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Route 6 - Galar Region
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Champions Mikolaj and Zabrina were once more entangled in one of their passionate early morning love-making sessions. Since they'd begun traveling together, Zabrina had easily seduced and copulated with the Champion of Polska quite a few times. His frustration with their losses had been taken out on her body, but she could handle it, and had grown to enjoy how rough he got after a hard loss. Emotionally, she wasn't invested whatsoever in the relationship, but Mikolaj was, and that, was on purpose.
Her handlers wanted the Polska Champion to be favorable toward the Imperium, like Zabrina had agreed to be for a substantial price that funded her lifestyle, and even though most of Polska still resisted the idea of joining the supercontinent-spanning empire with lax morals and strong autocratic overtones, more Polskans, young ones, were convinced every day that the Imperium was led by a genuine visionary, a psychic of unmatched and unsurpassed intelligence, experience, and power. The Imperator of Mankind. Younger males tended to be easy prey for how genuinely and charismatically Imperium Iterators talked up their undisputed ruler.
Her task, for this part of Leon's little tournament, was to make the Polska Champion fall deeply in love with her, and despite their rough start, he had. With how often she gave her body to him, it was about time, but he was not a bad lover, so it wasn't unbearable or even unpleasant. Zabrina had come to like their daily routine, which alternated between training and heated lovemaking. It had gotten to the point that they'd find a spot after beating pretty much every road Trainer they came across, and bask in the feeling of victory, and orgasmic bliss simultaneously. Miko was convinced that it would be even more enjoyable after winning a gym battle, on their first try, but Zabrina doubted that Bea and Bruno would fall so easily. They could always challenge the creepy ghost boy who also inhabited Stow-on-Side, but they, and pretty much every other Trainer who got this far in Galar's circuit, knew that fighting types had far more counters than ghosts, who typically also had moves with type coverage. Not to mention, merely being in the presence of a Gigantamaxed Gengar was rumored to reduce one's lifespan.
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It was as their morning was about to come to a much-anticipated climax, that the fold of their tent was suddenly yanked open, followed by the flashing of Rotom Phone cameras. "Lookie lookie lads! Caught in the act, I'd say!" Raucous laughter and more flashes followed.
This, of course, happened right as Miko succumbed to Zabrina's body, but her own enjoyment was thoroughly ruined, as she realized quickly what was happening. She almost lashed out with her rage through her own psychic abilities, but her handlers wanted those kept under wraps.
She covered herself, and waited for Miko to realize what was going on, as his Pokémon were the closest. Once he turned his head, his facial expression turned to anger, and he threw one of his oldest balls out the entrance. "Kolega! Get this Trash rounded up!" His shiny Nidoking appeared with a flash, and an echoing roar. Second only to his Delibird in how long he'd been trained by Miko, the powerful ground type had every single intruder rounded up, in short order.
By that point, Zabrina had pulled on her sleeping clothes, and had a Pokémon of her own out. "Regina." Her Galarian Slowking appeared with a flash and lumbered outside. "Take their phones."
Miko nodded, seeing her thoughts, and threw out another ball of his. "Blysk! Make sure they don't post anything to Mukking Chatter right now. Full EMP. Target their Rotom." The Alolan Golem, also a member of his main team, did as asked, and in under ten seconds, he'd created a purposeful dead spot in Galar's network. Not that Route Six had great service to begin with.
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The terrifying Galarian Slowking, which was a Pokémon that Mikolaj had not known she'd had, but must have been relatively new, easily confiscated the drowsy Phone Rotom, and gave them to her Trainer. The poisoned Shellder on her head then turned her host's body back towards the intruding humans, and malice radiated off of her. She could sense her Trainer's true emotions, and mirrored them, but she did not strike their minds yet. On the opposite side of them, Kolega was letting out a low, constant snarl as his massive tail thrashed angrily. There were some things that should not be interrupted, and he knew better than most how long his Trainer had sought a mate.
Zabrina thoroughly checked their social media, and deleted the images they'd taken from their phones, and their R-Cloud storage. None had managed to post the images, thank Arceus, and only the Rotom Phone company would have access to them, theoretically. At least until their virtual trash was emptied, in thirty days. Satisfied, she nodded to Miko, who had Blysk stand down, and instead glared menacingly at the humans entrapped between him, Kolega, Regina, and their Trainers.
"We are calling ze police." Zabrina said through her thick Romani accent. "You will be hearing from our lawyers, and we will hold you to ze fullest extent of Galar's laws."
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"Like we're just gonna' sit here an' wait for'em!" One of the goons shouted.
Miko snapped his fingers, and Kolega let out a Hyper Voice that shook the air and made those trapped into the circular depression in the ground before the blue Nidoking huddle and crouch in fear. "You'll sit there quietly…or my Nidoking will bury you alive." Kolega tensed, ready to do exactly that, at his Trainer's order.
Silence followed. Tense silence, compounded as the pair of Champions released the rest of their teams, both new and old. Severely outnumbered now, the hooligans who'd crossed the line realized just how deep in the Muk they truly were. Within an hour, the local Galar police had arrived, and as promised by Chairman Leon at the start of the challenge, this severe breach in privacy would result in severe prison sentences. Normally crimes like this would have amounted to community service or a few months in a jail. For this kind of breach, fully elaborated on by the pair of Champions, the so-called criminals were given a year and a half, in a prison, and their records would be forever marked.
In short order, Zabrina had personally made sure they were all fired, and before the day was done, she had effectively ruined the lives of everyone who had seen them. She was relaxing in Stow-on-Side's Pokémon Center, a larger room for larger Pokémon, with a balcony, when Miko returned. "It seems our Rivals have been busy today. They're on their way here right now."
Zabrina smirked darkly. "Good. Ze time has come, then. Our first Rival Battle…" She turned her head, slightly, towards him. "I do not want to lose, Mikolaj."
He nodded confidently. "We won't."
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The Isle of Armor - Galar Region
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Sikandar and Isabella woke up to the 'doo doo dee doo, doo doo doo doo doo dee, doo doo' of both Rotom Phones chiming in early morning harmony, exactly at eight. Sikandar jolted awake, and then yawned. "Youcangofirst..." He mumbled, as he gestured at the shower. He was still adjusting to this early rising schedule, and missed the carefree days in Indius where he didn't rise until noon.
In Italia, people adjusted their schedules to one of two times: either they got up very early, and spent their Siesta at any shadowy or cool place, mostly indoors, or slept throughout the day to get up at noon. Isabella belonged to the first kind, and sleeping until eight was already long for her.
Interestingly enough, she slept really well, despite Sikandar being in her futon with her. As the nights on the isle typically got cooler, his embrace was welcome. The combined ringing of their phones woke her up immediately. Especially because it was way past her usual wake-up time. Her lips brushed over his forehead, before she peeled herself out of his hug, and went to take a shower.
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Isabella adored hiding in the shower for an hour. Not necessarily to wash herself, but simply standing under the warm rain, arranging her thoughts, making battle plans. Against fans and reporters, mostly. That's when she felt that something was… off.
Yesterday, as she had fought against Avery, she had pushed her psychic powers to the limits, but also learned a lot about them in the process. What bugged her was the amount of information she suddenly got. She felt the students walking around the dojo. Hugh, who pretended to be asleep to avoid his daily workload for as long as possible. Sikandar, whose personality she could feel a little better than the rest, who struggled to wake up.
Then, there was the matter of her Pokéballs. She felt all of them. Sikandar's too. It was worse with her older ones, which were custom made. She knew exactly what her veteran Pokémon inside were doing, and how they felt. Gothitelle even seemed to notice her and seemed confused. Finishing her shower early, and wrapping her hair up and into a towel, she walked out of the bathroom only covered by a towel. "Uhm, Sikandar? Something feels…wrong…"
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One eye opened as she mentioned something wrong, and he felt Fakir drag him to consciousness from within his ball. He stretched, realized he had to get up anyway, and then walked towards her. Her shyness with the unnecessary towel made him smirk, but it faded as he noticed as well. Her mind had gotten stronger, likely thanks to Avery messing about in there.
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, and he ignored her perfect body for the moment as his forehead pressed into hers. "Don't get overwhelmed. Try to sense one thing at a time." His voice echoed in her head as he reigned her conscious mind in, but just by looking, he knew. She was ready. "Try to keep your thoughts and senses like this, constrained, but focused. It'll help keep you from accidentally reading people's minds."
Isabella's panic faded as he drew her in and locked within the security of his arms. Her mind stayed messy for a while, drawing in all the different impressions at the same time, until he guided her into reorganizing everything. He helped her to build a structure around all of that. There was still a lot for her to do, and learn but for now, this would be a good workaround. He helped her construct her first mental barrier around her mind, mostly by layering it with the impressions she could sense outside their room. Anyone trying to enter, or pry would be bombarded with them. Finally having some mental shielding put her at ease, and as he went into the shower, she continued to… well, clean up further, throwing bits of pieces of information out. Stuff she knew she wouldn't need. Like, how many Yungoos had eaten their way into the dojo's attic.
She might notice then that both Honey and Mustard's minds were like mental castles. Well defended castles. Sikandar emerged from the bathroom fully clothed in his Galar getup, and his hoodie was sporting a few new Galarian sponsorships that his Rotom Phone had printed out and applied to his clothes. He handled all the money-making aspects of Sikandar's Champion status, and he thrived on doing so. It also gave him Exp, so Sikandar was more than okay with it. He yawned, as he returned to his lover. "Once we find a decent hotel we can do some psychic training. Among other things." He smirked at her, leaned in to kiss her. "Which should we do first? Breakfast, or fans?"
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When Sikandar returned from the shower, she was dressed, and her entire attitude had changed. In front of him stood the Champion he had likely seen on TV. Confident, charismatic, devastatingly beautiful. However, after the weeks they had spent with each other now, he likely knew what had happened. She wore her mask again, her Persona, specifically crafted for public appearances. Whenever one became a Champion, various coaches were ready to help the newcomer achieve a state of professionalism, as putting on a good show was part of the job.
She nodded at him. "Let's have breakfast first and take care of our fans right after. I tend to put on better performances when my stomach is not growling."
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Oddly enough, neither Unova nor Indius had such things, but then, their Champions weren't crippled by large crowds and interacting with them. This was mainly a service the League offered when it became a problem. Sikandar, for his part, saw her mask for what it had become; a part of her that he accepted like every other part of her.
He paused at their door and leaned in to kiss her. What started as a quick peck quickly evolved into a deeply passionate lip lock, and he was panting slightly once they parted. He fixed her lipstick with his thumb, wiped his mouth, and then steeled himself. At some point, they were going to have to find a private island, stay there for a few months, and just work their way through the Pokésutra. But for now, he could focus on being a Champion. Knowing she could likely hear that thought, and others, he winked at her, and then stepped into the hall.
Oddly enough, their kiss gave her so much energy. With Sikandar at her side, she suddenly felt like these fans weren't such a hard obstacle in her way, despite usually being completely drained after interacting with them. She held onto his hand, placing another kiss in the palm of his hand. Before leaving, her Rotom Phone flew out quickly, giving her one last opportunity to check her make up before walking into at least an hour of taking selfies.
Breakfast was almost done by the time they arrived, but there were more than enough hashbrowns. Their teams were eating in the main dojo area, as the trainees who'd spied on them before were ordered to feed, brush, and otherwise make their morning enjoyable, under the watchful eye of the older Bulbasaur residing in the dojo.
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Isabella ate some fruit and oats, staying with less sugary stuff, and instead providing her body with the nutrients it needed for another long day. After being done with their meal, they said goodbye to the dojo staff and students, before quickly going down to the main beach area of the island, where their fans were camping.
There was a small crowd of people, maybe three hundred fans who tried to ask them questions and asked for selfies. The number was still manageable, and enough to flood the Pokénet with new pictures. When the fans asked her to show one of her Pokémon, Isabella brought out her Cinccino, Topo Gigio. Her starter was an old fan favorite, as well as a veteran when it came to interacting with fans. A lot of fans asked them questions as well, mostly innocent stuff like how to become a Champion, or what they would recommend as a sixth member for an existing team. There was one guy who was getting creepy when talking with Isabella, but she managed to tell him in a politically correct way that she found his questions not appropriate and sent him away. He seemed to enjoy it when she did that, which did not help his creep factor.
They subtly divided the fans into two crowds, though oddly enough, Sikandar's seemed to be Galar girls, primarily, while most of the men were surrounding her, and practically drooling. He didn't have to read their minds to see that. He sensed his Gallade's irritation from his ball and saw that it matched his own. Then, he was distracted by another question and the fan behind it.
As soon as they started, people had begun showing up to the Isle of Armor station by the train load, as a sort of underground transportation beneath the ocean between Galar, specifically Hulbury, and the island had been a recent project of Chairman Leon's use of Macro Cosmos Construction. He was negotiating one with Kalos next in an effort to get the insular and isolationist Galar the last Chairman created to look outward a little more.
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Sikandar wasn't worried about anyone romancing her, as he was able to sense how even the hottest of her fans left her mind cold. He did keep an eye out for lingering creeps who took rejection poorly though. There were always a few in every crowd, and they could be either sex. Her facial expressions and body language radiated happiness, and made her fans feel special. It drained her energy to keep the act up, but she did put on a good show. However, not a single time did she grin like she usually smiled at him.
"Isabella, what does your boyfriend think about you spending so much time with Sikandar?" One of the fans asked. "Yeah, what happened to Raihabelle? We know you guys have been dating forever, we saw you spending multiple summers at his place."
Isabella clearly felt uncomfortable with the question, but her Persona hid most of that. "I know there have been a lot of questions regarding Raihan and I, but no matter how often we keep answering them, people don't believe us, and for some reason the answer doesn't seem to stick to the Pokénet. First of all, Raihabelle never existed. Second, we still spend a lot of time together. Like, every bigger holiday. Or summer. However, Raihan is my cousin so…" She smiled apologetically. "We are very close, but not in a way you might have been thinking. Sorry to disappoint you."
The revelation shocked her fans, and soon enough they left her alone, about at the same time Sikandar's fans seemed to be satisfied. "We have some more training to do, and as always, want to do our best for you guys. We hope you guys continue to support us. You're awesome!" A lot of them cheered and waved them goodbye. To her surprise, none of them followed them, then again, she didn't know of the incident that had occurred with Miko and Zabrina, where Officer Jenny had arrested multiple fans for harassing them. Since the fans staying in Galar now knew there were serious consequences to stalking the Champions, they started to behave a little better.
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It also helped that the fan bases they attracted tended to morally mirror their Champions. Most of Sikandar's female fans were Trainers, and quite a few were either from Indius, or had settled in Galar with their families long ago, but traced their ancestry back to that ancient, colorful land. Their regions hadn't had the nicest of First Contacts, but Sikandar liked to think that, by this point, the two regions were firm allies against the world's darker forces, like the Imperium of Man. Indius and Galar had been some of the first regions to ban the use of slavery, which had returned once humanity fell into barbarism.
Thankfully, the practice was largely dead by now, used only by the Imperium, supposedly, on their worst criminals in society. Sikandar had heard rumors that they captured foreigners in their lands and pressed them into slavery, just to keep up with the massive demand the supercontinent-spanning empire had, but the rumors always seemed to just disappear when he investigated them. The Imperials he'd met had been courteous but had also advised him to leave their lands quickly and to not cause trouble by asking questions. Nothing suspicious there, at all, but the Indius government had expressly ordered him not to start even more of a conflict with the Imperium. Their border with Indius was largely peaceful, or at least, had been for centuries by this point. Sikandar knew better, though. To a seemingly immortal being like the Imperator, centuries were an eyeblink, and eventually, Indius would be forced into Imperium compliance as Germania, Polska, and now Varangia had been. Being one of the largest regions, albeit a mostly frozen and barren one, Varangia had opted to resist occupation violently, and the Thunder Warriors had been called upon to mercilessly crush the people beneath their ceramite boots. The Imperium had expanded rapidly in their newly conquered land, which had in turn intensified hostility with the northernmost kingdoms of Eous.
Once the fans were satisfied, they spread their autographs among the new arrivals who were more than eager to pay quite a lot of currency for their favorite Champ's signature. They left the Fields of Honor, and traveled behind the dojo, making their way on foot to the woods. Once there, Kandra and Raphael kept an eye out for Trainers, as Sikandar pulled her behind a bush, and kissed her again.
He could tell she was tired, so they had a brief snack of leftover, and well-preserved, apple curry. "The path splits here. I'll head towards the shore. Your tower is to the north, and up in the mountains. Be careful up there. I'm sure the Pokémon are fiercer than anything I'll find on the beach."
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When he broke away after their kiss, she pulled him in again, brushing her lips one last time over his, before smiling at him. "I'm glad you ended up being my partner. Let's crush those towers, and meet back up here…?" Her cub was out of his Pokéball, and she intended to leave him out until the tower was defeated. They said their goodbyes and split up.
"We can meet at Hammerlocke. Far right Pokémon Center. From there we can get a room, take a rest...maybe a massage..." He eyed her dojo uniform clad body and had to bite his lip to retain his focus. He returned the sentiment about being her partner, watched her fine swaying hips as she walked away, then headed for the beach.
Just as Sikandar had thought, the wild Pokémon became stronger the closer they moved up to the tower in the mountains. Thankfully though, most of the Pokémon who lived near the dark tower, knew the Salazzle she had caught a few days ago, and fled upon seeing her. She still got some more training in for her team, especially Ursarti, who was only getting more and more pumped as they approached the tower. And then, she finally made it in, just to be greeted by a smug dojo student and his Zorua.
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Compared to her trek, Sikandar's was as easy as strolling on a beach. He met a few fans, gathered some Stardust and Big Pearls, and then gave the tower attendant a nod, before walking around them, and finding the Mystic Water and Liquidation TM sitting behind the tower. He too had done his research, and he was sure Isabella would find her own useful items behind the dark tower. Bhaloo had an Expert Belt tied around her waist as they came around again, and thanks to her learning of Thunder Punch, the tower was rather easy to beat. She was also a bit over leveled for it.
At the top, the room was empty, save for a giant scroll and another of the Master Dojo's trainees. In earlier years, Mustard acted as the final challenge, but he was busy, and they had taken his spare Kubfu. Despite having a powerful water type, Bhaloo Thunder Punched through her with ease, and once she was victorious, Bhaloo approached the scroll, took in the wisdom within it, and then evolved. Sikandar gave his massive kung fu bear a nod and a fist bump once she stopped glowing, and they made their way back down, then called a Taxi to Hammerlocke.
On his way there, he changed his clothes to something less conspicuous, and hid his face. Nurse Joy recognized him, but she stayed quiet, as she healed his team. He waited then, probably not long, as her Taxi needed to fly farther, but they'd likely finished at about the same pace.
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Mustard had managed to hide his strongest disciples from the two Champions throughout their stay on the island. They had been hiding out within the towers. Needless to say, Isabella was surprised to find a blonde trainer she hadn't seen before as her enemy. The woman smiled at her rather sweet and politely, before almost destroying Ursarti with her own fighting type.
Of course, her mind was almost as well guarded as Mustard and Honey's. The battle was a close one, Ursarti almost submitting to the other team's strength, before he finally managed to hit the enemy with a surprise Aerial Ace. Isabella knew that it had been a lucky hit, but was still proud of her bear, especially after he evolved. He had been just as over leveled as Sikandar's after all, they had trained together. It just seemed like the other Trainer was simply more merciless in the way she fought, compared to the relatively chill opponent that Sikandar and Bhaloo had faced.
After bidding her farewell to all the Trainers she had beat, Isabella used the taxi ride to Hammerlocke City to change her outfit as well. Thanks to the livestreamed gym battles, everyone and their Pikachu would have recognized them in their yellow Master Dojo Garments. Thus, she opted for her favorite color, black, and pulled a Hoodie over her curly crimson hair.
Nurse Joy, ever the attentive assistant, gave her the second key to a suite she had secretly prepared for the pair of Champions. Once they had finished their battles at the Isle of Armor, Mustard had asked Sikandar where they'd travel to next, and had warned the nurse to maybe put a room aside for them. Needless to say, Isabella was pleasantly surprised to open the room and already find Sikandar in there.
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The members of his team who could reasonably fit in the Galarian suite, which was most of them, were scattered around the large room. His Gyarados was living his best life in the accompanying hot tub, Kuranku had found a corner to turn into a leafy nest, made of her own leaves, as Rillaboom liked to do.
Sikandar moved towards her once she stepped into the room, and she'd likely notice he had a tiny Gible with him now as well. The little shark dragon boi was breakdancing on the tile floor in the bathroom and scratching it with his rough scales.
His Dreepy greeted her with a 'Dreep!' as he manifested above her lover's shoulder, and then he was gone again just as quickly. Sikandar lowered her hood, found himself smiling at her, because of course they'd both won. Easily. Bhaloo was also around, lounging for the moment as she embraced the calmness of water. Sikandar leaned in towards Isabella's lips, as they came together.
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Sikandar had awakened a hunger within her she didn't even realize she had. Isabella leaned into his kiss, her nails digging into his shirt as their tongues started dancing passionately. On the back of her mind, she could feel her Gothitelle nudging her, and allowed her to free herself as well as a few other Pokémon from their balls while their Trainers kept going. Naturally, the room was already soundproofed, and the Pokémon sat back down at the sofa while waiting for the moment to pull up sight barriers around the bed as well.
While they continued to make out passionately, a few of their Pokémon made moves of their own: The Gallade kneeling like a knight before his Gardevoir, and her own Rillaboom nesting just beside the other plant ape. Even their freshly evolved Urshifu had suddenly realized that the other gender suddenly didn't suck anymore, and they showed off their new bodies to each other. The rest of her team was just chilling wherever, and Bianca, the only one of her veterans who was currently out of her ball, pulled Papaya, her Togedemaru, away from his Trainer's bag just so he wouldn't interfere. The floating little ball of spikes and sparks was visibly not okay with being moved by a psychic move but couldn't do anything against the stronger Pokémon's move.
"I missed you." Isabella murmured, ignoring the chaos going on in their rooms.
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Sikandar backed through the opaque psychic screen around the human's bed, and then they turned fully solid, hiding the humans from their Pokémon. He answered her words with another kiss, unable to take her eyes off of hers.
Outside the barrier, Kandra and Raphael shared their own kiss, and soon had erected their own psychic barrier for privacy. Kuranku, who enjoyed the fiery vigor Bandar had, wasn't actually in the same egg group, and she'd grown tired of getting scorched with nothing to show for it. Rillaboom were much more casual about their mating practices than Infernapes, but Bandar was in his ball, and thus saw nothing as the two leaf gorillas started emulating their Trainers. Most of the others just tried to get out of the way of the Pokémon who'd paired up.
Upon getting the signal that they were done, an exhausted Bianca dropped the last of her barriers, as the Rillaboom and Ralts line couple were also done. The kung fu bears had more endurance than all of them and would probably go all night if they weren't interrupted. Urshifu mating sessions were always lengthy, and very rarely produced an egg. She knew this was probably going to be her main job for as long as this challenge was going on. Knowing her Trainer, she rarely opened up to someone like she did with Sikandar. He seemed special, not only to her Trainer, but as a person. Bianca liked him as well, mostly for the kindness he showed when being around Pokémon, and of course, helping awaken her Trainer. Her first impression of him, breaking Zabrina's perception filter on Nessa, had made her chuckle, and he'd only risen in her esteem since then. This was a relationship worth fostering, which made the exhaustion she felt completely worth it. The baby Pokémon were fast asleep, and the ones which had previously mated had passed out. Something she planned on doing right about now as well. Maintaining just the Urshifu's barrier was more than doable in her sleep.
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When she awoke first, as Sikandar had no intention of getting up early, their Pokémon were already getting themselves the free breakfast from the Center, as well as feeding the little ones. By the time Isabella was done showering, he'd likely woken up, and was scrolling on his Rotom Phone as she came out.
She came out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel-turban, wearing some freshly cleaned summer clothes. Thankfully, Honey had cleaned all of their clothes before they left the Master Dojo, without them having asked her to do so. Isabella was a little put off that she'd gone through their bags, but then, nothing was missing, and she trusted Honey not to judge them for their contents. If she'd tell anyone, it'd be Mustard, who probably knew all their secrets anyway. "Any noteworthy news from the net, or our competition?" She asked, once she saw him looking at his phone.
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It was mostly Bianca preparing their breakfast, namely by levitating it out of the Center's kitchen, and then used what she knew of la romance to turn the room into what humans considered a romantic setup, with a meal like breakfast.
Sikandar stretched, before answering her and rising from the bed. "Apparently Zabriko was assaulted by some overzealous fans on Route Six, and the Jennies have put them under arrest. Their sentencing was expedited. Not one of them got under two years, in a Prison, and they've all lost their jobs. Raihan is hyped to see us back, though. He wants a match, if we're up for it, and Leon even chimed in too that he'd allow it out of traditional order, if it meant a great battle that Galarians got to witness."
He was just impressed with the Chairman and was taking notes for what to do with Indius's League when he eventually returned. The Sikabelle hashtag had also exploded in popularity since their autograph signing, but people were Not thrilled they'd somehow managed to disappear again, dodging the crowds and evidently ending up somewhere in Hammerlocke.
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Chewing on one of the bagels Bianca had prepared, Isabella listened to what he told her. As always, the food at the Pokémon Center was quite nice but since she had started eating Sikandar's cooking, this food tasted bland. "Serves them right for breaking the rules. Leon was very clear about what would happen." She swallowed and pondered the rest of his words. "Raihan, huh? This is going to be interesting. He knows my usual strategies, and I know his. Having said that, I'm guessing he's gonna watch out more for you in a Battle."
Her phone flew out of her bag as well, showing some well sorted pictures and info from various news platforms. "Hmmmh. Did you find anything on who his partner is going to be? And do we know what Zabrina and Miko are- oh. Not that kind of news, Nico." She swiped away a rather distasteful picture of Zabrina and Mikolaj kissing on a selfie on the Chatter App.
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"ThEy aR3 sup3r p0puL r wh3neVer th3y d0 th1s th0ugh!" Her phone chirped as an answer and pulled up some statistics about how their popularity skyrocketed with every Zabriko post they made. "Yeah, and it's not my style. Shush." Her brows were furrowed, her tone slightly annoyed. It seemed like her Rotom possessing her phone enjoyed teasing her, though. The longer they were owned, the more they bonded with their owners, and transferring data was as simple as letting their Rotom inhabit a new model of phone. Some people had even used them for battles, though many Phone Rotom didn't like the pursuit of strength, preferring instead the pursuit of knowledge. Possessing a nearly limitless information device connected to the information superhighway was an ideal job for them.
While listening to Sikandar, she pulled the towel from her head, and started working a comb through her hair, detangling the curly red sea of lava. Catching the look he gave her, she grinned, and shifted from the normal combing motions to teasingly playing around with her hair, even doing comical impressions of the typical I'm flirting with you gestures people often did in movies or books.
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"It's Galar. There's only one Dragon Master that would want to come here and settle his losses against Leon. Every partner they've given the Leaders has wanted a shot at him too. And knowing Chairman Leon...he's probably going to make all of us Battle, again, when we reach Wyndon. He mentioned I would be able to use my original team, at some point, so it's good World Tournament prep."
He smirked as her phone teased her, and then stared as she started trying to tame her flaming mane. After their night, she'd probably be able to recognize that glint in his eyes by now. "Lance." He said, after the appropriate amount of suspenseful pause. "Apparently he's taken Raihan under his wing. Kind of. If it's anyone, it will be Lance." Though the mostly gray-haired Dragon Master was quite old by now, as usual, that only added to his ferocious battling skill. Dragon Tamers tended to live longer, for some reason, and it was always in their final years that they became truly formidable. As a world-renowned Dragon Type Pokémon Master, Lance had become synonymous with dragon taming and his techniques had caused a surge in the number of Trainers who partnered with dragons.
Sikandar looked between his Drakloak and Gible then and frowned. "They're going to want to go all out...and you two won't be ready if we go in the morning..." He stroked his chin as he rose from the bed, and then looked back at Isabella. "I'm going to hunt some Dens before the match. Get these two to evolve. Hopefully." Ajagar snarled in firm agreement, as ten levels was nothing to a Large Exp candy. Bhoomakshak seemed unperturbed at the idea of evolving. Either that, or he was farting. His features could be deceptively simple at times, but at least he'd stopped biting people thanks to Bianca's patient interventions with her power. Sikandar saw a glint in his seemingly vacant eyes though, and figured, judging by what his Dex had his level at, he would evolve quickly. The real test would be to see if he could tame a newly evolved Garchomp by the time of their battle.
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Once Bianca turned around and saw the humans making lingering eye contact again, she sighed audibly, before flooding both of their minds with her ramble. "GIMME A BREAK YOU TWO!"
Isabella, completely startled because of hearing her Pokémon's voice for the first time, slightly jumped in her seat, even more so when the psychic walls went up all around them, even above and below them, so not a single noise would escape. The last thing she saw of her Pokémon was how Bianca sat on the sofa, sulking, while having all of their baby Pokémon floating through the air with just purely joyful expressions on their faces.
"Haha, I guess I should apologize to her later… and maybe buy her some berry pancakes…" Some of their other Pokémon were a little irritated by the psychic outburst that had reached their minds as well, but nobody dared speaking with Bianca when she was angry. Isabella bit her bottom lip, as she eyed Sikandar again. "Well… shouldn't let the walls go to waste…"
As he'd been on his way to shower, the psychic walls formed a circle around her, and the bathroom door, leaving it open to them. As he saw her return the look, he walked towards her instead of the shower, and let his undergarments fall, as that was all he'd pulled back on the night before.
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Once Isabella was satisfied, and taking a power nap with Bianca, Sikandar went out to the Wild Area and smashed through every den he could find, with the aid of a few Trainers who'd shared their number for when he needed a team for den diving. Ten levels came and went for his Drakloak, who eagerly took his final form, and thanks to how long evolution took for his species, he was already pretty powerful. Bhoomakshak needed exactly two, and as a Gabite had seemed completely on board with becoming a Garchomp. Given the level Sikandar had caught him at, he assumed the Gible had been rather old, just unchallenged in the part of the cave system Sikandar found him in.
He divided their Exp. candy evenly after that, satisfied that they were now significantly over leveled for what Raihan was expecting. Lance, he had no doubt, would adjust accordingly. The first round would likely be easy, the second, would involve at least one Dragonite. Even as a Garchomp, Bhoomakshak hadn't rampaged. He had a good hold over his emotions, and while he certainly felt the chemical rush from achieving his final form, the rather old dragon type managed to stay calm, and save his rage for battle. In Sikandar he found a worthy human, whose team had many worthy rivals on it.
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By the time they made it to Hammerlocke Stadium, it was noon, and both Raihan and the crowd were tired of waiting. Being no Chairman Leon, while Raihan had eventually ordered a few exhibition matches between his Gym Trainers, as the hours dragged on with no Champions, and nobody knowing where they were, many people began searching the city for the duo.
Thus, pretty much as soon as they left the Pokémon Center, they were found by their fans, who formed lines on either side of the street. They also blocked off the two from going anywhere but the Gym. As they entered the building, changed into the Galar League's required outfits, and took the field, it was not Lance waiting beside Raihan.
"Ladies and gentlemen...your long-awaited Gym Battle is about to begin! The Challengers...Champions of Indius and Italia both...let's hear it for Sikandar and Isabellaaaa!" One half of the stadium erupted in cheers, and Isabella could see quite a few couples, with the men repping the Indius Champion, and the females shamelessly copying her look/fashion sense. "Facing them...Galar's Eighth Gym Leader...Raiiihaaan! And accompanying him, a Galarian local back from his trip through the States! It's the Kanto Region's own Viridian City Dragon Type Gym Leader...RYUKI!" The spotlights revealed Raihan and Ryuki one at a time, and the red-leather clad, spikey haired Kantonian Gym Leader had, somehow, acquired a mic. This time the other side of the stadium roared, and a quick glance would confirm they were mostly Raihan fangirls.
"It's about bloody time!" He shouted, and the crowd, both sides of it this time, roared in agreement. He leveled a finger at Sikandar then. "I've been waiting for you, boy...it's time for you two to learn the power of Dragon Types!" The crowd roared again, and their opponents drew their balls.
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At the same time as Sikandar and Isabella sent in Ajagar and Elsa, two massive dragons appeared in front of their Pokémon. While Ryuki had decided to use his Garchomp, Raihan went with his Flygon, which immediately tried setting up a Sandstorm. Bits and pieces of the sand froze up, forming large chunks of hail, before being completely canceled out by the Hailstorm that Isabella had wanted to place as a first action. This was a draw, neither Pokémon had managed to triumph with its endeavor to change the weather.
Raihan and Isabella stared each other down, an old summer camp childhood rivalry catching up with them. "AAAAND THE MATCH STARTS WITH AN OLD LOVERS QUARREL LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Ty's voice boomed through the stadium. "Cousins!" Shouted the two of them as a response, and simultaneously. Not that anyone cared.
"You can forget about setting up that Hailstorm. I am not stupid enough to let you Snowcloak through the fight." To emphasize Raihan's words, Flygon rushed towards Froslass, bringing the small glass cannon into a dangerous defensive position. Meanwhile, Ryuki's Garchomp leaped towards Ajagar, its claws glowing blurple with what was apparently a Dragon Claw incoming.
Ryuki taunted Sikandar. "Don't even think about being able to use those missiles, boy! I will crush you before you get the chance to launch!"
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Sikandar just smirked. "That's what you think." He raised his right hand then, and Isabella would recognize a Mega Glove, in the style of World Champion Ash Ketchum, who'd started a trend among serious Trainers of having multiple methods of powering up their partners. The Draco Plate shard had been a find he'd kept under wraps on the Isle of Armor, just in case Mustard had decided to pit them against each other, and once back in civilization it had been rather easy to find a fan with an awakened Plate shard. Making his impossibly rare shard viable for Mega Evolution was as easy as tapping the two together. They hadn't even been the same type. Infinity Energy truly had almost no limits, and Sikandar made a note to thank the newest Unovan Champion for the discovery, if they ever crossed paths.
Light shot from his hand into Ajagar long before the Garchomp even came close. His head became more X shaped and held two more slots for Dreepy missiles, his claws were sharp and blood red, and his body had spines along his back and down his tail. As his Mega Form solidified, Sikandar gave the order. "Get out of there with Agility, and then hit them both with Dragon Darts!" The closing Garchomp struck with the Dragon Claw, only to hit air as the smirking Ajagar seemed to vanish with his already ridiculous speed cranked up by two stages, and at an angle that could hit Flygon as well. Six yeet-seeking missiles, per dragon, fired from the absurdly fast draconic missile platform with speed that was almost unfair.
As they struck Ryuki's Garchomp with a normal hit rate, the land shark dragon tried blocking with his fins, only to be completely blown away by the move. So much so that the fainted Garchomp's body went sailing towards, and possibly even into Raihan's Flygon.
If it was hit by the Dragon Darts, or the Garchomp itself, the Flygon would find himself in a bad spot, as Elsa easily summoned the hail she needed. Currently, the two weather effects had merged, and seemed to be having a battle of their own. The first mon to lose focus would likely be the one to control the weather. Flygon tried to faint the Dreepy with a harsh, but powerful Dragonbreath before they impacted, but the speed and draconic aura around them saw at least three hammer into the Flygon and faint it.
Irritated, Ryuki recalled his Garchomp. "Dragonite! Go!" As the absurdly proportioned dragon took the field, Sikandar looked unfazed, as Ajagar raised his speed by two more stages, floating high above the field.
"BLOWN AWAY AT THE WORD GO!" Ty all but screamed into his mic. "Big talk from the Kanto Gym Leader now has his team sitting at one 'mon down! Only time will tell how Leader Raihan adapts to this overwhelming knockout!"
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Isabella stared with wide eyes as the Mega Dragapult showed off his power by all but wiping away their enemies. Then again, why should she be the only one with a trump card. She bit her lip. This wasn't the moment to think about stuff like that. Not when her rather weak psychic connection to her Pokémon needed every tiny bit of her attention.
Raihan drew out another Pokéball and one stylish throw later, called his Goodra into action. He seemed to say something to Ryuki, silently enough so their words were swallowed by the cheers of the fans, but as their Pokémon got ready for the next round. It seemed like this slap in their faces just now sobered up their minds. Two feisty dragon experts, ready to go all out. "They're up to something. Better stay sharp." Murmured Isabella. "Elsa, focus all of your energy on clearing Ajagar's sight lines and protecting him. Can you try to hide him with you in your Snowcloak?"
So far, she had only practiced this with Togedemaru, who was considerably smaller than the Mega Dragapult. Nevertheless, Elsa seemed to hum, content with trying this. She faded and appeared behind Ajagar as he felt the icy Kimono of her arms as she wrapped him into her powers, and both Pokémon disappeared into the constantly increasing hailstorm. Despite not liking ice types, Ajagar was only too eager to become a stealth bomber.
"WHAT'S THAT? THE CHALLENGER'S POKÉMON ARE GONE!?" The announcer's voice seemed slightly confused, but Raihan, knowing his cousin well enough after all these years, picked up fast enough. "Muk! Move. MOVE! BOTH OF YOU RUN!" He made a panicked gesture with his arm, while Ryuki just seemed annoyed. "You don't command my Poké-"
"NOW, BLIZZARD!"
Both dragons jumped, as ball-sized chunks of ice hit craters into the solid arena's ground. The hits weren't very precise, not with Elsa's focus on hiding Ajagar while she recovered from her exhausting attack. And still, it was enough to keep the dragon experts on their toes, their Pokémon at bay, and delay whatever plan they had. The dragons barely managed to evade the attack, while still getting hit by the ongoing hailstorm. Only Ajagar was spared, hidden away under Elsa's snowcloak. By now, he likely had recovered enough energy to continue the battle.
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Sikandar winked at his redhead as Elsa hid their draconic missile platform in the ice. The only thing that could make Mega Dragapult more terrifying was constant stealth. It had a harder time hiding in its Mega Form, or at least Ajagar did, as he was using it for the second time. Elsa covered that weakness though, leaving them free to reposition and fire upon their foes as they pleased.
"Ajagar. Unleash hell upon them!" Sikandar shouted, to the cheers of the crowd. His dragon's attack power soared with their cheers for violence. When he and Elsa rematerialized, he was wearing the kimono ghost like a cape with eyes, as she literally watched his back and prepared to hide them again.
As Ajagar appeared behind the pair of dragon types, Raihan swore. "Goodra! Toxic, now!" The scene was obfuscated by blinding blurple light as the draconic payload unloaded as many yeet-seeking missiles as Ajagar could summon from the Spirit World, and the attack struck both parties hard once again, with Elsa being immune, safe as she was around the dragon's neck and back.
The hailstorm lessened too, as the ref came on the field, and called the next double KO. "ANOTHER DOUBLE KNOCKOUT!" The announcer shouted, to be heard over the cheers of the Champion's fans. "Raihan and Ryuki now only have two Pokémon left, while Champions Sikandar and Isabella haven't even been touched! If anything, they've combined! Such masterful teamwork between Champions!"
"Duraludon! You're up!" "Kommo-o, let's go!" The dragon bois wasted no time in countering either, as together they shared a look, nodded, and shouted, "Flash Cannon!"
Ajagar and Elsa danced out of the way of one of the gleaming balls of super effective steely death, and unfortunately, landed right in the path of the second one as Ajagar reappeared. Flash Cannon struck home, likely damaging Elsa more than Ajagar. "The Move connected!" The announcer shouted, "But will it be enough!?"
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Elsa tried to hide within her snowcloak, to avoid the attack by moving aside. However, the dragon duo had anticipated her move, adjusting their Flash Canon to cover any spot she could have used. It ended up being a critical hit, even more so with Elsa's weakness to steel.
Isabella caught her back into her Pokéball, before her tiny KO'd body was slammed into the wall of the gym behind her. "What a fight… you were amazing. Great job." She murmured to the Pokéball, before putting it away. She stretched, raising her arms high into the air, while the battle halted to await the Pokémon she was going to send in as a replacement. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath. She used this time to think about the options they had.
If she sent in Fafnir, he could help Ajagar in fighting off Kommo-o. However, the true problem in this fight, from her point of view, was Duraludon. Gigantamaxing him was Raihan's signature move, and the steel dragon was unphased by all but the strongest attacks. Even resistant to fairies. Knowing his weakness all too well from their previous sparring, she knew which option would be her best. With a skillful throw, she called out her Tyranitar, and Raihan's grin widened. His rival had not disappointed, and neither had Sikandar.
Sikandar watched her stretch, just as hopelessly drawn to Isabella's fine frame as every other male staring at her. The difference being, he was likely going to explore every inch of her later, if she'd let him.
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"Marabecca…go all out…!" She tapped the stone of the necklace she was wearing, and the Tyranitar's form started shifting, growing larger, as it assumed its Mega Form, and roared loud enough to shake the air with the force of it. The crowd went wild. When Pokémon unintentionally let out a Hyper Voice just by appearing, that was when things got good. On the loudspeakers, Galar's somewhat iconic Gym Battle hype music started blasting, and Raihan bopped his head along to it, before grinning wide at his live streaming Rotom Phone.
"Duraludon, you know what to do! Wipe'em away from my Gym! GIGANTAMAX!"
The fans were ecstatic, hyped to see the two Mega Evolutions as they faced the Skyscraper of a dragon, as well as the Kommo-o which clung to it like King Kong as Duraludon's size octupled. Clearly, it was ready to support Duraludon just like Elsa did with Ajagar the round before.
There was a moment of silence. The sheer power of the currently present Pokémon was tangible to every viewer, and even the announcer seemed to be stunned. Small ripples of dragon energy surged through the battlefield, as if an electric type was trying to use Electric Terrain. The Mega Tyranitar stomped forward, undaunted by the dragon building before it. She was arrogant, or confident, enough to take on a glorified building.
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As the draconic steel skyscraper began to move, Sikandar shouted his order. "Target the structural points! Dragon Darts!"
Isabella was right after him. "Earthquake!"
Ajagar once more fired his payload, and the little Dreepy were thrilled to be attacking all together so many times in a row. Explosions lit up the titanic dragon's body, and it roared in pain. Dragon moves still affected it normally despite its typing, and he'd been hit with quite a few darts. Then, came the city-shaking Earthquake. Marabecca held nothing back, as she physically couldn't, in her Mega Form. Very few non-Legendary Pokémon had an attack power as high as hers, and her nature and Mega Form had only increased her power to even more ridiculous heights.
Kommo-o had leapt from the dragon building as Ajagar bombed it, then landed on the field with an impact crater. Falling damage didn't so much as dent it though, and it let out an echoing roar as it charged the currently empty draconic missile platform that was Ajagar.
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Thankfully, he'd recovered by now, and he was no stranger to melee combat, despite his species' preference for firing off their young like weapons. "Phantom Force!" Sikandar ordered, "Then use Dragon Claw!" The ghost move wouldn't affect the shielded fighting dragon, but it did get Ajagar behind his defenses, to land a critical strike. The dragon let out a pitiful cry, as the rather high leveled Dragapult vanished again, presumably to reload his missiles.
"Ohhh! Down it goes!" The announcer cried.
Marabecca was one of the Pokémon Isabella had been training in secret, and she'd been getting the hardest tasks, too. Learning and then mastering as many moves as possible, to abuse the Tyranitar line's move pool in the future, the Larvitar, much like Bhoomakshak, had evolved quickly after gaining only two levels. It was strange how first form Pokémon sometimes went lifetimes without evolving, even when they could have.
With Kommo-o down, nothing was in her way and her only weakness, fighting moves, was now nullified. "Bring that oversized Dragon-lighter down! EARTHQUAKE!" Isabella shouted. It was clear to everybody that she was having a good time, as her mask had slipped in the thrill of facing Raihan. He may have lost often to Leon, but he hadn't lost to many others. He was an eighth, and now seventh, rank Gym Leader for a reason. Gloria was also one of those people he lost to, repeatedly.
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The Gigantamaxed dragon building used a Max Rockfall as it fell to the massive, city shaking Earthquake but Marabecca simply smirked, and used Dig, which in her Mega Form manifested as her rapidly sinking into the ground of the field. Hammerlocke Stadium was rather ancient, so it had ample dirt beneath it in which the Mega Tyranitar waited, safe from harm. When the shaking stopped, and she felt elation from her Trainer, she returned to the surface, stomping unnecessarily at the final bit to reach the surface. She raised her arms, as much as she could in this form, and roared again. Her Hyper Voice shook the entire castle city that time, and the energy barriers had to kick in their sound deflectors, lest everyone present be rendered deaf.
There was a pause, after that, and everyone got to see Marabecca standing triumphantly, unscathed, before Raihan's ace. Then, the crowd went insane, as did the commentators, again. Even Leon, who had made it late to the match but was still there, just shook his head, and clapped. A Gigantamaxed dragon was no joke, and Isabella had made downing it look easy. Not for the first time, Leon wondered if Mega Evolution might not be stronger. History said it wasn't, but then, wars with Kalos hadn't followed the rules of battle. One on one, or especially with two at once, Dynamaxing might indeed prove inferior to the sheer power the Mega Form of a pseudo-Legendary had. It was a good lesson to learn, for the upcoming World Tournament, and if he ever faced such a Pokémon with that high of an attack stat, like a black Salamence, perhaps, he would know not to face it with a Gigantamaxed Pokémon. As powerful as Eternatus' energy was, it also made his partners slow. On that level, it was smarter to fight a Mega Form with a Mega Form.
The audience was celebrating, the announcer going absolutely wild. "I can't believe my eyes! Raihan's Gigantamaxed Pokémon went down without landing a single hit on his enemies? What are those Challengers?" Isabella cheered, letting her mask down for once as she enjoyed victory. The fact that they were severely overleveled for what Ryuki and Raihan had been expecting, in technical terms, their fourth gym badge, had also led to the easy win. She knew that wasn't Raihan's main Duraludon, just its baby. It was growing fast, though. Turning to Sikandar, she grinned, before offering her fist for a bump. "That was amazing teamwork, partner!"
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The Max Rockfall was easily dodged by Ajagar, who appeared by them in his base form, roaring in victory. And at the fact that his fated rival, Bhoomakshak, hadn't even been used. Sikandar knew he'd need the Garchomp later on, though…and frankly he wasn't super confident that the rather large land shark would listen to him once the heat of battle got him going. Maybe after a few more meals and Badges, but not right yet. He hadn't rampaged upon evolving, but Sikandar could see the gleam in his eye and the murder on his mind. If his Trainer told him to let loose, there was every possibility he would have gone too far.
As they claimed the win that their rivals had been unable to even dream of, his fist bumped hers, and then in true Naruto fashion, their inner selves met. It might've seemed like a normal fist bump to some. To others, there was clearly steam emanating from the two Champion's locked eyes. His words from one of their sexcapades echoed in her head as they shared the brief mindspace. "You...are incredible..."
She'd be able to feel his lust for her even then, but like her, he showed none of it. Their fist bump only seemed to last a bit long, to onlookers, before he turned to their cheering Pokémon, and recalled Ajagar. They walked towards Raihan and Ryuki then, shaking both their hands as the cameras flashed, and word of their victory began to spread.
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"Honestly, I thought you'd suck at teamplay when I heard you were going to be one of the attending Champions." Raihan grinned, as he walked up to them, teasing his cousin while swallowing the bitterness of just having lost a battle, in his own Gym. Next to him, Ryuki scratched his hathairthing, before exhaling dramatically. "It aint easy to be a superstar. But, the world loves a good underdog story, so I'll just take this minor setback. Next time, we're gonna hand your bzzzzt~es to you!" He was obviously staring down Sikandar, the fire of rivalry burning in his eyes. The ever so diligent Rotom Phone hovering between them buzzed his words for the still cheering audience. Sikandar answered the edgy Kantonian Gym Leader with silently mouthed words; 'Any time' as he turned to leave with Isabella.
In a city like Hammerlocke, and after a fight like this, they couldn't avoid the obligatory fans, as well as the interviews. People were surrounding them, asking for autographs and selfies. They humored their fans for quite a while, before finally getting help from an agent of the League, who cleared them a path to the local branch of the popular Budew Drop Inn.
"Welcome, Champion Isabella and Champion Sikandar." The receptionist greeted them. "I am glad to inform you that the League is providing a room for each of the participants. You may return here, or even store something within your rooms, whenever you please. I'll just install this update on your phones for you to unlock them at your earliest convenience."
There were a few noises coming from both of their bags, as the Rotom chirped, gladly looking at the newly acquired data. "And that's it. Room 420 for Sikandar, and Room 421 for Isabella. Do enjoy your stay!" Sikandar tried not to break down into laughter, as it seemed someone had matched his room number and Galarian uniform number on purpose. He took a selfie outside of it, with Isabella looking confused in the background, but his fans got the joke.
As the elevator was quite crowded, they opted for the stairs, slowly ascending to the fourth floor. A few curious people were standing at each floor, trying a little too hard to act indifferent, and obviously there to catch any word of the duo's conversation. Which they'd never hear, as the pair spoke within their world of thoughts. "The fourth floor is where they have their suites. Pure luxury. The hotel was probably sponsoring this because it was going to boost their popularity, especially for the very rooms we are going to use. If you want my opinion, I believe the League is also trying to trap us with the luxury, and see which Champions neglect their training just so they can stay in a warm room for a day longer. I say we spend the night and be on our way early in the morning." The hotel's interior got nicer and obviously more expensive with each floor they passed, until they finally reached the top.
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When they finally reached their rooms, there seemed to be about forty suites in total, on the topmost floor of the 'inn'.
"Or maybe they're just putting us up in luxury because Leon told them to. Nobody in this challenge neglects their training." He smirked at her, and then made for his room. To the subtly hidden camera hounds on the fourth floor, the two Champions entered their rooms at the same time. Once they did, Sikandar bamfed over to Isabella's suite, with Raphael's help, which allowed Raphael to join Kandra in Sikandar's room.
He went over to the gorgeous redhead then, arms wrapping around her, if she was into it. "Speaking of training...we should probably work on your psychic control, and I would prefer to do that in pure luxury. Bea and her Gym will still be there tomorrow. It's not that long of a train ride. A few hours, maybe. We have time. For food, training, and...other things." He smiled at her then, still amazed that he'd managed to romance this vision of crimson beauty, who was also quite frankly the best battling partner he'd ever had.
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She nodded, smiling at him as they locked eyes again. "I think I…we…need a shower first. Then we can open my…bodily energy pools. I've been reading up on them. That Professor Banyan of yours is…very intelligent. Those theories on Spiral Power and Infinity Energy are quite solid."
Sikandar nodded, grimacing at the memory of the old woman. "That woman will live forever." He muttered. Indius's new Trainers had been administered by Banyan for over two centuries, at this point, and the woman only looked like she was ninety. Her body was slowly bending to time, but her spirit and intellect refused to die. He guided her into the shower then, and this time Fakir maintained the soundproofing, while Bianca slept. The rest stayed in their balls, content to rest until the morning.
Once they emerged, victorious and satisfied, Sikandar pulled her nude body into his lap, and entwined their fingers as he gave her a refresher on Chakras. Once she finally affirmed that she was ready, he entered her mindspace, as his master had done for him. What manifested was a finely decorated room with Italia style choices. Namely, dark woods and red carpeting and accents. Outside the room, on three sides of the apparent mansion they were in, was the ocean. A single man-made bridge connected the building to the mainland. A city glowed in the distance, and Sikandar sensed the name from her subconscious. Neo Napoli. A city notorious for its level of organized crime, even in other regions. Which meant that this estate was likely owned by one of Italia's crime families.
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As he looked at Isabella, her face was pale, and an emotion he'd never seen on her was plastered on her face: fear. "Isabella! What's wrong? Where are we?"
"W-we can't…can't be…it's impossible…" She looked around with wild eyes, and then finally noticed him. She didn't seem to have even heard his words, such was her state of mind. Bianca appeared then, and with a hand on her Trainer, calmed her, and the wrongness within her mind.
She glared at Sikandar then, projecting words at him. "You should have warned me you were doing this!"
"We haven't even…" Then, he pieced it together. The decor's color, Isabella's reaction, they were already opening her Earth Chakra. He used a small burst of psychic power to stop Bianca. "Don't! She has to face this without meddling."
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Bianca narrowed her eyes at Sikandar. She liked him, but the gall of him using his power on her lost him points in her esteem. "She would have broken, without me." She declared. "I kept her whole through the hardships she suffered. As whole as I could…I hadn't evolved yet when…when that man burned her with his Charizard. I could only save so much. I need to be here during this, lest her mind crack apart."
Sikandar was adamant on this point. "This is a journey for her, and she'll never get through her turmoil if you're around to constantly bottle her up, Bianca. To create, one must first destroy. To mold clay, one must first break it from its natural form. I'm sure she's glad for what you did, I am too, but she needs to do this on her own. Do not interfere again."
Isabella, meanwhile, was utilizing her training to not devolve into a full panic attack. The memories surged, but she kept breathing throughout the flashbacks. They eventually ended. She had eventually escaped this wretched place. This den of pure evil. The home base of Team Rocket.
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Sikandar spoke quickly, before her fears manifested and she withdrew, blocking her energy even more. "Isabella. Listen to my voice. Focus. Remember? The base of your spine." He saw a slight smile break through the fear, as he sensed her recalling how his strong hands had touched her there in that gentle manner she'd come to crave. "Focus your power there, and listen. Fear helps you survive, but we must not be paralyzed by it. Breathe deeply, and focus your mind. Then, let the fear g-"
"Isabeeella…" A deep baritone voice echoed softly through the room, which did not conduct sound very well thanks to all the carpeting. The Italia Champion froze up, as she turned, and their surroundings changed. They were on a depressingly austere battlefield, that while stacked with modern Trainer supplies, had no personality or history. It was like a factory created to battle and train ideal Pokémon. The man before them had an almost comically square jaw, sharp brown eyebrows, and brown hair in a slicked back Italia style, that was kept rather short. He was clean shaven, but it was the giant red R on his black and red suit that made Sikandar realize who she was afraid of.
He'd heard of Giovanni of course, seen his picture when researching Red's legend, but here he was younger, early twenties at most. Behind him, was a ferocious Charizard that snarled at her, as its tail flame shifted to a blue color. Things around them began to increase in temperature. "Stupid, weak child…" Came the distorted voice of Giovanni's memory as recalled by Isabella. "You were never a Rossi. The only reason you're still leeching off of us like a Joltik is because my mother likes you enough to tolerate your presence." He said something in Italia's local dialect then that her brain translated as 'frigid c**t', and rage overcame her fear.
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"You leave Nonna's name out of your worthless mouth!" As she shouted, and faced down Giovanni, Bianca moved forward, but Sikandar stopped her. The mindscape around them turned red, and the Charizard became more vicious, its toothy maw wreathed in flames, and ready to scar her again.
"You have your partners. You are not alone." Sikandar said quietly, as his master had done for him. He sensed Fakir's pride at how well he was handling this, despite how…intense it had so quickly become. The experience was different for everybody, but Sikandar had no intention of abandoning his student on this journey. Rough as it would likely be.
Isabella glanced at him, and the red tinge seemed to fade, as she remembered what this was. The Charizard was still ferocious looking, but now, after hearing his words, looked like every other Charizard. It was a far more accurate representation of how Giovanni's fire lizard actually looked. Still powerful…but nowhere near what she intended to break once she got to Leon. She was tempted to use Marabecca, but didn't think Earthquaking her subconscious was a good idea. Instead, she brought out Carlo, one of her veterans. Her Poliwrath.
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Giovanni gave her a dark smirk. "Really? The shiny frog again? We have had this contest, niece. I Win! Fiero, Heat Wave!"
Carlo wreathed himself in water and stood in front of them. Isabella panicked, as she stared at the Charizard again, and again, Sikandar chimed in. "A Hydro Cannon would work."
Isabella shook her head and started Trainer babbling. "Only starter lines can use that, and Carlo is a Physical Attacker, it'd be better if-"
Sikandar cut in. "It's not real, Isabella. Trust me. Try Hydro Cannon."
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She nodded, sweating despite the heat apparently not being real, and gave a convincingly solid order. "Carlo! HYDRO CANNON!"
The mental manifestation of the green colored muscle frog flashed with a blue light, and then from the center of his spiral stomach, came a beam of focused water type energy that blew away Fiero, Giovanni, and the entire house. Sikandar and Isabella gasped as they suddenly jolted back to their Pokémon Center suite, still nude, still cuddled together, but Bianca was beside them now, looking worried.
"You did it…" Sikandar said quietly, as they struggled to regain their breath. "You opened your first Chakra. I'm sorry, I…I didn't realize how powerful or how easily they would manifest. We'll prepare better, for the others."
"A-alright…" She said quietly, wondering if he had questions for her. Opening her innermost bodily energy pools had all but confirmed the rumors surrounding her, and Team Rocket. "I think I should…rest before we try the others…"
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Sikandar slowly nodded and brought her back on the bed with him. He didn't let her turn away though, and she glanced up at his eyes when his gentle but firm grip kept her in place. "I'm not judging you for your upbringing, Isabella. I want you to know, no matter what we experience throughout this process, it's Not going to change how I feel about you." He let his genuine emotions flood into her then, an easier thing to do now he was bonded with a Gallade. Tears formed in her eyes, but he just smiled at her. "I mean it. You can feel it. Nothing about who you used to be will make these feelings go away. I tell you this, both because I want you to know, and because if you try hiding things from me with lies while we're opening your Chakras…they could become…jammed, in a sense. Like a door. Half open, half closed. Stuck. Jams are…tricky to undo and are best avoided entirely. Rest, for now. We'll continue this tomorrow."
She nodded quietly, seemingly believing his words, and then minutes later, was asleep in his arms. He watched her for a long time as the lights dimmed further, and he wondered just how connected to Team Rocket she was. The rumors around her, usually from clearly involuntarily celibate Pokénet trolls that had deep-seated issues with women, likely stemming from rejection, claimed her team had been acquired for her by Team Rocket, and that she hadn't trained them. All her success was, according to the Chatter incel community, built upon Team Rocket's brutality. According to his Phone Rotom, the aforementioned incels had made hundreds, if not thousands of videos about not just Isabella, but any moderately famous female Trainer who advocated for things like equality between the sexes. His Rotom had also noted that very few of their targets had been male, despite there being more male Trainers, currently, being vocal about things like equal pay and treatment. Most regions had moved past such issues, but the Imperium and a few Kingdoms in Eous still had them.
Apparently, all the Italia Professor, one Professor Pino, had for her back in the day was a little Minccino, and gym by gym, she'd acquired the other members of her team seemingly legitimately. Sikandar had his people check her out of course, once they'd been partnered, but nothing they'd found out about her suggested she'd ever utilized whatever connection she had to Team Rocket, if any, to raise her partners. Deciding Chatter's resident incel population was simply wrong on this, as they were on pretty much any topic they spewed about, Sikandar drifted off to sleep.