Riker's Island - Unova Region
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Located to the east of Unova's bisected desert, on the waters just south of the Marvelous Bridge, lies a small island that remains a dark spot on Unova's history. While New Tork City eventually retrofitted Black City to house their incarcerated citizens, the isle under the command of Warden William Riker has always had a reputation as a merciless facility that does not tolerate the antics of its inmates, and has historically dealt with insubordination, and even rebellion, with harsh penalties.
While the people of old New Tork also once used it to house criminals, they eventually relegated the tiny island made mostly of composted garbage and poison to history, and it was only once Unova rose as its own independent region that its leaders again brought the ancient prison into service. Prison Island, as it was once called, was renowned in its day for lawlessness, corruption, and truly foul humans, guards and criminals alike, who populated it. That all changed, when Warden Riker took charge.
In an unprecedented move, the former military man took the men who'd served under him in war and gave them guard positions. Within a week, he'd determined the entirety of the facility's staff was irredeemable, and with the help of the Jennies, he relocated every single one of them to cellhouses within Black City. The prisoners were given an ultimatum, then. The days of corruption and 'easy time' were over. They would obey the rules, or they would be punished. Naturally, most assumed that the Warden was not serious. They were wrong.
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Within a year, Riker had the entire prison functioning better than Unova's other holding facilities, and after several decades of maintaining a 'firm but fair' ruling ethic, he was honored by New Tork, when they renamed the island after him. A bit older, but still in the prime of life, Warden Riker was given the command by the Original Dragon to ready the facility for millions of potential prisoners. His ordinary charges were moved to fresh cellhouses in Black City, and the island was expanded with aid from the dragon himself, to accommodate as many Crusaders as possible. This was mainly done by digging down, into the planet's crust, and with no small number of floating barges, also laden with cells, ringing the island.
Warden Riker handled every single wave of Crusaders that came to his facility with the same iron will that had handled Unova's own brand of scum, and the defeated soldiers usually stayed in line. Those who didn't, he relocated to a special barge, per the dragon's orders. Tao, as the people started calling him, had wanted anyone leading resistance and continuously rebelling to be put in the same place.
Riker and his guards, Trainers who he had personally instructed in the art of battle, knew the war was ending once Crusaders from Sacreus, covered in ash and thoroughly demoralized, started arriving at the usual spot they were bamfed onto the island from. Throughout the course of the war, the Warden had kept a careful record of what the prisoners said about those who captured them. As expected, Unova's Champions turned Generals had inspired fear, respect, and submission from their subdued enemies, but there was one figure that Riker had consistently had conflicting reports about. Their new Dragon Emperor.
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Some prisoners claimed he was a human-Pokémon half-breed, who used his psychic abilities to bend those around him to his will. Others, claimed he'd treated them fairly, when he'd had every reason, and excuse, not to do so. Eventually, Riker was able to determine who was parroting the Church rhetoric Caleb Pravus had drilled into them, and who was speaking honestly of the man's deeds. He'd made a point of battling each of Unova's rising stars, but Alex Redwood had been remarkably hard to track down, and Riker had been too preoccupied running his island to ever face him in a battle.
He had his own opinions about reviving the Dragon Empire, and letting a Trainer run it, but he kept them in check until he actually met the man. When the Original Dragon returned to New Tork City at the head of their golden, glowing legions, Riker began to understand what was going to come next. The east had won. He was only mildly surprised when Tao mentally contacted him, telling him that the Dragon Emperor would be arriving to handle the prisoners, but he had underestimated just how fast the man would arrive.
Within moments of zipping away from the party kicking off in New Tork for the returning soldiers, atop his Salamence, Redwood was sighted over the prison, and flew over the island twice, before finding the entrance, and a spot with enough space for the massive dragon he'd somehow managed to train. Warden Riker had some gray in his hair, but had retained his physical shape, and his team of Pokémon partners had done the same. None more so than his first partner, a Lucario, but as the leader of his nation landed before the pair, the aging Lucario perked up, his 'hair' quivering, as he sensed and read the aura of the human hopping down from the massive dragon's neck.
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Riker glanced at his partner; brow furrowed. His Lucario was the main reason they'd only ever had one prisoner escape from the island, and since Ghetsis had enlisted Shadow beings to aid him, it was a mark Riker didn't really count. Nobody had ever even come close to stopping the Shadow Triad. They were gone before one realized they'd arrived, and if they battled you, it was to distract you from what the other two were doing. He and Lucario had managed to take one of their number down, permanently, as it turned out, but the other two had escaped with their boss in the end. Riker glanced up, as the Dragon Emperor flashed with light, and his Salamence took off again, flying south towards the open ocean.
He was dressed far too casually in the Warden's opinion. A lengthy white robe-like jacket covered black and white pants that extended all the way down to his similarly black and white Trainer shoes, and matched the hat he'd been sporting since he took the title of Unova's Champion. The smirk he was wearing seemed forced, but Riker re-evaluated his opinion of his new leader once they locked eyes. His were tired, exhausted even, but Riker recognized that look, and so did his Lucario, as the well-trained Aura Pokémon broke formation to walk up to the Trainer, as he approached.
That, brought a more genuine smile to the man's face, and Riker's Lucario began to tap his foot as the Trainer asked to pet him, and quickly found his weak spot, scratching it thoroughly. Though he didn't approve of the breach in etiquette, Riker knew his partner to be an excellent judge of character, and the reason he always won Poker Night with the guards. He stepped forward and offered the new leader of his nation a proper salute. "Emperor Redwood. The Crusaders are awaiting your inspection, sir."
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Alex returned the salute with a far more casual tone to it, less rigidity, though that was likely from exhaustion. If the media was to be believed, they had teleported directly home after besieging Sacreus, and taking it, leaving just enough of a presence to keep it in line until the new government could get to handling it. "Warden Riker. I've heard good things, from Tao. Have there been any incidents while they've been waiting for the war to conclude?"
The pair began walking as they talked, with Riker leading the way through the maze-like facility. "A few. Usually, the new prisoners like to see how far they can push us. They learn quickly enough, but the charismatic troublemakers are the ones we separate out."
Alex nodded, his expression turning grim, as the smirk faded. "Mm. I see. We'll get to those...it's the main population I need to address, first."
Riker nodded, and picked up his pace, expecting both his Lucario and his Emperor to do the same to match him. "They're already waiting. They've been watching the celebration. This way."
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Riker Island was home to many holding facilities, but usually, the prisoner's days were spent idle, somewhat comfortable, in this, the main rec facility that boasted both indoor and outdoor stimulation. The food wasn't gourmet, but neither was it garbage, and as long as prisoners followed the rules, and respected the guards, they were allowed to serve their time in relative quiet. There were other places on the island, for those who were determined to be more violent, and active. Naturally, battling was a favorite pastime, and as long as prisoners didn't try using their Pokémon to escape, they were allowed to draw one partner from their box. The battle facility also doubled as the max security wing, for both were Teleport proof, and had numerous other move-cancelling abilities besides. If all that failed, there was always his Lucario, who had yet to be unable to track a prisoner's aura on the rare chance they managed to escape the facilities.
The main rec room was filled with chairs today, of varying quality, texture, and length, though there weren't nearly enough for the number of Crusaders watching from the multiple levels of the building. Several million of them resided in this facility, and all but one side of the building played home to crowds of milling Fornians. They were arrayed before a massive holo-screen showing New Tork City in the throes of victory. The prisoners had rearranged the furniture on the ground floor to group up with their little social cliques, and as long as they weren't violent or subversive, Riker allowed them. There were cries of protest, once the screen went off, but silence reigned moments later, as the iconic visage of Alex Redwood walked out onto the balcony from which only Warden Riker, usually, addressed them. Riker himself was standing behind the Dragon Emperor, arms behind his back, as he watched the younger man closely. He'd heard rumors of the Trainer's persuasive Voice, some even claimed it was a variation of the Hyper Voice move, but he was the kind of man who believed what he saw, over rumors.
"Crusaders of Fornia. I did not have the pleasure of putting all of you in here, but if you spoke to one of my fellow Generals, or heard their words, you know the deal. Your surrenders have been accepted, and now that the war is over, Warden Riker and I will begin the process of letting those of you who are ready, return to your families." There were a few cheers at this, amongst skeptical rumbling, and Alex let them die down before he continued. "This process will have two paths. The easy path...and the difficult path. Because you are your own people, with your own will and beliefs, I will not force you to walk either. I will give you a choice, as I gave those of you who understood why surrender was your best option."
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The smirk returned then, and the seemingly far too casual man held up one finger. "First, is the easy path. My Scales and I will use our psychic abilities to determine, rather quickly, whether or not you are ready for reintegration into the society we intend to build. The process will be invasive, but harmless. Only my best Scales will be examining your minds. If you are genuinely willing to support what we are about to build, we will send you home, with a job, to be started when the rebuilding of Fornia begins. Until then, you may do as you please, provided it's...legal."
The second finger rose, before the grumbles of protest became cries of bigotry towards anything even remotely psychic. "The second path will take longer and be more difficult. We will be using our abilities for that, as well, but they will not be as...invasive, and will take much longer. Both paths can potentially lead to your freedom, but I will warn you now, that lying, hiding information, and clinging to your fallen Church's doctrine will not be tolerated. I've heard good things about Warden Riker's 'one and done' system. One infraction, and all the comforts you would enjoy otherwise, vanish. I'll be speaking to those who decided to cause such infractions later, but first, I wanted to address you, the people likely the most eager, and willing, to go home. Work with us, and you will see your families soon. Try to take advantage of our kindness…" His eyes burned deep blue as he paused, and he stared down at them, forcing his mental presence to physically manifest within the building, as intense pressure. More than a few Crusaders slumped, under the sheer force of it. "...and you will not enjoy the consequences."
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Riker glanced at his Lucario at that moment, and the Aura Pokémon met his gaze. His voice echoed in his Trainer's head, then. "This aura...it's…vastly stronger than any Human I've ever seen…" The Lucario stayed silent for a moment, as he kept reading it, then added, "...but, there is kindness, at its core. Honorable intentions... righteousness...for now." Riker nodded, eyes shifting back to the man who now led his entire nation. He'd known Tao wouldn't have a weak Tamer, but to hear he significantly surpassed the many criminals and enemies they'd faced with strong auras was...unsettling.
Alex's eyes returned to normal, and his aura shield returned to being invisible, as he smirked once more. "I will do my best to give the people of Fornia, even the men who fought for her under Pravus, the future they deserve. One where we all prosper. Together. Do not waste this opportunity. I can sense the potential each of you has...I would not see it locked away, wasted in a prison."
With that, Alex left, leaving the rec center largely silent, as the indoctrinated soldiers within processed his words. Caleb Pravus was gone. The Church couldn't punish them for accepting such a deal, at this point. The Church no longer even existed, having publicly disbanded once Sacreus had been taken. They had, according to the last wave of prisoners, been overthrown in no small part by Sacreus's own citizens, once said citizens had learned the truth of Shadow Infusion, and how their trusted government had been systematically turning their Pokémon into mindless, rage-fueled weapons to serve Pravus's ambition.
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"A nice speech…" Riker said, as Redwood began following signs to another part of the facility. "But it will not work on those more opposed to you."
"Oh, I'm aware." The man said, waving a hand casually. "I'm not going to even try logic, with them. Rosa will be handling the...hardcore believers. All they'd do is spit, on me...and I don't have quite enough patience, for that. She'll be arriving with a few of the Scales who can handle their ideals best. Right now, I am here to see the Light Branded. I was told you'd received them from the Black Hills hideout. How are they?" One deep blue eye turned Riker's way, as the Dragon Emperor continued walking about the place as if he knew where he was going.
"Well...they're model prisoners...but I wouldn't call them Human. Whatever the Church did to them...it changed them on a psychological level, as well as a physical one. You'll understand, once you see them." Riker didn't speak again, until they reached the door to the barge that was currently holding several city's worth of Light branded humans. He unlocked the door, and then gestured, as they came upon yet another balcony, though addressing these prisoners rarely did anything. "Here they are…"
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Alex winced as he looked down at the crowd of people. Some eyes turned towards him, most, stayed unfocused upon whatever their head was looking at. They shambled constantly, in a chaotic pattern of movement, not seeming to mind the cramped space, so long as said movement wasn't impeded. There were no words spoken, but the low near-constant moans from the humans below were demoralizing.
"Their brains have been thoroughly experimented on, and their bodies have as well…" The feminine voice that spoke, came from one of their sides, cutting through the omnipresent groans. Aurea Juniper was nearing the end of her mortal coil, but she still had enough pep in her step and electricity in her brain for study, and science. "Whoever experimented on them was determined to turn them into Light users...I can't tell if they succeeded. According to the Champions from the Black Hills, these are the rejects. Did you find any enemy Light wielders in your travels, Dragon Emperor?"
Alex glanced at the Professor as she spoke, and then looked back down at the writhing horde of humans. "No... not many, anyways. Not ones who demonstrated genuine abilities like myself and Rosa. They were usually healers, like Montaho's Champion and I saw no reason to keep them from using their gifts, but I didn't find any using them for Battle."
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Riker spoke up then. "That's concerning. The Professor has determined, and I agree with her, that there are so many rejects because the goal was a perfected, man-made Light wielder. With this many failures, there had to have been a few successes."
Alex sighed. "Then no one, not I nor my Generals, faced them. We came across undead abominations, Shadow worshipers, even people who'd tried infusing Shadow into their own auras, despite the cost and the risk. The Light is...different. They may have completely failed to manufacture someone who could use it. Or...what they created used the Light to keep themselves hidden. It's a difficult trick, but I've seen Tao bend it to use as camouflage. They could be hiding, by now."
The Professor stepped up beside Alex then. "Is there anything you can do for them?" She gestured to the crowds below, and his expressions darkened.
"I can... certainly try. But it may...agitate them. Be ready. Warden, tell your guards to prepare...this may get messy. If anyone regains their sanity, I'll bamf them up here." Riker nodded as Alex spoke, and then the Warden spoke into his comm device, attached to his ear. Moments later, his similarly black and white garbed guards, armed with Pokéballs and simple batons specialized for defense and blocking, joined the group atop the balcony.
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Alex took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and then focused, as he reached out to, and connected with each of the people below. Immediately, he noted that some minds were more intact than others, and his hands clenched the balcony rail tighter, as he saw firsthand what the mad doctors Manchineel and Ein had inflicted on their own people. He also realized he'd have to go through them one by one and hope his healing attempts did something. While healing with psychic energy was still difficult for him, he could close small wounds now, but he had found that the Light was far more suited for such things. While powerful when fueled by wrath and a desire for justice, when combined with peaceful emotions, the Light's healing effects were second to none, almost miraculous, if draining.
The tall frame of the Trainer hummed with a deep blue aura, which then burned to gold. Riker heard his Lucario gasp, but he stayed quiet this time, as he sensed the distant-but-present aura of the Alpha Pokémon.
"Here we go…" Alex started with the more intact brains, focusing a small but direct burst of healing Light on their minds, guiding the regrowth along the neural pathways that had been burned away in whatever gruesome experiment they'd been subject to. The first five, he failed to revive, and while they specifically stopped wandering, and even looked around seemingly more aware, he knew they were a far cry from who they had been. The sixth however, responded best to his healing. With a flash, Alex brought her up to join them, and he vaguely heard the Professor consoling her as he continued to heal, and scan.
He had no idea how long he stayed at it, and he knew it was quite a length of time he'd been awake now, but he was determined to get through the entirety of the crowd. Suffused as he was with Light, he didn't feel the exhaustion yet, and he knew it would only come once he let the connection fade. In the end, just over two hundred of the several thousand people they'd found afflicted managed to regain their senses, and their sanity, to a degree. No mind was the same, and each reacted to awakened awareness differently. Alex left handling them to Riker and Juniper, staying focused on his task the entire time.
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When he did eventually stop, he noticed the light coming through the barge's barred windows was that of the moon, and the bright crescent was already high in the sky. For this time of year though, just past the end of Festivus, that was normal. It wasn't too late, but it was later than he'd wanted to stay. As the Light faded, he resisted the sudden but not entirely unfamiliar drowsiness that hit him, and as his mind compared it to other instances of sudden exhaustion, he felt Jess mentally poke him. He smirked, reaffirmed that he was fine, and would be joining her soon, then turned, to see the Warden eyeing him, along with his Lucario, with an indeterminable expression.
"So...how did it go, Warden? How are they handling their regained senses?"
Riker smirked. "Rather well...once we explained what had happened, most were glad the Church was gone...a few were upset that you had...'befouled their mind with psychic heresy', but they eventually realized why you did, and why it was irrefutably a good thing." The older man gave the younger one, who was all but teetering from exhaustion, a pat on the shoulder. "You did well, Dragon Emperor. You gave those people their lives back, more or less...and for the others...well, they can at least feed themselves now, so my guards are rather thankful too. They might even recover, over time."
Alex nodded, slumping against the balcony railing as he noted the people below had been moved to their cells at some point. While still barred and closed, they were not locked, and while before the Branded had been seemingly unable to open them, now, it seemed quite a few were able to, so they could continue to wander aimlessly. "Tao will be able to help them...better than I can. I know their brain's structure more intimately, though. He wanted me guiding...their initial regrowth."
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Riker nodded. "I'll expect his arrival one of these days, then. I know there is much to handle, right now." He eyed the younger man again, and the smirk widened. "You seem like you're ready to collapse, lad. You should head home, and rest."
Alex blinked, at that. Home. Eric had mentioned that his room had finally been taken over by one of their cousins, since he apparently had a giant, ancient palace to sleep in now. He tried to glean where Jess was, and only found his third eye being dragged back to New Tork, which meant a ridiculously lavish hotel, most likely. "I'll do that." He stood then and gave the Warden a respectful nod. "Until next time, Warden Riker."
The older man saluted. "Sir." And with a flash of blue, and a bamf sound, he was gone. Riker turned to his Lucario then. "What do you think?"
Having mastered speaking with his human a long time ago, the Pokémon responded mentally. He couldn't project his words, and he couldn't read human runes, but the Common language was easy enough. "He has...a connection to the Alpha. The rumors were true."
Riker arched an eyebrow. "And his personality? Will he abuse that power?"
The Lucario shrugged. "I do not think so. I sensed no malice, or greed. Just determination to do what is right. If the Dragon guides him, he will do well, I think."
Riker nodded. "Well done, my friend. It's time you had a rest too." The Lucario stifled a yawn, and nodded, as his Trainer recalled him into his ball, and left the old man to ponder the future, and what it would look like after the Dragon Emperor started bending it to his will, as he had an entire barge's worth of people. "I may be out of a job…" He muttered, smirking, before leaving to grab dinner, and his own rest.
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The Great Valley - Transylveticut Region
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Alex slept for three days once he'd returned to New Tork, and he'd awoken to find that his better half had once again left before him, leaving only a note in her wake. Evidently, she and the Riders of Valaskjalf had absconded somewhere quieter to try to help Ho-Oh recover, by way of some ancient song. He left her to it, and instead tracked down his Gallade, who had taken to keeping track of everyone while their Trainer slept. Since donning the Storm Crown, he'd only needed four hours of rest to be functional, which put into perspective just how much energy he'd burned, before collapsing.
Arthur gathered their party in short order, all save for Shruikan, who was still hunting. Alex let him, as he had more than earned his rest after his efforts during the war. Each of his team had, but none had singly guarded the entire Kanadian Wall during some of their coldest months. Once Alex had all nine, he Teleported to where Percy had told him to rendezvous when they were ready to attempt his 'Meltan Plan', as he'd started calling it. Alex found the name ridiculous, but it had somehow caught on with his team while he'd been sleeping. The hotel had been more than willing to cater to their whims, given voice by Arthur, who had taken to helping the staff with his powers and demeanor while the others lounged around the areas dedicated to Pokémon within the massive New Tork skyscraper.
Alex materialized in a massive valley, surrounded on two sides by a mountain range that had long since eroded, flattened, and then raised again, in the wake of Arceus's reshaping of their planet. Tracking Percy's mind was difficult at the best of times, and he wandered on foot, at a walking pace, for almost an hour before he sighted his svelte friend, amidst several massive forms of what had to be Melmetal.
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A group of Meltan charged him, as he approached their spot in the valley, one close to the ore-rich mountains. They fired several Flash Cannons his way, which he dodged, spinning away from each one with confident, even graceful steps one would not expect from someone with so large a frame. Eventually, he got close enough to explain why he was there to them, and while he did not understand all their noises, as some were on different sound wavelengths human ears simply couldn't grasp, they did turn from hostile to excited, when he brought out Cenomons.
His Aggron had grown rather massive after his feast. Alex had left him to munching on and structurally reinforcing the under-city of Sacreus. Essentially, he'd consumed the Meltan line's metal, and replaced it with sturdy stone walls and pillars. Once the war ended, Arthur had eventually gone back for him, with his ball, before returning him to New Tork, as they'd waited for their human to rouse himself. The lumbering steel type gave the Melmetal a greeting, one which was returned with what seemed like strange gestures from the mythical Pokémon before them. Each one towered above them, and there had to be over a hundred Melmetal across the valley.
"Some of them are more...shy...than these. But they are all eager to see how you intend to revive their brethren." Percy said, once they'd grasped forearms and bantered for several minutes.
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Alex chuckled, at that. "That's the thing though, Percy. Arceus said to come...he never said what to do after I arrived." He glanced up at the Melmetal as he spoke and sensed their minds turning darker. He stepped between them, and Ceno, as he felt their thoughts turn to removing the metal of their fallen friends by force. "Let's not give up before we've even started, my friends… I am sure that the Al-" He paused, mid sentence, as he realized Percy was staring at something above them, and as the pale white form of Arceus manifested from a portal surrounded by what looked uncannily like a double helix, he settled onto the golden grass of the Great Valley, and each of the massive giants fell to both knees, arms bent, as they bowed to the Alpha Pokémon.
You did well to gather as much of the metal as you could, Mountain Eater. The red eye of the deity focused on Cenomons, before it shifted to the humans before him. I can give them new Hex Nuts, but we will need Human ingenuity to...retrieve...the metal within your partner.
Alex bowed as low as Percy did before the Alpha Pokémon, before he responded. "I have an idea...but I'll need your power to make it work. Cenomons knows a Move that can separate the steel from him in a... painless manner. But it will be up to you to hold it in place. If it hits the ground, it'll be expended...explosively."
Arceus regarded the human for a moment, then nodded his head. Together, then.
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Alex nodded, taking a long breath as he fought down any panic that came from him partnering up with a literal god, and turned his eyes to Cenomons, pointing at an unoccupied area of the golden grass-filled valley before giving the command. "Bearing Shot!"
Ceno nodded, seeing his logic thanks in no small part to the bond they shared at a mental level. The Aggron rose onto his hind legs, and fired quite a few small, round, steel typed balls into the air above the golden fields from his mouth and the black holes on his steel frill. As expected, Arceus held them in place with seemingly no effort. They repeated the move until Ceno was out of power, at which point they used an Elixir and repeated the process. After running out of energy almost a hundred times, Cenomons nodded at Alex, as he knew by instinct that was all the steel he could spare.
Before them, floating in the air, were hundreds of thousands of tiny silver spheres. Arceus glanced at the human and his chosen partner. Well done, both of you. You continue to impress me, Redwood. This act will not be forgotten...by myself, or the Melmetal.
Alex bowed, and even Ceno knelt at the Alpha's praise. Then, it was his turn. After hearing the cannon-like sound of firing numerous Bearing Shots into the air, most of the Great Valley's inhabitants had gathered to watch and bask in the Light of their creator. They all stared, spellbound, as the Alpha Pokémon worked his magic.
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The accents upon his body turned a steel color, as did the structure around his midsection and around the humans and the Aggron, several more Melmetal formed via evolution, in the intense outpouring of steel typed energy. It hardly mattered, as they were about to have far more Meltan. A single sphere of energy that even Alex's eyes couldn't tell the type of formed above the Alpha's head, and with a simple shift of his head, it broke into a brilliant cascade of bright white spheres, each shard of which connected with a steel orb suspended in the air.
With flashes reminiscent of evolution, the balls of steel formed into Meltan, who were then lowered to the golden grass by the Alpha, as he simultaneously focused on recombining all the others. The whole effort took moments, but it was quite a spectacle, and when they were done, every member of the Meltan line had happy eye squiggles, as friends they had thought lost were once more brought back into existence.
As one, they praised Arceus in what seemed like something between a cheer and a prayer, and just as quickly as he had appeared, the Alpha Pokémon vanished. One of the more massive Melmetal approached Alex then, and Percy grew tense, as he watched the thirty-foot steel automaton of a Pokémon. "Careful...this one is...temperamental. The Arceans were...not kind to him."
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Alex nodded, but went to meet the Melmetal halfway anyways, as at his size, his lumbering speed was Torterra levels of slow. Alex bowed, and then resumed standing as the Melmetal thundered right up in front of him, causing him to have to tilt his head rather far to keep contact with its 'eye'. It spoke both physically, and surprisingly, in his head with a deep, ringing baritone. "We will not forget this act...Dragonblood. You will have the aid of my kind...in all your travels."
Alex nodded, smiling, as he sensed genuine gratitude from the usually hard to read steel type. "All I desire for your kind is peace, and the ability to spread as far as you desire. I may contact you for metal, in the future...harvested correctly, of course, but for now...rest, my friend. Your long torment is over."
"So...it...is." With that, the massive steel type lumbered away again, as did the other Melmetal, each with a crowd of revived Meltan swarming around their comparatively tiny feet. Alex turned to Percy then, and smirked.
"I take it you have questions." He said, nonchalantly examining his cuff, as he spoke.
"That energy Arceus summoned...what type was it? My eyes told me nothing…" Alex said, watching the Fairy King. Percy did not have many tells, when he spoke, but he liked to think he'd caught on to a few, by now.
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The slender part fairy typed human just laughed, arching a pale blonde eyebrow at his query. "There was no type. What he summoned was energy from nature itself. Nature Energy. It doesn't have a type, unless a Pokémon warps it. But only a few do that, rather than using their own."
"Nature Energy…" Alex said, pondering. He mentally recalled the other times he'd seen energy, but not its typing, and his brows furrowed. "Could...could you use it for Primal Reversion?"
Percy's eyebrow arched higher, to Spockian levels, but he still gave what appeared to be a candid answer. "Aye, that's what is required for Primal Reversion...but only the Orbs of Groudon and Kyogre are able to gather enough for that particular transformation...and only after a long time of sitting in a place suffused with it. The amount needed to revert a Pokémon, let alone a Legendary class Pokémon, is...substantial."
Alex kept pondering, eyes on the ground, as his brain continued to offer tantalizing new formulas, if such power could be harnessed. "How does one summon it without such an Orb? I saw Ghetsis do it...and all he had was a staff he'd shoved the DNA Splicers into."
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Percy nodded. "Lusamine mentioned she'd met you...and N. I never met him myself, but he sure left behind quite a few fans. If Ghetsis used it on Kyurem, I'm betting the Splicers were part of the reason. You also don't know what his staff was made of. Ask your dragon, I'm sure he could tell you more."
Before Alex had so much as a chance to form the question, Tao gave his answer, to his Tamer and only his Tamer, by way of telepathy. "Nature Energy is difficult to control at the best of times...to date there is only one region whose people have learned to...bend it, for use in Battle. This is something you will learn as well, in time, but first you should make haste to Kalos. AZ will not wait for you forever."
Alex nodded, recalling what Jess had mentioned about the strange man, and his proposal. He glanced back at Percy, who was waiting patiently, guessing correctly that Alex's Legendary partner had given him an answer. "I see. Apparently, I'm going to be learning about it at a later date." He gave Percy a look, and the Fairy King laughed. "Right now, I have to see a man about a kingdom...stay out of trouble, Percy."
The svelte man feigned a look of shock. "I'm hurt, Alex! I've been a model world citizen, since being freed."
"Mm. Credit where it is due, you did do the right thing, with regard to the Melmetal." Alex grumbled, turning to face Kalos as he willed his brain to recall one of the Teleport points he'd used for that region. "I'm sure the rest of your activities have been just as wholesome and good natured." Percy stifled a yawn, but otherwise said nothing. Alex just smirked. "Enjoy your currency schemes while you can, Fairy King. Tao means to remove currency altogether, before long. Until next time." Alex bamfed then, leaving the slightly unnerved looking Percy with a cocky salute before he vanished without mentioning how he'd known what the rather stealthy fairy man had been up to of late.
Percy sighed then, shaking his head. "Bloody Dragon Types...one does not simply remove the root of all evil."
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Parfum Palace - Kalos Region
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Alex had expected some measure of fame in other regions that had lent their aid to the Unovan's latest war, but the reception he got in Kalos was either one of approval, as many seemed to think he was responsible for saving not only his home, but Japan as well, while others, were not amused, and seemed to be of the opinion that Kalos should've never gotten involved. He'd resisted smirking, at those negative commenters. They were in for a surprise, once he spoke with their King.
Getting into the palace itself was irritating however, as parts of it had become little better than a tourist trap, while others were yet inhabited by AZ, his descendants, and several nobles of the Kalosian Court. He'd had to non-threateningly draw and ignite Lux, before the guards believed who he was, but once they understood they were quite courteous, and brought him directly to AZ.
The path led through the large palace, and then out onto a balcony, where the giant of a man was standing, looking out upon the garden mazes. Alex noted a pair of Golurk statues, which his inner gamer was betting weren't really statues, but he had no intention of waking them. Zekrom's obsidian eyes stared at Reshiram's marble ones from the far side of the garden, and AZ turned as the guard announced him, title and all, and then left the two regional leaders to talk.
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Alex bowed, once they'd met eyes, and AZ wasted no time in talking, though his manner was slow, as if every word needed a second, on the way from his brain to his mouth. "Ah yes...the Dragon Emperor...well done, on your first...victory."
"Thank you, King AZ. Without Kalos's well-trained legions, we would've lost many more lives. Once more, the pact between our regions is honored." He rose from the bow once he finished speaking and met the giant's gaze equally. He wasn't all that smaller than AZ, but it was rare that he had to look up, when speaking with a human. "Jess mentioned that you wished to speak with me…"
AZ nodded, slowly. "I did...and still do. My Kalos...is not what it once was. It does not...require my guidance any longer...I would have done away with the...titles altogether...but...our region is not entirely...out of danger... yet." The giant turned back to face his gardens. "Tell me...Dovahkiin...what have you learned...of the Imperium of Man?"
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Alex arched a brow, but stepped up beside the man all the same. AZ wasn't rude, per say...just tired. Millennia of wandering seemed to have that effect on an immortal mind, but Alex found his manner was similar to his own, and the silence between them was not tinged with awkwardness, as he mentally recalled the scraps of information he'd managed to pull from Aristole, and Tao.
"The Imperium has been around since the last Tamer of Arceus left us...their capital is situated on Olympius, the tallest of the Mediterra Mountains, the Imperator is seen as all but a god to his people, though his rule is...less than divine. The Imperium uses slaves, and lobotomized criminals to gather their hordes of resources, and the Imperator has channeled them into the creation of his twenty Thunder Warrior Legions, conquering most of Old Africa, and most recently, the Ursh Hordes of Varangia. Their Trainers Battle alongside their Pokémon, in stadium matches...and they're not very friendly to foreigners. There are many rumors of people being taken as slaves and turned into lobotomized servitors, but no hard evidence has been found to substantiate them."
AZ nodded. "Oh...you can be sure they were...taken. Though they likely died, soon after. The Imperium...uses hard labor...to bend captives to their...dogma. I know this...from firsthand experience. In my...wanderings...I had heard of the Imperator's power...and believed it could return...my lost partner to me...alas...I was wrong...it was many years...before I managed to escape him. It very nearly...broke my Will."
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Alex's eyes widened, slightly, as he looked back up at the giant man. "The Imperator made you a slave? You actually saw him? Any hard information about him is...lacking, at best."
AZ nodded and sighed. "It... would be. The Imperator...is the most powerful psychic that Humanity has ever...naturally produced...and time...has only made him stronger." The giant's eyes met Alex's, and the smaller human sensed they were about to arrive at the real reason behind this meeting. "His...Thunder Warriors still seek my...recapture. They are physically strong...psychically resilient...mostly...and, they have been lining the border between Kalos and Germania for the past several months...I know their Legion...their symbol...the Imperator's Children have been hunting me...since I escaped. Neither I nor Calem...possess the strength to face them...or their leader...in real combat. You...may just have what it takes."
Alex bowed his head, and then met AZ's gaze again. "I won't let them take Kalos. They'll have to contend with all of us, if they wish to even try."
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That, made AZ chuckle, a wheezing sound, but genuinely mirthful. "The Ursh Hordes...outnumbered the forces...you could call to your banner. Even with your...allies...they outnumber every other military force on the planet...save one."
Alex raised a brow, and AZ continued. "Eous's seven kingdoms have stood against the Imperium of Man with the power of their Kilin...for almost as long as the Imperium has existed...they have not always won...but only they possess the manpower...that you would need to meet them in... a fair battle. Even then...you would lose. The Imperium's technology...surpasses the rest of the world...but they are not insurmountable...yet...once they expand to space...that will change."
At that, Alex smirked. "I feel confident we can beat them to space. At the very least, we can make whatever craft they launch suffer from...technical difficulties. I understand the aerial advantage space would give them...but surely that alone wouldn't be enough to stop everyone else in the world…"
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AZ chuckled again. "You...are assuming the entirety of the world...does not wish to join them. The Imperator's servants...are devout...and they are many. Imperial Iterators are not easy to ignore… Humans will always desire freedom, over slavery...but...more than a few individuals seeking power...have embraced the Imperial Truth, rather than resist it. You will be...hard pressed to unite Earth against them."
Alex privately thought that, if the alternative was death by enslavement, the world wouldn't be that hard to convince, at the very least it was a worthy goal to aim for, but AZ seemed to pause, before he continued. It took Alex a minute to realize he was inhaling, as if every singular breath was what he used to give life to his words. It almost seemed like he'd had to re-learn how to speak, from how his mind was working, but he resisted prying into the man's thoughts.
"In truth, I was prepared to simply hand you the power of Kalos...but another has beaten you to it." AZ withdrew something from his rather comfortable looking kingly robe in the colors of his castle. It was a helmet, judging by what was left of it. It had been cut perfectly into identical halves. It looked to have sported a pair of green glass-like eye coverings, that had sat under the crest of the helmet, which covered the forehead, cheeks, and neck all at once. Alex knew the material though, as his Aggron had once tunneled through a bunker made of it. Ceracrete. The Imperium's 'invincible armor' or that was the claim, at least. Compared to what the Arceans had used, this seemed more refined, and likely took more effort to break through. He smirked inwardly as several of his team offered to test the hype around the Imperium's power armor, and Alex assured them that they would, eventually, probably have plenty of time to test themselves against it.
AZ gave him a moment to examine the trophy, before speaking again, and as he did, Alex noticed the helm was sporting a strange symbol that marked the helmet's face protectors, and crest. A set of crimson fangs shaped in a square, engulfing what looked like the Earth itself. "He...has convinced me that you are not the only powerful Human who can face the Imperium...and unlike you...he has already faced their Thunder Warriors in Battle."
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Alex didn't have to think long, about what other powerful Trainer in Kalos would challenge him for this. There were many candidates, but from what he'd seen of the Gym Leaders in the war, they weren't quite on the level of a Champion. Some, who had grown stronger whilst battling Shadow Pokémon were eager to have another Kalos League Tournament, to decide who was currently ranked where, on the Kalosian Trainer's hierarchy, but he knew who was currently sitting at the top, the last he'd heard. He smirked, guessing rightly who was standing in his way now.
AZ smiled at his wordless reaction. "So, you have figured out who he is...good. Go on then...he is waiting...and the Victor shall rule over Kalos!"
The King's rather sudden and loud proclamation captured the attention of several hundred people below, touring the gardens, and Alex knew that news of a match like this, especially in Kalos, would spread like wildfire.
Alex rolled his neck with a satisfying crack, and stretched his stiff limbs, as he met AZ's ancient gaze. "I'm down a member, at the moment, but I have a stand-in, ready and waiting. I'll need a PC."
AZ nodded, and the pair of tall Trainers headed for the closest terminal.
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Several Minutes Later - Parfum Palace Front Entrance
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As Alex wandered out of the palace and into the bright spring sunlight, he spied a familiar figure, still sporting the black and white of the homeland he hadn't defended. A deep blue scarf hung around his neck, and his new hat was business up front, and flared in the back, a rather popular style in Kalos, though it too matched his outfit's color. His Greninja's ball was in his hand, and as Alex's eyes met Connor's, they knew the battle had begun.
"For the right to rule Kalos, as King in all capacities…" Connor said, as his own Voice echoed around the semi-crowded courtyard. He raised his starter's ball, then. "I Challenge!"
AZ responded, before Alex could so much as turn his hat backwards. "Accepted!" His arms spread wide, and blue runic markings appeared on his ancient skin, the parts that were visible anyway, as he met Alex's eyes and winked. "Behold! Parfum Stadium!"
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The ground beneath Connor rumbled, and Kalos's Champion stumbled, as the ground responded to the Will of the King, and moved aside, for what had lain beneath the front entrance, unused for millennia. The stadium rose, and the front gates did as well, revealing functional stadium-style seating, that semi-confused Kalosians eagerly began filing into. Many seemed to grin, as they spied a field below them.
For his part, Connor found himself on the field, and his eyes went wide as he realized what field it was. In ancient times, the Stadium of Kings had held Battles for the right to rule Kalos, and according to records from that era, AZ had never lost.
"The rules...are thus! Any move may be used! No Items that aren't being held already! The first one to run out of Pokémon loses!" AZ began inhaling again, as his large lungs ran out of air, and Alex took the opportunity to bamf the short distance to his side of the field, as Connor headed for his own, looking far too confident. "Let the match...begin!"
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Connor returned his rival's smirk as he raised Gren's ball. Alex let his own chosen ten float around and above the back of his shoulders, giving each of them a view, as he brought Terra's to the front. If Connor wanted to start with this particular contest of power, they were more than willing to oblige. At AZ's words, he sent the ball high, as Connor tossed his own upwards, and then kicked it with the softer inside of his foot towards the field.
It was as it sailed rapidly forward, that Alex noticed it was more of a crimson color, than blue. Gren's was still in Connor's hand. Alex swore silently, and both Trainers gave a command as each Pokémon took the field.
"Rocket Punch!"
"Earthquake!"
Ardor popped free of his ball, and with the speed common to Infernape, rocketed towards Terra fist first, who appeared in the air.
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The crimson fire monkey followed his opponent down, as gravity both did its work, and gave the massive earth turtle the momentum for a truly magnificent Earthquake. After using it so many times, he had learned how to make the breaking ground vomit forth an endless wave of not jagged, but sturdy, straight protrusions. They radiated forward from where Terra landed, and though Ardor brought his fist forward, flames encasing it and his body, the type advantage won out, and the overwhelming flood of super effective earthy spikes drove him all the way back to his Trainer, fainted.
Connor swore, but AZ shouted over him. "The Infernape Ardor is down! The victory goes to the Dragon Emperor!" He looked at Connor then. "Summon...your next Battler." Terra sank his feet into the field, flattening it, as Connor brought out his next ball, and seeing it was orange and black, and knowing his Aggron would fare poorly against an electric typed opponent that much faster, Alex psychically chucked another ball, even as he recalled Terra.
Connor's Raikou took the field, and the flames around his fangs died down, as he realized he was staring at another thunder cat, and not a grass turtle. Alex spoke before Connor could. "Mega Evolve." The Zap Plate on Leo's back flared in response, and electric energy surrounded him as he advanced to the next stage, and the only level of power likely to be able to combat a Raikou.
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As the pair of thunder cats faced each other down, the stands grew ever more crowded, as word of the hidden stadium's appearance also spread rather quickly to Camphrier Town, and beyond. The crowd that had been visiting the palace were the majority, but since every Trainer in Kalos had a Holoceiver these days, more were flying in by the minute.
Alex opened, as he'd won the last round, with a move that he'd had to rename, because his Luxray no longer responded to the words 'Double Team'. "Shadow Clones! Let's go for...twenty."
"Aura Sphere!" Connor said, after glancing at his Pokédex. The Raikou growled, and between its fangs, a sphere of focused Aura formed, condensed into a tight swirling mass, and began to grow.
Alex countered, saying "Wait for it...Psychic Fangs!"
The move came moments after he called something that could block the undodgeable attack, smashing through several tangible illusions as it did, and Leo's fangs lit with psychic blue aura, as he tore through the sphere with a single, perfect bite. The Raikou gave a nod, acknowledging the skill of his adversary, only to open his mouth for another.
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Before Connor called it again, Alex used his own move as the Shadow Clones faded. "Eerie Impulse!" Leo's fur rippled in response, as it sparked, and manifested a noise, one that got to the Raikou mid-sphere, and caused his focus on it to lapse, as his mind became disoriented by the move.
"Good, now Iron Tail!"
"Crunch!" Connor answered, as he ordered his own counter. The Mega Luxray's tail formed into a gleaming scythe, and struck at the Raikou, but the faster thunder cat caught it in his jaws. "Now Fire Fang!" The fangs shifted from being covered in dark energy, to fire, burning the still steel-covered tail, unique to the Mega Luxray's form, and doing quite a bit of damage.
Alex's eyes narrowed, as did Leo's, and he offered a suggestion for their next strategy. Alex nodded, and gave the order, "Break away, and Night Slash!" Leo drew the sharp scythe from the Raikou's jaws, cutting them as he dragged it through the flame fangs. Leo thwacked it against the ground, forcing through the pain, and willing the steel energy to trade with darkness. For good measure, Leo split himself into three, with more Shadow Clones, and while Connor ordered another counter, Raikou missed, tearing into a clone, as the remaining two hit him with a Night Slash, from the scythe-tail.
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Connor glared, and then pointed, as he gave another command. "A good trick, but one we also know. Shadow Clones." The orange and black striped Raikou split into several copies, and Connor followed his move with another. "Now, Bulldoze!"
Despite being a special attacker, Raikou's mind was still off from the Eerie Impulse, and his physical attacks, at the moment, were likely as strong as his special ones. Over ten clones at least charged Leo, who was smirking, on his side of the field, looking entirely too confident, eyes closed, as he waited.
It didn't take Alex long to counter the oncoming rush of earth energy cowled electric tigers. "Focus your eyes...then leap and use Night Slash!" The golden Luxray's eyes opened at his Trainer's word, and in an instant, he picked out the real Raikou. That, was the same instant Connor remembered what made Luxray so useful, aside from their versatility with special and physical moves. Leo leapt, and then brought his tail forward, rotating his larger, bulkier frame in the air with the power of his move as he cut a hole in space with dark typed energy and tumbled through it. "Now, bring it down with an Ice Fang!"
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Having learned the moves alongside Ictus, Leo had found commanding fire, ice, and lightning through his fangs to be rather useful, no matter who or what he battled. As the sparking thunder cat with ice encased fangs came down on his target, Connor grinned at his rival, now that he'd once more ordered his Luxray close. Raikou took the hit, but was himself not weak to ice, but the ground typed energy cowl faded, as Leo chomped into it, and dispersed it, leaving him just before the Legendary Pokémon, as he landed.
"Thunder!" Connor said, as he raised a triumphant fist to the sky, but it wasn't the clouds above from which Raikou brought the Thunder. From his back, pure undiluted electricity struck the Luxray, who'd taken several hits already. He stayed where the energy had smashed into him with seemingly unstoppable force, fainted, and smoking slightly.
Alex bamfed over to his partner, Max Revive already in hand, as stocking up had been necessary, before leaving Castelia. Leo's eyes snapped open, and then winced, as the healing took effect. Being stronger meant such things took longer to fully heal. The black and gold Luxury Ball that was his favorite bed recalled him, and Alex rose, eyes never leaving the Raikou's, as he bamfed back to his spot, where his balls had remained hovering.
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A blue and brown one soared into the air, as AZ called the faint, and repeated to him what he'd said to Connor, verbatim. Hydrus took the field, saw the Raikou, and smirked. Two massive, bulky blue fin fists slammed into the ground, as he roared his name and drew on the Splash Plate that was affixed to his softer underbelly, ascending to his Mega Form.
The hulking mudfish smirked knowingly down at the faster, but weakened legend below him, as his Trainer called the move. "Giga Punch!" Hydrus raised an arm, which began to glow with a familiar intense orange, similar to what was found in moves like Hyper Beam and Giga Impact. Hydrus was essentially using the latter move, but his impacting appendage had the energy focused in his fist, and Connor countered, as he knew the enhanced fist would, at this stage, take his Legendary Pokémon down. If it hit.
"Reflect!" Raikou looked worn, but he rallied as Connor called the move, and a dense shield of psychic energy manifested just above him, one that would last quite a while, before it degraded. The thunder cat assumed himself quite safe beneath the shield, confident he could weather the hit. That confidence shattered as his shield did, as the unstoppable force that was the Mega Swampert's fist smashed through it, and sent the Raikou skipping across the field, and into the lower edge of the stands behind Connor, with a booming sound that caused all gathered, Hydrus included, to wince.
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AZ was silent this time, as Connor tended to the injured cat, and he perked up quickly, before standing, bowing his head to the crowd, which they loved, and returning to his own Luxury Ball. Hydrus panted across the field, winded from the massive power in his last move, but that didn't stop Alex from giving a command. "Rain Dance." "Swaaaam! Pert!" Hydrus began chanting, slamming his massive forearms against the field in a rhythmic motion, making it rumble slightly, as he summoned the rain.
Connor, for his part, brought out a green colored ball then, taking advantage of the brief pause. "Itharius...Mega Evolve!" The Sceptile that had been trained by his Greninja in the art of fast physical attacks appeared, and did as his Trainer bid, when he raised his Meadow crystal into the air. Infinite grass energy shot into the grass type, making it grow and change, as the Swampert had.
Rain began to fall on the field as the two Mega Pokémon eyed each other, and when Alex didn't take the chance to order another move, Connor did. "Leaf Blade Barrage!" The Mega Sceptile's forearms began glowing, forming into a green scythe-like blade on each forearm. The rather fast grass typed dragon launched forward, as Hydrus continued to summon the rain. The Sceptile arrived just before the Swampert, and then rocketed upwards, scoring a strike on one of the large shoulders, and then he came down, scoring another on the left forearm of the hulking mud fish.
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Seeing two hits from a move with quadruple effectiveness had done more than he'd expected, Alex gave the counter, the only one they were likely to be able to use, given the massive disparity in speed. In this case however, he was more than happy to trade speed for power, and Hydrus's strongest ice move required a move to have hit beforehand to be most effective. They could've fired an Ice Beam, but Hydrus was not a special attacker, and the Sceptile would likely dodge it. In the rain, and at this close range, they would not miss.
"Now...Avalanche!" Alex said, slightly above his regular baritone. His hat had stayed sitting normally upon his head, so far, and his arms remained crossed, while they battled. By the time Itharius realized where the ice was coming from, it was too late to dodge, and it was Connor's turn to learn just how damaging a quadrupled weakness to ice was. Great chunks of it formed rapidly from the rain, slamming down with added intensity, given how close the fast physical attacker had gotten, and when the pile of snow and ice finally settled, turning to slush in the ever increasing rain, AZ spoke again.
"The Sceptile known as Itharius has fainted! The round goes to the Dragon Emperor, and Hydrus!"
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Frustrated now, and acting quickly, Connor shifted plans. He'd severely underestimated just how strong Alex's little, unassuming Mudkip had become. Hydrus roared triumphantly, hiding the damage he'd taken from the Leaf Blades as he raised his massive fists, and gestured for the crowd to get pumped up.
The crowd, who had quickly brought out parasols in the face of a sudden rainstorm, cheered in response, and Hydrus resumed slowly pounding the ground with his fists, urging the storm to drop more water down upon them, making him quicker as more and more droplets splashed onto his Mega Form.
An Alakazam by the name of Sophos took the field next, quickly shifting to its own Mega Form, before opening and locking eyes on the Swampert. It was as Alex remembered what Mega Alakazam had in its move pool, that he realized they were in trouble. Hydrus had become faster, as the rain fell, fast enough to one-hit a Sceptile, but Alakazam were just as fast, and could attack at range with devastating power. At this point, a single Energy Ball from a special attacker would finish them. Then, there was Trace, which allowed the psychic type to become even more speedy, as it copied Swift Swim from Hydrus.
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"Energy Ball!"
"Send it back with Ice Punch!"
Ice energy formed around Hydrus's fist, since he didn't have enough stamina left to take another quadruple effective hit. Because of his bulk, he'd barely survived the first two. Dense as the grass energy was, Hydrus smashed it back with his massive fist, only for the Alakazam to dodge it, easily. It was only getting faster thanks to its traced ability, and Alex knew that would be a problem, if he didn't stop it here and now.
"Let's try...five at once!" Connor said, looking confident. He pointed at Hydrus then, "Energy Balls!" Five spheres of green coalesced and condensed above the Mega Alakazam's head, and fired all at once, at the massive target that was Hydrus.
Alex felt the mud fish ready to give in, but he wasn't done yet. He spoke mentally to his powerful Pokémon, as the balls hurtled towards them. "Dodge them with your next move...and shift into a Giga Punch once you're near him."
Hydrus nodded, and Alex shouted, "Aqua Jet!" The bulky mud fish surrounded himself with a cowl of water, and with speed enhanced by the rain, he dodged the Energy Ball barrage by going right, and then arcing upwards. It ran out of power just as he was over the Alakazam, whose eyes had widened as it realized what was coming. Hydrus' massive right fist had reared back, and began glowing with an intense orange energy. "Now, Giga Punch!"
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Connor didn't have time to verbalize the move, but the Mega Alakazam was already forming another Energy Ball, just one this time, as the Swampert came close. The punch connected, sending the psychic type sailing into part of the stands that had been adjacent to the front gate. Once more, one of Connor's team impacted hard against the stands, but the mega evolved psychic caught itself, levitating above the ground, as it rose from the admittedly devastating hit, damaged, but still standing. That was more than could be said of Hydrus, whose eyes had gone Poli patterned, with that final close range and quadruple effective Energy Ball.
He collapsed with a grunt inches from Connor, and Alex recalled him as AZ called the round in Connor's favor. Alex mentally reached for Arthur's ball, until the Gallade spoke up. "Not me. Ictus would do better. This Battle isn't over yet, and you'll need me for the cleanup." Alex nodded in agreement, and it was Ictus' ball that sailed forth this time, depositing the crimson Drapion onto the field, with an 'ooo' from the crowd. As a dark bug type, he had plenty of moves that put the already damaged Alakazam in a pickle. If they could hit.
The rain continued to fall, making the psychic type that much faster still. Ictus's exoskeleton clicked ominously as he lowered into an attack position, arms wide, and then his Dread Plate flared with dark energy, as he too ascended to his Mega Form. He grew larger, gained a third set of legs, and another pair of bulky arms, not unlike a Machamp's. The claws tipping each arm were reminiscent of Pinsir's horns, and his tail grew longer, sharper, and then seemed to coil, with that same clicking sound.
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Indeed, the Mega Drapion's entire body coiled, and Alex smirked as he ordered the move. "Spring into a Hell Thrust!" With speed that belied the ogre scorpion's bulk, he coiled every one of his limbs, before extending them all at once as he leapt across the field at the Mega Alakazam. Connor was already waiting, with a counter.
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"Wonder Shift! Attack and Special!" Sophos nodded his tri-pointed head, and the gem in his forehead flashed, as he employed a special variation of Wonder Room to bring about a shift in form. The floating Pokémon shifted, burning bright white as his spoons melded with his form, and protected his weakened joints, shoulders, and head in silver armor. The lengthy beard became tied in a style of beard braid one would expect of a Pokémon who had mastered both mind and body in the psychic and fighting typing he now bore.
The Mega Drapion's four claws each radiated a cold, dark energy as they honed in on the psychic Pokémon, and it was then that Connor shouted his counter. "Close Combat!" The Alakazam's arms shifted into an intentionally similar draconic themed style of martial arts, and they moved in a familiar balance pattern, glowing with fighting energy, and blocking the Drapion's strikes. Then, as the two Pokémon continued to use the move until one dominated, the Mega Drapion's tail went for his opponent's back, specifically the seam between the silvery back plate, and the natural armor of the Pokémon's lower back.
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The Mega Alakazam shifted, and one three toed foot caught the striking tail, barely, as it too burned with dark typed energy, and as that occurred, Ictus began to compress around the Alakazam, until finally, one of his holds gave, to the five limbs attacking him. Ictus skittered back to his side of the field, as the Alakazam was left fainted. In the wild, he would've preyed upon a Pokémon that had taken so much energy to bring down, but he was not wild any longer. He respected the honor of a real Battle, finding he preferred it to what the humans called 'war', where honor was a fairytale. Ictus considered the instinct to devour a sign of respect, and an urge he needed to suppress. He also knew his Trainer would keep him from going too far, as he had always done, when instinct acted before Ictus could stop it. It was a common problem with some bug types, but his training had eventually dulled it enough for the urge to be safely ignored.
AZ called the round, as Connor recalled his psychic type, and then brought out his dragon. Gar mega evolved, taking on his Mega Form as Connor gave the order, "Dig! Take it in one hit!"
Ictus glanced back at his Trainer as the Garchomp dove into the ground, and once he was truly buried, Alex smirked, and nodded at Ictus. The ogre scorpion raised all four of its heavy arms, as his Trainer called the move. "Earthquake!" Four claws slammed into the ground, shaking the entire arena as the move forced the ground and dragon type from hiding. It didn't do too much in the way of damage, but it did put Alex back on the attack, for he followed Ictus' counter with another move. "Use the boulders as cover...then Ice Fang!"
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Ictus skittered into the field's ruined terrain, moving stealthily from boulder to boulder, the ominous clicking of his armor the only thing giving him away. Gar watched, his shark-like senses let him track where the massive multi-limbed scorpion was moving, and Connor called another move quickly, knowing his dragon would attack on his own if he waited too long. "Wait for the attack...then Earth Power!" The Mega Garchomp lowered its stance, scythes glowing a light brown as he summoned the ground energy. As Ictus came close, his bulk and armor gave away his usually silent approach, and his opponent made him pay for it. An eruption of earth hit him directly under the stomach, sending him flying into the air, but Connor wasn't done. "Grab it with Crunch, and then Seismic Toss!"
Ictus did not fare well in the air, but he knew Alex expected him to make the most of his opponent closing in for a Crunch. Gar chomped into him, finding the Mega Form's armor immune to piercing. The attack still hit, as Gar latched onto one of the arms, but Ictus attacked in return, fangs limned with ice as he struck the dragon's chest, before being rolled in the air, and sent hurtling towards the ground.
Alex recalled him before he hit and knew doing so would count as a loss. That was fine in his opinion, for Ictus wouldn't have stayed conscious after the hit anyways. With Connor's four faints to his three, it was still anyone's battle but both Trainers knew their starters hadn't been significantly damaged yet, and Alex had other potent weapons besides, that without Sophos, his rival's team would be hard pressed to deal with.
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Being the victor, Connor shifted the significantly weakened Gar out for a fresh opponent, as Alex called his next to the field. "Cenomons! You're up!"
At almost the same time, Connor brought out his replacement, realizing too late that he might regret the choice. "Yami! Mega Evolve!"
As Ceno appeared, he locked eyes with the Sableye across the field, and both Pokémon took their Mega Forms. Both Trainers glanced at AZ, who nodded, and then proceeded to call moves.
"Heavy Slam!"
"Brick Break!"
Ceno charged on all fours towards the Sableye, his entire bulky form covered in steel energy, as the crystal weighing Yami down glowed with fighting energy. The slam hit the crystal, and as the steel and fighting energy collided, the shockwave was enough to shake the stands, and clear the skies above the battlefield that had remained gray even after the rain faded.
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Seeing the heavy gem was resisting the slam, Alex called another move. "Triple Iron Bash!"
As the Aggron began smashing into the gem, Yami took the hits, as Connor gave another counter. "Protect! Then Low Kick the legs!"
Protect saved the encumbered ghost from the wrath of the steel attacks, but as it went for the Low Kick, the Sableye found it didn't have the strength of momentum needed to topple a metal monster weighing in at almost a thousand pounds, even with fighting energy. It left a damaging mark, but Ceno did not trip. To Yami, it felt like kicking a mountain. Then, it was Cenomons' turn to counter, to a bulky tank with an ability like Filter, Low Kick might as well have been Leech Life.
Alex smirked as he gave the command. "Show them how one sweeps legs. Iron Tail!" Ceno did as ordered, spinning to his right, as he hammered the Mega Sableye's legs, crystal and all with his steel plated lizard-like tail, and forced the ghost to collapse against its heavy burden. "Now use Rock Slide!" A hail of rock energy pounded the already weakened ghost type, and Ceno reared up, roaring to the cheering crowd, before lumbering back to his side of the field.
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Next up came Durus, the Bisharp, who leapt in with a series of Night Slashes that Ceno parried with Iron Head, by way of his horns. Both Alex and Connor shouted the same move then, "Brick Break!" And the several hundred pound tail of the Aggron eventually overpowered the Bisharp's blade arm, and with a quadrupled weakness to fighting type energy, Durus did not last long before Ceno's tail caused him to faint. The bulky walking tank lumbered back with another victory, and the tone of the battle seemed to shift, as both Connor and the crowd, which had filled the stands by this point, realized he was on his final three.
Alex wasn't confident in the win yet though, for he knew Gren was among those three, and he had almost soloed the entire Kalos League, not to mention every gym in the region. Connor threw his next ball, giving a command as he did. "Goliath! Drill Run!" The Golisopod he called forth looked to be a newer catch, but that didn't mean he was weak. The lumbering water bug's claw-fingers began spinning, and he charged at the equally slow Aggron, giving Alex more than enough time to call a counter.
"Rock Tomb!" Ceno stomped the ground, and four boulders rose, slamming into the Golisopod, and hindering his progress by only moments, as he tore apart the boulders in his path with his claws, and continued advancing. "Good, now follow up with Stone Edge!" This time, Ceno reared onto his back legs, and brought his front down, causing massive stones to rise in response. Goliath tore through them one by one, and as he reached his target, Ceno slammed his tail into the ground, summoning a final spike to hit the water bug's back, as the Drill Run hit, hard, digging into his metal armor. Goliath lifted the massive Pokémon despite the pain to his back, and then tossed him. The landing shook the field and the stands, and AZ called the round, as the Aggron fainted. Alex recalled him, eyeing the Golisopod's injury as it returned to his Trainer.
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To his surprise, it returned to its ball, and Connor instead called out his Crobat, Noctem, which left Alex with only one logical option. "Gelauros! Blizzard!" The massive, white and blue Aurorus took the field, retaining his usual form, as Noctem hadn't mega evolved, and Gel preferred a fair battle. Alex smirked, as he knew his Gallade's sense of honor was impacting his whole team, but strangely enough, Arthur seemed content to watch the current battle. His mind was calm, and Alex sensed him watching as attentively as he always had alongside the others.
As winter came early to Parfum Palace, the crowd again shifted to compensate, though far fewer had clothes suitable for the chill his Aurorus put out. Eric had been correct in assuming his special attacks would be incredibly powerful, but Gel knew how to focus them, by this point in his training. "Shadow Clones! Then use Steel Wing!" Connor ordered, and the silent Crobat flew forward fearlessly into the Blizzard. As ice and snow pelted its clones, they vanished one by one, leaving only one left, the real one, for the super effective move on the Aurorus.
As the Crobat came in for the strike, Gelauros used his strongest move, made ice typed by his ability. "Hyper Beam!" Orange energy formed in Gel's mouth, before becoming icy blue, condensing, and launching at the face of the Crobat. Fast as Noctem was, the beam in question was too thick in width to simply dodge, and the overwhelming ice energy snuffed out his attack, and remaining hit points, leaving the Aurorus fresh, and untouched.
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Goliath the Golisopod returned, slightly worse for wear, and opened with a Rock Tomb, as it raised its claws. From within the rocky prison, the hurting, but still very far from fainted Aurorus recharged, and when the confused water bug didn't press the attack, an intense deep brown glow emanated from between the gaps in the rock. The air turned colder, and ice covered the battlefield.
Alex gave the command, once Gelauros had enough power stored. "Gelauros... Primeval Resonance!" His arms were crossed casually, as his titanic ice type mega evolved and broke free of the rocky prison, by lifting it above his Mega Form's head. His pure-energy frills shifted with a rainbow of colors as he channeled the power of the first Pokémon to appear on the Earth into an attack fueled by surging Infinity Energy.
The rock typed move was enough to finish the already damaged Golisopod, before he could so much as Dig, and though Gelauros had taken a hit, he was an icy tank, who weighed in around six hundred pounds in his Mega Form.
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Connor stared at his last ball for a long time, and then met Alex's smirk with one of his own. "You should know...compared to my other members, Gren has achieved a new level. I don't want to hurt your Aurorus."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know, your Greninja is very impressive. Strong enough to face most of Kalos, solo. Bring him out already...let us see if the hype survives the flames of Battle!" Connor threw the ball as Alex spoke, and he followed up with Gel's move, as he knew it would likely be all they got against a fast attacker with such a disparity in experience, and speed. "Thunder Wave!"
The Greninja's eyes widened, as he appeared and heard the move, evidently recognizing it. One of the many reasons Greninja were so popular was for their intelligence, as well as an impressive move pool. Many Trainers had embraced the League's World Tournament rule set partly for practice, and partly because the logistical nightmare of preparing a counter for any move a Pokémon might know added an exciting intensity to Battles that many elite Trainers eventually lost sight of. As Alex eyed the water and dark type, he flinched inwardly. He had the same intensity of aura and purpose as Arthur, and while he'd been strong before, he was certain the ninja frog had been adding to his skills, probably move by move, if he knew Connor.
As the waves of electricity covered the icy terrain of the battlefield the Greninja's eyes flashed with what Alex saw was psychic energy, and a strange power enveloped the lithe blue frog, as he placed his fins together in a genuine Shinobi sign, and weathered the electric waves seeking to paralyze him. Seeing this, Gel kept the waves of electricity emanating, finding it much easier to do, in his Mega Form.
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Beneath his psychic shield, the Greninja reached out to the Plate upon his Trainer's person, incorporated into his attire as armor, hidden from sight, that is, until it began glowing. Connor did something strange then, and Alex's eyes followed the water typed energy, as his rival took it into his own body's inner pools of energy and then activated them all at once. His mind reached out to the Greninja, and the pair ascended together. The smirking bearded face of his crimson haired rival looked far too confident under his now visibly manifested aura shield of gold, and his Greninja had a similar shield, albeit in the form of dark energy. The Trainer was shining with Light, while his Pokémon was shrouded in darkness, and together the pair were perfectly balanced.
Despite this, Alex smirked, content with what they'd achieved. He pressed his advantage, as his rival spent time ascending to this 'new form' that very much just seemed to be the manifestation of an aura shield atop a Mega Form. "Don't let him close. Get ready to fire again!" Connor grimaced as the Aurorus summoned yet more electric energy, in the form of an attack this time.
His hands rose to match his Greninja's, and he gave the command. "Sage Technique. Dark Spiraling Sphere." Trainer and Pokémon moved in unison as they summoned the darkness with the ease of one born to it. The sphere of black manifested in Gren's palm, and the ninja frog held it out sideways, away from his body, as he leapt towards Gelauros. The Charge Beam burned through where Gren had been a moment before, but he had moved, reappearing above Gel's head as he prepared to fire another Charge Beam, and raise his special attack. It wasn't a bad strategy, Connor thought, it just wasn't going to work, with this match up.
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For his part, Alex had expected the frog to dodge, counted on it, even. Their part of the ploy had worked. Gelauros' frills began shining, as his inner power was increased beyond its already impressive level. In the space of a moment, he glanced at his Pokédex, and it read his Mega Aurorus's special attack power with three numbers, usually. In that moment, it was giving him three infinity symbols. "Interesting…" He spoke mentally to his partner, who understood, and was emboldened by what the human's machine was saying. As one, their eyes moved to Gren's reappearing form.
The energy the Greninja and his Trainer had read as a Charge Beam had in reality been a prelude to a much stronger, but less accurate attack. All Alex and Gel had been waiting for, was for the ninja frog to close the distance. His attack would hit, but at this range, so would theirs.
"Thunder!"
One of the strongest known electric typed moves lanced forth from the mouth of Gel's Mega Form, nailing the Greninja, even as his own 'sage art' made contact as well. Both Gelauros and his Trainer winced, as the pain was instant, and overwhelming. The massive form of the revived dinosaur Pokémon went speeding into the part of the stands AZ was officiating from. He levitated himself above the wreckage wrought by the long necked saurian's massive form, his aura covered his long body as once more his skin was glowing with the same blue runes that had appeared before.
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Gren bamfed himself back to his side of the field, once more taking the position of channeling a move, as he expected the fixing of such damage to take several moments. Alex also vanished, appearing by his partner's head, and taking several seconds to feed Max Revives to those who he'd had to rapidly switch out to keep their momentum in the battle. He recalled the revived, but tired Aurorus, and then reappeared in his Trainer's box on his side of the field.
Arthur was on the field before Alex spoke, and the ninja frog's eyes widened, and then narrowed, as he began tensing his body. Gren gave the Gallade a nod, remaining motionless, and a faint smirk broke the passive face of the psychic fighter. His Heart Piece flared as he ascended to his Mega Form, and moments later, the Mind Plate had covered him in his armor as well.
Gren's eyes widened, as he sensed what Arthur already knew. Their level of power was more or less equal to Gren's apparent 'Sage Form'. "Close Combat!"
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The ninja frog's concentration was broken, as the attack came as quickly as a Teleport, for in a single bamf, Arthur closed the distance halfway through his Trainer's order, and began his fighting typed barrage the exact moment the move was ordered.
Connor's counter came quickly. "Mat Block." Gren's webbing on his hands and feet puffed up and inflated, and the agile Pokémon used them to block the Gallade's fierce assault.
Mildly irritated at the delay of the inevitable, Alex spoke again. "Combine it with Teleport." Very quickly, the tone of the battle changed, as the Gallade bamfed, and smashed the ninja frog with an empowered sword arm, sending him hurtling, only to bamf into his trajectory, and smash him again. Though Gren tried blocking, it was impossible to stop a move as rapid as Close Combat from ever making contact.
"Use Acrobatics! Then Night Slash." At his Trainer's words, Gren acted, suddenly whirling with seemingly psychic senses, as his limbs parried Arthur's blades with flying type energy. Eventually, Arthur had to stop burning Teleports, and the two Pokémon shifted from a one-sided barrage to an equally matched slug fest. Finally, the fist of the Greninja met the fist of the Gallade, and the energy of that direct collision sent both of them sliding back across the field as the shockwave rumbled the stands. It made the crowd roar, and Arthur smirked, letting their hyped-up emotions empower him.
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Seeing an opening, Gren leapt above Arthur's guard, as the Gallade had done with his own defenses several times in their clash. This opening was long enough for his Trainer's second command, and he brought the Night Slash down in a vertical line from above Arthur's head.
"Leaf Blade."
Arthur leapt straight up, meeting Gren's blade with one of his sword arms, and though the Greninja had shifted to using two hands for the swing, the armored force of Arthur's grass powered attack pushed back against it. His usually golden arm blades were humming with intense grass typed energy now, and it was more than a match for the darkness the ninja frog had coalesced into a sword.
Before Connor could order another attack, they were ascending, rapidly, as Arthur's aura shield formed around him, and propelled the move-locked pair high into the sky, where eventually, Gren realized even he would lose to this kind of fall, and the damage it would inflict. As they reached the apex of their upwards curve, Arthur shifted his weight downwards, forcing Gren's shadow blade to the side, and following the hole in his guard with the other sword arm, radiating grass energy.
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The hit was immediate, and effective, as Greninja was not the hardiest Pokémon, but to Gren's credit, he did not linger in the impact crater upon the field. He flipped back to his side of the field, taking his pose once more, as the Mega Gallade returned to his own side, arms still burning with grass energy. The armor on one of his arms was scorched from the intensity of the dark energy he'd been pushing against, but otherwise, he seemed little worse for wear. Gren on the other hand, had taken a Thunder to the shoulder, and a Leaf Blade to the jaw, as well as a hard landing on the field's exact center.
His lengthy tongue scarf had retracted after that hit as Gren was panting hard, and both Trainers knew the next collision would likely be the last. Alex had no doubt that Gren could have swept the rest of his team, but Gelauros had hit him hard enough for Arthur to finish things off. "Let me call my next Move." The Gallade said to his Trainer, as the two Pokémon eyed each other. "I want to try a thing." Reading his intent, Alex smirked, and nodded. Arthur let the Plate armoring fade then, as speed was more important for what came next, and he projected his voice for all to hear as he raised and crossed his sword arms before him. "Shine! Excalibur!"
The entire field became brighter, though it was not solely due to the Mega Gallade's blade arms shifting to an intense golden energy. The sun, previously hidden by Rain Dance, returned once more, and bore down on the field with the intensity of a Sunny Day.
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If Connor knew what the Gallade was up to, he didn't say so. His commands were simple, and swift. "Shadow Clones." Suddenly, his side of the field was inundated with ninja frogs. "Now, use Bounce!" As one, the cloned frogs leapt into the air, surrounding themselves with spheres of flying typed energy as they soared higher.
While Excalibur continued to burn brighter with the usual golden hue, Alex called the move as the sun empowered his Gallade. "Wait for the descent...then Solar Blade!" The blinding gold turned green on the outer edges of the Gallade's burning arms, and Connor winced, as his guess that Alex's Gallade knew not one, but two physical grass type moves was confirmed. It was too late to change now, though.
As roughly twenty blue frog clones came hurtling towards him, Arthur crouched, as he gave the move even more build up. His sword arms moved in close to his slim form, and the energy they radiated was enough to make his 'cape' flap wildly behind him.
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As the flying typed spheres emanating around the blue ninja frogs began converging on Arthur, he moved, and to all present, their view of the collision of moves was obscured, as type advantage tried to overcome the sheer amount of power Arthur had poured into a move that usually took time to charge up.
Suddenly, the dust was sliced in half by what Alex saw was Arthur's second arm. The first had cut through the clones, and weathered the Bounce, while the second had continued to charge, and then hit Arthur's target. When the dust settled and the light faded, Arthur was standing over Gren, his still smoldering right arm raised in victory. The crowd exploded with cheers, as for many it was more the intensity of the Battle between two obviously skilled Trainers that had drawn them, more than their respective reputations. Those who had come to Parfum Palace for a day out and then entertainment in the form of fireworks at night had gotten their money's worth. The crowd hushed though, once the floating form of AZ moved down to just above the battered field.
"With that...the Kalos Champion is out of usable Pokémon...which makes our foreign visitor the victor!" More cheers came, but Alex and Connor both seemed to ignore them, as they tended to their Pokémon. Gren's attacks had managed to leave several marks even through the Plate armor, but the Gallade was far from being finished. Gren, for his part, rose slowly once he had his Max Revive, and then bowed towards Arthur. The Gallade let his Mega Form drop, and returned the bow, after which, Gren returned to his ball.
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To Alex's surprise, it was Connor who offered a hand to shake first. "To be honest, I was half expecting a loss. Most of your team has been training together longer than mine...and as usual, I relied too much on Gren being able to sweep you if things went poorly. I'll keep that in mind, for the World Tournament."
Alex smirked, and took the hand, shifting his grip to the Norstad style of shaking, as Connor did. He gave his rival a nod. "I look forward to seeing how you improve...you have a good team, there. They'll defend Kalos well."
Both Trainers looked up, as AZ floated over to and above them. Arms spread wide; he orated once again to the crowd. "With this victory, the Dragon Emperor has demonstrated to me, at least, that he has the power to keep our enemies from our fair Kalos! The right to rule our region is hereby granted to thee, Alexander Redwood."
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The cheers and murmurs died down, and AZ landed on the ground, giving Alex only a nod, and then a glance at the crowd gathered. The Stadium of Kings had reached capacity within the first few rounds of the epic bout, and now, those gathered watched what the victor, and apparently their newest monarch, would do.
His aura shield manifested as Alex levitated his large frame into the air, smirk never leaving his face. "I give the people of Kalos my word...the Dragon Empire will keep the Imperium from overrunning you...and even if we cannot, we will stand with Kalos to the last all the same. Tao and I have a... plan...for how Kalos and our allies will be incorporated into the...way of things, but for now, be content in knowing that Kalos is not standing against these threats alone. Change will come, with time, but I intend to make it one for the better. Or die trying. Now, if you will all excuse me...I must return home."
With a bow and a bamf, the newest leader of Kalos vanished, and the Champion followed suit soon after, atop his Garchomp. AZ simply walked away from the palace, only pausing to once more lower the stadium, once the guests had vacated the stands. He too seemed to vanish, and in the weeks to come, the people of Kalos found that the shift in leadership hadn't actually changed all that much. Figures in black and white robes, Scales of Balance, marked their mountainous borders with Germania, but otherwise, life continued to chug along as it had for centuries, without AZ to rule over the people.
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The Imperial Palace - Unova Region
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Alex manifested in his room within the raised palatial structure that was officially his dwelling. Though, as he looked around the chamber he'd decided to take and furnish, he sighed. It wasn't his room back home, far too spacious, open, and still underground, despite the rest of the structure having been raised. It appeared that the last King had built many such chambers, their purpose long forgotten or turned to dust, into his abode in the old days. After the war ended, it had become the unofficial home for the Scales of Balance, as it was the only structure in Unova save for the Dragonspiral that could accommodate them. Many Scales had begun taking positions of authority in Unova's military fort east of Humilau, and the other half of their ever-growing force was housed there, or returned to their homes to await orders, and enjoy their earned leave.
The Dragonspiral Tower had, as in ages past, focused primarily on training new Scales, and according to Tao, the Foggy Swamp Sage had cut down on his own number of trainees, sending away those who would never learn, but finishing the education of those who strived to master what he Instructed them in.
His favorite space in the ancient structure was the 'Battle Room' as the Scales had taken to calling it. Situated under the throne above, the space had been wide and empty, and in the long months of war, the Sages of the ancient structure had furnished it with everything a modern Trainer needed. Being no experts in such things, they had turned to the Gym Leaders for suggestions, and it was several such Gym Leaders Alex saw, speaking with the semicircle of multicolored Sages, as he entered the room.
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As one, they began to approach him, and he sighed again, though this time he kept it inward. He'd intended to give those on his team who hadn't battled a thorough workout, alongside himself, but judging by the look in Aristole's eye, that wasn't going to happen. The Sages bowed, as they arrayed themselves before him, and he noted a few were missing. Their more...eccentric members were nowhere to be seen, but those who represented the elements, and the Light, were present. As were Skyla, Cheren, and even Iris. They each gave him a nod, as the Professor spoke.
"Young Redwood. I see you've returned from Kalos. What news from our fair allies' lands?"
Alex paused to frame his words, as he often did with the Professor, before meeting his eye. "AZ ceded the throne to me...after making me battle their Champion. Kalos is now ours to defend."
Aristole frowned. "And now we share yet another border with the Imperium."
Alex shrugged. "Germania was once free. Maybe they can be again."
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At that, the Earth Sage chimed in. "Germania believes they've become more advanced versions of Humanity, and with their science, technology, and seemingly limitless resources they essentially have. Not through any moral means...but they are strong, and they're loyal, despite being a relatively new acquisition of the Imperium. There is an entire Legion of Thunder Warriors based in that region. The Imperator's Children. Many, used to be natives."
A deep sigh escaped the black and white clad Trainer. "So that is what AZ was so worried about…" He trailed off, as he noticed that, around them, other black and white clad shapes had started creeping not so subtly closer. He smirked and stared at them. "I need volunteers. Who wants to protect Kalos from a potential invasion?"
A number of fists went into the air, and their leader's smirk widened. "That will be enough. I want you to establish an outpost there, offer the chance to instruct Kalos's native psychics in what the Dragon has taught us. If we can make them worthy candidates, we could do as the Imperium has." He saw several nodding heads, among the passive, but attentive expressions of his comrades. Several, already had their armor on. "We will be doing something similar all across this continent, as well. If Humanity is on the precipice of a psychic awakening, we should offer those with control issues a chance to learn. I'm intending to send you to your home regions, although...that won't work for everyone, it's not a concern. Other such bases will always need extra minds."
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Alex watched their expressions shift to a myriad of emotions, as he sensed Tao mentally handing out assignments with the speed and efficiency of a mind that had quite literally saved the eastern forces from total collapse in the early stages of the Blitz. Seeing that was sorted, the Water Sage spoke up, and snared their leader's gaze. "The local government is asking us for funding. They want to turn Unova's center into a paradise for Humans and Pokémon. They're planning on calling it Pokémon Hills."
"Tell them they have my support. So long as the Pokémon aren't disturbed too much as they build." He paused then, as Tao gave his mind orders. "Apparently...we're also going to centralize the region's energy stations below the park, and open a connecting tunnel to the Chargestone Caves."
The woman clad in gradients of blue bowed, and summoned one of her Pokémon, a Swanna, and whispered several words to her, before the stark white bird flew off. Once she returned, Alex spoke again. "If that is all, you're free to go about your business."
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The Sages nodded, and departed into the adjoining hallways that made the Battle Room the central hub of the underground complex. Almost alone once more, Alex found that the remaining Scales, Unova locals all of them, were waiting seemingly as a group, to speak with him. They had come to the Swamp long after he and Hilbert had, and as Trainers went, they had become good enough to challenge Champions, even if they didn't hold that title themselves.
He spoke, as they approached. "Tommy. Gaven. Everyone. You have something for me?"
"We've...sensed something, Dragonborn. Something in the Desert Resort. Since coming home, we've all been drawn there. I suppose you would have been too, if you'd been conscious, or on this continent."
Alex eyed the woman who spoke, recalling her name as Cybil, and smirked. "I thought the Relic Castle was buried, by now. Nobody can get in. I understand many of you were...ruin enthusiasts back in the day, but there's not much we can do if there's nothing left to find."
This time, Tommy spoke up, his tone full of snark. "I'm sorry, for some reason, I assumed a man who could breach not one, but two massive underground bunkers could handle a little sand."
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Alex sighed, then glanced at his belt, and namely, the link to his Box that was his cape, and who was currently attached to it, and therefore, on hand. "Sand, eh? And you're sure this...emanation...is coming from the ruins?"
"It was strong before, until Champion Nate captured the Volcarona living there. We sensed other minds deep below, but even after collaborating, we couldn't find a way down to them. Now, a new mental presence is growing...and it is...powerful." Tommy gave Alex a look. "Nobody good hides under ruins and manifests powerful psychic entities. I figured this would be up your alley, Champion."
Unable to find fault with his logic, Alex nodded, but before he could speak, a familiar bamfing sound filled the area. The sound drew the gazes of the psychics, as their minds reacted instinctively to the power of the one joining them so suddenly. Their second leader, who legally held every authority Alex did, if somewhat more subtly, appeared in a flash of energy that Alex noted as being far redder tinged than times past. The Scales didn't question her, for her own battling prowess had been noted, with a win streak a mile long, many wondered why she didn't challenge for the Champion title.
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To the man connected to her mind, he sensed it first. The change that had rocked their own connection unintentionally with its strength. He repaired his side of the mental bridge, once he realized the issue, and in the space of a moment, he saw what Jess had been doing for the past three days. Taming Ho-Oh hadn't been easy, but the ancient bird had managed to draw out a strength in Jess that had always existed. Her entire form seemed to sparkle now, and her hair, he could've sworn, had a rainbow sheen to it when it moved the right way in the light of the room. She'd never looked better, and it took more effort than he expected to turn his eyes from staring obviously at her.
The local psychics had expressions of awe and even envy, as she joined them, for their eyes told them what Alex's told him about her potential, and her awakened fire typing. With their difference in height, she came up to about his shoulder, which is where she put her chin as she smirked at him. "Found another adventure, have we?" With the speed of thought, he caught her up on what he'd been told, and she paused as she read his thoughts and had to fight down a flush in her face, before turning and addressing the psychics. "This emanation...have any of you felt it before?"
This time, another woman raised her hand, and Alex sighed inwardly once more. Of course she had sensed something like this before. The woman known only as Future spoke then, "I was deployed to Japan along with Red...it feels a lot like a Mewtwo...but I could be wrong. You've sensed them yourself, right Alex? I think you're the only one here who has sensed one in Battle besides me."
Alex thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It was more of a sucker punch than a Battle...but that does not mean it wasn't earned...if someone is making another Mewtwo below the Resort Ruins, I intend to find them, and stop them."
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Jess spoke again then, and her words made the eyebrows of several of the psychics rise. "And if the Mewtwo is too far along to simply kill off?"
Alex let the question hang in the air, and then shrugged. "That will depend greatly on the circumstance of my meeting it...and its opinion of Humans. Ideally...I'll be the first it talks to. I'm reasonably sure I can keep it from going berserk."
"I believe you." Jess said, returning to his shoulder as she stared him down in that manner he would never get used to, but so very much enjoyed. "We should get going, if that is the plan."
He sighed for a long time but nodded at her. "It is." Leaving weird psychic emanations to fester never ended well, but he fully intended to wrap up whatever was going on under the Palace of Truths swiftly.
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Desert Resort - Unova Region
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The sandy dunes of Unova's desert, a burning reminder of their past failures, and the potency of Reshiram's flames, seemed to lack Trainers this day, as Alex and Jess flew over it. While most of Alex's team had rested and rapidly healed at a Pokémon Center, he still intended to call on those who hadn't been used to battle Connor. He had also traded out his unused tenth for his Flygon, who he'd caught as a Trapinch in this very desert, when the stubborn crab bug had refused to let him continue on his way.
Being one of the Pokémon Alex had trained during the war, and whilst marching, Eremus had eventually become a Flygon, and was eager to become strong enough to be a regularly used battler on his team. Eremus flew alongside Folokraan, who was keeping the intense heat of the desert at bay with the natural cooling of her surroundings. Behind them, were the other psychics, each flying on their own partner. As they began descending, Alex brought Eremus down towards where they were headed.
Alex gave his Flygon a nod, as he and the others disembarked. "Clear the area of locals...then return here." He looked at the psychics, then. "Start outlining where the ruins are buried, if you would...Eremus needs something to aim at." The group nodded, each raising a hand, as together they draw a deep circle in the sand that was rather large in diameter.
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Eremus returned shortly after, his vibrations having summoned, and then scared off the wild Pokémon once he told them what he was about to do to the sand covering the ruins. The largest stumbling block had been a Hippowdon, but she had moved to find deeper sand pits once she heard the Flygon, and correctly judged that a battle between them would only end one way. While initially reluctant to train, after the semi-callous manner he'd been caught with, Eremus had eventually realized that he wanted to be strong, and that he actually enjoyed battling. He wasn't the strongest residing on Alex's cape, but he had worked hard for his present form, and the power it gave.
Once Alex heard the familiar hum of his wings above him once more, he pointed at the circle. "Eremus! Boomburst!" The gathered psychic humans levitated themselves away from the circle in the sand, and into the air, as the Flygon gathered the energy required for the move, and released it. His wings were an invisible blur, and Eremus traced the circle, before focusing on the center of it as well. When all was finished, the barest top layer of the ruins was visible, though the nearly perpetual sandstorm threatened to cover it again before long.
Eremus gave Alex a look, and the floating Trainer nodded, fishing in his backpack as he sensed the Flygon's intent. Moments later, he had the Earth Plate crystal in hand, and he raised it towards his Flygon. "Mega Evolve!" The mind of the Pokémon met his human's, and together, they pushed him beyond this stage of evolution, to one that was on an entirely different level. Eremus shone bright white as his form grew, and shifted. Another pair of wings, set just under his original pair sprouted from his back. His claws grew longer, sharper, and his legs extended as well, looking not too dissimilar from Tao's back legs in shape. They too gained claws, but most interesting about this new form was his tail, which had filled out into a spiked circle of diamond shaped green and red scales.
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The Mega Flygon raised his tail to the sky as he adjusted his height over his now slightly more revealed target. The sandstorm paused, and the harsh sun shone down on the group once more. The coverings of his eyes had become fractaled, giving Eremus the unique vision only bug types could usually take advantage of. His horns had changed as well, shifting further apart, and sprouting two additional spikes near the tip on each horn. They quivered, as the Mega Flygon focused the power he'd need for the task at hand. The sunlight empowered the sand dragon, and when he was ready, another Boomburst slammed into the ground.
Gouts of sand flew into the air, and the gathered psychics levitated further back, as in the space of a few moments, the Mega Flygon cleared the ruins of sandy buildup. He controlled the vibrations with masterful skill, sending them through the structure, and forcing sand to constantly shoot out of the entrance. A slight depression had been made in the desert, at the bottom of which resided the Resort Ruins, now once more as clear as they had been in Hilda and Hilbert's time as teenaged Trainers.
Eremus fired several more Boombursts, and soon, the entire outer structure of the ancient kingly abode was revealed, at the depths of what was now a crater of sand and dirt. As Eremus continued to shore up the sides, so that sand and gravity did not undo his work, Alex summoned another Pokémon, as did Jess, for the two were rarely called upon by themselves. They worked best as a team, after all.
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A Nidoking and Nidoqueen respectively appeared on the sand, and Tony's eyes were only for his mate, though they did eventually move to his Trainer. Though not afflicted with the burning desire to battle, Tony had become rather strong since his capture, as he'd trained alongside Jess and Maria. Alex had then offered him as a sparring partner to his newly captured Pokémon, and the Nidoking, while imposing, had been a good teacher, and had pushed many of their Trainer's newer catches beyond their limits. Alex typically didn't call on him for battle, though there had been several moments in the war where his heavy defense and powerful ground typed moves had saved quite a number of eastern lives.
"Tony, work with Maria on this. I want you to raise that structure, and whatever is under it, to the level the rest of the desert is currently at. Do you think you can handle that?" The Nidoking looked at Maria, who roared, and flexed, and he turned back to his Trainer, slamming his hands together as he spoke his name, but to Alex's ears, the sounds were translated. "Aye...with her, I can."
Alex smirked, and gestured at the ruins, and the Nido pair lumbered towards them. Eremus watched them from above, fully intending to aid the pair, if raising the ancient structure proved to be too much. As Tony and Maria summoned the power of the earth, it began to shake, for this far below the desert was primarily rock and stone and dirt. Ideal for ground types. The few burrowing Pokémon Eremus had missed quickly vacated the area as it began to rumble, and slowly, the Nido pair raised their arms, encased in ground typed energy.
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With their light brown glowing arm's slow rise, the ruins rose as well, higher and higher until the structure finally sat several feet above the surrounding desert. Eremus cleared away yet more sand, and once the structure was high enough, flew inside of it. Blasts of sand shot out from the entrance again as the Mega Flygon began excavating. Bits of pottery came out as well, and while the loss of archaeological pottery was unfortunate, the chance to delve into the ancient home of Unova's truth-seeking Hero King was far more important to the historical record than any ancient vase.
Once Eremus came back, and explained that, eventually, there had been no more sand to clear and they could travel inside without getting burned by the scorching hot grains. Alex nodded to the others. The once hidden sub-layers of the ancient castle, much like those of the palace he currently resided in, had been free of sand, and were now once more open to exploration. Whatever tunnel had been used to access the lower levels by whoever was down there had undoubtedly already been broken, in the act of raising the structure back to the surface of the desert.
"Whoever is down there will be disorientated, and cut off from reinforcement. Armor on, and watch your backs. It could be Arcean remnants, it could be a vestige of Team Plasma. We're going in somewhat blind, so be prepared for an ambush. If they have reinforcements, they'll be making their way here soon. I want two of you hidden by the entrance, while a third goes to get our own reinforcement. I know several Rangers like to hang around here. Call on them. The rest of you will be joining Jess and I in the ruins, and will map diverging tunnels as we go. Let's move."
The other Scales snapped to carry out their General's orders, and while all of the psychics were eager to delve into the ruins, two were eventually made to wait and conceal themselves, while another went to find the local rangers. That left a pair of psychics, the strongest of their little group, to join the Dragon Emperor as he strode into the ancient home of the Hero King of Truth. They guided him as deep as they had ever been, after he recalled his Pokémon, and gave them an earned rest. The four humans kept quiet, suppressing their own psychic presence as they delved deeper into unused tunnels.
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Eventually, it was Jess who spotted footprints that led to a diverging corridor. Both paths seemed to be used somewhat regularly, so the group split into pairs, Alex with Jess, and the psychics on their own. They shared a silent nod, and then proceeded deeper into the subterranean structure that was both similar and yet so very different to the Imperial Palace.
Alex and Jess soon found that the inhabitants of these hidden rooms were indeed a vestige of a criminal gang, though not the one they expected. Years ago, after being soundly defeated by multiple ten year olds, the gangs of Japan had banded together, and come to Unova, presumably at the behest of Ghetsis' remaining Sages. The banners they found on the ancient walls sported Team Plasma's shield, but emblazoned upon it was not a P, but a rainbow colored pair of Rs.
The first room they stumbled into seemed to be some kind of lab, though what was being studied was not immediately clear. The room had two adjoining hallways, and Alex went down one, while Jess took the other. Arthur and Delphi joined them, as they split, and it was his Gallade who sensed it first. Without a word, Arthur inexplicably dashed down the hallway, past several closed doors, to a room at the end. With one focused smashing punch, the reinforced stone door toppled, and the Gallade leapt into the room, only to find it empty of enemies.
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It was not entirely empty however, for the only thing of note within the otherwise barren stone chamber was a table of sorts, covered by a simple cloth, and a pedestal supporting and incubating what Alex soon realized was a Pokémon egg. As he approached it, it visibly twitched. Alex and Arthur shared a look, and then the human lifted the case keeping the egg at the ideal temperature. With a hiss, air that smelled very stale wafted free into the room, and the egg shook harder, more insistently.
Arthur was smiling, as he sensed what was about to happen, and Alex poked Jess mentally, though she seemed distracted by whatever her own search had yielded. She would live to regret not dashing to see this hatching, but for Arthur and Alex, it was a sight. The egg flashed bright white, before popping open with surprising force. Slowly, the occupant rose on unsteady paws, covered in egg goo, as its intense eyes locked with Alex's first.
For his part, Alex recognized immediately that this was a Riolu, a male, and judging by the mind he sensed probing his own, he had been inside of his egg for a very long time, suspended in time and development when it came to his body, but not his mind. "Finally…" He said, projecting his mental voice. "I have waited a lifetime for a worthy Human…" The eyes looked between the pair of human and Gallade, and the little Riolu smirked. "Your auras are...potent." The focus shifted back to Alex, then. "You. You will train me, yes? Humans still Battle, I hope?"
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Alex nodded, and fished out an as yet uncustomized Luxury Ball. "If you wish to become a top rate Battler, you would be hard pressed to find a stronger team to be on." He held the ball forward. "If that is what you desire, I will make you as strong as possible." The Riolu looked between them again, and then booped the ball's button.
He entered with a flash of light, and the ball dinged almost immediately. Having never visited Floccesy Ranch, Alex had never had the chance to find and catch a Riolu, and Arthur had eventually said that, if he ever did find one, it would have to be from somewhere else. For whatever reason, he viewed the packs around the ranch as too wild to ever be properly trained. Such reservations were gone for this Riolu, though. As Alex brought him into their mental web, he could sense the tiny Pokémon's satisfaction. "You did not lie...your partners are strong...loved...and friendly. I think...I will like this team."
The voice drifted off, and Alex pocketed the ball in his bag, letting the little Pokémon sleep. Hatching after what seemed like years, if not centuries, of waiting took a lot of energy, but he expected the eager fighting puppy would be up before too long. Arthur seemed eager to train him, and it was as he and his Gallade were concocting a training regimen for their newest ally, that Jess found them.
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She looked at the egg remnants, and raised a red eyebrow. "Something hatched for you?"
Alex nodded. "A Riolu...he's been in his egg for a while...but he'll be strong. I can tell."
Jess smirked. "Of course he will. I guess that means the Mewtwo is mine." With that, she left just as suddenly as she appeared, though Alex was right behind her. Before he could so much as question her, she was dashing down his corridor, and making the turn into her own. He followed, as did Arthur, and it wasn't long before the boys found what she had discovered on her own. Where their hallway had been more storage related, this one had contained equipment in several rooms, notes on genetic experiments, and once Jess had found the room containing the suspended, still forming Mewtwo, she realized it was the source of the psychic emanation they had sensed up above.
Delphi was in the process of keeping a pair of scientists, each sporting a Rainbow Rocket badge on their lab coats, subdued. As they saw Alex enter alongside his Gallade though, they struggled harder against her psychic hold, to no avail. Arthur went over to help the psychic fire fox keep them from pressing any 'emergency terminate' buttons, while the humans eyed the tank holding the suspended Genetic Pokémon.
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Alex spoke first. "This one seems...different...to the pair Red has with him. Physically, I mean. The face is rounder...not as narrow and intense…and its chest is...umm...rounder."
Jess nodded. "The notes called it the XX strand of the Genetic Pokémon. Apparently, it's capable of Mega Evolving by itself, and doesn't need a Trainer like the other two."
Alex smirked. "Those two barely needed their Trainer for that in the first place...but you're right, this one is quite strong." He placed a hand on the glass, and the occupant twitched. He gave it a gentle mental prod, and as one eye opened, he smiled. "Hello there."
An intensely bright blue aura surrounded the floating Mewtwo, and the glass container began to crack. Alex and Jess backed up, and with a combined burst from them, they helped the Mewtwo break its container. Glass and goo covered the dusty floor, and the Mewtwo stared at the pair of humans, tail waving slightly behind it as it sat quietly, and looked between the pair.
Then, a feminine voice filled their minds. "Where...am I...this...this is not…"
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Alex spoke first. "Easy there...I expect you're disorientated. Welcome to Unova." He offered the Mewtwo a genuine smile, and she seemed to lose some of the stiffness in her spine.
"Unova...I don't...know…" The Mewtwo winced as she saw her hands, and then her humanoid shaped body, closed her eyes, and breathed several times, before opening them again. She briefly eyed Jess, but then the intelligent eyes moved back to Alex. "Who...what...am I?"
The smile faded slightly, as Alex answered. "You are what we Humans call a Pokémon. One of many unique and powerful creatures that inhabit this world." He gestured to Arthur and Delphi who, like their charges, were watching the scene with awe. The Pokémon felt the Mewtwo's psychic power much clearer now, for after being freed, it had only grown in intensity. "They are also Pokémon...and like you, and your predecessors, they are Psychic Types."
"Psychic...Types?" The Mewtwo asked, tail still waving in a calm, but rhythmic pattern.
Alex nodded. "There are many Types of Pokémon...Psychic Types are among the strongest...you are what we Humans call...Mewtwo."
"Mew...two?" The psychic cat-like entity tilted her head.
"Mm. There are only two others like you, that I know of. You were...created by us, by Humans, as a clone of one of the most rare and powerful Psychic Types that Humanity knows about. The Pokémon we call Mew. Through Human science and bioengineering, you have been revived from a fossil of a Mew and made into a stronger version of it. Mew two." Alex kept his tone even, and calm as he spoke, watching the psychic type for adverse reactions. He didn't sense the hostility Red's had possessed, however. This one simply seemed curious, disoriented, but more and more confident, as she learned more about who and what she was. He could sense her powerful mind churning as he spoke, and answered her questions, and Alex knew mentally, she was not all that different from a human child. For now.
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It was then, that one of the scientists spoke up. "You are the most powerful Mewtwo we have ever created! You will serve Rainbow Rocket well!"
Arthur backhanded the scientist as he spoke, but he had already finished his statement before the sword-arm smacked him. Mewtwo spoke again, her tone gaining an edge. "So... I was created...brought back...to serve another?" The intense blue aura shield returned. It was wavy, unrefined, but immensely powerful. "To serve...Humans?"
Alex held up a hand, and stood in the gaze of the Mewtwo, who had shifted her eyes to the scientist. "You will find, as you live in this world, that there are many kinds of Humans. Just as there are many kinds of Pokémon. Some...will be kinder than others. These scientists are criminals, to the rest of Human society. Left to their own devices...you likely would have been made into a weapon. They've tried this before, with your fellow Mewtwo...and they failed, both times. Their power was too much to tame, their rage nearly ended the world. But you, Mewtwo, do not have to be their slave."
The intensity of the aura seemed to lessen, and Alex continued to speak in that same calming tone. "You are alive. The circumstance of your rebirth does not make you lesser. Your path is your own to choose, and if you do wish to partner with a Human, who you decide to join in Battle is entirely up to you. You have the intelligence of a Human, at least, and by our laws, that means you are worthy of the freedom to make your own choices."
The tail paused in swaying, and the Mewtwo narrowed her eyes at Alex. "You...do not intend to weaponize me? Is...is that not my purpose? What am I to do, then?"
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"Whatever you wish to do, Mewtwo. For right now...I think you should come with us…" He gestured to Jess, and their psychic types. "There is much about this world that has changed from what you likely remember. In time, you will be free to wander wherever you desire, but I would have you learn, first. How to control your awesome power, and of how this world has changed since the last time you inhabited it. Do you find this agreeable?"
The Mewtwo pondered for a long moment, examining her three-fingered hand, opening and closing it as she eyed the rest of her new body as well. "Your words...are filled with sense. I will accompany you...for now. But I will not bind myself to something as weak as a Human."
At that, Jess chuckled, which drew the Mewtwo's intense gaze. "Humans are many things...but we are not weak. Do not underestimate us because we lack your power. The Humans in the corner lack power, and they made you. Things can often be more powerful than they first appear to be. Blind assumptions will get you hurt...or worse, captured. The world is filled with Pokémon Trainers, and you will be hard pressed to find one who hasn't heard of, or desired their own, Mewtwo. Deflecting their Pokéballs will be easy for you, but if you underestimate their strength or cleverness, you may end up being captured by someone you did not choose. That's not necessarily a bad thing...but...power, and the pursuit of it, can do strange things to otherwise decent Humans."
The psychic type had semi-tuned out the flame haired woman mid speech, as she focused on levitating herself to her feet with her power, since her body still felt weak. "I have sensed the thoughts of three of your cities while I slept. I am not concerned that any of those...dreamers...could genuinely bind me. You two are an exception I was only vaguely aware of. But most Humans are not like you."
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"You underestimate them at your peril. But that's enough talking for now...we need to find the others in our group." The Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, and he elaborated. "Trainers, like us. In our society, we're the Humans who have the closest bonds with Pokémon. Naturally, this makes us rather good at Battling."
The Mewtwo levitated herself then, as she got a feel for floating. "Battling?"
Alex nodded, as they began to move, slowly at first, but increasingly faster, as the Mewtwo got a handle on her power, and how much was needed to move at an appropriate pace. "Humans have a tendency to weaponize whatever we can. Naturally, when we discovered Pokémon, we did as we always had, and exerted control against their will, but even in those early days, there were a few who followed a code, were friends with their chosen partners, and found enlightenment in testing themselves against others like them. Some things and stuff happened over a long period of time, and today, it's the philosophy of those Trainers that survived to the present and is essentially the underlying foundation of everything the Pokémon League is. Not all of us adhere to those philosophies...but the strong Trainers usually reach the level of understanding required to be genuinely powerful, as a team."
The Mewtwo smirked at his hand waving explanation saying, "You will have to show me this...League of Trainers, in time." She soon understood the need for the shortened explanation, as they rounded the corner and turned onto the left forking passage, and sensed minds ahead that were not friendly. Delphi levitated their prisoners, and Arthur watched their back, as Alex and Jess doubled back to the path they hadn't taken. It was good that they did, for they arrived at a strange scene just in time to see the other two psychics, Perry and Dua, and the two they'd left guarding up above, captured, and on some sort of simple stage. A man with a dark goatee and a Rainbow Rocket uniform was orating to a crowd of grunts, who after a careful glance, they determined were from gangs all over the world, and Japan. Many had kept their old group's aesthetic in their uniform, but their colors of mainly black and red all matched, and all bore the symbol of Giovanni's last vestige.
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Behind the stage, looming over all of the humans below it, was a sleeping Pokémon. Rather large for a Volcarona, by Pokédex measurements logged likely from Nate's own device, the massive fire bug's body rose and lowered slowly, and somewhat ominously. The Mewtwo with them shrank back, as they did, mistaking stealth for shared fear, in that moment. The creature's mind was anathema to Mewtwo's senses, and only in time would she understand that what she sensed was simply the structure most bug typed minds possessed.
"These dogs of the Dragon Emperor will be the first to fall to Volcarona's fiery judgement! Their mere presence here proves that the Dragon fears what we have created! It will not take them long to realize they are missing. The time is nigh, my brothers and sisters in crime. Soon, Unova, and this entire 'Empire' will know who we are!"
The dark-haired man was orating, and the crowd was eating it up. He was flanked by two people who had also kept their old gang's aesthetic, that of the Arcean Church, and their Crusaders. These uniforms also shared the black and red base aesthetic with the Rainbow Rocket badge placed in the center of their breastplate, next to Arceus's symbol.
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Jess glanced at Alex, but he shook his head, now helmeted once more, as he donned it and completed the full protection it offered. "We need to wait as long as possible...show her how to hide her presence. If she gets excited, she could wake the Volcarona up…"
Jess nodded at his mental message, and then linked minds with the Mewtwo, who watched her with wide, intelligent eyes, nodding, to their silent conversation. Soon after, her presence had seemingly vanished, and when Alex glanced over, noticing the sudden lack of presence, he found himself meeting the Mewtwo's gaze with a nod of approval, that made the psychic cat entity smile. He returned to scanning the upper levels as subtly as he could, for he too could awaken the fiery bug, and it was in their best interest to keep it asleep for as long as possible.
Once he sensed their final psychic return with reinforcement, he contacted the man, whose name was Low, and gave the order to summon all available Scales. Suddenly, up above, there were a lot more minds, who quickly doused their mental presence, as they sensed their Generals had. Alex gave Low a brief overview of things below, and once that was finished, he nodded to Arthur. The others were on their way down, but judging by the speech, things were about to kick off.
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"Let these four be the first of many to fall!" The orating man had summoned a Pokémon to the stage, a Houndoom, who had mega evolved, and began bearing down on the bound Scales. As the man snapped his fingers, giving the salivating dark type the go ahead, a crescent of fighting typed energy surged above the crowd, and smashed into the Mega Houndoom with the force of type advantage, and a significant difference in level. Arthur was on the Crusaders in an instant, and as the Gallade smashed, bamfed, and smashed again, those in the crowd moved to aid their leader.
Though, instead of Pokéballs, all they found was air. Their belts and ball holders had been uniformly sliced by Delphi, and her subtle and dangerously precise Psychic attack that spread unnoticed through the crowd as the Gallade did his thing. There was a roar at the back of the room as a wave of powerful electricity surged over every inch of the underground space, and the Pokéballs on the ground fizzed out, as they sent their occupants back to their Trainer's box and became temporarily inoperable.
The electrified terrain only served to empower the Luxray prowling upon it, moving towards the crowd of unarmed Trainers, snarling louder with each step as his massive mane sparked with his power. His stride was purposefully slow, though. Some Pokémon who had been out, mostly Swoobat, charged the golden lion, only to find themselves thoroughly zapped whenever they came within a certain range of him. Leo had combined his superior sight with his precise Thunderbolts, and rarely missed. The grunts of the remnant teams soon found themselves recalling situations where they had received a similarly one-sided thrashing.
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Alex winced, as the hell hound hit the sleeping Volcarona from the force of Arthur's opening strike, but the massive Pokémon seemed undisturbed by it. Fainted as it was, it wouldn't be using any flames to wake the massive bug, now. Then, it was Alex's turn to bamf. In the space of a few seconds, he freed his people, and as the orator drew another Pokéball, he found himself face to face with a figure whose armor and plasma sword had all but become a cultural icon after victory had been achieved for the east. His face fell, as he realized what the Dragon Emperor's presence meant. The ball in his hand was wrenched free of his grasp by a foreign mind, and held closed, as the occupant within, who definitely was infused with Shadow, struggled to break free, and rampage.
The other balls he had on him were similarly taken, and the man raised his hands, once that happened, knowing when he was beaten. Seeing their leader surrender, the two Arceans did the same, and dropped their staves before the Gallade had a chance to disable them. Slowly, hands went up in the crowd, thanks in no small part to the snarling Luxray, and his approach. Some had tried to run, only to find themselves in the tight embrace of Serpi's vines, before they were unceremoniously tossed back into their fellows. She slithered out of one of the adjoining tunnels in the underground room, and in a matter of minutes, the hidden rebellion of the last vestiges of Giovanni's dreams for Unova were rounded up like Tauros and driven to the surface by twenty freshly arrived Scales.
Once the gang members were on their way to be processed by his empire, which was rapidly becoming accustomed to handling large groups of potentially hostile humans and their Pokémon partners, Alex turned to the Volcarona. He nodded at the Mewtwo, then. "You can poke it now, if you like. Let us see if we can't reason with it, convince it to find a new home."
Jess arched a crimson brow at him. "You're going to try negotiating with a Bug Type?"
Alex shrugged. "You know I prefer it to just shoving them into balls."
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As he finished speaking, the massive mind stirred, at the Mewtwo's gentle touch, and slowly, the gargantuan wingspan of the fiery bug filled the chamber. Alex eyed it carefully, but neither he nor the gathered psychics saw traces of Shadow Infusion. Since Fornia was crushed, they were becoming much harder to infuse for the criminal elements left over in the wake of a war as large as theirs had been.
"Hello there." Alex started, and he sensed the female bug's eyes shift to him. He didn't detect hostility, but he knew that a misstep could lead to an unpleasant formula, in which he'd have to deal with burns for a few weeks most likely. Endeavoring to avoid that, he began speaking, layering his words with the power Rayquaza had shown him how to harness. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but as you can see, the Humans who were previously worshiping you have been...removed. They won't be coming back, and seeing as how this building is now once more upon the surface, I would offer you a choice."
The massive fire moth settled on the stage, felt it rapidly breaking, and decided upon only two legs. Even then, it sagged under her girth. Her mental tone was surprisingly coherent, and calm, with only a hint of irritation that had a healthy mix of curiosity, especially at his mention of the surface. "I see. I liked those Humans...they fed me well. But if you have returned the chance to fly the sky to me, I am in your debt, Humans."
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A few of the Scales behind Alex murmured as she spoke, but he answered her with the same level of calmness and respect. "I was planning to let you fly away, provided you don't burn everything around you...you see, I lead the Humans of this region, and I am responsible for safeguarding no small number of the Pokémon as well. You are welcome to reside here with us, in the harmony we have achieved in this era. Provided you don't burn away our forests or our residents."
The fire moth seemed to hum, and she did so for a rather tense minute, before she responded. "I find these terms...agreeable. I will take your offer of peace...but warn your people not to intrude upon me. I will not suffer them to live."
That, caused several Scales to blink, and shift into a more ready stance, but Alex made a low, sweeping, open handed gesture, and they visibly relaxed. "I will warn them...but I am afraid Humans, especially Trainers, are very curious...and they're also rather bad at listening. I would ask that you judge the Humans who come upon you, rather than just burning them all. And to those you find worth acknowledging, I would ask you to entrust them with one of your Eggs."
The bright, sun-colored wings rose high into the chamber, and sparkled ominously. "You would have me give up my own blood...to Humans?"
Alex visibly pondered, and then shrugged. "Kind of. I leave the decision to you, of course, but I would rather have more Larvesta inhabiting our land than we currently do. Giving a few to worthy Humans that find you could go a long way towards repopulating your kind, in our region."
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Another hum filled the air, for more than a minute this time, but Alex waited, unfazed, and patient. Finally, she spoke again. "I see the sense in your words, Human leader...and I accept."
At that, Alex smiled, and bowed low. "Your calm and rational demeanor is a... pleasant change of pace. With your permission, I'll move you and yours to the surface with a Teleport. From there, you may nest wherever you prefer. Ideally...far from people. I would also suggest somewhere to the north, for there are many mountains and forests up that way."
"You may use your Teleport upon us...and I think...yes. The cycle of rebirth shall start here. You are a... Trainer? There is one among my brood I think will pair well with you. He is yours to raise and protect." The massive Volcarona's leg shifted, and from below her, came a tiny, crawling, fuzzy Larvesta. It chirped at him happily, and he offered a Luxury Ball to the relatively young Pokémon, who entered willingly. The Volcarona spoke again, once that occurred. "It is done...take me to the sky."
Alex gave the Scales leave to return to the surface as well to help with the prisoners, before he, Jess, and their gathered psychic types, Mewtwo included, formed a circle around the massive fire bug. In the space of an instant, they changed locations, from far below, to high up above the raised Relic Castle. Each of them hovered back slightly, levitating themselves as the Volcarona's wings flapped, and filled the air with cinders. She gave a cry that could only be described as half terrifying, half joyous, and then ascended higher into the air. From below, the group spied other huddled fuzzy white forms upon her back.
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Before they descended, another mental presence joined them, and the sensation of such obvious power manifesting beside them so rapidly spooked the young Mewtwo, sending her 'leaping' several feet above them as Tao reached out to them. "There is news. Come. Bring the Mewtwo."
Just as quickly as he came, he left, and below, Alex spied his Lieutenant giving him a salute, a moment later. The others had their orders, and he had his. He glanced at the Mewtwo, chuckled, and then beckoned her to their level. "That, was Tao. The Original Dragon Pokémon, and the Legendary Guardian of this entire continent. We should go speak with him."
The Mewtwo seemed to think for a moment, before she nodded. "I would be interested in meeting the body that houses such a strong mind. Lead on."
Alex nodded, and with another bamf, they were gone from the Desert Resort.
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The Dragonspiral Tower - Unova Region
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Tao intercepted their Teleport, and diverted them to his chamber, at the top of the tower, a place Alex hadn't seen for several months now. Merlin was with him, levitating a stormy gray glass bong between the two. Tao had altered his size to fit better in the chamber, and he confirmed his curious pupil's guess as to whether Legendary Pokémon could shift their size. Evidently, it was easier for the older Guardians, and few others had learned how to safely replicate the process those like Tao used to achieve their shift in size. He was still rather large at twenty-five feet, lying in a coil as he was, as he, Merlin, and Laurea passed the instrument around.
Tao's head rose as Alex, Jess, and their newest Pokémon ally in the form of a Mewtwo approached the three powerful psychics. Each set of ancient eyes were focused on the Mewtwo, and as the humans bowed, she paused for a moment, and then gave the three figures a general nod of respect. As far as she could sense, she was on their level, or near it. The human had implied he knew how to make her even stronger, and in that moment of meeting, she decided she wanted to test herself against each of the three before her.
Merlin spoke first. "So. This is what...erm, who was giving off the intense psychic emanations beneath the sands." He glanced up at Tao then, the dragon's almost reptilian features as unreadable as ever.
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He was perhaps the most interested in what his students had brought back. A Mewtwo spared a violent birth and a hatred of humans, one without hate in its heart from the beginning. Tao spoke, as Merlin finished. "Once more, your mastery of the Voice and quick thinking have worked in tandem to bring us one who, perhaps, will become a powerful ally...I welcome you, Mewtwo, to Unova, and the modern world. I know of the agreement you reached with my students. I shall be the one to instruct you, but all present here will teach you, eventually, if you wish to learn." The pupilless golden eyes flared, eyeing her up and down. "Alex. Run her through the first stances...and then return when that is done."
As he left to do just that, he sensed Tao was about to have a talk with his better half, and the dragon's shielding of their words, and Jess's only confirmed that. He sighed, heavily, and found the training floor just above Tao's preferred meeting chamber. He called out his Riolu as well, who had taken the name Canis, and the punchy puppy yawned, stretched, and looked around with a mild expression, before his eyes settled on the Mewtwo, who narrowed her eyes, and smirked at him.
The two stared for a long series of moments before Alex finally coughed and gained their attention. "The key to these stances is controlling when you breathe and using your body's balance to inflict the most damage on an opponent. Copy me."
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The pair learned quickly, as Alex showed them with the efficiency born of a lot of repetition, how to move through the attacks and poses associated with the Dragon's style of martial arts. Roughly thirty minutes later, Jess joined them as well. Evidently, she'd been given a mission of her own, in Fornia, now that she too had become a Tamer to a Guardian. Tao sent him a blurb of mental knowledge, for he knew well how Alex enjoyed them by now, revealing that Ho-Oh was the Guardian of the skies between Japan, and the western coast of their continent. She was also a vaunted ally, and one who typically preferred solitude. That she had chosen Jess seemed to rattle Tao, but he embraced the universe's path, and sent her where he deemed that she would flourish the most. Once they finished educating the newbies on the first series of movements and punches, Jess took over, and sent Alex up to the waiting circle of chilling Legends.
They were still in the midst of toking on the bong, and Alex joined their circle, floating into the air on crossed legs as he did. He noticed that Aristole had also joined them at some point, and his lighter gold aura kept him levitating beside the others, though he abstained from partaking of the Leaf. Tao was the first to speak. "Merlin, Laurea, and I have sensed a disturbance...emanating from Koria. Long ago, their Guardian fused with a Human, and ever since, that Human, and all their reincarnations, have defended the region. Unfortunately, since the Imperium of Man gained a foothold, the region has fallen out of Balance, and their Guardian is missing...or rather, they were. This emanation of power is one we recognize...but there is one championing the Shadow rising beside it. Go to Koria. Find the Guardian's Avatar and help them throw off the yoke of the Imperium."
Alex slid his eyes towards Aristole. "They're not going to like me getting involved...and I don't think a disguise will be enough to fool them. You said they have psychics of their own. They'll sense me, eventually."
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The Sage of Light nodded. "They will. Unfortunately, conflict is inevitable...we would have you turn it in the Light's favor. Their Guardian is sorely missed." Merlin and Tao both nodded at the Professor's words.
"Conflict with the Imperium is an inevitability, at this point. Despite that, you should still endeavor to not be too noticeable. A simple Trainer from Unova won't raise too many eyebrows, if you stick to the Earth Nation." Aristole said, as his arms, folded in his robe's sleeves, shifted. He brought forth a map then, and a Pokédrive chip with a slot for a Pokédex.
Alex fished out his own, and then winced, at all the scratches, scuffing, and use the mahogany casing had taken. Lux poked his mind. "I could hop in that, if you'd like."
Alex smirked, and responded in kind, mentally. "No, I'm fine... I need to finish piecing my new one together. I haven't really had time." He looked up at Tao then. "Is this urgent? Or can I get a few days?"
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"The longer you take, the harder the Guardian will be to find. You should leave now, if you wish to arrive in time. You will have plenty of hours on the ride to Koria. Even from Mewsia, it is a long trip." Alex sighed, as he knew the trip wasn't that long, and piecing together a Pokédex on the waves seemed like asking for frustration to set in. Tao spoke again, eyes locked on his pupil's. "While you are in Koria...embrace the custom, as well as you are able. Strengthen other Pokémon, ones you haven't used on camera if possible, and learn all that Koria has to teach, before you return."
Alex bowed, fist to open palm. "Yes, Master. Will the Guardian be returning with me?"
This time, Laurea spoke. "It is better if they remain, to harry the Imperium from as many sides as possible. Koria must expel the Imperium before that can happen, and you will be of great aid in that struggle. Do as you have done so far, in your foreign adventures, and you will be fine."
Alex internalized his growing bad mood, as not only did he now have even more work, but it was also work that would take him across the planet, and for the first time in years, without Jess beside him. They both agreed they'd been due for diverging missions, but that didn't make taking them on any easier. He intended to speed his along, and if there was a war brewing, he would see it end swiftly. "I guess I'm off, then."
The psychically inclined Legendary Pokémon watched him leave, and while he was slightly annoyed, the chance to journey incognito once more did hold some appeal. As he mentally selected who he would use, he put his main ten on his cape, and therefor connected to his box back home. According to Eric, he ran the Pokémon regularly, letting them roam as they pleased on the ranch land.
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They at least, deserved a chance to lounge around and rest, as Shruikan had been. Arthur and Terra were the most reluctant to leave his belt, but they saw the sense in it. Despite Tao's words, Alex still planned to take a day to train up his chosen party to a respectable level, before setting out. Canis had volunteered himself to lead this new party of ten, and from there, had mentally helped Alex select their nine companions. While he could switch them out, it would require being somewhat out of sight to activate his belt, and in the Imperium, people caught skulking about in shadows were usually arrested first and questioned later, if ever. He was also aware that logging on to his Box from Imperium networks was a bad idea, as more than once the empire's tech specialists had managed to steal the contents of such boxes from top Trainers, or so the rumors went.
With seveal other mighty Pokémon chosen, all still a bit green, but eager to be first in the line-up for the first time, Alex began preparing for what was required for travel in a foreign land occupied by hostile forces.