The New Normal - 18-3

The New Normal – 18-3 – Into the Breach

I landed just outside the Temple of the Titan and quickly stepped inside. The Keepers of the Titan all saluted me as they flanked me, accompanying me down to Regigigas.

They had already been informed about what was to come.

As I stepped into Regigigas’ chamber, I felt the bond of connection between us pulse even stronger, like it was bursting to come out.

But there was no pain. Instead, the moment I approached Regigigas’ dormant form – I felt it. The familiar sensation of strength wrapped around me as the Legendary Titan began to move.

This time, there was no need for any complicated summoning ritual.

Our bond was built on mutual trust. The moment it had felt that a new Legendary had emerged, it had ‘nudged’ me with our bond and alerted me to the situation. With this information, it was on me to decide whether its assistance was needed or not – and if so, then I was to call upon it and reawaken it.

Therefore, as soon as I called for it, it was already ready for me.

Like before, Regigigas’ awakening process was slow and lumbering, as if it was shaking off the rust after its long dormancy – though it was moving faster than before since it was dormant for a much shorter period of time. Furthermore, thanks to all the new renovations built around the Temple, this time the Temple did not fall and crumble apart from the slightest movement of Regigigas.

Instead, as soon as I confirmed the awakening, the ceiling above Regigigas began to open up, making space for the Legendary Titan so it wouldn’t have to break through the floor to get above ground.

“GIGAS!!!!”

Regigigas’ titanic roar still managed to shake the earth itself, and many Keepers, even though they were trained to expect it, still flinched away from the sheer, terrifying power that Regigigas unconsciously emitted. Even their Pokémon, which were veteran of many battles, were momentarily frightened by Regigigas’ presence, and they all backed off – quickly leaving the room.

Except for me. Instead, I calmly took a knee in front of the Titan.

“Welcome back, Regigigas.” I said solemnly, “We have need of your strength once again. A Legendary has awoken in hostile hands, and its potential for collateral damage is immense. We need to stop it before it can rampage around and destroy all that it comes across.”

Regigigas ‘stared’ at me, and through our connection I could understand the unasked question.

“I cannot know for sure which Legendary it is – but it should be either Zekrom or Reshiram.” I replied, explaining the situation just in case it didn’t know (though it probably already did), “But this situation shouldn’t be the same as Cyrus’ – I don’t think N would have unnaturally subjugated either Zekrom or Reshiram. I believe they follow him willingly, because N truly embodies their concepts.”

Another question came my way.

I nodded, “Yes. It probably is the same situation as it was in my ‘memories’. N’s probably just a puppet for Ghetsis – who is the true villain here. I don’t think that N is all that hostile towards us. But I do have a question, Regigigas… would you allow Zekrom or Reshiram to stay if they don’t prove themselves a threat?”

I asked this because I knew that, in the first Black and White game, after you defeat N he departs on top of his Legendary before returning later in Black and White 2. That meant that, during the intermediary period, there was a wild Legendary just roaming around the world without causing widespread destruction.

Therefore, I wanted to know if a similar situation would happen here, assuming that N proves to be friendly and non-hostile after we take down Ghetsis. Or if the threat of a Legendary roaming free, friendly or not, would be too much for the Legendary Titan to allow.

In this case, I knew full well that the final decision rested on Regigigas’ shoulders. I knew full well that it was only with Regigigas’ power that we would be able to take down Zekrom for good.

So it was best to find out Regigigas’ position on this in case we accidentally act in conflict with its interests.

There was an uncharacteristic moment of silence as Regigigas stopped for a brief moment, as if to process my question. As I waited, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the reinforced material that was used to build the Temple, that was specially designed to somewhat resist the effects of Regigigas’ raw power, was slowly starting to crack just from the unconscious power that was leaking out of the Legendary Titan.

Considering that it was already made from the sturdiest material that we could find, this was just another reminder about how strong the Legendary Titan truly was. Maybe we would have to somehow find even sturdier material in the future?

I did not know what kinds of calculation went through its head, but after about a minute, Regigigas stared down at me and let out a heavy rumble. My connection with it told me what it was saying.

“…I see.” Its answer was a simple thing. Basically, as a fellow Legendary, so long as Zekrom was not actively destroying the world in a mindless rampage, then Regigigas would not interfere with its existence. After all, it was not in its purview to do so, so Regigigas would not dictate to it whether it was allowed to remain in the world or not.

That was an… unfortunate response, but understandable. Obviously, as much as I could emphasise with N’s situation, myself and the rest of the Leagues would definitely prefer if Zekrom/Reshiram was sealed and returned to its dormancy once more instead of roaming free.

It was just a matter of practicality. A roaming Legendary was an active Legendary, and active Legendaries had a tendency to accidentally destroy entire cities on a whim. Sure, Zekrom/Reshiram might not do this, but it would be more comforting for us if it just returned back into its Stone form.

If it was allowed to remain active, then I could already foresee the massive headache that would arise just from trying to organise how we would monitor the Legendary – both to check up on what it was doing and to make sure that it wasn’t about to suddenly rampage for no reason. Legendaries were always a fickle thing.

Of course, Regigigas didn’t care about any of this. These were human concerns, and it was only focused on protecting the natural order – and if it trusted Zekrom/Reshiram to not do damage, then that was that. I understood this, so I didn’t begrudge it or try to persuade it. That would be going a step too far.

So I just said this, “Our other allies are going to be joining us soon. Are we going to have the Regi Trio joining us?”

Instead of a response, I suddenly felt three new connections snap into my mind. I flinched backwards from the unfamiliar sensation, but relaxed when I realised what this was.

I just smiled at Regigigas, “Thank you for the trust. I will make sure not to abuse this new authority.”

The moment I finished saying that, I felt three new figures rocketing through the air as they proceeded to land right next to me. Regice, Regirock, and Registeel had all awoken – likely the same time that Regigigas did – and had immediately made their way here.

And I was now connected to them, much like I was to Regigigas. Much like with the Legendary Titan, I did not have full command over the Regi Trio. However, I now had a direct line of communication with them as well, without having to go through Regigigas like I did previously.

“ÜN ÜN ÜN”

I smiled at Regirock’s ‘greeting’. “Thank you for joining us too, but I think we’ve wasted enough time with introductions. We best get a move on before the Legendary starts rampaging.”

The Regis agreed, and we finally departed from the Temple of the Titan. The four of them rocketed into the air, with me ‘riding’ on top of Registeel.

Normally, I would be flying on Port or Zephyr. However, considering the distance between Unova and Sinnoh, riding on one of the Regis was the quickest way there.

It just wasn’t very comfortable – Registeel was many things, but it was definitely not built for comfort. At least it was marginally better than riding on Regice or Regirock.

Before we got out of the signal range of Sinnoh, I made sure to contact Cynthia and inform them of our current situation.

“Understood.” Cynthia replied, “The Elite Four for all regions have been rallied, and are on their way to Unova now. However, given the distance, we will be the first to arrive.”

“How will you be getting there? Because I’m getting carried by a Legendary.” I asked.

“We’re on fast-moving Staraptor bred and used by our rangers for long-range travel. They are much faster than the regular ships.” She explained, “So we should be there in a day’s time.”

“Okay. Tell the Unova League to expect me.” I said, “I’m not going to be wasting any time. The moment we arrive, then I’m going to start the hunt straight away. I’m not going to ask the Legendary Titan to hold back.”

“Got it.” She replied, “I’ll let them know to expect you.”

==================

I arrived in Unova in half a day’s time – much faster than I would have if I had travelled by conventional means. They might not look like it, as they looked like slow and lumbering titans, but the Regis were able to move much faster than you’d expect.

I was probably protected by some sort of invisible shield, because at the speeds they were flying at, either I would have been heavily battered by the oncoming winds or would have just fallen off them entirely.

However, neither of those things occurred, and I landed on the outskirts of Mistralton City. Given that I had already contacted the Uvova League about my impending arrival as soon as I entered signal range, Drayden was already there waiting for me when I arrived.

I noticed Drayden’s eyes widen with surprise as he saw me flanked by all four Regis, but he managed to compose himself quickly as he greeted me, “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“It’s no issue.” I replied, “What’s the situation? I don’t want to waste any time.”

“We’ve still not spotted the Legendary that you’ve detected.” He replied with a concerned frown, “However, we can confirm that a sudden surge of unknown energy has been detected by our sensors – which confirms that a Legendary has likely awakened. We just don’t know where it is, since that energy was spread across a large and general area.”

“I guess it means it hasn’t destroyed anything yet at least.” I said.

“Indeed, I suppose we can consider that a silver lining.” He nodded, “Most of the population have already been alerted and ordered to evacuate to their nearest shelters. However, as we’ve not had to use such emergency procedures in a while, things were more disorganised than anticipated.”

Not unexpected. The fact that Unova had these shelters in the first place, which I knew were left over from a war that happened a long time ago, was already a big and unexpected benefit. Admittedly, most of them were probably in disrepair, but it was better than letting the public run around in a panic.

“The rest of the Elite Four are currently working with the Unova Police and Rangers to track down this Legendary.” He continued, “But we are confident that it is not located in any of Unova’s main cities. They must be in the wilderness somewhere.”

“Got it. I’ll help out there then.” With Regigigas by my side, I was sure that I would have an easier time than the others, given that a Legendary should be able to detect another Legendary.

And already, without needing me to say anything, Regigigas suddenly took off into the air as it flew over to the north, having already likely detected where Zekrom was.

I quickly said as much to Drayden before I rushed after Regigigas, once again on Registeel. Drayden meanwhile took off on his Hydreigon as he flew after us.

I didn’t know where we were headed, but after a short flight, we landed somewhere in the middle of absolutely nowhere. All that surrounded us were trees and an untamed wilderness. But once again, there was nothing here. There were no signs of Zekrom or Reshiram.

However, I understood just why Regigigas brought us here. It was impossible to miss the lingering ripples of electricity that somehow persisted in the very ground itself. I even got a nasty shock once I stepped over a particularly electrified patch of grass. So the fact that this electricity was not dissipating already told me what I needed to know.

Zekrom had been awakened – and it had done so right here.

The lingering energies must have been what Regigigas had detected, which is why it had brought us here. But N and Zekrom weren’t here anymore.

“…This feeling… I don’t like it. It feels like every hair on my body is standing on its ends.” Drayden muttered, “What happened here? Is this where the Legendary awakened?”

“I believe that’s the only thing that could explain this feeling.” I nodded, before turning back to Regigigas, “Zekrom must have awakened here. It is the only Legendary that could emit this kind of energy.”

“Yes, nothing else would explain this feeling.” He replied, a frown appearing on his face, “It seems like PLASMA have found some way to awaken the Legendary of Ideals. How obsessed must they be for their goals that they’d be able to awaken Zekrom of all things?”

“Never underestimate the determination of a madmen.” I stated, “We learnt that lesson after dealing with Cyrus. But we’ve gone off track.”

I turned back to Regigigas, who had been inspecting the surroundings, “Regigigas, are you able to detect where Zekrom has gone?”

A denial pulsed through our bond as Regigigas explained that it could only really detect Zekrom if it let out a lot of ambient energy, as it did with its awakening. Meaning that unless it started rampaging and using its power freely, Regigigas was not suited to tracking it down.

I let out a frustrated sigh, I had been hoping for this to not be the case, but it seemed like we were going to do this the hard way. I had hoped that Regigigas would just somehow be able to know where Zekrom was at all times, but it wasn’t to be.

We were going to have to hunt down N and Zekrom the hard way.

I quickly realised that this fight might turn out to be a mirror of my fight against Cyrus and Palkia. With Cyrus, there was no time for subterfuge or clever tactics. We all knew where he was, so there was no need to ‘track’ him down, we just had to get through to Spear Pillar and stop him before he destroyed the world.

With N and Zekrom, it appeared that things were less simple. As far as I was aware, they didn’t have a specific goal in mind except ‘make PLASMA win’. Of course, knowing Ghetsis, he was going to do so by manipulating N to making use of Zekrom to subdue the population of Unova, and to do he was going to need to terrorise the population into submission.

Except, unlike Cyrus, there was no ‘main target’ that he had to go for. He could strike anywhere with Zekrom, and there was little anyone could do to stop him when he was backed up by the power of said Legendary. If he relied on hit-and-run attacks alone, then I wouldn’t be surprised if he could completely destroy and level multiple cities before we could take him down.

…Which is why I was incredibly confused to see why that wasn’t happening. Knowing what Ghetsis was like, he was absolutely not the type of person to extend any sense of mercy. If he had his way, he would be eradicating every city in Unova without delay.

I knew he was perfectly fine ruling over a pile of ashes, so long as it was him ruling in the end.

So the fact that he hadn’t been doing that told me that there was something I was missing. Something was causing Zekrom to hold back, whether that be something to do with itself or with N.

I didn’t know what it was, but I hoped I was right. I really didn’t want Unova to turn into a wasteland.

I said as much to Drayden, who nodded in horrified agreement, “…The fact that well-being of Unova rests on a hunch like that is alarming. But there must be something we could do to limit the damage done. The other Champions explicitly told Alder that we should take account of your suggestions for this matter – given you are more experienced than we are with situations like this.”

I gave that question some serious thought before replying.

“Keep up the monitoring efforts for now.” I said, “The most important part is locating Zekrom and preventing it from striking any of the cities of Unova. To that end, I’ll have the Regis split up and support all patrolling efforts – while also prioritising the more populous cities. If Zekrom is spotted and this devolves into a fight, do not engage unless you are backed up by a Regi. Make sure that this is perfectly understood by all law enforcement members. You will not put up a fight otherwise.”

During the fight against Palkia, the Legendary of Space was able to literally hold us in place by manipulating the space around it. If it weren’t for the Regis and their aura of normalcy that reset the warped space back to normal, we would never have been able to fight against Palkia.

I didn’t know if Zekrom could pull off something similar with its ‘special’ electricity, or if its aspect of Ideals could be utilised in a way that could somehow neutralise our fighting ability, so it was crucial that we fought alongside the Regis and their ability to cancel out such effects.

It was better safe than sorry.

“Understood.” He nodded, before lowering his head to speak into the walkie-talkie that he had attached to his shirt, “You heard that, Marshal?”

“I did.” Marshal’s voice filtered through the walkie-talkie, “Is there anything else you’d suggest we do?”

“Given that Zekrom’s primary attack Type is Electric, it would be prudent to arm your trainers with as many strong Ground types as possible in preparation for a fight.” I said, “However, don’t forget that Legendaries operate under different rules than your typical Type restrictions. I can tell you from experience that type immunities do not apply when it comes to an attack from a Legendary. Always assume that your Pokémon will not be able to survive an attack from a Legendary. Dodging is always preferred.”

I really wanted that particular point drilled into their head. You could not afford to take any risks when you’re fighting against a Legendary.

“—Meanwhile, it would be better if we could wait for the reinforcements to arrive before a confrontation, but of course I understand that this is out of our control.” I continued, “Other than that… what’s the situation with the public? I know they’ve been evacuated, but how’s public sentiment?”

“Not great.” Drayden replied instead, “Like I said before, the evacuation was disorganised and very abrupt. Emergency measures such as these haven’t been used in a long time, and the public weren’t happy about having their daily lives disrupted like that. They’re not protesting now, but discontent is rising. Things will only get worse if they’re forced to stay in those shelters for a long period of time – which they might have to do since we haven’t even found Zekrom yet.”

“We’re doing our best to ferry as many people as we can out of Unova.” Marshal added, “Alder’s already in communication with your Champions to accommodate the evacuees from Unova. Being forced to leave is probably not any better, but at least it’ll be better than keeping them confined in shelters that haven’t been maintained in a long time.”

“It’s a thankless task, but it’s best if we can do all we can to get them out of the line of fire.” I agreed.

“Keeping the public safe is our number one priority – it is our greatest duty.” Drayden stated firmly, “They can hate us, but so long as they are alive and well to do so, then I will gladly accept their anger. But we’ve talked enough, we need to get back to patrolling.”

He turned around and released his Hydreigon again, “I will not allow PLASMA to threaten us into submission. Legendary or not, reinforcements or not, they will break the next time we meet.”

I smiled, “That’s the spirit. I look forward to fighting alongside you all. I promise you, no matter what, Zekrom will fall. It will not win against us. The Legendary Titan will ensure it.”

And from behind me, as if to punctuate my point, Regigigas stomped on the ground – causing an enormous shockwave of destruction to ripple out in all directions.

It was a display of power. A challenge to Zekrom, demanding that it show itself for a proper fight. At the same time, it was a physical reminder to all of our new allies that even though Zekrom was a Legendary, with all that entailed, we had one of our own.

And I was willing to bet that Regigigas was stronger.

A.N. I wanted this Legendary battle to be slightly different from the fight against Cyrus, obviously due to the differing circumstances between the two situations. With Cyrus, his objective was to destroy the entire world by awakening Palkia at Spear Pillar and using its power to end the world.

With Ghetsis/N, their objectives are less static. Ghetsis wants to rule over Unova, and is using Zekrom to force obedience with overwhelming power. Therefore, he doesn’t need to be/strike at a specific place, because his goals are more vague than Cyrus’. So John and the authorities are forced to track and hunt him down, and I felt that this needed to be emphasised in this chapter to properly set the scene for the battle and to show off all the preparations that will be done by the Leagues to get ready for this battle. But don’t worry, the battle’s coming soon (within the next 2 main chapters, I promise!). Hope you enjoyed!