"I think not!"
A giggle followed as two people came into view. One wore a black outfit with a matching hat and sunglasses. A Furfour walked beside its trainer as she laughed at the other person, who wore a dark purple shirt, light jeans, tennis shoes, a blue dress jacket with a matching sun hat. Her cream colored bag was strapped to her waist. A Luxray walked beside her with a Dedenne on her shoulder. The hat shaded over her face as she sighed.
"I think you would be perfect for the task." The woman in black said as the younger female adjusted her bag.
"Attacking a guy that went off the radar? Ha! No." The younger female glanced at her. "That's just setting myself up for failure."
"You're not going to attempt?"
"I'm neutral! Leave it!"
"Wow..." The older female noticed a small group approaching them. "Maybe you should take this talk that you need to do."
"With my current schedule? I don't think so."
"They're coming for you. I have places to be." The younger female sighed.
"Typical..." As the duo separated, the group went up to her.
"Excuse me?" She slightly looked up to see Alain, Iris, and Cilan. Oh great.
"Yes?" She glanced over them. Iris's hair was practically dancing on the ground as it swayed in the wind. Cilan didn't look too different, but some changes were noted. Alain looked mostly the same, but he looked older than before.
"We're looking for Bonnie. She wasn't at home and her brother said she was wandering. We were wondering if you've seen her." The lady hummed gently.
"I would check the contest hall. She spends most days watching the performers."
"Thank you so much." As the two groups split, the lady chuckled lightly under her breath.
"Let's see if you're as smart as you say."
~!*!~
Iris hummed lightly as they walked away from the hall. They had said that Bonnie had left. Was the lady wrong?
"I say we ask her again." Cilan put his opinion in. Alain nodded in agreement.
"Why did she seem familiar?" Iris wondered out loud. She let her thoughts be known. "It's almost like she said that to throw us off."
"You caught on quickly." They turned to see the lady from before. She pulled off the hat to reveal Bonnie. She had definitely changed. Her hair flowed down her back with a single braid to the side. Her eyes were a brighter color than before. "The question is why are you looking for me?" Iris gulped. She didn't expect such a play from the younger girl.
"We're here to ask you something." Bonnie scoffed.
"Let me guess... you want to know what side I'm on."
"How..." Bonnie laughed as her eyes scanned the area. She pulled the hat on as a group of fans passed them. A lot of them were talking about a particular person that made the group pause.
"Did you hear that Μπόνι will be performing tonight!"
"I'm so excited! I wonder if she'll give out autographs!"
As the fans disappeared into the contest hall, Bonnie hummed.
"See. You guys were faster than most. The question is how long will it take." She sighed. "To answer your question, yes. I have finally picked my side." Iris's eyes lit up.
"Really? Which side?" Alain asked. Bonnie opened her mouth to answer when a shout came through.
"Bonnie!" She turned to see four people running over. Two made themselves known as Bonnie replied to them.
"Ah... Keith, Kellyn. What is it?" She peered behind them at the other two. One straightened up as they caught their breath.
"Bonnie, you are the hardest person to find. Can't you go easy on us?" The redhead exclaimed. A hum escaped her as she studied them.
"I would if the rest of the world made it that way."
The quad groaned as the last one grabbed their breath. They grumbled something under their breath as they straightened up. They had a hood on with a mask on.
"One of these days we won't have this problem." They grumbled softly. Bonnie sighed.
"Keep dreaming buddy."
"Dead serious Bonnie."
"I'm not trying to make it difficult. There's always something that says otherwise. Now, what do you guys need?"
"Remember? We have that task to do before the Story Chain goes rouge." She paused before grinning.
"Right! I'll catch up with you guys at the port once I grab my team, ok?" The group nodded as they bolted off. "And don't clash with anyone!" She added with a shout. A complaint responded as they vanished.
"And who was that?" Bonnie's eyes flickered back to the trio turners. A sly smile crossed her face.
"Some of my best teammates. I would let you meet them if I had time. If you're truly interested, you obviously know where. But let's assume you'll see it." She walked off and lowered her head as a fan group rushed by her. Iris hummed.
"Let's go."
~!*!~
Iris's eyes raced around as she looked for the group. Were they playing the same game Bonnie was? It didn't take long before Alain spoke up.
"Look." Her eyes followed his gaze to a group as Bonnie went over. They went over and one of them froze. Bonnie obviously used that to know. She turned and smiled.
"As expected."
"You haven't answered the question." Alain quickly replied. Bonnie hummed.
"I should've known you would say that. Oh wait, I did." The group chuckled at her words. "As for that answer, I don't think a lot of words need to be said." Iris was about to question her when the final person took off their disguise. Her words froze in her throat.
"Paul..." He huffed gently. "Wait that means..."
"Yep... you guys are a little late." Bonnie said with a grim smile.
"A little late? How long have you been aiding Ash?" Bonnie huffed.
"For... as long as I've been temporary Elite 4 for someone." A quick snicker escaped at least three of the boys before silence returned. It was unclear who did until Paul spoke.
"And after you were asked after Max and the Nightwinds restored you and Clemont to full health." She chuckled.
"Only you would remember that."
"Hush Bonnie. At least I'm not hiding from the crowd."
"Paul, we're both hiding. You're just hiding from something different." A snarl escaped the taller brunet as he pulled the purple haired down.
"Speak of the devil... we'll have to wait before taking off." Paul groaned as he pulled the hood up. Bonnie shrugged.
"I'm going to smack him into the harbor. Who's joining?" Paul shuddered, shocking Iris.
"You're on your own." Bonnie snickered at the taller boy.
"Maybe if you caught back up with everyone else." A hiss made her chuckle as she joined the others. Iris looked at Paul.
"Alright, what are you hiding?"
He looked up. Other than a fresh new look, he looked like he hadn't changed at all from Dawn's previous description years ago. The clothes were the only thing saying he changed. He wore a soft blue jacket that matched his mask. He wore a pair of jeans with his usual shoes. A dark purple bag rested on his shoulders.
"I'm going to fire that question back at you, Iris." A cold voice escaped into the air as a battle cry roared from the others. "I'm actually shocked that you're still looking for people to go against one person. I thought you would've quit, but you don't have a clue." Paul held up his hand to keep the redhead from running into him after being pushed back. A quick 'thanks' slipped out as he ran back into the battle. Paul scoffed. "At least there's some decency in your group to back off." Iris narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're actually on Ash's side." Paul stayed quiet as the slightly taller brunette called out.
"Paul... I think we need you..." Bonnie tried to counter him, but was silenced by a quick blast. Paul's eyes flashed.
"I don't think I need to answer that." He pulled out a pokeball and stood up. His legs were shaking as the other four backed up. "We have better places to be than here. Carry on with your day and don't disturb the Night League." He tossed up the pokeball and a light flashed around the group, causing them to disappear. Iris hissed as another puff of smoke appeared, indicating that the other guy left.
"Game on, Paul. We'll tear you all down before you get too far."
~!*!~
A hum escaped from the blonde as 5 of them watched the trio leave. A chuckle escaped Paul.
"Excellent job, Bonnie. We made our mark."
"We still have that task near Hoenn." A familiar smirk appeared on the purple haired male.
"The rest of the chain will be there, right?" The redhead nodded in response to Paul.
"Yep. They're waiting for you."
"Alright. Kellyn, can you get us a ride?" The slightly smaller brunette paused before nodding and running off. "Keith, can you reach out to the chain that's waiting and let them know that we'll be there soon?" The redhead nodded as he stepped away. "Bonnie, when Kellyn returns, can you alert the rest of us and help him with the flight? I know he can handle himself, but I've already seen him shaking." Bonnie nodded as she stood up and eyed the direction Kellyn had run off in. "Qidorr, can I speak to you?" The slightly taller brunette nodded as he followed the purple haired off to the side.
"Yeah Paul?" Paul smiled softly at him.
"You wouldn't mind leading the group towards Hoenn, right?" Qidorr's face went pale.
"Please don't-"
"This isn't about your position, Qidorr. I know that you're trained in leading, but I'm asking because of Kellyn and Purple. You how hard it is to control both of them especially when they're weakened." Qidorr nodded.
"I'm just leading them to the mission site, right?"
"Correct. But as the leader here, I need you to focus your leader skills on the group once we start it. You're the only one prepared to go into there and expect a large raid group. And I'll need those skills." Qidorr nodded.
"Understood. I'll make sure to do that." Paul smiled.
"Thank you Qidorr."
"Of course, Paul. Anything to help you after what happened. Will... Red be with us?" Paul nodded.
"That's another reason I need you to help lead. Because he's recovering, I need you to keep an eye on him. After all, his incident did some damage." Qidorr paused.
"Do you know what happened?" Paul grimaced.
"He was attacked by a raid group up at his spot on the mountain. The group landed several life threatening attacks before he was able to escape. Our base in Kanto was the first to respond to his distress call and helped him reclaim his place back. But he hasn't been able to relax due to the constant people that try to defeat him and get him down. So Max asked me if we could take him in so that he can get back on his rhythm and get back to his work." Qidorr nodded.
"That makes sense now..."
"It does. And I didn't go into details." Qidorr smiled.
"I'll make a list of those that I'm watching. Anyone else?" Paul smiled gently.
"Those are just the ones I can think of that are mandatory. Anyone else is your choice." Qidorr nodded as Bonnie called out.
"Kellyn's here! Are we ready?" Paul nodded.
"Thanks Bonnie. Let's go guys!" The group went over as Kellyn landed the large Staraptor. His face was pale, most likely from grabbing the large bird Pokemon. Bonnie got on first and took over his spot. He didn't really complain much as he leaned back. Keith grabbed him and dragged him back to give Bonnie more room. Qidorr placed a hand on Kellyn's head and the brunette fell asleep.
"Arceus... I didn't think he would go down so fast..." Qidorr smiled as Bonnie flew them to Hoenn.
~!*!~
May watched as the group of five landed. While Iris hadn't caught the change in outfits of Bonnie, May saw it. Her hair remained the same though. Her bag stayed perched on her waist.
Paul stretched as the other two boys helped the slightly smaller brunette get off the bird. The redhead thanked the Staraptor as May and Drew went over to them. Bonnie noticed them instantly.
"Why hello May. Drew." Paul turned around, fear hitting his face. "What is it you need?"
"Just some answers. Nothing more, if you don't mind." Paul nervously glanced at Bonnie. She studied the duo. They each had a single pokeball, indicating that they weren't there for a fight, which kinda surprised her.
"Sure. But we have places to be." May nodded as Paul and Bonnie led them off to the side from the other three boys. "What did you want from us?"
"Well... this is the first time I've seen you Paul so I'll go easy. Where have you been?" Paul rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Well... I've been busy..." Bonnie scoffed.
"You mean you've been hiding." He huffed at her reply.
"Recovering and restarting, thank you very much." He sighed. May raised an eyebrow.
"Recovering? From what?" He lowered his gaze at the question.
"Bonnie... Can you go watch the others? I'll handle this..." Her eyes drifted into his before she went over to the boys. May watched carefully before Paul sighed.
"What's wrong Paul?" He watched as a couple people went over to the quad. Bonnie quickly started talking to them. "Is that your team?"
"Almost... that's only a small portion of it. Representatives most likely..." He sighed as he looked at the ground. His eyes were filled with fear as his mind drifted.
"You haven't answered the question." He glanced up at them.
"Sorry..." He sighed. "It started back before Ash had entered the Alola league." Drew's eyes widened.
"That was a long time ago. How are you still recovering from that?" Paul looked at him.
"Because I haven't been able to get away from it. Back then, it hit hard and is still striking."
~!*!~
"Reggie? I'm going out on a walk!"
"Be careful! High winds are expected!"
"Ok!"
Paul went out with Torterra's pokeball on his belt. Weavile and Ninjask followed him as they went out. His mind drifted slightly as he went through the forest. It didn't take him long to finish the walk and arrive at his place. But in just a few moments disaster hit. Flames roared around the area as he froze. Someone floated down to the ground.
"Perfect... this'll do nicely..." Paul's eyes flashed as he pulled out the pokeball.
"Why..." The man turned to him, his eyes flashing with a shocking joy. "Why did you attack my home?!" A hum filled the air.
"Why? Well... that's an easy answer, Paul..." Paul shuddered. How did he know who he was?
"W-what do you mean?" The man tilted his head softly.
"Can't you see it?" The man appeared behind him and picked him up before floating up. A yelp escaped him as Weavile and Ninjask prepared an attack. They didn't get far before the flames came to life and threw them back.
"Weavile! Ninjask!" Paul struggled against the man's grasp. Torterra had another plan. Its pokeball popped open and the grass type roared before sending vines up to its trainer. The vines separated the duo before a LEAF TORNADO threw the man back. Torterra placed Paul on the ground as the man floated over.
"Aw... Paul... why won't you join me?" Paul shuddered.
"Join you? You attacked me and my home! Why should I join such a destructive being!?" The man chuckled rather darkly.
"Because I can give you the power to complete your dreams!" Paul paused for a moment. He would've agreed if another thought crossed his head. This man just attacked his brother, the reason he kept pushing to achieve his dream.
"I would if you hadn't attacked my brother. The only dream I have is to tear you down!" The man sighed pitifully.
"Clearly we are not seeing the same thing. Let me help-" Torterra cut him off with another LEAF TORNADO. A hiss escaped him as Paul spoke.
"You've done your damage! Leave us alone!" The man suddenly cackled, sending a shiver down Paul's spine.
"Let me clarify one thing. I'm not leaving without my dream coming true." The man appeared behind Paul as Torterra went flying to the side. A soft light encased it as Paul was grabbed again. A soft noise escaped him as he struggled to get out of his grasps. "You're coming with me!" Paul's mind went blank almost instantly upon those words.
"Let him go! Dusknoir! SHADOW BALL!"
Something slammed into the guys back and he dropped Paul. Something caught him as he fell. He opened his eyes to see Dusknoir placing him down on the ground. His brother's arms wrapped around him as he glared up at the man that was recovering from the blast.
"The only thing you're taking is your life if you're lucky. Dusknoir!" The ghost type fired another SHADOW BALL at the man. He dodged with a huff.
"You might have won now, but I've already pulled my card of my victory! Next time, that'll be my win!" He vanished as Reggie huffed. Reggie then picked up his brother that had fallen asleep against him. A small figure went over to them. Reggie gulped before sighing.
"Now you've done it, tispe. That was the last straw."
~!*!~
Paul had sat down somewhere in the middle of it as May rubbed his back. He had his head down as he shuddered.
"That man tore my life apart and I haven't found an opening to recover from it. If it wasn't for Ash being the helpful kind that he was, I would've probably never started recovering." May hummed.
"That's why you're on his team..."
"Sorta... The other reason is what happened in the Alola League..." Drew hummed.
"Ash's loss?" Paul probably looked like he was looking at an idiot.
"I'm surrounded by morons. Look it up. It hit the news faster than you guys' attempt at dragging him into giving up." Drew opened his mouth to retort when May shot a glare at him. His mouth shut quickly. May studied the group that was talking.
"How'd you get your group? I know that the full thing isn't there but..." He followed her gaze before sighing.
"Many ways... but if we want to get into specifics, a small portion of the group came after the tispe attacked me in Kalos a couple weeks after the one on my home. The rest followed after others. I basically sorted them into sectors before settling it into stone. The Rådgiver are the ones that led the formation of the group with the grynt following. Each Rådgiver has a story on how I gained them, all coming from that tispe's attacks." He shuddered simply thinking about it. May hummed at that.
"Who are the Rådgiver? The group must be very big if there's only a few with that title." Paul eyed the group as Bonnie nudged the redhead whose face matched his hair. The scene made Paul crack a small smile.
"Most of them are over there right now. Bonnie and Qidorr were the first two to join. They have helped me deal with the tispe when I was running from him for the first couple of weeks. Then there were two rangers that joined us after our problems intertwined, which would be Keith and Kellyn. Then there's our insider, Purple. A nutcase if you ask me, but he's one of the only reasons why I'm still here. Purple joined us after saving us from a large attack from the tispe. We had to help him recover after, but at least we were safe. Then there's Cessil. He's a quiet one that has stayed with us since we took him in. He aided me in my escape when the tispe was able to grab me. I'm still not sure how he got in, but I was more than happy to let him in afterwards. Then there's..." Paul frowned for a moment. "The only one not here."
"Who?" May scanned the group. Keith was talking to Kellyn while Bonnie and, presumably, Purple were saying something to the duo rangers, causing them to get flustered. Qidorr and, presumably, Cessil were talking about something off to the side.
"She was the last one to join, only a month after the Night League started forming. She actually gave me a chance to relax after the save. And it shocked me a little."
~!*!~
"Paul, look out!"
Paul ducked as an arm of flames grabbed at him. Bonnie's Luxray appeared as she shouted a command from somewhere behind him. He didn't even think twice as he slipped away from the battle. A hiss filled the air as the man caught up to him. Cursed flying. Paul grasped his only pokeball when flashbacks hit. He froze as Bonnie called out to him. Something grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way of another arm of flames. He snapped back to reality as the man hissed.
"That's mine!"
"You don't have ownership over a human being other than yourself! Begone, bastardisert kryp!"
Paul blinked as his vision came back into focus. In front of him, arms out and a Buneary at their feet, a rather familiar person standing there. He froze.
"Dawn?" She shot a glance at him before returning her attention to the man.
"I've kept an eye on you, tispe. You've done enough. If you are doing anything, you're proving everyone's thoughts. Now begone, drittsekk, before it gets bloody for you."
Paul blinked at her words. Was he hearing her correctly? He quickly pinched himself, but reality said otherwise. He watched as the guy cackled at her words.
"Oh really? Well I'm not leaving my prize." Dawn sighed quietly.
"So much for easy mode." He paused at her words as she pulled out the other 5 pokeballs on her belt and sent out her team. Espeon, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, and Piplup popped out as she smirked. "Last chance, drittsekk, or I'm sending you to go cry to you mother."
"I'm not leaving without my-"
As much as the guy wanted to finish his sentence, he didn't get that chance. In almost a blink of an eye, her team circled the man and quickly dealt with him. Paul's eyes widened as she and her team swiftly sent the man away. She stretched before turning to him. She had changed a little bit from the last time he saw her, but not by much.
"Are you ok?" She held out a hand. He shakily reached out and took it. She helped him up and glanced over him.
"Yeah... thanks..." He brushed himself off before looking at her. "Why'd you help me?"
"Should I answer that or pull a Paul and walk away?" He opened his mouth to reply when he realized where she was going with that.
"Hey!" She chuckled.
"You made that way too easy. To answer the question, you looked like you needed help, so I gave it to you." He gulped slightly.
"Well..." He said after a moment. "I should be going..."
"To go hide?" He gazed at her. "Let me help you. That tispe isn't going to leave you alone until you find a weak point. Let me help you." He paused.
"The only way I can say yes to that is if-"
"I join your team, which is on Ash's side." He shuddered. How did she know that? "I'm willing to take that risk. Are you going to let me help or not?" He paused before sighing.
"Let me introduce you to the others. Then we'll talk."
~!*!~
Words left May after that. Dawn? No wonder she was so mysterious. She was hiding on Ash's side without anyone knowing.
"This is why I said I quit. Things like this." Paul chuckled lightly at May's little tantrum.
"I'm kinda surprised that she's still pulling the cards that she is. She hardly meets with the rest of us, but she does get her job done." His eyes drifted over as the bluenette appeared behind Cessil and gave him a hug from behind, making him panic before the rest of the group lost it. The group then started joking with each other. May gulped.
"Well... remind me not to piss her off tomorrow."
"Roger that..." Drew mumbled in reply. Paul then stood up shakily.
"Is there anything else you guys needed?" May hummed.
"One more thing. I understand what the other two chains are for. The League Chain is the mascot and home territory. The Story Chain is the little messenger birds and helpers. But what does the Darkseid Chain do?" Paul smiled as Kellyn called over to the purple haired leader.
"We're the reason it's called the Night League and are the reinforcements of the league. We can get more done in numbers and skills. And we're the hardest to catch." He glanced at his crew. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a raid to lead before Max destroys whatever poor souls tomorrow. I'll see you later if we happen to cross paths. Farvel May. Drew." He went over and immediately they took off down the path. May gulped.
"I'm pretty sure I see where our battle is. The next question is do we step in and what side."
(I hope you guys like that. Again, the top pic is by Etta and practically labels the group. We'll be seeing the Story Chain in action next. Bye!)