Chapter 32: The Two Towers

Xander and Cynthia went to their room to set their stuff down after passing their Pokemon to the nurse on duty. Once their items were set, Cynthia sat on the bed while surfing through the local catalog of places they could head to for dinner. 

Xander left the room to head to the phones and call Prof. Carolina. The line only rang twice before Xander saw the exhausted and worried face of the old woman. 

"Hey, Grandma Carolina," Xander smiled at the old woman but that didn't ease her worries

"You guys were just in Sunyshore City! How did you get to Pastoria so fast? What's going on? Is Cynthia alright? Where is she?" Prof. Carolina shot her questions out one after another, not allowing Xander to respond to them. 

"Relax, Grandma Carolina. I'll explain everything," Xander didn't want to tell the older woman but he knew that she would still worry if he didn't give her solid answers. She was too smart to be fooled by him. 

So he went on to explain their entire trip in Sunyshore, from meeting their new friends to escaping from the city since they had offended the Gym Leader. He also told her how the Pokemon Center and Rangers in Sunyshore Town helped them escape which was why they had arrived in Pastoria City so soon. 

The more Xander spoke, the paler the old woman's face got. His red eyes turned meek as he saw that she was upset but knew he couldn't end his story halfway. 

"Don't worry, though. Me and Cynthia are safe and sound. We also plan on going back once we get stronger to deal with that guy so you don't need to Granny," Xander tried to assure her and pulled out his trump card. He only called her 'Granny' when he was trying to kiss up and get on her good side. 

His attempts seemed to work since some color returned to the old woman's face but she didn't look any happier. 

"Don't think I don't know you're trying to kiss up to me!" Prof. Carolina spat out but changed the topic just like Xander wanted. "I assume you're calling me because you wouldn't dare to call so soon after something like that happened unless you wanted something."

"Wow, Granny. You're definitely gonna replace Prof. Rowan as the top Professor in Sinnoh soon," Xander flattered the woman.

"Shut up!" she chided him but the small smile on her face told Xander that it had worked. "Hurry up and tell me what you want."

"It's like this, Granny. Me and Cynthia both awakened some hidden abilities. Cynthia can use Aura and I am a psychic," Xander whispered into the camera. This was a secret that would be his and Cynthia's trump cards in the future but he knew that she wouldn't mind sharing it with Prof. Carolina. The only secrets they kept from her were when they did something dangerous or stupid.

"Of course you both are," Carolina shook her head at the news. In her eyes, these two children could do anything. 

"And when my powers awakened, I had 5 visions. I think each one told me about the Pokemon that we will catch on our journey. I was able to figure out three of the visions but I'm not sure about the other two," Xander then went on to describe the icy mountain where he heard the bird cry as well as the two towers that had 5 floors to each of them. 

"Do you have any idea where either of those places are?" Xander asked, his voice filled with expectation

Carolina chuckled when she saw Xander like this. Ever since he had gotten his Pokemon, he seemed to have matured a great deal. It was rare that he would act his age. 

"I think the mountain will be around Snowpoint City but I can't give an exact location. There are way too many mountains in that area," Carolina spoke slowly, grinning when she saw Xander's disappointed face. "But..."

"But?" Xander asked in confusion

"I do know where those two towers are," Carolina finished her thought with a smirk. "What you are talking about should be the Towers of Two Fists?"

"What are those? I haven't heard about them," Xander was really curious. Having such a name, it must have meant that they were famous but he had never heard about them in Sinnoh before.

"That's because they are not in Sinnoh. Both of those towers are in the Galar Region," Carolina then went on to explain the details about the towers. 

These towers were where a particular Pokemon was trained called a Kubfu. These were pretty weak Pokemon at first but they improved very fast. When it passed the trial in one of the towers, Kubfu could evolve into a very powerful Pokemon that was superior to most Fighting Pokemon. 

The Tower of Darkness held the Scroll of Darkness while the Tower of Waters had the Scroll of Waters. Which tower the Kubfu could pass depended on its temperament and that would also determine which scroll it would read. 

Kubfu that beat the Tower of Darkness Trial would be a more aggressive Pokemon, aiming to finish battles in a single blow from the get-go. They battled without holding back their strength and were known for their powerful blows. 

The Kubfu that beat the Tower of Water Trial were more patient Pokemon, dodging or parrying attacks until they got the opposing Pokemon into their tempo before unleashing several blows in quick succession. 

Either way, Urshifu would be a powerful Pokemon that less than 5 people in the world had. 

When Xander heard all of this information, he knew that he had to catch this Pokemon. This was the type of rare Pokemon that made him glad to be a trainer. 

Urshifu would also help him make up for a weakness on his team. He had no Water, Fighting, or Dark Pokemon which made him have several weaknesses. If he could get an Urshifu, he could cover several weaknesses that he had. 

'I was originally gonna try to find a Hydreigon but this guy will suit me even more. Whether he becomes a Dark/Fighting or Water/Fighting, he will be a great boost to my team,' Xander really wanted to catch a Kubfu and train it to become an Urshifu. 

Carolina saw the desire in Xander's eyes and decided that she had teased him enough. 

"The yearly conference between Pokemon Professors will be held in Galar this year. I plan on going in 3 months and staying for about a month. Would you like to come with me?" Carolina offered 

"Of course, Granny! Thank you!" Xander couldn't miss this opportunity. If he wanted to get a full team by the time the Junior Conference started, this was his only opportunity unless he took a ferry or flew there himself. 

"Haha, anytime. I'll bring you along and have Cynthia head to a friend's place in another Region. It'll be good for her to get some additional training before the conference as well," Carolina came up with a plan for Cynthia as well.

If the two were going to compete in the next conference, she knew that they needed some intense training. They were going to compete with trainers who were up to 6 years older than them and who had much more experience. Taking some time away to focus on intense training instead of doing it while traveling would be a major help to both of them.