A knock on the door of our room, woke us up the next morning. After Kaorah let go, I got up and went to the door to answer it. To my surprise, it was the Gardevoir, from last night. She had a few trays, held in telekinesis. One was held in her arms, likely her own. It's good that her arm's okay. But, it was after just a good night's sleep, which makes me wonder, if the sleep to fully heal thing applies to others in this world, too.
"Oh, hey. Glad to see you're up and about." I took one of the trays, when she offered it to me, then stepped aside so that she could give out the rest. "How's your arm doing?" I asked her.
"It's doing alright. I think most of the pain was just from the fact that I'd messed up…whatever that was, rather than it being fractured or broken." That's incredibly lucky, much like I'd thought about, the night before.
"That's good to hear. However, from here on out, you should not try to do anything with magic, without someone who knows what they're doing." After passing out trays, and letting Pidgey out, we began to eat our breakfast in silence. It was after we finished up, that I started on my morning routine. Normally, breakfast was afterwards, but seeing as somebody brought it to us, today, I decided to eat first.
It was as I was changing shirts, that Gardevoir noticed the mark on my shoulder.
"Your shoulder…what happened?" She asked. I got my t-shirt on, before I answered.
"If you're going to join the team, then I can reveal it to you. I just have to ask that you not reveal it to anyone else, intentionally or not." I said, as I began to stash yesterday's clothes in my inventory, where they wouldn't take up space in my bag. Need to see if there's any laundry rooms in the centers that are public use.
"Might as well, seeing as you have space for two more." She's absolutely right. There is space for two more, in my active roster, that is. I've already planned the last spot…for a Lucario, if I can get one. It's likely going to be tied to a quest, in some way.
"Then, welcome aboard. And…since you're on the team now, you might as well know, Kaorah's responsible for the bite mark. And, no, it wasn't because she was mad, or something." It took her a moment to catch my meaning, and I saw a faint blush, when she did.
"It's a mate mark…so, are you two…" We both nodded.
"Any Pokemon part of our team is informed, even if they won't be active roster. If they don't like the idea of it, then they're free to leave. That includes you, too." She smiled…and shook her head.
"No…if it's genuine love, then there's no reason to dislike it. At least, that's my opinion." I smiled, in return.
"Then, welcome aboard. Something I've been doing, is giving my Pokemon names. Mewtwo's the only one who won't get one, as he's a Legendary. And Pidgey…I have yet to think of one." I had already thought of one for her, though. "As for you…hmm, how do you like Melanie?" She smiled.
"It sounds good. Unless you have any other ideas, I'll take it." I smiled, and offered a handshake. She accepted it.
"Melanie it is, then. Now…there's just one formality to take care of." I took an empty Pokeball from my bag, and held it out. "Whenever you're ready." Melanie's hand settled onto the ball, which activated. It popped open, and pulled her in. Three shakes, and it settled with a click. I then, like with all the others, let her right back out. She stretched as soon as she was.
"That…I will admit, wasn't pleasant. If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay out as much as I can, where it's possible." Melanie commented on the experience.
"You didn't have to ask. Nobody stays in their balls. Except for Pidgey…when he's sleeping, that is." I responded. "But still, as I said before, welcome aboard. Now, with that out of the way…why don't we head for the Gym? We have a challenge today." Following nods of agreement all around, we started for the gym.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. "Observe." I whispered.
Melanie
Gardevoir
Female
Psychic/Fairy
Level: 5 (Player Standards)
HP: 200/200
Ability: -----
Resistances: Fighting, Psychic
Immunities: Dragon
Weaknesses: Ghost, Poison, Steel
It was interesting to see that her ability slot was blank, rather than being Synchronize, Trace, or Telepathy…although, the latter one out of those three wouldn't be necessary anyway, since all Psychic types are able to use it, once they figure out how. I wonder if the ability spot is blank because she's begun to learn magic.
It took us all a few minutes to reach the Cerulean City gym, arriving just as Misty had begun to unlock the front doors. She stopped long enough to wave at us, and I waved back.
"Good morning, guys." She spoke as we approached. "Where's Ash?"
"Morning." I replied to her greeting. "I don't think he's up yet. Our new recruit brought breakfast to us, so we didn't eat in the cafeteria." I nodded at Melanie. "Anyway, I don't think I need to say what we're here for." We all headed inside.
"Oh, I want to try something. For this battle, we're going to use an ability of mine. I don't want to risk damaging or destroying the Gym." I brought up the ID: Create spell, and cast it. A Dungeon Portal flared to life, just behind me. I heard Kaorah snort at Misty's expression of surprise.
"If you're wondering…step in, it's easier to explain that way." I stepped through the portal before she could say anything, and my team followed behind me. On the other side of the portal, was an exact copy of Cerulean City, but with faded colors, and no people or Pokemon present. "Here, we can go all out without risking any sort of collateral damage." I began to explain, once Misty came through. "Any and all damage here, remains here when we leave. None of it will cause any changes to the world outside."
"How long have you been able to do this?" She asked.
"Since before you met us, actually." Was my answer. "I didn't reveal this when I challenged Brock…but I've been thinking I should've. Only because of the crater in the wall that his Onix made." I still owe that rock snake an apology, for that one. "Well anyway, shall we get this started?" I asked.
"Sure. Let me get some things first." Misty answered. She stepped through the portal, and It was a few minutes before she returned. As it turns out, Brock and Ash were both up, and had arrived at the Gym just as she emerged from the portal. She had to explain to the guys what was going on, and they joined us in here, after she had.
As for what Misty had gone to get- her team's Pokeballs. She took her place on the field, opposite to where the rest of us stood. Brock offered to referee the match, so that was taken care of. The only thing now was to figure out who, between myself and Ash, would go first.
We decided to let him go first, as my team would hit a lot harder than his, and didn't want to make him wait another day for his challenge. My team and I found somewhere off to the side to sit down, and as the battle began, Ash sent out his Pikachu first. And with how the battlefield was set up, he had a great advantage…by charging the water with electricity, ensuring that nothing could jump in.
And if something did jump in, or had to stay in the water, boy would that be painful. Misty's first Pokemon on the field, was Staryu. The other one would be a Starmie. Once Pikachu got some momentum going, it was hard to stop him. Ash had figured out that Quick Attack could be used defensively, if done right. And as a result, it made Pikachu much harder to hit.
With his ability to electrify the water, Pikachu also took away any means of mobility, for both of his opponents. Even with that being the case, it was still a tough battle. I apologize if it seems like I'm mostly skipping over his fight in favor of my own, but that's just because we're both here.
Ash won his battle, and received the Cascade Badge. We decided to have a break between battles, mostly to allow Misty's two Pokemon to rest. Mewtwo, Melanie, and I, took the time to discuss a battle plan, using telepathy to speak to each other. Melanie picked up on it, very quickly. Our plan was to have her take the field first, for Staryu.
Solais would take the field second, and face Starmie. And, since I usually do this, here's their Observe information, while Mewtwo gets Solais caught up on the plan.
Staryu
Level 3 (Player)/ Level 18 (Pokemon)
Ability: Natural Cure
Resistances: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Weaknesses: Electric, Grass
Moveset: Tackle, Harden, Recover, Water Pulse
Starmie
Level 7 (Player) / Level 21 (Pokemon)
Ability: Natural Cure
Resistances: Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Steel
Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, Dark
Moveset: Rapid Spin, Swift, Recover, Water Pulse.
Our plan, at least for Melanie's part in this, was for her to use a barrier she was fond of. It would seem she's had a great deal of practice, prior to our meeting, with her powers. She revealed, although on a very small scale, that she could create barriers that would push any attack away from her.
Although, the Gardevoir admitted that holding it for too long was rather taxing on her, so she could only bring it up for about thirty seconds at most, for now. We are going to be working on fixing that, for sure. Also, she decided, after she and I had gone over the specifics for her part of battle, to introduce herself to the others.
The others were surprised when she first spoke to them, through telepathy. Although, they all got a hold of things fairly quickly, even figuring out that they didn't need to speak out loud, themselves. Although, they wouldn't be keyed into the link that Mewtwo had set up for our team. Same could be said for Solais, but she's a Dark Type.
Melanie took her place, on our side of the field. Misty sent out Starmie, who landed on the opposite side of the field. As soon as Brock signaled to start, Melanie raised a hand. A series of yellow circles with intricate symbols within began to form. I quickly put a stop to that.
[Hey, hold on a moment. I know you're going for the whole mage thing, but don't do it here. Not just because we're all near water, but because it's not a Pokemon move. If you use it, you might accidentally kill that Staryu, even if you hold back greatly. Save it, for when there's no other choice.] Not to mention, the risk of hurting the rest of us, too.
[Very well. I'll stick to using the normal methods, then.] Melanie replied.
"What was that, just now?" Misty asked. She winced as Staryu was blasted backwards by a sphere of invisible force, when it tried to hit Melanie. I'll be calling that move, Force Cloak. As I said earlier, Melanie has a good grasp on her psychic powers, and her control over Gravity. I might see if we can create an improvised version of Shinra Tensei and Bansho Tenin. Chibaku Tensei is NOT happening. That one is far, far too dangerous.
That is, if she decides to go with that instead of going with using Magic, as she already has.
"Melanie was preparing to cast Lightning Magic." I spoke. While the two Pokemon focused on battle, everyone else, apart from the rest of my team, gave me odd looks.
"Seriously?"
"Dead Serious." I answered my cousin. "No, I don't know how she started to learn it, but you don't have to worry about her using it, for now. In fact, I think her use of magic is the reason for last night's explosion. Magic, runes especially, tend to be rather…explosive, if they fail." I explained, before anyone could ask.
"You realize that she won't be able to legally use it, as far as official rules go, right?" Brock asked.
"I know that. But if we're dealing with someone bad, like say, poachers…then she can use it, freely. Same case for if an emergency pops up." As I was speaking, Staryu had another run in with Melanie's Force Cloak. From the Gardevoir's wince, she must've still felt the impact. She had let it down while her opponent wasn't near her, but her reaction time seems decent.
And she also seems able to form that barrier in a hurry. If we can get it down to being like Gaara's sand defense, nothing, aside from maybe Dark and Ghost types, or something using moves of those types, will be able to hit her, when it's up.
Melanie lifted a hand, and the water followed. With a wave of her hand, Starmie was lifted off the platform it was standing on, and thrown into the water.
[Zeryph, a moment please.] Mewtwo spoke through the telepathic link.
[Go ahead.]
[Solais and I had a discussion. She said that it would be better that I take the field instead of her. This is because she has already had a gym battle, while I have not.] I nodded along as he spoke. [It would also be a good idea, to start having Pidgey do some battles. He is the only one that hasn't been sent out. Besides myself, of course.]
[I understand. Alright, for this one, you'll take the field instead of Solais.] Melanie's shield formed in a hurry, taking another hit, cracks forming in the surface this time. It was at this point, that she decided to dispel the shield, by blasting it outwards. Staryu didn't hit a wall, unlike Brock's Onyx, but did land off the field.
"Melanie wins the battle, due to ring out." Brock called it. So, that rule does apply. Interesting. I don't know if it accounts for altitude, or not. I'm guessing there's restrictions on how high flight-capable Pokemon can go during official battles, and how long they can stay above a certain altitude, if not facing something that's also flight capable, or something that can levitate.
Melanie stepped off the field. I held out a fist, and she bumped it with one of her own. At least, as close as she could get to making one. We'll be seeing how my "Anthrofy" spell works on her, for sure. With Melanie off the field, Mewtwo took her place.
"Ready, bud?" He nodded. "Alright, but remember, don't go overboard. In fact, try to hold back as much as you can, without hindering yourself, but also without endangering your opponent, or the spectators." Mewtwo's response was another nod.
"Go, Starmie!" Misty sent out her second Pokemon. The star landed on the field. Brock lifted a hand into the air.
"Ready? Begin" At the drop of his hand, neither Pokemon moved. Mewtwo's expression changed, a slight frown appearing on his face. How interesting. It would seem that this fight isn't going to be getting physical, unless there's no choice.
"Uh…they're not moving. What's going on?" Ash spoke up, about five minutes into the battle.
"This, my young cousin, is still a battle. However, this is not a physical battle. This, is a battle of minds. They're both Psychic types, they will work this out." I answered him. It would be another couple of minutes, before Starmie began to stagger backwards, before falling over. Exhausted, but they weren't unconscious, at least. They must've said something to Misty, because her eyes widened.
"Starmie forfeits!" She called. Much to everyone's surprise…save for myself and my own Pokemon. I decided to ask Mewtwo, later on, what went on in their battle of minds. When we face Sabrina's Gym, he'll definitely be fighting those who are used to this sort of thing. I bet he'll enjoy the challenge.
"Staryu is unable to battle." Brock spoke, "The winner is Mewtwo. Misty is out of Pokemon. As a result, victory goes to the Challenger's team." Mewtwo stepped off the field, a small smile on his face. He was satisfied with his victory. I gave him a firm pat on the shoulder as he walked past, and flashed him a grin, before walking onto the field.
Misty met me in the center of the field, gym badge already in hand. She handed the badge over to me, and I placed it within my case. We followed up with a handshake.
"That was a great battle, although there didn't seem to be much that went on in the second round." She spoke, as I placed my badge case into a pocket with my free hand, using this as a cover up for sending it into my inventory.
"Yes, it was. Sorry about the mental battle thing. I didn't know they were going to do it, either. I'll ask Mewtwo later on, get the details from him." We broke off our handshake.
"I'll do the same with Starmie, once they've rested." She responded to what I said. "So, who wants to go get lunch?" I checked the time by bringing up the System's clock function. It was actually just a little past noon. I guess, my empty dimension has equal time passage to real life…and I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I'm not sure what.
Misty's suggestion was met with numerous agreements. I held out my left hand, and with a thought, opened our exit portal. We stepped through, back into the real Gym…just in time for Team Rocket to bust through the skylight above. I let out a sigh of annoyance. I tuned out their intro, feeling better off ignoring it.
Kaorah was the first through the portal, behind me. She growled when she saw them, and sent them a menacing glare promising pain. Jessie's Ekans looked like he wanted to return himself. He knew that Kaorah using Earthquake would hurt. The only reason the five didn't do anything, was the portal behind me.
I watched their expressions as, one by one, everyone emerged from the portal. It was priceless, to say the least. A simple thought, and it was permanently saved to memory, seeing as my System had a screenshot function…found it by accident. I thought it would be pointless, but no…literally photographic memory.
The last person out was…uh-oh.
At once, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Ekans, all left the ground, held up by invisible force. Mewtwo was the one responsible, and he definitely looked unhappy.
"You scum…you dare, to be in my presence?" Everyone, apart from those on my team, stepped away from the quite obviously irritated Pokemon. Koffing also seemed to be stuck in Mewtwo's telekinetic grip, even with all his struggling to get free. The fact he was a Poison Type meant getting free was even less likely.
"Hey," I put my left hand on his right shoulder. "These five…although thieving scum, aren't as bad as…most of Team Rocket." I thought of an idea. "Don't hurt them. Instead…why not deal with them in a non-violent way, that will make sure they won't bother us for a good while?"
Mewtwo's expression softened. He didn't let them go, but at least, seemed less likely to harm, or kill, them.
"What…do you have in mind?" He asked. I gave him a smile.
"Why not…dump them in another Region, far from this one?" I sent some ideas through the telepathic link. Alola's Poni Island, Sinjoh Ruins, Sinnoh itself, maybe even Galar, or Unova.
"Excellent…idea." He spoke. Slowly, he brought the group over to us. "I'll be…right back." There was a purple flash, as he, and those in his grasp, disappeared. It was only mere moments later, that he reappeared, without them.
"So, where did you take them?" I asked.
"Dropped them in the bottom of the canyon on Poni Island." I chuckled quietly.
"Well, we won't be seeing them for a while." I had a thought about asking Giratina to dump them somewhere in the Reverse World, but we'd first need to get into contact. By the way, if I ever end up having to run from certain folks for obvious reasons, the Distortion World is definitely a hideout choice. "Mewtwo dropped them on Poni Island, in the Alola Region." I spoke, in order to catch everyone else up.
"So…with that out of the way, what about getting lunch?" Misty reminded us. We all left the Gym, and began to search for a restaurant. Specifically one that had an outdoor area, so that we wouldn't have to put our Pokemon up or make them wait on us. I'm honestly surprised that Misty's sisters didn't appear, while we were in the Gym. And, I'm sure they'll get that skylight fixed, later.
We eventually did find a restaurant, that had an outdoor place. I was the one that went inside to get us a table. The staff's reaction to seeing the large crowd we had going, including the two large Pokemon, was amusing, yet expected. The one who greeted us, showed us to an outdoor table. Mewtwo helped them, carefully, move some tables together, for all of us.
We all got seated, and I proceeded to zone out, an old habit of mine that stuck around from a past life. I brought up some System screens in my view, but gave no indication that I was reading what was on them. I used my mind to flip through different things. It was interesting, learning that there was more to it than I thought. The ability to use the Internet with just a thought…seemed incredibly busted. However, it would be fun to use it to play mind games with some people.
Knowing a little bit about a lot of things was something I kept up as a habit. Even off-screen, when there was nothing to do, or when I was asleep, I would see what things I could do with it while I was asleep. Even finding some information on…Vaporeon, related to certain things that I don't feel like talking about here. Speaking of certain things, I saw the look from Kaorah.
It would seem that she wanted something, tonight. Although, I do find myself wondering when some of her teammates will make their own moves, if our feelings for each other ever go that far. I know that Pokemon view such things differently than Humans, so things like dating, at least for them, aren't as likely, if they do such a thing at all.
I dismissed the screens as our waitress came out with our drinks, before heading back inside. It would be several more minutes before she, and a few more members of the restaurant staff, came out with trays. Once our food was served, we all dug in.
It was while we were getting our food, that I noticed a gentleman sitting down inside, positioning himself so that he could see us. He had a white moustache on his face, and a monocle on his left eye. He wore a dark blue tuxedo, with a white vest underneath it, over a blue shirt. His hands were covered by white gloves, and he wore white dress shoes. Atop his head, sat a dark blue top hat, matching the blue of his suit.
Something about that man seemed…oddly familiar. I could see the curiosity in his eyes. It seemed that I was the target of his focus. His eyes had the strangest colors, black sclerae instead of white, red corneas instead of a more normal color. In place of a bow tie, he had a silver necklace, which had a single, blue diamond.
All he seemed to order was a cup of tea, nothing else. I can't figure out why he seems familiar…maybe it's just the color scheme…or maybe something else. I don't know. Although, I will admit, he reminds me of Dialga…but there's no way that can be right.
The sound of a plate being placed at my spot, broke me out of my staring, and I began to focus on my food.
"Hey hon…what's up?" I blinked at Kaorah's unusual use of a pet name, but shrugged it off. She can call me whatever she wants to.
[Man, inside…sat himself down where he could see us. Doesn't seem dangerous, just curious. Look, without looking.] I spoke through the link. I saw the subtle shift in Kaorah's eyes. She saw him, and I could tell the rest of my team, save for Solais, did as well. [I don't know who he is, or what he wants, but something about him seems very familiar.]
[It would likely be best if we pay him no mind, for now. We should focus on our meals.] Mewtwo spoke through out link. I nodded in agreement.
[You're right, let's eat.] I spared the man in blue one last glance. Just in time to see him sip at the tea that was brought to his table. I then focused on eating, paying him no further mind. With the colors of his outfit, that diamond necklace, and his unusual eyes…I'm leaning on the idea that it's Dialga, already. I didn't think that the Legendaries of this world could disguise themselves as humans, but it certainly seems that way.
As I was half way into eating the burger and fries that I ordered, I saw the man finish his drink, before standing up to leave. I wonder then…if he's not the only one to take notice. There are powerful beings in this world…beings who I certainly do not want to piss off. If that is Dialga, as I've guessed…then it's almost certain his brothers, and their Father, have taken notice.
I wonder then, what they will do. If they'll take a "wait and see" approach, or if they'll try to make contact with me as soon as it's possible. It mostly depends on if they've told Arceus about me, or not. Apart from opening a few portals, I doubt I've done anything big enough to actually make them want to contact me…as of now.
I think they'll hold off on proper contact, and simply observe. Until the events of a Pokemon Movie comes up, or some other reason for them to contact me does. That, or, I make contact myself. I…don't even have a single clue how I would do that. I mean, it's not like I can just walk up to any random mirror and speak to Giratina…or could I?
Break
Time- 17:00 Hours
Following lunch, my team and I decided to wander around the city, for a bit. Ash, Brock, and Misty, split off from our group, and went their own way. Now though, my team and I were returning to the Pokemon Center. It was the only place where I could safely open a dungeon portal.
The six of us reached our room. As soon as we were inside, and I had the door shut and locked, I began the spell for a portal. Upon being cast, one opened up right in front of us.
--Due to the increased number of Pokemon in your team, numbers of enemies have been increased. Bosses are tougher now.-- The System notified me, as soon as we stepped through. If the number of adds was increased enough, it would feel like…say…Dynasty Warriors. One person with powerful abilities vs huge hordes of weak enemies. Which, I will admit, is something I have a lot of fun with.
It would seem our dungeon is an interior space, this time. Gray walls, floor and ceiling. Light shone from fixtures, set into the ceiling itself. The door in front of us, had red lights. They turned green as I got near them.
"There's gonna be a lot of enemies on the other side of this door." I spoke. "These Pokemon are not real, in the sense that they're actual living beings, but they CAN hurt you. Do not hesitate to fight with intent to kill." I spoke. Pidgey wouldn't be doing much fighting, but would get EXP as the rest of the team fought. Kaorah and Solais already knew what to expect. Mewtwo and Melanie were both new to this.
"Are you all ready?" When I saw their nods, I opened the door. "Mewtwo, you have point." He was the first through the door. Almost immediately, a horde was upon him. Dust was kicked up as he blasted them backwards with his power. They flickered and faded as they slammed into walls, or into others that weren't able to dodge.
From there, things descended into chaos, though that was to be expected. Mewtwo and Kaorah quickly got a competition going, between themselves. Solais and Melanie remained by my side, taking out anything lucky enough to bypass our team's heavy hitters.
I ducked as Mewtwo unintentionally sent an unfortunate Sudowoodo flying my way. I heard his brief mental apology, which was accepted. No harm had been done, to me anyway. The fake of the fake tree, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
In a matter of minutes, he and Kaorah had totally decimated the enemy. Though, the real danger was with the bosses. A search, afterwards, began for any hidden chests. With Mewtwo and Melanie using their sensory abilities, many more were found than the first dungeon I ran. Most of them had cash within, which I pocketed for later. Some of them had healing items within, pocketed those as well.
The last of the ten chests had an Empowerment Seed within. Kaorah was the one who got it. She ate the seed without a second thought, power erupting from her as she changed into her Mega Evolved form.
With that out of the way, we entered the first boss room. At once, five panels opened. A red…thing, rose from the floor, and several small robots left the walls, and formed a defensive formation around it. Only then, did it change forms, revealing that our first boss was a Genesect. I used Observe on him, immediately.
Dungeon Boss: Genesect-X7
Boss HP: 1/1
Level 7
Bug/Steel
Abilities: Download,-----
Held Items: Burn Drive, Shock Drive, Chill Drive, Douse Drive
Resistances: ----
Immunities: Normal, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel, Fairy
Weaknesses: Fire
Equipped moves: Techno Blast, Self-Destruct, Flash Cannon, Energy Ball
Special Traits: Wonder-Guard Drones
Damn…this is going to suck.
[We've got a problem. Those drones buzzing around, are projecting a field similar to Wonder Guard. While they're still functional, we can't hit this guy. If we take the drones down, he'll likely use Self-Destruct.] I began to formulate a plan. That cannon can only fire in one direction at a time. We need to force his attention to one direction, and have another attack from another side.
[Melanie, do you know teleport?] I asked her. Her mental confirmation was all I needed. [Excellent. You and Mewtwo will attack while Genesect's focus is elsewhere. Magic is a go, here.] I spoke. [Kaorah, Solais, gain his attention and keep it on you. Kaorah, you know Fire Fang, so giving him the idea that you'll use it, first chance you get, will keep his attention on you.] My large mate answered with a nod. [When Mewtwo and Melanie start their attacks, back off.]
[Pidgey, you're better off sitting this one out.] He nodded in understanding. [Let's begin.] Kaorah started things off with a charge, her fangs heating up as she approached quickly. We weren't surprised when the Genesect dodged, rather than allowing her to hit, or allowing one of the drones to stop it. Kaorah's aggressive attempts at attacking, created the first opening. Although it seemed the field directly defended the Genesect, it didn't defend the drones, as Melanie demonstrated.
The Gardevoir readied a spell, and with a wave of her hand, there was a flash of light and a loud bang. One of the drones went up in smoke as it was destroyed by the lightning bolt, bringing the count down to seven. Genesect immediately rounded on her and began to unleash a volley of ranged attacks. This had the effect of leaving the other side of the room open. A crunching sound drew his attention, when Mewtwo grabbed a drone from the air and crushed it.
And that's how it carried on. When one of my Psychic Types had the Genesect's attention, the other would crush one of his defensive drones, drawing his attention, only for the other to act on it. The strategy stopped working as well, when he had the remaining two drones huddle as closely to himself as possible. However, during this time, Kaorah had burrowed.
The Garchomp suddenly emerged from the ground, catching the last drones in her mouth. She jumped away as soon as she landed, released the drones from her mouth, then cut them to pieces. Seeing that his defenses were down, the Genesect began to glow, and started to make a sound, not unlike a self-destructing robot from Fallout.
He waited, until he only had a few seconds left, transformed, and flew straight at me. A lot of things happened in a few seconds. I found myself on the left side of the room, Melanie took my spot, caught the Genesect with her barrier, and with as much force as she could, blasted him away. He slammed into the wall, on the opposite side of the room, and then violently exploded. There wasn't any gore, just ashes.
All of us gained 1,000 experience, from the ordeal. Save for Kaorah, who gained 1,500. Pidgey and I were 500 off of level 3. Solais would be half way to level 3. Mewtwo and Melanie, according to their own stats, were also half away from their next level. Speaking of stats, I don't believe I ever did use Observe on Mewtwo. I will, in time. I have reason to believe he'd be aware of me casting it.
The boss's loot chest spawned, soon after the explosion. 20,000 Pokedollars, plus some more healing items. There was also a pair of spell tomes, interestingly. One for Healing Hands, the other for Candlelight. I never used the former, but the latter was extremely helpful in dark places.
I didn't hesitate to use the two tomes, sharing the knowledge from them with Melanie, seeing as she was on the path of being a Mage.
"That was a tough battle." She commented on the fight. Kaorah responded with a snort.
"If you think THAT was hard, you should've been with us when we fought that damned Zoroark." The dragon spoke. Melanie gave me a curious look.
"Go ahead." With my permission, she began to focus. I felt her pressing against my mental barriers, and I let her in, allowing her to see the fight in question. I watched her face shift through several expressions as she watched it, before I felt her presence leave my mind.
"Wow…that was…huh." She spoke. "You weren't kidding."
"Yeah, one of our toughest battles, to date, was that Zoroark." I spoke. "As we continue, things will only get harder, in the dungeons and outside. We will likely be facing Legendaries, even." There was a collective shudder at that thought. Nobody was looking forward to that idea.
After taking a short break, we headed into the second area. Much like before, we fought through a huge horde of weak enemies. With my clearance to use it, Melanie began to cast her lightning magic, when she had chances to. With her aiding Mewtwo and Kaorah, the battle took less time than the first one.
The boss room, interestingly labeled as the final boss, opened after the last enemy fell. A quick check for loot like last time, brought us another Empowerment Seed, and some Nuggets. I let Solais have the Seed.
A bright flash of light, and she gained a bit of height. Her mane grew longer, and a second, smaller horn appeared on her head, opposite to her normal horn, which had shortened in length, but increased in width. Two feathery wings formed on her back, although she wouldn't be able to use them to fly.
Extra fur grew on her legs, and her mane grew longer. Her left eye was now covered, because of it. Her tail had gotten longer, as well. Her stats, much like Kaorah's, doubled upon her transformation.
"This…feels incredible." She spoke, after taking a moment to adjust to the large boost. "I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do, like this."
"Much like I told Kaorah, this will be something used sparingly. I don't want to risk you getting addicted to it." I said.
"I understand. Now…let's go fight that boss." She got several forms of agreement as her answer. We headed to the boss door, which opened as we approached. Standing within the room, with her arms crossed as best she could, was a Scizor. I didn't miss the light reflecting off the Mega Stone hanging from her neck by a chain.
Dungeon Boss: Scizor
Boss Health: 2000/2000
Female
Level 10
Ability: Light Metal
Held Item: Scizorite
Resistances: Normal, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Bug, Dragon, Steel, Fairy
Immunities: Poison
Weaknesses: Fire
Equipped moves: X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Bullet Punch, Hyper Beam
The steel bug's eyes met my own. She didn't speak, instead simply uncrossing her arms and preparing herself for battle. I knew that Mewtwo and Melanie, both, were outmatched here. A mental order to both of them, ensured they would stay back. It seemed this would be Solais and Kaorah's battle.
Both of them charged in, splitting half way to their target, then attacking from either side of her. She blocked both of them, then jumped backwards. A swipe with both of her arms, and she sent a wave of green energy flying forwards. Absol took the attack with her horn, storing its energy for Payback.
Kaorah charged in fast, swinging her blades, cloaked in energy. Her Slash would only send stuffing into the air, as a Substitute took Scizor's place. I found myself having to block a Bullet Punch. I winced as a decent chunk of my HP was taken, and I heard the cracking sound my left arm made. It would likely be broken. Pidgey flew away to avoid being hit, himself.
I sparked up a Flame spell and used it to cloak my right hand in fire, and then swung at her. She backed off before I could hit, and then jumped to her right as Kaorah swiped at her again. She didn't see Solais though, and took the full brunt of Payback. 100 points of her health bar vanished in an instant, and she grunted.
The Substitute proved that even bosses could use moves not listed by Observe. Showing that I couldn't trust that specific part of the information. Speaking of using moves, I saw the silver light of a charging Flash Cannon, which was sent at Melanie, who quickly teleported out of the way.
Kaorah charged at Scizor while she was distracted, and bit down on her upper right arm with Fire Fang.
"Nngh!" She definitely felt it, for sure. Her health dropped to 1,650 out of her original 2,000. Her response was to slug Kaorah in the face with a Bullet Punch at point blank range. She didn't have the space to really build up momentum, but still hit hard. Kaorah went with the blow, spinning herself around and smacking Scizor upside the head with a Dragon Tail, in return.
Down to 1,550 health, Scizor created some distance, and brought her pincers together. Bright light began to shine from within. At its peak, she let loose a powerful Hyper Beam, but nothing compared to what Rayquaza was capable of. Her intended targets, unfortunately for her, dodged her blast.
It was during her period of recovery that Kaorah and Solais unleashed a series of attacks on her. She grunted and winced with every hit she took, but seemed to be enduring the pain, decently well. It was when Kaorah bit her with another Fire Fang, that she decided she had enough. Her health had dropped to 500, during the volley of attacks. Between the two opposing Mega Pokemon, my own flame spells, and Melanie's lightning.
"That's…ENOUGH!" Scizor spoke her first words during this whole battle, having chosen to remain silent until now. Her Scizorite lit up, and in a flash of light, she changed into her own Mega form. The battle resumed soon after her transformation, only now, she was significantly harder to fight.
Seeing no other choice, Mewtwo got involved. Kaorah and Solais stepped back to let him handle this. Despite type advantage, he still had the advantage over the Scizor. For one main reason, no game limitations. Which meant, he was able to fight as a Legendary should, and it became clear that he, despite being out-leveled, had the advantage. Every single attack was anticipated, and he attacked relentlessly, though left no openings, especially for something such as X-scissor.
Mewtwo caught a Bullet Punch, and held on tightly, with Scizor immobilized, Kaorah acted. Mewtwo teleported at the last possible second, and there was the sound of blades cutting metal. Scizor let out a pained gasp, and her eyes widened as blood began to seep from her fatal wound.
As Kaorah backed off, the Scizor's thorax slowly separated from her abdomen. She fell backwards, and her legs fell forwards. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling, and her face held an expression of shock, and of pain. She returned to her normal form.
I walked up next to her, and knelt. I slid my left hand under her head, despite the fact that she wasn't one of mine, and held her. I felt that it would be nice to have at least a little comfort in her last seconds.
I saw her eyes began to tear up, and she stared into my eyes as the light left her own. She died soon after, and began to break apart into small flakes of light, until nothing was left. I couldn't help the sigh that I let out. Something about her death just hit differently, ya know?
She was the enemy, yes, we all knew that. Just…I couldn't help but wonder if we had beaten her in a different way…if she would've joined the team, potentially. That is, if the System would allow it.
Speaking of which, several notifications for gaining levels appeared. The pain in my left arm vanished as leveling up healed it. I distributed my attribute points, as I saw fit.
Zeryph
Level 3 (1,500/3,000 to next level)
HP: 305/305
Mana: 475/475
STR: 41
END: 45
AGI: 40
INT: 50
LCK: 40
CHA: 42
PER: 50
WIL: 44
Put one of four points into Strength and Endurance, each, and two into Charisma. Decided to start raising it, as it would come in handy when a certain big reveal happened. But would also be a big help for talking with Legendaries, later on. Especially so if any Mystery Dungeon stuff comes up.
After collecting the loot from the dungeon, which the System surprised me by stating that we'd only done stage one of three, I opened a portal. We all returned to our room in the Pokemon Center, tired, but happy. Solais and Kaorah had reverted to their base forms. The latter of the two had her arms around me as soon as we were back in our room.
"I guess you two are gonna--" I nodded before Mewtwo could finish his question. "Understood. Melanie, I suggest you tune your senses to specifically ignore them."
"Why is that?" She asked him.
"Well, unless you want to see the pair of them…" He trailed off. It took only a moment for Melanie's cheeks to begin to redden, but she nodded.
"It's…done. Enjoy yourselves." She had to fight to get her blush to go away, but we wouldn't see if she succeeded or not. I felt Kaorah hook my shirt carefully with one of her claws, and she pulled me into the bathroom. I was able to get the door shut and locked, and get the soundproofing up, before she started trying to pull things off.