Pride of Your Soul

EX-01: Beyond the Horizons

AN: Oh god it's been forever since I've been on here again. And the world's gone to shit while I was away too, huh.

Well it's been a while again. I know I promised I would work on Fidelity/Platinum Witch; AND I AM. But a few things got in my way. Namely some writer's block, real life issues, and a WHOLE LOT of procrastination, which led to this chapter being done first somehow (among other things). And I do apologize for that. The next chapters for Fidelity/Platinum Witch are almost done though, so it should not be too long before they go up (no promises as to HOW long exactly). Although a part of me does wish to simply get the extra chapters out of the way, but we'll see how that goes.

Speaking of the extra chapters; as the main plot is now over, they're basically the epilogue, in a similar vein to what I did with CoYS. While I did initially say I would do a few of them, things have changed since the 8 or so months I was gone. For now, it'll only be this two parter and the QnA, and maybe some of the other ideas I had initially planned, so as to not drag PoYS out any more than I need to. I will definitely do the QnA I've been holding off of for WAY too long, but that will go after the second extra chapter. The status of this story, however, will still be left as [Completed], as the main story has concluded, as far as I'm concerned, like how I did them with CoYS as well.

Now to respond to some reviews:

Tony Anderson: Thank you for sticking along with me for so long! I do plan on getting back onto Fidelity and Platinum Witch, but do bear with me a little longer as I close up a few loose ends here.

FantasyLover88: Thank you! Look forward to those two as well once I get back to business with them.

Jeck: [Yes].

Since this isn't actually going to be put into the story, some word of God for ya on how Mewtwo got the Kanto group involved in the Kyurem incident:

Step 1: Suddenly teleport to their homes in Kanto

Step 2: Briefly explain what's going on ('Help me'.) before proceeding to grab them with Psychic and teleporting all the way to Unova without their consent (as there's no time to dawdle).

Step 3: Throw Leaf and Yellow into Aspertia and Accumula.

Step 4: Bring Red and Blue with him to the crash site and THEN explain to them what was going on.

Step 5: ?

Step 6: Profit (Unova isn't destroyed).

So, Mewtwo really did kidnap them from their houses in Kanto just to throw them into an apocalypse because he wanted to reduce any potential casualties/needed two bodyguards so that he could keep the Entralink at bay. I mean the last time the Kanto group was in Unova was back when the first Driftveil Tournament was going on; and that was over half a year ago or so in context to the plot. What did you all think they were in Unova the entire time? That's silly to ask of tourists.

Unfortunately, the Interpol only cares about neutralizing what they determine to be a global threat, which Nate ended up becoming by association. They can and will find their own loopholes if it means to make sure a global threat has been dealt with. Fortunately for Nate, so can Hilbert and Iris, along with there being genuinely good people within the Interpol (Hilbert, Looker, Hilda, etc.). And from the Interpol's perspective, they had sent the two agents who were responsible for culling the first insurrection of Team Plasma, so they should have been enough to deal with this new one. Also I didn't really take any classes in public talk or anything, it just came to me as I went on. I guess it's something I've built up over the years though. But I'm glad you liked the last speeches that closed off PoYS.

And of course, your questions will be answered in the QnA.

IanAlphaAxel: Thank you! Do look forward to Platinum Witch!

Anonymous Trainer: Sorry about that, but I did feel like I was neglecting Fidelity more between the two. I will do my best to keep both of them updated.

flashyhero: It really has been that long, huh. Thanks for sticking by for so long. Look forward to what I have in store moving ahead.

RedPkmnMaster: Thanks man! As for Kyurem, he's been officially caught by Nate, so he's with him now.

IM Poik: Welcome back! This has been long overdue from my part, but glad you enjoyed the ride. Looking forward to hearing from you in the future.

TheDarkMaster4000: No worries about the length; just glad you enjoyed the final chapter. I'm sure I'll be hearing from you soon, whenever I post the next chapter of whatever story I do. So til then.

Guest (8/27/19): Thank you! I'll do my best with my other stories as well, so I do hope to see you there too!

Guest (9/19/19): No worries; at the time of asking, the QnA period was still up, so I'll gladly answer your questions too.

Douchebag: Oh my.

Guest (12/26/19): Unfortunately I don't play Pokemon Masters. I'm already into one mobage, I ain't trying to ruin my life with another. Looks pretty good from what I've heard though.

WhoRU: Nah, it's cool. Glad you found my story and liked it so much, although you should put your personal hygiene over my story though, haha. It's not going anywhere. And thank you!

A man: Thank you!

'Three months later'

"...And that concludes my report."

Hilbert eyed the man sitting in the desk far away from him, with a harsh ray of light obscuring him and the desk. The man was his supervisor and Hilbert had just finished delivering his report on his latest mission of tracking down the remaining members of the Seven Sages of the now defunct Team Plasma. Upon being debriefed of investigating the resurgence of Team Plasma and Kyurem, the International Police had tasked Hilbert and Hilda with hunting down its remnants, namely the Seven Sages of Team Plasma that were not accounted for.

Zinzolin had been arrested during the fiasco that was Kyurem's attack on Unova; apparently apprehended by two trainers. He was currently behind bars, looking like he had given up on life as we all knew it. Rood was already accounted for, having changed his ways and started an orphanage with the remaining Team Plasma grunts who stayed with him to care for abandoned Pokémon. Hilbert let Rood free on the count that he upholds his promises of actually taking care of Pokémon like how Team Plasma had claimed.

And Ghetsis...he was dead. While Hilbert was not one to speak ill of the dead, Ghetsis had proved to not be worth the respect long ago.

As such, he had to track down the remaining four sages that were unaccounted for: Gorm, Ryoku, Giallo and Bronius. Turns out, they were all in Unova; scattered across the map, each with their own agenda. From the Abundant Shrine, to the mysterious underwater ruins near Undella, they all had apparently devised their own plans. Fortunately, Hilbert and Hilda were able to stop them and detain them before anything bad happened.

"...Very well," the man nodded. "Good work, Agent Schwartzer. And how goes the surveillance of Team Plasma?"

Hilbert relaxed a bit. The man did not refer to a third resurgence of Team Plasma, but the one made from what had been left over from Team Plasmas of old and new, now under the watch of his little brother.

"They're sticking to their word of reform," Hilbert reported. "They've been taking odd jobs here and there all across Unova. It would seem that Unova is starting to warm up to this new Team Plasma. From what I've last heard, they even started a market business near Nimbasa City."

From what Nate had told him, it was a hard process. While getting the grunts to cooperate as one unit was simple enough, trying to convince the people of Unova was a different story. After having dealt with two Team Plasmas trying to take over Unova and almost having the region destroyed in the process, no one was quick to show an ounce of trust for this third Team Plasma.

However, from what Hilbert had heard and observed, Team Plasma had done nothing but help the citizens of Unova that they wronged. And while there was an everlasting stigma against the former terrorists, the people of Unova was starting to give them some leeway.

"...Very well then," the man said. "I suppose if they really are doing no harm, then we should have no worries. However, should they show any sign of hostility like their previous incarnations..."

Hilbert tightened his jaw, before nodding. While Hilbert trusted Nate and his abilities to actually reform Team Plasma, it would be a fool's errand to wholeheartedly trust Team Plasma without an inkling of doubt.

"Understood," Hilbert nodded.

"Good," the man nodded. "You're dismissed, Agent Schwartzer. Good work out there."

"Thank you, sir," Hilbert said, before promptly leaving the office. Once he closed the door behind him, Hilbert let out a sigh of relief. It was always nerve-wracking to deal with the superiors of the Interpol; one slip of words and he could potentially damn Nate into an unfavorable fate that the boy would have no hopes of saving himself from. As much as he was grateful for the Interpol of sparing Hilda from incarceration and providing them employment (with a rather hefty pay), he would rather die than entrust Nate's wellbeing to the more, shadier people whom occupy the top-ranking seats of the infrastructure.

Waiting for him outside was Hilda, garbed in her Interpol uniform of Weiss minus the mask. "How'd it go?" Hilda asked her boyfriend.

"Good enough, I suppose," Hilbert sighed. "Managed to keep them from doing something stupid to Nate."

"That's a relief," Hilda smiled. "He's been doing a real good job with changing Team Plasma. It'd be a shame if the Interpol cracked down on them out of paranoia and greed."

"At the rate the mentality up there's going," Hilbert shook his head, referring to the people in charge of the International Police. "I wouldn't be surprised if Nate's Team Plasma ended up more morally sound than here."

"Helps that the Unovan Champion is now effectively in charge of overseeing them," Hilda added as they walked down the hall to the cafeteria for something to eat. "Keeps the Interpol from getting their hands on them."

"True," Hilbert agreed.

"Um, excuse me!"

Hilbert and Hilda stopped in their tracks upon hearing someone call for them. They turned around to see a woman who looked around the same age as the two but much shorter in height, with short, lilac purple hair and wearing a rather pristine black suit. Neither of them recognized the woman, in spite of having worked here for over a year now, so she must be a new recruit.

"You're Hilbert Warren, correct?" the woman asked. "Agent Schwartzer, and the trainer of Zekrom?"

Hilbert quirked an eyebrow, before nodding. "Yeah. And how may I help you?"

The purple-haired woman became excited, before she calmed herself down. "I have heard rumors that the trainer of Zekrom was employed here as an officer, but I didn't think it was true! This is an honor!"

"Uh–Well thank you," Hilbert fumbled with his words, embarrassed at the sudden praise. "That's...very flattering."

"So? Who're you?" Hilda interjected with a rather blatantly unamused and rather familiar cold tone, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"Ah, and you're Hilda Warren, correct?" the woman asked. "Agent Weiss?"

"Yes, and?"

"It's an honor to meet you as well!" the woman replied, startling Hilda. "You're a role model among the female agents here!"

"I–Uh..." Hilda blubbered, founding herself at a loss of words as well and blushing out of embarrassment. "Thank you?"

Hilbert could not help but let out a snort in amusement. It was a rather rare sight to see Hilda of all people be caught off-guard like that. Especially when Hilbert knew damn well that she was about two minutes before going into her usual clingy jealous mode (which they had spent the past year working on so that she could be somewhat more approachable).

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even introduce myself," the woman said. "I am Anabel Lila. I joined recently. I've heard so much about you two!"

"A new recruit, huh?" Hilbert mused, confirming his own suspicions. "Well, welcome aboard. How can we help you?"

"I was wondering if I could get some advice, per say," Anabel said. "How it's like working here, what I should be aware of...and battling advice. If that's okay with you, of course! I don't want to overstep any boundaries–!"

"Calm down," Hilbert chuckled.

"Agent Anabel!"

They all now turned to the direction behind Anabel, where a familiar middle-aged man wearing a trench coat rushed up to them.

"Looker?" Hilda asked, recognizing the man as he reached them.

"Please don't run off like that all of a sudden," Looker said. "I didn't even realize you went off until a moment ago."

"Ah–I'm terribly sorry," Anabel apologized guiltily.

"It's quite alright," Looker responded, glancing up to Hilbert and Hilda. "It would seem that you wished to meet with the up-and-coming stars of the Interpol."

"Are we really viewed like that?" Hilbert asked.

"All things considered, you two have already proven to be a cut above the rest," Looker praised them. "It would be no surprise that the new recruits would look up to you two."

"Well...that's…Huh..." Hilda muttered.

"What? You can't find a rebuttal for this one?" Hilbert asked amusedly.

"Honestly no, this is like the first time someone's genuinely praised me that isn't you, N, Mother or both Fathers," Hilda admitted.

"That's pretty sad, not gonna lie," Hilbert commented, before focusing back on Anabel. "Well then. Anabel, was it? I'll be more than happy to help. But right after lunch. I haven't eaten anything since I got here."

"Ah of course!" Anabel agreed, before turning to Looker. "May I accompany you two?"

"I don't see why not," Hilbert said, glancing to Hilda. The woman shrugged, showing her indifference of letting Anabel join them or not. Hilbert nodded, before glancing back to Looker. "Would that be alright with you? I'm gonna assume you were in the middle of giving her a tour of the place?"

"That's perfectly fine," Looker assured them. "It was about time for a lunch break anyways. I need to hand in my report, so do let me know when you are finished with your lunch."

"Thank you, Agent Looker!" Anabel replied.

"Well then, I guess we'll show you the mess hall," Hilda said as she turned around, beckoning Anabel to follow her.

Hilbert was about to go with them, but Looker stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"A moment, if that's alright," Looker said.

"Hm? Of course," Hilbert said, turning to his fellow agent. "What's up?"

"I must thank you for your part in the case against the Riches," Looker said. "Is your brother...alright?"

"Yeah he's fine," Hilbert said. "It all worked out in the end I suppose."

"That's good to hear," Looker nodded. "The young and newer generation should have their futures bright and promising. It would've been a shame if he fell victim to the crimes the Riches committed."

"You and me both," Hilbert shook his head. "So, how do you think Anabel will hold up?"

"She shows great promise," Looker said. "While she may have just started, she already shows great potential in the field, much like when you two started off. I have no doubts she will quickly adjust to the environment. She may even climb up the ranks in no time."

"Looks like we have a lot to look forward to her, if you rate her so highly," Hilbert replied.

"Indeed," Looker agreed. "It would certainly help her growth if you two would help her out along the road."

"Anything to help our juniors," Hilbert said.

"Well said," Looker nodded in approval. "I must go submit my report now. Take care, Agent Schwartzer."

"You too, Agent Looker."

Nodding, Looker headed off to go submit his report to his own supervisors. Letting out a tired breath, Hilbert turned around to follow Hilda and Anabel, before planning out his own day of operations. Confirming the date, Hilbert faintly recalled Clay having contacted him, inviting him to some sort of tournament last month, which would have been today. Hilbert unfortunately had to decline, as at the time he was still busy with the aftermath of Team Plasma and monitoring Nate and the remnants of Team Plasma for the Interpol (a notion he believed was no longer necessary).

"I wonder how that's going," Hilbert wondered out loud as he prepared to finish the rest of his day.

"Huh...So this looks kind of rough," Rosa commented as she stared at the bracket.

The notion seemed simple and exciting enough; Clay had invited her, Nate and Hugh to participate in a new tournament that his Pokémon World Tournament was hosting; one that made the first tournament pale in comparison and was worthy for trainers who could arguably claim the title of Champion: the World Champions Tournament. Nate declined, claiming that he was too busy to enter the tournament; ironically, he was too busy because of the tournament with his business. Hugh and Iris declined as well, but Rosa could surmise that their reasonings were more...personal than they were willing to admit.

From all across the regions, several famous trainers who were either current champions, had been champion in the past, or had the potential to claim the title themselves should they go for it, gathered to this one tournament to clash against each other in what would no doubt be battles of epic proportions unlike any other. And the competition, much to Rosa's simultaneous excitement and dread, were all names that Rosa could easily recognize.

Lance, the current Champion of the Indigo Plateau of Kanto, most well-known as Kanto's original dragon master and the leader of the Kanto Elite Four before his promotion to the title of Champion. Like Iris, what made Lance terrifying was not only his arsenal of powerful Dragon-types, but the deviation from the common norm of possessing draconic Pokémon of different types designed to counter the typical answers to dragons, and his sheer brute force in battle. Anyone who saw his battle against current Johto representative Champion Ethan Gold several years ago when the boy challenged Lance could attest to Lance's ferocity in battle. Unfortunately, Ethan was too busy and did not have time to participate in this tournament.

Wallace, the current Hoenn Champion, previously the eighth gym leader, was what many considered a brilliant artist of Water-type Pokémon, not only being a world-renowned Contest Coordinator, but possessing the skills and prowess to earn himself the title of Champion like his brethren after the previous champion Brendan Maple had stepped down for undisclosed reasons, and the title was up for grabs. His battling showed off both his expert artistic sense as a coordinator, with the ferocity of a Champion much like everyone else.

Speaking of Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, the champion before Brendan and Wallace, could be said to be on a pedestal above them. The man was renowned as one of the leading archaeologists in Hoenn and being an expert on Steel-type Pokémon (along with prehistoric and ancient Pokémon). Perhaps his greatest claim is how, out of all the Champion-class trainers here, he is famous (or perhaps infamous) for being one of the strongest, if not outright ruthless, fighters here, in spite of what his rather friendly, relaxed and approachable personality might say otherwise.

But no champion in recent memory could claim to be even more merciless in battle than Steven except Cynthia. Having garnered the nickname 'Brunhild', she was famous across the globe as Sinnoh's current reigning champion, having no equal in battle ever since her start of the title. Possessing a team of powerful Pokémon of different types that could cover one another expertly, Cynthia is often described to be as lethal on the battlefield as she is beautiful to her male (and several female) fanbase and is usually among the most popular of the current champions. There is a rumor of one trainer having bested her in battle, but strangely enough, that rumor is treated with fear and reluctance; no one from Sinnoh would entertain the thought of the rumor being true.

And finally, but certainly not least, were the other two Kanto representatives: Red Ketchum and Blue Oak. Only the socially inept or those too young to know would not have at least heard of them; the two Kantonian trainers were among the most famous examples of the average trainer's dream becoming reality: to become a Pokémon Master. While everyone here started out as nothing more than an aspiring, novice trainer, Red and Blue were the most notable Cinderella stories of becoming a Pokémon Master. These two were among the first to defeat Lance and claim the title of Kanto's Champion; their battling skills among legendary status.

Of course, that was not to say that Unova was not behind the other regions in terms of power. Alder, a former champion of Unova, and perhaps the longest-standing one before his defeat against Iris, had decided to come out of retirement for this one instance to enter the tournament when he was offered the chance. Heralded as the strongest of Unova up until his defeat to Iris, Rosa was excited to see just what the old man had up his sleeves to take on the various champions of the tournament.

And of course, there was herself. Rosa Echoes: the current champion of Unova. While she may not be as strong or experienced as her obvious seniors, she was no slouch. She would definitely prove that to them and to no doubt the international audience.

Rosa glanced back to the tournament, confirming the bracket.

Cynthia (1) vs Rosa (8)

Lance (5) vs Blue (4)

Steven (3) vs Alder (6)

Wallace (7) vs Red (2)

Due to how seeding worked, Rosa, who had the lowest seed, was pitted against Cynthia, the first seed and most likely to win the tournament based on whatever calculations Clay made, as her very first round. Rosa internally groaned at her own luck; or lack thereof; for having to fight the trainer who's projected to win the whole thing as her first round. Even if she somehow won, she would have to face the winner of Lance and Blue, and then whoever won on the other side of the bracket; which was most likely Red, based on the seeding.

In spite of the odds being against her, Rosa found herself more fired up than ever. Besides her, Eve shared Rosa's determined look at the thought of all the new challenges that awaited them in the tournament. While it did not matter how far she actually managed to get to in the tournament, Rosa only had eyes for first place. She would definitely prove her worth on a global scale.

"Alright, Eve," Rosa said to her partner. "This tournament is gonna have our toughest opponents yet. You ready?"

"-Of course I am!-" Eve barked excitedly.

Rosa snickered; Eve's fervent excitement reaching to Rosa as well. They were all in it to win it. Any less would not be to their standards.

"Alright, let's do this!" Rosa shouted.

As Rosa turned around to head back to the backroom to get ready, she did not see that a person was walking past her and bumped into their shoulders.

"Ah–I'm sorry!" Rosa immediately apologized.

"Don't worry about it."

Rosa got a better look at the person she had bumped into. They were a tall boy who looked around their age wearing a blue jacket, black jeans and black military boots, carrying a messenger bag over his shoulder. A red hat sat on top of his head, with black hair hanging down to his chin. Slate grey eyes coldly narrowed at Rosa, before glancing to Eve.

"Hm, impressive-looking sylveon," the boy commented. "It's obvious that they've been through a lot."

"Oh geez, thanks," Rosa blushed at the compliment, before immediately picking up on what the boy just said. "Wait, you know what Eve is!?"

"-You know what I am!?-" Eve asked.

The boy arched a brow at Rosa, before sighing. "I suppose sylveon isn't exactly a common sight in Unova. How did you even obtain one?"

"Eve–My eevee suddenly evolved into it a few months back," Rosa explained. "My friends and I were stumped on what exactly she evolved into, and what type she was."

"Hm, interesting," the boy commented. "Your 'Eve' evolved into a sylveon; the Fairy-type evolved form of Eevee that's usually found in Kalos."

"Kalos?" Rosa asked. "Fairy-type...?"

"The eighteenth recorded type, discovered in Hoenn and Kalos roughly seven years ago," the boy explained. "It was never made public outside those regions until the top researchers could confirm which Pokémon were Fairy-types or not, and all the attributes of the type. It had only been recently announced by Professor Sycamore of Kalos. Odds are that news didn't reach Unova yet."

The boy glanced to Eve, who stared back curiously. "Within the type matchups, Fairy has offensive advantage over Dark, Fighting, and Dragon, while being resisted by Poison, Steel and Fire. Defensively, Fairy resists the aforementioned three types along with Bug; being immune to Dragon types, while Fairy itself is weak to Steel and Poison."

Rosa looked at the boy in awe. The boy's information perfectly matched up with what she and the others observed back when Eve first evolved.

"Then do you happen to know Sylveon's abilities?" Rosa asked. "When Eve tried using Hyper Voice, it became radically different."

"...What was their ability back when they were still an eevee?" the boy asked in response.

"Huh? Anticipation," Rosa answered.

"Figures," the boy said. "If your eevee had its hidden ability, then as a sylveon, it would have the species' hidden ability; Pixilate."

"Pixilate?"

"All Normal-type attacks from the user will become Fairy-type, and have their base power amplified."

Rosa let out a whistle as she glanced down to Eve. That would explain why Hyper Voice became radically different all of a sudden. "Then, do you know how Eve evolved? Like that's the one thing I still don't get."

"Eevee evolves into Sylveon with a certain level of affection while knowing a Fairy-type move," the boy explained. "What did your eevee know when it evolved?"

"Huh? Uh...Hyper Voice, Dig, Shadow Ball, and Charm," Rosa listed off the moves Eve had upon evolving, and before she changed up Eve's moves to see what technical machines were compatible.

"Charm is a Fairy-type move in Kalos and Hoenn," the boy explained. "While I doubt it's the same case here, the move must still have had enough attributes to trigger the evolution."

"I see..." Rosa said. How lucky was she to have learned the mysteries of Eve's evolution that evaded her and everyone else for so long? "That's awesome, huh Eve?"

Eve nodded eagerly in response, sharing Rosa's same sentiments.

"Thank you for the information!" Rosa thanked the boy.

"Don't worry about it," the boy muttered. "...Call it give and take. Do you mind if I ask a question?"

"Huh? Oh sure!" Rosa replied cheerfully.

"Very well," the boy said. "Do you know where I can find Nate Warren?"

"Huh? Nate?" Rosa asked, somewhat surprised. It was rare for someone to seek out Nate, much less know who he is.

"The way you refer to him...would it be safe to assume that you know him?" the boy asked.

"Well, he is a very important friend to me," Rosa replied. "He runs Join Avenue, right below Nimbasa City. You can probably find him there."

"Nimbasa City," the boy murmured, taking out a device that Rosa did not recognize. A hologram of what appeared to be Unova's map popped up, startling the bun-haired girl. "...That's not too far from here."

"What's that?" Rosa asked.

"Hm? Oh, the Holo Caster," the boy commented offhandedly. "It's a device common in Kalos that uses holograms for communication."

"Huh, so like our Xtransceivers...but with holograms," Rosa muttered. "That's pretty cool!"

The boy did not respond to Rosa's comment and shut off the device before putting it away. His expression was unreadable to Rosa. "Thanks for the information."

Without saying another word, the boy walked away from Rosa, heading out of the venue. Rosa saw him off as he exited the stadium.

"What a strange guy," Rosa commented. "I wonder if he is from Kalos, since he knew all about Eve and has that Holo Caster thing..."

Rosa looked at the time and realized it was almost the time for the starting ceremony, so she and Eve rushed to the locker rooms.

That was when Rosa realized that she never got the boy's name.

The Join Avenue was borderline chaotic with all the bustling business it had, courtesy of the tens upon hundreds of people that were visiting to inquire of the Avenue's many services that it offered to the public. From general stores to restaurants to training centers, the Join Avenue had almost everything one could ask for. And in festive times such as holidays or big sporting events such as football tournaments or international battling tournaments such as the one being held in Driftveil City today, such a pavilion proved to be valuable beyond compare. Goods were flying out the stores, the staff was busier than they had ever been before, and the profit kept building up and up.

The fact that it was manned by the remnants of Team Plasma did not bother the ongoing customers of Unova in the slightest.

Perhaps it was because the former terrorists had shown nothing but atonement of their past crimes and did their best to help the people of Unova they had wronged for the past three months, which slowly earned back the trust of the people. Perhaps it was because all points that could lead them to be plotting something dastardly a third time were quashed by the actions of their new leader, who promised that the new Team Plasma only had the benefits of the country and the people at heart.

Perhaps it was because of their new leader in general.

"Honestly if he had the nerve to cheat on you and then come crawling back, fuck 'em," a boy said gruffly to the arcanine in front of him as he consumed more potato chips from the bag. "Your choice obviously, but I wouldn't be too happy to see that my mate abused my trust, went behind my back and committed adultery with another dog, ya feel me?"

"-Well, you have a point...-" the arcanine agreed as she took a bite from the bowl of Pokémon food provided to her.

It had become common knowledge among Unova that the new leader of the new Team Plasma, was a child. A child no older than fifteen years of age was the new head. But this was no mere child, for no mere child could ever boast of commanding hundreds of former terrorists to do his bidding.

The child was Nate Warren, long-lost little brother to the Hero of Black, Hilbert Warren, and the trainer who saved Unova from Team Plasma's second vie to power by defeating the monstrous legendary dragon, Kyurem. And as the new leader of Team Plasma and the head of the Join Avenue, here he was, using his abilities to understand Pokémon's speech by acting as a Pokémon whisperer of sorts.

Except with less whispering and more advise and wisdom with the subtlety of a jack hammer tossed at a glass window.

"Look, you're still unsure of whether you should give that other dog another chance or not," Nate surmised. "The fact that you're asking me for advice confirms it enough. And that's a good thing. It means there's a part of you who's willing to forgive the dog who cheated on you, even though he cheated on you. And that's very kind of you. But you deserve better than someone who would betray your trust like that, and you need to make that decision. If I were you, then I'd say fuck him, but like I said: it's your decision."

The arcanine stared at Nate, before nodding and getting back up. "-Thank you for the advice.-"

"Don't sweat it," Nate waved it off, before glancing over to her trainer. "Ok that'll be 10 bucks."

"Thank you for helping her out," the trainer said as she paid the boy the fee for his strange, Pokémon counseling.

"I suggest telling the trainer of this other arcanine that he's a two-timing bitch," Nate said, putting emphasis on the swear.

As the woman and her arcanine gave their thanks and left, Nate picked up the empty bag of chips and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. In spite of the heavy traffic in business, his own little store did not seem much action due to how niche it was when compared to the general convenience the other stores provided. Of course, he still had to oversee everything so he was still plenty busy, but Nate could find some time to relax a bit, which he spent by reminiscing about his efforts from the past three months.

Three months ago, a week or two after the Kyurem incident, Nate had suddenly announced to Unova that he would be in charge of reforming the remnants of Team Plasma, rather than persecute them for their crimes. While at first no one believed him, he stayed true to his word. The grunts would perform menial labor such as volunteer work and whatnot. The boy would be at the forefront, overseeing the grunts or participating in their labor himself. He would often praise the grunts for their work, or scold and discipline the rowdier ones, painting the boy as someone who was stern, yet fair.

While it had shades of what that shady priest of Team Plasma did a little more than two years ago (publicly preach their ideals to influence the mass), the boy did not seek to twist the people's thoughts to agree with them, but rather showed their genuineness; show them that even the lowest of low could change for the better. It was not an instantaneous effect, but Team Plasma had wormed their way back into the people's trust. After the second month, Unova had come to trust the new Team Plasma, all thanks to the efforts of the boy, and Team Plasma's own efforts of changing.

At the end of the second month, Nate happened to stumble upon the previously barren Join Avenue. He recalled passing by the once-dead pavilion on his way to Nimbasa almost a year ago with Rosa and Hugh, but no one took much attention to it. After a rather wealthy entrepreneur heard of Nate's reputation, he had offered the boy and his new Team Plasma the barren wasteland for them to use as they see fit, claiming that he no longer had time to try and renovate the place. In a need for more profit to help maintain Team Plasma as a whole, Nate jumped at the opportunity, and the newly revived Join Avenue stood proudly as one of the most successful pavilions Unova has ever seen.

The Join Avenue, and the trust he was able to amass from the leftover Team Plasma and from the people were testaments to his efforts of reformation. He was able to bring Team Plasma into a new light and keep his promise of bringing them a new future when it seemed all but lost for the former terrorist group.

"To think I'd be doing this..." Nate muttered to no one in particular. "Keh, if someone told me this like a year ago, I'd be laughing in their face."

From his small shop, Luca was sweeping the floor with a broom, while Deo was curled up besides the boy, taking a nap. Not many people showed up to his shop; at first people had only showed up because of his own glory and nothing more, which gave him nothing but eager window shoppers, which annoyed the boy. Eventually, Nate made it so that only those who actually needed his services were welcomed. Traffic to his shop went down tremendously, but the boy was more content with that. As a result, though, he could have some time to himself to lounge around or be able to go around overseeing the rest of the Join Avenue without having to worry about leaving it unmanned for the most parts, which he did often (especially in hectic days like today).

"Alright," Nate said as he got up from his seat. "Might as well go help around."

But as he was about to leave, he heard the door open and looked up to see the new guest. A lone woman walked into the store with genuine curiosity; with long brown hair, wearing a sleeves blue shirt, red skirt, blue baggy socks with red shoes and a white hat adorned on top of her head.

Looks like he had more work to do. He supposed it was better to keep him busy. "Welcome. How can I help you?"

"Hi there!" the woman in blue replied cheerfully. "Are you Nate?"

Nate arched a brow. "...Yes? And how can I help you...?"

"Wherever I go here, everyone hypes you up when I ask them about you," the woman said. "So, I came here to see it for myself."

"Hmph, didn't think I was that popular with the people," Nate snorted. Nate was fully aware that he was rather popular with the people thanks to his actions against Kyurem and his efforts leading the new Team Plasma, but never particularly cared for it. "So? What do you want then? I don't fancy window shoppers."

"Now, now, I have a reason for coming here, and it's not for window shopping, I assure you," the woman said. "...Would you like to have a battle with me?"

Ah, so there was the motive. It was not entirely uncommon for someone to visit his quaint shop only to challenge him to a battle. While he had hoped that it would eventually stop, it did make for good practice to keep him and his team from being too rusty. Especially since Rosa and Hugh continued their trainer careers and established themselves as champion-level trainers; one of them becoming the literal Champion.

"And what do I gain out of this?" Nate asked. "Doesn't matter how strong you are; what do I gain from battling you?"

"You're gonna back out?" the woman asked.

"I'd rather be called a coward than waste my efforts for no gain," Nate drawled.

"Hmm, you're rather coolheaded," the woman remarked. "A lot different from those two idiots. How about I offer you something as a price then?"

"...Offer me what...exactly...?" Nate asked carefully.

"Hmmm, let's see," the woman pondered, placing a finger on her lip as he waltzed around. "How about...I can bring you to the guy who gave you your mega stone."

All of a sudden, a cold chill infiltrated the room. Nate's skeptical gaze immediately hardened into a cold, harsh glare, glowering straight at the women, who did not so much as flinch at the glower she was receiving.

"I can bring you to him if you want," the woman offered.

Nate leered at the woman and pondered on his options. She was a complete stranger and he had no reason to trust her. He did not even know what this 'mega stone' even was. It was most likely that strange stone that had bailed him (and the rest of Unova) out of complete annihilation, but he had no idea of confirming. She could have been crazy for all he knew. On the other hand, the fact that she knew that he had the damn stone and that someone gave it to him was way too much of a coincidence. She seemed too confident for it to be a total bluff anyways.

"Fine," Nate finally relented. This was a chance he could not pass up.

Nate could not help but bless his heart that Yancy was so understanding. The boy had to explain to her why he had to abandon his post at such a hectic time, but she understood completely and agreed to cover for him while he was gone. Sometimes Nate thought that he did not deserve her kindness at times.

Regardless, the boy now found himself back in Route 9, but this time headed to the lower depths of the route through the thick grass off to the side.

"The hell you taking me to?" Nate asked incredulously.

"To your secret admirer," Leaf said with a teasing tone.

"My what now?"

Eventually the trio reached the end of the trail, where a large cave awaited them. Nate recognized the cave as the Challenger's Cave; a place famous for its absurdly powerful fighting-type Pokémon, and its popularity as a training spot for the elite trainers all across Unova. Although strangely, the cave has not received as many visitors as it did in the past, according to the rumors he heard.

"...So you're saying I'll find him here?" Nate asked.

"Yep," Leaf nodded, pointing to the cave nonchalantly. "He's waiting for you inside."

The image of the robed man who he had encountered during his journey flashed in his mind. Nate knew without a doubt that the man's cryptic patronage was vital in defeating Unova; if he had not given Nate the stone, then Unova would have certainly perished.

Nate was about to head for the cave, but noticed how Leaf had stopped right in front of the entrance, conveniently blocking his way in. Nate sized up the woman, before leering at her with an annoyed scowl.

"...You're not letting me in without a fight, are you?" Nate grumbled, figuring out what she wanted.

"I mean it's curious," Leaf said, confirming Nate's suspicions. "He was never a people-person, so to say, and yet he decided to trust you; a complete stranger. Whether he foresaw everything happening or not, I'm rather curious about the trainer who saved this land for a catastrophe. Someone like that has to be strong."

Without warning, Leaf revealed two pokéballs from her bag and tossed them into the air, sending out two Pokémon. One was a quadruped Pokémon with bumpy, blue-green skin, small, circular red eyes and a large pink, white-spotted flower, supported by a thick, brown trunk surrounded by green fronds. The other was a bipedal, insectoid Pokémon with a red, metallic exoskeleton, dark yellow eyes and large, round pincers that had yellow dots on them.

"A venusaur...and a scizor..." Nate muttered, recognizing the two pokémon before sending out Luca and Bo in response. "Ugh, I knew there would be a catch to this."

"Oh? You have a shiny Pokémon? That's really cool!" Leaf exclaimed in fascination. "And that one must be one of the starter Pokémon from Unova."

"Spare me the useless banter," Nate growled. "Just start already."

He did not want any banter from her. The moment Leaf challenged him, a vehement pressure exuded from her confident stature, almost crushing Nate where he stood. This kind of unpleasant feeling that seemingly crushed down on Nate was only felt once in the past.

When Nate met that peaceful-looking man in red.

He wanted none of that to deal with, so Nate would have to finish this as quickly as possible; regardless of who wins.

"How boring, you won't play along," Leaf pouted, before sporting a grin. "But I do like an opponent who's straight to business. Blue could take a few pointers from you. Alright then! Let the battle begin!"

Luca wasted no time as she deployed a Bone Rush staff to block the Bullet Punch that almost socked her head mere seconds after the woman started the battle, courtesy of the scizor. It took all of her strength to keep the attack from breaking through her staff before pushing the insectoid back. Scizor jumped back to his side of the field, as Venusaur wasted no time shooting a Sludge Bomb at Bo, who had to jump back to avoid the attack. Even then, the sludge exploded and pieces of sludge splattered across Bo's face. Grunting in disgust, Bo had to wipe his face to remove the sludge obscuring his vision, but threw out a punch seemingly into nowhere, only it had met Scizor's own attack, causing the two punches to bounce off each other. Luca rushed to Bo's aid, firing off several Aura Spheres at the red bug. Scizor's claws glowed brightly as he punched all the Aura Spheres aimed at him as Bo backed off.

"-What!?-" Luca gasped, before growling as she swung her staff at him.

"Brick Break!" Leaf commanded.

Scizor lifted his claw up, before bringing it down on the incoming staff, shattering it into several shards of energy effortlessly. Luca's eyes widened, before realizing she left herself wide open as Scizor slammed his claw into her stomach, causing the fighter to gag, gasping for air.

"Flare Blitz!" Nate quickly yelled out.

Having wiped the sludge off, Bo roared as he charged at Scizor with a mighty Flare Blitz. Scizor glanced at the incoming Bo, before grabbing the still-recovering Luca by her arm and hurling her at Bo.

"Wha–!?" Nate blurted, not expecting that move from Scizor.

"-Woah!?-" Bo yelped as he frantically tried to stop. But he had too much momentum to cleanly stop in his tracks, accidentally slamming into Luca with his own Flare Blitz attack. Luca cried in pain as the two of them flew back from each other; Luca rolling across the ground while Bo crashed behind from the recoil from his own attack.

"Shit..." Nate muttered under his breath, before glaring at Leaf, who did not so much as bat an eye. "She's actually pretty good, huh..."

Scizor kept with his offense, this time going for Bo. The fire pig rolled back onto his feet, before engaging Scizor in a furious exchange of blows, both side refusing to lose to the other. Meanwhile, Luca managed to recover from the friendly fire, before glowering at Leaf and Venusaur.

"C'mon, you can do better than that," Leaf called out. "Why don't you show me that 'power' you used to save Unova."

"Hah?" Nate asked incredulously. She wanted him to use the stone? Was she baiting him into doing something? Was it a trap?

"...Well, if you're not gonna, then let me give you an incentive," Leaf declared, rummaging through her pocket, before revealing a pendant. Adorned on it was a peculiar, shiny stone; a stone near identical to the one Nate had.

"What!?" Nate gasped. She had one too!?

"Did you really think you were the only one who had this?" Leaf asked incredulously, before placing her fingers on the stone, letting a familiar blast of light that converged to the venusaur. "Venusaur, Mega Evolve!"

"Mega what–?" Nate asked instinctively, before shielding his eyes from the burst of light that immediately ensued in front of him.

The light died down, where Nate was able to finally get a look at Venusaur. Much like how Luca had changed against Kyurem, so did the Grass-type. The flower on Venusaur's back grows larger and two smaller pink flowers bloom, one on his forehead and one on his rear. it. Additional leaves with woody stems, which are supported by vines, are grown around the flower. Dark markings developed on his forehead below the new flower.

"Now then," Leaf inquired, her calm smile having never left her face. "Will you do me the honor?"

Nate gritted his teeth. The woman was full of surprises; the biggest one so far being that her venusaur is capable of performing the same kind of transformation that Luca did all those months prior against Kyurem Absolute. If the transformation and the enhancements it gave to Venusaur were anything remotely similar to the ones Luca gained, then Nate had no room to try anything sly.

He needed to respond in kind if he wanted to stand a chance.

"Damn it!" Nate growled as he quickly took out his own stone in response along with Luca's stone, before tossing it to her. "Luca!"

Luca quickly caught the stone, before Nate pressed on his stone, causing light to burst from it just like it did before. The light converged to Luca, before exploding in another pillar of light. Once it died down, it revealed Luca, having transformed into the form she took to defeat Kyurem.

"That's more like it!" Leaf exclaimed as Venusaur roared, letting out a tempest of leaves at Luca.

Growling, Luca quickly created another Bone Rush staff, before swinging it against the storm of leaves, clearing it with one swing, before rushing down at the giant Grass-type. Venusaur produced several vines from his colossal flower, before they all shot at Luca. The jackal was stopped in her tracks, fending off a constant slew of vines whipping at her with her staff.

"Luca's being held back..." Nate muttered as he witnessed Luca struggling to break through Venusaur's retaliation of vines. "...No."

While it was rather subtle, Venusaur was managing to sneak in stray hits to Luca, in spite of her own defense. Luca cringed in pain, but refused to let her guard down. At this rate, Luca would not last long; it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to Venusaur's constant attacks.

"Tch! Luca, break through and use Iron Tail!" Nate yelled.

Luca snarled, before pushing the vines back with one giant swing. As the vines were briefly sent back, Luca wielded her staff like a javelin and hurled it at Venusaur, nailing him on the head. Venusaur grunted in pain as he stepped back slightly. Seeing the opening she earned, Luca bulleted forward, before jumping into the air with a somersault as her tail glowed a bright silver. Venusaur yelled out in pain as he stepped back some more, reeling from the strike of Luca's Iron Tail.

"Good, that did some damage," Nate said, before glancing over to Bo, who was still in a deadlock with Scizor. Scizor grunted in frustration, before letting out a wild haymaker at the fire pig. Bo quickly reacted, dodging the straight lunge before grabbing Scizor's arm.

"-Shit!-" Scizor swore, realizing how badly he messed up with that one misaimed strike.

"Incinerate him!" Nate ordered immediately.

Without any hesitation, Bo let out a mad roar as his mane of fire erupted wrathfully, engulfing both himself and Scizor in a giant burst of infernos. After a good few seconds Bo stopped the ignition, where Scizor stood unconscious and burned to a crisp. Bo let go of the bug, letting him collapse to the floor, before eyeing Venusaur.

"-I never thought anyone else could transform like the Lady Boss,-" Bo commented.

"Oh, nice reaction," Leaf commented as she recalled Scizor back into his pokéball. "You did really well out there, Scizor."

Now it was just Leaf's Venusaur against Luca and Bo.

"Flare Blitz!" Nate roared, wishing to finish the battle immediately.

Bo let out a cry as he catapulted into Venusaur in a raging fire ball, poised to take out the goliath of a Grass-type. Bo crashed into Venusaur with their strongest attacks, causing a huge explosion to obscure the battlefield. Once the smoke died down, Nate quickly checked to see if the Flare Blitz finished off Venusaur. To his shock and disbelief, Venusaur did not fall to the super-effective attack, pushing back against both Bo in spite of him channeling all of his strength against the Grass-type.

"-What?!-" Bo gasped.

"-He took Flare Blitz head on!?-" Luca gasped as well.

Bo refused to back down though, pushing back against the goliath that was Venusaur. Between the clash of might, Leaf observed Nate, then his two Pokémon. Despite immediately taking a massive beating, and seemingly being stopped by Venusaur's wall of vines, they were able to come back quickly and find a way to swiftly turn the tables. But above all, they did not show any signs of conceding. The expression she got from them were of those who have seen countless battles and countless seemingly impossible odds, and of those who did not yield to said odds and took them head on.

Much like herself and her friends, all those years back.

Nodding, Leaf snapped her fingers. Venusaur spared a glance to her and let out a grunt, before mustering up his strength and pushing Bo back.

"-Whoa!-" Bo let out, landing on his back, before immediately getting back up.

"That's enough," Leaf declared. "The match ends here."

"...Huh?" Nate asked. "Wait, you're just gonna give up here?"

"Honestly if I kept this up, then I'm gonna piss him off for keeping him waiting," Leaf commented. "And that's one headache I'd rather avoid at all costs."

At the declaration of the battle's end, Venusaur relaxed, as he and Luca both brightly shined, before the light dispersed, leaving both in their normal forms.

"You're really good," Leaf complimented Nate. "And your Pokémon are phenomenal. You must've trained them well."

"Uh...thanks?" Nate asked. "Wait, so...did I win?"

"That depends on whether or not Venusaur could've landed Earthquake," Leaf casually remarked. "Besides, I've seen as much as I wanted."

...From the angle where she ended the battle, Bo and Luca would not have seen it coming. Perhaps Luca could have avoided a point-blank Earthquake, but Bo certainly would not have from his position.

She gave Nate the win after being satisfied with what she saw, and could have won should the battle have continued. Somehow that felt even worse than straight up losing, even if it was not certain. It merely felt like she was toying with him, but still taking him seriously.

The boy grumbled under his breath, before taking out two sitrus berries and tossing them to Luca and Bo to replenish their health.

"So am I good enough for you?" Nate drawled.

"Oh yeah, totally," Leaf said. "Now I wanna see you fight Red. I can actually see you beating him...but we're getting off track. With that kind of strength, he should be satisfied."

"...Okay for what...?" Nate asked hesitantly.

"Oh you'll see," Leaf said as she recalled Venusaur. "Now c'mon. We have a meeting to attend."

Disgruntled at how Leaf was deciding the pace, Nate nonetheless followed her into the Challenger's Cave after recalling Luca and Bo.

The cave was rather ominous. As they ventured through, Nate observed the several fighting-type wild Pokémon that the cave was famous for, merely observing them from afar. Nate would have assumed that they would try to attack their little group, but none of the wild Pokémon so much as moved an inch. A sense of foreboding reached Nate. Was someone keeping them so passive? If so, then what?

"We're here," Leaf announced, her voice echoing throughout the cave.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Leaf's declaration snapped him out of his stupor, having reached the very end of the cave. Leaf and Nate headed into the depths of the cave. Soon enough, Nate spotted a lone figure standing in the middle of the giant room of a cave. A lone, robed figure that he recognized instantly.

"You!" Nate gasped.

The robed figure turned around, staring at Nate with his bright, purple eyes.

"I brought him, Mewtwo," Leaf said.

"Mewtwo?" Nate asked. Was that his name.

"Good work," 'Mewtwo' responded to Leaf as he slowly approached them.

The robe around him began to glow in a light blue energy, before slowly beginning to disintegrate, revealing the figure underneath.

Nate's eyes widened in shock. The 'man' was no 'man'. He was not a human at all. The Pokémon was a tall, gray humanoid Pokémon with vaguely feline-like features, two short, blunt horns and a long purple tail.

Of course he was a Pokémon. Nate should have realized that. That would explain so many things. Such as how he had suddenly disappeared within the span of seconds when Nate briefly looked away from him in their first encounter. Or how he had healed Nate, when he was at death's door long ago from the bullet wounds that he had suffered back at Undella. Or how he had communicated with him telepathically during his battle against Kyurem, and how he implied to be the reason why the Entralink stalled long enough for Nate and Luca to finish Kyurem off.

No ordinary human could have been capable of pulling off those feats. A Pokémon however...

"It's been three months," Mewtwo said to Nate. "Good work on dispatching Kyurem. I never did properly thank you for your cooperation and you playing your part."

"...Yeah," Nate muttered, not sure how to respond. "...So you're the one who gave me that stone?"

"Indeed," Mewtwo said. "I gave you the Key Stone that you possess, along with the Mega Stone that your lucario needed."

Key Stone? Mega Stone? So that's what they were called.

"...So why did you give me those stones?" Nate asked.

"Because I foresaw it," Mewtwo responded. "Your fate was intertwined with the calamity that would befall upon this land. I decided that you would be the one to play the role of the savior. So I provided you with the tools necessary for the survival of Unova."

Nate took out the now-dubbed 'Key Stone' and glanced at it.

"The legendary dragon Kyurem...in his completed form, nothing was left in Unova that could stand a chance at stopping him," Mewtwo explained. "Thus, it was deemed necessary to give you a weapon that is foreign to the land. A foreign power that Kyurem could not have predicted."

"...Mega Evolution...is what I think she called it," Nate said, glancing to Leaf who nodded in confirmation. "Is that what happened to Luca?"

"Correct," Mewtwo confirmed. "Mega Evolution. The apex of the bonds between humans and Pokémon. Humanity's answer to progress, that God did not acknowledge. With that power was there a shred of hope left for Unova."

"And you banked on me activating it when the time was right," Nate said. "...How did you know that I would pull it off."

"I did not," Mewtwo said. "Whether you could unlock it or not was completely up to you. Had you failed, then Unova was doomed. Simple as that."

"So you banked on me making it work at the last second?" Nate asked incredulously. "The possibility that I would fail were there! And you risked all of Unova on a coin flip–!?"

"But you succeeded," Mewtwo said, cutting Nate off. "I felt something in you. Something that I felt I could trust. I decided to place the burden of striking down the nexus of Unova's calamity on you, knowing that you would succeed. And you did. Bothering with possibilities that can no longer occur is pointless."

Nate glowered, obviously not approving of how a random Pokémon seemingly knew that everything leading up to Kyurem's plot to destroy Unova would happen, and decided to bank it all on a move that Nate found to be extremely risky.

...But it worked in the end. All of Mewtwo's gambits had paid off, and Nate was able to save Unova with a power that apparently originated outside of it. He did not like it, but Nate (and all of Unova, for that matter) had to thank Mewtwo for everything.

"Now then," Mewtwo said. "I have explained my own reasonings and truths. I apologize for manipulating you from behind, however necessary they might have been. Now I wish to test the strength that overcame the strongest creature of Unova."

"Huh?" Nate asked. He did not like where this was going.

Before Nate could react, a light blue energy wrapped around Nate's whole body. The boy found himself being lifted from the ground.

"What the–GAH!" Nate questioned, before suddenly flying above Mewtwo and landing several feets away and behind him. "What're you...?"

"No matter what your opinion of me is," Mewtwo said as he turned around and stepped forward. "I am first and foremost a weapon; a warrior who seeks the strong to further push my own limits beyond what they reached."

From above Mewtwo, light purple, psychic energy began to gather into one spot, before it formed into a long, giant spoon that was slightly bent. Once it has finished forging, the spoon fell in front of Mewtwo, making a rather harsh thud as the head of the spoon cemented itself into the rock floor. Mewtwo grabbed the handle with his hand before pulling the spoon out of the ground and pointing it at Nate.

"Fight me," Mewtwo demanded coldly. "Show me the strength and tenacity that conquered the strongest being of Unova."

Nate had felt the pressure that Leaf exuded when she challenged Nate to battle; how vehement and crushing it felt.

The pressure Mewtwo gave off on the other hand? Nate was surprised he could even breath under it. It was on a whole other magnitude. It was as if he was facing Kyurem in his absolute form once again. It was proof enough of Mewtwo's overwhelming strength that leaked from his body.

And he expected Nate to clash with it? Nate would have immediately fled had Mewtwo not blocked him off of the only exit.

"...Fine," Nate conceded, before he sent out Luca.

"-Oh now what?-" Luca groaned, immediately arming herself.

"Fight him with everything you've got," Nate said to Luca. "Fight him as if we're fighting Kyurem. We can't afford to slip up even a little."

Luca looked at Nate as if he grew another head, before glancing back at Mewtwo. She felt the overwhelming pressure that he was giving off and immediately agreed with Nate. It was like she was facing Kyurem again. She needed to give it her all from the start, or else she feared that the creature in front of them would crush them like ants.

"Do not interfere," Mewtwo said to Leaf.

"No need to tell me twice," Leaf said as she stepped back from the upcoming battle.

"...Come," Mewtwo declared. "Prevail over me. And show me the power and resolve you used to vanquish Kyurem. If you wish to live past this battle, then throw everything you have at me."

Extra Chapter: To be continued

AN:

That's part one of this two parter. It feels so weird doing these again. Hopefully I can pick up speed and make these a regular thing again.

Team Roster:

Nate: Luca (Lucario*) / Bo (Emboar) / Vire (Electivire) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark) / Kyurem

Rosa: Eve (Sylveon) / Ottavia (Samurott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss) / Geno (Genesect)

Leaf: Venusaur / Golem / ? / Scizor / ? / ?

With everything going on around the world, all I have to say is for everyone to be safe and stay healthy out there. Make sure to wash your hands and be careful if you have to go outside. There's no telling when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, but we can make it through this together.

Well, I'll see you next time.