#i wonder what pokemon teka is-

[shadowcrystalpig]

,,,,, thinkin bout pokemon,,, and scp foundation... and @ohhh-n00oo's oc..

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 17

Scene 5:

[Not that far away off to the west, Ren is headed out into the woods with Teka on her shoulder.]

Teka: You sure had that boy squirming the whole time.

Ren: You’ll indulge me my fleeting amusements. Life has been very stressful lately. Besides, he’ll thank me later.

Teka: It was well played in my opinion. Helped distract him from how he was betraying his boss and all of his friends.

Ren: [uncomfortable chuckle] Heh, yeah… [sighs and shakes it off] Well, I’m feeling a lot better about things. I know it’s still crazy, but we actually have something to go on now.

Teka: Agreed. Hopefully Latios will have found out some useful information as well.

Ren: How goes recon, Latios?

Latios: As well as can be expected I suppose. I am on my way back to you now.

Ren: Great. Okay.

[Ren sends out the rest of her pokemon. They look around and are surprised to see that the whole team is there out in the woods and not in a Pal Park.]

Taraki: How are we all here? I thought you weren’t allowed to have more than six of us signed out at once.

Ren: [grinning] Not if we’re on “vacation”.

[Kata starts bouncing on her tail and cackling. Taraki and Kotai grin at each other.]

Ao: How does that even work?

Ren: I registered us for a few days vacation at the Pokemon Center. Basically I can have you all with me as long as we’re not battling other trainers. I’ve never done it before because it’s paperwork, but seemed like the time to give it a try.

Pohaku: So we can all go fight Magma together this time?

Ren: Yep!

Akahata: Clever. I was wondering what to do about the party limit since we may need Roma to get in.

Ren: It was Teka’s idea.

Kata: Hey! The newbie’s pulling her weight!

Teka: Thank you.

Ren: In fact, she is today’s MVP. We have all kinds of good news to tell you.

Latios: [appearing among them] I am relieved to hear it.

Ren: We ran into Josh while we were in town and we wrung him dry for info. We now know the layout of Magma’s hideout and lots of other useful information. And I have his spare uniform, so I can sneak in and move about inside without tipping off security.

Taraki: Woo! They are so going down!

[Ren holds up her hand and they high-five.]

Ren: Yeah, it’s looking very good, but there are still some issues. One, we still only know where the main entrance is. I’m 90% sure there are a number of emergency exits Josh didn’t tell me about, so I don’t think there’s any trapping them there. Second, the place is a fortress. It’s specifically designed to make breaking in next to impossible. The whole thing is split into at least twelve sections and the only way to move between them is via teleporter. And the only way to use the teleporter pads is with a Magma issued glove, which I only have one of. So unless we can steal more of them, there no way we are getting the police or anyone else inside to help us. That also means pokemon can’t move freely through the facility.

Latios: [nodding] I tried, but the pads are encrypted and I don’t have the expertise to get around it. I tried overloading the psychic energy in the system, but it shut down.

Ren: So Latios, if you are going to come in with me, you’ll have to bond to a pokeball. I bought one that’s unregistered, so you won’t be revealed.

Latios: I see. I suppose it can’t be avoided. I will bond to this pokeball.

[In the background, Naihi’s jaw has dropped at this blasphemy.]

Ren: The other thing is that Josh wouldn’t tell me where the sub is or anything else that doesn’t help me get to Maxie or not get cornered. He’s still pretty loyal, so I don’t think we’re getting any more help from him any time soon. But hopefully, if we’re smart enough about this, we can do some snooping around and find more out ourselves if the battle for the orb doesn’t work out. I made a map based on what Josh told me. Here.

[Ren pulls out her collapsible screen and places it on the ground for everyone to see. They all look it over and some ask questions. Latios looks as though he is communicating psychically with someone and them points to the screen and Ren begins to draw on more parts. Pan out.]

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 16

Scene 5:

[The next day Ren goes with Kai to the forest north of Lilycove. They spend most of the morning and early afternoon collecting data. Zach and Teka help spot and interview wilds. The two pikachus seem to have really hit it off, which makes Ren happy. Teka has a new collar for her light orb and looks sleeker and shinier than before. After lunch, Ren helps Kai and Jay with some breathing exercises in a clearing. Once they feel ready, Kai and Jay have a battle against Ren and Ao, who both manage to mega evolve for the first time. The battle is close and Ao is winning in the beginning, but eventually Jay’s speed boost makes the blaziken faster than the manectric and Jay wins. Everyone has to take a break after that and lies down in the grass.]

Ren: [deep sigh] Today’s been really good.

Kai: Hm, I had fun.

Ren: It was almost like back when we were both just starting out: running around in the woods near little root, you collecting data, me distracting you with training.

Kai: Yeah. We’ve kinda been doing that since Fortree, but it’s different with Wally around—Not that I don’t like him!—But it’s nice hanging out just the two of us again.

Ren: [chuckling] I know what you mean and it is.

Kai: Of course things are different now.

Ren: No kidding. That’s probably why I’m enjoying this so much. I don’t know how many normal days I have left.

Kai: Have you had any Kyogre dreams yet?

Ren: No. I guess they can be patient having waited this long already.

Kai: But you’ll tell me when you do?

Ren: Yeah.

[Kai’s nav boops softly in the quiet and he checks it. Ren glances over to see what he’s doing.]

Ren: Is that Wally? [sly smile] I didn’t know you two were texting.

Kai: Oh, yeah… He’s, uh, kinda different when you talk to him like this.

Ren: I know! He can be even shyer than you face to face, but it’s all just a cover for his inner sass.

Kai: I donno. I definitely got glimpses of it. He may be a little self-conscious and quiet, but you can always sort of see the gears turning. And he’s fearless. Like after you and Steven went to help the orb guardians on Mt. Pyre, I was freaking out and Wally was having a hard time with all the smoke and stuff and kept having to use his inhaler, but he was the one who calmed me down and got us all out of there when Aqua showed up. It really made me pull myself together. And he is sassy, but he’s still really nice all the time. And he’s a super talented trainer. If he didn’t have to take breaks he would totally catch up with us. He might catch up with me anyway. [Kai turns his head to look at Ren and sees that she is grinning from ear to ear.] What?

Ren: Nothing. I always said he was really cool. I’m happy we’re all friends now.

[There is a sudden ruckus amongst the pokemon and the trainers look up to see Ruby going after Teka and yelling. Zack dives between them and Ruby rages at him.]

Kai: Ruby! We talked about this!

[Ruby yells back at him. Zach pipes up and Ruby throws him a poisonous look, still swooping about in agitation.]

Kai: She didn’t know! You have to tell everyone once and if they still get it wrong then you can pick a fight.

[Ruby huffs and flies to a branch, back turned to Kai and the pikachus.]

Ren: What’s up with her?

Kai: Him, actually.

Ren: But I thought your swellow was…

Kai: Ruby’s bigender and today he’s a him.

Ren: What? Really?

Kai: Yeah.

Ren: Wow, I guess I never really thought about pokemon having a concept of gender.

Kai: I didn’t either before Ruby. I’m not so sure that all pokemon do. In fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t. I wonder if it’s species specific or if it’s related to human contact. I think I’d like to do a project on it, but I don’t have the background. Maybe in college after I’ve taken a gender studies course or two.

Ren: That sounds really cool. Has anyone studied pokemon gender before?

Kai: I didn’t find much, just lots of articles about pokemon sexes and species that don’t have a male and female. Pokemon sociology is a pretty recent field of study, so I guess it’s not surprising.

Ren: You could be the first!

Kai: Maybe. I’ve always been interested in behavior, just haven’t had much opportunity to learn about it. For now I’m just trying to get Ruby to talk about his feelings rather than fight about them. Things have gotten better since I figured out the gender thing.

Ruby: I’ll say.

Kai: Sorry!

[Ruby looks away, but he no longer has his back to them.]

Ren: Me too!

[Ren lays back down in the grass and Kai joins her.]

Kai: …You know, I was thinking, after I’m done here I might go home for a few days. Would you want to come?

Ren: I don’t think so. I’ve got some things to take care of here and then I should probably move on. But you should visit Wally when you go home. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

Kai: O-okay.

[There is quite for a few minutes while Kai types on his nav and Ren stares up at the sky. Ren’s nav boops and she picks it up to see a text from Wally.]

Wally: Ren! Kai wants to come to my house! ‧˚₊*̥(∗*⁰͈꒨⁰͈)‧˚₊*̥ What do I do???!!

Ren: Let him?

Wally: Help me! ლ(´﹏`ლ)

Ren: With what? You have an inhaler if you can’t breathe.

Wally: ε-(´・｀) ﾌ I already used my inhaler you shitlord! ೕ(Ò⺫ Ó )೨ How could this happen??

Ren: Sometimes, when you have friends, they visit your house.

Wally: You’re the worst! 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 You’ve never been in my room. You don’t understand! ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

Ren: Is it like a mess or something?

Wally: It’s covered in anime posters! What if he finds out what a weeb I am?

((유∀유|||))

[Ren bursts out laughing and Kai looks at her questioningly. She tilts her nav to show the last few lines of the exchange.]

Kai: I’m not gonna judge his posters. We’re friends. Tell him to calm down.

Ren: [typing] Calm down. Maybe you could show him one of your favorites shows. He’s a little sheltered. It’d be good for him.

Wally: But what if he doesn’t like it? (๑ó⌓ò๑) I’d die! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚

Ren: Then it wasn’t meant to be.

Wally: Shut up. (Ò 皿 Ó ╬) This is so unreal. He asked out of the blue. (๑°艸°๑)

Ren: [snickers, then types] You’re welcome.

Wally: OMG YOU DID NOT!!! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

ｴｴｯ?工ｴｴｪｪ(๑̀⚬⩍⚬́๑)ｪｪｴｴ工!!!

[Pan out as Ren cackles. Kai is smiling too as he types on his nav. Naihi, who has a razor claw necklace, is practicing her moves on Pohaku. Ao and Jay are napping with Mele, Akahata and Lily. Dusty and Kata are telling each other jokes and Ruby is listening in from a nearby branch. The pikachus are playing tag in the background.]

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 23

Scene 3:

[As Ren’s head emerges into the open air, the sound of the wind blowing around her changes. Instead of being buffeted as she had feared, the air flows downward, anchoring her to the to of the tower. Much like the inside of the tower, there is no railing or any other barrier to protect her from going over the edge, but she feels no danger, only a sense of peace. She looks out over the region as Zinnia and her whismur go to the flat alter in the middle. It is a clear day and Ren can see all the way to the mainland, Sootoplis and Pacifilog. She reaches out experimentally with her mind.]

Ren: [telepathy] Steven?

Steven: [in her head] Hello Ren.

Ren: I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to reach you like this with both Latios and Latias here with me.

Steven: I’m glad we still can.

Ren: Zinnia and I are at the top now.

Steven: Everyone is here at the Space Center.

Ren: Give them my love.

Steven: I will.

Zinnia: Ren.

Ren: Hm?

[Ren turns to find that Zinnia has emptied her vapor box of meteorites and arranged them near near the center of the tower.]

Zinnia: I wanted to thank you again for all your help, before the summoning. Thank you for fixing my mistakes, for keeping me grounded, for trusting me even though I’ve done nothing to deserve it. Thank you for showing me I’m not alone. And more than that, thank you for making me realize I was wrong to try and do everything alone. I wanted so badly to protect everyone that I put them in harm’s way. I can see now that it was a crazy risk to take and one I never had to. [She takes a deep breath before continuing and looks out beyond Ren to the northwest.] I have felt alone for much of my life, but I’ve always had the support of my family and my pokemon. Without them I would never have made it here. And without you I may not have… [She looks up to the sky, eyes suspiciously bright, but she does not cry.] I may never have fully appreciated all they have done for me. [voice thick] I’m glad and so very grateful that I can feel their love one last time.

[Aster nuzzles Zinnia’s leg and she glances skyward again, taking a deep steadying breath.]

Ren: [in wonder] How do you do that?

Zinnia: What?

Ren: Not cry like that.

Zinnia: Practice, I guess. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always turned my eyes up to the sky whenever I was feeling upset or alone. [She turns and looks up again.] I look up there and I remind myself of all the vast multitudes the universe contains. Even when I was so full of uncertainty that I felt my heart might be crushed by it, when I was so grief-stricken and alone I thought my heart might break of it, I turned and looked up there so that my tears would never, ever fall.

[Ren is quiet behind her for a moment and Zinnia turns back to find her face screwed up in a grimace.]

Zinnia: You okay there, spitfire?

Ren: Chikuso just come here!

[Ren opens her arms and Zinnia obeys, pacing back to Ren and hugging her. Ren holds her tight and Zinnia chuckles a little. Ren hiccups and chuckles too.]

Ren: I’m sorry, I just—It’s—You’re so crazy!

Zinnia: Hey!

Ren: Whatever helps you cope, I guess—I don’t even know how you function after everything you’ve been through—but that’s pretty insane.

Zinnia: [laughs loudly] You’re too honest! Don’t you know that you’re supposed to say that’s it beautiful and poetic or something?

Ren: It is beautiful and poetic, but why the hell won’t you let yourself cry? That’s messed up!

Zinnia: Great Serpent, Ren! We could’ve had a moment!

Ren: [fingers digging in] We are having a moment!

Zinnia: Yeah, I guess we are.

[She rests her head against Ren’s and closes her eyes. Ren buries her head in Zinnia’s shoulder and manages not to cry herself. Zinnia breathes slowly and calmly until Ren’s breathing has calmed and her grip has loosened just a little.]

Zinnia: I’m ready now.

Ren: [letting go of her] Okay. [She pulls her keystone out of her pocket and presses it into Zinnia’s hand.] One more for luck.

[Zinnia smiles and kneels down to put the keystone in the holder on her calf.]

Zinnia: [straightening up] Thank you, spitfire.

Ren: You’re welcome, Higana.

[Zinnia sends out her pokemon and bows to them. They bow back and Ren bows with them. Ren sends out her own pokemon as Zinnia turns and strides to the center of the platform. Aster and the others stay back and watch as Zinnia puts her hands together and begins to chant. The keystones on her calf begin to glow one by one, beginning with her own and ending with Ren’s. Taraki puts a hand on Ren’s shoulder and Ren puts her hand on his side. As Zinnia chants, wind begins to swirl around her, ruffling her cape and hair. It grows stronger as the keystones grow brighter and suddenly all of the air rushes upwards. Ren feels as though she may be blown up into the sky and Teka the pikachu, who is smallest and lightest, grabs onto Ao’s leg. Ren looks up at the sky and and emerald speck appears above them. The wind reverses, pushing everyone down against the tower. The dot of emerald grows larger until it is a snake coiling down to them. Zinnia looks up as the enormous dragon descends. Rayquaza lands and coils themselves in front of her. Their length seems to go on forever and they never stop moving, curling and twisting endlessly in on themselves to fit on the platform. Their scales shimmer a brilliant jewel green save for the thin gold and black stripes and the sun shines through their red fins. Zinnia gazes up at Rayquaza as the enormous serpent looms over her.]

Zinnia: I did it… [She looks back.] I did it! Aster, I did it!

[The whismur smiles at Zinnia and Ren looks up at the giant pokemon in wonder.]

Ren: [murmuring] She did it.

Steven: I know. If you weren’t in my head I wouldn’t be able to hear you over all of the screaming over in Mossdeep.

[Ren chuckles and watches as Zinnia raises her hands to the god.]

Zinnia: Atua Rayquaza, I thank you for answering our prayers and descending from your home in the skies to aid us in this most perilous hour. I offer up these meteorites to give you strength for the task ahead.

[Rayquaza dips their head and picks up the meteorites one by one in their crimson teeth before gobbling each down. When they are finished, they rise above Zinnia and look down at her with their golden eyes.]

Zinnia: Atua Rayquaza, hear my wish! Achieve your Mega Evolution! Take hold of your true power! Show me your true face! The Rayquaza that will save this planet!

[The keystones on Zinnia’s calf glow again and a puff of wind whirls around her for a moment before all grows still. Zinnia stops and looks up into Rayquaza’s eyes and they stare steadily back. Ren realizes that something is wrong and takes a step forward, a worried expression on her face.]

Zinnia: Why won’t you mega evolve? I— I gathered all the keystones and meteorites, I summoned you here and you came… Why?! Why won't you!

[Zinnia’s hunches, every muscle coiling and the keystones flare to life once more, even brighter than before. Wind and light whirl around her and strike out at Rayquaza. The great serpent goes rigid for a moment and begins to glow only to fizzle out a moment later and slump.]

Zinnia: It can't be… The one without enough power is you, Rayquaza? The meteorites I brought aren’t enough? But you should already have more inside you. So much time has passed. How can you still be so drained? [Zinnia slumps forward.] No… This can’t be… I-I’ve come all this way—everything I've done and I still can’t…

[Ren grabs Zinnia’s shoulder and her head pops up, jolting her back out of her spiral.]

Ren: What’s wrong?

Zinnia: Rayquaza can’t mega evolve. They need a certain type of meteorite or something. The last fight drained all of their power. I don’t know how to get any more. I don’t know where they are and we’re out of time and—

Ren: I have one. I have the meteorite that Magma stole and the one that HAEA was going to use to power the dimensional shifter. It’s in my vapor box.

[Zinnia just stares at her and Ren kneels down to set up her box. She selects the meteor on her nav and it materializes up out of the wood. Zinnia’s eyes go wide and Rayquaza leans in a little closer above them, shifting and coiling once more.]

Ren: [standing back up] There, is that—

[Zinnia grabs Ren’s face and kisses her full on the mouth. Ren blinks rapidly and her whole face flushes brilliantly as Zinnia pulls away.]

Zinnia: You saved me! You saved all of us again!

[Ren blushes even more deeply if possible and it begins to spread down her neck. Zinnia lets go of her to turn back to Rayquaza and Ren puts a hand over her mouth.]

Zinnia: Atua Rayquaza, please accept this final offering and take hold of the power you need to save the planet! [turning back to Ren and smiling brilliantly] Go ahead, offer it to them.

Ren: Oh, uh, I don’t think I can lift it.

Zinnia: Then we’ll lift it together.

[They bend down and grab either side of the meteorite, lifting it first to chest level and then raising it above their heads. Ren’s arms shake a little from the strain, but Rayquaza dips their great head and takes the meteorite from them. They cock back their head and swallow it. The change is almost immediate. A sudden brightness flickers across them and wind whirls around the tower with frightening intensity. Rayquaza rises up even higher above Ren and Zinnia, then looks back down and trumpets deafeningly. Ren feels a hand on her shoulder and finds that Taraki and all of the other pokemon are behind her.]

Taraki: They want to battle, all of us, you and Zinnia together.

[Ren looks over at Zinnia and she nods. She takes Ren’s keystone back out of her holder and hands it to Ren.]

Zinnia: They want to test us, to see who will ride with them to destroy the meteor. Are you ready, spitfire?

Ren: [grinning] Absolutely.

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 21

Scene 2:

[Ren eats breakfast and talks to her mother about other things. Ren’s pokemon wander downstairs and Ren washes the rest of the dishes. When Asuka goes to her office to write, Ren and her pokemon leave for Kai’s house. Tāraki and the others wait with Kai’s pokemon who are already out in the yard while Ren goes inside. She makes small talk with Kai and his mother for a while until Kai notices how distressed she is and the two of them go outside.]

Kai: What happened? What’s wrong?

Ren: It’d just—I, uh… [Ren takes a deep breath and sighs.] I overheard my parents having an argument this morning. Well not an argument exactly. You know how Mossdeep Space Center is hosting a viewing of the Litlenoid Meteor Shower?

Kai: Yeah. Cosmo and Keanu are going to speak at it.

Ren: Yeah well, okasan really wanted to see it and otosan got tickets to go see it with her. It was kind of a big deal cuz he’s mostly too busy for us and— [Ren has to stop and calm down a bit.] So okasan was really excited to go and then otosan just bailed on her. [gesturing wildly] He’s the one who bought the fucking tickets in the first place! [pulling at her hair] He always does this! It makes me SO ANGRY!

[Ren hauls off and kicks a stick in the yard. It snaps and half and the pieces go whizzing off in different directions. Her face is flushed and her breathing is erratic. Kai takes a step towards her.]

Kai: I’m sorry. That’s really shitty.

Ren: Sorry. I just needed to vent. Maybe we should get out of here.

Kai: Want to go for a walk?

Ren: Yeah. [She whistles to her pokemon.] We’re going for a walk. You’re welcome to come.

[Jay and Taraki jump up right away and the others follow at a more leisurely pace as they head for Route 101.]

Ren: I tried to get her to go with me instead, but she wouldn’t budge. She even gave me the tickets.

[Ren sniffs and wipes her nose. Taraki butts his head against hers and she strokes him as he passes her to take the lead.]

Ren: I just don’t understand how he can hurt her like that. I know he loves us but he… [Growls.]

Kai: That doesn’t make it okay.

Ren: [yelling] Thank you! [clears her throat] But really, thank you. I was only ever able to talk to my therapist about this stuff before. She always said I had a right to be angry, but it helps to hear it from someone else too.

Kai: Of course. My dad is really busy too, but he always makes time for us.

[Ren looks away and they both fall quiet. Jay and Taraki are walking a ways ahead of them gabbing jovially. The rest of the pokemon trail behind. Pohaku is very curious about everything and Dusty does his best to explain. Ruby perches on Lily as the cradily crawls along. Zach, who is now a raichu edges up to Ao.]

Zach: Excuse me, Ao, but I was wondering how Teka is doing.

Ao: She’s well. She’s a lot more comfortable with all of us now. I guess it has been a while since you’ve seen her. I’ll talk to Ren and see if we can fix that.

Zach: Oh, thank you so much.

Ao: No problem, Zach. I’m sure Teka would love to see you, especially since you evolved.

[Ao smiles and Zach’s tail waves back and forth with happy nervous energy. Ao looks off into the distance.]

Ao: I miss Mele. Maybe we can visit him on set sometime.

Akahata: So he finally got to you, huh?

Ao: [coloring] Yeah. [wistful smile] I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way about a male.

Naihi: Oh, do you prefer females?

Ao: Yes. Lots of the males in my pack were interested in me, but I never found them appealing. All the previous loves in my life have been female.

[Ao and Akahata share an awkward glance and smile. Naihi watches them carefully before straightening up.]

Naihi: It seems as though there is still much for me to catch up on. [Both Akahata and Ao color a little.] Aka, would you be willing to show me that pool you spoke about?

Akahata: Sure. It isn’t too far. [to Ao and the rest] Um, we’ll catch up with you later.

[Akahata and Naihi split off into the woods. Meanwhile, Ren and Kai are talking again.]

Ren: I just hate how powerless it makes me feel. I saved the world! I’m the Hoenn League Champion for Arceus’s sake! But there’s nothing I can do about this.

[Ren droops and looks down. Kai looks sympathetic and then thoughtful for a moment.]

Kai: You could always fire him. [Ren looks at him incredulously.] You’re the head of the League now. And if you fired him, then he’d have to spend more time at home.

[Ren laughs and gives Kai a playful shove.]

Kai: I’m just saying it’s a possibility.

[Taraki and Jay have stopped ahead of them and Ren and Kai stop too.]

Kai: What’s up?

Jay: This is where we had our first battle.

Taraki: And we want a re-match! Just me versus Jay.

Jay: But with our mega forms this time.

Ren: You up for it, Kai?

Kai: Yeah.

Ren: Let’s do it!

Taraki: Whoo!

[The other pokemon form a ring around the battlefield while Ren and Kai take their places on either side. They since up their breathing with Taraki and jay before activating their keystones. They mega evolve at the same time in a burst of light and wind. Taraki is faster and slashes Jay with a dragon claw. Jay takes the hit but then knocks him back with a blaze kick. Before he has time to recover, she glows brightly and launches at him. Taraki just barely manages to dodge the brave bird and Jay stumbles to a stop. Taraki slashes across her back with another dragon claw and she almost falls. Taraki goes for another hit but Jay’s ability has made her faster and she nails Taraki in the jaw with a sky uppercut. He stumbles back and she goes for a low sweep, knocking him clean off his feet. She jumps up and comes down on him with a blaze kick, but he catches her and flings her away. They recover at the same time. Jay charges another brave bird and Taraki pushes all of his power into a dragon claw. They run at each other and the light from the collision almost blinds everyone. Miraculously, Taraki withstands the hit by using his dragon claw as a shield. He trembles from the strain, but manages to throw his arms apart, catching Jay across the shoulder. She stumbles and falls to one knee, clutching her shoulder. A moment later, she drops back to her normal form and Kai droops with her. Taraki drops his mega form a few seconds later and Ren slumps as well. The four of them just pant for a minute.]

Ren: Whoo, you almost had us there.

Kai: You two are so tough, it’s crazy. [deep breath] But I guess I should expect that from the Hoenn League Champion.

Ren: Damn right. [deep sigh] I don’t think I’m going to get tired of hearing that anytime soon.

Kai: [smiles] And she’s back.

Ren: [soft smile] Thank you.

Kai: Anytime. [He straightens up and his back gives an audible crack.] Maybe not any time.

[Ren chuckles and hugs him. They get out potions and spray their starters down.]

Kai: So, what should we do now?

Ren: I don’t know. I don’t want to go home.

Kai: Want to go to Wally’s?

Ren: Yeah.

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 20

Scene 3:

[Ren walks into the reserve where Akahata, Naihi, Ao and Kotai are already waiting for her and sends out the rest of her pokemon. They are happy to see each other and Ren and a big group cuddle puddle ensues. Teka and Roma stay on the outside, the former so as not to be squished and the later so as not to soak them all. Once that is over with they all huddle in a circle around Ren to hear whatshe has to say. Taraki is front and center and Kotai and Pohaku to his left. Akahata sits down with both Naihi and Ao close enough to touch her on either side. Teka sits politely to the side while Roma and Tarahau float overhead. Kata snaps a quick picture and then lays down next to Pohaku.]

Ren: So Oro should be calling pretty soon to check in. I’ve been texting Iriaka and she arranged to meet up with him today. After that we’ll give Mele and then Ahi a call. But before that does anyone want to take a trip up Route 102 with me tomorrow? I’m gonna see if I can track down Ikki.

Taraki: Ooh, yay!

Akahata: I would like to go.

Ao: Me too. It would be wonderful to see her again.

Naihi: I must admit I’m curious to meet her. I have heard much about her.

Kotai: I hope she’s found herself a mate.

Kata: And I’ll take the photos!

Ren: Okay, guess that’s settled. The rest of you didn’t get a chance to know Ikki anyway. But while we wait for Oro to call, maybe we should talk about the championship. [Taraki gasps and bounces up and down.] I think I’ll spend two weeks here, but then we’re off to train on Victory Road. With any luck, Kai and Wally will get their final badge and tag along.

Pohaku: Oh yay! It was so fun traveling with them before.

Ren: But before we leave, we have to decide who’s going to take on the Elite Four and Steven. I’ll try and get in a little training time with all of you once we’re here, but there’s no swapping out on Victory Road and I’ll have to focus on just the six of you who decide to come if we wanna win this thing. We’ll go in capture order. Thoughts, Taraki?

Taraki: WE’RE GONNA BE CHAMPIONS!! WHOOO!!! I’m gonna fight Besemer! Or maybe Ptilometra or Gilchrist! I could totally take Komatsu or Tungsten! But I’ll leave off Alwyn, Escutcheon, and the three flying-types if you need me to.

Ren: Thanks, tiger. How about you, Akahata?

Akahata: Well, I never thought I’d make it this far. I was always counting on being boxed or released or killed. But now that I’m here, I want to see how much further I can go. Battling has changed for me. It’s gone from something I needed to do to something I love. I want to be the strongest that I can be. I want to take on the championship, Ren.

Ren: Aw, come here. [Akahata trots up and Ren gives her a big hug.] I was a little afraid you’d sit it out. I’m so happy you’ll be with me. I’ve always pictured it that way. [Akahata nuzzles into her and Ren wipes her eyes with a sniff.] Okay! Not crying! Um, Kata, you next.

[Akahata goes back to sit by Naihi.]

Kata: Well, it sounds like a great time, but honestly I’d probably be just as happy to document it with my camera. It’s your call.

Ren: Alright. Kotai?

Kotai: It would be an honor and a privilege, luv. I’d like nothing better than to take the championship with you. I can hardly wait to show those League pokemon how it’s done!

Ren: Understood. Roma? I’m guessing you’re not really up for this.

Roma: If you want to go on another sea voyage, count me in. This past week was fun. But otherwise I’m out.

Ren: Thanks for carting us all around. You’ve been a real asset to the team. Pohaku, are you up for finishing the League?

Pohaku: [wriggling in excitement] YES! Oh Arceus I’m so excited! I can’t believe we’re going to do it! I wanna fight Escutcheon! He’s the coolest and I wanna show him how strong I’ve gotten!

Ren: [laughing] Alright. What about you, Naihi? Are you going to stick around now that the danger has passed?

Naihi: As I have said before, I think there is a danger still to come, but either way I would like to fight in the championship. I love battling and I quite like having a trainer and a little glory wouldn’t be so bad.

Ren: Glad to hear it. How about you, Teka? Either way I still owe you a thunderstone.

Teka: I would rather not battle this Elite Four if it’s all the same to you. However, I’d be happy to consult with you on strategy.

Ren: That would be great.

Teka: As to the matter of the thunderstone: I don’t think I want one anymore. When I asked you for one, I assumed I needed to become a decent battler to have the life I wanted and that I had to evolve to be strong enough. But I think I am strong enough with this light ball, and I think I may be able to find my place with my other skills.

Ren: Well, you’ll always have a place here. You helped me through a lot of tough situations.

Teka: Not really what I had in mind when I signed up, but things have worked out for me.

Ren: I’m glad you don’t hate me for it. I did try to explain things.

Teka: It wasn’t your fault. It’s just that my original plan was to ditch the minute I evolved.

[Everyone stares at the pikachu in shock.]

Taraki: Wow, Jay was right. I thought she was just being paranoid.

Teka: But then being a trainer pokemon turned out to be kind of fun. It was interesting to have more complex problems to solve and it felt nice to be useful and I sort of wanted to keep an eye on Zach, so I stayed. [She sighs.] Hm, being honest is different. I hope I didn’t offend you all.

Ren: Haha, not really. Just not quite what I was expecting from this conversation either. Wow. I’m very glad you decided to stay. Okay. Tarahau, what would you like to do?

Tarahau: I’d like to battle in the championships, but I know I’m not as experienced as the others, so I understand if you don’t pick me. And win or lose, I’m sure I’ll get more intense battle opportunities.

Ren: Great. I guess that’s decided then. The championship team will be Tāraki, Akahata, Ao, Kōtai, Pohaku and Naihi!

[The pokemon cheer.]

Ren: That worked out well.