Pokemon Rider
By: Aubrie1234
After another day of training and watching others to see if they could be trusted, it was time for the tournament. As he was up first for the rookie section, Alex shifted uncomfortably.
"Cu bone?" (You okay?) asked Survivor, his only pokemon out.
"Anxious." Alex answered, "I hope Scar, Paul, Honedge, and Brandon can get along well enough to pass the Double Battles."
"Bone cu cucubone." (Those are tomorrow.) Each day had a different section. Today held the rookies, the single battles, and the rotation battles, tomorrow were the intermediates and double battles, the day after were the experts and the triple battles. Alex had only registered for the rookie section so he could see experience for himself. He was still quite new to this world, after all, and he didn't want to get ahead of himself.
"My trust is on the line." Alex looked at him, "Tomorrow will decide if they can be trusted and able to put aside their differences to be friends." he smiled, "Now let's show the rookies that we're the best of the best!"
"Cu!" Survivor climbed onto his shoulder and they could hear the introductions begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen," echoed Ilene's voice, "as you know, this is a tournament like any other, to compete trainers against trainers, to earn winnings and experience. However, that was not why it was created. A long time ago, a man named Sir Aaron sacrificed his life to stop a war that ravaged Rota, so my ancestor, Queen Rin, created this tournament in his honor. This version is more expansive to accommodate all sorts of different trainers, the first time we've ever done this. At the end, each champion of each section will become heroes of the year, like the old tournaments. They can also challenge each other for fun if they wish. Now that my speech is out of the way, let the tournament begin!" Cheers rose up from the crowd and Alex took that as his que to enter the arena.
"First up in the rookie section is Alex Rider and Baron Evran!" said an announcer, "Both will be using only one pokemon that must be under Lv. 20 and whoever wins will be moving on to the next part of the rookie section!" Alex eyed the cocky-looking boy across from him, who seemed to be about the same age. As Survivor was Lv. 23, he wouldn't be able to use the Ground-type, but that was okay. Illusion and Cerberus could hold their own pretty well, now that they were at pretty high levels, considering with how long they had been with the blond. Alex smiled as he thought back. How long had it been since he had begun his journey? Two weeks, he thought. Pretty impressive to have gotten this far in such a short time. He was brought back to the present as the referee appeared.
"There will be no time limit and items may be used to help win. Now, begin!"
"Go, Budew/Cerberus!" At the sight of the green, bud-like pokemon, Alex checked his PokeDex.
"Budew, the Bud Pokemon. Over the winter, it closes the bud on its head and endures the cold. In spring, when it feels the sun, the bud opens and releases pollen. The pollen is toxic and induces harsh sneezing and runny noses. It lives alongside clear pools." Alex knew he shouldn't feel too confident, but with the type matchup, he had the advantage.
"Water Sport!" Budew opened the bud on its head and water began to spew about, getting onto Cerberus, who panicked and ran around.
"Hound! Hound!"
"Cerberus, calm down!" Alex tried to reason with his pokemon. It was bad enough that Water Sport halved Cerberus' power, he didn't need the Dark-/Fire-type panicking too! Hearing his trainer's call, the Dark pokemon calmed as best he could with the field soaked and water all around him.
"Use Toxic!" Evran commanded. The bud once again opened, but instead of putting out water, it spewed out a purple sludge right into Cerberus' mouth. The Houndour coughed, trying to get rid of the very bitter sludge, and looked really sick.
"Toxic, unlike most other poisoning moves, gives the pokemon the badly poisoned status instead of the regular poisoned status." the announcer explained for the benefit of the audience, "After each turn, the poisoning will get worse, so let's hope Alex can find a way out of this mess!"
Alex's mind was flying as he thought about how to defeat the Budew. Though items could be used, he had no Antidotes and if the announcer was right, he didn't have much time to end the fight. Had a few Super Potions on him, but he doubted that would help Cerberus last long. And though Electric-type moves weren't very effective on Grass-types, the blond had the feeling that Water Sport made them more powerful and that would help bypass Cerberus' weakness. Might as well start doing things instead of thinking, because the longer time went on, the more poisoned Cerberus became.
"Use Smog!" Though Budew was a Grass-/Poison-type, Alex hoped the Poison-type attack would do a fair amount of damage. Cerberus coughed a little more before a dark purple haze exited his mouth. The blond was surprised at how fast it moved and, judging by how Budew was coughing, Toxic had apparently powered up Smog. This was a big help.
"Smog again!"
"Dodge it!" Budew hopped out of range of the poisonous gas.
"Get closer and use Smog again!" Cerberus did so but slipped on the muddy, wet ground.
"Mega Drain while it's down!" Budew clamped onto the Houndour's tiny tail and both glowed a soft green, the Bud pokemon draining some HP from the Dark-/Fire-type, but luckily not much. Alex grit his teeth as he tried to find a way to help Cerberus. Glancing down, he saw sparks dance across the field. Curious, he watched them as they traveled to Cerberus' mouth, where he was reminded of something Tracy had explained to him.
"Certain moves can be bred into pokemon." the man explained, "Such as Houndour. When it hatches, the pokemon will already know moves that all Houndour know, but will also know any moves that were passed on from its parents, like Thunder Fang."
"Can the Egg Moves appear later?" the Brit asked.
"No, not that I know of, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. After all, if one of the parents knew Thunder Fang but Houndour didn't learn it, the pokemon still has the potential to learn it later, but it's not likely."
The blond blinked out of the memory and smiled, a new idea coming to him of how he could win the fight.
"Thunder Fang!" Because of Water Sport, the electricity that began shooting out of the Dark pokemon's fangs was energized. Cerberus bit onto Budew before it could get away and instead of causing only 1/2 damage, it caused full damage and shocked the Bud pokemon. Cerberus staggered to his feet and now both pokemon were panting. The next few moves would decide the fight.
"Use Smog and then Thunder Fang!" Cerberus put out the gas and as it surrounded Budew and blocked its vision, the Dark pokemon charged forward with sure footing, fangs sparking.
"Defend yourself with Venoshock!" Budew spat out a lighter sludge from its bud. Before Alex could command it, the Houndour dodged and bit Budew, shocking it once again. The Grass-/Poison-type fell over with swirly eyes.
"Budew is unable to battle! Alex and his Houndour win!" Budew was returned as Alex took Cerberus into his arms. The pokemon gave a weak bark of happiness as he buried his head into the boy's chest.
"Let's get you to the Pokemon Center, little guy." Alex returned him as Survivor climbed to the boy's shoulder. They then left the arena, but not before Alex caught sight of someone watching them. It was in the shadows, so he couldn't see much, but it was a man and a giant lion-like pokemon. Narrowing his eyes, the blond noted to learn who they were later, after Cerberus was healed.
"You're certain?"
"Lux." (Yes.)
"I know that giving away that Houndour egg was hurtful to you and that this one knows Thunder Fang, but that doesn't mean anything. It could be a different one."
"Lu ray, lux Lu ray lu ray." (I know, but I want to try.)
"Suit yourself, but I'm coming with you. I doubt that kid would want a Luxray sniffing at his Houndour without knowing why."
Alex watched from the door as Cerberus was treated. A temporary Pokemon Center had been set up in the castle for the tournament and he was glad his pokemon was getting the care he needed.
"You're Alex, right?" The Brit glanced back to see a man coming down the hall with a black lion pokemon, the same ones, he had seen before. Frowning, Alex turned to face them. Survivor, who was still riding on the boy's shoulder, glowered.
"Yeah, I am. What do you want?" The blond man wore blue, black, and yellow clothes and the pokemon was not only black, with was also blue and yellow with red in the eyes. They complimented each other, in a way.
"Name's Volkner, from the Sunyshore Gym." the man said, "This is Luxray."
"Luxra." (Hello.) the pokemon nodded to him before looking past him, into the room. Alex stiffened.
"If you think I'm letting you get past me-"
"We don't mean your Houndour any harm." Volkner cut him off, "Luxray just thinks that he might be the father, since your Houndour knows Thunder Fang." Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Really now. How is that supposed to convince me?"
"I knew I wouldn't be able to care for the egg, so I left it at Lavender Town with a man named Mr. Fuji." Seeing Alex's eyes widen, he knew he had gotten things right.
"...Fine." Alex stepped aside, where Luxray entered and instantly went over to Cerberus. He sniffed and licked his son, despite how the Dark-/Fire-type was asleep.
"...I wish..." the boy murmured as he watched, "I wish I had a father that did that to me." Though the words were quiet, Volkner caught them.
"What do you mean?"
"My dad's dead." Those three words gave enough info. Suddenly, there was an explosion in the room and a hole was created. Mechanical arms reached through and grabbed Luxray and Cerberus, along with any other pokemon in the room.
"What the-?!"
"Bobo!" (Alex!) Survivor was snatched off of the boy's shoulder before he could do anything and when the smoke cleared, a giant, rat-like pokemon-shaped balloon was on the other side. The pokemon were all trapped in a net beneath it, crying out for help. Many of them were small except for Luxray, who looked really mad.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"Oh don't tell me..." Volkner growled, facepalming. Alex gave him a questioning look until he saw the two Rockets and their pokemon.
"To infect the world with devastation!" said the woman.
"To blight all people in every nation!" said the man who, strangely, had green hair. Though Maylene had pink hair, so Alex wasn't surprised.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"And Butch, of course!"
"We're Team Rocket, circling the Earth both day and night!"
"Surrender now or you will surely lose the fight!"
"Raticate!" said the pokemon in the basket with them. The Brit's eyes grew hard at the mention of Team Rocket.
"Go, Illusion!"
"Zo!" The Zorua jumped out of his ball and growled threateningly at the Rockets.
"Really?" snickered Cassidy, "You think that little thing is going to beat us?"
"You know what to do." Illusion nodded at Alex's words and his eyes began to glow bright blue. Stone hands came out of the walls and tried to grab the balloon, scaring the Rockets.
"Let's get out of here!" said Butch. An engine attached to the basket activated, allowing the balloon to fly away, out of Illusion's range. And on the wind, the boy thought he could hear these words:
"We'll catch the kid later." What did that mean? Whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"ZO ZORU RUA!" (GET BACK HERE!) yelled Illusion, running to the edge of the hole. He stopped when a dark-colored dot flashed by, going after the balloon. It was Scar.
"Ly starly!" (I'm coming!) Scar shouted to Luxray, which also attracted the attention of the bad guys.
"Oh come on!" Cassidy turned to Butch, "Can't this thing go any faster?!"
"It's going as fast as it can!"
"Then make it go faster!" Grabbing a joystick remote, she began moving the two metal arms on the sides of the basket, trying to hit Scar out of the sky. He managed to dodge, but it slowed him down. Irritated, he kept trying, always unsuccessful with the arms in his way.
"Star star!" (Take that!) Having enough, Scar's wings became coated in metal and he bashed the arms with Steel Wing. Wrecking them to the point they were out of commission, he flew forward, but now the balloon was too fast for him to catch, even with Quick Attack.
"Ra ra ra ra ra!" (Na na na na na!) Raticate stuck its tongue out at the Starling pokemon, laughing.
I can't let them get away! Scar thought, pushing himself as hard as he could, There's no telling what they would do to those pokemon! They did nothing wrong, just like me...
"Lyyyyyy!" A surge of power filled the Normal-/Flying-type, covering him in blue energy as he transformed. He grew bigger, his curl, beak, wings, and tailfeathers got longer, and his feet grew stronger. The scar still covered his eye, even after the evolution into his new form, Staravia. He had been able to evolve for a while but hadn't wanted to until now.
"Ravia!" Now with stronger wings, Scar was able to go faster and quickly catch up.
"Cate!" Raticate tried to use Bite when Scar came close, but missed and nearly fell out of the basket. Noting how high the balloon was, Scar decided to make it go down a little. With a few flaps, he latched his claws into the fabric of the balloon.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" screamed the Rockets. With a grin, Scar tightened his grip, cutting holes. Blowout was immediate, causing the balloon to fall slowly. Scar darted to the net to see Luxray had knawed a hole in it and was now jumping out, all of the pokemon riding him while he held Cerberus in his mouth. They landed safely in the trees and Scar flew over them to help mark progress if anyone came looking for them. There was no need as Luxray began running through the branches back to Rota. They had gone quite the distance in such a short time, but at least they weren't too far away.
The humans watched from a distance as Scar evolved and saved the pokemon, where Alex began feeling proud of the Starling pokemon. Had he ever felt proud before? If he had, it had been a long time.
"Impressive." Volkner noted, "I wonder who's pokemon that is."
"Mine." The blond man gave him a glance.
"Then why wasn't it with you?"
"I have my reasons."
"Zoru?" (Alex?) Illusion pawed at the cuff of his pants, "Ruru zoru zo rua?" (Will they be okay?) Alex picked him up.
"They'll be fine." he rubbed the Zorua's head to calm him.
"I thought that Cubone was your first pokemon." Alex looked at Volkner.
"What do you mean?"
"People can understand their first pokemon after they've been with them a long time, but not other pokemon."
"...Well, I can understand them all." he met the man's eyes, "I can understand them even if they aren't mine, even if we've just met. I've only known my pokemon for two weeks and I can understand as if they were speaking English."
"Then maybe you should meet Anabel. She can mentally talk with pokemon and is a Frontier Brain, like Brandon. Do you know him?"
"Yeah, he's here too, if you haven't noticed." Alex moved his gaze to the door of the room, "He and another guy are using my pokemon for the Double Battles, including the Staravia. I wonder where they are. They must have been watching, how else would Staravia have been able to go after the Rockets so quickly?" Alex was careful with his words, trying not to give too much info. He barely knew Volkner, after all. The blond man was quiet, watching as Luxray, Scar, and the other pokemon returned to the castle. As people went outside to get their pokemon, Survivor and Cerberus (who was now awake) rode Scar back to Alex. The smaller pokemon were greeted by Illusion happily while Scar just stood there, shifting uncomfortably. Alex walked over to him and gently ran fingers through his feathers in assurance.
"I know you feel like you don't belong," the boy whispered, "but you were great out there. It takes courage to change who you are for anything, even to save others." Scar gave him a look of surprise before smiling. It was hard to believe that he was already trusting the blond boy, but it was the truth. Upon seeing the door open, however, he looked past Alex. Feeling a sort of déjà vu, he followed the pokemon's gaze to see Brandon, Honedge, and Paul there. The plumhead was looking a little mad as Brandon and Honedge gave him glares. Scar fluffed his feathers a little and looked Paul in the eyes with a hard stare. Obviously, something had happened before the Rockets came along. Giving a glance to Volkner, who looked curious, Alex sighed.
"My room. Now." Most everyone followed the boy when he left except the blond man, as he could tell that he wasn't going to be welcomed. And as soon as Alex closed the door, he turned to them and crossed his arms.
"Talk." he commanded, a look in his eyes similar to the one at the end of the fight with Lucario.
"Paul wasn't planning to use Scar at all in the Double Battles." Brandon began.
"I've seen the other people in the Double Battles. We would have been crushed!"
"That doesn't mean we can't keep our promises."
"Of course it does! Did you want to be defeated?!"
"No, but-!"
"Enough!" Alex's voice managed to cut through, interrupting them. He turned to Paul, "I thought you two were getting along."
"We were, if only slightly." the elder teen muttered.
"And why did you think Scar was too weak to give you a chance to win?"
"He was a Starly. Starlys aren't strong, not when they're alone."
"You judge everything by how it looks, don't you?" Alex sighed, "If I'm going to trust you, then I need to know you won't do something like this. Judging by how something looks will kill you pretty quickly, even if you're strong. You always underestimate things, so you will be destroyed before you can get your feet on the ground. It's that simple." The blond met his eyes, "If you won't take Scar in, I will like I had before this plan came to mind."
"Hone Ho edge ed hone hone." (Then I wish to join you.) Honedge floated forward slightly.
"Do you want to continue to prove yourself, that you're able to keep calm with Scar around?" he asked. The Sword pokemon paused.
"...Hon ededge." (...Not quite.) Alex observed him carefully before nodding.
"Alright." he picked up the pokemon. Before anyone could say anything, he continued, "Trust is something very important to me. If you can't take care of Scar for just a few days, then I can't trust you. If you want my trust, which I'm sure you do, then show me you can be trusted."
"Then what will it take?" Paul asked, glaring.
"You figure it out." Alex's reply was sharp as he left, his pokemon following like loyal Growlithes. Brandon made no comment, watching as Paul simmered for a few more moments before he sighed, seeming to cool off.
"Well, aren't you going to say it?"
"Say what?"
"That I let my emotions get the best of me? That I still need to get better?" Paul looked away, "Why did I ever think I could try and get close to that kid?" Brandon's eyes softened.
"He needs help, even if he says he doesn't. You were only trying to help. I assume you know he has nightmares?" Hesitantly, the plumhead gave a nod, "A few nights ago I came across him while he was having one. I want to help him too."
"And how are we supposed to do that?"
"Earning his trust seems to be a big factor. And I think I know how you can get back on his good side." Paul gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?"
"Sharing secrets helps with trust because it shows how much you trust the person. You could share one with him, so he might share one with you. It would help with both your trust issues, at the very least." The Veilstone native snorted.
"No way. He'd never fall for that."
"You have a better idea?"
"...No."
"Then go do it." Brandon left before Paul could question him more.
Alex's Team:
Survivor (Cubone)
Sex: Male
Level: 23
Nature: Hardy
Characteristic: Good perseverance
Moves: Bonemerang, Bone Club, Leer, Brick Break
Ability: Lighting Rod
Item: Thick Club
,.,.,.,.,.,
Cerberus (Houndour)
Sex: Male
Level: 15
Nature: Careful
Characteristic: Highly curious
Moves: Ember, Thunder Fang, Howl, Smog
Ability: Flash Fire
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
Illusion (Zorua)
Sex: Male
Level: 14
Nature: Timid
Characteristic: A little quick-tempered
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears
Ability: Illusion
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
Scar (Staravia)
Sex: Male
Level: 15
Nature: Quiet
Characteristic: Strongly defiant
Moves: Double Team, Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Steel Wing
Ability: Intimidate
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
? (?)
Level: ?
Nature: ?
Moves: ?
Item: ?
Yasha's Team:
Ore (Aron)
Sex: Male
Level: 21
Nature: Jolly
Characteristic: Likes to fight
Moves: Harden, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect
Ability: Sturdy
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
? (?)
Level: ?
Nature: ?
Moves: ?
Item: ?
?'s Team:
Blade (Pawniard)
Sex: Male
Level: 21
Nature: Sassy
Characteristic: Strong willed
Moves: Torment, Feint Attack, Fury Cutter, Leer
Ability: Inner Focus
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
? (Gible)
Sex: Male
Level: 10
Nature: Serious
Characteristic: Often lost in thought
Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Dragon Rage
Ability: Sand Veil
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
? (Machop)
Sex: Male
Level: 5
Nature: Hasty
Characteristic: Proud of its power
Moves: Leer, Low Kick, Focus Energy
Ability: Guts
Item: None
,.,.,.,.,.,
? (?)
Level: ?
Nature: ?
Moves: ?
Item: ?
Yeah, I know, the pokemon either knows the move when it's born or never learns it at all, but I think it would be a kind of good surprise! And no, Volkner isn't going to be a part of the family Alex is finding, but I needed a way to incorporate the reason Cerberus was able to learn Thunder Fang. Luxray knows Thunder Fang and coincidentally passed on the knowledge of it to his son, who was able to learn it later than the usual norm. And I know Water Sport doesn't actually do that (I don't think), but it would be an interesting advantage.
Paul must also earn back Alex's trust and Scar evolved! Starlys evolve at Lv. 14 and Scar was one level above, so I wanted to give a reason for his evolution. Oh, and Cassidy and Butch will be back. This won't be the last you'll hear from them! They are going to keep at it until they either get Alex's name, capture him, or destroy him, though it's doubtful they'll do the last one. Not all Rockets are as cruel and evil as the ones at Pokemon Tower, you know.
As for the different categories up top, they aren't all the same. There are the different levels of trainers (rookie, intermediate, expert) and the different types of battles (single, double, triple, rotation). Two totally different things, see? Like, for example, experts can register for triple battles and be put up against any level of trainer, but they must obey the rules of the battle. The trainer levels mostly stick to either single or double battles, depending on how many pokemon you have. It's like a slight mix of the games and anime, but mostly the games. I know it's confusing, but it's my reasoning!
Anyway, please read & review!