...
So, Natsu found out from Hunter W that these assholes had busted into the Nacrene Museum in Nacrene City. Right then, he decided he was gonna track down Mr. S, or at least what was left of him.
But his real target? Whatever the hell was stashed in that seventh box.
He figured if this "Dark Stone" was the real deal, those Hunter schmucks wouldn't have gotten their hands on it so damn easily.
But thinking about it now, a cold dread crept up his spine. He was pretty sure there was something about it he just didn't know.
"Guess I'll have to grill Hunter W when I get back. The Hunter's Guild pulling the same dirty tricks as other organizations instead of just catching Pokémon? This is some serious fucking business."
Natsu's head throbbed a bit, staring at the "Dark Stone" chilling on the ground.
This thing was a sleeping Zekrom, the legendary, ideal dragon. Naturally, it was worth more than his damn life.
Theoretically, Zekrom should be on par with Rayquaza.
And that's not even counting any Mega Evolution bullshit.
Just theory, of course.
But after seeing Mr. S's actions and realizing this whole disaster was probably way more fucked up than he'd thought, Natsu felt like he was holding a live goddamn grenade.
Natsu wasn't dumb enough to think he could just waltz in, be some legendary hero like N or Ash, and get a Legendary Pokémon's blessing. What a load of crap.
If he was, he wouldn't have instantly known it was real the second he touched it.
There was no way in hell he was gonna walk into some tiny room and play "Truth or Dare" with Zekrom.
And that dumb Psychic stunt he pulled, trying to smash the "Dark Stone"?
Yeah, that probably left a fucking terrible impression on Zekrom. Good job, genius.
Slowly approaching the stone, Natsu finally let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding after making sure the Dark Stone wasn't gonna explode or anything. He carefully tucked it back into the wooden box.
"I'm not even sure if I wanna wake Zekrom up, or if I wanna go into Dragonspiral Tower."
He looked at the wooden box, rubbing his chin.
Anyway, Reshiram is chilling in Dragonspiral Tower, and it's totally possible he could be let loose there too. Great. Just fucking great.
Natsu put the wooden box away carefully, then glanced at the last wooden box.
This time, Natsu had to be extra, extra careful, using his Psychic to open it slowly, like he was defusing a bomb.
Inside the box was a stone about the same size as the "Dark Stone," but it was lumpy, and its color and shine were obviously different from any regular rock.
This, my friends, was a piece of a goddamn Meteorite.
That was also the real reason Natsu was even here.
It was covered in tons of dangerous cosmic viruses, the kind Pokémon world tech couldn't even begin to figure out or explain.
And the main reason he was looking for it was for Deoxys, who should still be snoozing in a Meteorite out in space.
Deoxys, that alien bastard, came from outer space.
And it wasn't born the usual way, no egg-hatching bullshit like regular Pokémon. These things were born after DNA mutations from some cosmic virus, and a bunch of other temporary, weird changes. Talk about a messed-up birth.
Natsu had been racking his brain, wondering where the hell Deoxys was, especially when he felt a signal from a "friend" in the Pokémon world.
It wasn't until he got to the Unova Region and heard about the Nacrene Museum from Hunter W that it clicked. He suddenly remembered there was supposed to be a piece of Meteorite there.
So he tracked down this piece of Meteorite just to give Deoxys an explanation. A peace offering, if you will.
Even if it might not be able to break through Rayquaza's airspace, that's a problem for another day.
But if Deoxys found him and he couldn't deliver the goods? He'd be in deeper shit than a Mamoswine in quicksand.
Now, with this piece of Meteorite in his hands…
Whether it was the "friend" Deoxys was looking for or not, at least he had a damn good excuse.
Natsu wasn't planning on digging into the Meteorite any further after confirming it was real. No need to poke the cosmic bear.
He gathered everything on the ground and checked his haul.
Then he looked over at Mr. S's Pokémon: Nidoking and Scolipede.
His eyebrows furrowed a bit.
"Audino?" Natsu called out to his female healer.
"Audi."
But Audino looked uncomfortable, and her healing didn't do jack for the two Pokémon.
Natsu pressed his lips together.
"Looks like it's a side effect of that drug, and their genes are fucked, not just physical injuries."
Even though Natsu expected this, seeing two Elite-level Pokémon just vanish for nothing still stung like a bitch. What a goddamn waste.
"And it's not just them."
Looking at the Poké Balls he'd taken from S, he could see through the glass that the Pokémon inside were pretty much in the same sorry state as Nidoking and Scolipede.
"This is the price S paid for fighting Thundurus," Natsu said slowly, shaking his head.
In his opinion, even if all your Pokémon got sacrificed, if he could bag Thundurus, it would still be a win.
It was the same crazy idea Tom Ritchie had.
Only, Tom Ritchie fought a regular Zapdos and actually pulled it off.
Meanwhile, Mr. S faced a real Legendary, and failure was pretty much guaranteed. What a dumbass.
It was clear Mr. S must have been under a lot of pressure.
Maybe from Tom Ritchie, maybe from Team Plasma, maybe from Team Rocket.
He had to take a fucking risk.
"This should be it." Natsu pulled out a transparent liquid in a test tube from Mr. S's messy backpack and held it up to the sunlight, where it shimmered with multiple colors.
There were six of them, enough for six Pokémon. The guy was truly ready to fight to the death. What a committed idiot.
"If I get the chance, I can test what this shit's made of and what it does."
Since one wasn't used, that meant there was one Pokémon that could be saved.
An Alolan Muk, a colorful Pokémon, was gently lying on the scorched ground nearby.
An Alolan Muk is actually better for a team than a regular Muk.
Because of "Power of Alchemy," he can inherit the Ability of a Pokémon that faints, making the team more forgiving of mistakes and better in battle.
Natsu didn't know what this Alolan Muk's Ability was. He was badly hurt, knocked out by Thundurus's "Discharge" and didn't get a chance to show it.
But he was still an Elite Pokémon.
Natsu kept him after letting Audino do some light work.
This Alolan Muk probably couldn't be tamed.
Pokémon with Trainers are hard to tame, especially Elite-level Pokémon; they usually have a good relationship with their Trainers.
Natsu didn't want a ticking time bomb chilling by his side.
"Keep him for now. This kind of Pokémon doesn't use up resources anyway."
After cleaning up the fucking battlefield.
Natsu looked at Thundurus again.
And the bastard was still upside down.
Natsu: "..." (What the actual fuck?)
"Meloetta, can we get the hell out of here now? Your friend there isn't gonna stop us, right?" Natsu turned and asked his female companion.
"Melo Melo!" Meloetta patted her chest confidently.
They went to the stone tablet on the hillside.
Of course.
Thundurus just followed, watching them leave without blocking them. What a weirdo.
Natsu stopped in front of the stone tablet.
He took out some Pokéblock boxes from his pocket and put them on the ground.
"Thundurus, these are for you."
With that, he left the island with his Pokémon and Meloetta.
"Thundrusss?"
Thundurus looked at the clear Pokéblocks on the ground and sniffed the special scent.
A little curious, he picked one up and popped it in his mouth.
"Thundruss!"
The electric taste zapped his taste buds, exploding in his mouth, and his eyes lit up instantly. Holy shit.
This guy not only saved him from an embarrassing situation, but he was also really good at keeping delicious treats. Who knew?
Seems like it worked. Happy fucking ending!
...
...
...
Unova Region, P2 Laboratory.
"Professor Colress, what are the results?"
On a big screen, Ghetsis's ugly mug was projected.
In front of the screen was a guy in a white lab coat, looking to be in his twenties. His most obvious thing was his blonde hair with a ridiculously exaggerated light blue strand looping around his head. Ah, Colress. The mad scientist himself.
Colress gently pushed his glasses up, and his fingers quickly tapped a small computer in his hand, data flying across his eyes.
"Mr. Ghetsis," Colress said, not even bothering to look at the screen, just staring at his tablet.
Ghetsis didn't care about Colress's rude behavior. He was just that kind of guy.
A fanatic obsessed with research and Pokémon. Only Team Plasma was crazy enough to deal with him in the Unova Region.
Ghetsis listened as he continued: "The first try to control Thundurus was definitely a bust. If we can't even control Thundurus, then of course we won't be able to control the Twin Dragons."
Colress spoke, slowly lifting his head with a smile on his face.
"However, Thundurus did give us valuable data, so it wasn't a total failure. By tweaking some parameters and signals, the second-generation machine can completely control Thundurus."
On this, Colress was super confident.
"Controlling Thundurus alone isn't enough," Ghetsis said sternly.
"Of course not." Colress looked at his tablet again, "so I need more experiment data to better adjust the settings and signal frequencies."
Hearing this, Ghetsis frowned.
"If Thundurus can't be controlled, why don't you try Landorus?"
"No, no, no!" Colress's face twisted with unnatural madness. "Besides the Twin Dragons, who are currently... unavailable for a chat, aren't there other Pokémon we can try? I heard there's one from the same origin as them, and no one's more suitable for experiments. And as far as I know, it exists for a certain probability."
"You mean, Kyurem?"
Colress chuckled, the meaning clear as day.
"If you can wake the Twin Dragons now, Mr. Ghetsis, then you can certainly skip this step," he added, a smug look on his face.
"The Twin Dragons will naturally find a way to wake up, you don't need to worry about that." Ghetsis had his own plans for this, "But Kyurem can indeed give you some reference, and I'll arrange it. "
Colress touched his chest with his right hand and bowed slightly, "Then I'll wait for your good news."
The video call ended.
Colress muttered: "They say the Twin Dragons and Kyurem are from the same origin and have the ability to fuse."
"I've never seen such a way of strengthening, two completely individual Pokémon can merge into one? I really want to try to analyze Kyurem's genes now."
Just then.
The lab door opened.
A Team Plasma grunt walked in.
"Professor Colress, the specimens downstairs are agitated again."
Hearing this, Colress dropped his smile, turned with big steps, moving towards the outside of the laboratory with a blank look. He put his finger to his ear, then said into his headset: "Increase the signal output, increase the frequency."
After speaking, he added: "Remember to collect the frequency bands they release, especially the ones from their heads. They have an absolute boss-subordinate relationship like ants, which is the best sample and reference for this experiment."
Colress, who controls the Inspiration Pokémon instrument and production, can learn a lot from some Pokémon under this P2 Laboratory.
If he just let it run without studying it properly, he'd get a huge headache later.
Of course, with his control over the base, it wasn't easy for them to escape, so he wasn't panicking.
Even while walking, he didn't forget to scroll through the computer in his hand.
"Beauty? Good guess. Do Pokémon still have 'power'? 'Intimacy'? This is the right way to truly boost Pokémon's abilities and power. This person might be good to chat with."
...
...
...
On the other side.
"Dr. Zager!"
An old man with grayish-white hair was hunched over a table, deep in his research.
Hearing this familiar voice, he quickly stood up, moving towards the lit screen in front of him and bowing.
"Boss."
"What are the results?" a voice came from the dim scene on the screen.
The only thing visible in the dark was a glowing red "R."
Clearly, the "Boss" Dr. Zager was talking to was none other than Giovanni, the Boss of Team Rocket.
Few people would have thought that Team Rocket, which controls the two main regions of Kanto and Johto, and has been too quiet lately, had secretly reached out to Unova, which is super far from those two regions.
But it was precisely because of this unexpected move that the Unova Alliance and even the entire Alliance failed to see it coming.
The Unova Alliance's eyes and attention were mostly on Team Plasma, which also gave Team Rocket a lot of room to operate.
And this Dr. Zager, currently Team Rocket's researcher in the Unova Region, and also one of the top brass.
Hearing this, Dr. Zager's forehead sweated a little, but he honestly replied, "Failed."
Giovanni wasn't surprised.
After all, no matter how strong Team Rocket was, they were still short on staff in the Unova Region, and he couldn't accept failure.
"Where are the items?"
"Team Plasma stepped in halfway, and Thundurus went into some unexplained frenzy. I guess the items might have fallen into Team Plasma's hands." Dr. Zager wiped the sweat from his forehead.
After speaking, Dr. Zager quickly added: "But they definitely won't be able to figure out what's in the slate anytime soon, and they might not even notice it."
After thinking for a moment, Giovanni continued: "Then focus on the Forces of Nature; they can achieve the same goal and avoid Team Plasma's attention."
"Understood."
Dr. Zager sighed deeply, and seemed to think of something, taking the material he had just studied on the table, and showing it to Giovanni.
There was a stone tablet printed on the document, with a lot of ancient text written on it.
If Natsu saw it, he would definitely recognize it; it was the same ancient tablet he had gotten.
And at the end, a weirdly shaped mirror was drawn.
"Boss, the success rate of catching them by force is too low. Even if Mr. S was helped by six genetic drugs, he was no match for Thundurus. Besides, we're currently short on staff here, and I feel I can start from this angle. I've fully deciphered these words."
"Continue."
"This is the 'Reveal Glass'; according to legend, the person who owns it can control the Forces of Nature, and I know its location, in some Abyssal Ruins." Dr. Zager was pretty excited.
If this works, it will be considered his great achievement.
Giovanni raised his hand and lightly placed it on the Persian (that male) beside him.
"Meow~~"
Dr. Zager silently waited for Giovanni's answer.
He knew that when Boss Giovanni started playing with his Persian, it meant he was thinking.
After a while.
"Go ahead; I will arrange someone to help you."
Finally, Giovanni spoke.
Help?
Dr. Zager's eyes shone.
"The Hunter's Guild in Castelia may now be in his hands; you can contact him."
A portrait of a young man with an ordinary appearance, wearing a high hat and an expressionless face, appeared on the screen, with a slightly cloudy look in his eyes.
"Castelia City"
Dr. Zager clicked his tongue. Castelia City was far from the Abyssal Ruins he found.
"If not, the Hunter's Guild of Opelucid City should already be in his hands."
"Opelucid City!"
Dr. Zager had confidence this time.
"Please don't worry, Boss; this time the task is guaranteed to succeed!"
...
(End of chapter)
Alright, you magnificent bastard, I've got a new translation (damn) book for your sorry ass! Go check it out, and if you don't hit that collect button, I swear to God, I'll send a horde of goddamn Zubat to infest your goddamn dreams until you're screaming for mercy like a Magikarp out of water! Don't be a goddamn Slowpoke, get to it!