Thanks to the elevated walkways on Route 7, we were able to avoid the tall grass and get back to Mistralton City in no time. The team is ready for some Gym action, especially newly-evolved Dioscures the Vanillish; it's hard to think that just yesterday he was no bigger than a cone of Castelia soft-serve, and now he's going to be the MVP of this Gym challenge!
vs Carolina
A Flying-type master, Carolina quickly takes the battle up into the air; but while her strategy keeps her Pokemon out of reach from claws and fangs, her Swoobat and Unfezant prove to be mere training targets for Dioscures' well-aimed Ice Beam. However, her last resort, Swanna, by far more resistant to our icy attacks, is proudly leading the battle from inside a healing Aqua Ring. With a strong beat of the wing, she sends a critical Air Slash that nearly topples Dioscures. One last Ice Beam is all we need... and we get it! The freezing beam penetrates through the protective water membrane, knocking Swanna out of the air and into a spiral dive. We've earned the Jet Badge!
Outside the Gym, we find N, still convinced that it is his duty to liberate Pokemon from the clutches of abusive Trainers. And while he's aware that there are Trainers out there who care about their Pokemon (
like you, Ouranie, he says), he is determined to go through with his plan, which, turns out, involves an artifact of great power, said to resurrect one of the legendary Dragons. N, what are getting yourself into?
Over the walkways we go, and we've reached Twist Mountain! The caverns are filled with Hikers in search of adventure, and Workers, who, aided by their Boldore, are excavating through the thick walls. With their help, both Ganymède and Chiron reach their final evolutionary stages, as a Samurott and Sawsbuck. And after many twists and turns -- this is
Twist Mountain after all --, by nightfall we finally make it to the other side, in Icirrus City!
Though summer, there still seems to be a faint chill in the air; the city is after all, at a higher altitude. Going out of the The Pokemon Center early in the morning, we're greeted with a spectacular view of the wetlands, large patches of water frozen in winter, now home to a bunch of water-loving Palpitoad. Out of the blue, we encounter Prof. Keteleeria Sr., ever in search of adventure -- they say he used to be a Backpacker in his youth! He is on his way to Dragonspiral Tower, the oldest building in Unova, cradle of legends and source of the dual Dragons' myth. I remember N and his plans; I wonder if he'll be there as well? I make a mental note to visit the Tower, but not before we challenge the Gym!
vs Zhu
Ganymède the Samurott is the first to face Zhu's team. His opponent is Vanillish, employing a defensive strategy, but whose Acid Armor proves to be inefficient against Ganymède's strong Surf attack. Zhu proves to be less intimidating than I expected, so I decide to counter Ice with Ice, by sending in Dioscures against Beartic. But Dioscures falls to Beartic's Swagger; he becomes enraged and, in his confusion, his Mirror Shots miss and he ends up hurting himself. A strong Slash from Beartic provides a sure KO. What to do now? I send in Chiron; while at a type-disadvantage as a Sawsbuck, I'm betting on his Speed to keep him alive. Sure enough, Chiron springs into the air right away and delivers a Jump Kick right into Beartic's freezing beard. Out of nowhere, he evades the incoming Icicle Crash and another strong Jump Kick takes Beartic out of the fight. Zhu sends in his last Pokemon, Cryogonal, who immediately launches an Aurora Beam. Though evidently affected, Chiron shakes the powdered snow out of the green foliage adorning his antlers, and gets physical with a final Jump Kick, which nearly shatters his opponent. With such an evident display of force, the Freeze Badge is ours!
I find Tcheren and Bianca just outside the Gym, both facing an existential dilemma or two. As we're talking about what to do next, Zhu bolts out of the Gym. It seems there's trouble at Dragonspiral Tower! N, what have you done? We all hurry north; by the time I reach the Tower, Zhu and Tcheren are nowhere to be seen; but there's Prof. Keteleeria Sr.! As he was looking around, he says, Team Plasma showed up, shattered the Tower's outer wall and have gone inside. Zhu and "the young lad" have gone after them. Even the Professor seems worried; Bianca offers to act as his bodyguard, while I go up to investigate.
A pool of clear water and green marble flooring; the Tower must have been gorgeous back in the day. As I go up the stairs, there's a rumble and loud crashing sounds. Earthquake? I press forward, trying to find my way through the fallen columns. This is too dangerous, what's going on?
Ouranie! It's Tcheren, up above on a suspended platform. With Zhu at his side, they're confronting a large group of Plasma grunts. It's a full on war! Zhu's Beartic is summoning an Icicle Crash atop a group of Plasma Liepard, Tcheren's own Liepard is cornering a pair of crazed Watchog. I'm making my way through the crowd, with Chiron alone acting as an entire stampede, pushing everyone aside with his strong, thorny antlers. As I get closer to the top floor, I can hear the rampage above. Am I too late? There's N, enraptured by the fearsome creature in front of him: shining red eyes, massive pitch black body, a flashing blue surge of electricity crackling in the mist. It's Zekrom, the legendary Dragon! N's plans are unfolding, he is becoming Zekrom's hero and he'll be taking on the Pokemon League. Will I be the one to stand between him and his ideal world, he asks. The only way to do so is to awaken Zekrom's counterpart, the white Dragon, and I am the only one destined for it, he says. More than anything, he seems to be looking forward to it, almost as if he is trying to find the truth that will put his ideals to the test. And while he is flying away atop his Dragon partner's back, and the mist is clearing away, and the others are quickly climbing up the stairs, I look up at the clear night sky, and wonder: when did it all get so complicated?
