Cenomons
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Cenomons, much like Terra, spent much of his initial time off snoozing next to the massive earth tortoise. Unlike his eldest brother however, he woke after three days. His Trainer's brother fed him, and then he was off, as he lumbered through the pasture's gate, obliterating it completely, and then made his way north. He hadn't initially known what to do with his free time, but then he remembered where Alex had first found him.
He remembered how the large framed human had turned down several other more eager Aron, before choosing him. It wasn't just because of his adamant nature though, Ceno had demonstrated a hunger both for ore and battling. He knew he'd earned his place among his team-brothers, but his own kin were another story altogether. Other Aggron weren't exactly common in Unova or any of the other States, at least until one got to the Stoney Mountains. Ceno didn't know what to expect from his home mountain, but when he found the tunnels of his long-abandoned brothers, they were empty of Aron, and had become home to the likes of Diglett and Dugtrio.
From their alpha, Ceno learned that his kin had apparently moved further north once the ore dried up. Evidently, over time the mere presence of the Diglett would regrow the mineral deposits, and at that time, the respective species would switch again. Their alpha watched the strangely crested Aggron, on all fours by necessity seemingly more than choice, head north and hoped that the balance of the two species wouldn't be thrown off.
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Though the inhabitants of the territories he passed through were infamously violent when 'rivals' appeared, Cenomons wasn't challenged by most of them, once they took one look at his size and obvious power. He thrashed those who only had enough of a brain to react on instinct to his presence, and treated those who regarded him fairly in kind. That, was mainly where he got his directions from, as days passed, and he trekked further northward into the northernmost mountains that separated the north of Unova from Novatia and Ontarec.
Eventually, Cenomons ran into other Aron, munching away as idly as he had on whatever ore they could find. They stared at him as he passed by. By this point, the steel that Ceno had ingested, which hadn't been imbued with life by the Alpha Pokémon, had become a part of his massive frame. Alex had let him nom on basically the entire underground city beneath Sacreus, which had since been declared unsafe and evacuated as other Lairon and Aron from the mountains near Sacreus sensed what Ceno had done, and copied him. The locals had filled in many of the underground base's rooms with concrete, before abandoning the undercity, if only to keep the main city above from potentially falling into a sinkhole.
The result of his long-awaited feast was a massive body, now permanently locked on all fours just because of how heavy he was at his core. Eric had determined that this was likely how Aggron of the past had looked, in more ore-rich environments that hadn't yet been plundered by humans. Time and evolutionary pressure had made them rise to two feet to contend with Tyranitar and other mountain-dwelling rivals, but there were long-forgotten benefits to staying on all fours, too. Most Aggron tended to switch between the two, but Cenomons had found he now preferred using his hands to walk or run. Like the rest of him, they had grown bulkier to adjust to the sheer mass they had to support.
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The further into the nest of his kin he went, the more Lairon he saw. He knew it would be a matter of time before he was challenged, and sure enough, as he eyed a vein of ore that looked tasty after a long hike north, another male got in his path. His armor was scarred from multiple battles, but Ceno could tell he'd lost them. He also seemed intent on defending this particular ore vein. "No farther." He growled at Ceno. "Mine!"
Cenomons let out a powerful snort from his snout, and the sound reverberated through his opponent, awakening something deep and instinctual. His eyes became enraged, his pupils focused solely on the lumbering stranger on all fours. "Hungry." Ceno answered in Pokéspeech. "Move." He started forward again then, and the rival Aggron grabbed his horns, not unlike how Alex grabbed a charging Tauros, but in this instance, the wild Aggron was pushed back, easily, as Cenomons moved for the ore.
Seeing him getting closer to the source of food, the other male headbutted Ceno, and the reverberation of their skulls echoed through the valley Ceno had wandered into, drawing the attention of every one of their kin. Such sounds presaged a battle, usually. "Ouch." Ceno said, growling, and glaring at the standing Aggron. He was about at his limit for patience. The smaller horn on his snout that curved up into a point glowed with steel energy, as Cenomons lifted his snout into the opposing Aggron's chin. Then, his larger horns broke free of his grip, smashing him to the left, and then the right. The final hit in this Triple Iron Bash sent the comparatively smaller Aggron flying into a nearby canyon wall, and Cenomons moved for the ore that he now saw as spoils for his win.
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Nobody else dared to challenge the strange, foreign Aggron with the impressively large, if hindering, crest of metal that flared out from his neck and limited his shoulder movement. Eventually the other Aggron was back on his feet, and when he saw Ceno eating, he grew incensed. "We're not done!" He roared, but Cenomons ignored him, and kept eating. Furious, the wild Aggron stomped over. "Hey! I challenge!"
But Ceno continued to munch, looking very much like a bored rocky metal triceratops who was rapidly becoming tired of this. Perhaps returning to his own kind had been a bad idea. He couldn't even explain why he had, it had mostly been instinct that drew him back to them. "No challenge." Ceno answered, without a care in the world. "Done fighting."
That answer actually made the other Aggron blanch. "No…fight?" He seemed genuinely confused, but Ceno knew that confusion would turn to anger. It always did, with Pokémon that lacked intelligence. He didn't hold it against the Aggron though, without Alex, he would've probably been just as stupid. Thus, Ceno answered the indignant Aggron with Iron Defense. He'd need three of those, to become truly impenetrable, as Alex called it. Most of their strategies involved him slowing his opponent, and raising his defense by two to four stages, now that he was significantly slower than his kin, which were already not the fastest rock and steel types out there.
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The other Aggron attacked with Metal Claw then, and Ceno sighed, deciding to ignore the flea bite of damage. His defense increased further, and now a metallic sheen covered his hardened carapace. Seeing this, his 'opponent' used Rock Slide, but that too Ceno simply shook off, and with a few paws to the ground, freed his source of food from the rocky pile, and kept eating. Again, his defense rose, and again, his body became a steel wall that many would have trouble getting past in a regular battle, let alone one in the wild.
The wild Aggron continued to strike Ceno, and the much larger and stronger Aggron ignored it completely. Whatever 'hit points' he lost were swiftly regained by his rather delicious meal, and the others of their kind just watched, as the clanging from the 'battle' echoed with each strike. Eventually, Ceno looked at the smaller Aggron. He was panting, and the steel tips of his claws were blunted by Ceno's heightened defense. "Are you done?"
The small crowd of intrigued Aggron line members laughed, which caused the male to rear up and roar at Cenomons. Finally at the end of his patience, Ceno's eyes narrowed, and in a flash, ground type energy surrounded his large frame, as he Bulldozed his opponent into the same canyon wall he'd impacted last time. Then, Ceno roared, in his face, and the semi-intentional Hyper Voice knocked him out.
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"Well struck."
Ceno turned his titanic frame as a new male entered the scene, and judging by how the other Lairon parted for him, this one was this group's alpha, or at least, its leader. He lacked the size of a true alpha. "You lead these ones."
The much older Aggron was ragged compared to their kin, but Ceno doubted he was weak. "I do. Will you kill that one?" The male nodded at the now unconscious Aggron.
"If I wanted him dead, he would be dead." Ceno rumbled, "I have dealt enough death."
That seemed to amuse the old Aggron for some reason. "Most contests here involve killing one's rival. You ate his ore. He may return stronger than you, and not be merciful."
Ceno glanced at the unconscious Aggron, and snorted again. "I doubt it. I'm bigger than everyone here. He can keep his life. But not his ore."
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The older Aggron hunched, to get more eye-level with Cenomons. A sign of respect, or that's how he took it. The old mountain eating beast inhaled his scent, and though it reeked of human and blood, he recognized what lay underneath. "You…are one of mine. Interesting…we thought all of my Aron lost or captured. I can no longer make eggs." The old beast again gestured to the still unconscious Aggron. Ceno hadn't killed him, but he hadn't gone easy either. "That one was to succeed me. Males pass their mountain to their sons, and females move to a different mountain, or claim one for themselves. I would have mine pass to an Alpha, of my lineage."
Ceno blinked. "You…want me to rule this?" He looked around, and remembered the area of his old home as well. That territory would be massive, and he would have to patrol it constantly to keep it clear of intruding species. "I prefer Battling. The sport, the honor. Beating up other Pokémon just trying to survive does not appeal to me."
The old rock eater blinked. "What you do with your territory, and what you allow inside, are your choices. Similarly, what this herd becomes is also your choice. Alphas are usually not so…level-headed. Eventually, another will come to this place, and the females, your mothers, will be subject to his likely violent rampages."
Ceno thought back to his childhood, and then recalled that many different Aggron and Lairon, all female, had watched over his tiny form, until he grew big enough to dig on his own, at least. He remembered fond feelings, if not the memories themselves, buried as they were with the trauma of his more recent ones. "But my team-brothers…"
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The old Aggron snorted again, and thrusted his horns forward. The sound resonated in Ceno as they crashed into his, and again he felt the natural anger towards another male of his kind. He knew how to control that, though. He stood his ground, as the old timer tried to push him, and gauge his strength. The still 6 stage defensive tank that was Cenomons didn't move, but he didn't have to. The older Aggron was in his face, his blue eyes sparking with fury as he snarled at Ceno. "Weak. Your kin need you, and you abandon them for a human. For Pokémon not your own. We will duel, and when I win, I will teach you how to rule well."
The old Aggron rose to his full height then, instead of the slouch he usually had thanks to his worn down body. He began lumbering down to the very bottom of this canyon, where Ceno assumed this herd of his species line held their duels for leadership and mating rights. Then Ceno saw his pace, how long it would take the old fella to get down there, rolled his eyes, and went back to eating.
Ten minutes later, the old Aggron roared when he heard Ceno was still feasting, and that was the cue the younger Aggron took that signaled his opponent was ready. As he turned, he saw a sea of mostly blue eyes, staring at the half-eaten horde of minerals, and the massive beast who'd unearthed it. Ceno glanced at it, and then sighed. "Go ahead, little brothers and sisters. Eat. Become strong. Like me." That was all the motivation they needed, and the swarm of hungry baby metal eating monsters descended on the exposed vein.
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Ceno used Rock Climb to descend then, and he arrived in a pile of rubble at the bottom of the valley, after setting off a small landslide. The older Aggron just shook his head. "Ready yourself, whelp."
That, made Cenomons growl, and the massive and now quadrupedal mountain eater stalked toward his sire. They began circling then, each step reverberating through the mountains, and their opponent. Not to mention their onlookers. The rumbling was enough to stir the now forgotten Aggron they'd left up above, who got back to his feet in time to see the clash begin.
Ceno started, with his vitamin-enhanced speed and training making him slightly faster than the other Aggron. The Earthquake he set off seemed to irritate his sire, but the old iron eater was ready for it. The earth responded to his call, sinking, and then rising below him, sending the somewhat lighter Aggron into the air as he drew in his fist, and began charging up his move. Ceno knew a fighting move when he saw one, and his Trainer's voice in his head suggested dodging.
Ceno moved with the earth, gliding through it as he shifted position. The old Aggron kept his focus though, landing and turning as he continued to charge his punch. Another Earthquake came from Ceno, but the old timer was ready. With a single stomp, he flattened Ceno's Earthquake, and used that exaggerated stomp to close the distance between him and his young rival.
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Seeing the Focus Punch was going to hit, Alex's voice chimed in. "You're going to have to take the hit. You're sturdy though, so you can handle it. The counter needs to be spectacular, something with fighting energy. He might also be sturdy though, so let's hope he's not."
The Focus Punch landed then, and all the spectating members of their species cringed as Ceno took the rather powerful hit to his cheek. Realizing how sturdy Ceno was didn't help the old timer dodge in time, and Ceno countered with a Brick Break from his two horns. The two Aggron stared each other down as the damage took effect, and eventually the older Aggron fell to a knee. "Well...struck…"
The older Aggron struck at Ceno with a final Iron Head, and sent both of them into temporary unconsciousness. Ceno recovered first, and pulled himself back to his feet before roaring and claiming victory. Several Aron came down to their fallen leader with berries for him, and a small group gave several to Cenomons as well. He recognized them as the littles who had partaken of his claimed ore vein.
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The two males recovered some strength, and Ceno eyed the older male expectantly as he spoke. "I can't say I won that... but I don't think I lost, either. I won't force you to stay…but I know your strength would help us."
"I'll stay for a time…" Ceno answered, "but I will eventually return. Until that time, my strength is yours."
The older Aggron took that in stride, and began showing Cenomons how a male Aggron ruled. It turned out that the three of them were the only males around for miles, and many of the surrounding mountains were divided between the far more common females. The role of the males was to visit such territories, and fill them with Aron eggs.
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There was more though, much more, and both Cenomons and the smaller male he'd beaten easily learned how to rule. Ceno learned everything, over the course of several weeks, from how to treat rusting Aron, to planting berries where they would grow best. Like most of his team-brothers, Ceno did eventually meet a female he preferred, and after visiting her territory a few times, his gentler nature, for an Aggron, eventually won her over.
The old Aggron promised to look after his offspring when the call to assemble finally came from his Trainer, and Ceno made his way back to the ranch, eager to battle Trainer's Pokémon again. Someday he intended to pass his spot as the steel type with good move coverage to Canis, and return to the wild completely, but before that he intended to compete in the World Tournament that had prompted Alex to catch him in the first place.
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Gelauros
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"New concerns about Pokémon poaching in the Kanadia region have risen today, as the number of newly released Aurorus and Amaura has seemingly plummeted overnight. Kanadian authorities are in pursuit of the poachers, but recent reporting from the last few hours confirms that the Police have lost their trail in the tundra fields north of Superior Forest."
Gelauros was with his kin in the pen adjacent to the Redwood lab, another new addition to accommodate the herd that the Brain Trust was continuing to study. While they'd gleaned much about the species, they had been reluctant to release them in Kanadia or Galar because of how popular poaching Aurorus had become. Seeing Arthur pass by on his way to Teleport to Superior Lake, Gelauros asked him to bring him with the Gallade on his trip. Before they left, Eric affixed an Icicle Plate to Gelauros' chest, in case he needed to Mega Evolve. He and Arthur parted as soon as they landed in the southern part of the timeless forest, and with how massive it was, trekking to the north of it took Gelauros more time than he wanted to spend. Nobody told him time flowed slower there, so from his perspective, he was behind by the time he lumbered out of the rather delicious trees. Naturally, he'd snacked on their leaves as he trekked.
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When he finally reached the tundra area mentioned on the PNN broadcast, he let out a loud call, for his kin, but received nothing in response. The same thing happened in the center of the barren landscape, so he tried a different tactic. He'd seen his kind communicate through electrical waves, but he had never had parents to show him how it was done. Once his herd understood he could control his power, Gelauros had picked up the trick, more or less. This, was his first chance to try it out in practice.
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He closed his eyes, breathed deep, and let the cold air fill his neck sails. The gems across his body flared, as he finally sensed something; an Amaura he was fairly sure, but where there was one there would likely be more. Turning his massive frame in that direction, Gelauros prepared to do something his kind usually didn't do. Run. Not only did it take significant energy, but because of their size, 'speedy' movements could ruin or scare other Pokémon or their nests. Now was the time for haste though, and few Pokémon made their nests in places like this, one of the many reasons his ancestors had moved to and adapted for such environments.
The earth itself shook, as he began running, picking up speed like a truck as he thundered through the snow. He flared his sails again, sensed the Amaura again, as well as several Aurorus this time, and adjusted his course. There weren't many trees this far north, but he did eventually come upon a stand of them, and in skirting around it sensed that what he sought was hiding within the ancient, snowy forest. Irritated that he'd wasted time trying to avoid the trees, he eventually charged into them, and large branches and trees that got in his way were trampled as he went deeper. Then, he smelled it. The scent of unwashed human, the fuel their wheeled moving-boxes were powered by, and the scent of his kin.
Inside the gray, flat roofed compound that blended well with the surrounding forest, the Pokémon poachers were recuperating from a long night of hard work, and treating ice-burns. Then, the earth started shaking, slightly at first, but then more noticeably. The herd they'd captured most of began clamoring, and another Aurorus call roared from the direction of the shaking. Their leader stood, drawing the attention of his men as he did. He was clad in black clothing suited for colder climates, like they all were, but what distinguished him was a missing eye and eyepatch that he'd lost to an Archeops that hadn't appreciated being poached from its new home in the modern era. "Looks like we got one more, boys. Ready your Ice Heals."
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Gelauros saw the black clad humans emerge from the bunker, and unlike his kin, didn't make the mistake of freezing them and then trying to free the others. He had no mercy for this brand of human scum, and the air hummed with electricity as Gel's form sparked, and the gray clouds over them grew darker, and angrier. The Charge Beam lanced through three of the fifteen or so humans at once, and the others scattered. One that looked like the leader, sporting an eyepatch, shouted to the others. "This one knows electric moves! Watch the Paralysis!"
Thinking that a good idea, Gelauros readied another electric attack. Electricity sparked down from the clouds above into his sails as Gel readied his next move. As the surviving humans dodged, they found their efforts futile, as a Thunder Wave passed over all of them, at once. With the poachers paralyzed, they could do nothing as a massive white foot came down on their leader, and turned him to bloody paste. Many of them finally beheld the Aurorus attacking them at that point, and some gibbered in terror about a 'white demon of snow' or something. Gelauros was beyond caring at this point. One by one he dispatched the humans, and when only four or five were left, he let them pile into their moving wheel-box, before igniting it with his electricity, sending it flying into the air, and then landing hard with a fiery crash. For good measure, Gelauros unleashed a Blizzard on it, dousing the flames, and anyone who might've survived the crash.
Thinking he was done, Gel turned towards the cages holding the fearful members of his species, only to feel a Pokéball bounce off him, getting his attention, as it summoned a Pokémon to the field. A Salamence, regular in size and shape but fully grown and male, appeared then and snarled at Gel. Then he saw its Trainer, the eyepatched human he thought he'd crushed. Both his legs were gone, but it seemed humans could survive such things apparently. Either that, or Gel hadn't noticed him dodge. He looked at the dragon then, and growled. "You have exactly one chance, Salamence. Leave. Abandon your Trainer and this life of stealing Pokémon from their homes…or I'll make you pay for helping this Trash personally." Ice flared out of the crystals on his body then, as Gelauros reverse Intimidated the dragon type.
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Naturally, the Salamence's initial reaction was to deny the Aurorus, and Gelauros met his Flamethrower with a Charge Beam, before the icy wind exuded by his body blew the smoke from the move collision away. "Look at him! He will die here! You will too if you do not quit this place. Last chance, dragon." Gel readied an Ice Beam then, one that would more than faint a dragon and flying type.
The Salamence paused in his attack to look at his now crippled and very bloody human. Without legs, his career was over, which meant no more food, and with that much lost blood, the other humans wouldn't be able to save him in time. He was essentially being ordered around by a corpse. "He stole me too…" The Salamence snarled, as he turned on his Trainer. He'd vaguely known what his Trainer had been doing, but this particular Salamence's heart had been hardened to the suffering of the other Pokémon. His Trainer had stolen him as a Bagon yes, but then he'd made him stronger. Strong enough to fly. That was all he'd wanted as a Bagon, but now as an adult, he realized he wanted freedom more than he wanted his human to live.
"What are you doing!? Mukking scalehead! Attack the Aurorus!" The human was backing up futilely leaving a bloody trail in the snow, but the Salamence kept advancing on him. "No…no! Stop! Stoo-" and then the human's cries ended, with a definitive crunch. The Salamence shook his former Trainer like a ragdoll, and then tossed him aside with the other dead humans, stomped on his Pokéball, and then flew off into the sky with a roar of anger, disappointment, and rage.
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Gelauros left the Salamence to his bloody vengeance, and instead focused on freeing his kin. The locks on their cages were already frozen, and that seemed not to affect them much. Instead, Gel summoned his electric attacks, and with careful aim aided by his long neck, was able to blow apart and overload the electrified cages and their locks. One by one the herd was freed, and without waiting, they began fast-trotting back to the tundra fields they'd been stolen from. He was a bit surprised they just left without waiting for everyone, but he could tell their flight instincts had kicked in as well. Eventually, the scared Aurorus would regain their senses.
Another roar of one of the human's contraptions signaled the arrival of more of them, and Gelauros whirled, facing them, as he Ice Beamed a wall between the new arrivals, and his fleeing kin. He readied a Charge Beam, but then noticed these humans were not poachers, but clad in different outfits altogether. There was still some uniformity to them, but he could tell by the partners they brought out, namely an Arcanine and several Growlithe, that they weren't bad Trainers. Their partners told him to stop, but Gel was more focused on the Arcanine, who'd remained silent. He glanced at his Trainer, and then trotted towards the massive, white Aurorus. "You freed the herd?"
Gel nodded, as he let the Charge Beam fade. "I did. Will your Humans capture them again?"
The Arcanine shook his head. "My Human is the Police Chief for this area. We will make sure they are safe."
Gel looked at the Arcanine, and then at his bundled up orange snowsuited partner. "Come with me. We will explain to them. Leave your Human here." It took several tries, but eventually, a paw from the Arcanine and a warning snort from Gelauros convinced his human to stay. The two Pokémon lumbered off then, following the trail of massive footsteps through the woods, and the path Gelauros had initially made through it. Arcanine found several lost Amaura on their way, and the trio scurried back to the herd once they saw them.
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Gelauros approached the herd first, having informed the Arcanine of what he was up to on their walk here. An old female, old since she'd been revived and given a second life, met Gelauros as he approached the wary herd. "Long has it been since we have seen a white Aurorus…longer still since we saw one with such mastery of electricity. That is a skill many of us have lost, in our new lives."
"My Human showed me how to wield such power." Gel rumbled. "I can teach you, as well. This one's Human," He said, turning to look at the Arcanine, "will keep you and the others safe from the poachers. I will stay as well…for a time. To make sure."
The Arcanine trotted up then. "We will be nearby if you require more aid. If you need help, let out one of those roars that shakes the very tundra. My nose can find you, now."
The elderly female graciously accepted the aid, and thanked the Arcanine, who then ran back to his human. Gelauros was accepted as a part of the herd, but they moved even further north once they'd recovered. Gel stayed with them over the weeks that followed, learning firsthand how his species survived in the wild. Unlike his team-brothers, he didn't try finding a female. Aurorus tended to mate for life, and he couldn't stay with the herd indefinitely.
Sure enough, one day, Alex's voice echoed in his head for them to assemble, and moments later, Arthur appeared with his ball, offering him the choice to come back home. Gel bid his new friends a fond farewell, and then left as abruptly as he'd arrived in their lives. He wondered if he would some day desire the wild roaming lifestyle more, but for now, he enjoyed battling with Alex too much to stop here, right before the World Tournament.
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Ictus
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Unlike the rest of the team, Ictus and his dark-typed nature left to brood quietly behind the Redwood's barn. He dug a hole beneath the earth there, and just sat, growling at anyone who came near, unless they had food. Much like Terra, he grew larger as he rested and slept, and brooded on how depressingly easy it had been to take the lives of humans and Pokémon. Images of the carnage of war deeply unsettled him, and refused to leave him alone.
His days were spent sleeping, and his nights were spent glaring angrily at the entrance of his burrow, as he recalled the nightmares of the daylight hours. Unlike his teammates, his dark nature meant Alex wasn't constantly in his head. He was properly alone, or so it seemed. He was about to learn otherwise, as he wasn't the only dark type Alex had.
One night, as Ictus ruminated on his nightmares from the daytime hours, a new visitor arrived at his 'burrow'. Naturally, he growled, but this one growled back. Annoyed at the fellow dark type, one claw lit with bug energy, and struck out of the hole. It was then that he noticed his arm had grown bigger. Panicking slightly, Ictus began widening the hole, and crawled out of it as he fought the inner panic. As a Skorupi, he'd seen many of his kin dig too deep only to get crushed by the unforgiving earth, and their kind didn't really do well with ground typed scenarios.
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Once he was free of the hole, he looked around for the intruder, and his gaze was drawn upwards, as the Umbreon, Shadow, yipped at him. "You're finally out. We were wondering when you'd realize you'd grown too large for the exit you made."
Ictus narrowed his eyes. "Why…am I so much larger all of a sudden?"
Shadow twitched his ears, and shrugged. "No idea. It's only the main ten who've started growing like that. You're the size of an Alpha, now. I guess you all hit a certain level at some point during the war."
Ictus grimaced, and then began climbing up the barn without damaging it too badly. "I heard you saw combat as well, as did Espeo. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone."
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The Umbreon shook his head as he stared at the moon from the top of the barn. "What Humans call war isn't much different from what Pokémon do in the wild. Yes there's more structure, and weapons, but it all boils down to one side fighting to dominate the other. It's not personal. Life should be preserved as often as possible, but even Pokémon have situations where we simply can't save everyone. The Humans we faced chose to start that war. Our Humans ended it. I won't be shamed by, or regret my actions. We stopped Humans who used the Shadow as a power boost. That's not a bad thing."
Ictus tilted his head, seeing the sense in Shadow's words. "I still don't care for it... but I understand the need."
Shadow nodded. "It often falls to Dark Types to do what other Pokémon can't, or shouldn't. We can typically handle the burdens others cannot. There's nothing wrong with disliking war."
"Battling is fun. Sport." Ictus snorted. "War is...very different."
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The two Pokémon stared at the sky in unison now, and then the Umbreon smirked at his hulking ogre scorpion friend. "I'm pretty good at both, you know. War and Battling."
Recognizing his tone, Ictus smirked at the Eeveelution. "Oh, you are? You'll have to show me some time."
Shadow smirked at him. "How about tomorrow?"
Ictus rumbled in contemplation, then looked at his hole. "Tomorrow works."
One of the Miltank below them mooed up at them. "Go to sleep already!"
Shadow and even Ictus laughed. "Tomorrow it is." He skillfully backflipped off the barn, and then ran back to the hollowed out tree that housed the various Eevee that Alex had caught.
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Ictus spent the rest of his vacation in the nearby woods with Shadow, as they practiced their dark typed moves on each other. Shadow was more of a special attacker, while Ictus battled with his physical moves. Despite not using bug type moves, he won repeatedly, until finally Espeo, Alex's Espeon, wanted a go. That battle Ictus did use bug moves for, and Espeo learned the hard way just how annoying a dark type's immunity to psychic attacks could be.
Eventually, Ictus and Shadow noticed Terra return with a mob of Turtwig in tow, and then one after the other, the other members of the 'Top Ten' as the Eeveelutions called them, began returning to the lab with their progeny or mates they'd found in their own adventures. Being disconnected, Ictus had no direct call to assemble. His came later, from Espeo, who had evidently forgotten he was supposed to inform the ogre scorpion to return to his ball and await PC retrieval.
Ictus bid his friend farewell, promising to spar again, and then did as Alex wished. If he was recalling them, that meant Koria was in the end stages, close to freedom. Or, Alex needed their power to ensure a victory. Either way, Ictus was ready for whatever the foreign region brought, and as a less well known face of his team, he expected he'd see some more use.
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Lux
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Throughout Alex's trek through Koria, Lux mainly had one duty: keep the egg next to his Holodex warm, and enjoy his time away from the plasma saber. He could make both devices radiate a comforting warmth that accomplished his egg-sitting duties. He loved being a sword, truthfully, but having Pokénet access was a joy unto itself. Soon after they completed the device, Lux had begun studying, lowkey catching up on all the advancements this iteration of humanity had made, as well as all the times they'd stumbled.
He studied everything, from the appointment of the Successor to the man who'd Tamed Arceus and the fragmented records of the Dark Times that followed, to the modern era, where the Imperium of Man recently wiped out Varangia, and claimed their lands as their own, now once again free to focus on their endless war with Eous. Much of Lux's free time was spent studying the Imperium's technology, as he 'hacked' their systems, but did nothing to interfere with them. Temere, Lux's new little electric brother, often wanted to listen to the 'rock and roll' the humans had made both in this era and the distant past. The two electric types shared these tunes with the egg, and Lux was deeply amused when he finally hatched, and turned out to enjoy the jams as much as they had.
Then, there was Nox. When Lux slept, often the darker spirit would possess the Holodex instead, prank calling numbers in Alex's list of random Trainers, and even trolling people on the PokéNet. Lux did what he could to clean up Nox's mess, usually by deleting troll posts, but otherwise let his ghostly little 'brother' do as he pleased.
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Initially, Lux had wondered why Alex had chosen another team of ten, aside from just wishing to stay incognito. As they traveled, he could tell Alex was training them to be Gym worthy. There was more to it though, than just training up potential replacements for the World Tournament. The human had a plan in mind, Lux could tell, but he didn't verbalize it, or think about it openly. Being a ghost type, Lux couldn't just peek in his head, either. Alex would notice his presence immediately.
Eventually, as they traveled north through Koria, Lux just asked. In response, Alex said, "You're right. It's more than just having replacement or variety…I want our team to be the best…to be capable of saving the planet, if necessary. We can't do that alone though, even with ten of us. Even with twenty. Our team is, someday, going to protect the entirety of the planet. There's an ideal spot for each of you, I'm sure. But you ten, the originals, your purpose will mostly be Battling. And if you decide to retire, then one of the little brothers will step up, and train their replacement, and on the cycle goes. The other teams will have different purposes, but A and B will be those who wish to Battle, primarily."
"And if you have more than twenty, who want to Battle?" Lux asked.
Alex shrugged. "I won't. If you hadn't noticed, I haven't really been on any catching sprees lately. I have some good partners with some good natures. A bit of training, and they'll be strong enough to protect anyone they need to. Everyone else I've caught, with a few exceptions, have gone on to be adopted by my cousins."
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"A globe-spanning team of Pokémon? That's going to be a lot to manage." Lux said, finding he liked the idealistic goal of making a world-spanning team of Pokémon powerful enough to protect apportioned areas of the world. If anyone could do it, it would be Alex, now that he had the Storm Crown.
Alex chuckled, and gave the floating ghost a pat. Sparks hit his hand, but he bore with it to give out scritches. "I'll be relying on a Rotom for that, I'm sure…not you, of course. You're tied to your crystal, and I'd rather have you at my side. We'd need to find the right Rotom."
Lux chuckled, and then zooped back into his hilt. "I'll keep an eye out for one."
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Little did Lux know, he would soon encounter such a Rotom, but he searched anyways, scouring the PokéNet for a mind capable of coordinating the kind of team Redwood envisioned. Lux's main concern was that he wouldn't be able to care for them all, but that turned out not to be warranted. Alex kept all of his partners fed, usually giving them Pokébeans, or puffs, or berries while he traveled or walked around on foot.
Aside from browsing the web, Lux didn't do much else in his time 'off'. He kept apprised of the battling world, and found that the current favorite to win the upcoming World Tournament was the Indius Champion, with the Champion of Italia close behind. Famous as Alex was, he'd dropped off the map to fight a war, and then hadn't appeared for the initial victory celebrations. Tao had announced they'd be held with Festivus, and that months long holiday would serve as the official celebration of their victory. The intervening months were focused on resting, grieving, and recovering from the brief but bloody war.
Alex's efforts in the Spirit World didn't go unappreciated by Lux either. Reuniting the Light Spirit, or Raava, as the Korians knew her, would help ghosts everywhere. Indeed, it was her being ripped from Kora that had jolted him awake in his cave in the Majestic Canyon. Then Redwood had shown up. Lux didn't know where following Alex would take him, but he trusted that this was the Way.