The man with a Gallade's arm

by Lord Genesis Shadow

This is the story of a man who just wanted to raise a Ralts. Doesn't seem much to ask, but after a narrow ordeal he gets his wish. But what if there is something more to what he wants? What if he was destined for something great? Ch.20 is now up. Enjoy.

3. Two new friends

Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do not own the rights to Pokémon. If I did, I would have a lot more money and I would probably not be posting on .

Okay, here we have chapter three of The Man with the Gallade's Arm. If you ask me, that kind of sounds like it would make a great title for a James Bond crossover fic. Regardless, this chapter we have a character from Diamond and Pearl joining, and it may seem like a bit of a stretch. I needed a way to bring out some of Zero's past, so I figured that this would be my best way to do so. Anyone who has a problem with the way I did this, let me know. I would also like to take this time to thank DragonLord Seth for his reviews, as he is the only one so far.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how many people are reading this fic. Going by the number of readers, I think I'm doing fairly well at writing this. I guess I'll unleash another fic I've prepared. It was written long before this one, but I expect it to do about as well. If you'd like to read it, please review and let me know.

Lastly, I'd like to say that it is quite refreshing to be back in the writing game. I've spent a long time away from , but I felt like I wasn't doing as good of a job as I could as a writer. My technique was weak and not well thought out, I barely gave a second glance to plot errors and grammar, and I barely tried to put together a feasible storyline. I've been practicing, working hard on my technique, and I feel like I've made a good deal of progress. I've not been back a week, but I plan to make up for lost time. A few setbacks over the past few days have slowed me down, but there is nary a force that can hold back one such as I. I'm back, and this time I'm ready.
…

I stretched and looked over to the window as Sting flew in. He looked over at me and stared at my right arm intently.

"Hey Sting." I said. I held up my arm. I had told him about what happened, and I found out that he had told Garth. "I guess I should tell you that I've obviously changed." He buzzed. "That injury Gallade gave me is changing my body. I have psychic powers and I have the right arm of a Gallade." He buzzed and nodded. I grabbed his ball and lobbed it to him, and he tapped the tip of his right stinger at it. The red beam pulled him in while Liz stirred quietly. I stretched and smiled. She sat up slowly and slowly opened her eyes. I used my power to pull Sting's ball over to me. I flicked the button and put it on my belt as she stretched. "Good morning Liz."

"Kirlia." She said tiredly. I walked over to the tank Garth was in to see him moving about energetically.

"Hey Garth." I said. He turned to me and smiled. He opened his mouth and several bubbles issued. "I'm glad you're happy buddy, because today we're taking on the Cerulean Gym." I moved the top of the tank and he surfaced. I grabbed his ball and flicked the button. I pointed the button at him and pressed the recall switch and the beam returned him to the inside. I put the ball on the belt as Liz walked out of the bedroom. "Hey Liz. Are you ready to head on to the next Gym?" She yawned and stretched. I smiled and grabbed my coat and hat. I put the hat on and then the coat. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
…

I looked up at the sign and smiled. Liz tugged at my right hand and I looked down at her. She pointed to the right and I looked to see three girls walking our way. One had blond hair, one had blue hair like me, and the third had pink hair.

"So, do you think we'll have any challengers today?" The blond asked. The pink haired one pointed at me.

"I think I see one already." She said. They walked up while Liz tugged at my hand. I knelt down and she held her arms up to me. I smiled and picked her up and set her on my shoulders. She wrapped her arms around my hat and the three girls smiled. "Are you here to challenge us for a badge?" I nodded.

"Wow, such a nice trainer." The blue haired girl said. I smiled as they walked past me. "We'll see you inside." I nodded as Liz tapped my hat.

"Okay Liz, we're going in, hold your Rapidash." I said. I walked up to the door and pushed it open. I walked in and followed the signs that lead to the Gym. I opened the marked door and whistled. "Now this is an awesome gym." I looked to see the blond girl waiting on the opposite side.

"How many Pokémon do you have?" She called. I stepped on the marked area and knelt.

"Three." I called back. "Liz, Sting, and Garth." She pulled out a Pokéball and smiled.

"Well, I've only got two, so let's do this one on one." She said. "Two each." I nodded and pulled out Garth's Pokéball as she threw hers. "Alright Seaking, let's get this show started." A large golden fish appeared in the water and submerged.

"Okay Garth, I've got complete faith in you buddy." I said quietly. I opened the Pokéball. "So let's make this a memorable first battle." He appeared in the water and the blond girl laughed loudly as he surfaced.

"A Magikarp?" She asked. "Are you sure about this? He's not exactly suited for a fight against a Seaking." I knelt, chuckled, and patted Garth on his back fin.

"I have total faith that Garth can do this." I said. Garth jumped up quite high and landed with a small splash. I stood up as the girl sighed.

"Okay, but this won't last long." She said. She pointed to Garth as her Seaking surfaced. "Okay Seaking, use Horn Attack." The Seaking shot forward as Garth scowled.

"Garth, jump into the air and tackle on the way down." I said quickly. Garth jumped up again as the Seaking stopped before hitting my platform. It looked up as Garth came back down hard on top of it. "Keep it up Garth, use Tackle again." He jumped up slightly as the Seaking surfaced with an angry glare.

"Seaking, dodge it!" The girl said loudly. It was too late as Garth landed again.

"Once more Garth, you're doing great." I called. Garth shot up and landed again, harder than before, knocking the Seaking out.

"Seaking, are you okay?" The girl called. Seaking floated up with a dazed look. She sighed and pulled out her Pokéball as Garth splashed happily. "Man that Magikarp is fast." He splashed more furiously and suddenly sank as Seaking returned to his ball.

"Garth, are you okay buddy?" I asked. A bright glow issued from where he was moments before. His body grew long and serpentine. He surfaced as a red Gyarados and roared while the girls stared in awe. A red Gyarados was incredibly rare, especially coming from a normal Magikarp. "Garth, you big lug you." He turned to me and stared for a moment before moving his head down by Liz and me. He closed his eyes as I moved up close and set my arms against his head. "You did it Garth, you beat that Seaking." I patted him and he growled happily. "We knew you could do it." He moved away and looked over at the blond girl. "So, who's up next?" She smiled and tossed her second Pokéball.

"Let's go Dewgong." She called. I smiled as the Dewgong appeared in the water. "Are you sticking with Garth?" I looked up at him and he nodded.

"He looks like he's raring to break in his new body." I said confidently. "I'd be mean to say no." She nodded and pointed at Garth.

"Let's go Dewgong; use Ice beam!" She called. Dewgong quickly jumped up and the bright blue energy appeared in its open mouth.

"Dodge it and use tackle." I called. Garth narrowly avoided the beam and the water around Liz and I turned to a sheet of ice. He dove under the water and shot toward Dewgong as it landed with a splash.

"Use Headbutt Dewgong." She called. Garth barely moved aside and slammed his tail into Dewgong.

"Turn and use Bite!" I called. He turned and barely missed Dewgong.

"Hit him with a Headbutt." The girl called. I winced as Dewgong spun and hit Garth with a painful hit to his head. He opened his mouth angrily, only to be hit with another Headbutt. His eyes closed and his head floated to the surface. "Sorry Garth, but we can't let you win easily." I pulled out his ball and pointed it at him. He opened his eyes and nodded weakly.

"You did a great job Garth." I said. "Return." The beam struck him and he returned to the ball. "That's one strong Dewgong." I looked at Liz. "Let's show them how we do things back home." She nodded and teleported to a stand several yards from where I stood.

"I hope you know what you're doing." The girl taunted. I waved politely at her. "Why don't you start?" Dewgong sat in the water watching us. I shrugged.

"If you insist." I said. "I wish we had more time to battle, but I think I should get Garth checked into a Pokémon Center soon." I pointed at Dewgong and smiled. "Sorry about this but, Liz, let's lead off with confusion." Liz nodded and the girl looked scared as Dewgong rose out of the water. "Let's take a bow." Liz giggled and bowed while Dewgong was slammed onto the platform opposite of her. "Let's wave to the crowd now Liz." She stood up and waved and Dewgong was thrown into the water harshly. It surfaced a few seconds later, out colder than the ice in front of me. "And that's all she wrote." Liz teleported next to me and giggled. I knelt down and held my arms out. She stepped in and hugged me. "Great job Liz. I knew you could do it." She smiled as I picked her up. She turned around as I set her on my shoulders.

"Wow, I was so not expecting her to be a psychic Pokémon." The blue haired girl said. She walked over with a tear shaped badge in her right hand. "You really know how to raise your Pokémon." I smiled as she held out the badge. "You've more than earned this." I held out my right hand and she placed in on my palm.

"I do what I can, but it was Liz and Garth out there doing the hard part." I said.
…

We sat in the waiting room while Nurse Joy tended to Garth. I was looking around at the other trainers, musing what kinds of Pokémon they had based on their looks. There were three of them in all, two young boys and a woman of about sixteen. I figured the two boys to have Rattata or Bellsprout and she looked like she might have an Oddish or maybe a Gloom.

"Mr. Alastor?" Nurse Joy asked. Liz and I stood up and walked up to the front desk. "Your Gyarados is ready to go." She handed me the Pokéball and I nodded.

"Thank you Nurse Joy." I said. She smiled and bowed.

"Will you be staying the night?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, we've got a room at a hotel down the road." I replied. She nodded and looked over at the door. "Thanks again Nurse Joy." She nodded again. I turned and walked to the door and a loud crash was heard. I ran to the door and looked out to see a bunch of people gathering around a building.
…

Several expensive pieces of technology had been stolen from a building near the Pokémon Center. Mostly vacuum stuff and circuit boards. I walked over to the road leading from town and Liz was sitting on my shoulders.

"So Liz, should we go to Vermillion City?" I asked. She patted my hat brim and I nodded. "Alright then, onward to a city by the water."
…

I walked along happily with Liz on my shoulders. We were traveling along a river so Garth was swimming alongside us while Sting flew above us. It was a good while until we would arrive, at least a day and a half at a normal walk. I looked around while Liz hummed a carefree tune. I spotted some movement and stopped. Sting landed next to me and Garth looked over while Liz hummed a bit quieter. A bush rustled and a Mawile walked out. I smiled and knelt down while it looked over at us. It was very small, only two feet at the most. It looked at us while Liz hopped off of my shoulders.

"Hello there." I said. It walked closer and I stood up. It gave me a strange glare and it turned to show the larger mouth on the back of its head. It growled and turned its head to look at me. "Everyone, should we capture this little Steel type?" I looked around and the others all nodded. "Sting, you've only fought once. How would you like to give it a shot?" He buzzed and shook his head. "You don't feel like going in?" He nodded. "Okay, then I guess Liz?" I looked at her and she nodded. "All righty then, let's get this little skirmish underway." I looked at the Mawile and it glared at me. "Liz, let's start with confusion and transition into a Psybeam." She nodded and the Mawile slowly rose into the air, kicking and squirming. I pulled out a blue and yellow ball and pressed a button. Steel types were notorious at being able to resist a normal Pokéball under the best of circumstances, so I bought a dozen 'Great' ball to get ready for any Steel Pokémon I could come across.

"Mawile!" It yelled. I smiled as the Psybeam connected to its small frame. It fell to the ground and fought to stand. It looked like it was crying and I remembered what I had heard. Mawile were famous for looking cute and helpless until they had a chance to trap their targets with the mouth on their backs. "Mawile." It pretended to sob, using the attack Fake Tears to catch us off guard.

"Don't fall for it Liz, it isn't really crying." I said calmly. I pointed at it for a moment. "One more Psybeam should do it." Liz nodded and charged the beam while Mawile stood up. It growled and opened its normal mouth. A shockwave shot out and hit Liz, staggering her. "Sonic boom, a useful move against a ranged foe. Are you okay Liz?" She nodded and fired the beam, hitting Mawile in the chest. It knelt as Liz readied another, just to be safe. "Okay, let's give this ball a good test." I tossed the Greatball and it hit Mawile on its head. It was pulled in and the ball landed softly on the ground. It shook twice before opening and flying several feet away, Mawile landing in the kneeling position. "Liz, one more Psybeam and we'll try again." She nodded and fired the ready beam, sending the Mawile up against a tree.

"Whoa, a real Pokémon trainer." A young voice called. I walked up to the Mawile and grabbed the ball along the way. It was in decent shape, but it wouldn't hold. I set it in my pocket and pulled out another one. I tapped the unconscious Pokémon with it and it went in. The ball shook in my hand three times and it made a quiet ping. I smiled and pressed the button. I would heal it tonight and find out what gender it was. I put the ball on my belt and turned to see a couple of little kids. "Wow, that was so cool." The little boy was currently speaking, and a little girl was standing next to him. I smiled and lowered the tip of my hat briefly before walking over to Liz.

"How do you feel Liz?" I asked. She smiled and dusted her skirt off. I looked her over and saw a couple of scratches and a slight bruise. I smiled and knelt by her while Sting buzzed over to Garth, who was looking at the kids.

"Is she okay mister?" The little girl asked. I pulled out a potion and Liz giggled.

"She's okay." I said. "Just a few scratches and a small bruise." Liz held out her right arm and I sprayed the potion over the scratches. She closed her eyes and I sprayed a bit on her left cheek.

"What kind of Pokémon is she?" The boy asked. I sprayed the last on her left shoulder.

"She's a Kirlia, a powerful psychic type from Hoenn." I replied. "The Pokémon I just caught is called a Mawile, a small but powerful steel type, also from Hoenn."

"Wow, you're so cool." They both said. I smiled as Liz held out her arms. I put the empty potion bottle away and picked her up. I set her on my shoulders as Sting walked over. The kids looked at him and held up their hands excitedly.

"Cool, a Beedrill." The boy said.

"And a Red Gyarados." The girl added. "This is so cool."
…

I looked up at the stars. We had come to a lake and Garth was happily exploring it. Sting had flown away some time ago and was likely looking for food. Liz sat next to a roaring fire while I went over my new Pokémon's wounds.

"Sorry about the injuries, but you put up a lot of unnecessary resistance." I said. It was a female Mawile. "So, are there anymore places I should check?" She shook her head and blushed. "Are you sure? We're a couple of days from the nearest Pokémon Center." She blushed deeper and I set the potion bottle down in front of her. "Just point the nozzle at the injury and squeeze the bottle." She nodded as I stood up. "Don't worry; I'm not a bad guy. I'll be by the fire with Liz." She nodded again as I patted the top of her head. "I'm sure we'll get along." I walked past her as she picked up the bottle, the large mouth behind her following me. I sat down by Liz as she yawned. "Feeling tired Liz?" She nodded. "Well, I don't blame you. We've had a long day." She looked up at the setting sun while I leaned back against a stump and closed my eyes. "Well, two more days walking should set us at Vermillion." I opened my eyes and thought about my sunglasses for a moment. "I wonder how your parents are doing." I looked at her and she gave me a quizzical look. "Well, your father did leave me with this scar and these changes." She nodded while I looked over at Mawile. I smiled as she walked over to me and sat down to my left. I set my left hand on the top of her head and let it sit there. "How do you feel now? Did you take care of those remaining injuries?" She nodded and pushed my hand away. I smiled and put my hands behind my head. "We've got a long way to go, and I'd like to let you know that we've got a great deal of battles ahead of us. We need to work together." I looked at Liz as she leaned onto my right side. "Liz and I get along great, Sting is happy with our relationship, and Garth is having a good time." I looked over to the lake as he surfaced and looked at me. He moved up to the shore and moved onto the ground and moved over to us like a giant serpent. He let out a content growl and circled us before laying his head down by Liz. "Garth used to be with a travelling salesman and we bought him for a fair price. We became fast friends and he did a great job in his first battle." He growled quietly and closed his eyes. "He was just a little Magikarp and he beat a Seaking without getting a single hit." I looked at Mawile as she moved to her left side and moved her larger mouth to her front and closed her eyes. "Sweet dreams Mawile." She yawned and I looked up at the sky. I levitated my hat over to me and I set it over my face. I closed my eyes and smiled. 'All in all, I would have to call this a good day.'
…

I adjusted my hat and looked down at my lap. Liz had transitioned onto me at some point during the night. I smiled as I looked her over. She was curled up cutely with her hands under her left cheek. I placed my right hand on her hair and gently stroked it. I looked down at Mawile and I couldn't help but smile slightly wider. She had her 'hair' in a gentle hug.

"Oh wow, a Red Gyarados." A female voice called. Garth raised his head and looked around. He drew his head up about twelve feet and looked around the area before settling on a spot straight ahead of me, just beyond his tail. "I didn't think they could be real." Whoever it was sounded very happy.

"What's up Garth?" I asked. Mawile stirred as Sting's buzzing became audible. Garth moved over to the water slowly, still being sleepy.

"Where are you going?" The female asked. "Come on, you're the coolest Gyarados I've ever seen. I just want to pet your scales." She groaned and looked over at me as Sting set down a few feet to my right. Liz was stirring but she was too comfortable to move. "Hey, is that your Gyarados?" I nodded and suppressed a yawn. "He's so big." She looked at Sting and then at Liz. "Oh, a shiny Kirlia, she's so cute." She put her hands together and wiggled her hips with a bright look in her eyes while I looked her over. She had short brown hair and wore a strange black band that hid part of it. She wore khaki shorts with a brown belt and a green shawl tied on her shoulders. A black long-sleeved belly shirt sat under the shawl and she had a very bright smile. She walked over to Sting and inspected him closely, making him turn his head toward me. "Wow, what a powerful looking Beedrill. You must be a great trainer." I rubbed the back of my head with my left hand while my right continued gently stroking Liz's hair.

"Well, I just got started a couple of weeks ago." I said. "But I don't really know how strong he is." She looked at him and held out her right hand to him. Sting looked at her while she put her hand on his forehead and pet him slowly. He leaned into her hand and buzzed happily. "I'm Zero." She looked at me while I looked down at Liz. "And this is Liz, the little Kirlia that loves to sleep." I looked up at her while Sting buzzed quietly.

"I'm Gardenia." She said. "I'm from the Sinnoh region." I smiled while Liz sat up.

"Kirlia?" She asked. I patted her head and she stepped off of my lap. I looked at Mawile while she looked Gardenia over. I stood up slowly and stretched. Liz walked up to her while I pulled out the Greatball.

"How are you doing Mawile?" I asked. "Do you want to stay out?" She shook her head and I set the ball on the stump. "Just tap the button then. I won't force you back in if you don't want to go." She nodded while I walked over to Gardenia. She was sitting on the ground while Sting crouched so she could keep petting him. Liz was looking her over and Garth had submerged, no doubt searching for food. "So, you're from Sinnoh?" She nodded and looked over at me while Sting stretched his arm stingers. I pulled out his ball and he stood up and walked over. "What brings you over here?" Sting tapped the ball and returned while I heard Mawile doing the same.

"I wanted to visit some old friends." She said. "I'm visiting the Gym leaders and I just came from Cerulean." I nodded while she looked at Liz. "What about you? You don't look like you're from around here." I smiled and walked over to the Greatball and picked it up.

"I'm from Hoenn." I replied. "I came here to take on the Pokémon League challenge." I turned around while Liz walked over to the lake while Garth raised his eyes above the water. "Where are you headed now?"

"I don't know." She replied. "I'm thinking about Celadon, but I might go to Vermillion. It's been a while since I've seen the sea, but I do want to do some shopping." She smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "What about you?" I looked at Liz while she hovered on top of Garth's head.

"We're headed to Vermillion to challenge Lieutenant Surge." I replied. "I have a feeling that we should be able to handle him." She giggled while I stretched again.

"Would you mind if I tag along?" She asked. I looked at her and shrugged.

"I don't mind having a little bit of extra company." I said. She smiled and stood up while Garth swam over to the shore and Liz patted his head. I walked over while Gardenia followed. Liz hovered above me and landed on my shoulders while I rubbed Garth between his eyes. "Are you ready to head out Garth?" He growled happily while Gardenia looked him over. I patted him twice and he looked ahead. There was another river along the path so he moved lower. "Are you sure you don't mind big guy?" He nodded and Liz giggled. I held my right hand out to Gardenia and she took it. She climbed onto Garth's back and I followed and kneeled on his head. "Okay then, let's get going."
…

We set up at the Pokémon Center near a cavern that night.

"Hey Zero, how did you catch Liz anyway?" Gardenia asked. I looked over at her and shrugged.

"I spent a few weeks in a forest that was said to be quite full of Ralts." I explained. "Two weeks in and I couldn't find a single one." I looked at Liz, who was currently curled up on my chest. "It started to rain so I went back to my tent and turned in for that night." I set my right hand on Liz's head and she nuzzled my chest softly. "I had always wanted a Ralts, ever since I was ten. I made a vow that the very first Pokémon I would train would be a Ralts." I smiled and rubbed her head. "Ten years went by and I couldn't even catch a cold." I pulled the Master Ball from my belt and held it up so Gardenia could see it. "My mom gave me this when I was a kid, so I figured I would use it for my first Pokémon." I put it on a catch and I stroked Liz's hair softly. "That night though, during a bad storm, Liz wandered into my tent and fell asleep beside me."

"Wow, Ralts aren't usually so calm around humans." Gardenia said. I nodded while Liz made a small peaceful noise. "And she trusted you enough to fall asleep right next to you right off the bat." I smiled and nodded again.

"Yeah, and that morning I caught her after a little thing with her parents." I said quietly. "We came down here after a few days and we got our Pokédex from Professor Oak." She looked at me while I smiled at Liz. "We went to Viridian and through the forest. We caught Sting when he was a little Weedle, and he evolved fairly soon after he joined us." Liz yawned and I closed my eyes. "We went to Pewter city and we managed to defeat Brock, the Gym leader, and she evolved into a Kirlia."

"Wow." Gardenia said quietly. "She must trust you a lot." I nodded.

"Not even a month together and we've got two badges and three more friends." I said quietly. "I think she'll evolve again before long."