Winds and Waves are looking pretty good! But with the 2027 release date, it seems like it’ll be quite awhile before I have to start considering its ramifications on this story. What I’m leaning toward now is maybe including the new pokémon, but not the region itself or any of the new characters. Mainly because I kind of already have solid ideas on how I want the existing nine regions to factor into the current and upcoming plots, and trying to add in the new one may throw things off.

  Though like I said, that’s just what I’m leaning toward now. Things could change!

  PARAGON

  Unknown Enemy Arc [13]

  Chapter 99 : Deadlock

  Unova Region - Western Unova

  Sylvester hissed, rounding around like a cornered animal.

  Of course, that’s what they were. Agents of the International Police surrounded them on all sides.

  N closed his eyes, teeth clenched. This was the exact scenario he’d been dreading after Sylvester escaped. And if either of them were caught, the rest of Paragon would go down with them. They’d be lured into a trap.

  Sylvester’s eyes bulged, his teeth bared.

  N swallowed. Sylvester was in no condition to think rationally now. He’d been calm enough a second ago, but he’d been lulled that way by N. Now that the ones who had apparently betrayed Cynthia were right in front of him, N could not see Sylvester restraining himself any longer.

  But any blood spilled here would only serve to worsen their situation. Right now, N needed to find a way to extricate himself and Sylvester from this dilemma without escalating the conflict. And preferably, stall their pursuit and prevent any more from chasing after.

  He considered contacting Sabrina via the psychic needle, but quickly decided against it. She was all the way in Alola. She couldn’t do anything from there.

  No, that wasn’t why. N was actually fairly confident she would be able to do something, even from the other side of the world. That’s just how strong she was.

  But this assignment was one N had taken on himself. For all he knew, his friends were in an even worse predicament. And he was a full-fledged member of Paragon just like them.

  He needed to solve this on his own.

  “Fezandipiti…!” Sylvester snarled. “Gunk Shot!”

  “Wait!” N’s eyes widened. “Flamethrower, Reshiram! Stop that attack!”

  As Fezandipiti reared back and unleashed a flood of glimmering purple sludge toward Interpol like a hydrant, Reshiram unleashed a column of fire into the plague, burning it black before it could reach its intended targets.

  Fezandipiti glared at Reshiram, hunkering down threateningly.

  “What is wrong with you?” Sylvester roared, shoving N. “Cynthia’s murderers stand before us and you would defend them? Are you heartless?”

  As Sylvester raised his hand to push him back again, N caught his wrist. “The one responsible isn’t here! These men are being strung along just like us!”

  The armored man grunted, snatching N’s attention.

  “Your cooperation is appreciated, Harmonia,” he called. “If you can convince your friend to surrender, this won’t have to get any uglier.”

  N’s eyes narrowed. “If you’ve been charged to take us in, then you should know who we are. Do you think you have any chance of subduing us, even with your numbers?”

  The man shrugged. “It’s not something I’d advise you to test. Your Paragon Organization’s reputation precedes you, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting two of your members already, so I’m well aware of how strong you are. And yet I stand before you anyway with the intention of bringing you in. You’d do well to think on what that means.”

  The scars on his face twitched as the stoniest of smirks curled on his lip.

  N faltered. “You’re General Nathaniel Barke. Warden of the World Prison.”

  “Duplicitous dog,” Sylvester spat.

  N silently urged him to shut up. “We worked together to find AZ! Why are you pursuing the Paragon Organization now?”

  “I’d love to tell you all about it, if you’d just come with me,” Barke said, nonplussed.

  N gritted his teeth. He spoke with confidence, well aware of the betrayal, yet he stood poised to take them in anyway. But N wanted to believe that someone Anabel and Sabrina had worked directly with in the past wasn’t so malicious. Surely there was a misunderstanding. Something he could exploit to get out of this…

  “Capturing us will do you no good,” N continued. “It’s all of Paragon you want, isn’t it? If you take us in here, the others will know. You’ve had the element of surprise so far, but now that you’ve wasted it on us, the others will decimate you.”

  N wasn’t fond of the violent rhetoric, but mere rhetoric from him was better than Sylvester’s surely more physical form of communication. Luckily, the man was polite enough to let N continue his conversation without resuming his assault on their assailants.

  “We’ll keep your warning in mind,” Barke drawled. “Now, recall your pokémon, unclip your belts, kneel down, and put your hands on your heads.”

  Sylvester slinked closer to N. “I’ll stall the general, you mow down the others,” he said in a low voice. “We’ll fly south.”

  “No fighting,” N said firmly, loud enough that Barke could hear. “These are not our enemies.”

  Barke sneered. “Enough, Harmonia. Do as I say. I’m not here to negotiate.”

  N scowled. Should he obey? As long as they didn’t capture Reshiram, N was confident he could escape. But what about Sylvester? Would he even let himself be captured just to placate them for the time being?

  Spearow squawked, fluttering into the air, preparing for whichever option N chose.

  Shall I incapacitate them, Master? Reshiram asked, his eyes still trained on Barke.

  N hadn’t removed his gaze from Barke either. His lips surrendered the smallest of sighs. “Follow Sylvester’s lead. Leave the general unharmed.”

  Sylvester grinned and spread his arms out. “Gunk Shot!”

  Barke glared at the two men, pulling a pokéball from his belt and enlarging it. “Wrong move. Offensive action now!”

  N’s nose twitched, a foul stench flooded the clearing as Fezandipiti’s poison hurled toward their opponents. The ridge’s edge flashed as countless pokémon were deployed to protect their trainers and defeat their enemies.

  The geyser of poison knocked a Pangoro off its feet just as it’d finished materializing, and Fezandipiti swept to the side, blasting back an Empoleon, an Obstagoon, and an Alolan Exeggutor, before being blocked by a fierce Kommo-o.

  Reshiram took flight, jade dragon energy carving into existence around his wings, and he swept across the line of agents with a fierce Dragon Claw. A Hariyama and Snorlax leaped into Reshiram’s back, but the dragon snorted and shook them off, then shot a spray of hellish fire at them for their insolence.

  “Kill them!” Sylvester screamed.

  “Don’t kill them!” N yelled, hoping Fezandipiti would disobey its trainer just this once.

  A gleaming line shimmered into existence, bouncing between five different pokémon and their trainers. A flash illuminated the clearing like lighting as Fezandipiti blitzed between them, knocking them all back in a blaze of black poison, and it returned to where it was in the same instant.

  U-turn… N scowled. Shouldn’t be lethal…

  A searing meteor descended from the sky in a wreath of warbling turbulence, bathing N’s face in a horrific light.

  “Solar Beam!” N pointed.

  Reshiram reared around, his eyes finding the opponent immediately, and a second later, a blinding shaft of sunlight cut across the sky.

  A towering Garganacl fell from the air, its cubic body smoking where the beam had clipped it, and it tumbled across the grass, tearing up earth. However, it rolled onto its knees and slowly staggered to its feet, looking only slightly worse for wear.

  Fezandipiti shivered at the sight of the new arrival, eyes narrowing into daggers. Spreading its wings, it unleashed a hellish crow.

  “One of you enraged, the other determined to avoid a battle?” Barke bellowed. “You won’t last like this!” A Stoutland sat beside him, just as tall as its trainer.

  “We can escape from you, at the very least,” N said, clipped.

  Barke raised his hand. “Body Press, again!”

  Garganacl’s eyes burned, momentum gathering in its core.

  N took a step back and suppressed a shudder. His pokémon are just as strong as Caleb’s, or even stronger. “Reshiram, Focus Blast! Stay airborne!”

  Reshiram growled and spread his wings to leap into the air.

  A stream of indigo fire cut across the grass, dividing Garganacl and Reshiram.

  N’s eyes widened and Sylvester whipped around.

  Garganacl’s body rumbled as it turned up, glancing at the sky.

  “Well, what do we have here?”

  Four Dragonites swooped down from on high; two of them were orange, one was a serpentine green, and the last was Mega Evolved and shimmered a radiant sky-blue.

  A man with carmine hair dismounted the sapphire Dragonite, his black cape fluttering behind him.

  Barke could barely hide his sneer. “Champion Lance. What are you doing here?”

  “Same as you, I suspect. These men are affiliated with the former Champion Cynthia. I’ll be taking them into League custody as a part of our ongoing investigation.”

  “You forget your place, entertainer. The League has no executive authority.”

  Lance glanced up at Barke, his eyes cold. “Neither does the International Police. Or shall we go to the Unovan government and see who they’ll grant jurisdiction to?”

  Barke spat on the ground. “You almost hit my pokémon. Do you think we’ll simply step aside and give you free rein?”

  Lance leaned to the side, his eyes sweeping the ridge of men and pokémon. “What’s left of you, you mean. The International Police is so weak it’s pathetic. You stain the existence of trainers worldwide and embarrass the authority you claim to possess.”

  The general’s hands fell to his sides, one of them brushing another pokéball clipped to his belt. “We’ll see who the weak one here is. You always were a pompous little weasel.”

  Lance scowled, and his Dragonites hissed their fury at Barke. “You’re General Barke, aren’t you?” he snapped. “I’ve heard of you. King guarddog of the World Prison. I suppose you finally got a promotion if you’ve made it all the way here from that miserable rock. Congratulations.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Barke didn’t respond, simply casting his gaze at his men around the ridge, perhaps giving them silent orders. Only around half remained from when their assault had begun, yet the ones that were left began to move.

  N squinted, but from below, he couldn’t tell what they were doing.

  “You’re quite an ugly man, given your station,” Lance continued. “Decades of impotence at the World Prison, yet those horrid scars suggest you once led a respectable life as a sort of warrior.”

  Barke glowered, yet still said nothing.

  Lance smirked. “Or, are those scars from the culling?”

  N frowned. Culling? He glanced at Sylvester, but the man didn’t appear to be listening, his attention on the Dragonites that surrounded Lance.

  “You’d be wise to hold that bootlicking tongue from flapping any further,” Barke said in a low voice that carried over the clearing. “Your incursion up till now could still be interpreted as one, big mistake. Withdraw, and I won’t take you in too. You can keep that gilded title you’re so proud of.”

  “You know, I thought the rumors were made up until I made it down there myself,” Lance continued, ignoring Barke. “Turns out if you creep close enough to the corners of the map, there are still plenty of freak shows to find even in this modern age.” His lips curled in amusement. “Yet even after surviving such savagery, you have nothing to show for it but decades of empty servitude and abject failure when it mattered most.”

  Barke held out his hand and one of his men placed a plain gray pokéball in it, devoid of any identifying colors as was typical for those sold in pokémon centers worldwide. The agent whispered in Barke’s ear and stepped back respectfully.

  Casting one more glance at Sylvester, N felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck. Something is about to happen… When it does, we can make our escape.

  Fezandipiti knows what to do, Reshiram said in N’s head. When chaos ignites, we’ll make our move.

  The corner of N’s mouth twitched, holding back a smile. Reshiram communicated with him telepathically, but he was no psychic like Sabrina, so his responses still needed to be said aloud. Yet Reshiram already knew what he was thinking and acted accordingly.

  A haughty snicker escaped Lance’s smug visage. “To think all of that was in service of the one who made you so ugly,” he muttered, just loud enough so Barke could hear.

  Barke raised his other hand to his face. His scars wrinkled as he pulled on his skin.

  “This was supposed to remain a secret for a little while longer, but my patience has limits and I am only human, after all,” Barke growled, tracing the surface of the pokéball with his thumb. “Let me introduce you to the Uva Project.”

  Lance hesitated, as if he’d heard the name before but couldn’t recall when.

  Barke called out his order at the same time he thumbed the pokéball’s release. “Spirit Break. Incapacitate Champion Lance and the members of Paragon.”

  The ball had barely even opened before N felt a gale of wind slice across his face.

  Reshiram roared, embers streaming from his billowing fur, and he threw himself over N.

  N’s eyes widened, but an ear-splitting crash suddenly voided all of his other senses. It sounded like reality itself had shattered, and though N’s teeth vibrated from the violent thrum of the sound, he forced himself to gaze past Reshiram at the being that had whizzed past him just a second ago.

  A blinding crack limned in jagged amethyst light sat suspended in midair, slashed across the torsos of all four Dragonite. They screamed in agony, writhing and shuddering. Hurricane winds blustered around them as the vicious slash sank into them, the laws of nature decaying beneath the unbridled onslaught. Soon they fell to the ground, twitching, their voices silent, snuffed out like candles. Mega Dragonite’s body flashed as its augmentations faded with its defeat.

  N watched in horror as their assailant touched back down. Its was humanoid, its limbs slender…no, sharpened, as if it’d been created to be a weapon. And created was the proper word because it looked more like a robot than a living creature. It clutched a shimmering blade whose edge held the same terrible glint as the slash that had obliterated Lance’s Dragonites.

  Slowly, it spun around, anglingits sword toward Reshiram.

  N frowned. Gallade…? No, not quite. He shook his head. “Dragon Claw, Reshiram!”

  As Reshiram swung his claws in a ruthless arc, the swordman pokémon blitzed forward and cleaved the air again, sending another gale of wind rocketing onward as reality split in front of it. Reshiram caught the jagged slash, and a shower of sparks and flame erupted between them, flashing energies dancing in their respective eyes.

  We can’t outrun this… N realized, shielding himself behind Reshiram. What is it…? N tried to listen, but he could not hear the voice that echoed from all pokémon.

  No…he could… Barely, but it was there. Faint, as if buried.

  N’s face wrinkled, appalled. “It is a pokémon,” he breathed. Then, he glanced up at Barke. “But what did they do to you?”

  His stomach turned. It reminded him of Colress’ work for Team Plasma. Modifications to augment a pokémon’s strength in battle…

  Reshiram grunted and shoved the pokémon back, but its body did not show a hint of alarm.

  Suddenly, a loud blast rang out and Reshiram buckled to the side, roaring, smoke pouring from his side.

  “Reshiram!” N yelled.

  As the dragon crumpled, N saw something else behind him, deployed just below General Barke.

  It looked like a cannon, smoke wafting from the barrel, and it was pointed directly where Reshiram had been hit. Slowly, it straightened itself until the barrel stood upright. Then, a spiny head emerged from within the barrel, glaring at Reshiram with the same emotionless eyes.

  Tyranitar…?

  Reshiram growled, trying to stand, but the two pokémon stalked toward him, cutting off any chance of retaliation.

  How are they so strong…? What are they…?

  N stumbled toward his partner, but in doing so, noticed Sylvester and Fezandipiti.

  Both were motionless on the ground.

  “No!”

  He checked their pulses and confirmed they were both alive, but…

  Did they not defend themselves? Which attack got them…?

  N’s initial assessment of calling them weapons may have been apropos. They’d followed Barke’s order so dispassionately, yet so effectively, that N hadn’t even noticed he’d lost his comrade.

  Barke leaped from the ridge, cape fluttering behind him, and his armor clinked as he landed.

  “Good work. Return.”

  The Tyranitar-looking pokémon disappeared back into its ball, while the Gallade-looking one sidled up behind Barke like a shadow.

  Reshiram hadn’t collapsed into the Light Stone yet, but he was in no condition to continue fighting, much less carry N out of here. His eyes burned as he stared down Barke and the mystery pokémon.

  Barke stopped in front of Lance’s fallen body first. He spat on the grass next to him. “Arrogant brat.”

  When he arrived in front of N, he scowled, his gaze sweeping the ridge where the rest of his men were.

  “I’d hoped to take you with me so we could have a nice, long, private chat. But seeing as you and I are the only ones still standing, I suppose we can just do it here.”

  N frowned and looked around the clearing.

  He was right. The rest of his men and their pokémon had passed out too.

  Were those mystery pokémon truly so powerful that their own trainers became collateral damage in their battles?

  The only reason N still stood was because Reshiram had protected him.

  “What…do you mean?” N said slowly. “You’re not here to arrest us…?”

  Barke crossed his arms and huffed. “That remains to be seen. If you want to avoid that, then tell me what really happened to Cynthia. And what the hell is going on with the International Police.”

  Something fell from the sky and landed in a prideful boom behind the swordsman, and before it could turn around, a burly fist shot out and smashed its head, sending it flying to the other side of the clearing.

  N sucked in a breath as he saw Barke’s eyes widen in surprise.

  So I suppose…no intervention necessary, then? Decidueye smirked.

  Alola Region - Heahea City

  Ash opened his eyes because he felt like he was being watched.

  It took him a few seconds to remember that he was in an Alolan hotel.

  And that Sabrina was right next to him.

  His head snapped in her direction.

  Though it was dark in the room, the curtains drawn over their windows, he could see Sabrina still asleep next to him. The blankets were pulled up to her neck and each breath left her nose in a quiet puff.

  Hm, I thought for sure…never mind.

  Instinctively, Ash sat up, careful not to drag the blanket off of her. Going to bed and sleeping the night together were one thing, but staying in bed with her any longer now that he was awake felt like it’d be a bit too indulgent.

  Not to mention, he was nervous.

  She was way too close.

  He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sighed, glancing over at the floor where Pikachu was curled up. Still out cold, of course.

  As he shifted to get out of bed, he felt Sabrina stir, and froze.

  She sat up too, rubbing her eyes. Then she yawned.

  She looked at him, her eyes glittering like gold flecks resting on a riverbed.

  “Good morning,” Ash said quietly.

  There was movement beneath the covers.

  Sabrina’s gauntlet had jerked.

  She bit her lip and blushed. “Good morning…”

  “I thought you’d be up before me. To train your eyes.”

  Sabrina grabbed her hair and ran her fingers through it absentmindedly. “Oh…”

  “Or, I guess you wouldn’t wanna open the curtains and get seen…”

  Sabrina wrinkled her nose. “I…didn’t think that far ahead. I just…”

  She said something, but it was so quiet Ash couldn’t hear it.

  “What was that?”

  She whipped around and scowled, as if angry that Ash had deigned to make her repeat herself. “I-I said…I just…wanted to watch you sleep…”

  “Ah… Oh…” Ash scratched his head nervously. “I see…”

  “Sorry. I was pretending to be asleep.”

  “No,” Ash said a little too quickly. She’d been pretending…? So that she could…? “I…almost did the same thing, to be honest. But I thought it might be creepy…”

  Sabrina deflated. “You think it was creepy?”

  “No!”

  At Ash’s shout, Pikachu stirred, his ears twitching and his eyes blinking open.

  “Uh…! I mean, I just thought…” She always cornered him like this. Somehow, he was always left sputtering, forced to say something embarrassing. She was supposed to be the shy one between them!

  His face hot, Ash gathered his courage. “Yeah, that’s right. I was gonna do it too. I wanted to look at you for as long as I could! No problem with that, right?”

  Sabrina, beet-red face aside, looked appalled. As if his reasoning was personally offensive to her, despite it clearly being a compliment.

  “Why?” she eventually breathed.

  Ash rested his face on his hand. It was supposed to be an innocuous gesture, but its only function was to hide his face from her for the moment. “What about you? Why were you looking at me?”

  Sabrina grabbed his wrist and pulled. She was far weaker than him, but he had no choice but to follow her lead. Her slender fingers were like iron now.

  Her face was inches from him.

  “Because I wanted to,” she said matter-of-factly.

  Ash felt his mouth go dry. His eyes drifted over to Pikachu.

  The mouse covered his eyes and turned around respectfully, then pawed at the two to continue.

  Sabrina lurched back and clutched her face. Whatever ghost had possessed her had clearly just been exorcised by Pikachu’s assent.

  “I-I’ll get ready first.”

  She swept out of bed and collected a change of clothes, then hurried into the bathroom.

  Once he heard the fan turn on, Pikachu spun back around, peeking through a gap in his fingers. With the coast clear, he scampered up on the bed and smirked.

  “Morning, buddy,” Ash said, his heart still pounding.

  Pikachu chittered in his lap, clearly making fun of Ash.

  Ash pinched his lip and sighed. It was almost embarrassing how badly he’d fallen for her considering how little he knew about her. Not about her past or her interests, per se, but her literal self. Her personality.

  Fool him once, twice, thrice… At this point, her pattern of boldness was no mere pattern. It was a fixture of her being. Maybe something she’d been suppressing until now, or only had the confidence to display when teasing Ash.

  Either way, it made Ash happy that she felt comfortable enough to show herself around him. It almost made him feel guilty for hoping no one else got to see this side of her.

  Almost.

  And then there was the fact that she’d been staring at him while he slept.

  He wasn’t sure how much earlier she’d woken up, but at the very least, her gaze had been so intense, it’d literally woken him up.

  Just the thought made his chest turn. And then, she told him to his face. He clenched his teeth to keep from smiling.

  I really do lo—

  He cut himself off.

  No, not yet. That’s something I need to tell her in-person first.

  When she finally came out of the bathroom, few words were exchanged as they switched places. Pikachu stayed outside to harass Sabrina, though Ash suspected she wouldn’t be as vulnerable to his ribbing.

  And he was right, because the two were playing together when Ash came out.

  They blushed as they locked eyes, but Ash cleared his throat. Time to get professional.

  “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  They could get breakfast on the way. As much as Ash wanted to order breakfast here and remain in this room together with Sabrina, that was actually an indulgence Ash fully intended on depriving himself of. They were both clearly…eager to progress their relationship, which meant if they weren’t careful, their mutual feelings would plant them on a trajectory that would only make it harder to focus on the herculean task that lie ahead.

  As much as he hated to, Ash knew he needed to push all thoughts of Sabrina and her face and her blushing and her teasing and her…everything else to the side. Right now, Zelda Leora was the only one in their sights.

  “So…does this count as another date?” Sabrina asked as they approached the door. “I mean, we’re technically going to a fancy hotel together on a vacation island.”

  She looked up at him with hope in her eyes.

  The life left Ash.

  Yeah, not happening.

  Just as Ash’s hand was about to grasp the door, Gengar’s voice echoed in his head, and he paused.

  “Samurott has a package from Ezra for us,” he blurted. “He’s waiting for us at the beach.”

  Sabrina smiled. “That works too.”

  Next — Chapter 100 : The Fourth Founder

  100 chapters… I’m in disbelief. Thank you to everyone who has read this far. I really can’t even believe I stuck with this project so long myself. That said, it’s not like there will be anything particularly special about next chapter. The show will simply go on as usual.