Chapter One: An Unusual Introduction
As was typical of them this point in their adventure, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were traveling through the beautiful Kalos Region, on their way to Ash's 8th and final gym challenge, as well as Serena's final Pokémon Showcase. However, Serena's Showcase was in the close by town of Couriway Town, so the group decided to go there first. Ash didn't mind going there first, as this would give him some more time to do special training. After traveling for a few hours towards Couriway Town, the gang decided to stop in a nearby cleaning to have some lunch.
Having stopped in the clearing, Ash decided to do a little bit of training while lunch was being made. Likewise, Serena was doing some practice sessions to prepare for her upcoming performance. Both were fiercely dedicated to their training/practicing, and it seemed like nothing would break their concentration, until both Pikachu and Sylveon started acting nervously. Both Pikachu and Sylveon couldn't stop shaking, no matter what they tried doing. Ash and Serena looked at each other, and couldn't figure out what was going on! "I've never seen them act this strange" Ash remarked. The rest of the group agreed with them. Suddenly, the group saw a large bush rustling, almost as if it was reacting to and earthquake. Bonnie and Serena immediately began to be fearful of what, or who, may be behind the bush, and Ash and Clemont prepared to defend the group from whatever comes.
The tense rustling continued for around two minutes or so, until finally, a Garchomp appeared from within the bush. Ash and Clemont almost called for their Pokémon to attack, but they noticed that the Garchomp was badly hurt. The Garchomp took two steps forward, and collapsed to the floor. As the group began to express their concern, the bush rustled again. This time, a young man staggered out! "From the looks of it", Clemont said, "this must be Garchomp's trainer. And he took just as much damage as Garchomp did!" The trainer, who was a young man in his early 20's, staggered forward towards his Garchomp. This trainer had dark brown hair, was wearing a combination of a black t-shirt, grey vest, dark blue jeans, and black shoes, in addition to wearing glasses. The trainer just about made his way to the Garchomp, when he started to fall to the floor. As he fell he weakly said "Sheppard….", and collapsed on the dirt next to the Garchomp.
Naturally, after seeing this Pokémon and its trainer collapse in front of them, Serena and Bonnie were freaking out! Clemont, was starting to freak out, when Ash called for him to get a hold of the local Pokémon Center, which as luck would have it, also had a wing for people, in addition to Pokémon. The medic vehicle arrived shortly after the call came in, and both Trainer and Pokémon were rushed to the Pokémon Center. "Guys, let go make sure they recover!" Serena suggested. The group responded with the same answer. "Right!" they said, and rushed off after the medic vehicle.
Several hours had passed, and both the trainer and his Pokémon were still in dire condition. "Will he be okay?" Serena asked Nurse Joy. "He took a very savage beating, and he is still is dire condition, but his condition is slowly improving. I think he will be fine with some rest. Are you the ones who called us about him?" Nurse Joy asked. "Yes, that's correct. They staggered out of the forest, and looked as if they had taken a lot of damage from something or someone." Clemont stated. "Well, we appreciate you calling us when you did. Any longer, and I'm afraid the outlook wouldn't have been so good", commented Nurse Joy. "Regardless, you are welcome to stay here with him as long as you like". "Thank you, Nurse Joy", stated the group.
Day turned into night, and the young trainer and his Garchomp were still unconscious. Nurse Hoy had offered some space for the group to stay the night, as they insisted they stay until the trainer and his Pokémon came to. And Nurse Joy simply didn't have the heart to turn them away. By this time, most of the gang was asleep, except for Bonnie and Serena. They were so concerned for the welfare of this trainer and his Pokémon, they stayed awake all night to make sure they were okay. Bonnie was more worried for the Garchomp, who was in the room next to his trainer, so she was peering through that window. Serena was more concerned with the welfare of the trainer, so she was watching through his window. Eventually, they decided they needed to sleep, so they retired to bed for the night.
Early the next morning, the group was woken up by a loud alarm. All they could hear was "CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!" over the loudspeaker. They rushed to the rooms with the trainer and his Garchomp. The Garchomp was fine, but the trainer was visibly jerking around in the hospital bed, almost like he was having a seizure! This was worrying to the group, and they nervously looked on. The alarms finally subsided, and the trainer was no longer having this seizure. The group refused to leave the window for the next couple of hours.
A few more hours passed, and everybody in the group, save Serena, was sitting out in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. In her mind, Serena was fervently wishing the trainer would be okay, and that he would regain consciousness. Her thought train was cut off by a loud gasp. She looked up, and saw the trainer gripping his chest and gasping for air. Serena called for Nurse Joy, shouting "He's awake!" Then, she called the rest of the group, "You guys, the trainer is awake! Come quick!". Everyone rushed to the room, and saw Nurse Joy tending to the injured trainer. This Trainer was me. Nurse Joy was asking me some general questions to ensure my head was still on straight.
"How do you feel?" Asked Nurse Joy.
"Ugh. Like I was hit by a cargo train", I responded. "How did I get here, Ma'am?
"The trainers outside your window brought you here when they found you collapsed in the woods outside the town", responded Nurse Joy.
"And what town are we in, exactly?" I asked.
"Couriway Town, sir." Answered Nurse Joy. "What is your name, sir?"
"Nicolas." I responded. "Do you mind?" I asked, motioning towards the window.
"No, not at all!", responded Nurse Joy with a smile.
I made a motion to signal these trainers to come in. they opened the door, and all came inside before I asked them to close it.
"Nurse Joy tells me you are the ones who found me. I have to thank you for getting me here."
"It was no problem, really! We are just glad to see you are finally awake! My name is Serena" stated the oldest young woman of the group. "I'm Bonnie! Nice to meet you!" spoke the youngest member of the group. The two young men in the group caught my interest. The eldest, a young man with blonde hair and a technology backpack and jumpsuit, seemed a decently strong Pokémon trainer. The other, a young man with jet black hair, a red cap, blue clothes, and a Pikachu on his shoulder, seemed exceptionally strong for his age. The blonde-haired young man spoke, "My name is Clemont. It's a relief to see you awake!" "And I am Ash. And this is my partner Pikachu!" His Pikachu greeted me with a smile.
"My name is Nicolas. I am a veteran trainer from the Sinnoh Region." I responded. Suddenly, I had a small panic attack. I immediately turned to Nurse Joy, "Sheppard! Nurse Joy, where is my Garchomp?!" I panicked. "No need to worry, your Garchomp is resting peacefully in the next room. It woke up some time ago. But it will not respond to our staff. I can only assume it will respond to you." Nurse Joy responded. "Oh, good. Thank you, Nurse Joy. And thank you, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena". I gave them a smile. I tried to get out of the bed, which worried Nurse Joy, but I managed to get on my feet. "I am sorry for the scare. I appreciate you looking out for me, all of you. Really, I appreciate it". Luckily, I was still in my clothes, so I walked to Garchomp's room. The others tried to follow me, but I asked them to stay outside the door. "He is nervous around new people unless I'm there, so ill introduce you later."
"Sheppard, it's me. Wake up bud. Please." I called. Garchomp opened one eye, and upon seeing that it really was me, he got off his bed, and embraced me. "Oh, thank goodness, you're okay. I was worried, bud. Let's get you back in your Pokéball, okay?" Garchomp nodded. I grabbed his Luxury Ball from my belt, and called, "Sheppard, return!" the closed Pokéball emitted a beam or red light, and took Garchomp back into his capsule. I left the room, thanked Nurse Joy and the group of trainers once again, and set out on my way.
About a half mile down the road, I noticed I was being followed. It was the group from the Pokémon Center. I stopped mid step, and called out, "You are following me. Why?" Ash was the first to respond, "We all have our own reasons, but we want to make sure you don't get injured again." I did not respond to this, but instead responded with, "Follow me, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. I want to show you something." I lead them to the town's famous waterfall. The roar of the waterfall was captivating to me, but as soon as the rest of the group caught up to me, Ash was as blunt as I had expected him to be. "What is this about?" he asked.
"You appear to be decently strong, correct?" I responded. "Well, sure. I have 7 badges here in Kalos!"
"As do I. but you have visited other regions, correct?" I asked him.
"Yeah, but how did you know that?" Ash retaliated
"I'll tell you that, if you battle me first." I answered.
"All right, if that's the way you want it, ill battle you!" Ash enthusiastically responded.
"Excellent. Follow me then!" I shouted, as I ran towards the waterfall.
I ran as fast as I could towards the waterfall, and ran right through it. The group seemed a bit shocked at my actions at first, but as soon as they saw me go all the way through, they followed me in. Behind the gorgeous waterfall, was a hidden battlefield that few even knew about. The group all uttered their "Whoa!" and "Wow!" remarks upon seeing this battlefield. I took my stance on one side of the field, and pointed at the other side, and said, "Let us delay no more! Ash Ketchum of Pallet town, I hereby challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" Ash simply nodded. Clemont offered to be the referee, and I agreed, but stated what kind of battle we were going to have. "This will be a simple one-on-one battle. It will be over when either side is unable to continue! Are you ready to proceed?" Again, Ash just nodded.