"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
My opponent roared defiantly as they raced towards me.
"HMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"
Though I did not speak, I answered it's challenge with a hum that vibrated space itself around us, and produced numerous streams of multicolored lights in the atmosphere as I formed a sphere of pure energy before me.
"RAAA!" My opponent roared again, opening it's maw to reveal a powerful concentration of energy that it released just in time to match my own.
*KABOOOOOOOOOM!*
The two attacks collided in midair to produce an explosion that would have leveled an entire region, through which my opponent shot forward as it moved with impossible speed considering its massive size, it's claws glowing with powerful draconic energy.
I quickly altered my own form before my opponent's attack could hit me, my two tendrils that functioned as arms on each side shifting into only one on each side, my body shifting to become slimmer, more mobile, and a large spike growing from the back of my head.
Now my opponent was moving so slow that it appeared to be moving through syrup instead of space, allowing me to move out of the way of it's attack with ease before shooting towards it's head, where my form shifted yet again.
The spike on the back of my head disappeared, the second tendril on each arm returned, and my body bulked up compared to my previous slimness.
Now with a body specifically geared for attack, I stretched and shot my tendrils at my opponent to Wrap around it and hold it in plade, while my core generated a sphere of power to attack with. In that instant though...
"RAAAAAAA!"
My opponent roared as they twisted violently, shredding my tendrils, though they quickly grew back, before turning to look at me with another mass of energy already formed within it's mouth. And as it unleashed the energy, my vision went white as I was binded.
"WAKE UP!"
...
"!!!"
I jolted awake suddenly as Joy borderline yelled in my ear, startling me as well as interrupting the dream I was having.
"What is it?!" I demanded while looking around urgently, figuring that we were being attacked or something, only to find sunlight streaming through the windows.
"Its almost ten." Joy stated, her voice equal parts concern and annoyance.
"Really?" I asked confusedly, before glancing at the clock to see that she was right.
"I was trying to wake you up since you NEVER sleep in." Joy stated, her tone now just worry because of the truth in her words.
"Sorry... I was just having an intense dream." I told her as I sat back, letting my heart rate slow as I calmed down from the adrenaline rush.
"What were you dreaming about?" Joy asked curiously as she crawled towards me. It was a statement to how distracted I was that I only JUST realized she was naked.
"I..." I started as I tried to explain, only to draw a blank.
"I don't remember... Maybe I was fighting somebody?" I suggested, though there was no way for Joy to know what I had been dreaming about. And for some reason I couldn't recall a thing myself...
Oh well.
If I couldn't remember it, then it probably wasn't important.
Joy however rolled her eyes at me as she said, "I swear. You're either fighting someone, or doing naughty things to them."
"Says the one who's currently naked." I shot back at her, making Joy smirk as she turned and starte crawling away across the bed while wiggling her butt at me. Except, she shot a look back at me as she did so, and so missed the side of the bed as she tumbled over it with a 'thump'.
"Owie...." Joy groaned while I crawled over to check on her, only to find the nurse in a compromising position with her legs in the air, spread.
"You know, that clumsy side of you is really cute." I said while looking down at her.
"Shut up..." She pouted while trying to get up, before collecting her previously discarded clothes as she left the room.
I chuckled lightly at her expense as I got up and headed to the bathroom, taking a quick shower to freshen up before dressing in a simple pair of shorts and shirt. I decided to forgo the training gear for the next few days while we were this far south, as it was far too hot to constantly wear such heavy and unbreathable gear.
When I went downstairs I found a few breakfast items on the table, probably prepared before Joy came to wake me up, which I readily indulged in while Joy seemingly brought breakfast to our pokemon. Once I was done eating, I stepped outside to see that we had a visitor.
"Greetings, Ace Ketchum." Mewtwo said when he saw me.
"Hey. What brings you here?" I asked him, while also glancing at Mt. Ember worriedly.
"The fire bird is not here." Mewtwo readily said, making me almost think he had somehow managed to read my mind.
"Well that's a relief. I know Articuno still bears a grudge against you, but I don't know how Zapdos or Moltres will think of you." I said while also hinting that he should do something about Articuno.
"I will consider that in the future. As for why I am here, I have been making near nightly visits to spar with your partner." Mewtwo explained, prompting me to cock a brow as I looked over at Lucario pointedly, even as he poured a gratuitous amount of chocolate syrup onto his breakfast.
"I never knew that." I told the Legendary, who nodded in affirmation.
"He wanted to keep it secret, but when we sparred last night, something about this area caught my attention."
"Oh really? What was that?" I asked curiously.
"Some kind of presence, faint, but unlike anything I ever felt before." Mewtwo said while looking around curiously.
"Yeah? I wonder what that could be?" I muttered out loud while trying to think back to the games. Unfortunately, there was VERY little I could recall about the Sevii Islands from the games. Only that Moltres was found here, and that the rest of the islands were unlocked after beating the Elite Four.
"We'll probably be in this area for a couple days if you were wanting to look around and investigate."I told him after a moment's thought.
"I know. Your partner told me that you intended to have some of your pokemon learn a powerful move here." Mewtwo replied.
"That's right. Blast Burn, Hydro Cannon, and Frenzy Plant are the most powerful moves that our starter pokemon are capable of learning. But they need someone to teach it to them since they can't learn it on their own." I explained to him, which Mewtwo nodded slowly in contemplation.
"Perhaps I will also attend this training. I am curious if I can learn these moves as well." He stated, making my brows rise from surprise.
"Well, you're welcome to tag along if you want. After breakfast we intend to pack up camp and fly to that island, where the master of those moves lives." I told him while pointing to Two Island, which could be seen to the east of here.
"I thank you." Mewtwo stated, while Joy approached him with something behind her back.
"Here. I brought these for you." She said, before offering him four pudding cups.
"!!!"
"Ehem... I thank you as well." Mewtwo said while trying to maintain his composure, even as he readily accepted them and tried to eat them with the dignity befitting a Legendary.
He failed.
After everyone finished eating I rearranged my team so that the needed pokemon were all with me for training. Charizard was a constant, so I didn't need to rotate anyone for him. Infernape, Blastoise, Sceptile and Torterra however all needed to be with me since they were the only pokemon I had capable of learning the moves we were here to learn. I also kept Regirock and Regice with me as well to act as training partners for my pokemon, and Aerodactyl to fly on. And the final spot on my team was taken by Dratini, who I figured I would give some special training to while the others were learning their new moves.
Once I had everyone where they needed to be, and we packed up our camp, Mewtwo surprised Joy and I by just Teleporting us to the second island instead of flying.
"Well that was handy..." I said while looking around, as we were standing on a ledge overlooking a small town.
"I did not know exactly where this tutor was, so I brought us outside of the village to get a grasp of their location. However, they do not seen to be here..." Mewtwo explained, looking down at the village with narrowed eyes before it appeared that realization dawned on him.
"I see... They live on the cape to the most northern edge of the island. I shall bring us there promptly." He stated, before the world shifted around us yet again, and we found ourselves standing directly outside of a cottage.
"Holy shit...." I uttered while taking in our surroundings, or more specifically the three pokemon that were here.
Nestled within the garden outside the cottage was the strongest Venosaur I had ever seen or felt, who opened a lazy eye to scrutinize us intently. Also present was a pond with what first appeared to be a dirt mound in the middle which began to move to reveal that it was actually a Blastoise, again, the strongest I had ever seen. And finally, basking in the sun at the edge of the cliff, was a Charizard that felt like it would even make Red's look like a wimp.
"They are powerful." Lucario said while looking each of them over anticipation, before the door to the cottage opened to reveal an elderly lady.
"Who goes there?" She barked at us, angrily, not even seeming to register Mewtwo. Or she just didn't care.
"Someone who would like some training for their pokemon." I answered respectfully.
"Bah!" She spat back at me, uninterested.
"Another punk kid that just thinks that his pokemon would be strong if they learn from me? Well too bad for you sonny, I retired from training worthless two-bit trainers like yourself!"
"Wait a second!" I called out as she turned to go back into the house, more than a little annoyed.
"Don't waste my time!" She snapped back at me, holding up a wooden ladle like it was a sword.
"You think I haven't seen your type before? Trainers who can't properly train their pokemon, and think they'll win the League just because I taught them my moves? Well forget it! There's nothing for you here!"
"And how do you know?" I snapped back at her, my patience wearing thin.
"Hah?" She asked, acting more like a thug than a little old lady.
"How do you know if my pokemon have been properly trained or not? You haven't even seen any of them!" I pointed out to her.
Surprisingly, that seemed to convince her at least a little bit, as the woman irritably rolled her eyes at me.
"Fine then!" She snapped once more, while her own pokemon slowly gathered around us.
"Pick one of my darling little babies to battle against. If you win, then I'll train your pokemon." She stated, acting like this was a waste of time as she did so.
"Does it have to be the pokemon I brought for training, or can it be ANY of my pokemon?" I asked her, already palming two specific pokeballs.
"Doesn't matter which one you pick sonny. The result will be the same regardless." She spat at me.
"Alright then~!" I said, getting ready to send out Regirock and Regice. After all, how could she say I wasn't worthy to teach when I have TWO Legendary pokemon on my belt. Before I could though...
"Huh?" I uttered, looking up and out over the ocean into the distance.
"Well sonny?" The old lady snapped when I didn't send out a pokemon, like I was wasting her valuable time.
"Just a second..." I told her, as three figures appeared on the horizon.
"I think I'll pick one of them." I told her as the figures got closer, and confirmed my suspicion of who they were.
"Wha-?!"
The old woman sputtered as three massive birds all landed around her cottage, one covering the grass with a layer of frost, the other bringing with it a wave of heat, and the final one producing a strong scent of ozone with it's mere presence.
"Hello." I said to the three Legendary birds.
"Coo coo." Articuno cooed at me urgently, leaning down to look at me directly, and making my smile cramp slightly.
"..."
"You came all the way here, to ask for a nickname as well?" I asked her in disbelief, while both Moltres and Zapdos puffed out their chests victoriously.
Did Moltres literally leave to go brag about his new nickname to his siblings? And now I have a jealous Articuno because of it?
"Cuno." She answered bluntly, furthering my disbelief.
"Fine then..." I said while shaking my head, thinking for a moment before one came to mind.
"You can be the Arctic Chicken." I told her, and the Lady of Ice preened proudly from her new nickname.
"Ok then..." I said while shaking my head, before asking them, "Oh yeah. This old lady wants to battle me, so do one of you mind helping out?"
"""???"""
The three Legendary birds looked down at me, before shifting their focus to the old lady, who looked as if she were about to have a heart attack. Then they looked to her three pokemon, before they began deliberating between themselves for a moment.
"Moltres mol, tres." Moltres finally said a moment later. Basically all three of them would help me, because there were three opponents.
"Thanks~!" I called up to them, before turning to look at the old lady.
"So, who's first?" I asked her cockily.
"None..." She said slowly, before turning around and walking away.
"Where are you going now?" I asked her irritably.
"Away from my house, idiot! I don't want your pokemon destroying my home while I'm training them!" She declared irritably.
"Well that was easy..." Lucario as we watched her and her pokemon leave.
"Yeah. Even if they didn't show up, I planned to curb stomp her pokemon with the Regi's anyways." I told him, before we made to follow her.
"Are all elderly humans like this?" Mewtwo asked as he followed us.
"They're either angry at everything, or always chill." I answered, while the Legendary birds watched us with varied expressions.
***
"Finally going home..." Gloria sighed as she slumped down in her chair.
"Sis, you know what mom tells you about slouching." Victor chastized her, which Gloria readily ignored as they waited for the SS. Anne, which was finally finished with repairs, to leave.
Gathered together were not only the two siblings, but also Brendan, Max, Lucas, Barry, Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, Rosa, Calem, Serena, Elio, Selene and Hop. Ethan and Lyra had decided to return home on their own, as Johto was right next to Kanto, while Arven was staying with Arceus Aegis and Lillie was staying in Pallet town with professor Kukui as they worked with professor Oak to study Cosmog.
"It feels strange to be going home." Lucas said to the group as the ship started to move, after all the time they spent in Kanto and meeting one another.
"I'm not~!" Serena declared excitedly as she returned from a phone call she had received "I'm going to Galar!"
"Wait, what?!" Calem exclaimed as he sat up straight.
"Yep~! That call I just got? It was from Giana! Apparently Ace is starting a movie studio called Hidden Ace Studios, and I got a call to audition for a couple of the movies they're making!" Serena declare happily.
"Already?" Hilda asked with interest.
"Well, there's still some work to do in setting everything up, but apparently the studio is being built in Spikemuth in Galar! Giana said she'll send me an example of the script to practice, but they should be ready to start shooting by the time we get there! But of course, I need to earn the roles since they won't just give them to me."
Serena got a round of congratulations from everyone as they genuinely felt happy for her, especially Calem since he had long known that Serena had no interest in following their mom in being a Ryhorn racer. While they were doing that though, the boys all got a sudden notification.
"Group chat?" Rosa asked with a smirk.
"Yeah... Something from Ace." Nate said as they all opened it up, ony for their expressions to cramp up.
"What is it?" Selene asked while reaching for Elio's Pokenav, as Ace hadn't sent it to the girls. But what she saw made her jaw drop.
It was a picture captioned 'Hanging With the Homies', but the picture itself was what caught all of their attention. After all, it showed Ace, standing with Lucario at his side, while at his other side was a pokemon they had only heard about from him, Mewtwo. And that wasn't all, as standing behind the trio were two more Legendary pokemon, Regirock and Regice, while standing behind THEM were three MORE Legendary pokemon, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres.