Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 41: The Painting

Hop's Corviknight landed by a dusty, abandoned fossil combination machine on Route 6. The blinding sunlight was as harsh as ever. Grass was dry and the ground parched. A Silicobra resting inside the fossil machine slithered away at the sight of a strong Trainer. It had been a long, long time since Hop camped with Victor, but he recognised his best friend's red tent right away. It was the same one he used on their adventure 61 years ago. Hop didn't bother announcing his arrival before lifting the flap and crawling in.

As usual, Victor was surrounded by Pokémon who were calmed by his presence. His own Pokémon helped nurse those injured by the chaos back to full health, before wishing them well and sending them away. Their pot of curry was almost empty already. Helping Victor make another curry seemed like a bizarre thing to do in the aftermath of a disaster, but Hop did so in silence. His own Pokémon were glad for it after their battles in Wedgehurst.

'So... did you see them?'

Victor shook his head. 'Not unless tha' Artist is one of them, but he's been 'ere since our Gym Challenge.'

'Well, Cipher managed to impersonate everyone in central Phenac, once. This is some Plasma-Cipher shitfest, innit? So they could be impersonating the people who hang around all the time. But I don't really think so. The coppers have searched Glimwood Tangle and half of Ballonlea and Stow-on-Side, so I reckon it came from below.'

'I did wonder.'

'It'd figure that a bloke like Volo would hang out here, too... those Lucines love their ancient ruins. Cipher really love their underground hideouts, but Team Plasma like them, too. N's Castle, Ruslan's pool...'

'Ye could be onto something. An' tha' Ghetsis were obsessed with history, weren't he? His lot could be Ruin Maniacs, too.'

'Probably are. It was Noah – Jahzeel's brother – who had all that shit of Volo's.'

'The exact spot where we stopped it was just by the fossil machine, if tha' helps. What was the point, anyway...?'

'It could've been to get Dialga, but I reckon it was an accident. But what were they trying to do? How did they do it?'

'If they were collecting Wishing Stars, like Rose, they'd need thousands, aye? It covered all of bloody Galar!'

'Yeah. Millions, even, 'cause it was about to hit Kalos. We know Cipher made fake ones, but Tance wouldn't have had access to that tech. It was destroyed before he was born.'

'I thought at first, they were gonna come crawling out o' hiding to take over while the Pokémon were rampaging.'

'So did I. But I can't get my head around what they were trying to do that could've caused that...'

'Excuse me, Sirs...'

A paintbrush tapped the tent's flap. Victor peered around it. It was the Artist who had been there since their adventure. He was knocked down by a Dynamax Yamask before Eternatus dispelled the last of the energy. Allister's Gym Trainers told him to move to the safety of the town's Pokémon Center, but he refused, insisting he had to draw whatever was happening.

'Aye?'

'I...'

Victor was, for once, impatient. That reckless old man and his easel got in his way.

'What?'

'I... I... I must... present my masterpiece!'

Hop couldn't help rolling his eyes.

'This isn't the time, mate.'

He reached to zip the flap shut, but the paintbrush got in the way, almost stabbing him in the eye.