Writing Pulse of the Frontier - FINISHED - The conclusion is up!
- Thread starter Daren
- Start date
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Nine is up! The plan is set into action!
I wonder what happens in Chapter 10. What happens if they get caught? Or probably Deoxys finds them.
I wonder what happens in Chapter 10. What happens if they get caught? Or probably Deoxys finds them.
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Nine is up! The plan is set into action!
Chapter 10: Galactic: The Battle
The scene before her as she arrived at the dig site was to say the least, horrific. The sun had just risen behind the palette of the pinkish-blue morning sky as the large, camouflage-colored truck in the back of which she sat among the other Galactics rumbled along the rocky trail like a Golem tumbling roughly down a mountain side. In the distant horizon, Mt. Moon, one of the most famous landmarks in the entire Kanto region could be seen. But there was something different about this new mountain from the one that Dahlia had seen so many years ago, then still a young girl. She was sure that the original mountain hadn't had a crater blown into its center.
Everywhere, Galactics were busy hacking away at the rocky earth, some with powerful drills but most with nothing more than the picks which they held in their own gloved hands. It horrified her to imagine that she might soon have no other choice but to join in the labor and help to destroy the famous landmark or else give up her identity and that of her friends.
As the truck rounded a tight bend in the road and a long row of oak trees cut off her vision of the mountain, she glanced around at the faces of her companions. Their expressions were steely; it was obvious that their enthusiasm for the whole affair was no more than hers. They didn't believe in the wrong doings of their superior and yet they could bear no longer the burden of being leaderless and lost.
The truck had just rounded the bend that brought the mountain into view when Dahlia caught the first glimpse of her Frontier Brain teammates since the day on which they arrived for the first time at the Galactic headquarters, each of whom rode in the back of a separate, violently shaking vehicle. She wondered whether she would ever see another sunrise with them alive.
The truck stopped just in front of Moon and Dahlia and her companions disembarked. No sooner had they done so than a tremendous explosion shook the earth beneath their feet. Dahlia lost her footing altogether and would have fallen if it had not been for the ready arms of one of her neighboring Galactics who caught her mid-fall. Astonished, Dahlia looked up into the eyes of her rescuer. She was surprised to see the deep, steely glaze encasing his eyes vanish a little and the firmly set line of his jaw cracked just enough to reveal a slight grin that had been plastered underneath.
"Um, hi," he said, "You're one of the new trainees aren't you? I'm Cody."
"Hi," Dahlia replied, lost by him, "Yes I came here from Commander Saturn's group."
She paused. She was afraid that if she talked longer then she would surely give away her identity by accident. Nevertheless, she felt trapped in the grasp of his brilliant blue eyes, "My name is Dahlia by the way. Thank you for-" another explosion cut her off and this time no arms could stop her from being knocked roughly to the earth. This must have knocked her head because she suddenly forgot all about Cody and could only think of the destruction that was occurring only yards away.
She couldn’t let it happen. If she was caught then so be it, she knew that she wasn’t that big of a help to the team anyways. They wouldn’t catch the others, and maybe she would be able to stall them long enough to give them a chance to do something. Quavering, she stood, each movement resulting in a painful shock. She had hit her left thigh on a stone when she fell and she was beginning to feel the effects of it. Nonetheless, she rushed wildly towards the mountain.
“Hey! What are you doing? Where are you going? We’re not supposed to go in there yet!” It was Cody who was calling her. She could just barely hear him over the rumbling of the digging. She stopped and turned to face him. He was a formless silhouette in the veil of sand that had risen from the explosion and now enveloped them.
“I can’t let them do this! Galactic is making a horrible mistake in listening to him!” She cried at the top of her lungs, although she doubted that her voice sounded like anything more than a faint whisper to the grunt. “He’s tricking and using them! I have to stop them before it’s too late!”
“Don’t do it! You don’t have a chance standing up to him,” was Cody’s shouted reply. His words seemed to mirror the thoughts that ran through her head. The odds were definitely against her, but that hadn’t stopped her before. He was wrong. Chance was something that she would always have and no amounts of Galactics were going to take that from her.
She was about to reply when another explosion drowned out the sound and by the time that the dust and sand had cleared she was inside the mountain. She could still faintly hear him calling her frantically from behind, urging her to come back. But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. She had lost control of herself and it felt exhilarating.
The moment that she entered the dig site inside of the mountain she was bathed in light. It took a few moments of blinking for her eyes to become accustomed enough to the light to actually see where it was coming from. It didn’t come from any one source but seemed to be emitted from the ground beneath her feet. There was something underneath that was calling; beckoning. She stepped a foot back, just soon enough to avoid an enormous drill attached to a crane being dropped into the earth. A spray of earth and sand erupted into a whirlwind around the spot and she had to guard her eyes with her arm to protect them.
When she moved her arm, the light was considerably brighter. The crater which had been former in the ground seemed to glow with a white-hot light that threatened to burn straight through the first pick to touch its surface. From every direction, grunts gathered around the rim to gaze at the spectacle. The driver of the crane hopped from the mechanism and revealed herself to be Commander Jupiter who, since the imprisonment and demoting of her two fellow commanders, had risen greatly in power, second only to Valrem.
The new leader of Galactic himself stood atop a high rock, delegating orders for the unearthing of the object to which they were so near. Instantly about a dozen grunts rushed forward, eager to be the first to collect in his arms the object that would bring Galactic to power. But Valrem had other plans. “No! Fools! You cannot be expected to withstand the immense power of the Instriz! It would be suicide to grope down in that hellhole for it! It will take someone that knows how to navigate it to retrieve it! I will go!”
A great cheer erupted from the crowd. “Yes, master,” Jupiter replied, “I will assume command until you return.”
Hitherto, Valrem had stood facing the assembly of Galactics, his back to his cohort commander. Now he turned, slowly, chuckling softly, until the cold glare of his ruby-red eyes to meet Jupiter’s sapphire ones. He shook his head and laughed a little harder. “Ah Jupiter, Jupiter,” he said, “You try to hide your selfish ambitions from me the same way you did from Cyrus. And like him, you expect me to disappear into that hole and never return. It’s a shame that you underestimate me so, Jupiter.”
“You misinterpret me, great one,” Jupiter replied, a twinge of hurt sprouting in her chest, “I, I, simply wish to assure that control is kept during your absence. I wish no more power than that which you so graciously give me.”
Valrem’s laugh grew louder still, until it echoed throughout the entire being of the mountain, seeming nearly to shake its foundation. “You cannot hope to deceive me Jupiter! I know every thought that passes through your cranium! You’re easier to read than a book, and if you ask me, I think that-argghhh!!!”
At that moment, a hurtling stone sliced through the air and slashed at his arm. He doubled over suddenly in pain and cried out. The entire assembly gasped in astonished disbelief. In rage, Valrem whirled in the direction of the projectile and met eyes with Brandon, standing side by side with Regirock and Regice. The Pyramid King smirked. “Hello, Valrem, It’s been a while!” he exclaimed.
“You fool! You’ll pay for that!” Valrem hissed. Even as the words rolled off of his tongue, his figure began to change shape. His limbs separated into tentacle-like appendages and his skin became a bright orange. A gemstone was embedded in his chest and it glowed with a sickly green luminance. He was now, as he was born; Deoxys.
The sudden transformation caused a cacophony of astonished voices among the gathered crowds below and many a grunt simply fainted upon the earth. Jupiter’s hands flew to her mouth and for a moment she felt completely robbed of the ability of speech. Deoxy’s gleaming eyes fastened themselves upon hers and he snapped, “You would be wise to do as I say Jupiter! I am still your leader! Go! Gather Galactic and leave this place!”
Jupiter couldn’t manage words. She couldn’t even find the power to nod. Instead, she demonstrated her acceptance by sliding down the face of the great rock and into the heart of the Galactics, leading them outside. They were eager to go, not wishing to be left in the middle of the fray which was about to take place.
When he was sure that his orders were being filled out, Deoxys returned his attention to Brandon, whom appeared taken aback from the recent turn of events. The Pokemon’s glare mutated into a wicked smirk. Indeed it had been a while since he had seen Brandon, but he had not seen him through the eyes that the Pyramid King believed. “Confused?” He asked, his new voice monotonous and deep, “The man who you believed me to be is not here anymore. He’s long dead, Brandon. Still sure that you want to defy me? I’ll give you the chance now to leave this mountain and spare yourself the pain!”
Over his initial surprise by now, Brandon let out a deep, hearty chuckle. “Do you think it matters to me whether you are a human or a Pokemon, Deoxys? Then you’re wrong! Regice! Ice Beam attack now!” He shouted.
The seven eyes of the ice Pokemon that hovered in the air beside him glowed brightly as it gathered all of its energy together into the form of a concentrated beam and launched it at Deoxys. The latter Pokemon simply snapped his fingers, materializing a ball consisting solely of the energy of one’s dark thoughts, a Shadow Ball, as it was called, in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the attack hurtling into the path of the Ice Beam. The two attacks collided and an explosion occurred, shaking the earth beneath feet of trainer and Pokemon.
Dahlia, whom had all this time been hiding behind a large rock in the corner, felt a stab of fear strike her chest. She knew fine and well Brandon’s extraordinary potential, and respected it. However, would he be a match for the legendary ruler of the stratosphere? There was no way to be sure. Un-surety is the first stage of fear, the lack of knowledge of what will happen brings fearful thoughts into your mind of what might.
Gazing around her, if for no other reason than to separate her eyes from the horror of the scene that was taking place above, her eyes chanced upon Darach, whom was likewise ducking behind a stone a few yards away. His face was pale with terror, as it usually was. Darach was forever doomed to fret over any tiny problem or ailment with his mistress, Caitlyn, and if he was not watching the girl with his own eyes, he was sure that something awful must be happening to her. Again, the un-surety struck.
Dahlia was sure that the man must, after three straight days without laying an eye upon the girl, be going absolutely ballistic. Dahlia worried for him. She could never understand why or how he could sell his soul and live for the princess like he did, and she was sure that she could never do the same, and yet there seemed to be, throughout all of the fret and worry, an immeasurable happiness behind his aged, weary face.
But now, he was seeing all that could be the end of what he loved. If Brandon was defeated, everything would be lost. And Caitlyn… It was up to him. What? Darach asked himself suddenly, That can’t be right! I accepted responsibility for Caitlyn’s wellbeing, and I promised the same to Scott concerning the others. It is not Brandon’s responsibility, and yet there he stands, with the fate of it all in his hands and me behind this old rock. No, he will not be the one responsible. It is my duty. I must honor my promises.
His mind made up, Darach slipped from behind his place of concealment and, flattening himself behind rocks as he maneuvered, he made his way to where Dahlia sat crouched. Her eyes were wide with fright. “Dahlia, I have another idea,” and he whispered his plan in her ear. Dahlia gave him a look as if to ask if he were mad. He replied with a mischievous smile that assured her he was. It would end there and then. Fate had changed hands.
Chapter 10: Galactic: The Battle
The scene before her as she arrived at the dig site was to say the least, horrific. The sun had just risen behind the palette of the pinkish-blue morning sky as the large, camouflage-colored truck in the back of which she sat among the other Galactics rumbled along the rocky trail like a Golem tumbling roughly down a mountain side. In the distant horizon, Mt. Moon, one of the most famous landmarks in the entire Kanto region could be seen. But there was something different about this new mountain from the one that Dahlia had seen so many years ago, then still a young girl. She was sure that the original mountain hadn't had a crater blown into its center.
Everywhere, Galactics were busy hacking away at the rocky earth, some with powerful drills but most with nothing more than the picks which they held in their own gloved hands. It horrified her to imagine that she might soon have no other choice but to join in the labor and help to destroy the famous landmark or else give up her identity and that of her friends.
As the truck rounded a tight bend in the road and a long row of oak trees cut off her vision of the mountain, she glanced around at the faces of her companions. Their expressions were steely; it was obvious that their enthusiasm for the whole affair was no more than hers. They didn't believe in the wrong doings of their superior and yet they could bear no longer the burden of being leaderless and lost.
The truck had just rounded the bend that brought the mountain into view when Dahlia caught the first glimpse of her Frontier Brain teammates since the day on which they arrived for the first time at the Galactic headquarters, each of whom rode in the back of a separate, violently shaking vehicle. She wondered whether she would ever see another sunrise with them alive.
The truck stopped just in front of Moon and Dahlia and her companions disembarked. No sooner had they done so than a tremendous explosion shook the earth beneath their feet. Dahlia lost her footing altogether and would have fallen if it had not been for the ready arms of one of her neighboring Galactics who caught her mid-fall. Astonished, Dahlia looked up into the eyes of her rescuer. She was surprised to see the deep, steely glaze encasing his eyes vanish a little and the firmly set line of his jaw cracked just enough to reveal a slight grin that had been plastered underneath.
"Um, hi," he said, "You're one of the new trainees aren't you? I'm Cody."
"Hi," Dahlia replied, lost by him, "Yes I came here from Commander Saturn's group."
She paused. She was afraid that if she talked longer then she would surely give away her identity by accident. Nevertheless, she felt trapped in the grasp of his brilliant blue eyes, "My name is Dahlia by the way. Thank you for-" another explosion cut her off and this time no arms could stop her from being knocked roughly to the earth. This must have knocked her head because she suddenly forgot all about Cody and could only think of the destruction that was occurring only yards away.
She couldn’t let it happen. If she was caught then so be it, she knew that she wasn’t that big of a help to the team anyways. They wouldn’t catch the others, and maybe she would be able to stall them long enough to give them a chance to do something. Quavering, she stood, each movement resulting in a painful shock. She had hit her left thigh on a stone when she fell and she was beginning to feel the effects of it. Nonetheless, she rushed wildly towards the mountain.
“Hey! What are you doing? Where are you going? We’re not supposed to go in there yet!” It was Cody who was calling her. She could just barely hear him over the rumbling of the digging. She stopped and turned to face him. He was a formless silhouette in the veil of sand that had risen from the explosion and now enveloped them.
“I can’t let them do this! Galactic is making a horrible mistake in listening to him!” She cried at the top of her lungs, although she doubted that her voice sounded like anything more than a faint whisper to the grunt. “He’s tricking and using them! I have to stop them before it’s too late!”
“Don’t do it! You don’t have a chance standing up to him,” was Cody’s shouted reply. His words seemed to mirror the thoughts that ran through her head. The odds were definitely against her, but that hadn’t stopped her before. He was wrong. Chance was something that she would always have and no amounts of Galactics were going to take that from her.
She was about to reply when another explosion drowned out the sound and by the time that the dust and sand had cleared she was inside the mountain. She could still faintly hear him calling her frantically from behind, urging her to come back. But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. She had lost control of herself and it felt exhilarating.
The moment that she entered the dig site inside of the mountain she was bathed in light. It took a few moments of blinking for her eyes to become accustomed enough to the light to actually see where it was coming from. It didn’t come from any one source but seemed to be emitted from the ground beneath her feet. There was something underneath that was calling; beckoning. She stepped a foot back, just soon enough to avoid an enormous drill attached to a crane being dropped into the earth. A spray of earth and sand erupted into a whirlwind around the spot and she had to guard her eyes with her arm to protect them.
When she moved her arm, the light was considerably brighter. The crater which had been former in the ground seemed to glow with a white-hot light that threatened to burn straight through the first pick to touch its surface. From every direction, grunts gathered around the rim to gaze at the spectacle. The driver of the crane hopped from the mechanism and revealed herself to be Commander Jupiter who, since the imprisonment and demoting of her two fellow commanders, had risen greatly in power, second only to Valrem.
The new leader of Galactic himself stood atop a high rock, delegating orders for the unearthing of the object to which they were so near. Instantly about a dozen grunts rushed forward, eager to be the first to collect in his arms the object that would bring Galactic to power. But Valrem had other plans. “No! Fools! You cannot be expected to withstand the immense power of the Instriz! It would be suicide to grope down in that hellhole for it! It will take someone that knows how to navigate it to retrieve it! I will go!”
A great cheer erupted from the crowd. “Yes, master,” Jupiter replied, “I will assume command until you return.”
Hitherto, Valrem had stood facing the assembly of Galactics, his back to his cohort commander. Now he turned, slowly, chuckling softly, until the cold glare of his ruby-red eyes to meet Jupiter’s sapphire ones. He shook his head and laughed a little harder. “Ah Jupiter, Jupiter,” he said, “You try to hide your selfish ambitions from me the same way you did from Cyrus. And like him, you expect me to disappear into that hole and never return. It’s a shame that you underestimate me so, Jupiter.”
“You misinterpret me, great one,” Jupiter replied, a twinge of hurt sprouting in her chest, “I, I, simply wish to assure that control is kept during your absence. I wish no more power than that which you so graciously give me.”
Valrem’s laugh grew louder still, until it echoed throughout the entire being of the mountain, seeming nearly to shake its foundation. “You cannot hope to deceive me Jupiter! I know every thought that passes through your cranium! You’re easier to read than a book, and if you ask me, I think that-argghhh!!!”
At that moment, a hurtling stone sliced through the air and slashed at his arm. He doubled over suddenly in pain and cried out. The entire assembly gasped in astonished disbelief. In rage, Valrem whirled in the direction of the projectile and met eyes with Brandon, standing side by side with Regirock and Regice. The Pyramid King smirked. “Hello, Valrem, It’s been a while!” he exclaimed.
“You fool! You’ll pay for that!” Valrem hissed. Even as the words rolled off of his tongue, his figure began to change shape. His limbs separated into tentacle-like appendages and his skin became a bright orange. A gemstone was embedded in his chest and it glowed with a sickly green luminance. He was now, as he was born; Deoxys.
The sudden transformation caused a cacophony of astonished voices among the gathered crowds below and many a grunt simply fainted upon the earth. Jupiter’s hands flew to her mouth and for a moment she felt completely robbed of the ability of speech. Deoxy’s gleaming eyes fastened themselves upon hers and he snapped, “You would be wise to do as I say Jupiter! I am still your leader! Go! Gather Galactic and leave this place!”
Jupiter couldn’t manage words. She couldn’t even find the power to nod. Instead, she demonstrated her acceptance by sliding down the face of the great rock and into the heart of the Galactics, leading them outside. They were eager to go, not wishing to be left in the middle of the fray which was about to take place.
When he was sure that his orders were being filled out, Deoxys returned his attention to Brandon, whom appeared taken aback from the recent turn of events. The Pokemon’s glare mutated into a wicked smirk. Indeed it had been a while since he had seen Brandon, but he had not seen him through the eyes that the Pyramid King believed. “Confused?” He asked, his new voice monotonous and deep, “The man who you believed me to be is not here anymore. He’s long dead, Brandon. Still sure that you want to defy me? I’ll give you the chance now to leave this mountain and spare yourself the pain!”
Over his initial surprise by now, Brandon let out a deep, hearty chuckle. “Do you think it matters to me whether you are a human or a Pokemon, Deoxys? Then you’re wrong! Regice! Ice Beam attack now!” He shouted.
The seven eyes of the ice Pokemon that hovered in the air beside him glowed brightly as it gathered all of its energy together into the form of a concentrated beam and launched it at Deoxys. The latter Pokemon simply snapped his fingers, materializing a ball consisting solely of the energy of one’s dark thoughts, a Shadow Ball, as it was called, in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the attack hurtling into the path of the Ice Beam. The two attacks collided and an explosion occurred, shaking the earth beneath feet of trainer and Pokemon.
Dahlia, whom had all this time been hiding behind a large rock in the corner, felt a stab of fear strike her chest. She knew fine and well Brandon’s extraordinary potential, and respected it. However, would he be a match for the legendary ruler of the stratosphere? There was no way to be sure. Un-surety is the first stage of fear, the lack of knowledge of what will happen brings fearful thoughts into your mind of what might.
Gazing around her, if for no other reason than to separate her eyes from the horror of the scene that was taking place above, her eyes chanced upon Darach, whom was likewise ducking behind a stone a few yards away. His face was pale with terror, as it usually was. Darach was forever doomed to fret over any tiny problem or ailment with his mistress, Caitlyn, and if he was not watching the girl with his own eyes, he was sure that something awful must be happening to her. Again, the un-surety struck.
Dahlia was sure that the man must, after three straight days without laying an eye upon the girl, be going absolutely ballistic. Dahlia worried for him. She could never understand why or how he could sell his soul and live for the princess like he did, and she was sure that she could never do the same, and yet there seemed to be, throughout all of the fret and worry, an immeasurable happiness behind his aged, weary face.
But now, he was seeing all that could be the end of what he loved. If Brandon was defeated, everything would be lost. And Caitlyn… It was up to him. What? Darach asked himself suddenly, That can’t be right! I accepted responsibility for Caitlyn’s wellbeing, and I promised the same to Scott concerning the others. It is not Brandon’s responsibility, and yet there he stands, with the fate of it all in his hands and me behind this old rock. No, he will not be the one responsible. It is my duty. I must honor my promises.
His mind made up, Darach slipped from behind his place of concealment and, flattening himself behind rocks as he maneuvered, he made his way to where Dahlia sat crouched. Her eyes were wide with fright. “Dahlia, I have another idea,” and he whispered his plan in her ear. Dahlia gave him a look as if to ask if he were mad. He replied with a mischievous smile that assured her he was. It would end there and then. Fate had changed hands.
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Ten is up! The Final Battle Ensues!
Wow. Ok. I have read the story. All the chapters. I commented back when you updated like the first or second. And now-I will say-FANTASTIC. Such a well written story, I love it. Fantastic. Good good good good good good good good good. Do more please. Seth want MORE!! Lol keep it up, cant wait to see the rest.
Wow. Ok. I have read the story. All the chapters. I commented back when you updated like the first or second. And now-I will say-FANTASTIC. Such a well written story, I love it. Fantastic. Good good good good good good good good good. Do more please. Seth want MORE!! Lol keep it up, cant wait to see the rest.
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Ten is up! The Final Battle Ensues!
Chapter 11: Frontier Brains: The Showdown
Brandon ducked low to the ground, just barely avoiding a well-aimed Pyschic Pulse attack which whizzed on to embed itself in the earthen wall directly behind where his head had been just moments ago. The battle between him and Deoxys had raged for the past half-hour and the Pyramid King could tell that he was getting no where fast. It was all that he could do to continue to fend off the barrage of attacks that threatened to pummel him, let alone attack for himself. Whereas Deoxys found no difficulty in evading Brandon's attacks, while retaliating was also no trouble.
Finding a slight break in his adversary’s barrage of attacks, Brandon used the opportunity to command a Stone Edge attack from his Regirock, an Ice Beam attack from his Regice, and a Zap Cannon attack from his Registeel. The three attacks were launched in unison and merged in midair to form one large ball of energy. Smirking, Deoxys snatched the ball of energy out of the air in the cup of his palm and with a flick of the wrist sent it hurtling back towards Brandon.
There was no evasion this time and as the full force of the blast collided with his chest, the Pyramid King was sent flying into the far wall and then plummeting downward to the earth far below. He could see the ground flinging up at a rapid pace towards his being and the G-forces exerted on him threatened to tear him apart. If Staraptor had flown by only a second later, the Kanto region would surely have been robbed of their Frontier Leader.
The raptor Pokemon flew directly under the falling person of Brandon and with ease and grace lowered it to the ground. Brandon fell on his back upon the earth, panting heavily, for, although alive, his body felt near to death from the crashing impact of the attack. It was all that he could do to continue to breath and circulate blood in his current condition.
He heard a low chuckling sound from behind him and, turning his head, he looked up into the grotesque face of Deoxys. His arms were crossed across his chest and he was shaking his head in a sort of pitying way. “Ah, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon,” He sighed, “It is an incredible thing the stupidity of you humans. Your overwhelming sense of justice and duty outweighs your good sense. It is a good thing for such a species to be wiped off the face of the galaxy!”
Cawing fiercely, Staraptor threw itself suddenly at Deoxys, hoping to catch the alien of guard. However, it took no more than a small Psychic Pulse attack to send the bird reeling over backwards into a heap beside Brandon. “Wow, even your Pokemon are fools!” He laughed, “Ah, well, no matter. I’m afraid I must eliminate you now Brandon. I apologize for not getting it over with fifteen years ago but I was a little busy.”
Now, the being of Deoxys began to transform once again, until he was a different figure. Three spikes now protruded from the crown of his head, and the tentacle-like appendages that were his arms grew longer and leaner. “Allow me to introduce you to my Attack Forme, Brandon. It comes with all of the power of the Normal Forme as well as a little bit more power. But before I destroy you, Brandon, I have one question. What ever happened to those dimwitted Sinnoh brain friends of yours?”
“We’re right here.”
Deoxys whirled around to face Dahlia, Argenta, and Thorton, surrounded by Drifblim, Electivire, and Blaziken, all standing side by side with crossed arms. Deoxys’ surprised look quickly vanished and gave way to a fit of hysterics in which the Pokemon began laughing wildly. “Oh, oh, if only you could see yourselves, your expressions are just priceless,” He exclaimed through laughs, “Do you guys think this is like a movie or something where the heroes defeat the villain with ‘the power of friendship’? Oh please. This is the real deal, and no amount of Frontier Brains is going to stop me now!”
“Oh, really?”
Again Deoxys turned, this time to face ten more brains, the six remaining Kanto brains and the four Hoenn Brains. Beside each trainer stood a Pokemon in the same fashion as the Sinnoh Brains, with arms crossed, and determination in their eyes. It was Tucker, a brain from the Kanto Frontier who spoke, and he was grinning with satisfaction at the surprised expression of the extraterrestrial Pokemon.
“Well there you are!” Brandon exclaimed, slowly rising, despite the intense pain which rippled through his body, “It’s about time you showed up!”
“Ah, Brandon, friends of yours?” Deoxys chuckled, “And… Wait a minute, I remember you!” He said, motioning towards the four Hoenn Brains. “You were all friends of Valrem weren’t you? I guess he’s probably who you were expecting to see, and I suppose that by the way you look prepared for a battle the word ‘were’ is vital. Well, no matter, are there anymore interruptions or can I finish the work which I have begun? No? Well then, let’s get this party started!”
“Absolutely!” Exclaimed Dahlia, “Blaziken use Blast Burn let’s go!” From the mouth of the Flame Chicken Pokemon, a searing beam of fire was emitted, streaking towards Deoxys. The celestial being simply transformed itself again; this time into a far smaller and leaner form, and used its new intense speed to avoid the blast.
The next attempt at an attack came from Noland, whom commanded a Frenzy Plant attack from his Venusaur. At first, it seemed as if the strong vines would surely render the Pokemon powerless but another transformation into a thicker, brawnier form, Defense Form, the vines were destroyed and they slunk away back into the earth.
Lucy and Anabel took the next opportunity to attack in unison, using Seviper’s Poison Fang attack and Metagross’ Meteor mash respectively. Neither move proved any more affected than the first two and soon both Metagross and Seviper were equally as worn out as Venusaur and Blaziken.
“Enough!” Deoxys roared after easily evading an attack from one of the Hoenn Brain’s Glalie, “This game will end now! Psycho Boost attack; full power!”
The wave of energy launched by Deoxys was devastating. The full force of the blast seemed to shake the entire being of the mountain from its foundations and instantly a hail of stalactites was raining down upon the Brains and their Pokemon. The attack took a direct effect on them as well, tearing at the minds of everyone engulfed by the wave, causing intense spasms of muscles and numbing the nerves. When it was all over and the dust had cleared, Deoxys hovered in the center of the room, surrounded by the powerless figures of the Brains and their Pokemon who lying on the ground around him.
“Wow, and to think that you really thought you could stop me! Well now there’s no one to get in the way of me and the Instriz! The universe will soon bow before my might!”
With that, Deoxys left the cavern and entered the pit, still aglow with the light of the Instriz from underneath its earthen surface. The stunned Brains and their Pokemon were left, numbed to the point of the inability of motion, to await for the fulfillment of Deoxys’ final enterprise. However, just as the being of Deoxys disappeared beneath the rim of the pit, a shadowy figure slunk out from his place of concealment behind a stone and crept over to the spot where they lay.
“Don’t worry, he won’t get away with this.” He said with a smirk.
So, does anyone think they can guess who this "shadowy figure" is?
Chapter 11: Frontier Brains: The Showdown
Brandon ducked low to the ground, just barely avoiding a well-aimed Pyschic Pulse attack which whizzed on to embed itself in the earthen wall directly behind where his head had been just moments ago. The battle between him and Deoxys had raged for the past half-hour and the Pyramid King could tell that he was getting no where fast. It was all that he could do to continue to fend off the barrage of attacks that threatened to pummel him, let alone attack for himself. Whereas Deoxys found no difficulty in evading Brandon's attacks, while retaliating was also no trouble.
Finding a slight break in his adversary’s barrage of attacks, Brandon used the opportunity to command a Stone Edge attack from his Regirock, an Ice Beam attack from his Regice, and a Zap Cannon attack from his Registeel. The three attacks were launched in unison and merged in midair to form one large ball of energy. Smirking, Deoxys snatched the ball of energy out of the air in the cup of his palm and with a flick of the wrist sent it hurtling back towards Brandon.
There was no evasion this time and as the full force of the blast collided with his chest, the Pyramid King was sent flying into the far wall and then plummeting downward to the earth far below. He could see the ground flinging up at a rapid pace towards his being and the G-forces exerted on him threatened to tear him apart. If Staraptor had flown by only a second later, the Kanto region would surely have been robbed of their Frontier Leader.
The raptor Pokemon flew directly under the falling person of Brandon and with ease and grace lowered it to the ground. Brandon fell on his back upon the earth, panting heavily, for, although alive, his body felt near to death from the crashing impact of the attack. It was all that he could do to continue to breath and circulate blood in his current condition.
He heard a low chuckling sound from behind him and, turning his head, he looked up into the grotesque face of Deoxys. His arms were crossed across his chest and he was shaking his head in a sort of pitying way. “Ah, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon,” He sighed, “It is an incredible thing the stupidity of you humans. Your overwhelming sense of justice and duty outweighs your good sense. It is a good thing for such a species to be wiped off the face of the galaxy!”
Cawing fiercely, Staraptor threw itself suddenly at Deoxys, hoping to catch the alien of guard. However, it took no more than a small Psychic Pulse attack to send the bird reeling over backwards into a heap beside Brandon. “Wow, even your Pokemon are fools!” He laughed, “Ah, well, no matter. I’m afraid I must eliminate you now Brandon. I apologize for not getting it over with fifteen years ago but I was a little busy.”
Now, the being of Deoxys began to transform once again, until he was a different figure. Three spikes now protruded from the crown of his head, and the tentacle-like appendages that were his arms grew longer and leaner. “Allow me to introduce you to my Attack Forme, Brandon. It comes with all of the power of the Normal Forme as well as a little bit more power. But before I destroy you, Brandon, I have one question. What ever happened to those dimwitted Sinnoh brain friends of yours?”
“We’re right here.”
Deoxys whirled around to face Dahlia, Argenta, and Thorton, surrounded by Drifblim, Electivire, and Blaziken, all standing side by side with crossed arms. Deoxys’ surprised look quickly vanished and gave way to a fit of hysterics in which the Pokemon began laughing wildly. “Oh, oh, if only you could see yourselves, your expressions are just priceless,” He exclaimed through laughs, “Do you guys think this is like a movie or something where the heroes defeat the villain with ‘the power of friendship’? Oh please. This is the real deal, and no amount of Frontier Brains is going to stop me now!”
“Oh, really?”
Again Deoxys turned, this time to face ten more brains, the six remaining Kanto brains and the four Hoenn Brains. Beside each trainer stood a Pokemon in the same fashion as the Sinnoh Brains, with arms crossed, and determination in their eyes. It was Tucker, a brain from the Kanto Frontier who spoke, and he was grinning with satisfaction at the surprised expression of the extraterrestrial Pokemon.
“Well there you are!” Brandon exclaimed, slowly rising, despite the intense pain which rippled through his body, “It’s about time you showed up!”
“Ah, Brandon, friends of yours?” Deoxys chuckled, “And… Wait a minute, I remember you!” He said, motioning towards the four Hoenn Brains. “You were all friends of Valrem weren’t you? I guess he’s probably who you were expecting to see, and I suppose that by the way you look prepared for a battle the word ‘were’ is vital. Well, no matter, are there anymore interruptions or can I finish the work which I have begun? No? Well then, let’s get this party started!”
“Absolutely!” Exclaimed Dahlia, “Blaziken use Blast Burn let’s go!” From the mouth of the Flame Chicken Pokemon, a searing beam of fire was emitted, streaking towards Deoxys. The celestial being simply transformed itself again; this time into a far smaller and leaner form, and used its new intense speed to avoid the blast.
The next attempt at an attack came from Noland, whom commanded a Frenzy Plant attack from his Venusaur. At first, it seemed as if the strong vines would surely render the Pokemon powerless but another transformation into a thicker, brawnier form, Defense Form, the vines were destroyed and they slunk away back into the earth.
Lucy and Anabel took the next opportunity to attack in unison, using Seviper’s Poison Fang attack and Metagross’ Meteor mash respectively. Neither move proved any more affected than the first two and soon both Metagross and Seviper were equally as worn out as Venusaur and Blaziken.
“Enough!” Deoxys roared after easily evading an attack from one of the Hoenn Brain’s Glalie, “This game will end now! Psycho Boost attack; full power!”
The wave of energy launched by Deoxys was devastating. The full force of the blast seemed to shake the entire being of the mountain from its foundations and instantly a hail of stalactites was raining down upon the Brains and their Pokemon. The attack took a direct effect on them as well, tearing at the minds of everyone engulfed by the wave, causing intense spasms of muscles and numbing the nerves. When it was all over and the dust had cleared, Deoxys hovered in the center of the room, surrounded by the powerless figures of the Brains and their Pokemon who lying on the ground around him.
“Wow, and to think that you really thought you could stop me! Well now there’s no one to get in the way of me and the Instriz! The universe will soon bow before my might!”
With that, Deoxys left the cavern and entered the pit, still aglow with the light of the Instriz from underneath its earthen surface. The stunned Brains and their Pokemon were left, numbed to the point of the inability of motion, to await for the fulfillment of Deoxys’ final enterprise. However, just as the being of Deoxys disappeared beneath the rim of the pit, a shadowy figure slunk out from his place of concealment behind a stone and crept over to the spot where they lay.
“Don’t worry, he won’t get away with this.” He said with a smirk.
So, does anyone think they can guess who this "shadowy figure" is?
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Ten is up! The Final Battle Ensues!
This is so epic! I nearly fainted from reading this story! Very well done Daren!
This is so epic! I nearly fainted from reading this story! Very well done Daren!
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Eleven is up! The Brains Unite!
Thank you GSP, that has got to be the fastest response I've ever had to a chapter! Anyways you guys, this thing will probably go up to a chapter 13 and then I'll end it (Then you can start looking out for the sequal
)
Thank you GSP, that has got to be the fastest response I've ever had to a chapter! Anyways you guys, this thing will probably go up to a chapter 13 and then I'll end it (Then you can start looking out for the sequal
)
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Eleven is up! The Brains Unite!
You're making a sequel? Well, that means that I can't wait for it!
Daren said:Thank you GSP, that has got to be the fastest response I've ever had to a chapter! Anyways you guys, this thing will probably go up to a chapter 13 and then I'll end it (Then you can start looking out for the sequal
You're making a sequel? Well, that means that I can't wait for it!
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Eleven is up! The Brains Unite!
Chapter 12: Darach: A Bravery Undiscovered
It was hot; hotter than Darach had ever remembered being in his forty-five year old life. Yet, at the same time, it was a frigid cold; like an iciness that hangs in the air, taunting you with its frosty cackles, sending a chill up your spine. He didn’t know how long he had been running through the long underground matrix beneath the mountain, close on the tail of Palmer. It seemed as if he now existed just outside of the realms of time, in another world entirely.
Nothing was right about it. Despite the fact that they were underneath the surface of the earth, a strong wind raged through the tunnel, tossing the tail of Palmer’s green coat into Darach’s face. Had this been the castle grounds, and had he been running the long brick pathway that wound around the pastures and the stables and the orchard, then he would have long since run out of breath and would have abandoned the task some time ago. However, now, that day, he kept his pace, his breath was steady, and his legs felt strong and lean. There was something different about it than his exercise runs. There was something in his chest that was beating far harder than his lungs. It was his heart, and it was acting as like a Blaziken when its Blaze ability has been activated. The last effort is always the strongest.
It had taken years following years to create, establish, build, and ultimately develop the powerful bond which he shared with his lady Caitlyn. It would be to much to leave her alone, or to watch her fall. He could well remember the show he had made over the girl’s bruise only a few days before; how much more so would his heart ache when she reached her last breathe. Like his heartbeat, it would be the strongest on all, but nothing would be able to save her. No true love’s kiss. No majestic revival. No magic spell in the last breath’s words. Nothing, it would all be gone.
He clenched his mind’s eye tight to shut out the picture of the conditional future. It is a frightening thing, what might happen. It haunts your every thought and action; taunting you by making you believe that it might be the deciding choice. Every footfall could change the future in a drastically different way, like an arrow that starts of a millimeter off target and misses by a yard.
But whenever one pair of eyes closes, another is forced open, and this pair was his physical pair of eyes. Through them, he watched his feet moving at the speed of an Infernape beneath him, fueled on by the ignited passion within him. He could see Palmer, his friend and colleague, running in front of him, dodging and winding around the tall billowing plumes of flame which leapt from the earth beneath their feet. He could see him giving any hope that still remained for survival, any chance to save those last few hours before all life would be ended. Darach knew he owed as much as he did to the world.
Then all of a sudden, Palmer stopped dead in his tracks and it was all Darach could do to keep from slamming his full weight against him. He moved to stand beside his friend and get a better glimpse at the cause for the interruption in their flight. At the sight, his physical eyes flashed open wide and a whispered ‘woah’ escaped his lips.
Before them stretched an enormous underground chamber, the ceiling of which stretched many floors above their heads. It was alive with the light of hundreds of pillars of flame, all aligned in two lines on either side of an extensive golden bridge which seemed to stretch on infinitely ahead. Below this bridge, a seemingly infinite expanse of blackness stretched downward as far as the eye could follow. Nodding to one another, the two brains stepped, side by side onto the first of a series of gold-plated steps which led down to the bridge.
A loud creaking sound directed all four of their eyes upwards. Above them, hundreds of long, stout ropes hung from the stone ceiling, each hanging down to support an identical wooden platform, each of which together form a winding staircase leading higher and higher towards the roof. However, even the first of the wooden stairs were too high above their heads for access and so the brains continued on their journey down the golden ones.
It all seemed so simple; they were so close to the end. But then another creaking sound directed Darach’s eyes. But they weren’t his physical eyes, rather, the eyes of his mind. Again, Darach felt his mind traveling along a road of a possible future and he saw Palmer and himself striding down the long, golden bridge. Suddenly, his mind watched a large crack develop in the earth beneath their feet and the ground gave way to an emptiness into which they tumbled, plummeting down, down, deeper into the earth and on forever.
The valet fought to close his eyes and became re-awakened to the present moment. He was lagging behind about halfway down the steps whereas Palmer had already cleared the staircase and was making his way across the bridge. “Wait!” he called out, fear clear in his voice, “You have to stop!”
Palmer stopped suddenly, turned on his heel, and faced the valet. “What?” He cried back impatiently, “We can’t stop! We have to get going! Deoxys is probably already on our tail and we don’t have any time to lose!”
“It would be better to lose time than your life!” Darach shouted back, quickly descending the steps until he was face-to-face with the Tower Tycoon, “You can’t keep on going like this, I know that it’s a trap! You have to turn back! It’s too dangerous!”
“Are you crazy!?” Palmer exclaimed, “I don’t think that you understand the direness of this situation. If we don’t find that Instriz before Deoxys does, then we’re all going to die! It would probably be a good idea for you to turn back, but I made a promise to Scott to take care of this team and I am going to honor it!”
“You’re not the only one that has made fragile promises, Palmer!” Darach shot back, “I’ve certainly made share and I don’t plan on doing them any dishonor myself! But there’s something very wrong about this place, at least let me scout out ahead and make sure that if any traps are sprung they’ll be sprung on me!”
“I said no!” Palmer shouted, “In two minutes, I am going to cross this bridge and I’m going to find the Instriz whether you come or not.”
Darach opened his mouth to retort but he never got the chance. A loud tearing noise snapped both brains back to the world around them just in time to lunge forward and avoid one of the wooden platforms, the rope attached to which had at last, after centuries of laying in silent wait, given way to its load at the slight disturbance of the brain’s footfalls in the chamber. Slowly, painfully, both began to rise from the positions their lunges had landed them in and looked up again to see a hail of falling platforms plummeting towards them.
“We have to get to the other side!” Palmer shouted amidst a series of ducks, summersaults and dives, just barely avoiding the wooden platforms which found their final resting places in the darkness below. Each falling platform seemed to be accompanied by another as the force of the first’s crashing collision with the golden bridge.
“No! I told you this was a trap! It’s all going to come down! We have to turn back!” Darach replied, in much the same state as Palmer. Another platform landed just to his right, shattered upon impact, and its pieces tumbled down until disappearing into the blackness.
“You don’t understand!” Palmer nearly screamed through his gritted teeth, “Back where we came from death is assured! But onward, we have a chance! You’re always saying how much you admire Dahlia and her ability to always see the good in something! Well all she does is take chances!” He was temporarily cut off as another platform crashed down just to his right and he was just barely able to side-step out of its path.
“What about Caitlyn?” Palmer continued, “She’s counting on you! You have a chance to fulfill your commitment to her, Darach, but you have to take it now!”
At the same moment that the words exited the Tycoon’s mouth, something jumped inside Darach and his mind’s eyes clicked into gear. Now he saw a new scene. He saw her, running, frolicking through the apple orchard, in its season of bloom, gleefully plucking the red, juicy fruit from its branch, taking a large bite, and smiling, her mouth full of apple. It was more than a vision of a possible future; it was moments he had lived and yearned to relive. He smiled back at her.
He returned to the physical world with a look of burning determination in his smirking face. That vision would be the one to come true; he would see her again. And no amount of evil, power craving space aliens was going to stop him. When Palmer locked eyes with him, the Tower Tycoon saw something underneath the crystal spectacles that he had never seen there before. He saw something that is truly to powerful to be put into words, and so I’ll not attempt it. But to say the least, it was a marvelous thing.
“Let’s do this thing,” the valet said.
Suddenly, a load groaning sound filled the chamber and the four eyes looked directly upwards to watch the last rope snap, finally relieved of its burden, and the large wooden platform fell plummeting towards the bridge. One swift movement, however, and Darach escaped from under the looming shadow, just as the platform landed with a splintering crash a mere foot behind him.
After the dust had cleared, and Darach’s violent fit of coughing had ended, he looked up to see Palmer’s extended hand. Grabbing hold of it, he was pulled to his feet. Darach mouthed a ‘thank you’ and the two men shook hands. Then, forgetting their dignity entirely, they embraced one another. Their moment of emotion, however, was interrupted by the sound of clapping from behind them.
“Oh bravo, bravo, that was wonderful, and so very touching, but regrettably, I didn’t come all the way down here from the O-zone to watch a soap opera.”
It didn’t take Thorton’s mind to determine who was speaking, nevertheless, Palmer and Darach found themselves looking in every which way, trying to catch a glimpse of Deoxys. “We know what you came for!” Palmer exclaimed, “But you can’t have it!”
“And why is that?” Deoxys chuckled, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once, “Please, enlighten me Palmer.”
Palmer stumbled for words, but Darach quickly filled the gap. “Because I have it!” The valet exclaimed, causing Palmer to stare at him in surprise.
“Oh do you now, Darach? I don’t believe a word of it.” Came the voice again.
“Well why don’t you see for yourself?” Darach replied, a tactful look in his eyes. From his coat pocket, he produced a large white stone, a glistening pearl, without fracture or defect, glimmering majestically in the light of the flames. He could tell that the Pokemon was taken aback, and the silence proved that he had won his gamble.
“My, my, so I see that we have found my prize,” Deoxys said, struggling to sound as if he still had control over the situation, “Do you bargain, butler? Because I have quite a lot at my disposal, including all of your friends, whom are currently paralyzed upstairs. You have a choice now, either they can stay that way for life, or you can give me the Instriz and I’ll gladly revive them.”
“You’re bluffing,” was Darach’s reply.
“Oh, I’m the bad guy and I’m bluffing. I think that might be the most serious case of profiling I’ve heard since I got here. Seriously though, this is no bluff, but, if you want to play child games with your friends’ lives then be my guest, just throw that Instriz over the edge of the bridge.”
“Ah, but I quite enjoy child games, now the question is do you Deoxys, enjoy them? How about a simple game of tag?” The valet mused, releasing Staraptor from his Poke Ball and situating himself on the Pokemon’s strong back, “Fly, Staraptor, fly!”
“Actually,” Deoxys said, “I was thinking something more along the lines of Dodge Ball.”
No sooner had bird and trainer abandoned the ground and entered the spacious sky of the chamber, than Deoxys’ grotesque being made itself visible on the bridge below. A large Shadow Ball attack crackled in his palm and with a flick of the wrist he sent it hurtling towards the valet. However, veering in such a way that Staraptor’s underbody was towards the attack, the ball hit without effect. Darach laughed at the alien’s confusion.
“Well, I can see that you’re new to this world, because we earthlings know that ghost type attacks don’t have any effect on normal types!” He exclaimed, “But regardless, I think you’ve made your point about who’s in control here, and so you can have this.”
Holding out his hand at arm’s length, the valet casually dropped the stone over the side of his ride and towards the endless darkness below. In horror, Deoxys leapt into the air just in time to grasp hold of the object. However, Darach was ready and the second the Pokemon was off the ground, Staraptor’s Hyper Beam attack was launched, hitting its target dead on and sending it plummeting into the blackness.
With heart racing and mouth dry, Darach landed the bird to the bridge. Palmer was no where to be seen. Good, the valet thought, He got the hint and went looking for the real Instriz. I am so glad that I found that thing in Caitlyn’s bedroom and never got a chance to put it back.
“Darach!” The cry came from behind him. He turned his head to see Dahlia, Argenta, and Thorton all dashing down the stairs towards him. “Thank god you’re alright! You could have easily been killed! We’re sorry we couldn’t have gotten here earlier but we were all paralyzed on the floor upstairs until Cody showed up and got his Blissey to use Heal Bell on us,” exclaimed Dahlia.
“Who’s Cody?” Darach said.
“A cute Galactic,” Dahlia said dreamily, “Um, I mean a friend.”
“Right…” Thorton interjected, “Well I hate to interrupt but we have exactly, No Time!!! We have to go now!”
Suddenly, Palmer came jogging gleefully up, a round object tucked carefully underneath his jacket. Even through the thick fabric, a bright light came from the Instriz. “Guys!” He exclaimed, “I’ve got it! I’ve got it! We’ve won!”
No such luck. Just then, a beam of psychic power knocked the tycoon roughly to the earth and dislodged the gemstone from his grasp, sending it toppling over the side of the bridge. Then, the orange body of Deoxys began to rise through the air until landing gently on the bridge beside the brains. In his hands, he held the Instriz.
“How wrong you are,” Came his monotone voice, “It’s time to show you what power in the right hands can do!”
Chapter 12: Darach: A Bravery Undiscovered
It was hot; hotter than Darach had ever remembered being in his forty-five year old life. Yet, at the same time, it was a frigid cold; like an iciness that hangs in the air, taunting you with its frosty cackles, sending a chill up your spine. He didn’t know how long he had been running through the long underground matrix beneath the mountain, close on the tail of Palmer. It seemed as if he now existed just outside of the realms of time, in another world entirely.
Nothing was right about it. Despite the fact that they were underneath the surface of the earth, a strong wind raged through the tunnel, tossing the tail of Palmer’s green coat into Darach’s face. Had this been the castle grounds, and had he been running the long brick pathway that wound around the pastures and the stables and the orchard, then he would have long since run out of breath and would have abandoned the task some time ago. However, now, that day, he kept his pace, his breath was steady, and his legs felt strong and lean. There was something different about it than his exercise runs. There was something in his chest that was beating far harder than his lungs. It was his heart, and it was acting as like a Blaziken when its Blaze ability has been activated. The last effort is always the strongest.
It had taken years following years to create, establish, build, and ultimately develop the powerful bond which he shared with his lady Caitlyn. It would be to much to leave her alone, or to watch her fall. He could well remember the show he had made over the girl’s bruise only a few days before; how much more so would his heart ache when she reached her last breathe. Like his heartbeat, it would be the strongest on all, but nothing would be able to save her. No true love’s kiss. No majestic revival. No magic spell in the last breath’s words. Nothing, it would all be gone.
He clenched his mind’s eye tight to shut out the picture of the conditional future. It is a frightening thing, what might happen. It haunts your every thought and action; taunting you by making you believe that it might be the deciding choice. Every footfall could change the future in a drastically different way, like an arrow that starts of a millimeter off target and misses by a yard.
But whenever one pair of eyes closes, another is forced open, and this pair was his physical pair of eyes. Through them, he watched his feet moving at the speed of an Infernape beneath him, fueled on by the ignited passion within him. He could see Palmer, his friend and colleague, running in front of him, dodging and winding around the tall billowing plumes of flame which leapt from the earth beneath their feet. He could see him giving any hope that still remained for survival, any chance to save those last few hours before all life would be ended. Darach knew he owed as much as he did to the world.
Then all of a sudden, Palmer stopped dead in his tracks and it was all Darach could do to keep from slamming his full weight against him. He moved to stand beside his friend and get a better glimpse at the cause for the interruption in their flight. At the sight, his physical eyes flashed open wide and a whispered ‘woah’ escaped his lips.
Before them stretched an enormous underground chamber, the ceiling of which stretched many floors above their heads. It was alive with the light of hundreds of pillars of flame, all aligned in two lines on either side of an extensive golden bridge which seemed to stretch on infinitely ahead. Below this bridge, a seemingly infinite expanse of blackness stretched downward as far as the eye could follow. Nodding to one another, the two brains stepped, side by side onto the first of a series of gold-plated steps which led down to the bridge.
A loud creaking sound directed all four of their eyes upwards. Above them, hundreds of long, stout ropes hung from the stone ceiling, each hanging down to support an identical wooden platform, each of which together form a winding staircase leading higher and higher towards the roof. However, even the first of the wooden stairs were too high above their heads for access and so the brains continued on their journey down the golden ones.
It all seemed so simple; they were so close to the end. But then another creaking sound directed Darach’s eyes. But they weren’t his physical eyes, rather, the eyes of his mind. Again, Darach felt his mind traveling along a road of a possible future and he saw Palmer and himself striding down the long, golden bridge. Suddenly, his mind watched a large crack develop in the earth beneath their feet and the ground gave way to an emptiness into which they tumbled, plummeting down, down, deeper into the earth and on forever.
The valet fought to close his eyes and became re-awakened to the present moment. He was lagging behind about halfway down the steps whereas Palmer had already cleared the staircase and was making his way across the bridge. “Wait!” he called out, fear clear in his voice, “You have to stop!”
Palmer stopped suddenly, turned on his heel, and faced the valet. “What?” He cried back impatiently, “We can’t stop! We have to get going! Deoxys is probably already on our tail and we don’t have any time to lose!”
“It would be better to lose time than your life!” Darach shouted back, quickly descending the steps until he was face-to-face with the Tower Tycoon, “You can’t keep on going like this, I know that it’s a trap! You have to turn back! It’s too dangerous!”
“Are you crazy!?” Palmer exclaimed, “I don’t think that you understand the direness of this situation. If we don’t find that Instriz before Deoxys does, then we’re all going to die! It would probably be a good idea for you to turn back, but I made a promise to Scott to take care of this team and I am going to honor it!”
“You’re not the only one that has made fragile promises, Palmer!” Darach shot back, “I’ve certainly made share and I don’t plan on doing them any dishonor myself! But there’s something very wrong about this place, at least let me scout out ahead and make sure that if any traps are sprung they’ll be sprung on me!”
“I said no!” Palmer shouted, “In two minutes, I am going to cross this bridge and I’m going to find the Instriz whether you come or not.”
Darach opened his mouth to retort but he never got the chance. A loud tearing noise snapped both brains back to the world around them just in time to lunge forward and avoid one of the wooden platforms, the rope attached to which had at last, after centuries of laying in silent wait, given way to its load at the slight disturbance of the brain’s footfalls in the chamber. Slowly, painfully, both began to rise from the positions their lunges had landed them in and looked up again to see a hail of falling platforms plummeting towards them.
“We have to get to the other side!” Palmer shouted amidst a series of ducks, summersaults and dives, just barely avoiding the wooden platforms which found their final resting places in the darkness below. Each falling platform seemed to be accompanied by another as the force of the first’s crashing collision with the golden bridge.
“No! I told you this was a trap! It’s all going to come down! We have to turn back!” Darach replied, in much the same state as Palmer. Another platform landed just to his right, shattered upon impact, and its pieces tumbled down until disappearing into the blackness.
“You don’t understand!” Palmer nearly screamed through his gritted teeth, “Back where we came from death is assured! But onward, we have a chance! You’re always saying how much you admire Dahlia and her ability to always see the good in something! Well all she does is take chances!” He was temporarily cut off as another platform crashed down just to his right and he was just barely able to side-step out of its path.
“What about Caitlyn?” Palmer continued, “She’s counting on you! You have a chance to fulfill your commitment to her, Darach, but you have to take it now!”
At the same moment that the words exited the Tycoon’s mouth, something jumped inside Darach and his mind’s eyes clicked into gear. Now he saw a new scene. He saw her, running, frolicking through the apple orchard, in its season of bloom, gleefully plucking the red, juicy fruit from its branch, taking a large bite, and smiling, her mouth full of apple. It was more than a vision of a possible future; it was moments he had lived and yearned to relive. He smiled back at her.
He returned to the physical world with a look of burning determination in his smirking face. That vision would be the one to come true; he would see her again. And no amount of evil, power craving space aliens was going to stop him. When Palmer locked eyes with him, the Tower Tycoon saw something underneath the crystal spectacles that he had never seen there before. He saw something that is truly to powerful to be put into words, and so I’ll not attempt it. But to say the least, it was a marvelous thing.
“Let’s do this thing,” the valet said.
Suddenly, a load groaning sound filled the chamber and the four eyes looked directly upwards to watch the last rope snap, finally relieved of its burden, and the large wooden platform fell plummeting towards the bridge. One swift movement, however, and Darach escaped from under the looming shadow, just as the platform landed with a splintering crash a mere foot behind him.
After the dust had cleared, and Darach’s violent fit of coughing had ended, he looked up to see Palmer’s extended hand. Grabbing hold of it, he was pulled to his feet. Darach mouthed a ‘thank you’ and the two men shook hands. Then, forgetting their dignity entirely, they embraced one another. Their moment of emotion, however, was interrupted by the sound of clapping from behind them.
“Oh bravo, bravo, that was wonderful, and so very touching, but regrettably, I didn’t come all the way down here from the O-zone to watch a soap opera.”
It didn’t take Thorton’s mind to determine who was speaking, nevertheless, Palmer and Darach found themselves looking in every which way, trying to catch a glimpse of Deoxys. “We know what you came for!” Palmer exclaimed, “But you can’t have it!”
“And why is that?” Deoxys chuckled, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once, “Please, enlighten me Palmer.”
Palmer stumbled for words, but Darach quickly filled the gap. “Because I have it!” The valet exclaimed, causing Palmer to stare at him in surprise.
“Oh do you now, Darach? I don’t believe a word of it.” Came the voice again.
“Well why don’t you see for yourself?” Darach replied, a tactful look in his eyes. From his coat pocket, he produced a large white stone, a glistening pearl, without fracture or defect, glimmering majestically in the light of the flames. He could tell that the Pokemon was taken aback, and the silence proved that he had won his gamble.
“My, my, so I see that we have found my prize,” Deoxys said, struggling to sound as if he still had control over the situation, “Do you bargain, butler? Because I have quite a lot at my disposal, including all of your friends, whom are currently paralyzed upstairs. You have a choice now, either they can stay that way for life, or you can give me the Instriz and I’ll gladly revive them.”
“You’re bluffing,” was Darach’s reply.
“Oh, I’m the bad guy and I’m bluffing. I think that might be the most serious case of profiling I’ve heard since I got here. Seriously though, this is no bluff, but, if you want to play child games with your friends’ lives then be my guest, just throw that Instriz over the edge of the bridge.”
“Ah, but I quite enjoy child games, now the question is do you Deoxys, enjoy them? How about a simple game of tag?” The valet mused, releasing Staraptor from his Poke Ball and situating himself on the Pokemon’s strong back, “Fly, Staraptor, fly!”
“Actually,” Deoxys said, “I was thinking something more along the lines of Dodge Ball.”
No sooner had bird and trainer abandoned the ground and entered the spacious sky of the chamber, than Deoxys’ grotesque being made itself visible on the bridge below. A large Shadow Ball attack crackled in his palm and with a flick of the wrist he sent it hurtling towards the valet. However, veering in such a way that Staraptor’s underbody was towards the attack, the ball hit without effect. Darach laughed at the alien’s confusion.
“Well, I can see that you’re new to this world, because we earthlings know that ghost type attacks don’t have any effect on normal types!” He exclaimed, “But regardless, I think you’ve made your point about who’s in control here, and so you can have this.”
Holding out his hand at arm’s length, the valet casually dropped the stone over the side of his ride and towards the endless darkness below. In horror, Deoxys leapt into the air just in time to grasp hold of the object. However, Darach was ready and the second the Pokemon was off the ground, Staraptor’s Hyper Beam attack was launched, hitting its target dead on and sending it plummeting into the blackness.
With heart racing and mouth dry, Darach landed the bird to the bridge. Palmer was no where to be seen. Good, the valet thought, He got the hint and went looking for the real Instriz. I am so glad that I found that thing in Caitlyn’s bedroom and never got a chance to put it back.
“Darach!” The cry came from behind him. He turned his head to see Dahlia, Argenta, and Thorton all dashing down the stairs towards him. “Thank god you’re alright! You could have easily been killed! We’re sorry we couldn’t have gotten here earlier but we were all paralyzed on the floor upstairs until Cody showed up and got his Blissey to use Heal Bell on us,” exclaimed Dahlia.
“Who’s Cody?” Darach said.
“A cute Galactic,” Dahlia said dreamily, “Um, I mean a friend.”
“Right…” Thorton interjected, “Well I hate to interrupt but we have exactly, No Time!!! We have to go now!”
Suddenly, Palmer came jogging gleefully up, a round object tucked carefully underneath his jacket. Even through the thick fabric, a bright light came from the Instriz. “Guys!” He exclaimed, “I’ve got it! I’ve got it! We’ve won!”
No such luck. Just then, a beam of psychic power knocked the tycoon roughly to the earth and dislodged the gemstone from his grasp, sending it toppling over the side of the bridge. Then, the orange body of Deoxys began to rise through the air until landing gently on the bridge beside the brains. In his hands, he held the Instriz.
“How wrong you are,” Came his monotone voice, “It’s time to show you what power in the right hands can do!”
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Twelve is up! The Instriz Uncovered?!
lol, I know, I need to stop prolonging the ending, but I like playing with Darach's mind mwahahaha, next chapter will probably be the last so no more cliffhangers now that this is done
lol, I know, I need to stop prolonging the ending, but I like playing with Darach's mind mwahahaha, next chapter will probably be the last so no more cliffhangers now that this is done
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Twelve is up! The Instriz Uncovered?!
OH MY GOSH!
I read the first few chapters! Awesome fan-fic. Please continue!
OH MY GOSH!
I read the first few chapters! Awesome fan-fic. Please continue!
RE: Pulse of the Frontier - Chapter Twelve is up! The Instriz Uncovered?!
Chapter 13: Frontier Brains: The Last Stand
This was bad, very bad. Palmer stood where he was on the golden bridge underneath the remains of Mt. Moon, staring in horror at the scene before him. Deoxys, Instriz in hand had begun to glow with an unnatural green radiance. The power of the gemstone he held was entering his being, filling him with an incredible energy. The alien Pokemon’s eyes were now oozing with the same ominous green glow, and they were staring directly at Palmer.
“Fools!” He hissed, even his voice manipulated and twisted by the Instriz, “I can see by your pathetic resistance that you have a death wish, which I will be more than happy to fulfill. But first let me explain exactly what you’re now up against!”
Before continuing, the alien Pokemon hurled a blast of telekinetic energy at the brains, sealing them with the power of his mind to the closest surface. Although they struggled forcefully, there was no escaping the bonds of his mind. “Ah much better. Now, as I was saying: With the Instriz in my property, I now possess the ability to, for the next five minutes, bend space and time in any way I please. And since there is no sense in wasting time, let’s get on with the show!”
The Pokemon’s very cry was the force of time’s command. Suddenly, all present in the room could feel a rough shift in time’s grasp and hour after hour that had once been became undone. The shattered remnants of the wooden platforms which had hung overhead instantly returned to their perches attached to the ropes that held them, the very strands intertwining and reconnecting with one another. The chamber began to shake violently, a sign that the mountain above, which had been thoroughly destroyed, had been returned to its prior state of existence.
“Ah, what fun,” Deoxys exclaimed, “But what is fun without fear? And what is fear without destruction?”
That having been said, the Pokemon called again upon his powers, and used them to shape and mold the being of reality. Its fragile state was altogether shattered, and all was lost to obscurity. Firstly, he began to morph the very foundations of space, bending and twisting until all was but remnants of something from before. Next, Deoxys sent time reeling on its hinges until the chamber and all of its passengers had returned to the beginning of time. Here he had dominance, and here, his new empire would begin.
All of this time, Palmer had been working his right hand down to the point that he could reach one of the Poke Balls that hung round his waste. The first one his fingers closed around he threw into the air towards Deoxys, whose back was to the brains, busy with the refiguring of the universe. The next instant, the alien Pokemon was stunned by a large Iron Tail attack from Palmer’s Dragonite and lost temporary telekinetic control over the brains. The second that it took Deoxys to re-gather his wits and spit a curse at the ground where he lay was enough for the brains to regain their balance and to prpare themselves for battle.
However, Deoxys had other plans. It took only a slight adjustment in the being of space to bring great chasms between the brains, and it was difficult to keep from losing balance and tumbling into the darkness. “Don’t even think about it!” Deoxys sneered, glaring at the brains, “I’ve put this off for far too long. It is time I finished this once and for all!”
Summoning all of his strength, he prepared to fire a powerful Psycho Boost attack at the four brains. Four? He paused and let the un-launched Psycho Boost attack diminish into a puff of smoke in his palm. He counted the remaining brains again but still could not seem to manage the number five. He saw Dahlia, Thorton, Argenta, Darach… Palmer wasn’t there.
Suddenly, a loud heaving sound came from above. A second too late, Deoxys turned his head upwards to see a large wooden platform plummeting through the air towards him. It landed with a splintering crash, crushing the alien Pokemon beneath its wooden figure. Billowing clouds dust and smoke intermixed with the ominous green glow that was emitted from his being drifted up from the pile.
The brains stared in shock at the sight. It was all over. They had won; and yet, no one felt victorious. One by one, the four brains made their ways using Argenta’s Drifblim and Darach’s Staraptor across the chasms to the place where Deoxys lay under the heap of rubble. Clearing away the remains of the platforms, they found the celestial murderer, his body limp, dead.
The mark of the Instriz that was the green ooze that spilled from his being flowed slowly out of his lifeless figure. The large Instriz gemstone came out from the Pokemon’s chest and fell with a thud to the earth. Thorton scooped it up in his hands and watched the green ooze make its way into the stone. No one said a word, but the four brains met anxious eyes over the lifeless body. The same question was in all of their minds. Was Deoxys the only one who had just died?
Their question was answered by the sound of flapping wings that came from above, slowly descending towards the foursome. It was Dragonite, mounted by Palmer, a smile plastered on his face. The remaining four brains heaved a sigh of relief and all grim feelings were forgotten, given way to gleeful ecstasy. It had been Palmer whom had cut the final rope and laid the last blow. It was finished.
“Um…guys?” Thorton said worriedly, “I hate to rain on the parade here, but we’re still in the beginning of time.”
Reawakened to the unsettling fact, the brain’s gleeful smiles all vanished on the instant. They pondered just exactly what would be the best move in such a situation, as none present had ever had experienced such a thing, and the silence reigned again. Then, with a snap of her gloved fingers, Argenta spoke up.
“Wait a minute,” She said, “The Instriz, it’s what got us back here, and it can get us out again.”
This was satisfactory, and Thorton made a futile attempt to absorb the stone into his being in a way similar to that commenced by Deoxys. However, the very idea of the process was rather disturbing and so, luckless, he passed it on to Argenta. There was slightly more luck here, but still nothing of consequence and so likewise Darach and Palmer made an attempt before giving up to failure. Dahlia accepted the final turn, and, after numerous failed efforts, the attempts ended and the pondering session began anew.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Dahlia exclaimed after a moment of thinking, her face flushed with sudden animation, “What if we destroyed the Instriz, then maybe everything would go back to normal!”
“No way, absolutely not, that could be disastrous,” Palmer replied, “If it didn’t work and the Instriz was gone then there would be no hope. The chances are just too low.”
“And how is that any different than everything we’ve done so far?” Dahlia asked, “There was little to no chance that we could have even found out about this whole thing in time. And what about when we convinced Saturn to get us into Galactic? What about when we got Charon out of prison? How about Deoxys not recognizing us immediately? And Deoxys getting distracted with Jupiter long enough for Brandon to pull a surprise attack? How about Cody finding the three of us unconscious on the floor and just happening to have a Blissey on him? What about us defeating Deoxys? What about all of that? We didn’t have a chance all of those times either.”
“But you don’t understand,” Palmer replied, “You don’t know anything about what it’s like to be under the burden that I am. I made a promise to Scott and I can’t play games with that promise. I know that you can’t possibly understand that since you’re little miss carefree but…”
“What about us, Palmer?”
The brain stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on hers. The solid line of his set jaw broke into a little grin. It was true. Everything about them could have so easily not been. It was all so fragile. But maybe keeping it locked in a box would be the best way to break it. Wasn’t that what Scott had said to him so long ago? Something to that effect at least. It was time he fulfilled his promise. Palmer nodded.
Dahlia smiled and released Blaziken from her Poke Ball. “Blast Burn, Blaziken, full power!” She exclaimed.
Thorton threw the stone into the air with all of his might. Blaziken’s attack hit dead on, and the fierce heat of the beam seared through the stone. With every cell of the Instriz that was destroyed, the universe seemed to breathe another new breath of life. The brains watched in awe as the chamber was hurled through time itself until finally coming to a sudden halt at the present moment. The Instriz was no more. And the universe was anew.
When the five made their way up and out of the chamber and back into the broad daylight of the still early morning, they were being waited for. Brandon stood with the ten combined Hoenn and Sinnoh brains as well as the entirety of Galactic behind him. A long, held breath was exhaled from everyone and cheers rose from the crowd in jovial celebration.
Dahlia found Cody in the crowd and the two embraced. Then, for the first time since she had met him, Dahlia looked into his brilliant blue eyes with a new light. And, consequently, she saw something she hadn’t seen before. “Cody?” She asked, her smile reaching from ear to ear, “Is it you?”
At first, the boy appeared confused, but suddenly he picked up on the trail. His eyes went wide with shock. “Dahlia?” He exclaimed, “Like Dahlia from the Pokemon Training Academy? We dated. Then something happened between us. But it was so long ago… I never expected to…” But Dahlia cut him off, pressing her lips against his in a long, passionate kiss.
Meanwhile, Darach stumbled upon Caitlyn and the two exchanged tearful greetings and heartfelt words. “Thank you, Darach,” The girl choked out through the tears that rolled down her cheeks, “I hope that from now on, you will stay with me forever.” Darach swore the affirmative, and the two embraced.
Just as Palmer had exchanged a final parting word and bids of ‘good luck’ with Brandon and seen him off in his flying Pyramid along with the other six Kanto Brains, there was a bustle in the crowd and room was cleared for a stout man with curly brown hair and dark sunglasses. “Hello, Palmer,” Scott greeted, grinning, “Ah, it’s so typical of you. I ask you to take care of four Frontier Brains and you save the world. You always go above and beyond Palmer, I’m proud of you.”
Suddenly, a voice through a megaphone rose above all of the rest, demanding and receiving complete silence. “Let all hear!” Jupiter exclaimed, standing atop the trunk of one of the Galactic trucks and speaking into her megaphone, “I, Jupiter, in the absence of our great leader Cyrus, and the death of our past leader Valrem, declare myself ruler of Galactic. And you can expect to see no end of us! We will triumph! Galactic will win in the end!”
And with that, the great blur of white suits and blue hair disappeared into the distance, leaving the four Hoenn brains, the five Sinnoh brains, Scott, Cody, Mars, and Saturn to watch them depart. Then, when the mass of Galactics had at last become invisible inside the far off horizon, Mars spoke up and said, “I’m grateful to you, you know. You’ve given me freedom. You’ve woken me out of my daze. I don’t have to go searching in ghettos and Galactic HQs for family. It’s always been right at home. You’ve taught me that well. Thank you.”
“So you’re quitting Galactic?” Argenta asked.
“Yes, Mars and I are done with it,” Saturn replied, smiling, “From here on out we will not rely on darkness and evil to cover our weaknesses. We will face them together. Now the only question that remains is where to go next.”
“I think that I might have the answer,” Said Scott, pushing his sunglasses up a little higher on his nose to fend off against the harsh glare of the still rising morning sun, “I’ve been considering for some time starting a Johto Battle Frontier. Are you game?”
And that ends our story. Mars, Saturn, and Cody all became the first three Johto Frontier Brains. Jupiter ended up taking control of Galactic and leaving for who knows where. Brandon and his team returned to Kanto for the remainder of battle season. The Hoenn Brains continued in their service, forgiven of their past wrongdoings by their role in the day’s events.
As for the five brains to which this story is dedicated, they returned to Sinnoh each with something new and indescribable inside of them. They had each gained something, and lost nothing. Dahlia found a true love and Palmer fulfilled his promise. And so, I think that it is safe to say that they all lived happily ever after.
THE END!
W00T W00T W00T W00T
There we go, finally finished it, and just 2 days after Halloween. Oh well, it's been great fun and I hope its the same amount of fun in the sequal that will be out soon. Until next time, c ya
Oh yeah, also, p.s. I would like to know who everybody's favorite characters were, so that I can sorta work them into the sequal. There will also be new characters but still.
Chapter 13: Frontier Brains: The Last Stand
This was bad, very bad. Palmer stood where he was on the golden bridge underneath the remains of Mt. Moon, staring in horror at the scene before him. Deoxys, Instriz in hand had begun to glow with an unnatural green radiance. The power of the gemstone he held was entering his being, filling him with an incredible energy. The alien Pokemon’s eyes were now oozing with the same ominous green glow, and they were staring directly at Palmer.
“Fools!” He hissed, even his voice manipulated and twisted by the Instriz, “I can see by your pathetic resistance that you have a death wish, which I will be more than happy to fulfill. But first let me explain exactly what you’re now up against!”
Before continuing, the alien Pokemon hurled a blast of telekinetic energy at the brains, sealing them with the power of his mind to the closest surface. Although they struggled forcefully, there was no escaping the bonds of his mind. “Ah much better. Now, as I was saying: With the Instriz in my property, I now possess the ability to, for the next five minutes, bend space and time in any way I please. And since there is no sense in wasting time, let’s get on with the show!”
The Pokemon’s very cry was the force of time’s command. Suddenly, all present in the room could feel a rough shift in time’s grasp and hour after hour that had once been became undone. The shattered remnants of the wooden platforms which had hung overhead instantly returned to their perches attached to the ropes that held them, the very strands intertwining and reconnecting with one another. The chamber began to shake violently, a sign that the mountain above, which had been thoroughly destroyed, had been returned to its prior state of existence.
“Ah, what fun,” Deoxys exclaimed, “But what is fun without fear? And what is fear without destruction?”
That having been said, the Pokemon called again upon his powers, and used them to shape and mold the being of reality. Its fragile state was altogether shattered, and all was lost to obscurity. Firstly, he began to morph the very foundations of space, bending and twisting until all was but remnants of something from before. Next, Deoxys sent time reeling on its hinges until the chamber and all of its passengers had returned to the beginning of time. Here he had dominance, and here, his new empire would begin.
All of this time, Palmer had been working his right hand down to the point that he could reach one of the Poke Balls that hung round his waste. The first one his fingers closed around he threw into the air towards Deoxys, whose back was to the brains, busy with the refiguring of the universe. The next instant, the alien Pokemon was stunned by a large Iron Tail attack from Palmer’s Dragonite and lost temporary telekinetic control over the brains. The second that it took Deoxys to re-gather his wits and spit a curse at the ground where he lay was enough for the brains to regain their balance and to prpare themselves for battle.
However, Deoxys had other plans. It took only a slight adjustment in the being of space to bring great chasms between the brains, and it was difficult to keep from losing balance and tumbling into the darkness. “Don’t even think about it!” Deoxys sneered, glaring at the brains, “I’ve put this off for far too long. It is time I finished this once and for all!”
Summoning all of his strength, he prepared to fire a powerful Psycho Boost attack at the four brains. Four? He paused and let the un-launched Psycho Boost attack diminish into a puff of smoke in his palm. He counted the remaining brains again but still could not seem to manage the number five. He saw Dahlia, Thorton, Argenta, Darach… Palmer wasn’t there.
Suddenly, a loud heaving sound came from above. A second too late, Deoxys turned his head upwards to see a large wooden platform plummeting through the air towards him. It landed with a splintering crash, crushing the alien Pokemon beneath its wooden figure. Billowing clouds dust and smoke intermixed with the ominous green glow that was emitted from his being drifted up from the pile.
The brains stared in shock at the sight. It was all over. They had won; and yet, no one felt victorious. One by one, the four brains made their ways using Argenta’s Drifblim and Darach’s Staraptor across the chasms to the place where Deoxys lay under the heap of rubble. Clearing away the remains of the platforms, they found the celestial murderer, his body limp, dead.
The mark of the Instriz that was the green ooze that spilled from his being flowed slowly out of his lifeless figure. The large Instriz gemstone came out from the Pokemon’s chest and fell with a thud to the earth. Thorton scooped it up in his hands and watched the green ooze make its way into the stone. No one said a word, but the four brains met anxious eyes over the lifeless body. The same question was in all of their minds. Was Deoxys the only one who had just died?
Their question was answered by the sound of flapping wings that came from above, slowly descending towards the foursome. It was Dragonite, mounted by Palmer, a smile plastered on his face. The remaining four brains heaved a sigh of relief and all grim feelings were forgotten, given way to gleeful ecstasy. It had been Palmer whom had cut the final rope and laid the last blow. It was finished.
“Um…guys?” Thorton said worriedly, “I hate to rain on the parade here, but we’re still in the beginning of time.”
Reawakened to the unsettling fact, the brain’s gleeful smiles all vanished on the instant. They pondered just exactly what would be the best move in such a situation, as none present had ever had experienced such a thing, and the silence reigned again. Then, with a snap of her gloved fingers, Argenta spoke up.
“Wait a minute,” She said, “The Instriz, it’s what got us back here, and it can get us out again.”
This was satisfactory, and Thorton made a futile attempt to absorb the stone into his being in a way similar to that commenced by Deoxys. However, the very idea of the process was rather disturbing and so, luckless, he passed it on to Argenta. There was slightly more luck here, but still nothing of consequence and so likewise Darach and Palmer made an attempt before giving up to failure. Dahlia accepted the final turn, and, after numerous failed efforts, the attempts ended and the pondering session began anew.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Dahlia exclaimed after a moment of thinking, her face flushed with sudden animation, “What if we destroyed the Instriz, then maybe everything would go back to normal!”
“No way, absolutely not, that could be disastrous,” Palmer replied, “If it didn’t work and the Instriz was gone then there would be no hope. The chances are just too low.”
“And how is that any different than everything we’ve done so far?” Dahlia asked, “There was little to no chance that we could have even found out about this whole thing in time. And what about when we convinced Saturn to get us into Galactic? What about when we got Charon out of prison? How about Deoxys not recognizing us immediately? And Deoxys getting distracted with Jupiter long enough for Brandon to pull a surprise attack? How about Cody finding the three of us unconscious on the floor and just happening to have a Blissey on him? What about us defeating Deoxys? What about all of that? We didn’t have a chance all of those times either.”
“But you don’t understand,” Palmer replied, “You don’t know anything about what it’s like to be under the burden that I am. I made a promise to Scott and I can’t play games with that promise. I know that you can’t possibly understand that since you’re little miss carefree but…”
“What about us, Palmer?”
The brain stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on hers. The solid line of his set jaw broke into a little grin. It was true. Everything about them could have so easily not been. It was all so fragile. But maybe keeping it locked in a box would be the best way to break it. Wasn’t that what Scott had said to him so long ago? Something to that effect at least. It was time he fulfilled his promise. Palmer nodded.
Dahlia smiled and released Blaziken from her Poke Ball. “Blast Burn, Blaziken, full power!” She exclaimed.
Thorton threw the stone into the air with all of his might. Blaziken’s attack hit dead on, and the fierce heat of the beam seared through the stone. With every cell of the Instriz that was destroyed, the universe seemed to breathe another new breath of life. The brains watched in awe as the chamber was hurled through time itself until finally coming to a sudden halt at the present moment. The Instriz was no more. And the universe was anew.
When the five made their way up and out of the chamber and back into the broad daylight of the still early morning, they were being waited for. Brandon stood with the ten combined Hoenn and Sinnoh brains as well as the entirety of Galactic behind him. A long, held breath was exhaled from everyone and cheers rose from the crowd in jovial celebration.
Dahlia found Cody in the crowd and the two embraced. Then, for the first time since she had met him, Dahlia looked into his brilliant blue eyes with a new light. And, consequently, she saw something she hadn’t seen before. “Cody?” She asked, her smile reaching from ear to ear, “Is it you?”
At first, the boy appeared confused, but suddenly he picked up on the trail. His eyes went wide with shock. “Dahlia?” He exclaimed, “Like Dahlia from the Pokemon Training Academy? We dated. Then something happened between us. But it was so long ago… I never expected to…” But Dahlia cut him off, pressing her lips against his in a long, passionate kiss.
Meanwhile, Darach stumbled upon Caitlyn and the two exchanged tearful greetings and heartfelt words. “Thank you, Darach,” The girl choked out through the tears that rolled down her cheeks, “I hope that from now on, you will stay with me forever.” Darach swore the affirmative, and the two embraced.
Just as Palmer had exchanged a final parting word and bids of ‘good luck’ with Brandon and seen him off in his flying Pyramid along with the other six Kanto Brains, there was a bustle in the crowd and room was cleared for a stout man with curly brown hair and dark sunglasses. “Hello, Palmer,” Scott greeted, grinning, “Ah, it’s so typical of you. I ask you to take care of four Frontier Brains and you save the world. You always go above and beyond Palmer, I’m proud of you.”
Suddenly, a voice through a megaphone rose above all of the rest, demanding and receiving complete silence. “Let all hear!” Jupiter exclaimed, standing atop the trunk of one of the Galactic trucks and speaking into her megaphone, “I, Jupiter, in the absence of our great leader Cyrus, and the death of our past leader Valrem, declare myself ruler of Galactic. And you can expect to see no end of us! We will triumph! Galactic will win in the end!”
And with that, the great blur of white suits and blue hair disappeared into the distance, leaving the four Hoenn brains, the five Sinnoh brains, Scott, Cody, Mars, and Saturn to watch them depart. Then, when the mass of Galactics had at last become invisible inside the far off horizon, Mars spoke up and said, “I’m grateful to you, you know. You’ve given me freedom. You’ve woken me out of my daze. I don’t have to go searching in ghettos and Galactic HQs for family. It’s always been right at home. You’ve taught me that well. Thank you.”
“So you’re quitting Galactic?” Argenta asked.
“Yes, Mars and I are done with it,” Saturn replied, smiling, “From here on out we will not rely on darkness and evil to cover our weaknesses. We will face them together. Now the only question that remains is where to go next.”
“I think that I might have the answer,” Said Scott, pushing his sunglasses up a little higher on his nose to fend off against the harsh glare of the still rising morning sun, “I’ve been considering for some time starting a Johto Battle Frontier. Are you game?”
And that ends our story. Mars, Saturn, and Cody all became the first three Johto Frontier Brains. Jupiter ended up taking control of Galactic and leaving for who knows where. Brandon and his team returned to Kanto for the remainder of battle season. The Hoenn Brains continued in their service, forgiven of their past wrongdoings by their role in the day’s events.
As for the five brains to which this story is dedicated, they returned to Sinnoh each with something new and indescribable inside of them. They had each gained something, and lost nothing. Dahlia found a true love and Palmer fulfilled his promise. And so, I think that it is safe to say that they all lived happily ever after.
THE END!
W00T W00T W00T W00T
There we go, finally finished it, and just 2 days after Halloween. Oh well, it's been great fun and I hope its the same amount of fun in the sequal that will be out soon. Until next time, c ya
Oh yeah, also, p.s. I would like to know who everybody's favorite characters were, so that I can sorta work them into the sequal. There will also be new characters but still.