Where do our paths take us? Each of us travels alone through life, though our paths, as often as not, take us near to the paths of others. Sometimes, our paths cross entirely, and how we deal with the collision is part of what defines us. Sometimes we fight, sometimes we embrace, and sometimes, we stand apart, unsure of ourselves...
Dawn gazed out the window of the plane, down at the dark blue ocean that glittered in the setting sun. It had been almost two days since her battle with Kenny, since she had left Hoenn behind her to find Ash. In that time, she had thought long and hard about how she was going to tell Ash her secret. She still hadn't come up with an answer.
She turned her head as Max shifted in the seat next to her, holding Ralts protectively in his arms. The two of them were inseparable. She had never seen anybody with such a strong connection with their Pokemon since she had last travelled with Ash.
She sighed as she returned her gaze to the window. How long do I have to wait before I see him again?
A beep drew her attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in Mistralton City in approximately thirty minutes. Please make sure that all of your things are stowed away safely."
Dawn smiled as she watched the sun drop closer to the horizon. I'm here, Ash. But where are you?
Ash stood in the small field, watching carefully as Scraggy and Axew stared at each other from across the grass. It had been two days since his gym battle with Skyla, two days since his decision to continue on to Icirrus City to challenge the next gym there. Little had changed in his demeanor. He was still focused on training his Pokemon, on making them better. He was still focused on pursuing his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, that much was clear from the determination stamped on his face.
But, every action felt mechanical to him now, like he was simply repeating things he had already done as opposed to actually getting closer to his goal. Oh, sure, new things came along. The Clubsplosion Tournament, rescuing Axew from the Durant nest, they had brought some of his old self back to the fore. Battles never failed to attract his attention and fighting spirit. But by the end, he slipped back into an almost dull monotony.
Iris smiled. "Axew, use Scratch!"
Ash smirked. "Scraggy, use Leer."
The small green Tusk Pokemon rushed forward, the tiny claws on his hand sparkling in the sunlight. The look on Axew's face made clear his intent and determination to defeat his friend.
Scraggy stretched himself as tall as he could. Narrowing his eyes, the Shedding Pokemon glared down at his friend, who flinched and paused in fear.
Ash's grin grew wider. "Now, Scraggy, Headbutt!"
Scraggy leaned back, then threw himself forward, smashing his thick forehead straight into Axew's, who stumbled backwards and fell over.
Iris grimaced. "You okay Axew?"
Axew shook his head to clear the buzzing sensation running around in his skull, then jumped to his feet. "Axew ax!" (Not out yet!)
His opponent smiled, and held out his hand in a clear 'come hither' gesture. "Scrag." (Bring it.)
Iris grinned. "Alright Axew, give him a shot of Dragon Rage!"
Axew concentrated, feeling the power building in his abdomen and welling up into his mouth. He held it for as long as he could, then braced himself and opened his mouth. A writhing, pulsating blast of blue energy erupted forth, rippling through the air towards Scraggy like a snake.
The small yellow Pokemon tensed as he watched the rapidly approaching attack. Jumping aside would probably safe him a lot of energy, but he was tough, and it might throw Axew for a loop if he withstood the attack. He gripped the rim of his pants, trying to decide.
The decision was made for him. "Scraggy, dodge it!" The agile fighting type leaped aside, utilizing a long perfected technique of balancing his flight with one hand and holding up his pants with the other, in case his attempt failed.
It didn't, and the powerful beam of energy smashed into the ground, carving a short trench before exploding into a crater. Scraggy landed on his feet unharmed, and ready for another strike.
Ash grinned as the youngest member of his team took a knee, waiting for his next command. "Scraggy, Headbutt again!" He watched as Scraggy leaped forwards, aiming his oversized head straight towards his friend.
Iris gritted her teeth. "Axew, block it with Scratch!" Her partner charged forward, swinging his short arm to meet the incoming attack.
Both attacks collided, then threw the combatants apart, each glaring at the other, neither willing to give up.
Ash called the first move. "Scraggy, use High Jump Kick!" The Shedding Pokemon leaped high into the air, then flipped around and rocketed towards Axew, his knee becoming enveloped in striated red light as he descended like a meteor. Scraggy had faith in his trainer, but even he was hoping that the attack would connect. He knew from practice that a failed High Jump Kick hurt. A lot.
Iris narrowed her eyes. "Axew, knock him down with Dragon Rage!" Axew sucked in a breath and fired another writhing blast of energy at his friend.
The rippling beam flickered like blue fire as it intercepted with Scraggy, who winced slightly as he focused all of his attention and effort onto the sharp point of his knee. Both opponents were using a daring strategy. Scraggy was too dedicated to his attack to do anything other than attempt to power through the Dragon Rage, and Axew couldn't move without stopping his own attack.
Scraggy slowly slid through the powerful dragon type attack like a dull knife, sweat beading on his forehead with the effort.
Ash suddenly stepped forward. "Scraggy, use Focus Blast!"
Scraggy's eyes widened, and though he was unsure as to what Ash was planning, he cupped his hands and concentrated.
Iris frowned at her friend, though Axew paid no attention. "What is Ash doing? Scraggy can barely form a Focus Blast, let alone aim it in the middle of a Dragon Rage." She said to herself quietly.
A glowing blue orb unsteadily formed in Scraggy's hands, his eyes narrowed as he precariously split his concentration. He thrust his hands forward, hoping that he could finally pull it off.
Not quite. The orb immediately shot off to the side, exploding the second it made contact with the flickering energy of the Dragon Rage. The force of the explosion threw Scraggy back into the sky, and knocked Axew flat onto his back.
Ash smiled. "Alright, Scraggy. We've got him. High Jump Kick again!"
Scraggy was frantically pinwheeling his arms as he flew through the air, but he managed to gather enough balance to flip himself around and once again shoot towards the fallen Tusk Pokemon.
Iris gritted her teeth in concern. "Axew, get up! You've got to dodge it!"
Unfortunately, Axew was still dazed from the exploding Focus Blast, and by the time he saw the approaching Scraggy, it was too late. The Shedding Pokemon landed knee first straight into Axew's stomach with a powerful crash, driving the breath from the dragon's lungs. Scraggy remained kneeling on his friend, then backflipped away, equal parts thankful and concerned. Thankful that he hadn't failed the High Jump Kick. Concerned about the amount of damage that he had done to Axew.
Axew remained laying on the ground for a moment, then groaned slightly and pushed himself out of the ground. He climbed unsteadily to his feet, swaying slightly from side to side.
Iris called out to him worriedly. "Axew, are you okay?"
The Tusk Pokemon continued to sway, but he remained on his feet. "Ax, ew." (Still here.)
Iris smiled. Her partner was a fighter, and not one to give up easily. "Alright, Axew. Let's try this out for size. Outrage!"
For a moment, Axew just stood there. His eyes were closed, his head bowed. Scraggy looked at him cautiously, warily gripping his pants.
Axew raised his head, and opened his eyes. Normally, his red eyes gleamed with a happy, playful charm. Now, they glowed brightly with a fury that was not normally part of his personality. He bared his teeth, and his short tusks seemed to become sharper in the sunlight. With a loud, angry scream, he charged forward, becoming covered in a thin red light that matched the glow in his eyes.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Scraggy, dodge it!" Scraggy waited for a moment, then leaped into the air, intending to jump straight over top of Axew.
Unfortunately, the furious Tusk Pokemon wasn't so angry as to be fooled. He leaped into the air as well, crashing into Scraggy, whom he proceeded to punch, kick, bite, and scratch, twisting his head from side to side to slash with his short tusks. The two Pokemon collapsed into a heap on the ground, Axew continuing to pummel Scraggy, who instinctively pulled his pants up to protect his body. The pair became enveloped in a cloud of dust, dimly illuminated by Axew's red light.
Finally, the red light faded, and the dust settled. Axew stood overtop of Scraggy, panting heavily, then fell forward. Both Pokemon were out cold, Scraggy from the beating he had received, Axew from sheer exhaustion.
Cilan, who had been watching the battle closely as judge, raised his hand. "That's enough. The battle is a tie."
Both trainers rushed over to their respective Pokemon. Gently picking them up, Ash and Iris looked at them worriedly.
"Scraggy, you alright?"
"Axew, wake up please?"
Both young Pokemon opened their eyes, looking at each other. Axew worriedly reached out to his friend, anxious to see if he was okay. Scraggy smiled and accepted the small paw.
"Scrag, scraggy." (Nice battle. Again sometime.)
Axew smiled happily, albeit wearily. "Axew." (Yeah.)
Both Pokemon turned to their trainers and smiled, and both Ash and Iris gave a sigh of relief. Though Scraggy and Axew were from different nests, they were brothers in mind and heart, and neither truly wanted to hurt the other.
Iris turned and smiled at Ash. "That was good battle. Both of them are getting better. Too bad Scraggy still hasn't mastered Focus Blast."
Ash nodded as the trainers carried their Pokemon to where the rest of their teams were waiting. "Yeah. Axew's Outrage was pretty tough. I don't know many Pokemon who could keep standing after that."
His tone was light and happy, but within his mind and heart, his enthusiasm was already fading.
Dawn gazed up at the sky as she crawled out of her tent. The golden sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon, casting it's shining rays on the slopes of Twist Mountain. Several days had passed since Max and her had arrived in Unova, days since discovering that Ash had already passed through Mistralton with his two companions, a dragon trainer named Iris, and a Gym Leader/Pokemon Connoisseur named Cilan. She was curious about them, particularly about Iris, wondering what this new girl might mean to Ash.
She glanced over to the now cold fire pit, on the opposite side of which lay the still slumbering Max and Ralts. Piplup was still asleep in her tent. She turned back to the sunrise, her heart faintly swelling in response to the warm rays for which she was named.
Sighing, she grabbed a stick and began stirring the ashes, trying to find some coals, some buried remnant of the fire from the night before.
Something soft brushed against her calf, and she looked down in surprise to find Piplup looking up at her, and she smiled. "Morning Piplup. How are you?"
Her partner smiled. "Pip, piplup." (Morning Dawn.)
The dark sleeping bag on the other side of the camp stirred, and Max and Ralts blearily looked up. Dawn giggled slightly at the sight. "Hey Max. You sleep alright?"
The younger boy looked at her for a moment, his eyes unfocused. "Uh, yeah. You?"
Dawn smiled. "I was fine."
Max's glasses suddenly lifted off the ground, unfolding to hover in front of his face. He smiled as he plucked them out of the air, placing them on his face before hugging Ralts, who's eyes were glowing a dim blue.
A several hours later, after packing up the campsite, the pair of trainers and their Pokemon were walking steadily north. Max was looking at a solid map as Ralts peered over his shoulder, since his Pokenav didn't have any data for the Unova Region.
"Looks like Icirrus City is not too far ahead. We should be there pretty soon."
Dawn nodded. "With any luck, Ash is already there. I wonder what exactly a Pokemon Connoisseur does. Skyla and Nurse Joy weren't too specific."
Max simply shook his head. "I don't know, but it'll be interesting to meet that Cilan guy. And Iris. You don't meet many dragon trainers. I wonder what sort of Pokemon they have, and who all Ash has. Man, Unova Pokemon are really cool. I need to catch one."
Dawn smiled. Max reminded her a lot of Ash. Pokemon was their first love, both of them. "Yeah. Skyla had mentioned his Krokorok and Unfezant, but neither of us has a Unova Pokedex, so there's no way of telling what they look like. We can't really use Skyla's Unfezant as an example, since Ash's is supposed to be female, and Skyla's was male. They're supposed to look very different."
Max nodded. Together, they steadily climbed up the hill, pausing as they reached the top.
The various buildings of the small city were built on raised terraces and small hills, connected by shallow valleys. It puzzled Dawn why the entire city wasn't level, but there was probably a reason for it.
Dawn smiled as she looked across the city. I hope you're here, Ash. I hope that I don't have to wait much longer to see you. "Come on. If I know Ash, he's either at the Pokemon Center, the Gym, or some place nearby training."
She looked at Max, who was staring off into the horizon. She looked at him curiously. "Max? Hello?"
Max pointed ahead. "What do you think that is?"
Dawn followed his arm, and saw the tall tower rising in the distance. She hadn't noticed it before, but now it seemed to dominate the skyline. "I don't know. We could ask someone, maybe check it out later."
Max nodded. "Right. First we should see if Ash is around."
Making their way to the Pokemon Center, both of them smiled as they saw Nurse Joy busy typing at a computer.
Dawn stepped up to the counter. "Excuse me?"
Nurse Joy looked up in surprise. "Oh, hello. Welcome. Wow, those are some interesting Pokemon you've got with you. Could I see them please?"
Dawn and Max looked at each other and smiled. "Sure." Dawn answered, lifting Piplup over her head to set him on the counter. "This is Piplup." Ralts simply teleported from her spot on Max's backpack. Max smiled. "That's Ralts."
Nurse Joy examined both Pokemon closely. Ralts and Piplup looked at each other, unsure about the woman. Finally, Nurse Joy straightened up. "I've never seen Pokemon like this, though they do seem to be in excellent health. Is there something I could help you with?"
Ralts teleported back to Max, this time reappearing with her arms wrapped around his neck. He quickly held her in a hug. "Yeah. We were wondering if you've seen a Pokemon trainer named Ash. He travels with a Pikachu?"
Nurse Joy looked at him blankly. "Pikachu? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of that Pokemon."
Dawn slipped her hand into her backpack and pulled out a folded up photograph. Unfolding it, she looked at it for a moment, her heart heavy. She stood in the center, holding Piplup in her arms. On either side were Brock and Ash, with Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder, like always. She turned the photo towards Nurse Joy.
"That's Ash, though he might be wearing different clothes now. And this is Pikachu." She tapped the pictured individuals with her finger.
Nurse Joy studied the photo for a moment, then shook her head. "Sorry, but I haven't seen anyone like that, or that Pokemon. If you like, I'll keep an eye out for them. Could I get your names?"
Dawn sighed slightly, then folded up the picture and slipped it back into her backpack, then picked up Piplup. "Yeah, thanks. I'm Dawn, and this is Max. Tell Ash that we're looking for him. Also, could you tell us where the local Gym is?"
Nurse Joy smiled as she pointed to a small map of the city. "Of course. Brycen's Gym is located just outside the north end of the city, on the way to Dragonspiral Tower. You can't miss it."
Max's interest spiked at her words. "Dragonspiral Tower? What's that?"
Nurse Joy giggled slightly. "Dragonspiral Tower is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, structure in Unova. According to legend, Dragonspiral Tower is where the two heroes of Unova fought each other, along side their legendary Pokemon, Zekrom and Reshiram."
Max's eyes widened, and Ralts twisted around to peer up at the Nurse. "Whoa. That must have been an amazing battle."
Nurse Joy nodded. "They say that Zekrom and Reshiram were once a single Pokemon, before the heroes conflict caused it to split into two. They also say that that final battle resulted in the legendary Pokemon to turn into the stones they are now."
She smiled. "Or at least, that's how the legend goes. At any rate, the tower is mostly empty and breaking down. Only Pokemon live there now, mostly Meinfoo and Golett. It might be worth seeing." She frowned. "Although, I don't know how much luck you will have. According to some trainers who have gone there, even the Pokemon have been unusually hard to find."
Dawn and Max both nodded. "Right, we'll check it out." Dawn smiled. "Come on, lets go see if Ash is at that Gym."
Several minutes later, both trainers stood in front of the Gym, which seemed to be built inside a cave. The young man who had come outside shook his head. "Nope, I haven't seen a trainer with a Pikachu. If I had, I would have turned him away. Brycen's out training in the mountains, and I don't know when he'll be back. Some other time maybe." He turned and went back inside the Gym, the doors sliding closed behind him.
Dawn's shoulders sagged, and she bowed her head. "Wrong again." She sighed, then turned and looked at Max, fixing a smile on her face. "Well, since we know that Ash hasn't been here yet, if we hang around, we'll be sure to bump into him. What do you say we check out that Dragonspiral Tower while we wait?"
Max nodded, excited determination stamped on his face. "Man, I can't wait until Ash gets here. I'll finally be able to have that battle."
Slowly, the pair made their way to the distant tower.
Not far off, Ash gritted his teeth as he stared down the Pokemon Poacher. Pikachu was crouched in front of him, glaring at the two floating Jellicent. One was a bright blue and white, the other two different shades of pink. The Poacher behind them smirked. "Look, kid, you're out of your league. I've been hunting this Volcarona for weeks now, and I'm not going to let some snot-nosed kid take my prize. I've got a lot of money riding on this job." He turned his narrowed gaze to the older man standing next to Ash. "And as for you, Brycen, why don't you go back to Icirrus, and quit sticking yer nose in my business."
Standing next to Pikachu, a tall white bear spread his arms and roared. Brycen gave the Poacher a cold look. "This Volcarona is exceedingly rare, and is not to be disturbed. Return your Pokemon, leave here, and this doesn't have to end badly."
The poacher snorted. "Yeah, right. Jellicent, Hydro Pump!" Both water types reared back, and twin powerful streams of water blasted towards the two Pokemon.
Ash threw out his hand. "Pikachu, dodge it, then use Thunderbolt!"
Brycen clenched his fist. "Beartic, brace for it, then Aerial Ace!"
Pikachu tensed, then leaped into the air, easily avoiding the powerful attack. Concentrating, he became enveloped in a field of electricity, and fired a powerful bolt towards the blue Jellicent.
The Beartic crossed its arms and dug its hind claws into the dirt, leaning forward slightly. The Hydro Pump smashed into it, pushing it backwards, its hind paws carving shallow trenches in the dirt. With a loud growl, the large bear uncrossed its arms, dispersing the stream of water, and launched itself forward, racing towards the pink Jellicent.
Both attacks struck true, and the two Jellicent were knocked flying into the poacher. Ash smiled grimly.
A bright light shone from nearby, and the large Volcarona, easily dwarfing the rest of the group, fluttered free from its open cage, Iris and Cilan below trying to shield themselves from the shower of burning scales that drifted from the beating wings. The Sun Pokemon soared into the sky, retreating further into the mountains.
Ash and Brycen lowered their arms, from when they had been shielding themselves from the burning light of the Volcarona's wings, and Ash growled in frustration. The Poacher had disappeared. "Come on, he got away?"
Brycen walked up to the Beartic and laid his hand on the Freezing Pokemon's paw. "Excellent work, my friend." He turned to Ash. "Don't worry. He won't get too far. With most of his equipment broken, he'll be forced to retreat. Once Jenny gets ahold of this camp, I doubt that it will be much longer for her to track him down." He smiled as he returned the Beartic to its Pokeball. "In the mean time, may I ask where you are going?"
Ash smiled as Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder, Iris and Cilan approaching. "We're on our way to Icirrus City, so that I can get my seventh Gym badge."
Brycen smiled. "Well then, you are in luck. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ash. I am the Gym Leader of Icirrus City."
All three trainers stared at the older man. "You're the Gym Leader?" Iris asked in disbelief.
Brycen nodded. "Yes. Beartic and I were just taking some time off to train, but perhaps now would be a good time to return. Follow me, Icirrus City isn't too far from here."
Dawn and Max stared up at the looming tower. It was old and decrepit, with many sections of the curved wall having fallen out.
Max took a small breath. "Wow. Do you ya think that two trainers with legendary Pokemon really battled here?"
Dawn thought about what she knew about legends, about what she had seen of Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Arceus, and the Mirage Pokemon, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. "I think that it could have happened. I think that it would have been incredible to see."
Max nodded, remembering his own adventures, seeing Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys and Manaphy. "Yeah, it would have been."
Dawn smiled. "Come on, lets go inside, look around."
Many minutes passed as the pair walked through the ruins, and neither saw any trace of Pokemon. Various stone pillars had broken and fallen with age, the floor was cracked and scattered with holes, and the air seemed to be permeated with the age of the structure. But it was entirely deserted.
Dawn glanced nervously behind her. "Where do you think the Pokemon are? You'd think we would have seen something by now."
Max nodded. "Yeah. It's weird."
Ralts was looking around her, when she suddenly flinched and started shivering. Max immediately felt her become colder, and he lifted her up from his backpack. "Ralts? What's wrong?"
Dawn turned and looked at the pair in concern, Piplup jumping down from her own bag. "Max?
Ralts shivered in Max's arms. Bad. Wrong. I feel so cold, Max. Someone bad is here, very close.
Max looked around worriedly. "I think something bad's happened to the Pokemon here. Ralts is sensing some pretty bad emotions."
A hollow, grating sound suddenly echoed through the air, like stones being ground up at the bottom of a long tube. Heavy footsteps sounded, and Dawn and Max ducked behind a pillar. They peaked over the top of the stone.
From the shadows, a medium sized, round object hurried into the light. It was vaguely human in shape, but that was using the loosest sense of the term. Its round body was easily over two feet in diameter, with a small, triangular head, short, stocky arms, and a pair of small, stony feet. Yellow light glowed from four small holes in its body, where its limbs projected outwards. It seemed to be made out of blue rock of different shades, with four thick, brown bands surrounding it in an X shape, converging on a diamond-shaped panel on its front. A yellow swirl, glowing like the light from the holes in its body, marked the front of the panel. Two yellow eyes glowed from its head, one a rectangle, the other shaped like a reverse L.
The strange Pokemon paused as it entered the light, its human-like hands anxiously clenching and unclenching as it looked around. It moved forward again, seemingly anxious to be somewhere else.
A dark shape sailed high over its head, and a purple, cat-like Pokemon landed in front of it. The new Pokemon was slender and lithe, with creamy spots on its dark fur. Its legs and underside where a dark cream, and a sickle-shaped tail nonchalantly swept through the air. The newcomer turned around and faced the stone-like Pokemon.
"Liepa!" It meowed, almost like a dare. Again, that echoed grating sound rumbled through the air. The round Pokemon raised its fist, which shone briefly before becoming enveloped in translucent, gray-violet energy.
The feline-like Pokemon moved first, darting forward with blurring speed. It's delicate paw struck the round Pokemon in the face, knocking it over, and the grey-violet energy faded. The cat-like Pokemon jumped into the air, and its paw became enveloped in black and red energy. It dropped down onto its prey, and stabbed its paw at the square panel on the round Pokemon's body. The echoing grating sound came again, but this time its pitch was different, and Dawn suddenly realized that it was being made by the round Pokemon.
The feline jumped off, and a net shot from the shadows, wrapping around and trapping the round Pokemon. The trapped Pokemon frantically pushed itself up, struggling to escape, but the sturdy rope held fast.
"Easy there. Don't want you wasting all that energy now. Liepard, why don't you convince this little Golett to calm down. Shadow Ball!"
The cat-like Pokemon, apparently named Liepard, opened its mouth, and a crackling violet ball formed inside it. With a snap, the Liepard shot the ball towards the helpless Golett, and the ball exploded in its face. The Golett fell over again, and this time, it stopped struggling.
The man who had spoken stepped out of the shadows, walking sedately beside the rope that trailed from the net. "Thought you could avoid capture, huh? That wasn't very nice, abandoning your fellows. Hows about I put in a cage like the others, and then you'll all be happy." He pulled a small communication device from his belt. "Got em, Jake. Reel it in."
The trailing rope became taunt, and the trapped Golett was dragged backwards into the shadows, followed by the man and the Liepard.
Dawn gritted her teeth, and she was forced to grab hold of Piplup to stop him from charging after the man. "Uuugh, what is that guy doing? Is he a poacher of some kind?"
Max glared into the shadows where the man had disappeared. Ralts continued to shiver in his arms. "I don't know, but I do know that that Pokemon was trying to escape. We gotta help it!"
Dawn nodded. "Lets go, but quietly. Is Ralts going to be okay?"
Ralts continued shivering for a moment, then resolutely pushed Max's arms open and dropped to the ground. A dim blue light shone from beneath her helmet-like hair. He must be stopped. I can sense others, they are frightened. We must help them.
Max nodded, and the four trainers and Pokemon crept out from behind the fallen pillar, slowly advancing into the shadows.
Within minutes, the dim glow of a fire could be seen. Dawn and Max took cover behind another fallen pillar, looking carefully. The man they had seen earlier was standing among a bunch of mid-sized cages, each barely large enough to hold the Pokemon trapped inside. His Liepard was lounging by the fire.
Sitting on the other side of the fire, was a second man. This one was bulkier than the first, and was doing something with a laptop. He chuckled. "I tell ya Ray, this was a piece of cake. They're going to pay big money for all these Golett."
Ray had his back turned to them as he examined one of the cages. "Yeah. Too bad we have to give them all up. This one really put up a fight. The only one we needed help with." He turned and stepped aside, revealing the trapped Golett.
This one was different. Unlike the others, who's main colors were different shades of blue, this Golett was mostly gray and black. Where the other Golett had yellow energy glowing from within their bodies, this one was had bright green. And unlike the others, it was struggling to free itself.
Dawn gritted her teeth again. "They are poachers!" she whispered.
Max clenched his fists. "I'll see if I can sneak around and free them."
The Liepard suddenly lifted its head, turning its green eyes in their direction. It got to its feet, growling. Jake glanced up. "Uh, Ray, I think your Liepard heard something."
Liepard's response was to fire a Shadow Ball at the pillar that Dawn and Max were hiding behind. The force of the hit cracked the pillar in two, the force of the explosion knocking Dawn and Max onto their backs. Ray hurried over.
"Hey! Whoever you are, show yourselves!"
Dawn and Max groaned, then got their feet and slowly entered the firelight. Dawn glared at both men. Ray chuckled. "Well, well. Looky here. We got ourselves a couple o' kids, Jake. Watcha doin' here, kids?"
Dawn glared at him. "Let those Pokemon go!"
Jake laughed. "Let em go? Yeah right. Look, girly, we're getting paid a lot of money to grab these Golett, so the only time we'll be letting them go is when we hand em over to our employer."
Ray peered at them. "Hey, Jake. Look at those Pokemon they got with em. You ever seen Pokemon like tha'?"
Jake glanced at Ralts and Piplup, then took a second, more interested look. "Naw, I ain't never seen anything like em. I wonder how much we could get for them."
Max stamped his foot. "You can't have our Pokemon, so let those Pokemon go!"
Ray simply chuckled as Liepard delicately stepped in front of him. "See, ya didn't hear us the first time, kid. And as for your Pokemon, well, ya ain't really gonna have a choice. Jake, whaddya say we responsible adults take those poor Pokemon from these irresponsible kids?"
Jake smiled as he pulled a Pokeball from his waist. "With pleasure, Ray." He tossed the Pokeball into the air, and a white light flashed from inside it, forming a large, bulky Pokemon.
Dawn and Max stared. The new Pokemon looked like a trash heap had broken out of a garbage bag. It was easily three times the size of the Liepard. Opening its small mouth, a noxious gas billowed out. "Garbodor!"
Ralts and Piplup stepped forward, each quite eager to demonstrate there power. Ralts was barely shaking, and through the faint connection they shared, Max could feel her fury and indignation.
Ray chuckled. "Jake, I'll leave the first move to you."
Jake smiled, the expression looking cruel on his face. "Why, thank you, partner. Garbodor, Sludge Bomb!"
The massive, stinking pile raised its right arm, and a foul smelling ball of sludge formed in its right hand. Drawing back its arm, it hurled the toxic ball at Piplup.
Dawn thrust out her hand. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"
Ray smirked. "Liepard, Fake Out!" The Liepard leaped forward, and before Piplup could move a muscle, the feline struck him across the face, knocking him into a spin.
Max stamped his foot again. "Ralts, stop that Sludge Bomb with Psychic!" A bright blue light shone from Ralts' concealed eyes, and the Sludge Bomb slowed to a stop in mid air.
Jake smirked. "That puny little girl will be more than preoccupied. Garbodor, Gunk Shot on that tiny little blue bird!" Ray chuckled. "Liepard, Night Slash!"
Dawn growled. "Piplup, use Drill Peck!"
The massive Garbodor raised its right arm again, and a foul stream of toxic liquid shot from the hollow tubes that formed its fingertips. The Liepard leaped forward again, its left paw becoming enveloped in red and black light. Piplup threw himself forward, launching into a spin that allowed him to burrow into the Gunk Shot. The Liepard brought its paw down into the stream, and Piplup was knocked to the ground. The Garbodor adjusted its aim, and Piplup was sent flying into a pillar.
Ralts made a small sound, and the Sludge Bomb she had stopped split in half, each half sent speeding towards each opponent. The Liepard daintily jumped aside, and the Garbodor made no effort to stop the sludge that splattered against its body.
Ray chuckled. "Little girl's got spunk. Liepard, Shadow Ball." Jake smiled. "Garbodor, Clear Smog." Again, the Liepard fired a crackling violet orb from its mouth, and the Garbodor belched a pale mist from its mouth.
Max grunted. "Ralts, Safeguard!" A glittering green shield formed around Ralts. The Clear Smog billowed against the shield but advanced to further. The Shadow Ball deflected to the side as it smashed through the shield, exploding harmlessly against a pillar.
Dawn growled again. "Piplup, use Whirlpool on Garbodor!"
Ray leered at her. "Liepard, Sucker Punch, then Night Slash, both on that thing!" The Liepard shot forward, ramming its paw into Piplup's chest, knocking the Penguin Pokemon onto his back, then swung its other paw through the air as it became enveloped in red light, batting Piplup into the air. The unfortunate water type crashed into a pillar, stunned by the powerful impact.
Dawn rushed over to her partner. "Piplup!"
The Liepard suddenly rushed past her, crouching over the unconscious Piplup. Red and black energy swirled around its paws, and it hissed at Dawn, who slid to a stop.
Ray chuckled again. "Uh uh, girly. Since you don't seem to have the needed skills to fight properly, we'll be confiscating that little pip-squeak, so that it can be delivered to someone more, experienced."
Jake laughed. "For the right price, of course. And I wouldn't try taking out any more Pokemon. Ray's Liepard doesn't much like Pokeballs."
Dawn glared at both men in helpless frustration. Max shared in her anger. This was wrong on so many different levels. "Ralts, pull Piplup out of there with Psychic!" Again, a blue light glowed from behind Ralts' hair, and Piplup became outlined in blue light.
Liepard stabbed its paw down onto Piplup's chest. The light shattered, leaving Piplup still trapped. Ray laughed. "I'm guessing that little one is a psychic type, right? I'm afraid that there is nothing she can do against a dark type like Liepard."
Jake smirked. "Garbodor, lets wrap this up. Sludge Bomb!" Again, a fetid orb of polluted muck flew through the air towards Ralts, who instinctively froze it with Psychic.
Ray smiled. "Liepard, Shadow Ball!" A crackling violet orb shot at Ralts, who barely managed to stop it as well.
Sweat beaded her hair and brow as she struggled to concentrate. Max. I, I can't keep this up. We need help! I need help!
Jake's smirk turned into a frown. "Garbodor, Gunk Shot!" A powerful jet of sludge bounded the hovering Sludge Bomb, forcing it closer. Ralts exerted herself further, and the toxic mass barely stopped. She couldn't see any way out. She couldn't teleport away to dodge them, for then she couldn't stop the attacks from accidentally hitting Max. But the strain of holding them was becoming to much.
Max gritted his teeth. He hated feeling so helpless. They were at a stalemate, with the balance rapidly shifting against him.
A hollow, grating noise echoed through the air, followed by the shriek of tearing metal. Everyone turned their heads towards the caged Golett. The oddly colored Golett that had been struggling had broken a bar on either side of it, leaving its arms free. The green energy coming from its body glowed brighter, and it wrenched two more bars free. Now having the freedom to move its arms fully, it punched the ground, launching itself into the air. Withdrawing its arms, it threw itself into a furious spin, which Max recognized as a Rollout attack. The caged Golett hit the ground with a crash, and incredibly, didn't stop rolling. Instead, the metal cage screeched against the stone floor, and the Golett bounced and spun forward, crashing against other cages, before finally crashing into the base of a pillar, which toppled down on top of it.
"No!" Max shouted, and Ralts heaved the attacks away from her.
Jake growled. "Come on. We've gotta catch that guy again? Well, he's buried under that pillar, so at least he's out of the way."
Again, the hollow grating cry of the Golett ripped through the air, and the fallen pillar rose slightly. All four humans stared in astonishment as the Golett hefted the stone into the air, and threw it into the camp, smashing into the laptop and scattering the fire. The green energy leaking from its body glowed darkly, and the furious expression on its stony face made plain exactly what it thought of the poachers that had imprisoned it, as well as what it intended to do. It punched its fists together, each of which glowed a red-orange, and it smashed open the two nearest cages, freeing the Golett inside. A grated conversation was exchanged between the three Golett, and the two normal colored ones began breaking open other cages. The oddly colored Golett turned towards the crouched Liepard, and both Pokemon became outlined in green. The Liepard froze, unable to move, and the Golett launched itself into another Rollout, headed straight for Liepard.
Just before it struck, the Golett hit a small rock lying on the ground in its path. It was very small, and caused only a small bump, but it was enough to give the Golett enough air to barely miss Piplup, while still smashing into Liepard's side.
Dawn rushed over to her unconscious friend, and Max snapped out of his daze. "Looks like we've got our help, Ralts. Psychic!" Ralts turned towards the bulky Garbodor, which became outlined in blue light and lifted into the air. It accelerated to the left, crashing and ricocheting off of three different pillars, then swung into a loop and smashed into the ground like a meteor. The Liepard flew through the air, still enveloped by green light, followed by the Golett, its fist glowing like fire, which Max recognized as Dynamic Punch. He stared in awe. Dynamic Punch was a powerful fighting type attack, but was not known for its accuracy. For some reason, the light that surrounded the pair stopped Liepard from dodging.
The Liepard crashed into the ground, then unsteadily climbed to its feet, swaying and stumbling like it was drunk. Max remembered that Dynamic Punch also always caused confusion. The Golett landed on its feet, planted its fist on the ground to form a tripod, and waited.
Ray gritted his teeth. "Liepard, snap out of it and use Night Slash!" The Liepard stumbled to the side, and walked face first into a block of stone. It froze as the green light surrounding it solidified, freezing it in place. The Golett raised its fist from the ground, which became enveloped in gray-violet energy. The Golett swung its fist forward, and a shadowy fist sprang from the energy field, clocking the Liepard in the face.
Jake growled. "Get up, Garbodor, and teach that little blockhead a lesson."
Max growled in return. "I don't think so. Ralts, Energy Ball!"
Dawn glanced over at him as she cradled Piplup in her arms. "Ralts knows Energy Ball?" she whispered.
The pair of horns on Ralts' head glowed bright green, and she crossed her arms. A green light glowed between her arms and chest, which then coalesced into a shining orb of pure energy. Jumping into the air, she swung her arms outward, and the orb shot down, smashing into Garbodor's chest. The explosion buried the bulky Pokemon further into the floor. Golett jumped into another Rollout, knocking the Liepard into the crater.
Both Ray and Jake gritted their teeth, and were about to call out new attacks when an exceptionally loud grating sound was heard. Ray turned around, and his face turned stark white as he saw the veritable army of Golett assembled behind them. "Uh, Jake? I think we better beat it. This ain't gonna end well for us."
Jake glanced back and saw the reason for his partner's fear. "I think ya might be right, Ray." Both poachers returned their respective Pokemon, and made a dash for the exit.
The oddly colored Golett, however, had other ideas. Its fists became cloaked in energy, and it fired both Shadow Punches. Just before the attacks connected, the fists uncurled into shadowy hands, which then grabbed the poachers by the backs of their shirts. The Golett easily lifted them into the air, then spun around and flung them towards a gaping hole in the outer wall of the tower. Both poachers flew out of sight.
Max rushed to Dawn's side, with Ralts teleporting next to him. Dawn gently held Piplup, who finally opened his eyes. "Pip?" (What happened?)
Dawn smiled in relief. "We did it, Piplup. We beat them, and rescued the Golett."
Piplup sighed. "Pip, piplup." (That's great. Good night.) He passed out again. Dawn got to her feet, sighing heavily.
Max picked up Ralts in his arms. "We should probably get back to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy will be able to help."
The grating sound of the Golett behind him drew his attention. Both Max and Dawn glanced over, and were surprised to see that the odd colored Golett was standing nearby, its fist planted on the ground in front of it, its geometric eyes aimed straight at Max and Ralts.
Max looked at the assembled group of Golett, then back at Dawn. "What do you think is going on now?"
Dawn shook her head. "I have no idea."
He wants to come with us.
Max looked down at Ralts. "Huh?"
Ralts leaned her head back, her red eyes gazing out at the strange Pokemon. He is sad. He wasn't able to stop the poachers before. He was impressed at how easily we were able to fight them, and how strong we were. He wants to become that strong, so that he will never be that helpless again. He says that no battle is required, he is already convinced of our strength.
The Golett stood up straight, and moved to stand in front of Max. It was easily as tall as he was, and twice as large. It extended its fist, as if in invitation or request. Max looked at the large, tough Pokemon, then smiled.
"Well, I did promise my sister that I would catch a Pokemon in Unova, and you were really tough." He reached around and pulled a Pokeball from his backpack. Touching the red and white sphere, the Pokeball popped open, and the Golett dissolved into white energy, which flowed into the sphere. The Pokeball snapped shut, and began rocking back and forth for a few moments, then stopped. A short ding issued from the ball, and Max's smile grew wider.
"Wow. I never would have thought that this would be how I capture my first Pokemon as a trainer."
Dawn frowned at him. "You've never caught a Pokemon before?"
Max shook his head. "Nope. Ralts was my first Pokemon ever, and I had my dad to help, so she doesn't count. And Slakoth was a gift from my parents, so he doesn't count either. This Golett is the first Pokemon I've ever caught." His smile faded. "But right now, we should get back to the Pokemon Center and take care of Piplup. Hang on." He placed the collapsed Pokeball onto his belt, next to the two Pokeballs that were already there, and grabbed Dawn's wrist. Ralts concentrated, and the pair vanished in a flash of light.
Whew. Damn this was long. I had originally intended for everybody to meet up in this chapter, but after all the set I put into it, the chapter was too long! So, next chapter will be the meet, followed by spectacular battles that will knock your heads off.
In other words, brace yourselves, lads and lassies. A powerful force is about to be unleashed on your eager little minds.