The Journey of A Champion: A Pokemon Fanfic

Chapter 14: Secrets and Saviors

The sun was extremely hot in the late morning reminding Tomas, Riley, and Sophie that they were still, somehow, in the desert. They had all eaten, packed their belongings (which now included a bag of fruit as a gift from L), and set off. L led the way with Sigilyph soaring high above her and Riley walked in between Tomas and Sophie. She had basically recovered, but her head still ached occasionally. She was only kept between them just in case.

Riley was constantly pulling out her Pokedex, registering every new Pokemon she saw. Rainbow Valley was fantastically diverse and it enchanted both of the trainers and the breeder. Petlil danced in the fields and Sawsbuck bounded through the shade while Cottonee floated above on playful zephyrs. Riley and Tomas took out all their Pokemon, finding it cruel to keep them away from such a beautiful place, and they too were mystified. Riley even took out the glass container that held the Pokemon egg, recalling what Sophie had said about caring for it. The trek to the exit was a long one, but the time passed quickly.

On the side of one of the mountains covered in emerald green was a large entrance to a cave like the one Tomas and Sophie had entered Rainbow Valley in, but much bigger. The trio took out their Xtransceivers from their bags and used them as flashlights as L led them through the dark cave. She seemed to know every twist and turn and didn’t give a second glance to the Woobat slumbering in the dark corners in the cavern. Even the cave had a massive variety of Pokemon. After a few hours, L stopped and raised her hand, beckoning towards a light ahead of them. Her look seemed to say That is the exit. Go on. I leave you here. 

Riley glanced at her and half smiled, almost reluctantly. Tomas saw her do this and remembered his conversation with Sophie from last night. She still doesn’t trust L completely. He thought. Sophie ran to L and hugged her. “ Thank you so much!” She said brightly. “ You really saved us!” She grinned. “ In more ways than one... Good bye!” L’s face remained impassive, but her eyes were shining and seemingly saying You are very welcome. She did not return the hug back, however, and just stood there awkwardly until Sophie let go. 

“ Good bye.” Riley said and walked slowly up to her as Sophie stepped back. L looked at Riley thoughtfully and then handed her a scroll and closed the trainer’s hands around it. Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion and L took a step back, showing her it was time to go. Riley returned to the other two and began walking with them down the dank cave towards the light. Sophie had already started a conversation with Tomas and he gave his usual brief answers. Riley looked back at L who stood in the same place. Her eyes widened as she saw the mysterious woman mouth a series of words. Riley swore she said It is your choice, Champion, but she could have easily been wrong.

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They had emerged in the Desert Resort, which wasn’t very far away from Nimbasa City. Though it was called a resort it was more of an extension of the barren desert on Route 4 and always had sand blowing. Tomas, Riley, and Sophie walked southeast to the exit in silence. The constant blow of sand made any conversation pointless. 

As they exited the Desert Resort and were near the end of Route 4 the wind calmed and the group got their first glimpse of Nimbasa City. They could see a brightly lit ferris wheel and other buildings that scraped the sky with metal spikes on the flat horizon. Lively music drifted through the air, but they could barely hear it. Sophie’s ears perked up and she looked even more excited than usual. “ I think that’s coming from the Musical Theater! Oh, I’ve always wanted to perform there!” She spun around in pure joy.  Riley commented about the gym and how exciting it was rumored to be, but Tomas  remained quiet. They continued walking and the music steadily grew louder. 

Tomas smiled at their naiveness and joy and then realized something. He wasn’t moving. His feet were stepping on the ground in an attempt to push himself forward, but he couldn’t. It was like he was being held back. He saw Riley and Sophie continuing forward, apparently not noticing he was gone. His arms were being held back, but Tomas couldn’t see anyone doing it. In a flash, three white haired men appeared. Two held his arms and one stood directly in front of him. The raven haired trainer remembered them. They were the trio that he had seen on Team Plasma’s ship.