Chapter 605: Out for a Walk
~Third POV~
[Unova Region, Nighttime, Accumula Town]
The night air in Accumula Town carried the crisp, earthy scent of dew-kissed grass and the distant, soothing hum of cicadas. Under the sprawling canopy of starlight, the quiet stillness of the Unovan night was punctuated only by the soft glow of a small digital screen.
White sat cross-legged on a folding camp chair, her eyes glued to the playback on her Xtransceiver. On the tiny screen, a minor scene from a recent film played out, featuring her prized star, Gigi the female Tepig, alongside Black's male Tepig, Tep. White tapped her chin, her brow furrowed in intense professional scrutiny. Nearby, the rhythmic thwack-thwack-thwack of tent stakes being driven into the soil echoed as Black labored away, his hot-blooded energy barely contained even after a long day of travel.
*Click*
White ended the playback and dialed a number on her Xtransceiver. Within seconds, a harried voice came on the line. White began, her tone a masterclass in polite assertiveness, "Director! Yes, it's me. I was reviewing the rushes. Yes, Gigi's close-ups are divine, luminous. But the lighting on Tep in frame four? A bit too heavy on the shadows, don't you think? It washes out his natural sheen. Let's make a note to adjust the key lights for tomorrow's shoot. Thank you, goodbye!"
She ended the call with a satisfied nod and turned her attention to the young man wrestling with a stubborn nylon cord. White announced brightly, "The director agrees. He says our feedback on Tep's framing was spot-on."
Black grunted, wiping a streak of dirt from his forehead as he finally secured the last guy line. He straightened up, planting his hands on his hips as he looked between the compact tent and White's chair and muttered in a tired tone, "That's great and all, White, but I still don't get why we're out here sleeping on the ground. Didn't your agency turn a profit last quarter?"
White corrected sharply, crossing her arms, "The BW Agency is currently experiencing a temporary, highly manageable cash flow fluctuation. As a responsible president, I am merely cutting operational costs."
Black scoffed dismissively, crossing his own arms and leaning back, "Right, 'fluctuation '. If we're cutting costs, why did you rent a luxury hotel room in the next town over just for Tep and Gigi?"
White said resolutely, her voice rising an octave in sheer disbelief that he could be so blind to the arts, "Because Gigi is an artist! She is a premier actress with a demanding schedule, regular vocal cord conditioning, and beauty sleep requirements. Do you have any idea what staying in a damp tent would do to her skin tone and her emotional equilibrium? She has a 6:00 AM call time tomorrow, Black! A professional needs professional accommodations!"
Black threw his hands up in exasperation, his loud, hot-blooded nature flaring instantly, and exclaimed, "Her precious career is wasting my precious time and Tep's precious energy! We're supposed to be training for the Unova League! Every minute we spend playing dress-up in your little movies is a minute I'm not thinking about winning the championship—which I've been dreaming about for nine years, by the way!"
White snapped, her patience finally snapping like a dry twig. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out two crisp sheets of paper, thrusting them directly into his face, "Oh, is that right? Read these, Mr. League-Champion-to-be!"
Black blinked, taking the papers. His eyes scanned the first invoice. The numbers swam into focus, and the blood drained entirely from his sun-browned face—cost of damaged studio filming equipment: $45,000.
He swallowed hard and looked at the second invoice—wages earned by Tep for a minor background acting role: $900.
Black's jaw dropped so low it practically touched the grass. He looked from the papers to White, horror gripping his chest, and exclaimed, "50 times... 50 times more?! Am I... was I hired just to be your indentured servant to clear out this astronomical debt?!"
White said smugly, adjusting her collar with an infuriatingly smug flick of her wrist, "Legally speaking, a production company cannot sue minors for property damage claims. But if the minor's legal guardian—or in this case, his employer and contractual partner—is tied to an official business entity, it becomes a corporate liability. By hiring you, I formalized your status. It's basic corporate protocol. A code of conduct in the business environment, Black. Look it up."
Black stared at her, utterly speechless, his mind threatening to short-circuit from the sheer bureaucratic audacity. Seeing the sheer panic in his eyes, White instantly softened. The corporate shark mask melted away, replaced by the earnest young woman who desperately needed a win.
She stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his arm. She murmured, "Hey. Look... I know it sounds harsh. But remember how we met? You bailed me out of an absolute disaster by letting Tep step in when our main actor threw a tantrum. You helped me solve a crisis. And honestly? The feedback on Tep and Gigi's chemistry has been through the roof. People love them."
She offered a small, hopeful smile, her gaze drifting upward as she began to talk about her grand ambitions, adding, "The BW Agency isn't just about making money, Black. It's about bringing joy to people across Unova. Connecting Pokémon and humans through the magic of cinema, showing the world that entertainment can—"
*Swoosh*
Drawn by the sheer emotional resonance of her dreams, a wild Munna—Musha—drifted out from the tall grass, its pastel-pink body glowing softly as it floated toward White's head, ready to feed on her dreams.
Black barked, snapping out of his stupor, "Ah—no, you don't!"
He quickly whistled, beckoning Musha and his majestic partner, Brav the Braviary, back into line before the Psychic-type could dive-bomb White's thoughts. With a huff, Black turned on his heel and grabbed the flap of the tent.
Before ducking inside to escape the madness of the entertainment industry, he shot White one last stubborn look. Black muttered, testing the title with a grimace, "Boss. I'll think about your little offers. But don't expect me to like it."
With that, he zipped the tent shut. White, a triumphant grin spreading across her face, placed one of the sponsored Xtransceivers neatly by the tent entrance and whispered into the night, "Goodnight, employee."
*Rumble*
The ground beneath them shuddered violently.
*SCREEECH*
Black's head snapped up. Through the fabric of the tent, he heard a high-pitched shriek of absolute terror. White screamed, her voice cracking as she bolted across the campsite, "YAAAH! Get away from me! Shoo! Bad Pokémon! Bad!"
Black unzipped the tent in a flash. Outside, the scene was pure chaos: a small, bipedal Pokémon with a wooden beam tucked under its arm was enthusiastically driving lumber into the dirt, chasing a frantically sprinting White in tight, panicked circles. White's bag of Poké Balls was slung over her shoulder, bouncing wildly, but she was far too terrified—and philosophically opposed to battling—to even reach inside.
Black shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth, "White! Take a Poké Ball out and battle it!"
White shook her head furiously as she narrowly dodged a swinging timber. She exclaimed, "No! I don't like fighting!"
Groaning loudly, Black thrust two fingers into his mouth and let out a piercing whistle, barking, "Brav! Field trip!"
*SCRAWW*
With a powerful flap of its massive wings, Brav descended from the night sky like a feathered freight train, scooping White off the ground by the back of her jacket just as the lumber-wielding Pokémon brought its weapon down where she had been standing a millisecond prior.
While Brav carried a trembling White to safety, Black snatched his Munna, Musha, and clamped the round Pokémon right onto his head.
*Zzzzt*
The psychic connection flooded Black's mind, processing the immediate environment, the intent, the wavelengths of the creature before him. White, set down gently by Brav a few yards away, blinked in astonishment and uttered, "He's doing it again... just like during the Galvantula incident."
Black explained, pulling Musha off his head and exhaling a steady breath, "Musha reads brainwaves. It lets me tune into what's happening around me without getting overwhelmed by my own head."
Black stepped forward, looking closely at the grass. To his surprise, the lumber-wielding Pokémon hadn't been swinging wildly at White out of malice. The indentations it had carved into the lawn formed a precise, geometric rectangle of square shapes.
Black muttered, his hot-blooded anger evaporating into sheer analytical curiosity, "Hold on a minute. It wasn't attacking you. It was trying to level the ground. It was doing construction work."
Black locked eyes with the culprit: a stocky, grey-skinned Timburr, holding its heavy wooden beam and blinking innocently up at him. Black scolded, marching over and putting his hands on his hips, "Hey! You! If you're gonna start a foundation pour in the middle of a campsite, you need to file the proper permits and notify the site manager first! Where are your manners?"
Before the Timburr could squeak a defense, heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel as one of the voices said, "Pardon the intrusion."
Black and White turned. Emerging from the shadowed tree line were two figures draped in elaborate, medieval-style knight attire—complete with heavy tabards, steel-plated boots, and grim expressions.
They were flanked by a small work crew of additional Timburr. The first grunt said, bowing stiffly, "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. However, we must ask you to pack up your belongings and vacate the premises immediately."
Black narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms, and asked, "Vacate? Says who? Are you guys the Trainers of these Timburr?"
The two Team Plasma grunts completely ignored the question, trading a blank glance before pulling out a laminated scroll. They thrust a construction permit right into Black's face. The second grunt droned monotonously, "Official municipal and regional clearance. By decree of Team Plasma's grand design, this land is requisitioned for immediate infrastructural development. You have 10 minutes to clear out."
With stiff, robotic turns, the two grunts whistled for their Timburr and began marching back into the shadows of the forest. As they retreated, Black scratched the back of his head, looking around the campsite.
Then he asked, realizing they were missing someone, "Say... White? Where's Azure? I haven't seen him all day."
White brushed a speck of dirt off her short pants, sighing, and replied, "Oh, he left me a message. Said he went out to track down a specific Pokémon and that he'd catch up with us later. So, he went out for a walk."
Black muttered, accepting the explanation without a second thought, "He went out for a walk while I set up the tent? Alright, whatever. Come on, we need to reset up the tent before those knights come back."
/////
[Unova Region, Meanwhile, Great Chasm]
Far away from the bustling, comedic chaos of Accumula Town, the atmosphere was entirely different…
*Fwp-fwp-fwp*
High above the nocturnal landscape of the Unova Region, a massive, indigo-feathered silhouette sliced through the freezing stratospheric winds. This was no ordinary bird; it was an Alpha Braviary, its eyes burning with fierce, predatory intelligence.
Perched securely between its feathered shoulders was Azure. Azure murmured, patting the Alpha Braviary's thick neck, "Hold steady, big guy. We're almost at the drop zone."
Pikachu squeaked, the yellow mouse resting comfortably on Azure's right shoulder, its cheeks sparking with playful little static discharges, "Pikapi!"
Eevee chirped, the fluffy Normal-type snuggled like a living beanie right on top of Azure's head, twitching its long ears against the howling wind, "Eevee!"
Tucked safely inside the breast pocket of Azure's jacket, a shimmering, translucent pink Mew—currently disguised down to the cellular level as a tiny Pichu—let out a soft, melodic giggle, "Pi-pichu!"
Rotom's cheerful, electronic voice chirped from Azure's pocket, "Accessing local topographical data… Warning! Ambient temperatures dropping rapidly! We are approaching the designated coordinates!"
Azure smirked, his eyes catching the jagged, frost-bitten geography looming below them. He thanked his partner with an eager grin on his face, "Thanks, Rotom. Bring us down right at the mouth."
*Swooosh*
With a powerful sweep of its wings, the Alpha Braviary banked hard, diving through a narrow fissure in the cliffs. The landscape shifted instantly. They had arrived at the Great Chasm—the deep, jagged scar nestled menacingly between Route 22 and Route 23.
To the vast majority of Unovan citizens, this place was nothing more than a myth, a dark void on the maps where local legends whispered of unnatural blizzards and ancient terrors. But to Azure—who possessed the meta-knowledge—this was the staging ground for Team Plasma's ultimate endgame in Black and White 2.
*Thud*
The Alpha Braviary touched down gracefully on the slick, ice-encrusted stone at the entrance of a massive, cavernous opening. The air here didn't just feel cold; it felt dead, heavy with an oppressive, glacial pressure that made even the bravest soul want to turn back.
Azure dismounted, his breath pluming into white wisps in the sub-zero air. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Azure murmured to himself, a confident grin spreading across his face, "Team Plasma thinks they can pull the strings from the shadows, gathering the legendary dragons of Unova to reshape the world. Cute. But they're forgetting one crucial detail."
Rotom's voice piped up from the Arc Phone screen, projecting a glowing holographic map of the cave system, "Bzzt! Roto-query! The primary targets are Reshiram and Zekrom, but historical records and seismic anomalies indicate a third variable. The true anchor of the Tao Trio."
Azure said excitedly, stepping past the threshold into the pitch-black, ice-carved tunnels of the Great Chasm, "Exactly, Rotom. Before Ghetsis and N can get their hands on the public-facing dragons, we need to secure the one everyone else is ignoring. The original dragon. The hollow shell."
*THUD*
Azure felt an oppressive aura within the cave's entrance. He smirked, seeing that one of the Tao Trio was aware of his presence.
From the shadows behind Azure, a pair of crimson eyes flickered to life. A faint, ethereal giggle echoed through the icy corridor as Darkrai materialized at his side, its dark-fog cloak trailing along the frozen floor like a ribbon of midnight. Beside it, Marshadow shifted in the dim light, its spectral body humming with latent fighting spirit, while Gengar grinned a toothy, mischievous smile.
Azure felt the temperature drop another ten degrees as a profound, sorrowful aura washed over the cavern. It was the undeniable presence of the Boundary Pokémon, waiting in the deep freeze of the Chasm.
Azure whispered, stepping forward into the abyss, "Let's go say hello to Kyurem."
/////
A/N: Hope you like the chapter!