Chapter One: End of the Road
"Uhm… Sir? There's a challenger here to see you." The voice floated in from somewhere seemingly far away. Why can't they just let me sleep? My eyes opened slowly, well adjusted to the near pitch darkness of my room.
"Sir?" The voice insisted.
"I'm coming Jacob, just give me a minute", I responded gruffly, stretching languidly as I stood up. My black long sleeve shirt was wrinkled from yet another awkward night's sleep on the floor. Honestly, it wasn't as uncomfortable as it sounded. I could hear Jacob's footsteps as he marched down the unlit hallway. I yawned. The kid took his job too seriously.
"You need to stop sleeping on the floor. Its not fitting of someone in your position." The voice paused. "Then again neither is your attire. You look as though you belong in a gang not in our League." Eve. I doubt she could even see me. Although she was right, I was anything but neatly dressed. I groaned to myself, wondering when she'd get off my case. She was probably here to interrogate me again.
I crossed my arms and turned to face her. She squinted at me, eyes still adjusting to the lack of light. Looking around, she spotted the one thing I wanted her to leave alone. The curtain. She pushed it open, letting the painful late morning sunshine in through a narrow window, illuminating my empty room.
"I've already told you, Eve.." I replied, squinting angrily in the bright light. " I don't understand what happened anymore than you do. It's been nearly two years since then. Can't the League just leave me be?" Impatience crept into my voice: I was tired of my time being wasted. I held my fists clenched at my side, struggling to restrain my voice.
"First off, you may address me by my title. I will not tolerate such a casual address to your superior. Secondly, that's not what I'm here for." Her hazel eyes glared at me from beneath her dark brown hair. The truly sad thing was that she would be rather attractive if she weren't so stuck up about everything.
She paused for a moment and I seized the opportunity to butt in. "Well, if that's not what you need from me, it can wait until after I finish with the challenger." I brushed past her and into the dim hallway, not waiting to see her reaction. At the end of the hallway I paused, and took a deep breath. I let it out slowly, my hand wandering to the pendant dangling from my a chain on my neck. The cold stone surface gently stole the last warmth from my hand .
Time for a little theater. Smiling softly, I took hold of the door handle and swung it open. Donning a stone face, I strode confidently into the Gym.
Glancing to the left I saw the Jacob, who stared down at the ground. So, the challenger had already defeated him. Straight ahead of me stood a boy around two years than myself, maybe 15 years old. The challenger. I strode purposefully up to him and looked him dead in the eye.
"So. You'd like to challenge my Gym would you?"
"Oh, I don't think you'll be much of a challenge." The boy sneered, returning my gaze defiantly. I noticed that his gaze flickered to rest on Professor Eve as she entered the Gym after me.
I smirked. " I hope you're ready then."
"More than ready." The boy returned his attention to me. With a self-confident grin, the boy grabbed the 6 pokeballs seated on his belt and tossed them into the air. A flash of light was followed by the cry of the boy's team, anxious for battle. I glanced critically over his it.
Quagsire was a pain in the neck, but manageable. Electivire wouldn't be a problem. Sceptile was... an interesting choice but again, no problem. Umbreon, with its type advantage, would be a real issue no doubt. Torkoal was easy to manage. His last pokemon was the most menacing., Garchomp, a true offensive threat, capable of dealing high physical damage with the possibility of special. Unlike the rest of the team, the dragon had a look of experience about it. The creature had a scar across its left eye, which was glazed over, yet still held a fierce look of intelligence. No doubt a veteran of many battles… A present from a parent perhaps?
"Very well. Let me explain the rules of play." . You will have all six of your pokemon out at all times unless fainted, however only one pokemon may be on the field at a time. No items may be used except for those your pokemon themselves hold. No pokemon listed on the League-wide ban list may be used in this battle. The battle ends when one of us runs out of active pokemon. Your prize, should you manage to defeat me will be the Distortion Badge. My prize when I win will be the standard fee for a Gym Challenge." I paused, staring past him before continuing, my voice raised in a verbal cue for my own pokemon. "Challenger! Do you accept these terms?"
I smiled inwardly. He didn't even notice my team assembling directly behind him. Unable to contain his anxiety and excitement, the boys voice shook. "Yes!" He shouted, the cries of his pokemon echoing his own. Then he paused for a moment, confused. "But… where's your team?"
"Right behind you kid."
He whirled round and came face to face with my Cofagrigus, Akiiti. He fell back, landing on his rear with a soft thud. Slowly, the rest of my team faded into view and moved towards me. Golurk, Chandelure, Gengar, Sableye, Akiiti and Aegislash, were now all standing or floating beside me.
He stood up and turned back to face me, his hands shaking slightly now. People tend to get that way after seeing ghosts.
"Are you ready to begin?"
"Y-yes."
I could see the gears in his head turning as he debated which pokemon to lead with. "Umbreon, you're up!" The creature stepped timidly forward, glancing back at its master. There was no bond, no trust between them. What a shame.
And a miscalculation on his part. Umbreon's dark type advantage would not prevent me from removing it from play.
"Summit, take em out." I ordered. My Golurk stepped dutifully forward, the ground shaking slightly beneath its weight. I crossed my arms and looked at the challenger. "Battle starts on your cue bud. Make your move."
The boy took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. "Alright then" he muttered beneath his breath. "Umbreon hit em with Foul Play!" The creature was small compared to Summit, but it still hit hard. With a cry, it charged forward.
Summit didn't even bat an eye as it took the blow. It was a super-effective hit, even more painful due to Foul Play's nasty habit of using the defendant's own attack stat against itself.
"Dynamic punch" I ordered flatly.
Summit responded beautifully, swinging its fist and catching the Umbreon in the flank, tossing it into the air and across the gym. It landed not far from its trainer, disoriented and confused.
The challenger grimaced, and did the one thing he shouldn't have. "Umbreon! Get up and hit him with another Foul Play!"
I frowned: what chance did it have? The poor creature struggled to its feet, but only managed to trip and hurt itself in its confusion.
"Summit, Earthquake."
The ground shook, and dust fell from the rafters. The Umbreon cried out in pain as the tremors shook its small body, bombarding it with fragments of rock. The deed was done. With one last feeble cry, the creature's legs collapsed beneath it as it fainted.
Wordlessly, the challenger returned the Pokemon to its ball and pondered his next move. I could see the bloodlust in his eyes. He was already getting worked up. I sighed, disappointed. This battle wasn't worth my team's time.
The Garchomp looked down at him and growled. The boy nodded. "Sceptile, you're up."
I glanced at him, eyes narrowed. Was the boy taking orders or giving them? Turning my attention away from the battle for an instant, I noticed Eve standing off to the side, next to Jacob, watching the battle intently.
I shook my head. Back to the battle, you can't let yourself lose focus.
Summit stood stoically, facing off against the boy's Sceptile, both Pokemon were tense, ready to move at a moment's notice. "Not a favorable matchup by any means…" I muttered to myself.
"Sceptile! Leaf Storm!" The boy shouted, taking advantage of my moment-long hesitation.
"Druaga! Take the front! Summit, stand down." I shot back, ordering Summit out of danger. Aegislash could take this hit without breaking a sweat.
Aegislash moved swiftly, taking his place in the direct path of Sceptiles attack. Summit retreated behind me without sustaining damage. I realized I'd been holding my breath and let it out with a soft 'whoosh'. I reexamined the battlefield. Aegislash waited, unfazed by the attack. The challenger and his sceptile both looked worried. This was my chance to get another knock out in. The boy was worried, and wouldn't want to lose his starter pokemon, his best special sweeper. He'd switch to quagsire, banking on its bulk to take a hit. That... that would be my chance.
We called out our commands simultaneously.
"Sceptile come back. Quagsire, take em out!"
"Aegislash, you're job is done. Lurre, show em who's boss!"
The boy smiled and raised his eyebrows as Chandelure entered the ring, blissfully unaware of the punch my Lurre could pack, even with type disadvantage.
Again, we called out our commands simultaneously
"Quagsire use Scald!"
"Lurre, hit em with Energy Ball!"
Lurre was faster, responding swiftly to my command and gracefully launching its attack.
The Quagsire took the hit full on. The blow sent it staggering backwards I smiled. Energy ball was a grass type more, more than just super effective against a ground/water type like Quagsire. Despite its natural bulk, the pokemon just couldn't take the hit. The challenger returned his pokemon to its ball and muttered something under his breath.
Two down. Four to go.
"Electivire! GO!" The boy shouted. Boy was he pissed off now.
The pokemon rushed onto the field with a roar and faced off with Chandelure, ready to charge. I frowned. I always gave Lurre a choice scarf to insure its ability to outspeed most threats, unfortunately that limited it to using the first move it used upon switching out. I couldn't let my pokemon take a hit from Electivire… Lurre was far too frail for that, and couldn't do enough damage with energy ball to finish off the electric pokemon growling in front of it.
He was getting frustrated. I could see it in his eyes, he wasn't going to think his attacks through.
"Electivire! Wild charge!"
"Let's have a little bit of fun, shall we? Summit, take the hit. Lurre, come back to me!" Summit rushed into the ring to replace Lurre. Sparks flew as the enraged Pokemon connected with Summit. I smiled in satisfaction. Electric-type moves such as wild charge couldn't damage a ground-type like Summit. Unfortunately, Summit wouldn't be able to take another hit after the first Foul Play... Akitti would have to pick up the slack here.
"Electivire, Ice Punch!"
"Akiiti, take the front!"
Another clean switch. Akiiti took the hit without sustaining much damage. Cofagrigus' were amazing physical walls.
The challengers face was twisted in frustraton.
"Wild charge!" He cried, sending his pokemon charging recklessly forward.
Akiiti didn't even flinch, taking the hit head on while sustaining substantial damage. I grimaced, hating to put my friend through any kind of pain.
"Akiiti! Will-o-wisp!" This was a bit of a gamble, since a miss could leave Akiiti vulnerable to another high power attack. Luckily it paid off, and the bright tongue of flame landed squarely on Electivire's chest. The creature grimaced in pain, burnt. Perfect. The burn would lower its attack power and cause damage over time.
The boy's defiant look was replaced by doubt as he clenched and unclenched his fists at his side, clearly unsure what to do next. Beside him, the Garchomp snorted. He glanced up at it and nodded slowly.
"Electivire… come back. Garchomp… Go get him." The boy took a step back, and held his arm up, fist by his shoulder, revealing a thick banded bracelet with a dark stone which sparkled menacingly.
A mega stone? My hand once again wandered to the stone hanging from my neck, gripping it tightly. Mega stones weren't supposed to be so dark…
Suddenly the boy's bracelet flashed white and then black again, seeming to warp the light in the room. The boy's Garchomp reacted to the stone's call, roaring with rage and lust for battle. Suddenly darkness encompassed the Gym, and faded just as quickly. The creature's transformation was complete.
What in the name of…. Something's not right here…
No. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. Focus… Focus…
A roar shook me out of my thoughts. The Garchomp was charging Akiiti. Without an order from its trainer? Something really wasn't right here. I glanced at the challenger. His face was blank. No clues there.
The ground shook as Garchomp unleashed an Earthquake
"Akiiti, do you trust me?"
Akiiti nodded, grimacing from the blow.
"Then just hang in there for me bro!"
Akiiti roared in answer, and braced itself for another attack
Wait for it… wait for it.
The Garchomp charged again, preparing to hit Akiiti with a powerful Dragon Claw. The attack made contact, and Akiiti staggered back, in pain.
Now!
"Akiiti! Will-o-wisp!" I held my breath as the tongue of flame floated forward. The fragile flame shattered and went out as it contacted the opposing pokemon. A hit.
"Good work Akiiti, but its Camus' turn now."
Sableye floated into the battle field as Akiiti retreated. It grinned evilly. The Garchomp growled menacingly, hampered though it was by its burn.
I smiled and tapped gently on the stone around my neck. It flashed a brilliant white.
"You're not the only one with a megastone kid!" I shouted, knowing victory was not far off.
The challengers eyes grew wide as he realized the danger. Another flash of light blinded us both, and faded suddenly. Camus was transformed and held its huge gem in front of it like a shield. A maniacal grin stretched across its spectral face.
Before its trainer could try to stop it, Garchomp rushed forward and raised its claws in attack. Camus' gem took the brunt of the blow, and the Ghost Pokemon stood there, dwarfed by the Dragon Pokemon, but unfazed all the same.
"Camus, Calm Mind." Camus complied with pleasure, sitting down and meditating for a moment, preparing itself for attack and defense.
Defeat dawned in the challengers eyes. Garchomp was burnt. it wouldn't be able to damage Sableye, even if it was smart enough to be independent of its trainer's commands. With Camus' special attack and special defense boosted by Calm Mind, Sceptile and Torkoal couldn't do anything either. He shook his head and stepped forward, placing a hand on Garchomps shoulder. The creature paused, looking back at him angry and confused.
"I forfeit" He said simply, turning to go.
"Wait." I shouted after him. He paused. "What's your name?"
"Brandon." He replied without looking back.
"What's up with your Garchomp… Something isn't right with its Megastone."
The boy smirked and glanced back over his shoulder. "Wouldn't you like to know" he jeered, continuing on. He tossed 3 of his pokeballs into the air, and his remaining Pokemon vanished without a sound. He caught the balls as they fell and strode out the door.
I sighed. "He never even paid the challenge fee." Turning away from the battlefield I came face to face with Eve, who was frowning critically.
"We need to talk"
"Fine, but lets at least do it somewhere I can sit down." I yawned lazily, and began walking back towards the office where I'd been sleeping. "Good job guys. I'll treat y'all to some lunch after I talk with Miss Professor" I gave Summit a fistbump as a passed by. Summit growled happily and turned away. "I mean, honestly, I just woke up, you'd think you could at least give me five minutes to eat breakfast or something" I muttered, once again addressing Eve.
As we entered the office I pulled the large office chair out from behind the desk, and slid one up for her. She sat primly, glaring daggers at me. I smiled as charmingly as I could manage, biting back a sarcastic remark. I spun the office chair around, and sat in it backwards, my arms resting on the back of the chair.
I put on my best smile "What can I do for you?"
"Do you recall the application form you submitted to join the league?"
"Of course I do."
"Why did you leave you "reason for joining" section blank?"
"Because my reason for joining is personal." I replied carefully. I didnt want to talk about this. Not now, not ever. Not until the deed was done.
"Personal or not, the League needs to know. We overlooked it at first due to your stellar performance, but certain… personality flaws require us to dive further into your motives." She spoke softly, but weighed each word, as she watched me closely.
I didn't respond.
"Perhaps this will jog your memory then." She handed me a small form. "You submitted this about a week ago. Unless I'm mistaken, this is a formal request for permission to hunt down the so-called "Team Raid". Now why would you have so much interest in a criminal organization, hm?"
"The League was formed in order to protect the populace. Don't you think the best way to do that is to eliminate all possible threats?" I demanded, passing the form back to her.
"The League will be the one to decide that. Regardless of what you believe, Team Raid is only classified as a low level threat to public safety." She tore the form in half, letting the pieces float down to the floor
"A low level threat?" I asked, an edge creeping into my voice. "Do I really need to list the lives lost during their raids?" I shook my head. "Two years ago on April 13th, Team Raid conducted an attack on a shopping mall in downtown Veraton. Sixteen lives were lost when the building collapsed." I looked away, unable to hold her gaze. "I should know… I was there. I lost someone... dear to me."
"Ah yes… her name was Miciah wasn't it?"
So they know more than I thought. I nodded, struggling to hold back the memories that haunted me. What a strange problem for a ghost user to have… being haunted.
Eve interrupted my musings.
"So your reason for joining the League was to complete a personal vendetta?" She shook her head. "We simply can't have that. I'm afraid I'll have to relieve you of duty."
"You can't do that. You know you need a ghost leader." I growled, sorrows of the past temporarily forgotten.
She rolled her eyes. "Jacob can replace you"
"You know as well as I do that he isn't ready." Jacob, that poor kid… He wasn't even old enough to drive.
"At least he'll take his job seriously. Who knows, maybe he'll even have a little respect for his superiors.." She smiled, satisfied.
"Pack your belongings and vacate the premises." She continued, standing up and turning to leave. "Oh and don't forget to congratulate Jacob on his promotion." She laughed softly and left the room.
I took a deep breath and let it out. Calm down Dakota, calm down…
Easier said than done. I pushed the office chair away in disgust and growled with rage. Turning away from the door, I punched the wall in anger. My hand went clean through the drywall and collided painfully with something solid. I took a deep breath, pulling my hand out of the wall. I'll just cover it with a picture or something… I turned to grab my backpack and set it on the office chair, opening it wide.
I started stuffing the few possesion I brought with my into the main pouch. My laptop, a multi-tool, some duct tape, a notepad and a pencil, and a few clothes. I zipped it shut and slung the pack over my shoulder.
"Sir?"
Jacob? Ugh. I was hoping to avoid him on the way out.
"Jacob! What can I do for you?" I asked, as cheerfully as I could manage. I turned around, and my voice trailed off as I saw him.
He was clenching his fists and staring defiantly at the ground, tears of frustration tracing lines down his face. "Jacob… Are you alright?" I asked, sitting him down in the office chair, as I knelt beside him. He buried his face in his hands, and just sat there for a moment. I had no idea what to do, so I wound up kneeling awkwardly beside him with a hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to say something.
"How do you do it?" He asked between sobs.
Finally.
"Do what?"
"How can you be so good? You beat the challenger without letting a single one of your pokemon faint!" He slammed his fists into his thighs. "How come you can do it, but I can't!? I've been training for this position for YEARS and you waltz in and sweep away the competition! Its not… Its not fair…"
I struggled to contain myself. Life wasn't fair. I wanted to tell him that, while I was a strong battler, my life was anything but easy. There were more things wrong with me than I could count.
Instead I merely said, "I'm sorry… I didn't realize..."
"Of course you didnt realize, the only things you can understand are dead." he growled.
I paused. I had no idea what to say to that. He was right though. The only things I truly understood were myself and my pokemon.
"By the way…" I ventured. " Eve fired me. You're the new Ghost Leader… You'll need this." I dug a Distortion badge out of my pocket. It glimmered ominously. It was carved in the image of ghost pokemon, grinning as it stared into the distance. Sometimes I swore the thing knew something I didn't. I paused for a moment and handed it to him.
"You want to know the key to success? The best way to improve your battle potential? Trust. Your pokemon have to trust you, or they won't put their heart and soul into the battle. No pokemon can achieve its true potential without that."
"But… they can't fire you…. I'm not ready for this!" His voice shook with excitement He had completely ignored my advice. So its just the title he wanted. He didn't want to work for it, he didn't the skill to earn it.
"You're more than ready." I lied. Jacob was a terrible battler. " Just remember what I told you. Trust is key." Hopefully, if nothing else, he would remember that. I stood up and turned to go. "I guess this is goodbye. Oh… uhm.. you might want to cover that with a painting or something…" I pointed to the hole my fist had made.
He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, the first words of a question forming in his mouth before he thought better of it.
I could only shrug. Shaking my head slowly, I shrugged the backpack higher onto my shoulders. and strode out the door without a backwards glance. My demeanor may have been calm, but my inside where boiling, a chaotic mass of thoughts and emotions.
I pulled out my music player and put the earbuds in. I didn't even want to listen to music: I just didn't want anyone trying to talk to me. I stuck my hands deep into the pockets of my jeans and strode out of the Gym with a confidence I didn't feel. My Ghost Pokemon slowly faded into view around me, a shield of bodies between me and the world. If only they could protect me from my doubts.
How could I destroy Raid without the League to back me up? I couldn't… It just wasn't possible. Taking down an entire criminal organization on my own? There's just no way...
But I had to. There was no other way to go about it. Besides… This kind of thing has been done before. Something about Team Rocket's efforts in the Johto region being foiled by one kid came to mind. Hm… Then it was possible, and if anyone could make it happen, it would be me.
I realized I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going. I found myself at the edge of town, where the neatly paved roads gave way to the less traveled dirt paths that led through the forests. I was, quite literally, at the end of the road. I glanced over my shoulder at the city which lay behind me.
There was no turning back.
I took a deep breath and let it out, taking grasp of the stone that hung around my neck. I walked forward and gradually disappeared into the shade of the forest.