Finally, a new story idea. I want to try making the plot of this story somewhat more ambitious than my previous ones… we'll have to see how it goes.
"Well, I'm here… Where is he though?"
On one peaceful day in the Unova region, Nate waited outside the Pokémon World Tournament stadium, a huge and rather extravagant piece of architecture, as was requested of him earlier that day. Without any tournaments currently taking place, the area was filled with a calm silence, helping the brown-haired boy relax as the time slowly passed.
"Well, howdy there, Nate!" The young trainer turned to notice the speaker that had just come out of the building; Clay, Gym Leader of Driftveil City and founder of the PWT. "I do hope I'm not interruptin' nothin' important with y'all, am I?"
Nate shook his head and replied, "It's okay. What did you need from me?"
Clay turned, observing the stadium in its entirety, in a contemplative manner. "I done built this place to gather all sortsa Pokémon-trainin' folk from all over the globe. But it done seems like some regions just aren't interested none in that business."
The rich Gym Leader pointed his finger to Nate. "But if'n I could get y'all to promote my business in those there far-off regions, that may just persuade 'em to come around!"
Nate flinched a little in surprise. He had not been told that he was to be sent off to another region, perhaps one he had not even heard of at all. "Well, that sounds okay, but…" he began.
"Now don't y'all go frettin' none, boy. It'll be easier than wranglin' up a bunch of no-good Team Plasmy goons! And if it's supplies yer after, I've got everythin' y'all would be needin', so don't go botherin' yer palm-tree head 'bout that." Clay reassured.
"But are we leaving now?" asked Nate, to which the Gym Leader slapped himself upon the knee and laughed heartily.
"Durn tootin'. A boat ride to yer destination could well take until doomsy-day! Can't go on wastin' time now!" Clay paused to adjust his cowboy hat. "If'n I could get that Skyla broad to fly ya there on one of her fancy planes, I'd have done it by now… but she just up and left one day to have herself a good ol' fashioned hoedown that there Cynthia from Sinnoh!"
With that said, Clay led Nate due south to the nearby harbor, where a small, vaguely familiar-looking ferry boat was docked, with a middle-aged man in a sailor's hat waiting at the stern.
"So we all ready to set sail or what?" he asked with some impatience.
"Readier'n a red-hot brand at a Miltank farm!" With a strong hand, Clay thumped Nate on the back to push him towards the boat; he didn't mean to be forceful about it, but the sudden shove did elicit a yelp of surprise from the young boy. "Now git along, cowpoke. I'll be lettin' Pop Roxie take it from here."
"Don't call me that," the sailor grumbled, but his complaint went un-noticed as Clay began to leave, after Nate had boarded the boat. Ever since he had made his debut on the big screen at Pokéstar Studios, he had been called "Pop Roxie" by most everyone he met – due to being referred to by that name in the movie's ending credits. Dismissing his woes with a sigh, the captain turned to Nate. "Alright, time to set sail, son. Grab a seat and get comfortable… this may be a long ride."
Eventually the PWT grew further away, sinking into the horizon as the boat sailed on.
"Y'know, son, I got a daughter who's about your age, I think." The man suddenly told Nate, as the boy was leaning out at the deck's edge to get a good look at the vast ocean surrounding them.
"I know. I battled her, remember?" Nate assumed, correctly though, that the sea captain was referring to Roxie, Virbank City's Gym Leader, and Poison-type-loving rock bassist. It was quite a time ago that Nate had first battled Roxie in her Gym; as a rookie trainer at the time, he had barely managed to overcome the poisonous girl's tactics, earning himself the Toxic Badge.
"Well, that's just swell." The voice of Roxie's father started to quiver with emotion as he continued. "I don't tell her often enough… but I'm awful proud of my daughter. Now I don't know too much about punk rock or anything, but what I do know for a fact is that she's got her old man's musical talent in her."
Intrigued, Nate turned to ask the captain, "You play?"
"No, no, I don't need any instruments," he replied. "But let me tell you, I can sing one heck of a rousing sea shanty! Ahem…" After clearing his throat, Roxie's father began his tuneful chant.
"Ooohhhh, since I was a boy, I dreamed of the sea-"
"Okay." Nate had heard enough, but the sailor had already begun his song.
"Aaaaand, like a fair maiden, she called out to me-"
"Please-" Nate tried in vain to make him stop singing again.
"A sailor's life suits me just fine and well-"
"Stop-"
"And if you disagree, you can go to… bed."
"…" Nate gave up on trying to silence the man, and simply sat, doing his best to ignore the continued singing as they drifted further and further from Unova's waters. Enduring the raucous noise distracted the boy from any excitement he could feel from the idea of visiting a region he had never heard of before.
%%%
At some point during the trip, Nate had fallen asleep. He couldn't recall exactly how long he had been napping for, but when he woke up with a lazy yawn, he was startlingly surprised by how drab and dull the scenery; there had been not so much as a single cloud to interrupt the sun's glow when he had first boarded. He saw that the sun had given way to a fierce rainstorm, with the occasional bright flash and roar of lightning heard over the heavy rainfall. From beneath the boat, the sea waves began to roil rather fiercely, enough to make Nate stumble a little as he stood to his feet.
"Zzzz…" Among the storm, the boy could just barely hear snoring; the captain had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel. In an attempt to wake him up, Nate tried to jostle the man about, but his efforts proved futile, the grating sound of his snores unceasing. The visor-wearing boy began to panic; if the boat's controls were not properly managed, they would both soon be in much bigger trouble. But even if Nate could take the helm, he had not even the vaguest clue of which way to go from there, as he could only see nothing but dark waters in all directions.
"Sup."
A dreadful sensation needled at the boy's spine. He hadn't seen or heard anyone else on the boat at all until now, and Nate turned, wondering if his own mind was just betraying him.
It was not, and that voice was confirmed to be real when he looked upon the Shadow Triad, the three masked men who had given him so much trouble in the past. Even in the dark of the storm, he could make out the forms of the trio and their Pokémon. Of all people to make an unexplained appearance, it just had to be them… Nate frowned. Had they come here just to watch him go down with the ship?!
"Sweet dreams, bro."
Before Nate could reach into his pockets and summon his own Pokémon, a Yawn attack had been unleashed by one of the Triad's own. A wafting gas had been blown into Nate's face, and the boy inhaled, causing him to yawn in return.
"H… hey! What was that… for…" As angry as Nate was, he was losing the will to fight back as drowsiness set in, making his eyelids droop. In seconds, he fell to his knees and slumped down, trapped in a deep sleep.
"Aww, snap!" said one of the three men, as their plan had been fulfilled flawlessly. Without another word, the Shadow Triad and their Pokémon warped out of the boat, vanishing into thin air.
%%%
"Mmh…" Completely soaked, Nate was woken up again by the radiant warmth of sunlight on his cold body. Feeling the grittiness of damp sand and the foam of waves lapping at his feet, he opened his eyes to see that he had washed up on a distant beach. This area looked completely unfamiliar to him, but at least he was alive and uninjured. In fact, the boat hadn't even capsized, though it was stationed at the shoreline in a rather odd way, as though someone had tried to split the beach in half with it.
"What a strange dream," he thought to himself, as he laid his jacket and shorts on the boat's surface to dry, leaving him in just his wetsuit, visor and shoes. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure if his encounter with the Shadow Triad had been a dream at all. There was no sign of the three anywhere in the area, and as they had completely disappeared, so too had the raging storm. Nate couldn't make any sense of it, and in trying to, he failed to notice something large swiftly flying overhead, casting a shadow upon the boy.
A loud screech suddenly reverberated from the flying object, and Nate looked up. The sunlight in his eyes obscured his vision, but he could see something in the sky, and it appeared to be getting closer, diving down to crash land into him. Before it was too late, Nate ran back, avoiding the pounce from above. Nate noticed that the attacker appeared to be some Pokémon, but it was not one that he had ever seen before; quickly, he observed its black and purple coloration, its deep-red claws, and the huge wings that allowed it to soar so powerfully. Most striking about its appearance were the two huge, speaker-shaped ears that sat above the Pokémon's head.
"SCREEEE!" Nate had to cover his ears from the loudness of the predator's enraged roar. He hadn't intended to disturb what he assumed was this Pokémon's territory, but given the circumstances, survival was of key importance, and he brought out his own Poké Balls to combat his new foe.
"Help me out… guys?"
The three Pokémon Nate had summoned were all he had on hand, but his current team appeared… somewhat lacking.
There was Vanillite, a small Ice-type that seemed to resemble a cone of ice cream.
And then there was Litwick, who was as cute as Ghost and Fire Pokémon could possibly be.
Last of all, there was Dunsparce, a lazy-looking Normal-type that began to flap its tiny wings and nudge Nate's face.
As endearing and mascot-like as Nate's current team was, they didn't exactly seem fit to take on an aggressive newcomer. The boy had faith in his Pokémon though, and pointed out their opponent for them.
"Attack!" he called out, Litwick took the lead, advancing towards the large Pokémon with fervor. The Candle Pokémon was quick to prove that enthusiasm alone could not win the battle; it was effortlessly tossed aside with a beat of the opponent's black wing. After seeing their team-mate defeated so easily, Vanillite and Dunsparce fled the scene; the yellow snake Pokémon digging a tunnel in the sand to escape, with the snowy Pokémon following inside.
Completely defenseless, Nate let out a frightened "Oh no…" as the predator took flight, preparing to lunge towards him. Just when things seemed to look grim for the boy, an unfamiliar voice seemed to speak into his very mind.
"I have the power to save you! All you have to do is make a pact with me!"
