(Cynthia POV)
She really wished she hadn't been so overconfident. Having grandma Bertha's Giratina to set up a special distortion field had made her certain that everything would be under control.
Now, she sat on a floor of infinite blackness. The carefully maintained false reality that hid the true nature of the space had been breached. All it had taken was a single move by that little bastard!
*Cough, cough, cough*
"What in the distortion even was that??" Claire came to with a start. She had been knocked out by the strange resonance that spread out when Leo had destroyed the illusion.
As she scrambled to her feet Cynthia noticed the girl's face paling as she registered the change in their surroundings.
"That was what happens when a high-level illusion gets forcefully shut down while others are trapped inside."
Cynthia spoke with a grudging respect. It had been thought to be nearly impossible for a low-level human to output that much energy without exploding.
What Cynthia was going to find out soon was that Leo was anything but a regular human. For now, her confusion was pushed aside to assess the situation.
She had only managed to stay conscious during the wave due to her novice mastery of space and spatial TE (Type Energy) protecting her from the spatial tremors.
"It seems that the Elders were correct this time..." Cynthia trailed off with a thoughtful frown crossing her face.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like the Distortion Field set up by Gray is different?" Cynthia asked the girl as she stared into the endless light purple mist that gave their situation a desolate feeling.
"The mist seems to be moving way more than it should." Claire looked around intently before she gave her best guess at what might be wrong.
Cynthia felt her heart skip a beat hearing that. Wasting no time, she quickly reached into her spatial bracelet to pull out a worn looking luxury ball.
She sent a mental nudge to the pokemon inside before clicking the button. In a muted flash of light one of her first friends appeared.
As the flash disappeared the air became drier, the fog surrounding the two girls being forced back 20 feet (6 meters) while a hulking form slowly stretched.
A sound like sandpaper grinding resounded from the figure. Standing fully upright the scales seemed to suck in the purple smoke, a subtle glow covered the dark scales giving them a purplish glow that bordered on dark pink.
With a 'THUMP' the pokemon took a single step that brought it right to the edge of the gently rolling fog.
Garchomp had been observing the situation through her eyes, and the pokemon had already formed an initial assessment on their latest adversary.
*The boy is young but intelligent. He obviously could have overpowered us before we were prepared but he chose to make a show of force instead. *
Garchomp let out a soft snort as the 9 feet tall dragon gave its mistress an analysis on the boy's energy output.
Feeling the turbulent energy still rampaging across the damaged distortion field made Garchomps scales rattle softly, a subconscious response to threats.
*This guy wants us to voluntarily surrender. That way he would certainly have a good basis for establishing dominance amongst our clan. *
Cynthia replied, still trying to dissect all the moving pieces while Garchomp finished taking stock of the new battlefield.
Dragon scales glittered and shook, fine particles shaking out and flooding the nearby area with dragon and ground TE (type energy).
The particles quickly kicked up into a full-blown sandstorm that provided a modicum of protection and helped to further blend their energy with the surroundings.
Claire quickly followed Cynthia's example, bringing Kingdra back out. With a second of thought Claire sent out another of her most powerful partners, hoping to fortify their makeshift hiding spot.
Cynthia watched as Claire released her signature Kingdra followed closely by her Flygon. Nodding her head in approval, Cynthia began sending mental orders to Garchomp to have her set up some contingencies just in case things developed in the worst way.
*Have you determined where that guy Leo is yet? * Cynthia frowned as she communicated with her partner. She had a strong feeling they were being played with.
She wanted to think it was all the Elders planning, but Cynthia could tell that Leo had somehow moved outside of their predictions. When she first saw him, he hadn't felt that strong to her.
Yet somehow his visible level had suddenly exploded more than a bloodline ignition should allow. It simply wasn't possible for anyone that low level to suddenly become so strong.
*I can't feel anything with detail. The entire atmosphere is super saturated with TE. To make it worse, the rampaging energy is making it impossible for me to establish a connection with the distortion field. * Garchomp responded.
Garchomp snorted, a blue-green conflagration briefly lighting up inside her mouth as she reluctantly reported on the current environment.
*I agree that something isn't adding up, but right now we need to find him before we can do anything else. *
Cynthia felt like she was missing a single, critical piece of the picture. All her lessons on battlefield analysis flashed through her mind.
*We currently have too little info on the enemy. The only thing we can say for certain is that Leo destroyed the illusion covering the distortion field. * Cynthia reasoned, registering Garchomps surge in irritation at her words.
*I know that we can take the whelp down if we face him head on! Even if he used some tricks one blast of dragon fire will have him back in his place! *
Her Garchomp spoke with an undisguised pride and disdain for anything non dragon. If they weren't still in a battle Cynthia would have rolled her eyes at the dragons stereotyping.
*Be that as it may, the fact remains, and we must neutralize what disadvantages we can while maximizing our advantages. *
Cynthia shot her grumpy dragon a stern glare, daring her to try and undermine her orders. Garchomp looked into the girl's eyes for a moment before reluctantly lowering her own head.
Watching the piercing reptilian eyes soften and well up with feelings of grievance, Cynthia softened her mental tone.
*Listen girl, you know I understand your feelings. However, we can't rush in this situation. This guy Leo is obviously not some regular weakling that we can just crush at will. *
Cynthia reasoned and was glad to see her partner actually listening to her and beginning to take the opponent seriously based on the shift in emotions she felt.
Glad that all everyone was on the same page, Cynthia began to scan the surroundings with garchomps help.
The pokemon used her geo sense to scan their area, while Cynthia, Claire and her partners split up to see if any visible signs of Leo were present.
(LEO POV)
Rewinding a few minutes to the moment Leo dropped the energy bomb. Leo was feeling a strong sense of vindication. While he was nowhere near as angry or unhinged as he seemed he had been a bit upset.
Just when he had been on his way to further provoke Cynthia and Claire a door appeared in front of him. It was a simple thing of varnished wood, a deep mahogany brown with pink flower shaped engravings that seemed printed more than carved.
Leo paused at its appearance. Looking thoughtful for a moment before deciding that throwing caution to the wind one more time shouldn't be too bad.
Taking a step towards the door, as soon as his foot stepped towards the door he disappeared. Blinking his eyes, Leo was only slightly surprised to feel the overwhelming Fairy TE in the air.
Looking around he could tell that he was in a different subspace entirely. The surroundings were a mystical paradise, filled with contradictions. A flowing waterfall sat in front of him, while a flurry of snow kicked into a blizzard behind him.
Leo seemed to have been dropped into a crossway. Winter behind him, Spring in front, with Summer to the left and Fall to the right gave Leo a strange sense of dissonance.
Looking at the paths laid out before him Leo felt a pull from one path. Glancing at the howling winds suffused with powerful ice and snow gave him pause.
Feeling the tug strengthen into a compelling force, Leo followed it in a daze. The wind parted around him, the icy snow softening into a gentle down on his skin.
Leo had a distant feeling of alarm, knowing that his actions and thoughts were being tampered with. The moment he tried to alter his course he felt a strong sense of vertigo hit him.
Nearly falling to his knees, Leo's vision swam as his body felt an extreme heat overtake his body feeling as if he had lava running through his veins.
A moment later the heat vanished, only to be replaced by a chill so thorough it directly froze his very thoughts. The phantom sensations repeated on an endless loop, getting stronger every time.
A few minutes later Leo was on the verge of unconsciousness, his will starting to buckle under the unexpected torture. The sound of chains clinking started to emanate from his prone body.
Just before his bloodline could awaken in defense of him a sudden change occurred. The constant heat and cold disappeared, instead a profound feeling of connection pierced through the lingering agony.
His eyes snapping open, Leo felt an impossible connection. Right in front of him was a massive Alolan Ninetales. Even sitting it was 20 feet tall, towering over Leo while its mesmerizing tails swayed gently and silently behind it.
Its eyes were a striking blue that seemed to slow his thoughts when his eyes met hers. The Alpha Ninetales tilted her head with a curiously gentle look in her eyes.
"Little Kit are you feeling better now?" her voice seemed to appear directly in his mind, jolting Leo back to his senses completely. "What the hell just happened?" Leo blurted out before he registered the immense presence of the pokemon before him.
He scrambled to his feet noticing the change in his surroundings now that it didn't feel like his soul was tearing apart. Where there had been a Winterland forest was now an endless white expanse.
His concern prevented him from noticing that the origin energy had increased drastically in the area. "There's no need for concern kit. I didn't expect this to happen, but I am forever grateful to you and would never let anyone harm you."
Hearing the genuine appreciation and concern in her voice made Leo take a slightly less cautious stance. He was still freaking out and royally pissed off. But he knew that the pokemon in front of him was strong enough to have no reason to lie to him.
While he knew his parents could probably destroy this whole universe and extract him from there in less time than it would take to think, the pokemon had no way of knowing that.
He had specifically asked for the suppression of his bloodline and origin aura to only be releasable under his conscious will.
While he knew his parents had left safety measures in place, they had assured him that no one weaker than them would be able to see through his true identity. Was the Ninetales in front of him terrifyingly strong?
Yes, but to think it was anywhere near as strong as either of his parents would be laughable. Let alone the fact that his seals took both serious efforts to make.
When your dad casually makes universe sized blackholes and your mom creates mutant divine beasts to make the pond in the backyard look better the idea of something being difficult becomes a whole different concept.
All that to say, there was no reason for this pokemon to treat him as anything more than an ant.
"Have you not noticed anything different about yourself?" The Alpha asked with a note of genuine amusement bleeding through her ever-present concern.
That's when it hit him. Leo knew that his connection with Saphira had been muted when he went through that strange door. It was common for soul bound companions to have difficulty communicating when separated by at least one sub dimension.
He had no idea how a new connection had suddenly appeared without his notice. Unlike his connection with Saphira that felt natural, this new connection felt oddly feeble.
It seemed like whoever was on the other end was hesitant to make full contact. All he could feel from the connection was surprise, excitement and an overwhelming fear of rejection.
Leo's eyes snapped open, the platinum flame that had been burning furiously within them finally seemed to simmer down. The chains that covered the flaming crown rematerialized as Leo finally got an idea of what was happening.
"How did I suddenly form a soul contract? It shouldn't be possible for anyone to force a soul contract of this nature." Leo spoke with a slight tremor in his voice.
"While it's not something I expected, you are the perfect partner for my daughter. I was originally only hoping for you to help her control her energy. I never imagined you 2 would have such a strong resonance."
The Alpha sounded surprised and excited. Leo knew instinctively that his bloodline was the reason for the current situation.
He had been told about this possibility by his mom, but he hadn't expected to find a suitable partner so quickly.
Leo finally registered what the pokemon was saying and reached out mentally to gently reassure the young pokemon. When he felt her fear and nerves begin to subside, he turned his attention back to the Alpha.
Suddenly he noticed a splotch of white among the silver-blue fur of the Alpha. Pulsing his bloodline to enhance his vision, Leo saw the splotch was actually a pure white vulpix.
Everything on the fox was so stark in color that she seemed almost ethereal as she moved around. Feeling his gaze on her, she stiffened in shock, not expecting him to find her so quickly.
He could feel her attempts to calm herself, and he had to hold back a smile as she tried to imitate her mother's graceful posture while clambering down one of the impossibly long tails of the Alpha.
When she reached the crystal-like ground, she walked towards Leo with a grace he knew his mom would love. Stopping in front of him, Leo could see that even the eyes of the vulpix were an impossible platinum color that looked eerily similar to his own flames.
With a soft chuff of her small snout a glittering puff of snow erupted up towards Leo's face. The icy flurry lifting the shades covering his eyes and freezing them in a ball of platinum ice that continued to hover above him.
He barely registered the action; his own mind lost in the flood of emotions his vulpix was sending him. He felt an overwhelming gratitude for helping balance the rampaging energies coursing through the pokemon even now.
There were many other emotions, but the strongest by far was the determination to get stronger. She had an almost concerning hatred for her own helplessness and Leo felt a slight concern for her mental state.
Her mental waves felt odd, at times blazing so hot with passion he felt a phantom heat. While in the next moment a bone chilling indifference would wash across their connection.
Leo could already tell dealing with the little fox would be more than a little difficult. With a partner as seemingly black and white as vulpix he would need to carefully introduce all the gray areas in life.