Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 330: Post and Pre battle

After the Bell was returned, a soft hum spread around the town. The Pokémon stopped fighting everyone, as they paused and looked at each other, calming down—just in time, too, at the apex of the eclipse.

Suicune had been battling against the group. The only one who had any real sense of Suicune's strength was Brock, since he had fought Entei alongside Falkner. Misty and Yellow hadn't actually battled Suicune before.

But this battle was much harder. Suicune was the strongest of the three, being the leader after all, but the power gap was too vast. Back when Brock fought Entei, there were two of them, and they could at least match the Fire-type.

Right now, they had Morty with his Mega Gengar, three additional weaker Gengar, Brock, Misty, Yellow, Ethan, Silver, Eusine, and Green all fighting together. They thought that with these numbers, they could take Suicune down, but Suicune was matching them effortlessly.

It might have also had something to do with the fact that they had been fighting non-stop just before this. Suicune wasn't giving them a chance to switch out for fresh Pokémon. It also knew that one solid hit from Pikachu would leave it vulnerable, so it focused most of its energy on avoiding him.

Something they had all believed was possible was turning into a hopeless struggle. As Suicune jumped, it launched a [Shadow Ball] at Morty's Mega Gengar.

He tried to dodge, but it was no use. The ball shot forward, homing in on Gengar and striking him. The explosion sent Gengar flying, instantly forcing him out of his Mega form and knocking him out.

As Morty processed that his strongest Gengar was taken out and that they were no closer to defeating Suicune, the Bell rang.

Suicune looked up. It didn't visibly change, but it took notice. Its gaze moved across the group, lingering on Morty, as if acknowledging his skills. It took one last glance at Misty and Yellow before letting out a low roar.

Suddenly, injured and unconscious wild Pokémon were healed. They looked at each other, then at Suicune.

Suicune turned and began leaping away toward the forest. The wild Pokémon, mirroring its actions, started marching back as well.

As Suicune was leaving, Eusine quickly stood up, grabbing another Pokéball, "No, Suicune, come back! I will catch you!"

Just as he was about to throw it, Morty stepped in, grabbing his wrist, "Dude, calm down. You're acting crazy!" Morty said, shoving Eusine's arm down.

"NO!" Eusine shouted, trying to yank his arm free, but Morty's grip was firm. He could only watch as Suicune disappeared into the distance.

"Calm down, you idiot! Even if you could, do you really think you could catch it?" Morty snapped, grabbing Eusine's shoulders and giving him a firm slap to knock some sense into him.

Eusine stopped, dazed. He pulled himself out of Morty's grasp, muttering, "Suicune... I almost had it..." as he wandered off, barely processing where he was going.

As everything slowly returned to normal and people emerged from their hiding places, a whistle echoed through the air.

They looked up toward the castle balcony.

There, Ash stood, one foot against the railing, holding Ilunas, the so-called ninja who had attacked, bound in chains. The chains wrapped around Ilunas's chest and arms, leaving him dangling over the edge, held up only by Ash's grip.

Next to him, Soleil stood, gazing down, now visibly more relaxed as the chaos settled, "...Is it really over?" she murmured.

Just then, Helia came running in, looking relieved. She spotted Ash holding Ilunas but had her priorities straight, she ran up to Soleil, embracing her tightly, "Oh, you're okay! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Ilunas grunted, clicking his teeth in frustration, "Can't believe this... just like before..."

Soleil looked down at the bound boy, "Your name. What are you called?"

He turned away, scowling, "Ilunas. But why do you care?" he said, grinding his teeth.

"Ilunas... Lun—" Soleil murmured, deep in thought. "You said it was your birthright, which means something. You're Luno's descendant, aren't you?"

Helia gasped, covering her mouth, eyes wide with shock.

Ilunas's eyes widened as well before he clenched his teeth harder.

"That's right," he growled. "My ancestors were ashamed of his failed attempt to become Lord. We've lived in secret for so long... I got fed up with it. So I decided I would take my rightful place as Lord!"

"We finally found you!" Helia interrupted him, walking up and hugging him. "I'm sorry. We've been looking for your family for so long. Please forgive me. If only we had found you sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer."

"W-what..." Ilunas muttered.

"We wanted your family to rejoin us. You know, it's not too late. If you want, we can start over. I mean, we're basically cousins," Soleil said, clapping her hands.

But then Ash finally spoke up. "Stop. Look, I get that you're happy about finding your 'Moon' again, but that doesn't change what he did. What does it matter why he did it? He still did it," he said, still gripping the chain.

"I-I... well, you have a point..." Helia muttered.

"Then," Soleil smiled, "we'll just have to make him redeem himself for everything he did."

"H-hey, I didn't ask for your dumb forgiveness!" Ilunas said, outraged, but he was ignored.

Ash smirked as he looked up, noticing that the eclipse was almost over. "I think you might want to say something. After all, my lady, you're the new liege, aren't you? Go on, take your place!"

Soleil took a deep breath, her hands tightening into fists as she looked out over the town. The people below, slowly stepping out from their homes and shelters, looked up at her with wide, expectant eyes. Some were still shaken, others cautiously hopeful, but all of them were waiting.

She tried to steady herself and took one last deep breath.

"Everyone, I have an important announcement. I know today hasn't been what we expected. I didn't think we'd be fighting an army of wild Pokémon today either. But since we're here, I want you all to know, I will take over Eclipse Castle, and I promise I'll work hard for everyone."

She turned to Ash, who held the ring he was supposed to give her, engraved with the image of the sun and moon. As she extended her hand, Ash gently slipped it onto her finger, just as the eclipse ended and the sun finally broke through, shining its light over the town.

Once she had it, she looked at the ring and smiled. Then, turning back to everyone, she helped the chained Ilunas stand up.

"And I am going to make sure Ilunas works to redeem himself for what he did. And when the day comes that he earns all of your forgiveness, I want him to join us. We can both be the Lords—after all, two heads are better than one."

"It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. But if you're willing to take a chance, then let's take it together—all of us." Soleil looked at the crowd, still holding onto Ilunas.

Ilunas pulled his shoulder away. "I don't need your pity..."

Soleil promptly smacked him on the back of the head. "This isn't out of pity," she scolded. "The castle has always been about two, the sun and the moon. You don't have to hide away anymore. Just let us help you so we can be a family again, you idiot."

Ilunas looked at her, then away, clicking his tongue. But he didn't reject her.

As the townspeople began clapping at Soleil's speech, the tension in the air finally eased. The town, at last, was settling down.

—-

A bit later, Soleil and Helia took Ilunas to begin his work on redeeming himself right away, starting with helping clean up the town.

Meanwhile, Ash finally stepped out of the castle, where he was greeted by his friends. Molly immediately ran up and hugged him.

"Big brother!" she cried, as Pikachu wasn't far behind, climbing back onto his shoulder.

Ash patted Molly's head and looked at everyone. "Hey guys. Crazy day, huh?"

"I'll say. I thought the worst thing that was going to happen today was a headache from partying all night," Ethan mumbled. "But nope, we just had to fight off an army of Pokémon. So now I'm the fool."

"Oh yeah, about that," Green smirked. "I totally won that bet. I took down more."

"What!? No way! I definitely took down more," Ethan argued back.

"Were you two not keeping count?" Misty asked dryly.

Ethan scratched his cheek. "Ehhh... I thought Kris was."

"Well, maybe she was, but she left, you idiot. Remember?" Silver said, crossing his arms.

"Right... that's fair..." Ethan mumbled.

Yellow scratched her cheek. "Um, so does that mean neither of you win?"

Green shrugged, then smirked. "That is... unless a certain girl decides to choose the winner~" She nudged closer to Yellow. "Sooooo~ who do you think won, Yellow~?"

"I-uh, n-no, I-I don't—" Yellow stammered, her face growing red as everyone stared at her. "I uh—"

"Okay, okay, don't embarrass her, she's blushing like a tomato," Ash chuckled as he walked past her, giving her a head pat before heading toward the forest, where Nidoking and Blastoise were approaching.

He raised his hands and gave the two big guys a fist bump. "You guys did great. Now get some rest."

They both smirked and returned the fist bump before letting themselves be recalled into their Pokéballs.

Just then, they heard rustling in the trees. Turning toward the sound, they saw Kris riding back on her Arcanine, looking exhausted, "Hey guys... is everything okay now?"

"Kris! Just the person I wanted to see!" Ethan said excitedly as he ran up to her.

For a moment, Kris' face softened, thinking he was worried about her. But then he opened his mouth, "Do you know who won the bet!?"

Kris' eye twitched. Without hesitation, she kicked him in the face from atop her Arcanine, "Shut up! Like I care about your stupid bets! You're always like this, you idiot!"

She slightly stumbled after kicking Ethan and almost fell off, but Silver stepped forward and steadied her, helping her down, "Careful," he muttered.

"Oh! Thanks, Silver!" Kris said, smiling at him as he helped her.

Silver quickly looked away. "You did just return the bell... that's what stopped everything. So don't mention it," he said, though he did seem a little happier, Meanwhile, in the back, Ash and Green exchanged knowing smirks.

Once she was down Kris looked around, a mix of relief and sadness on her face. "Where is Eusine and...?" She didn't want to believe the worst-case scenario.

"Eusine left, and so did Suicune," Morty answered, rubbing the back of his head. "After Suicune took off, Eusine went after it, trying to track it down. But honestly, I doubt he'll find it."

"Oh... I see." Kris lowered her gaze. Once again, she hadn't been able to apologize to Suicune.

Misty noticed her expression and spoke up. "So, what's the deal with you and that Eusine guy? You two seemed to know each other, and you tensed up when you saw him."

"I..." Kris clenched her hands into fists. "I don't want to talk about it... not right now."

Yellow stepped forward, her voice gentle. "Are you okay? You seem... worried."

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking, though," Kris lied. She was anything but fine, but she wasn't going to admit it. Not yet. Not if she could help it.

Ash could easily see through her since he could see emotions, but he knew better than to pry. Some things were best dealt with when the person was ready to talk. Instead, he simply walked back over and picked up Molly again.

What he didn't expect was for Chloe and Regina to nervously approach him. But instead of offering congratulations or bracing for one of his usual teases, Regina clutched the unconscious Mirche in her arms, looking absolutely terrified.

"Ash... I know you said you did all that training to be a doctor... but can you do something?" Chloe asked, gesturing toward Mirche.

Ash's expression turned serious as he looked at the ice Pokémon. He held his hands out silently, asking Regina to let him take her. Regina hesitated but eventually allowed him to hold Mirche.

The ice fox was extremely cold. Too cold. Ash's eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed her condition.

"She has hypothermia," he revealed, pulling Mirche closer to his chest. Silently, he channeled some Aura, warming her body.

"Hypothermia!?" Brock exclaimed, stepping forward to examine her. "I didn't even know Ice-types could get that..."

Ash wrapped the Pokémon tighter in his arms. "It's rare since they're naturally resistant. But it is possible." He glanced at Regina. "Hey, I'm assuming you don't train or battle with Mirche, right?"

"N-no..." Regina admitted, guilt evident in her voice.

"That's the problem," Ash explained. "She's been using moves like [Blizzard] too often without working her body to naturally heat itself up." With another gentle pulse of Aura, Mirche weekly opened her eyes, looking around.

"Mirche..." Regina mumbled, falling to her knees as she got closer to the weakened Ice-type. "I'm sorry... This is all my fault..."

Ash rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead. "Stop that. This isn't anyone's fault."

Regina rubbed her forehead where Ash had flicked her. "But..."

"But nothing," Ash said, placing Mirche back in her arms. "You didn't know any better. Being inexperienced isn't a crime, just like being a kid isn't either. Just try to learn, and train her a bit. Maybe that'll help her blow off some steam so she won't be so angry all the time."

He gestured toward her classmates, who were watching her and Mirche with wide eyes. Some were excited, others in awe, having witnessed Mirche take down all those Pokémon to protect them.

"Regina, people like you. They want to help you. But they can't do anything if you won't help yourself," Ash said, putting a hand on her head.

"I..." Regina looked down at Mirche, who weakly licked her cheek. Her grip on the Ice-type tightened, a soft smile forming on her lips. "Okay, I think I get it. Mirche, I promise, we'll get stronger. Together."

Mirche let out a small, tired smile. "Glace..."

Ash clapped his hands together. "Alright then! Now that all the drama is over, I think we have a festival to enjoy. It is the last day, after all."

Morty, who had just returned from helping with cleanup, crossed his arms. "Well, the festival was supposed to have a special dance from the Kimono Girls, but... well..." He gestured toward the remains of the festival stage. The once-elegant structure was now in ruins, with broken props scattered around.

The Kimono Girls were doing their best to fix things while also comforting people alongside their Eeveelutions. They weren't just sitting around doing nothing during the attack, they had protected the other side of town while the main group was fighting. Virgil and Team Eevee had also been helping with damage control.

Morty sighed. "Yeah... I don't think we'll be having that special dance anymore. Not that it would even feel appropriate, considering... well, everything."

"Aww... so the festival's over?" Molly asked, tugging at Ash's kimono, disappointment clear in her voice.

"Well... not exactly," Ash said, a slow smirk creeping onto his face.

"Really? What do you have in mind? I'm curious," Morty asked, crossing his arms.

Misty and Brock, already suspecting what Ash was about to say, frantically shook their heads, silently pleading with him to not go through with it. Meanwhile, Green was grinning, already enjoying where this was going.

Ash turned to Morty, smirking. "Gym Leader Morty, I challenge you to a Gym Battle, right here, in the center of town. It already looks like a battlefield. What's one more battle?"

Morty blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter. He wiped away a tear as his grin grew. "I knew I liked you. Alright then, Rainbow Hero, I accept your challenge. How many badges do you have?"

"Three," Ash said, before stepping closer and whispering something into Morty's ear.

Morty's eyes widened in surprise, then his grin grew even bigger. "Ha! I like the way you think. Alright, I'll make an exception for you. After all, you are the Rainbow Hero."

------

Omake story - Elite 4 talk

Darwin, Tempest, and Damian had just finished their duties as the Elite Four and were finally making their way back to the League building. Lorelei was off doing more of her modeling jobs, so she wasn't with them.

Tempest walked over and dropped herself into a beanbag chair, while Darwin fell face-first onto the couch. Being part of the Elite Four was not as easy as they had thought.

Damian leaned against the wall and sighed. "This is exhausting—and that's coming from me."

"I know, right? I used to think being part of the Elite Four was all about battles and stuff, but how did we end up as paper pushers?" Darwin mumbled into a pillow.

Tempest raised her hand. "Now I get why my dad didn't want to become one of the Elite Four."

"You know, now that I think about it, we've never just talked to each other. We hardly know anything about one another," Damian said, rubbing his beard. "I guess all that Team Rocket stuff really held us up."

"Yeah, I guess," Darwin mumbled "But don't think I'm all too keen on being buddy-buddy with you guys. I'm here for one reason, and I made that clear."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Well then, why don't we start with that?" Tempest suggested. "Why did you guys join the Elite Four? I'll go first. I thought it was cool, and when my dad was offered a spot and rejected it, I figured I could do it instead. And now, here I am."

"Well, I'm here for money. That's it. I never once hid my intentions, and I'm not here to make friends either. Being here is just the easiest way to make money," Darwin answered plainly.

"Huh, that's very mundane," Damian said. "I expected to hear some big story or something, but I guess a simple reason isn't bad either."

"What about you then?" Darwin asked, raising an eyebrow. "We know you're Ms. Agatha's disciple, but how did that happen?"

Damian leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm actually from Johto, believe it or not. I grew up in a town you've probably never heard of—because it burned down. I was only a child when it happened."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that," Tempest said quietly.

"Thanks. When it happened, I was the only one who survived the fire. I buried every single person from my town all by myself. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep—I just kept digging their graves," Damian said, looking down at his hands.

As Damian told his story, his Gengar emerged from his shadow, looking up at him sadly. Damian gave him a head pat. "When I was done, this guy showed up. Turns out, this Gengar is the ghost of my brother."

Darwin and Tempest looked shocked. No wonder Damian never put his Gengar into its Pokéball. Tempest covered her mouth with her hands. "That's..."

Damian cut her off before she could continue. "It wasn't long after I finished that Ms. Agatha found me and took me in. She promised she'd help me. She told me that if Hiro was a Gengar, he could go back into his body—but at the time, he was only a Gastly and too weak. She warned me that by the time Hiro became strong enough to evolve, his body would have rotted away."

Damian looked at his hands as a little bit of gas drifted through his fingertips. "I think that's why I have my Hex powers. It might be all the people from my town supporting me... at least, I like to think that. I joined because I want to find a way to help Hiro become human again."

"That's... wow, I can't even imagine how that feels," Tempest said.

Darwin looked down, wanting to say something but not knowing how.

"Yeah, well, that's my reason. Not the happiest, but it's mine," Damian said, shaking his head.

"Do you want a hug?" Tempest asked.

Damian looked at her for a moment, then closed his eyes. "I wouldn't mind a hug."

Tempest wrapped her arms around him, offering silent comfort. Meanwhile, Darwin watched them and sighed, finally deciding to speak again.

"You know... I wasn't being entirely honest," Darwin admitted. "Yes, I'm doing this for money, but that's not just it..."

He now had their full attention as he rested his arms on his legs. "My mom... she's sick. She's in some kind of coma. I... the doctors don't know what's wrong with her."

"I—I'm using the money to keep her alive. They're putting a lot into her treatment, trying to figure out what's wrong. I joined for two reasons. One, Lance offered me a high paycheck so I could pay for her medical expenses. And two... he's making sure she gets the best treatment money can buy," Darwin said, looking down at his hands.

"So that's why... When that guy Cliff said those things about your mom... No wonder you got so mad at him," Tempest said, recalling the way Darwin had reacted.

"Yeah... That's the real reason. I don't need your pity or anything, I just... I just thought, since we were spilling secrets, I should too," Darwin said, keeping up his tough persona, though a flicker of vulnerability showed underneath.

Tempest looked at him for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged him too. "You looked like you needed one."

"That's... Shut up... I don't need a hug," Darwin muttered. "I told you, I'm not here to make friends." But he didn't push her away.

"You know... when you joined, saying you were only motivated by money, I wanted to ask Lance what he was thinking. I'll admit, I expected that one day you'd betray us if someone like Team Rocket bribed you," Damian said, crossing his arms.

Tempest was about to scold Damian for being insensitive, but Darwin simply nodded. "I get it. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably think the same thing. But no, I wouldn't betray the League. This isn't just a steady income—my mom is here too. As long as she's here, I can't betray anyone."

"I see," Damian said after a moment. "Well, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't know. For what it's worth, I hope you can help her."

"Thanks. And right back at you, I hope you get your brother back. I'm no good with that occult stuff, but you are. If anyone can do it, it's you," Darwin said with a nod.

Tempest looked at the two boys and suddenly clapped her hands. "Okay, that's enough gloomy stuff! I'm out of place here. Let's get some ice cream, come on, let's be a little happier." She flashed them a big smile.

Damian and Darwin glanced at each other, then slightly smiled. "Alright, fine. Let's go," Damian said.

Grinning, Tempest hooked an arm around each of them and pulled them along. "Alright, let's go!"

----

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