Chapter Text
The differences between the rides to and from Canalave were nothing if not obvious. While constant chatter and light-hearted banter was abundant with Ingo and Barry, the journey back with Cynthia in the passenger seat was anything but, stark and suffocating silence a new constant companion. Unspoken words hung in the air and threatened to crush them both, but still no one said anything; both knew that talking was the last thing that needed to happen unless they wanted Johanna to crash the car because she couldn't see due to tears blurring her vision.
Rather than stir up Johanna's emotions more than she had already, Cynthia had taken to staring out of the window and reflecting on her own - or more accurately, her own memories of Akari.
Cynthia watched as her final Pokémon fell, the Roserade falling to the ground with a slow fall rather than a resounding thud. Some may have called the challenger's victory a little anticlimactic with that finish, but to Cynthia, it was a perfect end to the battle; she had lost, after all. Her reign had finally come to an end. Once she had returned her fainted Roserade, she raised her hands and clapped them together once. Then twice. Then thrice. Before long, she had been applauding this girl graciously who had bested her with her partners.
"...Just a few minutes ago, you were the most powerful challenger. And just now, you became the most powerful of all the Trainers."
Cynthia stepped forwards as Akari recalled her Infernape, promising a generous helping of Poffins as soon as she got the chance. She walked closer, opening her arms up to the girl, pure happiness radiating from her smile.
"You are now our newest Champ-"
"Would we need to stay here?"
"Hm?" Cynthia stopped in her tracks, looking at the child in curiosity, only to find the child looking more apprehensive than exhilarated. Why didn't she look thrilled with her hard-earned victory? She would have expected her successor to be overjoyed at becoming the new Champion; wasn't that what all young Trainers wanted? To be Champion?
"Not all the time. You'd be free to roam the region whenever you'd like; you'd just need to come back if a Trainer were to challenge the Elite Four, though they'll rarely make it past the first two-"
"And the rest of the world?"
Cynthia paused, her eyes shifting to the corner as Akari stared at her intently.
"Not without official notice, no, and the chances are that you will likely be called back within a day or two... But the battles you have here will be fierce, I can assure you."
"But I'll be limited to who I can battle, won't I?" Akari looked Cynthia in the eyes. "No one else will want to battle me. I don't see many people challenging you when you're out, and official battles against the Champion are rare, right?"
"I suppose that's true," Cynthia murmured. People did tend to avoid battles they would most likely lose out of fear, so it's not like many people faced her outside these revered halls.
"So I'd be stuck in the region and limited on who I could battle."
"Well... Yes. That's how being Champion works, but I assure you, it's an excellent job to have, and leaves you plenty of free time for other pursuits!" Cynthia gushed, doing her best to sell the position. "You don't learn about mythology as much as me without a lot of Dialga-blessed time to spend on it."
Sure, when described as what Akari said, the position of Champion sounded abhorrent, but it wasn't truly that terrible. In fact, Cynthia had found the experience to be quite an exciting time! She had the pleasure of meeting quite a few Trainers, all at the top of their game and filled to the brim with enthusiasm, and all in these very halls. The hours spent devouring every piece of historical knowledge she could find was just an added bonus in her eyes. But she was done now. Cynthia wanted to be done with it now.
"I'm sorry, Cynthia," Akari bowed. "I can't be Champion. Well, I can. But I don't want to."
Well, that's not what the Champion expected.
"Akari-"
"I can refuse, right?" Akari asked as she looked up again, her eyes filled with mild fear. "We're not going to be forced into this just because we beat you?"
"Of course not," she assured, watching Akari's eyes soften back into their neutral stare. "But if I may ask, why? You've come so far, only to give up the title. You can see how that's confusing, right? Isn't this what you wanted?"
"Yes! It was! At least, I thought it was anyway. It's just..." Akari trailed off, before heaving a sigh and looking Cynthia in the face again. "I was just thinking that maybe the job is a bit too restrictive for me. The idea of needing permission to leave the region, to experience new things, to battle more people, and the same thing day-in day-out, facing the same challengers... Not to mention the task of pretty much running the entire League. It's really not my thing. Yeah, I wanted to be Champion when I didn't know what I was doing, but now that I do, I know I want something else. Something different."
As Cynthia looked at the child, she saw nothing but an unwavering determination that she had become oh-so familiar with.
"Is there no way I could convince you otherwise?"
The teen shook her head with conviction.
"...Very well," Cynthia sighed. "At least allow me to record you and your team in the Hall of Fame? I know it's typically a Champion-only area, but I at least want the world to know how brilliant you are."
Akari smiled and nodded, walking past her to stand on the platform before waiting for Cynthia to board it too. Secretly, the Champion didn't know how to feel about this development. She had been watching Akari all this time, waiting for her to come to the League and defeat her to take the title. It had all played out precisely as wanted up until that point. Why? Being Champion was every Trainer's ambition, their motivation, their very reason to continue on their chosen path, all to become so powerful that the world was their Cloyster! So why did Akari think that this was restrictive? It surely had to be less restrictive than any office job or researcher's position.
"So what do you intend on doing now?" Cynthia asked as they were slowly lifted into the air, mechanical clicks the only sort of background noise around.
Akari only shrugged. "I don't know. I'll probably go home first and talk about it with Barry."
Such a nonchalant answer... Does she truly not care?
"What of your Pokémon? How do they feel?"
"Same as I do," she easily responded. "I told them how I was beginning to feel about becoming Champion when we reached the seventh gym. I'd kinda started to ask myself what there was after becoming Champion, and the only answer ever given to me by adults was becoming stronger, which is the same thing we've been doing this entire time already. It's just that if you become stronger while you're the strongest around, what are you actually working towards?"
They both stepped off the raised platform and headed for the Hall of Fame, Cynthia quietly pondering the question whilst only a pace behind Akari.
As the trees flew by past the window, Cynthia noticed that they had since passed Jubilife City, and were only about thirty minutes to Twinleaf.
When did that happen?
"Back in the world of the living?" Johanna joked, catching Cynthia's attention.
"Ah, my apologies," Johanna said as she straightened her posture, taking her arm away from the window. "Had I zoned out for long?"
"Long enough to last the journey from Route 218 to Route 202."
Cynthia laughed lightly. "Yes, I suppose reminiscing will do that."
Johanna hummed. "What were you thinking about?"
"When she beat me," Cynthia stated. "It was one of the most... Unexpected conversations of my life. I hadn't ever even played with the thought that she wouldn't want to take over."
"You're still thinking about that?" Johanna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In my defense, it's pretty memorable. Up until that point, I was convinced that every Trainer wanted to be Champion."
"She did for a time," Johanna offered, "but something changed, although I'm not sure what. She still hadn't figured out what she wanted when she... You know."
Cynthia nodded solemnly. Of course she knew. Everyone close to the girl knew. "It's odd. We keep going over how strange it was for her to refuse the offer of Championship, but is it really our place to judge?"
"No, no it isn't," Johanna concurred. "It's just confusing, isn't it? One moment she wants one thing and the next she doesn't know what she wants."
"I suppose that's just teenagers for you, isn't it?"
Johanna felt her lips turn upwards as the tension in the car finally disappeared. "I suppose it is."
The silence that had once smothered the car had become infinitely more lighthearted and significantly less silent as they drove through Sandgem to Route 201, sharing minor but pleasant memories of various topics, mainly centering around the girl they were looking forward to seeing again.
"Cynthia?"
Said woman turned her head towards the mother.
"Thank you for coming."
The Champion smiled. "Any time."
Finally, they turned the left back into Twinleaf, looking forward to spending some quality time with some poisonous babies.
Instead, they felt their stomachs drop as they saw police cars parked outside the house.
-----
It wasn't long before the group arrived in Mistralton. Elesa had, of course, suggested that a quick stop in Driftveil would be a good idea, but Emmet had quickly shut that down.
"Those clouds over there don't look any less angry. Maybe we should take a break to wait and see if they-"
"Nope! We do not need to stop in Driftveil. Mistralton is only a further hour's drive away, and if we stop now, it will only take longer to get to Ingo."
"Emmet-"
"Please continue driving, Elesa. I do not want to be delayed further."
And so, although it was begrudgingly done, Elesa had sped through Driftveil and down the new road that Clay had so kindly commissioned after receiving countless complaints about tourists getting the odd zap after messing around with Pokémon from a place literally called Chargestone Cave. Honestly, what else did they expect from somewhere with 'charge' in the name? It wasn't the Pokémon's fault people didn't think.
By the time they'd all arrived, the city was being blasted by torrential rains and winds that tried to steal everything that wasn't tied down, forcing everyone to make a mad dash for the Pokémon Center, the doors already open for them as a nurse ushered them inside.
"Quickly now, in you go!" Nurse Joy squeaked, hastily giving Audino the signal to lock the door from the reception as a sodden Tsunami ambled in, infinitely less bothered by the downpour.
"Geez, this wasn't in the damn weather forecast!" Elesa complained, wringing her hair out. "I know we saw the clouds earlier, but this is ridiculous!"
Emmet stood a little the left, grumbling to himself as he tried to drain his hat before he put it back on. "I hope this does not last too long."
"About that..." Nurse Joy grimaced, "We've recieved reports from a few hikers that arrived earlier that Thundurus and their brethren have been sighted, and they seem agitated."
While Emmet and Elesa groaned, Akari couldn't act surprised even if she wanted to. She had recognised those clouds before back in the car, so she had been expecting to run into them at some point. Akari was fairly certain she passed out at some point during one of Tornadus' storms; why they didn't finish her off was beyond anyone else, but she had a feeling they hadn't actually meant any harm to begin with. After all, she doubted anyone else from the Galaxy Team stationed in the Icelands would have been brave - or stupid - enough to approach in order to get her back to camp.
"I am more than happy to fight them if need be," Emmet declared, "I do not care for any further delay, so I will fight them!"
"Emmet, no, you are not fighting forces of nature."
"I am Emmet, and I am a force of nature."
"Emmet, no."
Elesa and Emmet continued their sibling-like squabble over whether or not fighting the embodiments of different weather phenomena was possible (let alone a good idea) while Akari gazed out of the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the Pokémon she had met so long ago. Well, to them it would have been, at least. To her, it had only been a couple of weeks since they last met. Would they remember her? If they did, would it be fondly? She hoped so.
...Actually, didn't she still have that odd mirror that Cogita gifted her? If memory served, it had something to do with the quartet and their different forms, though she never thought to use it on them and it was only ever brought out so she could see if anything was trying to sneak up behind her out in the wilds. Reaching into her bag, she shifted the contents around in search of the looking glass, finally pulling out an ornate-looking thing that almost dazzled her as she brought it out into the light.
Maybe they'd want this? Or would that just be another thing to argue over?
Akari was dragged out of her thoughts as a towel was chucked at her head. She dragged it off and frantically scanned the room looking for the assailant.
"Take that and head upstairs," Elesa ordered. "You got that old-fashioned outfit of yours, right? Go shower and then put that thing on for now; last thing you want is to catch a cold before we head for Sinnoh."
"What about you and Mister Emmet?" Akari tilted her head, both in mild concern and curiosity. "You don't want to get sick either, do you?"
Elesa just waved her off. "We're adults, sweetie! We can handle it until you're done, so go get warm."
"But-"
"Go, before you start shivering!"
Akari relented, grabbing her bag before running up the stairs after getting directions from the nurse about where their room was. Elesa watched her leave before turning her attention to Emmet.
"...Okay, sit down."
"What?"
"Sit down, we need to talk."
If we can't talk on the plane, we'll talk now while Akari's gone.
Emmet huffed and mumbled something about being able to talk while standing, but he complied and sat down on a nearby sofa, Elesa parking herself about a foot away from him.
"Now I think I can guess," she began, "but tell me what it was back at the bridge that upset you."
Emmet opened his mouth.
"And don't even try to deny it, Emmet."
Emmet closed his mouth. Instead, he turned his head to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact.
"You haven't been called the only Subway Boss until now, right?"
He shook his head.
"Is that what's got you shaken up more than a Patrat after an Earthquake?"
He nodded.
"Is that the only reason?"
He stayed still.
Elesa said nothing more, and simply waited.
...
Emmet shook his head.
"In that case, you might need to elaborate buddy," Elesa said, reclining back in her seat.
A few minutes passed as Elesa waited patiently, though it felt like an eternity to Emmet. What was he supposed to say? That he got upset because the Trainer thought Akari was a Subway Boss? That would have been ridiculous. It wasn't that he minded the assumption itself. No, it was the idea of Akari replacing Ingo as a Subway Boss that irked him. No one could replace his brother. Simply not possible. If Ingo wasn't there beside him in battle, then no one else could be.
...But how could he relay this in a way that didn't make it sound like he blamed Akari? It wasn't her fault that Elesa dressed her up in that stupid outdated fashion line (though he had to admit that it suited her well), and it certainly wasn't her fault that her skills were comparable to a Battle Facility Head's (okay well maybe that bit WAS her fault, but he was hardly going to be mad that she was good in battle by her own merits), so how was he going to put this?
"...It sounded like that Trainer thought Akari was replacing Ingo."
There was a hiss as Elesa inhaled through her teeth, cringing.
"Yeah, okay, that's kinda shit," she conceded.
"This is why it is verrrry important that we get Ingo back as quickly as possible. I do not want further incidents like this. I do not think I can handle any further incidents like this."
"Okay, yeah that's fair, but that does not mean we are going out and fighting literal forces of nature."
Emmet grumbled, but gave in. While still incredibly displeased with the current situation, he could at least appreciate the position he was in; he only had Eelektross and Violet to truly work with as he hadn't the chance to get to know the newest companions in their party, and that just wouldn't do against three Pokémon capable of manipulating the world around them.
Admittedly, although he'd never go through with it, he would have been lying if he ever said he hadn't thought of asking Akari to help him battle them in order to get them to scram, but the idea immediately filled him with a sort of disgust that could only come from unwanted thoughts.
I am Emmet, and I am NOT asking a child to sort out my problems for me.
Twenty minutes after bolting up the stairs, Akari had showered and discarded her sodden outfit, replacing it with a dryer, more old-fashioned look. Tsunami grunted in approval at her Samurott-inspired garb as he lounged on a bed.
"Yeah, thought you might appreciate this more than what Elesa gave me," the girl chuckled, putting her soaked clothes away into a separate part of her bag as to not drench everything else in there.
The wind and rain continued to relentlessly assault the world outside, the drops hitting the window sounding similar to a particularly agitated Piplup's bubbles against Professor Laventon's laboratory walls. It made Akari smile. It was one of the few places in that Arceus-forsaken village that brought any sort of comfort to the girl; she could always be assured that Laventon had some fresh tea brewing, and that she'd be safe from Kamado's scrutiny. It also had an odd charm about it. Sure the room was messy, but it was an organised mess, just like the man himself. It was an honest room, you could say.
She found herself missing the lab. Before she left, Laventon had mentioned that he was going to attempt a new study into Pokémon 'breeding' as he called it, both to see if Pokémon raised with humans nearby would become less aggressive or fearful of them, and to see if watching Pokémon grow and learn from the very beginning would better people's understanding.
I wonder how that went. Kinda seemed like his sort of thing... Taking notes from a distance, that is. Is there anyone that ended up using that research? I hope so.
A bolt of lighting struck the clouds above, bringing her out of her train of thought. Akari turned her head to watch the sky and saw several other bright flashes, the occasional silhouette visible amongst the light.
Akari shot a look at the mirror she'd left laying on a bed, the fancy details and embellishments glinting at her. She wasn't entirely sure why Cogita gave it to her. Who was she to decide a Pokémon's form? Shouldn't the Pokémon decide that for themselves?
...That being said, maybe they'd want it back?
Rather than look outside, Akari looked at the window. Specifically, she looked at the lock before stepping forward to unlock it.
Tsunami frantically leapt off the bed and grabbing his Trainer's clothes in his maw, tugging her backwards into the room as the now-open window let the howling wind and rain in.
"Buddy, c'mon! I'll be quick! Don't worry, I remember what Lady Sneasler taught me!"
"Samro!"
"Please, I wanna try to give them the stupid mirror! Maybe it'll calm them down a bit!"
A sharp tug made Akari fall to the floor with a thud and a groan, the floorboards not being the most comfortable thing to land on. The teen huffed, but caved. Not because she knew Tsunami would either easily drag her back inside or snitch on her to Elesa, mind you; it was because her kimono was the only dry thing she had. Yes, that was it. She just didn't want to get wet, and she absolutely wasn't only giving up climbing out of the window out of fear of Elesa's wrath.
Dusting herself off, Akari rose to her feet and swiped the mirror from the bed and the flute from her bag, and took a casual step towards the open window.
"Ro!"
"Calm your moustache, Tsunami! I'm just gonna stand AT the window, okay? I won't climb out, I promise."
The Samurott looked at his Trainer skeptically, but didn't make any attempt to lunge forwards and instead kept a pace behind her, just to be on the safe side.
A few stray raindrops splattered against Akari's forehead as she brought the flute to her lips, the familiar, haunting tune she'd played many times before fighting against the bellowing thunder. With every note, the storm grew ever louder, responding to a call last heard long ago. They might not have been summoned like the Nobles with the song, but they still knew it well. As Akari lowered the Azure Flute, she could see three familiar figures in the distance, rapidly growing in size as they approached.
Wait... Three?
Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus. The first three of the quartet she met sped towards the Pokémon Center, the storm above still raging. After mere moments, they stopped a few feet short of where the girl was standing, faces as stern as ever as they quietly argued further, only seeming to cease any sort of attack while their old master was around.
I guess some things never change, Akari thought to herself fondly, before quickly scanning the skies for one last familiar face.
"...Where's Enamorus?"
The three Pokémon silently exchanged glances, whatever they were bickering over beforehand momentarily forgotten. Even the clouds seemed to stop rumbling for a moment, only letting their tears fall. Akari felt her heart break a little bit, and lowered her head. What else did she expect? It had been centuries for them. Of course something could have happened in that time.
Was there anything I could have done...?
"Sa..." Tsunami nudged Akari with his snout, the cold and wet sensation jolting Akari out of the beginning of a spiral.
"Oh, right right right..." Akari muttered before holding up the mirror. "I still had this when I came back to this time. Seeing as you guys are here, did you want it back?"
The lightning flashed anew as Thundurus and Tornadus began to argue and bicker once again, presumably over who got to take the mirror from the girl. Akari flinched at the sudden noise, but kept a firm grip on the fancy looking glass.
"H-Hey! I have a few conditions!" Akari yelled over the noise, somehow managing to be heard through all the commotion. The trio turned to her, awaiting her words.
"First of all, you all have to share it," she demanded. The two formerly warring Pokémon grumbled a bit, but eventually nodded as they were glared at by the third member of the group.
"Secondly, Landorus is the one that gets to keep hold of it."
That demand was met with roars of disagreement and disapproval, to which both Akari and Tsunami rolled their eyes in unison.
"Hey, knock it off! You both know that Landorus is the braincell out of you three!"
Thundurus and Tornadus grumbled, but didn't say much else, which Akari classed as a victory.
"Lastly," she continued, "I sorta need this storm gone. Now. I'm trying to get Uncle Ingo home, but our plane can't take off, so could you break it up please?"
That last request was met with more compliance than Akari expected. Breathing a sigh of relief, she held out the mirror.
"Meet those three requests, and it's all yours."
Landorus calmly reached out to gently take the mirror, bowing in thanks.
However, they were rudely slammed into by a green blur that snatched the mirror before anyone could object.
Thundurus screeched and shot off after Tornadus, the arguments and storms growing louder by the second as they battled in the clouds. Back from the Pokémon Center window, Akari, Tsunami, and Landorus watched in mild disappointment akin to a teacher watching their middle school class misbehave. Slowly, Akari turned to the remaining legendary Pokémon.
"If this storm doesn't stop within the next hour, I am taking back that mirror by force."
Landorus immediately left without a noise to hastily try to calm their brethren down.
Sighing, Akari closed the window, grabbed her bag, and began to head downstairs with Tsunami in tow.
I wonder if Mister Emmet would let me play with Kyle's Pokémon for a while?
-----
Barry's mother's body shook as she wept, profusely apologising between every breath.
"I'm sorry... I-I'm so sorry!"
"They had a Pokémon use sleep powder on you! You couldn't have even tried to stop this!" Johanna cried, taking the woman's hands into her own. "This wasn't your fault!"
Cynthia watched from afar as she stood with several police officers, her status as Champion meaning she could take a more proactive role in the investigations.
"What do we class this as? I mean, she opened the door, so we can't call this breaking and entering, can we?"
"No," an officer shook his head, "but we can likely call this trespassing and assault."
"I'm sorry, but how does this help?" Cynthia snapped. "You're debating what to call the crime instead of actually sorting it out. A woman has been attacked in her own home and newly-hatched Pokémon have been kidnapped, and you're arguing about pointless differences!"
The officers shuffled in place, awkwardly looking around the room.
"Well, there isn't much to go on, Champion Cynthia,' one offered. "Without any leads, all we can do note down what sort of crime it was and report back to HQ so they can put a notice out."
"You can't start to investigate the region? These are incredibly rare Hisiuan Pokémon, and they're now out there in some stranger's possession! Surely there's something you can-"
"Well, since they don't have Trainer IDs yet, they legally can't be classed as stolen..."
Cynthia's blood reached boiling point.
"What in Arceus' name are you saying?"
To his credit, the police officer only slightly flinched at her tone. "I-I'm saying that, from a legal standpoint, we cannot consider these Pokémon stolen or kidnapped. If the mother was h-here then yes, we could make an argument for it, but since she isn't... We c-can still charge the offender with assault and trespassing, but the Pokémon themselves can't be investigated l-legally."
The Champion felt her stomach drop to the floor. Exceedingly rare, formerly-extinct Hisuian Sneasels taken away, and the police refused to do anything. Did these fools have any idea what was at stake? She vaguely registered Barry's mother's grief-stricken sobs as she lamented the news that the kits weren't to be recovered by authorities, her apologies growing ever-more frantic. Cynthia turned on her heel and strode towards the woman.
"...I'm not going to ask you not to feel guilt over this," she stated as she knelt down to meet her eyes. "Arceus knows that's easier said than done, but had you been able to do anything, you would have fought tooth-and-nail to protect those hatchlings. I'm right, aren't I?"
Barry's mother quickly nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Cynthia nodded back, before turning to Johanna. "I hate to ask this of you, but please, stay with her for now."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to do what the police SHOULD be doing," she declared, firing a withering gaze towards the officers still in the room before storming out of the house.
Once outside, Cynthia tossed a Poké Ball up into the air, releasing her Togekiss, who trilled with joy shortly before noticing his Trainer's expression.
"Ki?"
"We need to perform a sweep of Sinnoh and find someone with some odd-looking Sneasels," she stated, her voice leaving no room for debate.
"Tegi," the Pokémon nodded solemnly, and swiftly lowered himself to the ground so his Trainer could hop on.
Hop on she did, and the both of them soared into the air mere seconds later, eyes immediately scanning the immediate area for any trace of any sketchy individual. With no idea of what the mysterious stranger looked like, Cynthia resigned herself to a tough investigation.
But then again, when had her job ever been easy?
A different Togekiss flew above them in the distance, a sight Cynthia felt relief from. After all, it was said that they only showed themselves in times of peace, and that they brought blessings with them. What else could this be if not a sign that things were about to change for the better, and that this was simply the storm before the calm? That's what Cynthia chose to believe, anyhow. Eventually, the other Togekiss disappeared behind Mount Coronet, leaving Cynthia to continue a desperate search.
Back in Twinleaf, Johanna held the sleeping frame of her friend as she saw the police converse outside through a window. Dried tears Barry's mother hadn't wiped away stained her face as she slept, exhausted from the day's events.
As Johanna watched the police finally leave, she found that she couldn't cry. It was odd. She should be crying now too, shouldn't she? Then why did she simply find herself unable to cry, feeling numb to it all? It felt terrible. It all felt terrible, but what could she do about it?
So she sat and stared into the distance, listening to a clock on the wall tick, singing it's monotonous song as she willed the time away.
She just wanted everything to back to normal.
She just wanted her daughter back.
I just want... to...
...
She drifted off to sleep, exhaustion finally claiming her as she properly rested for the first time in two days.
-----
After much convincing and Baby-Doll Eyes from both herself and Elesa, Emmet had finally (under the condition that they were to go back in their Poké Balls immediately upon the storm's end) relented and released Kyle's team into the Pokémon Center before both he and Elesa rushed upstairs to shower, leaving the teen downstairs to pamper and play with the Ferrothorn, Stunfisk, and Conkeldurr. The rain was still pouring down outside, and as she promised, Akari was keeping a sharp eye on the time; she'd taken them all down a peg or two before, and all three of them knew she could do it again.
As she got to know her knew companions properly, she learned all about their individual quirks and personalities. For one, it would seem that Ferrothorn absolutely adored having his shell polished while Stunfisk would try to bury herself amidst the dirt in the plant pots, much to Nurse Joy's dismay. Conkeldurr seemed to be the responsible one of the trio, almost acting brotherly towards the others.
Akari glanced up as the clock as she carefully shined the metal shell. Half an hour to go before she fought forces of nature, provided she had to. She went back to polishing, earning a satisfied grunt from the steel type. It was a little upsetting to see the layers of rust that had built up over time... Did Kyle not know that you had to polish steel types regularly? Or maybe he just didn't care. Unfortunately, Akari could only guess it was the latter.
Fortunately for Ferrothorn, Akari cared, and she loved working with her hands.
She once again found herself thankful for her tools, as her carving knife proved very useful in prying off stubborn pieces of rust. Thankfully, steel types didn't typically have a lot of nerve endings on the surface, so she was confident as she wielded the blade.
"Damn, this must've been making it hard for you to move," she commented as she removed a particularly large piece of debris away from one of Ferrothorn's joints. The large Pokémon hummed, as if to confirm.
At this point, Ferrothorn had a limb carefully wrapped around the girl, who in turn had taken the 'hand' on the end to clean it. Tsunami was not happy about this in the slightest, but kept his complaints to himself for once as he glared bitterly at the newcomer, keeping a close eye on them.
The thunder was beginning to die down outside. Akari figured Landorus must've begun to corral their brethren away so their squabbles wouldn't disrupt her plans any further. She chipped away at the last spot of rust before sighing, placing her knife back into her kit and into her bag.
"There we are," she breathed, fondly petting the Pokémon's head. "Does that feel better?"
The Ferrothorn sounded like gears grinding together, but looked happy regardless. Akari grinned herself as she began to sweep up the dark orange shards from around her feet, the vine-like appendage slowly moving itself away so the girl could move. Ferrothorn stepped away to rejoin his companions as Akari disposed of the rust, Tsunami choosing to closely trail behind his Trainer.
(Not because he was jealous. Absolutely not. He wasn't that petty. Definitely.)
Once the scraps had been cleared up, Akari took to lounging on one of the center's sofas, watching the three converse and goof off, Conkeldurr uprooting Stunfisk from a potted plant for what must have felt like the billionth time as the other two laughed.
She flashed another look at the clock. Fifteen minutes to go, and the thunder was drifting further away, but still audible.
They're cutting it rather close, aren't they?
Her ears pricked up as footsteps sounded down the stairs, Emmet and Elesa now clean, warm, and dry.
"Hey kid," Elesa greeted casually. "How are the new recruits doing?"
"Better! Especially now that Ferrothorn's rust is gone."
"I thought he was looking shinier. Verrrry impressive work, Miss Akari!" Emmet praised. Proper maintenance of steel types was integral to their health, after all! He remembers the first - and only - time he accidentally let too much rust accumulate on their shared Klinklang when they were only a Klink and he an amateur Trainer. Never again. He couldn't get the smell of old copper coins out of his clothes for weeks.
The lightning had ceased outside, and only the far-off echos of thunder remained as the rain began to ease up. Akari looked at the clock. Ten minutes left.
"What's up, sweetie?" Elesa asked, plopping herself next to Akari.
"Oh, nothing. Just waiting."
"Yeah, the rain is taking a while to clear up, huh?"
"It shouldn't take too much longer."
Elesa tilted her head. "How do you know?"
Akari just smiled, absentmindedly petting Tsunami's head as he rested it on her lap. The two adults shared a confused look as Emmet sat next to Elesa. The clock ticked on as Akari looked at it again.
Nine minutes to go, and the rain was beginning to ease even more, the lightning and thunder now gone. The plane could probably take off now, but she figured Emmet would say something as soon as it was confirmed. She could already see Nurse Joy bustling about in the background, answering calls and taking notes about various topics she couldn't quite catch.
Eight minutes, and she could tell Emmet was getting antsy. He could see as well as anyone that the weather was now more-or-less fit to fly in, and he wanted out. Honestly, Akari found his restraint impressive. Tsunami just found his eagerness amusing.
Seven minutes, and the announcement was finally made.
"Attention, everyone!" Nurse Joy bellowed from her desk. "Skyla's called me to say it looks safe enough for people to go out again! Please make sure you have all your belongings with you before leaving the building!"
Emmet had to hold himself back from bolting from the center to the airport as he fumbled with Kyle's Poké Balls to return the three new arrivals. Standing to attention, he threw put an arm in front of him before marching off.
"Our track is now clear! We mustn't delay any further!"
Akari followed suit, with Elesa trailing behind them, hurriedly texting someone while trying to keep up.
Elesa: Heyyyyy
Skyla: Elesa! Haven't heard from you in days! What's happening?
Elesa: Okay
Elesa: So
Elesa: How fast can we get you to fly us to Sinnoh?
Skyla: ...
Elesa: :)
Skyla: What authority are you running from now?
Elesa: OMA SKY, NO IT'S NOT LIKEBTHAT
Skyla: likebthat
Elesa: SHUT UP I HAVE TONSTSTT RUNNING TO KEEP UPBWITH EMMET AND AKARI
Elesa: TONSTARG
Elesa: TOBSTART
Elesa: FUVK
Skyla: Okay wow you're struggling
Skyla: And did you say Emmet? You managed to drag him away from the Subway? And who the hell is Akari?
Elesa: Time-travelling child from Sinnoh.
Skyla: Okay you're fucking with me, there is no way you can suddenly type perfectly fine to tell me something that ridiculous
Elesa: We just stopped running because we're outside the gym and Emmet thinks you're already in on what's happening.
Skyla: what
Elesa: I may have said that I'd ask you sooner but totally forgot because. Events.
Elesa: Anyway so about that flight?
Skyla shoved her phone into a pocket seconds before the giant fans at the back of her gym sent her hurtling towards the entrance. She stuck the landing and immediately threw open the doors to the gym, eyes wide as she saw an expectant Emmet, whom she hadn't seen in months, a teenager dressed in old-fashioned clothes, and a very sheepish Elesa.
"...Uh, surprise?"
"ELESA, WHAT THE FUCK!?"
-----
A Togakiss soared high above all else, carrying very precious cargo. Said cargo was a blond man, and a newly acquired little of purple Sneasles, all chirping and mewling in excitement at being so high up.
It turned a corner and dipped into the mountains, circumnavigating the various rocks and peaks until finally arriving at a cave.
Deeper, deeper, and even deeper the man went with his new kits, scarcely a trail left behind other than the odd tuft of fur and claw mark made by the hatchlings. He paid them no mind. They looked like any other scratch in this place, and the wind would carry away the fur.
He'd perform a headcount later. He didn't have time to do so earlier, so he'd have to do that quickly when they arrived at his base. He'd know how many he had soon enough.
And he wouldn't realise one particularly curious little fellow sneaking off to do his own investigation.