PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [27]
Chapter 36 : King and Servant
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Kalos Region - Cyllage City
“Fusion Flare!” N said, thrusting his hand forward.
In the skies above, Reshiram shot out from beneath the shadows of the cliffside, his scalding white fur billowing against the cerulean sky. His tail roared to life, embers gusting out in a blizzard. An orange orb of fire spittled into existence between Reshiram’s hands, growing larger and brighter with each passing second. When it was so bright it hurt to look upon, Reshiram flung it down, and it trembled as it moved, a vortex of wind roiling around it.
“Stone Edge! Block it!” Caleb hissed.
His Barbaracle, a hulking golem with twisting limbs of sentient coral, buried its hands in the ground, and the earth rumbled. A second later, ten pillars of granite shot from the ground, before crumbling and shifting in the air to form a barrier that was several meters thick.
The Fusion Flare impacted, and the world went silent for half a second, before the barrier burst apart and the Fusion Flare detonated in a gurgling explosion of amber fire. N shielded himself from the rocks flying in his direction, but his arms did little to protect himself from the searing heat of Reshiram’s fire. The worst of the debris halted in midair and dropped to the ground just before hitting him.
“Argh!” Caleb snarled. “Psychic on N first! We’ll deal with Reshiram after!”
Beside Caleb, his Delphox turned toward its enemy and aimed its wand.
Above, Reshiram snorted angrily and summoned four javelins of rock out of thin air. They sharpened in the air beside him, then Reshiram hurled them downward. His own Stone Edge sank itself into the sand between N and Delphox, cutting off the fox’s line of sight.
No matter how harsh a battle they found themselves in, Reshiram always protected his master without fail, and with minimal effort too. Such was the power of a legend.
N silently thanked his partner as he ran across the beach, circling around the rock to try to get his opponents back in his sights. This was no easy enemy. His Barbaracle’s control over its moves was impressive, and neither it, nor the Delphox, seemed fazed at all that they were up against a legendary. It was a good thing N had started studying the national pokédex several years ago, or he might’ve actually been at a disadvantage against these unfamiliar Kalosian pokémon.
“Levitate Barbaracle, Delphox, and Barbaracle, use Ancient Power!”
Barbaracle bulleted into the air above Reshiram, its body outlined in psychic power. A network of indigo portals opened behind Barbaracle, and a moment later, cosmic energy shot out in an indiscriminate volley. Reshiram roared as the attacks struck his skin. Every time a laser hit him, it hardened into rock and shattered against his body.
“Solar Beam!” N ordered.
Light gathered in Reshiram’s maw and he shot it out in a blinding ray.
Down below, Delphox flicked its wand, and the Solar Beam changed course in midair, shooting upward away from Barbaracle, then blitzing around in ten different directions, before shooting back straight at Reshiram. The beam hit his neck and he coughed up a storm of embers. But with his focus momentarily broken, a larger laser shot out from behind Barbaracle and hit him right in the head. Reshiram stumbled in the air, then allowed himself to fall, smashing down onto the remnants of his Stone Edge. He roared in anger, and Delphox glared back.
N grit his teeth as Barbaracle floated back down and landed on the beach in front of its trainer.
“Reshiram must hate having you as a trainer,” Caleb smirked. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
To that, N had no reply. It was true that he wasn’t the greatest trainer or strategist. To be honest, even though he now accepted the institution of pokémon battling, he still did not like it. He employed Reshiram’s power only when absolutely necessary, which meant they spent no time training like Ash and Zinnia did. Of course, for a pokémon like Reshiram, something like that was hardly necessary. Despite the potency of that Ancient Power, it had done little more than annoy Reshiram.
“You’re very good at this,” N said, seizing on the opportunity to talk instead of fight. “You must have been with your pokémon for a long time.”
“Damn right. Don’t even come at me with that liberation bullshit.”
“Oh no, that wasn’t my intention at all. I was just wondering how a promising young man like yourself got mixed in with someone like AZ. Did that Lord Vandrick you mentioned introduce you to him?”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “‘Mixed in?’ You think I'm troubled youth or something? Why don’t you keep your royal nose out of my business, terrorist. You’re no better than me.”
N’s face darkened. “Well, I am trying to be,” he said quietly. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Yup.”
Reshiram growled, but N calmed him with a raise of his hand. “Have you killed before, Caleb?”
“Enough questions,” the boy sneered. “Dragon Claw, Barbaracle.”
The rock pokémon barreled forward, its claws laced in jade dragon energy.
N sighed. “End this, Reshiram.”
Barbaracle leaped into the air, poised to slash Reshiram’s neck. But the white dragon reared back and punched it out of the sky faster than his size suggested he could. As it tumbled back across the sand, Reshiram stomped over and slammed his foot down on Barbaracle’s body. He opened his maw, and fire emptied out. First orange, then red, then blue, as it got hotter and hotter. When he was finished, he stepped off and released a satisfied snort.
Despite his resistances, Barbaracle lay unmoving, its stone burned black with ash.
N grimaced, looking away. As much as he loved Reshiram, Reshiram was a dragon. And dragons were unshakably ruthless.
Caleb recalled his fallen pokémon with a sneer. “Whatever. You only have Reshiram, don’t you? You don’t have any pokéballs on your belt, and you threw away that bag of yours. Unless you’re into some freak shit and you have some up your ass, it’s still five against one.”
“Yes, but the one just defeated one of yours without even breaking a sweat,” N said flatly.
“Heh.” Caleb pulled another pokéball off his belt and tossed it in the air. “Don’t you think you rely on Reshiram too much? You think you’re unbeatable just ‘cause it’s a legendary?”
“No, but like you, I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Reshiram too. I trust in my partner completely.”
“That makes it even worse,” Caleb said, narrowing his eyes in judgment.
N frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“No shit. Clearly the transition from pokémon liberation activist to trainer hasn’t been very smooth. I’m guessing you haven’t caught any more pokémon because you’re still a liberationist at heart? But if that were the case, then why do you keep Reshiram of all pokémon in your bag like you do, huh?” He smirked. “It seems to me like you’re trying to do both, and failing at both.”
N glanced up at Reshiram, unable to help himself. The white dragon felt his gaze and turned. Their eyes met, but N could discern nothing from them. Caleb wasn’t wrong. He was like a walking paradox, and even he didn’t understand himself. Worse than that, he couldn’t understand what it was that existed between him and Reshiram. As Plasma’s king, they always seemed to be on the same page, pursuing their ideals together. But now that N was trying to turn over a new leaf, he wasn’t sure where he was with Reshiram. At the very least, he didn’t know why the legendary dragon had partnered with him again after he was released from prison.
“Someone showed me the beauty of the bonds between man and pokémon that can be cultivated…that can only be cultivated through battle,” N said. “Right now, I am walking a path away from my old self and toward a new one. Whilst I’m between them, it may appear to you that I’m failing at one thing or another, but it’s a path that Reshiram has graciously elected to accompany me on. For now, I need to live up to his expectations.”
Caleb shook his head. “That’s not what a trainer does. A trainer is the master of their pokémon. Reshiram is your pokémon, isn’t it? It’s Reshiram who needs to live up to your expectations.”
“You’re quite strict,” N said grimly.
“No, I’m not. You just don’t understand what it means to be a trainer. And it’s why you’ll end up losing here today. For my pokémon, my expectation is that they’ll defeat you.” He leveled his gaze at N. “As long as you keep Reshiram on some lofty pedestal, you’ll be destined to sail straight off a cliff if he should up and vanish one day.” Caleb sniggered. “Legendaries have a habit of that, from what I hear.”
Reshiram snorted, embers flaring from his nostrils. He’d had enough of this conversation.
“I agree, Reshiram,” N said firmly. “This boy doesn’t know the first thing about us. So let’s show him! Use Outrage on Delphox!” If they could take out Delphox, it would be easy to incapacitate Caleb himself.
As Reshiram roared, and flung himself toward the fire-type, Caleb shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He unhooked and flung a pokéball forward. The energy that burst out resized into a massive Gourgeist nearly as tall as the dragon. The ghostly pumpkin’s ‘arms’ shot forward and slammed against Reshiram’s arms, wrapping around them and pulling him back to stop him in his tracks.
“Toxic, then move!” Caleb yelled.
As Reshiram grappled against Gourgeist, the mouth of the pumpkin gurgled, and a deep purple liquid sprayed out all over Reshiram’s chest. The dragon hissed, swiping his wing across Gourgeist’s face, but it floated back, narrowly dodging. Now that it was airborne, it shot another gout of poison straight at Reshiram’s face before disappearing with a ghostly swirl. Reshiram coughed and smeared the poison from his face, eyes burning with rage and agony.
“Calm yourself, Reshiram! Find and immobilize it with Extrasensory, then Flamethrower,” N commanded.
As Reshiram’s eyes gleamed and he started searching for his incorporeal opponent, N couldn’t help but recall Caleb’s words. Keep Reshiram on a pedestal? What does that even mean? If anything, N believed he didn’t show enough respect for his beloved pokémon. From his point of view, he was reaping all the benefits of their relationship, while the upsides for Reshiram remained unclear. He couldn’t imagine treating him any more casually than he did now.
Reshiram’s eyes seared blue, and Gourgeist warbled back into existence above him, ringed in a psychic light, one of its eyes clamped shut as it screeched.
“Hex!” Caleb roared.
“Please defeat it now, Reshiram!”
N could feel Gourgeist’s fear even as it fired off a bolt of shadowy energy at Reshiram that pulsed through his body in an instant. Reshiram’s maw glowed, and a column of fire burst forth, engulfing Gourgeist. Beyond the flames, it squealed, and N closed his eyes until he could hear Gourgeist’s voice no longer. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the pained voices of pokémon in battle, especially when they were in pain at his command.
Caleb recalled his partner with a stoic look. “Well done,” he murmured, before replacing its ball on his waist and exchanging it for another.
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Reshiram groaned, panting. The poison was in his system now, and that Hex had done damage. They were on a timer now.
Caleb tossed out his next pokémon, and a jingling Klefki appeared in the air beneath Reshiram. The dragon glowered down at it, but Klefki didn’t seem to mind as it flit around carelessly, waiting for an order.
Caleb leaned closer to Delphox and whispered something, and N narrowed his eyes.
“Stay alert, Reshiram. We’ll deal with this quickly as always,” N said. “Flamethrower on Klefki, and counteract anything Delphox tries to do to help.”
Reshiram rumbled and stomped forward. His eyes flared with psychic power, alert to Delphox’s every move, and he began building fire deep in his gullet.
“Smart Spikes, Klefki!” Caleb commanded.
Klefki rocketed into the air with a high-pitched wail, keys jangling. Reshiram roared, and a tower of fire coiled skyward, engulfing the steel-type. Within the flames, its silhouette wavered, but a moment later, it burst out, smoking. Golden light wreathed its form, and Reshiram’s beady eyes flickered down at Delphox, and he snarled.
That’s Light Screen, N thought. Why didn’t you stop it, Reshiram? N looked back up at his pokémon. His chest heaved every time he took a breath, and with each exhale, a wheeze escaped his throat. Is it the poison? Was it too much to ask to deal with them both at the same time? N grit his teeth and made a decision. “Forget Delphox and finish off, Klefki, Reshiram!”
Silver spears curled into existence around Reshiram, glinting in the sunlight. As Reshiram turned to fire off another Flamethrower, a battalion of spears shot toward him and buried themselves in his hide. Reshiram grunted, but ignored them, rounding on Klefki and unleashing another smoking column of fire. Klefki once again disappeared beneath the flames, and N watched as Reshiram swept the fire through the air, following Klefki as it tried to escape. Getting impatient, Reshiram’s eyes seared, and a geyser of sand erupted in front of Delphox, blocking its view of the battle for a moment. With its concentration broken, Reshiram roared, raising the temperature of his heat so much it turned white. Behind the blinding column, Delphox’s Light Screen shattered with a fantastical crack, and Klefki’s body bulleted into the cliff face, before falling to the ground, burned and blackened.
Caleb recalled it with a sneer.
Delphox glared at Reshiram, and the dragon met its challenge with a menacing growl. Using his wing, Reshiram brushed the spikes out of his body, and they fell upon the sand below.
Now that they were closer, N saw that they glittered with a mysterious energy. Normally, Spikes are inserted into the ground and are made of rock, but these are metal, and float in the air to attack autonomously… Smart Spikes, huh? “Burn those Spikes, Reshiram!”
Reshiram lunged forward, poised the whack a group of them out of the sky, but they responded accordingly and rose even higher, out of his reach. As he primed a Flamethrower, a flock of them whipped around and struck his face. The Flamethrower caught them as they tried to escape, and they melted into nothing. Then, the ones on the ground began to rise, and Reshiram wheeled around. Just before they could impale N, Reshiram snatched them with Extrasensory, and crushed them down into a crumpled ball. The glow faded.
Then a fist struck Reshiram in the face, knocking spittle from his mouth.
“Reshiram!” N shouted.
The Pangoro grinned, its biceps bulging as it released all its pent up power, launching Reshiram’s face into the beach. But before he could recover, the sands beneath him churned apart, and a Diggersby drilled out, slicing up into his chin, knocking his head back into the air.
Caleb smirked, his last two pokéballs, newly emptied, in his hands, and he admired his handiwork. “Keep it busy.”
“No! Get into the air, Reshiram, then Dragon Pulse on Pangoro!”
Reshiram leapt, crashing through a hail of Spikes. As his tail ignited, a group of them blew back, melting and splattering against the cliff.
“You think Diggersby can’t reach you up there? Bounce, then Mud Shot!” Caleb roared.
Diggersby laid the palms of its ears against the ground, lowering itself. Then, it pushed off, launching into the sky with a flip. As Reshiram fired off a ray of draconic energy, several Spikes slashed across his neck, and the attack jerked away, giving Pangoro just enough time to roll out of the way. Beside Reshiram, Diggersby reared back and unleashed a torrent of mud. It splashed against Reshiram’s body and hardened, and the dragon fought to stay airborne.
No! Reshiram is slowing down! He should’ve been able to redirect that with Extrasensory! N’s mind raced as he clawed for a solution. Caleb’s pokémon were doing far more damage than N would’ve expected, and he was clearly banking on winning a battle of attrition. He’d sacrificed both Gourgeist and Klefki to encumber Reshiram. Now, all Pangoro and Diggersby had to do was outlast him. And then there was still Delphox, which by the look of it, appeared to be Caleb’s ace.
They needed to end Pangoro and Diggersby in one fell swoop.
What would Ash do? N demanded of himself. Of course, Ash probably never would’ve found himself in a situation as dire as this, but if he had, what would he do? He’d probably come up with some technique that I could’ve never dreamed of. But N banished that line of thought immediately. Excuses wouldn’t save Reshiram from defeat. Think, N!
Reshiram continued to fire off Dragon Pulses at both of his opponents, trying to keep them at bay. But every time he did, more Spikes would circle around and stab him in his blind spots. Pangoro and Diggersby weren’t even attacking. They were simply letting Reshiram tire himself out, dodging as best they could, and tanking what they couldn’t to the best of their abilities. But both were built to endure punishment, and Reshiram didn’t have time to focus down on either one. Every time he tried, the other would simply harass him from elsewhere. All the while, the poison dulled his cognition and the spikes were just enough of a nuisance to hinder his focus.
If Reshiram used Draco Meteor, Delphox would probably be too busy protecting Caleb to worry about defending the other two. But Reshiram wouldn’t want to use it and try and protect me at the same time either, especially with how exhausted he is… Isn’t that right, Reshiram?
But the dragon’s voice was silent to him, and he bit his lip in dismay. Perhaps he couldn’t hear him over the din of battle, or he was too preoccupied to worry about responding.
I’m sorry, Reshiram. If only I were a better trainer, you wouldn’t have gotten this hurt. At times like these, I wonder why you…
He stopped himself. No, he would not follow that thought. Reshiram was fighting for the both of them at this very moment, and N would dare question him? That would’ve been the height of self-pity. Reshiram was fighting for his sake. He was fighting on his orders. Which meant, really, it was Reshiram who trusted N completely.
I love you, Reshiram, truly, N said, for himself, and for Reshiram, if he was listening.
“It’s Reshiram who needs to live up to your expectations,” Caleb had said.
That’s a conversation we can have later, N thought. Once we get through this! Forgive me, Reshiram, but I’m going to demand more of you!
“Draco Meteor, now!” N roared.
Reshiram whizzed to the side, dodging a Mud Shot from Diggersby, and he glared down at his trainer. It bordered on a sneer. It was an abject refusal. Reshiram knew he could not use it without being able to guarantee his master’s safety.
N’s expression hardened. “That’s an order, Reshiram. Draco Meteor, now!”
Reshiram glowered down at his master. Pangoro sprinted around him and leaped to land a punch on his side, but Reshiram kicked him away without breaking eye contact.
N swallowed, but he too kept his eyes on Reshiram.
The air began to heat up and Reshiram’s tail started to churn. Fire roared to life within, but his tail spun faster and faster until the flames melted into a deep blue. With a deafening roar, Reshiram bulleted further up into the sky. His body eclipsed the sun, an indigo spiral rimmed in white sunlight.
“Shit, get away from it!” Caleb screeched.
The sky seemed to darken, and N glanced around to find a hiding spot. The cliff behind him didn’t even have any crevices, much less a cave or something for him to duck into. The rocks that littered the beach would get obliterated by the meteors. And the ocean itself was behind Caleb, out of his reach. Though it wasn’t like that could save him either. N looked across the beach, and as expected, Delphox was priming a shield over itself and its master. Diggersby jumped and burrowed into the sand, disappearing. Meanwhile, Pangoro barreled across the beach, away from the battlefield.
N cursed silently for not thinking this through, but he made a decision, running back toward the cliff and pressing himself against it. All he could do now was trust in Reshiram.
The skies above flashed and thundered, blue lightning striking the beach and galvanizing the sand into twisted branches of glass. Reshiram’s roar echoed, an omen of destruction. Then, the heavens belched, and hellfire came screaming down, bleeding azure power across the tortured sky. The first meteor shattered against Delphox’s shield, and N had to close his eyes at the blinding release of energy. With each impact, the earth seemed to shake, and N was sure he was about to die. His legs trembled, the muscles within tight and screaming in agony as he forced them not to buckle. He heard a loud cracking above, and a second later, there was a barrage of crashes right in front of him, closer than all the others. He could feel sand spraying his legs as each one hit. The cliff was collapsing.
Through the cacophony, N heard a low roar, though even he could not make out if it was Reshiram, Pangoro, or something else. His ears rang and sweat poured down his face, but he forced himself to remain as still as he could, not wanting to get in Reshiram’s way even by an inch.
When the ground stopped shaking and N could hear himself breathe again, he opened his eyes, and his feet immediately started to tingle.
The beach was obliterated. Less than a yard away from his feet lay a smoking sinkhole, with flames still flickering at parts. The entire beach was covered with them, and there wasn’t a single grain of unscorched sand to be seen. In one of the sinkholes, Diggersby lay unmoving, unable to escape Reshiram’s wrath even underground. Away from the battlefield, Pangoro lay beneath a small mountain of cooling meteors, though its scorched fists suggested it’d tried to defend itself.
N clambered over the hot sands, careful not to fall down any of the sinkholes, and Reshiram touched back down next to him, breathing heavily. On the other side of the battlefield, Delphox’s shield wavered, then faded. Both master and pokémon were fine.
Caleb surveyed the damage, spotting his two fallen partners. He sucked on his lips. “Figures,” he muttered, recalling them. Then he grinned. “But they did their job. I have you right where I want you.”
N ran his hands through his hair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “If you think that will be enough to take down Reshiram, I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken.”
Caleb withdrew some sort of white watch and clasped its around his wrist, and N frowned.
“I know,” Caleb said. “That’s why I’m adding some extra punch.”
He opened his palm. Several crystals lie within, but N could not identify them. Caleb pushed them around a bit, then seemed to find the one he was looking for and picked it out, stuffing the rest back in his pocket. The crystal he’d selected was a dark hazel. He placed it on the watch’s face and clicked its sides, locking it in place.
Reshiram released a low growl, stomping the ground.
This is it, N thought as Caleb raised his arm.
“I told you,” the boy said, “I expect my pokémon to win.” He slammed his palm down against the crystal, and a bright light erupted from its surface. “Delphox, Tectonic Rage!”
If this was Delphox’s finishing blow, then N intended to finish Delphox in one hit as well. “Reshiram, use Blue Flare!”
Delphox whipped its wand, and the sands around Reshiram responded accordingly, swirling and churning like a tornado. Reshiram reared back, opening his maw. Blue light shined from the depths of his throat, and even Caleb took a nervous step back as it got brighter and brighter.
The sand around Reshiram continued to thicken and spin faster, until it roiled around him so fast that N could hardly see him. All he could see were flickering glimpses of white fur illuminated by Reshiram’s mouth.
Delphox hissed, and all of a sudden, the sand ignited and bloomed in size. Coarse magma surged around Reshiram, before imploding, then exploding in a hail of earthen fury. It was like a volcano had erupted all around Reshiram.
The heat from the firestorm singed N’s arm hairs, and he grit his teeth, but he trusted Reshiram. He’d ignored the attack building around him, so he seemed to think he could take it.
A ray of blue fire sliced through the maelstrom, glassing the fiery sand in an instant, before carving across the beach and hitting Delphox square in the face. The Tectonic Rage shuddered, and slowly fell back to the ground, revealing Reshiram’s battered body. Angry burns and slashes covered his body, but it hadn’t stopped him from unleashing the dancing beam of blue fire. He roared as he pumped more power and fury into the attack, and Delphox vanished beneath the splattering flames. With one final guttural bark, Reshiram cut off the attack, panting. Delphox took several shaky steps, then collapsed to the decimated ground, its fur burned.
Reshiram roared in victory, spreading his wings.
Finally N’s legs gave out and he collapsed onto his knees. Reshiram noticed and stomped over, lowering his head. N reached out and caressed his face. “Thank you, Reshiram,” he wheezed, though he felt silly at his exhaustion since he hadn’t really done anything.
Reshiram nudged his hand with his nose and growled softly.
I haven’t seen you in such high spirits since the days of Team Plasma. I’m glad you’ve finally begun to exert yourself on the world once more.
N whipped toward Reshiram. The dragon met his eye, but soon stood and lumbered toward Delphox’s fallen body.
N smiled. So Reshiram had been worried about him. It seemed they’d both been slightly anxious about how the other felt about them. But their affection for each other was clear. From here, their bond would only deepen.
Reshiram growled and N glanced over, soon realizing what the dragon was getting at. He jogged over and frowned.
“Where’s the boy?”
N and Reshiram looked at each other.
“He must’ve escaped to the tunnel!” N said. “Let’s go!”
Reshiram growled in agreement, but after taking one step, his entire body melted into orange and collapsed in on itself.
“Reshiram?” N stopped and turned back to his pokémon.
A glowing orange orb fell to the ground, and a moment later, the glow faded. The Light Stone rested quietly on the sand.
N walked over and knelt down. He rested his hand on its surface. It’s been some time since you’ve gotten this cold, Reshiram. He glanced at Delphox, abandoned by its master. But it was our victory. Get some rest, and leave the rest to me.
Lifting his pokémon, N started running toward the entrance to the tunnel. While he did, he withdrew his phone to call Sylvester.
Next — Chapter 37 : The Electric Plate
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