Pokemon: A New Journey
AU Pokemon Project
Pokémon and all related characters are the intellectual Property of Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company. All original characters are the property of the AU Pokémon Project Team. All other copyrighted materials are the property of whomever owns the material; we're just borrowing it.
Chapter 7: Shocking Faceoff on the S.S. Anna
After a brief rest, the gang finally leaves and heads off on the path towards the port town of Vermillion City. Kuki skips ahead of them group, while Arod and Yamato hang back with Ai.
"Man, I wish that this Abra knew how to do more than just Teleport and Confusion. That would make it fit perfectly, but that's just wishful thinking," Yamato muttered below his voice as the group continued to walk.
"Maybe if you actually took the time to train it instead of just letting it sit there in its ball, you would actually get somewhere with that," Arod says, tossing an empty Pokeball up and down as they continue to walk down the savannah-like path to Vermillion.
Yamato looked over at Arod with a quizzical look on his face. "So? What do you mean by that? Abra will be ready when it's ready. It's been getting some fights in against some trainers on the way."
Ai turned and shot a glare at the feuding trainers. "Will you two shut up? Yamato's right; he's been trying to get it in some battles. What about you? Are you going to keep running your mouth off, or are you going to train? Do I need to remind you about the Pewter City debacle?"
"No, Ai, you don't need to remind me about it." Arod mumbled under his breath as he glared at her in return.
Kuki stopped and turned to stare at the feuding trainers. "Well, Kirlia, looks like we need to take a break to let them figure this out AGAIN."
Kirlia nodded and sat on a nearby rock, Kuki joining him as they watched the trainers bicker. It had been a long 3 days since the group had left Cerulean for the road to Vermillion City; Kuki guessed that they had had a total of 15 arguments, with Ai usually coming out the victor over either Yamato or Arod.
Yamato spoke up. "Look. We've been fighting more than we've been actually getting anywhere. And because we've been fighting, we've been getting held up by more trainers than I care to face."
Ai and Arod looked over at Yamato with a look of shock on their faces. "Did I just hear Yamato right? Did he just say that we've been facing more trainers than he cares to face?" Ai stated, trying to pick her jaw up off the ground.
"Yeah, I think we did, Ai. Are you feeling okay, Yamato?" Arod asked, looking somewhat disturbed by the comment made by the onyx-haired trainer.
Yamato just looked at them with a bored look on his face. "You know, maybe if you guys actually fought with more of the trainers, my Pokemon except for Abra wouldn't be getting so tired. Kuki and I have been doing ALL of the battling on the way down here Come on you two, settle down, and let's get going so that we get to Vermillion before dark." With that statement, he turned and proceeded to walk down the dirt path over to where Kuki was sitting before starting a conversation with him.
Ai turned and looked at Arod with a sigh. "He's right. I guess we should do more of our part, shouldn't we?"
Arod nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I can't criticize him for training as often as he does, and for his Abra not knowing much more than what it does." He then laughed and put his hands behind his head before walking over to join Kuki and Yamato.
Ai stood back and looked at the three trainers. Unlike her, they seemed to have a large-scale goal, compared to hers. "Yeah, but does that make him a bad person for training so much and so hard? Maybe Arod could take some lessons." She asked herself as she walked over to join them.
Kuki looked up. "Are you guys ready to go now? We're not that far from Vermillion City. If we hurry, we can get there within the next couple of hours or so." He said, standing up and placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed position.
Yamato smirked. "You sure seem relaxed, Kuki. What, do you think this is a sort of holiday or something?"
Kuki smiled. "The best way that I find that I can battle is if I'm relaxed. And you seem to battle your best when you're at your most tense and under pressure, Yamato."
Arod looked at the two carefully. "You know, a battle between the two of you would be fun to see someday. You two seem like such polar opposites, yet you seem to get along so well. It's almost scary."
Ai nodded, getting up and brushing the dirt off of her shorts. "Well, are you guys ready to go? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get back to civilization. Race ya!" She spoke, before kicking it into high gear and running down the path.
Yamato looked at Arod and Kuki before standing up and grabbing his backpack from the ground. "Well, we'd better not keep her waiting. Would be rude and all, right?" Kuki and Arod nodded in agreement before they all ran after Ai.
After almost an hour of running and walking, they finally arrived at the welcome sign to Vermillion City. Gleaming in a shiny orange and blue theme, the sign was one sight to behold, as was the first sign of civilization that the group had seen in a few days.
Yamato looked at the sign with awe. "I knew that Vermillion had gotten bigger with Kanto's growing trade and tourism, but I didn't think it was this big. It's big enough to rival what Dad said Saffron was like back in his travelling days."
Kuki nodded in agreement. "Isn't this Kanto's major sea center as well? That would explain why it had grown so much over the past couple years."
As they looked into the city from the hill where the welcome sign stood, one couldn't help but be impressed by the size of it. The city itself was spread out across an inlet which led out into Vermillion Bay. The City's buildings all seemed to shine with a orange-colored glow, especially during the approaching sunset.
Ai looked at Arod, Yamato, and Kuki expectantly. "Well? Are you guys going to stand there all day gawking, or are we going to actually ENTER Vermillion so that we can get to the Pokemon Center on time?" Now THAT snapped the guys out of it, and they all laughed sheepishly.
Yamato nodded. "Alright, let's go. Tonight, we'll rest at the Pokemon Center. And tomorrow, we're going to take on the Gym Leader and show him just what trainers from Oak's Lab are made of."
As the group of trainers wandered through the bustling city, they seemed to get lost yet again. After an hour or so of wandering, they found not the Pokemon Center, but the local Pokemon Mart. "Oh great, I'm out of Super Potions." Yamato muttered as they got to the store. Ai and Arod's faces fell.
"What do you mean you're OUT OF SUPER POTIONS?!" Ai yelled, drawing the attention of a nearby group of people and causing Yamato to cower in fear.
"Well…I kind of used the last ones after that battle against the kid who had the multiple Butterfree." Yamato said sheepishly, backing away in fear from Hurricane Ai.
"Fine, whatever. We're going to head to the Pokemon Center. And YOU will meet us there, got it?" Ai screamed at Yamato, the latter shrinking in fear of Ai's wrath.
"Yes, ma'am." Yamato said before he entered the Pokemon Mart, while the others proceeded on to the Pokemon Center.
After another hour of wandering around the city, Arod, Ai, and Kuki managed to find the Vermillion Pokemon Center. Unlike a lot of the city's buildings, which seemed to take on an orange sheen in the setting sunlight, the Pokemon Center's red and white colored, pokeball-shaped roof seemed to sparkle a shade of blue.
"Ai, Arod, why don't you two go get your Pokemon checked on, and I'll go get us rooms. Does that sound good to you?" Kuki said once they were inside the lobby of the center. Arod nodded, before grabbing Ai's wrist.
"Come on, Ai. Let Kuki do his job, and we'll go get our Pokemon checked up on. Okay?" Arod said, before dragging Ai towards Nurse Joy, much to her protests.
Kuki chuckled and walked to the rooming desk, as Yamato walked into the center himself, a map of Vermillion City in his hand and a beaming smile on his face. "Just wait until the others see this. How lucky could I have gotten today? First, the chick behind the counter at the Pokemon Mart gives me her phone number for some bizarre reason, and then I win tickets to the S.S. Anna's Pokemon Convention at Vermillion Harbor tomorrow night. Wonder what's going to be next?" He asked no one in particular, deciding to head over to Nurse Joy as well.
"Nurse Joy, would you please heal our Pokemon?" Ai asked as she and Arod presented their Pokeballs to the Nurse, who nodded quickly and bowed.
"Not a problem. I'll just need your names so that we can call you when they're all healed." The nurse said, placing the Pokeballs onto separate trays. Upon receiving names from Ai and Arod, she then proceeded to label the trays separately and handed them to her Blissey assistant for healing help. "Your Pokemon will be ready for you in a little while, so feel free to enjoy our facilities here at the Vermillion City Pokemon Center."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ai said, before walking over to the phones. "Arod, I have to call home. I promised that I'd do so."
Arod nodded in agreement before quickly following. "I said that I'd do the same. Mom is probably worried sick over where I am."
As the two headed over to the communication station they noticed Yamato with a big grin on his face. "Guys, guess what?" he asked, making a beeline for them, rather than going over to Nurse Joy.
"What?" asked Arod, who was distracted by Pika playfully chasing Growlithe.
"I just won tickets for us all to go to the Pokemon Convention on the S.S. Anna. It's at Vermillion Harbor apparently, tomorrow night," he said smirking.
"How'd you win tickets?" Ai asked.
"Apparently I was their 100,000th shopper," Yamato said, "I also got the phone number of the girl behind the counter".
Ai rolled her eyes at the last part, while Arod seemed to become more attentive. "What's she look like?" Arod asked.
"You'll see tomorrow night, she'll be at the Convention too. I need to go heal my Pokemon though." With that Yamato headed back over to Nurse Joy.
"Who knew he had it in him?" said Arod.
"Oh, shut up," muttered Ai, walking over to a computer. "Hey Aunt Daisy, is mom there?" Ai asked when her blond Aunt appeared on the screen.
"Nope, she's still out. How have you been doing, hun? You feeling okay?" asked her aunt.
"I feel fine, I swear. I just called because I promised mom that I would."
"Well, I'll tell her that you called. Honestly it's getting late so I'll be heading to bed. Hopefully you and your mother will both soon do the same."
"Will do," Ai replied, ending the call. "Well that was shorter than expected," she muttered to herself while walking over to a waiting bench, watching her friends finish their calls.
"Mom, I didn't expect you'd be up," said Arod, looking at the screen.
"It's not that late Arod. Hopefully you're doing okay though?"
"Yeah, we finally made it into Vermillion. We're at the Pokemon Center right now."
"What took you so long? I was sort of worried; I didn't think Vermillion was that far from Cerulean."
"Sorry to make you worry, we just got stopped by a lot of trainers is all."
"Arod and Ai, you're Pokemon are ready for you at the main service desk" chirped Nurse Joy over the Pokecenter intercom.
"Well I guess I'll be talking to you later, sweetie. Goodnight."
"G'night mom," Arod hung up and headed over to the desk. After Arod hung up, Yamato proceeded to take a seat at the videophone.
"Hello? Oh, Yamato, it's good to hear from you again!" Dawn spoke into the phone, clearly tired from a fairly long day.
Yamato smiled. "It's good to see you too, mom. How're things around the house? Are you doing okay?"
Dawn nodded. "Things are fine. However, I have been more easily tired lately. I guess it has to do with how far along I am. How are you doing?"
Yamato stared into the screen. "I'm doing great, mom. I have 2 badges already, and we just got into Vermillion tonight. Plus, I won us a set of tickets to the S.S. Anna Pokemon Convention. Things seem to be going great!"
Dawn nodded before standing up. "Yamato, there's someone here who wants to see you. Hold on a second while I put her on."
Yamato gulped. 'Oh, god. It's HER.' Arod and Ai came back from the desk and stood behind Yamato.
As Yamato shuddered almost in fear, Ayumi sat down in front of the screen. "Long time no see, Yamato. You been keeping yourself busy? Or do your mom and I have to come out there and whip you into shape?"
Yamato laughed. "Haha, Ayumi. I've been doing fine. What about you? How are things back at home?"
"Things seem to be going well. Your mom's been worried sick about how you've been doing. I just hope you're remembering to get me some presents while you're on the road."
Yamato gulped. "You didn't say that I had to do that the last time we talked."
Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "You WILL get me something though, won't you?"
"Yes, ma'am." Yamato nodded quickly.
"Good to hear. Just do your best, okay? Make us all proud, Yama-kun."
"Sure, Ayumi. Just be sure that you'll have a party waiting when we get back to Pallet. And make sure that mom doesn't overstrain herself, will you?"
"Will do." With that, the phone hung up as Yamato stood up and went towards the Pokemon Center desk to see if his Pokemon were ready to be picked up yet. Once he obtained his Pokemon from Nurse Joy, he walked back over to the others.
"So, what are we going to do from here? We got in fairly early, after all," he asked, looking Arod and Kuki in the eye specifically.
Kuki shrugged. "It's too early to really turn in yet. The convention doesn't start until 2:00 pm tomorrow, right?" Yamato nodded at this. "Well then, why don't we split up for the night? We all have our room keys, so it should be easy for us to get back into our rooms tonight." Kuki skips out of the Pokemon center, Kirlia closely behind him.
Arod nodded, not liking the look that Yamato was giving him one bit. It promised a long, painful training session. "I think I'm going to go check out the Vermillion City mall. It seems like a good place to go for tourists. Besides, didn't Ayumi tell you that you need to get her a souvenir, Yamato?"
Yamato looked at him shocked as Ai laughed. "How the hell did you know that?"
Ai shook her head before speaking, her face still red with laughter. "It's not our fault that we were sitting not even 10 feet away and you didn't notice. Seriously, for someone who can notice potential opposing trainers from 100 feet away, you SUCK at observing your surroundings when not in battle."
Yamato sighed. "What do I know about buying souvenirs, anyway? I've only ever shopped for myself."
"Yeah, but that's the problem when you have a girlfriend. They always make you spend money on them." Arod chuckles softly. "I should buy something for Mom, though. Wonder if she'd like a keychain…?"
Yamato glares at Arod. "What are you high on?" Ai steps between them.
"Settle down, you two. Everyone's staring at us. Let's just go shopping and stop fighting each others." Ai looks at them, and they nod slowly. "Good. Now, shopping time!" Ai skips out of the center, while Yamato and Arod stare at her.
"I really don't understand her." Arod states. "She goes from one extreme to the next."
Yamato nods. "She's scary. I feel bad for whatever fool winds up with her."
"Haha, me too. You'd have to be a blind fool to date her," Arod agreed.
Yamato sighed, "I suppose I should get Ayumi's gift out of the way." Yamato walked off with his head held low in defeat.
"True, wouldn't want your girlfriend getting angry with ya," Arod teased, following Yamato out of the Pokemon Center. Yamato glared at him. "I wonder what Mom would like."
The next day, after an embarrassing moment or four at the local mall involving cosplay chicks and Arod nearly getting thrown out by Mall security, Yamato, Arod, Ai, and Kuki approached the S.S. Anna with smiles on their faces. It was a bright sunny day, and you could feel the anticipation from those who would be attending the convention.
"Arod, how the hell did you nearly get arrested by MALL COPS?! That's just embarrassing," Ai grumbled as Yamato laughed. "And what are you laughing about, oh high-and-mighty one? You fell FACE-FIRST into the mall's fountain!"
Yamato shrugged, his newly bought white and black hoodie rising on his shoulders. "Hey, she was cute. It's not my fault the fountain was in the way…"
Kuki smiled and laughed. "Well, at least you didn't damage your Pokedex or anything." In response, the trio turned and glared, causing Kuki to become very quiet. "Okay, shutting up now."
Yamato shook his head, no longer having a hat on his head. "Oh well, I just hope that mom and Ayumi enjoy the gifts I bought them."
Arod looked at the ship, noticing the size of the crowd. "Look at the size of this crowd! Hey Yamato, where's that date you said would meet us here?"
Shrugging and raising his hand up to cover his eyes, Yamato leered out into the crowd. "She's not going to make it. Family issue on her end." With that, the group finally arrived at the dock.
"Tickets please," said the security guard at the gangway to the ship. One by one, the group flashed their tickets, heading on board. The guard stopped Ai before she passed. "I'm sorry, but you must return your Growlithe to its Pokeball."
Ai blinked in surprise. "Why?"
The guard responded, "It's too big. It'll cause problems for the other attendees here. Additionally, please refrain from having any Pokemon battles within the shopping area."
"Fine." Ai returned her Growlithe to its Pokeball and glared at the guard, who stepped out of her way to let her pass.
Mere moments later, they arrived in the S.S. Anna's atrium. Themed after the three legendary birds Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos in flight, the area served as a grand welcome to the biggest Pokemon party in the entire Kanto region.
"Impressive…" Ai managed to mutter out of her mouth as she gawked at the overhanging lights, displaying the birds in flight. "Never thought that they would go this far in decorating the place."
Kuki nodded. "Such a huge party. Not quite like what we have in Lilicove every year during the Trinity Element Festival, but still, VERY impressive." He then noticed a quadruplet of women dressed up as Eevee evolutions. "Sorry guys, but I have someplace to be." He then went off to talk to the women, as Yamato, Ai, and Arod shook their heads at his actions.
"Ugh…Ai, Arod, could you guys please make sure he doesn't get slapped with a harassment lawsuit OR a restraining order? After all, you two were the ones who stopped him at the mall," Yamato spoke, as he turned to get on the elevator to the shopping center.
"And where do you think you're going?" Ai spoke, an eyebrow raised, as Arod continued to stare at the decorations.
"I'm gonna go see what there is to do. Maybe get some good experience against Pokemon I've never seen. Don't get into trouble, Arod, Ai." And with that, Yamato was gone, the elevator doors closing behind him.
"Well, there he goes. Hey Pika, let's go check out some of the stands down here. Maybe find something to do." Arod says, as he walks off towards the stands on the casino deck, Pika on his shoulder.
"Pi Pikachu!" ~I wonder if they have ketchup.~
Ai shook her head in disbelief. "Boys…" She then noticed that all of them were gone, and Arod was almost out of sight. "Hey, Arod, Pika, wait up!" she yelled, chasing after the pair, failing to notice as Kaoru entered the same atrium.
"Huh. So, this is the biggest Pokemon-themed party in Kanto. I might as well start from the top and work my way down," he said, proceeding to the elevator that led to the same elevator that Yamato took previously.
-PKMN: NJ-
Yamato was having a good time, his pokeball-themed headphones hanging around his neck. "Ah! There's just so much to do and see here still!" He had already won a pair of battles, smaller skirmishes that allowed his Abra to finally evolve into Kadabra. Not only that, but he had also won a Cobalt Blue Pokemon egg in a drawing, something that he had no clue what he would use for, but a good reward nonetheless. "Hmm…what next? Maybe some food?" Having not been looking where he was going, Yamato then bumped into someone and nearly fell over.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Kaoru glared as he spoke, before looking at who had bumped into him. "Hey…you're that kid who was traveling with the weakling. Where's he at? Or did you wise up and decide to ditch him?" He taunted, the arrogance he had come to be known for etched all over his face.
Yamato smirked. "He's around. I just don't get you. You talk way too much for someone who got their ass kicked the last time Arod faced you."
Kaoru was seething. The tension in the air was thick as he replied, "I'm still way stronger than you are. You aren't even on that bratty girl's level!"
"Wanna bet? Let's go. Right here, right now. I'll beat that arrogance out of you. By the time I'm done, you're gonna eat those words." Yamato spoke with an air of agitation, unconsciously reaching for his first Pokeball as he spoke. The crowd around the duo spread out, giving Yamato and Kaoru room to operate in.
"You're on. We'll go three on three, no substitutions, no limits to mobility outside of on this deck of the ship only. Means no fliers," Kaoru stated as he grabbed his first Pokeball. "And to start, I choose…Kadabra! Go!" Throwing the ball out quickly, Kaoru's Psychic type appeared with a cry, before pointing its spoon at Yamato in a manner as if to say, 'Come at me, Bro'.
Yamato scoffed. "You're not the only one with speed. Let's do this, Monferno!" As he threw out the Pokeball containing his fire monkey, one could feel the tension beginning to explode. The fire monkey appeared with a cry, before staring its opponent down in the eye. "Monferno, hit it with Mach Punch!" The Fire type complied, dashing forwards and throwing its fist into an uppercut clearly aimed at the Psychic type's chin, before connecting and throwing the Psychic type into a tailspin that launched it straight into the display window of the ship's resident Olivine City Outfitters store, shattering the glass and sending the display mannequins behind it sprawling to the store's floor.
Kaoru didn't wait long to reply. "Kadabra, counter with Double Team then Confusion!" The Psy Pokemon shook its head free of the cobwebs from the Mach punch it took before appearing to split into 10 copies, all of which seemed to launch a confusion blast right at Monferno, leaving the Fire Monkey no time to react as it was in turn launched backwards into the nearby Blue's Secret store, sending displays flying and lingerie scattering all over the floor. Monferno got up and shot a high-powered focused ember burst at Kadabra in response, sending its spoon flying halfway down the deck towards the other end of the ship.
As Kaoru's Kadabra proceeded to teleport to its spoon, Yamato called out to his fire monkey. "Monferno, you can't let it get that spoon back! Use Flame Wheel!" The Fire Monkey obeyed, knocking Kadabra back away from its spoon as it was launched back towards the two trainers, skidding down the deck and crashing into a concession stand selling pictures of the Johto Gym Babes of the year. As Kadabra struggled to get up, Yamato looked at his opponent mockingly. "Don't tell me that's all you've got. Monferno, finish this round up with Fire Punch!" The Pokemon responded, leaping over a pair of tables that had been knocked over during Kadabra's skid to the stand and igniting its fist with a flame before punching Kadabra right in the stomach, impacting it into the deck and creating a loud creaking noise.
~Kaaa…Daaa….Braaa…~ The Psychic type groaned out, as it laid on its back, unconscious and unable to continue. "Kadabra, return now!" Kaoru commanded, returning the knocked out Pokemon to its Pokeball and grabbing his next choice. "So you managed to knock out one of my Pokemon. Big deal. Still doesn't prove anything! Geodude, rock this brat's world!"
As Kaoru's second choice appeared, Yamato immediately noticed something a slight bit different about this Geodude than most. "Hey wait a-" But before Yamato could get a full statement in, Kaoru went on the attack.
"Geodude, use rollout!" The rock type immediately went to work, rolling into Yamato's fire type at a high speed and knocking it backwards, before repeating the process and knocking it more and more towards the Sunglasses store on the opposite end of the ship. "Now…finish it!" The rock type landed the final blow, as Yamato ran to follow, sending the Fire Monkey flying through the display glass window and sending pairs of sunglasses clattering to the floor, the Pokemon knocked out cold.
"Monferno, return. Sorry, buddy, you did what you could." Yamato stood up and turned to glare at Kaoru, who was walking slowly towards him with a smirk on his face. "This isn't over! This is just beginning, Kaoru! Now, Ivysaur, show him what you're all about!" The Grass-type starter of Kanto appeared with a cry, and seeing the rock type in front of it, prepared for battle. "Now, use Petal Dance!" Shooting petals out of the flower on its back, Ivysaur launched the petals at its opponent, moving them in a complex dance that made it nigh-impossible to evade and smashing the Rock-type into the outside wall of the nearby information kiosk before it continued to batter the Pokemon with the petals. "Kaoru, I already told you. By the time I'm done with you, I'll have beaten that attitude of yours off of your face!" Yamato declared, staring defiantly as Kaoru recalled his now-fainted Geodude.
"You have yet to back up that big mouth of yours! Now, come out, Pidgeotto!" Kaoru's flying type appeared in a hurry, before it began flapping its wings to create a cyclone of wind to aim at Ivysaur, pushing the grass type deeper into the Sunglasses store, but not knocking it into anything.
"Hey, you said no flying types. You had no intention of sticking to that. Fine, have it your way! It's game on now! Ivysaur, return!" Yamato recalled his Pokemon quickly, before grasping for a new Pokeball from his belt. "You might recognize this number. Come on out, Kadabra!" Yamato called, releasing his own Psychic Pokemon into the fight. "Kadabra, show him the power of your Confusion!" Kadabra raised its spoon into the air, charging its confusion into the Confusion Blast that it had shown in its Abra state before it fired the attack like a missile, homing in on Kaoru's Pidgeotto rapidly. Before the flyer could react, the attack struck, knocking the bird from the air and sending it sprawling into the area behind the information desk where the staffers were staring at the battle in amazement.
"No!" Kaoru cried, his voice sounding higher than its normal pitch as he ran over to check on his Pokemon. ~Pidgeoo…~the Pokemon groaned, trying to get up before finally collapsing. "Damnit. Return, Pidgeotto." Kaoru stated, returning the Pokemon to its Pokeball while grabbing another.
"Ready to give up yet, Kaoru? Or even better, ready to eat your words about me, Ai, and Arod?" Yamato said, walking over with his Kadabra floating over at his side.
"Yamato, this battle is FAR from done!" Kaoru stated, before releasing his next Pokemon. "Wartortle, time to show this one who's boss!" The turtle Pokemon appeared with a cry, eyes narrowed in focus at Yamato's Kadabra.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you? Kadabra, return. Now's not the time to be prideful." Yamato said, recalling his Psychic type to its Pokeball and grabbing one that he had used earlier. "Come back out, Ivysaur!" As the grass type made its second appearance, it glared across at its rival, the two exchanging looks that seemed to promise pain for the other that mirrored the looks Yamato and Kaoru were giving to each other.
-PKMN: NJ-
Arod was having a pretty decent time at the party, despite the fact that his day hadn't started off too well. He had enjoyed the trainer aids that there were on the lower level of the convention, and as he sat there with Pika on the stairs of the S.S. Anna's atrium, he had to wonder, what could ruin his day?
"Pika, what do you wanna do next? We've been all around the lower level, and man, I'm just itching for some excitement right now!" Arod said, speaking to his friend, who was sucking on a bottle of ketchup sitting next to him.
"Pika, chu, pi-pi-chu-pika." ~We could always check out the upper level of the convention.~ The electric mouse Pokemon said, before returning to his precious bottle of ketchup. A shadow suddenly loomed over the pair.
"I finally caught up to the two of you. Do you even KNOW how much trouble I went through trying to find you?" Ai seemed to yell as she appeared out of what felt like nowhere to Arod and Pika, causing the two to jump in shock. "I swear, once we find Yamato, we're out of here. Dragging Kuki out of that corner he was hiding in after he got turned down was enough of a pain."
Kuki chose that moment to speak up, his head hanging after being rejected by ALL FOUR women. "So…close…to getting…a date…" Arod suddenly remembered the girl he saw on the lower level.
She'd been right next to him as he watched Pika getting a massage. Her blue and black hat had been perched low on her head, and her shorts were barely capable of being called shorts. He'd only glanced at her for a second, but Arod knew he would recognize that girl if he saw her again.
Ai growled before slapping Kuki on the back of his head, which brought Arod back to reality. "Enough moping, lover boy. Where's Yamato hiding at?"
Arod and Pika both shrugged, as a stranger ran by. "Man, there's an AWESOME battle going on at the upper convention level in the shopping center! A Monferno knocked a Kadabra through a display glass window!" the boy said to his friend as they both ran by.
Arod, Ai, and Kuki shared a look of concern. "That could be the answer." Ai said, standing up and looking at the other two, Pika looking at the trio in confusion.
"Come on, Pika. Seems like we may have to bail Yamato out of trouble." Arod said, sighing as the three rushed to the elevator Yamato took, Arod grabbing Pika and carrying him along the way.
-PKMN:NJ-
"Wartortle, time to show this punk just who's the strongest now! Use Ice Beam!" Kaoru cried, finally breaking the tense standoff between the two trainers. The pair had moved back towards the center of the shopping center, their Pokemon following suit, and now the attacks began to fly anew.
"Kaoru, you're the one who's being a punk! Ivysaur, dodge to the right and use Energy Ball!" Yamato responded, his Ivysaur dodging instinctively to its right and moving towards the SOS Electronics store, Wartortle's Ice Beam tracking after it, freezing electronics and causing them to short out. The grass-type starter of the Kanto region then turned, leapt into the air, and fired a green orb of energy down at Wartortle, while it was in a nearly-defenseless position.
Kaoru grinned evilly. "You're too predictable. Wartortle, Withdraw then use Water Pulse!" The turtle Pokemon hid in its shell, letting it absorb the blow from the Energy Ball attack, and while it slid backwards towards the OraSun store, popped out of its shell before firing off a large blue sphere of watery energy towards the descending Grass-type.
Yamato looked on nervously, knowing that he had left Ivysaur out to dry. "Ivysaur, hurry and use Vine Whip on the lamp to the left to pull yourself out of the way!" And while Ivysaur dodged the Watery blast, the Electronic store was not so lucky, as some of the equipment that was already sparking as a result of Ice Beam blew itself out as a result of the drenching from Water Pulse. Yamato, however, didn't give himself any time to rest. "Now, counter with Take Down!"
The Grass type immediately rammed into the Turtle Pokemon, slamming it back into OraSun, sending it skidding through clothes racks and sending shoppers scattering. Kaoru was not amused. "Wartortle, show him your Double Edge!" The turtle flipped onto its feet, before launching at Ivysaur with an aura of white energy surrounding it.
Yamato shook his head. "Not good enough, Kaoru! You're just WAY too slow. Ivysaur, use Bullet Seed and finish the job!" By the time Kaoru noticed the glowing Yellow Orb within Ivysaur's mouth, it was too late. The Grass starter spat a barrage of yellow energy seeds out of its mouth, pummeling Wartortle relentlessly and launching it back into OraSun, only flinging the Water type into the back wall and keeping it there as the barrage finally withered to a stop.
"No…Wartortle…" Kaoru said, his eyes in disbelief. Wartortle was the best he had, and now it laid upon the floor of OraSun, knocked out cold. He then glared at Yamato. "You…you're going to pay for this! I choose you, Bellsprout and Beedrill!" As Kaoru's last two Pokemon appeared, Yamato's Ivysaur looked bored.
Yamato scoffed. "Big words coming from someone who hasn't backed it up, Kaoru…like I said, I'm gonna beat the arrogance right out of you. Ivysaur, come on back, you've earned one hell of a rest." Recalling the grass type, Yamato reached back for his next Pokemon choice, when he felt his arm be grabbed. "What the….HEY! LET ME GO!"
Ai sighed and slapped Yamato roughly. "LOOK AT THIS MESS! We're leaving, NOW!" Arod, Kuki, and Pika all laughed at this moment, before looking over at the mess left by the battle.
"Wow…talk about your messes…leaving seems like a good idea, I don't wanna have to deal with convention security after what happened this morning." Arod said, grabbing Yamato's other arm before dragging Yamato away.
"Kaoru, I hope you learned from this battle. Your arrogance is going to catch up with you sooner rather than later. Come on, Pika, let's catch up with the others." Kuki spoke up, reaching down and carrying Pika as he followed along with the others, leaving Kaoru standing there in their wake.
"What a bunch of softies. They just bailed their friend's ass out of a beating at my Pokemon's hands," Kaoru muttered, turning to leave before running right into the chest of a security officer. "Oh, hi, Officer. What seems to be the problem, heheheh…oh yeah, this mess…Sorry?" he spoke sheepishly, hoping the officer would buy it.
"Son, you're coming with us for damage to mall property." The officer said, before grabbing Kaoru's arm and dragging him towards the security office, kicking and screaming the whole way.
-PKMN: NJ-
"YOU!" *slap* "DO NOT!" *kick to the stomach* "GET INTO!" *pair of punches to the jaw* "BATTLES LIKE THAT!" *knee to the stomach repeatedly* "EVER AGAIN!" *headbutt*
Arod, Pika, and Kuki winced as they watched Ai's beatdown of Yamato. The group had gotten off the ship, and had made it to the Vermillion City central park, luckily managing to avoid the Convention Cops.
"Kuki, remind me to never get on Ai's bad side like that…EVER," Arod muttered, as Yamato was reduced to a groaning heap of trainer. Even though he saw the results, he was pretty sure he knew what had started the whole fight.
Kuki spoke. "I wouldn't worry about that for a while. The better question is, how prepared are you for your battle with the Vermillion Gym leader?" Even as he spoke, Ai continued to kick Yamato in the side, rubbing in even more of her anger.
Arod shook his head. "I think I'm ready for it. Kaoru apparently won his third badge, but after the beating he received today, I wonder how difficult it will be for us. I'm more worried about how long Ai may put Yamato up in the hospital for."
Ai then turned and glared at the two who hadn't pissed her off at the moment. "Oh, I won't put him up for very long. At least I didn't break any bones…YET," she spoke, her voice taking on a chilling tone before returning to her beat down of Yamato.
"Mommy…" Yamato whimpered, as Kuki and Arod laughed, the sun beginning to set on another day in Vermillion City.
The gang may have enjoyed their day on the S.S. Anna, but now their focus turns to the Vermillion Gym and the battles that lay within. Can Yamato and Arod defeat the gym leader within, whose tactics they may not be expecting?