Heights of Dangers
"You do understand that your constant favors for this kid can go against your reputation as an Elite Four member, isn't it?" Officer Jenny asked with a glare to the blonde man who was sitting on the other side of the bench.
"He's a kid, Officer." the man replied. He was dressed in a regal white attire that matched his personality as one of the strongest trainers in Kalos. But still, there was something about him today that went off. His eyes were full of embarrassment.
"A kid, indeed." Jenny replied. "But Siebold, this is the fourth time this month we've caught him stealing from the local shopkeeper. If it continues, this guy would be in deep trouble, and so will you for supporting a criminal."
"He's not a criminal." Siebold argued, but his words appeared to contradict his own thoughts.
"A kleptomaniac is considered a criminal, sir!" Jenny replied.
"Look, Officer, I'm sorry on his behalf." Siebold replied. "But this boy had nobody to tell him what's right and wrong. He's just misguided."
"Where are his parents?" Jenny asked.
"I have no idea." Siebold replied. "He claims he was brought up by a family of Greninja. I just want him to live normal. You know, what happened to Malva. There are still many like this boy, misguided, turning the wrong way to fulfil their basic needs and later become professional criminals. It's the least I can do for Kalos."
"Alright." Jenny replied with a deep breath. "But this would be the last time I'm compromising. You know I have to answer the higher authorities."
Siebold nodded in agreement. "I'll make sure this would be the last."
"You'd be required to sign here." Jenny said, showing some papers to Siebold. "Here's some advice, as a friend. Don't always help him out of trouble. Teenagers like Leon usually use this as a shield. Sometimes, people need to learn the hard way."
"I'm sure he'll learn one way or other." Siebold spoke, more as a consolation to himself than to Jenny. The Officer gestured her colleague and a few minutes later, the policeman returned with a young teen, probably aged 17. The boy looked fragile and it seemed he was suffering from malnutrition. He wore an ink-blue sleeveless tanktop with brown baggy pants and a long grey scarf over his shoulders. His hair was shaggy and unconditioned, like he just walked out of bed.
"It took ya a l'il late te come?" the boy spoke to Siebold in his distinctive Kelsh accent.
"I have other important works rather than saving your butt, Leon!" Siebold said with disappointment. "Let's leave now. The League would be expecting me." He bowed to Officer Jenny and left, Leon following him.
"This is not done, Leon!" Siebold spoke, as they drove through the streets of Aquacorde City. "I think we already had a discussion about you never stealing again."
"I can't help it." Leon said. "Whenever I'm out, I see stray Pokémon who have to feed on leftovers. I just want to help them."
"By stealing from the shops?" Siebold asked. "Listen Leon, no good reason is enough to do a crime. If it were, we wouldn't have an operational police force and anti-terrorist military organizations. If every other human started thinking like you, world would be a chaos! You're not a child anymore, Leon. You need to grow up."
"I am grown!" Leon snapped.
"Is it?" Leon asked. "You're 17 and have only one Pokémon, and the Froakie hasn't even evolved yet. Trainers of your age have reasonably strong teams and many of them have at least entered one regional championship. You don't even have a single badge!"
"I'm tryin'." Leon said with disinterest.
"No you're not!" Siebold said. "Every time you leave for your journey, you end up stealing and getting caught by the police. Then they take your trainer's license and register you illegible from entering the tournament that year. Think about Froakie, at least. The poor Pokémon is with you since years and had only managed to defeat a few youngsters with no experience. He needs to grow too!"
"A'right!" Leon exclaimed. "I'll leave fo' another journey soon I get my license back 'n won't screw it up this time."
"You won't." Siebold said affirmatively. "Because I got a plan for you."
"You're not sendin' me to de Boardin' school, right?" Leon asked.
"Not that, you're quite old for it." Siebold said with a playful smile, taking a turn that made Leon suspicious.
"Why're we headin' to de airport?" he asked.
"That's my plan for you." Siebold said. "We're taking a plane for Alneo."
—
"Rattata, Hyper Fang!" a youngster ordered his Rattata, who was battling against an Emolga. The Rattata appeared a little troubled as it hesitated before pouncing on the other rodent and dug its sharp incisors into the Emolga's skin.
Emolga winced in pain. "Emolga, Discharge!" the other trainer's voice echoed and Emolga liberated a massive charge of static, sending the Rattata flying a few feet away.
"Alright, Volt Tackle!" the trainer called, and Emolga obliged, colliding head on with the rat Pokémon. The audience clapped in applause and both the trainers returned their Pokémon.
"You are marvelous, Alicia!" the brown-haired youngster said to his opponent. "It'd be great to watch you in the tournament."
"Thank you, Carter!" Alicia replied, tying her golden hair in a ponytail. "But I think I would not be able to enter the Pokélympics this year."
"Why so?" Carter asked.
"The Braviary Flock isn't accepting newcomers." Alicia answered. "And Aunt Elesa says I'm too inexperienced to join her Emolga Strikers."
"You can participate independently." Carter replied. "I've heard that someone is organising an event before the Pokélympics. Didn't know his identity, though, but the newscaster said he's really adamant at putting forward the talents of those who did not get to participate via an established team."
"Really?" Alicia asked. "Is this thing even official?"
"Cent percent!" Carter answered. "I've watched the interview with this man's manager, and he said that they are given a two-week deadline for creating a team by the Alneo League. So, there'd be an event tournament in the Pokélympics Coliseum this Saturday. The team would be handpicked by the jury and will be given a direct entry in the Pokélympics."
"Saturday?" Alicia asked with utter shock. "You mean to say I have only five days to prepare and reach Alneo if I want to participate?"
"Apparently." Carter replied.
"Omigosh!" Alicia exclaimed. "I gotta go! Thanks for the information, Carter!" With this, Alicia rushed off.
If there was anything Alicia Circuit liked the least, it was getting late for an important event. It had been her greatest dream to be a Pokélympic Champion. And why not? Pokélympics was a tournament that was entirely different from the Regional League Tournaments and winning it meant worldwide glory. It was a once-in-four-years chance and Alicia didn't want to lose it.
She had done her best to please her aunt, the Gym Leader Elesa Circuit, but the strict CEO of the Emolga Strikers Team made it clear that she won't be favoring her niece and instead asked her to prepare for the next event. But now Alicia had a chance. And she wasn't going to lose it.
—
"Ye wan' me te enter the Pokélympics?" Leon asked Siebold in disbelief, soon as they entered the registration center.
"No." Siebold replied. "I want you to win the event."
"Can't ya just throw me off the Prism Tower?" Leon asked. "C'mon Siebold, I'm not ready te do something this big!"
"Call it personality development." Siebold spoke with a wicked smile. "Or tell me you're a coward chicken and we'll head back to Kalos, where you can continue stealing and ending up in jail."
"I'm not a coward!" Leon huffed.
"Then play the cards you're dealt." Siebold said. "Prove me that you can do better than being an outlaw. Can you do that?"
"Honestly speaking, I can't!" Leon replied blatantly. "But... what's wrong in tryin'?"
Siebold smiled. "Enough for me. I'll be cheering for you."
"Won't ya stay here with me?" Leon asked.
"Physically, I can't." Siebold answered. "The League has a lot of works for me. But you can be sure I'll be watching you. The initiation process for the new team will start this Saturday. Make sure you catch a couple Pokémon and train hard for the event."
Leon nodded in agreement.
"So, here's your trainer license and your own new PokéTab." Siebold spoke, handing Leon a small bag. "I've opened a new bank account for you and left you some allowance. Spend it wisely. And remember, it took me a lot of effort to convince Officer Jenny for the license. Make sure that doesn't go in vain. And Leon, please don't go around stealing. I won't be able to help you in Alneo."
"Thanks." was all Leon could reply. Siebold really cared for him. And now he had a responsibility on his shoulders.
Watching Siebold leave, Leon took out the only Pokéball attached to his belt. "Alright, Froakie! No bad works from today onwards. Let's get ourselves registered."
—
"The contestants have arrived, sir!" a middle-aged man spoke, walking into a dark room. The man had grey hair and pale white skin with a grey moustache. His face was full of politeness and respect for the person he was talking to.
"Very well, Frederick!" the other man spoke. It was hard to make out his face because of the darkness, but he sure had a touch of authority in his voice. "I want a 24-hour supervision on the participants. Any ideas?"
"We can install spy cameras around the premises." Frederick replied.
"Cameras aren't enough, Frederick!" the man explained. "You can't have a camera follow them everywhere. I want an eye on their each second, their every movement."
"How about having the cameras on some Kecleon?" Frederick suggested. "They can hide around and we can have them follow the participants around without alerting them."
"That's a nice idea." the man said. "Do it! And yeah, please bring me a cup of black coffee."
"Sure, sir!" Frederick nodded and left the room.
—
The next day, everyone was set for the initiation process of the new team. Alicia had managed to arrive Alneo by the night and get herself registered at the last moment. But now she had to compete against hundred others and she wasn't sure whether she could make it.
"Welcome, young ladies and gentlemen!" Frederick announced. "You all know that this tournament is to build the strongest team that would participate in the Pokélympics. This week, you'll be subjected to a series of tasks. Your performance in these tasks will be the factor that would decide whether or not you'll be in the team. Before we proceed for the first task, the owner of this team would like to have a word with you."
He switched on a large plasma screen, that displayed a silhouette of a man. The light behind him was too bright to make out his features, but the voice was clearly audible. "Is there anyone who would like to back out now?"
The crowd of trainers shifted uneasily. What kind of question was that? Why would anyone like to back out?
"Nobody?" the man continued. "That's good. But take a second thought, since you all have signed a contract that says you can't turn back once the tasks start. So, this is the only chance you have. So, I repeat my question, does anyone want to return now?"
The crowd remained silent. "Your spirits are sure high!" the man spoke. "Which brings us to the first task. Frederick, blindfolds."
At Frederick's signal, the crew members headed to the contestants with black cloths, blind folding their eyes securely. A few minutes later, the sounds of helicopter blades echoed in the air.
"Walk ahead." Alicia heard someone speak to her, supporting her by the shoulders.
"What are we gonna do?" Alicia asked. After the man's question about turning back and getting blindfolded, Alicia was not much sure that this task would be mere Pokémon battling. It was something much sinister, and the sound of helicopters increased her suspicions.
"You will be told everything." the girl who was supporting her spoke. "Now, get into the helicopter." Alicia obliged and in a few minutes, she was able to feel the winds on her face. It was a really pleasant feeling, until she felt someone tie her hands together at the back.
"What are you doing?" Alicia complained. Similar reactions came from several other trainers who were in the same helicopter.
"The first task, if you have already guessed it, determines whether you can face the heights of your own spirits." the man's voice came again, but this time, it was a bit distorted, like it was coming from an old-fashioned transmitter. "You all are 13,000 feet above the ground, which means you would be having an average 1 minute to get rid of your bonds and call a Pokémon to save you. You can use only one Pokémon, so I hope you either have flying Pokémon or have tried skydiving. If neither, then may Arceus have mercy on you!" With this, the crew pushed the contestants off the aircraft.
"Haven't we gone too far on just the first task, sir?" Frederick asked his boss, who was sitting in front of the large computer that displayed foot ages from every single camera as the contestants free-fell towards the vast Alnean Sea. Every single person was struggling to get free of their bonds. Everyone, except one young guy.
"That boy, Frederick!" the man asked. "Who is he?"
"His name's Leon Belle, from Kalos." Frederick answered. "The Elite, Siebold is his guardian."
"Siebold's ward." the man spoke. "It seems I just found a suitable team leader."
Leon was nothing like the other contestants. Instead of struggling and flailing in the mid-air, he dove down like a falcon, not even trying to untie his hands. He was brought up by a family of Greninja. He might be a human by anatomy, but deep down, his soul was of a Pokémon. He was well-versed in the ways of nature.
Leon simply let the winds pass him by, judging his height above the sea level with each passing seconds. Frederick and his boss watched the boy expectedly. Just a thousand feet above the sea, Leon maneuvered in the mid-air, and tossed his Poke all without even untying his hands. The spectators had expected a Flying-type Pokémon, but they were completely stunned when Froakie materialized out of the light.
The Pokémon looked confused initially, being called in between a free fall, but soon understood the situation and launched a Bubblebeam move at the sea, creating a thick coat of foam for Leon to fall safely. Simply diving into the bubbles, Leon then ordered Froakie to untie his hands and soon he was swimming towards the shore.
"This guy is truly magnificent, isn't it sir?" Frederick asked his boss.
"Can't disagree." the man answered. "I'd be disappointed if he failed in the future tasks. As for now, send this boy some gifts and write a letter to Siebold thanking him for giving us this treasure."
Another trainer who caught the man's attention was a young boy with dark pale skin and blue hair. He managed to untie his hands in the air and called out a Snorunt, commanding the Pokémon to use Ice Beam. The Ice-type attack freezed the sea water, making a slide of ice all the way to the shore, but his speed was too much and he ended up getting thrown into the sand and colliding with a nearby palm tree.
"Clever and innovative." the man commented. "But lacks the presence of mind. Anyways, he would make it with some improvements. What's his name?"
"Rendel Glaze, sir!" Frederick replied. "He's from Hoenn."
"Keep a closer look on these two guys." the man spoke.
The rest of the contestants were not as good. A few of them, including Alicia, managed to free themselves and call out a Pokémon. Alicia called out her Magneton, whose ability to levitate in the air saved her in the brink of time. Some others called out their Flying-types, flying to the safety.
The rest, however, were completely horrified and chose the wrong Pokémon in their haste, which proved to be completely helpless. The majority of contestants were not able to even get rid of the bonds, many started praying for their dear lives. Fortunately, a flock of Pidgeot swooped down at these trainers, catching them at the last moment.
"I guess it's time you face the trainers, Frederick!" the man spoke. "Give their room keys to the qualified trainers and ask them to rest. They'll be facing more dangers this week."
—
Author's Notes: So, here's the first chapter of the story. Not much, but rest assure this is going to be a long and bumpy ride. R&R please.