The forest of Colville - Fornia Region
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Jessica Gladstone had, much like her fiancé, established a forest-based training camp, this one near the ruins of Colville. Apparently, the people of the Tribes who'd once lived here had either died, or were staying in their unofficial city in New Vega. Many of the Tribe's people had congregated there after the war, and given how many of their people had died there, nobody had suggested they leave. In the absence of humanity, nature reclaimed everything quite quickly thanks to Alex and Tao's shenanigans, and her team had made their shelter essentially from scratch. She'd just finished appointing Fornia's newest Gym Leaders, and setting them up in their Gyms, which meant it was now time for her team to train. Unlike Alex and the boys, the girls were split. Roughly half wanted to battle, while the other half were dead set on the World Festival. The majority were eager to try both.
That didn't make things easy, though. They were also split on what to train for first, and had been arguing about it for half an hour at least. Finally, Jess made a decision, and as she spoke, the gigantic crimson form of the roosting Ho Oh she had Tamed raised her head from her perch on a rather sturdy branch of a rejuvenated tree, to watch the human. Her Articuno was beside the Legendary phoenix, also watching, but with a far different expression in her young eyes. Jess was practically her mother, and the young Legend adored and admired her. Jess was making strides as a leader, without male distractions around. "Girls, most of you can Battle already. We need to work on Contest combos.Those aren't the kind of thing we can BS our way through. The judges will see right through that. We need to be practiced, and perfect. Several of you, are probably going to quit immediately." She smirked, as she saw that rile up a few, naturally, the quitters she was expecting. They knew who they were. "But perfection is something we have to achieve, if we want to win. Besides, we're already in the top thirty two. Unless that changes, we don't really need to Battle."
The contest-hopefuls cheered, while her battlers, namely her Empoleon, Heracross, and Nidoqueen, quietly sulked. Those eager for contests of beauty and battle were her Serperior, Delphox, Ampharos, Shieldon, Drakloak, Lopunny, and her newly acquired Glaceon, Geli, who'd actually been one of the Eevee that Alex had caught. Apparently she'd hit a wall only a Trainer could get her past, and after telling Alex, he sent her to Jess. She was a bit of a spoiled girl, the kind that was adorable and knew it, but she was also kind, like the rest of her family. Her latest catches, Eiwa, who had since become a gorgeous Ninetales, Rouge, who now wore high quality and quite expensive Auspicious Armor as an Armarouge, Liva, who had also evolved, though only once, Mirkke, who had become a Low Key Toxtricity, Carmilla, her newly caught and evolved Gliscor, and Silvi, her Sylveon were all more neutral about the whole debate, not really yet understanding the difference between a performance and a battle. Her Charzard, Altaria, Articuno, and Florges were all quite eager to start. As the most vociferous for entering the World Festival, they'd formed their own clique within the team.
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As they split off into what they thought the best performing groups would be, namely those with complementary move pools and personalities, Jess decided something else. They needed a few more partners, to be properly prepared for both global contests of skill. There were some pretty glaring type deficiencies in her party, and those types would be needed in both battle and performances. "Delphi." Her Delphox, ever at her back and side simultaneously, stepped forward with a knowing smirk. "Have them begin practicing making their Moves…y'know, sparkle. I'm going to recruit some more talent."
The Delphox amusedly twirled her redwood staff. "Finally going to use your status for your benefit? It's about time. Especially since all that currency is just going to lose its value in time." Her tail brushed her Trainer's face as she walked past. "Grab someone interesting, won't you?"
Jess nodded, made sure she had her psychic anchor set, and then Teleported away to the Pokémon Center in Castelia, right at home in the heart of New Tork City. She actually appeared in a hallway, outside a room she and Alex had stayed in for a time, shocking a pair of female Trainers as she appeared. Seeing their reaction, she gave them a small smile. "Sorry, girls. It'd probably be more surprising if I appeared without a sound though."
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They had the body language of good friends, but the slim figured blonde of the pair was clearly crushing on the pretty brunette who, upon examining her frilly outfit and quality shoes, Jess surmised was going to perform in a contest soon. The brunette looked at her with awe, while the blonde saw her as a rival, and gave her a fake smile. "It's alright, Fornia Champion. We were just getting ready for a performance."
Jess nodded, taking the hint. To the brunette she said, "Well, I wish you luck. Perhaps we'll meet in the World Festival." The girl, who like her friend seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties, just nodded, unable to make words.
Jess left them, wincing inwardly as she heard the brunette whisper, "Ohmygosh! She's so pretty! And that hair! I wonder if I could make mine do that…" Jess twirled a rainbow sheened lock as she remembered how Alex had been enamored with it too. Sure enough, it was gaining her attention, as he'd predicted.
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She found a free PC, but didn't find the function she was looking for, namely, the Global Trade Network. She intended on trading money for the Pokémon she was after, and since she also wanted a shiny variant or three, that was actually the normal and preferred trade for them, given how rare they were. Her first pick was a Dratini, the only pink Dratini available, as it turned out. She charged the blood pressure raising amount with her father's black credit card, and retrieved the ball a moment later. Sure enough, a little pink cutie popped out, but she frowned inwardly, as she realized that it was male.
He seemed to sense her disappointment, but she couldn't resist that cute, pink face, and he trilled happily as she gave him scritches. "I don't think I'll end up being your Trainer little one, but for now, you can come with me. Let's see who else we can get." The Dratini nuzzled her, and she felt her heartstrings tugged. He was certainly a cutie, but with his adamant nature and craving for battle and strength that she recognized all too well, he'd be a better fit for Alex's team.
Her next pick was a Frillish, of which there were a lot more choices, and for a price that was actually reasonable, probably because they were more common than a Dratini. When Jess released her as well, she greeted both her and the Dratini in a dignified manner, and seemed to agree to being trained. Once more Jess sighed inwardly, realizing just how dependent she'd become on Alex's powers. Her final pick was a bit more difficult.
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In her head, she listed the types she didn't have, and found herself lacking a rock type, which could also use ground moves. She scrolled through the available options and raised an eyebrow at one in particular that was quite cheap, but exactly what she was looking for. Aside from a supposedly useless nature, she was perfect. "Alright my new friends, I believe we have our next candidate. From Champion Juliana no less. Hmm." She made her purchase, and retrieved the Ultra Ball the machine transported to her. She let out the cyan colored Glimmet, who just seemed happy to be out of her ball. Then, she saw Jess's hair, and started excitedly chirping as she flew around the human's head.
Jess looked at her trio of cuties, and smiled. "I'm your new Trainer girls and boy. I hope we can be good friends. Who wants to go meet your new sisters?" The three uniquely colored Pokémon let out a combined cheer. She let them stay out as they left the Pokémon Center, but seeing three shiny Pokémon all at once made the nearby Trainers stare at her, and then murmur to each other.
As they left the Center, they heard a commotion down the street. What looked like a small locally formed tournament was drawing a crowd by the piers. Jess and her trio quietly wandered over, and watched from behind even the sidelines. She blinked, as she recognized one of the participants. Former Arcean Champion Brad Pineus had his Charizard, one of Chari's own sons, out against a Trainer with a rather strong looking Swampert.
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Looking at the board, she winced, as Brad was up by three, but then, she noticed. His opponent had used a Torterra, Gallade, and a Luxray already. It made her chuckle, as she guessed Brad's opponent had tried copying a certain Unovan Champion, which was likely the reason he'd wanted this battle in the first place. Apparently the rivalry they'd had while training with the Swamp Sage had become public knowledge.
"Sunny Day." Brad said, with confidence.
The plain looking opposing Trainer barreled ahead with a strong attack. "Rock Slide! Make it too wide to dodge!" Jess just shook her head, as she knew what came next. Charizard's move pool was legit, and while Swampert had the type advantage, the time he took to widen his already wide attack would seal his fate. She looked curiously at her new partners, as they watched. Her as yet unnamed Frillish watched with mild interest, but was otherwise seemingly ambivalent. Her Glimmet was zooming happily between staring at her hair, and watching the battle. But the young hot pink Dratini had his eyes wide, and was shivering with excitement around her neck.
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She gave the little dragon scritches under his chin. "Watch the Charizard." She murmured quietly, and the little one obeyed.
As the Swampert fired off his Rock Slide, the Charizard had finished his Sunny Day, and was already building power to handle the rock move. "Solar Beam!" Brad said, sure of victory, and his opponent's eyes widened as he realized that was, in fact, a move Charizard could learn. It was also quadruple effective.
The burning beam of grass energy shot through the Rock Slide, and then passed back over, to hit the Swampert. It tried to shield with Sand Tomb, but sand didn't really make a good shield against the amount of power Solar Beam had. Brad didn't take any chances. "Make sure it's down! Dragon Pulse!" The Charizard didn't waste time, inhaling deeply as he launched a blurple beam of power into the dust cloud, which blew it away, and then created another cloud simultaneously. Jess smirked as the young dragon around her neck shuddered at the sight of the beam, not with fear, but excitement. She'd gotten better at sensing emotion since Gwen joined her and the Dratini was radiating excitement and anticipation.
As the dust cleared, Brad glimpsed the trademark crimson rainbow that was Jess' head, but then she and her three shiny new Pokémon vanished in a flash of scarlet energy.
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Several Weeks Later…
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As the days began flying by, Jess and her team progressed rapidly. Those who were already high level had little trouble using less power for their moves, trading it for speed or versatility. Her three new partners all shared similar level requirements for evolution, and hit them relatively quickly. Knowing how Alex would feed and train the Dratini, she had her three most battle hungry partners train him, and the others. He seemed quite happy, and had grown like a weed in terms of length and power, until he became a truly beautiful Dragonair.
He was powerful, but not so powerful that his training partners were above him, which helped curb his arrogance. Jess had, upon his evolution, told him about his eventual Trainer, and while he said, with Delphi playing translator, that he'd always care for her, he was very eager to get stronger, and no longer be hot pink in color. It was a shame, as his beauty was obvious every time he flew, but the Dragonair unfortunately had zero interest in contests. He found wasting power on displays of beauty to be tedious, at least until another of her new additions, an Eevee she'd evolved into a Sylveon, set him straight on the nature of beauty.
It had been their practicing that had drawn the little Pokémon to their camp in the first place. Since she joined, the local fauna had also become more friendly with them, and tended to stop by to chat or watch their efforts. Her final addition was one of Alex's, another Eeveelution called Geli. The Glaceon had also shared what she knew of her Trainer with the pink dragon, though she saw him more like a landlord who didn't charge rent.
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Around the time Alex and Isamu beat the Clara Vista Gym, Jess deemed her team ready for a World Festival qualification contest. After the hundreds of thousands of applications following the announcement of the festival, they had changed the structure, for this first time only. It was too popular to just cancel and doing so would likely dissuade those who wanted to perform from joining the next World Festival.
Thus, all one had to do to enter the final rounds was demonstrate enough skill and finesse with a single five minute display that had to be original in concept. No ribbons required. One could copy moves or other Coordinator's tricks with move combinations, but the performance itself needed to be original, and Jess was finally satisfied with how everyone was doing. There was also technically no limit to how many of her partners could be in said display, so she'd made a performance that incorporated all of them, even, begrudgingly, her gorgeous male Dragonair.
Fornia didn't have a participating Contest Hall, but Unova did, even though it was new. As she was getting ready, she noticed Alex had actually called her. Twice. Which meant he needed to talk to her, but it wasn't anything life threatening. Having seen enough of their mother's soap operas to know how talking to her love interest before a big event would likely go, she held off on returning it for the moment, choosing instead to focus. Alex would understand, and he was too chill to be mad at her. In fact, as she finished her makeup, she tried to recall a single time he had been mad at her, but couldn't recall one. That thought made her stomach flutter and calmed her nerves. She sensed her Delphox smirking at her from within her ball.
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She was in a small, very basic prep room designed for a single occupant, where she'd changed into her current dress. It was primarily crimson, though a more fiery shade than her hair, that gradually shifted to a blend of red, yellow, and orange as one went lower. Her own role in this chaos was minor, and she was dressed accordingly. As she finally saw the light on the wall flash green, signaling it was her turn, she calmed herself with one of Tao's breathing techniques, and made her way onto the stage. Other Coordinators, who had either already gone or had arrived mostly ready to perform were waiting backstage, and she ignored their eyes as she focused entirely on what she was about to do.
Jess smirked as she heard the announcer. "Laaadies and gentlemen! Our next performance will be by…wait, is this real? It's right? Oookay then! Ladies and gentlemen! I give you…your future Empress! Jessica Redwood!"
A few people exchanged looks, as that wasn't technically her name yet, but their sovereign's surname had gotten their attention on her, like she wanted. Their eyes were back on the stage as a Pokéball with a Seal or three on its Ball Capsule made the materializing form appear within a tornado of sparkling flames. Delphi appeared, in a specially tailored dress of her own that sparkled like the one Jess was in, but had the reverse color scheme. They had the same smirk, and bowed in perfect sync. Then, they started firebending. The judges murmured to each other as they saw Jess was producing her own flames, while Delphi masterfully wielded them into a giant, burning Yin Yang symbol above the stage.
Through that, with a burst of fairy energy to prevent burning, came Melodi, her Altaria. Her Dazzling Gleam shone like a pink sun with a rainbow corona and her pink Dragonair flew above and over the rainbow, his appearance brief but memorable as he spiraled and sparkled through the air, and just as the Dazzling Gleam started to fade, both her Altaria and Folokraan used Substitute, and switched places in a flash of smoke. The crowd gasped at the sight of an Articuno, and the lingering light made the always present ice crystals around her sparkle.
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In the shadow of the blinding, sparkling light, Delphi launched a Sunny Day from her staff, while the rest of her team, released from their balls with seals that had produced temporary but obscuring smoke, used Ice Beam on the master of the ice type flying above them. With ease, Folokraan guided and bent the Ice Beams into a reverse of the first Yin Yang pattern, this time in ice.
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The Legendary bird guided her creation to the left side of the stage with a graceful twirl through the air more akin to the Galarian form of the Legend, while Jess and Delphi reformed the fiery Yin Yang on the right side. The rest of her team started flooding the space between with as many moves that created things as they could. Rock Slide, Leaf Storm, Electro Ball, Bubblebeam, even a Blizzard. There was a move of every single type, and the eagle eyed judges noted they'd appeared not only in the classic order of typing, but none of the moves were colliding and causing the usual explosions of smoke and dust from doing so.
Jess nodded at her Articuno, as she had her recently evolved Armarouge launch the fiery Yin Yang. Delphi demonstrated her psychic prowess as she levitated into the air, and surrounded each typed move in a psychic bubble. A Dark Pulse in sphere form and a similarly formed ball of bug energy shot up beside her, rising in perfect sync in what appeared to be an offering of power, to the sky.
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Jess watched quietly, hoping Ho Oh would actually indulge her this time. For a long moment, Delphi hung in the air, straining to keep herself and so many moves suspended in the air at once. Then, Jess exhaled, as she heard a powerful, familiar cry. The gathering of typed energy was masterfully broken down and converted into pure energy, which was then absorbed by the gigantic rainbow phoenix descending from on high.
The judges gasped now, properly as surprised as the audience was, and Jess mouthed a silent 'thank you' to the Guardian of the continent's western coast, and the entirety of Japan. The rainbow phoenix had a small smirk, and winked at her Tamer, before examining the latest gathering of humans before her. What she saw, melted her heart a little more. Elderly people, bearing the pain of living longer than the human body was ever meant to. Young children, staring in complete, adorable awe at a Legend in the flesh, practically close enough to touch. Then there were those in between the extremes. Trainers and their Pokémon, couples holding hands, and among all of them, for the first time in an age, she sensed no evil thoughts. No unspoken desires to bind her. Just humble gratitude that they'd been able to see such a reclusive Legend before their very eyes.
The Taijitu symbols of fire and ice collided above her, and she gave the humans a gift. With a single wing flap, a pulse of Light spread through them, and the fiery crystals of ice that she purposefully fused together, despite their opposing natures. Her Light began repairing their bodies, curing their ills, and blessing the rest of their days. Jess let them bask a bit longer, and then snapped her fingers twice, before she projected as loudly as she could. Hearing her, her Pokémon quickly lined up beside her. "For your consideration." She bowed, and her team did as well. She let out a breath as the cheers started, at which point her team morphed into a group hug.
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The judges gave them a moment, as the audience stood, mostly cheering Ho Oh, but as the Legend departed back into the sky, the focus became Jess and her team. The head judge eventually made a polite but loud cough, and a moment later a slightly disheveled Jess pulled free from the hug fest. Delphi fixed her outfit with a casual twirl of her staff, and the man began.
"Future Empress." He inclined his head. "We were initially inclined to grade you harshly, but…I admit even my practiced gaze spotted few errors of note. You all clearly worked hard on this performance, and I would say it has paid off. Your Type control was impressive, not one of all those wide area Moves collided, and surprising us with not one, but two Legendary Birds was quite memorable. I know my score." He held up a card with a ten on it, and glanced at the two other judges.
The second judge, a simple featured example of humanity with a dopey smile also gave her a ten. "You have a talent for this, that much is clear after this, and the performance that dethroned the Kalos Queen. I look forward to seeing your future performances." Jess smiled at him, but then the third judge, the only woman, held up a nine point five.
"Your Dark and Bug Energy were a bit uncontrolled, and were clearly newer Moves…but otherwise I must agree. That display, and the fact that you succeeded in using your whole team, was quite impressive. Good luck at the World Festival."
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Jess thanked the judges, and then the crowd one more time, before recalling her team, and leaving. She was stopped behind the stage by a dolled up blonde, clearly what one might classify as a rich Trainer. She was quite obviously relying on her admittedly impressive cleavage, puffed up purposefully by her black and gold Kalosian dress, to draw the crowd's attention to her. "You! Gladstone!" She blocked Jess' way, and put her hands on her hips. "Two Legends!? How the Muk am I supposed to follow that!? How are any of us??" She gestured to the other Coordinators getting ready, and more than a few eyes narrowed at her.
Jess nodded quietly, but stayed composed and smiling. "A fair concern. I would set the tone from the start, maybe some thematic music, or a suitably flashy Move as you begi-"
The blonde cut her off. "So I have to change my entire routine because of you!? Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! I refuse."
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Jess just sighed, and shrugged. "Then lose." As she brushed past the woman, she said, "The World Festival is going to have enough bared cleavage with, or without you." She smirked slightly as that got some quiet laughs and knowing smirks from the other Coordinators. Jess could tell this piece of work had probably been a menace to them while they prepared. She knew her type, though as her eyes burned with scarlet red psychic aura, stopping the ditz's knife aimed at her back, she was actually surprised. She hadn't expected her to try something so overtly violent and against the rules.
By this point, the entire backstage area was focused on them. Jess's hair flared as she whirled on the blonde woman. With a snap of her fingers, her pitiful little knife's blade fell to the floor, snapped cleanly off. "I've been in War. I'm technically a General of this Empire, and you seriously thought you'd get anywhere near me with that?" She let her power go, freeing the woman, who slumped to her knees.
"I didn't think you'd…Mukking abomination…those 'abilities' you freaks have are unnatural!"
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Jess just rolled her eyes at the Arcean rhetoric, more than ready to leave, when one of the other Coordinators apparently had had enough. Jess blinked as she recognized the brunette from the day she'd abused her privilege to acquire special Pokémon. Her hair had a rainbow braid in it, and was styled like Jess's this time, which made her smirk, as did her words.
"The only thing that's unnatural here, are your implants. Just leave, and maybe we won't report you for attempting to stab a Hero of the Empire."
The blonde woman struggled to her feet, with indignant rage, and Jess subtly stepped back as she noticed the blonde had grabbed her broken knife. Her ire was on the brunette, though. "I don't need judgement from a flat che-"
"That's the girl, officer! She just tried to stab the Empress!"
Jess, the loudmouth, and the younger brunette glanced over at the voice, and saw another Coordinator beside a Mienshao, the one responsible for security backstage, nodding beside a UPD officer who seemed exasperated. Apparently, his Mienshao, sensing how powerful Jess was, determined that it didn't need to jump in to save her from a potential stabbing. He apologized for his Pokémon's inaction, and then led the loudly protesting bourgeoisie brat away in handcuffs, after taking their statements.
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This left Jess alone with the brunette. Finally, she said, "Thank you, for standing up to her. I don't believe I caught your name."
The girl flushed red. "Ohh, you don't need to know my name, Empress, it's not impor-"
She was interrupted, as the stage announcer said, "Ladies and gentleman, thanks to a last minute withdrawal, our next performance will be from…Alyssa Carter!"
Jess chuckled at her. "Alyssa, then. You, can just call me Jess. It's fine. I have a reward for you, and your sense of right and wrong." She held up a sparkling pink crystal. "How would you like to have the same rainbow shine to your hair as me? It will affect everything but your braid."
She ran her fingers down her braid, and Jess could tell she was remembering the fun she'd had dying it, with her Good Friend. "Could…you make it accentuate the braid? I want everyone to see how well it came out." Jess nodded, and when she was done, Alyssa was grinning ear to ear once she got in front of a mirror.
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"Alyssa Carter…to the stage please! Last call for Alyssa Carter!"
The young woman eeped, thanked Jess again, and then ran off. Jess wished her luck, and stuck around to watch her performance. Her team was well balanced, well groomed, and clearly practiced hard for their Trainer. Jess made a mental note to keep an eye on her, and was impressed with her skills. She'd captured the audience immediately, as suggested, and the result seemed to work on the crowd.
Finally finished, Jess bamfed to the top of the PNN building with her anchor there. It wasn't one she'd made on purpose, but being surrounded and outnumbered by hostile Arceans had burned it into her memory. With a satisfied exhale after an exhaustive performance, she felt more confident in her team's ability to compete at the World Festival. "Now then…let's see what all the fuss is about with the boys…" She activated her phone's video chat, and finally called Alex back.
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Subterra - Somewhere Below Wyogon
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Caleb Callen had never enjoyed his life so much. Despite being named for his Prophet, he had never excelled at anything in particular, had no special skills, and was exceedingly average. Even his looks, a thin body and brown hair and eyes, were exceedingly plain. Average school grades guaranteed an average menial job in the Arcean empire. Even his Pokémon, the one he'd been able to afford to feed, a Psyduck, was abnormally average in weight, height, power, and color. The collapse of the Church had guaranteed an average job in the underground colony that clung to the Arcean's fading ideals, but then, their newest leader, Lord Proditor, had elevated him, claiming he had psychic powers. Even since then, Octavius Thorne had begun to train him, and despite not being initially impressive psychically either, they had discovered an untapped reservoir of potential after he'd finally unlocked his latent powers. This sometimes happened, as even the best methods of detecting psychic power had limits. He was, as Master Thorne called him, an 'unexpected bounty in a meager yield'.
With that bounty, had come promised status. Proditor had, like Pravus before him, secluded himself in the weeks since taking over, obsessed with some 'great work' he was creating. Caleb had only seen him one time since, and he had been…different. His eyes, a fusion of crimson purple, his mouth, filled with razor sharp teeth that spread far too wide for any natural human, pale skin that looked like a corpse's, but that aura…was unmistakable. He was exactly what Caleb had always been told psychics were: an abomination, and yet, Caleb found he didn't care. His clothes were nicer, his family no longer had to work the 'mines' they'd dug into the Stoney Mountains since they went into hiding, and despite the undertones of prejudice, people listened when he spoke. Life was good, for once. And thank was all thanks to the 'monstrosity' that was Proditor. If he'd found his abilities before, he would've quietly disappeared, like every other psychic in the western States, taken to the brutal, and often fatal, training that created the Hands of the Prophet.
His new Lord had requested that he specifically abuse his newfound privilege, to weed out the seditious bigots among them. He'd taken great pleasure in doing so, first going after the losers who'd bullied him as a child, and then later those who had been superiors and coworkers in his adult life who had been horrible to him. Pleased by this initial influx, it had eventually faded as people learned to hold their tongues around him, and that was when his Lord had urged him to find more. Thus, Caleb had made it his quiet mission to root out those among them who still had sexual predilections towards children, and there were a depressingly high number of those, especially in the education centers of their underground city. Unlike most Arceans that Caleb Pravus had elevated, Callen prided himself on strong morals, and made a point of not abusing his authority to acquire sex. There had naturally been several women who'd made advances, but after digging into their motives, he found them impure. Women who wanted a piece of his status, but couldn't stand him, and those who'd been sent to him by Master Thorne to 'make more psychics' had been dismissed, once he confirmed their lack of interest.
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All he wanted was a genuine relationship, if Arceus saw fit to guide him to one. Upon hearing that, Master Thorne had told him that Arceus very likely would no longer have anything to do with them, and him, after pledging themselves to Lord Proditor, but Caleb Callen kept his faith, as well. His training had seen his Psyduck finally evolve into a Golduck, though it had a tendency to do whatever it wanted in battle, as he also lacked badges, and their friendship, like everything else, had also been average at best. Caleb got the sense that Golduck still resented him for infusing him with Shadow, even though that dark power had since been cleansed by the Dragon Empire, but he still got his partner good food, cleaned him regularly, and even had a pool built for him to swim in, at his family's new compound. He'd intended to share it with everyone else at the compound as well, but his unruly psychic duck had gotten quite territorial about sharing it.
As a compromise, Caleb made him share only when they left home, and went about tracking down those with the aforementioned predilections. This activity was something the psychic duck seemed to do gladly, when he asked, and together with their psychic power they'd managed to track, entrap, and ship off no less than ten pedophiles to Lord Proditor. Needless to say, despite not appearing again, the Lord was apparently quite pleased with his efforts. In order to keep him pleased, with a steady supply of deviants, they often had to go scouting around Subterra, and even the regions above. It was impossible to completely ignore the above world, and he disliked going there. Over time he had also found, depressingly, far more of his targets underground, among the Arcean remnants, than he would have liked. As much as he despised the Original Dragon, his Scales had been impressively ruthless when it came to imprisoning pedophiles, and on that single issue, he agreed with their actions completely.
Today, however, his task was different. Master Thorne had tasked him with a job suited to his 'remarkable plainness', which was to make contact with Sophia Sanctis, former Champion of the State of Montaho, and one of the only remaining Arcean leaders to not pledge herself to Subterra. Caleb's job was to either bring her on side, or convince her to visit so that Lord Proditor could handle her personally. If she refused…well, he hoped she did not. Things would be much worse for her if she did.
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He'd blended perfectly into Montaho's relatively sparse population, and even choked down an admittedly scrumptious Dragon Burger to sell the illusion to any Scales tailing him that he was exactly as ordinary as he appeared. Once he arrived at his destination, he glanced around the massive cathedral in the center of the State's capital city of Nemesula, and frowned.
Caleb Pravus had made a habit of showing off the most opulent and openly extravagant buildings owned by the Arcean Church, so much so that the Arceans had been required to watch exceptionally boring videos touring them, with loud, trumpet based music that was so cheesy it belonged on a plate of nachos. Now, after losing the war, the busts of the Prophet's face had been demolished, usually on video by the invading easterners, which this far north had belonged to Norstad's mighty contribution to their counterattack after the Blitz. The idea of the snow savage's leader and his legendary hammer smashing apart the face of the man he'd been named for made Caleb's blood boil.
The ornamentation had been stripped from all their most opulent churches, and melted down by the Dragon Empire, before being added to their gold reserves. Now all that remained was a giant symbol synonymous with Arceus that had clearly been painted to be gold, and not very well. Sophia Sanctis herself had also once been beautiful, adorned with fine jewelry and a custom Power Stave. Now, she'd been reduced to plain white robes with black accents, and yet was still quite beautiful despite the lack of ostentatious ornamentation.
His walk in had gotten him looks, and Sophia herself came to greet him as he approached the altar and gave it the very overtly Arcean salute they'd used to venerate the Prophet of Arceus. He knew the gesture had caught the eyes of the Scales of Balance stationed at the cathedral, but he didn't care.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dgw07h1-bf96c64b-a10a-4ad7-9283-8c4e1739bdf0.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/champion_sophia_sanctis___montaho_by_pokefan1337_dgw07h1-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGd3MDdoMS1iZjk2YzY0Yi1hMTBhLTRhZDctOTI4My04YzRlMTczOWJkZjAuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.TBLSIaDoh5OqQWsWqCbFmOj225CT8LzMTva2lzCYOeQ]
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"You must be Caleb." The former Champion said, greeting him with a quiet, serene voice that would not reach the Scales watching them. "I will tell you what I told Thorne, and all of the others. I'm not interested in whatever evil you've allowed to control Subterra. Montaho is once more a part of the Dragon's Path, and we're following the true will of Arceus, not the minions of Shadow using his name."
Caleb blinked, as he had a sudden uncharacteristic urge to strike the woman for her traitorous, heretical blasphemy, but unlike the zealots before him, he controlled himself. "If you would simply visit, you would see that we are not defeated. Our Lord Proditor will return us to the Glory we deserve. Surely being reduced to rags is degrading to such a respected priestess of the Alpha's will?"
Sophia firmly shook her blonde head. "All Arceus has ever desired of Humanity, is a true bond with his creations. Built on trust, friendship, and the power that brings. Not Shadow. He was kind and merciful enough to show me the truth of his desires, and I will not betray them. Leave in peace, Caleb Callen. And do not return."
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Caleb nodded solemnly. "I understand. Unfortunately…I have orders if you choose not to visit."
The woman let out a tired sigh. "Don't try anything. You seem like a decent man, more decent than most of those in Subterra. Don't throw your life away for them."
Caleb shook his head. "My life is not at risk." He raised what looked like a gun of some kind at her, and pulled the trigger. Then, his psychic senses warned him to pull his arm back, and he did so, as a humming blue blade of focused plasma flashed past him. It was too late though, the Scales had been much faster, striking as soon as he raised the weapon. His dismembered hand still pulled the trigger though, firing the gaping black energy portal that was supposedly connected to somewhere in Subterra right behind the altar.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The pair of Scales scowled at the portal, their helmets appearing on their heads as they sensed the Shadow. With a blank expression, Caleb tried levitating Sophia into the Shadow portal, but to his surprise, she stopped him with her own psychic powers. "Was every Mukking Hand…actually a Psyker!?" He snarled as their auras clashed and sparked.
Sophia grimaced at him. "Yes…Pravus was a hypocrite! That's the doctrine you're following! One based on lies and hypocrisy!"
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"And yet…the Power he held Made his lies into Truth and his Ideals your own! His only flaw…was that he was Weak!"
The dueling psychics looked up in surprise, as a voice of pure evil emanated from the dark hole. Then, came two shadowy hands that warped into tentacles as they wrapped around Sophia and Caleb. Two more tentacles thwipped towards the Scales, but their burning blue plasma blades cut through them. The tentacles recoiled, briefly, and then swept low, at their legs. The younger one tripped, and ended up wrapped up in a tentacle as well. The older Scale, more experienced and well prepared for trouble, brought out another plasma sword, and with two psychically twirling blades, they kept the Shadow at bay effectively. Then, the three wrapped humans began being pulled towards the shrinking portal. The more experienced Scale threw a Pokéball, and shouted at the Reuniclus that appeared.
"I've found a major source! Contact the Emperor! It's a hostage situation! Do not fail me, Uni!" The Scale charged then, at the portal, and a swarm of new tentacles attacked them. Like a spinning plasma Beyblade, they cut masterfully through the tentacles, and those around their Padawan. They tossed a blade to the younger Scale, while psychically retrieving their fallen one, and leaping through the shrinking portal after Sophia and the Arcean cultist who'd possessed the portal gun.
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They put up an exceptional fight, as they appeared in the chamber that Proditor had left his dark passenger within. Back to back, they gave their all, but inevitably, the Shadowmind had them surrounded, and a new fresh horror lumbered forward to face them. It stood on two legs, with a freshly made carapace of black chitin encasing its two-legged form. The central eye on the head of the burly abomination was shaped like an ominously glowing red ring target. Three more, also seemingly functional, eyes were in the center of its chest, and on both chitin encased arms. Each thick arm sported three massive talons, while from its back, multitudes of chitinous tendrils cracked and shifted. Two of them began glowing with an ominous purple light, while the main and largest pair of tendrils launched towards the Scales with unerring accuracy.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dj7h8o5-b9293bd0-d361-4701-b906-a795cd9925fd.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/shadow_tank_form_by_pokefan1337_dj7h8o5-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGo3aDhvNS1iOTI5M2JkMC1kMzYxLTQ3MDEtYjkwNi1hNzk1Y2Q5OTI1ZmQuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.9AnZOAFBXI98Rrc_4VjVkq3z9Eb9A70-CHLZEvIu4_w]
The sheer power the creature possessed made them falter, as the chitinous plated tendrils met their plasma swords and smoked, but did not fall to the cutting power of their focused beam emitters. Not immediately, anyway. It was starting to turn red, but it was already too late. With their blades occupied, the pair of glowing arms stretched and pierced both Scales, filling their bodies with dark Shadow energy. Then, the creature began to absorb their flesh, muscles, and bones. Not one single scrap of matter would be wasted.
"Wait!" Caleb cried out, unable to fully process the situation. The whole fight had ended in about five seconds after the Scales appeared.
The grinning, toothy maw of his Lord Proditor turned towards him, as did one of the monstrosity's eyes. "What is it, little Caleb? Finally reconsidering obeying me?"
Other sounds chittered in the dark chamber, which he now realized, was unnaturally obscured by the Shadow. "N-no…I mean…that is…that is terrifying, b-but no, I r-remain loyal, my Lord. It's just…"
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Proditor, who had Sophia Sanctis by the neck with one of his own Shadow tentacles, tilted his head at the young man. Caleb continued. "Y-you said we needed Psykers, my Lord…s-surely two Scales would make for powerful allies…"
Proditor looked back at the Scales, and gestured. The Perfect Tank Form dropped them off of its sharp chitinous tendrils, and their blood began to leak onto the floor. "They will join us…or Die…"
The two Scales shared a look, before the more competent one, with two plasma swords, spat on the ground, and snarled, "We will never join you…the Emperor will Purge you all once he finds out where we've gone…you lost…as soon as you brought us here…"
Dark, rolling laughter echoed through the chamber, as Proditor's mouth expanded unnaturally wide to emit the awful sound. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Though it literally hurt to hear, the mirth was genuine. Proditor snapped a finger, or maybe a tentacle, Caleb couldn't tell, but suddenly, the Shadows obscuring the room vanished, revealing a teeming, ungodly horde of perfected Flood Forms. There were several more quadruple-eyed tanks, multiple four legged monstrosities bristling with sharp spines that seemed to somehow be dripping Shadow, and leading them all, was one form in particular that hurt to look at. Not because it was more hideous, in fact by comparison it was probably the most aesthetically sound of the entire horde of abominations.
It was Caleb's very mind that hurt as he stared at the beast. One massive eye surrounded by five smaller ones, chitinous claws like a Tank Form, and just as many tendrils. Purple runes in a language not yet uttered in this dimension covered its body, and the beast shrieked as it felt others looking upon it and its palms and several tentacles began to pulse with intense psychic power, making all but Proditor squirm in agony, as he just kept laughing, when suddenly, he stopped, and grinned like a Muertan Meowscarada, his horrible psychic baritone cutting through the keening. "My dear discarded Scale of the Dragon…I am counting on your little Emperor coming after you…I cannot wait to make him into my servant as well…such a powerful psychic…his material must be…high quality. Think of what we will Create…" He gestured at Caleb then, and bamfed the man back to his home, with a final psychic message that rang in his all too mortal skull. "Continue gathering meat for me, little Caleb…and this fate shall not befall your loved ones."
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dj7h95l-d80993e3-7706-4c93-a24b-f889fd653299.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/shadow_psyker_by_pokefan1337_dj7h95l-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGo3aDk1bC1kODA5OTNlMy03NzA2LTRjOTMtYTI0Yi1mODg5ZmQ2NTMyOTkuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.KI0OSnYVXISwaZScp5hz2yUAv3F97fYDSNVZqmvZnxU]
This was, of course, a lie, but Caleb Callen answered affirmatively, and the Shadowmind cackled again, as the Perfect Tank Form resumed reducing the dying Scales to their base matter. He focused his grin on Sophia. "As for You…I've something…special in mind…"
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Genoa City Gym - Italia Region
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dhkz1fw-eef201be-a981-4023-83fd-df0f64670c7b.jpg/v1/fill/w_1129,h_708,q_70,strp/europa_mk1_by_pokefan1337_dhkz1fw-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTU4NiIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGhrejFmdy1lZWYyMDFiZS1hOTgxLTQwMjMtODNmZC1kZjBmNjQ2NzBjN2IuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTI1MjcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.A7hATIMsgLwfcPTrAcwfwp1EHLQq5Dkwit9-K1Ys_l0]
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Cassius Proditor stared at the fainted form of the Hippowdon belonging to the Italia Region's fourth Gym Leader, as his violent Budew began to glow with power. That infinitely bright light made him wince, his expression neutral and somewhat ominous. A smile did crack his now slightly older child visage, as his earlier one was so young, adults had constantly asked where his parents were, and it had become too annoying. As Rosator finished becoming a Roselia, he cheered, jumping, spinning, a stark contrast to his calm Trainer, who he spun in front of, stopping with a flourish. "Yes, you did very well, Rosator. Congratulations. We'll have to get you a Shiny Stone soon."
Rosator shuddered in anticipation of how powerful and poisonous he would soon be, and returned to his ball with several berries. The Gym Leader, Dara, looked at the child as his partner evolved. Being the typical fourth choice for the Italia Circuit, she'd seen hundreds of Trainers react to an evolution, and this one had by far the most tame reaction, for a tweenager. It was odd. Odd enough to stick out from the monotony of low level battles, but not enough for her to pry. In Italia, it was always better to not ask questions. The buff ground type specialist walked over to him, as they met in the middle of her cavernous battlefield. "Not bad, kid. You've earned the Terra Badge, and this Earthquake TM as well. Be careful with it, it's a very powerful Move."
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dj7haqb-5a5cb4bd-37b3-4157-b30f-376eec2ebeae.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/gym_leader_dara_by_pokefan1337_dj7haqb-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGo3aGFxYi01YTVjYjRiZC0zN2IzLTQxNTctYjMwZi0zNzZlZWMyZWJlYWUuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.CDc3lb1T3RwLHn_R_-3ZBFk0kPBR2beWB59Rs-5k5Gk]
Proditor gave the woman a smile. "Thank you, Leader Dara. I'll be sure to practice it somewhere first before we use it in a Battle." He took his prizes, and then left, leaving the Gym Leader frowning slightly, before she shrugged, and went about her daily routine. With his fourth badge, Proditor now only had to cross through the region's capital, Aurelia, one more time before heading to the significantly harder gyms in the southern part of the region. First, back to Florencia, to face the fighting specialist who lived in the nearby mountains, then southward through the capital, to Mt. Etna, home to Leader Etna, named for the volcano she had tamed and trained in, and then he would head east, to face Leader Arvid of the psychic gym in Bari, and Leader Liora, who resided somewhere in the Mercadante Forest.
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The forest stretched all around Bari, and it was where Proditor intended to genuinely begin his recruiting efforts, as he had realized early on in his journey that Aurelia was home to weaklings. Those with actual potential, would be wandering the forest in search of Leader Liora, the fairy Gym Leader, but instead, they would find him. If they had psychic potential, he would use his charms to bring them into his fold, and if they didn't, they would never see him at all. Once he had enough, he'd poach who he could from Arvid's gym, and leave the region before anyone noticed the sudden lack of seventh badge holders vanishing. He took a deep breath of the fresh Italia air as he started walking southward through Genoa City, and he had to admit…he had missed this.
For the first time in literal eons, he was as close to being free of the Shadow as he had ever been. Not since he first contacted the Shadowmind and learned the truth of this universe's creation had he been so unbound. Only Mordred, his traitorous Malamar, Malum, his Hydreigon, Toraigon, and his Guzzlord, Rapax, were still even infused with Shadow at this point, and hidden safely within his bag, waiting in much more comfortable balls for when he needed them. He'd finally upgraded his entire belt's containment spheres, and he had to admit, his team seemed to be enjoying themselves. Shellraiser especially, had been having a Wailord of a time surfing Italia's many waterways, and surfing on his back had been nostalgic for both of them. He didn't know when, probably after he learned to psychically fly, but they'd simply stopped surfing around one day, in their distant past. Shellraiser had focused on living up to his name, and Proditor had focused on empowering his cult while not being taken out by Light wielders.
Rapax, Toraigon, Malum, Sparda, Shahir, and Immanis were all that remained of his original team of ten. Mordred and Grendel, Morgana's Grimmsnarl, were welcome additions, but he'd added a few new faces as well, in addition to Balmut the second, and Rosator. Aquilus, a shiny Shellder, had become a valuable defensive tank for their fresh team, as Shellraiser was very much a special attacker more than a defensive fighter. There was also Vesper, a shiny Gligar he'd stumbled upon, and decided to catch on a whim. Now a Gliscor, he'd proven quite malicious, and powerful, and fit well with his team. He'd made a trade for Settarok, a Hydrapple with a 'bad attitude' as his previous owner had called it. He was simply embracing his draconic nature, and once Proditor encouraged that, the seven headed grass dragon had obeyed him with gusto. There was also Voltus, who'd joined them as a tiny little Tynamo, and was very much the baby brother of the party. He was an Elektross now, and had become properly powerful, though he still had a ways to go to be truly competitive. He was also by far the kindest of their new little team, and Proditor almost felt guilty about how the Shadow would warp, and change him.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dj7hazb-98a35233-8f1f-4d70-96e5-ba8816bb6a31.jpg/v1/fill/w_1209,h_661,q_70,strp/cassius_proditor_mk1_by_pokefan1337_dj7hazb-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODk0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMTA3ZGMwNTUtMTk3Zi00Yzc5LWE4ZDQtYmY1ZTMwMThlMDNiXC9kajdoYXpiLTk4YTM1MjMzLThmMWYtNGQ3MC05NmU1LWJhODgxNmJiNmEzMS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTYzNSJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.mFfgqTL__vun_ZjpX_fI2v_2Lt_bFVQ659lTOj11a6A]
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There was only one other from the old team that was still alive, who Proditor hadn't reclaimed yet. Carbonis, a Coalossal, had been among the three starter Pokémon he'd once been given, alongside his Snowver and his Omanyte. Unfortunately, Nautilus had long since passed away, perhaps even fossilized, but Proditor had no way to track which Helix Fossil might be his. Unlike his Abomasnow, Optimus, Nautilus and Carbonis had never been infused with Shadow, but rather had, quite early on in his journey, separated from him to aid the ancient world by bringing the rains and shedding coal for the recovering human societies of the age.
As far as he knew, Carbonis was still producing coal for Eous, as he'd been doing for millennia by this point, and Proditor doubted he had any loyalty left to him. Once they were on the route south of Genoa, Proditor summoned Sparda, his Ceruledge reborn. True to his name, he had yet to lose a battle. "I'll be using you against the Fighting Type Leader." Proditor said bluntly, and the Ceruledge nodded in understanding. "Vesper." His Gliscor appeared with a shiny flash, and the light blue flying ground type grinned at him with his fanged, toothy maw. "If Sparda falls, or becomes too injured, you'll take over." The two Pokémon shared a look, and then nodded. "We're in the latter half of the circuit now, so things will become tougher. There's no shame in switching out. Rely on each other, and we'll be fine. Now, back to training."
The two chirped an affirmative, and returned to their balls. Proditor felt them shifting and twitching as they got to work, and marveled again at how far Pokéball tech had come. It had taken a long time for him to accept, but modern capture technology was, in every way, superior to what the ancient humans of his time had used. They had never even explored the idea of having Pokémon train within their crystal spheres, they had simply been for stasis, usually used if said Pokémon was injured. It was as he was ruminating on the many advancements of the modern age, that fate saw fit to interrupt his journey again, with a time honored tradition that every Trainer on the road, especially around the start of their circuit, ended up going through eventually.
A rival battle.
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"Hey! Kid!" Being the only 'kid' around on the route from Genoa to Florencia, Proditor turned and looked to behold the child who'd impeded the start of his journey with his indecision. He was dressed like a rich Trainer, though he was still wearing black. His hair also had less gel in it, though there was still far too much, and his bangs were actually styled in a sweeping parting that looked like a pair of wings. He actually looked objectively better without it covering his face. His young eyes narrowed in confusion as he noticed Proditor was several years older than he remembered. "Uhh…wow. Geeze dude, you look so much older."
Proditor smirked at him with a look that suggested he knew more than the child. "Yea. I uhh, had a growth spurt." Just then, following behind the boy came a slightly older girl, who was naturally taller than both of them. But in worse physical shape. "So, you ditched your bodyguards, and got yourself a girlfriend?"
The two youngsters shared an awkward glance, flushed, denied what was as obvious as the Sun in the sky, and then the boy, whose name Proditor still hadn't caught, said, "Whatever!" Which judging by his friend's face, had been the wrong thing to say as her tiny fists balled up in indignant anger. He continued, oblivious to the trope he was living. "My Magmar and I have gotten stronger!" The Magmar popped free of his ball and let out a Flamethrower into the air.
Proditor frowned, as he knew his freshly evolved rose would quite easily burn in such flames. "We wanna rematch! Unless you're too Kalosian to accept!"
Proditor just stared at him in confusion. "Did…did you…just use a place of origin as an insult?"
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The two kids shared a look, and then the girl stage whispered behind her hand, "Nico, this guy has peak Sippi energy, no cap. Is he really your rival?"
Proditor just blinked again. They were using State names as insults now, too. That, was what broke him. He started laughing, as did the rest of his team, for a solid minute. It was genuine mirth, the kind he hadn't felt in literal eons. "Ohhh…merciful Arceus…the youthful slang never disappoints." Even the Magmar had chuckled at his Trainer's words. "Let's…let's just Battle. Before your generational terminology gives me a hernia." He tossed Rosator's ball in his hand, and enlarged it.
The girl was around the boy's age, had nice clothes that were slightly less quality, but still suitable for a Trainer's journey, and had rich brown hair. Her big blue eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "This kid talks like a Relic Hunter, are you sure-"
Proditor interrupted her. "Y'know, fam, I still haven't gotten your name."
"Oh gosh…why does it sound so cringe, when He says it?" The girl whispered again. The boy snickered, and then needlessly ran his fingers through his gelled bangs, which judging by how gross and slimy his fingers got, was a mistake. "I never got Your name, either! And you're not my fam! You're my Rival!"
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"Hear that, Rosator?" Proditor said as his partner appeared. "Do you think these two qualify as our Rivals?" The two kids stared and frowned at the dark sparkles that accompanied the Roselia's appearance. The sentient black and purple bouquet wielding rose plant eyed the two, and then chuckled into a bouquet, shaking his head.
"Hold on, when did he turn shiny!?" The boy shouted.
Proditor smirked, having way too much fun as he continued to gaslight the child. "He was always shiny. It's just hard to tell with Budew, sometimes. He's freshly evolved so he's probably not going to win this. Not against a Magmar. But I'm guessing you don't want to let Shellraiser handle this?" Rosator flared with a pulse of grass power, and his poisonous spores filled the air. "Very well. Set the field, then! Grassy Terrain!" Rosator's power pulsed through the road, but Proditor knew they were at a severe disadvantage, probably. With both fire and psychic moves at his disposal, Magmar would likely very easily bring Rosator down. But not without being severely poisoned for his efforts.
"Flamethrower, Magmar! Burn this stupid rose to ash!" A dark grin came over the fiery creature's features as he inhaled, and flames spewed forth from his weird duck lips. Proditor frowned.
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"...Don't bother dodging. Dazzling Gleam." Proditor countered. Rosator smirked, and then shone with powerful fairy energy, a brilliant and focused example of a move, compared to the Magmar's haphazard Flamethrower. The flames eventually petered out, and Proditor said, "Sludge Bomb." The black bouquet raised to aim at the Magmar, and the sphere of poison was halfway through the air by the time the boy finally realized his attack had done nothing.
"Muk! Uhh…dodge, Magmar! Flamethrower again!" The attempt at dodging was as awkward as his Trainer's commands, and the lumbering magma clown was hammered with focused sludge that sent him sliding back across the grass. A dark look came over the Magmar that had nothing to do with his emotions. "What!? Poison? Uhhh…" His Trainer was unfocused as he set his backpack down, and started rummaging through it. The Magmar fired off another Flamethrower, somehow even more haphazard and unfocused than the first. Rosator blocked it with another Dazzling Gleam, as the boy retrieved a berry, and shouted, "Here, Magmar! Quick, eat this!"
He tossed it to the fire type, who being in battle mode, almost instantly burnt it to ash. He chewed on it anyway, seemingly preferring it charred. By the time the Magmar turned back around from eating the berry, and his Trainer focused on his opponent again, Rosator was ready. Proditor's estimation of his 'rival' had dropped severely. "Finish it. Solar Beam."
"Ha! Grass Moves are weak against us!" The boy said confidently, as his Magmar tanked the beam. And yet, both of them started to sweat, as the focused beam of solar power continued driving the Magmar back, and left him damaged, panting, and smoking. He stomped back to his position then, and roared, but Proditor knew it was nothing but bravado. Rosator figured it out as well.
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Since 'light breeze' wasn't a move, Proditor said, "Poison Sting." At which point Rosator fired off a single purple needle at the fire type. He didn't have time to dodge, nor could he have done so, and the needle sank into his fiery body as it deposited its poison.
The boy laughed confidently. "That won't be enough! Another Flamethrower should end-" He paused, as his Magmar fell over, fainted and unconscious. "Wh-WHAT!? Magmar!" He ran over to his unconscious partner, and fed him a Revive, which helped him sit up, with a groan. The boy glared at Proditor then. "Cheater! How'd you do it? Magmar is too strong to go down that easily!"
Proditor snorted, and Rosator mimicked him, raising his head haughtily, in superiority. "Your Magmar is poorly trained. Not one of your Flamethrowers even touched Rosator with how unfocused and weak they were. Sludge Bomb is a powerful Move, and you took too long getting out your berry to heal the poison. You also decided to tank a Solar Beam instead of burning off its power with a Fire Move, at which point all we needed to win was a weak little Poison Sting. Not even multiple, either, literally just one. Well done, Rosator. I apologize for underestimating you." His Roselia bowed gracefully, and returned to his ball. Proditor just sighed. He didn't blame the child, he was clearly new at training as a concept. His Magmar had potential, but his Trainer had no idea how to bring out that potential. Probably because he was, at most, a mere decade old. Proditor wasn't quite arrogant enough to mock the boy, for he'd been just as incompetent. Most ten year old Trainers were, though thankfully most of their mistakes with their Pokémon could be made up for or fixed with Trainer items.
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Proditor quietly tensed as the boy recalled his Magmar, and walked over to him. Then, he held out a hand with a fistful of Pokédollars. "Here. For winning. And for the last time you won, too. I'm Nico, by the way…"
Proditor briefly contemplated refusing the prize money, but then took it anyway. Refusing it was always more effort than it was worth. Handing Trainers money when one lost was, apparently, just the thing modern Trainers did. "Cassius." He answered, before forcing a smile. "But since we're Rivals…you can call me Cass."
The boy looked down for a moment but he had more to say. His little girlfriend walked up beside him. "I'm not…good at this, Cass. And you clearly are. I…I was hoping we could travel together. You, Sera, and I. We want to be better Trainers, for our Pokémon, but…books are so boring…"
Proditor chuckled. "You need to be able to read them, if you want to improve. The more reading you do, the easier it gets. The key is being comfortable while you read. Having an interesting subject also helps." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "How many Badges do you two have? Did you beat Leader Dara yet?"
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The two nodded. "Sera won easily." Nico said, "But I…was lucky. Leader Dara's Pokémon goofed around too much and we managed to make it faint. She almost didn't give me a Badge, at least until she saw my last name."
"Which is…?" Proditor said, invitingly.
The child paused, and grimaced. "Uhhh…Greco. I'm Nico Greco." He winced, as if expecting a harsh reaction, or a beating, but Proditor just tilted his head. Aside from the Rossi familia, better known as Team Rocket, there were the Gambino and Mancadreigo families running things as well. Proditor had assumed Nico belonged to one of the families, but he must have been in a family loyal to one. Getting information on them was extremely irritating, as nobody willingly disclosed such things to children.
"I'm glad to meet you properly, Nico. You have potential to be a great Trainer, you just…need a little help to get there. We all do though, when we just start out." Proditor said, hoping he sounded encouraging.
The irritating girl spoke up then, suspicion obvious on her face. "You're barely over our age, though. You should be at our level…but you're clearly not. Weirdo. I'll be watching you…" She stuck her tongue out at him, and Proditor resisted the urge to strangle the child with Shadow for her insolence. She was just being a spoiled, rich, brat, and that wasn't entirely her fault.
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The days flew by quickly after that, mostly, Proditor had to admit, because they were actually fun. He couldn't openly take out his high leveled partners as much anymore, not without altering his appearance to that of an adult, but he found teaching the two youngsters to be a refreshing change of pace from drowning in the rage and power the Shadow brought. They ate meals seasoned with the mystical herbs, they battled Trainers on the road to Florencia, and camped under the stars, sharing their dreams. Proditor found himself enjoying it, but in his heart, he knew how it would end. How it always ended. In blood, and tears.
It started when Proditor wiped the floor with the fighting Gym Leader, a martial arts master called Lucia, with Nico and Sera watching from the stands. Sparda was masterful, and after gaining three levels, Proditor switched in Vesper, and his Gliscor made short work of the rest of her team. After that, the two children were more quiet around him, whispering, thinking he couldn't hear them. But he could. They knew he was not what he seemed, for though they were kids, they were kids who'd been given an education and warned that the world, and its people, were not always what they appeared to be. The resentment, mostly from Sera, only grew, when Lucia wiped the floor with them. Twice. They stuck around Florencia for a while, but apparently Proditor was being 'salty' about not being able to move on.
Finally, one night, it came to a head. "You should just go, Cass." Nico started. "It's clear you're so much better than us. Just move on and leave us in the dust."
He was quiet for a long time, and his Pokémon, Rosator, Aquilus, Vesper, Voltus, his Elektross, and Sparda all watched him, quietly nomming dinner as he chose his words carefully. "I may be many things, even a bit salty about Lucia clearly going harder on you two than she went on me," The two children flinched, grasping that yes, he had heard them, "but we agreed to travel together, and I agreed to help you become stronger."
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"Well it's not working bruh." Sera said in her irritating voice, "Just take your W and bounce already."
"We're just…slowing you down, Cass." Nico added. "Maybe this is our skill issue…as far as we can go…maybe we should go home."
Proditor's tone turned malicious, as he saw the young girl grin. He'd heard her phone conversations too. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Sera. The Moncadreigo would reward you quite handsomely for finally convincing their young scion to return." He turned his head, purple eyes catching the firelight, and the kiddo's shocked expressions. "That's right, I know who his family is. It took a while for someone to share that the Mancadreigo were once the Greco family, but now I know. What did they offer you? Thirty thousand, right?"
Nico was on his feet in a flash, fists balled up. "She wouldn't do that! She's my girl, bro! My ride-or-die! Where's the receipts?"
Proditor manipulated his shadows and with a psychic pull, acquired the girl's phone. "Receipts? Ahh, evidence. Let's check her call history, shall we? You tell me if you recognize this voice, Nico." He showed them the call log, and Sera's eyes were wide in disbelief, her words lost as she tried to understand how her precious phone had ended up in the hands of their resident creeper so easily. Proditor pushed the last number that wasn't labeled as a contact, and hit the speaker button. By the time Sera realized she could've ordered the Rotom inside to stop the call, the dialed number picked up.
"Hello, miss Sera. It's not time for our weekly report yet, has something happened?" A pause. "Miss Sera?"
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Proditor watched, as the young boy's world cracked before him. His knuckles turned white, and started shaking. "Just hang up, Sergio! I'M NOT GOING MUKKING HOME! EVER!"
"I see." The voice said, "We'll retrieve you by force then, young Master, now our confidant has been found out. Leader Lucia wasn't going to let you past her anyway."
Proditor ended the call, and smirked, tossing the phone back to its owner. "Bribing a Gym Leader…that's…diabolical."
Nico whirled on Sera. "I trusted you! I caught feelings for you! And you just…finessed me for some money!?"
"You need to go home, Nico. You know what your Father is like…he didn't give me or my family a choice. You know what he'd do if any of us defied him." She kept her eyes hidden under her bangs as she spoke.
"Was…any of it real? Or were you just playing me to get your payout?" Nico asked, despite knowing the answer.
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Proditor finally spoke up. "She reported on everything we did, Nico. Weekly. It took me some time to notice, but eventually I figured it out." The two children looked at him then, Sera with unabashed dislike, and Nico with confusion. "I think it's time you left, Sera. I'll protect and watch over young Nico from now on. I'll make him strong. He has potential that his family would just waste on things like crime or brainwashing. I will teach him how to make his power his own."
Nico blinked dumbly. "W-what? Power?"
Sera's eyes widened. "I knew you were after him for his gift! Absolute Creeper!" She gave him a dark smirk, then. "Raichu! Volt Tackle this weirdo over the cliff." Said cliff, near their camp site, gave them a rather iconic view of Florencia below them.
"Balmut." Proditor said, rising, as the brat's electric rat charged up. With a flash, the massive Hippowdon appeared, and roared at the Raichu hard enough to make its electricity just disappear from the force of it. Such was their disparity in level. "Crunch the rat, and throw it over the cliff." A Pokémon could survive such a fall, especially a fully evolved one. Chaos erupted, as Balmut moved through the earth, tossing Nico aside, and doing as he had been ordered. Proditor angled the Raichu's fall to land in a bush, as Balmut had given it more height than was needed, or safe.
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"My Raichu!" Sera squealed, terrified.
"Is safe." Proditor said calmly. "He's fainted, but landed in a bush. He'll be fine. Go and retrieve him, and then go home Sera. You are not welcome in this camp any longer."
"That's…not your decision! I-"
"Just leave Sera…" Nico said, eyes watering up, as he glared at her. "He's right. Just leave, and go home. You're done here."
"But Nico, I…" She started, looking genuinely hurt.
Nico wasn't having it, though. "I said GET THE MUK OUT! You lied to me…the whole time. Just…" He deflated, too fond of her to hate her, at that moment. "Just get Raichu and go home…"
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Quietly sobbing, the young girl packed up her things, and ran off hurriedly to get her Pokémon. Nico whirled on Proditor then. "And you! I'm not traveling with you if you don't start being honest! Who the Muk are you!?"
Glancing around, Proditor sensed they were being watched. Leader Lucia had a Lucario, and he had no doubt the criminals she was beholden to would like that information as well. "Not here. We're being watched." He psychically recalled his team, and sensed their watchers moving. Not having time to warn the child, Proditor swallowed them both in Shadow, and they were gone. The Lucario followed them, but it wasn't fast enough to keep up, and once they got distance, Proditor Teleported them away, to a place not far from the Snowver grove he'd visited before.
Nico staggered, and hurled up his dinner, as they reappeared. "What the actual Muk…" He groaned.
"My apologies." Proditor started, and the child stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. "For that…rushed exit, and for deceiving you, Nico Mancadreigo. I had to be sure of who you were, and the power sleeping inside of you, before I revealed what Sera was, and who I am."
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Shadows enveloped his tiny body, and it grew taller, more muscular, and objectively hotter, as he resumed his preferred size and shape. He was in his robes again, with the mantle of a Shadow Wielder in the form of long metal spaulders stretching horizontally from his shoulders. "I am Cassius Proditor. The Successor to the Holder of Arceus. Eons ago, I walked this world, and chose my own destiny. For doing so, the minions of the Light decided to kill me. Recently, I was brought back to this world…and now, I seek those with potential like mine, so that we might reshape this modern world how we please."
Nico's eyes went wide. "Y-you…you're Mukking with me…that's…that's just a fairy's tale…"
"I assure you…I'm quite real. There was once a man who managed to Tame the Alpha Pokémon, and I was to succeed him. That…didn't work out, obviously."
"You…that means you began the Dark Times!" Nico said, still in disbelief. "That…means you're Evil! A Shadow user! Literally the Biggest Baddest Evil Guy in…forever!"
Proditor chuckled. "Wielding the Shadow is no different from wielding the Light, young Nico. One must embrace both, to understand the truth of this Universe. To gain real power. I now offer that chance to you. Within you is the potential to become a powerful psychic. It's why your family wants you close to them. It's why they were so against you going on a Journey, despite getting a Pokémon. Join me, and I will show you the true meaning of Power. I will make you strong enough to usurp your father, and choose your own path."
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Nico shook his head. "You're…just lying again! Like everyone else! You just want to use me…"
"I have never lied to you." Proditor stated, "I may have omitted some truths, altered my appearance, but I have always been me, and all I have ever told you, is the truth. You deserve that much, at least, surrounded as you are by a world of crime and lies. This is your chance, Nico. I can teach you everything I know. Join me."
"Why…why would you just share that? There's always a catch…people don't just hand out their secrets." He answered cautiously, but Proditor knew he had him.
"You…remind me of myself, when I was your age. Young, a gifted Trainer with a bright future, and psychic potential unrivaled. Honestly…all I want, is to see what you do with the gifts I give you. All I ask in return…is loyalty. Become my Apprentice, learn my ways, and never betray me. Do these three things, and I will make you into one of the most powerful Trainers in the world. As feared, and respected as your Father. Perhaps, even more so."
The boy thought it over for a minute, and then nodded. "You're right…you're the only one who hasn't lied to my face…alright. I accept." He looked up at the man with big, hurt eyes. "Train me to be like you." Proditor grinned at the child, and then they disappeared in a flash of purple light.
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The Ferrum Region - Islands South of Japan
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Alex Redwood was sitting cross-legged atop his Metagross, as Atlas brought them to the Ferrum Region at impressive speeds . It had barely been a week before Steven Stone asked him to join him in the Ferrum Region, in an attempt to unlock the power of these Ultimate Sync Stones. He and the boys had cleaned up their camp in Selva Muerta, and were planning on using Tao's realm to perfect their special moves next. Everyone was finally maxed out with ideal stat spreads, and currently, most of the team was at the Palace of Ideals, mastering moves they were having trouble with, from the Scales who resided there.
Alex heard Atlas rumble as he sensed his kin, and Steven waved them down as they approached. He was standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a crowded beach. Below, there were beachgoers, food stands, and of course, Pokémon everywhere. He'd watched Ferrum battles before, and while their tech certainly made them interesting to watch, they did, with excessive watching, become a bit…repetitive. Atlas greeted Steven's Metagross with a burst of binary, which was returned in kind, in what Alex was fairly sure was the exact same greeting they'd given each other last time. If a bit faster.
"Dragon Emperor." Steven said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for indulging me so quickly."
Alex smirked. "I'm as eager to see these stones in action as you are. I trust you and Metagross have practiced with it since last time?"
Steven nodded. "It's not at all different from using a Plate, but it does require more build up, and tends to be paired with a powerful Move. I also found one for you." He tossed Alex a similar stone then, but immediately, Alex could tell it was different. As if the core energy it resonated with was different from Steven's.
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Though the potency of dragon energy had awakened Steven's Sync Stone, that one had felt more like steel typing. What Alex held now was, undoubtedly, dragon typed. Alex smirked, as his eyes hinted at what needed to happen. "I think…much as I would enjoy testing our Metagross against each other…we should use our Legendary Pokémon instead. Give the people of Ferrum a show worthy of these stones."
Steven gave him a sly smirk. "Interesting. How did you know I'd Tamed one?"
Alex's smirk widened in response to the fire in the CEO's eyes. "I was the one who freed him of Shadow." With a flash of silver, Cobalion appeared beside Steven, and inclined his horned head in Alex's direction. Alex returned the nod of respect. "It's good to see you again, Cobalion. I hope you'll indulge me for a Battle."
"I would be honored, Dragon Emperor." The Sword of Justice answered. "But we should use the arena below. It will…contain my power, and keep your pick from damaging the landscape."
Steven nodded in agreement. "A wise decision, Cobalion."
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In short order, the people of Ferrum were rushing to Thalia Beach, for a battle between the CEO of Devon, and the Dragon Emperor, using a newly discovered kind of Sync Stone. That kind of thing drew a crowd, but the vibes were good, and even here in a more remote region of the world, people and Pokémon were existing in harmony, and shared a love of battle. Lux took over officiating, since this would be a battle of Legends.
"This Battle will follow standard World Tournament rules, and will not be a typical Ferrum Battle!" Lux announced, to some disappointment from the crowd. "However, both participants will be using a new kind of Sync Stone! Therefore, if I give the warning for everyone to back up and take cover, do so immediately, and in an orderly fashion!" The gathered onlookers shared looks, and then backed up anyways. Ferrum's shields had yet to fail, but these two were renowned Champions, and the rumors had spread already that they'd be using Legendary Pokémon. Almost everyone in the crowd had their phone raised to record this epic clash.
Lux shot a spray of black and white sparks from Alex's Pokédex and shouted, "Begin!"
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"Alright Aevum!" Alex said, raising the palm he'd marked. The mark started glowing, an effect they'd discovered it had whenever they battled together. "Dragon Dance!" Aevum shot forward first, his streamlined form slicing through the air as sparking blurple energy crackled around him. Then, he started to spin.
Cobalion stood his ground, his steel hooves digging into the sand as he watched Aevum approach. "X-Scissor!" Steven ordered with his trademark flair. The instant the spinning Latios got into range, Cobalion's eyes gleamed. With a sudden burst of speed, the Sword of Justice sidestepped the incoming dragon and retaliated with his lime green energy slash. Aevum smirked at the Legendary Sacred Sword user as he spiraled past, and up into the sky, for his counter.
Alex's eyes narrowed. "Aura Sphere!"
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Aevum banked hard and formed a swirling, and then condensed ball of fighting energy with ease. He fired it at the Cobalion, and then spun into another Dragon Dance, as Alex called it. Cobalion didn't falter, lowering his horns and charging straight through the attack, his horns glowing with the light of Aerial Ace. The perfect flying typed slash cut through the sphere of aura, only for the two halves to then, at the direction of Aevum, swerve suddenly and slam into Cobalion anyway. The collision sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Sand exploded into the air as Cobalion skidded to a halt, sparks dancing across his metallic frame.
Steven smirked. "Clever. But that won't be enough. Cobalion, Quick Attack, and then use Iron Head!"
Cobalion's body shone white with light, as he started speeding toward Aevum. Then, he leapt, and in a flash was right in front of Aevum, but Alex had been waiting for them to get close. "Luster Purge!" A psychic sphere of powerful energy expanded, shining impossibly bright, as the crowd cheered. Cobalion was sent hurtling back towards the ground, but the Sword of Justice got his footing right, and landed, skidding to a stop. He gave Aevum a slow nod of respect.
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Then, as the two Legends prepared to continue, their attack buildup faltered, as something happened that no one expected. Both Steven and Alex's Ultimate Sync Stones began shining with steel gray and draconic blurple light respectively. That, wasn't what had everyone speechless though. Above the arena, looking majestic, and oddly pleased, was the unmistakable white form of the Alpha Pokémon. His Light pulsed through the area, enhancing the good vibes, and causing his Pokémon to cheer after the brief silence. Even the lounging wild ones reveled in the Alpha's power.
Steven Stone. The red eye shifted to Alex, then. Alexander Redwood. The Alpha Pokémon reared up in the sky, shining with power, as the respective stones glowed even brighter. Show me thy bonds!
Alex's smirk widened, and he locked eyes with Aevum, who mirrored his Trainer. He was a carefree sort, and tended to go a bit overboard with his antics and his attacks, but he was also a wise mentor, his youthful energy belied the aeons of experience he'd lived through. Of all the ancient Pokémon that Alex had come to know, Aevum by far had the best attitude. Friendly and calm, at least until he ended up in a battle. Then, he raged like a wildfire. The two draconic psychics nodded in unison, and Alex raised his Sync Stone.
Steven, for his part, had been having the same moment with Cobalion. They'd been sharpening their skills over the past week, traveling around Hoenn, and rolling everyone they came across in battle, including Champion Rikuya. He too raised his Sync Stone, at which point, their lights expanded over both Trainers.
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As it faded, the crowd of onlookers gasped. Steven Stone was now a white clad golden trimmed almost demi-god like figure, shining bright as the symbol of Arceus, in the steel gray color associated with steel types, appeared behind him. In contrast, Alex had not changed much. The Yin Yang symbol was still there on his back, though it was now black and gold, and the lower part of his robe now had gold flames along the lower edge, and his sleeves. His hat had also become black and gold, and behind his back, a draconic blurple symbol of Arceus shone, humming with power.
Their power extended to their partners, as they began glowing too. Alex was confident, steadfast as the Light of the Alpha flowed into Aevum. Steven, by contrast, looked somewhere between focused and constipated, but the powerful Light reached Cobalion as well, despite the newness of their bond, they were actually almost equal to Alex and Aevum in terms of how long they'd been partners.
"Aevum! Draco Purge!"
"Cobalion! Sacred Steel!"
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Aevum soared into the sky, summoning a maelstrom of draconic power as he effortlessly shifted to his Mega Form, and enhanced the Luster Purge with dragon typed energy. Cobalion roared and lunged forward, his hooves shattering the earth beneath him as he blitzed toward Aevum, his horns forming his Sacred Sword, which now shone with steel energy instead of fighting.
The Latios rocketed forward, his entire form pulsing with energy as he unleashed his powerful move. With a deafening explosion of light from the empowered and colliding moves, the battlefield was engulfed in pure energy. The Ferrum field's barrier activated, and to the relief of all gathered, held fast against the intense energy being released. Cobalion appeared first from the dust cloud, sliding across the field, as his sword faded. He let out a final, defiant cry before finally collapsing onto his knees, his head lowered in submission to the clear winner.
Aevum psychically removed the dust obscuring him with a pulse of psychic power, and then let his form drop. Alex also let the power go, closing his eyes as he did, and when he opened them again, his clothes had returned to normal. He smirked, glad to have yet another card up his sleeve for the World Tournament. Aevum helped Cobalion to his feet, and levitated a Max Potion from Alex's bag for him, as their Trainers met in the middle of the field, and shook hands.
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Steven spoke first. "That power was…intense. I almost couldn't control it…but you didn't seem to break a sweat."
Alex smirked, letting the man's hand go. "I've been handling the Light for a while now. That was your first time, Steven. Don't worry, you did Excellently for your first attempt. By the time we see you in the World Tournament, I'm sure you'll have it mastered." His smirk widened then, his eyes on fire. "But, so will I."
Steven chuckled, a bit unnerved by the ferocity in his expression. "I have no doubt you will. Ash had better watch himself…if I was a betting man, I'd put you as one of the three most likely to win."
Alex chuckled. "I'm honored. It's just a privilege to be able to face so many legendary Trainers at once. I can't wait."
Steven nodded with finality then. "Don't let me keep you, Dragon Emperor. Train hard. If you want to surpass our World Champion, you'll need to be the Best. Until we meet again."
The two Champions left the field then, signed some autographs, interfaced with some fans, and then departed on their respective shiny Metagross. Alex was eager to hone his new power, his own 'special move' as it were, and there was no better place to do that, than Draconis Mons, with the rest of his team.