Continuation of Chapter 12: RIPPLES OF FATE

RESONANCE OF CRIMSON THREADS

A soft knock echoed through the halls of Professor Magnolia's laboratory, prompting Sonia, the professor's diligent assistant, to answer the door. To her surprise, a vibrant woman with crimson hair, matching the shade of Azalea's, and eyes as green as the lush Pokémon-filled landscapes, stood before her. Aella, the visitor, exuded palpable excitement and happiness.

"Hey Soni, how are you?" Aella greeted with infectious enthusiasm. Sonia, recognizing the affectionate nickname, realized that this wasn't Azalea, but rather an old friend from her childhood. Chuckling softly, Sonia gestured for Aella to enter. "It's been such a long time, Aella! How have you been? Please, come in!"

Aella expressed her gratitude and took a few steps into the familiar laboratory. The surroundings triggered a flood of nostalgic memories, prompting her to exhale with a mixture of sentiment and joy. "This brings me back," she remarked. Locking eyes with Sonia, Aella inquired, "So, how's the old woman doing lately?"

Sonia, caught off guard by the bold description of Professor Magnolia, was about to respond when the professor herself made a grand entrance, descending the staircase from the second floor. A hearty laugh accompanied her playful remark, "Still calling me an old woman as usual, huh?" Professor Magnolia's gaze shifted between the two young women, her seasoned eyes twinkling with amusement.

Addressing Sonia, she requested, "Sonia, could you prepare us some tea, please?" With a nod, Sonia gladly left the grandmother and Aella alone, allowing the atmosphere to settle into the warmth of rekindled friendships and the promise of shared memories.

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Eclipse, Charles, and Azalea all shared a nervous glance, their unease palpable. The battle between Solar and Bea had only just begun, yet it already looked grim for Solar. He had his Mudkip out, while Bea deployed her powerful Hawlucha. It wasn't just the type advantage; it was the brutal intensity of the battle that unnerved the trio. Azalea was on the verge of ending her video recording, fearing for Solar's well-being when Bea's voice cut through the air with anger.

"If that's really the best you can do, newbie, then I don't think you know what it means to be a Pokémon trainer. I suggest you might as well give up."

Solar's eyes widened in shock, leaving him stunned and unable to focus on the battle. It was only the announcement from the drone Rotom that snapped him out of his stupor.

"The winner of this battle is Bea!"

A chilling tension radiated from Charles, Eclipse, and Azalea. The spectators seated near them felt a shiver run down their spines, sensing the intense and angry aura exuding from the trio. Some of the audience members even held their breath, overwhelmed by the palpable and terrifying atmosphere.

Eclipse and Charles watched Solar as he called out for Mudkip. For Azalea, her main focus was on Bea, who was exiting the battlefield. An internal voice attempted to calm her down.

Calm down, Azalea. Maybe that gym leader had a rough morning. There's no need for you to get all worked up like this.

Azalea was about to heed her internal voice's advice, but then she remembered a conversation they had back at Solar and Eclipse's parents' house. It was something their parents had said that made Azalea resist her internal voice.

"And now that our son is traveling alongside you, we ask you to take good care of our son and teach him many things about Pokémon."

Charles watched as Azalea left the sidelines. Her furrowed eyebrows indicated she wouldn't go to comfort Solar but to talk to Bea instead. He placed his hand on Eclipse's shoulder, trying to keep his tone from sounding angry but failing. "Come on, let's go see your brother."

As Bea walked down the hallway, she spotted a crimson-haired woman leaning against the wall. Confused but not dwelling on it too long, she attempted to pass by. However, a loud thud disrupted her plans. Bea's eyes widened as she found herself pinned to the wall by the woman. She struggled to remove the firm grip, but the woman's hold was unyielding.

"What's your..." Bea began, but before she could complete her sentence, she was met with an intimidating and ice-cold stare. The woman's white eyes seemed like an endless void filled with nothing but white. In a deep and warning tone, Azalea said, "Next time you make a kid depressed with your words, make sure I don't hear it. This is a warning for you, Bea. If you crush someone else's dreams, especially if they are my loved ones, I'll make sure you regret every word you said."

Bea was too stunned and frightened to utter a word, so instead, she nodded to indicate her understanding. In a calming and normal tone, Azalea said, "Good," as she finally let go of Bea. The gym leader watched as Azalea walked away, the memory of her crimson hair being the only thing that would stick in her mind.

Meanwhile, Solar was outside of the battle festival, seated on the staircase and gently petting his sleeping Mudkip. Suddenly, he felt someone patting his head. He looked up to see Charles and Eclipse, who wore small yet sympathetic smiles. Charles sat down beside Solar and sighed, "I apologize for Bea's behavior. I swear, she's not usually like this. She must have had a rough day." Solar only nodded. Although he trusted Charles' judgment, Bea's words still stung.

Recognizing the sadness in his face, Eclipse brought her younger brother close and hugged him with affection and care. The embrace felt like it lasted an eternity, and when Solar and Eclipse finally let go of each other, Solar felt something nudge behind his back. Curious, he turned to find Azalea's Zoroark, now in its Zorua form. Eclipse chuckled, "You want to join in too, Zoroark?" Zoroark nodded and, still in Zorua form, climbed onto Solar's shoulders, nuzzling close to him. Charles, admiring Zoroark's caring nature, patted its head and said, "Azalea must treat you well."

Solar blinked in surprise. "Talking about Azalea, where is she?" He looked around but couldn't see any sign of her.

"Right here."

Eclipse, Solar, and Charles turned to look behind them and saw Azalea descending the stairs, waving at them. Despite the smile on her face, Zoroark understood the confrontation that had taken place before Azalea joined them. After all, no one understood Azalea better than her own Pokémon. Solar got up and approached Azalea, wearing a pained smile. Azalea could tell he had been crying earlier, evident from his puffy eyes.

Solar sighed. "I'm sorry... I wanted to show my skills to my idol, but it turns out I made a fool out of myself."

Azalea shook her head, searching for the right words to console him. "A person who fails is much stronger than someone who has never tasted defeat." Solar's eyes widened in surprise, and Eclipse and Charles couldn't help but laugh at Azalea's words.

Charles got up and patted Solar on the head. "In other words, your loss today, Solar, shows that this is just the beginning for you."

Eclipse chimed in, "You're still young, little brother. You have a lot of room to grow."

Azalea nodded in agreement with both Charles and Eclipse's statements. She lifted Solar from the ground and effortlessly placed him on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go eat at the Pokémon Center. You must be starving."

Azalea exchanged a knowing glance with Eclipse and Charles, silently acknowledging that she had a 'chat' with Bea. The two of them nodded, indicating that they wouldn't tell Solar for his sake. Azalea sighed in relief. The Quartets, with Solar on Azalea's shoulder, headed to the Pokémon Center to get something to eat and watch the rest of the matches together, as a united team.

The four of them settled around a table at the Pokémon Center, relishing the meal Nurse Joy had prepared for them while watching the ongoing battle on the TV screen. The intense face-off was between Brendan's Sceptile and Bea's Grapploct. Both Pokémon showed signs of exhaustion from the relentless bout, but this seemed to only fuel the determination of their trainers. Solar and Azalea, though not recording the battle, were riveted by the fierce exchange. In the end, Brendan emerged victorious, causing his ranking to rise in the World Coronation Series.

"I guess those 20 battles against Steven Stone really paid off," Eclipse remarked as she watched Brendan shake hands with Bea on the TV screen.

With the battles concluded, a new commercial took over the screen. It featured two famous models, and Eclipse instantly recognized one of them.

Eclipse hummed thoughtfully. "I know the woman on the left is Nessa from the Galar region, but..." Her gaze shifted to the person on the right. "I don't think I've ever seen her before."

Azalea sighed, taking a sip of her coffee and gently blowing on it to cool it down. She leaned in to share some knowledge. "That woman is Aella. She's a model from the Arata region, and..."Azalea's gaze intensified as Aella posed alongside Nessa on the TV screen. "She's also Arata's strongest gym leader and elite four member."

Solar gasped in amazement, his eyes filled with admiration. "Wow, people in the Arata region sure are powerful." Charles couldn't resist a playful jab, lightly punching Azalea's shoulder. "Of course they are. After all, we have the Crimson Queen right here with us to prove it." Azalea, instead of getting annoyed, rolled her eyes and broke into laughter. Eclipse and Solar quickly joined in, filling the Pokémon Center with their lively, infectious laughter.

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