Chapter 6 - This Plot!!!
Before reaching Mossdeep City, Ian had already grown closer to Ruby, Sapphire, and their Pokémon—thanks in no small part to the pokechow and berries he'd earned through his daily system sign-ins. Initially, he thought his system would focus on missions. It did—but they revolved around daily tasks, mostly centered on Pokémon food preparation. And if he didn't complete them, his body would slowly weaken.
Lately, he had been focused on crafting general-purpose pokechow using a recipe book from one of his earlier sign-in rewards. The system graded his cooking quality—low, medium, or high—and though most attempts resulted in low-tier chow, on his 30th try, he finally earned a medium-tier rating.
His Pokémon immediately jumped on the food, devouring it happily. Even though the daily quest only required one low-quality pokechow to complete, Ian got so immersed in cooking that he lost track of time. As he stared at the extra food, he decided to give it to the other Pokémon on board. Seeing them eat so cheerfully filled him with quiet pride—a contrast to his past life, where his cooking often went unnoticed.
[General Pokechow – Low Tier]
Nutritious and based on a trusted expert recipe. Promotes overall Pokémon health.
Cook: Ian Reinheart
[General Pokechow – Medium Tier]
+0.001 to all stats. Improves physical vitality.
Cook: Ian Reinheart
_________________________________________________________
When they finally arrived at Mossdeep, Ruby and Sapphire were dropped off in the hotel's playroom. Yet rather than playing, the two sat together, engrossed in conversation.
Sapphire, ever-curious and deeply influenced by the fashion shows she watched, loved dressing up both herself and her Pokémon. Ruby, on the other hand, admired Pokémon battles. He had wanted to challenge Ian to a match—but after seeing how Sapphire cried during the League match yesterday, his enthusiasm waned.
Ruby and Sapphire were in the hotel's kids' playroom, but instead of running around or playing with toys like the others, the two were sitting in a corner on colorful bean bags, whispering to each other like they had a secret.
"Big brother Ian makes yummy food for Pokémon!" Sapphire said, her eyes sparkling as she watched a nearby Poochyena munch happily on pokechow.
Ruby nodded quickly, legs swinging. "My Rara and Nana gobbled it up! Like, chomp-chomp! Even Kiki tried to steal more," he giggled. "But Ian said it's only low tier…"
"But it was super tasty!" Sapphire insisted with a pout. "He even gave some to Daddy's Pokémon and they all wagged their tails!"
"Yeah… I think Ian is a food master!" Ruby beamed. "Like a secret cooking ninja."
Sapphire giggled at that. Then she leaned close and whispered, "But he's kinda funny too. He always looks at the air like there's something floating… and zones out when walking….then he goes boom!" She threw her hands up before making a dive motion. "He tripped and somehow ended up holding two Premier Balls before giving it to us"
Ruby laughed so hard he nearly fell off the beanbag. "He fell on the stairs one time and gave us shiny Pokéballs after! Like magic!"
(Well, most of those items were from Ian's inventory—used as an excuse to cover his embarrassment and clear out excess stock.)
The two burst into a fit of giggles, not noticing their parents smiling from a distance.
"Big brother Ian's Trapinch eats everything," Sapphire said, hugging a stuffed Skitty. "Even stuff that's not food."
"Yup!" Ruby added, mouth full of juice. "I saw it eat a peel! A banana peel!"
Sapphire giggled. "And his Charmeleon always sleeps while he's cooking but helps with the stirring like this— while also using its fire" she mimicked the lizard using a spoon. "And his Ralts is soooo sneaky! It made funny faces at me and then poof—gone!"
"I wanna catch a Ralts too," Ruby said, dreamy-eyed. "But not one that throws Shadow Balls at people…"
"Hey, it didn't mean it!" Sapphire pouted. "It just wanted to play."
"Okay, okay!" Ruby raised both hands in surrender before poking his friend's nose. "You're always defending that Ralts."
"But where is big brother Ian?" Ruby asked, looking around before he saw their parents coming inside before running towards them.
"He went ahead," Norman answered, ruffling his son's hair. "He's meeting some friends at the Space Center."
________________________________
At the Space Center…
Ian was already at the Mossdeep Space Center with his grandparents, meeting Vince—the Vice-Chairman of the Pokémon League and an old friend of the family.
"Long time no see, Yun, Talya," Vince greeted warmly, hugging the couple. "Feels like forever since we last gathered like this."
"You've been busy," Grandpa Yun chuckled. "The last we heard, you'd taken a League seat. That's no small burden."
"Not at all," Vince said with a tired sigh. "Even with my position, there are still wolves circling—some targeting my family. If not for my son-in-law's backing, things could've turned ugly."
He paused, glancing away. "I'm sorry… about Azim. I couldn't bring him justice."
"It's not your fault," Grandma Talya said quietly. "We know the real hands pulling the strings."
Inside Vince's office, Ian spotted several familiar young faces: Steven Stone, Wallace, and Winona, as well as a girl with turquoise hair.
"Yun, Talya—meet my granddaughter, Luvia Mikuri," Vince said.
"Hello, nice to meet you," Luvia said with a bow. "This is my brother Wallace—though you may recognize him from that film he co-starred in with your daughter, Diantha."
"I can introduce myself, thank you!" Wallace sniffed. "And Steven, stop drooling over Grandpa's fossils!"
"I'm Steven Stone," the silver-haired boy said without looking up.
"Long time no see, Grandma Talya," Winona added sweetly.
"Ah, little Winona! Look at you, all grown up!" Talya laughed as she welcomed the girl fondly.
"Ian, where's your sister?" Steven asked.
"She's in Kalos. Back to her studies," Ian replied.
Vince then turned to his granddaughter. "Luvia, could you show the kids around? Take them to Dr. Theo's lab—Winona's receiving her first Pokémon egg."
"Yes, Grandpa," Luvia said. "Come on, everyone—follow me."
One by one, they followed—Winona first, then Wallace after receiving a glare from Vince. Steven was dragged out, still eyeing a fossil, and Ian reluctantly followed, being levitated by his mischievous Ralts who was also being carried by Charmeleon.(눈‸눈)
_______________________________________________________
When the children left the room, Vince exchanged glances with his friends before finally speaking.
"I've finished investigating about the incident," he said. "It was the Land and Water Clans. They were the ones who instigated the Pokémon riot… and they attacked Azim after he helped stop it. He was supposed to be safe."
"What?" The others stiffened in shock. Then the couple asked quietly but their aura was slowly flaring "Does the Chairman know?"
Vince didn't answer, but his silence was enough. With the Chairman's power and resources, they all knew—he must have known.
Reluya, her voice calm but curious, asked, "So what's the League planning to do with the Rayquaza relic?"
"They're using it for an experiment," Vince replied. "I don't know the exact details, but it's a collaboration between Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh."
"They also want us to move operations to Johto," he continued. "That's why they chose Norman as the project's representative. He's at the peak of Quasi-Elite—this will test if he can be considered a true Elite. The first part of his test is done. He got intel about a Rayquaza appearing near the Embedded Tower in Cianwood City."
"An alive Rayquaza?!" Grandma Talya gasped.
Though Rayquaza was legendary, it wasn't necessarily one-of-a-kind. Like the legendary birds, it had a clan—rare, but not divine. Still, the appearance of one stirred the room.
The elders continued discussing the project quietly while waiting for the children to return.
_________________________________________________________
Meanwhile...
Following behind Luvia, Ian and the others walked toward the Pokémon Lab.
"Let me introduce myself again," Luvia said with a smile. "I'm Luvia, and this is my brother, Wallace. He's co-starred with your sister in one of her movies. We're heading to the lab to meet Dr. Theo—Winona's getting her first Pokémon egg."
Wallace scoffed, tossing his hair dramatically. "Sister, your introductions lack charm and flair. Honestly, I wonder what your boyfriend saw in you."
Luvia's smile twitched. Veins popped on her hands as her face darkened.
Ian quickly changed the subject.
"I'm curious what kind of Pokémon egg Winona's getting."
"I heard it's a Dratini," Steven offered. "Maybe from Kanto… or Johto."
Winona lit up with excitement.
"Ohh, I'm jealous!" Wallace chimed. "Dratini evolves into Dragonair—so elegant, almost like Master Juan's Milotic! Winona, are you sure you don't want to be a Coordinator? Me and my Marshtomp are going to become top Coordinators with a team full of Water-types!"
Winona shook her head firmly. "I just want to fly with my Pokémon, travel, and be a great Gym Leader. I want to inherit my family's gym one day."
Ian glanced at Steven, who had been quiet the whole time. "Hey Steven, why so quiet? Missing my sister already?"
Steven blinked. "No. I was thinking about some mining sites… places with rare rocks."
Ian raised a brow and reached into his space bag. "Rare rocks? How about this one?"
He pulled out a stone with a glowing leaf imprint.
Steven's eyes widened. "A Leaf Stone!"
He looked around and leaned in. "How much do you want for it?"
"Huh?" Ian blinked. "I just wanted to show it… but sure. I have a few anyway. How much are you offering?"
"Well… they're usually worth 5,000 PokéDollars, but I only have 1,000 on me."
Ian shrugged. "Deal. I found it lying around anyway. If it's not legit, you can refund it."
Steven grinned and handed over the cash as they continued walking.
____________________________________________________
Back at Vince's Office...
Unbeknownst to the kids, the elders had been watching the scene unfold.
"Your grandson's something else, Talya," Vince said, smiling as he noted Ian's discovery. It was also to ease the atmosphere "Even as a child, he kept finding rare items—Golden Nuggets, now Leaf Stones…"
"He reminds me of someone," Reluya said softly. "I heard he and his wife now run a daycare in Kanto. Remember Sheen's song during the war? Too bad their children didn't inherit that blessing."
Yun interrupted. "About this collaboration—why were we kept in the dark?"
Vince nodded solemnly. "At first, it was just Devon Corp, Great Mauville, and the Berlitz family investing in a project. The goal: to create an Orb for Rayquaza—just like the Red and Blue Orbs for Groudon and Kyogre."
The others gasped.
"I invited you all here because I want you to see it yourselves—the League caught Rayquaza. It's currently sealed in the Embedded Tower in Cianwood."
"Wait, caught?" Reluya was stunned as they thought it was only an intel about Rayquaza.
"Yes," Vince said, his voice heavy. "Using a device made by Professor Berlitz and his assistant… with Devon's Infinite Energy and Great Mauville's power grid. Norman and Wattson were the ones who battled and helped subdue it."
"But… what's wrong?" Talya asked, sensing his unease.
Vince hesitated, then said, "Because the Rayquaza we captured… already had a trainer. A Draconid girl."
Silence fell.
"Then why not speak with her? Couldn't we just negotiate?" Yun asked, surprisingly calm. It was because someone from his clan also own a legendary pokemon.
"Because the Association and Great Mauville refused to let Rayquaza be in anyone else's hands," Vince explained. "Devon was neutral, Berlitz wanted to return it, but the Land and Sea Clans interfered. They disrupted the Hoenn Draconids and Johto's dragon clan by creating pokemon stampedes. This actions give the Johto Association the confidence to move forward. Hah after all Johto want to lead removing the Kanto association on the throne"
Then he turned to Yun and Talya.
"And… that's why Azim was denied medical care."
Talya shot to her feet, fury rising. "So we're discarded?! After all we did for Hoenn? The Draconid protect this world—and they threw us away for power!"
As her aura flared, vegetation around Mossdeep reacted—trees grew taller, vines thickened, and flowers bloomed with dangerous thorns.
Reluya frowned. "Don't they realize the Johto Dragon Clan has just been lying low? If they retaliate…"
"They won't back down," Vince said darkly. " But the device that sacrifices hundreds of Pokémon to drain energy from legends made the Dragon clan back down, afraid of hurting their pokemon."
He looked each of them in the eye.
"That's why I called you here. I need your help."
The room fell silent.
"Help?" Yun said cautiously.
"They're targeting my family. If they pressure Devon through me, they'll keep this project alive. I need allies—friends I trust."
His words sobered them. The old bonds of battle and trust resurfaced.
And the weight of the sky grew heavier.