Chapter 6: A Legend Reborn!
After this fight, time began to pass. Days passed, weeks. Epsilon tried constantly to find out clues about the whereabouts and identity of the Plot Emperor, but she was unsuccessful. There were simply too few starting points. And yet the world did not stand still. Because Team Polarna vatra, as an experienced Upper League team in this world, put a lot of effort into training their new team partner to be capable of fighting. And Epsilon was soon able to marvel at a sight that would never have been possible in her homeland: Kel, who had become a strong fighter as a Growlithe. Where she came from, he had only been involved in a handful of fights before he evolved. Here, however, he trained day after day, obviously determined to find the Plot Armor as soon as possible!
At the same time, Epsilon was almost shocked at how effective she had apparently been. For Kel, the biggest difference between the time she came from and this time was the conversation with Epsilon. Well, and the fact that Polar was here now too, but if Epsilon ignored that so she could attribute more success to herself. Maybe it was also because Aurora had not lost her entire family here and was therefore even more open-hearted than she already was. But whatever it was... the same Arcanine that in another future was ready to leave those who gave him a second chance to die seemed to be settling in really well in this world. He just seemed much happier.
"And? How's it going? Do you think Kel is ready for the duel tomorrow?"
The Zoroark had just arrived at one of the training levels of the league, where her children and her new team partner were training. The following day, the first match day of the new Upper League season would begin and Polarna vatra were determined that Kel should also be part of the team in league battles immediately.
"We'll see about that. I'd say he's ready to fight. But I don't know our opponents, maybe they're too strong for us.", Polar answered.
"Well, I would recommend that at least Kel wins his duel. You know my deal. And I'll tell you this much... I think there's more than just a part of the Plot Armor in it for you. Speaking of Plot Armor... Kel, have you noticed anything about Epoliktzus at any point?"
The Growlithe's expression seemed a little worried as he glanced briefly at Aurora. That's exactly why Epsilon was surprised by the answer she got.
"No. Not at all. Is... do you think that's a bad sign?"
Even though Epsilon didn't necessarily want to show it, she was rather amused by the question.
"On the contrary. This guy lives off negative emotions. If you don't notice anything, then you're just keeping him in check!"
The Growlithe still seemed a little worried, but Epsilon noticed that she had also scared him quite a bit with her story. It was probably better to be safe than sorry if she wanted to prevent the future from repeating itself.
The duel was about to begin. The three fighters were present, of course, as well as Darkrai, who was refereeing the duel. Otherwise, there were of course the opponents Polarna vatras, Aggron, Kadabra and Staraptor. And there was Epsilon. She was also on the floor, as a simple spectator, after both Elementareon and her children's opponents had given the okay. And Epsilon was really excited to see what she could expect in this fight. Especially from Kel. He had become strong through his training, but was completely untrained in actual rank battle situations. In addition, this selection of Pokemon in her opponents' team was anything but ideal for an unevolved fire type.
Aggron, as a powerful steel- but also rock-type, had an advantage due to his stamina, while Staraptor was superior in terms of speed and physical strength. Kadabra seemed to be the only opponent that a Growlithe could possibly take on, but Epsilon was doubtful here too. But Aurora and Polar were not necessarily much better off either. They were both completely lost against Aggron. Kadabra was problematic simply because the two Ice types relied primarily on spells as attacks, while this opponent's weakness was in direct attack, so the strengths of Polarna vatra's ladders were exactly what this enemy hoped the opponent's strengths would be.
And then there was Staraptor, who would at least probably pose a problem as his sheer attack power could certainly damage Aurora. An ideal setup would probably be if Polar could fight Staraptor, Aurora had to face Stollos, where she would definitely lose, which all three would, and Kel managed to beat Kadabra.
Judging by Polarna vatra's reactions to the first encounter, this had not been their plan. Because none of them seemed to be even remotely annoyed that Kel was facing Aggron. From a purely league perspective, it was fine, at least Staraptor would be very sure to fall, but beyond the rank battle... didn't Polarna vatra want Kel to win? After all, it had been the bet, the condition for Epsilon to reveal her knowledge of the location of the Plot Armor. And she had no intention of giving in and revealing the truth to Kel even if he lost.
Well, this fight was clearly not going to be a victory. Yes, fire hit Aggron quite hard, but it was nothing compared to what his rock attacks and Earthquakes would do to a small Growlithe. Practically speaking, this was nothing particularly decisive. Because Kel was anything but a normal Growlithe.
Maybe it was partly due to a built-up overconfidence towards this enemy, but whether that played a role or not... Aggron's attacks really did not. Sluggish but persistent and strong was the attitude of the steel-type, which became a problem when this strength had no effect. Kel fought with his size and agility. The latter was not his best quality, at most slightly above the average in the Upper League, but in this scenario it was definitely enough. At the same time, the Growlithe's Heat Wave seemed almost scarily powerful, considering that he had only had the body that could control this power for about a month and a half! Even if she made sure that it wouldn't happen to her in a normal fight, here in the stands Epsilon had really underestimated the fighter. While Kel's teammates had suspected that he had a real chance against Stollos, she hadn't believed and was now proven wrong.
The fight ended as quickly as the entire duel, when Polarna vatra was able to win a clear two to zero and left her opponents frustrated and defeated.
"Well... I admit, I underestimated you. Especially you, Kel. How did you already build up such strength, such understanding of fire, when you've only been fighting with it for a few weeks?"
"I... don't know, it... was just there. Completely natural."
"Ultimately, it doesn't matter. What counts, however, is your result. Above all, yours. I promised you that you would find out about the whereabouts of the first part of the Plot Armor if Kel won his fight. Well then…"
Epsilon thought for a moment. It was quite clear that getting the Plot Armor wasn't just about the armor. There would also be evolution stones for Aurora and Kel, each at one of the two places the team would have to visit. Which would make sense first? But in addition to Kel, she should also consider Aurora. Why exactly hadn't she eolved yet? She would certainly have had a chance many times before and, as a Upper League fighter, she should have considered it. She must have actively decided against it. But on the other hand, maybe she had just never taken the time to really make that decision. Probably…
"Okay. You know the iceberg up north, right? There is a part of the Plot Armor there. At its top is a cave full of Ice Stones, in which there is a tunnel. One of the parts is hidden in this one!"
"And the other two?", Aurora asked.
"Focus on this one for now."
This was clearly not the answer they were hoping for, but it was the only one Epsilon would give them, so it should be enough.
"Okay. So... when are we leaving? Tomorrow?", Aurora asked again, once more turned towards her mother.
"I'll leave that decision up to you. You should just let Elementareon know, the trip will take a few days, otherwise she'll schedule you for a ranking battle that you can't take part in."
"And what should we expect up there? I highly doubt that such a valuable relic is just lying there unguarded!", Polar wanted to know.
"Well... if the Plot Emperor knows about it, he or she will probably be preparing something there. However, I haven't found anything so far that indicates their knowledge of it. And if my suspicions are correct, I at least don't know why any obstacle should make your journey more difficult."
The three fighters were a little suspicious, but they couldn't be blamed. It simply had to seem illogical to have the prospect of obtaining a mystical object with godlike powers with almost no work. But at the same time...
"But this action involves a great risk. Because if there really isn't a Plot Emperor guarding this place, then I can't guarantee that someone else hasn't already taken the armor! No one would know for sure if some Pokemon had simply kept it for themselves."
"Well, there's finally the catch we've all been waiting for! But on the other hand... why would anyone keep a seemingly worthless piece of armor without even telling anyone about it?", Aurora questioned.
"Think about where you got the first piece and then repeat the question again."
"Come on, that's not fair! And above all, not the same! We didn't find the armor somewhere and store it, it was... just there."
"And how exactly do you know that one of you two didn't drag the thing in from somewhere at some point and throw it in the attic?"
"Are you trying to argue that the armor's appearance wouldn't make sense?"
Epsilon had no reason to say anything, apart from her direct thoughts.
"Well... yes, actually."
"Those are pretty brave words for a woman who claims to come from a lost future.", Kel added.
"Touché. I don't really need to start with logic. Maybe I should incorporate this principle into my search for the Plot Emperor. Then I might have more success."
Polarna vatra also knew about the current status of Epsilon's research, of course, even if they took a much more relaxed view of it than the former Plot Empress herself. This was mainly because they themselves had been on a committee specifically for the hunt for the Plot Emperor for years and never saw any signs of success. It was simply a search without any signposts. But they didn't want to express it that way to the Pokemon, which had guaranteed her success in return more than once.
"At some point you'll find the clue that gets the ball rolling. Who knows, maybe even through our upcoming journey? If the Plot Emperor really is putting something in our way, then we'll definitely be able to get some information from it."
"Don't give me any reason to hope that you'll get into such trouble, I'd rather not have to cheer against you."
"You shouldn't! But as Kel said, don't worry too much about such trivialities. I mean... yes, we don't know who the Plot Emperor is and we don't have any clues, but... how bad is it really? He hardly ever shows up anyway, and even if he does, there are no major consequences."
"You don't know the background. A Plot Emperor doesn't just come into being by himself! Aurora, Kel, Polar, it doesn't matter how harmless this being may seem from the outside, what exactly it's up to in this world. Because the end of the Plot Emperor is the only way to give this world a peace that many could not even imagine wishing for! It's about peace! And about a system. A corrupt system! Corruption that I know all too well!"
