Pokemon: Radical Redux
Chapter 406: Final Legendary challenge

Chapter 406: Final Legendary challenge

Later in the day, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Yellow wandered through the market rows, full from snacks and just taking in the sights.

"I never thought I’d see the day when Brock turned down a second corn stick," Misty teased, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I’m not turning it down," Brock said with a pat to his stomach. "I’m just... strategically delaying consumption. Big difference."

"Right..." Ash smirked. "You’re just trying to leave room for the dragon mochi, aren’t you?"

Yellow’s eyes sparkled. "Wait! We are still getting the mochi, right?"

"Of course," Ash said. "I already accepted my role as designated buyer-slash-victim."

"Good," Yellow beamed.

As they laughed and joked, a small procession passed through the center of town. People paused to bow respectfully as monks and ceremonial guards escorted a long, lacquered box on a float. At the center of the float was one large, gleaming fang. It looked extremely old and huge, way bigger than the Dragon Fang Ash had.

"That’s the fang," Brock noted, rubbing his chin as he looked at it. "Looks older than I expected."

Yellow tilted her head. "Do you think it’s... like, magical?"

"Probably," Misty shrugged, taking a bite of the dango she was eating. "I mean, they’re treating it like it’s a holy relic."

Ash kept his gaze on it for a while longer, but then looked away, shrugging. "Welp, too bad that’s none of our business. But you guys wanna grab the mochi and look for some good seats to watch?"

"Yes!" Yellow said instantly, already taking a few eager steps ahead before realizing she didn’t know where she was going. She spun back around. "Wait, where’s the mochi standing again?"

"This way," Brock said, pointing toward a cluster of red lanterns and colorful awnings deeper into the market. "I scooped it out earlier. You know. For strategy."

"See, and Misty thought I was the dramatic one," Ash said as they followed Brock into the crowd.

—

Clair was walking out, taking a breath. This was gonna be easy, right? Go out, do the ceremony, and everyone cheers. She’d seen Lance do it a bunch of times. Should be easy... yeah.

The great Dragon Master, also her grandfather, had already left to find his seat with all the other elders who were just doing things to try and secure more favor for their families.

Meanwhile, Drayden had picked up Iris by the scruff like a little puppy and took her to sit in the crowd, despite her protests

So right now, Clair was alone, well, almost. The Pokémon in the cave were around, but either way, Clair took a breath, turned, and began to walk.

—

Outside, Iris sat with her arms crossed in her seat. She still wasn’t happy about any of this. Drayden was at a stall buying two corn dogs. He came back and offered one to Iris.

"Here," he said simply, holding one out.

Iris eyed it suspiciously, like it might explode. "...Is this supposed to be a bribe?"

Drayden shrugged, the barest ghost of a smirk on his face. "Call it peace food."

Iris took it slowly, still glaring at him. "I’m only eating this because I’m hungry."

"Of course," Drayden said, sitting beside her and taking a slow bite of his own.

A silence settled between them for a moment, heavy, but not exactly tense.

"...So," Iris began through a bite, "you really trained your grandson by just steamrolling him with your Pokémon?"

"Several times," Drayden replied calmly. "He learned... eventually. And i’ll probably have to do it to you a few times, especially since you want to be a Champion."

Iris chewed thoughtfully as she looked down. To be honest, when she said she wanted to be a Champion, she’d just said it in the heat of the moment. What she really wanted to do was annoy him After all, adults never took the words of kids seriously, but it looked like he was.

"Hey... old-mph-" Iris started to speak, but Drayden gently pressed a large finger to her lips, stopping her.

"First of all, little lady, you should learn to speak to your elders with more respect."

Iris’ eye twitched. "So how should I speak!?"

Drayden smiled beneath his beard and pointed to himself. "Heh. You can start by calling me Grandpa."

Iris sighed and looked away, but there was a small smile starting to form on her face, one she wasn’t sure she was hiding from Drayden, or from herself.

—

The gang went to the shops and were already looking for where they were gonna sit, Ash reached into his wallet with a sigh. "Alright, everyone pick what you want."

Money wasn’t a problem for him, and honestly, it probably never would be. Blaine had set up those hotels by now, and Ash was getting even more passive income from that. But his friends didn’t need to know all that.

"I’ll just get the matcha one," Misty said, eyes fixed on the green swirl.

"One of the sakura ones for me," Brock added.

"Two of the red beans and one of the dragon-shaped ones!" Yellow said, grinning.

Ash blinked. "Two?"

"One for me, one for Chuchu," Yellow explained, hugging the little mouse Pokémon, who chirped happily.

Ash sighed and turned to the vendor. "Four mochi, please. And one for Pikachu, and another for Vee."

Pikachu bounced happily on Ash’s shoulder while Vee was already drooling at the thought.

Once they had their sweets, they went and found a good spot to sit. Music had begun, soft drums and low horns, as the crowd slowly quieted down to watch.

Ash glanced at the float. "Guess it’s starting soon."

"Yeah," Brock said. He was going to say something, then stopped and covered his mouth. "Nope. Not gonna say what I was about to say. I refuse to jinx us."

"Good. I was ready to slap you if you said something," Misty said, pointing at Brock and narrowing her eyes.

—

Clair walked out in her traditional kimono. She saw the crowd watching her and took a breath, calming herself. She had to keep up the act, the ruthless Dragon Master everyone expected to see.

You can do this. Just like Lance. No big deal, Clair mumbled under her breath. This ceremony happened every three years. It was fine. Nothing could go wrong.

She approached the box holding the fang, then knelt before it and began the prayer to start the purification ritual. It should be easy, right? Do the prayer, carry the fang, take it to the waterfall, use the sacred water, easy.

It was the same prayer used by eight generations of Dragon Tamers in Blackthorn. But as Clair recited the words, the air suddenly grew colder. A thick mist began to rise from the water, slowly creeping through the town.

Clair paused. Just a beat.

She felt it.

Too still. Too quiet.

The musicians faltered for a moment, but then picked the rhythm back up, assuming she had paused for dramatic effect. The crowd didn’t seem to notice.

But Drayden did. He leaned forward in his seat, brow furrowing as he silently observed.

Iris, mid-bite, blinked. "Hey... is it supposed to be this quiet?" she whispered.

Ash, from his spot on the hillside with the others, looked around. "Did it just get... colder?"

Yellow hugged Chuchu a little tighter. The Pikachu’s ears twitched nervously.

Clair opened her eyes again and saw the fang glowing. But it wasn’t the usual glow that accompanied the purification. No, this was different,

And then, something leapt from the mist.

On instinct, Clair jumped back.

Landing in her place, directly between her and the fang, stood Suicune, its form gleaming, serene yet commanding, as mist swirled in its wake. It silently observed Clair and the gathered crowd.

The square fell into stunned silence.

The townspeople didn’t know what to make of it. But Clair, the elders, even Drayden, they knew. The Grand Elder had warned them: the Legendary Beasts had been moving, challenging Gym Leaders across Johto. No one knew why.

It was only a matter of time before one came for Blackthorn.

They just didn’t expect it to be now, not today.

Clair didn’t move. Her heart thudded in her ears, but she stayed composed, muscles tensed beneath her sleeves. "You’ve gotta be kidding me..." she muttered under her breath.

—

Over by Iris and Drayden, Iris flinched. "Big Sis!" she grabbed Lapras’ Pokéball, ready to leap in and help, even if she wouldn’t be able to do much.

But Drayden reached out, his large hand stopping her.

"Wait, little girl. I think we should just watch for now."

Iris looked up at him, eyes wide. "W-what? But why?"

"There are some things you have to let others do. So listen to your elders... and watch," Drayden said calmly, eyes never leaving the field.

Iris frowned, arms crossed, but stayed seated.

—

From a shadowy alley, Silver watched the festival unfold. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Suicune. So... it had come here too.

He remembered trying to hold Suicune off back in Ecruteak City.

His fingers tightened around a Poké Ball.

Should he intervene?

He glanced toward the hillside, Ash was there. Just sitting, watching.

Silver hesitated. Maybe, back when he first started, he would’ve rushed in, tried to catch Suicune himself. Maybe a part of him still wanted to.

But now?

He quietly clipped the Pokéball back to his belt and turned away, walking slowly down the alley.

He had better things to do... At least, that’s what he told himself.

—

Back on the hillside, the gang continued watching.

Ash sighed. "Of course. Why not..."

"Seriously," Misty muttered, "is it wrong that I’m kinda desensitized to this at this point?"

"I mean," Brock said, arms crossed, "let me think... I think this makes it, what, the tenth time we’ve seen one of them since we came to Johto?"

Yellow looked at her friends, then at the people around them who were slowly backing off. "So... should we do something?"

"Nah," Ash and Misty said at the same time.

"I mean, if Suicune tried anything, sure, I’d beat it down," Ash added, casually. "But right now? Seems like even if we did something, the Dragon Clan over there would just tell us not to interrupt." He gestured to the elders, who were practically drooling with greed at the thought of catching Suicune.

"Bruh, how shameless can those old guys be?" Misty muttered.

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway, not my problem... unless they make it my problem."

Truthfully, Ash figured he had a pretty good shot at beating Suicune if it came to that. He had Pikachu and Vee. One good combo hit, and then the rest of his team could swarm Suicune. But for now, he just kept watching.

—

Clair stood frozen for half a breath, the sleeves of her kimono fluttering as the mist curled unnaturally around her boots. Suicune stared her down, unblinking. She could practically feel those shameless elders behind her, wondering if they could swoop in and catch Suicune once it was weakened.

And maybe a few stupid people in the crowd were thinking the same thing.

Clair exhaled slowly through her nose and stepped forward. "Fine then. Clair, Gym Leader of Blackthorn City, accepts your challenge!"

Her fingers gripped a Poké Ball from behind her back. "Kingdra, let’s go!"

With a burst of light, Kingdra emerged, coiling slightly as it took in Suicune. Its eyes narrowed with instinctive recognition. It was ready.

"Don’t hold back," Clair said firmly. "Use [Dragon Pulse]!"

Kingdra reared back and launched a spiraling beam of blue energy. The beam surged forward but Suicune darted to the side in a blur, and the attack struck only one of its afterimages.

In a blink, Suicune countered with [Ice Beam], a crackling streak of pale blue light. Kingdra tried to move, but the beam was too fast. It took the hit, frost bursting across its side, but it stayed up,

Shaking off the frost clinging to its fins, Kingdra exhaled a breath of mist and regained its footing in the damp, stone plaza.

Clair narrowed her eyes and swiped her arm forward. "Focus! Use [Agility] with [Hydro Pump]!"

Kingdra vanished into a blur, zigzagging through the mist, repositioning with precision. Then, with a sharp roar, it launched a high-pressure torrent of water at Suicune.

This time, Suicune didn’t dodge. It planted its paws, bracing as the powerful blast slammed into it like a crashing tide. For a moment, the legendary beast was completely engulfed in water.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

But then Suicune emerged, fur drenched, eyes glowing. It didn’t look angry. It looked... judging.

Clair clicked her tongue. "Tch. Not even phased." She tried to swipe her arm again, this time upward, mimicking the familiar, practiced motions she used, similar to Lance’s style, but the kimono tugged at her movement.

It restricted her. She couldn’t battle the way she was used to.

There was a reason she normally wore spandex instead of a dress.

This... was going to be a problem.

—-

{Meanwhile – Olivine City}

The city was still in the middle of being rebuilt. Jasmine helped wherever she could, hauling materials, giving instructions, checking power lines.

Today, Whitney had come to visit and lend a hand. She waved as she approached, jogging toward her. "Jasmine! Here I am~!"

Jasmine turned just in time to be pulled into a big hug.

"Hey Whitney, thanks for coming. You know... you didn’t have to," Jasmine said, smiling softly.

Whitney pouted. "Hey, come on, we’re friends! And friends support each other! Besides, you’d do the same for me, right?"

Jasmine laughed helplessly, because yeah, she probably would. So she pulled back and nodded. "Okay... thanks."

"So!" Whitney said brightly, hands on her hips. "What’s the plan? What can your super cute friend help you with?"

Jasmine tapped a finger to her chin, thinking. "Um, maybe we can start with—"

But she was cut off.

There was a deep rumble. The air cracked with static. Then, in the center of town, Raikou dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground hard enough to crack the cement.

Jasmine flinched at the impact. "W-what... R-Raikou?!"

Whitney, by contrast, looked absolutely thrilled. "Oh yeah, finally! Now this is more like it!"

Then she grinned, eyes sparkling. "So it came for a super cute girl! Or wait, actually, it came for two super pretty girls! I see. Good taste!"

Jasmine stared at her, bewildered. "W-Whitney, are you seriously excited right now?!"

"Well duh," Whitney replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She grabbed a Poké Ball from her belt. "Besides, there’s two of us, let’s do it! Let’s catch Raikou!"

Jasmine gave a helpless sigh. She really didn’t have a choice. Raikou was here, in her town. She had to protect it.

"Okay... but let’s try to keep everyone safe. People here have suffered enough already."

"Sure, sure~!" Whitney chimed, bouncing in place. "Let’s have some fun!"

And just like that, their battle began.

—

{Cinnabar Island}

Blaine sat in his lab chair, rubbing his bandaged arm. The pain had been getting worse lately.

Things had gotten... complicated.

The hotel project Ash invested in had taken off, and with all the expansion, Blaine had to juggle lab work with paperwork and business meetings. Then there was the upcoming League summit, he barely had time for anything personal anymore.

He sighed. When did everything get so complicated?

Grimacing, he pushed himself up and began walking toward the volcano to check on the Pokémon he kept near the summit. They were probably fine, but he needed to be sure.

The climb wasn’t easy. He nearly stumbled halfway up, clutching his arm as the pain flared again. He needed to find a solution before things got worse, fast.

When he finally reached the top... he froze.

Sitting there was Entei, as if it was waiting for him.

Blaine watched, then he took a breath, "I see..."

He looked Entei directly in the eyes and grabbed a Pokeball to get ready to battle, "Entei, I need your help."