"You know, I don't think I've ever said this about a salad before, but that was delicious," I said, offering Noland the praise he was due. "It made no sense to me when you offered a salad with this being winter, but…" I waved a hand at my bowl.m
A quick look over my shoulder revealed my pokemon were licking their bowls clean. Articuno was hopping back and forth like an oversized parrot, trilling happily.
"What, did you feed Articuno your salad to befriend it?" I asked.
"Ha!" Noland barked a laugh at that. "Not at all! I've always been an avid lover of flying under my own means! I have planes, and gliders, and have done parachute jumps all over Fiore!" he gushed.
"It's marvellous, but the people there don't really like me doing it apart from near Fall City. And even then, they prefer for me to go out over the ocean to Summerland. But that just doesn't suit me! Fiore's a beautiful land with lots of different climates! Flying over it is great! There's this one mountain in the Sekra Range that I like jumping off—"
Noland happily regaled Sabrina and me about his flights around Fiore, teaching us all about the geography and pokemon he'd encountered.
"I'm surprised you don't have a flying type as one of your companions," I asked, looking over to where his Venusaur, Machamp, Rhyhorn, Breloom, Rhydon, Lairon, Pinsir, Camerupt, Sandslash, Golduck, Manetric, and Trapinich were all interacting with our pokemon.
"Hmmm, well, it's something I don't really pursue. I've never gone out and 'hunted' for a type of companion." He shook his head. "It wouldn't be me, or how I was raised."
He shrugged. "Nothing wrong with just letting it happen naturally. Most don't really approach my plane these days, or they found it annoying cause it was in their territory."
He patted the styler on his hip. "Can't really perform the right movements when you're locked into a plane with one of these after all."
Then he threw his head back and laughed. "Then again, it might be because I have already befriended Articuno who started joining me on my flights! Didn't have any Pidgeot's trying to knock me out of the air after that!"
That got a chuckle from me. "No, I can't imagine they would be up for that challenge," I remarked.
We traded stories of various trips we'd had with Noland being a good host who listened when it was his turn while staying engaged with the conversation. "Goodness, Saffron and Pewter do sound nice," he said. "I think during the lull I might take some time off and come down with one or two of my pokemon.
I raised an eyebrow, glancing towards Articuno. "It would only take one to make an impression," I murmured.
Noland chuckled. "Articuno actually prefers to roost during the summer so it would work quite well with her retreating to her glacier."
Huh, the knowledge that she roosted at a glacier was rather telling. From what I'd seen of the Fiore maps, the only cold area were close to a distant part of their region that was all mountain range and barely visited.
The only landmark of note was that of Fiore Temple.
Then something else he'd said to me stuck out. "You… know it's a her?" I asked, glancing towards Articuno again. My hand twitched towards my pokedex. "What makes you think that?"
"She identifies that way?" he replied with a shrug. "There's no sign of what she is, she just prefers being addressed that way."
"What did you ask if she was a boy or a girl?" I probed, thinking of Oak's method.
"Yeah, pretty much," Noland replied. "She swatted me with a wing when I asked if she was a boy."
Sabrina giggled. "Direct," she murmured.
From there, we spoke of other topics until things began to settle down. Everyone was extremely relaxed and some of my pokemon had even curled up to have a nap after the tasty dinner.
I sighed, knowing that I'd put off the serious talk for long enough.
Noland sat up, understanding without me saying that we were about to switch topics. "So, what's happened?" he asked.
"There's been an incident at the Battle Pike that we think correlates with some ongoing issues for the Battle Tower," I said seriously.
Before we'd left the Battle Pike, Agatha and Lucy had sat down and sketched out a believable story for what had happened. For the purposes of the investigation, Tiffany had approached us, rather than the other way around about her fears regarding the group with us checking in on her only to find her missing with no signs.
Noland listened intently, drumming his fingers upon his chin in thought. "You know, it would have been rude to ask, but I always had wondered about your appearance," he said.
I blinked. "My appearance?" I repeated. "What about it?"
"You're a dead ringer for those barbarians that roam the wilds of the forest." His eyes flicked towards Titan. "Some of them have Tyranitar, and Ursaring, and Mightyena you know?" He set his hands on the table to show he wasn't hiding anything. "Heard you got yourself a Teddiursa."
It clicked then for me, those specific pokemon had appeared on various murals within Indigo and Mt Silver.
"You're talking about the Crusher Tribe? I thought they were extinct? They were last sighted in Rota roughly… a hundred years or so ago?" I muttered, trying to recall the timeline that had to do with Sir Aron.
"They're not, they're a roaming group that range far into the wilds. They come back every couple of years, sometimes skipping but always returning."
He locked eyes with me. "For a long while, I wondered if you were a plant within Indigo for them."
"What?" I asked, stunned by this accusation.
He nodded. "Hmmm, see, it just felt a little too… convenient that someone who looks like you do had a Tyranitar as their starter. I didn't believe the story that people tell of you wandering into the wilds and coming back with a Larvitar. Seemed too clean," he said.
"You say that like you don't believe it anymore," Sabrina pointed out.
Noland nodded. "Nah, you're too invested with Indigo. I've watched a ton of your content online, your matches, and even the matches where you were just acting as a mentor. You're not Crusher tribe," he stated.
Then he held up a hand. "But there's a link there."
"My… father," I said with a slight catch, "It turns out he was an orphan that was picked up by travelers after injuring his head. They thought he was a young kid on his Journey but he didn't have any memory or anything on him."
"Hmmm that could be it," Noland muttered.
"And how do we know that they're not just agents of Fiore?" Sabrina said, causing me to pause.
Noland stared at her. "Well, there have been multiple reports but… those are all from our side of the fence." He then tapped the side of his head. "I've witnessed them before and I think I have a good read on both of you. Want to see what I know?" He asked.
"Sabrina, I don't think you should—"
"If he's willing, there is no issue," Sabrina stated, overriding me.
Noland nodded, and instantly, Sabrina's eyes glowed.
It only took a second, and Sabrina's eyes dimmed to their normal lustre. "He's telling the truth. He's even fought back a Crusher tribe raid upon Wintown." Sabrina tilted her head. "You're a much smarter man than you play at. You did this to get an idea of my capabilities," she declared.
Noland whistled. "Damn, you're even more terrifying than I thought! Now I'm really glad that I asked not to be read into all of Fiore's secrets!" he laughed.
My gaze flicked between the two of them, and Sabrina, noticing my confusion, inclined her head towards Noland. "He is quite high up in the Fiore Government, but when the Battle Frontier was proposed, they did a deep investigation of Indigo. My presence raised alarms, and they put measures in place."
She offered Noland a polite nod. "Some of which I agree with. I understand you don't know all of the measures put in place, but still."
"So… you're complimenting him on information security?" I prompted.
"Yes," Sabrina said. "It's just that thoughts can reveal quite a lot about a person's character, especially in a battle like what you underwent". "You're much smarter than you portray yourself," she said to Noland, who smiled widely.
"I do try," he replied.
"Hmmm, but still, what he has informed us about Fiore's encounters with the Crusher tribe is no lie. They have raided on and off again. It would appear that in the last few months they have returned."
"Yes," Noland replied, adopting a more serious expression. "It would link up with what we're encountering with Anabel's Battle Tower, along with the capture of the young Channeler that raised the alarm about them."
He gave me a long look. "That they are observing you… I think they must suspect a link. With your pokemon," he waved a hand. "It makes for a compelling argument. "You don't happen to have a Mightyena at home do you?"
"No, but if you weren't aware, they have been known to use Rhyhorn and Rhydon," I said, referencing the projection of history that the Time Flower had revealed during our Rota adventure
Noland gave Bertha my Rhyperior, a long look. "Riiiiiight," he murmured. "I don't think you could push the 'Crusher' tribe vibe harder," he gave me a long look. "Do you have any tattoos?" he asked, and relaxed when I shook my head.
He drummed his fingers on the table for a while before standing. "Right, I'm going to give you what we have on the Crusher Tribe."
He drummed his fingers. "Sadly some of it is going to be outdated. They used to be rather simplistic in their methods but in the last year they've become more refined. We suspect that they're interacting with someone else to boost their technology as in the past they were like us with only having a few close pokemon, but now they have been seen wielding pokeballs."
"What sort?" I asked.
Noland tilted his head. "Uhmmm, black ones?" he replied. "I'm not an expert on pokeballs and can't say I understand the difference." he frowned. "Hmmm that's a rather glaring weak spot that I hadn't considered," he muttered to himself thoughtfully.
Sabrina and I shared a look. Black pokeballs could be Heavy, Moon, Ultra, Luxury, or even Net balls depending on the lighting that they were seen in.
The first two could be explained away as them somehow learning how to make pokeballs from Apricorns, but Luxury or Ultra… those took dedicated factories and specialized processes.
"Have they attacked the Battle Factory at all?" I asked.
"No," Noland replied firmly, shaking his head. "I don't think they're willing to come up against me here as I'm very well entrenched. I think it would be a good idea to head towards the Battle Tower and look around there as that seems to be where they're active. Just be ready for ambush tactics from them," he warned.
Sabrina and I both nodded, agreeing that it seemed the most logical next step in 'playing bait'.
"We can have some observers go with you if you're open to that idea?" he said pointing to his Rhydon… no, it wasn't his, it was simply his friends, Rhydon and Trapinich.
I shared a look with Sabrina. "They could be disguised within my team," I mused. "Would the Crusher Tribe understand anything about the holding limits?" I asked.
"They'd be surprised you had so many if they've collected intel," Noland suggested. "Most of the trainers wandering around will only have six at most after all."
We talked some more specifics, agreeing to escort the extra pokemon. It was an amusing addition, knowing that we also had some ninja hanging around us as well.
Still, it was a nice show of support.
We bid Noland a good night and agreed to head out early the next morning to the western most town of the Battle Frontier with the Battle Tower.
As we were walking away I laced fingers with Sabrina. "So? What's your thoughts on him? I kind of liked him, but if he's some mastermind pulling strings…" I grimaced.
"He's not like that. He's very tactically aware and able to make reasonable leaps of logic. I have to admit that his foresight is impressive. He set himself up so that he could interact with me, but he also did it so that he could gain insight on me. He now has somewhat of an idea how much of a threat I am and will report as much to his superiors."
"Feels a bit… deceptive," I suggested.
"He's doing the best he can with what he has, I rather respect him. He also wants Indigo and Fiore to be friends. He's trying to be a velvet glove compared to some of the other diplomatic efforts that Fiore conducts."
"I mean, they're currently at war with another nation," I pointed out reasonably.
"He sees it as a necessary evil due to Orre's knowledge of the Masterball and demonstrated use. For them it is like…" she considered the sky for a moment. "Like one of your past life's super nations using their nuclear weapons."
"That… seems like oran berries and pecha berries," I said.
"It's just how it feels to them," Sabrina said with a shrug.
I decided to leave that statement as it was and instead led her to our lodgings for the evening next to the pokemon centre.
It was rather amusing that all of the buildings we'd passed so far were built so that large pokemon could enter at their leisure. Something that had Bertha, Titan, and even Jorm perking up in interest.
"Need some pocket money?" I asked.
Bertha nodded enthusiastically and I handed over a few pokedollars for them to use at their discretion. I made sure titan was holding the money, as I knew I couldn't trust Bertha with it, while Jorm didn't have hands so keeping money became a touch difficult.
"Don't stay up too late, we're heading out early and are going to be on high alert for all of tomorrow," I reminded my team.
Kirlia happily followed most of my team as they set off to explore the shops. Sabrina's pokemon either returned themselves to their pokeballs or settled in to enjoy the lounge that our hotel room had. Sabrina and I retired to bed with me quickly going through my nightly routine before settling into bed.
Sabrina stood next to the bed and gave me a flat look. "What do you think you're doing?"
I looked up from reading a report from my Gym with an answer only for my words to falter as Sabrina's bra strap slid to the side while the door's lock clicked shut.
"You," I replied, which earned me an approving smile from Sabrina. Her other strap slipped and I mentally adjusted my plan for the evening.
Looks like it wasn't going to be an early night.
________________
The next day saw me staring at my pokemon team.
Several of whom now had souvenir t-shirts that read 'Made at the Battle Factory!'. Bertha had several specialised necklaces and bangles that looked reinforced.
"Well you all look like you had fun," I decided.
Bertha leaned in with a smirk and wiggled her giant rocky eyebrows at me before giving what had to be the least subtle wink as she tapped the horn on her nose.
"Yes, we also had fun last night," I replied. Sabrina, rather than being bashful, raised two fingers in a V for victory.
"Alright, Noland said to meet up at the gates and then set out, Everyone ready?" I prompted.
Our teams nodded and we once more set out but not before swinging around to the local pokemon centre and performing another swap out of pokemon. Seeing as we were heading into a more mountainous area I decided to bring back Shrek, along with Zephyr for some more aerial mobility.
This set my team up to be made up by Titan, Empress, Bertha, Jormungandr, Don, Zephyr, Regirock, Selene, Shrek, and Link.
The Factory Standards Committee was still in place at the front gates but there was notably a larger pokemon presence with Noland and his friends waiting for us.
"Ahoy! Good to see you made the most of our stores!" he greeted us after taking in all the gear my pokemon had on them. The Committee all made approving noises.
"They even passed the secret test!" muttered someone at the back only for them to get cuffed over the back of the head.
I decided to ignore that, they really were presenting themselves as more bluster. Their intentions, from what I'd seen, were also well-meaning.
My gaze shifted to Sabrina. She'd know if that was their true face more than I, but so far, my instincts told me that they were what they appeared.
"So your friends are ready?" I asked.
Noland nodded and Rhydon, who now had a backpack on along with Trapinch stepped forward. "They'll journey with you to the Battle Tower to see what's going on. I've let Anabel know you're coming and if the situation changes you'll be informed immediately."
He offered a hand towards me and I shook it firmly as we bid him farewell.
Sabrina helped me quickly pack up our pokemon's various souvenirs and then we both mounted Jorm who took off at a much slower pace.
"So that was nice," I commented, glancing over my shoulder at the fading Battle Factory. I could just make out a biplane taking off and performing a wide circuit with Articuno matching it in the air.
"Is he even getting many challengers?" I asked.
"A decent amount," Sabrina replied. "But there are plenty that are getting ruffled from the committee exposing all the ways they don't treat their pokemon well. They end up thrown off their rhythm, and that typically results in an easy win for Noland, especially with anyone who wants to fight Articuno."
"Huh," I replied thoughtfully. My pokemon was happily chatting with Rhydon who was keeping up for the moment but I made sure to have Titan watch the escort pokemon, for all that he was part of Noland's battle buddies I could tell that he didn't match up with how conditioned my pokemon were.
Sure enough, within an hour, we had to slow for a break where we took the time for a second breakfast. Something that caused me no end of amusement while Sabrina just rolled her eyes in fond exasperation.
When it was time to set out we did so at a walk.
I wanted to stride out a little but I forced myself to slow. Tiffany still hadn't been located, and no demands for her return had appeared.
When we'd spoken to Agatha before setting out this morning she'd appeared unbothered, but I doubted that was her true feelings.
A ghost channeler with Tiffany's skills would have required Agatha's direct input for training. She might not be the same level as someone like Karen who I suspected was a granddaughter, despite them never confirming it.
"Sensing anything?" I asked, knowing the answer already.
Sabrina shook her head. "The Crusher Tribe penchant for using Dark Types will likely be occluding them from psychic foresight," she remarked.
I nodded and stretched. "Think they're going to take the bait?" I asked, gesturing between us.
"Having only encountered them that one time, I suspect they will be careful, but it depends on their desire to… handle you," she commented with a tightening in her eyes.
That got me to blink. "You think they're going to attack because of me?"
"Yes, your lineage, plus the pokemon that you have within your team could make you into a lot of different things."
She began ticking off her fingers. "Tribal societies typically favour strength over governance skills, so any leaders or people seeking to assume control might see you as a threat or an opportunity to prove themselves fit for leadership. You also might destabilise their culture by being an example of how living a civilised life is not only possible, but something that they would strive for. If you are known to the tribe as a whole then there might be people who want to explore a different way of life."
"Hmmm, this is mostly theorywork though cause the reports and conjecture on the Crusher Tribe aren't very in depth."
"Which is surprising," Sabrina mused. "I would have expected them to capture a tribesman sometime in the past with their interactions."
"Wonder who that says more about?" I asked.
Sabrina shook her head. "It's too early to say. I'm still working through the digital files that were given to us," she stated. "But the lack of a former Tribesman insight is… of note."
Having looked through the files a little late last night and early this morning I had to agree. It was strange, especially with the Crusher tribe not being a small entity.
The few times that aerial scouts had caught sight of their encampments they were remarkably large to the tune of hundreds, if not thousands of beings.
Which was a rather worrying thought. Were there hundreds of potential hostile trainers destabilising the Battle Frontier?
The information Noland had given us I forwarded to Agatha, Lance, and Queen Ilene to keep everyone informed. With Rota's history, and their more northern location, they were potential targets for the Crusher Tribe if we pushed them out of the Battle Frontier.
Analysts would no doubt be pouring over the reports even as Sabrina and I trekked along the road to the Battle Tower.
We continued on our way, encountering various pokemon that attempted to mount a challenge only to realise how terrible an idea that was the instant they locked eyes upon us.
"That'll never not be funny," I commented as a Dodrio swept in only to make an abrupt turn that allowed it to get a few hundred metres away before the Psybeam from Kirlia sent it flying.
When we stopped for lunch Sabrina tilted her head only to blink. "Ah, make more," she prompted me.
"How much more?" I asked, glancing down the road, expecting to see a trainer we knew. Instead I spotted a large shape shuffling towards us.
"What is that? A Muk?" I asked, shading my eyes to get a better look at the approaching pokemon.
"I wouldn't suggest offering food to a Muk," Sabrina said reproachfully. I nodded, conceding that before raising an eyebrow at her. "It's a Snorlax," she declared.
I grimaced and reached into my bag to start laying out my other large pots. I also sent a few pokemon out to search for some greenery that Snorlax could eat. Which, wasn't saying much as I just needed bulk.
Bertha brought a shrub and dumped it into the pile while others took the job more seriously
It took another half hour for the big pokemon to reach us and while it stopped to eye our group it's eyes locked on the bowls and pots.
A roar rang out and Empress rose to dispatch the challenger only for me to raise my hand.
"That was their stomach, not a threat display," I announced. I gestured to the giant pile of vines, mushrooms, and other assorted greenery.
"Lax!" cheered the giant pokemon as it happily marched over to sit in front of the pile. It sniffed the offering thoughtfully and glanced at me. "Snor?"
"I made up a bit of a glaze too—" I started to explain only for Snorlax to begin devouring the pile, leaving me to stare at it. "I could have said poison," I muttered, only to shake my head.
Watching Snorlax put away a pile of food bigger than it was morbidly fascinating. I started to video it with my pokedex even though it was a fairly common video. I made sure to include a geolocation onto it as well, however as trainers heading this way would need to be aware of the gluttonous pokemon.
"We should keep going," I muttered, watching an entire bush disappear into Snorlax's mouth. I shuddered, knowing that if Munchlax ever wanted to evolve, I was going to have to set up a small farm for him to satiate his hunger.
"Indeed with Snorlax appeased, it won't continue to pursue us for food," she murmured.
That had us mounting up and waving farewell to the big pokemon who didn't pause in its feast but still waved a paw in thanks.
"Think it's going to hibernate on the road?" I asked.
"Most likely, but it's better than having a starved pokemon encountering trainers if we'd left it to its own devices."
I gave the nearby greenery a pointed look and Sabrina shrugged. "Your cooking carried on the wind and made it want nothing else," she remarked. "It was single-minded, but not looking to hurt anyone. It was just hungry."
That got a huff from me, and as we rode Jorm away from the jolly giant, I allowed myself a small smile. It was kind of nice to not have to beat up a pokemon and just offer it a meal.
If we weren't trying to bait a trap to uncover what had happened to Tiffany, I might have stuck around even.
Sadly, that wasn't the case, and we once more swept west, starting to move slightly uphill as we entered a more mountainous area. The pokemon here began to be more Rock and ground typed which made them fairly straight forward to deal with.
It was as we were taking a break for Rhydon and Trapinch that we caught sight of something.
"That smoke?" I asked, glancing over the ridgeline. Sabrina narrowed her eyes only to scowl.
"I can see the smoke, and from the amount, I know there would be a sizable fire… but I can't view it with clairvoyance."
That got me sitting up and inhaling sharply. "Trap?" I suggested, which earned a firm nod from Sabrina.
"It's not unusual for a fire to be harder to view if it is the efforts of a Houndour or Houndoom, but that would imply they've been fighting something and judging by the size…"
I nodded, agreeing that it wasn't reasonable. Also, a lot of local pokemon like Rhyhorn or Donphan naturally sought to put fires like that out before they got too big.
With how quickly it had gone up… it was all stacking up.
Another fire appeared ahead of us and I narrowed my eyes. "Are they going to try and catch us in the middle of a forest fire?" I mused.
Sabrina hummed. "I can still Teleport us away."
I was about to suggest just that when a flare shot into the air, signalling distress from a nearby trainer.
Sabrina and I stared at it. When another went up from the other fire along with our transceivers starting to blare with an emergency call coming through we shared a look, knowing that this wasn't good.
"I hate competent bad guys," I muttered. "Think those are fake distress signals?" I asked.
Sabrina glared at the two fires. "I don't know," she stated. "They might be."
I rubbed my chin and thought things through. The biggest issue I saw was that we needed to go help a lot of people out of harm's way, but in doing so…
"They want us to split up," I murmured.
"Indeed," Sabrina replied. She shot me a worried look but I was already giving her a concerned one in reply. "Brock, they're doing this to get to you."
"And Dark types are one of your weak points," I murmured.
"I have plenty of experience fighting them," Sabrina replied before nodding. "But I will be exceedingly careful," she said.
I sighed, knowing we were going to do something we'd probably regret.
For all that I joked Sabrina had an evil streak to her however, she was good, and so was I.
Which meant we needed to go be big dumb heroes and save innocent people while putting ourselves right in the jaws of a trap.
"Alright, let's go save the day," I murmured, stepping in and giving Sabrina a kiss. I didn't say anything more, and neither did she, instead just squeezing my arm in a silent affirmation to be safe and come back to her.
I mounted up on Jormungandr and signalled that I was on my way to the fire dead ahead. Sabrina turned her own gaze to the fire over the ridgeline.
Behind us shadows raced in to join either Sabrina or myself.
We were stepping into the mouth of the trap, but I was going to make the Crusher tribe choke rather than succeed.
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A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for proofreading this chapter.