Pokémon BW: Rise of Clarity (book 3 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 38: The Dragon of Truth Awakens

"Flare Blitz!"

A resounding explosion followed the command, melting the remains of the ice on the battlefield. Incineroar stood amidst the steam, fiery claws raised as he stood over the Beartic he just defeated.

The referee on the side raised his hand. "Beartic is unable to battle! That means Alex the challenger is the winner!"

"And that's another one down!" Alex cheered, high-fiving Incineroar.

I slowed my clapping, stood, and stretched. We'd just reached Iccirus City this morning after a few days journeying from Mistralton City. Navigating through Twist Mountain had been a pain, even with Robert's experience traversing it beforehand. He complained that the snow blanketing the area made it harder as certain areas were no longer traversable. Not to mention freezing.

"Winter likes to hit Unova early," Robert rubbed his arms as the three of us exited the gym. Much like the mountain, snow covered every inch of the city. Not that it stopped the residents. I watched as a group of children chased each other through a large snowbank and people walked home with bags in their hands from shopping. Yet, despite this normalcy, something felt off. I hesitated, glancing off to the side.

"So you can sense them as well," Gym Leader Brycen spoke from behind us as he stepped out onto the snow barefoot.

"Sense who?" Alex asked, then looked at me, and seeing my uneasiness, instantly put a hand on her pokeball.

"Why not show yourselves?" Brycen asked calmly, staring off to the right, then straight ahead, then to the left. "To most you are invisible, but to me you stand here plain as day." Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the air shimmered before revealing the Shadow Triad.

"Impressive," the lead one remarked. "Not many are able to see through our illusions. As expected from a master of the martial arts." His gaze swiftly turned onto me. "Ghetsis has asked us to pass on a message for you. Come to Dragonspiral Tower. It is there our Lord N waits for you."

"Dragonspiral Tower!" Robert gasped. "You mean... The legend!? It's true!?"

The Shadow Triad paid him no attention. "Ghetsis has asked you to come alone, but he knows you are likely not to abide by his wishes. So bring whomever you wish. But know that you'll be the only one to speak to Lord N." And with that, they appeared to leap, disappearing into thin air.

"Do you know how insanely useful it would be to be able to disappear like that?" Alex muttered. "Zeno. Are we going?"

"Of course," I responded, absentmindedly rubbing a finger over Joltik's pokeball. N had mentioned something about seeking the Dragon of Truth. Ghetsis had mentioned it before back in Castelia, it being a white dragon. Between Alola and Kalos, I've had plenty of experience with mythical and legendary Pokemon, so hearing that there was another in Unova didn't surprise me. The fact that it was integral to N's plans just seemed to fit the situation more than make it feel weird. 

"I will accompany you," Brycen said briskly. "I will not try and dissuade you to leave this to me. You all have proven to be effective battlers. And we'll need all the help we can get if Team Plasma is involved."

"They've been a nuisance, sure, but they're not the strongest out there," Robert told him as the four of us set off, letting Brycen take the lead as he made for the edge of the city. 

"Yes, but they've been making up for that in numbers." The gym leader sounded on edge. "Many have joined their ranks. Just a few days ago they held a speech in the town square. No less than a dozen citizens joined the group of already fifty in number. And many more considered N's words."

"Not to mention how many members weren't at the speech," I muttered. "I'll give this to N and his followers. He does seem to inspire many to his cause."