The World of Pokémon (Chapter 6 - 3/14/17)

The rain poured down on the small town. Swampert, returning from a shopping trip, was heading back for the hotel he and his group were staying at. "I know I'm a Water Pokémon," he thought to himself, "but rain sure bugs me."

Eventually he walked inside the room where the four other friends were at. Nidorina then said, "You're back! Did you find anything good while you were out?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Some food, drinks... enough for tonight's stay." He proceeded to place out all the food and drinks he had gotten. "Eat up."

Immediately Sneasel began to dig in. "NOMNOMNOM!" he shouted as he scarfed down a turkey sandwich. "Man, that was gooood!" Sneasel said, patting his stomach.

Braixen calmly dug into a bowl of cereal. "Thanks for getting us food again," she politely said.

"Hey, if I won't do it, who will?" Swampert replied.

Umbreon started eating some toaster pastries. "Yummy!" he satisfyingly said. "Swampert, whenever you go out, you always bring back the goods!"

"Yeah? Whatever money can buy, I suppose." Swampert said. He then walked over to the window and looked at his Swampertite, hanging on a chain around his neck. "I wonder if I'll ever find someone as powerful as me," he thought to himself.

"Swampert?" Braixen said as she tapped him. "You thinking about your Mega Stone again?"

"Yep. Just wish there was someone out there that could give some excitement, a real fight."

Nidorina finished her meal and laid flat on her bed. "Delish! Time for bed, I'm stuffed."

Swampert then agreed and turned off the lights. "Tomorrow we'll probably set out once again."

Everyone then went silently to sleep. The next morning, they prepared to begin traveling again, when a Shiny Poliwrath appeared.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help noticing that Mega Stone on your necklace," he said. "My name is Poliwrath, and I'm the local Gym Leader. Perhaps if you're looking for a fight, you should come by."

Braixen then nudged Swampert, saying, "Maybe this is your chance for a good fight!"

"Yeah..." he said. "Alright, it's a deal!"

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the Gym. "Welcome one, welcome all!" Poliwrath excitedly said. "Hope you're ready for a real good fight!" The rest of the group sat in some bleachers, while Swampert readied himself for battle.

"This will be a one-on-one battle!" said the referee, a Wobbuffet. "When either Pokémon is knocked out, the other wins the match! If both contenders are ready..."

"Ready," Swampert said.

"Ready!" Poliwrath shouted.

"Battle begin!" the referee shouted, throwing down his hand.

Swampert started off by rushing over with a Close Combat. Poliwrath blocked most of the hits, sustaining little damage, and shot him with Flash Cannon.

"What...? Flash Cannon? How do you know that?" Swampert asked, mind-blown.

"Let's say I have some outside sources. I have a modified TM91. I taught myself the move."

Swampert then used Mud Shot and blocked Poliwrath's eyes, then hit him hard with Hammer Arm. Poliwrath, clearing the mud from his eyes, then used Whirlpool and did a ton of damage to Swampert.

"Alright... it's finally time!" Swampert declared.

"For...?" Poliwrath asked.

Swampert tapped his Mega Stone and he began to glow. His body transformed, and he became Mega Swampert!

"Oh-ho!" Poliwrath exclaimed. "Very impressive! I've never seen a Mega Swampert in person before, and it does not disappoint."

"Heh-heh," Swampert chuckled. "The real fight starts now!"

He used Close Combat and scored massive damage on Poliwrath, then followed up with Seismic Toss.

"We have a winner!" the referee shouted. "Swampert wins the match!"

The group cheered as Swampert shook hands with Poliwrath. "Good match. I didn't think I would stand a chance against a Mega Evolution. And I didn't!"

"Thanks for fighting me; it felt pretty good to get a battle in."

Poliwrath handed him a badge, which appeared as a fist with water details.

"Accept it. You've earned it."

The group then departed for the next town. Poliwrath, however, pulled out a small communicator.

"The Swampert is strong... but he's nothing it can't handle," he reported.

"Indeed," a shady voice replied. "None will stand against our might."

Outside, Swampert was showered with compliments.

Sneasel said, "You were awesome!"

Umbreon said, "You were amazing!"

And Nidorina said, "That was totally awesomazing!"

Braixen then said, "You did really good, against a Gym Leader no less. I'm pretty proud, even though I didn't train you."

"I did alright, but I've got a long ways to go before I get even close to the Pokémon League."

The group exited the town and set off on the path to the next one.

Everyone was still abuzz at Swampert's win a few days ago. The badge glimmered as Swampert held it.

The group, composed of Swampert, Braixen, Sneasel, Umbreon, and Nidorina, had been traveling all around the Jakkus Region, or some of it, anyway. They had been looking for new challenges, at least on Swampert's part, and new adventures.

The friends, after traversing the second Route, came upon another small town, not unlike the one they had just left. They found out the name - Treebark Town - and found a place to stay for the night, another hotel.

During the daytime, however, Umbreon overheard some of the locals talking about something.

"You saw the meteor?" a Bonsly asked.

"Yeah... it seems like there's something inside, but I'm not sure what..." an Oddish replied.

Naturally, Umbreon told the others about this: "There must be a meteor around here, and there's definitely something inside.

Nidorina, complexed, said, "A meteor? From space? Unlikely. Meteors haven't fallen in Jakkus for, oh I don't know, 200 years. Especially since this is Treebark Town and not Meteorite Town where the last meteors fell."

"Yeah," Swampert replied, "but if there's a meteor, no doubt adventure awaits!"

"But, Swampert..." Nidorina said.

"Plus, if there's a Pokémon inside, then you can battle it!" Sneasel encouragingly shouted.

Swampert then agreed and the group set off.

Far away, another group was searching for something, too.

"Sir?" a grunt asked.

"What is it now?" an administrator said, annoyed.

"The meteor we've been monitoring... it's... active."

The admin was shocked, and immediately reported this to a leader.

"Yes, what is it, Poliwrath?"

"The meteor is active. There's definitely something inside."

"I'll send your fellow administrator over. She'll take care of it."

"Of course, sir," Poliwrath accepted. He turned off the communicator. "Well? What are you lazy grunts waiting for?! Keep looking for the Blue Orb!"

The surprised Krabby and Corphish immediately went back to work, tirelessly searching for this item.

Back at Treebark Town, the group found the mysterious meteor. It certainly looked intruiging, but no one could tell if something lay inside.

"Can't anyone tell if something's inside?" Braixen asked, somewhat distraught.

Swampert glared at it, then tapped it lightly.

"Hmm..."

He poked it a little harder.

And it shook.

He lightly punched it.

It shook more.

He punched it moderately.

It shook even more.

Finally, Swampert threw a Brick Break at it, and the meteor started shaking furiously. Cracks all over it quickly escalated into holes, and finally the entire thing shattered.

The DNA Pokémon, Deoxys, appeared out of it, fully awake.

"Whoa!" Swampert said. "Is that a new Pokémon?"

Deoxys charged up a Hyper Beam and proceeded to fire it at Braixen, who shouted, "WHOA!"

Immediately Swampert jumped in the way and shot the powerful blast with a cold Ice Beam, which neutralized both attacks.

Deoxys, recharging from the Hyper Beam, simply looked at the group. He almost seemed to be scanning them, trying to determine something about them.

Swampert jumped in the air and launched a Brick Break at Deoxys. He took some damage, and stayed on the ground, his left tentacles on his left knee.

"Swampert... what is it?" Braixen asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"A Pokémon," Swampert replied. "A powerful one. I'm getting excited!"

Deoxys got up and threw a Shadow Ball at Swampert, who blasted it with Scald.

"Hey, can you speak?" Swampert asked. "If you can, please say something. We don't want to injure you any further!"

Deoxys simply looked at Swampert.

He walked over to the meteor's remains and picked up a piece, and began to glow. His body transformed and changed, and he appeared... different.

"Speed Forme obtained," said the alien in a robotic tone.

"He can talk," Swampert thought to himself. "Looks like I'm in for a fight."

Deoxys charged at Swampert with Meteor Mash, moving far faster than Swampert had ever seen a Pokémon move. Of course, he scored less damage than normal, due to Swampert's resistance to Steel.

"Please stop fighting!" Nidorina shouted. But Deoxys didn't listen.

"Opponent proves resistant to current moveset," Deoxys said. He sounded as if he was a robot. "Tactical retreat until further notice."

He then immediately zoomed over to the Treebark Woods and vanished.

"Aw, man," Sneasel said. "You didn't even get to Mega Evolve."

Swampert looked at him, then looked again at the Woods. "Doesn't matter. I know he'll be back, and when he is, we'll go all-out!"

The group returned to Treebark Town, and the feminine administrator came upon the meteor's remains.

"Hmm," the beautiful Milotic said, grabbing a small piece¹. "Looks like the meteor was just a container after all." ¹_{Milotic can use her long hair as hands, at least in The World of Pokémon.}

Back at the hotel, everyone went in their own bed. Soon enough, Sneasel, Umbreon, and Nidorina were all sleeping, but Swampert noticed Braixen looking out at the stars.

"Hey, Braix. Is there a problem?" he asked, putting his arm over her shoulder.

"I'm weak, aren't I?" she asked, not even looking at him.

"Huh?"

"I felt it earlier when I was about to get hit by Deoxys. I'm not even close to your power level. And there are so many dangerous Pokémon that are far stronger than me. What if I'm alone and can't defend myself? What if--"

He put his hand on hers, as tears fell from her eyes.

"Braixen, I'll never leave you alone and defenseless. I'd never leave this whole group!"

She wiped some tears away.

"I'll always protect you guys. I can even train you, y'know."

She sniffled. "Thanks, Swampert. You... you make me feel complete."

"Yeah?" he said.

Braixen then kissed him on the cheek, so naturally Swampert's cheeks turned red.

"Er..."

"See you tomorrow," she said.

"I will."

The two went off to sleep with everyone else.

The sun shone brightly as a new day began. For some, it was a new day of work. For others, a new day of playtime. For yet more, a new day of fellowship.

And for two, it was a new day of running.

As known by some, the Meowstic Duo (consisting of Neko and Nya, the latter being Shiny) were on the run from a familiar water-themed team.

"We can't lose them, Nya!" Neko shouted. He was somewhat less skilled than Nya, and so he tended to fall behind her. Of course, Nya was easily able to grab him.

"It'll be alright," she said to her brother, "we can get away." Her eyes lit up as she shot down a massive Thunderbolt on the grunts (all Krabby), causing them to stop in their tracks. The duo then proceeded to move forward into hiding, which was, in fact, Treebark Town. They quickly moved into the hotel just as the fivesome was leaving.

"Hey..." Umbreon said, nudging Swampert. "Those two look pretty beat up."

"I see," he replied, now looking at them. Neko's body looked bruised and beaten, while Nya was only a little bit scratched up. "Excuse me, are you two alright?"

"Not really," Nya replied. "We've just been on the run from that evil Team Aqua."

"Team... Aqua?" he asked. "I've never heard of them."

"Well, they have been making news since pretty recently," the Clefable behind the hotel's counter said. "It seems they're trying some sort of world domination."

"Not on my watch!" Swampert grabbed his Swampertite and looked at it, seeing his eyes burning with a feeling for justice. "If they're doing evil things, I'm going to stop them!"

"Are you sure?" Braixen asked. "It's probably super-dangerous."

Sneasel looked up at Swampert. "Dangerous or not, we'll stay by your side through all of it!"

"Yeah!" said Umbreon and Nidorina.

"Well, they probably aren't far from this town," Neko said. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were here."

"We are."

The group turned around to see none other than Poliwrath - the very same Shiny one they had seen only a few days prior.

"So you're part of Aqua?" Swampert asked, honestly surprised.

"Indeed. And we're going to succeed in our goals, whether or not you desperately try to interfere."

"Then tell your boss or whatever... I'm coming for him."

"Heh," he chuckled. "Doesn't look like you've even beaten this town's Leader, let alone all the rest, so you won't even come close." He then walked away, confident in his abilities.

"So, there's a Gym here, huh?" Swampert said, looking around outside. "Time for a challenge!"

"It's in the Treebark Woods," the Clefable informed the group. "There's a bit of a maze to get there, but it'd be a good time if you want to have a battle with the Gym Leader."

"I guess we're off, then!" Nidorina said as the group began their trek.

But even then, Swampert couldn't help but think about Poliwrath... how he treated them at his Gym, and even the Badge he received.

"One day," he thought, "I'll fight him again... and I'll win!"

Neko was a little worried. "Will we be alright, Nya?"

"I'll protect us if things do go bad."

They left for the woods.

In another place entirely, the administrators of Team Aqua, Poliwrath, Milotic, and Seismitoad, all gathered 'round.

"I see you have returned," said their shadowy leader. "Report."

"The meteor is in pieces and it seems the DNA Pokémon is able to transform when exposed to parts of it," Milotic reported.

"Construction of Project: Waterquake is proceeding extremely well. The first phase should be ready in three days," Seismitoad said, proud of his work.

"And you, Poliwrath?" the leader asked.

"I saw the young upstart who seems to think he will get in our way. But I will assure he does not, in the name of Team Aqua and--"

"Quiet. If he proves exceptionally annoying, then I will exterminate him. And I will make sure it is a painful death."

"Of course, sir." Poliwrath saluted, as did the other two, and they left.

The future seems dim. Will our heroes prevail? The name Waterquake doesn't sound promising, but perhaps the power of a hero can save the Jakkus region, and the world. Stay tuned...

The large area of the Treebark Woods was astonishing. The green foliage and tall trees were absolutely stunning. The entire group just looked around for a few moments and took in the beautiful environment all around them.

Soon enough, they began going through the woods and towards the Treebark Gym. The forest was seemingly a perfect place to train for the Gym, as there were twists around every turn.

After battling a few native Pokémon to get some training in, the fivesome arrived in the Gym, which appeared to be a very rustic area. The shrubs of various plants crept on the walls and floor, and a large tree was rooted in the center of the Gym. The design, according to a helpful Clefable, was to defeat some Gym Trainers whilst climbing up the tree, at the top of which was the Leader himself. Naturally, Swampert began his trek upward, and the first Pokémon stepped forward - a Tangela.

"I challenge you!" he shouted, and quickly charged straight to Swampert. This Gym may well have been Swampert's worst nightmare - after all, a Water/Ground Pokémon has 4x the weakness to Grass rather than 2x.

Regardless of this, he launched an Ice Beam straight at the vined Pokémon, although the latter avoided it and threw a Vine Whip at Swampert, which sent him back a bit. He quickly recovered and used Hammer Arm for a direct hit, which was followed by a Mega Drain.

Swampert then tried Ice Beam again, which actually hit this time, and followed up with another Hammer Arm, winning the battle.

"Oh, man," said the Tangela, "you crushed me!"

Moving upward, Braixen used a Super Potion on Swampert to heal him up.  Neko and Nya followed closely behind the group, as both of them (well, mostly Neko) were afraid of Team Aqua. None of the group members wanted them to show up, although the Gyms were often protected from things such as villainous teams.

On the next floor came a Breloom, who led off with a Mach Punch which was barely avoided, and then used a Feint on Swampert. The Water Pokémon then jumped at Breloom and used a Scald on him, albeit doing only half the damage. The Breloom then hit Swampert with a Headbutt, which was blocked and the Grass Pokémon was slammed with a Hammer Arm.

"You're pretty good, huh?" the Breloom said in defeat. "Maybe better than our Leader..."

The next floor was the top of the tree, rising high above the Gym. Among the leaves was a small battlefield, lit only by the sun's glittering through the holes all along the green foliage. But it seemed the Leader was nowhere to be found.

"...so, is he out to lunch or something?" Sneasel asked, rather confused by this.

"Maybe; or he could've gone to train somewhere," Umbreon suggested.

"Oh! I know! It's a test of some kind!" Nidorina threw in. "There's a puzzle or something you have to solve to get through to him!"

Swampert then examined the room carefully... but couldn't find any patterns. There didn't seem to be any hidden passages, or secret writings, or anything that would involve problem-solving.

"Hm," he said, just before shooting a light Scald into the air, which dissolved into, essentially, rain. The water went across the battlefield and, eventually, revealed a figure standing in the center - a Trevenant.

"Are you... the Gym Leader?" Swampert asked, as the tree Pokémon brushed off the water.

"You have passed my test. You have found the Leader of this Gym. Are you ready to battle?"

"...of course! I'm ready to overcome any obstacle to beat the Pokémon League!" Trevenant could see the eagerness in his eyes, like a flame.

"Even a high weakness to Grass-typed attacks? Impressive," said the rugged Leader. "But we shall see if it is enough to earn you another token of victory."

The two fighters took their spots in opposite sides of the field, ready for a match. And off they went, with Trevenant sending an Energy Ball straight at Swampert. However, it was deflected with Hammer Arm, and the challenger shot an Ice Beam straight at the Leader. He took it directly.

But nothing happened. No super-effective damage seemed to occur, no recoil, not even a bit of snow that usually gets leftover. Trevenant simply rushed to Swampert and slashed him with Shadow Claw, which sent the blue creature flying.

"Hmm," Braixen thought. "Now that I think about it, I don't remember Swampert having Brick Break, Ice Beam, or Scald... did he change his moveset?" She thought back to his first Gym battle, where he used... Close Combat, Mud Shot, Hammer Arm (which he does still have), and Seismic Toss. "He must've been planning for this or something," she pondered, as Swampert quickly shot Trevenant with Scald.

Although the Gym Leader didn't take much damage, he was burned. "Nrgh..." he grunted, as the burn starting taking some effect. He did, however, stand in place, and he used Calm Mind. "This will help. Oh, and Swampert?"

"Yes?"

"It's over."

Swampert looked below his feet to find them tangled up with Leech Seed, and it helped counter Trevenant's burn. "Now that I've powered up with Calm Mind and you're stuck there, I don't think you can do much."

"Think again!"

"Hmm...?" the Leader responded as Swampert raised his fists in the air, and pounded them straight down. The entire battlefield began shaking. Trevenant immediately knew what this was. "Earthquake?! How could I be so easily tricked?"

The attack loosened Swampert so he could get free, and he finally shot Ice Beam at Trevenant, which sent him against the wall. He then followed up with Scald again, and Trevenant held up his arm.

"I concede."

The whole group cheered as Swampert helped up the Leader. Neko and Nya were simply given some confidence as they now knew Swampert's potential.

Trevenant stepped away for a moment and came back, holding a Badge, which appeared as a tree.

"You have earned this Badge. Take it and cherish it always."

"Alright!" Swampert shouted, pumped about his victory.

"So I must ask," the defeated Grass Pokémon said, "where are you planning to head next?"

"I guess I haven't thought about it," the victorious Water Pokémon said.

"In which case, I would recommend heading past Routes 3 and 4 and going through Sylycon City to Meteorite Town, where another Gym Leader resides."

"I thought there was a Gym in Sylycon as well?" Nidorina asked.

"There is, but I think you will need more training before you can advance to that Gym."

"Then, to Meteorite Town we go!" Swampert said. The group set off, ready for more adventures which almost certainly await them.

There are questions, however. Does Swampert have a rotating moveset? Will he, along with his four friends, be enough to protect the Meowstic? And what of Team Aqua? The answers to come, and much more, next time.

Route 3, also known as the Water Road, was another step in the path to the Jakkus region's League. It was certainly a beautiful place - the damp trail leading towards Route 4 was surrounded by two rivers, each leading to the ocean. The water sparkled bright in the sun, and the many Water Pokémon living in this route happily splashed about.

As for our main characters, they walked through, taking in the sights (and smells) of the road. Nidorina challenged herself by battling a few of the natives, winning against them all.

"I'm doing good! Winning against Pokémon I'm weak to is a good sign!" she said, excited about her progress.

"You still have some ways to go, but you're definitely getting good," Swampert encouraged.

The whole group began fighting the Water 'mons, eventually getting tired out as the day drew to a close. They decided to set up a camp to sleep for the night, and they did so in a small clearing. Before long, they all went to sleep, except for two.

"Hey, Nya?" Neko asked his sister. "I'm kinda scared about all this..."

"Why?" she responded. "It's not like we're unprotected. That Swampert guy is very strong, and I can cover you if something happens."

"Yeah, but... What if you aren't around me, and I'm all alone?"

"...never really thought of it, actually... Maybe you'll have to learn to defend yourself."

"But I don't have any fighting skill!" Neko shouted, tears in eyes. "How am I possibly supposed to do that?! I haven't even learned any offensive moves!"

"Neko... Sometimes, you don't need to attack to win. I'm sure it'll come to you if you're ever faced with that kind of situation. But I'll always be by your side, so don't worry."

She wiped some tears from his eyes. The siblings hugged, and went back to sleep.

The next morning, the group set off to Route 4 - called the Tree Road, which, as the name implies, was lined with trees from beginning to end.

And who else to encounter on the path then two Aqua minions - Krabby and Corphish.

"You guys again," Sneasel said, glaring at them. "Look, I know I don't want to fight you guys, so just move along and we can ignore each other."

"Pshaw!" the Corphish scoffed, sneering. "Like we'd disobey direct orders directly ordered from our boss! If you ask me, I think you're the ones who should just shove off!"

But before anyone got a chance to attack, a dark figure swooped in front of the grunts, commanding them: "That's enough from you two. Beat it." As soon as the words entered their audio sensors, the two sped off.

"Now... I am a Commander of Team Aqua. Cloyster, at your... 'service.' I'm only gonna say this once, so listen good and hard. Our leader wants absolutely no interference from you five. Especially you, Swampert. And he says if you even think about interrupting our-- his master plan, he'll beat you and all your loved ones to a pulp."

The group gave each other some scared faces. Swampert stepped forward.

"You can scare us all you want, but I vow to defeat you and your leader, and stop whatever it is you're planning. And I never go back on my word."

"...tch." Cloyster rolled his eyes. "You have all this stupid confidence. And yet you don't realize that you have no chance. Our leader is probably the strongest Pokémon around. And you think you'll just waltz in and defeat him? Your power is so low in comparison... I don't think you could even defeat the next Gym Leader."

Swampert growled at the harsh words, but restraining himself he said, "I told you, I'm going to defeat him. No matter what it takes, I'll get stronger until I'm ready... I promise!"

Cloyster turned around and began leaving. "One more thing," he said. "Once our project is complete... it will be over. All will sink into the water." He then vanished into the air.

"Swampert," Umbreon said, "let's just ignore all that. I mean... you've beaten 2 Gyms without any problems, why would this be any different? And you - no, we're all gonna keep getting stronger. So let's keep moving forward!"

"I hear ya, bud!" he replied.

Continuing across the Tree Road, the group found a small cave among the trees. They entered, finding no "Do Not Enter" signs or the like. On the inside, cold and grey stalagmites and stalagtites crept everywhere, only getting darker as they stepped deeper in. Umbreon powered on his circles and used Flash to brighten the way forward, only to discover mysterious writings covering both sides of the cave wall.

"What's all this?..."

The light shone around so others could see, while Braixen pulled out her stick and lit it.

"It looks like the ancient language," Nidorina said. "I can't read it, but I recognize some of the symbols..." A segment of text read Ιδού η Τιτάν. Nidorina examined it... "It looks like this last word is... 'titan.' But I can't make out the rest."

"'Behold the Titan.'"

Everyone looked to the deeper section of the cave, where a single figure stepped forward - a Shedinja.

"It says 'Behold the Titan.' But there's more than just that."

He raised his arms, causing torches to illuminate the cave, now appearing as a tomb.

"In fact, there's a lot more to tell. You don't even know who this Titan is."

Two more torches lit, revealing the Titan itself - a white, moss-covered, colorful- and multi-eyed colossus. The room could barely hold the creature, its head raised very far above the tallest of the group, Swampert.

"This is the Pokémon who placed the continents in the spots we have memorized - Regigigas."

There it was. The colossal statue-like creature stood in place, staring ahead into nothing.

"R-Regi... Regigi... Regigigas?..." Umbreon said as he tried to pronounce its name.

"Yeah, I already said it once. Was that not enough?" Shedinja replied, annoyed. "Listen up... I'm going to tell you younglings some things about this Titan."

"...Like?" Swampert asked.

"Well..."

He sat on the ground in front of Regigigas, with the others sitting down as well.

"The tale begins a few thousand years ago... in the time of the ancient Pokémon, an age before Leagues and tournaments were even conceptualized. This period had only the Pokémon we now know as fossils, and some others.

"I won't go into too much detail, but for now, know that Regigigas was created by... another being. This Titan, as the Creator called him, was placed in the world by himself. All he had to keep himself busy was move the continents, those being in the same places as they are today. But he became lonely fast. The Creator decided to change that, and so came forth the Fossil Pokémon. These ancient creatures inhabited the planet for a long, long time. While the Creator was designing them, the Titan was building his own friends. Fashioned from rocks, ice, and an early form of metal, Regigigas created three new titans, even naming them after himself - Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. Now the Legendary Titans, the Three were sent out to the corners of known civilization to guard it with all their might.

"And that was exactly the problem. Although everything was mostly peaceful at the time, occasionally their power required some... demonstrations.

"Crater Mountain was formed because of Regirock; he threw Stone Edges so hard to eliminate a threat (a rogue Armaldo) that the mountain they fought on was carved into, creating a volcano-like opening.

"Regice caused a massive snowstorm over what's now Snowcloud Plain. Sure, he was trying to get rid of another enemy (Aerodactyl) with an Ice Beam to the sky, but he accidentally forgot to clear the area or move away.

"And Registeel unintentionally designed the slices you can see in the Cave of Fog while defeating an Omanyte. Surprising that the cave didn't collapse after that, but it did cause rocks to fall off the mountain the cave is in and nearly destroy a nearby village.

"With all this, the Titans had to come forth and apologize. They obviously didn't intend to cause any harm to the people, but the civilians weren't about to forgive them easily. They were taken and sealed up across the world.

"Regigigas was not happy. His only friends, his own creations, were seized and locked away forever. But even the supremely immense power of the original Titan could not stand to a full-on assault by the ancients. He was locked away like the rest of the Titans, in this very cave - the Cave of Hope."

Shedinja wiped his forehead. "Phew..."

Swampert walked up to and looked at the aged statue, with moss on some of him.

"But... What did he do wrong?..."

"Nothing, my boy. The ancients were awful suspicious of things, just like with that Creator..." He cleared his throat. "All that aside... They say that this Titan will reawake if the Three are brought to him. And it is also said that all four will protect the planet with their lives."

There was some silence.

"Alright. It's settled!" Swampert shouted.

"What is?" Braixen asked.

"I'm going to conquer the Pokémon League... and then I'll fight Regigigas someday. I want to defeat him with all my strength!"

"Hm," Nidorina said. "I don't know... I mean, we'd have to do a lot of digging to find the other Titans - literally."

Sneasel stood up. "Heh... Even in the worst times, we'll do it together! We're a team. We stand side-by-side, no matter what!"

Shedinja was pleased with the happy words, suddenly remembering something.

"Swampert," he asked, "what Gym are you heading for next?"

"My third one... Whatever comes next, I guess."

"At the end of this road is another town - Meteorite Town. I believe that leader's level of power will be just right for you."

"Got it. Let's head out, then!"

The group left, with Swampert taking one last look at the Titan.

"Regigigas... I'll wake you up someday," he thought to himself. "And I'll fight and defeat you, too!"

Meanwhile... At another location, the Aqua organization continued its plot.

"Alrighty, boys. It's time to fire this thing up," Seismitoad commanded.

A large engine of sorts was turned on by a Clawitzer. It hummed, increasing in power.

"Uh, sir?" a Krabby asked. "What exactly is this thing for, again?"

"Well, as much as I'd love to tell you... I'm not allowed. Only us higher-ups are cleared to exchange that information."

He grabbed the grunt, squeezing him a bit.

"Interesting that you only ask now, when you could've much earlier... Very interesting, isn't it, spy?"

Suddenly, Seismitoad was kicked in the face by the Krabby, who jumped away and shifted shape into a Super-Size Gourgeist.

"Hehehe," she chuckled. "Looks like my time as a sleeper agent is up." She then fired an Energy Ball at Seismitoad, who blocked it (although still sustaining some damage). Gourgeist escaped by sifting through a wall.

"...No matter. This machine was designed to be tamperproof. Even if she could've messed with it, it would've fixed itself alrea--"

BANG!

A loud explosion came from the engine as it exploded, sending debris everywhere. Seismitoad was not happy. Of course, the plan was going to be delayed, but then came the report to his boss.

"A... spy... entered into our ranks at some point and sabotaged the machine, even getting past the anti-tamper device."

The shadowy shape stood still as Seismitoad trembled.

"...It matters not. That was not the real machine, anyway."

Another engine dropped in front of Seismitoad, identical to the other.

"I knew of that spy the moment she stepped inside here on that day. That device was made simply to draw her out. Now then. Get to work, and make sure you examine harder when you allow grunts to return from field work. Much harder."

"...Yes, sir."

"The Waterquake will succeed. Nothing will stop my plans."

In another place, the heroes made it to the quaint Meteorite Town.

"Welp, here we are," Umbreon said. "Can't wait to see the next Gym battle!"

Swampert looked out of the corner of his eye, only to find a battle already taking place.

It was... something, battling a Milotic.

"D-Deoxys?..." he thought to himself. And he was correct, but he couldn't move quick enough to save Deoxys from a Dragon Pulse, pushing him into a building.

"Now... you're mine..."