Below the decks of the ship, the two practice rooms had been stuffed with trainers ever since it set sail, three hours ago. It was really only the size of a school gym, with two Pokemon Battle arenas painted on the floor. None the less, trainers crowded around them to watch battles and participate in them. He had stood there for an hour and a half now, in the corner of the room, sizing up the competition. In that time he had seen no Pokemon over level sixty, or any Pokemon in their third and final evolutionary state. Whatever hack had chosen the competitors must have made some gruesome mistake, he thought.
Luckily, FireRed had yet to be noticed by any of the other trainers. Either his cloak was too good of a disguise, or none of these trainers understood just who he was. And on the flip side, who wouldn't want to challenge a mysterious trainer, who hides in the shadows of a crowded room? Some trainers simply watched too much anime.
"Damn! My Onix! How did that happen?"
FireRed turned his attention to one of the two arenas, and instantly felt disgusted. A trainer had just pitted an Onix against an enemy Blastoise. As the two trainers reacted, the one with the type advantage seemed just as clueless about his victory as the loser.
Disgusted with the so-called opposition, FireRed finally moved from his place, and walked to the stairway leading to the upper levels. As he did so, he felt another presence behind him. But then again, this had been going on ever since he boarded the ship. Another man was there, always close. He had felt followed since he left the bar in Vermilion city, but he never said anything. Out of the corner of his eye, FireRed saw him. He wore a blue trench coat, but that was the only thing out of the ordinary. If this man were a threat, he would've done something already. FireRed called no attention to this, and proceeded up the stairs.
At the top, he now stood between an isle of cabins and the ocean below, which was blocked off by a series of rails. FireRed walked over to the rails, and pretended to feel the breeze. He let his cloak's hood down, and his red hat already was in his bag. FireRed listened, and sure enough, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
And sure enough, it was the man from before, wearing the blue trench coat. FireRed glanced over, but by then the man had already disappeared. Perhaps the man was only a coincidence?
"Hey, kid. Kid! What's your name?"
FireRed heard the voice from behind him, followed by a sharp finger jab to the back. As he turned around, a large fist instantly collided with his jaw. FireRed stumbled aside, and fell to the floor. He then laid eyes on the most peculiar man he had ever seen.
The man who had struck him wore a blue and white cloak, with a rope belt. He had an incredibly strong build and biceps the size of Squirtle shells. Oddest of all, one of his eyes was solid white, with a scar going through it. His skin was dark as night.
FireRed stood quickly, and regained his stance. "Who," he called, "in the hell do you think you are?"
The man seemed unfazed. He spoke with a voice that matched his husky features, one that sounded like rock scraping. "Who I am, that is none of your concern. What should concern you, Pokemon Trainer Red, is that you are mine."
FireRed stumbled back slightly at surprise. He thought to ask the obvious question, but instead countered with ignorance. "Red died years ago. I don't know who you're talking about."
The man smiled, but the smile sent a chill through FireRed's spine. An instant later, an explosion of white light erupted behind him. And also in that instant, an unidentifiable force hurled itself towards FireRed. Out of instinct, he rolled out of the way, and thrust his own Pokeball onto the floor. The bird Pokemon, Pidgeot, erupted into the air as its colored feathers rippled. FireRed crouched on the floor, trying to get a grip on the situation.
The man smiled still, but now laughed. "If you aren't Red…then how do you explain those reflexes, young man?"
Another Pokemon landed into the corridor; this one being that which launched itself at FireRed. It's fiery coat, tail and white horns identified the Pokemon as a Magmar, but normally they were slow fighters. FireRed's confusion worsened, while the man standing in front of him seemed to be enjoying this more and more. "It seems I have the advantage here, Red."
FireRed decided to let the name slide. "What do you want?"
"That is none of your concern, boy. Now…enguard!"
Magmar once again disappeared, but this time it materialized again in the air, right in front of Pidgeot. Magmar held out its arms, and launched fire straight into Pidgeot's chest cavity. The bird Pokemon gave a cry of anguish before falling straight down, and slamming into the deck. FireRed was stunned—nothing had ever touched his Pokemon, much less do a critical blow.
Pidgeot attempted to stand up, but Magmar appeared in front of it again. This time, the Magmar's hands changed to silver just before colliding with FireRed's Pokemon. The blow knocked Pidgeot back into one of the cabin walls.
Magmar's trainer made no movement. "Your fighter achieved third-degree burns and a head-on metal claw attack. You can't be Red." He let out a sigh, the continued. "Magmar…finish that thing off."
"Espeon! Use Psybeam!"
From behind FireRed, a clear blast whirled through the air and collided with Magmar, sending it spiraling to the ground. FireRed turned around to see where the blast came from. Standing there was an Espeon, and behind it, the man from before with the blue trench coat. This time, FireRed could make out a stripe of red paint across his face, and a silver visor atop his brow.
The man finally moved, flinching from the blow, as if he too had been hit. The one with the blue trench coat snickered. "You use Full Synchro too much, Zasalamel. I thought you learned your lesson back in Fiore."
Zasalamel…FireRed assumed that was this man's name. But…what in the hell was Full Synchro?
"Wes," Zasalamel had a look of disgust, "I thought you'd be here."
Zasalamel clutched his left arm in agony, in the exact same place that Magmar had been hit. He groaned, and held out an Ultra Ball. In another flash of white light, Magmar returned back to the ball. "Wes, you may have gotten to him first, but it will not help your cause. Until we meet again."
Zasalamel turned to the railing, and without warning, leapt into the ocean. Another flash of light broke out. FireRed and Wes looked out over the railing, and saw Zasalamel flying away on another one of his Pokemon. FireRed couldn't identify that one, but assumed it must be powerful as well.
FireRed broke his confusion, and returned his wounded Pidgeot to its Pokeball. He held the ball out, then put it back on his belt and turned to Wes, the man in the trench coat. FireRed opened his mouth to speak, but Wes took over. "We need to go. Now."
The man ran back the way he came, and FireRed instinctively followed. He wasn't one to refuse an ally, but still asked his question. "Wes, right? What the f—"
"The ship is going to explode. We need to go. Now."
"What?"
"The ship is going to explode, damnit! We need to move!"
With that, FireRed followed Wes up to the top of the deck, where three trainers could be seen battling.
End Chapter 4: An Ambush of Good and Evil