The Redwood Saga Chapter 25 - 21: Taunts, Tales, and Teleportation

Jinia Town - Transylveticut Region

The first thing Alex had done on his way south from dropping Jess at Unova University was return ho, to show Eric the cache of docunts their granduncle had found on the Arceans. Once he'd read through several, including those detailing what had happened to their aunt Elaine, Eric understood his brother's disdain for the group, and admitted he'd been skeptical about what Alex had told him a few days earlier about Norstad. It seed like sothing out of an old legend, a cult that powerful, led by a man so blatantly evil, but he couldn't deny hard evidence when it was right in front of him. He still didn't buy into that bit about feasting with Thor though. The World Eater seed believable enough, given what he knew of how those northern regions matched the power of ga Evolution, and the size Shruikan had gained. What fascinated him was that for Alex and his dragon, their size gain was permanent, which ant it wasn't Dynamaxing.

Eric had offered to go to Fornia as well, but Alex had convinced him to stay in Unova, to study, and run the lab instead. He also gave him a thod of contacting Tao, and once he'd announced that the Redwood Lab was open again, sothing strange had happened. Applications from potential aides, who were really just students roughly Eric's age, ca flooding in. Apparently, working at the lab of a Champion's relative was a big deal, even if said Champion wasn't really running it. In fact, many people had started moving to Derrion Town, and the surrounding areas.

Curiosity about their region's newest defender brought them, but they stayed for the gorgeous views, and clean air. Alex headed south again once he'd said his farewells to his family after a last ho-cooked al, and before he left his ho region, he found Tao, who was helping to repair New Tork City, resting atop the Empire building. It was the tallest skyscraper in New Tork City, and gave a decent view of most of the Unova region's capital. From up there, the damage from the 'civil war' beca easier to see. It had been extensive, and expensive. Saboteurs were also still an issue, as what few Arceans remained refused to give up on their Prophet's dream of bringing New Tork down.

Aside from that, Tao had things well under control. Rosa and Nate were busy hunting the cabal down, and the sly dragon had inford his Trainer that he'd ordered them to do so together because, once upon a ti, he had helped Unovans find love, as well as balance. He had sensed that hunting the remaining Arceans would bring those two closer together. Hearing that from Tao had caused Alex to laugh for a full minute. Not just because after extensive discussion, Alex knew he had no conception whatsoever of what instinctual drive sparked most human relationships, but because many Unovans had been waiting for that exact developnt between those two Champions. It was obvious to anyone that saw them together, except them, apparently.

Hilda, he'd been told, had remained at the Plateau, and had a winning streak that was getting to be as long as his own. He'd rolled his eyes at that. He did actually lose battles. Most were one on one, but a full six on six usually saw him the victor. Only in the Swamp, against much more seasoned Champions, had he had trouble claiming the win.

He asked the dragon what his infinite wisdom said about his own romantic entanglent, but the First Dragon refused to answer. That, was when Alex proposed a trade of information. He claid to know why Tao was having such a hard ti rembering the so-called 'dragon tongue', despite having access to Alex's knowledge of it, and also claid he could solve said problem. In return for wisdom.

The dragon could easily tell when Alex was lying, but he'd agreed after a long few monts regardless. In this case, Alex wasn't bluffing. There was a benefit to being part psychic type, and sotis, even Legendary Dragons needed an extra pair of eyes to see what their own could not. Through their ntal connection, Alex had sensed a block on what he assud was Tao's speech center, buried deep in his brain, and locked by…sothing. He also sensed his new Voice could remove said block, and make the dragon even stronger. Had it been any other Legendary, he might've paused, but the last Pokémon he worried about having more power was Tao. He had always ruled fairly, even when the offspring of the first Dragon Emperor's lineage had not. There was a reason Arceus had placed him in charge of an entire continent, let alone the north arican continent, the one historically that was the most in need of balance.

Instead of shouting, Alex whispered a series of dragon-words into the ear slit of his white scaled friend, words relating to mory, blockage, and the recovering of such things. For a mont, the dragon's eyes turned half white, and half black, before swirling into a familiar circular pattern, and regaining their pure golden color. The dragon thanked his Trainer, as that particular mory block had been a result of being torn in three parts for thousands of years, and then haphazardly shoved back together as two thirds of a whole Pokémon several tis. It was enough to scramble anyone's mind, and Tao had simply hadn't noticed the block upon regaining balance.

He also quickly demonstrated that, while Alex may have had the Voice of a dragon, the Original Dragon's would always be superior. He did more with one word than Alex ever could, but then, that was par for the course with Legendary Pokémon. That word had been 'Yol', and the torrent of fire Tao shot into the air around them burned hotter than any Flathrower, and had sohow been rainbow colored.

What exactly he rembered of the past, he did not say. Instead, he addressed the knowledge Alex had wanted in regard to his own relationship. His response was thus: "To understand how I guide lovers to each other, you must first dismiss the fanciful nonsense your species has created around the entire institution. There is no such thing as a 'soul-mate'. The concept of 'souls' is an ancient, outdated, and entirely Human one. The body and mind are always connected, not separate, and what affects one will affect the other. This is how all of existence functions. In Balance. This is why maintaining it is so important. Death. Un-death. Immortality." He grinned knowingly at his Trainer, who rolled his eyes. "They all effect the body and mind in different ways, but they effect both the body and the mind. One cannot be, without the other. Usually. The reality of my ability is simple. I use my Divine Sight to gaze into the…core…of a Human, and then use my psychic abilities to divine sothing about their strongest, and closest, potential match. Then, I lead them to each other. The result is usually positive. But there are always exceptions. Sotis, running across another strong match can tear the first apart."

He leaned down to his Trainer, his massive golden eye towering over him as his soothing psychic baritone thundered in his skull. "You will be hard pressed to find a better match than that of Fire and Dragon. Though she may not have the typing, yours is as fiery a Human as I've ever seen. She burns brightest in your presence, and you in turn are fueled by hers. It is a rare match, but a good one. Cherish it, for it will not co twice."

Alex pondered the dragon's words, and then finally bowed, thanking him for his insight. Evidently his opinion of Jessica Gladstone had risen during their training in his ho dinsion. It's not that he wasn't glad, he was more curious as to how he hadn't noticed, and then, slowly, he recalled the long hours he'd spent focused on perfecting his martial arts forms while his love and Tao had been off in the rock garden on top of the tower. He'd assud they were ditating, but evidently, they'd talked as well. It hadn't seed strange, as the dragon had often isolated them from each other when teaching.

Once Alex departed from the building, he continued on his way south, riding on Shruikan, who had never seen their ho continent from the air. Not with his own eyes, anyways. The eastern coast of the States was, in a word, gorgeous. New Tork was not the only tropolis on the way south, but Alex had no intention of going near a city. He got enough challenges from flying Trainers as it was. Sothing as unique as a Black Salance would be mobbed in a foreign city. In Unova, the locals had quickly learned to associate the massive dragon with the Champion who rode on his back, clad in white. While many still wanted battles, far more often he was asked for autographs, or given Holoceiver numbers so he could set up future battles.

Jinia Town was the largest town on the eastern coast, and the last one of significance before the Swamp. Alex hadn't stopped there last ti, as he'd been in a rush, but this ti, he decided to pay a visit. He rode in atop Leo, though that didn't really do much to stay subtle. His golden-furred Luxray attracted almost as much attention as his giant black dragon. They stayed at the Pokémon Center that night, before heading further south towards the grassy plains north of the Swamp in the morning.

He soon discovered that he was not the only returning Trainer who wanted to continue south the next day. There were tons of other Trainers, so he knew from the last ti he'd been down here. They had made it to the Sage. The vast majority however, had not, and were new Trainers who had been invited due to their skill, and not their station as Champion. Evidently, Oranguru had lowered the standards one had to et to attempt to cross into the Swamp.

Not only that, but Alex soon discovered, over a bowl of Leaf with several other Champions, that these new Trainers were all given guides of so sort to the Sage himself, rather than wandering the Swamp aimlessly until they had a vision, or went mad from having too many. Eventually, Alex had, at the behest of the other primarily grass type favoring Champions, singled out a girl, clearly from Unova, and used his 'natural charisma' to find out why she was here. Said charisma consisted of 'Hey', the most common way to start a conversation in Common, and the question 'What brings you down here?' He was clearly a wordsmith.

It was clear she recognized him, and she even claid that they'd battled once, but after a few hundred road battles, the faces start to blur. She didn't seem to mind his lack of recognition, and answered his blunt question about her purpose for being here, claiming that she had co to learn from the Sage. He was half tempted to ask why she hadn't gone to Tao instead, but he had a feeling that it was none of his business, and wisely avoided prying.

The returning trainees shared a look once Alex explained what he'd heard, and a few were understandably irritated. Getting to the Sage in the first place had been difficult for all of them, many had experienced their own personal Hel as they'd relived past traumatic events, and ca through them, again, unscathed. But now these new Trainers, not even Champions, were getting a free pass to an island that had been cramped with a few hundred humans. Now, there would likely be thousands.

They decided to head out at midnight, while the newbies slept, and found they weren't the only Champions with that idea. The returning students had figured space would be limited, and Arceus only knew how many had already reached the Sage. By the ti their mixed group of flying types reached the Swamp's edge, the first light of dawn was filling the sky. Then, they saw her.

The purple-haired woman from their last exam was standing on the open plains before the Swamp, arms crossed, her Dragonite by her side. She waved down the group of twenty or so Champions, and once they landed, she began explaining what they'd evidently missed in the two months they'd been gone.

"I know many of you may have mixed feelings about these newcors," She began, eyeing those who nodded at her words. Alex remained impassive, stone-faced. This woman had acted like a sifter before, separating the skilled from the unworthy. He had no doubt she was doing the sa thing now. "Understand that they are here because they wish to learn from the Sage, and nothing else. They will not be competing to beco his top student, though they have that option, many have chosen to avoid potential death, and simply be guided to the Sage."

She looked ready to say more, but a familiar sound cut her off as a helicopter, blades whirring away with obnoxiously loud noise and wind, set down beside the group of Champions. They collectively groaned as they saw the symbol on the side of the machine, and Alex looked down, embarrassed. There was only one news network global enough to be interested in a story in this place. Naturally, they had a HQ in one of the largest tech-savvy cities on the planet. New Tork.

Thankfully, it wasn't John Crimson who stepped out of the chopper, but rather a woman, blonde hair, curves in all the right places. The n amongst the group eyed her openly. So looked away quickly, fighting their instincts. Others did not. Alex just chuckled, as he recognized the woman who'd been summoned by Joey after his first attempt at an interview. He couldn't really bla the others for staring, her cleavage remained glorious, but he'd already developed an immunity. Praise Arceus.

The purple haired woman crossed her arms, and glared at the blonde, her harsh voice cutting through the sound of the whirling blades with unusual ease. "We've already had this discussion. No."

The blonde frowned, and then turned her gaze to the crowd of Trainers, several of whom looked ready and able to 'assist' her in whatever way they could. A familiar feeling of 'oh shit' tingled up Alex's spine as he saw her eyes catch his hat, and then his face. She smiled, and waved obviously. "Champion! Alex Redwood! Rember ?" The group slooowly turned to look at the white and black clad Trainer as Alex moved up to the two won.

The examiner eyed him with a severe look. "You know this…floozy?"

Alex gave the blonde a nod, and then t the examiner's sharp gaze. He had no earthly idea what a 'floozy' was, but knew a derogatory term when he heard one. "I do. She's from Unova. In fact, if it wasn't for her and her caraman, I might never have run into Ghetsis at the PNN, Reshiram and Kyurem wouldn't have been freed, and the Original Dragon would not have been reunited."

The caraman in question was, of course, Joey, who had evidently stopped training at the Dragonspiral Tower, and was now outfitted with a cara on his shoulder. His Raticate had a similar device strapped to its back. The symbol of balance remained on his t-shirt, and his shorts, as always, remained the sa. He grinned, and waved over-excitedly at Alex as he saw him. Alex waved back, smirking. He knew how badly Joey was crushing on his coworker. Evidently Tao had guided him, as well.

The purple-haired proctor looked between the three of them, and then settled on Alex. That sa nervous feeling returned. He had no idea why this woman always put him on edge. "They want access to the Sage, so they can…'docunt' his training with their devices."

At that, Alex frowned. The last thing they needed at the compound was the distraction of being on live TV. Especially with so many new, untrained recruits. He turned to the blonde then, and t her gaze evenly. "Go ho, Haley. I'll give you a story when I co back, but this…this place isn't for the modern world. There's no PokéMart in there. It's literally just a Swamp. A girl like you wouldn't last five minutes in there. The Krokoroks here are Human eaters."

"And this clearly dangerous Swamp is taking in thousands of skilled Trainers." Haley countered, "The world has a right to know where their loved ones are disappearing to."

Alex nodded. "It does. I agree, but this is sothing to learn about after the training is done. Not during it. You have my word, exclusive interview. With you, not John Crimson. But only after we're done here. It could take a while, though, so you should go ho, and find a better story. Like where the Swords of Justice have run off to."

She raised a manicured brow at him. "What, they've disappeared?"

He raised a not-so-well-kept brow at her. "Nobody has seen them since that Beheeyem invasion fiasco. Anywhere. They're not around Unova. If you really want to give people a story, find out where they've gone. We could've used their aid this year, no?"

The blonde nodded, sighed, and then snapped her fingers. "Joey, we're going ho." She glanced back at Alex as she left, and he resisted watching anything but the back of her head. The view was, of course, glorious, but he had never been an 'ass man' as his fellow males so eloquently put it. He had endeavored to understand all aspects of the great mystery that was won. "You'd better keep your word, Champion."

"When have I ever not?" Alex said as the chopper began taking off again, and headed north. He sighed. "Bloody reporters…"

"They're not the only ones to try to enter." The woman said, once they could hear themselves think. "But I do appreciate you getting rid of them. They've been pestering for two weeks."

"You were about to tell us sothing else…?" Alex prompted, smirking.

The purple haired woman brought her plain wooden staff down towards his head. By pure instinct, he caught it, and she seed genuinely impressed. "Not bad. You've improved."

Alex smirked. "I try."

The staff spun with a blur, and he grunted as it slamd into his stomach. He'd seen it coming, but he wasn't nearly fast enough to block it. He was however, fast enough to tighten his abdominals to take the hit. It had moved past his guard far too easily. "Do. Or do not." The woman said, smirking down at him.

"There is no try…" The Champions groaned, in unison. It was a lesson Oranguru had drilled into all of them. Painfully.

"Right, listen up!" She began again, pushing Alex back to the front of the crowd. "Things are a lot different this ti around. For you veteran disciples, you have the chance to gain access to the air space over the Swamp." The Trainers shared a look. More than a few had been shot down by absurdly powerful Hyper Beams because they'd tried flying. "Don't worry, our snipers know who to target, and who to let pass…of course, this gift does not co free." She grinned down at them, and Alex noticed it was similar in many ways to the way Leo grinned at his prey before pouncing. He felt the large cat's ball hum on his belt. Evidently that was a complint.

"To gain access to flight in the Swamp, your task is very simple." The woman gestured to her Dragonite. "Beat him, and you may fly with the best." The Champions murmured again. This woman had been absent during their first stay here, but the few tis she had appeared, usually after shooting down a student breaking the 'no flying' rule, she'd let her Dragonite battle so of the more eager Champions with their own dragons.

While the absurdly proportioned dragon looked silly, its power had been monstrous. On the level of the Sage, or at least very close to it. It had taken down renowned dragon types belonging to rather strong Champions from across the States with a single blow, usually a Dragon Claw. Naturally, this had made everyone even more uneasy in her presence. Alex stepped forward unfazed, and smirking. "Challenge accepted. One on one?"

The purple haired woman grinned as her unnerving stare fell on him. "No substitutions. Will you be using your Charizard? Or perhaps that lumbering black beast you rode in on?" Blaze and Shruikan imdiately began arguing, via their telepathic link, over who would fight the Dragonite. Blaze had seen it first, but Shruikan needed the battle experience. They were silenced and shared their surprise with the examiner as Leo sprang forth from his ball, and snarled at the Dragonite.

The woman raised both eyebrows, and walked towards the Luxray, who was sparking with electricity already. "I didn't know you had such a…fierce warrior on your team…oooh…his eyes are…uncannily similar to yours, actually, now that I look..." She said, looking up at Alex, comparing the two.

Alex smirked, and his normally blue eyes turned red and gold as Leo shared his sight through their link. "They are, aren't they? I like his colors, too. Black and gold just…it just works."

The look of awe at his Luxray's coloring faded, but the smirk remained. It was his turn to unnerve her with his gaze, and though she'd never admit it, a chill went up her spine. Those eyes had fire in them, even when they returned to being blue. "Dragonite. Go." She gave the command once she returned to her side of the imaginary field they were using. There would be no 'ring outs' here.

Leo's form had begun to glow as she'd walked back, and the two fliers on their team protested. Leo had fought Kurama after all, and this Dragonite deserved to face a dragon. Leo roared as his saber-toothed ga Form crouched down into a battle stance. "He who strikes first, gets the al…" Leo's ntal voice growled to the other two. Alex chuckled, and his two overeager battlers quieted. They had argued, while he had struck. It was too late to change now.

Seeing his opponent had ga evolved, the Dragonite glanced at his Trainer. She shook her head. Alex fought down his disappointnt. He hadn't seen a Dragonite's ga Form, and Draco Plate crystals were exceedingly rare. If anyone had one though, it would be a Trainer like this. He smirked at her. "Not a wise choice. Leo's ga Form is…deadly."

The purple woman rolled her eyes. "You'll excuse if I'm not intimidated. He may have a unique color, but I'll bet he's spent most of his life fighting Flying and Water Types. He's never faced down a Dragonite." Alex just shook his head. A Black Salance was, in his opinion at least, far deadlier than a Dragonite, and Leo often sparred with Shruikan.

Leo snarled at the woman's words, and she raised a brow. His new form's mane was, unlike his normal one, sleeker, though it extended under his jaw as well, not unlike a Pyroar's. Electricity shot through it, and it flared out in an array of black with gold streaked fur. It would provide the conduit that would guide the plasma he generated with his attacks. There was, in truth, a reason Alex had let his proud cat take the lead again. None of his team were as good at night battling, and though the sun was coming, the night was still their ally.

The Dragonite assud the battle was on, and launched forward, its fists encased in fire and lightning, one claw for each. Alex frowned, as Leo dodged the fire one. The electric claw hit, and he snarled in surprise and pain. Usually such attacks didn't damage him much, but then his Trainer realized, these weren't actually punches. Fire and electric type energy had covered the dragon's true attack, Dragon Claw.

He saw the purple haired woman moving her mouth, but no sound ca out. The electric claw turned to ice, and he swore as he and Leo reached the sa conclusion. She knew the dragon tongue. Since returning to battling regularly, Alex didn't use it in battles, as it put a target on his back, and was unfair against Trainers who couldn't power their partners up with their Voice. He did much the sa with telepathy, though he kept their battle strategy silent, only shouting moves verbally.

He whispered his own words, and the sky darkened again, as dark, ominous clouds rolled in from seemingly nowhere, and covered the rising sun. His Luxray grinned, and lted into the much heavier shadows as an Ice Claw sliced through an apparition of his form. Then, like the night hunter he was, Leo ca out of the shadows from seemingly nowhere, his massive saber-teeth wreathed in lightning. They sank into the Dragonite's bulky leg, and then the cat disappeared just as quickly.

The woman frowned, but said nothing about his tactics. As far as using the Voice went, augnting one's Pokémon was more of a legitimate rule violation than changing the weather. Plenty of Pokémon did that anyway, just by appearing. Leo struck again, this ti with his claws. He and Alex had discovered that his bones were actually quite good at conducting electricity, and since his claws had the sa composition as his teeth, they'd figured out how to use an entirely new move. Thunder Claw, they called it. He was still getting the hang of it without ga evolving, but in this form, Leo had no issues controlling his elental typing.

Three red gashes appeared across the Dragonite's chest and exploded with electric energy, and it roared in frustration, then glanced back suddenly at its Trainer. It nodded once, and Alex knew they were shifting strategies. "Careful, Leo…use a ranged attack this ti."

While Leo much preferred physical attacks, his special ones were almost as strong. He agreed with his Trainer, and did as ordered. He didn't take opponents this strong lightly. A bolt of Thunder arced down from the sky, and the Dragonite hissed as he narrowly dodged it. The searing plasma had struck his tail, but it was a glancing blow.

Suddenly, the woman shifted her head, right towards where Leo was hiding. Alex had enough ti to swear, and his lithe cat was already moving in the shadows, but they might as well have been in slow motion.

The Hyper Beam tore across the grassy plains they were battling upon, and hit Leo directly. He began panting, and winced. It had hit his bulky abdon, naly the muscles, and while nothing was broken, he'd almost been taken out in a single hit. Had he not been in his ga Form, he would not have held on, but a sliver of strength was all he needed for a counter attack.

The Dragonite was panting as well, and Leo took the chance to hit him directly with Thunder. That was the downside of Hyper Beam. Monstrous power, but it left a Pokémon unable to dodge, or attack for a mont. In a battle like this, that was a dangerous strategy. Evidently, the examiner had expected it to take Leo down.

She reached the conclusion the sa ti he did. Alex could see it on her face. The next hit would decide this, and he knew what move she'd be using. "Hold your breath…" Alex said, watching her. "She found you sohow, last ti. Shield your mind, and hold your breath. Don't move."

Monts passed, as the Dragonite waited, a smirk that mirrored his Trainer's on his face. Alex growled softly. They were waiting for him to strike, but, they didn't know where Leo was. He hoped. "Use it." He finally said to his partner. They might as well try. Their spherical Taijitu attacks had stopped Hyper Beams before, after all.

Leo ford the Electro Ball, and Alex's Zap Plate crystal flared from within his pocket. Leo would provide the dark type energy, as in this form, it was a part of him. The examiner narrowed her eyes. She had once ntioned her distaste for 'Z-Moves', after thrashing a particularly cheeky trainee on one of the rare tis she'd visited. He had a feeling she didn't consider his new variant any better.

Darkness ford one half of the condensed ball, and the electric shard flared, powering the Electro Ball that made up the other half. Leo swirled the energy in his maw, condensing it. That, more than anything, was what made these moves so deadly. Unfortunately, they were also a bit flashy.

The Dragonite leapt into the air and hovered there on his tiny wings as the orange sphere that was his Hyper Beam built in his own maw, and Alex suddenly had an idea. Leo growled, but affird that he could at least try to do it. As expected, the Hyper Beam blew away their Taijitu sphere ford in haste and partial stealth in a massive explosion that sent a concussive wave billowing for miles across the largely uninhabited grasslands this close to the Swamp.

Monts later, the sky bood, and had the clouds not been overhead, Leo likely would've had a much harder ti calling electricity down from it. Especially while he was trying to use a complicated move. The Thunder attack slamd into the Dragonite, and it gave a pitiable whine as the electricity struck its wings.

Leo appeared behind the Dragonite as it readied another Hyper Beam, not dissimilar to the way a Greninja did. The condensed Electro Pulse was smaller than he could make it if he had ti to properly focus and prepare, but it was still quite powerful. Powerful enough to slam into the Dragonite's back, and send him spinning into the soft earth below them.

When the dust cleared, a crater with horizontal swirling patterns surrounded the fainted Dragonite, who was lying on the bottom. Leo landed, and let his ga Form fade as he trotted towards his Trainer. Alex fed him one of his preferred treats, Moomoo Milk from back ho, and the large cat purred, then rolled on his back, expecting a belly rub.

Alex obliged him, smirking, even as he felt the static charge run up his arms, and make his hair flair out. It was curly, so often it was deceptive as to how much he actually had up there, but when he pet his thunder cat, it beca quite obvious. He needed a trim. "How did you keep dodging, anyways?" Alex said, speaking ntally to his large cat. "You looked like a Zoroark for a minute."

Leo didn't respond for so ti, during which the purple-haired examiner healed her partner, and made her way towards the two. "I did what the fox did, in Norstad. Used Dark energy to make an approximation of my image that's so lifelike, it can fool the eyes of a Luxray. I call them Shadow Clones."

He purred as Alex broke into a laugh. "No. Just…no. Call them Anything but that. Please." Leo rolled onto his stomach then, purred against his Trainer, and tapped his ball's button with his nose. He rather enjoyed the inside of his Pokéball, and he'd earned a nap. And he was definitely still calling them Shadow Clones. Alex sighed. Felines.

Looking up, Alex noticed the examiner waiting for his focus to return, and once he stood, she spoke. "Well done…I admit, I didn't think you had a chance. Not without your Charizard, and a type advantage. You've improved while you've been away."

Alex nodded. "I got so training from Tao and my Rayquaza…who should be here by now…but yea. I went to Norstad, too. Saved the world. t so Legendary Pokémon."

She gave him a smirk, and that feeling of nervousness returned. "So basically, the sa thing every other Disciple did."

Alex smirked. "It really is the best job in the world."

A smile cracked the usually stone-faced woman's weathered features, and she gestured to the Swamp behind her. "Fly on in. The others know not to shoot you down."

As he stood atop his massive dragon's head, holding onto a head-spike that was taller than him, he could see he needn't have worried about Shruikan being able to fit in the Swamp. The Swamp's trees were gargantuan. They might leave a dragon-sized hole in the canopy wherever they descended, but he should be fine battling.

The air above the Swamp was, surprisingly, full of Trainers. Evidently, he really wasn't the only one who'd improved. The examiner had demonstrated early in their training that they had no chance against her, sothing the usually proud Champions had not accepted until they'd actually lost to her. Alex had been no exception. Now, it seed, many had passed the test to earn the right to fly. He sensed many more Trainers below, as they flew over.

There were likely so who assud they could follow the guides to the Sage without attracting attention, but Alex knew better. He'd spent three months in this Swamp, and had learned early on that the Swamp did what the Swamp wanted. There were no shortcuts to the Sage, not for those who, like the other Champions, had co to try and beco his honored student.

Shruikan, as always, gathered looks wherever he flew, and thanks to his size, they created a swathe through the many flying types in the air. More than a few looked irritated enough to attack, but a glare from the massive dragon usually made them think otherwise. Deciding to check on his 'ho' first, Alex had the large dragon descend on the western side of the Sage's Isle, only to find that his ho away from ho was occupied.

Alex felt Arthur's irritation rising, and sighed. He also spotted Red, and figured he could let the second most well-known Trainer in the world give a chance to explain why his wtwo was sitting suspended in the air atop his wrecked ho. The cat-like psychic type was ditating in the midst of the ruins of their little 'house' that had been made of mud, wood, bark, and no small number of vines. A psychic barrier encircled the ditating Pokémon, who had evidently landed on the roof, and then pushed it downwards, demolishing everything.

It was repairable, but it would never be the sa. Hydrus was just as irritated as Arthur, and as the rest of his team noticed, all except Terra were genuinely mad that their sleeping space had been crushed by the Pokémon arrogant enough to claim to be as strong as Arceus. Red's wtwo was sothing of a legend, and after Blaine had passed on and given his ball to Red, the only Trainer he trusted with wtwo, the psychic type had grown…vocal. And disobedient. There was a reason Red usually kept him in his ball.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As Shruikan landed, he snarled at the ditating Pokémon, who opened one eye, and then the other as he did a double take. "Its going to pay for crushing our ho…" Shruikan's snarls only made the wtwo smirk, and Alex patted his horn, before leaping down.

"Peace, Shruikan…" He said, speaking to the dragon's mind. "This is Arthur's fight…"

The dragon grumbled, but spoke ntally to their Gallade. "Make sure my words ring true, sword-hands."

As if in response, Arthur popped free of his ball. He'd been quiet on the trip south, and Alex knew Xerneas's words still rang in his head. The Sage knew who he was. Why had he not told him? That thought had steadily grown more and more irritating. Thus, now that they were finally here, he was ready for so answers, and was in no mood to deal with Red's wtwo.

Blue psychic power surrounded Arthur as he walked up to wtwo, who blinked in irritation as the Gallade marched through his Barrier with ease. Arthur stared him down, his face an inch from the genetic Pokémon's as he projected his words. "Get. Out. I won't ask nicely again." There was a low 'oooo' sound from the few Trainers besides Red that had co to, evidently, see what the wtwo would do next. Shruikan's arrival wasn't subtle, and their crushed domicile seed to be a recent event.

Red ca up to Alex who was already moving towards the two psychic types. "I'm sorry, he just…he randomly popped free of his Pokéball a few minutes ago and vanished. Then I found him here. I have no idea why he's doing this…"

The wtwo gave his Trainer a brief, irritated glance. "This does not concern Humans. Go away. This is between , and the little prince. The Dragonslayer." wtwo smirked again, and before anyone could blink, he was suddenly sent flying to his right, and everyone else's left. Arthur's Night Slash was humming, and radiating dark type energy.

He glared towards the hole in the foliage the wtwo's body had caused. "I told you...to get out." His right arm, the arm which had struck first, was shaking, and Alex blinked as he sensed his Gallade was dangerously close to losing himself to rage. Where had that co from?

Given that their telepathy was being broadcast audibly, everyone noticed how mad Arthur looked. Around the compound he'd been, by far, the most active of Alex's team. Sparring every day, with humans, Pokémon, anyone really. He'd trained relentlessly, as he had been convinced that he was their team's weak link at the ti, due to his inability to ga Evolve. That was no longer the case now, though.

This wtwo in particular had often mocked the Gallade, 'sparring' with him in his ga Form, which gained the fighting type. Arthur had withstood the verbal abuse though, and kept his cool, sothing everyone had admired, even as the Gallade lost consistently. Arthur's noble deanor and nickna had only irritated wtwo, and Arthur had beco the focus of his irritation on a daily basis. It had been good training, but the harsh words often struck a nerve he had, until now, ignored.

The other Champions around the area, evidently brought by Red, or just curious to see what his wtwo was doing, all visibly flinched as the Genetic Pokémon's voice rang through the area. "So…you've gotten proper training…" The two sides of the wtwo-sized hole in the foliage were wrenched apart with psychic power. His eyes were shining deep blue, and the wtwo approached Arthur slowly, levitating above the ground.

The gathered Trainers, Alex included, winced again as the wtwo turned his gaze towards Red, lifted the human into the air, and forcibly drew a ga Stone from his bag. They all knew which one it was. wtwo raised a finger, and Red's keystone activated the wtwonite X. He sighed contently, as he finished ga evolving, and flexed his larger muscles as he landed before the Gallade. "Go on then, little prince. Hit with everything you have. Make your dead mother proud."

Arthur's eyes flared blue, and the area between the two psychic types began to break apart as each one called on their power. Sparks flared as their auras brushed against each other. Arthur did not ga Evolve however, despite being given the chance to do so. wtwo's eyes narrowed, and he began to form a sphere of black energy between his palms. Arthur did the sa, and his sword arms were glowing gold.

The gold light ford a similar orb between his palms as he condensed the energy into a sphere he knew his opponent could not match, and though wtwo's grew darker as he poured more of his aweso power into it, Arthur's only grew brighter.

"ENOUGH!"

The force of the psychic shout disrupted wtwo's concentration, but Arthur's held fast. He gave his opponent a grim smirk as the Shadow Ball wtwo had been forming vanished without his focus. The Foggy Swamp Sage descended through the canopy above them, staring down each fighter, before focusing on Arthur, who had kept the shining ball of power between his hands. "I said that's enough, Arthur…"

The Gallade seed to growl, but then paused as a single, massive claw rested on his shoulder. Shruikan brought his head down to the Gallade's level, and t his gaze, blinking once. Arthur sighed, and let the energy go.

The Sage sighed, and pointed at Red, specifically one of his Pokéballs. A red light shot at the wtwo, who seed ready to attack the Sage, but was forcibly returned to his ball instead. It shook violently, but the Sage's deep pinkish aura of psychic power kept it shut. He turned his gaze to the Gallade, and his Trainer.

"You two. Co with ."

Alex gave a nod, and bowed, but the Sage had vanished with what he assud was Teleport. He let the rest of his team out of their balls, and then turned to Red. "They're going to start reconstructing my ho. Help them out, if you can, hmm?" He gestured to his wrecked hovel. "This is partly your fault." Red simply nodded, keeping the brim of his hat covering his face.

Arthur gave Red a pat on the shoulder before following Alex. "Know that I bla your wtwo for this. I know you wouldn't do sothing like this with no provocation. You're a good Trainer. One of the best, in fact, if what Alex says is true. Many have failed to ta a wtwo. Don't let this incident keep you from trying. You'll reach him…eventually." Red t the Gallade's gaze for a mont, and then nodded.

The walk to the Sage's chamber would take several minutes, and Alex spoke quietly to his Gallade as they moved. "Are you okay? I've never seen you that angry…"

The Gallade flinched, a frown on his usually happy face. "I…I just…I have no excuse. I lost control, for a mont…I let his words get to …"

Alex stopped, and faced his Gallade, putting a hand on each shoulder. "Anyone would have. I know how much you liked ditating in your room, and I know my own emotional turmoil hasn't helped with yours."

Arthur looked up, at that. "That's not-"

Alex cut him off. "We've had a rough week, my friend. Focus on the positive. Nobody got hurt, and you kept your head, in the end. Which is good because that attack, which was incredibly cool by the way, would've seriously hurt an Oranguru."

Arthur looked down again, and sighed. "I don't know what it was…I just used Sacred Sword and pooled the energy…"

Alex smirked. He'd thought that's what had happened. "We'll work on it. Now let's go."

The Sage's compound was, they realized, much larger now. Several more dorm buildings had been added, and several others were yet being built, just to accommodate all the new people. There was even a second ss hall, built onto the side of the first.

The Sage's chamber seed unchanged, at least. They found him where he usually was, ditating in his wooden bowl-throne, perfectly balanced upon one of Swamp Tree's roots. Alex ntally reached out to the tree, grinning. "Hey, Swamp Tree."

"Redwood, my man. Welco back."

The tree's voice was as casually chill as it always was. "Thanks Swamp Tree. How've you been?"

A hint of sarcasm entered the tree's voice as it responded. "Pretty good, you know, pretty good. I've just been sitting here for a few months. Being a tree. Winters over, so that's good. I love spring. It makes grow taller."

"Yea?" Alex said, resisting a chuckle. "Do you ever, y'know, consider maybe not growing? You're already pretty large, Swamp Tree."

"Asking a tree not to grow is like asking the sun not to shine, Redwood. Trees gotta do what a trees gotta do." Even the Sage was smirking now, though Alex could tell he was trying to hide it. "You're one to talk. Look at you. Last I saw you, you could barely lift a pebble. You were smaller, too. What happened?"

"I'll tell you all about it." Alex said, as he walked up to the throne, and bowed. Arthur did the sa.

The Sage opened his eyes, examined his student, and raised a brow. "So. You awakened your Dragon blood. Well, nobody saw that coming, I'm sure." He shifted his gaze to one of the rafters in the hall, and the lead Passimian guard dropped down, and reluctantly handed over a very large, very juicy looking Sitrus Berry.

Alex had a feeling he'd just seen the conclusion of so sort of berry bet. The Sage split the fruit in half, and offered so to Alex, who broke his piece in half, and gave so to Arthur. They munched quietly, sitting together as Alex recounted their adventures in the land of ice and snow.

"So. Tao trained you to use your psychic powers, did he." Alex nodded, and the Sage sighed. "Well, he didn't teach you anything too damaging, so that's sothing. Besides, you showed control in Norstad. You could have that region worshiping you as a dragon-god hero, but you didn't stay."

Alex nodded again. "Norstad's better off being led by a hero of their own. And, Jess was better at using her powers. She surpassed during our training. She also had help from her partner. Mine refused to teach anything because you forbade him from doing so."

"For good reason," the Sage mumbled, "You had yet to unlock the other half of your potential. Now, we can move forward. Arthur, consider my ban lifted. Teach him whatever he wants."

Arthur smirked, as did his Trainer. "With respect, master," He said, "I think you already know what he wants. He's determined to learn it from you, and if I'm honest…it's been a while. I've kind of forgotten how…and I wouldn't have the first clue about teaching it to a Human…I can move fast enough to make it seem like the real thing, but that's just a ninja technique I picked up from Gren."

The Sage raised a brow, and looked between the two. "What does he wish to learn now?"

Alex's smirk widened. He'd been shielding his thoughts, and it was nice to know the Sage hadn't pried, though he had no doubt his ntal defenses would be no match for his power. "I want to Teleport, master. It seems like sothing that could be incredibly useful, to a Trainer. Especially one with a power base to manage."

The Sage tossed the last of the fruit into his mouth, and raised a brow. "How?" It was weird, seeing his mouth occupied, and yet hearing him speak, undeterred by it.

Alex blinked. "Well, for one thing, I could continue my duties as Champion, and study here."

The Sage nodded, and then a look of understanding ca over his face. "I see what you're after…it also lets you visit your woman. And anywhere else you can rember. Hmmmm." The large Pokémon stroked his chin, which had a respectable white-furred beard on it. "Very well. I see no reason to keep you from such a skill. You have proven that you can handle power. The World Eater was no small threat. I'll expect you to bring her here, for training. If what you say about Pravus is true, she will need it as well, before you venture to Fornia."

Learning to Teleport wasn't exactly difficult, as he was, after all, a psychic. It was an ability most of them had, and one Arthur was glad to rember. It would be incredibly useful in a battle. The trick, as the Sage showed them, was to tap into the global field of energy surrounding their planet, and use their psychic power to move along it. It was, in actuality, quite simple. All you needed was a clear image of your imprinted destination, though Alex soon realized, he could only go to places he'd already been, and rembered quite well.

That was fine, as it gave him a reason to travel the world. He'd gone back to his room once he'd gotten the hang of it, and while there, grabbed extra clothes, and shoved them into his bag. His shirt, pants, and robe didn't really need washing since they were clothes from Tao's world, but having extra underwear was always a good thing. He appeared back in the Sage's hall, grinning like a child. "This…is amazing. Thank you, master." He bowed low.

The Sage seed amused that the human was so glad to get underwear. Naturally, the Sage didn't need any. Teleportation was sothing most unevolved psychic types did with ease. Seeing a human use it was interesting, but his student had no issues picking it up. Once he'd done it successfully, he had the move down. "Rember there's a limit to how many tis you can use it. Don't forget. Or you'll have to spend ti resting wherever you end up."

Arthur glanced at his Trainer once he sat back down, and Alex nodded. "Master, there's sothing else…when Xerneas thanked us for saving her, and her ho, she told Arthur about his origins…or rather, she told him that you knew of them."

The Sage sighed, but shifted his gaze to the Gallade, who was looking down at his crossed legs. "She was correct. Since the mont you arrived, I had a feeling, but seeing you both now…it's clear my instinct was spot on. I did not tell you because…the situation is…complicated."

Arthur looked up at the Sage. "Who am I?"

Oranguru usually prided himself on being emotionally distant. Unattached. Wise. But seeing this Gallade, the sadness in his eyes, the lack of understanding…it moved him in ways he thought he'd been immune to. "Settle in, both of you." The Sage said, "This is going to be a long story…"

"Arthur, you hail from the land known as Albion. I'm sure you've never heard of it. Small, just north of Wyndon City. It's a nice place, really. Rolling fields of green, kind people, the weather is terrible, but then, that's just a part of living there. In actual fact, Albion is where your species first originated from, though you've all spread out over the eons. Your ancestral roots are in Albion, and your egg, young Arthur, was likely created there." The Gallade looked ready to respond, but stayed quiet. He needed to hear this.

"As I said…the situation in Albion is…complicated. Fragile. You see, the Humans of that land have lived there for uncountable millennia, but, unlike any other society on the planet, they actually allowed Pokémon to rule over them, and hold positions of governntal power. Specifically, your line, Arthur. You are, in my best guess, the Lost Prince of Albion."

Arthur blinked. "What…? I…hmm…tell about my mother."

The Sage nodded. "Your insight serves you well. Several years ago, there was…a shift in the balance of Albion's power. A group of Humans, for no discernible reason, rose up against you and your family. I know for a fact that your line always ruled with the inherent grace and kindness your species is so naturally imbued with. These Humans though…they had a benefactor. A woman in the shadows, pulling their strings. She beca Queen after she killed your father, and your mother was forced to run, with no mate, a fresh egg, and a Houndoom on her heels."

The Sage sighed, and sank into his throne. "I will be honest…when they drove your mother to flee her ho after they'd killed your father, I did not allow her to stay in the Swamp. She ca to with an egg, I'm assuming it was yours, but I could not let her stay. You see, to this day, there is a…dedicated…group of Humans and Pokémon alike under the new Queen whose sole purpose is to hunt you down, and end any chance of the old line returning to power. Anyone who helps refugees of the 'royal family', is severely punished. I wasn't willing to start a war. They would've torn the Swamp apart to find her, and keep you from hatching." The Sage kept his gaze on the floor. "I know that her egg hatched, and that she fled to Unova, seeking the protection of four Pokémon, three of which had, in the past, served her family."

Alex broke in then. There was only one quartet that could possibly fill that role. "The Swords of Justice…but they've-"

"Disappeared." Oranguru said, nodding. "I am aware. I know this much, young Arthur. Your mother fell to the hands of this group that hunts you, even now. I also know that shortly after she died, the Swords went missing. When you return to Unova, go to their Pledge Grove. That is where my Future Sight led my gaze when I ditated on this. If there are answers, you will find them there."

The Gallade glanced at his Trainer, and Alex nodded. There was no question. Arthur was going to the Grove imdiately, to rember what he'd forgotten. He Teleported away, and Alex sighed at his master. "He never stops."

The Sage smirked. "I know. I wonder who he gets that from."

Later that night, as Arthur handled his business, Alex returned to his 'ho' to find that Terra had seriously outdone himself with reforging their hovel. The design was essentially the sa, but the combined mastery of the earth and water that made up the Swamp from Terra and Hyrdrus allowed it to be molded in ways humans could never dream of achieving. Not without years of work. It was even big enough for Jess, and had passable shelter from the rain that would no doubt co as sumr approached.

He recalled his tired team, amazed at their work. Blaze and Leo had also helped sculpt the stone, so everyone was thoroughly exhausted, which was perfect, because Alex had a feeling his belt wouldn't be on all night.

Alex was finally free to Teleport wherever he wished. His possibilities were limitless. He went to Alola first, and bumped into Percy at a restaurant his family had visited on an earlier trip. Percy suggested he get sothing for his lover, and deciding to actually trust the fairy type's advice, he let his random, wandering gaze, and the universe, guide him. It was a trick he'd picked up from Tao, and was often a good way to make decisions his conscious mind focused too hard on. Once his eyes read the familiar, and hilarious words on the random package they'd settled on behind the counter, Alex knew what he'd be getting her.

Unova University - Unova Region

"Thanks for the Tapu Cocoa." Jess said, smirking. He'd returned to his lady's dorm, only to find that her new roommate had invited her boyfriend as well. Naturally, Alex had enough to share.

Her roommate smirked. "Yes, thank you…it's seriously good." She pouted at her partner. "He never gets anything."

Jess buried her face in his chest suddenly, and she stifled a giggle fit as Alex nonchalantly sipped his drink, and said, "I know what the ladies like." The boyfriend, whose na he hadn't been told, nodded, as he got the reference. Alex chuckled as well.

They'd Teleported away then, as upon hearing he could take her anywhere, his better half had demanded to see Lumiose again, naly because she needed to shop, or sothing. He didn't mind, and managed to use her own mory of the city to appear there, right outside Lumiose Tower. The great thing about Kalos, he discovered, was that everyone was ready to battle, and usually with ga Evolution. Those battles were always interesting. Especially since he was down to Hydrus and Terra, whose stamina was quite impressive. Everyone else was still tired from constructing their ho again.

Alex and Jess gave themselves three months, before they headed out for Fornia, as upon prodding its outer defenses they had learned the Professor had been correct. Fornia was a fortress, and entering it was not simple, even for Arceans. Training in the Swamp by day, and adventuring at night Alex was battling tons of Trainers, and seeing many battle styles. More than once, a wandering blackbelt had even challenged him to a battle of martial arts, and not Pokémon. So, had even fought alongside their fighting types, claiming that was how people battled in the Imperium of Man, and both he and Arthur found those kinds of matches rather enjoyable.

Arthur, after returning from his Pledge Grove adventure in which he reunited with Keldeo, was no closer to finding the missing Swords. He inford his Trainer that there were many Gallade who were considered great knights in the Pokémon Leagues throughout the States. For a reason he kept private, he wanted to travel to those Leagues, and battle those Gallade. Having read the sa legends Arthur had, Alex could guess why.

The Sage had been right, as always. His species had a thing for tournant battling. Shruikan and Blaze helped expand the number of places they could Teleport to, by the day. Alex was making a trail essentially, slowly reaching ever closer to Fornia. It was impressive just how massive the continent was, and he knew once he got in range of Fornia that he'd be battling Leagues all the way back to the Swamp. He wasn't trying to beco Champion, but he did have a series of six on six wins against the Champions he ca across randomly on his travels west. He also challenged a few gyms, both with his main six, and his other partners who were eager to train after their holiday hiatus. So of them were, he discovered the hard way, simply not strong enough yet to solo gyms as his main six had, so he resolved to train them more, and thus focused mainly on road battles and sharing experience as they moved quietly ever westward.

Jess was with him, of course, and despite being trained by Alex, Arthur, and even Delphi, she just could not grasp how they used Teleport so easily. She'd had the hardest ti grasping the universal energy web that she was supposed to reach out to, and move along. She hadn't realized just how connected she was to the planet at large, and Alex teased her for it all the ti. Being a rancher, he'd always known he was a part of a larger, interconnected web of life.

One night, they'd visited Percy, who'd heard about Jess' inability to learn Teleport. He gave them Tapu Cocoa, and had then told Jess that the key to understanding teleportation was understanding how every living thing was connected, and tapping into that web to move through space. He'd finished his lecture with the words "Life needs life, to live." She giggled for a mont, pondered his words, and then blinked away. Monts later, she returned, still smirking.

Once she learned how to Teleport, Alex brought her towards the Swamp, as instructed. She was eager to learn, of course, but with their new ability to be literally anywhere at any ti, they'd been rather distracted on the way down.

With sudden access to places the world over, Alex felt less guilty about catching multiple partners. Being able to Teleport, and only needing four hours of sleep since his training in the World Forge, ant he could finally train his other partners, or at least tell his cousins to let them out. It was sumr, after all. He'd found the right evolutions for each of the Eevee he'd caught together, and once they were all trained up, he set them to guard the ranch from their tree-ho in the nearby forest. With powerful moves learned by way of TM, and perfected with training.

At first, the proud group of genetic variants claid to have better things to do. Then, they'd realized just how many reporters, tourists, rabid fans, and even wild Pokémon ca around the Redwood Ranch lately, and would, if ignored, trample the wild Pokémon's hos. More than once a Pokémon intelligent enough to pay attention to human dia had sought him out, for training. Sotis they wished to be caught, other tis, they left after learning to incorporate elents of the Dragon Style into their battles. His eeveelutions grew stronger as they battled off more and more people, but the two that shone strongest were his Espeon and Umbreon. He wasn't all that surprised. One guarded the ranch during the day, and the other took the night. Always their patrols were in balance. He was glad at least two of the litter had picked up his lessons.

Alex gave similar tasks to his other partners as he had with the Eevee, and slowly, his family noticed that certain chores were just randomly being taken care of by his Pokémon. His Muk and Garbodor cleared the garbage by splitting it between themselves fairly, before wandering away to find more. His Machamp helped his uncle and older cousin with ranching. His Leafeon and Chikorita tended the plants. He also knew that his cousins could find uses for those he sent over. More than once now, they'd bonded with the Pokémon in question, and he'd simply given them to the relative in question. Slowly and subtly, the younger generation of Redwoods gained full belts from the prolific Champion. Evidently, all those hours chucking pebbles at the now-exploded stump just outside their ho were paying off.

Thus, it was well into sumr by the ti Alex and Jess finally arrived at the edge of the massive Swamp. She too battled the dragon woman, and earned the right to fly in on her Articuno. Folokraan was quite large now, and had proven herself by beating down a certain Dragonite with icy ease born of a quadruple weakness. Once they returned to their swampy abode, Arthur had popped out, just in case a certain wtwo decided to make an appearance again. It didn't.

Connor eventually made his way to the Sage, and then back through the Swamp again to earn the right to fly. There was a reason Garchomp was feared, and a favorite of Champion level teams. He'd smirked at Alex and his sister, who were in the middle of sparring, as he sliced down through the canopy of the island. Evidently, he'd been victorious against the Dragonite as well, and had also acquired power he supposedly wasn't ready for.

Once Alex, Jess, and Connor had all arrived, finally, it wasn't long until Hilbert showed up as well. N remained nowhere to be found. Since Alex could Teleport now, Hilda didn't have to battle quite so many Trainers, which had given her ti to finally visit this Swamp her brother constantly pestered her about. She was surprised to learn that the Champion could travel so far so fast, and hadn't expected him in the Swamp, but her brother was glad she'd finally made it down. Naturally, the other Champions were quite eager to 'get to know' the girl who'd beaten down the original Team Plasma. When they asked Alex for an introduction, he'd smirk, and send them to Hilbert. He knew how that would end. The elder twin was overprotective, quiet, and ruthlessly strong. Even if they got through Hilbert though, Hilda usually wanted to face them next, and most discovered pretty quickly that the female half of the duo that brought down the original Team Plasma already had a romantic interest. It wasn't hard to guess who.

When everyone had finally returned, they were almost halfway through the sumr. The Sage gathered his first generation of pupils, and told them, and other worthy disciples, why so many regular Trainers had been allowed to the Swamp. They weren't unskilled persay, they just hadn't all won a League yet.

Part of proving one could be the honored student of a Sage was being able to teach, as well as learn. In fact, often the advanced lessons on achieving inner peace were based solely on how well one could train a pupil.

Alex had been doing this already, in a fashion, and once he had ti, he'd organized the Trainers who wanted to learn from the man who'd united the Original Dragon. A change happened in the training ground over the next few weeks, after the Sage told them to let those who wished to learn, do so. With the influx of Trainers had co plenty of fan bases, and Unova's was, naturally, rather large. Even though all the Champions had not co down, the Trainers who showed up before him seed more than eager to learn from the twins, and Alex as well.

So Champions had convinced others to learn from them, but the more Alex taught about balance and especially the martial arts of the Dragon Style, and how they were related, the more trainees he had who were both newcors, and old Champions. Everyone was eager to learn a new style of 'Kung Fu', which was where Connor had chid in.

His teoric rise to the rank of being able to fly had been gotten him rapid recognition among the other Champions, and he too claid that he could teach Kung Fu. Apparently, he'd also said the Tiger Style could easily beat the Dragon, but Alex hadn't much cared. His disciples spoke for themselves. It also helped having Jess around, for her skills were almost as good as his. When it ca to using psychic power however, Alex was entirely outclassed.

In truth, he'd essentially copied Tao's thod of instruction, though it would take much, much longer to complete on this plane. So students didn't care, and went weeks without rest, determined to master everything they could be taught.

Those were the disciples who soon unlocked a second typing, like their ntor had. Dragon and psychic was rare enough that Alex was the only human around the Sage's compound who'd had that combination, and most of the combinations that did appear in the Champions were normal, and sothing else. He also soon noticed that the Sage didn't care if his honored disciple was a psychic type or not. He trained and grood many Trainers personally, Champions and regular Trainers alike, and Alex gained a bad habit of beating them in battles of Pokémon, and fist.

Eventually, Oranguru suggested Alex battle his longti neighbor, and the scarlet headed Champion of Kalos had grinned at the offer to battle. He opted for a battle of fists. Evidently, he knew how a six on six would go. The so-called 'masters' of the Tiger and Dragon styles t on the Pokémon battlefield towards the back of the island. It was surrounded by trainee housing made from the bamboo that grew in the swamp, and almost felt like a stadium.

Connor summoned his Raikou, and Alex rolled his eyes. Evidently, he wanted his ntor to watch. That was fine by him. Tao appeared in a psychic Teleportation flash, towering over Alex, and setting the crowd watching them abuzz with murmuring. Many people still hadn't seen the Original Dragon in the flesh, but he always made an impression. The massive white and black dragon grinned at the tiger-like Legendary. This was a bet long in the making.

As the two humans clashed after sharing a nod, it soon beca obvious who the more skilled fighter was. Alex hit Connor's balance points with every move, and the explosive strikes, which made Raikou's style so deadly, simply couldn't hit his opponent in return. The Champion of Unova was a black and white blur. He moved like water, and struck like thunder. He almost reached for his staff, but Connor hadn't allowed that.

Seeing defeat looming too quickly for his ego, Connor had given a shout of "Haaaa!", and flared his second typing's power, and as fighting type energy claws ford around his fists, Alex smirked at him, and mouthed a word in the tongue of the Dragons.

"Dovah."

His eyes shifted from shades of light blue and bluish-purple to almost pure white as he pushed his limits. His power flared, and then condensed around his form in a shield of aura, and the smirking Unovan Champion launched forward again, as he began to, finally, attack without pulling his punches. Everything thus far had been a warm up.

Though Connor scratched his opponent many tis, his claws never seed to leave much more than a few marks, and each ti Alex struck in return, Connor nearly doubled over. He glared at his rival, and wondered when he'd gotten this good.

Connor flared his fighting type aura again, with more shouting, and as he did, it turned yellow, and began sparking with electricity. Alex's smirk grew as he recognized the trick Thor used in battle. "Really? Are we going there?"

Connor grinned. "Co and find out." He dropped into his stance again, and Alex sighed. His rival didn't seem to get it.

Though the Kalos Champion's muscles had grown exponentially, he was simply not fast enough for the advantage Teleport gave to his opponent. Each strike from Alex slamd into his target's weak points, and given that he had limited uses of Teleport, he didn't pull his punches.

As his fighting type energy faded, revealing just how hurt his body was, Connor grinned at his rival, who remained seemingly immune to the bloodless slashes all over his face, chest, back, and legs. "Alright, I give. I know when I'm beaten."

Alex let the power fade, and smirked at his rival. "You've beco rather good with fists. You almost had ." The nurous slashes sparked as the skin sewed itself closed, and the tears in his robe sewed themselves shut. He stretched then, and glanced at Tao, who glanced at Raikou, who snarled in irritation.

The large tiger stalked over, and placed sothing at Alex's feet. Ghost, Dark, Steel, and Fighting type crystals, shards of Plates from Arceus himself. Each flared as Alex connected to them, and lifted them up via telekinesis. "Thank you. We should Battle again in the future. I still need more of these." The tiger glared at the human, and then blinked, as Tao growled at him in return.

Raikou stalked back to Connor, and returned to his ball without a word. He'd had enough of draconic smugness for one day.

The dragon had followed Alex back to his 'ho' of course, and watched him pocket his new prizes. "You should have Arthur bond with them. And there is more to know, before you set off for Fornia."

The retrieval of these particular Plate crystals had been the final step in their plan to leave. The Swamp was unbearably hot, as it was the middle of the sumr, but they knew Fornia would be hotter. Alex had ntioned that they planned to look at Albion eventually, assuming they survived Fornia, and the Dragon hadn't missed a beat.

Arthur had practiced forming 'energy balls' of many types now, but only ghost and psychic ever really worked. Once he had access to a fighting crystal, his 'Excalibur Sphere' as he called it, was easy to use. Especially in his ga Form. He knew he needed to be stronger than Mordred. He'd read the legends, and, he rembered just how close their first encounter had been.

Once he'd bonded to each, and ford spheres with each, the Gallade had returned to his ball to continue practicing. It was safer in there, and it was designed to help his power grow. Perfect for training. Alex and Tao chuckled at his behavior. He really was always on the move.

Jess had been busy gathering crystals as well, like Steel, Water, Electric, and Grass. They would need to find more before reaching Fornia, but they'd manage. It was no secret that the regions Fornia controlled around the Stoney Mountains were literally brimming with ancient stones and fossils. Blissfully ignorant Archaeologists were more than willing to join the Church, if it ant discovering and reviving an extinct species of Pokémon.

Scientists had hypothesized that the Stoney Mountains were so of the first places w began to copy DNA from. Life flourished in those regions, but the Arceans kept a lock on all of it. One thing Alex was looking forward to most, was finding all those new species nobody had yet been able to freely catalogue.

Tao looked between the two Trainers, and sighed. "You're ready to leave, and yet you aren't disguised." Jess smirked at the dragon, and summoned the fairy type energy from her crystal. Ever since being immortalized by Xerneas, she'd had a knack for using it to disguise things, which was good, for she had no Pokémon that could make use of it. Yet.

With a wave, their appearance changed, and they gained the dark tanned skin, and golden hair so common in the Fornia region. At least among Arceans, which was who they were trying to infiltrate. Their features had changed as well, though to those who knew them, like family, they were still recognizable.

The dragon nodded, seemingly satisfied by their attempt at disguise. "Very well. The first thing you'll want to do is gather the other Plate crystals. If you do that, Pravus will never overpower you. Next, cos having Pokémon who can use those crystals. In tis long passed, Battlers carried ten partners, and the strongest among them was decided by going head to head in clashes of ten on ten. This will be the sa rule set in the upcoming World Tournant: Ten partners, no substitutions, and the freedom to use whatever Move your Partner can learn. The limit of four will be removed, for World Tournant Battles."

The Sage descended then, floating down through the foliage on his fan, and yawned before giving Tao a nod of respect that was returned in kind. "Mm. You're telling him? Fine." The tired eyes shifted to Alex, and the Sage spoke again. "For this particular tournant, Trainers and Pokémon are encouraged to use as many Moves as they're capable of rembering, in whatever style they wish. Items and healing implents will not be allowed, with the exception of potions. Every Trainer will have one, per match, and it is up to them to know when to use it."

Alex arched a brow at his two towering ntors. "What's the purpose of such a tournant? Ten Pokémon? Most people can barely go six on six."

The Oranguru chuckled, and munched on what appeared to be a Pinap berry, seemingly immune to the rough exterior, the massive, flat teeth crushed it without a thought. "This tournant is ant to draw out the strongest Trainer in the world. What happens after will be for that individual to find out. To that end, the League's founder wanted this particular test to be as fair as possible, with a focus on making participants rely on strategizing with what abilities their Pokémon have, without item usage getting in the way. Essentially...it will be a contest in the style of the ancient world, in a ti when Humans were able to draw much, much more from Pokémon in terms of power. This competition will reawaken that knowledge, and set the stage for the final act."

Alex's brow rose further. "Final act?"

The Sage chuckled. "You'll find out, if you manage to win. For now...gather your four new team mbers, and prepare. I will inform the other Champions. Most will already have four more partners ready to fill out their belts. Once more, you are behind, Redwood."

Alex nodded, as the Sage floated off to dispense more wisdom, and Tao returned ho with a 'bamf' sound common to Teleporting. He already had several Pokémon in mind for his four new slots.

His original six would be used for full battles, and the other four would be useful in Fornia. He fully intended on training the new four just as hard as the rest of his team. He needed battle-hardened partners who could use the other crystals in his possession, and most of his thus far captured partners back ho simply didn't want to battle as much as his main six did. Jess was still trying to decide what she wanted for her team, but Alex already had his first pick. He needed an Aron. An Aron from the mountains around his ho region, of course. He and Jess bamfed to Unova as well, and parted, to go about finding more partners. Having four new ones would further help hide their identities in Fornia, as they could pretend to be diocre Trainers who had Pokémon more as pets and friends than as competitors.

It was as he began searching the mountain closest to the ranch, and caught the gaze of a particularly ravenous Aron, that he knew he'd found his partner. He needed an Aggron that was powerful, and hungry. It was literally the key to his plan against the Arcean's defenses working. He offered the Aron an Ultra Ball, once he'd convinced him that it wasn't food. The little Pokémon asked to see his team, and Alex took his request by reading his thoughts as he spoke.

They appeared behind him in a multicolored flash, smirking, and the little steel type's eyes widened as he saw just how outclassed he was by his new teammates. Hydrus terrified the little one, but the others he didn't mind. Blaze was only slightly impressed at how fearless the little Pokémon seed around him. Steel types usually took one look at the Charizard and refused to battle. His flas often turned blue against real opponents.

Alex knelt down to the still-chewing Aron, and smirked. "Co with . The ti is right, and there's no better team." The Aron blinked, and then pushed the Ultra Ball button, which dinged shut. One down. Alex smirked at the ball. "I'll call you Cenomons."

Author's Note: I'm putting this here, since it's technically the start of the World Tournant, which we're now getting into in the current chapters. If you want to, potentially, see your OC Trainer in this Saga's setting, send their full na, notable personality traits, physical description with as much detail as possible (or a picture, if AI can nail it) in a private ssage. Include their team of up to ten partners, and what you think their general skill level would be in this slice of the Pokéverse, like number of Badges, or if they have eight, how many of their partners are at or near 100 in terms of level.

Teams should be kept within reason (Legends and several mythicals are not allowed in this Tournant), but since this Pokéverse favors Trainers (we'll get to Why, later) they can have whatever nature you like, and since moves aren't limited, maybe include who has mastered which moves. And by mastery I an, they can use strong or weak versions of said moves.

One final note, if you want to potentially use said original character sowhere else, or just want it for the tournant specifically, let know. Ideally, I'd like to eventually include as many people as possible, within reason of course, but I can say there will be many more Battles to co, and I could always use more random Trainers. People we see in the tournant may pop up again in the future, based on who/what they are and how well they do, but in general I will endeavor to use your submissions in the manner you want to see them. And due to the dice rolls I use to decide battle outcos, you may even find them advancing pretty far. I look forward to seeing who gets submitted...assuming anyone is even interested.

As always, enjoy.