When I woke up, I was startled…because it felt like I was floating in nothing…and I had to shield my eyes from very, very, bright light. Melanie's embrace was missing, as well, though that's likely something to do with where I am now.
"HUMAN!" I flinched… covering my ears at the sudden, deafening noise. My heart felt like it even skipped a beat. That was…very loud. I recognized the voice, so I had also frozen out of genuine terror. I felt myself begin to shake, and quickly went into the exercises to calm down.
"Talk about a…an unexpected situation." As soon as I recovered, I shifted into a low bow. "I apologize for my nearly indecent state of--"
"Relax…you may also rise. I did not intend to seem as though I was displeased. I simply wished to ensure you were awake" Well…that's a relief. And I am definitely wide awake now. Won't be getting any more sleep after that. Still, I didn't think this was going to happen so soon.
I shifted into a sitting position, deciding not to stand up. And across from me, were four massive forms. Three dragons, and an equine. The first dragon, colored with deep blue scales, plated in white armor with a blue diamond set into the chest.
The second, a bipedal, armored dragon with gray scales, beneath plates of white with magenta accents. Pink pearls were set into his shoulders. The third dragon…I really had to fight to not fanboy over. He lacked any limbs, appearing serpentine. He was all gray, with black and red stripes down his chest. His head was covered in golden armor, and six massive tendrils, tipped with red spikes, waved slowly behind him. If there were a wall behind him, I'm sure they'd fluctuate between being physical and being shadows.
And the last, He was a huge equine, at least in appearance. A massive, golden ring went around His midsection, and His eyes met my own. The power He was putting off, even greatly suppressed, made the other three feel weak, by comparison. From left to right, they were; Dialga, Palkia, Giratina…and Arceus.
"So…why so soon?" I asked first.
"After recent discoveries and...events, I personally recommended this meeting." Dialga spoke first. "Though, it remains to be seen, if doing this early was a wise decision or not. I am sure you already know us, but to be sure, I shall start introductions. I am Dialga, the Lord of Time."
Dialga
Mythical
The Lord of Time
Level: ??
Moveset
??
??
??
??
"I am Palkia, the Lord of Space." Palkia spoke next.
Palkia
Mythical
The Lord of Space
Level: ??
Moveset
??
??
??
??
"Giratina, The Renegade." Giratina was the third to speak. I had to resist the urge to grin. He's another personal favorite, of mine, after all.
Giratina
Mythical
Lord of the Distortion World
Renegade
Level: ??
Moveset
??
??
??
??
"And I am Arceus, the Creator." Arceus was the last to speak.
Arceus
The God
Level: ∞
Moveset
??
??
??
??
"I have a guess that you might already know me, as well. Still, I'm Zeryph…the human that you all have been watching for…I'm not sure how long. Well, in some cases." I nodded at Giratina, "I'm more sure than the rest." Seeing three ??'s is scary enough, but then Arceus goes and tops that with his being Infinity. That is, honestly, terrifying. But, it totally makes sense, too. Also, nice touch classing Arceus as "The God" instead of as a Legendary or a Mythical.
"So you were aware of me, then. I already knew, of course. I would've rather waited for a better time, but…since the others agreed to the idea, well, here we are." Giratina said.
"We are within a telepathic space, so you are not truly awake, as of right now. Think of this as more of a special dream, I suppose." Arceus said.
"This is all entirely out of the blue, for me. I had my guesses that I was being watched. Dialga, great disguise, by the way." I might even show him Dr. Who, at some point. I think he might actually enjoy it. If it's even possible to let him see that. Maybe his power over Time would let him see the series very differently to how any of us do.
"Much appreciated. I've had the time to learn how to blend in, of course." Dialga said.
"Out of all of us, I have followed you, the least." Palkia said. "I was more focused on how those…portals, of yours, worked. Mostly trying to figure out if I could replicate such things, or not." Not surprised, since every time I open one, it basically creates a pocket dimension, though I have no control over what's actually in them, when I do.
"Recently, however…we figured it out. Which is why we are having this meeting now, rather than waiting for you to reach Sinnoh." Giratina said. Which implies, they were in the Dungeon, yesterday.
"Yes…things were planned out, for many…many years in advance. A very long time that…I won't go over in detail. Still, eighteen years ago…the planned course was thrown off wildly, on the day a boy was born." Arceus said.
"For whatever reason, your birth has thrown off everything we planned." Dialga said. "We're here, because we can't figure you out, at all. You're a complete wildcard to us."
"We would like to hear from you, the details on this…power, of yours. Leave nothing out, please." Palkia said.
"Alright…let me…process all of this." I said.
"We can wait as long as we need to. Hours outside can be stretched, in here, as long as necessary." Arceus said. "Though it may not be good for your mind, if we take too long. Even with your…apparent immunity to some mental effects. It was surprisingly difficult, to even manage this meeting. Something, really, did not want us making this connection." I understand what he's talking about. It seems that even gods can have a hard time with Gamer's Mind. Which is interesting, I'm sure that Arceus would be less than pleased, if there's no way for him to bypass its control over things that happen. That is assuming, the System does more than what we're already aware of.
"So…from the beginning?" I asked, after taking several minutes to take in…everything going on, right now. When I saw them nod, I began to explain everything, down to the last detail, related to the unique powers I had been granted, pausing to answer occasional questions. When I finished, they began to converse between themselves.
"Zeryph, a decision has been made." Arceus said, after another several minutes. "Since you have proven so far to be very careful with your powers, to keep them secret, I see no reason to do anything about them. You will be monitored, so long as you never start to act for evil, action shall not be taken."
"However, I must ask that you keep from going beyond what things you already do with it, currently. At least until you reach Sinnoh. If you were to get powerful enough, you could cause a panic. Not just among other humans, but the other Pokemon of this world, as well." Arceus said.
"More specifically, the ones you humans refer to as Legendaries." Giratina added on. And that's not taking into account, the difference between Legendary and Mythical, either. I'm fairly sure at least Zygarde would be interested in figuring out what's going on. Especially if I were to cause too much chaos.
"I understand. You have my word that I'll keep it under wraps. However, there is an exception to any power that I wield…Aura. If I learn to wield it, I plan to get as powerful as I possibly can."
"If you wish to learn Aura, then I will make no move to stop you. The path of an Aura user is a good path to walk on. Should you ever get the opportunity, you should take it." I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Arceus supports that decision.
"One last thing…" Oh boy. "The relationships you hold, with your Pokemon." Arceus smiled. That makes me really happy, especially because I can guess at what He might say next.
"At one point in time, humans and Pokemon once held relationships like you do. There were even weddings held by such couples. Although it's not something I intended…I allowed it then, and I shall allow it now. So long as you are both mature enough to make such decisions and know what they entail. And, so long as it's not forced on either side, in any way, you have my blessing." I smiled, big.
"I…thank you. You've got no idea how happy that makes me feel." It was something I was hoping on…but I'm glad I don't have to wait for several more Regions to hear it.
"Should you ever…run into legal issues with it. I ask that you come to Sinnoh, and seek an audience at the Hall of Origin. I shall await you, and any pursuers there, so that they may hear my decree in person." Arceus said.
The world began to flicker, around us.
"It would appear our time is nearly up, Father." Dialga said. "Zeryph's awakening approaches."
"I understand. Zeryph, I return you to the outside world. Should you need anything in the future, Giratina's always nearby. Simply ask your questions, and we will answer if we are able. I apologize again for having this meeting so early, especially without warning." Arceus said.
"It's alright. I wasn't planning on it being so soon, either…but I'm glad it went just fine."
"And so are we." Arceus said, and the others nodded. "Have a pleasant day, and I look forward to when we meet in person." The world began to fade into darkness.
[Break]
The darkness slowly turned to red, from the rays of the morning sun shining onto my eyelids. I shielded my eyes with a hand before slowly blinking them open. Melanie was still sound asleep, and I felt something, off.
"Ah, great." I think…in all the days I've been here, it's the first time that happened. Still, pretty easily taken care of.
I kissed the top of Melanie's head, and she began to wake up.
"Mmmm…morning."
"Good morning." I smiled. "I had…one crazy thing happen while I was asleep. I'll tell everyone when we're all together, though it might seem a little hard to believe." I noticed that Lexie wasn't in her bed.
--Gone with Lexie, morning workout- Mewtwo.-- I did see the note that was left. I guess he was asked to go with her, since he was also up at the time. Melanie's eyes seemed to widen a little, as she realized something.
"Hey Zery…why are you…"
"It's…the first time I've ever had what's called morning wood." I'm surprised sleeping with Kaorah hadn't caused it, personally. It only took until now for it to happen. It was bound to, of course, though, the fact that I'm wearing something could've at least partially helped to prevent it…I think.
"So, think it's related to that dream of yours?" Melanie sat up.
"Goodness, no. It's completely unrelated. Maybe it's because I was snuggled with an attractive girl."
"Oh, really?" She pulled the blanket off of us. "So if that's the case, am I suddenly liked more than Kaorah?"
"No, definitely not. I love you both, equally. Still, it's the first time that's happened."
"Uh-huh. Ya know…" I suddenly found myself without my only piece of clothing. "That, attractive girl, also has the means to take care of your little problem." She changed position, putting herself in place, very close. "You just set back, and let your team healer take care of this."
Her hand lit up and…oh. A tingling feeling spread from where her hand made contact, tiny sparks of electricity, weak enough to not cause harm, spread from her hand as she slowly took hold. It felt, surprisingly pleasant. Slowly, she began to move her hand up and down. I couldn't help the low purr that escaped.
"Hm, someone likes that. Neat little trick, don't you think? I thought about it…and I figured, why can't sparks of electricity be used to carry pleasure, instead of causing harm? Of course, you wouldn't believe the amount of...personal practice, that this took." She continued.
"Oh…yeah…that's nice. That's…real nice." I wonder when she came up with this idea. Or how she figured out how to get it just right to not cause any harm. The last time we got intimate, she was acting differently, but I think that was just first-time intimacy coming through. Now though, especially after last night, she's like a different person.
She suddenly stopped, I'll admit, I made a sound that seemed…less than pleased.
"Aww…don't be disappointed." She leaned in much closer. "That was only the first part." And then she lowered her head and took it into her mouth. I let out a low hiss as she began to move. Ya know, if I wake up in the state I did this morning, with a hard-on…and this is what I get, it needs to happen a little more often.
The purring sound I often made when experiencing something like this, slowly began to turn into growls. It only acted as a signal for her to continue. And as I felt the buildup, I grabbed her head in my hands and held her still as I came in her mouth with a low growl, before letting her pull away.
"All better?" She had made a brief show of swallowing, before she had spoken.
"Yeah…I think so."
"Excellent, I-" The door opened partially.
"Hey guys, are you two…uh…" Lexie trailed off when she realized what was going on. And a pleasant thing just got awkward.
"Uh, well…that was unexpected. I guess we forgot to see if the door was…" Lexie quickly retreated into the hall and shut the door behind her, barely avoiding slamming it.
"I would…say so." Melanie returned what I had been wearing, and I put it back on. "I'll uh, see you in a few minutes I guess, after you get ready."
"Yeah." I gave her a kiss on the cheek, then went to start on my morning stuff.
When I stepped into the other room, Lexie made a very obvious effort to avoid eye contact.
"Okay…what happened?" Kaorah asked. "She came in with her face as red as a Tamato berry. What did you do?"
"Please, no." Lexie said. "I'd rather not think about it."
"It's more like what she caught us doing. Please, don't tease her over it." I said. "I'll explain while I go through morning stuff, come on." Kaorah and I stepped into the bathroom, and I started to work on the routine.
"So, what was that all about anyway?"
"Well, to start, I may or may not have woke up with morning wood." I said as I fixed my hair into its usual spiky style.
"What's…"
"Woke up with an erection."
"Aah, gotcha. I don't remember that ever happening when you were with me, though."
"Because it never has. This was the first time it did. And Melanie, she decided she would help with it." Kaorah snorted, loudly.
"Oh Arceus, so she was giving you a…"
"Yup. Right after we finished, Lexie walked in without thinking." Kaorah broke into a fit of quiet giggles. I've never actually heard her laugh, even a little. It's usually only a snort of some kind.
"Oh…wow. Imagine if Melanie had still been busy."
"That…may not have been any better. Either way, that's a mental image Lexie has to live with now, so that's why I don't want anyone teasing her about it." Kaorah calmed down from her fit.
"Fine, buzzkill. Still…wish it'd been me you woke up with, but that's fine…it was your night with Melanie last night, anyways."
"Yeah, it was." I started on my teeth, and when I finished, I remembered something, as I went to get dressed. "Oh, that's right. This is, in no way, related to why I woke up hard. I had something really crazy happen while I was asleep, and you're all gonna hear about it. It's going to seem hard to believe, but I know how to confirm it was true."
Kaorah snorted, again.
"Suuure it wasn't."
"Just wait until you wake up aroused one morning, and the dream you had was completely unrelated. You know I'll get you back if you tease me over this."
"Hmph, fair point." She said. "Finish your routine, I wanna hear that crazy story, whatever it may be, and then I want breakfast. I wonder if Melanie's still gonna be--"
"Kaorah…"
"Sorry." Without any more conversation, I finished up what I was doing, then we stepped back out, turning the lights off on the way. Melanie had joined the others, and much like myself, Lexie was avoiding eye contact with her.
"Hey, Lexie, relax. We're not going to give you any trouble over it. You totally didn't mean to do that, and we didn't think you'd be back when you were." We also didn't think to check if the door was locked or not. Had that not been a member of my team, things could've gotten real bad.
"Alright…I'm really sorry that happened the way it did. I didn't think you two would be up when we got back."
"It is totally fine, and we know to be much more careful in the future. Let's move past that and talk about something that happened while I was asleep. This is going to sound very crazy, to all of you."
Once everyone got seated, and I let Pidgeotto out, I began.
"So, I'm gonna be blunt. Arceus, and the Creation Trio, visited me in my own mind, last night." Aaand…crickets.
"That's…" Kaorah broke the stunned silence.
"Wow…you're right, it does kinda sound crazy." Pidgeotto said.
"You didn't eat anything odd before bed did you?" Mewtwo asked.
"Now, why accuse me of that?" I asked in return, only to get a shrug.
"They, visited you?" Lexie forgot the awkward incident in favor of the bit of news I just dropped.
"So, Zery, how do you plan to confirm it's real or not?" Melanie asked.
"Well, Mewtwo was one of the two out of all of us to catch onto something odd going on. Watch, this." I got up and walked over to the mirror above the dresser, then reached out to it. Very gently, to avoid knocking it down and/or breaking it, I knocked on the glass.
Once, twice, and the third time never came, because on the third, my hand went right through a black circle that appeared.
"What?" Lexie was the first to react.
"That's…highly unusual." Mewtwo said.
As I pulled my hand free, the circle expanded, and two, glowing red eyes appeared within the shadowy mass.
"A pleasant morning for you, isn't it, Zeryph?" Giratina said, though his current appearance made him sound somewhat distorted.
"Oh my god, it really was true." Kaorah said.
"Well, nobody's called Father that, in a while." Giratina said. "Pleasant morning to all of you. And yes, Kaorah, it was absolutely true. Every bit of it." We began to catch everyone up on the discussion I had with the four, overnight. They weren't surprised by the explanation of my powers, and they were quite happy to hear what Arceus thought of my relationship with them. They also were a little weirded out by Giratina's admission, that he'd been keeping an eye on us this whole time. But they all let it slide once he'd explained his reasoning.
"So, that man in blue was actually…" Mewtwo started to say.
"Yup, just like I thought. Dialga in a disguise, this whole time." I said. "The original plan, or at least what I hoped for, was for our first meeting to be in Sinnoh, but…they decided that for currently unknown reasons, they needed to have it happen now." Of course, they aren't going to tell me what things would happen in the future, because…spoilers, and all that. I also wasn't going to mention the fact that Palkia and Giratina had managed to figure out how to get into the Dungeons, either. That put them pretty close to cracking my powers, actually. I'm certain, that it will have set off alarms for the System, as well.
Also, I'm sure Dialga's very aware of what may or may not happen in the future, and whatever information he has, the others know as well. If he thought it was important to contact me early, then I don't see any reason for them not to. And even then, if not all of them, then at least one.
Personally, I wouldn't have minded if Dialga took to using that human form he apparently has, in order to show up at times when something critical was approaching, to warn us off a bad path.
"That's right. And while we can't allow you to catch us, at least for now…expect that it will be in the future. Sinnoh would be the proper time to do it." Giratina said. "You already know the places where you'll go to face us, but you are far from ready for that. Of course, this is barring any emergency situations." I can think of a few in the future, where their assistance would be welcomed, for sure.
I can't wait to see what the system does with Sendoff Spring and Turnback Cave. If it makes those places as dangerous as I feel like they should be.
"Still, I must be going, I have work that needs tending to. I'll be listening if you need anything. And, don't worry, I only see or hear through mirrors that I want to see or hear through. Still, have a pleasant day, all of you." He cut off contact, without another word. That's another thing. I definitely wouldn't be the type to expect Giratina, of all Pokemon, to be so…friendly. Yet, he totally was. In fact…the idea of him going along with Arceus at all, is a surprise.
Especially since Giratina's also known as The Renegade.
"That was…interesting." Mewtwo was the first to speak, after everything had sunk in.
"Zeryph, you totally should've had him appear in an actual form for the Pokedex." Kaorah said. "I'd love to see Oak's reaction to that."
"Darn, you're right. Well, missed opportunity, for now at least. We'll have plenty of chances, later." And I should've gotten Zeraora too, in the dungeon yesterday. Blast it…two missed opportunities, now. Unless there's some hidden thing where using Observe on a Pokemon counts as scanning it with the Pokedex, but I doubt it. By the way, Melanie's okay from last night, too. We had a quick check done on her to make sure she didn't get any serious damage from that hit she took.
"Well anyways, who wants to go get breakfast?" I asked.
"Lexie and I already ate, but we'll come with you, anyways." Mewtwo said.
We went down to the cafeteria, and took our time to enjoy breakfast. A little off topic, since it's breakfast now. But anyway…the thing Melanie did earlier with the lightning magic, reminded me that some versions of "The Gamer" system, allow for, uh…sex magic, of some sort. Which comes with…many different, interesting things. I, personally, am glad that the one I got put with, does not have that.
I don't think I'd ever want to deal with it, or what it could potentially do to my team's mental states, even with Gamer's Mind.
"Today's the day, ya know…the one where I have to take a report to that Team Rocket base." I said.
"I was hoping you would forget about that…especially with what happened in your mind last night. But, I guess not." Mewtwo said.
"It'll be fine, I promise. Much as I don't want to share details of our training…I do have to at least give them something. Here's the deal, I'll make it seem like our training falls into what's normal, leaving out anything aided by my powers, and the weights."
"So, what…trying to…oh, I get it. You want them to underestimate me, in the event that they…"
"Yeah, that's the idea." I said.
"I see…alright. I'll…allow it, I guess." Mewtwo said.
"And when they underestimate how strong you are…perfect time to prove them wrong. They'll be caught way off guard." Kaorah said.
"Yeah. And if you leave out the whole Mega Evolution thing…" Solais said.
"Well, that sounds like a plan, to me." Following breakfast, I took a little while to put the report together. And when it was, I had the system set up a navigation point, to where we needed to go.
"It's ready, come on, everyone." We headed for the hideout, making sure that we took a path well, mostly separate paths to avoid notice, until we got to our destination. The grunt just inside was startled when she saw us, but quickly relaxed upon recognizing my face, and most of the ones with me.
"So…you're the outsider boss has working on that special project, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's me." I confirmed.
"Riiiight. So, what reason do you have here?"
"Brief visit, came to drop this off. It's a progress report on a certain someone." I handed it to her, in a sealed folder, marked so that only certain personnel would be able to open it.
"Understood. I'll make sure this reaches the right people. You can go now. Just remember, not a word about this place." The door was quickly shut, afterwards.
"Well, that was…quick." I commented.
"Thankfully. The less time we have to spend dealing with them, unless it's a raid, the better." Mewtwo said. "Idea, why not mark this place for later? So, when the event that we're able to comes up…"
"We can come back and wipe it out." I said quietly. "Brilliant." I took a small marker out from my inventory, then got down on one knee, looking for a spot nobody else would notice, before I drew a small marking. Definitely not the one you would expect, but at least to us, it would be familiar.
A diamond with a circle in its center. The symbol of Skyrim's Thieves Guild. Like I said, doesn't really make much sense to use it specifically, but at least I would remember.
"Shadowmark? Why?" Mewtwo asked. "Wait, never mind. I totally understand."
"Yeah. Great way to remember it, huh?" And somewhat ironic too, now that I think of it. Since Team Rockets members also tend to be thieves, themselves. Course, what they steal is very different, but still.
"I'm going to guess that's another thing about you that we don't know yet." Kaorah said.
"It's related to that game guide we found in…ahem." I said, as we left the alley.
"So…what's next, then?" Lexie asked.
"Gym battle?" My suggestion got agreements from everyone. We turned, and began to head for the gym. I'm going to have to remember to visit the game corner eventually, too. Especially since the games seem to be more timing based, than luck based…if the old mechanics hold true for it.
[Viridian]
The sound of a machine coming to life, broke the silence in a quiet office. Something began to slowly print from the machine, going through several pages before it finally stopped.
The first one to the machine, was a large feline, with a red gem set into its forehead. It had cream yellow fur, and black marks on its ears. It hopped up onto the desk, carefully, investigating why the machine had come to life.
While she didn't know what exactly was printing, she did know it was important. Things were only messaged directly, when they were extremely important.
Her ears twitched, the sound of the door opening drawing her attention away.
"Persian." Giovanni had seen her as soon as the door opened. Persian didn't respond, verbally. Instead choosing to gesture towards the machine with a paw.
"So, the report has arrived, excellent." Giovanni picked up the papers as they finished printing. "I am glad our…unexpected ally, followed through. Let's see what they've been up to, shall we?"
"Mrow." Persian hopped up into Giovanni's lap after he sat down in his chair, and began to look through it with him, not that she understood any of it like he did.
[???]
Three flashes of light suddenly appeared, all in different colors. Though they had met through their minds, only a few hours before, they felt it better to meet again in person, too.
"Brothers, I hope that our choice to speak with the human early, was not made in error." Dialga was the first to speak. "Father has expressed concern that we may have spoken with him, too early."
"I can understand, somewhat." Palkia said. "Ultimately, you're the one who would know what the best choices to make are, overall."
"Yes, of course. I must admit, most of the timelines where we waited until Sinnoh, were often ill fated. Although, I can't say for sure what went wrong. I can only say that, usually, it was...quite bad." Dialga let out a quiet huff as it began to snow. Even with his Steel Typing, the snow was still somewhat irritating to him. His brothers all shifted as they noticed it, as well.
"And what of the ones that follow us meeting him early?" Giratina asked.
"I am still unsure, I have Celebi scouting the timelines for now, making sure to stick as closely to the original plan as possible, but exploring branches when necessary. We must be prepared to prevent branching paths, as much as we can." Both of Dialga's brothers nodded in agreement.
"What does Father think of all this?" Palkia asked.
"He's worried, for sure. Zeryph's…cousin, was originally intended to be the chosen one, but now…we're not so sure. From the moment he was born, not the start of his journey, Zeryph has thrown off everything. And now…all futures are only a possibility, not a set path."
"So now, it's look into the future for what's the best choice out of many, and guide him towards that one. If we even can. That unusual power of his is what's most worrying…and if it will have any effect on us."
"I suppose we shall see." Palkia said, once Dialga had finished speaking. "I am going to continue to investigate these…pocket dimensions, that Zeryph seems able to create."
"And I shall continue to directly monitor him, and his team." Giratina said. "I would prefer to watch over them as they travel, with occasional direct contact."
"Very well, but be careful." Dialga said. "Even though we know him, now, we do not know him as well as we should. If anything interesting pops up-"
"I shall let one of you know." Giratina finished. "Brothers, we have work to do." Without another word, he disappeared into one of his rifts.
"You know…I'm quite surprised that he's actually going along with this." Palkia said.
"I am just as surprised. Normally, he would rather keep to himself, only dealing with those who actually disturbed him." Dialga said. "Especially those who enter Turnback Cave, and actually make it to the end."
"Do you believe Zeryph could do that?" Palkia asked.
"Absolutely. In fact, I would even encourage it, should the chance arise." Dialga shifted forms in a bright flash of sapphire light, taking on his human form once more. "Still, Giratina is right. We have work to do. Let us meet here in at most one week's time, to discuss anything that may come up." He then vanished, as well.
"Hm, how interesting. Sometimes, I do wish I had at least some knowledge on Time, like you do." Palkia said. He briefly turned to face towards the Lucario Kingdom. "But, we shall see. If he's as much a Descendant of Aaron as Ash is supposed to be…then perhaps, we can convince him to claim the inheritance. If he takes the path of Aura…then there may be little chance of him falling to evil." Palkia sighed.
"I do hope your predictions are accurate." There was a pink flash as the Lord of Space vanished into thin air.
[Zeryph]
Celadon City Gym, our next stop as far as the challenge goes. Finding the place wasn't too hard, with there being plenty of maps, not to mention that I have two that I can see with a simple thought. Just a bonus that it works for both of the layouts that I know.
"Welcome, you must be Zeryph." A woman greeted me, as my team and I entered the building. "We already knew to expect you, word is getting around fast, about a powerful team that doesn't stay in their Pokeballs."
"Yeah, that's me. I'm not surprised, either. Word tends to travel fast, all the time." I said. "Still, we're here for the challenge."
"Well, you don't have to fight through others, you can challenge Erika right away. Now, I realize that might not be what you were expecting, but we got word from Saffron. And the Pokemon there are much stronger than ours are, here. Although you aren't really doing the normal order that's required, it's alright, since you seem to not be the only one."
"The other one doing battles out of order is actually my cousin, believe it or not." His group goes to Lavender Town after their first visit to Saffron, if I remember right. So there's a long while before they get to Celadon. Still, my team and I need to go that way, anyways, once we're done here. Because we can go south from there, to Fuschia City.
"That's a surprise. Still, we'll keep an eye out for him, if he shows up after you all have left." He might not, since he has a fair bit to do before he gets to Celadon.
"Your Pidgeotto should do great here, as should…um…If I may ask, what's the rabbit Pokemon?" The woman asked me, as we all began to walk towards where Erika was.
"She's a Cinderace, and though she's part of the team, she doesn't consider herself active roster. At least, not yet. She's a fire type, the species itself is native to the Galar region, often used as one of the starter choices." I explained. The others being Rillaboom and Inteleon…once they fully evolve, of course.
"Gotcha. If she was active roster, she could probably win this whole gym on her own. She looks like she's incredibly strong."
"Yeah, max level actually. I didn't train her to that point. She was already there, when she joined us." As far as player-level goes, though…she's a long way from maxed, as are all of us. Her level didn't change when mine did yesterday, so it's either requiring a lot of EXP, or, the system is trying to make sure everyone on my team has synchronized levels. Actually, that might not be too far off. Because, initially, when the mate boost thing worked, our levels got out of sync pretty fast.
But, they seem to have leveled out now, so we're all basically the same level.
"Miss Erika? A challenger has arrived." She said as we stepped onto what was the battlefield for the Gym.
"Ah, Zeryph, right? We heard you were on the way, from Saffron." Erika said, as I stepped onto my side of the field, where the trainers usually stand, specifically.
"I'm not surprised. I guess word's starting to get around about myself and my team." As previously stated. I motioned Pidgeotto forward, planning to let him take the field, first.
"Eager to get started?" She asked.
"Yeah, why not?" I was expecting to go through a full challenge with the other trainers before fighting Erika, but…since the opportunity to face her right away is there, might as well take it.
"Both trainers will be using three Pokemon for this battle." The referee said. I already have my plan set. Pidgeotto, Solais, Mewtwo. "If I declare that a Pokemon is unable to battle, the round ends immediately. Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. Are both Trainers ready?"
"Yes/yes." We both said at the same time.
"Begin."
"Tangela, you're out first." Erika sent out her first Pokemon.
Tangela
Level 3 (33)
Moveset
Mega Drain
Sleep Powder
Bind
"Pidgeotto, this one's all yours, bud." Pidgeotto took his side of the field. I saw that he had already pulled the weighted bands off his legs.
"Huh? Where did the bands on his legs go?" Erika asked.
"He pulled them off. They're training weights, and everyone on my team, save for the Cinderace currently, have them."
"So, what do they do?" Pidgeotto demonstrated without having to be told, by seeming to flicker from where he was, to just above his opponent in moments.
"What? Look out!" Tangela just barely avoided a peck. Had Erika not warned them of it."Oh…I see now. It's to increase their speed, when they aren't wearing any."
"Exactly." I said.
"Tangela, Sleep Powder." There was a puff of dust, but…that isn't going to work. Not only because Pidgeotto has sleep immunity, thanks to, well, that's common knowledge by now, but also…"
"Right back at you." He flapped his wings, hard, whipping up a gust, which sent the powder right back to its sender. I feel like Flying Types should be able to do that, normally…ya know?
Tangela was quick to get out of the way, though. Since that wasn't going to work, the next choice was…
"Bind his wings, that should take care of his ability to fight." As Tangela reached out to grab him, Pidgeotto got some air, putting distance between himself and his opponent.
"I'm going to try out an idea that I've had for a little while." Pidgeotto took off into the air.
"If he stays up too long, I'll have to declare this a ring-out." The referee stated.
"He won't be long." In fact, he had already reached the height he wanted to get to, and then began a very steep dive, straight down towards his opponent.
"Get ready for him." At the last possible moment before entering grab range, Pidgeotto's wings snapped open, and he quickly changed direction. The speed he was at, generated a great deal of extra power for Gust, and since it was blasted straight down, right on top of his opponent. Well, that, and the speed he had been flying at, there wasn't really much of a way to dodge.
And because of that, Tangela took the full force of the attack. Coupled with the speed Pidgeotto had dove at, and the type advantage, it must've really hurt. Of course, there was also the loud bang that followed. I winced, feeling my eyes water as my ears began to ring, that was…really loud.
Melanie slipped her hands beneath my own, and the ringing quickly began to subside. Pidgeotto's attack had sent up a huge cloud, obscuring anything below where he was flying, and blinding everyone outside of the battlefield to what went on within.
As the dust began to clear, it was obvious his attack had definitely done some damage, the pressure from the attack knocked out his opponent. I have no doubt that had he been a Pidgeot by now, or even in his mega form, it would've been way, way worse. Had the gym not been open to the sky, at least in this area, it likely wouldn't have worked the way it did.
"I…can't believe that worked." Pidgeotto landed nearby. He'd been fine, sound wise. The same couldn't be said for the rest of us. The referee called the battle, after Melanie had gotten done with healing his ears, much like she had for everyone else.
"I'm glad it did…I think we'll call that Mach Rush." After the first ability of the Gauss Warframe. "And also immediately ban it in certain spaces. The dungeons we deal with come to mind."
"Oh, did something happen?"
"Yeah." Mewtwo answered. "Some of us may have suffered hearing damage from that. It's not your fault, as you didn't know it would happen, nor did we. It serves as a reminder to have hearing protection on hand in the future, as well."
"You're absolutely right. We'll keep that in mind for the future." I said. "Also, another reason for Mach Rush to be banned…is how much damage it could do, once you're at full strength, especially without weights."
"That's a fair point." I helped him put his weights back on. "So, don't use it without weights, unless there's no other option."
"Exactly."
"Mr. Ketchum." Erika said. "What exactly was that? I don't know of any similar moves like that."
"First, please, just call me Zeryph." I said. "Second…we're calling that Mach Rush. It was his idea, and I'm sure he'll find different ways to use it in the future. Sorry about the noise, by the way. Had we known it was going to do that, we wouldn't have gone for it."
"It's alright." She returned Tangela, who thankfully, didn't look any worse than just being knocked out. "Shall we move onto round two?" I nodded. And as Solais took the field, so did Erika's second Pokemon.
Weepinbell
Level 3 (33)
Grass/Poison
Mega Drain
Poison Jab
Only two moves to be worried about. Though, since we have a healer, poison can be dealt with afterwards.
Solais kept her weights in place, deciding that she wouldn't need the help of increased speed for this. And, she probably won't, but she'll still need to be careful. I could warn her, but that would give away that I have a means of figuring out what my opponent's moves are, before I've seen them. I would rather not give that away, for obvious reasons.
"Begin." As soon as the Referee gave the call, Weepinbell attacked, using Poison Jab. A quick twitch of her head, and Solais caught it against her horn, safely deflecting it away from herself. She winced from a minor amount of poison damage that got through, but it was far less than enough to leave her with poisoned.
Her defensive strategy would work, so long as she continued to focus on her enemy. The lack of any vine-related moves definitely helped, meaning that it had to attack her directly. Of course, there's also Giga Drain. A small circle appeared beneath Solais, and she quickly jumped to the side just as it quickly expanded and activated.
"Hm…I see now. If I stop for too long, I risk being drained. Very well." Since she couldn't rely on being attacked without needing to move, she shed her weights, deciding to shift into a secondary strategy of hit and run attacks. She would charge in, land a Night Slash, and then quickly retreat, blocking with the aid of Detect when necessary.
Her opponent showed no indication- as to if Solais was infuriating them with her strategy or not. Had Erika brought Sunny Day onto her team, there would be reason to be at least a little worried, especially if Weepinbell had Chlorophyl. But, at the same time, Observe didn't show if it was there or not.
As the battle continued, Solais eventually slipped up. She let out a grunt when a Poison Jab connected with her left front leg, just barely. There was a deep purple mark that went down the lower half of her leg. She winced when she put her weight on it, and I saw her paw clench.
"Poisoned, how bad?" I asked.
"Not sure, but I can keep going. I'll be fine." Solais answered. "Need to finish this before it can spread." She began to gather energy for an attack, as she dodged out of the way of another attempt at Giga Drain.
Weepinbell's strategy also changed, using the possibility of being drained to defend themselves, rather than keep Solais from holding still. The more she would move, the more the Poison got to spread, and the faster that it would. She was beginning to slow down, still trying to find an opening, until she finally did.
"There." She charged, though not at the speed she would've liked. Her opponent landed a bad hit on her, but didn't escape the one meant for them, either. Solais landed Payback, which threw her opponent backwards. Weepinbell tumbled to a stop, knocked out cold from the hit. And Solais collapsed shortly after, too weak to safely continue.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle. This round is a draw." The Referee declared. Melanie stepped onto the field and carefully lifted Solais in her arms, before moving out of the way. When they were off to the side, she began to work. This at least confirms that Restoration Magic works on Dark Types.
Makes me wonder though, if Melanie uses Restoration on a Pokemon that has Magic Bounce…what does it do then? That's assuming the name works quite literally, and reflects her magic as well as what it usually does. That would actually be a pretty clever strategy, using healing magic on an enemy you knew would reflect it, just to heal yourself.
"The current score stands two to one, in the challenger's favor. Both trainers may send out their third Pokemon."
Mewtwo stepped onto the field, with his arms crossed.
"Are you sure it should be me on the field? This seems kind of excessive."
"Not as excessive as sending you out in Cerulean was." I realized fairly recently, that sending him out back then was a bit much. But then again, I'm also the trainer who started with a Pseudo-Legendary so…shrug.
"Fair, but you also started out with a Garchomp." Mewtwo said. "Whatever. If you think I should have a chance to battle here, I won't complain." He turned towards Erika. "Whenever you're ready."
"What…type is he?" Erika asked.
"Pure Psychic." I said. Psychic/Fighting in his other form.
"So, you had another Pokemon with an advantage, and we didn't even realize it." Erika said. I guess information on Mewtwo still hasn't gotten around, yet.
"That's right." I said. There was a flash as Erika's final Pokemon emerged. She had returned Weepinbell while Mewtwo and I were talking.
Vileplume
It's W33DG0D! Ahem…continue.
Level 3 (34)
Moveset
Mega Drain
Moonblast
[Watch out for Moonblast. Mega Drain shouldn't be an issue.] I said. Kinda surprised there's not more to these sets, if I may be honest. But, this was meant to be before Saffron, and her Pokemon took after their most recent game appearance, in the Let's Go games. At least, that's the most recent that I know of.
"I think we're in trouble." Erika said, though I'm not exactly sure who it was directed at. "Still, we're going to at least try." She waited for the signal to begin. "Blast him!"
Vileplume launched a Moonblast, on command. Mewtwo chose to counter it, forming a dark orb in his right hand and then waving it outwards. His Shadow Ball met the Moonblast half way, and both dissipated harmlessly. He hadn't put much power into the attack, and I'm honestly surprised to see him use it outside of any training. He had mentioned, during our walk to the Gym, that he'd trained with it while he and Lexie were out this morning.
He said at the time that the move felt…wrong, to him. I can tell he's somewhat adjusted, but his expression definitely says that he doesn't like it. Still, it will be great to have in the future, just in case.
Mewtwo's second attack was a concentrated Psychic, which he threw towards his opponent. Vileplume moved to dodge, though was still caught up in the edge of the blast radius when it exploded. Interesting to see that it was based on proximity, rather than impact.
Vileplume's next Moonblast launched as soon as there was a chance, and it was countered once again. This time by Psystrike. Rather than use another Shadow Ball, Mewtwo had chosen to cut the attack down the middle. As with many previous cases, he would take a little damage from blocking the attack, but it barely fazed him.
"If I may ask, where did you get him?" I heard Erika ask.
"That's not something I can share, unfortunately." I answered. "He is the team's strongest, for sure. We know that from personal training. He's the only one out of everyone with me, that truly has to hold back." For risk of serious injury, or even accidentally killing an opponent. Both would be…very bad.
Although, I'm sure sometimes, Pokemon battles do have that risk, if someone botches a move or hits just a little too hard in the exact right spots. Still, it's another good reason for my team to have a healer, just in case. As far as training, until Lexie joins in on a training battle, we won't know if Mewtwo is still the strongest or not.
I felt Solais nudge my leg, she didn't look at all like she'd just been in battle, other than the dust that got into her fur. I reached down and scratched at the left side of her neck, and smiled as I felt her lean into it.
"That Restoration Magic is something else." She said, when she wasn't trying to not fall over anymore. "As is your ability to always know the right spots to hit. Though I suppose, that comes from having pets."
"Yeah, you're right about that one." I looked up just as Mewtwo avoided an attempted Giga Drain, disappearing in a flash of purple light. "Every cat I've had, after I figured it out, gets a neck scratch from me. Hemi was the one who went the longest without them, but she definitely reacted about the same."
"How exactly? Lean into it so much they almost fall over?"
"Yup." Vileplume leapt to the side once again, just barely avoiding another Psychic. I'm starting to think Mewtwo's prolonging this on purpose.
"Think he's intentionally taking this long to win?" Apparently, Solais is thinking the same thing.
"Probably. Let him, though. Gives him time to battle without winning too quickly." Which raises a point. I think I'm going to start having everyone hold back in the future, at least for official battles. So that we actually have time to enjoy it. This coming from…however many battles we've had end rather quickly.
Still, we don't want it to bore anyone, either. So we'll work on it, see what we can figure out.
"I think I'm about done, at least for now." Mewtwo began to charge up a Psystrike. "It's been…at least somewhat enjoyable, to battle without any pressure to worry about." Another good reason to hold back, he just wanted the battle to feel relaxing. I don't blame him, at all.
"But as much as I'd like to go all day, there are people here who have other things to do, I'm sure." Mewtwo suddenly vanished, reappearing right behind Vileplume, quickly knocking his opponent out with the Psystrike he prepared. "Still, I appreciate the chance to have a battle that actually feels relaxing, for once."
"Uh, you're welcome…I guess." Erika said.
"Vileplume is unable to battle. All of the Leader's Pokemon have been knocked out, which means the Challenger is the victor." There was some applause, from those who had actually stopped to watch, mostly the other members of the gym's staff.
"That was certainly…interesting." Erika told me, as we approached the center of the field. "Still, congratulations on yet another badge." She handed me the Rainbow Badge, which I put in my case. I don't think that thing was ever mentioned…looks like the other badges could use some cleaning, too.
"Thanks. My team just seems to…win whatever battles we get into, really." At least for right now. I'm not sure it was intended for me to get this powerful so early on. But then again, there's eight…soon to be nine, whole generations of Pokemon to go through, plus Orange Islands and a few other things…maybe. If I get to experience Unbound as part of this, boy would that be a fun one.
Even if I don't, I might at least make a reference to it. Name a Houndoom Zeph, perhaps…if I do get one. But that would likely also conflict with my own name, too.
"Care to stay for tea?" She asked.
"No, but thanks for offering. My team and I usually go to eat after battles like this." I said.
"I understand. Well, enjoy your day, everyone." Erika said.
"You too. Come on, guys, let's go find somewhere to eat." We all left the gym together, without another word.
[Somewhere near Lavender Town]
[????]
"There is no place for creatures like you here." A tree's bark splintered as claws slashed through it.
"Trickster…you are unwelcome. Begone, at once!" A growl broke the quiet atmosphere. Pokemon scattered to get away from the source of the noise. A flash of deep blue light, and a tree fell to the ground, severed from its roots.
"Monster! Monster!" The chanting of young voices echoed. A single, yellow eye twitched, looking around the clearing. Faded images of those who had chased its owner out, filled its vision. Slowly, hands covered their head."
"Get out of our village, and never return, you freak!"
"Stop…it." A feminine voice growled out.
"See what happens to those like you." An echo of a grunt sounded as someone was hit, hard, by an object.
The echoes of cheering drowned out a single whimper. There was the faint smell of blood.
"Stop…" She slashed at the false crowd, only to growl as her attacks passed right through. Any stronger Pokemon, now also had reason to slowly vacate the area, for fear of drawing the owner of the voice to themselves.
"Yes, that's it! We'll take up arms…we'll chase you, and you'll end up just like those other illusionists." The smell of burning materials, the sounds of weapons clanking. The growls of occasional Pokemon as they were sent out from their capture devices.
"You're all insufferable." Yet, no matter what she said, the voices seemed to continue. Then it came, the flash of the one thing she had hoped to never see again. The body of one of her kind..in its youngest form. It wasn't real, she even knew at the time, just an imitation meant to be subject to the ire of those around it. But, the memory still infuriated her. Turning her attempts to retreat, into a burning rage.
"Leave…me…ALONE!" A deep blue aura flared up, filling the clearing with vivid light. But this wasn't like the more well-known, respected Aura. This one, was also black. It was dark, tainted by hate and anger at those who had wronged its owner. In her fury, she attacked everything around her, until there was nothing but a clearing of destruction, the nearby Pokemon now long gone, having fled out of fear for what they had just sensed.
An aura of Bitter Malice. And just as suddenly as it flared up, it faded away. And soon the clearing was silent, save for only the quiet sobbing of the individual within.
"Just…leave me…alone…" For that's all she ever really was, ever since the day…she didn't know how long ago it was, now.