【 Crystal Treasures – Contents Page 】
Pokémon Scarlet tag / Pokémon page / Team Rhyme Lore page
Pokemon Scarlet fanfic. Rhyme and Leo try to look for the missing Koraidon brothers Coco and Agias. Echo suggests to lure them with sandwiches. The search brought them to the Great Crater of Paldea, where things took a dangerous turn.
【 Looking for Koraidon 】
Refreshing winds rustled the leaves of great trees and made colourful flowers dance. Paldea’s cerulean open skies and endless plains gently enveloped its inhabitants and travellers with a serene sense of peace and freedom. Two Zeraora, Zephyr and Neon, landed in the grassy fields and let their Trainers, Rhyme and Leo, off their arms for a break after a long journey. Rhyme stretched and looked around. They had just passed the town of Artazon in southeast Paldea, after having travelled the region clockwise around the Great Crater in the center, starting from Mesagoza in the south. Very soon, they’d arrive back at Mesagoza, their finish line.
“Can’t believe it, but soon we’d have travelled the whole region!” Rhyme commented. He and Leo had let all their Pokémon out of their Poké Balls to get some air. As they began to set up a picnic for lunch, Rhyme studied his Pokémon.
Fuego and Caesar, who had started out as a Fuecoco and a Piplup at the beginning of the journey, were now full-grown Skeledirge and Empoleon, capable of fending for themselves. Ruki the Lucario had started out rather distrustful of everyone, but seemed to have become a little more accommodating lately. Zephyr was thankfully much more cheerful than he was when they left Aeos Island, but the fact that he was still keeping his Soothe Bell told Rhyme that Zephyr hadn’t really gotten over everything. Rhyme looked up at the clouds drifting slowly across the skies, his eyes distant.
“Something on your mind?” Leo asked, coming to stand next to Rhyme. Rhyme shook his head.
“Not really. Just thought that our time on Aeos Island felt so far away now. Paldea just feels so… different.”
He couldn’t help comparing. Both Trainers had been avid participants in Unite Battles after all, so their time on Aeos Island was a huge part of their lives and would probably stay with them forever. Leo thought that Rhyme was clinging onto it more than necessarily, though. Like he was stuck or something.
“Well, Neon and I are having fun. Look at the bright side! You don’t get to travel this much on Aeos!” Leo said.
“Haha, true. Zephyr and I are having fun, too,” Rhyme replied. He then scanned the horizon.
“By the way, the two escaped Koraidon that Director Clavell mentioned… We’ve gone everywhere, but we surprisingly didn’t see them, huh?”
“Oh! Yeah,” Leo said, looking around too. “They’re two huge, bright red creatures. Strange that no one saw them even after this long. Wonder where and how they’re hiding!”
When Rhyme and Leo started their journey from Naranja Academy in Mesagoza, Director Clavell had indeed promised them a reward if they could retrieve the two Koraidon, Coco and Agias, who had escaped from the school’s care facility. Clavell mentioned that Coco was quite aggressive, so Rhyme and Leo had expected him to probably come out and attack them out of nowhere, but it never happened.
“Rhyme!” The boys turned around to see Echo, Rhyme’s talking Alolan Vulpix, come to them with Fuego and Nini, Rhyme’s Skeledirge and Sylveon.
“Oh, so you’re talking about the Koraidon, huh? The three of us were just discussing about how to find them, too!” Echo said with a grin.
“You were?” Rhyme asked.
“Of course! Fuego wants to make Mr. Clavell happy, and Nini and I want the reward, so we thought of a plan!”
“You did?!” Leo asked in surprise.
“The reward…” Rhyme mused. “Probably a good something to end this Paldea trip with. Tell us what you have, Echo!”
The plan Echo, Fuego and Nini hatched was called ‘Operation Sandwich’, where they’d lure Coco and Agias out with their favourite food–sandwiches. Everyone had been divided into two teams, each having a role and determined to succeed.
Team 1 was the search team. Fuego, having worked with Clavell before and knowing the two Koraidon, gave detailed information about their looks and behaviour. Neon and Zephyr could travel at the speed of light as Zeraora, so they combed through the entire Paldea region quickly, looking for Koraidon pawprints, claw marks or feathers to narrow down their location. In the meantime, Happy and Marble the Blissey worked with Rhyme and Leo to make delicious sandwiches–the lure.
Team 2 was the battle team. Nini’s Sylveon ribbons have the power to calm aggressive Pokémon, so they’d first try to calm Coco and Agias with her. But if all else fails, all the other Pokémon who were good fighters–Ruki the Lucario, Apple the Blaziken, and Caesar the Empoleon, would back her up. They spent the preparation time discussing strategies and practicing to coordinate together.
Echo and Ruka the Lucario worked together to coordinate and relay information between the two teams. Eventually, Neon and Zephyr returned from their search, Zephyr holding a large, iridescent white and purple feather in his hand.
“That’s a Koraidon feather. There’s no mistaking it!” Fuego confirmed.
“Where’d you find it?!” Echo asked eagerly.
“Over the clouds,” Zephyr answered, “At the mouth of the Great Crater of Paldea.”
The Great Crater of Paldea was a forbidden area, known to have many dangerous Pokémon in it. No one was allowed to even come near there, so if Coco and Agias were hiding in there, it was no surprise that no one saw them.
Upon the discovery, Rhyme and Leo had hurried back to Mesagoza, bursting into Director Clavell’s office at Naranja Academy. Clavell almost didn’t believe their report about the two Koraidon’s whereabouts. It took some convincing, but they eventually got the Pokémon League’s permission to go into the Crater to look for Coco and Agias. Several of the school’s and the Pokémon League’s official search teams were called to help as well.
Once inside the crater, Rhyme and Leo felt as though they had gone to a different world. Mist and crystals covered the cavern walls and fantastic Pokémon wandered the area’s depths. Naranja’s and the League’s search teams set up base at a research station near the entrance, getting ready to explore.
“Are the Pokémon in here mutated or something?!” Leo asked in terror, looking at a gigantic Jigglypuff with long hair and sharp teeth bounce by in the distance.
“No, they’re just ancient.” Rika, one of the League’s Elite Fours, explained as she worked on her computer. “Sorry that we can’t uncover the details since it’s state secret, but be careful of them since they’re quite dangerous.”
She sighed, adjusting her long ponytail, her face having an unmistakable feminine charm despite her overall boyish appearance. “And an extra apology for dragging you exchange students into this. It’s a quick notice and we need to get the two Koraidon back as fast as possible before they hurt someone or themselves, so we need all the hands we can get. Director Clavell said you’re experienced Trainers.”
“Don’t worry about it. We got this!” Rhyme assured her. “Let’s go, Leo!”
“Okay, Rhyme. This is turning much bigger and hairier than expected, huh?”
Darkness enveloped them as they travelled further down into the gaping maw of the crater and the depths of the crystal caverns. This is Paldea’s Area Zero, home of the ancient and the ferocious. Most of Rhyme’s Pokémon were weary and cautious, but Neon, Ruki, and Apple, the more battle-hardened ones, were enjoying themselves by testing their strength against the gargantuan ancestral creatures. Caesar was also eagerly trying to prove himself to Apple.
“You four are going to make this cavern collapse.” Rhyme sighed, shaking his head. “Thanks for clearing the way, though.”
Leo was looking around, asking a good question. “With all these wild Pokémon here, where are we gonna set the lure? They’ll eat all the sandwiches the moment we put them on the floor!”
“True,” Rhyme replied.
“Skel! Skel!!” Fuego said something. Echo translated it.
“He said that Coco and Agias love sandwiches so much that they’ll come to you at the mention of the word. Maybe we should just hold the sandwhich while calling them and saying ‘sandwich’!”
“Coco~! Agias~! We have sandwiches! Come out wherever you are~”
Rhyme and Leo called out. It felt a little silly, considering the two Koraidon were probably powerful and scary. They hoped that the dragons wouldn’t suddenly pounce at them to chomp off the sandwiches along with their arms.
“Skelskel!” Fuego chirped.
“Fuego said that they’re more like lizards and don’t have sharp teeth,” Echo translated.
“Haha, how comforting.” Rhyme laughed nervously. Nini wrapped her ribbons around Rhyme and Leo’s arms to calm them with her powers.
“Oh, thanks, Nini,” Rhyme smiled at her.
Just then, Rhyme stepped on some loose rocks and the ground caved in under him. There was a whole vertical tunnel under his feet and he slid right into it.
“WHOAAA!!” He screamed in surprise.
“NIIII!!!” Nini, her ribbons rolled tightly around Rhyme’s arm, got dragged along, as well as Leo on the other end of Nini’s ribbons.
“NOOOOO!!” Leo yelled as the three of them plunged into the tunnel’s dark depths.
“Dammit! RHYME!! LEO!!” Echo and the others tried to go after them, but an avalanche of rocks blocked the tunnel’s entrance.
It was a long slide down the narrow tunnel for Rhyme, Leo and Nini, before they were ejected out into a large, crystalline chamber on the other side, landing with a loud thud and rolling across the stony ground. The basket of sandwiches they were carrying slammed open and its contents exploded out.
“Oww…” Leo groaned, trying to get back up. “Everyone okay?”
“Yeah… Ugh…” Rhyme winced. A sharp pain shot up his leg. “I think… I think I sprained my knee.”
“Oh, no.” Leo ran to him. “Can you stand?”
Rhyme tried to no avail, he shook his head, starting to panic. Nini nuzzled him worriedly. Rhyme looked at the hole in the ceiling where they fell out from.
“All the others are up there since they’ve been defending us from wild Pokémon. It’s just the three of us down here,” he said. He then took out his Rotom phone. “No signal.”
“W-Well, Neon and Zeph will just make a hole and come down here for us, right?” Leo suggested, but was unable to hide the tinge of worry in his voice. Rhyme stayed quiet for awhile.
“I don’t think so. The rocks were loose. They might cause a landslide and block the tunnel forever if they try to use force.” He thought for awhile. “But Echo probably knows to look for the other search teams and ask for help or something. Maybe it’s best to stay here until they come for us.”
“…If you say so,” Leo said, feeling a little insecure. His worry was amplified when he heard a loud noise.
It was the shriek of Flutter Manes, large ancestors of Misdreavus. Attracted to the boys’ feelings of insecurity, some six of them gathered there, their black robes waving ominously as they floated into the crystal chamber. Nini stood in front of Rhyme and Leo protectively, but even she knew that she couldn’t defeat all of them alone.
“I really don’t think we can stay here!” Leo said. Rhyme tried to stand by propping himself up against a nearby wall, his sprained knee giving him trouble. Leo helped him up and supported him. The Flutter Manes were closing in, so Rhyme pulled away.
“Leo, try to help me and we’ll all die! Run away with Nini and get help!” He told him. “Heard that Misdreavus eat people’s fear as nutrients. Flutter Manes probably do the same. They’ll most likely keep me alive and just give me nightmares or something.”
“You dumb?! I don’t want you to be a traumatized vegetable when we come back!” Leo was frantically looking around the room for anything he could use to fend off the Flutter Manes, not finding any. Unlike Neon, Leo was normally much more timid. Under normal circumstances, he’d be the one hiding behind Rhyme. Rhyme could tell that he was forcing himself to be tough just for him.
“Niii!” Nini worriedly moved backwards, cornered.
“Leo, please! Just getting some nightmares won’t break me!” Rhyme urged. “Besides, I’m… I’m not that important.”
Just then, they heard a powerful roar. A large red dragon bounded into the chamber. One glance and Rhyme and Leo recognized him immediately.
“Koraidon!”
The Koraidon rolled himself up into a tight circle, spinning and charging himself with bright, golden energy before slamming full force into the Flutter Manes, making quick work of them. Startled, the Ghost Pokémon made their escape, leaving the boys alone.
The Koraidon looked towards Rhyme and Leo, who held onto each other cautiously. Time seemed to stop as their eyes met. The dragon walked up to them and they took a step back, their backs pressed against the wall. And then, the majestic Pokémon before them revealed his true intention…
The sandwiches strewn across the floor!
The Koraidon, not having eaten them for awhile since there weren’t any down here, seemed overjoyed. He sniffed at one of the sandwiches tentatively, before chomping down on it and gobbling it up, making an extremely contented wail.
“You’re… Coco…?” Rhyme asked. No response, so Leo tried the other Koraidon name they had.
“Agias!” He called. The Koraidon perked, recognizing the name.
“Agiaaassss!!” He cried happily, licking Leo’s face affectionately with his huge tongue, before bending down to eat more of the sandwiches. Rhyme, Leo and Nini relaxed a little.
“Eww, drool…” Leo said, wiping his face. “He’s… actually pretty tame, isn’t he?”
Rhyme sighed in relief. “Thanks for helping us, Agias. But where’s Coco?”
Coco, Agias’ elder brother. He didn’t really have a nickname. Paldea’s researchers just derived a quick thing from the ‘Ko’ of ‘Koraidon’ to differentiate him from his brother. Director Clavell’s report said that he was the aggressive one while Agias was relatively amiable. Maybe they shouldn’t let their guard down just yet. Agias looked like he figured out why Rhyme and Leo were here. He looked a little sad.
“Agias…” He growled. If only Echo, Ruka or Ruki was here, they’d have an easier time translating what Agias was saying, but Rhyme decided to try to communicate with him anyway.
“Can you show us where Coco is? We won’t hurt him. We made some sandwiches for him, too,” Rhyme said, picking up a sandwich from the floor and showing it to Agias.
“Agias!” Seeming to understand, Agias turned around, leaving the crystal chamber and walking further into the caves. Rhyme, Leo and Nini nodded at each other, gathering the sandwiches and following the dragon into the belly of the Great Crater.
Agias noticed Rhyme limping, so he let Rhyme and Leo ride on his back, Nini squeezed in in front of them. And then the Koraidon ran deeper and deeper underground, reaching the base of Area Zero, the bottom of the Great Crater of Paldea. Bright crystals lit the caverns. It was a strange place.
Only ancient, aggressive Pokémon could be found down here. But all of them opened the way for Agias, overwhelmed by his power. Rhyme and Leo could see why the documents described Koraidon as the ‘Winged King’. Agias finally stopped near a large crystal. They could see the other Koraidon, Coco, perched on top of it, a king on his throne.
“Giass!!” Agias called out to his brother. Coco looked down at him. He jumped down from his perch then, landing and glaring at Rhyme and Leo.
Coco roared at them, obviously not liking humans, and rather unhappy that Agias brought some to him. Agias shrunk. Even he was afraid of Coco. If Nini thought that she could calm Coco with her ribbons earlier, seeing him in the flesh made her change her mind. His draconic eyes were the fiercest pair she had ever seen, and she imagined that he’d rip her ribbons into shreds!
Rhyme, ever the daring one, decided to make a move. He got off from Agias’ back, wincing from the pain in his leg. Limping forward, he set down the basket of sandwiches for Coco on the floor, opening it.
“For you,” he said, moving away again to give Coco some space.
Coco studied the basket distrustfully. Agias made happy noises at him, eating one of the sandwiches in the basket to show that it was safe and delicious. After glaring at Rhyme and Leo a little more, Coco decided to have some of the sandwiches, too. Eating it seemed to reduce his hostility, but he just returned to his perch above the crystals afterwards, uninterested in further associating with the humans or in leaving the area.
Agias made a sad growl, letting Leo and Nini off his back before climbing the crystal to be with his brother.
“Ni! Nini!” Nini meowed. She looked back and forth between Rhyme and the two Koraidon, asking for permission to go after them. Rhyme nodded at her, so she went. Leo tugged at Rhyme’s sleeve.
“Hey, Rhyme, look! Is that a research station?” Leo said, pointing at a man-made structure nearby. The Great Crater had several of them since this was where they were researching Paldea’s Terastal phenomenon.
“Nice one, Leo!” Rhyme said. “Let’s go there. Maybe we can contact the others and tell them where we are, and that the two Koraidon are here!”
Coco and Agias looked at Nini when they heard the Sylveon’s little footsteps coming closer. Coco looked away again.
“If you want us to go back out there, forget it. We’re not leaving this place,” he told her.
“Huh? Why? This place is dark and scary! We have more sandwiches out there and comfy beds!” Nini said. “Humans aren’t that bad, are they? Director Clavell was nice, and I’ve just come back from touring the whole Paldea. Everyone was nice, too.”
Coco narrowed his eyes, a quiet rage burning in their depths. “Nice, huh? Do you know why the Pokémon in this Crater are all ancient, little princess?”
Nini thought for awhile. She tried guessing.
“Because this place was so isolated from the outside world that you evolved slowly?”
“No.” Coco chuckled mockingly. “We don’t know how the humans did it, but we were just living our lives normally and suddenly, all of us were transported here to this unknown place. They forcefully put us here.”
“…?!” Nini looked at Coco in surprise. The Koraidon continued.
“Agias and I had been out there with these… human ‘researchers’. We recognized this land, but we didn’t. It was a strange feeling. The shapes of the mountains and plains were the same, but the air felt dirty. All the wild Pokémon looked like they shrunk, turned weak, and weird. The food and the places we liked weren’t there anymore, but we saw their remains. We realized that this world’s probably a different time from ours. And the fact that we’re all still here in this Crater meant that the humans didn’t have any means to return us to our original place. They took our home.”
Nini was at a loss of words, feeling as though a great sin had just been revealed to her.
“We have friends back home, but all the sandwiches in the world won’t change the fact that we won’t meet them again. And everyone here looked at us like we’re freaks. We just don’t ‘fit in’ here.” Coco sounded both resentful and sad as he continued.
“This Crater’s ancient. The one unchanging thing from our time. And the Pokémon living in it are familiar. It’s the closest to ‘home’ for Agias and me. I’d appreciate if the humans would let us be.”
Agias didn’t say anything. He must’ve missed home, too. Nini couldn’t bring herself to argue against them, so she left to rejoin Rhyme and Leo.
Meanwhile, Rhyme and Leo had succeeded in establishing contact with the other research stations in the Crater and reported their situation. Echo had been a dependable leader after they got separated, herding all of Rhyme and Leo’s Pokémon to the closest research station to get help. As expected of Rhyme’s no. 1 assistant!
“Glad that you’re both okay!” Rika said with relief from the radio. “Stay where you are. Director Clavell and Champion Geeta from the Pokémon League are on their way down there to fetch you and the two Koraidon personally. This is getting out of hand!”
“Okay, Señorita Rika. Thanks for the help,” Rhyme replied. They were just about to hang up when Nini ran in, squeaking frantically.
“Ni! NININII!!” She rushed towards the control panel, pulling Rhyme’s hand with a ribbon to prevent him from hanging up.
“Whoa, I think Nini has something to say. Can I have Ech– er, Ruka to translate?” Rhyme asked. Echo’s talking ability was supposed to be a secret, so they’d have to use Ruka’s telepathic skills.
Nini quickly explained that Coco and Agias were down here because they missed home, so it was probably better to let them be. Everyone was quite surprised when Ruka translated it for them. They were wondering what to do, when they heard Coco’s roar from outside the research station.
“GIASSS!!”
Rhyme, Leo and Nini ran out to see what was happening. The two Koraidon were there, already preparing for battle with Director Clavell and Champion Geeta.
“Señor Clavell, WAIT!! They’re just–” Leo shouted, trying to explain the situation. Clavell nodded at him and Rhyme.
“Good work in finding them, señors. And worry not, we heard about the situation from our communication device,” he said, his expression turning stern.
“But these two, they’re special and protected Pokémon. Professor Sada who gave up her life for the research took special care of them. This Crater’s a dangerous place. Their home or not, we can’t just let them die in here, so we’re taking them back to the school’s care facility. For their own good!”
Coco roared in protest. Agias cowered behind him, not liking conflict. Nini stood in front of them protectively. Rhyme looked back and forth at the two groups, before speaking up.
“If… If they’re strong enough, they can stay here, right?”
“Señor Rhyme, what are you saying?!” Clavell asked.
“If they can beat Naranja’s Director and the Champion, they don’t need any protecting. Leo and I will help them prove that to you!”
“Señor Rhyme!” Clavell protested, but Geeta stopped him. She flicked her long black hair over her shoulder, taking out her Poké Ball.
“Challenge accepted,” she said, “If we defeat them, the Koraidon will also understand that they need us humans to help them survive in this world, and they won’t try to escape again. Let’s prove ourselves to each other, through a fair battle!”
It was a double battle, Rhyme and Leo with the two Koraidon against Director Clavell and Champion Geeta. Geeta sent out her crystalline Glimmora, her main partner. Meanwhile, Fuego came out of Clavell’s Poké Ball, surprising Rhyme.
“Fuego!!” Rhyme exclaimed.
“Skel!” Fuego roared. He was reluctant to fight Rhyme, but he would be loyal to his master, Clavell, whatever his choice might be, so he’d give it his all.
A fierce battle began. Despite being weak to the Koraidon’s Fighting-type moves as a Rock-type, Geeta’s Glimmora flew fluidly through the air to avoid being hit, flashing blinding lights to blind her foes. Direct punches didn’t connect with Fuego either, Fuego being a Ghost-type.
“They’re owning us!” Leo said. Rhyme also felt the pressure. Coco and Agias’ freedom hung on them. They gave some suggestions to the two Koraidon.
“Both of you! Don’t fight them one on one! Focus on Glimmora first!”
“Your Fighting and Fire-type moves won’t even scratch Fuego. Use Dragon-type moves instead!”
Having a difficult time, Coco and Agias decided to listen. They eventually managed to take down their opponents, but Clavell and Geeta just sent out their next Pokémon. The two Koraidon growled, already exhausted from just Fuego and Glimmora.
“Hang in there!!”
“You can do this!!”
Rhyme and Leo cheered, throwing Max Potions at the two dragons. With renewed vigor, they continued fighting. When Geeta and Clavell Terastallized their Pokémon, Rhyme and Leo used their Tera Orbs to lend the two Koraidon some power as well to be on equal footing.
After a long struggle, Coco and Agias eventually won the battle. Everyone on both sides were tired out, sweating and panting to catch their breaths. Geeta straightened her posture and clapped, breaking the silence.
“Bravo. You’ve proven your will and strength, and you’ve won your right to stay here.” She told Coco and Agias.
“Señorita Geeta!! Is this– Is this really okay?!” Clavell said worriedly, unsure. “They could’ve died if the ones attacking them are wild Pokémon instead of us! And if Rhyme and Leo weren’t there to back them up! We can’t let them stay here by themselves!”
Geeta just smiled at him, tilting her head towards the two Koraidon to show Clavell what was happening. He looked there.
Agias was happily licking Leo’s face, coating him in drool. Coco wasn’t as direct in expressing his feelings, but one can tell that he was content, standing next to Rhyme. He looked at Geeta and Clavell not with aggression, but with acknowledgement.
“I think they’ve learned that they can live with us humans, and that there are those who’d willingly open their arms to help them when they’re in need.” Geeta said, looking at Rhyme and Leo. “They know who to look for if they’re in trouble now. Our job here’s done. Let’s all go back out there, shall we?”
Everyone made their way back up the Crater, led by Geeta and Clavell. Coco and Agias followed, letting Rhyme and Leo ride on them, wanting to see them off. Rhyme and Leo’s Pokémon who were waiting at the surface were overjoyed, running to hug the boys and take care of them.
Geeta explained the situation to the search teams, telling them to let Coco and Agias stay wherever they wished. Whoever had sandwiches offered them to the two Koraidon as parting gifts. The dragons looked touched.
Everything having ended well, the search teams packed up and got ready to leave. Agias rushed over to Rhyme and Leo, followed by Coco. They wanted to say their goodbyes.
“Agias!!” Agias cried, jumping up and down excitedly.
“He said thanks, and that he’s happy to have met you guys,” Echo translated. Rhyme and Leo grinned, petting him cheerfully and telling him to take care of himself. Coco walked over to Nini.
“The humans let us stay here… And said that they’ll send some sandwiches regularly. Maybe they aren’t so bad, after all,” he said.
“Told you.” Nini giggled. “I think most humans are quite friendly to Pokémon. If you ever feel lonely, come to the surface and see Señor Clavell and the others! I’m sure they’d be happy and you can make lots of new friends!”
“Heh, thanks, little princess. Everyone here showed us that maybe, we can actually ‘fit in’. Maybe, it’s worth trying to make this land our new ‘home’. We’ll do our best. See you around.”
Rhyme watched them quietly from a distance, quite happy for them, but there was a distant look in his eyes. Leo nudged him.
“Hey, Rhyme, you okay?”
“Oh! …Yeah. It’s great that Coco and Agias managed to move forward and got a happy ending. Would be nice if we can have something like that too at the end of our Paldea trip!”
Leo lifted an eyebrow. He wanted to prod, but Rhyme looked quite exhausted. Rhyme let himself drop onto Leo’s shoulder.
“Let’s go. I think I’m going to faint from exhaustion!”
The next day, Director Clavell had called Rhyme and Leo to his office to talk about the recent events. Happy had made sure to heal Rhyme’s leg. Fuego was there to wait for Clavell’s arrival with them.
“Skel…” He groaned, rubbing his cheek against Rhyme’s leg, still regretting having to fight him and Leo in the Crater. Rhyme smiled at him and petted his head.
“That’s okay, Fuego. You’re just doing your job. I’m proud of your loyalty to your master.”
Fuego looked assured, playfully bumping his snout at Rhyme. Director Clavell finally came.
“Morning, señors. Sorry to have dragged you both into such a mess,” he said regrettably.
“But you’ve carried yourselves with grace and responsibility throughout the entire ordeal, and we ended up with the best result for each party. You’ve displayed many heroic deeds and commendable actions. Paldea’s Pokémon League thanks you, and Naranja Academy would be happy to open its doors anytime you’d like to visit.”
Rhyme and Leo grinned happily at each other. Clavell continued. “You still have a few more days left for your stay here, I believe, but you’ve finished exploring Paldea. So I’ve discussed with the Academy and the League about your ‘reward’.”
The boys’ eyes lit up when Clavell handed them a luxurious-looking orange envelope with the Academy’s seal on it. Clavell proceeded to explain its contents.
“Plane tickets to the land of Kitakami. We’ve also reserved the best accommodations for you and all your Pokémon. The Festival of Masks had just begun in Kitakami, and I think you señors would find it entertaining. Please enjoy yourselves to make up for the trouble.”
“Damn!” Leo exclaimed, opening his envelope and looking at the plane tickets and brochures in it. “Kitakami’s half the world away and this is like, the best hotel there? It must be so expensive! Is that okay?!”
“Of course. The Academy and the League are generous to their allies,” Clavell said, adjusting his round glasses. “And señors, remember that your Treasure Hunt doesn’t finish until your last day with the Academy. I hope you’ll continue discovering things in Kitakami. I’ll look forward to what you have to say and how much you’ve grown when you return!”
Rhyme and Leo nodded. This looked just like the perfect topping for their already wonderful time in Paldea. They left Director Clavell’s office, looking forward to what they’d experience at their last stop.
Trivia
- The Koraidon we ride in Pokémon SV doesn’t have a name and can’t be nicknamed, but Blueberry Academy’s Elite Four’s Trainer Amary called him ‘Agias’ after his cry. I thought it’s cute, so I stuck with that as his name.
【 Crystal Treasures – Contents Page 】
