Collections of Elegant Formulas: Chapter 7
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Black and Reshiram stood on top of Team Plasma’s Castle, staring down Ghetsis and Giovanni, who still had a collection of Kyurem to battle with. Double battling with them, he’d managed to knock out their personal Pokémon: Hydreigon, Eelektrik, and Cofagrigus for Ghetsis, and Nidoking, Honchkrow, and Persian for Giovanni. At that point, technically speaking, he should have won the battle - and alone, for that matter - but when they just continued into Kyurems Black hadn’t been surprised. In fact, he’d kept Reshiram back in expectation, and made sure that Chandelure wasn’t quite knocked out. The injured Chandelure and Samurott stood in front of him, Chandelure clearly nervous at withstanding a full double battle and immediately facing down Kyurems.
“Did you think you were done?” Ghetsis laughed, lifting a string of black Pokeballs. “This isn’t a league battle. I will take great pleasure in grinding you down into nothing. Though I’m disappointed; is this all the resistance that Unova can muster? I at least expected my idiot son. But we can recapture Zekrom some other time.”
Black tossed Reshiram’s Pokeball in the air, catching it. “You mean your idiot daughter.” Who had promised she would battle with him, but wasn’t here. Had she and Silver not made it past the Rocket guards? Were they held up in the maze of the castle rather than just flying to the roof where all of the explosions were? Or... had she left again? He shook his head and took a deep breath. They’d get here. That was the plan. He just had to find a way to take out Kyurems a little longer... He pulled down his hat, half-covering his eyes, and stared out at the field. Samurott waited patiently, muscles loose, and Chandelure had calmed down. It was time.
“Chandelure, Overheat! Samurott, Dig!” Both Pokemon charged at the Kyurems, Samurott preparing to dive through the roof and Chandelure’s flames growing brightly. The two team bosses turned to each other, and nodded, both Kyurems throwing up Protect. Black immediately recalled Chandelure before Overheat finished charging, sending out Reshiram, whose turbine’s whirr lit up the roof. Both Kyurems waited for an attack that never came - and as soon as their Protects faded, Reshiram unleashed a Blue Flare that knocked both of them out. As the Kyurems were recalled, Samurott popped back up, rearing up and roaring.
Ghetsis reached into his robe, closing his hand around a pistol. “You can’t switch out like that.”
Black smiled. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware this was a league battle. Would you like to run to the Pokemon Center to heal your Kyurems and we can start over? I’ll wait.”
“I’ll kill you.”
Giovanni put a hand on Ghetsis’s shoulder before the taller man could pull out his weapon. “He’s the Champion. We’ll face less resistance if we beat him with Pokemon.” He turned to Black. “Besides, we’ve only begun. You want to play the grown-up game? I can respect that.” He called out three Kyurems, and then Ghetsis mirrored the action, only a short fraction of his string of Pokeballs depleted. “Have you ever had a sextuple battle before?”
Black did his best to look brave, called out Chandelure, and hoped Reshiram could last three turns.
-
Silver, Julie, and Eevee ran up another flight of stairs to find two more Plasma Grunts. They immediately released Kyurems; Silver released two Patrats, who stared at the Kyurems, unblinking; the Grunts hesitated a moment, just as they all had, and Silver pushed the buttons on both Recover Balls, pulling the Kyurems in without a complaint.
“How did you...”
“Every Pokemon is strong in the hands of a strong trainer, your bosses are evil, we don’t have time for this. Can we go?” Silver fingered another Recover Ball. “I could call these Kyurems out, you know. I won’t hurt you, but I can’t promise they won’t.”
“You won’t get away with this!”
“Probably not. It’s not really your concern at this point. Go get a job or something.” Silver walked briskly down the hallway, looking over his shoulder to make sure the grunts didn’t try anything.
Julie called out over her shoulder. “And stop locking kids up in rooms!”
The two continued down yet another hallway full of columns and paintings of Ghetsis. They walked quickly, Eevee bounding ahead of them and Silver periodically looking behind them. “How many more stories?”
“Two or three.” Julie looked at one of the portraits and made a face. “Two, ugh.”
“Well, let’s go.” They found the next set of stairs and started up it, running again though a bit less quick this time. As they turned the corner, they heard an explosion followed by the howl of an angry Pokemon. Down the hallway there was a giant hole in the ceiling, an unnatural red light pouring down onto the floor. Many feet fell on the roof above, making the corridor resonate like a drum.
“Reshiram.” Julie looked relieved. “So he’s still fighting.”
Silver reached into his jacket and pulled out three Pokeballs, handing them to Julie. “Don’t make Farfetch’d fight if you can help it.”
Julie took the three into hand and looked at them for a moment. “Right.”
Silver nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. Julie, are you ready?” Julie gave him a thumbs up. “Eevee, you ready to herd some Patrats?” Eevee growled and crouched down, looking as ready to take down a Kyurem as guide a Patrat. “Well, I guess this is it.” Silver grabbed Julie’s hand awkwardly, and squeezed it, and then he and Eevee ran off to find the final staircase, while Julie called out Zoroark, already in her form and wearing the matching dress.
Julie handed the Pokeballs to Zoroark, who felt them briefly and nodded. “He kept Crobat.” They laughed, together, Zoroark finding Julie’s laugh and replicating it.
“They’re almost the same person,” said Julie.
“Correct, they are almost the same Pokemon,” said Zoroark, voice unmodulated. “It is a thing I understand. I am glad you returned.” Zoroark turned and bounded toward the hole in the roof with impossible steps, jumping up through it and vanishing.
-
Black was down to Reshiram, and there were at least four Kyurem circling. He had lost count of how many were down, a few of them on other parts of the roof unconscious where his opponents had not bothered to call them back. He had exhausted his stack of healing items, and the Kyurems knew it, waiting patiently for the right time to strike from two sides despite their speed disadvantage. Black watched for an opening as well, keeping one hand in his pocket to bluff at having more items. Where were they? They had to have come. Could they have been taken out by grunts in the end? Maybe that Rocket henchman with the car?
The Kyurems hesitated for a moment, and Black started to shout, but caught his voice in his throat. Now Ghetsis was sending out Patrats? That was just insulting. Black did not want to be killed by Patrats. Maybe he could at least...
At the same time, two of the Kyurems vanished, and Typhlosion slammed into a third, knocking it off-balance. Reshiram saw the opening and shot bolts of flame into the remaining Kyurem, which started to form a field of ice around its body before it, too, vanished. Black looked at the Patrats, and saw Eevee in the midst of them, barking out orders. At the edge of the roof stood Silver, fiddling with some computer equipment and with a few more Patrats at his feet. Reshiram and Typhlosion stood side to side, waiting for the next round of Kyurems, and behind Typhlosion stood Julie, eyes unfocused, wearing a yellow dress with a long orange sash.
“Look,” said Ghetsis, calling out more Kyurems, “We both get idiot sons today. I thought yours was too spineless to battle, what’s going on?”
“Idiot daughter,” said Black again, and then “Blue Flare.”
“Hmph.” Giovanni called out three more Kyurems, and Typhlosion jumped at them unbidden, bursting with flames. “A dress doesn’t make you a woman.”
“Correct,” said Julie. “It is not the dress that does it.”
She gestured to Eevee, who ran over with a collection of Patrats and set them to work staring at Kyurems. Shortly, Silver pushed a series of buttons, and the Kyurems were recalled into his bag. “Hey Black,” he called out, and then threw one of the Recover Balls, which Black caught. “Fresh Kyurem!”
Ghetsis tugged at his string of Pokeballs - only ten or so left. “I should have done this from the beginning,” he said, and reached into his cloak, pulling out a pistol. “Many, many years ago.” He pointed the gun at Julie, and everyone stopped. “Maybe from the beginning Pokemon should have fought Pokemon, and people should have fought people. I was a fool to think you’d be able to make anything different.”
Black backed slowly toward Silver, trying to signal to him with a hand behind his back. Silver was still, staring at Giovanni, fingers clenched tightly around Crobat’s Pokeball. Only Julie looked calm, hair and dress both caught by the wind, locking eyes with Ghetsis and speaking quietly.
“You make a miserable hero of truth, Ghetsis. You always needed N to get anywhere. Nothing you do here, or anywhere, will change that.”
Ghetsis pulled the trigger.
Julie flew backward and then landed, bleeding from a hole in the sash, eyes closed, body twisted. The sound of the shot and then its lack both resonated; Silver’s eyes went wide and his arms locked up, trembling, finger hooked over the button to release his Pokemon. Black ran over to Silver, not sure what to do, thinking only not both of them. Reshiram stood still, and Ghetsis lifted the gun triumphantly. “Now they all will die!”
At his signal, the Shadow Triad appeared behind him, and started firing guns down the roof. Typhlosion dropped down the hole Julie had jumped through, and Black watched the repeated flashes from the gun barrels expecting an end that did not come. After a few flashes, he noticed a faint tint to the air in front of them, and looked up. Julie, whole, stood atop Zekrom, whose Protect covered Black, Silver, and their Pokemon. She held another Pokeball, and recalled herself from the ground below, leaving behind only the torn focus sash and three Pokeballs. When Zekrom touched down, still Protecting, she hopped off, and turned to Silver.
“That is why you teach your Pokemon Protect!”
Typhlosion took the opportunity to jump out and leap on the Shadow Triad, grabbing one in his jaws and flinging him off the roof. The next took a gush of magma to the arm, burning him and jamming his gun; the third shoved Ghetsis down the hole in the roof and then fired at Typhlosion, who grabbed the gun and bit it in half before knocking the ninja off the roof.
Silver blinked. “Wait... what?” He looked over to Typhlosion, who now stood over Giovanni, ready to bite down. “No. No!” Typhlosion looked up, front legs still pressing Giovanni’s torso to the roof, and waited. Silver ran awkwardly over, grabbing the Pokeballs on this way.
Giovanni was breathing rapidly, tense. “You have the opportunity and won’t take the blow? I didn’t raise a coward.”
Silver shook his head as he recalled Typhlosion. “You didn’t raise anyone.”
-
Ghetsis staggered down the hallway, holding the wall for support, eyes wild. When he saw the Rocket with the mohawk, he sped up, and grabbed the man, who observed him impassively even when shaken by the shoulders.
“You! You’re in charge of the car! Give me the keys!”
Petrel shrugged and reached into his pocket, pulling out a key on a length of yarn. “Yeah, sure. It’s in the basement, just take the elevator.” As Ghetsis grabbed the key, he asked “Why, something wrong?”
Ghetsis shook his head. “No, just... Just tell your Boss I’ll meet him in his office later.
“Sure thing,” said Petrel, watching Ghetsis rush past and enter the elevator. He looked at his watch, and counted for seventy-five seconds. Then, slowly, he pulled a black box with a red button out of his other pocket, and waited for the light next to the button to turn on. When it did, he pushed the button, and almost immediately the LED flickered off. “Boom,” he said to no one, dropping the device back in his pocket and stretching his arms above his head.
Next down the hall was Giovanni, his suit disheveled and his manner erratic. “Petrel! Where’s the safest place in the building?”
“Your office, boss. It has the password door.”
“If you see Ghetsis, kill him.” Giovanni hurried to his office, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.
“Of course, boss.”
Finally came two of the Shadow Triad, one hopping on one foot while balanced on the shoulder of the other. Initially they ignored him, so he called out “Hail Giovanni!”
They stopped. “What’s that?”
“Oh, nothing.”
The limping one pulled out a gun and pointed it at Petrel. “Didn’t sound like nothing. Sounded like insubordination.”
Petrel shrugged, ignoring the weapon. “It’s just a phrase. The sort of phrase that you might say when someone passes? A pass phrase, you know.”
The ninja lowered his weapon. “You’re a fucked up kid.”
Petrel shrugged again, running a hand through his mohawk. “Pretty much, yes.” He watched the ninjas make their way down the corridor, and stood up straight when they turned in the direction of Giovanni’s office. Around fifteen seconds later, he heard gunshots, and took off his mask.
“Never trust a trainer to finish anything,” muttered Looker, grabbing the gun from his rear holster and walking briskly down the hallway.
Black and Reshiram stood on top of Team Plasma’s Castle, staring down Ghetsis and Giovanni, who still had a collection of Kyurem to battle with. Double battling with them, he’d managed to knock out their personal Pokémon: Hydreigon, Eelektrik, and Cofagrigus for Ghetsis, and Nidoking, Honchkrow, and Persian for Giovanni. At that point, technically speaking, he should have won the battle - and alone, for that matter - but when they just continued into Kyurems Black hadn’t been surprised. In fact, he’d kept Reshiram back in expectation, and made sure that Chandelure wasn’t quite knocked out. The injured Chandelure and Samurott stood in front of him, Chandelure clearly nervous at withstanding a full double battle and immediately facing down Kyurems.
“Did you think you were done?” Ghetsis laughed, lifting a string of black Pokeballs. “This isn’t a league battle. I will take great pleasure in grinding you down into nothing. Though I’m disappointed; is this all the resistance that Unova can muster? I at least expected my idiot son. But we can recapture Zekrom some other time.”
Black tossed Reshiram’s Pokeball in the air, catching it. “You mean your idiot daughter.” Who had promised she would battle with him, but wasn’t here. Had she and Silver not made it past the Rocket guards? Were they held up in the maze of the castle rather than just flying to the roof where all of the explosions were? Or... had she left again? He shook his head and took a deep breath. They’d get here. That was the plan. He just had to find a way to take out Kyurems a little longer... He pulled down his hat, half-covering his eyes, and stared out at the field. Samurott waited patiently, muscles loose, and Chandelure had calmed down. It was time.
“Chandelure, Overheat! Samurott, Dig!” Both Pokemon charged at the Kyurems, Samurott preparing to dive through the roof and Chandelure’s flames growing brightly. The two team bosses turned to each other, and nodded, both Kyurems throwing up Protect. Black immediately recalled Chandelure before Overheat finished charging, sending out Reshiram, whose turbine’s whirr lit up the roof. Both Kyurems waited for an attack that never came - and as soon as their Protects faded, Reshiram unleashed a Blue Flare that knocked both of them out. As the Kyurems were recalled, Samurott popped back up, rearing up and roaring.
Ghetsis reached into his robe, closing his hand around a pistol. “You can’t switch out like that.”
Black smiled. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware this was a league battle. Would you like to run to the Pokemon Center to heal your Kyurems and we can start over? I’ll wait.”
“I’ll kill you.”
Giovanni put a hand on Ghetsis’s shoulder before the taller man could pull out his weapon. “He’s the Champion. We’ll face less resistance if we beat him with Pokemon.” He turned to Black. “Besides, we’ve only begun. You want to play the grown-up game? I can respect that.” He called out three Kyurems, and then Ghetsis mirrored the action, only a short fraction of his string of Pokeballs depleted. “Have you ever had a sextuple battle before?”
Black did his best to look brave, called out Chandelure, and hoped Reshiram could last three turns.
-
Silver, Julie, and Eevee ran up another flight of stairs to find two more Plasma Grunts. They immediately released Kyurems; Silver released two Patrats, who stared at the Kyurems, unblinking; the Grunts hesitated a moment, just as they all had, and Silver pushed the buttons on both Recover Balls, pulling the Kyurems in without a complaint.
“How did you...”
“Every Pokemon is strong in the hands of a strong trainer, your bosses are evil, we don’t have time for this. Can we go?” Silver fingered another Recover Ball. “I could call these Kyurems out, you know. I won’t hurt you, but I can’t promise they won’t.”
“You won’t get away with this!”
“Probably not. It’s not really your concern at this point. Go get a job or something.” Silver walked briskly down the hallway, looking over his shoulder to make sure the grunts didn’t try anything.
Julie called out over her shoulder. “And stop locking kids up in rooms!”
The two continued down yet another hallway full of columns and paintings of Ghetsis. They walked quickly, Eevee bounding ahead of them and Silver periodically looking behind them. “How many more stories?”
“Two or three.” Julie looked at one of the portraits and made a face. “Two, ugh.”
“Well, let’s go.” They found the next set of stairs and started up it, running again though a bit less quick this time. As they turned the corner, they heard an explosion followed by the howl of an angry Pokemon. Down the hallway there was a giant hole in the ceiling, an unnatural red light pouring down onto the floor. Many feet fell on the roof above, making the corridor resonate like a drum.
“Reshiram.” Julie looked relieved. “So he’s still fighting.”
Silver reached into his jacket and pulled out three Pokeballs, handing them to Julie. “Don’t make Farfetch’d fight if you can help it.”
Julie took the three into hand and looked at them for a moment. “Right.”
Silver nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. Julie, are you ready?” Julie gave him a thumbs up. “Eevee, you ready to herd some Patrats?” Eevee growled and crouched down, looking as ready to take down a Kyurem as guide a Patrat. “Well, I guess this is it.” Silver grabbed Julie’s hand awkwardly, and squeezed it, and then he and Eevee ran off to find the final staircase, while Julie called out Zoroark, already in her form and wearing the matching dress.
Julie handed the Pokeballs to Zoroark, who felt them briefly and nodded. “He kept Crobat.” They laughed, together, Zoroark finding Julie’s laugh and replicating it.
“They’re almost the same person,” said Julie.
“Correct, they are almost the same Pokemon,” said Zoroark, voice unmodulated. “It is a thing I understand. I am glad you returned.” Zoroark turned and bounded toward the hole in the roof with impossible steps, jumping up through it and vanishing.
-
Black was down to Reshiram, and there were at least four Kyurem circling. He had lost count of how many were down, a few of them on other parts of the roof unconscious where his opponents had not bothered to call them back. He had exhausted his stack of healing items, and the Kyurems knew it, waiting patiently for the right time to strike from two sides despite their speed disadvantage. Black watched for an opening as well, keeping one hand in his pocket to bluff at having more items. Where were they? They had to have come. Could they have been taken out by grunts in the end? Maybe that Rocket henchman with the car?
The Kyurems hesitated for a moment, and Black started to shout, but caught his voice in his throat. Now Ghetsis was sending out Patrats? That was just insulting. Black did not want to be killed by Patrats. Maybe he could at least...
At the same time, two of the Kyurems vanished, and Typhlosion slammed into a third, knocking it off-balance. Reshiram saw the opening and shot bolts of flame into the remaining Kyurem, which started to form a field of ice around its body before it, too, vanished. Black looked at the Patrats, and saw Eevee in the midst of them, barking out orders. At the edge of the roof stood Silver, fiddling with some computer equipment and with a few more Patrats at his feet. Reshiram and Typhlosion stood side to side, waiting for the next round of Kyurems, and behind Typhlosion stood Julie, eyes unfocused, wearing a yellow dress with a long orange sash.
“Look,” said Ghetsis, calling out more Kyurems, “We both get idiot sons today. I thought yours was too spineless to battle, what’s going on?”
“Idiot daughter,” said Black again, and then “Blue Flare.”
“Hmph.” Giovanni called out three more Kyurems, and Typhlosion jumped at them unbidden, bursting with flames. “A dress doesn’t make you a woman.”
“Correct,” said Julie. “It is not the dress that does it.”
She gestured to Eevee, who ran over with a collection of Patrats and set them to work staring at Kyurems. Shortly, Silver pushed a series of buttons, and the Kyurems were recalled into his bag. “Hey Black,” he called out, and then threw one of the Recover Balls, which Black caught. “Fresh Kyurem!”
Ghetsis tugged at his string of Pokeballs - only ten or so left. “I should have done this from the beginning,” he said, and reached into his cloak, pulling out a pistol. “Many, many years ago.” He pointed the gun at Julie, and everyone stopped. “Maybe from the beginning Pokemon should have fought Pokemon, and people should have fought people. I was a fool to think you’d be able to make anything different.”
Black backed slowly toward Silver, trying to signal to him with a hand behind his back. Silver was still, staring at Giovanni, fingers clenched tightly around Crobat’s Pokeball. Only Julie looked calm, hair and dress both caught by the wind, locking eyes with Ghetsis and speaking quietly.
“You make a miserable hero of truth, Ghetsis. You always needed N to get anywhere. Nothing you do here, or anywhere, will change that.”
Ghetsis pulled the trigger.
Julie flew backward and then landed, bleeding from a hole in the sash, eyes closed, body twisted. The sound of the shot and then its lack both resonated; Silver’s eyes went wide and his arms locked up, trembling, finger hooked over the button to release his Pokemon. Black ran over to Silver, not sure what to do, thinking only not both of them. Reshiram stood still, and Ghetsis lifted the gun triumphantly. “Now they all will die!”
At his signal, the Shadow Triad appeared behind him, and started firing guns down the roof. Typhlosion dropped down the hole Julie had jumped through, and Black watched the repeated flashes from the gun barrels expecting an end that did not come. After a few flashes, he noticed a faint tint to the air in front of them, and looked up. Julie, whole, stood atop Zekrom, whose Protect covered Black, Silver, and their Pokemon. She held another Pokeball, and recalled herself from the ground below, leaving behind only the torn focus sash and three Pokeballs. When Zekrom touched down, still Protecting, she hopped off, and turned to Silver.
“That is why you teach your Pokemon Protect!”
Typhlosion took the opportunity to jump out and leap on the Shadow Triad, grabbing one in his jaws and flinging him off the roof. The next took a gush of magma to the arm, burning him and jamming his gun; the third shoved Ghetsis down the hole in the roof and then fired at Typhlosion, who grabbed the gun and bit it in half before knocking the ninja off the roof.
Silver blinked. “Wait... what?” He looked over to Typhlosion, who now stood over Giovanni, ready to bite down. “No. No!” Typhlosion looked up, front legs still pressing Giovanni’s torso to the roof, and waited. Silver ran awkwardly over, grabbing the Pokeballs on this way.
Giovanni was breathing rapidly, tense. “You have the opportunity and won’t take the blow? I didn’t raise a coward.”
Silver shook his head as he recalled Typhlosion. “You didn’t raise anyone.”
-
Ghetsis staggered down the hallway, holding the wall for support, eyes wild. When he saw the Rocket with the mohawk, he sped up, and grabbed the man, who observed him impassively even when shaken by the shoulders.
“You! You’re in charge of the car! Give me the keys!”
Petrel shrugged and reached into his pocket, pulling out a key on a length of yarn. “Yeah, sure. It’s in the basement, just take the elevator.” As Ghetsis grabbed the key, he asked “Why, something wrong?”
Ghetsis shook his head. “No, just... Just tell your Boss I’ll meet him in his office later.
“Sure thing,” said Petrel, watching Ghetsis rush past and enter the elevator. He looked at his watch, and counted for seventy-five seconds. Then, slowly, he pulled a black box with a red button out of his other pocket, and waited for the light next to the button to turn on. When it did, he pushed the button, and almost immediately the LED flickered off. “Boom,” he said to no one, dropping the device back in his pocket and stretching his arms above his head.
Next down the hall was Giovanni, his suit disheveled and his manner erratic. “Petrel! Where’s the safest place in the building?”
“Your office, boss. It has the password door.”
“If you see Ghetsis, kill him.” Giovanni hurried to his office, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.
“Of course, boss.”
Finally came two of the Shadow Triad, one hopping on one foot while balanced on the shoulder of the other. Initially they ignored him, so he called out “Hail Giovanni!”
They stopped. “What’s that?”
“Oh, nothing.”
The limping one pulled out a gun and pointed it at Petrel. “Didn’t sound like nothing. Sounded like insubordination.”
Petrel shrugged, ignoring the weapon. “It’s just a phrase. The sort of phrase that you might say when someone passes? A pass phrase, you know.”
The ninja lowered his weapon. “You’re a fucked up kid.”
Petrel shrugged again, running a hand through his mohawk. “Pretty much, yes.” He watched the ninjas make their way down the corridor, and stood up straight when they turned in the direction of Giovanni’s office. Around fifteen seconds later, he heard gunshots, and took off his mask.
“Never trust a trainer to finish anything,” muttered Looker, grabbing the gun from his rear holster and walking briskly down the hallway.