Shadows from Before Chapter 1: Tempest Rising, a pokémon fanfic

Tempest Rising

Thump.

Eyes, slowly opened.

Thump.

Hands, curled inward.

Thump.

She felt it. Scales that felt like grass, breezing under her fingertips.

The thumping ceased. Finally, she could see, but not too well. It was day, she could tell, for the sky was blue, and puffy white clouds slowly trekked through the air. Her vision was blurred, too blurred, making it near impossible for her to see. Her vision shifted, peering forward. Once again, her fingers curled in, grooving through the scales of the creature below her. Whatever it was, seemed to obey her touch, for a mere moment later, it started walking again.

Thump.

So much pain, and she knew not why. Where was she, how did she get here, and why couldn't she remember what happened last? Her mouth was so parched, dry, free of that which she needed. Water, something to drink. Anything to drink. Just to end this tired, hot, dryness that resonated within her mouth. The creature that traveled beneath her, rose the flower that lied on its backside. She felt darkness engulf her, and immediately, she relaxed, as cool air swarmed over her body. Eyes grew half closed next, as the footsteps of the creature below her drew to a slow. She knew not why the being was ignoring her further calls, but she no longer cared. As soon as it stopped, she stopped. Seeing, that is.

…

He tapped the tube before him. It fizzled briefly, as if his touch was all that was needed to shake the contents of the object. The subtle whirring of the machines within the lab, was his only solace, for they were so loud, yet calming. For hours upon hours, he could stare at these tubes, and be complete immersed in the knowledge they could bestow upon him. In fact, he would gracefully accept it, for that was his job after all.

He dragged his fingers through his white hair, while a sigh followed through his aged lips. Leaning back in his chair next, he allowed yet another sigh to escape him. He had been working hard this pass day, so it was only right that he took some time off for himself. Glancing over to his cane, he grabbed the very top of it, for he sought its support. His back had been killing him as of late, something his wife would surely berate him for. He pressed on it, and eventually, lifted the rest of his body.

Maybe he'll visit Lake Verity. It would probably be pleasant looking this time of day, not to mention beautiful. Especially when the calls of the lake waves, intermix with the chirps of Starlys in the air, as well as the subtle blowing of the wind through the trees. It was already making him smile, despite the fact that he hadn't even arrived yet. Would his assistant notice his disappearance? Maybe, but she always knew things, it seemed.

He neared the refrigerator within his lab, for his heavy brown trench coat lied near it. Looking left and right, he was very secretive in the way he opened his cold box. Within, candy. The sight of it made him chuckled, as he grabbed the nearest chocolate bar. A calm lake, Pokémon calls, and candy. It was the holy trinity. For him, anyway.

The door behind him opened. Light, poured into the room, bringing life to the usually dark atmosphere. He straightened up, as he closed the refrigerator door behind him. Her grey green eyes shot through toward him, a sight he reciprocated with one of his own.

She wasn't too tall for her age, but she was a foot ahead of the other girls. Long, raven hair swung from her head, and down past her shoulders. Her sleeveless black shirt, red scarf, pink skirt, and white and red beanie hat, revealed what time of year it was. Summer that is. But all of this paled in comparison to her face. She was usually so cheerful, but the stone cold emotionless visage she had on now said otherwise.

"Dawn..." the professor called, to the girl before him.

She said nothing, instead answering his call, by pointing outside of the door. Something was wrong. He rose his hands, and shuffled the collar on his coat. Nearing the door, she moved out-of-the-way, so he could take the lead. Traveling down the halls, he felt the air suddenly become heavier, as if he wasn't going to like what he was about to see. Call it a professor's intuition.

"Professor Rowan!" one of his many subordinates called, running up to his side, "You will not believe what's outside! Has Dawn told you yet?"

Rowan merely gazed at him with a raised eyebrow, as if the subordinate's words were foolish. It took his underling a moment to realize what he said was wrong, for a brief glance at Dawn said why.

"Oh yeah, that's right. She doesn't talk often..."

The raven haired girl shot him a glare, and he immediately straightened up.

"Okay, okay!" he looked back to Rowan, "Professor, a wild Pokémon just up and popped up at the edge of the town, and its heading inward."

Was that really why he, and Dawn, were so worked up? Just a wild Pokémon? The town was filled to the brim with trainers, both young and old. Did they really need him to deal with this? Sometimes, it was hard being a professor, if everyone always looked to him for help.

He stopped, something his underling found odd. Turning his head away, he shifted his hard gaze to Dawn's eyes. She just stared back, with that hard face of hers.

"Dawn, shouldn't you be able to deal with this, wild Pokémon?"

She shook her head, an act which caught him off guard. Dawn may have been his assistant, but she was a wonderful Pokémon trainer. A damn fine one, he'd even argue to say she's perfect. But here, she stood before him, saying she couldn't deal with a certain wild Pokémon. It actually made the professor wonder, just what lied outside the confides of his laboratory. His vision moved back over to the halls before him, as he eyed the door at the very end. He ignored other scientist and objects alike, as he trekked through his wide expansive lab, to the exit door. Grabbing the bars of the doors, he carefully nudged it open.

Stepping out, he briefly enjoyed the warmth of the sun overhead. Sandgem beach could also be heard some ways off. His fists curled in, however, as his head turned to face the city's entrances and exits. Dawn stepped before him a second later, pointing off in the direction that held the trouble. He followed without a second thought. The closer they got to the town's edge, the more people started huddling around. It wasn't until Dawn suddenly stopped him, did the crowds part.

He heard some people call his name, while questions and inquiries were given, as if he could answer them. But his mind went blank at the sight of that before him.

Thump.

The Venusuar stopped. A Venusaur? Yes, a Venusaur, of all Pokémon, stood before him, surrounded by people. It oozed poison from its lips. Rowan watched that purple substance touch the ground, killing the grass, and producing the most disgusting of smells. But the professor was not shaken by this. He merely brought his gaze back up from the sight, and settled them upon the Venusaur. A wild Venusaur is rare, for any region, but here, in Sinnoh? It was near impossible for one to just pop up out of the blue. No wonder everyone was confused, he was confused as well.

The Venusaur stepped forward. Its movements were slow yet erratic. It was like a rabid animal, the way it waved back in forth. Or a pained on. Whether it be pained, rabid, or something else, the professor could tell it was angry, and therefor dangerous. But the Venusaur was holding secrets, he knew that much.

"Just calm down..." he ordered, as if he could speak to the Pokémon.

The Venusaur snapped its eye to him. Almost immediately, Rowan began regretting his words. The leaves on the grass Pokémon's back suddenly riled up. A long brown vine slid out, waving in the air in hypnotic fashion. The people who gathered around started to fret, and for good reason. The Venusaur's attention shifted to them. Around in a circular motion, the Pokémon whipped its vines. It sent many moving away, seeking safety in space. Rowan stood still, however, and that made the Pokémon angrier.

One of its vines snapped forward, striking Rowan square in the chest. Though he had been attacked by many Pokémon, it was in his job description after all, the attack was powerful enough to down him. He could have sworn he felt some bones snap under the strike. He fell back, clenched his chest, and winced, as this powerful pain coursed all throughout his body. Looking up, he saw Dawn's skirt flit by.

An object suddenly enlarged in her hand. A sphere, red and white. The raven haired girl's face groveled into rage, as she pulled back the ball in her hand, preparing to launch it forward.

"I choose you!" she suddenly yelled out, throwing the Poke Ball forward, "Scorch!"

The red and white ball flew from her hand, and toward the Venusaur. Landing in between her and the reptilian like Pokémon, the Poké Ball suddenly snapped. A brilliant and fantastic light escaped the red and white capsule, filling the air with an aura of mystery. It seemed as if people were still mesmerized by the sight, even if they had seen it time and time before. The Venusaur that struck at the town straightened up its demeanor, as everything grew silent suddenly.

The shine from the Poké Ball ended. Standing in its place, tall on its simian feet, with fire dancing off its head and tail, was,

"INFERNAPE!" Dawn's Pokémon cried out, hopping up and down, from toe to toe.

The fire that dance along its body burned wildly, illuminating the golden swirls on its chest, hands, and shoulders. The cry it sent out was a strong one too, spurning fear into those too weak to stand before it.

The wild Venusaur that stood before it showed no fear in the least bit, however. Instead, it continued to ooze ghastly amounts of venom from its lips, further staining the ground so that no grass would ever grow from it again. Behind his assistant, Rowan got to his feet, shaking wearily from the pain he was feeling. A glance at the Venusaur showed him just how feral it was, as if that wasn't known before. But what was a Venusaur doing here, without a trainer, out of the blue? That question plagued him.

It seemed Dawn would not give him the chance to ask his questions, for she was already preparing to end the monster before them.

"Scorch!" she called, an appropriate hand gesture following the bark, "Fire Punch, now!"

The ape lifted his fist. Where it was brown usually, suddenly ignited in a blazing red and yellow flame. The ape then rose his other fist, and held it in a way that gave him the style of a boxer. His feet started moving him forward then, as he continued to bounce from toe to toe. But the Venusaur, despite the type difference, showed no fear toward the approaching simian. Whether he be on fire or not, it mattered very little to the grass monster.

Suddenly the Infernape dashed forward. He was a virtual blur, save for the streaks of the flames upon his body. Left and right, he moved, clearing the distance between he and his foe in a matter of seconds. His eyes burned with red-hot intensity as he shortened the distance between he and his foe. And upon arrival, he slammed his blazing fist upon the Venusaur's head.

The battle should have ended there. Dawn's Infernape was a powerful one, after all, able to down a Pokémon easily. But there was something off about that Venusaur. Instead of falling, like it should have, the Pokémon forced through the pain, striking Scorch with a head butt. The counter attack made Dawn's Infernape struggle back, as his head throbbed with pain. The raven haired girl's eyes widened in confusion. Should the Venusaur not have been set ablaze by the attack, or at the very least, knocked unconscious?

No, instead, the Venusaur was getting closer to his simian foe, while it continued to ooze that gangly substance from its lips. Dawn's Infernape slowly rose his hand, tightening it into a fist as soon as it was high enough. The Venusaur finally stopped.

While Dawn pondered her next course of action, Rowan scanned the Venusaur closely. Clearly, there was more to it than meets the eye. A normal Venusaur would have downed in one hit by Dawn's Infernape, but it was obvious to everyone now, that the Pokémon before them was no normal Pokémon. But something was oddly mesmerizing about it. Rowan squinted his eyes a bit, as he tried to identify what was so mind consuming about this creature. And it suddenly hit him. The Pokémon's great tree, the red one that sat on its back, was hunched down abnormally. Most Venusaur's allowed their trees to be high up, so it was interesting that this one would have its down. It was hiding something, and Rowan couldn't find out what.

That was until further inspection. He watched as a hand snaked out upon the Venusaur's head briefly, before sliding back into the tree's leaves. The sight of it made Rowan's eyes widen, for he was not sure if he actually saw that or not. Could there, perhaps, be a human on that Pokémon?

"Scorch!" Dawn called, "Fire Punch! Again!"

The Infernape jutted back just briefly, before his feet brought him forward once again. Those flames on his body danced wildly through the air, as he doggedly dashed toward his foe. But just like last time, the Venusaur showed no emotion, other than blatant rage. Once Scorch arrived to his foe, he caused the same events to pan out as last time. His flaming fist struck the Venusaur square by the head, making it turn away, as fragments of fire fell through the air. But now, the Venusaur began to stagger.

Its stance was even more injured than before, but it still retained its pain. Dawn smirked, mentally praising herself on a job well done. The Venusaur may have been high and mighty upon its arrival, but it would fall soon. A mere twitch of her hand, and her Infernape obeyed. His mouth opened, and red-hot flames started to dance about in its jaw. His master didn't even need to give the order, for he already knew how she wanted him to end things. The Venusaur's eyes were growing half closed, as it struggled to continue standing.

It should have been over now, the Venusaur should have fallen. But it didn't, to everyone surprise. Its eyes grew wide open yet again, as a powering aura took it. The great plant on its backside started to shake and shimmer, while purple dots started to glimmer upon it. These darts quickly formed orbs, orbs which floated around the Venusaur's body. In confusion, Scorch peered at the orbs. They eventually began bouncing closer and closer, clearing the distance between them, and the burning monkey. Upon arrival, these orbs started spinning. Faster and faster they twirled around Dawn's Infernape, picking up speed with every passing second. The burning simian attempted striking them, but each attempt only caused his attack to sway harmlessly through them. Suddenly, the ground under his toes started to shine. A purple glow was casted upon his body, as he gazed down to his toes. A vibrant purple aura, manifesting itself as a gateway, started to swarm at his toes. He felt his body grow tense, as this purple aura grew to near blinding levels.

Then it was gone. Almost immediately, in fact. Scorch stood in the field, with everyone's eyes on him, and his foe. He felt fine at first, as if the attack had missed. But as soon as his foot moved forward, his heart locked up. He started coughing as well, choking in fact, as it got hard to see as well. His nose grew clogged, as if he had come down with a nasty case of the common cold. But it wasn't a cold he had, it was much worst.

Dawn's eyes widened.

"Poisoned…" she whispered, as her Infernape struggled to stand tall.

He was ever the trooper however, as he rose his hands in a battling position. Once more the simian coughed, but this was brief, for it was trying to hold its weakness. It wouldn't lose to this Venusaur, no way no how. But damn was it hard to move. He felt all of his muscles, scream at him as they immediately froze up, no matter how hot he was.

Dawn on the other hand, cocked her head in confusion. She wasn't an idiot. Though the outcome was still the same, that wasn't a move a Venusaur could use. Poison Powder, yes, but Toxic? A Venusaur doesn't learn Toxic, its taught Toxic. This wasn't a wild Pokémon. Someone was commanding this thing.

"Scorch!" Dawn called, thrusting down her arm, "Flame Wheel! Now!"

She watched her Pokémon cough up, while his arms moved toward the sky. The Venusaur was getting closer, but heat started to rise from its toes. It glanced down, seeing fire catch right under its feet. The flames danced in a fiery vortex around it, striking its body. Everyone heard the Venusaur cry out, but not in pain, instead in anger. Scorch thought that he could be safe, but the vortex did little to stop the Venusaur's next attack.

Purple darts began floating around the Infernape. He looked up and around to them all, his eyes open up wide. These darts continued to appear, and actually grew a bit fuzzy as they clumped together. It would be a lie to say that Dawn's Infernape had seen this thing before. If he had, maybe he would have known how to deal with the attack.

The purple blobs suddenly forced themselves forward. Scorch tried to swat them away, but they swarmed is body, covering every patch of skin and fur. Some of it got into his orifices, filling his mouth, nose and ears. The flaming simian dropped to his knees, as he hacked, wheezed, and moan in pain. His body was really feeling the pain now, as this attack seemed to aid the effects of his poison.

Dawn was flabbergasted. Venoshock? That Pokemon actually used Venoshock! When used in tandem with the effects of Poison, Venoshock's power increases. She could only imagine the pain her Infernape was going through, though he showed in to all. Tactics like this were definitely not something a wild Pokémon would employ.

Scorch struggled to get to his toes, but Dawn wouldn't let him. He was too hurt as is, even though this battle was in his favor to begin with. The raven haired girl knew something was up, and if she kept Scorch out, he'd only be injured further. She reached back, and grabbed the flaming Pokémon's accompanying Poké ball, while she also procured an Ultra Ball from her purse. She had the perfect Steel type to end this fight. But a hand fell upon hers. Glancing up, she stared into Rowan's stern face. He seemed to know something, something she wasn't aware of.

The Venusaur struck out its vines, blowing away the flaming vortex encompassing it. To its surprise, it found Rowan was slowly walking toward it. The vines sticking from its body rose once again, as the seed Pokémon got ready to strike down its foe. But the Professor merely waved his hand, as if that gesture would settle the angered Pokémon. It didn't, for the Venusaur stepped forward, ready to strike him. Rowan knew this, and the need to quell the creature filled him.

"Calm down…" he whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you…"

The Venusaur's feet stopped. Its face was still hard and angry.

"You look like you've been through a lot," Rowan continued, "Are you okay?"

The Venusaur started growling.

"I just want to help…" Rowan reached his hand away, sliding it into his trench coat. When it returned, he held a chocolate bar in his hand, "Here? Are you hungry?"

The Venusaur's eyes started to shine, as the growling ceased. It was still weary of the aged man before it, however, and it showed this by its slowly approaching vines.

"Your master…" Rowan suddenly murmured, "Is he here?"

The Venusaur's rage stopped. The vines it had, ready to strike the professor, started to recede into the Pokémon's back. The eyes that were heavy and filled with rage, grew half closed, and drowsy. At the same time, the venom that seeped from its maw, returned to its mouth. The Venusaur let out a low moaning noise, as it fell to its stomach. It couldn't stand anymore, for it was much too tired to do something. Rowan's hand touched upon its face, between the eyes and the nose. He looked up a moment later, as the beast grew silent under his touch.

The red ferns of its tree slid back, as the trunk moved down. Everyone grew silent, as they stared in awe at the scene before them. And he saw her.

A girl, not much older than Dawn, was lying underneath the Venusaur's body. Wearing this greenish blue sleeveless top, red skirt, her clothing was very different. Her silver-grey hair covered her face, but Rowan could tell she wasn't conscious.

His arms reached forward, to grab her. Some fear was within him, for the moment he touched her skin, he felt so cold. He dragged her over to him, leaning her up against his body. Hand touching her hair, he moved it out-of-the-way. His suspicions were correct, for she was out like a light. But her face was so soft, as if she had suffered through something, and had just now been given rest.

"Who are you?" he inquired.

Maverick Talks.

You know, I normally don't like starting one fanfic during another, but I just couldn't help writing this. One of my fans, TheDivines, had a talk with me, saying I should try writing for Pokemon. I've been told I should attempt writing for something else before, but I was apprehensive the last time. Pokemon's a different story however, seeing as I started writing Pokemon fanfics that weren't to great.

Any who, this one'll be different. How different? We'll see, but enough preface. Let me talk.

I verily enjoyed writing this. I always enjoy writing fight scenes, because I rarely see them in fanfics I read. But what I enjoy most about this chapter, is the tactics. On any normal day, an Infernape would wreck a Venusaur, no lie. But of course, main character ability. The Pokemon used in this are all based off of my teams. Scorch is the name for my Infernape, and the Venusaur has my Venusaur's novelists and what not. My favorite combo, is using Toxic on my foe, then Venoshock. My enemies are usually dead by that point in time.

Lastly, my handling of Dawn's character. If she seems a bit colder than usual, I'm sorry. I tried to catch the tone that all Pokemon main character's have. That is, the silent nature, and how they only give Pokemon commands, and say Yes/No. I tried to make Dawn silent like that, ya'know? She won't have the same characterization as she does in the anime, if you catch my drift.

Well, enough talking for now. I'll save some more words for later. Right now, I have to get back to Double the Trouble.

Maverick Kay Prime