Pé na Estrada Real, Part 2
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The route to the northern districts of Rio, and the nation of Guyana, was the longest part of the Estrada Real, and after a strong sendoff with spicy breakfast burritos from Salvador City and Thiago, the pair were on their way to the northernmost port of Rio, one named for their greatest trading partner, Porto Nova, a port founded, built up, and created for Unovans, on the Dark Continent. It was a memento of a darker time from Unova's expansionist era, but one that, in the modern era, had only ever been the vital trade link between Rio and the States. Goods both regions needed and willingly traded for all flowed through Porto Nova. Naturally, this made it a hotbed for corruption, crime, and other dark dealings. Pokémon poaching, illegal trades of Pokémon who'd likely been stolen and then re-captured in a ball not tied to their original Trainer, and of course, illegal drugs. Not the fun ones, but the ones that made users hopelessly addicted by warping their brains.
Some parts of the old Earth remained alive and well across the centuries and Porto Nova had become infamous for exactly that, as it was also the record holder for highest number of gun related deaths every year, across the world. This was mostly due to the port's encouragement for everyone to own one. This too was a remnant of Unova, and the rest of the States, which had long since adopted strict control over firearms and TMs that had the power to kill people, primarily in the form of checking their Trainer Card or IDs for incidents with the law. As in the past, Porto Nova claimed heavily arming the population was an unalienable right, and the number of accidental deaths and shootings in places like schools or religious centers was completely ignored, in favor of profit for the weapon manufacturers in the port. Aside from their docks, Porto Nova also had ore processing facilities and were capable of sending the processed precious metals out from their mining efforts on the uninhabited western side of the continent quite quickly. While they sold their guns and metals to undoubtedly shady people, they did also sell, by majority, to the States and Rio as well. These facilities basically guaranteed that anyone in the port who wanted a firearm could easily acquire one.
Both Alex and Isamu wanted to get their badge and get out of this particular city, but agreed to investigate if the universe drew them into a situation they couldn't ignore. Alex also had little fear of bullets, for while they were fast, psychic powers were faster. Almost unfairly so.
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The port was laid out pretty simply, with the main road into the city leading straight to the Pokémon Center, and the gym building directly beside it. A PokéMart was behind the buildings, and the three were surrounded by proper roads, capable of supporting eighteen wheeler sized traffic. A quick glance at the other buildings near the League related ones made Alex's eyes narrow, as they were almost too nondescript. They didn't even have doors, and a quick psychic scan showed no living minds inside.
Alex guided them to the Pokémon Center first, and once their teams, those who had battled on the long road north, were being seen, Alex and Isamu got some Dragon Burgers, and to all outward appearances, simply relaxed. "You notice anything off here, Isamu?" Alex asked quietly as a Barrier subtly warped the air around them.
Isamu nodded. "The people…are all watching us. They're not three Badge Trainers either. Since we entered the city, we've been tailed by a pair with ten Pokémon each." Alex nodded for him to continue, as those two had been so obvious about their tail, he hadn't bothered treating them as a threat. They were probably acting as a message, or they were just incompetent. "There's no people in or around the PokéMart, or on the streets. Not even wild Pokémon are around."
Alex nodded again. "Well done observing the physical evidence, but you should use your psychic prowess as well. The buildings. They have no entrances, and nobody is inside them. I'm going to try to sense where everyone is. Pretend to keep talking to me."
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Isamu, naturally, kept talking anyway, but Alex had become quite good at multitasking lately, so it wasn't too distracting. "Are you sure you want to? I'm fine with not poking the Beedrill hive…"
Alex breathed slowly, munching his burger as his mind expanded through the city. "Normally I would be too…but there's a Lot of effort that went into making this front believable…and it seems extra steps have been taken on top of that now that we're here. I want to know what the scurrying Rattata are so afraid of the big bad Dragon Emperor finding out about. I guarantee it's nothing good."
Isamu sighed. "Alright…but let's at least get our Badges first…" He trailed off and glanced at their Nurse Joy, who seemed to be 'subtly' keeping an eye on them. "Do you think she's also on their payroll…?"
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Alex directed his psychic probe to glance at her thoughts, and though she was nervous, she wasn't doing anything to their teams. In fact, their presence was inspiring a nervous kind of hope in her. "Time for some practice, Isamu. Use your Barrier and your charm to get Nurse Joy to confide in you. Casually. Once you finish your burger."
Isamu tested his Barrier beside him, making sure the emerald green of his aura stayed invisible, and then did as instructed. Suppressing his nerves and faking confidence as Alex apparently did to deal with his own natural awkwardness, Isamu approached the counter. Behind the counter, Nurse Joy stood with a polite but weary smile. She was the spitting image of every other Nurse Joy he'd encountered in his journey, but the faint shadows under her eyes and the slightly forced edge to her kindness betrayed the stress of working in a city like Porto Nova. An Audino stood at her side, looking as fake-happy as her Trainer, going by her eyes.
Isamu hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice to match the hushed undertone of the room and activated his Barrier. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but… could I ask you something? It's, um, not exactly about my Pokémon."
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Joy's smile faltered just a touch, and her gaze darted toward the pair of Trainers lounging in the corner of the Center pretending not to watch them. After a brief pause, she nodded and gestured for him to follow her to a quieter area behind the counter and near the PC storage terminals.
Once they were out of earshot, she turned to him, her expression more serious now. "You're not the first Trainer to come through here with questions like that. But you are the first to bring a Champion with you. What do you need to know? I'll help however I can."
Isamu glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched. "It's about this city. Porto Nova feels… different. There's…not much going on here, at least on the surface, and I have a feeling it's because the powers that be are doing something unspeakable out of sight. And then there's the Gym Leader, Enzo Gambino. I've heard rumors about him, but I don't know how much of it is true. You work here, so I thought maybe you'd know more."
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Nurse Joy sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. "You're not wrong to feel uneasy. Porto Nova isn't like most places you've visited in Rio. It's a vital port city, a major hub for trade between the Dragon Empire and Rio, but with that comes… a darker side. Enzo Gambino isn't just the Gym Leader here—he's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes."
Isamu's eyes widened as she spoke. "So, the rumors are true?"
"More than you might think," she said, lowering her voice even further. "Gambino runs this city like a crime Boss from Italia. The Gym is just a front for his real operation. He's involved in illegal Pokémon trafficking, capturing rare and endangered species to sell on the black market. And then there are the illegal drugs as well, he uses the port to smuggle them in and out of the city, hidden among legitimate cargo. No one dares to challenge him, not even the authorities. Most of them are either too scared or already on his payroll."
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Isamu raised an eyebrow at her. "What about the League? Don't they know about this?"
Nurse Joy's lips pressed into a thin line. "They know. But Gambino is smart. He keeps just enough of his activities hidden to avoid direct League action. Plus, he has powerful connections. Even if they tried to shut him down, he'd find a way to slip through the cracks."
"What about the Gym Battles?" Isamu asked. "Does he even take those seriously, or is it just a cover?"
"He takes them seriously enough," Joy admitted. "It's part of his image. If he didn't maintain the Gym, the League would have more reason to question what he's really doing. But don't think for a second that he plays fair. His Pokémon are trained to be ruthless, and there's a good chance some of them were obtained illegally. If you plan on challenging him, be careful."
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Izuku nodded, his mind racing. "Is there anything else I should know? Anything that could help me understand what's really going on here?"
Nurse Joy hesitated, glancing toward the doors as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment. "There's a warehouse district near the docks. A lot of Gambino's operations run through there, especially at night. But be careful, Mr. Midorinoki. Porto Nova isn't the kind of place where you can poke around without consequences. People who ask too many questions tend to disappear."
Audino let out a soft, worried chirp, and Joy gave the Pokémon a reassuring pat before turning back to Isamu. "I don't know what you're planning, but if you're going to stay in Porto Nova, keep your head down and your Pokémon ready. This city doesn't forgive mistakes."
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Isamu swallowed hard, tucking his Pokémon back onto his belt as the nurse retrieved them, and Alex's. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll be careful. And… I'll do whatever I can to help. We both will. Tell the locals to keep their heads down for the next few hours. Negotiations might turn…aggressive."
The nurse's eyes widened, but she nodded in understanding, taking her place again, as Isamu returned to Alex, and handed him his balls. The Barriers merged, and their presence became about as obvious as the two Trainers now just openly staring at them from across the mostly empty Pokémon Center.
"You were right. The Gym Leader is running everything. Did you find out where everyone is?"
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Alex nodded. "Most of the civilians seem to be in their houses, and there's a few underground and at the docks, but… something is off with the houses. The people are too scared…and there's a lot of latent hostility in some of their minds."
Isamu's eyes widened. "Do you think he's holding the people hostage? Probably at gunpoint, knowing Porto Nova. He wouldn't be dumb enough to threaten all of them in front of us, right?"
As if on cue, the doors of the Pokémon Center burst open, and the few straggler Trainers that hadn't left the lobby, now scurried away with Nurse Joy as Leader Gambino strode up to their table. Alex lowered the Barrier, and smirked at the man. He was dressed like a mobster, in a fine suit with an Italia brand logo that was black with golden pinstripes, and had a golden vest and black silk shirt under that. Gold watch on his wrist, evil in his eyes, he wasn't even pretending to be legitimate as a 'businessman'. Alex sensed the man felt disgustingly confident that his measures would stop the Dragon Emperor from getting involved, but of course, said measures were the reason Alex had noticed anything off in the first place. Gambino would've been better off not changing things with his arrival.
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"Alexander Redwood, and Isamu Midorinoki. I'd heard you were comin' up to my humble city. How are ya findin' my port?" Leader Gambino asked in his authentic New Tork accent, clearly not expecting anything more than small talk. He seemed to think the state of his city was well in hand. He had a pair of black suit wearing goons behind him that further reinforced the mob boss stereotype he was living.
"Empty." Alex replied calmly, but the word still made Enzo flinch. "I'll be honest, I expected the largest port between my Empire and Rio to be a lot…busier. Where is everyone, Leader Gambino?"
A smile made of pure sleaze appeared on the not entirely unappealing features of Enzo Gambino as his hands casually sank into his pockets, undoubtedly to grip a miniaturized Pokéball. "You're da one that's psychic, o' Mighty Dragon Empra'. You tell me."
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Alex stood up slowly, and his height made the comparatively small man frown, his large eyebrows crashing together as Alex glared down at him. The Unovan's stare was intense, and his eyes had a very faint, almost imperceptible glow to them as he said, "For your sake, they had better be unharmed. My Padawan and I are here to challenge you, and leave, Gym Leader Gambino." Behind him, Isamu stood up as well, shouldering his bag.
The obvious mobster grinned at them. "An' so long as that's what ya do, nobody here will have a problem. C'mon. Lemme show you the Gym." Being literally right next door, it was a short walk to what was obviously just a spare warehouse that someone had shoved a Pokémon battlefield inside. So far, on this circuit, Thiago had clearly put in the most effort to his battlefield, but then, early gyms were typically less complicated for a reason. There was a difference between simple, and a lack of effort, though. Sylvia's setup had been essentially a greenhouse, with a great view of the jungle, and Marina's relied on the masterful architecture of whoever had built Iaria.
The warehouse did, however, actually have one other feature to it, namely in the back, with what little space had been left, it seemed Enzo had set up…a small gambling corner, or that's what it looked like, as Alex peered into the gloom. Seeing where he was looking, Enzo gave him a nonchalant shrug. "We sometimes sell off the Electric Types we catch around here, to Trainers who want to get in on the action. We don' have any today, though. Sorry boys." By the time words stopped oozing out of his mouth hole, the Gym Leader was in his own box. Alex went first, and Isamu knew his role. He would be the psychic anchor that Alex would bamf a clone to, while Enzo was battling, and distracted. This was, of course, only if Isamu deemed that he needed Alex's help.
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As Enzo called out a rather fierce looking Luxray, Alex brought out Simon, and Isamu navigated his way from the stands, to the bathroom. He did actually use it, and found one of Enzo's guards staring him down as he returned to the battlefield. By that point, Simon was having mild trouble with Fire Fang, and Luxray's other various moves, but against a Champion who also owned one, he was intimately aware of their line's strengths, and weaknesses, and made full use of them.
Isamu wandered past his bleacher seats, and on the set of identical seats across from him, the Gym Leader's lackeys watched him as he took in the gambling area. There were no Pokémon to be won, but the machines still worked just fine, and after spending more money than he wanted, Isamu finally felt the bodyguards focus more on the battle, as Simon shifted from a Drill Run into a point blank Horn Drill, and scored a OHKO on the Luxray and his burning fangs. With everyone sufficiently distracted, Isamu left Dynamight at the machine, wearing his green hoodie, as Isamu went to look around more thoroughly with Kanchi.
Being a Japan native, and a shameless fan of Red, Isamu looked first for a switch behind one of the obnoxiously capitalistic posters that had been plastered over the warehouse's back wall, but alas, Enzo Gambino was not that obvious about his secret bases. Kanchi, thankfully, had more luck from experience, and aura tracking. The switch was, quite logically, actually behind the coin counter, where exchanges and prizes were presumably given out, so that only employees could press it. It took them precious time, but Kanchi managed to find the button eventually. Thankfully, Alex and Simon were now stalling against Enzo's Toxtricity, despite their quadruple advantage boosted by a same type attack bonus. It wasn't unheard of for challengers to use the middle of three Pokémon to boost their stats for what was typically a Gym Leader's ace, but it was not how Alex usually battled.
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The stalling paid off though, as the aforementioned button and the staircase it revealed, also behind the counters, led them down into a dark room devoid of humans, but not of Pokémon. Zyx began glowing like a Pip-Boy in a test Vault as Isamu slowly walked through the horrific basement. Cages were stacked upon cages, and all of them had Pokémon within, poorly fed Pokémon, who glared with mistrust or even hatred at the latest human in their midst. Not only were they malnourished, but nobody had been in to take care of their excrement for quite a long time, and the stench was overpowering. Seeing the squalor they were in, Isamu wanted to try Teleporting them, but knew better than to attempt it on his own, for Pokémon this unstable. He could hurt them, or worse, set them loose by only teleporting parts of their cages.
In short order, Alex had bamfed the entirety of the room, with his Kadabra's help, to their camping spot just south of the port. Psi kept an eye on them, slowly coaxing them to freedom one by one, while Alex shifted focus to the battle specifically. In the space of seconds, Alex told Simon what they'd discovered, and the metal mole's demeanor changed then, the confident smile gone, his eyes narrowed. The Toxtricity had tried some custom electric move that was like a combination of Discharge and Echoing Voice, in that it kept growing stronger, and doing absolutely nothing to the ground type.
With a single, ferocious Earthquake, Simon brought the electric poisonous lizard down, and Enzo's eyes widened. He brought out his next pick, which appeared as an Elektross, but Alex's eyes quickly saw what the Gym Leader had actually brought out, and what his ace seemed to be. "Brick Break." He ordered calmly.
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Simon glanced back at his Trainer, but launched into the Brick Break anyway. Enzo countered with a weak Flamethrower, but Simon was too quick. He spun himself past the flames, and then brought his fighting energy limned claws across the Eelektross with a brutal chop. The illusion on it broke, revealing a Zoroark, but as it tried to counter with more flames, Simon brought the other claw around, on its face, and sent it flying.
The referee called the faint, and then handed Alex the Gym Badge, which he quietly pocketed. Enzo just sighed, and recalled his ace. "As expected of a Champion's Pokémon. I lasted longer than I thought I would, though." A healing machine rose from the ground by his box, and he healed his team.
Alex and Isamu high fived as they traded places. "I'm going to head back to our campsite. I'll meet you there, Isamu." The teen nodded, but seemed focused on the upcoming battle. One of Enzo's goons, upon hearing that, got up to follow Alex.
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"I can feel you guys shaking." Isamu said quietly, as he brought out the red Core's ball in his hand. "We have enough Cells for this, if you want to exact some vengeance." The ball opened in response, and the red Core glared at Enzo.
"Wait, that's a…" The Gym Leader said, but anything else was cut off as the Core summoned Zygarde Cells from Isamu's bag, and assumed his ten percent form in a brilliant convergence of green light.
"We want in too, Brother!" The other Cores said psychically through their team's mental link. Much like Alex, Isamu had created one of his own. Enzo's bead of nervous sweat grew as more multicolored lights converged on Zygarde, bringing it to its fifty percent form. The draconic black and green snake roared loud enough to shake the warehouse. What followed was a spectacle of pain. A beatdown of Legendary proportions, and as it continued to shake the surrounding city, Alex glanced at his unwanted follower, as they both looked back at the gym following the powerful roar.
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"You should probably check that out." Alex suggested.
"No. I need to make sure you get out of our city. Safely." The unshaven, burly man grinned at him, revealing three golden teeth.
Alex sighed, and flexed the hand that Aevum had marked with his hatching. "You don't want to follow me. You want to go back to the Gym, and check out that Battle with a Legendary."
The man's eyes went unfocused, as he said, "I'm gonna check out that Battle…there's a Legendary Pokémon in it after all…" and then headed back toward the gym. Alex didn't particularly like the 'mind trick', as Pokémon Wars fans would call it, but he made an exception for slavers. Once alone in the center-front part of the city, he took another psychic look at things, and this time, used the eyes of every willing Pokémon in the residential houses to see what was actually going on within.
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Thankfully, they recognized his mind as a friendly one, and a rather concerned Reuniclus showed him three houses at once with its powers. All three had a goon with a gun inside with the families that, presumably, lived in said houses. Most seemed casual, which made some sense as the goons were probably members of their community, but too many of the well-dressed thugs seemed to be itching to pull their trigger, and judging by their surface thoughts, had done so before. That was enough, for Alex.
A psychic pulse went through the entire port, or at least the homes that had thugs within them, about fifty in total. Some of the firearms, naturally, went off. Those that did, had the bullet psychically stop and lose all momentum, becoming harmless, while others were simply stopped within the gun's barrel, which made the firearms backfire hard in the hands of the thugs that had unwisely pulled their triggers upon seeing the barrel of their weapon glow, and psychically bend upwards, or in a direction where they wouldn't hit anyone or ricochet.
In the quiet that followed, several doors to the residential housing banged open with a cacophony of similar sounds from around the city, and Alex bamfed Lux over to his palm. "Speed Style." He murmured, and the Sword Rotom grinned, as he changed forms. Alex sheathed him then, and prepared to draw. Naturally, the goons eventually noticed him standing quite obviously in the main thoroughfare, and within about two minutes after their firearms were destroyed, they had the Dragon Emperor surrounded, and looked disgustingly confident with their big, dumb grins.
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"Hello there." Alex started, one hand resting casually on Lux's katana hilt, while the other stayed hidden beneath his dragon leather cloak. "Do you gentlemen need something? I was just about to leave your fine city."
A stereotype of a man with a practically gleaming overly gelled pompadour spoke up first. "You're naht goin' anywhere, guy. Not 'til yous explain why all're heaters are busted."
Alex blinked at the man, and his use of far, far too much hair gel. "Uhh…if your heaters aren't working, that sounds like a…building maintenance problem. I certainly have nothing to do with that." At this point, most of the goons were laughing, at Alex's monotone, lack of comprehension, and how angry their pompadoured friend was becoming.
"The guns, ya dumb Mudbray! The guns that just got psychically bent and broken! We know who did it, there ain't no other psychics aroun' that could pull it off, we'd know!" The man brandished a black metal baseball bat at him then, which had presumably been stashed under his jacket somewhere. It extended to full length with a flick of his wrist, and Alex smirked at him.
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"Oh look, Lux, it extends. Probably not super structurally sound, though. Not that it matters, against plasma." He unsheathed Lux with a flourish, and held the black and white energy katana before him in the very basic stance he'd only recently started to attempt to copy, mostly through MewTube videos.
"You'll only get one warning." He said, as the other goons drew their own melee weapons. "I will disarm all of you, and those of you with metal knuckles might lose a hand. Think carefully about which hand you want to live without, because this guy…" Lux flared with light as he mega evolved, the symbol of Infinity Energy floating above his hilt, as the Mega Sword Rotom's eyes took in the number of enemies, and prepared accordingly with a sinister grin, "cauterizes what he cuts. For you geniuses among us, that means the Doctors can't reattach it once it's gone. Last chance to make a good decision."
Naturally, as soon as Alex uttered those words, his main body, in the process of freezing to death, started to shut down. This manifested as the clone going perfectly still, and Lux's eyes glanced worriedly at him.
A few of the goons shared looks, at least until pompadour yelled, and charged with his bat. Alex admired the guts it took, but those guts faded as, with a unified slash, Alex and Lux left a molten hilt in his hand, and then fell back into their ready stance. Alex was still thawing, but he focused most of his brain power on this clone, and his own body, while the rest essentially shut down.
Several more goons tried to rush in at once, and Alex used Agility, or his best attempt at it, a trick he'd been attempting to make combat ready for a while now. In a blue blur, he shifted past them, taking out all of their weapons in seemingly a single move. The rest of the goons seemed less eager to try him, after that.
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The goons he'd disarmed also got knock out hits for their trouble, as Agility essentially allowed him to strike each of them twice, with how it altered his perception and only one had regained consciousness so far. At that moment, another massive roar echoed from the gym, followed by an earth shaking boom that Alex seemed unfazed by, but which knocked down every goon around him. With a sigh, he sheathed Lux, and Isamu walked out of the gym moments later. Enzo Gambino was right behind him, and looked pale. That look only worsened as he saw fifty of his best men, on the ground, in a circle around Alex.
"It's time to leave, Isamu." Alex said calmly, breaking the silence, and the green haired teen scurried over to his side, close enough for a Teleport. Alex fixed Enzo with a hard glare, then. "And you…the League will be in contact soon, about the contents of your basement. Well. Former contents, anyway. That, and taking your citizens hostage in their own homes."
Before Enzo could utter a weak refusal of his obvious crimes, the two men vanished in a flash of blue. Back at the camp, Psi had freed and healed the captive Pokémon, and many had opted to run away into the wild rather than have anything else to do with humans. Others, were understandably traumatized, and Psi did what he could to help their minds recover.
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Almost immediately, Alex found several Pokémon articulate enough and angry enough to participate in bringing Enzo and his people to justice. Their testimony, translated by Alex, along with the photos and video evidence they'd gathered, would be enough to end the man, he was fairly sure. Or at the very least remove him from the position of Gym Leader.
In short order, police from one of the region's smaller towns arrived at the camp to get the official statement from the Pokémon themselves, with Alex's translation. This too was recorded, and Alex was legally sworn in on a book of Rio's laws to not tamper with or otherwise interfere with what the Pokémon told the police. While Alex helped the investigation as best he could, Isamu found his heartstrings being tugged by a particularly battered Dratini who he ended up catching, in a Luxury Ball, and loosely naming after one of his friends from back home. Shodoroki made a habit of wrapping around his Trainer's neck, and Zyx also comforted the young dragon. It seemed Isamu's actions regarding the little one managed to win over most of the Cores.
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Alex enlisted his Pidgeot, Aero, for a ride in one of Rio's cabs, which were largely expected to be pulled by the power of one's own Pokémon. The Pidgeot had a harder time lugging them across the entire length of Rio's territory than he'd expected to, and when he returned to camp it was while wearing Blaze's old training weights.
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Their next challenge was with Leader Aceron, the steel, rock, and ground type specialist who, allegedly, had founded the many quarries and mineral digs that his company owned and operated exclusively for the government of Rio. Naturally, hauling anything anywhere on Rio meant either long trips at sea through potentially hostile nations, like Atlantica in the south and Texico City in the north, or crossing the Jungle of Death. Modern convoys had become quite good at fending off, and not harming, the locals of Selva Muerta, but it wasn't uncommon to lose at least one life per convoy. Naturally, Alex had an idea of how he could help, and train his Scales at the same time. This was, essentially, the entire reason he'd embarked on this trek in the first place. If he could earn Aceron's goodwill by having the Padawans travel with these convoys, he could keep an eye on anything shady Rio, or their local businesses, were up to. He also hoped to get some of those precious metals Rio liked to hoard and then sell for truly exorbitant prices, as they were very much necessary for the armor designs the Brain Trust was coming up with, and Percy had already declined to help again.
Aero only brought them within about a day's walk of Sao Paulo, the home of the steel gym on this circuit, and the usual choice for a second or third badge. Alex was going in the order Nelinha had, but with some deviations. They hadn't surfed back down the coast for example, and missed probably quite a lot of road battling. Thus Alex had Aero give them time to prepare for their fifth badge battle, which was usually where new Trainers hit a wall. Four Pokémon offered the chance for more strategy, and they were usually either middle evolutions or fully evolved. Aceron famously had teams for all skill levels, just not the time to battle all of them. Typically, he only came out for sixth or eighth badge challenges, but Alex had a feeling he'd oblige at least one of them with a proper test.
His plan was simple, since Simon was now essentially the same level as all the other new faces he'd gotten in the Terarium. Dracala and Garuda, his Noibat and his Combusken, would be doing most of the road battling, so they could catch up with the others, and be ready for the Hyper Training they'd be doing back up north, by their sixth badge. The Dark Continent also has a spot like Paldea's, where one could quickly increase their attack and special attack prowess. Isamu had a similar plan, as Dynamight was built for this gym, and the two Combusken on the verge of evolution had taken to sparring often with each other.
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The day passed quickly, at least from Alex's perspective, and as with every end of the day, he checked the World Tournament rankings. He was still in the top thirty two, but he blinked as he noticed a new entry into the top ten. Roboute Guilliman had not been idle, and Chatter was not happy about it. Seeing what he was scrolling through after Dracala, Dynamight, and Garuda had just finished a pretty intense road battle against a pair of very eager grass Trainers, Isamu said, "I didn't take you for one to doomscroll through X."
"Chatter." Alex gently corrected. "I don't care what Elmo Musk wants to call it, it's always going to be Chatter. Look, even the URL still says Chatter." Isamu found that as amusing as Alex did. "I'm just uhh…monitoring the aftermath of one of my less popular decisions. Thankfully, it seems to have only pissed off the usual Garbage people, and not everyone else."
Isamu nodded slowly. "I heard about Guilliman joining. I guess the Imperator has worse sons. He's pretty good at Battling our way, too. Think you could take him?"
Alex shrugged. "His Salamence is a monster, and the rest of his team is pretty well trained too… I don't know. The sons of the Imperator are renowned for their power, and it seems Guilliman has successfully adapted his skills for our rule set. I hope I do get to face him, but I also don't want the Imperium to know how I Battle."
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"Oh, I've been taking notes on that." Isamu said, seamlessly segueing as he pulled out a well worn green notebook, and flipped several pages in. "You Battle with overwhelming power, just straight up overwhelming your opponent most of the time, unless they can handle it, and it's those times, when things are…heheh…balanced, that you shift to a more…clever style. Not all that different from what Ash does, honestly. Like against Archon, back at the Academy! You didn't even hesitate, despite his Ability, you just kept raising his defenses and landing super effective hits anyway, and you still managed to win! Most Trainers wouldn't have even tried that, let alone gotten it to work out. You're like a power combo of Ash and Leon. Always entertaining to watch."
Alex let the pause grow as Isamu finally slowed his roll. Then, he burst out laughing. "I think you missed your calling as a commentator, Isamu. I've peeked at your notes there before. It's impressive how much detail you manage to pick up just by sight alone." The Dragon Emperor pondered then, or at least made a show of doing so by stroking his curly black beard. "So how do I improve?"
Isamu chuckled but there was nervousness in it. "Uhh- well, I mean, you're a Champion already and ranked much, much higher than I am. I don't think I'm qualified-"
He stopped, as Alex held up a hand, and then placed it companionably on his shoulder. "Isamu, you have a skill there," he nodded at the notebook, "and I want to benefit from it. Your attention to detail on things like this is one of the many reasons I had for taking you on as my Padawan right after I finished elevating my last one." Isamu nodded, as they had already talked about Ladybug, and Night Cat to some extent. "So tell me, how do I get better? How do I prepare more solidly for the likes of legends like Leon and Ash. I know I come off with 'chill vibes' or whatever you kids say these days, but I do recognize the mountains before me that I need to climb."
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Isamu went quiet for about a minute then, eyes closed, thinking intensely before suddenly they shot open, practically glowing green as he started talking fast, but not so fast that Alex couldn't understand him. "You need to use more status boosting Moves like they do and you also have to enhance your team's control of Type Energy so that they can keep up with the likes of their Charizard or other members with giant useful Move pools. Honestly you're already almost on their level at least in my opinion but for all I and anyone else knows your team already has mastered Type Energy and has an ace up their sleeve that we don't know about." Isamu finally stopped then, and inhaled, then stared with big, inquisitive green eyes directly at Alex "Do you? Cause I've- there are rumors, rumors of armor forms or power ups that your team and the teams of high ranking Scales have been seen wearing. An ace like that up your sleeve will change the entire outcome. Wildcard variables raise your chances considerably, but it also means you may lose the title in four years, once people master your method.
Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't confirm or deny the existence of armor. Some secrets are perhaps best left unknown to the public. There are Some tricks, I don't want people with currency and drive to be able to use and abuse. And for all I know, Ash and Leon have already figured it out. There's a reason they're at the top every time we have this competition."
Isamu was quiet for a long time before he said, "What if the Imperium already knows? About your Battle style, and this armor trick you won't talk about?"
Alex sighed heavily. "Then no amount of upgrades and tactics will be enough to overpower them, and the world will embrace the Imperator's design."
On that cheery note, they had dinner and began the anime binge. They were caught up with Dark Clover, as apparently new episodes were being restored from the Old Net still, and sometimes old voice lines had to be redone. They'd gotten one hundred and seventy episodes in. The process took a while. Thus, they finally properly began Full Steel Alchemist. They'd had to, according to Leo and some written notes from Percy on the 'proper order of viewing', watch about eight episodes of the protagonists as kids, before the 'canon version' Full Steel Alchemist: Brotherhood actually began. Then, they'd watched the first two of that series, which was where Alex had initially jumped in on Leo's suggestion to start joining them in watching these shows, along with many new brothers at once, and the switch to Naruto and then Dark Clover had been decided on. Now, finally, they could begin the series properly, according to Percy's record. On the third episode. From the introduction of a fully trained and certified Edward Elric, acting as a condescending atheist to a stereotypical religious cult leader who was abusing his power, to the end of the episode, where Ed brilliantly demonstrated said leader's corruption to all of his people at once, it was actually worth the effort and catching up Alex had done. And honestly, compared to trying to watch the Clone Wars series in order from Old Earth's Cartoon Network, this was nothing.
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By the time they left the next morning, they'd had to pause before a, as Leo called it, 'really sad arc' of Full Steel Alchemist. Despite that, his team seemed properly hooked in the Elric brother's adventures, and Alex was no exception.
Sao Paulo was almost indistinguishable from the rest of Rio's megalopolis, but that was mostly thanks to the fact that AceCorp, the company overseeing the quarries, was also responsible for the reconstruction of the majority of the inhabited areas of Rio. Alex also planned to use Purging the lingering Shadow corruption from the sorcerers who'd originally sacked Rio as a negotiating tool as well.
Isamu went first, mostly so that Leader Aceron had time to be informed that they were here. Dynamight, like most who chose a Torchic, had little trouble with the warm up Trainers, and after the final warm up opponent, an Aggron that he'd aggressively Double Kicked into unconsciousness, Dynamight evolved. Aceron's fifth badge stand-in was no challenge. Dynamight's Blaze Kick quickly became his favorite move, and for those partners who were Sturdy, the Blaziken's Double Kick did work.
Dynamight himself was hilarious, with his constant shouting preceding attacks. He was clearly riding the high from evolving, and every Trainer in the gym seemed to expect that. It seemed a lot of Torchic Trainers came here to evolve their Combusken, and Alex was no exception. At the end of the match, it was Leader Aceron himself who came out to hand Isamu his badge. It was at that point that Alex appeared seemingly from nowhere, and approached the gym.
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The 'gym' in this instance was an abandoned quarry, open to the air, with bleachers perched on the numerous square outcrops that surrounded the battlefield on the lowest level. He strode past the Gym Trainer guarding the entrance, who seemed a bit star struck by Alex, and let his Voice carry, as he called out Aceron. "Leader Aceron!" The man turned, and Alex got his first good look at him. He carried a well used modern pickaxe, but unlike Byron, had no cape to speak of. In fact he seemed dressed more as a business executive than a miner. He was tall, muscular, dark brown skinned, with his not unappealing face covered by a standard amount of stubble. Some parts of the miner peaked through the quality gray suit though, like a compact tool belt, his well worn and steel toed boots, and a heavy pair of gloves that he donned as he saw Alex, and seemed to smirk.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/ditkg38-ebc3e8d8-8237-4842-b99b-cbd4b209d9c1.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/gym_leader_aceron_by_pokefan1337_ditkg38-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGl0a2czOC1lYmMzZThkOC04MjM3LTQ4NDItYjk5Yi1jYmQ0YjIwOWQ5YzEuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.CYbGSrib8GjnOqyMfGrfaprMN-3yt2Y9E5q2lXPFau8]
Alex dramatically pointed at him, one dragonbone encased hand appearing from under his black leathery cloak as he did so. "I challenge you! Four Pokémon against four Pokémon, no substitutions, and World Tournament rules!"
Aceron bellowed back, once his gloves were on, as he lifted his pickaxe. "I accept!" He gestured to his Trainers. "Reset the field for the Dragon Emperor, and bring out the reserve Trainers. If he wants to reach me, he'll have to get past all of us!"
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Alex smirked and said nothing more, waiting patiently, as his opponents healed their teams, and took their places around the quarry. The battlefield below was covered unnecessarily by a metallic shield with AceCorp's logo emblazoned on it. Each warm up Trainer stood by a switch, and the familiar echoing hum of a Drone Rotom filled the air. "I hope you don't mind!" Aceron shouted from his Leader perch, "but these Battles will count towards our World Tournament records."
Alex simply nodded, though he soon realized that meant his fifth badge was going to be more like a fight for his eighth. Thankfully, the first Trainer he faced agreed to match Garuda's level, so he could also have the opportunity to evolve. Each Gym Trainer had six Pokémon, and Alex rotated between Garuda and Revan for most of them. Needless to say, like every other gym he'd ever challenged, the Trainers were friendly, overconfident, but nowhere near approaching an actual challenge.
For those who didn't acquiesce to his level matching request, he brought out his Machamp and Conkeldurr. His Excadrill, Metang, and even his Electivire also got a good workout, and Leader Aceron seemed pleased at how Alex's team breezed through his battlers. Not one of them needed more than three moves to claim a victory, and he switched frequently, which his Pokémon seemed to love. They paused by the final lever, as he'd seen Nelinha do, and he healed his team, giving them a sandwich break before they continued. He created a sandwich for fighting types, which would boost the experience they gained, and then pulled the final lever.
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The metallic triangular plates that had covered the field and folded back with each lever pull, like some kind of inverted pizza, folded away by the time he reached the Trainer box on his side of the field. Aceron took the other, and repeated the rules they'd agreed on. Once again, the Drone Rotom began recording. Aceron sent out a Steelix, while Alex opened with Champ, and the eager Machamp cracked his stone gray knuckles as he stared down the steel snake.
"You'll use your own judgment for this one, Champ." Alex said, knowing how eager he was to try battling solo. "Use Fighting Moves, and you'll be fine." Champ grinned, and launched forward. Every muscle he had was tensed and bulging as he sped towards his target, his burly arms crossed defensively in front of him.
Aceron started simply, but effectively. "Earthquake." His Steelix responded immediately, bringing his massive head and body down on the earth, shattering it in an impressive demonstration of Earthquake. Unfortunately for Steelix, his team was so used to the move that most of them had a counter to it. Champ's thicc thighs bulged, as he sprang into the air, over the damaging shockwave, coming down hard and then charging forward again, heedless of the shattered terrain. Steelix kept up the pressure, but Champ only needed two of his arms to break the stone and earth that came for him, while the third covered his clenched Focus Punch his fourth arm was charging up.
It was, quite simply, a masterful display of parkour and martial arts, culminating in a mighty punch that made everyone watching wince for Steelix. His titanic body shuddered from the shockwave of the punch, but Champ wasn't done. A brutal double Cross Chop, one from each pair of arms, followed the punch, and the Drone Rotom called the round as Steelix went unconscious. Champ halted the Karate Chop he was going to finish with, as he realized, with some disappointment, that his foe was already down. "Masterful, Champ." Alex said, giving him a thumbs up. "We're going to have to find you a bigger challenge. I'll need that power in the final rounds. Rest, now." Champ grumbled about not even warming up, but he returned to his ball all the same. Alex then bamfed him back to their camp, as he was simply too strong for the rest of Rio's circuit, but the likes of Arthur and Eternape would give him a proper workout.
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Next up was Kel, and the Conkeldurr seemed as pent up as his Machamp friend. Aceron sent out an Escavalier, who greeted Kel with a nod of his crested head, before raising his lances in his direction. For his part, Kel let go of his concrete slabs for a moment, bowed in the Unovan style, and then gripped them again, with a confident smirk. "The only thing that'll even slow that thing is fire, Kel. It resists almost every Type, and it's fast. Watch yourself." Kel gave him a thumbs up, and by the time he looked back, Escavalier was already charging across the field. It didn't run or hop, but rather floated just above the ground with the power of what Alex assumed was some form of electromagnetism. Whatever force allowed it to evolve, also allowed it to fly faster than any equine Pokémon.
The Aerial Ace his Trainer called for swirled around both lances, while Kel's Fire Punch translated to limning his concrete pillars in flames, and crouching as the speedy bug knight approached him. What happened next did so too fast for regular humans to follow, but Alex enjoyed every second. Kel let go of one slab, still empowered by fire, and let the Aerial Ace strike his muscled arm, which he'd flexed and curled up against his body. The move landed, yet it did not pierce Kel's strangely thick skin, or even seem to really affect him as much as the move should have. Escavlier only had time to widen his eyes at the impressive physical defenses the fighting clown had, before a flaming pillar of concrete smashed into it with yet another wince-inducing blow. He was sent rolling across the field, and landed in a scorched metallic heap some yards away.
To Escavalier's credit, he wasn't taken down in one hit, and he got up quickly. An X-Scissor empowered by his Swarm ability lit up, only to find Kel right there as he turned. Having abandoned the first now once more normal concrete pillar, Kel had leapt towards his target with the other still empowered with fire energy, and the explosion of flame and bug energy colliding obscured the result, though both Alex and Aceron could guess who would emerge victorious. Sure enough, a moment later, Kel blew the cloud away by masterfully spinning his concrete pillar. He twirled it with an effortless flourish, and roared as he slammed it onto the ground hard enough to rumble the earth, flexing his free arm, the one Escavalier had struck, as he claimed his victory and then took a rest. Alex sent him back to camp as well, as he and Champ had both already done their Hyper Training. Now, they just had to master their moves and learn the secrets of wielding different kinds of energy, and they'd be valuable partners in the World Tournament's finals.
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Aceron grimaced, as he recalled his partner. "Looks like I'm going too easy on you, Dragon Emperor. We'll have to step up our game. Come, Aggron!" With a smooth throw that was simple, but effective, the mighty stone and steel monster took the field with a roar. Alex smirked, as he could tell this one was probably an inherited Pokémon. It had shed its metallic plates many times, had long, vicious horns, and many gouges in its steel hide. Yet the elderly steel beast was in no way infirm in his advanced age. Indeed, like most steel types, age just made him stronger.
Alex smirked, as he brought out his Combusken. "This is honestly about how well all the other Gym Leaders I've faced have done against me, Leader Aceron. Don't be too worried, comparatively, you're quite good. And you can just call me Alex." He was technically doing better than Skyla had, anyway. He also looked confident as he saw Garuda.
"Well Alex…" He said as his Aggron smashed his fists together impatiently. "That Combusken may have some trouble against my Aggron here. Are you sure you want to go with him?"
Hearing the Leader's words, and tone, made Garuda go still. He'd demonstrated his skills on this man's Gym Trainers, and yet still he was being disrespected. The air shimmered with increasing heat and Garuda's form started to glow brilliant white, after that comment. Alex's smirk widened, while Aceron started frowning, slightly. "Absolutely." Alex answered confidently. "Garuda here is a cut above the other Blaziken you've faced!" Garuda shrieked in agreement, as his form solidified, and the air on the field became hotter as the fiery fighting chicken's flames surged with his emotions. "You know the plan, Garuda! You may have evolved, but he's still at a higher level than you. Flame Charge!"
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Aceron countered quickly. "Don't let it speed up. Water Pulse!"
Alex's smirk lessened, as it seemed Aceron fully intended to take advantage of the World Tournament's rules, and Aggron's frankly ridiculous move pool. Having done the same with Cenomons, Alex couldn't complain, but he also knew what was in store for Garuda. "Focus on Dodging! Flame Charge!" Somehow, Garuda dodged that first Water Pulse, and then the subsequent ones with ease.
Seeing that, Aceron smirked again. "Ahh, I see. Speed Boost. Just like Nelinha's. Alright then. Aggron! Stone Edge, then use Surf!" Without preamble, the Aggron smashed the field, and massive pillars of stone rose around the entire space, making it all but impossible to run straight enough long enough to speed up more. Garuda dodged the attack, but it was never meant to hit him. At four stages of increased speed, few things could come close to hitting him. Then, Aggron raised his arms, and from seemingly nowhere, a massive wave of water surged onto the field.
"Use the pillars!" Alex shouted. Stay above them, and Flame Charge once more!" Garuda once more dodged masterfully, and then ran up one of the stone pillars, his sharp foot talons and powerful legs made the climb easy, and hopping from pillar to pillar, Garuda stayed wreathed in flames, as his speed reached its peak. The next move he had to master was Agility, as that, with Speed Boost, would make him capable of reaching this speed in only two turns.
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"Aggron!" The titanic steel type looked back at his Trainer, eyes widening slightly. "Let's go all out!" Aceron lifted a gloved hand, and under the suit's sleeve, Alex saw a Mega Bracelet, a well-worn one made of steel, quite old and detailed, that reacted to its wearer's aura with a steely glow. Aggron's Aggronite floated forth from somewhere safe within its body, as they could actually store many things, like food, within certain places on their bodies, and it too began to glow. Mega Aggron roared as it finished evolving, and Aceron shouted again, "Don't give up on Surf! Drown it!"
The steel titan raised its arms, and water surged towards the burning dot that was Garuda. Yet, once again, he dodged, this time going low again around the surging water. Mega Aggron made it follow him, but Garuda kept dodging with his blinding speed, keeping just ahead of the surging wave of super effectiveness. Eventually, the move lost steam, right as Garuda landed by Alex's box, and looked at him expectantly. Alex arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You just became a Blaziken. And this is becoming a habit. I keep telling you guys, it's dangerous to Mega Evolve so quickly."
"Yes, I'm sure! It worked out for Kalagon!" Garuda shrieked, and then took his fighting stance. It was fresh, sloppy, and entirely based on guesswork, but it would have to do, at least for now. Alex sighed, but then nodded. "Alright. It's your only chance of cracking that armor, anyway. You're going to have to burn hot enough to evaporate the water. Bounce, and Blaze Kick."
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Garuda nodded, and then raised up his Flame Plate shard, which started reacting to Alex's Key Stone. With a blinding flash of light, followed by the symbol of Infinity Energy, Garuda took his Mega Form. Flames streamed freely from his wrists as his heroic figure faced his massive foe, undaunted. He was quiet for a long moment, and then muttered to his Trainer. "How far we've come, eh?"
Alex nodded, confidently smirking. "I've always believed in you, Garuda. In how strong you are. You've got this. Go!"
Smiling slightly at the heartfelt enthusiasm from a human he'd thought he would forever despise, Garuda Bounced into the air before the Mega Aggron could react. Aceron ordered him to form a shield with the water, but Alex could tell Garuda was burning too hot for it to matter. Like a meteor from on high, Garuda came down with fire encasing his entire form. He sank into the Surf shield with a large splash, but the sound of water evaporating filled the air. Then, came the metallic sound of Garuda's flaming foot hammering the impressive defense of the Mega Aggron.
He was hurt, but not down. Alex shouted, "Go all in! Close Combat!"
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This turned out to be a smart choice, as the Mega Aggron simply couldn't keep up with the six tier speed of Mega Blaziken. Garuda was a violent blur as he brutally beat the Aggron with his powerful limbs, though thanks to its ability, the damage was reduced. "Don't let up!" Alex ordered, but Aceron was ready with a counter.
"Knock it away. Earthquake!" Aceron ordered, but Garuda would not be denied. He leapt above the Mega Aggron, coming down hard with a Blaze Kick, and following it with more Close Combat. The earth buckled ineffectively beneath him as he kept hammering his opponent in mid air, but Mega Aggron's ability kept him conscious. Another Surf attack rose up around Garuda, swallowing up the Mega Blaziken completely.
"Flare Blitz!" Alex ordered, and Garuda appeared again within the surging wave, a brilliant burning orange beacon, before he shot out of the vaporized water attack and hammered Mega Aggron as hard as he could. Garuda flipped back to Alex after the attack landed, and he and the Mega Aggron stared the other down, with both panting rather hard. Then, the Aggron winced, and it's Mega Form broke, as it collapsed to the ground. The Drone Rotom called the faint, and Garuda fell to a knee, letting his own Mega Form fade as well. He acted strong, but that Surf had very nearly fainted him. If Aggron had more special attack power as a species, he would've fainted with Flare Blitz.
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"Rest now Garuda. Well done." Alex said, as Aceron did the same with his Aggron. Alex levitated Revan's ball by his head, as Aceron threw first.
"It's time to end this! With my starter! Dhengo!" Alex smirked, as Revan was well suited to face a Gholdengo. Still, it was an equally fast special attacker that, usually, hit harder than a Ceruledge could. In addition to the leg thrusters, Alex's Pokédex had confirmed that Revan's armor had adjusted his stats, adding more overall, and sacrificing special attack power for better defense, and health. That was one of several reasons Alex had sought out a master smith for the armor. Now he'd be able to see if it was worth the price Antonio had charged for it.
His ghost knight took the field in a kneeling position, his eyes burning to life within the T shaped visor, his purple and crimson flames awakened as he stood, and stared down the surfing golden ghost, who'd already elongated a coin to use as a ghostly surfboard. "It's a fast Special Attacker." Alex started. "Reflect Screen, and then use Flame Charge. Warm up your legs. You'll need them."
Revan's burning orbs turned towards Alex as he crossed his purple and crimson swords before him, manifesting the layered protection of Reflect Screen. "Bitter Blade…" He said in his deep, metallic tone, "I understand it."
Alex's smirk widened. "Excellent. You'll need that too. Here it comes!"
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The eye flames shifted towards the Gholdengo, who came in with a Shadow Ball it hammered towards Revan with its board. Revan's flames surged around him, as he dodged with Flame Charge, and then gracefully cut through the following Shadow Balls with Night Slash, the dark energy completely canceled out their explosions, and after Flame Charging again, Revan was becoming too fast to hit.
Dhengo formulated a Nasty Plot as Revan zoomed around the field, and used the stone pillars from the last round as cover from Dhengo's ranged attacks. Finally, Alex shouted, "Phantom Force!" And Revan vanished completely, as he prepared to strike his opponent.
Aceron smirked, as Revan reappeared, but Alex didn't have time to warn Revan. He struck with the Phantom Force, and then followed with Bitter Blade, as his crimson sword sank into the golden ghost, melting his coins. "Recover!" Aceron shouted, and with a dark grin, Dhengo reformed his coins, trapping the fiery blade. "Now Power Gem!" Stuck, for the moment, and unable to dodge, the shimmering crystals of rock typed energy fired at Revan, hammering the weak points in his armor.
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"Get out of there!" Alex shouted, "Fire Spin!"
Revan didn't need to be told twice. His flames surged, melting the metal again, and he spun, briefly becoming a fiery cyclone, before he stopped a few feet away. The air shimmered as the two ghosts glared at each other. "Flame Charge, and Bitter Blade!"
"Reflect, and use Sandstorm!" Aceron countered, smirking as the field became obscured by sand. Alex had no doubt Dhengo was forming another Nasty Plot, and his suspicions were confirmed, as he heard Aceron order him to Make It Rain.
"Revan! Burn through it! Heat Wave! Then finish this!" Dhengo may have Recovered, but he could still win if they hit hard enough. A weak surge of heat flashed through the field, melting the coins from Dhengo's attack, as well as some of the Sandstorm. Revan used that heat to Flame Charge once again, and Alex saw the dual striking Bitter Blades slash Dhengo in a brutal fiery crosscut. Dhengo's power became Revan's, and the field only grew hotter, as his Ceruledge was finally warmed up. The most telling sign of this being his eyes, and how the flames that were his eyes glowed intensely bright with white heat once he was warmed up enough.
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Dhengo fired more powerful Shadow Balls now, but Revan was moving so fast at this point that they might as well have been stationary. His Bitter Blades struck again, only to cut through a Substitute. Dhengo then hammered him with a Thunder Wave, and surfed away. Nowhere near done yet, Revan activated his leg thrusters, quickly catching Dhengo, much to his surprise and before he could use Hex. Again, his Bitter Blades recovered his lost strength from his opponent, and Revan backflipped away from Dhengo, letting him crash into the field as he landed gracefully, and readied another Flame Charge.
Seeing that using Recover would be pointless and just end up healing Revan, Aceron went for the win instead as Dhengo stood up again. "Use everything you have! Power Gem!"
"Brick Break." Alex said calmly. "Then finish it with Bitter Blades."
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Dhengo raised his hands, and over a hundred shining Power Gems began firing at Revan, who rocketed into the field of prismatic rock energy, smashing through some with Brick Break, but not nearly enough. He took heavy damage, but not before reaching Dhengo, whereupon his Bitter Blades sealed his victory, sinking deep and draining the sentient coin hoard until it was unconscious. He let out a ringing victorious yell, flames surging as he stood over his opponent. Alex joined Revan on the field, as Aceron descended and recalled his starter. "That is one heck of a Ceruledge you have there. I believe I know which smith you got to make his armor, too. This might just be his best work."
Alex nodded proudly at Revan. "The armor had to be worthy of the spirit within it, and Revan deserved the best I could get for him. He had a little trouble with the boosters in his legs at first, but I think he's gotten the hang of them." Revan stood a little straighter, his burning eyes a little brighter, from the praise. Alex gratefully took the Steel Badge, and then said, "If you have a moment Leader Aceron, I have a proposal you might find interesting."
"AceCorp only does business with the ruler of Rio. Last I checked, that's not you." Aceron said, "but, you Are a great friend to our nation. I know of the role you played in returning Zigma to our flagging empire. I'll at least hear you out."
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"Technically," Alex started, "we'd both be working for Rio in this instance. You see, we had a similar darkness to the Shadow infesting your old city ruins, in a place called Vega. Tainted by Shadow, full of ghosts, but I managed to Purge the corruption, although the city itself is going to remain the property of the ghosts who probably called it home, in life. My offer is this: I'll be traveling to the northern gate into Selva Muerta for our next Badge. On my way north, for the price of a few shipments of precious materials, I could cleanse the Shadow in the largest stretch of your ruins, and at least attempt to relocate the ghosts, to Vega City. This would leave things for AceCorp relatively easy to rebuild, compared to your current situation. Once I'm done, I have another proposal for you, one more long term, and again, beneficial to both me personally and Rio."
Aceron stroked his gray beard for a solid thirty seconds as he pondered. "I don't see a conflict of interest. I know the Queen desires her city intact once again. Alright, Dragon Emperor. Inform me when the job is done, and I'll give you the location of any lingering Shadows that we need to deal with." He offered a well-muscled forearm, and Alex clasped it. "Once you're done…we can see about your request."
"It's a deal. My Rotom will send you a written copy in a few minutes, for posterity, but I should have the task completed in a few days, at which point I'll let you know how my relocation efforts went. On that note, what do you do with the ghosts from the rebuilt parts of the city?"
Aceron frowned. "Unfortunately, they're usually too angry and volatile to train, so they're put into stasis. It's a problem we don't have a solution for."
"Well, in exchange for more of the aforementioned materials, I would be willing to take them. My Scales will benefit from powerful Ghost Types, and the rest can probably be released into the jungle, or Vega City, after I talk with them, of course."
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Aceron smirked at Alex. "Honestly any of them that you can rehabilitate would be a big help. We're running out of space for them, and some try to break free regularly. It's a huge drain on our power."
Alex nodded again. "Right. Well, first things first. I'll start cleansing the Shadow, I expect it will take about three days. I'll be in touch."
With that, Alex and Isamu departed, once again trekking north to the strange city of Clara Vista, the site of Rio's northern gate into the Jungle of Death.