Chapter 464: Bicycles and Stunky
~Third POV~
[Sinnoh Region, Next Day, Eterna City – Eterna Grand Hotel]
The weight of the sky felt different here.
Azure stood on the polished marble steps of the Eterna Grand Hotel, the morning sun warming his face, and he felt a familiar, grounding weight. A soft, electric buzz against his ear.
His partner Pikachu chirped, its red cheeks crackling with barely contained energy, "Pika-pi! (Ah, a great day today.)"
The small yellow Pokémon was perched comfortably on his right shoulder, a position it had claimed years ago. A softer, warmer weight pressed against the top of his head. A tiny voice cooed, a fluffy brown head with large, dark eyes peeking down at him, "Ee-vee. (You always say that. Once you get your ketchup, Oran Berry.)"
His Eevee, his partner besides the Pikachu, had taken to using his head as a personal sunning spot. And then there was the tickle against his chest.
Nestled in the inner pocket of his custom-made, reinforced jacket was the smallest of them all. A tiny, pink Pichu (Mew) with a swirl on its belly. Azure patted the pocket gently, and a soft, telepathic warmth radiated back, a silent 'I'm here.'
Platinum announced, her voice clear and formal, "The servants have arrived."
*THUD*
She pointed a finger toward the hotel's grand driveway, where a sleek, black limousine had pulled up. The doors opened, and several impeccably dressed servants disembarked, pushing three brand-new, high-tech bicycles.
One was a pearlescent white with gold trim, clearly Platinum's. The other two were sleek, rugged models for her new companions. Diamond and Pearl.
Diamond and Pearl's eyes widened seeing the items. Platinum gave a small, knowing smile as she explained, "Standard issue for my retainers. And these are for you as well."
Two more boxes were opened, revealing two sparkling Mega Rings and a set of Mega Stones. Diamond received a smooth, pink [Clefablite] and a rugged, red [Heracronite]. Pearl got the same, tailored to his Pokémon.
Diamond stammered, turning the smooth [Alakazite] over in his hand to Platinum, "For us? But we don't even have Pokémon that can Mega Evolve! Well, besides…"
Platinum said seriously, her tone leaving no room for argument, "Your Grotle and your Luxio are not far from their final forms. And you have Clefairy and Heracross. If you intend to stand with Azure and protect me on our journey to Mount Coronet, you must be prepared for any threat. Mega Evolution is a force multiplier you cannot afford to be without. Consider it an investment in your abilities."
She looked them both in the eye, her gaze intense as she added, "I have the utmost faith in Azure's judgment. He believes you have potential. Do not prove him wrong."
The two boys looked at each other, then back at the girl they were supposed to be protecting. A sense of duty, heavy and profound, settled on their shoulders. They straightened their backs and threw a sharp, clumsy salute.
They said in unison, "You can count on us, Platinum!"
Platinum nodded, satisfied as she declared, pointing her arm outward, "Excellent. Now, let us depart. The Cycling Road awaits."
/////
[Sinnoh Region, Route 206 (Cycling Road)]
Route 206, better known as the Cycling Road, was a marvel of Sinnoh infrastructure. A long, winding elevated path that cut through forests and over rivers, it was reserved exclusively for cyclists.
The air was fresh and filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant Pokémon calls. Azure made the transition look effortless. From his spatial bag—a rare and incredibly expensive dimensional pocket device—he produced his own bike, a matte-black speedster that looked like it belonged in a futuristic racing league.
He mounted it with practiced ease, Pikachu's ears flapping in the breeze, Eevee clinging to his head with practiced balance. Diamond and Pearl, after a moment of fumbling, got on their rentals.
They were a bit unsteady, but there was a sense of adventure in their eyes. Platinum, however, approached her pristine white bicycle with the suspicion one might reserve for a wild Ursaring.
Azure asked curiously, his bike idling beside hers, "Are you alright, Platinum?"
She replied, her chin held high, "Perfectly fine, Azure."
She gracefully swung a leg over the frame… and promptly wobbled, her feet slipping from the pedals.
*Clatter*
She caught herself before she fell, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she said, "A momentary slip. The pedals are… slick."
Diamond and Pearl exchanged a look. Pearl, ever the more direct of the two, piped up, "Uh, Platinum? Have you… Ever ridden a bike before?"
She shot back, a little too quickly, "Of course I have."
She tried again, managing to get the bike moving for a few feet… before her handlebars swerved violently.
*Wobble*
*Wobble*
*CRASH*
This time, she went down in a heap of pristine white fabric and indignation. Diamond rushed to her side, but Pearl held him back.
Pearl said, a thoughtful look on his face, "Wait! This is a teachable moment."
Platinum, dusting herself off, shot him a glare that could curdle milk and uttered, "I do not require assistance, Pearl. I am merely… calibrating."
Pearl hopped off his bike as he tried to lend his help, "C'mon, it's impossible to learn without falling a few times! Let me help you balance."
Platinum declared, turning her back on him, "I refuse! I will master this infernal contraption on my own terms! C'mon, Prinplup!"
*Pop*
Her proud penguin Pokémon waddled out of its Poké Ball, squawking in confusion as she used it as a support post to get back on the bike. She then began a series of chaotic, shuddering attempts to pedal away, with Prinplup helplessly flapping along beside her. Azure watched the scene with a small, hidden smile.
He remembered his own first time on a bike. It hadn't been pretty.
With Platinum off practicing in a small, secluded clearing just off the main path, Diamond and Pearl set up a small impromptu stage between two trees.
Pearl announced to the empty air, "Alright, folks! For your entertainment, a classic bit! How do you make a Poké Ball stop rolling?"
Diamond, playing the straight man, shrugged, replying, "I don't know, Pearl. How?"
Pearl finished, striking a ridiculous pose, "You take away its Onix!"
A beat of silence. Diamond sighed as he commented, "That was terrible."
Pearl argued, "What?! It was brilliant!"
Their comedic stylings were abruptly interrupted by a new sensation. A smell. It started as a faint, unpleasant whiff, like old gym socks left in the rain.
*POOOF*
But it quickly intensified, growing into a thick, cloying, and utterly foul stench that seemed to coat the very air they were breathing. Azure's nose wrinkled. Pikachu and Eevee both let out disgusted cries, with the Pichu (Mew) in his pocket sending a wave of psychic discomfort into his mind.
He muttered, scanning the area, "What is that?"
The smell hit Platinum like a physical blow. She was halfway through a wobbly pedal stroke when her eyes rolled back into her head.
*SKID*
Her grip on the handlebars slackened, but her body, now unconscious, slumped forward, keeping her hands pressed on the handlebars and her feet on the pedals. The bike, now piloted by sheer dead weight and momentum, picked up speed.
Pearl yelled, pointing, "Whoa! Look!"
Platinum was rolling down a gentle slope that led directly toward a gaping hole in the Cycling Road—a massive gap where the bridge had collapsed for repairs. There were no barriers. Dia screamed, his voice laced with panic, "Platinum!"
Azure's eyes narrowed. His mind, honed by countless battles, snapped into action. He said calmly, his voice low and steady, grabbing a Poke Ball from his belt, "No time to panic. Froslass, I need you!"
*Pop*
A flash of light, and the ethereal, icy Ghost-type materialized in the air. It was a blur of white and pale blue, its form shimmering with cold.
Azure commanded, pointing at the gap, "Froslass, create an ice ramp! Slope it upwards on the far side! Ice Beam, now!"
Froslass let out a haunting cry, "FROOO!"
*PEW*
A brilliant beam of crystalline energy shot from its mouth, impacting the ground just before the gap. The energy spread instantly, freezing the earth and rock into a solid, smooth ramp that arced up towards the chasm's edge.
It was a work of desperate, brilliant artistry. The sound of the bike's tires on the pavement was a high-pitched scream of terror!
*SKREEEE*
*THUMP*
The bike hit the ice ramp, launched into the air for a heart-stopping second, and then slammed down onto the frozen incline. The impact, combined with the jolt, finally shook Platinum awake.
She let out a startled yelp as she realized she was sliding down a sheet of ice, "Huh, what – AHHH!!!"
*THUD*
The ramp did its job, catching her before she could fall into the abyss, and she rolled and tumbled back onto the solid road, landing in a heap next to her miraculously upright bike. Pearl and Diamond, who had been pedaling for all they were worth, finally reached her, their faces pale.
Diamond asked, skidding to a halt beside her, "Platinum! Are you okay?"
Pearl was breathing hard, leaning on his handlebars as he uttered in concern, "That… was… insane."
Platinum sat up, her perfect hair now a mess, a smudge of dirt on her cheek. She looked from the ice ramp, which was already beginning to sublimate back into mist, to Azure, who was calmly petting Froslass as she whispered, "You… you saved me."
Azure gave her a brief nod as he replied with a sly smile, "All part of the job description. You okay, my lady?"
*SKID*
Just then, Diamond came riding back into the scene, his own bike kicking up dust. He was holding a struggling Pokémon between his arm and his body. It was a Stunky, its striped tail twitching indignantly.
Diamond announced, looking a bit green around his face, "Found the culprit! This little guy was hiding under a log. It seems like the sound of all your crashing, Platinum, got on its nerves."
He gestured to the Stunky caught in his arms, explaining, "It's the one that released that horrible stench to try and make you stop."
Platinum stared at the Stunky, which let out a defiant cry, "Stu! (That's it! You all are getting sprayed now!"
*POOOF*
Stunky sprayed a tiny, harmless puff of smelly gas. Understanding dawned on her face, followed by a deep, profound blush.
She had fainted because of Stunky's flatulence. She began, her voice barely a whisper, "I… I apologize for my stubbornness. And for… this."
*SKID*
Suddenly, the sound of rapidly turning pedals cut through the air. All four of them turned to see Platinum's bike, which had been leaning against a tree, starting to roll away. In her moment of shock, she had let go of the handlebars.
She cried, "Ah! My bike!"
But then something amazing happened. As the bike picked up speed, Platinum's instincts took over. She scrambled to her feet, ran after it, and with a leap of pure grace, landed squarely on the seat.
Her hands found the handlebars. Her feet found the pedals…
*ZOOOM*
And she was off.
Smoothly. Perfectly.
She weaved between Diamond and Pearl with the skill of a Tour de France veteran, a look of pure shock on her face. She yelled over her shoulder, a rare, genuine laugh escaping her lips, "I… I'm doing it! Hahaha – Wait a second…"
The laughter died as she realized her speed was increasing. The slope was taking her as she cried back, asking for help, "Azure! Diamond! Pearl! This is wonderful! But… how do you stop this thing?!"
*ZOOOM*
She shot past them, a white blur fading into the distance, her frantic calls echoing back down the road. The three boys watched her go.
Pearl was the first to speak as he said, surprised, "Well. I guess she figured it out."
Diamond nodded slowly, adding calmly, "Yep. Sometimes you just must go fast and figure out the brakes later."
Azure allowed himself a chuckle, the sound a rare treasure as he stated, "Come on. We can't let our charge get too far ahead."
//////
[Sinnoh Region, Meanwhile, Route 206/207 Intersection]
While the chaotic scene unfolded on the Cycling Road, a much quieter, darker energy was gathering at the intersection leading to Mt. Coronet. A man stood there, his silhouette sharp against the light.
He wore a long, dark coat, and his blue hair fell in a neat bob around his face. This was Cyrus, the enigmatic leader of Team Galactic.
He said nothing, merely staring at the looming mountain in the distance. A guard from the Cycling Road gate rushed over, clutching a small, square box, and yelled, "Mr. Cyrus! I have a package for you. It was delivered here earlier. I was told you'd be passing by."
Cyrus turned slowly. His eyes were cold, devoid of warmth.
He didn't look at the package at first. Instead, he looked at the guard.
The guard shivered, a primal fear rising in his chest. It felt like being stared at by something that didn't understand life. The guard stammered, holding out a clipboard, "I... I have the receipt…"
Cyrus took a pen. The scratching sound of the pen against the paper was the only noise for a long moment.
He signed his name—Cyrus—with a jagged, precise stroke. He took the package, turned, and walked toward the gate.
The guard called out, needing to break the tension, "Um, sir? Are you heading to Mt. Coronet? Be careful. The weather up there can be..."
Cyrus stopped but didn't turn back. But he said coldly, his voice a low baritone that seemed to echo with hollow ambition, "The weather is the least of my concerns. The world itself is the problem. And I intend to fix it."
He raised a hand, and a shadow detached from the sky…
*FWP*
A large bird with a wide, flat-brimmed hat appeared—Honchkrow. It cawed, a harsh, guttural sound. Cyrus mounted the bird effortlessly.
*FWP*
With a powerful beat of its wings, they took to the air, soaring over the Cycling Road, heading directly for the heart of the mountain. The guard watched him go, clutching the signed receipt, his hand trembling, muttering, "That must be the CEO of the Galaxy Corp. The one who tries to harness the cosmic energy for everyone that everyone uses. But man, their CEO is an intense guy…"
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Also side note I've been writing some rough drafts of a Gamer Path based on the Pokemon Origins world with the MC starting off as a Team Rocket Grunt as he didn't take the beginning seriously going with Random assuming it was a dream... it wasn't and has to deal with the consequences.
But he'll have Viridian Force and Arc Phone to assist. I'm split on what starter to give the MC being Weedle, Gastly, Rattata, or Meowth. Wanted to ask as its been on my mind but no worries I'll still focus on this Gamer Path first.