The woman recoiled from the hostility. She could tell the man wasn't bluffing. There was truly enough energy in that device to kill everyone in the cavern and perhaps even blow up the entire mountain.
It was still just Elite ranked energy, but what it lacked in quality, it more than made up for in sheer quantity. Just because they were Champions didn't mean they were invincible.
She could choose to run with her people, but that would destroy the nest and potentially devastate the sanctuary. She couldn't take that risk.
She considered the problem from the man's perspective. He had come merely to collect Pokémon when suddenly a dozen Champions descended on him. He hadn't meant to cause trouble; the nest was just startled.
Now he was being forced to comply against his will. Perhaps she had been too harsh with them.
In any case, she had to diffuse the situation quickly. Otherwise, they would all die, possibly taking the tribe with them.
"Wait! We can talk about this. I just want to know where you got that relic," the woman said in a hurried tone.
"And why the fuck do you deserve to know anything about me?" Alex yelled back. "Do you think just because you're Champion ranked you can do whatever the fuck you want? Come try me, you bitch!"
"Wait! Wait! Calm down. Let's talk about this," she said as panic set in.
The timer was less than 20 seconds from expiring. She could feel the energy building with each passing moment. Now it radiated enough power to vaporize them outright. The mountain itself would erupt like a volcano, hurling boulders down onto the sanctuary. Even Protect wouldn't save them at this point, whether his claims about Feint and Phantom Force were true or not.
"Give me one good fucking reason why I should do anything you demand!"
"I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to be too hostile. Please, just calm down," she said, practically begging.
"One reason," Alex demanded.
Seven seconds left.
"I'll give you a Mega Stone for the information!"
Alex quickly pressed the button, stopping the counter. It rested on 5 seconds until detonation. The energy stopped building, but it was still there, bubbling, ready to explode.
Alex narrowed his eyes at her, gauging whether she was bluffing. The deal sounded too good to be true. No one just tosses around Mega Stones for information.
Still, they were a tribal people. Maybe they didn't fully understand its rarity. Maybe they even had an excess of it.
One thing was clear, this was too good to pass up. Besides, he didn't want to die either.
"You have my attention."
The woman calmed down once the timer stopped. She took a moment to compose herself, then began a proper introduction.
"My name is Zinnia, Lorekeeper of the Draconid Tribe," the woman stated. "I did not mean to be too willful. You attacked our roaming nest, so you should understand our suspicion."
"That doesn't give you the fucking right to start making demands as you please," Alex scolded. "I was willing to cooperate for startling your nest, but that doesn't excuse you from treating us like your prisoners."
"You're right," she said with a sigh. "I… I apologize."
"Good, that's a start. Now, about that Mega Stone."
"Here," she said, taking out a small, transparent crystal.
Inside it was a gem curving in a delicate S-shape, striped in yellow, red, and orange, giving it a warm, vibrant glow that seemed to pulse with energy.
"An Ampharosite, in exchange for information about that ancient draconic energy attached to you."
The Ampharosite was the least desired Mega Stone among her people. They had a ton of these collected in their vault back at the sanctuary, so it didn't hurt her tribe one bit to exchange it for traces of ancient draconic Pokémon.
While evolving Mareep into Ampharos could result in a Dragon type with the stone, raising such a meek, gentle Pokémon was seen as a humiliation.
Her tribe valued the challenge of raising powerful, willful dragons. Training a baby dragon was seen as a learning experience for young trainers. The act of earning either the dragon's respect or submission was considered the ultimate sign of adulthood, a trial that tested a trainer's strength and resolve.
Tending to a docile Pokémon was considered beneath them.
She still remembered being made fun of because of her Whismur when she was younger. Their respect was unquestionable now because of Salamence, but it didn't seem to affect her people's opinion of the ideal Pokémon.
Alex was slightly disappointed that it was an Ampharosite. He didn't have an Ampharos, so it would take decades to raise one from scratch. Even getting one as an adult would be troublesome, since the bond wouldn't be strong enough to activate Mega Evolution. He would have to raise one from scratch to truly maximize its use.
He had Electric type energy, but it was minuscule. He didn't seem to have the talent to properly utilize it. That was why he had been focusing on his Dark type energy instead. Over the years, that focus had yielded significant results.
Still, he couldn't exactly complain. Having one was better than nothing. He could also perhaps trade it in the future for a Mega Stone he could actually use.
"You have a deal, but it isn't something I am willing to tell anyone but you in exchange for the stone," Alex said.
"That is fine. I am the lorekeeper. No one else may know but me and my successor."
Alex nodded and accepted the proposition. He was willing to take the risk of trusting her for the sake of the stone. It wasn't that he was naive; he just knew he had enough strength to guarantee mutual destruction if they played any tricks.
He deactivated the bomb before storing it back in his space bag. Then he and Zinnia headed off to the side, where he recounted his experience in Ilex Forest with Celebi. He didn't tell her about his origins, just enough of the story to encompass his adventure with Grim.
Zinnia gave her full attention and was easily swayed by the story. It was fantastical and out of this world, but she held her composure until further proof was provided. At least, that was her intention, which her bright eyes and wide smile seemed to betray.
At the mention of the existence of the feather, her eyes lit up. If she could confirm the energy, then this man was not only telling the truth but was a fated one as well, someone who had a burden, purpose, and a mission.
Once he was finished, she hesitated but still asked, "May I see the feather?"
Alex considered it for only a moment before agreeing. As he recounted the event, Zinnia was like a child listening to a bedtime story. The sight reminded him of his daughter's eager expression whenever she listened to his filtered adventures. In that light, Zinnia seemed far less threatening and far more worthy of trust.
"Fine, but don't touch it," he said before taking out Grim's feather.
It stretched the length of his arm, red with a sharp blue tip. It pulsed with the raw energy of a Roaring Moon, glowing ominously in the cavern's dim light.
"Wow!" she marveled. "It's so powerful and primal. It's completely different from Rayquaza's scale. It even seems to contain more power."
"Probably because it was recently plucked," Alex explained. "From this feather's perspective, it's only been a few years since it was removed. The residual energy hasn't had enough time to dissipate."
"Yes, I can see that. Your story is indeed true. You must have a powerful fate about you."
"Kinda, but not really. So long as I stay myself, everything should work out."
"That's a very positive outlook," she said. "I remember a time when fate favored another. Hoenn was almost destroyed back then, but fate had a way of working itself out. It even used me as its instrument to bring the path to the light."
Alex raised a brow at that ominous statement. It had the same undertones as when he had met the Kimono Girls. They were the religious sort that seemed a bit crazy until he thought about it and found them more sane than any religious fanatic.
He guessed that she had been part of some epic story. Since it involved Rayquaza, it was likely something related to Groudon and Kyogre. Maybe they had almost destroyed Hoenn or something.
"I've done my part, now it's your turn," Alex reminded as he stuck his hand out.
"Oh, right. Here you go," she said, easily handing the stone over.
Alex accepted it and quickly stored it, happy with the transaction.
"Why don't you come to the sanctuary with us and have dinner?" Zinnia offered. "It's the least we could do for being disrespectful to those who are fated with a great burden."
Alex looked at her skeptically before accepting. Perhaps there were resources he could trade for, exclusive to their tribe. Maybe he could even score more Mega Stones.
"Sure."
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