Hey guys CaptainPrice here wishing you all a happy Friday and feeling accomplished... for the most part. Well, we're finally here. We've arrived back to chapter six, and almost made it back to 71 reviews like I hoped, just need 9 more to get there. Anyway, this is the last chapter I had in the doc manager and I haven't written anything since the story was taken down by the FanFiction 5-0. So expect a new chapter next week possibly. I left the Memorial Day shoutout in there and I don't care if it's past the day now, but that's when the story was last updated for real before being taken down and I will not let that stop me from keeping in a message for some of the bravest men/women that walk the world.
Warning: This chapter contains minor language, but nothing too bad.
Bold- Message Bulleting/PA System
Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
Bold Italics- TV/Radio/Pokedex (AKA Dexter) Descriptions
Chapter Summary- After successfully defeating the Striaton City Gym Leaders, Tom and the gang decide to take a break and run some errands. For Tom though, nothing seems to come easy as he has a couple run ins with some new trainers that stop him.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon. I DO own this story, the idea of the story, and the OCS (Tom Sandbourne, Sparks and Sully).
Tom, Corey, Kenta, Elliott and Eri departed the building to head towards the hotel that Eri had managed book rooms in. Corey and Tom were going to head to the Pokemon Center briefly to have their Pokemon recover from the battles so they could have their scheduled rematch. As the group reached the road intersection, they decided to split up. Kenta, Elliott and Eri continued down the road towards the hotel while Tom and Corey headed down the main route.
"I've waited a long time for this rematch, Tom." Corey informed.
"Well I'll be sure not to hold back on you then, Corey." Tom replied.
"Good."
The Pokemon Center was in sight, giving Tom and Corey the extra motivation to hurry and get their Pokemon rested up for their battle. The pair of them started running to their destination, but stopped when a voice called out to them.
"You, with the stupid hat! Turn around and face me!"
Tom's eye twitched in annoyance at the little insult towards the hat. Marcus gave him the hat just before he went on his next journey and it would be a cold day in hell before he let someone get away with insulting something precious to him. Turning around, Tom and Corey found themselves staring at a lanky boy around their age. He had short black hair in bowl cut style, slate grey eyes and his skin had a slight tan to it. The boy was dressed in worn grey boots, black jeans that had silver chains going through the belt loops, a dark blue vest with a baggy blue shirt underneath and to top it off, he had a black fedora with a white band on top of his head. Tom and Corey exchanged looks before turning back to the boy in front of them.
"Speak for yourself. Your hat is more ridiculous than mine." Tom retorted.
"Really now? As far as I'm concerned the fedora is quite popular these days since a lot of people wear them. The way I see it, you're the one with the silly hat." The boy calmly countered.
Corey folded his arms as he observed the boy in front of him. He had a hunch that he crossed paths with him before somewhere but couldn't place it. The boy's attitude wasn't setting off a good first impression either. While Corey was busy trying to recall seeing the boy in front of him, Tom was currently locking eyes with his new found rival.
"Insults aside, you've got my attention. Now what do you want?" Tom said, adjusting his hat.
"I would have thought it was obvious. I want to battle you right now," the boy replied, pulling out a Pokeball.
"Hey, you look familiar." Corey interjected. "Do you by chance have two brothers named Curly and Larry?"
The boy sent a glare in Corey's direction only to be met with a small smirk. He didn't find the little joke too amusing. Tom cleared his throat to regain the attention of the fedora wearing teen.
"I think what my jokester friend is asking for is your name," Tom said, struggling not to laugh at Corey's joke.
"The name is Indigo Galaxia." Indigo sneered.
"I thought I recognized you. You were in the Sinnoh League. I beat you during the final four elimination rounds," Corey stated, pointing a finger at Indigo as the memory came to him.
"I wasn't talking to you, Spina."
Corey held up his hands to diffuse the hostility that was developing and decided to keep quiet. Indigo's gaze returned to Tom as he spun the Pokeball on his finger. Tom sighed at Indigo's persistence and gave him the most confident expression he could.
"Alright, Indigo. You want a battle? Well you got one." Tom nodded.
"Tom, don't you think you should rest your Pokemon for a bit before battling him?" Corey asked. "I fought this guy before and he's pretty tough."
"I'm just going to humor him, Corey. If he's too impatient to wait and battle, then who am I to deny his wish?"
"Okay Tom, just stay sharp when you fight him."
With that, Corey continued his trek to the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon recover from their battle against Cilan. Once Corey was out of sight, Tom turned back to Indigo and sighed again.
"Where do you want to do this?" Tom asked.
"I think the town square will be perfect. It'll be the best place to defeat and humiliate you." Indigo shrugged.
Tom disliked arrogant people with a passion and Indigo was giving off a superior personality. If there was anybody that was going to take Indigo down a couple of pegs, then it would be him. Tom glanced at Sparks and saw that he was glaring at Indigo with disdain. Indigo turned on his heel and began to walk towards the town square which was located in front of the Pokemon Center. Looking at his watch, Tom could see that it was lunchtime, which would mean that there would be a lot of people traveling to restaurants to eat and they would most likely see the battle between him and Indigo.
"Indigo, I think we should battle elsewhere. There's going to be a lot of people moving in the area during the battle and I don't want to take the risk of someone getting hurt," Tom said, trying to convince Indigo to listen to his statement.
"I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, we're here right now." Indigo answered.
Tom shook his head at Indigo's diligence and waited for him to take the opposite side of their chosen battleground. Once Indigo reached his side, he pulled out his Pokeball to initiate the fight. Tom looked at Sparks then nodded at the field. Sparks nodded and jumped into the battle area to wait for Indigo's first Pokemon. Indigo smirked at Tom's first choice at and got ready to throw in his Pokeball to release his chosen Pokemon.
"Indigo, this will be a two on two set battle. There will be no switches and the winner will be the one who has Pokemon remaining." Tom informed.
"Fine with me," Indigo replied, throwing his Pokeball towards the battlefield.
The Pokeball opened with a crack and out came a Toxicroak. The toad like Pokemon glared at Sparks, receiving one in return. Tom crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the situation before him.
"Good news is that there is no type disadvantage and I've got speed on my side. Downside is that some of Toxicroak's attacks are highly toxic. If Sparks gets hit with one of those he has a good chance of getting poisoned." Tom analyzed.
"Toxicroak, use Faint Attack!" Indigo barked.
Tom snapped back to reality at Indigo's voice and scrunched his face up in concentration. Toxicroak was dashing at Sparks with exceptional speed and Tom was having a hard time deciding on when to counter the attack. Faint Attack had a high accuracy rating which made this more difficult to time and defend. On the field, Sparks watched Toxicroak with keen eyes as he waited for Tom to give a command. Suddenly, Toxicroak stopped midstride making Sparks lower his guard.
"Sparks, if you don't stay alert he's going to drill you! Use Thunderwave!" Tom ordered.
Sparks turned his head to Tom and gave a brief nod before raising his arms to send waves of electricity at Toxicroak. Toxicroak stood still and waited for the waves to come before suddenly vanishing and appearing behind Sparks. Sparks turned around only to be met with a brutal slug to the face. Sparks rolled across the ground from the hard hit and stood back up to glare at Toxicroak with malice. Tom's fists clenched at Toxicroak's Faint Attack psyching Sparks out at the last second.
"You're not putting up much of a fight, Tom. Maybe this was a waste of my time." Indigo taunted.
"Watch it," Tom warned, glaring at Indigo. "This match is just getting started and it doesn't take much to change the course of it!"
"Touché. Toxicroak, hit him with Venoshock!"
Toxicroak opened his mouth and a stream of purple liquid shot at Sparks. Sparks rolled out of the way and began running towards Toxicroak. He kept weaving in between each attack of Toxicroak's with incredible speed, closing the gap. Sparks jumped in the air over Toxicroak and smirked down at him.
"Time for some payback!" Tom grinned. "Sparks, use Thunder!"
Sparks glowed yellow with electricity and released it down on Toxicroak just as he launched another Venoshock at him. Both attacks hit their marks and both Pokemon gave a cry of pain from the direct impact. Sparks was blasted back while Toxicroak sank to his knees from the powerful volts of electricity. By this time, a crowd of people began spectating the battle. Indigo clenched his fists as he looked at the skirmish between Toxicroak and Sparks. He had to end this round fast if he wanted secure his victory. Sparks and Toxicroak struggled to stand up from the damage they received from the attacks.
Toxicroak started to walk towards Sparks but stopped and trembled as paralysis took hold. Tom saw this and grinned but it vanished when he saw Sparks have a spasm from the toxins.
"Sparks, hang in there just a little longer! Juice him with Thunderbolt!" Tom urged.
"Toxicroak, shake it off and move! Try and hit him with Payback!" Indigo countered.
Toxicroak, as if renewed by new found vigor, dashed at Sparks and managed to get behind him again. Sparks bared his sharp teeth at Toxicroak as he brought his fist down on his back. Sparks gave a loud cry of pain as he was slammed into the ground from the strong hit. Tom felt the need to reciprocate and decided to give out Sparks' final order.
"Sparks, whatever power you have left, you use it to wipe the grin off that little bugger's face!" Tom commanded.
Sparks nodded and diverted the rest of his power into his paw. Using the last of his strength, he pushed himself off the ground, wheeled round and sent the hardest Thunderpunch he could across Toxicroak's face. There was a loud clap of thunder as the attack crashed into Toxicroak, knocking him silly. Toxicroak staggered back and fell to the ground unable to move any further. Sparks, likewise, landed spread-eagle after suffering another spasm from the poison. Tom and Indigo didn't say a word after watching what had transpired during their first round. Indigo fished out his Pokeball and returned Toxicroak to it. Tom followed suit and pulled out a Pokeball with the letters 'TL' engraved on the top in a lightning bolt design. He knew Sparks would be pissed at him later for putting him in, but he didn't have a choice. Once Sparks was back in the Pokeball, Tom grabbed Sully's.
Indigo and Tom threw their Pokeballs into the center of the makeshift arena to release their last Pokemon. The fight between the two trainers left the audience wanting more. Both Pokeballs opened revealing a Luxray in front of Indigo and Sully in front of Tom. Sully spat out a flame as he glared at Luxray while Luxray stared back calmly. Indigo and Tom began to come up with a strategy to seal their victory.
"He's pulling out the big guy, eh? Well, I just need Luxray to dodge the attacks and use his speed to my advantage." Indigo smirked.
"This could be a problem. Now he's got the speed this round and Sully isn't fast enough to keep up with him." Tom thought.
Luxray dashed at Sully, fangs bared in a snarl. Sully's sharp eyes watched Luxray's movement as he grew closer.
"Sully, Lava Plume!" Tom ordered.
Sully's eyes began to glow red and he crossed his arms to store power. Luxray's mouth was open and sparks were coming off of his teeth. Tom knew the consequences of getting hit with a Thunder Fang attack and was not going to let that happen. Sully let loose a loud battle cry as a hot burst of fire shot off from his body. The fire engulfed Luxray, but he endured the hit and closed his mouth down on Sully's arm. Sully gave a loud roar of anger and glared with absolute hatred down at Luxray.
"Sully, Flamethrower!" Tom hollered.
Sully opened his mouth and fire began to build inside. Luxray quickly let go of Sully and began to run just as Sully began releasing the continuous blaze. The fire was slowly gaining on Luxray and Indigo decided to make his next move. He pointed at Sully to have Luxray start charging at him.
"Volt Tackle!" Indigo yelled.
Luxray was surrounded in a yellow glow as electricity began to enshroud his body. Knowing the damage of a head on assault with Volt Tackle, Tom decided to play Indigo's game.
"Fine then. Sully, use Flame Wheel and hit him with all you got!" Tom countered.
Sully gave a grunt in acknowledgement and started to run directly at Luxray. His body was suddenly coated in strong flames and he jumped in the air. Luxray and Sully collided head first into each other and a loud boom filled the square hushing the crowd. The two attacks had such strength that it created a cloud of smoke, blocking the outcome of the attack from view. Tom and Indigo stared at the cloud, both anxious to know what the status of their Pokemon was. When the smoke cleared, both Pokemon were staring each other down and panting heavily. Sully gave a pained grunt as he fell on all fours. He struggled to keep himself up and his determination to win for Tom was his fuel to press on.
"Sully, I need you to get up and finish this! You can do it buddy!" Tom cheered.
Sully took a deep breath and pushed himself up gingerly. He sent a scowl towards Luxray and gave another ominous growl. Indigo was fairly surprised that Tom's Typhlosion was able to take a frontal attack and had to give him credit that his Pokemon were strong, but that didn't change the fact that he would win this battle. Indigo smirked and pointed at Sully again.
"Finish him with Thunder." Indigo nodded.
"Sully, Flamethrower, now!" Tom barked.
Luxray and Sully unleashed their attacks towards one another. The attacks collided and then continued towards their targets. Luxray jumped just in time to avoid a full hit, but still got burned on his back legs. Sully, however, froze as paralysis took hold of him. He could only watch as the electric attack made contact with his chest. Sully gave a loud cry of pain as the attack shocked him.
"Crap, Sully, try and hang on!" Tom urged.
When the attack finished, Sully looked at Luxray and saw that he was collapsed on the ground and struggling to get up. Sully began utilizing the last of his strength and staggered toward Luxray to finish him off. Indigo felt his throat go dry as Sully advanced towards Luxray with a murderous look on his face. Suddenly, Sully fell to his side and hit the ground with a hard thud. Luxray managed to stand up and kept his eyes fixated on Sully. The crowd was silent before erupting into cheers after the end of the astounding battle. Indigo gave a triumphant smirk as he looked at Tom and wondered how he was dealing with the loss.
"Well, you can't win every time," Tom thought as he recalled Sully back to his Pokeball. "Sparks, Sully, even though we lost I'm still damn proud of how you performed."
Tom looked back at Indigo and saw him ruffling Luxray's mane and giving him praise for hanging tough in the fight. This made Tom change his opinion on Indigo completely. Granted the guy acted like an arrogant jerk towards others, at least he showed compassion for his Pokemon. Indigo returned Luxray to his Pokeball and looked up at Tom with a smirk. Tom gave a grin as he walked over to Indigo and held out his hand as a sign of good sportsmanship.
"I have to tell you Indigo, you gave me a good fight. Your Pokemon were raised well." Tom complimented.
Indigo looked a little surprised with the compliment but regained composure. He crossed his arms and let his smirk spread across his face again. Tom lowered his hand when he realized that Indigo wasn't going to return his handshake.
"Thanks, your Pokemon were pretty good too," Indigo replied as he turned on his heel. "But they need more training."
With that, Indigo walked down the road and disappeared into the bustling street. Tom's fists clenched at the little jab at the end of Indigo's statement.
"I can tell we're equal in skill, Indigo. But with that end comment of yours, you just signed yourself up for an ass whooping. Next time we fight, you're gonna' drop like a rock." Tom thought.
Tom turned around and came face to face with Corey. Corey had a passive look on his face, most likely having seen the result of the battle between him and Indigo. Kenta, Eri and Elliott came up to them from the street to see what their next plans were.
"How're you feeling, Tom?" Corey asked as he crossed his arms.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Tom replied.
"What did we miss?" Kenta asked.
"Tom had a battle with some guy and he lost." Corey responded.
"Ah, well their goes Tom's winning streak." Elliott teased.
"Don't worry, babe. You'll lose yours eventually." Tom smirked.
"Well why don't we go and get some lunch? I'm pretty hungry." Eri suggested.
"Sounds good, but let me take Sparks and Sully to the Pokemon Center so they can recover."
The group walked to the Pokemon Center so Tom could carry out his task.
Once they entered the Pokemon Center, Tom went over to the service counter while Elliott, Corey, Kenta and Eri sat in the lounge area. A teen sitting beside Elliott looked at her for a moment and then towards the service counter where Tom was. Elliott turned and looked at the teen as he walked away.
"Hmm, he looks pretty tough. He has a strong build, that's for sure," Elliott thought as she eyed him.
"Enjoying your eye candy there, Elliott?" Kenta teased.
"I wasn't, I," Elliott sputtered, her face turning red. "Shut-up, Kenta!"
Elliott went to punch Kenta but he sidestepped it and caught her wrist. He brought her close to him and gave her a cocky smirk. Elliott's eyes were wide with surprise since she was expecting the punch to hit Kenta like before, but he quickly countered it. Her face turned scarlet at the close proximity. Corey sat there looking mildly surprised at the turn of events while Eri giggled at the cute position that Kenta put Elliott in.
"Baby if you wanted to tango all you had to do was ask." Kenta purred.
"Smooth, Kenta." Corey complimented. "But you should know that she can easily reverse the situation."
Kenta looked at Corey in confusion as he heard him speak. That was all it took for Elliott to get out of Kenta's grip and throw him over her shoulder. Kenta hit the ground with a hard thump and felt the air leave his body. Elliott towered over Kenta giving him a grin that was too sweet and her face still had a pink tint to it.
"Hope you enjoyed the moment there, Kenta," Elliott smiled. "But if you do that again, I'll make that nutshot Tom experienced in the woods look like a walk in the park."
Elliott walked towards the vending machines on the other side of the lobby, leaving Corey and Eri laughing. Kenta was too stunned to get up but he felt a goofy grin spread across his face.
"She digs me," Kenta wheezed as he sat up.
"Heh, maybe you do have a way with women, Kenta." Corey chuckled. "Even if it involves getting the crap kicked out of you."
"I told you no woman could resist me. I'm flat out irresistible man, on a scale of one to ten, I'm an eleven."
"Keep telling yourself that, cowboy."
Meanwhile back at the counter, Tom reached the front of the line to hand his Pokemon over to the nurse. She took the Pokemon with a smile and came back with a tray of Pokeballs. Tom turned to his left and saw a teen standing there to receive the tray of Pokeballs.
"Your Pokemon have been returned to fighting condition, Mr. Pheonix," the nurse said, bowing her head. "We hope to see you again."
The teen stood at six foot three, he had long black dreadlocks, brown eyes, dark skin and a strong build. He was wearing blue jeans and a green polo shirt. He took his Pokeballs from the nurse with a nod and sent a glance at Tom. Tom made eye contact with the significantly taller teen and received a grunt in return. The teen started to walk back to the lounge area but stopped when the nurse spoke again.
"Mr. Sandbourne, your Pokemon have been restored to full health," the nurse smiled. "We hope to see you again!"
"Thanks, Ma'am," Tom thanked tipping his hat.
Tom fished out Sparks' Pokeball and released his friend. Sparks materialized before him and shook his head. Tom was mentally counting down the seconds until Sparks shocked him. Sparks turned around and had the "I'm going to kill you," look on his face. His cheeks started to crackle with electricity and Tom gave a nervous chuckle.
"Hey, Sparks, I know you're mad but let's try and be civil and work this out." Tom negotiated.
"Chu!" Sparks cried as he hit Tom with a Thunderbolt.
Tom took the attack and trembled as the powerful volts coursed through his body. Once the attack stopped, Tom hit the floor and would twitch occasionally. He let out a cough as Sparks sat on his chest and looked at him with a happy grin.
"Better now?" Tom coughed.
Sparks nodded and hopped off, allowing Tom to sit upright. Corey, Kenta, Elliott and Eri hurried over to Tom to see how he was holding up from the attack.
"Well you're not bleeding so you're fine." Elliott laughed.
"Are you Tom Sandbourne?" The tall teen asked.
"Yeah, I am. Who are you?" Tom asked standing up.
"My name is Trentavious Phoenix or Trent for short." Trent replied.
"Well how can I help you?"
"I was just curious. I remember seeing you in the Johto League and you fought well."
"Thanks, I think I remember you as well. You made it to the top eight."
"Yeah, I did."
Trent turned around and made for the exit. The group watched in confusion at the rudeness Trent displayed by just walking off and not dismissing himself politely.
"So what exactly is it you wanted? Did you want a battle?" Tom asked.
"I did, but I'll save you the humiliation for later. There's no need for you and your Pokemon to be defeated twice in one day," Trent replied as he looked over his shoulder. "When we meet again, I'll battle you."
With that, Trent departed the Pokemon Center leaving the group behind. On the outside, Tom was calm and cool, but on the inside he was boiling with rage at the insult. His fists began to shake since he was so mad. Eri and Corey saw this and each put a hand on his shoulder.
"Tom, don't let him get to you. If it makes you feel better, you were the one that finished first in Johto. Not him, you. You've got more than enough strength to beat him and I guarantee when you battle him, you will win," Corey said as patted Tom's shoulder.
"I agree with Corey," Eri nodded.
"It's not that," Tom muttered. "Here's the thing about me. He insulted my Pokemon's strength. You can trash talk me and my skills as a trainer all you want, but if you insult the strength of my Pokemon, that's when I get mad."
"We're all in the same boat, Tom." Kenta agreed.
"Thanks guys, I appreciate it."
The group fell silent for a moment and Corey decided to provide some form of humor for the gang. He took his sunglasses off the belt loop of his pants and prepared to put them on.
"Well, I guess you can say that your encounter with Sparks just now was," Corey began as he put the glasses over his eyes. "Shocking."
Tom, Sparks, Elliott, Shade, Kenta and Eri all face faulted at Corey's actions. Tom dragged his palm down his face as he walked to the exit. Elliott and Eri were both shaking their heads and Kenta was wiping a tear from his eye.
"What? Not funny?" Corey asked as he hurried to catch up.
Memorial Day
Alright, as all of you readers know, today is Memorial Day. On this day, we thank those in the armed services for their service to their country. The men and women of the armed services make the sacrifice to protect their family, friends, country and people of the United States from all enemies both foreign and domestic. Whether you choose to believe it or not, only one percent of the United States population joins the military. Think about that. Now I respect the men and women of our armed services. If any servicemen are currently reading this, I commend you for making the sacrifice to protect the United States. I cannot wait to serve alongside you after I commission as a Second Lieutenant. Now for the readers, if you are out and about with your friends and family today and you see someone in uniform, go up to them, shake their hand and thank them for their service. This shoutout goes to all servicemen, active, reserve, and retired, especially to those in the fight to keep our enemies awake at night. Hooah! -CaptainPrice
Alright guys, that was the chapter, hopefully it stood the test of time to keep you entertained. There you have it, Tom lost his first battle of the Unova Region, I believe that's good because you can't always win. Next update will come soon hopefully, maybe later in the week or most likely next week.
1.) Sully's nickname. I meant to take that trivia question out of the chapter since a few of you already knew the answer since I had it posted in this chapter before it was taken down. But yes, I did get Sully's nickname from Godsmack's lead singer, Sully Erna.
2.) Good eye for those who caught the Three Stooges joke and the CSI Miami joke.
3.) Feel free to spread this story to those you think would enjoy it. Don't have to, but feel free to do so.
Story Shoutouts:
Through My Eyes: The Unova Takeover by OwenG2107:
This story revolves around an OC named Alexander and his friends that start their Pokemon journey. At the start of the journey, they are assigned a great task by Professor Juniper. I'm not going to spoil it for you, so that's why I'm giving this story a shoutout so ya'll can read it. Give it a read and some constructive comments.
From Darkness Comes Light by PhantomStorm:
The story starts off with a girl running away with a Luxray named Leo. Although the intro chapter was a little short, the information released in the chapter leaves the reader on the edge of their seat to see what comes next. Definitely worth the read and be sure to drop a review for this intriguing story.
Hard Time by The Helpless Romantic:
This is one of the many original stories that I have come across and it is very intriguing. The story follows a Cacturne named Atticus Patrick or "Pins" that has been placed inside a prison known as "The House on the Hill" and is currently trying to adapt to living there as he serves his sentence. However, there is more to the prison and its inhabitants. All I can say is that it will pull you in with its plot, characters and story line.
"Pokemon: The Final Battle" by Cyclone20: This story is focussed on a bunch of trainers that have been selected to participate in the Generation's Tournament. A place only for the best of the best trainers. Second chapter is currently up with more epicness to follow as the story rolls on. Drop in and give a review.
"Spiritual Bonds" by Whisper to the Moon: A story that is following a group of humans with souls of Pokemon. This story just started and has lots of potential. It's quickly becomming one of a few stories starting to emerge with humans having Pokemon powers/abilities and what not and I believe it's a good read. Drop in and give some constructive feedback.
"Time of Courage" by FiammaJoule: This story is becomming one of the new stories that contain people with Pokemon powers/souls. It's extremely interesting and the first chapter alone was enough to get my attention and I'm sure it will be of interest to a lot of you readers as well.
"Sydney's Pokemon Journey" by Hazelblossom: This story follows a girl named Sydney and her younger sister Lily as they travel on their journey. Drop in and give a read as well as some constructive comments.