After a quick breakfast and pacing around in the lobby for, like, an hour, waiting for the gym to open, I once again descend underneath city hall, en route for round two against Drayden.
I wonder if I possibly made a risky promise when I told Bianca for a certainty that I would win the Legend Badge today, but then I remind myself that part of the reason I lost before was because my mind was preoccupied with the hopelessness of my circumstances, and if I actually focused, I just might have won. Now with Alder's training and a renewed sense of hope, I know I can totally win this battle! In fact, I have to win this battle. The deadline is midnight tomorrow (well, technically the day after tomorrow), and before then, I must have all the badges if I'm gonna even set foot in Pokemon League territory, and I need Drayden to at least clue me in on how the heck to get Zekrom to wake up.
I enter the arena, where Iris is waiting. At the back of the room, next to the doors, she's on the floor, slumped against the wall. Cuddled in her arms is a blue snake-like Pokemon called Dratini, the least evolved form of the dragon/flying-type Pokemon, Dragonite, though the two Pokemon look nothing alike.
Iris looks up at me and flatly say, “Hello, Miss Smart-mouth...”
“Hello, Miss Iris the Virus...” I greet back, mimicking Iris's tone, “I'm here for round two against Mr. Mayor, so go fetch him for me. Chop-chop!”
I'm expecting Iris to get angry, but instead she seems melancholy, “You know, you're the first challenger who's come in the past three days, but why are you even bothering? We'll have to let all of our Pokemon go anyway, so why not just enjoy the time you have left?”
“What about the Hero of Ideals?” I ask, “Have you ever, I dunno, tried to have a little faith in m-- er, him? Y'know, counting on him to defeat N, so people won't be forced to release their Pokemon?”
“Who is this 'hero?'” asks Iris, “Where is he? Why hasn't he done anything yet? Look, Miss Smart-mouth, right now, challenging this Gym is pointless. You and your Pokemon have better things to do with the time you have left.”
I like Iris just about as much as she likes me, which is to say not a lot, but it's hard to see her depressed and defeated to the point where I'd rather she make some kinda snide remark toward me. I guess Drayden never told her about my role in Unova's current circumstances, and frankly, I want as few people as possible to know about it, but I need Iris to cooperate and get Drayden for me... and cheering her up would be a nice bonus, too.
I walk across the arena and lean against the wall near Iris, “This is something I've been wanting to keep a secret to as many people as possible, but the 'Hero of Ideals' is me.”
Without even glancing at me, Iris says, “You don't have to lie to me.”
“What would I gain from doing that?” I ask, “Look at this!” I pull the Zekrock out of my bag.
“... And that is...?”
“The Legendary Pokemon, Zekrom, is sealed inside this. I'm trying to figure out how to unseal him, so I can stand a fighting chance against N's Legendary Pokemon, Reshiram.”
Iris still looks skeptical, but she says, “I'm listening.”
“Drayden might know how I can free Zekrom from this thing, but he refuses to tell me anything until I can beat him, plus I won't be able to go to the Pokemon League without the Legend Badge anyway, so that's why I'm here to fight him. I'm not trying to make you believe me or anything, but I know you want to put your hope into something, so why not take a chance on me?”
Iris is silent for a few seconds before saying, “... Before your last battle, you and Mr. Drayden were talking about something... Something about that N guy... Was that it?”
“Yeah.”
Iris rises to her feet, “Okay, I'll get Mr. Drayden for you. Just promise me one thing, Miss Ria: I'm counting on you, so don't mess up and fight like a moron this time!”
“Heh. Don't worry; I won't...” I say with the best reassuring smile I can manage, “... Wait! Hold on! Did you just call me 'Miss Ria?'”
“Yeah...”
“I can't believe I'm saying this, but that just sounds weird coming from you...”
“Have it your way, Miss Smart-mouth. I'll call Mr. Drayden...” Iris pulls out a Xtransceiver and enters a frequency, “Mr. Dr-- I mean, daddy... Ria, that challenger from four days ago is back, and she wants a rematch.”
On the other end, Drayden responds, “Very well, I'll be right down. In the meantime, tell her that she'd better not waste my time.” The transmission ends.
“... Did you hear that?” Iris asks.
“Perfectly,” I say.
I return to the side of the arena I entered from and three minutes later, Drayden appears through the double doors.
“So, you're here for another battle?” says Drayden from across the arena, phrasing it more as a statement than a question.
“Totally,” I say, “And I'm not gonna be distracted like last time, so I hope you're ready to lose!”
“Hmph. I see you're not lacking in confidence,” says Drayden, “It makes me eager to see what kind of challenge you'll present this time. However, the rules for this match will be slightly different than last time...”
“Name 'em.”
“It will still be made up of separate battles, best two out of three wins, but this time, the matches will be doubles.”
“So, either four or all six of my Pokemon will be fighting this thing?” I say, “Fine by me; It's only right that as many of them as possible play a part in our final Gym battle.”
“Um...” Iris looks at Drayden, and then me, with a conflicted expression on her face, probably because she's so used to rooting for Drayden, but keeping her Pokemon is dependent on my victory.
“Very well then,” says Drayden, who then roars, “Let the battle begin!”
Since my training under Alder, I now have three Pokemon with me that are capable of ice-type attacks. I'd best use one for each round.
Drayden and I send out our Pokemon for round one.
“Dragonite! Salamence! Show no mercy!”
“Let's go! Braviary! Absol!”
A Dragonite and Salamence appear on Drayden's end, while Braviary and Absol appear on my end.
Drayden commands his Pokemon, “Salamence! Use Tailwind! Dragonite! Use Hyper Beam!”
Salamence's eyes glow sky-blue and wind begins swirling around it. At the same time, Dragonite hovers a few feet off the ground, opens its mouth and fires a white beam of normal-type energy at Braviary. The normal/flying-type makes a quick sideways maneuver, narrowly dodging the beam.
“Good going!” I say, “Now, get Dragonite while it's recharging!”
“Salamence! Dragon Claw!” At Drayden's counter-command, Salamence flies from one side of the arena to the other in mere seconds. With its claws radiating dragon-type energy, it makes a swift passing strike at Braviary, who is still off-balance from dodging Dragonite's attack. Salamence then makes a U-turn, and attempts to strike Absol from behind with another Dragon Claw, but the Disaster Pokemon sees it coming, and swiftly sidesteps.
However, just as Absol dodges, Dragonite fires a second Hyper Beam at the dark-type. Using the momentum from his previous dodge, Absol inelegantly rolls to the side, just barely avoiding the beam, but also ending up helpless on the floor. Salamence takes advantage of this and comes flying in his direction.
“Salamence! Dragon Pulse!” Drayden commands.
“Braviary! Use Tailwind and then intercept Salamence with Brave Bird!” I counter-command.
“Braaaav!” With wind feeding his wings and his body glowing with flying-type energy, Braviary flies toward Salamence, intending to flank it. A blast of dragon-type energy forms in Salamence's mouth just as Braviary closes in, but at the last second, Salamence turns its head and blasts Braviary at point-blank with its Dragon Pulse attack. It's not what Drayden commanded, but a Pokemon able to strategize on its own is a well-trained Pokemon, or so Alder told me.
“Braaaavi!” Braviary is sent hurdling through the air and crashing against one of the pillars. Fortunately, Braviary's counterattack gave Absol enough time to get back to his feet... or so that would be the case if not for a third Hyper Beam from Dragonite, which slams directly into the dark-type.
“Sooooool!” Absol sinks his claws into the floor, and struggles to maintain his ground against the beam. When the attack ends, Absol is still standing, but it definitely took quite a bit out of him.
It's at this moment that I notice what Drayden is playing at. He's having Dragonite stay out of the thick of things, and having it fire Hyper Beams from a distance. Meanwhile, Salamence slides in, counterattacking my Pokemon, giving Dragonite a chance to recharge. Basically, he's trying to lock us down. Time to do something about that...
“Braviary! Absol! Hang in there!” I shout.
“Brav...”
“Sol...” Braviary and Absol recover from the attacks they just received.
“Show no mercy, Salamence!” Drayden yells, “Take Braviary down with another Dragon Pulse!”
“Sala!” Salamence flies toward Braviary and prepares another blast of dragon-type energy.
“Absol! Cover Braviary with Ice Beam!”
“Absooool!” Absol fires a light-blue beam of ice-type energy at Salamence. It strikes the dragon/flying type from below and behind, connecting with its underbelly.
With the sudden and painful blow it takes, Salamence flinches and prematurely fires its Dragon Pulse, missing Braviary by inches. The Valiant Pokemon swoops under Salamence while the stunned dragon/flying-type crashes into the pillar.
“Good one, Absol!” I say, “Braviary! Use Tailwind and carry Absol!”
“Braaav!” Using Tailwind once again, Braviary swoops down toward Absol, who leaps up and lands on the normal/flying's back.
“Great!” I say, “Now, go after Dragonite!”
In response to my command, Braviary and Absol close in on Dragonite.
“Hyper Beam!” commands Drayden.
“Draaaaa!” Dragonite opens its mouth and normal-type energy starts to gather in it, but doesn't fire right away.
I can't say for sure what Drayden and Dragonite are planning, but it doesn't take much to assume Dragonite will wait until it has a clear close-range shot at Braviary and Absol, and then try to blast them both at once. Unfortunately, with Dragonite at the far end of the arena, there isn't much room for a sneak attack. It might be time to put one of the tricks Alder taught me to the test.
“Absol! Go in and use Night Slash!”
“Sol!” With his horn emitting a dark aura, Absol leaps from Braviary's back and toward Dragonite.
“Dragonite! Take down Absol with Hyper Beam now!” yells Drayden.
At the same time, I command, “Braviary! Boost Absol with Wing Attack!”
With an extra-powerful flap, Braviary catches up with the airborne Absol, and strikes him from behind with his wing. The force of the attack causes Absol to rocket forward, the sudden boost of speed throwing off Dragonite's timing, causing it to flinch.
“Dra?”
“Soool!” Absol tears into Dragonite's upper chest with his Night Slash attack. The dragon/flying-type reflexively fires its Hyper Beam as it falls backward, causing it to skim along the ceiling.
“Finish it, Absol!” I yell, “Ice Beam!”
Using his claws to cling to dragon/flying-type, Absol takes a couple steps up to Dragonite's face and fires his Ice Beam directly into it.
“Niiiite!” With light-blue flames erupting from its forehead, Dragonite plummets to the ground. Absol leaps off Dragonite's body and neatly lands, while the dragon/flying-type slams against the floor unconscious.
“Gr...” Drayden recalls Dragonite and then shouts out, “Salamence! Use Dragon Claw!”
While Braviary and Absol were busy with Dragonite, Salamence recovered. With its claws blazing with dark-blue energy, it attempts to slash Braviary from behind, but the Valiant Pokemon is not unprepared, and he pulls up just enough to avoid Salamence's attack, and then slams it from above with a Wing Attack, spiking it into the ground.
“Salamence!” Drayden yells.
“Mence...” Salamence weakly tries to recover.
“Now for the coup de grace!” I say, “Braviary! Finish Salamence with your new move! Return attack!”
“Braaaaaaav!” Braviary's body pulses with pink energy, which then turns white, and dives down at Salamence, almost looking like a shooting star, the resulting collision followed with a bright flash of light.
I recall what Alder told me about this technique: 'Ria, of all the Pokemon currently traveling with you, Braviary has been with you the longest. This technique, Return, will allow it to channel its love and respect for you, creating a powerful force of normal-type energy. By now, I imagine you two share a close bond, so its power should be immense.'
“Salaaaaaa!” Salamence lets out a pained roar, and then it collapses. It looks like that's all it can handle.
“Salamence! Return!” Drayden recalls Salamence.
“Awesome work, you guys! Take a good long rest! Return!” I dash halfway across the arena, recall Braviary and Absol, and then return to my original spot.
“Not bad...” says Drayden, “It seems when you focus, you can battle like a genius.”
“Keep them coming,” I say, “My Pokemon and I are just getting started here!”
“Oh, I will,” says Drayden, pulls another two Pokeballs from his belt, “And this next round won't be as easy as the one you just fought!”
“Bring it!” I say, drawing my next two Pokeballs from my belt.
“Iris! Open it!” Drayden says.
“Oh! Okay!” Iris runs to the back of the room and pulls a switch I didn't notice before. It looks like a fire alarm switch, but when Iris flips it, the room lightly vibrates, and a panel of tiles between the second pair of pillars from Drayden's end, about twelve tiles wide, sinks a few inches into the floor, then slides under, revealing a trench filled with water.
With the appearance of the pool, I'm immediately clued in on what kind of Pokemon one of Drayden's Pokemon is going to be: a water-borne Pokemon, so it's probably going to be a water-type, which is bad news, considering the two Pokemon I just chose for this next round: Magmortar and Marowak. However, having chosen them already, it's too late to change my mind. I guess we'll just have to work around it.
Drayden and I send out our Pokemon for round two, “Garchomp! Kingdra! Don't fail me!”
“Go! Magmortar! Marowak!”
As I send out the Bonekeeper and Blast Pokemon, Drayden tosses his two Pokeballs at different ranges. One of them, he tosses over the pool and the Pokemon that appears is a Garchomp. The other, he throws directly into the pool, and the Pokemon that appears, 'Kingdra,' is a blue seahorse-like Pokemon, almost six feet in height.
I'd never seen a Kingdra before, but I'd seen plenty of another Pokemon that looks a lot like it, called Seadra, and its preevolved form, Horsea, which are just water-types. However, if Drayden, a dragon-type specialist, is sending out what could possibly be Seadra's evolved form, I guess this means it gained a second type. I do some quick typing in my head, and determine that if Kingdra really is a water/dragon-type, it's weak to only one attack type: dragon-type, the single attack type no Pokemon on my team, sans Gallade (who learned the dragon-type technique, Dual Chop during Alder's training), has. Looks like there's no easy way to take this one down...
Drayden looks at Magmortar and Marowak for a second, and then his eyes narrow. I can't see the rest of his face, but I don't think it's a stretch to assume he's smirking behind that beard, “Heh. A fire-type and ground-type, eh? This makes things simple! We'll take those two down with a single attack!” He extends his arm authoritatively, “Garchomp! Stand down! Kingdra! Use Surf at full power!”
“Gar...” Sounding disappointed, Garchomp jumps backward over Kingdra and the pool, landing next to Drayden.
“Dra!” At the same time, Kingdra's eyes glow blue, and suddenly the water in the pool rises up as if it were a blob, the water/dragon-type riding on top of it, rising until its head practically touches the bottom of the ceiling's dragon fixture. There's a brief pause, and then the water slowly moves forward, taking on the form of a localized tsunami taking up the entire width of the arena and threatening to crash down on top of Magmortar and Marowak!
Despite how dire the situation looks, my mouth curves upward. It looks like it's time for the second trick I learned from Alder, “Magmortar! Prepare a double Fire Blast!”
“Mag!” Two intense blasts for fire form at the mouths of Magmortar's cannons, and he aims them up at Kingdra.
“Idiot!” Drayden taunts me from across the room, “It doesn't matter how many Fire Blasts your Magmortar performs! They're useless on Kingdra!”
“Who says I plan to use them on Kingdra... or even for offense?”
“What?”
I make an upward arm gesture, “Magmortar... Launch!”
“Mort!” Magmortar turns his cannons toward the floor and fires both blasts at the same time, the combined recoil of the two attacks propelling him high into the air, with him landing on top of the dragon fixture. Kingdra's Surf attack harmlessly passes below him, making the fixture's serpentine length across the arena below seem like a bridge.
“Hmph! Quite clever,” says Drayden, “But what about Marowak? Below the tiles, the ground is made up entirely of concrete! It won't be able to use Dig in time to avoid Surf!”
Well, Drayden is right. While I came up with a solution for Magmortar fairly quickly, I haven't really thought things through for Marowak.
“Water Gun!” Drayden commands Kingdra.
Kingdra fires a volley of water spurts from its snorkel down at Marowak, who practically dances to dodge them.
I mentally cycle through the new attacks Marowak learned from Alder, and come up with a suicidal, but potentially effective tactic. “Marowak! Charge in there and use Thunder Punch!”
“Maroooo!” Marowak charges head-on toward Kingdra's wave. Halfway, his club starts crackling with electricity. Without hesitation, the Bonekeeper leaps into the wave, and the electric power from his Thunder Punch attack surges through the water, shocking Kingdra, while leaving himself, a ground-type, unaffected (at least by the electricity, but not the water.)
“Draaaa!”
“Wak...” Marowak emerges from the other side of the wave. Steam is rising from his entire body, but he's still standing... barely.
Time for trick number three! “Marowak! Use Bonemerang! Magmortar! Use Thunderbolt!”
Marowak tosses his club toward the back of the wave. Partway, Magmortar fires a Thunderbolt attack from his cannon at nothing in particular, and the ground-type's Lightning Rod ability causes it to arc into the the club, electrifying it again. It passes through the water, giving Kingdra a second jolt, and then when it emerges, it pulls up and makes its return trip, this time striking Kingdra directly, knocking it off the top of the wave, just as it comes crashing down.
“Draaa!”
The wave hits the ground just a few feet shy of my position, resulting in a massive splash that completely drenches me. At the same time, around the arena's halfway point, Kingdra slams against the floor, unconscious.
With a disgruntled growl, Drayden roars, “Garchomp! Dragon Rush!”
“Gaaaaaaar!” Garchomp, who I'd practically forgotten about up 'til now, envelopes itself with dragon-type energy and charges at the weary Marowak at an incredible speed. It slams into the ground-type before he can even turn to face his new opponent. The Bonekeeper is sent flying several feet across the arena and then tumbling along the floor, his unconscious body stopping at my feet.
“Good job, Marowak! Return!” I recall Marowak. At the same time, Drayden runs up to Kingdra and recalls the water/dragon-type.
From the dragon fixture, Magmortar aims his cannon down at Garchomp.
Drayden commands, pointing up at Magmortar, “Garchomp! Take Magmortar down with Dragon Rush! Fear not! It's capable of no attack you're weak against!”
“Wanna bet?” I ask.
“What?”
“Gar!” Garchomp bends its knees, preparing to launch itself up at the Blast Pokemon.
At the same time, I shout, “Magmortar! Hidden Power! Now!”
Garchomp leaps toward up at Magmortar, its body aglow with dragon-type energy. When it's halfway to its target, Magmortar fires an energy bullet from his cannon, which flashes a rainbow of colors. Back in training, Alder told me that many Pokemon have an affinity for a certain type, despite their own, which can be brought out with the Hidden Power attack. After some trial and error, I figured out Magmortar's.
The bullet connects with Garchomp's face, and light-blue flames erupt from it, “Gaaaaaaaaar!”
Drayden gasps in alarm, “Your Magmortar's Hidden Power... It's...”
“Ice-type,” I say.
With its momentum greatly reduced and the energy of its Dragon Rush dispelled by Magmortar's Hidden Power attack, Garchomp reaches the height of its jump, just short of the Blast Pokemon, and clings to the edge of the ceiling fixture with its claws. Almost at point-blank range, Magmortar fires a Focus Blast, which scores a direct hit, sending Garchomp rocketing down to and slamming into the floor, resulting in a small crater.
“Gar...” The dragon/ground-type tries to recover, but collapses.
“Garchomp! Return!” Drayden recalls Garchomp.
Magmortar jumps down from the fixture and lands in front of me, a triumphant expression on his face, “Mag mag!”
“Awesome job,” I say holding out the fire-type's Pokeball, “Return!”
Well, that was best two of three, which means...
The water from Kingdra's Surf attack seeps into a pair of drains at the far right and left sides of the room. At the back of the room, pulling the switch to close the now-empty pool, Iris cheers, “Yay! Miss Smart-mouth won!”
“Iris...!” Drayden glares back at his adopted daughter.
“Eep!” Iris covers her mouth with both hands.
“Ahem! At any rate, you did win,” Drayden says, as he clears his throat and walks toward me with a hand in his pocket, “Despite my initial impressions, you are truly a powerful trainer, and one of the few brave enough to choose me as your final opponent for the Gym Badges. You have my respect, challenger. As such, it is only right that I present you with the Lege--”
“Hold on,” I interrupt, my open palm extended.
Drayden stops in mid-stride, “What is it?”
“I heard that you caught a lesser Legendary Pokemon, is that right? If so, I'd guess you were saving it for a tiebreaker, if it came to that.”
“You assume correctly, but the fact remains--”
“I want to see it,” I say, “I have a big battle coming up, and I wanna test my Pokemon's power against it.”
Drayden considers this for a few seconds, and then says, “Very well. Despite the fact that you won two rounds, we'll have the third as well. However, this is purely an exhibition match, and win or lose, the Legend Badge is yours.”
“Fine by me,” I say, “Let's do this!”
Drayden returns to his end of the arena and pulls two Pokeballs from his belt... or to be exact, a red and white standard Pokeball and a purple and white Master Ball, the most advanced type of Pokeball, designed to capture Pokemon too strong for any other. They're hard to come buy and very expensive.
With my anticipation building, I pull Gallade and Cinccino's Pokeballs from my belt. This is the way it should be: All six of my Pokemon participate in the battle for my final badge (even though I technically already won it, but I'm still gonna treat this battle as if it's on the line)!
Drayden and I send out our Pokemon, “Go! Gallade! Cinccino!”
“Crush them! Haxorus! Latios!”
Gallade and Cinccino appear on my end. On Drayden's side, one of the Pokemon that appears is a Haxorus, like the one Iris lent Bianca for our raid on Team Plasma's hideout in Castelia City. The other is a blue Pokemon, six and a half feet long hovering above the ground, with a sleek build, long neck, a couple of straight, stiff wings, a red triangular pattern on its white belly, and while it has a couple short arms, it has no legs.
Gesturing at the unknown Pokemon he sent out, Drayden says, “Meet Latios, the Eon Pokemon! An exclusively male psychic/dragon-type celebrated in legends throughout the world!”
“Latiiii!” Latios howls.
I've heard of a Pokemon called Latios, but know little else about it, besides what Professor Juniper told me about lesser Legendary Pokemon. Even though I'm the one who asked for this battle, I still feel nervous about fighting something that holds the title of 'Legendary Pokemon.' I have to remind myself that even though lesser Legendaries are powerful, they aren't godlike like Reshiram, and are surmountable by any old Pokemon, provided they're well-trained enough. Yes, nothing to worry about! This is the best way to gauge just how powerful Gallade and Cinccino have become!
“Gallade... Cinccino...” I say.
“Gall?”
“Cin?” Gallade and Cinccino glance back at me questioningly.
“This could be your toughest battle yet. Are you ready?”
With a confident expression on both of their faces, the Blade and Scarf Pokemon nod, and then turn their attention back to Latios and Haxorus.
“Kick her butt!” Iris cries out.
“Hey! I thought you were on my side!” I yell.
Iris smiles with mock innocence, “I was, but you already won the Legend Badge, so there's no reason for me to cheer you on anymore.”
“Dang...” I mumble, taking off my hat and running a hand through my hair, “... Just when I thought I made a new friend...”
“Let's see how your Pokemon can handle Latios's attacks!” says Drayden, “Latios! Perform a double Dragon Pulse!”
“Tiiii!” Cutting through the air like a jet, Latios darts across the arena and fires two blasts of dragon-type energy at Gallade and Cinccino in quick succession. The latter quickly dodges to the side, while the former counters with one of his new attacks, called Ice Punch (well, more like 'Ice Slash' in Gallade's case, but Ice Punch is the official name that Pokemon appear to understand); Gallade extends his blades, which start to glow with light-blue light, and then he slices through Latios's attack, dispelling it.
As Latios performs a quick U-turn and flies back to Drayden's side of the arena, the Gym Leader lets out a brief chuckle, “Hmhm. Not half-bad. It looks like your Pokemon just might stand a chance against Latios... Not that's it's going to be easy.”
“Good going, you guys,” I say to Gallade and Cinccino.
“Now, let's begin this battle for real!” Drayden extends his arm commandingly, “Latios! Haxorus! Charge!”
Latios and Haxorus advance on Gallade and Cinccino. Even though Latios is easily the swifter of the two, Haxorus proves to be surprisingly agile as well. Even if Haxorus isn't a Legendary Pokemon, the fact that Drayden had been holding onto this one for a possible tiebreaker tells me it's probably one of his more powerful Pokemon, and therefore shouldn't be taken lightly. In fact, for all I know, Haxy-axy could be stronger than Latios.
“Gallade! Attack Haxorus with Shadow Sneak! Cinccino! Attack Latios with Tail Slap!”
In response to my commands, Gallade vanishes with a blur, while Cinccino dashes in Latios's direction. Gallade reappears behind Haxorus. However, the Axe Jaw Pokemon seems to have sensed the Blade Pokemon's movements, and whirls around to face its opponent. Meanwhile, Cinccino performs a quick forward front-flip, slamming the ground with his tail, and launching himself up at Latios.
“Haxorus! Dual Chop! Latios! Dragon Pulse!” Drayden commands.
Haxorus swings its axe-shaped head at Gallade, who swiftly retreats out of range, while Latios fires a blast of dragon energy at fast-approaching Cinccino.
With his tail glowing with steel-type energy, Cinccino performs an aerial spin, and deflects Latios's Dragon Pulse, but that technique leaves the Scarf Pokemon unable to perform any follow-up moves to attack the Eon Pokemon directly. Instead, Cinccino lands on top of Latios, and then before the psychic/dragon-type can shake him off, he gains the higher ground by leaping up to the fixture. Of course, with Latios being the one able to fly, it doesn't take much for him to regain his height advantage, but he now has less room to maneuver, due to less airspace from which to attack Cinccino and the cables holding up the fixture.
“Latios! Fall back and use Psychic attack!”
“Cinccino! Use Rock Blast!”
In response to Drayden's command, Latios flies to the far left side of the arena. Cinccino opens his mouth and fires a volley of gray rock-type energy shots at the retreating Eon Pokemon, but he performs a swift sideways maneuver, avoiding the attack. I can immediately tell it's gonna be tough to score a hit on the lesser Legendary from a distance.
With his back to one of the far walls, a ball of psychic-type energy forms in front of Latios, and he fires it at the Scarf Pokemon. However, the range the psychic/dragon-type attacks from proves to be to Cinccino's advantage as well, as the normal-type dodges Latios's Psychic attack as easily as if it were shot from a mile.
Cinccino tries to counter with another Rock Blast attack, firing a second volley of rock energy blasts at Latios, but the Eon Pokemon again flies to the side, dodging it just as easily as the first.
With Cinccino and Latios currently locked in a stalemate, I turn my attention back to Gallade's front. While Drayden and I were focused on the duel up above, on the ground, the Blade Pokemon and Haxorus had been acting on their own, exchanging attacks. Gallade is well-trained enough to know, without my guidance, that his Ice Punch is effective against dragon-types. However, Haxy appears to know how to counter ice-type attacks, so each time Gallade tries to slash it with Ice Punch, the Axe Jaw Pokemon's tusks glow with reddish-brown light and, presumably using Brick Break, its swings its head to counter it, dispelling the effect.
Gallade is about to attempt another Ice Punch when I intervene, “Gallade! Retreat and use Psycho Cut!”
As Haxorus swings its head at the Blade Pokemon for another Brick Break attack, Gallade leaps backward, outside the dragon-type's range, and slashes at the air, creating a psychic blade. The Psycho Cut attack strikes Haxorus's flank, stunning it.
“Great! Now quickly take it down with Ice Punch!”
“Gallaaaade!” Gallade's blades once again shine with light-blue energy, and he dashes toward the Axe Jaw Pokemon as fast as his legs can propel him.
“Haxorus! Dragon Tail!”
As Gallade closes in on Haxorus, the dragon-type's tail glows dark-blue, and it sweeps around its body, striking the psychic/fighting's type's leg. The blow stuns Gallade just long enough for it to recover, and then it whirls around, delivering a second attack with its tail, this time striking the Blade Pokemon hard in the torso. The force of the attack sends him flying across the arena and slamming into one of the granite pillars, the impact creating a small crack. He slumps to one knee, using one of his elbow blades for support.
“Hang in there, Gallade,” I say, “It'll take more than a puny little shot like that to take you down!”
“Gall... ade...” The Blade Pokemon gets back to his feet, ready to go another round with Haxorus.
Drayden shifts his gaze back up, and I do the same, refocusing on the duel between Legendary Pokemon and former housekeeping Pokemon, and the two are still dead even. Latios has been hanging back firing a mix of Psychic attacks and Dragon Pulses Cinccino's way. The Scarf Pokemon responds by using his superior speed and reflexes to dodge the former, while performing Iron Tail to reflect the latter, just like he did when Bianca's Flygon tried using Draco Meteor on him. However, even though there's less horizontal distance between him and his opponent in this battle than there was vertical distance when he fought Flygon, Latios is proving to be much quicker, dodging every shot Cinccino sends back at him and neither side gaining a distinct advantage.
Noticing the situation, Drayden commands, “Latios! Use Fury Cutter and sever three of the cables!”
“Lat!” Latios's claws glow light-green, and he flies back toward Cinccino, circling around to the far side of the dragon fixture.
“Rock Blast!” I yell.
“Cin!” Cinccino retreats to the near side of the fixture, opens his mouth and fires another volley of rock-type energy blasts. Latios takes evasive action, flying in a zigzag, weaving between the cables holding up the fixture, slashing wildly. A few of Cinccino's shots either graze of strike Latios's face head-on, though it's not nearly enough to take the Eon Pokemon down. Before reaching Cinccino, the psychic/dragon-type performs a U-turn, retreating from the normal-type.
There are six cables holding up the fixture: two on the far end, two at the midpoint, and two at the near end. When Latios flew by, he cut both at the far end and one at the midpoint, causing it to hang lopsidedly.
“Ci-i-in!” Cinccino struggles to regain his balance after the platform shifted.
“Heh.” With a small chuckle, Drayden commands, “Latios! Dragon Pulse!”
“Laaaa!” Latios whirls around, opens his mouth and fires a dark-blue blast at Cinccino, who is unable to dodge or block, and he takes the full force of the attack.
“Ci... in...” After the attack's residue clears, Cinccino is down on his hands and knees, struggling to recover. A few second later, he collapses, and starts rolling down the slope.
I guess that's it for Cinccino. Since he's too high up for me to recall right away. I hold out his Pokeball and wait for him to fall off the platform.
Just after Cinccino rolls off, however, the tip of his tail hooks to the edge of the fixture, and he starts swinging under it.
Realizing Cinccino was just playing possum to catch Latios off-guard, I shout out, “Cinccino! Use Rock Blast!”
Cinccino emerges on the other side of the platform and before Latios can react, the Scarf Pokemon opens his mouth and fires another barrage of rock-type energy shots at close range. This time, every shot hits home.
“Laaat!” Latios staggers back, stunned.
“Great! Now use Return attack!”
Like Braviary did before, Cinccino's tail glows electric pink, then bright white. Seeing as I knew Cinccino, then Minccino, longer than I knew Braviary, his Return technique should be even more potent.
Cinccino leaps up and performs a midair backflip, trying to slam Latios from below with his tail. However, the Eon Pokemon recovers surprisingly fast, and leans back, narrowly avoiding the attack, and then retreats several feet so that he's out of the normal-type's melee attack range.
Cinccino lands, but since the fixture no longer has an even surface, he momentarily struggles to regain his footing. Latios fires a Dragon Pulse, but Cinccino recovers just in time to just barely dodge the blast, and then counters with a Rock Blast attack. The Eon Pokemon retreats further, taking only a few indirect hits.
“Latios! Use Dragon Pulse,” commands Drayden, “Without even ground, Cinccino can't dodge forever!”
Crap. Drayden is right. With the fixture now hanging at a lopsided angle, it will be much harder for Cinccino to maintain his footwork.
I glance down to check on Gallade's situation. Both he and Haxorus have cuts and bruises from their unaided scuffle. Gallade has switched tactics and is now trying to keep his distance from Haxorus, and has switched to Psycho Cut as his primary offense. While it's keeping him safe for the time being, the psychic blades aren't having much effect on Haxorus's armored hide. At least Gallade is in a decent enough situation so that I don't have to worry about him so much while I focus on Cinccino's front.
Meanwhile, Latios has backed away to a pillar, and like before, he's playing it safe by attacking from a distance. The Eon Pokemon fires a shot of dragon-type energy at Cinccino, which he deflects with Iron Tail, but the movement required to do so throws him off-balance for a couple seconds, which Latios takes advantage of by firing another shot which Cinccino narrowly dodges.
Dang! It's only a matter of time until one of Latios's Dragon Pulses connects, and there's no way Cinccino can endure a second hit!
I look at the distance between Cinccino and Latios. Even with a catapult jump from the platform, Cinccino will only make it a little more than halfway across. If only he could jump a second time in midair.
As I think that, Cinccino just barely deflects another Dragon Pulse with Iron Tail, and an idea hits me like a jolt of electricity. It could be a risky move and it might not work, but at this point, a little experimentation might not hurt.
“Cinccino!” I yell.
“Cin?” Cinccino glances down at me through the corners of his eyes.
“Jump across with Iron Tail!” I punctuate my words by drawing a lower-case 'm' in the air with my index finger.
“Cino!” Cinccino nods, appearing to understand my message.
I check on Gallade's situation. Haxorus leaps into the air and performs Dragon Tail, bringing its tail down like an axe, trying to strike Gallade from above. Just before the attack would connect, however, Gallade uses Shadow Sneak, vanishing and then reappearing behind the dragon-type, charging in to blindside his opponent.
“Haxorus! Use Outrage!” Drayden orders, “Take Gallade down!”
Just as Gallade is about to slash Haxorus from behind, the Axe Jaw Pokemon's body explodes with dragon-type energy so intense, it sends Gallade flying back several feet. Haxorus, now practically a dark-blue silhouette runs after Gallade and is on him before the Blade Pokemon can fully recover.
“Gallade! Use Ice Punch!”
Gallade steps in and rears back to slash Haxorus with ice-type energy and hopefully dispel its dragon-type energy, but with enhanced agility, Haxorus sweeps the psychic/fighting-type feet out from under him with his tail, and then using the momentum from that attack, swings its axe-like head directly into the Blade Pokemon, sending Gallade tumbling halfway across the arena.
“Damn!” I grumble, looking back up to check on Cinccino.
Dragon-type energy gathers in Latios's mouth as he prepares to fire off another Pulse while Cinccino stands at the edge of his platform, preparing to make his do-or-die move.
Latios fires his attack while Cinccino performs a small midair somersault, and launches himself off the fixture with his tail. As he and Latios's shot are about to pass in midair, Cinccino breaks into a rapid front-flip, and swings his steel energy-charged tail down hard on top of the dragon-type blast. As I was hoping, the force further propels the Scarf Pokemon through the air and he closes in on Latios.
“Great, Cinccino!” I shout out, “Now use Return att--”
BOOM!
I'm cut off by a dark-blue burst of energy from the floor level, and I instantly figure out what happened. When Cinncino struck the Dragon Pulse, he deflected the shot downward, angling it in such a way that it hit Haxorus from above! The blast mixed with the dragon energy enveloping Haxorus's body, and since dragon-type attacks are both strong and weak against each other, the result was an explosion, with the Axe Jaw Pokemon right in the middle of it!
“Haaaaaax!” Haxorus cries out, its Outrage attack dispelled and itself severely weakened.
“Here's our chance, Gallade!” I say, “Ice Punch! Full power! Take Haxorus down with a single blow!”
Gallade gets back to his feet and his blades once again glow with ice-type energy, now more intense than before. He charges at Haxorus and delivers a fierce slash, striking the dragon-type across the chest. With a sharp cry, Haxorus staggers back and then crashes to the ground. There's no way it's gonna get up after that!
I check above and see something unexpected. It seems Latios managed to get out of Cinccino's path by flying off to the right, but Cinccino, who somehow managed to defy gravity and turned ninety degrees in midair, is hot on the dragon/psychic-type's tail! I glance at where I saw Cinccino before, and see his waypoint: one of the pillars. It was behind Latios before, and Cinccino must have kicked off its side.
Once again, Cinccino's tail glows pink, then white. He breaks into a twirl, winding up to strike Latios with as much force as possible.
“Lat?” Latios glances back, only to get slammed hard across the face by Cinccino's Return attack. “Tiooooooooos!” Latios is sent spinning through the air, out of control. He clips a pillar, slams against the wall, and falls hard to the floor.
“No way!” Iris shouts in astonishment.
“Unbelievable...” mutters Drayden as he recalls Haxorus, “It seems your Cinccino is quite the acrobat!”
“Cin... cino...” Cinccino lands back on solid ground. He and Gallade waddle up to me, both of them exhausted.
“Ha! Awesome as usual, you guys!” I say. Convinced the battle is over, I grab Gallade and Cinccino's Pokeballs from my belt and am about to recall them when I hear a strained voice cry out.
“Lat... ios...”
“No freaking way!” I look and see that Latios is back in the air again. Worse, he looks good to go one more round.
“Gall...”
“Cino...”
Gallade and Cinccino, on the other hand, look somewhat worse for wear, both of them having taken attacks that took a lot out of them.
“Do you guys think you can keep battling?” I ask, “There's just one opponent now.”
Gallade checks his remaining strength by channeling fighting-type energy through his blades for a few seconds, and then he nods, letting me know he has just enough energy to keep fighting. Likewise, Cinccino's tail glows white with normal-type energy, but unlike Gallade, he staggers around dizzily, having exerted himself past his limits.
I hold out Cinccino's Pokeball, “Thank you, Cinccino. You did great.”
Cinccino nods weakly, “Cin...”
“Return!” I recall Cinccino.
Gallade takes a few steps toward Latios, awaiting my next command. Even though Gallade can keep fighting, he's just barely hanging on, and each move he performs will put more and more pressure on him. I'd better not waste them. Fortunately, Latios is in the same boat. This battle will likely be determined within the next couple of attacks.
Drayden, seeming to have reached the same conclusion, says, “Latios! Let's end this with a single attack! Draco Meteor! Full power!”
It's all I can do to maintain my poker face. I know that Draco Meteor is a very strong attack, but it also takes a lot out of the user. This could be the break Gallade and I need.
Latios takes to the air, and I notice he isn't flying nearly as fast as he was before. If Gallade could reflect the meteors with a steel-type attack, I doubt Latios would have an easy time of dodging them as he did before... that is if Gallade knew any steel-type attacks (steel and water are the only two attack types of the seventeen that Gallade is incapable of after Alder's training.)
Latios stops high above Gallade, diagonally looking down at him, hovers, and an immense amount of dragon-type energy starts building up in his mouth. Gallade's blades glow light-blue and he stands in anticipation of the upcoming attack. No doubt Gallade is gonna use Ice Punch to dispel any meteors that come his way, but I doubt that's gonna work. Latios is clearly putting more power than normal into this Draco Meteor attack, and they'll probably come down too constantly and powerfully for him to defend against all of them, and I imagine just one is enough to KO Gallade in his current state.
“Gallade!” I shout out.
“Llade?” Gallade glances toward me.
I slowly mouth a three-syllable command and hope Gallade can read lips. If Drayden or Latios knows what technique I have in mind, things might go awry.
“... Gall,” The Blade Pokemon nods, seeming to get my message.
At that moment, Latios fires a massive blast of dragon-type energy, growing to roughly four times his size. It splits into countless smaller blasts, and a torrent of meteors rains down on Gallade's location. Each meteor creates a sizable explosion upon impact, and I shield myself as the air fills with concrete dust and dragon energy residue. Even if Gallade had successfully defended against a direct hit from the meteors with Ice Punch, the explosions would have gotten him for sure!
When the air clears, almost one whole quarter of the arena is completely demolished, with nothing but small craters where there used to be tiles... but there's no unconscious Gallade laying in the middle of it.
“Lati?” Latios turns his head right and left as he scans the arena as for where Gallade went. He now looks even worse for wear than Gallade did. He clearly put a ton of his remaining energy into that attack.
Drayden also scans the arena, “How did it...?”
“Did you forget about Shadow Sneak?” I ask.
“Gr...”
I find Gallade pretty quickly. He's behind Latios, clinging to the nearest pillar with one blade sunk into the granite, holding him up, and the other glowing with ghost-type energy.
Iris, who is watching the battle from the far left corner of the arena, cries out, “Hey! Latios! He's behind you!”
“Lat?” Latios glances back, but it's too late. Gallade launches himself from the side of the pillar and straight at the Eon Pokemon.
“Follow your attack up with Night Slash!” I yell.
“Gallade!” Gallade reaches Latios and delivers a horizontal ghost-type slash, then his other blade pulses with black energy and performs a vertical dark-type slash.
“Laaaaaaa!” With steam pouring out of the two cuts Gallade inflicted, Latios goes spiraling to the ground, looking kinda like a jet that's been shot down. Drayden recalls the psychic/dragon-type before he even hits the floor.
At the same time, Gallade lands, only to slump to one knee. I rush over and say, “Way to go, Gallade! You beat a Legendary Pokemon!”
“Ga...” Gallade manages a tired grin in response.
“I'm so proud of you! You deserve a good rest. Return!” I recall the Blade Pokemon.
Drayden is silent for several seconds before saying, “Impressively fought, Ria. Unova could certainly have a worse hope. However, don't get cocky just because you defeated Latios. He fought Reshiram when N challenged my Gym and it wasn't even a contest.”
“I figured,” I say, “Latios is a lesser Legendary Pokemon and Reshiram is a greater. Speaking of greater Legendary Pokemon, by the way, I won, so will you tell me how I can awaken Zekrom?”
“Of course,” says Drayden, “but first...” Drayden walks across the arena and holds out a Legend Badge to me, “Now will you accept this?”
“Totally!” I answer. I swipe the Gym Badge out of his hand and pin it to my vest, along with the seven others. Trio... Basic... Insect... Bolt... Quake... Jet... Freeze... Legend... Eight Gym Badges... Elite Rank! It's hard to believe this is real...
Iris walks up next to Drayden, “Well, Miss Smart-mouth. I hate saying this, but you did good. Only you and N have ever beaten Latios.”
Drayden glances down at Iris, “Actually, Ria and N are the only two trainers I fought since capturing Latios.”
Iris blushes, “Well, um... You did good anyway.”
“I hope you were paying close attention to how Ria fought,” Drayden tells Iris, “If you'd pay more attention to my challengers, rather than me, and become more disciplined, you might have what it takes to become something more than just a mere Gym Leader someday.”
“B... but... When you retire...”
Drayden waves a hand dismissively, “Pah. The only thing I consider 'retirement' is resigning as mayor. I'm always going to be a Gym Leader, even if I don't have you to fight the weaker challengers for me.”
“... This is really touching and all,” I intervene, “But what about Zekrom?”
“Of course,” says Drayden. He turns back toward his side of the arena and gestures for me to follow him, “We'll talk about it in my office.”
I follow Drayden and Iris across the arena and through the double doors, which leads to a short stretch of corridor with an elevator at the end. We ride it from the lowest level, B1, up all the way to the top floor, F6, and the doors open to a room filled with natural light, due to the glass wall in its back. Looking out it, there's a view of Opelucid City's modernized district and a grassy park stretched out between the city's two halves. The side walls are lined with pictures of a boy with various dragon-type and dragon-like Pokemon, probably Drayden when he was younger. The floor is completely covered with a bright red carpet and at the center there is a large mahogany desk. On the desk, there is a white machine, about the size of an old thousand-page dictionary, on top of which, there are six round indentations. I recognize it as a Pokemon healing machine, like the kind used at Pokemon Centers, although this one is a much older model. Besides that, there is the usual office stuff throughout the room, like filing cabinets, guest chairs, and a water dispenser with the cone-shaped cups.
“Magnificent, isn't it?” asks Drayden, gesturing toward the glass wall and the cityscape beyond it, “Opelucid is the oldest city in Unova, but lately it's been overlooked in favor of newer places like Castelia and Driftveil. My primary goal as mayor has been to return this city to its former glory.” He detaches the six Pokeballs from his belt and places them in each of the indentations of the Pokemon healing machine, and then presses a button on the back, causing the six centers of the capsules to glow brightly, “You can use this after me.”
“Sure,” I say.
“Have a seat,” says Drayden as he gestures to a nearby chair. He sits down at his desk, interlocking his fingers in front of him. Iris sits in a chair on the side of the room opposite to me.
Sitting down, I ask, “So... How do I get Zekrom to wake up?”
“Here's my simple answer,” says Drayden, “I don't know.”
“What?” I half-yell, “Are you kidding? I busted my butt for the past four days, just so--”
“Calm down,” Drayden interrupts, “All I'm saying is that I have no straight answer; just speculation. I've never had to summon a Pokemon fourth from a rock before.”
“Well then, speculate away.”
“I suppose a good place to start would be the origins of Reshiram and Zekrom. An eon or two ago, when much of the world was shrouded in mystery, the ancient Unovians became divided on the true nature of the universe. One side stood by truth; the belief that Arceus had a specific path in mind for mankind, and that it's our duty to find and follow it. The other side stood by ideals; the belief that mankind should follow its own path and make its place.
In time, disagreements arose between the two sides and chaos broke out. An ancient and powerful Pokemon took an fascination in these conflicts of beliefs and a distaste for the pointless fighting between humans and split into two dragons...”
“Reshiram and Zekrom?” I guess.
“Correct. Reshiram sided with those that stood for truth and Zekrom with those for ideals and they both chose a champion, or trainer, among them, who in time came to be known as the Hero of Truth and the Hero of Ideals. The battles between humans ended and their differences started to be fought out in Pokemon battles between Reshiram and Zekrom.
The very basis for today's Pokemon battles comes from ancient contests such as this. It goes without saying that Pokeballs and Pokemon Centers didn't exist back then to restore the two Pokemon's power between conflicts, but their powers were vast... or rather, vast but ultimately finite. Each confrontation drained their powers more and more. Finally, after one last fierce clash between the two, their powers had run out entirely, and they went into a deep sleep, turning into stones.
At that point, Reshiram and Zekrom were widely beloved by the people, and they were saddened by this. Realizing what their disagreements had cost them, the conflicts between truth and ideals ended.”
I wait a few seconds to make sure Drayden has finished the story, and then say, “Um, that's a really interesting story and all, but that still doesn't answer my question. Like, what were Reshiram and Zekrom looking for in those Heroes of Truth and Ideals guys?”
“It's clear they were both looking for masters who were steadfast to their principles,” says Drayden, “Someone who believed in their respective paths with all their heart.”
“N claims to be on the side of truth, and Reshiram awoke for him as soon as he found the Light Stone.”
“And what about you, Ria?”
“Well, I know I don't agree with N's 'truth' to separate all Pokemon from their trainers. Even if that's what Arceus wants, I sure as heck don't. I know for sure that both humans and Pokemon are better off together than apart; That humans gain protection while Pokemon gain power through this relationship, and we have formed a strong bond through this. No matter what anyone says, this is what I believe in; what my 'ideal' is.”
“Did you think up that that cute speech last night?” Iris jests.
“Shut up, Iris.”
“That's enough, you two,” says Drayden, “If you truly mean what you said, Ria, I would imagine you are someone Zekrom might consider awakening for.”
“But he's still sleeping like the rock he currently is...”
“Legendary Pokemon are individuals, just like any other living thing,” says Drayden, “As such, they have their own standards for what human they are willing to follow. However, seeing as you are now an eight-badge trainer, undeniably experienced in dealing with Pokemon, surely you know the one thing Pokemon are observed to believe in and respect above all else; The thing Zekrom might be looking for besides strong ideals?”
I nod, “Yeah. Strength, right?”
“That is correct.”
“In that case, you're totally right about Legendary Pokemon having different standards. N only had seven badges when Reshiram woke up for him. I guess I now know which of the two has stricter requirements.”
“There's more to strength than having several badges,” says Drayden, “Strength also means courage, spirit, faith... The word has a far broader meaning than you seem to know. Only Zekrom knows the kind of strength you need to be worthy of him.”
“Great...”
Ping... ping... ping-ping... ping~
Drayden's archaic Pokemon healing machine lets out a scratchy and delayed jingle, indicating that his Pokemon are back at 100%.
The Mayor-slash-Gym Leader starts reattaching the Pokeballs to his belt one-by-one, but before he is about grab the pink-centered Master Ball containing Latios, something weird happens. It start shaking and rocking; it's like when a wild Pokemon is resisting capture, but that doesn't make any sense, since Latios is already caught.
“It looks like it's time,” says Drayden.
“Aww!” exclaims Iris, clearly disappointed.
“Huh? What's going on?” I ask.
The Master Ball shakes a little more. Finally, there's a flash, breaking the capsule in two, and Latios appears, hovering above Drayden's desk.
“Are you moving on?” Drayden asks Latios.
Latios nods, “Lat.”
“I see. Iris, could you lead Latios outside?”
Iris rises from her chair, “Okay. Follow me, Latios.”
Iris walks to the elevator, followed by Latios. When the double-doors slide shut, I ask, “What just happened? Captured Pokemon never break out of their own Pokeball.”
“That's normally true,” says Drayden, “But it's different in the case of Legendary Pokemon. You see, unlike most Pokemon, their companionship with a trainer is only temporary. They appear before certain trainers, giving them a chance to capture them, in the case of a lesser Legendary, or simply allowing themselves be captured, in the case of a greater Legendary. They follow that trainer, and then after a time, they release themselves. That's just the way it works. I had a feeling my time with Latios was at an end after I battled you.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask as I put my six Pokeballs into the healing machine's indentations.
“Whenever a Legendary Pokemon appears before a trainer, a challenging battle, even for them, occurs soon after. At first, this was believed to be a coincidence, but it happened every time a trainer caught a Legendary Pokemon, with no exceptions.
In one such reported incident, the greater Legendary Pokemon, Ho-oh, appeared before a trainer and allowed itself to be captured. Close to a week later, they encountered Mewtwo, a wandering Pokemon genetically enhanced from one of the lesser Legendary Pokemon, Mew, to have powers equal to that of a greater. After that battle, and Ho-oh was healed, it left the trainer and moved on.”
“Really?” I say, very interested in what I'm hearing. I knew trainers caught Legendary Pokemon from time to time, but I never understood why very few of them became Champions, despite having the potential to do so, if N proved anything about how powerful they are when he beat Alder.
“It's unknown how Legendary Pokemon foresee this, but they somehow do. At first, I thought N was that opponent, but when Latios didn't leave me after that battle, I knew there was someone else. I had my doubts after the first time we fought, but during the battle we just had, I knew.”
“Wait! Hold on!” I say with renewed optimism, “If what you're saying is true, then Zekrom has to wake up! It would mean he'd fight Reshiram, so there's a potentially challenging battle for him right there!”
Drayden shakes his head, “I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, Reshiram and Zekrom would not be the first Legendary Pokemon to be awakened from an eons-long slumber. Others came before them, and when they first awakened, it was to fulfill a specific purpose. In this case, obviously, it's to continue and possibly conclude their clash of beliefs, albeit regarding a different subject than thousands of years before. After that mission is concluded, they move on and wander the world, looking for challenging battles and strong opponents.”
“Dang...” I murmur.
“Tell me, Ria. If you knew for a fact that Zekrom would never awaken, what would you do in that scenario?”
“Fight N anyway, even though it's probably futile,” I say, “At the very least, with all there is at stake, it's better than not battling him.”
“Good answer. That's what I wanted to hear,” says Drayden, “Your valor is admirable. If Zekrom can't respect that, I cannot fathom his requirements.”
Huh. 'Valor,' I think. It's definitely not a word I've associated with myself in the past, but I meant what I said. I guess after everything, I really have changed...
“At any rate, that's all I can think to tell you. I suggest you simply keep pressing forward and hope Zekrom will answer you in your time of need.”
“Thanks,” I say. I can't say this is what I was hoping for when when we had this meeting, but at least it's more to go on than I had previously.
Seeing that my Pokemon are still healing, I decide to change the subject of our conversation, “By the way, Drayden, I have a question about Iris.”
“What is it?”
“Why does she hate me? I mean, back when I was in Castelia City, Burgh told me she's nice to trainers she thinks have potential, hence the reason she's so nice to my friend, Bianca, but since I beat Bianca in a battle... and beat you, I'd think she'd start liking me more based on that.”
Drayden pauses and I wonder if he's smiling behind that beard. Finally, he says, “A lot of people are trying to figure her out and have their own guesses. However, I know Iris better than anyone, and here's my observation: She's a battler, through and through. She lives for Pokemon battles, and for better or worse, she tends to make every aspect of her life a confrontational experience; in this case, social interaction. I don't think it's that she hates you, I just think she pretends to dislike you because she simply likes being at odds with people; she finds it fun.”
I blink a couple times, “... Seriously? What about Bianca?”
“I understand your friend had spent some time in Opelucid City, but I never met her personally. Would you say she's the assertive type?”
“Not really,” I say, “I mean, she's surprisingly cutthroat as a battler, but she's shy, nice to everyone, and wants to use her talents as a trainer for the greater good...” I let out a sigh, “... If you ask me, I'd say she's more qualified to be a hero than I am, but N challenged me, so...”
“I see,” says Drayden, “If Bianca isn't the type who would respond to insults with insults, putting on an act of contempt toward her would be nothing more than bullying on Iris's part.”
“Makes sense.”
Ping... ping... pingpingping~
The healing machine lets out another jingle that shows its age. It looks like my Pokemon are good to go. I scoop up my Pokeballs from the machine and reattach them to my belt.
I take a few steps toward the elevator, then glance back at Drayden, “Thank you, Drayden. At least I now have a better idea about how to awaken Zekrom.”
“I wish I had more solid advice to give you, but that's the best I could do,” says Drayden.
“No problem,” I say, “It's more than I had to work with before.”
“I wish you the best of luck, Ria. I don't think I need to remind you what's riding on your upcoming battle with N.”
“Thanks,” I say, trying to sound genuine, “I remind myself of that just about every other waking minute.”
---
I ride the elevator down to the first floor, my mind going over the new knowledge I'd gained. Ghetsis's words from our confrontation on the Tubeline Bridge echos through my mind, 'Zekrom is a top-class Legendary Pokemon... and you think you're worthy of him? Don't make me laugh.'
“Oh, bite me!” I mutter aloud to the memory.
The elevator reaches the first floor and the doors open to a short corridor. I walk out and headed in the opposite direction toward me is Iris.
“Hello, Miss Smart-mouth,” greets Iris cheerily, “Are you going back to the Pokemon Center to rest up for tomorrow?”
“That's the plan,” I say.
“Well, too bad,” says Iris with a grin, “You have a special challenger waiting for you in the arena. I ran into him when I was about to go out to release Latios.”
“'A special challenger?'” I question, “Who?”
Iris's grin widens, “Like I'm going to ruin the surprise. Arena. Now. Don't keep him waiting.” Iris walks past me and into the elevator. Just before she operates the panel, she adds, “Take care, Miss Smart-mouth. If you lose to N, I swear I'll kill you. Good luck!” With that, the doors close.
“I love you too, Iris,” I murmur sarcastically.
I wind my way through the halls, following signs directing me back to the lobby, wondering who my mystery challenger is. At the lobby, I'm about to go down the passage leading to the arena again when I notice something I somehow missed the first two times I'd been in this room. Above the reception desk (where there's no receptionist. I guess it's still too early) there is a monitor showing the arena from high above, probably for spectators. At least that explains how Alder watched my first match here without me or Drayden noticing. The trainer positions on the battlefield are out of sight, but I do see a shadow extending from the leader side. I was guessing Alder to be the guy Iris mentioned, but the shadow is too broad and the head too rounded to be the ex-Champ's, so I doubt it's someone I'd met before.
I head down the passage for the third time and arrive at the arena, which looks just the way it was left: cracked pillars, a fixture hanging awkwardly from three cables, almost a quarter of the floor demolished by a localized meteor shower, and black and white tiles cracked or splattered with blood. Basically a restoration team's dream come true.
Just as I emerge from the doorway, a baritone voice says from the other side of the room, “I take it you're Ria?”
“Yeah...” I look at the voice's owner: A 6'9” Ursaring of a man with dark skin, orange hair, arms thicker than my thighs, and the largest eyebrows I've ever seen on a human. He's barefoot, wearing baggy orange pants and a light-blue vest. I instantly recognize him, not that I know him personally, but I'd seen him on TV enough times: Marshal of the Unova Elite Four.
At another place and time, I might have been squealing like the fangirl I once was. I used to admire him as Unova's greatest fighting-type expert, back when I was crazy about fighting-types... keyword being 'was.' Now, while I still like fighting-types a lot, I don't really consider them as highly as I once did as I came to appreciate all the other Pokemon types as well (heck, I used to think little of normal-types, but now I have two on my team). I guess as my exclusive admiration of fighting-types began to fade, so did my great admiration of Marshal. Even so, a challenge by a member of the Elite Four is no small deal, especially considering to Marshal is the top member of the Elite Four and Alder's longtime student.
“Welcome,” says Marshal, his face displaying his trademark stoicism, “I'm sure you are aware of this, but I am Marshal of the Elite Four.”
“Um... Hi?” I say, not sure how to respond. Even though I know he's slightly less powerful than Alder and of a lower rank in the Pokemon League (at least when Alder was Champion), Marshal's presence feels more no-nonsense and authoritative.
“According to my master, you are the one who is to battle the new Champion tomorrow. I arrived when your Gallade and Cinccino were battling Drayden's Latios and Haxorus. It was an impressive battle, but I desire to see more of your skills, hence the reason I am here right now.”
I consider this for a moment. Am I really ready to battle an Elite Four member? As strong as my Pokemon have become, I'm still nowhere near Alder's level, and Marshal is not that much weaker than the ex-Champ. Can I win?
As if he read my mind, Marshal says, “For our clash, I will not use the Pokemon I use for televised battles, but the Pokemon I use against trainers who fight me for the Pokemon League Badge.”
“Heh. Well, that's a relief,” I say.
“Seeing as you already fought a hard battle against Drayden, and that you and your Pokemon no doubt desire rest, our battle shall be quick. One-on-one. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Sounds fine,” I say, unable to conceal a grin. Sure, Marshal is stronger than Drayden, but my team has more aces against fighting-types than they do against dragon-types. Gallade all the way! Even if Marshal's Pokemon has a secondary type, the Blade Pokemon's versatility will let him work around it!
“Before we begin, I have a special condition,” says Marshal. My grin fades. Looks like this isn't gonna be as simple as it first sounded, “Both of us will pick a Pokemon at random. It's a trainer's job to adapt to any scenario. I wish to test that part of your ability.”
“Okay,” I respond. I kinda doubt Marshal is going to take 'no thanks' as an answer.
I lay my Pokeballs on the floor, close my eyes, and shuffle them around until I can no longer tell who's in what. Across the arena, Marshal does the same thing. I blindly grope around, finding my Pokeballs and reattach them to my belt one by one, intending to use the sixth as my Pokemon for the battle. All the while, I alternate between thinking 'please be Gallade or Braviary' and 'please don't be Cinccino or Absol.'
I reattach five Pokeballs to my belt and hold the sixth in my hand. With my eyes still closed, I rise and Marshal calls out, “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let us begin!” We open our eyes and toss our Pokeballs. Marshal's lands first and the Pokemon that appears is a heavily muscled humanoid, four and a half feet tall, mostly tan in color, with prominent bright pink veins popping out throughout it's body, a large red nose, a white goatee, a wrinkled forehead, and massive hands. Held in its hands are two thick concrete rods, both a little over three feet long, that have to weigh at least a hundred pounds each, but the Pokemon holds them like they weigh a tenth that much. I recognize this Pokemon as Conkeldurr, the Muscular Pokemon, the most evolved form of Timburr, the fighting-type N fought me with back in Pinwheel Forest.
My Pokeball hits the floor, bursts open with a flash of white light... and Absol appears, letting out a deep yawn.
Hoo boy. A dark-type versus a fighting-type. This is gonna be an uphill struggle. Still, Absol does have an edge or two over fighting-types. We can do this! For some reason, I think back to what I said to encourage Oshawott when he was about to fight Cheren's Snivy, 'Meh. Advantage, schmadvantage. That doesn't mean we're gonna lose this battle. It just means we gotta work harder to win, right?'
Most people in Marshal's position would probably be smiling at their good fortune, but instead his face is as straight as ever, “Hm. Bad luck. Regardless, if you are as skilled as the master says you are, you should be able to work around it.”
“Absol...” I lower my voice so that Marshal and hopefully Conkeldurr are not within earshot, “Don't let Conkeldurr get anywhere near you. Keep your distance.” It's apparent just by looking at Conkeldurr that it's an absolute powerhouse that few Pokemon should get in close quarters with, but I doubt it has much in the way of mobility. We should use that to our advantage.
“Shall we begin?” says Marshal.
“Totally,” I say, “Let's go!”
“Sol!” Absol yells.
“Very well, then!” roars Marshal as he extends his arm in Absol's direction, “Conkeldurr! Rock Throw!”
“Durr!” Conkeldurr holds one of its concrete rods up high, rears back, and tosses it across the arena like a javelin at Absol, who easily sidesteps the attack. The rod hits the ground hard enough to cause a small vibration through the room.
Before I can issue Absol a counter-command, Marshal gives Conkeldurr its next order, “Now use Mach Punch!”
“Conkel!” Conkeldurr curls its free hand into a fist, which starts glowing reddish-brown, and charges across the arena at an impressive speed for something of its bulk, not to mention the weight of the concrete rod it's still holding. Still, it's not fast enough to surprise Absol and me.
“Absol! Use Psycho Cut!”
Absol's horn glows with psychic-type energy and he swings his head, sending a psychic blade straight at Conkeldurr. However, the fighting-type, without slowing down at all, positions its rod in the blade's path, blocking it.
Conkeldurr throws a haymaker at Absol, who sidesteps to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack and then retreats several feet to put distance between the fighting-type and himself.
Conkeldurr scoops the rod it threw off the ground and Marshal again commands, “Mach Punch!”
This time, the rod Conkeldurr is holding in its right hand is glowing with fighting-type energy and it charges again.
With less distance for Conceldurr to reach Absol, Absol has less time to dodge, but he just barely manages to, rolling out of the way to the right as the Muscular Pokemon swings its rod down at the dark-type.
“Again! Psycho Cut!” I command.
Nearly at point-blank, Absol sends another psychic blade at Conkeldurr's left flank (rhyme not intended), but with surprising agility, the fighting-type once again raises its rod, blocking it. Dang! Thanks to those things, Conkeldurr not only has a heavy offense, but a solid defense as well.
“Hammer Arm!” Marshal commands.
“Durrrrr!” Conceldurr raises both of its rods up high, which start glowing with fighting-type energy, and then swings them down at Absol, who in another amazing display of evasive ability, steps back just in time to avoid the attack. However, the sheer impact of the attack sends a shockwave through the ground, which throws the Disaster Pokemon off-balance. Conkeldurr follows up by stepping forward and delivering a rising swing (almost looks like swinging a golf club with one arm) that sends Absol flying and slamming against a nearby pillar.
“Absol!”
“Ab...” Absol falls the the ground in a heap.
Using Mach Punch once again, Conkeldurr quickly closes in on Absol. It hits me that I'm not the first trainer who fought Marshal thinking that keeping out of close quarters is the best way to fight Conkeldurr, as whenever its opponent tries to get away, the fighting-type just uses Mach Punch to close the distance again. Not a very fun tactic, but effective. Marshal has us completely pinned down!
Fortunately, Absol manages to recover before Conkeldurr reaches him, dodges to the left, and then retreats. One second later, Conkeldurr swings its rods leftward into the pillar the dark-type previously crashed into and tears away a small section of it, sending shards of granite in Absol's direction.
Absol manages to narrowly dodge a couple larger chunks of the pillar, but then a smaller piece of the shrapnel nails him square in the forehead causing an effective stun.
With Absol dazed and unable to counterattack, Conkeldurr predictably charges in again with another Mach Punch attack, delivering another left swing which sends the dark-type tumbling from one side of the arena to the other, stopping just short of my feet.
“Sol...” Absol wearily gets back to his feet. His Focus Sash is glowing, giving him one last boost of energy. One more hit and it's over, and we haven't even landed a single solid blow on Conkeldurr.
So this is the power of an Elite Four... Marshal isn't even fighting us with his full strength and he still makes Drayden feel like a featherweight by comparison!
Since this battle looks hopeless, I consider surrendering and saving Absol any needless harm, but then I think about the times I'd watched Marshal battle on TV. I'd seen him have his own share of one-sided battles, usually against Alder or fellow Elite Four member, Caitlin, but he always kept fighting until his last Pokemon fainted, no matter how bad it looked. He never gives up... and neither will I! We'll keep fighting until Absol or Conkeldurr is down! Besides, despite the situation, Absol is giving all he can to win, and just throwing in the towel would be an insult to him.
Seeing as Conkeldurr can easily block Absol's Psycho Cut attacks, we'll have to use something with a little more intensity.
“Hang in there, Absol!” I say, “Use Thunderbolt!”
“Sooooool!” Absol's fur starts crackling with electricity and then he fires a powerful blast of lightning across the arena at Conkeldurr. The fighting-type responds by placing its two rods upright on the ground, and then takes cover behind them. Fortunately, the Muscular Pokemon's bulky form cannot hide itself completely behind the two chunks of concrete and Absol's attack inflicts several burns on its exposed parts, but the rods absorb the brunt of the attack.
“Dang it!” I hiss.
“A nice try,” says Marshal, “However, it's clear that you're outclassed, so it's time to end this battle with an unavoidable attack!” The Elite Four extends his arm dramatically, “Conkeldurr! Use Earthquake at maximum power! Cover the entire arena!”
“Duuuuuuuuuurr!” Conkeldurr roars as it picks up its rods and holds them high as they begin to gleam with intense brown light.
“Absol! Run to--” I stop myself short. I was going to tell Absol to run to a pillar and hold on tight to avoid the bursting ground, but then I notice where Conkeldurr is standing: between the second pair of pillars from the Leader's side of the arena, “... On second thought, use Quick Attack.”
“Sol?” Absol spends the next nanosecond glancing back at me like I just sprouted more heads than a Dodrio, but he goes ahead and does what he's told, charging headlong at Conkeldurr.
The Muscular Pokemon slams its rods down hard, but instead of the arena shaking and breaking up, the strip of tiles Conkeldurr is standing on between the pillars cracks and then shatters as if they were made of glass instead of solid marble, sending Conkeldurr, who put all its weight forward when slamming its rods down, tumbling headfirst into the pool Drayden sent out Kingdra in, though ever since it used Surf, it's become a narrow concrete trench. A split second later, Absol is diving in after his foe.
Marshal lifts an eyebrow, probably his way of expressing shock, “Hm?”
As I run up to the trench to get a better look at the action, I shout, “Psycho Cut! Psycho Cut! This is our chance! Don't let up!”
The sounds Absol's furious yells and Conkeldurr's pained screams echo from the trench and within seconds, steam starts rising from it.
I reach the edge of the trench and look in. Eight feet below, Absol is standing on the back of a faceplanted Conkeldurr, whose rods are pinned beneath it, wildly slashing away with a psychic energy-charged horn, really putting the 'Psycho' into Psycho Cut. A steaming Spinarak web of gashes covers the Muscular Pokemon's back. Conkeldurr's stamina must be rapidly depleting, having taken this many super-effective hits in rapid succession.
Absol, probably having reached the same conclusion I have, halts his assault and jumps out of the trench to my side. On the other side, Marshal is looking in, appearing as stoic as ever. It's impossible to read this guy.
“Durr...” Conkeldurr slowly begins to recover, getting back upright. It tries to lift its concrete rods, but it looks like Absol has weakened it enough that it can no longer lift them more than a couple feet. Bare-handed, the fighting-type jumps up and grabs the ledge of the trench, slowly pulling itself up. Absol and I back up several feet to put distance between us and Conkeldurr.
The Muscular Pokemon looks totally wiped, but still good to go one last round, same as Absol. Still, with all the energy Conkeldurr lost, I doubt it can pull off a decent Mach Punch, plus it no longer has its rods to defend against attacks. The advantage is ours.
“Don't give in!” Marshal encourages Conkeldurr, “You're much tougher than this! Use Hammer Arm!”
“Durrrrr!” Conkeldurr raises its arms and its fists start glowing reddish-brown. In a stunning display of physical fortitude, it leaps almost thirty feet into the air, despite being severely weakened, poised to slam its fists down hard on Absol.
Time for a decisive finish! “Quick Attack!” I command.
“Sol!” In a split-second, Absol is off the ground (and before that, his body momentarily flashed white, signaling that Super Luck is in effect, giving his attack more power) and slamming into Conkeldurr like a missile before it can even react. The force of the blow sends the Muscular Pokemon flying backward, hanging helplessly in the air with the Disaster Pokemon clinging to it with his claws.
“Follow up with Iron Tail!”
Absol perform a quick aerial front somersault, and slams Conkeldurr hard from above with his tail, the impact and direction of the blow sending it rocketing down, back into the trench, landing with enough force to crack the concrete.
With Absol still airborne, I give one last command to complete the combo, “Now use Psycho Cut!”
Absol's horn glows pink and he swings his head, sending one last psychic blade descending on the downed fighting-type, scoring a direct hit.
“Duuuuuurr!” With a steaming gash across its chest, the Muscular Pokemon's body goes slack. It doesn't try to recover.
“Ab... sol!” Absol lands, staggering a bit before regaining his posture.
“Hm. Not bad,” After a brief pause, Marshal recalls Conkeldurr.
“Great job, Absol!” I say.
“Sol!” Too tired to jump into my arms, Absol wraps his front legs around my ankles instead.
“Take a rest,” I say, holding out the Disaster Pokemon's capsule, “You deserve it. Return!” I recall Absol.
I can't believe it! I beat Marshal! Well, I don't know how legit a victory that was, due to Conkeldurr using Earthquake in just the right place, but still...
Without even a running start, Marshal jumps over the expanse of the trench and walks toward me, “The way you suddenly changed your orders... Did you happen to know about that pit?”
“Yeah,” I answer, “You said you arrived when my Pokemon were battling Drayden's Latios and Haxorus, right? That means you didn't see my second round, when Drayden opened up the pool to send out Kingdra.”
“I see,” says Marshal, “You're clever. I suppose it's only right that I give you this...” Marshal reaches into his pocket and holds something out to me. It's a pin, slightly larger than the bottlecap-sized Gym Badges, which looks like a Pokeball with the bottom half fused with a triangle; it's Unova's Pokemon League insignia... The Pokemon League Badge!
“Dude, I can't accept this,” I say, “If it weren't for the pool, there's no way Absol and I would've won.”
Marshal closes his eyes for a few seconds, then says, “At another time in my life, I may have agreed with you. I believed strength to be everything that Pokemon training amounted to, but the master taught me differently. Even if a Pokemon lacks power or is at a distinct disadvantage in battle, a skilled trainer can turn the battle around with the right commands and timing.
A trainer is a strategist, and part of strategy is taking advantage of knowledge one's opponent lacks. You knew of the pit, and used that to turn the battle around in your favor. Your victory wasn't just because of your Absol's strength, but your ability as a trainer. Take this badge; You and your Absol earned it.”
“Well, shucks...” I say, scratching the back of my head, “If you prepared a speech about why I should take the badge, how could I say no?” I take the Pokemon League Badge and pin it to my vest, ending my one hour as an Elite Rank trainer, and moving straight to Master Rank!
Marshal turns around and takes a couple steps back to the Leader's side of the arena before glancing back at me over his shoulder, “One last thing, Ria.”
“What is it?”
“I know that it's important that Zekrom awakens for your battle with N, but remember... those that are truly strong believe in their own power.”
“Okay...”
“Do you know of the park near here? The one between the two districts?”
“Yeah,” I say, “I saw it from Drayden's office. What about it?”
“I suggest you go there.” Without any further explanation, Marshal jumps over the trench again and leaves the room.
Well, that was vague. Still, if Marshal thinks that will help me somehow, I guess I should be heading to that park...
I head out of the Gym, routinely looking down at my vest and the nine badges pinned to it, with all the challenge, hardship, patience, and determination they represent. This feels almost too unbelievable to be real. The Ria from a few months ago never would have thought in a hundred years this could be possible. The feeling of accomplishment and pride in both my Pokemon and myself is beyond my ability to describe...
---
At the lowest level of Team Plasma HQ at the bottom of a long staircase that seems to lead only to a small, dimly lit, and empty room, Ghetsis taps one of the floor tiles, slightly more elevated than the others, with his foot in the rhythm of a song he knew since he was young. A cluster of bricks on the nearby wall loosens, then lowers into the floor, revealing a hidden passage that not even N knows about.
As Ghetsis follows the passage even further into the earth, his mind wanders back to the events from the night before. He just can't believe it! That stupid friend of Ria's never would have found the Dark Stone if it weren't for an unlucky misstep by Gorm's useless Aggron! Ghetsis is even angry at himself for not considering the possibility, long as the odds were. Now the stone is back in Ria's hands. He'd have the Shadow Triad take it back from her, or maybe even take her mother hostage in exchange for the stone, but they are here at the castle. Now that the castle has risen, the secret passage Team Plasma has been using to go to and from the castle has been destroyed and the security at the checkpoint is too tight, even for them.
The Sage takes a few deep breaths and has to remind himself that pessimism is just in his nature, and it's more unlikely Zekrom won't awaken for some amateur like that meddlesome girl. After all, Reshiram awoke for the boy because he was carefully raised to be worthy of the legendary dragon-type.
Still, Ghetsis had lived by a certain credo for most of his life to view any situation like the worst case scenario is the only outcome so he can stay on top of things, plus he has a right to be paranoid. He had spent the better half of his life dedicated to his ambition, sacrificing many chances at happiness, and now it's very close to fruition, and that teenage upstart and the idiot king are the only conceivable hindrances. If Ria somehow wins, all his life's work will have been for naught. Just the thought of it makes him bitter.
He enters a chamber filled with various forms of machinery, where the only illumination is from a large green tube in the center of the room, connected to both the ceiling and floor.
Suspended inside the tube is a bipedal insectoid creature, completely coated in violet armor, with two arms, sharp claws where hands would normally be, an oval-shaped head with ruby-red eyes, and a large cannon connected to its back and extended out over its head. It was a fossil that was cloned and then technologically augmented to be an even more powerful Pokemon than it had originally been, quite possibly strong enough to rival a lesser Legendary. The name it had been given: Genesect.
Besides Ghetsis, the only other human in the room is a man in a white lab coat.
“Is Genesect finally ready?” Ghetsis asks the white coated man.
“Yes, Lord Ghetsis. As you requested, the cannon grafted to is back is connected to both its brain and energy, making it as natural a part of its body as its arms and legs, plus it has an attack in which it can type at will; Its neural implants give it knowledge of most Pokemon's weaknesses, so without even a command from you, it will know which type to use, plus its programmed to follow you and only you, and to have absolute hatred for whichever opponent it fights.”
“Excellent,” says Ghetsis.
“I should warn you, though. While it has two layers of armor, we'd only successfully melded the inner layer to its essence. The outer layer is completely foreign matter, so it can't be recalled to a Pokeball until it loses it.
“No matter,” says Ghetsis, “The outer armor is nigh indestructible anyway; It won't need to be recalled and healed. Activate and release it.”
“Very well, my lord.” The white coated man presses a button on a nearby panel and Genesect's eyes glow to life.
“Shreeeee!” A shrill voice fills the room.
---
The park at the center of Opelucid City is a long strip of finely manicured emerald-green grass, stretched out to extend from one side of the city to another and is a half-mile wide. There are the obligatory stone walkways, benches, and playgrounds. At the very center, there is a large round pond with a majestic fountain, spraying water fifteen feet into the air. Now that I think about it, with this park stretched between the old and modern districts of Opelucid City, the city as a whole might have actually looked like a Pokeball from above, if the layout were more circular.
Normally, with today being sunny with a gentle and cool breeze, this park would have been a nice, relaxing, and euphoric place to be, but right now a crushing feeling of helplessness and despair hangs in the air.
All around, there are trainers and their Pokemon and there isn't a smiling face among them. They are all trying to cherish the limited time they have remaining. There are plenty of sad faces, but there are just as many angry or frustrated faces, and I can guess why. Many of them are Elite or fellow Master Rank trainers (that still feels weird to say: 'fellow' Master Rank trainers), who despite all their training and power, are helpless before the edict of a Champion that threatens to tear them apart from their trusted friends and comrades. Sure, plenty of them might leave Unova to stay with their Pokemon, but they won't be able to come back, at least as Pokemon trainers.
I quickly figure out why Marshal told me to come here: to remind me what I'm fighting for.
The words Iris spoke earlier ring through my head: 'Who is this hero? Where is he? Why hasn't he done anything yet?' I wonder if that's what all those helpless trainers are thinking. I know that if N chose someone else to be his archrival and I were among them, I'd be desperate for a hero too. That thought makes me weak in the knees and I sit down on a nearby bench looking out at the pond.
So this is what it's like to be a hero... or at least one everybody, man and 'mon, hopes I'll be. Somehow, I thought I'd be happier with that title.
This responsibility had always been stressful, but I think it's only just hit me how important I am to everyone. Facing and overcoming my fears... gaining irreplaceable friends and allies... It was because I became a trainer that these things happened, and I wonder how becoming a trainer had affected the lives of all the people I'm looking at, and how it will affect those yet to become trainers, longing for the excitement and companionship that comes from it. If N wins, all of it will be broken. It's not a matter of whether or not I beat him; I must win!
Not just for humans either. The Pokemon I'm looking at look just as troubled and worried about the possible future as their trainers, and it's easy to tell that they are an inseparable part of each other's lives, just like my Pokemon are to mine.
I look down at my supply bag resting in my lap and whisper, “Zekrom... Just what the heck do you want from me? What should I do?”
I had to go to work soon after I posted this, so I didn't have much time for post installment commentary, but anyway...
Finally! I can't apologize enough for the wait.
Anyways, yeah, Ria goes up two whole trainer ranks in one installment. I kinda wonder if she's become too powerful, but then again, the player character has to be really tough at this point in the game.
I guess the biggest delaying factor was the battle with Haxorus and Latios (speaking of which, I hope the 'temporary Legendary companions' bit was acceptable. It doesn't seem right for a Legendary Pokemon to be bound to a single trainer as long as said trainer lives). I try to have each battle have its 'highlights,' and it just took me a little while to think of some for that particular round.
Since the terrain of the Opelucid City arena was referenced often during the battles that took place there, here's a basic visual layout:
Yeah, it's not properly measured out, but I hope it helps.
Also, to answer an earlier question:
...On another note... do you plan, now that you've seen it, on re-interpreting B2/W2 also? After all, these are the best possible sequels to do it for, heh. Just a question.
Well, now that I've played it...
Maybe. I can't say it was quite as inspiring as the first one, but it's not like I'm drawing a blank on ideas (probably go with the male protagonist that time around). When I finish this story, I'll probably take a break and focus on some of my other projects for a little while, but I might do a retelling of B/W2.
Again, sorry for the insane wait, but I hope this was worth it.
' at the end. Toward the end of the list is 'Cheren (7).' Huh. I guess yesterday or so he beat Iris. He's probably in Iccirus City now, preparing to battle Brycen for his final badge. About seventy names earlier on this list is 'Bianca (3).'
