PARAGON
Origin Child Arc [6]
Chapter 6 : The Paragons of Paragon
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Cynthia left that afternoon after joining Ash and Sylvester for lunch. She’d said Sylvester’s cooking was only mildly better than the airplane fare on her private jet, or else she’d have left earlier, but Ash caught her packing several containers to go as he was heading outside to rejoin his other pokémon.
Don’t tell Sylvester, she’d said. His ego is big enough as it is.
Bit of tsundere when it came to her cousin, clearly.
He took a plate outside to eat with the rest of his pokémon after they’d gathered together again. There, they enjoyed a nice lunch, courtesy of Sylvester, though unfortunately Cresselia had flown off somewhere. It was nice to eat alongside all of them together, under the sun and out in nature. Luckily, they behaved themselves for the most part, but of course Gengar had to antagonize his usual prey. This time, Oshawott landed a few hits with Razor Shell and Gengar was beginning to counter with a cloud of poison, but Ash shut it down before anyone could get seriously hurt. Although he felt a bit bad for Oshawott, all the pranks were starting to make him a legitimately better fighter, even against Gengar’s incorporeality. After lunch, he recalled them all and headed back to base to plan out his next journey.
Now he found himself in one of several conference rooms throughout the facility. A map of the entire world lay on the table in front of him, and Pikachu padded across it, trying to find words he recognized. Kanto and Johto, or the Tohjo Supercontinent, lay to the west, Hoenn and Alola lay to the south, Sinnoh lay to the north, and Unova, Kalos, and Galar all lay to the east. Ash had set up another map for Paldea, even further to the east. He squeezed his chin as he thought.
“We’ll have to split up,” he murmured, “or we’ll never cover enough ground in time.”
Is this two-year time limit so important, Master?
As expected, Lucario could not let his master bear the burden of planning their next move by himself, and he insisted on joining the meeting.
“It is important,” Ash replied. “Now that we don't have any conference deadlines to look forward to, we need to set our own or we’ll get complacent. I told Cynthia we’d be back in two years to defeat her and that’s what I intend on doing.”
What sort of ‘ground’ are you looking to cover? Not another round through the gyms, I presume? Perhaps the others would benefit, but us who took part in the World Championships have already done it. I’d like to continue improving myself as well.
“And I expect you to. All of you. So no, no more gyms. I became World Champion. I don’t know if they’d even let me challenge them again. But even if I’m not holding the throne, I can still take full advantage of the privileges that title grants.” He placed his finger on the map. “Now we should be able to go here.”
Lucario circled around the table to see what he was pointing at. Mount Silver… if I remember, you need the eight badges of the Kanto or Johto Regions as well as a conference victory to be permitted entry.
“That’s right. Though there are areas even deeper within the mountain that are still off-limits to trainers who meet that criteria. Certain unexplored or dangerous sections can only be accessed by Elite Four members and above. That’s where I mean to go.”
Lucario chewed on that notion for a bit. I’m confident I am prepared for such an ordeal. But forgive me for saying, I’m not sure most of the others are.
“That’s another reason we’re splitting up. When training to face Leon, we took on the League’s ultimate gauntlet. Now, I want to create our own. We’ll be heading to all the most dangerous places in the world.” He moved his finger across the map as he talked. “Mirage Island in Hoenn, said to be the home of many rare and powerful pokémon. The Survival Zone in Sinnoh, where the wild pokémon are feral and they fight over every watering hole and berry bush. Area Zero in Paldea, where pokémon from the brutal age before the Great War live. And many others too. The depths of Mount Coronet, the Abyssal Ruins, the Terminus Caves, the Isle of Armor… After becoming World Champion, all of these places and more are open to us!”
He wheeled on Lucario with a giant grin on his face to get his reaction, but the jackal was a statue.
Did… did you just look at a list of all the League’s restricted areas and plan our journey based on that?
“Yeah!”
Pikachu pumped his fists as if to say, I was there when he did it!
After a few more seconds, Lucario sighed and put his paw on his face. You should really think about your comrades before deciding something like this.
At that, Ash turned serious. “I did think about them. I love all my pokémon, but I’m not so naïve as to think that hard work alone will take us to the next level. We’ll be splitting up across the entire world, so I expect the stronger pokémon to take care of the weaker ones. That being said though, don’t underestimate them. There’s more than meets the eye to a lot of them.”
Lucario nodded, and his mouth curled into a smile. ‘Pipe down, newbie.’ Is that what you’re saying?
Ash grinned. “Sort of. I know you’re just worried about them, but I wouldn’t have suggested it if I thought every one of them couldn’t handle it. Thank you for caring so much.”
I trust your judgment, Master. I will go along with this plan. Lucario said, but he still looked a little uneasy.
They continued to pore over the map for the rest of the day, charting out a journey, outlining a timetable, organizing everyone into teams, and hammering down the logistics of food and medicine. Ash planned on hopping from one team to the next in two month intervals, and he decided to keep a core group that would travel with him at all times. Pikachu was a given, and Lucario refused to take no for an answer. Pidgeot was his strongest long distance flyer, and Lapras would work well for water travel. Infernape would be his spear, as a superb ranged and melee fighter, and Boldore would be his shield, with a potential for even greater durability after his evolution. After Lucario reminded him he could carry more than six pokémon, he added Gible and Gengar to the team, and Oshawott as well. He really wanted to patch up that relationship.
It was well past midnight when they finally finished. Ash had wanted to brief everyone on the plan, but it could wait until tomorrow. For now, it was bedtime.
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Ash woke up the next morning far earlier than he intended. He squinted at his watch on the bedside table, hoping maybe he was misreading it, but even once they came into focus, it read 6:08. He fell back under his sheets, but it was no use. He was awake. Sighing, he swung himself off his bed and went to the bathroom, leaving Pikachu nestled in the corner. It didn’t take him long to freshen up and get dressed, and he went outside by himself.
Beyond the windows that lined the hall, it was starting to look like a beautiful day. The swollen sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting golden beams over the blinded sea.
He was going on a jog. It was a habit he’d gotten into during his ‘year of hell,’ and though it’d contributed to the name at first, he’d soon learned to enjoy the solitude, and the punishment on his body. If his pokémon were working so hard, why shouldn’t he? Come to think of it, once they set out from Paragon Island, he’d probably have to start pushing himself even harder to match them.
Lucario had proposed giving him martial arts lessons. How serious was that offer?
Who am I kidding, he was dead serious.
Amendment #1 to the plan. Martial arts training with Lucario.
As Ash walked through the kitchen and a few other rooms to get to the front door, he abruptly stopped in the living room. It was sparsely furnished, just a few couches and plants atop a bamboo floor.
There was a woman sitting right in front of the window, on the ground, legs crossed. She’d been so quiet and still that Ash hadn’t even noticed her. In fact, almost everything about her seemed nondescript. She had long, jet black hair and wore simple loungewear. But around both her wrists spun two black gauntlets, glittering with some sort of jade energy. And it was then that Ash noticed she was staring straight into the sun. He frowned, but after several seconds, she still hadn’t moved.
“Good morning,” he said.
She jumped. Like literally jumped off the ground and snapped to attention like she’d just been caught napping in class.
Now that she was facing him, Ash winced. Her eyes were amethyst, and indeed they looked just like the surface of a jagged crystal, with flecks of gold and silver. When she looked at him, it felt like she was staring into him, through him. He suppressed a shudder, which was made easier by the fact that her pale white skin was rapidly turning a deep pink in embarrassment.
“Sorry!” Ash said quickly, putting up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I guess it’s still pretty early.”
Her eyes were wide, but she placed a hand on her chest to calm herself, and after a few deep breaths, she seemed fine. She looked back up at him and bowed.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Sabrina.”
Wait.
“Sabrina? Like… gym leader of… Saffron City, I think? Psychic specialist…” His eyes drifted to the gauntlets on her wrists, which were spinning faster than before.
“Yes. That’s me. It’s nice to meet you.” She put her hands behind her back.
“Yeah, hey, I’m Ash,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know how much Cynthia told you… not much, I assume, if I’ve learned anything about her these past couple days. Anyways, I’ll be joining Paragon once I defeat her so… let’s get along!” He smiled, trying to alleviate her obvious nervousness.
She did something between a smile and a cringe. “O-Oh, yeah she said someone else would be joining but she didn’t say who. I guess that’s you… nice to meet you…”
Ash grinned. “Ha ha! That’s the third time you’ve said that, but we’ve actually met before. I challenged your gym seven years ago and you, uh… kind of turned me and my friends into dolls… I mean, not that it matters! All’s well that ends well, and I did get my badge.”
Sabrina turned away and clutched her head. “Oh no,” she breathed. Her gauntlets spit sparks as they spun.
“H-Hey, really, don’t worry about it,” Ash urged. It’s really—”
Ash woke up the next morning far later than he intended. He squinted at his watch on the bedside table, hoping maybe he was misreading it, but even once they came into focus, it read 11:22. He cursed and sat up. Pikachu was still snoring beside him beneath the covers, and he rolled his eyes.
“Wake up, buddy! Time to get going!”
Pikachu croaked as his eyes blinked open. He looked around for a few seconds, then squinted at Ash. One of his ears drooped.
“What?”
Pikachu rolled his eyes and jumped off the bed, already tapping toward the door.
What’s his problem? Ash thought as he opened the door to let him through.
Sylvester was already making lunch when they got to the kitchen, and he nodded when he saw Ash. “Late start today huh, Ash?. Stay up late last night?”
“Yea… I guess.” He must have been poring over that map for much longer than he thought he did. It was quite uncharacteristic of him to be up this late.
“Well, just in time for lunch,” he winked as he sawed through a long loaf of bread. “Chicken clubs today. One of Sabrina’s favorites, I think.”
“Sabrina?”
Sylvester paused, then smiled and pointed his knife at Ash. “Right! Sorry to spoil Cynthia’s fun, but yes, Sabrina Natsume, former gym leader of Saffron City, is a member of Paragon. She returned last night, though I’m not surprised you missed her. She is light on her feet, and she’s not exactly the extroverted type.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Ash recalled his journey through Kanto. Sabrina was a human psychic, one of a precious few throughout all of human history, much less alive today. Apparently, her psychic abilities had caused a split personality, one of cold and ruthless pursuit of power, and one of childlike innocence. It was only thanks to the advice of her father and the whims of a Haunter Ash had caught to use in the gym battle, that he was able to pull out a win against her.
That was seven years ago. Ash could only imagine how powerful she was now.
Sylvester brought him a sandwich cut in half, one for himself, and a bowl of pokémon kibble for Pikachu, and they all sat at the table together. Ash thanked him and immediately dug in.
“You’ll be pleased to know the other members of Paragon are due to arrive within the week as well,” Sylvester smiled. “Though for how long they’ll stay, I cannot say.”
“Is Paragon always pretty busy?”
“No, actually. Paragon’s operatives are pledged to Cynthia’s service, but they are free to pursue their own goals when they have down time in between assignments. Like yourself, they all harbor their own dreams, and are using Paragon as a means of furthering them. Cynthia is no different, and neither am I. It’s basically one big quid-pro-quo.”
Ash swallowed his bite. “What’re you using Paragon for? What’s your dream?”
Sylvester smiled as he nibbled on a piece of lettuce. “My passion is for pokémon breeding. Attaching myself to my cousin allows me access to the best and rarest breeds in the world. Even after so long, pokémon remain such a mystery to us. Breeding is the avenue by which I try to unravel their secrets.”
Ash nodded as he listened. His friend Brock was a breeder too, though at the time he’d told him, Ash had just assumed it meant he was some sort of specialized pokémon doctor. Admittedly, Sylvester made it sound much more interesting.
“Oh… so that’s why you wanted me to see your pokémon.”
“Yes, your appraisal interests me greatly, especially since you’ve been to so many regions and seen so many different species. I can’t claim to be a great battler, but my pokémon are nothing like the mass produced starters handed out to aspiring trainers at the start of their journey. My pokémon are perfection!” He beamed, and his eyes shone with pride.
“I’d love to see them!”
“Excellent! You know where my daycare is. I’ll be there until dinner, so swing by when you have the time!”
They continued to converse as they ate, and when they were done, they excused themselves to tackle the rest of the day.
Sabrina did not show herself, and Sylvester left her sandwich covered on the counter.
Ash spent the rest of the afternoon explaining his plan and finally resuming his pokémon’s training. If they were shocked at how meticulous his plan was, those feelings were wholly overshadowed by their excitement at what was coming next. Many of them hadn’t been in a serious battle in years, and were eager to flex their muscles.
For the training, Ash matched them up unevenly on purpose. His slowest against his fastest. His heaviest against his flyers. His glass cannons against his strongest. The locations they’d be going to were dangerous. He wanted them all to be prepared against each of their own individual worst case scenarios. And most importantly, they needed to be able to act independently. He observed the battles from a distance, picking out weaknesses and blind spots, and giving pointers. The goal was to force them out of their comfort zones.
When they all seemed to be on the right track, he switched up the matchups again, and left without them even noticing. Giving one last glance back at Pikachu’s battle with Gliscor, he headed south. Time to see the pokémon Sylvester was so proud of.
Fifteen minutes later, after a relaxing walk through the forest, Ash arrived at Sylvester’s “daycare.” It kept the same outline of traditional Kantonian style as the headquarters proper, but leaned even more into the modern aesthetic. Panels of triangular glass curved over dark cherry walls. The building sat beside the beach, and from what Ash could see, it stretched over the ocean.
Sylvester was without, speaking with someone else, and Ash lit up at the sight.
“…got back last night, so now we’re just waiting on the other two,” he was saying.
“Well then, I’m looking forward to seeing what all the commotion on the other side of the island is, and meeting our new compatriot.”
Ash broke through the trees, and both men turned toward him. The newcomer, or veteran, wore his long green hair in a ponytail, and he sported a simple collared white shirt and loose slacks.
“N?”
The man smiled at Ash’s appearance, his mouth dropping open. “Ash, old friend! Is that really you?”
The two trainers sped toward each other and grasped hands, grinning.
“I’m at a loss for words… you just became World Champion, did you not?”
“Yeah, but we’re not stopping there! We can go even higher!”
“Cynthia pulled him away at an afterparty,” Sylvester drawled. “Seems all she had to do was pour a bit of honey in his ear and his crown was as good as forfeit.”
“Hey, I gave it thought! I was already thinking about doing something else,” Ash retorted, and Sylvester raised an eyebrow and smirked.
He led them inside as Ash and N caught up, talking about their various adventures since their time in Unova together. Within the daycare, sunlight poured through the transparent roof upon an artificial paradise. Rolling green hills, cragged stone ridges, and shimmering pools littered the environment. The far end was completely open to the elements.
Ash broke off the conversation to gape at his surroundings. It was like they were inside a giant terrarium. Although it didn’t look this large from outside, now that he was inside, it was clear that parts of the terrain had been dug out to make more room. Almost every habitat imaginable lie within the glass, and they weren’t small either.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Sylvester explained. “I want to expand out another wing over there so I can create a cold habitat for ice-types. But I’m quite pleased with how things have turned out.”
“I always stop here first when I return to Paragon Island,” N said. “It fascinates me to no end the diversity of pokémon that live here. So many different types and yet their voices sing in harmony. And I never know what new pokémon may greet me.”
“So this is what Cynthia gave you in order to get you to join Paragon, huh?” Ash mused.
“Not exactly,” Sylvester said, with a glint in his eye. “Most of the daycare I built myself. What she gave me was this.”
He put his thumb and forefinger together and whistled. The sound echoed across the landscape, and before long, something was approaching them. A purple blob oozed across the grass wearing an excited smile.
“A Ditto,” Ash said.
“Not just any Ditto,” Sylvester said as N knelt down to play with it. “This is a perfect Ditto.”
“A perfect Ditto?”
“A bit of a legend in the breeding community, but very much real, as you can see. The eggs that appear via a perfect Ditto contain all of the genetic information of their parent, and then some. Most Ditto only contain a fraction of the total genetic information for each pokémon, so when they breed with pokémon they don’t contain very much genetic information for, the resulting child will be far weaker than the parent, or an egg may not ever appear to begin with. That’s why most breeders don’t rely on Ditto and instead try and pair up pokémon of the same species. But with a perfect Ditto, not only can a breeder breed any pokémon regardless of its gender without any drawbacks, but the resulting child will contain greater genetic information than its parent, therefore making it stronger.”
“I didn’t know all this,” N said, looking up. “How does one find such an anomaly?”
“That’s just it. Ditto are rare enough as it is. There is no consistent pattern to their habitats, so the only way to find one is to catch every Ditto you find and breed it with all sorts of pokémon. The average Ditto favors certain types or egg groups, so any Ditto who shows favorability across multiple has a high chance of being ‘perfect.’”
“I can’t imagine Cynthia was all too pleased with playing Ditto hunter,” Ash said, sticking out his finger for Ditto to latch onto.
“Oh she’s quite resourceful, so she was able to find many Ditto quite easily, actually. I understand she called in some favors with the League to help her as well. She must have gone through several hundred Ditto before finding me this little guy.”
Ditto smiled, nuzzling against Sylvester’s leg.
“Where are all the rest, then?” N asked. “And what about all the eggs you must have surely acquired to test each Ditto?”
Sylvester smiled. “They are doing just fine. I would’ve liked nothing more than to keep them all here, but with the limited space I have, that would’ve been inhumane. I donated the Ditto to various breeders and trainers who I trust, and the handful of eggs that appeared were given to professors and researchers. Rest assured, they are all in safe and loving hands.”
N nodded as his worries were put to rest.
Sylvester took them deeper into the facility, and pokémon seemed to appear from thin air, swimming up from the ponds, falling out of trees, or swooping down from above. Though he had no formal education on the matter, Ash could tell these pokémon were all a cut above average. They were all larger than their species should’ve been, and their colors seemed more vibrant.
A Charmeleon the size of a Rhyperior crawled across the stony ground on all fours and a Ribombee that came up to Ash’s waist flitted over to investigate. A Togekiss floated down and nearly crushed them, if not for Sylvester’s shrill whistle.
After exploring the daycare for an hour, Ash and N headed back up north, Ash to check on his pokémon, and N to deposit his belongings in his room before coming over to watch their training session. For the rest of the day, the battles continued and Ash continued forcing new matchups on them. At times, he had several of his partners gang up on one, or he’d take command on one side of the battle and leave the other to their own devices.
N watched them the entire time, engrossed by the bonds that tied them together and allowed them to fight so ferociously against their own.
When dinner rolled around, the three men ate together. Sabrina still had yet to show up, and N’s attempts to greet her failed as well. Ash suggested she’d left the island, but Sylvester and N both pointed out that she usually remained on the island in between missions.
After dinner, Ash considered continuing their training to make up for lost time, but decided to head to bed early so he wouldn’t get a repeat of this morning.
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Three days of intensive training later, the final two members of Paragon arrived in a storm of fire and venom.
“I told you to go left! I had it all under control, but nooooo, you wanted to get all fancy!”
“Use your head, dumbass, what does ‘left’ mean when we’re underwater?!”
“Don’t get mad at me just because you’re the support! Maybe if you were stronger, you could take the lead!”
“Oh, really? Then why have I completed way more missions than you even though we joined at the same time?”
“Scoreboard, woman, I’ve beaten you more times than we can even count!”
A Salamence touched down on the path outside the headquarters and two women slid off almost immediately, their argument not derailing for even a moment.
“What the hell are you talking about? We’ve battled twice, and I won both times!”
“I meant in everything, not just battling, obviously! No shit your cheap ass will beat me when you stack your team with fairy-types!”
“Maybe don’t be such a one trick pony?”
Ash and N stood in the front door speechless at the new arrivals. One of them had short, choppy black hair and wore a black tank top beneath a roughspun shawl. The other had long lavender hair and wore a tight business suit with black gloves.
“Welcome back, you two,” N greeted. “Maybe you’d like to make a better first impression on our new comrade?” He motioned over to Ash, who smiled weakly.
Both women glared at N, but they put their argument on hold. Then their gaze shifted to Ash.
“Who the hell are you?” the short haired one said. “This is a secret island, intruders cannot be allowed to live. Salamence, Dragon—!”
“He’s the new recruit, dumbass!” the other woman yanked her ear.
The short haired one ground her teeth, as if pissed she wouldn’t be able to turn the front of Paragon headquarters into a pile of blackened wood, but then she smiled and crossed her arms.
“I see! So you’ve come to enlighten yourself beneath the tutelage of the great Zinnia! Pleased to meetcha!”
“Hey… nice to meet you, I’m—“
“Now tell me! How much do you know about the Great Dragon? Do you too seek the ultimate being, the supreme existence, the source of all power in the universe? Do you dare challenge the ghosts of time and space? Desire the unshackling of the divine guardian? Lay bare the forefather of all forefathers before fore— ah shit, I messed up.”
The long haired one flicked her companion in the head and shooed her to the side.
Ash grimaced in awkwardness and now turned to the more civil one of the two to try and introduce himself.
“Hey… er, I don’t know anything about all that but my name is Ash and… I’m pleased to be working with you all.” He tried to make that last part sound as convincing as possible. He wasn’t sure if he succeeded.
“Ash… It’s me. Anabel.”
Ash frowned and did a double take. He’d met an Anabel at the Battle Frontier in Hoenn, but this woman hardly looked like her. The Anabel he knew was boyish and soft spoken.
“Anabel…” But the more he looked at her, the more he began to recognize his old friend in her. “Anabel!”
Anabel smiled. “It’s good to see you again! I’d say this is the last place I’d expect to see you, but honestly this does seem like someplace you’d show up at sooner or later!”
“It does fit me,” Ash agreed.
“Ah, so I’m not the only one Ash knew,” N said. “Small world. Though maybe Ash simply attracts powerful trainers to him,” he mused.
“Aha! That’s right! You attracted me to you because I’m powerful,” Zinnia grinned, then she frowned. “No, wait! You were attracted to me!”
Anabel rolled her eyes and dragged the other girl behind her as they walked inside.
That night, they all ate together, and finally Sabrina came out of her room to join them. Her introduction with Ash was abrasively brief, but she seemed to get along a little better with the two girls, even if she said next to nothing. Zinnia regaled them with the tale of their latest mission: quelling a rampaging Lugia on the seafloor. Anabel kept interrupting to dispel the frequent embellishments on her story, but N cut them off by talking about his own mission of recovering a sacred artifact from a Steelix den in the depths of Mount Mortar. Eventually the attention fell on Sabrina, and from what little she said, it seemed like her assignment was related to a shiny pokémon trafficking ring in western Unova.
The more they talked, the more excited Ash got. They spoke about their missions like nothing more than a job, like checking off a box. To him, they all sounded like adventures. Cynthia had known exactly what buttons to press to get him to join Paragon. It all sounded exhilarating. He could scarcely wait to defeat her.
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Exactly one week later, it was time to go. He’d triple counted his pokéballs and checked his supply bags more times than he could count. Pikachu sat on his usual perch on his shoulder, raring to go.
N and Anabel had convinced Zinnia to wait before leaving again to see him off, and even Sabrina joined them on the beach. Cresselia danced between them all, jubilant at having so many of her friends here at once.
“Good luck, Ash, though I know you won’t need it,” N smiled, clapping him on the shoulder.
“I heard about your little bet with Cynthia. You really think it’ll only take two years?” Anabel asked.
“Well, if we’re not careful, it might only take one,” Ash smirked.
“Dream on, kiddo. Cynthia’ll take you at least four years, if you’re lucky,” Zinnia sneered. She was sitting on the sand with her legs outstretched, hands supporting her body behind her.
“I recall it took you about that long,” Sylvester commented, and he shielded his rear as a handful of sand came flying his way.
Sabrina simply waved as Ash climbed onto Pidgeot’s back. The bird’s head twitched, and he gave a shrill caw. His massive wings began to pump, and the others stepped back as sand blew up from the beach. With one last flap, they shot into the air.
First stop: Mount Coronet.
Next — Chapter 7 : Two Years Later
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