Hello everyone! Chapter four time. AN are at the end again, I think it's better that way to be honest. This one's a little shorter than the first three, but hope you still enjoy it regardless!
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"A terrible accident?"
Three repeated words that seemed to wipe all other thought from his head.
"What do you mean? Is Dad okay?"
A small knot of fear seemed to emerge from nowhere as the Pokégear in his hands gave no immediate answer back. A tiny fist closed itself around his heart as the miniature face on screen just stared wordlessly back.
"Sam..." Reggie paused for a moment, suddenly aware of how hard and fast his heart was beating. "What- Sam, Dad's okay though, right? I mean, he's still... alive though I mean?"
"Reggie..." Reggie gaped back in sudden horror at the face on screen. He recognised that tone of voice. The way a person speaks when they're delivering news of the worst kind. Suddenly old feelings began flooding his body, rampaging through his very blood stream.
No, it can't happen again, surely. It must be some kind of trick, or mistake.
"Sam, what-?"
"We don't know," the Pyramid referee finally answered back quickly. "I don't know Reggie, we-"
"How can you not know?" Reggie demanded suddenly, gripping the Pokégear with even more force, before forcing himself to let go of the breath he suddenly realised he'd been holding. "I mean, Sam, what is going on? I don't understand, please just tell me what happened."
"It was the temple Reggie! You know we've been rebuilding it." Reggie gave a quick nod in confirmation, paying rapt attention. "Well, we pretty much had it finished. Everyone had pulled out of there. We were just waiting on your dad, he told us he was working on some project in one of the deepest chambers. I would have stayed, but he ordered me to leave."
"What was he doing in there?"
"I don't know, I don't..." the referee trailed off, looking desperate.
"Reggie, he ordered me to leave. I would have stayed but he said he wanted to be alone," the referee continued in a pleading tone.
"Yeah, okay, but what happened then? What was this accident exactly?"
"Well, we were all waiting in the Pyramid. We waited for what seemed like ages, almost all afternoon. It was strange, because usually we'd still be with Brandon, even if he didn't need any help. I was about to go back anyway and make sure Brandon really didn't need help with anything, but then the ground just started shaking! And when we rushed outside, we saw the entire temple had just collapsed in on itself!"
Reggie gasped. The cup in Maylene's hand fell out of her hand completely this time.
"And Dad was inside?!"
"We don't know what happened to your father, but he must be trapped inside, maybe under the rubble..." Reggie watched Sam take a breath. "Candice and her Pokémon are trying to help move the debris, along with all the Pyramid and temple staff, but you need to come here as fast as you can. Paul too."
"Paul's not here right now," Reggie hesitated.
Suddenly panic exploded, along with a surge of that special feeling of dread he'd only ever felt once before. He was barely even aware of the gym leader's shocked eyes boring into him from the other side of the small table. His whole world at that moment seemed revolve around the small object he held in his hands.
This can't happen again. Not again. And Paul! How would he ever tell him? If both his parents-
"No," Reggie snapped suddenly, more to himself than anyone else. "No, he's not. Dad's fine, he's tougher than that."
But even as he spoke the words, Reggie knew it was a lie. Even the toughest people could die in simple accidents, as he and Paul knew too well. Paul. Reggie heart felt like it was about to explode. What if the worst happened, had happened? How would Paul take it? How could this happen twice to them?
"I know that, but I still think you need to get to Snowpoint as soon as possible. We just don't know. It might be that your Dad is perfectly fine, just trapped inside, but in any case, we could use the extra help to get him out."
"But I-" Reggie glanced around helplessly. "How Sam? The roads are inaccessible around Snowpoint this time of year and it's going to take me at least a week to get there by other means. By the time I get there, it might be too-"
"No it won't be Reggie," the face on screen interrupted back. "I know all that already, that's why I decided to come to you."
"You're coming to me?"
"That's right. In fact, I've already set off and I'm almost there. Get your things together and I'll see you in approximately five minutes."
The Pokégear went dead.
Reggie stared at the device in his hand, as if hoping it would come back to life and give him more information. Hoping it would come on and tell him everything was all right. It was true, Reggie hadn't seen his father in over a year now. But still, the knowledge he was out there, somewhere, had been enough. Now though, Reggie like he was teetering on the edge of a giant precipice.
How could things change so much in such little time? Dropping Paul off at the airport that morning felt like years ago now.
He became vaguely aware of a small hand tugging at his. Somewhere far away someone was saying something, but Reggie still couldn't move. He couldn't handle this, why did this keep happening to them? Hadn't they been through enough already?
"Reggie, come on!"
The breeder started slightly as something suddenly hit him, finally looking up with eyes that didn't quite feel like his. Maylene was already running out of the small kitchen behind him towards the staircase.
"I'll get you some clothes. Reggie, get your Pokémon!"
Reggie looked down almost feeling bemused at the sight of the empty green sports bag now lying open on the table in front of him, a small part of him figuring out that Maylene must have just chucked it at him.
What seemed like only a moment later, Maylene was back, shoving various items of clothing into the small bag.
"Reggie! Pokémon!"
"Oh, yeah right," Reggie replied distractedly, the stern reminder finally snapping him out of his momentary daze. The breeder leapt to his feet, looking around for his creatures' Pokéballs before remembering he kept them all in a locked cupboard over by the fridge.
Reggie swiftly crossed the room and opened the wooden cabinet, his confused mind struggling to make a decision. Obviously take Infernape's capsule, and Staraptor and Swalot were also obvious choices. Drapion? It was getting a little old now, but was still strong enough to be useful. Bibarel on the other hand was fairly inexperienced, a Pokémon that Reggie had only been half-training in his spare time ever since it turned up on his doorstep several months ago. But it still might be useful if he needed to traverse water for whatever reason, being a part water type.
Reggie cursed to himself silently. Sam hadn't given him much information, but if his dad needed digging out from the ruins of a collapsed temple, it would be better to take everyone he could to help. And these few were all the Pokémon he had left. Reggie snatched up all the five capsules. They were all empty, but Reggie would collect them as soon as he went outside to catch his ride. Whatever that 'ride' was. Although Reggie thought he had a good idea of what the referee had meant.
Reggie stared at the Pokéballs in his hands. Alakazam could have just teleported him to Snowpoint instantly. And Steelix would have been ideal for any tunnelling. Why did he-?
Reggie dismissed the thought. He'd just have to work with who he had left.
His thoughts took another abrupt jolt. Infernape was now at his feet somehow, and tugging at his leg with concerned eyes. Faintly, he could hear Maylene already outside the front door yelling for the others to come.
"Infernape, we're going to Snowpoint earlier than I said. There's been trouble, I'll explain when I have time. Infernape, return," Reggie muttered, watching his starter turn to red light, then, shouldering the large bag, walked outside to collect the others. A moment after entering the night, Staraptor fluttered down to his shoulder, followed by his remaining team. Reggie gave them all a small smile before withdrawing the lot into their respective Pokéballs without a word.
The stars outside were in full show, and a half-crescent moon lit up most of the surrounding area, giving the crator-filled backyard an eerily feel. Reggie shivered slightly, giving the surrounding wood-line an apprehensive glance, before looking back up to the sky. Maylene stood at his side.
"Have you got everything you need?"
"I think so. I'll just..." Reggie hesitated. "I'll just have to see what the... the situation is when I get there."
"Do you need help? I can send the gym's Pokémon to you, they can help. I wish I hadn't sent Lucario back now, he could have gone with you."
"I don't think there's time to go get him now," Reggie answered. "From the sound of it, Sam's coming to pick me up and if he's coming in what I think he is, then it won't be long. I'll just have to make the best with who I have for now."
A long silence followed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Maylene still staring at him. Silently the gym leader took his hand as they waited.
A low humming slowly grew from the quiet of the night. Reggie looked to the horizon, searching hard. A dot in the distance, a tiny pinprick of light was steadily growing brighter and brighter than the stars around it. The breeder gave a slight nod to himself, his suspicions confirmed.
"Here it comes."
The humming grew and grew until it became a thunderous roar. Startled Starly and Staravia scattered in every direction as the dot of light grew into a huge metal structure with many lights beaming in all directions. Trees shook at its approach, great gasps of leaves flew from their branches into the air, and were instantly blasted away by the four huge turbines at each of the ship's corners. White moonlight reflected from its smooth forward facing side.
True to its name, the giant flying object looked like a huge silver pyramid, with each turbine moving independently of each other as it manoeuvred itself through the air. Reggie and Maylene ducked slightly as the Frontier facility screamed overhead, steering itself over the wooden house to a open area of grassland on the far side. Reggie couldn't help but smile wryly as lights began to flicker on in the houses neighbouring to the left and right, with a few angry exclamations swiftly following. As impressive as it was to see, subtle the Battle Pyramid was not.
The flying building was gigantic, many times taller than the trees around it, and easily wider than Reggie's small house by ten or fifteen times.
Running together, Reggie and Maylene quickly crossed the distance to the ship as it lowered slowly towards the earth, blasting dust and loose vegetation into its surroundings as it landed heavily on the ground. A large doorway was beginning to open up near its base even as the Pyramid touched ground, falling like a giant metal drawbridge and revealing a person already waiting.
"Reggie!"
"I have to go," Reggie said loudly over the noise of the still-running engines as he turned to his girlfriend. "Maylene, I..."
"It's fine." Maylene gave him a swift hug, then pushed him away towards the Pyramid. "Take care Reggie. And when you get a chance, call me. Especially if you need any help."
"I will," the breeder called back over his shoulder as he began to swiftly move forward. "Thanks Mayls!"
The Battle Pyramid on the inside was the same as on the outside, bland and metallic-looking. Reggie nodded at the man waiting to greet him as he hurried past, and moved forward into the ship's interior. Immediately, Reggie felt a sudden lurch as the floor beneath him suddenly seemed to jump back into the air. Looking behind him as he balanced himself against corridor wall, he could see through the now-closing mechanical drawbridge they were already back in the air and above the tree tops. Reggie fought down another surge of apprehension. If they were in this much of a hurry, then Sam obviously viewed the situation as very serious.
No, Reggie told himself as he stumbled forward again while attempting to brace himself against the flying ship's sudden movements. Let's just get there first. He could worry later.
Memories seemed to come rushing back as he ran from corridor to corridor through the literal labyrinth towards the very top of the Pyramid. He hadn't stepped foot in this place since Paul's challenge at Snowpoint, and before that it had been four years since Reggie's challenge. Yet even so, Reggie could remember this place all too well. How different things had seemed back then, with a belt full of powerful friends and the excitement of completing the Frontier on the very tip of his tongue.
Nothing but a pipe dream. Reggie couldn't help pausing as he passed the doorway to the spectators' seating to the main battle arena. Below, the huge battlefield lay in gloomy shadow.
"Now, where is your true inner strength?"
Reggie grimaced and tore himself away from the sight. It didn't matter, it was the past. And right now, all that mattered was the present.
What seemed like a few hours later, but in actual fact was only a few minutes, Reggie finally panted his way to the top of a final set of stairs, and facing another steel barrier, pressed a small red button on the wall to his right. A moment later, the doorway split in two and with a 'whoosh' disappeared into the walls at either side.
"Sam!"
The Pyramid's second in command twisted around from the ship's giant wheel in the very centre of the room, letting go of it with both hands. However, this seemed to have no effect on the ship, a small part of Reggie's mind noted. He could see through the large window that took up most of the far wall that they hadn't changed course. In fact, now they looked to be very high in the air. The twinkling lights of the unknown towns and cities seemed like a long way away down below.
Despite his station, the man stood to his front was dressed almost casually, only in a beige pair of trousers and buttoned shirt. A light blue handkerchief covered his head. Someone who Reggie rarely saw, but had always been on good terms with, probably due to them being similar ages when they had first met. The referee had in fact only just began his job at the Pyramid when Reggie had challenged it the first time around.
Aside from Sam, there was only two other people in the room, both working at the long control panel that stretched around half the room underneath front screen, neither one paying him any attention as they worked. Reggie vaguely recognised both as his father's employees.
"Reggie, glad you're here," Sam replied quickly, although seeming to be looking for something at Reggie's behind. "Paul not come?"
"I told you, he wasn't home," Reggie said as he moved to join his old friend by the wheel, clasping his offered hand briefly. "He left this morning in fact. Bad timing I guess, or good, depending on how you look at it," the breeder finished grimly. "So tell me, what's going on?"
"Well I'll tell you as much as I know, although I'm still trying to work it out myself," Sam replied with an apprehensive-sounding laugh. "Well, you know we've been working on the restoration of Snowpoint temple for the past four months, ever since the disturbance of Regigigas, right?"
"Yeah, I heard all about that," Reggie muttered. "It even got a mention in the news in fact. And Dad mentioned something about it in our last video call. I was quite a few miles away at the time though with Paul, so I never did hear about it until later. I remember I was helping Paul train for his and Ash's battle at Lake Acuity."
"Well, Brandon managed to calm down Regigigas eventually, along with those kids, Ash and his friends. But not before the entire temple was destroyed, thanks to Hunter J and her goons."
"Yeah," Reggie nodded. "I hear the police are still looking for her. Although if they haven't found her already, I doubt they will now."
"Well, there's all kinds of rumours about her whereabouts. There's even this new one that she might even have died in some strange accident. But regardless, her plan to capture Regigigas failed and Regigigas was returned back to the temple. I have to say though, those kids were a big help."
"Yeah, they tend to get around." Reggie chuckled slightly despite himself. "Dad seemed quite fond of Ash when I saw them together. Suppose that's no surprise, being so young and still managing to defeat him. Even I couldn't believe it when Ash first said it."
It was no wonder Brandon was sometimes distant with his sons, Reggie thought to himself. His father had lost to a boy who was a year younger than Reggie had been himself when when he'd made his only challenge to the Pyramid. The same age as Paul when he had also lost. Seeing another young man succeed where both his own sons had failed would probably make any father a little disappointed. Ash was undoubtedly what Brandon had hoped Reggie to be after all.
"Yeah, well it took him a few attempts, but he got there eventually. Although it was quite an lucky match," Sam answered, his amused tone sounding as if he didn't quite buy the idea that the Pallet trainer had won through anything other than mostly good fortune. As if to prove that point, he added, "Ash didn't exactly face the same odds that Paul did."
"Well, Paul wasn't battling Dad as a Frontier Brain, was he? He challenged Dad directly, so naturally Dad would use his full power against him," Reggie said with tight lips. "But anyway, that doesn't matter. You haven't finished telling me about what actually happened to Dad, Sam."
They were above the ocean now, next to the coast. Off to the east, Reggie could just make out the silhouette of Mount Coronet against the gleaming moon.
"Yeah, well as I was saying," Sam continued, the worried look on his face returning, "we've been working non-stop at restoring the temple ever since it got destroyed. And well, we finished it. But for some reason, Brandon decided that we should remain here a little longer."
"What?" Reggie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But why? Doesn't Dad need to be back in Kanto? I've have Scott call up the house multiple times trying to reach him."
"Yeah, and he's been leaving messages here too. But your father insisted we remain behind for just a little while longer. In fact, it's almost been a month now since we completed the restoration."
"A whole month? Doesn't Dad know he needs to be back at Kanto? Scott's not going to wait forever. Why would he even want to stay?"
"He knows, but he still commanded the ship to remain. He wouldn't say why exactly. But I think it has something to do with Regigigas, and his three Regi legendaries. At least, that's where he's been spending all his time, in Regigigas's and now Regirock's, Registeel's and Regice's chamber."
"Wait." Reggie frowned at the referee. "Why are Dad's Pokémon in Regigigas's chamber too?"
"Huh?" The referee seemed confused. "But that's where they are all staying now, your father had to leave his three legendaries there to protect Regigigas. Didn't he tell you that?"
"No," Reggie exclaimed, feeling stunned. "He didn't mention anything like that to me. We talked, right after Ash and Paul's battle. He never mentioned anything about his legendary Pokémon, just told me briefly what had happened with Regigigas and that he was staying behind to help with the restoration. You said he had to leave them there? As in, give them all up?"
"Well, yeah. It was part of the legend of the temple, your Dad was trying to fulfil it. Er, wow." The referee looked equally shocked. "I wonder why he didn't tell you about it."
"Me too," Reggie replied quietly, suddenly deep in thought. Why wouldn't his father tell him about something this important? This was a big deal. Brandon was famous worldwide for his legendary trio. Had he being trying to hide it from everyone? But why? The press would probably be all over him when this news broke, but his Dad had never claimed to care much for such things. Could it really be as simple as Brandon just didn't want to admit to his sons and the world that his team was now three legendaries weaker?
Possible, but somehow it didn't fit. As obsessed as Reggie could remember his father being at becoming stronger at certain points during Reggie's childhood, it had never been his style to try and cover up his weaknesses. In fact, the Pyramid King was even known to sometimes reveal his Pokémon line up before a battle, to encourage challengers to try to find and exploit any supposed vulnerability.
Suddenly another thought crept into Reggie's mind seemingly all by itself. Brandon no longer had Regirock. The Pokémon solely responsible for Reggie's total defeat all those years ago. What if Brandon hadn't had Regirock back then? Would the result have been any different? Could... Could it be any different now if he-
Reggie cut off the thought, suddenly feeling angry at himself. His father's safety was the most important thing right now, and besides, he'd left that life behind a long time ago.
"Sam, what happened then?" Reggie repeated, firmly pushing the thought away. "You said he was in Regigigas's chamber alone, and then what?"
"We were all in the Pyramid," Sam picked up swiftly. "There was no more work to be done. In one way, that was the thankful thing about it, so there wasn't anyone else in the temple at the time. It was just Brandon alone. And then suddenly out of nowhere, the ground just started shaking, you know? Like a minor earthquake, which might be believable if Snowpoint had ever had a single earthquake in all its recorded history. Anyway, we all rushed outside, and the temple was utterly destroyed. Well, at least the entrance was," Sam added quickly. "The temple itself extends underground, so the inner chambers and tunnels may be still intact. But we have no way of knowing one way or the other, or actually getting in there until the rumble is cleared."
So there was a chance then his father was okay and simply just trapped inside then, Reggie thought to himself with a tiny wave of relief.
"But, I don't get it," Reggie said. "What caused the earthquake in the first place?"
"Nobody knows," the referee answered in a hushed tone. "But get this Reggie, we contacted Officer Jenny at Snowpoint City. And gauging roughly from the strength of the earthquake from different spots, we think the epicentre of the earthquake was the temple itself. So..."
"So whatever Dad's been up to might have been the cause of the earthquake," Reggie finished, catching onto what his old friend was saying. "He might even have caused it."
"Exactly," Sam said quietly. "And if it has to do with Regigigas... Maybe it woke back up again. We just don't know."
"Dad wouldn't have woken Regigigas back up intentionally though, surely? It might have just been some sort of accident."
"I agree with you," Sam replied. "I don't believe Brandon would have intentionally woken Regigigas back up again without good reason, not after everything we went through to put it back to sleep again. But as you say, accidents happen. The temple was so ancient, and many mysterious legends surround it, not all about Regigigas. There are still many things we do not know. Perhaps it was one of those things the Pyramid King was investigating, and something went wrong."
"Well, if the earthquake was truly caused by something within the temple, then that much is certain. Something definitely went wrong," Reggie finished grimly.
Both fell silent now, listening quietly to the various beeps and tones of the electronics around them. The ocean below had disappeared. In fact, now there were very few hints of what might be in the black abyss down below. From this, Reggie suspected they might now be drawing close. Due to the extreme weather, few people lived this far north in Sinnoh outside of the population of Snowpoint City itself.
Reggie couldn't help but marvel slightly at the ability of his father's flying ship. A distance it would have taken him a week to cover by foot, yet less than an hour ago he'd been standing in his back yard with Maylene.
The breeder fought down the urge to yawn as the minutes continued to pass silently by. He had no idea how late it was. Briefly he wondered what Paul was doing right now. Probably asleep, or preparing for his first battle tomorrow. Maylene would almost definitely be still awake worrying. Reggie resolved to call her as soon as he arrived in Snowpoint and saw the situation himself. And Paul too, if he could catch him before his battle.
And his father? What was Brandon doing right now? Was he awake and desperately trying to dig himself out? Or was he trapped somewhere, injured, unable to-
Stop it, Reggie told himself firmly. There was no point in panicking. And Reggie firmly believed his father was fine, and like Sam said, just trapped within the deeper chambers of the temple. If he starting thinking otherwise, he would be no use to anyone.
Again, Reggie's thoughts drifted back to Paul. Would he have even come along if he had still been at home? Yes, Reggie believed he would have. If nothing else, Paul was dependable in his own way. Although probably not without complaint, Reggie believed he would have come to help. Probably would have been more use too, with his arsenal of powerful Pokémon on command.
Maybe he should have borrowed one of his brother's Pokémon before leaving. Oh well, too late now, Reggie thought.
But Reggie couldn't help but dread the phone call he would have to make in the morning. Perhaps he should leave it until the afternoon, after Paul would have had his battle. Yes, Reggie decided he would do that. There was nothing Paul could do in Kanto after all. Unless the situation was absolutely urgent, he would postpone the news until afterwards. It was just a shame he would no longer be able to watch his brother's match on television like he'd originally planned.
They had to getting close now. In fact, he could just make out a mass of yellow lights on the horizon now, where the twinkling stars met the line of the earth. If he was right, that would be Snowpoint City, and right next to it, the temple.
x - x - x - x - x
Paul twisted back over. It was already beginning to get light outside, Pidgey and Spearow were chirping endlessly just outside his room's window. Paul twisted back the other way, then with a quiet groan, finally gave up his night-long struggle and sat up in his bed, brushing a handful of purple hair from his face as he looked blearily over at his Pokégear clock.
Already six-thirty. Well, that's great, Paul thought miserably to himself.
While any normal teenager his age would have considered that time for getting up idiotic at best, Paul knew he needed to be making tracks. The Dome was at least a couple of hours walking distance away, and ideally Paul wanted to defeat it and make a good distance towards the next battle facility before the end of the day.
But that wouldn't be easy. While it was beginning to get light here, Sinnoh was two hours behind. Which would have meant under any normal circumstances that his body clock would take a night or two to get used to the sudden change.
But Paul hadn't been able to sleep at all. He'd felt exhausted enough, he'd had a early morning the day before after all. Under any normal circumstances he'd have been able to drift off at almost any time.
But for various reasons, his mind simply hadn't allowed it. Paul wearily climbed out of bed and stumbled his way towards the on-suite shower and sink, quickly stripping off and stepping under the warm water in an attempt to wake himself up. It was partially successful, but with the revival of his mind came the revival of his memories of the day before.
Why Ash of all people, Paul wondered silently to himself as he leaned against the tiled wall and simply allowed the water to crash down on his head and bare shoulders. Why did Reggie have to pick Ash of all people?
He hadn't even been wrong either. Ash had obviously objected on the grounds that he believed sending out an already weakened Pokémon was cruel. In that sense, Paul could understand why he might have gotten angry.
But Ash had never been able to see Paul's reasoning anyway. Pokémon needed to be pushed to their limits in order to bring out their true power, after all. Paul had done this many times with many Pokémon to great success. By not pampering to a Pokémon's weakness, it forces them to adapt and overcome it.
And besides, he'd been doing his starter a favour anyway. Torterra needed a chance to prove itself again after its loss at the hands of Reggie's Infernape. His Pokémon had probably been grateful for the opportunity.
It was good training anyway. What, was he supposed to allow Torterra a small holiday after every tough battle? It was kinder if anything to force his Pokémon to fight past those weaknesses, so it would be capable of pushing itself that little bit further the next time.
And it wasn't as if he that thrown it against anything too challenging anyway, Paul thought as he stepped out of the shower and brushed his teeth in the sink with a vigour, staring at his own reflection in the wall-fitted mirror as he did. Pitting Torterra against a Pikachu was overkill by anyone's estimation, even if it was a slightly fatigued Torterra. Paul had half-expected Ash to send out his Infernape to begin with, just because it seemed like an 'Ash' thing to do, but when the trainer sent out Pikachu, Paul hadn't seen any point in reconsidering his choice.
So why did these same thoughts keep going round and round his head, denying even the possibility of any sleep? Paul knew he was right, even had perfectly reasonable arguments that he had proven right time and time again throughout his Pokémon career. Why couldn't he just ignore Ash, and simply continue on his way?
Because Ash had beaten him.
Paul spat the toothpaste out of his mouth sourly. Enough of this, Paul thought as he wiped his mouth clean, then dried the rest of his body. He was sick of these persistent thoughts and doubts that kept coming back and back. It was time he got moving, Paul thought as he looked about for his clothes and belongings, and claim his first Frontier Symbol. Time to leave his past, including Ash Ketchum, behind him.
x - x - x - x - x
The streets were near enough deserted outside. Paul stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and moved swiftly down the pavement. In one way, it would have been a lot easier if Ash had been here to guide him. He had technically lost their battle after all, Paul thought a little bitterly as he quickly consulted his Pokégear map. Not that he was overly complaining though. Ash was probably well on his way back to Pallet Town by now anyway, and Paul was very grateful of that fact.
A couple of kids suddenly ran past him. Paul looked up, surprised, but the children just continued on their way. A boy and a girl, both laughing excitedly. Maybe beginning trainers, Paul thought as he walked after them. They looked roughly the age. It was pretty early though. Only just coming up to seven am, Paul saw as he glanced at his Pokégear again. His stomach suddenly gave a low grumble. Paul frowned to himself, suddenly realising he'd completely forgotten about breakfast. Well, he could eat after his battle, it wasn't a big deal. Not like he'd never missed a breakfast before anyway.
Paul continued walking, lost in his own personal thoughts as he slowly made his way towards the outskirts of the city. The Dome was on the western edge, according to his brother, and Paul figured it would probably be signposted as he got closer. Reggie had mentioned something about it being popular after all, and Paul had even noticed some posters hanging up in the Pokémon Centre itself. Quite a few actually, now he thought about it. He'd just been too tired to remember to have a closer look at them this morning, and too absorbed in his own thoughts when he'd eventually followed Ash back inside after their cancelled battle the night before. Which brought him back to-
HONK HONNNNNKKKK!
Paul leapt sideways back onto the pavement as a car whizzed past him, followed by two more. He hadn't even noticed he'd been drifting off towards the road. Freaking traffic, Paul thought to himself angrily as yet more cars flew by. Still, he needed to get a grip of himself. Tired or not, Paul didn't think much of the idea of returning back to Sinnoh the day after he'd arrived with his leg in a cast.
Finally reaching a crossroads about fifteen minutes later, Paul scanned all four signposts and was relieved to see Battle Dome on the third exit. Yet more cars seemed to be whizzing by, and there seemed to be quite a few people walking along the streets now, most of them strangely heading in the same direction. Paul dodged around what looked like another gaggle of excited ten-year-olds and hurried on his way.
It was getting close to rush hour after all, maybe they were all just going to work. Well, at least the adults might be, Paul thought as he watched more and more people begin to emerge from all directions. About thirty minutes of walking later and Paul spotted another signpost pointing right. The trainer glanced around himself again, becoming a little more uneasy as he noticed everyone else and nearly all the traffic that was now a more or less constant flow now was making the same turn.
Could all these people be going to the Battle Dome too, Paul wondered silently to himself. But they couldn't all be challenging trainers surely. Paul hoped not anyway, otherwise he'd probably never get to challenge it in this century, let alone today. But the idea was absurd anyway. The Battle Frontier was a very prestigious challenge, open to only the very best trainers. The idea of a ten year old taking on the Frontier was laughable.
But if they weren't going to challenge the Dome, then what? A slow suspicion began to grow in Paul's mind. Reggie had said this place was very popular, but at the time, Paul hadn't bothered looking too deeply into his brother's words.
Now though, Paul felt comprehension begin to dawn upon him. Not all of these people that were now literally crowding the pavement either side of him could be trainers. So why would a place like the Battle Dome be popular with them? What was the attraction exactly?
Hemmed in now by what was now literally hordes of people, Paul found himself steered round a final corner and then stopped dead, causing the people behind to swear angrily and curve around him. Paul didn't care though. He was too busy gaping at the sight in front of him.
Huge.
A huge dome-like structure lay around five hundred metres directly ahead, sat on its own well away from the other buildings amidst a mass of empty space and concrete. A wide sparkling river sat to its rear, shining beautifully in the morning sun. The building itself was, well, huge. Paul could think of no other way to describe it. As wide as the Sinnoh League championship stadium, and the Dome's peak was easily taller than the uppermost edges of the stadium's walls had been.
But even that wasn't the reason he was gaping that much. And then it suddenly clicked. Why Reggie had instructed Ash not to let him leave until the morning after. Why so many people were still walking past him to the left and right, and why cars were now angrily blaring their horns as they found themselves stuck in this queue that stretched the length of this narrow road leading towards Paul's first intended Frontier challenge.
He'd been set up from the very start.
They were all here, to see... him.
News helicopters whirred over-head, circling the Battle Dome constantly. A mass of people crowded the building from all sides, excited shouts and screams were filled the air. It was blatantly obvious now. Paul inwardly screamed at himself for not realising it sooner. The Battle Dome was popular because it offered a very popular attraction. And with a name like that, there was only one attraction that could be. And Reggie had told Ash to keep Paul from challenging until this morning. It all added up.
Everyone was here to watch his battle.
Paul stood frozen to the point, unable to move forward or backwards from the road's main entrance. How long had Reggie been planning this?! First Paul had found out Reggie had booked the flight tickets the night before he'd even asked him, then he'd learned that his brother had apparently asked Ash a full three days ago to meet him at Saffron. And now this? An event of this scale must have been weeks in the planning. Had Reggie been planning this from the moment he'd lost the Sinnoh League? What the hell was going on?!
"You look a little surprised kid."
Paul jumped as a large hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. The purple-haired trainer quickly span around. Above him, a pair of black oval sunglasses peered down at him excitedly.
"It's a great pleasure Paul. I've heard all about you," the man to his front said with a wide beaming smile, showing a set of startlingly white teeth as he offered a hand. Paul stared back up at the stranger, still too shocked to even begin to process this new development.
The man was, to put it simply, big. A thin blue cotton shirt stretched tightly across a large torso, with simple beige shorts that came down just far enough to cover the man's knees. A Pokégear hung loosely around the man's thick neck, and smattering of brown frizzy hair covered the top of his round-shaped head. Paul simply looked back up at him, until the man finally faltered slightly, lowering his offered hand a little.
"Well, I guess I haven't introduced myself properly. It's been a long time I guess, perhaps you don't remember me. I'm-"
"I know who you are," Paul suddenly found himself blurting out. "You were at my brother's battle with D-,Brandon."
"That's right kiddo!" If possible, the man's smile got even wider. "Glad I left some sort of impression."
"My brother told me all about you as well. You're Scott, right?"
Scott. The multimillionaire owner of the world-famous Battle Frontier, and his father's boss was standing right in front of him.
"Bingo!" The man called Scott performed a small fist pump, nearly wiping out one of the still-passing people with his careless fist. "I was told you were good. Well, I'm so glad you made it. Although Reggie said you'd be here, and that kid has never given me a reason to doubt him so far."
"Yes," Paul growled slightly at the mention of his sibling. "Looks like Reggie planned this all out perfectly."
"Exactly," Scott replied with a happy expression, not seeming to notice Paul's disgruntled tone. "I always liked your brother, he was a good kid. A good trainer too. It was such a shame." Paul watched with slightly narrowed eyes as Scott looked away from him for a moment to stare towards the Dome behind him.
"Still," Scott suddenly clapped his hands. "Onto the next chapter eh? I've got high hopes for you. Reggie says you're quite the trainer yourself." As Paul narrowed his eyes even more, Scott leaned in a bit closer, speaking now in a exaggerated stage whisper. "And Brandon's always spoken highly of you too."
Paul eyed the man suspiciously a little longer, then turned away and looked towards the Dome with a sudden feeling of renewed determination. So what if there was people watching, or that his brother had planned it? He was finally here, about to begin. What did it really matter in the end?
"I suppose I should get going then. I wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting after all..."
"Right you are Paulie," the man cried out with even more enthusiasm from behind him. "And I'm right behind you all the way!"
Paulie?
Paul gritted his teeth for a moment, one eyebrow twitching, then forced himself to take a deep breath, in and out. Control was the important thing here, as in everything. He couldn't allow himself to enter his battle already agitated, no matter what Reggie or Ash or even this Scott did. He would keep his calm, and show them all exactly what kind of trainer he was.
But at the same time, Paul couldn't deny there was a small part of him that liked the idea of simply turning and walking away. Of challenging another facility first instead, to punish his brother for having the sheer nerve to organise all this in the first place before Paul had even known about it.
But Paul couldn't make himself turn back now. Like before, his brother had thrown down the gauntlet, and this time Paul was fully prepared to throw it back in his face.
Paul took one last look at his surroundings, taking in the clear blue skies, the beautiful morning sun, circling news helicopters and the masses of screaming people before focusing his sights on the large-looking oval doorway set in the great dome's front. Through those doors, his first symbol was waiting. And beyond that, his father and his final justification.
"Let's go," Paul said.
Ash stood back with a guarded expression, hidden in the crowd as Paul walked straight past him without noticing, followed closely by Scott. The Pallet trainer watched with narrowed eyes as both made their way slowly towards the large Dome entrance, along with the thousands of other people who had come to watch the battle.
Ash took a moment to allow the pair to gain a reasonable distance on him, then slowly began to follow behind. It was a shame really, he'd have liked to have had the chance to talk to Scott again.
"Pikapi pikachu pika?" the electric mouse asked from his shoulder. Ash shook his head slowly in response.
"No, I don't want to see him again. But since we came all this way, I still want to see a battle. Although I now hope Tucker sends him packing."
"Pikapi," the rodent placated. Ash sighed a little.
"I know Pikachu. And I don't really mean that. I guess he just has a way of getting to me. I'm okay though."
Ash gave his starter an affectionate rub between the ears, resulting in a delighted "Chaaa," from the electric type. Ash smiled briefly as he continued to walk forward along with rest of the crowd, then felt it slowly drain from his face.
What will it take to make you learn your lesson Paul, Ash wondered silently.
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Phew. Even though that was shorter than the others, I seemed to have trouble writing it. My character writing still needs work obviously. I apologise for the lack of action involved in this one, but I ensure the next chapter will have all the action you could ask for. Finally, it looks like we've got to Paul's Frontier début, and I've been looking forward to it all the way through this chapter. Writing battles is what I enjoy the most after all. Will Paul earn his first victory? Read the next one to find out...
Mistuke Spotter List of Honour
*Madame Pika (Not only for pointing out a mistake, but for questioning my characterisation. Brilliant, thanks a lot.)
*jg13145
*JJWalker (Nice catch mate. That'll teach me for trying to be funny. I won't ever make that mistake again... oops... :P)
Remember guys and girls, anyone who spots a mistake will get a mention in the next chapter. I want to become better at this whole writing thing, and the only way that'll happen is if you keep pointing out my errors. The plot is mine of course, but spelling mistakes/bad grammar/characters out of character, please point them out. Bonus points if you make it as insulting as possible :P.
P.S. The chapter was mostly written very late at night, so I won't be surprised if there are even more mistakes here than usual. Good luck!
Recommendations
*Road to be a Pokémon Master -Writer under training. If you haven't read this already, then go and give it a look. Good battles are my favourite in Pokémon Fanfiction and this one has the best I've ever read. The story's recently been completed too.
(If anyone else wants their fic mentioned/wants me to read it, let me know. I'll recommend some of my favourites occasionally in the upcoming chapters throughout this story, but if any of you want to advertise your own story here, then I have no problem with that. Us writers need to stick together after all!)
I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter or anything in general if you wanna leave a review. They really do motivate me to no end, and often result in me writing the next chapter ahead of time. All reviews will get a reply back, and guest reviewers will get a mention in the AN in the next chapter. Until then, stay safe everyone and catch you in one/two weeks time with the next instalment.
Seeya!