The New Normal – 13-16 – Interlude – The Battlers
(Drake POV)
He nearly fell onto his knees in exhaustion once Palkia finally returned to whatever fucking Legendary dimension it hailed from.
Honestly, after surviving through the fight of the century, he had quite enough of big, world-ending battles thank you very much. He might be more resilient than most, but that didn't mean he found it any less painful when he had been repeatedly thrown around like a ragdoll during the course of the fight.
He felt like he had broken every single bone in his body.
But despite the pain and bone-deep exhaustion that he felt, it was overshadowed by the immense pride that he had for his Pokémon. They had completely outdone themselves.
No, they had done everything he hoped they would do and more.
It was undeniable proof that the blood, sweat, and tears that he had put into training his Pokémon over the many years of his life had paid off. His Pokémon had proven, without any doubt, that they were strong enough to stand their ground and fight back against a Legendary.
He had never imagined that this day would come. Now that the danger was over, he realised that the entire fight had really been a dream come true for him.
Therefore, even though his legs were screaming in pain, he still hobbled over to his Salamence with a proud grin on his face, "You fucking did it. I always knew you could. Let those fucking Dragon masters in Indigo talk shit about you now, partner. You were the Dragon that took on Palkia. They can blabber all they want about your 'barbarian' and 'weak' origins, but they were not the ones that took on a fucking Legendary. You were."
His starter let out a pleased growl, though it was cut short by its lingering injuries. Still, it wasn't just his starter that deserved this glory, as his entire team had all helped in the fight against Palkia, and he made sure they knew it.
"And all of you as well! Well fucking done! I can't believe you all had gone from the sorry sacks of shit that I found you as into Pokémon capable of damaging a Legendary! That is ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INCREDIBLE! AND I AM HONOURED AND PROUD TO BE YOUR TRAINER! GOOD FUCKING WORK GUYS!"
The loud cheers from his Pokémon sent him into a joyful laugh. They had fought a Legendary! They had damaged a Legendary! They had won against a Legendary!
Let those sensitive fucks dare to tell him that he was too crass and old to be in the Elite Four now!
His blood was still coursing with adrenaline as he replayed the battle in his mind. He would never top this achievement for the rest of his life.
(Flint POV)
He sat down tiredly in one of the corners of Spear Pillar, with a river of sweat running down his face as he exhaustedly chugged down a bottle of water while his friend stood over him.
"How are you feeling?" Volkner asked, looking as tired as he did.
"…Like I just ran a marathon." He admitted with a groan, "My voice is pretty hoarse too."
"Must be from all the shouting, though I'm in the same position." Volkner replied, taking a seat next to him, "My arms are really sore as well. I think my muscles were locked up for the entire fight."
"Heh. At least Jasmine won't complain about all those extra muscles that you've gained." He smirked, though it was noticeably more subdued than usual.
Despite their usual banter, they both knew that they were avoiding the one topic that was on both of their minds.
Eventually, after a moment of silence, he found the courage to bring it up.
"…How are we alive, Volkner?" He asked his friend, "You were there too – you must have saw their power with your very eyes. Even with all of our strength, against the combined might of those Legendaries, we might as well have been Bugs."
"Don't let Aaron hear you say that." Volkner quipped, though he quickly let out a sigh of his own, "But you're not wrong. I don't think I've ever been that terrified in my entire life."
"You and I – we're strong trainers. Even when we fought against those Team Galactic grunts at the Lakes, I was still confident that we would get through it okay." Volkner continued, "Yet today… today was the day that I thought might be my last one. That I wouldn't see you or Jasmine ever again."
It hurt him to see his best friend so vulnerable like that, even though he felt the exact same way. He knew that some people here today might have considered fighting against a Legendary to be a glorious honour, and thought it was a privilege to do so. But after experiencing it for himself, he certainly didn't think so.
Though he knew he would stand up to fight if a similar situation ever arose in the future, he would be glad if he was never in such a position ever again. If that made him a coward, then so be it. The battle only reinforced his belief that Legendaries were not beings that were meant to be challenged by humans.
His head turned to where he saw John conversing with Regigigas – at least, unless you had one on your side.
Both Flint and Volkner remained silent as they tried to process everything that they had just been through today. But, at the very least, they could take comfort in the fact that today was a victory. Cyrus had tried to destroy the world, and he had failed. They had won.
And they both silently vowed that they would ensure that this victory remained that way.
(Koga POV)
He bent down to inspect Cyrus' last position before the Legendary had pulled him into that dark void, just to make sure that the madman hadn't tried to pull a disappearing act on them. However, aside from the crushed remains of the Red Chain, it appeared that Cyrus had truly been whisked away.
Hopefully, that was permanent. Even though he couldn't have possibly challenged the decision, he would have preferred a body – to have seen Cyrus' ultimate demise with his own two eyes. Just to fully make certain that he could never pull something like this off ever again.
He heard footsteps arrive behind him, and he turned to see Bertha staring down at him.
"So, did you find anything?" She asked.
"No." He shook his head, "Cyrus is gone."
"Hopefully for good." Bertha snorted, "And Giratina has never been known to be merciful. Who knows? Perhaps Cyrus is currently suffering a fate worse than death. It would be a fitting end for a man as evil as him."
He nodded, agreeing with her words. He couldn't deny feeling a sense of satisfaction as he watched Cyrus whimper in fear when confronted by all four Legendaries. The monster deserved to be humbled like that.
The two remained silent for a moment as they both looked around at how the other trainers were doing. There was a mixture of reactions from everyone as the battle concluded.
Some were joyful. Some were morose and almost relieved. Others, like himself, were merely contemplative.
He hoped that the battle wouldn't have been too scarring for everyone here. Fighting against what seemed like impossible odds was always daunting, but he had witnessed how they had already overcome their fears during the fight itself. Now they just had to carry over that same willpower to the aftermath. It wouldn't be easy, but he was determined that everyone here could do it.
But his main concern was actually with John, and he watched the young man with a contemplative gaze as he spoke with Regigigas.
It was undoubtedly true that Regigigas's assistance was the sole reason that any of them were even alive right now. Without the Legendary Titan, they could not possibly have fought Palkia, let alone reach it.
Yet now the threat was gone, but Regigigas still remained, and nominally under the control of John.
Cyrus was already a glaring example of the power and danger that a person could wield if they had a Legendary on their side. While he trusted John, and knew that he was not the kind of person that would simply exploit a Legendary's power for his own benefit, having so much power at his fingertips might change him.
Koga knew he was probably being paranoid – and that John did not deserve such mistrust. But after everything that just happened, he hoped for everyone's sake that John was as selfless as he used to be.
They didn't need another Cyrus.
(Cynthia POV)
She slumped against one of the pillars as soon as the battle was over.
There were a million different thoughts and feelings coursing through her brain at the moment, but all of that were put to the side as she watched John communicating with Regigigas and the three Regis.
She watched as he stood side-by-side with the Legendary Titan. And biased though she may be, she couldn't help but think about how natural it was for him to be standing next to Regigigas – as if he was always meant to be there.
With the crisis now over, she expected that Regigigas would soon return to its usual resting place now that its strength was no longer needed. She didn't expect for John to retain his 'control' over Regigigas, even if they seemed to get along well. Even though she personally wouldn't mind for him to have kept Regigigas, it was probably for the better that Regigigas returned to its slumber – if only for everyone else's peace of mind.
As this battle had shown, Legendaries were incredibly dangerous.
However, as she continued to stare at John and Regigigas, a plan started to form in her mind for a way to keep John around in Sinnoh like she always wanted him to. A way for both of them to finally get over the hurdle that was distance within their relationship.
After all, it was now a proven fact that the Legendary Titan could be reawakened – the mystery of its slumber had been solved. Furthermore, Regigigas had also demonstrated that it very much had the overwhelming amount of power in its possession to fight on equal terms against one of the Creation Trio themselves.
Therefore, even though Cyrus had been dealt with, this demonstration of power from Regigigas would undoubtedly cause more people in the future with nefarious intent to seek out Regigigas for their own crazed ambitions. And though she personally doubted that Regigigas could be tricked like that, there could be a scenario where another madman creates an item similar to the Red Chain that allows them to dominate a Legendary just like Cyrus had done with Palkia.
Thus, the Legendary Titan may need a 'protector' of its own, if only to prevent such a scenario from occurring. Or at least, that was what she would try to convince the public of. And who better to guard Regigigas than the man who had awakened it in the first place and fought alongside it?
…Yes, it likely needed some tweaking, but the plan just might work.
A.N. After the cataclysmic battle that they've just been through, I felt it was only natural that we have a couple of chapters to cool down from everything that has just happened. Furthermore, I especially wanted to take an opportunity to highlight just how everyone's feeling in the aftermath of such a terrifying battle. There's a whole range of different emotions on display, as befits everyone's different personalities. I hope I captured them all well.
And yes, Cynthia's planning something for John, and she's going to have plenty of time to think things through now that Cyrus' been dealt with. You'll see how it turns out! Hope you enjoyed!
Also, thanks for all the nice comments about the big Legendary fight. I was pretty anxious about it, so I'm really glad you all seemed to like it. Your support put a big smile on my face, so thanks!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!