Chapter 4:
The Mysterious N
Back in the gym, the battle of the snakes was called to begin. Branko called for Onix to use Bind and Liz called Snivy to use vine whip to block his tail. The giant green rock snake came at the tiny grass snake with his tail and Snivy countered by extending her vines from the back and pushed back on his tail. They both continued to push back and forth on each other until they both let up. Then Branko called on Onix to use tackle but as the giant rock snake came at full force, Liz was finally ready to use her secret weapon.
"Ok Snivy, Magical Leaf, let's go!" Liz called.
Snivy complied nailing with a rainbow of color changing leaves. Since it cannot miss it stopped Tackle in its tracks and it also does major damage since Onix has a double weakness to a grass move like that. Branko calls for another Bind as Liz calls for a vine whip. The two moves push on each other again but this time, Onix pushes Snivy's attack back and binds Snivy with his tail. She tries to struggle her way out but can't seem to.
"Ugh, Snivy..." Liz said worried, "Snivy come on, you got to concentrate and use Magical Leaf!"
Snivy continued to struggle with her eyes closed from the pain. Upon hearing Liz's voice though, she opens her eyes and focuses her energy. She then glows firing the rainbow leaves and it nails Onix hard knocking him out. She then summersaults to the ground as Onix let her go and came down with a big thud. Branko, seeing this, is impressed and recalls his Onix to his Pokeball with a red glow that turns Onix red sucking him safely back inside.
"Now that was impressive...keeping cool under pressure like that...if you can do that, you can beat anything." Branko said to her.
This made Liz smile hearing it from a Gym Leader and on her very first try also. All she could manage was a simple "Thank You" at him. Branko nodded and readied his last ball.
"I hope you’re ready for my last pokemon...he's my most powerful and most trusted partner." Branko said holding the ball in his hand.
Liz nodded back at him, "We're ready, bring it on!" she said and Snivy nodded as well, ready for anything.
"The time to rock and roll one more time than! Nosepass, let's go!" Branko called as he threw the ball.
Nosepass, a strange alien-like rock golden rock since it was a shiny, with what appeared to be a giant red or pinkish nose, seemed to have his eyes closed and he seemed to hold his head as well, came out in a white flash of light. Snivy looked at it and still seemed rearing to go. Liz nodded at her eagerness and wanted to stick with her and then the Referee called to begin.
"Ok Snivy, let's go for it. Magical Leaf!" Liz called as Snivy nodded and fired the rainbow of leaves that simply couldn’t miss.
"Counter with Rock Throw!" Branko called as rocks appeared out of nowhere and we're tossed at Snivy. The 2 moves crossed and hit with Magical Leaf hitting harder due to rock being weak to grass.
Snivy struggled up but wasn't gonna give in one bit. She was panting a bit but wasn't an easy Pokemon to break.
"Snivy, you ok to go on?" Liz asked concerned.
Snivy nodded at Liz and said, "<U-Ugh...yeah...I will be...I'm not giving up...>”
Liz seemed to get it seeing her nodding, "Alright then...I'm counting on you! Magical Leaf again!" Snivy glows and through more colorful leaves Nosepass's way.
Branko knew it couldn't be dodged so he had to try and get a move in.
"Rock Tomb Nosepass!" he called and as the leaves hit, some rocks sprouted around Snivy trying to entrap her within.
Nosepass barely hung on from the leaf attack as the rocks started to put the squeeze on Snivy. Snivy tries to struggle out but cannot move.
"Ugh, Snivy, come on, get out of there!" Liz called, "Come on, you got to!"
"Finish Snivy off and use Rock throw!" Branko called as Nosepass had rocks appear above him.
As the battle was raging, a person was watching from the stands in the gym. He was in the shadows so he couldn't be made out at the moment but for one reason or another, he wanted to watch. He seemed intrigued by Liz herself and the battle at hand. He also seemed to be wondering what she will do with her Snivy in peril like she was. But wait, he wasn't alone, someone or something was with him. Liz didn't seem to notice ether one of them though as she was focused at the battle on hand.
As Nosepass fired the rocks, Liz knew this was sink or swim time for Snivy. After thinking about it, it would be a long shot but it could work, she was gonna try and fire one more Magical Leaf since Rock Tomb would prevent Snivy being recalled to her ball. She clinched her fist and was ready for calling it.
"Alright Snivy, I'm counting on you! Magical Leaf one last time!"
Snivy opened her eyes again and fired the rainbow leaves that simply can’t miss even though she was trapped. As both moves hit the other pokemon at the same time, both pokemon get Knocked Out. Liz is still declared the winner even though it's a draw because she still had 2 more pokemon to use and still defeated all 3 of his. Liz then walks over and picks up Snivy thanking her and the small darker green grass snake gives her a small thumbs up. She then nodded at her and returns her to her ball so she can rest. Branko then walks over after recalling his Nosepass.
"Well, that was impressive...an amazing gym battle...you should be proud of your pokemon.", he said with a smile.
Liz nodded and said, "Thank you, and yes, I am very proud of them."
"Well then, here is proof of your victory.", He said pulling out a orange and round badge that looked like an Amber replica, "This is the Amber Badge, your first of eight in this region, and this is yours to." he said pulling out a disk, "This is the TM for my signature move, Rock Tomb. Use it well."
Liz nodded and put the badge in her case that was in her blue backpack and put the TM away as well. The mysterious guy was still watching in the stands and thought that Liz seemed to handle herself well enough. Though he wanted to give her time to heal her pokemon before approaching her. Liz still didn't notice him walking out and bidding Branko goodbye though, she couldn't shake the feeling throughout the battle someone was watching her. As she walked out, Branko seemed to notice her wings for the first time but because Liz was walking out, he didn't want to bother her with questions.
The mysterious guy seemed to notice the wings as well, which is part of the reason why he followed her in to watch the match. The other part was the fact her Pikachu, being Crystal of course, was out of its ball, yet she stayed with her. This perplexed and intrigued him because most trainers he meets have all their pokemon inside the pokeballs. Very rarely does he see one staying out, other than a couple of his own. Though his reason was that he had a very different view on Pokeballs then most others.
As Liz walked out, he followed her out and headed out for Crystal Forest. As he followed her to the center first, he asked his partner to lead her into the forest and to the lake after she had her pokemon healed. His partner nodded and hid in a bush outside the center which was a white building with a giant "P" on the side of the building. A quick blue flash seemed to come out the bush as the young man headed to the forest. His partner waited as Liz walked into the center and had her pokemon healed by the nurse's machine. The machine itself is a flat panel attached into a wall behind a counter and can heal up to six Pokemon inside of their balls. It is quite a handy thing for any trainer on the go and is available in every Pokemon Center. After Liz's pokemon get healed, she lets Crystal back out and walks back outside.
As they walked out, the young man's partner walked out and appeared to be a male Pikachu but...was it really what it appeared to be? Also it was a normal looking Pikachu and not a shiny while made Liz wonder if it belonged to someone in another region. As she went to approach it, the Pikachu started to run toward the forest.
"Wait, where are you going?! I'm not going to hurt you!" Liz said as she began chasing him.
The Pikachu ran into the forest and looked back to ensure Liz was following him. The crystal forest looked like a standard forest, full of pine trees and all that, but it gets its name from the Shiny Suicune that lives in the lake, one of the three Legendary Dog Pokemon. Not to mention the ground seems to sparkle where the sunlight cuts through the trees. Liz continued to chase the Pikachu until they came upon a lake in the center of the forest. This lake was known as the Crystal Lake and she looked on and couldn't help but notice its astounding beauty. The water was so clear and so clean it was almost like crystal itself.
Though she wondered why the Pikachu brought her here...was it to simply show her this place? No, there must be something more to it than that. Well she got her answer when she heard someone calling "Thank you for leading her here Zoroark."
A Zoroark...? she thought and to her surprise, the Pikachu broke the illusion by glowing blue again and turning into the black monster fox with red mane, red claws on his hands and feet, blue eyes, what appeared to be red around his mouth and the red and black mane done in a ponytail fashion.
This caught Liz completely off guard as even when the illusion broke, he wasn't shiny still because the shiny version would be black and blue. She was convinced now whoever it belonged to was from a different region. Suddenly she heard footsteps from behind and wondered if that was his trainer. She didn't turn around just yet to see who it was but he decided to speak up anyway.
"I'm sorry if my Zoroark scared you any..." he started, "I saw your gym battle and wanted to talk to you but I felt we should just...talk here"
Liz turned to get a good look at him as was shocked by what she saw. "You look...familiar somehow..." She said cautiously.
As he stepped out in full light, it suddenly dawned on her. The black and white baseball cap, Green hair done in a ponytail form, green eyes, fair skin and the strange, yet, innocent smile. He wore black shirt covered in a white shirt that had a cuff and a V-Neck pattern, tan pants, a necklace with an odd round charm that was blue and gold and a rubix-like cube on the waste on a chain on his left. He also wore green shoes and a black and white round bracelet on his right wrist and three gold square bracelets on his left wrist...there was no mistaking him. The former leader of Team Plasma in Unova...N.
"Now I know who you are...you’re...your N right?" she asked a little unnerved.
"It seems my reputation precedes me..." N answered acknowledging she was correct, "But how did you know who I was?"
"Well...I...I read about you online...that how a year ago Team Plasma was defeated and disbanded...how you befriended a legendary dragon...and how your step father turned out to be the true leader..." She answered as calmly as she could.
N nodded, "All true...and online eh? I guess there's no information that can be kept from the world anymore..." he said
"Yeah, I suppose your right....though wait...you said you wanted to talk to me? Um...ok...though before we do...what are you doing out here in Rainbow Region?" She asked curious.
"Well...truth is I was born here and I wanted to explore the region...and yes...I wanted to talk to you...there are certain things about you that...intrigue me." N answered her in a cool and calm matter.
Liz was surprised to hear this coming from him. Though she wasn't sure if what surprised her more, the fact that she intrigued him...or the fact he was born in the Rainbow Region. Either way, she wanted to know more and felt like maybe she had more questions for him then he did for her. Still, she wasn't sure if she fully trusted him or not. Though she didn't really see him as a true and wicket villain. No, N was more a manipulated anti-hero by his step farther and seemed to be on a journey to find his real truth now. Still, she couldn't help but wonder...what was it about her that intrigued him? She had to know for herself.
"How exactly do I intrigue you?" she asked.
"Well...your wings for one...they remind me of the Majestic White Dragon Reshiram...my partner and friend..." N said looking at her, "Another is your Pikachu there...."
"
<Who me?>" Crystal asked.
N nodded and said, "Yes...how she stays out of her ball and yet stays with you even though she's free to leave you anytime like that...yet she stays..."
"O that's right...you wanted Pokemon liberation...O that reminds me...I heard a rumor you can actually talk to and understand pokemon...is that...true?" Liz asked
"It is true and I'll prove it to you..." N said as he looked to Crystal, "Pikachu, tell me...what is this trainer like? Who is she and why does she mean so much to you that you stick with her?"
Crystal response a little unsure saying, "
<Well...first her name is Liz Azzimagica...she lives in Ruby Town...and she's a truly kind person...she makes me feel like I can trust her with my life though she's masking the fact she has terrible nightmares that she hates talking about...she also told me that she's really a half angel...>"
"I see..." he responded looking at Liz now. "So your name is Liz then and you lived in ruby town...and she said she feels like she'd trust you with her life...that your truly kind but your masking your true emotions by not talking about terrible nightmares you have..."
Liz was truly astounded hearing that when she didn't say a word and let Crystal do all the talking. She was convinced now that he truly can understand them but still didn't understand how he did.
"That's...all true...it's...all completely true..." Liz got out still a bit stunned.
"She also said you’re really a half angel...that is quite intriguing also...you’re the first I ever heard of..." N said.
"Well..." Liz started, "Both my parents we're too but..." she trailed off, remembering the tragedy when she was younger.
N suddenly noticed her sudden trail off of her words and asked what was wrong. Liz explained that when she was only five years old, she came home to her house blazing in fire. Both her parents we're trapped inside and the fire was so hot, the firefighters couldn't get ether one of her parents out. So in short, the fire took their lives. The firefighters suspected foul play because her parents had a lot of people that hated them because of them being half angels and how well off they we're owning the chain of Pokemarts in Hoenn. After they got killed she then had to move to the Rainbow Region with her Aunt Gracie and her Uncle Max where she would live for the next 11 years.
This was for her protection until they found the person responsible. They finally captured him 10 years later which is why Liz is finally able to start her journey with her friends at age 16. Liz was in tears as she told N her account of her past and he was surprised to hear what he was hearing. To him, Liz seemed like a truly strong person but she really was masking her true emotions. Was she hiding them so she wouldn't hurt her friends? And what of those nightmares she had?
It took him a few minutes to process it all as Liz continued to shed the tears. Crystal crawled into her lap to hug her trying to give her a little comfort. Then finally N put a hand on her shoulder and spoke up surprising her a little.
"I know how cruel humans can be..." N started, "They can be cruel to Pokemon and humans alike...when my step father found me...he raised me alongside Pokemon that have been treated cruelly by their trainers...which is why I am surprised when I meet a nice trainer...one like yourself...or like the trainer I faced in Unova..."
Liz was surprised that his words seemed unusually comforting. In his own way, he understood her pain. Though she now wondered about him. He said he was born in the Rainbow Region...and she knew Unova was only a boat ride away from Ruby Town...but how did he end up there? She took a deep breath to ask him.
"Thanks N...for listening at least...though I got to ask...if you we're born in the region...how did you...?"
"End up in Unova? Well...when I was about 3 or 4...I was in the Gem Meadows which is just beyond here. I lived in a orphanage because my mother couldn't take care of me...she was a single mom if I recall right...and very sick...so the Gem Meadows is the place I always went to because it wasn't far from the orphanage. That one day, the Raikou and Shaymin that lived there approached me...they saw the pureness in my heart and wanted me to have a gift..."
"A gift...?" Liz asked, "What kind of gift?"
"The exact one I showed you...the ability to understand pokemon perfectly...and how I got such a gift came from the legendary Rainbow Fruit..."
Liz looked at him shocked, "The...The Rainbow Fruit...? You mean, the legendary fruit that is said to have made every pokemon in the region shiny and all but one tree disappeared...?"
Liz knew about this because she studied the legends of the Rainbow Region. Though it was unclear what it did for people that ate it...until today that is.
"Awe you know about the legend then...yes, the same fruit..." N said then looked away gazing at the lake then continued, "After I got it...all the kids in the orphanage we're taken on a trip to Unova. We exploded a forest near the Pokemon League where I got lost. However, nobody ever came back for me....and I was getting hungry so I ate the fruit. I'll never forget its sweet taste and after I finished, I found myself surrounded in a strange energy. After that I passed out and when I came to, I heard voices. But they weren't human..."
"Wow...that's...that's incredible..."
"Indeed it was...there was a Zorua standing over me and asking if I was alright. I soon befriended him and it wasn't long after that Ghetsis, my step-father, found me, discovered my ability and used it to his advantage." N said as he continued to gaze into the lake.
Liz looked back at his Zoroark and said, "I'll bet that Zoroark is the same one isn't it?"
Zoroark just gave her a simple nod admitting it was true. Liz was truly amazed at his account and what the Rainbow Fruit truly can do. She had always desired to have an ability to talk to Pokemon like you could with a normal person but could only feel their emotions. Though she didn't think the legends in the Gem Meadows would deem her worthy because she wasn't that strong a trainer yet. On top of that, she still had some emotional set-backs that needed working on like how she masked her sad emotions.
In spite of this, N surprised her by asking her to accompany him to the Gem Meadows. Liz got a bit confused by this sudden request from the former Plasma Leader.
"Wait, you want me to come with you...?" Liz asked
"Yes, please do...I want to go back but I want to show you the tree that bares the fruit."
"Well...wait...let me ask you something first..." she started hoping this won't backfire on her.
"What is it?"
"Well...you said you wanted to explore the region...and I'm on a journey to do the same. So...how about this? You want to...travel with me?" Liz asked.
N pondered on this for a second. If he we're to travel with her, he'd surely see more and possibly enjoy more than he ever could on his own even with his pokemon by his side. He'd even get the chance to meet other Pokemon he never could've. His mind was then made up.
"Ok...you got it...but accompany me to the Gem Meadows first..." N said.
"Ok, it's a deal then" Liz agreed.
N smiled and called to Reshiram to come to him. Suddenly the air was filled with Reshiram's Cry as the Majestic White Dragon came down to him landing in front of him. This literally took Liz's breath away as she had only read about this Pokemon and never seen one up close. Even though not shiny, she still was beautiful with the blue eyes, the silver rings around her neck and tail and the angelic-like wings that had white claws on each one. She stood tall as Liz watched in admiration.
N smiled and got on her back and gestured Liz to do the same. Though Liz had her wings, she couldn't fly very well so she took that gesture. Zoroark climbed on behind her and Reshiram took flight and headed for the Gem Meadows.
