Act 2: Chapter 31

“That’s not what we agreed upon!”

Elder Danae of the Draconid tribe frowns mightily, leveling his fellow elder with a glare from throughout the desk the place they each sit.

The Meteorfall Crater is house to many sanctums and hideaways, a lot of which maintain historical treasures from prying eyes. Others act as properties for the uncommon few who stay throughout the Crater year-round, such because the commemorated Oracle. This morning, the Draconid Elders and Oracle Hakea sit across the aged Oracle’s desk for a gathering most pressing.

“Calm your self, Taxus,” Elder Juniper, ever the diplomat, soothes. The lady reaches out and locations a hand on Taxus’s shoulder, easing him again down into his chair. “There needn’t be raised voices on this place.”

Taxus twitches, as if he needs to bat Juniper’s hand away, however earlier than he can, she withdraws it. The darkish inside of the Oracle’s house makes the shadows round Taxus’s livid visage all of the extra fearsome. “Hakea,” he growls, sounding akin to the Dragons the tribe venerates. “Why? Why did you give outsiders Keystones?”

Hakea appears completely unbothered with Taxus’ seething hostility. Actually, she appears to barely be listening, her eyes unfocused.

“Taxus…” Danae speaks, getting into the dialog with a glower. “Sufficient of this. Do you doubt the issues I noticed, the reminiscences gifted to me? Ascension has fallen into the incorrect palms already, and our greatest hope to revive the sanctity of our ceremony is to bequeath Thelban and Naraikvejor with the instruments to fight it.”

“I used to be not chatting with you, Danae,” Taxus grunts, affront flashing throughout Danae’s face. “Hakea! I demand an evidence!”

The shout attracts a sluggish blink from the aged Oracle, and she or he appears as much as Taxus placidly. “You’ll demand an evidence from me?”

“I might.”

A raspy chuckle escapes the previous Oracle. “By no means earlier than have you ever questioned me. What compels you to start now? Does the lack of fairly baubles disturb you so?”

Taxus grips the desk with such energy that the wooden begins to groan beneath his fingers. “Don’t play coy, Oracle. It’s not the stones themselves that hassle me, however relatively what they facilitate. It’s folly, handing such powers to outsiders. We have now already bent custom as it’s, however that is too far!”

“Your voice, Taxus; decrease it,” Juniper says as she narrows her eyes. “What’s carried out is completed, no matter any opinion of the matter,” she continues, sending Hakea a glance. “We needs to be discussing on how finest to information the Thelban and Naraikvejor, not shouting impotently about occasions now handed.”

The bald Draconid elder sucks in a hissing breath and runs a hand over his head. “We must always have been consulted. I’ve half a thoughts to demand that the stones be returned.”

“Returned into my possession?” Hakea asks, elevating a drooping eyebrow. “Youngling, you put out of your mind, these three had been correctly all my very own, not the tribe’s. If they’re returned to me, I shall reward them as soon as extra.”

“We nonetheless ought to have been consulted!”

“Maybe,” Danae murmurs, “however time is of the essence. There’s already an unworthy one perverting the sacred bond and ceremony, and shortly I worry there shall be one other.”

“One other?” Juniper asks sharply, snapping her head to stare at Danae. “What do you imply? Have we had one other sneak?”

The youngest of the elders sighs and nods his head. “A terrific hulk of a person handed by means of the village however someday in the past. His questions had been many and unsubtle, practically leading to battle. He was lastly despatched away, however I’ve warned the sentries to be vigilant.”

Hakea laces her gnarled fingers collectively and turns her good eye to Taxus. “Change is coming whether or not we’re ready or not, and younger, proficient blood might see us by means of this turbulent time. Will we proceed to withstand the march of Dialga, or will we bend just like the reed within the storm and survive?”

For a protracted second, Taxus is silent. “I can’t conform to relinquishing the Mega Stones, not with no take a look at of value.”

“Taxus, you can’t be critical!” Danae exclaims, standing and planting his palms on the desk. His face screws up right into a pissed off grimace. “Suppose of what’s at stake! Thelban Zinnia was hand chosen by Thelban Aster! You declare to take care of custom, but you spit upon the urging of the Thelban! That is unprecedented!”

“Sharing our reward with outsiders can also be unprecedented, so I can’t be satisfied in any other case.” The bald elder abruptly stands. “I have to make preparations. Good day.”

Within the shadows behind Oracle Hakea, gold and ruby eyes meet, then two kinds shuffle away unseen.

The Mega Keystone in Lee’s hand feels as if it weighs 100 kilos.

For a lot of the previous week, the shining, spherical crystal has dominated his ideas, which have ping-ponged throughout. From the phobia on the volcano to the disquieting destiny that befell Aster, the darkest a part of his creativeness gnaws at him with out regard for the way it frays at his nerves.

Idly, he rolls the Keystone round in his hand, watching it refract the waning daylight streaming in from the nice gap within the ceiling. Alongside his hand and chest, rainbow mild dances. ‘For such a robust little factor, it is deceptively innocent-looking.’

With the day’s coaching over, Lee and his buddies are stress-free exterior their hut within the middle of the Meteorfall Crater, largely at Lee’s request. The very last thing he needs is an absence of daylight publicity making anybody crabby, not when the Dragon TE within the air already leaves everybody extra highly-strung than normal.

A brief methods away, a smiling Brendan and his workforce all lie in a mattress of soppy moss, soaking within the solar and resting. Even the often jumpy Electrike is already dozing off.

‘Brendan is taking the Keystone factor in stride, it appears…’ Lee observes, unsurprised.

Zinnia is huddled together with her 5 pokemon a bit additional away. Noivern, Zinnia’s latest seize, appears positively exhausted. Apparently, being totally advanced doesn’t suggest that she’s in a position to sustain with the remainder of her workforce but.

‘That, and Zinnia was twice as brutal in her coaching right now.’ Lee lets his eyes roam his buddy’s pokemon, taking in all of the half-healed cuts and contusions amongst their quantity. ‘The entire rattling cave was shaking.’

Lastly, most of Lee’s workforce are of their balls, resting and ready for meal time. Sylveon and Shinx had been each totally tuckered out by the day’s actions, and Octillery has been much more withdrawn than normal not too long ago. Corviknight is roosted up on the highest of the dome-like hut, preening his metallic feathers with quiet rasps. Grovyle…

Lee frowns and leans again into the wall of the hut, closing his hand across the Keystone.

Round his Keystone.

Ever for the reason that Oracle left the Keystones of their care, Grovyle has had a fireplace in his eyes, an depth to him past that of another pokemon on the workforce. When he strikes, he does so with function and zeal, pushing himself even when the burn scars throughout his physique angrily tug at his pores and skin. 3 times right now, Lee advised Grovyle to not overdo his coaching, and 3 times Grovyle complied… Solely to overlook minutes later and go proper again to what he was doing.

Lee can see what’s occurring as plain as day, and it leaves him pissed off resulting from how powerless he feels in fixing it.

Grovyle appears like he is falling behind.

For fairly a while, there has all the time been a transparent hierarchy of energy on Lee’s workforce. Ninetales stays on the prime. Her uncooked energy, deep bag of methods, and typing relative to the remainder of the workforce make it so. Even when Lee had been to utterly shut himself out of her thoughts and deprive the fox of his enter, she continues to be a power to be reckoned with.

Corvi is subsequent. The good raven was a terror as a Corvisquire, and his evolution has solely made him extra so. His dimension, energy, misleading pace, and stellar dual-typing make him a nightmare to struggle. Though he suffers a kind drawback to Ninetales, a conflict between them would not precisely be a foregone conclusion; Corvi is simply too cussed, too iron-willed.

Then comes Grovyle. Lee is aware of the Grass-type would not begrudge his teammates for being robust, however he does curse himself for not maintaining.

The longer they keep down right here within the crater, the more severe the issue turns into.

On their first day of coaching, Octillery received their sport of maintain away, and obtained his Thunder Wave TM as promised. The octopus was past delighted together with his new potential to shoot bolts of paralytic lightning.

In the meantime, Grovyle stood by, his arms crossed and his eyes slender, however no grievance was voiced. The gecko pokemon made Siphon Blade battle-ready only some days later, however the rain cloud over his head persevered.

Then Shinx started to enhance by leaps and bounds, going from little greater than a kitten to a headache on 4 legs. The identical tactic by no means appears to work on Shinx twice, and when a foe’s playing cards are lastly all laid naked, overpowering her turns into the one reasonable choice. A easy sufficient prospect now, however who is aware of the place she’ll be in every week, a month, a yr? As soon as once more, Lee resolves to make time quickly to offer his child a full cognitive take a look at.

Grovyle is little question evaluating her development to his, and discovering his personal missing. The sting of evaluating himself to an toddler is probably going even worse.

Even Sylveon is starting to ramp up. The center-aged Fairy is shaking unfastened all of the rust in her joints, and improves little by little, daily. Her spectacular repertoire of strikes aided by Pixilate means she’ll by no means be irrelevant in a struggle.

Lee stares at Grovyle’s again because the Grass-type stands on a boulder a dozen yards away, his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he soaks within the solar. Being one in every of Lee’s first three pokemon, Grovyle is aware of a lot of the meta-lore Lee has to share…

…Such because the existence of Sceptilite, spurring him into such recklessness down within the coaching chamber.

Heat fur cuddling into his facet eases Lee out of his funk. Turning his head, he spies Ninetales settling down subsequent to him.

They can not presumably be stonewalling them at this level, can they? Lee and Zinnia stated that the keystones want an accompanying mega stone for the pokemon, and Brendan can solely consider one factor that the Draconid elders might withhold…

“Taxus has all the time been a stickler, even when it comes again to chew him within the ass,” Zinnia growls. She releases her white-knuckle grip on her cloak and takes one other deep breath, making an attempt to regular her nerves. “Wonderful. No matter. A take a look at. Did he say what it’s?”

Isis meekly shakes her head. “No, Thelban. The elder didn’t say, and abruptly left the assembly after his declaration, saying he had preparations to make. We are able to solely presume that he’s referring to the aforementioned take a look at.” She appears in direction of her sister, who stares again nervously earlier than nodding. “No matter it’s that Elder Taxus is planning, we do not consider that he’ll spring it upon you instantly. No, for as foul as his angle was, he wouldn’t disgrace himself by placing an unattainable problem earlier than you. He’ll probably enable you time to coach, and if you’ll undergo our presence, my sister and I shall help.”

“How so?” Brendan asks, giving Astis a suspicious look. He ignores the prickle of guilt when Astis winces. “Like, with pokemon searching and stuff? I do not need to sound like a jerk or something, however I’ve gone searching for a fifth workforce member with Astis a few occasions, and it has been a bust every time.”

As soon as extra, Isis provides Astis a conspicuous look, as if saying, ‘Are you actually certain about this?’, to which Astis screws her golden eyes shut and harshly nods.

With a click on of her tongue, Isis solutions Brendan. “Then you’re in luck, Brendan Birch. The situation of our help is that you just take Astis as your latest member.”

‘What?’ Brendan’s blue eyes slender, and when he appears at Lee, Zinnia, and Ninetales, all of them appear equally confused as nicely.

Astis stands, her arms held stiffly to her sides. She cracks open her eyes and appears at Brendan with hope.

Then she begins to glow.

The redheaded lady shines a brilliant white with shimmers of rainbow coloration all through, from the very suggestions of her toes to the very prime of her head. Then, as if made of sunshine itself, her human form bends and contorts, refracting like a beam of sunshine caught between numerous tiny mirrors. The form grows skinny wings, a protracted neck, and arms ending in a trio of talons. As fast because it began, the sunshine present is over, and hovering in Astis’ place is a residing, respiratory Latias.

Brendan feels his jaw drop, gaping on the legendary pokemon that simply revealed itself to him.

He isn’t alone. Over on the sofa, Lee’s eyes widen such that his face tugs at his scars. He reaches down, solely to understand with a muttered curse that his bag, and thus his pocket book, is not at his ft.

Brendan cannot actually learn Ninetales’ expression, however all of her wavy tails going nonetheless looks as if shock to him.

Zinnia appears on the Latias together with her lips pursed and the beginnings of a scowl on her face after the shock fades away. She appears none too happy by what simply occurred in entrance of her. She palms her face with a groan. “Fuck. I ought to’ve recognized…”

Wait a minute.

The situation of our help is that you just take Astis as your latest member.

With out that means to, Brendan shoots to his ft, pointing a finger at… Astis? Latias? “Maintain on! You imply to inform me that you just had been a Latias your complete time?”

The Latias shyly appears away.

“And that…”

“… She needs to take you as a coach?” Isis lastly permits herself a small smile. “I might ask you to forgive her deceptions, each for her look and in your botched hunts. The latter was purposeful, and she or he didn’t want in your workforce to fill earlier than she might work up the nerve to disclose herself.”

… So Astis was deceptive him your complete time for her personal acquire, identical to Courtney. Regardless of the once-in-a-lifetime alternative earlier than him, Brendan can not help however really feel a bit put out by being deceived once more.

It simply appears to maintain occurring.

The joy drains away, and Brendan sits again down, folding his palms in his lap and staring on the ground as he thinks.

“Birch?”

Brendan appears as much as Isis, whose smile is falling. “You… don’t appear happy. Is Latias to not your liking?

Beside Isis, Latias appears petrified on the concept. She stares at Brendan pensively, her shyness utterly changed by apprehension.

“Why?” Brendan asks merely.

Isis and Latias share a look. “I do not consider both of us understands the query.”

“Why me?” Brendan asks once more, this time extra intently. “What about me is so particular that you’d do all of this? What are you hoping to get out of it?”

Each Latias and Isis appear to have been caught flat-footed by the questioning. Purple eyes meet gold, and Brendan acknowledges the minute shifts of their expression, having seen the identical factor between Lee and Ninetales at any time when they use telepathy.

The not-so-silent staring match is damaged when Isis turns again to Brendan. “Latias solely needs for a life past the village in conjunction with a worthwhile coach,” she begins softly. “You might be no idiot, Brendan Birch, so certainly you should know the dangers such an extravagant pokemon takes once they stay amongst folks. There all the time exists the chance of a coach who would seize them, mislead them, use their energy for incorrect. With out being in conjunction with the coach worthy of belief, she would haven’t any hope of residing a life freed from paranoia exterior Draconid lands.”

Latias gulps and nods with Isis’ phrases, watching Brendan pleadingly.

“To that finish,” Isis continues on, voice little greater than a whisper, “she wouldn’t settle for a coach with no coronary heart most pure. Yours, Brendan Birch, is what she’s searching for.”

Brendan finds his slowly constructing mood stalling out. He appears in direction of Lee, Ninetales, and Zinnia, however they appear content material to stay quiet and watch. Returning his consideration to Latias and Isis, Brendan mulls over his subsequent phrases. “Nobody she’s ever met has been higher? What about Lee? He lives and breathes every thing pokemon. Or Zinnia? She’s your Lorekeeper, sworn to be your tribe hero.”

Latias twiddles her talons, making a low croon in her throat.

“Lee Henson’s coronary heart is pure, however there may be little room left to spare inside it,” Isis rigorously solutions. The corners of her eyes are crinkled, and Brendan can inform his sudden questioning is stressing her. “Thelban Zinnia… She has modified since her departure from our lands, modified for the higher. Have been you not with them, Latias could have turned her sights upon them, however because it stands, you’re the one she needs for, Brendan Birch.”

Oh man… Brendan nearly needs that the mega stone factor was the worst downside he needed to face right now.

“It is your name, Brendan,” Zinnia says, leaning again on the sofa and watching every thing with scrutiny. “You have obtained Lee and I to assist out in case you wanna take this accountability on, and in case you do not, then do not. Easy as that.”

Lee’s encouraging smile pairs with Zinnia’s phrases, and Brendan involves a choice.

“A few months in the past, a woman named Courtney lied to me for weeks straight to get what she wished out of me, and I practically threw my buddies’ lives away when every thing got here to a head, solely altering my thoughts on the final second,” Brendan begins, incomes him a startled look from Latias and Isis. He stares Latias within the eyes. “I perceive why you saved every thing to your self, however I hate being lied to, and I hate being manipulated, even for conditions like this. Do you see the place I am going with this?”

Latias visibly wilts, shrinking in on herself and hovering backwards. She begins to shimmer, her physique changing into clear.

“So which means, beginning right now, there isn’t any mendacity or withholding data from me or the workforce, okay?”

The practically invisible Latias stops, Brendan incredulously, earlier than hope begins to rise to her face.

Brendan cannot actually cease the smile that tugs at his lips. “So long as you may observe that rule, welcome to the workforce.”

The practically clear Latias turns into seen as soon as extra, and earlier than Brendan can say the rest, she zooms throughout the room and pulls him right into a bone crushing hug.

‘Oof! For having such quick arms, she’s actually robust!’ Grimacing, Brendan smacked his hand towards the again of one in every of her arms. “I want air! Faucet out!”

Latias releases him with an embarrassed squeak, dropping Brendan again into his chair. As soon as the celebrities cease dancing in his imaginative and prescient and he catches his breath, Brendan reaches for one of many empty pokeballs on his belt. Taking it, he holds the capsule out to Latias, giddiness making him shake slightly. “Everytime you’re prepared!”

Hovering ahead and reaching a tentative arm out, Latias pokes the button in the midst of the ball, making it pop open and suck her inside as a mass of sunshine. The ball shuts and would not even shake as soon as earlier than it dings.

“Holy crap…” Brendan murmurs to himself.

‘I simply caught a legendary pokemon. With out a struggle. Dad goes to lose his thoughts.’ Then he frowns because the sheer enormity of what simply occurred actually hits him. ‘Oh no. Dad is definitely going to lose his thoughts.’