spicy crepe in his mouth. "I take battles seriously, but I'm honestly more interested in creating my brand. I want my own restaurant and cookbook."

"He even got an invitation to be on The Great Galar Bake Off," Liliane added.

"I love that show. It's so dramatic without having any drama," Seamus exclaimed excitedly.

"I think that's the appeal of it," Finn added. "And, not to stress anyone out or anything, but what are we going to do about the next temple?"

"What was the riddle?" Henry asked.

Finn pulled out his Pokédex to check the picture that he had taken, but Ethan answered from memory. "Walk together with a living crystal of snow."

The group sat quietly momentarily.

"Doesn't sound like an everstone to me," Seamus mumbled. "That one was so easy, and we got see to a cute Ponyta."

Ethan shot him a glare.

Liliane raised one finger and smiled. "I think I have figured this one out as well."

"Of course you have," Henry said with a chuckle. "And, what do I owe you if you are correct?"

"Any meal of my choice," Seamus interjected, doing his best to mimic Liliane's accent; he, however, butchered it.

"The cowboy is correct," Liliane said. "However, I would have said 'When I am right, you will owe me any meal of my choice.'"

"Sorry, ma'am."

"I believe that we need to find a Pokémon. In Kalos, there is a Pokémon called Crygonal. It is essentially a giant snowflake. The only problem is that it cannot walk, as it floats," Liliane explained.

Finn put his hand to his chin and thought. "Well, I'm sure that I've seen Crygonal in the Crown Tundra before. I guess that this means our next hunt is not for Regice but instead a living crystal of snow."

"And that starts tomorrow," Seamus said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a silver harmonica and repeatedly whacked it against his thigh. "Things gon' keep gettin' crazy!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I'm gonna take a small break from posting this story! I want to get the next three chapters written before I post anymore. The group is going their search for Crygonal, and it's been awhile since Peony has made an appearance! I think it's time that we see what he's up to.

On a personal note, I am finding it difficult to write right now. My best friend back home passed away about three weeks ago. He was a fellow writer (nothing fanfiction (that I know of)), and with him passing away, it has been really hard to focus. But, I know that he would be mad at me if I stopped writing because of his passing. Instead, I want to keep writing and see how much more I can put out. Maybe I'll check out Outlaws of Orre again.