A trainer's story [30]
#31 of A trainer's story
Trouble with Cynthia!
"It's her." Jaden said, "The unbeatable champion of Sinnoh - Cynthia!"
"Cynthi-who?" asked Jake, looking curious. This was the first time he saw this kind of reaction from Jaden, who was usually known for his calm and composed manner.
"You don't know her, seriously?" Jaden said, still eyeing the female champion, his voice shaking with excitement and Jake had to resist the urge to reply him with a mocking 'yes', "She's a legendary trainer who has held the champion title for more than 3 years, and by that, I mean she's been completely unbeatable during that time!"
Next to Jaden, Latios grunted and shot Cynthia a look of disdain. Perhaps he considered her the source of Jaden's abnormal behaviors or he just didn't enjoy the fact that Jaden was paying someone else more attention than him.
In contrast to Latios, Ryan didn't seem remotely care about Jaden's obsession as he said icily, "She's the unbeatable champion, alright, but are we supposed to stand here and look at her for the whole day?"
Jake wasn't sure if Ryan wanted to knock some wits back to Jaden or embarrass the guy, but either way, it worked like a charm. Jaden's face started to assume a deep shade of red, "Well, I think we should....uhm, try talking to her." he stammered.
"That's a good idea, except the fact that this whole place is surrounded by cops. I don't think we'd be able to even get into that ruin, left along talking to her." Ryan countered, crossing his arms disapprovingly. Jake felt torn between amusement and sympathy as he watched Jaden being cornered and losing his cool.
Lucky for Jaden, Cynthia solved the problem herself. As the champion absent-mindedly scanned the surroundings, her eyes fixed on Latios, then on Jake's as well as Lucario's gemstones and narrowed. She whispered something to a pokemon ranger and they saluted each other, before walking out of the ruin and, to Jake's surprise, straight forward his gang. Even Ryan was startle by this and needless to say, Jaden looked like he was about to launch himself into the air.
"My name is Cynthia. Would you be so kind to let me have some spare minutes, I want to ask you a few questions?" she said, and for the first time, Jake understood why she had been the Sinnoh champion for all these years. She spoke in a mild and polite, manner, yet her present alone was commanding, as if she was enclosed by an aura of authority. Then there were her eyes - a pair of gray, storming spheres that could make anyone looking into them feel a sense of inferiority.
"Sure." Jake replied as the other two were still too shocked to say anything, "But I don't think this is the best place. Perhaps we could do with somewhere quieter."
Cynthia nodded. She led them to a pub in Celestic Town. During their walk, Jake noticed that the champion kept occasionally glancing at his as well as Ryan's fingerless gloves where two keystones were being held, and he had a strong hunch about what kinds of 'questions' Cynthia was about to ask them.
They crammed quite a large amount of space of the pub (but that didn't matter, since they were pretty much the only customers at that moment), mostly because all of Jake's pokemon were staying outside, plus there were also Latios and Charizard. Soon, drinks and snack for the group's pokemon were served.
Jaden, apparently having regained his composure, decided to start the conversation, "My name is Jaden, and these are my best friends, Jake and Ryan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Cynthia."
"Likewise," said Cynthia, poker-faced, "Is this your first time here?"
She sounded alert, as if the answer to that question would decide how this conversation would turn out, and Jake had a strange prospect of being handed to pokemon rangers and put into jail.
"Yes, we've just got here a couple minutes ago." Jake said, snatching the words out of Jaden's mouth, "Then we heard the noise and noticed people heading to that ruin. Would you mind telling us what's happened there?"
Cynthia's face darkened, and Jake knew he had brought up a sensitive subject. He'd imagined Cynthia angrily slamming her fists onto the table and refused to say anything, but to his relief, the champion's only reaction was a heavy sigh, and she did answer his question, "Firstly, you need to understand that place isn't just any ruin, it's the Celestic ruin, the most ancient and sacred location in the whole Sinnoh."
"How comes?" asked Ryan, and Cynthia looked a bit offended; "You must be from another region. I don't think there is a person in Sinnoh that doesn't know this myth."
That was mostly true, but Jake himself was also from Sinnoh, and he hadn't any idea what so 'sacred' about that ruin. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut, because from the look on Cynthia's face, Jake thought she would very much arrest him if he admitted that.
"Thousand years ago, that ruin, or I'd say temple, was built by my ancestors. There was originally a gate; however, it was closed for some reasons. According to the people of this town, inside that temple are legendary gems that bestow whoever deserve them unbelievable power - the mega stones. However, because those gems are too powerful that people began to fear them. In the end, the mega stones were sealed away, hidden deep within the Celestic ruin."
Jake felt a knot of anxiety formed in his stomach. So it finally came down to this. He glanced at Jaden, who suddenly didn't look too excited now, and they exchanged nervous gazes.
Ryan, who was the only person to remain calm, sipped his drink and asked, "But someone has broken into the ruin again, and whoever did that have stolen the mega stones?"
Cynthia nodded gravely, "I don't know who they're or what they plan to do with that power, but they certainly don't know what they're dealing with. The mega stones may cause disastrous results if misused." She paused and looked at Jake accusingly, making him stir, "That brings me to the main point of this conversation: Where did you get those mega stones?"
"Get_what_?" asked Ryan, confused, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Don't play dump." Cynthia said sternly, "So what's that you're wearing on your hand?"
"This?" said Ryan, holding up his hand, the one with his fingerless glove, "This is just a normal glove, what do you want from it?" he then paused as things suddenly became clear, "Hold on, you don't mean..."
"Although I've never seen a mega stone in real life before, I've heard plenty of stories that describe it in detail." Cynthia added, "According to the report, the mega stones in Celestic ruin have only disappeared for a day, and shortly after that, you arrived with these. I don't buy that coincidence, but I'm not accusing anyone. No thief is foolish enough to come back to the scene of crime, but I need to know where you get these stones."
"So much for a first impression..." Jake thought exasperatedly. He wanted to say something to defend himself and his friends, but before he got the chance to speak, a certain person had already made his move, "You're wrong, Cynthia?"
Jaden's voice was so cold and distant that Jake could hardly believe it belonged to the same cheerful, witty person he'd always known.
"Excuse me?"
"I said you were wrong." Jaden stated, his admiration for Cynthia had now vanished, "You're correct about one thing: The mega stones are dangerous, but that's pretty much all you know about them."
"Meaning?" Cynthia raised her eyebrows.
"What's on my friend's hand is a key stone, something required to unlock the power of a corresponding mega stone. If those breaking into Celestic ruin only stole mega stones, they will be pretty much useless." Jaden said, "One more thing, if the mega stones were hidden in that ruin, I reckon the key stones must also be somewhere near there. What you need to do now, is returning to Celestic ruin as soon as possible and double checking the place. Find the key stones and keep them safe, at all cost."
"Interesting." said Cynthia, her voice suspicious, "For someone who isn't from here, you know quite a lot about mega stones. Of course, anyone could easily make up that kind of theory...Key stone, huh? Well, my grandmother did say something about mega stones choosing their owners or something is needed to unlock a stone's true power and all, but..."
"Hold on a second!" said Ryan irritably, making a timeout sign, "Mega stones, key stones, what the heck have you guys been talking about? Do you know anything, Jake, because I feel like a total idiot here!"
"Well...yes, actually, but the whole thing takes long-ass to explain and I don't think now is the best time." Jake admitted.
"He's right; leave it at that!" Jaden told Ryan, and the latter went silent, which Jake totally understand why: Jaden's eyes were blazing, and right now, just like Cynthia had earlier, the former Hoenn champion himself was radiating an indefinably aura of power, only much more intense. If those two, Cynthia and Jaden, were really going to clash, Jake didn't fancy being stuck between them, even as a mere witness.
"Cynthia...Just a few minutes ago, I still really looked up to you. You've been a champion for 3 years. During that time, you've faced and conquered countless challenges - something that I could never do. Every time seeing you on screen, I couldn't help admiring the way you stayed calm through every battle, even in a pinch, and pulled it off in the end, against all odds." Jaden said, wholehearted, "But now...that feeling is gone. I won't allow you to wrongly accuse my friends, no matter who you are!"
Jake felt a wave of gratitude rush through him. Based on his reactions when seeing Cynthia, Jake knew how great his admiration for her was. And yet, he was willing to cast aside that feeling and defend his friends.
Cynthia looked stunned for a brief moment, then slowly, her lips curved into a smile of amusement, "Fine, if you denied being the thieves breaking into Celestic ruin, then tell me - where did you get those stones?"
"For your information, those key stones don't belong to Sinnoh. I brought them here from another region, along with their corresponding mega stones." said Jaden drily.
"And you're from?"
"Hoenn." Jake stole the word from Jaden's mouth. He'd been quiet from the start, but now, he felt like it was time to speak, because by no mean could he leave Jaden to handle this problem alone, "Everything Jaden said is true, and if you want to, I'll gladly show you what a mega stone can truly do. You said mega stones choose their owners, right? If I can prove right here, right now that we can use them, will you stop suspecting us?"
The impact of those words was immediate. Jaden and Cynthia shifted uncomfortably, eyes fixing on Jake while Ryan looked torn between confusion and curiosity. Moreover, the pokemon, who had been sitting around the next table and quietly listening to the arguement, were now fully and openly paying their attention to it, especially Lucario, Typholosion and Charizard.
With too many gazes fixed on him, Jake began to regret being a loudmouth. Nonetheless, there was no turning back now. The trainer glanced at Lucario, and that very short moment was enough for a silent message. Lucario's ruby eyes showed nothing but sheer approval, and Jake suddenly realized that the pokemon had now trusted him to the point of obeying his wishes without question, whether they were good or bad.
"Hey, do you know what you're doing?" asked Jaden in a whisper.
Jake nodded. Of course he didn't. He had only seen Lucario's mega form once and of course, he had no idea how to trigger it. Jake was aware of the consequence if he failed, but according to Jaden, a mega stone's real source of power is the pokemon-trainer bond, and after the recent events, Jake felt like his connection with Lucario had gone to another level, which gave him the much-needed confidence for this gamble. Besides, he would have to learn to control this power sooner or later and well...he just considered this time a practice.
So now he stood there, face to face with Lucario, Jake closed his eyes and tried to clean his mind, focusing on nothing but the blue-furred pup in front of him. It was difficult at first because the line 'What if I fail?' kept repeating itself in his head. While knowing that the others were getting impatient as they looked at him and Lucario.
One minute, then two minutes passed by and nothing happened. Jake was about to give up, until...
"Relax." another voice echoed in Jake's head although this time, it wasn't exactly his. The trainer's eyes popped open, only to find Lucario standing still, muzzle not moving, so that meant...
Telepathy? Jake thought, and the answer popped up in his head, in Lucario's voice, Precisely. It's been a quite since the last time we communicated this was, hasn't it?
I'm sorry but not now, Lucario. I have to concentrate. Jake managed to reply.
Indeed, but you're doing a terrible job. Lucario said (mentally, of course), I can sense your aura being disturbed by negative thoughts. Just relax, it won't turn out as bad as you thought. Besides...no matter what happens, we're in this together?
Jake went silent, feeling like he'd just swallowed a huge dose of spirit-lifter. Lucario's rational words, as well as his soft, comforting mental voice had done a wonderful job of knocking some composure back into his human lover. Yeah, what could possibly be the worst? As long as Lucario was here by his side, Jake had no real reason to be scared.
Taking a deep breath, Jake started to focus again albeit with his eyes open this time, and instead of drowning in his own shadow of doubt, the trainer gazed directly into those mesmerizing, reflective ruby eyes of the aura pokemon. Now, Jake found it surprisingly easy to concentrate as the world around him gradually became pure white, and all that existed was Jake himself and his mate. Then, Jake felt a wave of pride and affection for Lucario rushing inside him, the same feelings which he had been desperate to call forth moments ago, now flooded every vein in his body, before being channeled into his hand like a riptide of emotion.
It wasn't until he heard the gasp of the spectators that Jake noticed the key stone on his hand was glowing blindingly; and from that gleaming, polished surface, streams of energy burst out and directed themselves at Lucario, only to gather at a point on the pokemon's chest, before spreading over his figure. Soon, Lucario's entire body was covered by a translucent yet visible aura. Jake noticed differences compared to the last time Lucario transformed. Instead of enclosing Lucario in a sphere, the aura took after his slender form and, unlike last time, it was golden in color. Also, Jake could actually witness the transformation now.
The mask-like patterns on Lucario's face expanded and lined his body, forming black marking all over it. At the same time, the back of his paws turned crimson and addition spikes grew from them as well as his shoulders while his chest fur and tail became significantly longer and thicker.
Even though it wasn't his first time seeing Lucario's assuming this new form, Jake couldn't help getting a little intimidated, neither by the pokemon's more menacing appearance or unfamiliar, ancient voice, but by the fact that the stone's tremendous power might badly influence Lucario inside out and gradually turned him into a mindless, savage beast.
However, the trainer was able to sigh in relief when he looked into (Mega) Lucario's eyes. Despite their newfound ferocity, the feelings those eyes showed and the way they reflected his image were still the same as before. And here he was, worried about something that couldn't possibly happen? It was great to be proven wrong sometimes.
Then, Jake ran his eyes at the audience to check their reaction, and just like he thought, Jaden, Latios and all his pokemon (with the exception of Typhlosion, who had been absent during the battle against team Galactic in Eterna city) showed little to no surprise, whereas the others, including Cynthia, were wearing a expression of utmost shock and amazement. Jake was particularly interested in the way Charizard and Typhlosion reacted.
In Charizard's case, he was not only surprised but also amused, perhaps because the flying-type relized that he would eventually have to face this formidable rival someday, and knowing Charizard, Jake knew nothing but Lucario's defeat would satisfy him. Typhlosion, on the other hand, seemed shocked and rather envious. Jake wondered if the volcano pokemon thought he was falling behind compared to Lucario, and the trainer knew from this point on, Typhlosion would have to step up his game if he still wanted to best Lucario. That was probably a good thing though, since it would give Typhlosion the needed motivation to train harder and improve himself. Jake just hoped that the fire-type wouldn't get too carried away and shattered the friendship between him and Lucario - something Jake had been desperately trying to build.
Finally, to break the annoying silence, Jake softly put his hand on Lucario's shoulder and they walked toward an astonished Cynthia, "Well, do you believe us now?"
"After that performance and you expect me to say no?" Cynthia managed to falter, eyeing Lucario as if he'd been a newly discovered pokemon species and studying him from head to toe, "Magnificent! This Lucario's appearance has changed vastly, and even though I've yet to see it in battle, I'm pretty sure it's much stronger than before. Just look at these spikes! It's almost like this form was made for one and one purpose only: To battle."
"Yup, it's like some sort of Assault mode, to be exact." Jaden said. He winked at Jake and gave the latter a nod of approval, "Now that you believe us, it's important that you should return to Celestic ruin immediately. Find the key stones before the thieves know what's wrong and break into that place again."
"That's for sure, but I have a request. Could you guys come along and lend me your help? You know about these more than I ever do." said Cynthia, and Jaden's face immediately lit up, only to gloom as he remembered something important, "I'd like to, but there's no way the pokemon rangers would let us in."
"Leave that to me." Cynthia assured.
As they paid for the drink and readied to leave the pub, Lucario groaned and fell to his knees, his mega form vaporized and faded away. Jake was startled, but before he even got to Lucario, another hand had already been extended in front of the panting aura pokemon.
Lucario was stunned. This was the very first time Typhlosion deliberately made a friendly gesture with him.
"Get up. What're you waiting for?" Typhlosion's voice was dry and impatient, but contained no hostility.
"What's with you? Acting so kindly all at once?" asked Lucario. Nonetheless, he held onto the offered hand.
"I'm helping a comrade, and a rival whom I deeply respect. That's all there is to it." Typhlosion replied, pulling Lucario up and helping him walk to Jake, who was (and couldn't help) smiling broadly in satisfaction.
"There we go. I think you'll enjoy his company more than mine." said Typhlosion as he 'passed' Lucario to Jake. At that moment, the trainer caught a glimpse of pain in Typhlosion's eyes, but it disappeared almost instantly, making Jake wondered if he was just seeing things, only to dismiss that thought and return to his Lucario, who was resting against his body.
"You guys go ahead." Jake announced, "I'll be right behind, gotta lend Lucario a hand."
"Fine, but you own me an explanation, and I want it as soon as this is over!" Ryan said. He looked rather sulky, like a child who had just been left out of a wonderful game.
"Okay." Jaden nodded, "Then Cynthia, take the lead, if you please?"
...
"Hey pup, what happened to you just now?" asked Jake.
"Fatigue, I think." Lucario replied warily, leaning against Jake's shoulder, "It happens when I mega evolve, kinda like a side effect. I passed out last time, didn't I?"
"Yeah...You really gave me a fright back then." Jake sighed, "If mega evolution damages your heath too much, I say we stop using it."
"Nah, I'll be okay, just need time to get used to this." Lucario's smile was mild and tolerant. Despite having seen that smile so many times, it wasn't until now that Jake realized how much he adored it. Honestly, how could someone smile like that after having endured so much? Magnificent, he was truly magnificent, Lucario!
"Your power, your call. Just don't overdo it, okay?" Jake said and ruffled the soft fur on Lucario's head.
"No, it's our power." Lucario corrected, cutely leaning to his mate's warm touch.
Not very far away, a pair of amber eyes was watching the lovers, who were too busy enjoying each other to notice it. A heated, salty drop came out from the corner of those eyes, only to be wiped away immediately by their owner.
What am I hoping for? I stand no chance against Lucario at all. Luxray was right, Lucario is really gentle and loving, and Jake clearly enjoys his company more than mine. What right do I have to separate them?
...But even so, my heart just tells me not let him go. What should I do?
(Shortly later, Celestic Ruin)
Jaden watched as Cynthia talked to the pokemon rangers about letting strangers enter a place which had just been broken in less than a day ago, and he was amazed at how much influence Cynthia held. Back to his days in Hoenn, Jaden had done pretty what he thought a champion should do: Protecting the region, kicking bad guys' asses or protecting pokemon from being abused and mistreated, etc, but never had the thought of using his status to manipulate the law enforcers crossed his mind. Apparently Cynthia had figured that out before him, or she was simply so strong that even the pokemon rangers respected her and looked up to her as a leader. Jaden found his second theory make more sense, considering the fact that Cynthia had remained undefeated for years...well, until the day she would suffer her first lost in his hand!
As they entered the ruin, Jaden took his time to study the interior structure. And just like what he'd expected from a religious place used for concealing dangerous relics, the ruin greatly resembled a temple. There were several layers of wall and even bobby traps, but they were all destroyed. Whoever had done this must have been quite a professional in robbing highly-secured places. Overall, there wasn't much left to examined, until Jaden noticed a suspicious spot. On the wall behind the altar, at the far end of the temple, something seemed to be gleaming...
"Hey guys, check that out!" Jaden said, pointing at the mysterious gleaming spot. The trio and their pokemon rushed towards it, only to find themselves looking at a painting of three pokemon, each occupying a vertex of an equilateral triangle. For some reasons, despite having never seen the pokemon on top before, Jaden found it surprisingly familiar, almost like he was drawn to it.
"What are these pokemon?" Ryan inquired, and he immediately got the answer, "They're Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf."
Jaden felt an eerie chill run down his spine. He spun around and saw Cynthia standing behind them. If he remembered correctly, she had been inspecting the ruin's front. When and how could she have gotten here so quickly?
"Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you." Cynthia apologized, although it seemed like she was teasing Jaden for freaking out so easily. Slightly embarrassed, the former champion cleared his throat and asked, "Never mind that. Could you tell me more about these three pokemon?"
"Sure." Cynthia nodded, "The one top is Uxie, followed by Mesprit on the left and Azelf on the right. According to legends, they represent three of Arcerus spiritual aspects: Knowledge, emotion and willpower. After giving birth to Time and Space, the Original One decided to create another three pekemon, so they could guide other living beings as well as watch over the world in its place."
"Arceus again. Everything around here has to be all about Arceus, doesn't it?" Ryan mumbled. Thankfully, it wasn't audible to Cynthia, who was apparently lost in her own world, "Anyway, the trio are now believed to reside in three lakes in Sinnoh, which gives them the title 'lake guardians'. It's also said that they only appear in times of great peril, in front of those who truly embody their elements."
"So, has anyone really seen them?" Jake questioned.
"No." Cynthia shook her head, "While most people respect the legend, they still think the trio doesn't exist."
Jaden was going to ask for more information about the trio, but his attempt to prolong the conversation was cut short when the lake guardians' portraits started to shine, and became rapidly brighter every second.
"What's going on?" Jaden screamed, and that was pretty much all he could say, or hear before the blinding light engulfed and darkened his vision.
...
"Ugh..."
When Jaden's were able to open again, he felt like he'd just been exposed to sunlight at it strongest. Trying to ignore his terrible headache, Jaden scanned his surrounding, and his jaw dropped in shock. The former champion rubbed his eyes, then closed and reopened them several times to make sure they were still working.
Last Jaden checked, he had been in the Celestic ruin, talking with his friends and Cynthia, and now, he was standing in a city which looked like any other one where Jaden had been in, if he didn't count the canals. As a matter of fact, the whole place seemed to be lined with canals, and citizens actually used some sort of small, curly boats - what was the correct term again...gondolas, right?
"Are you okay?" came a soft, caring voice. Jaden looked around and he practically shred tears of joy when he saw the familiar profile of Latios. One second later, the Eon pokemon found himself swept into his lover's tight embrace.
"Everything will be okay." Latios whispered, reassuringly nudging Jaden with his head, "I'm with you now."
Jaden nodded. They stayed like that for a while before finally parted.
"Uhm, why are you the only one?" Jaden asked, "What happened to the others and where are we now?"
"I was kinda wondering the same thing. Anyway, we should calm down. Let me check this place first." said Latios, looking around the city, and much to Jaden's surprise, the pokemon's face was suddenly masked by bewilderment, at a level which Jaden had never seen before.
"What's wrong?"
"This city...I recognize it now." Latios stammered, "The place I originate from - Alto Mare!"
(To be continued)