Shadow Colosseum
Chapter 9: Rest Stop
Note: Some important facts about the characters are mentioned…
Previously: Wes, Rui, Ash, and Mona entered Pyrite Town. Mona chased down and took her wallet as well as a Shadow Slugma from Roller Boy Lon. Rui battled Emok and won with just Mimi.
"Okay, how many Shadow Pokemon did we catch so far?" Wes asked.
"Eight." Ash answered before counting off: "A Shadow Flaaffy, Misdreavus, Quagsire, Noctowl, Slugma, Skiploom, Makuhita, and Quilava…"
"And how many trainers did we tick off in this town?" The sandy blonde glanced out the window before ducking back as Roller Boy Lon skated past screaming: "They went this way! I saw them!!!"
"Six…" Rui replied after counting how many trainers ran past them.
"That means we're in deep Tauros crap." Mona grumbled.
"Agreed…" The team of Ash, Mona, Rui, and Wes let out a combined sigh as the mob ran past their current hiding place which was inside a bit of a run-down hotel. The title "Super Grand Hotel", to the heroes, seemed more of an oxymoron. The inside of the building was wallpapered with bright flashy colors which almost blinded them as soon as the heroes walked /err/ ran inside.
"We need a break." Wes finally spoke aloud.
"What?" Rui snapped to attention. "But what if there are even more of them?"
"Look, our Pokemon are worn out from battling all those Shadow Pokemon we just caught and we're going to need all our energy for tomorrow in case those trainers catch us." The sandy blonde explained as Pikachu let out a yawn and climbed down so Ash was holding the electric mouse in his arms.
"He's got a point." Ash agreed while gently stroking his long-time companion behind the ears. "They looked really mad…"
"Yeah," Mona added, pulling her right arm across her chest in a stretch before doing the same to her left arm. "I don't think we have enough energy to run from all those trainers right now…how are your ribs?"
"Sore…"
"Alright then…" The brunette abruptly walked towards the front desk receiving confused expressions from the trio. From a distance of five meters, the heroes could hear: "two rooms with two separate beds for each" very audibly.
"Okay then, but it'll cost 5,000 poke-yen a night."
"Thanks…I think…" Mona half-smiled as the two keys were put into her hand before making a beeline to the trio, "well, we've got rooms for the night."
"They sounded a bit…expensive." Ash and the others deadpanned.
"I feel like we're being conned." Rui commented.
"We get what we get. And we need to get a good night's rest for the morning…right Wes?" Mona turned to the ex-Snagem trainer.
"Right…" Wes muttered.
Shortly after finding their rooms, and deciding they weren't that bad, the girls occupied one room while the two boys occupied the other.
Rui was already lying down on one of the beds with her shoes kicked off and placed at the side of the bed while Mimi rested on the pillow. Once in a while, the mouse would utter a purring noise due to snoring.
Mona eventually came out of the bathroom with her long brown hair brushed and tied back in a ponytail with the black hair band tied near the end of the strands. The brunette's Sneasel was out of her Pokéball and keeping a good watch over the belt as it rested at the foot of the other bed.
"SOOO SLEEEPY…" Mona stretched her arms skywards before falling backwards onto the bed, almost startling her Pokemon.
"Dang…you've gotten lazy." Huntress commented.
"Lazy nothing, I'm surprised you're not even fazed by that Shadow Skiploom." Mona half-glared at the Dark/Ice type as Rui watched the two interact.
"Just a little Blizzard here and a Beat Up there and 'Skippy' fell down." The Sneasel grinned before curling up, clutching the Pokéball belt. "Just wake me when we're ready to run away from more angry trainers…"
"Not a problem." Mona replied before hearing the faint snoring coming from the Pokemon.
"Your Sneasel…it doesn't seem fazed by the battle." Rui spoke up. Mona turned towards the red-head, smiling slightly.
"Well, I caught her at the base of Mt. Silver…she was pretty strong to begin with." The brunette shrugged before stretching her arms up. She looked towards her vest and backpack which were resting next to Huntress before relaxing and turning towards Rui. "So, what about Mimi…? Plusle and Minun are usually found to the north of Slateport, right? That's where I found mine…"
"Well, yeah," The red-head smiled back. "I caught her before my first Pokemon Contest, and I only had a recently evolved Beautifly. Mimi pretty much helped me win, when it came to the battling part."
"Sounds like she's very tough…" Mona complemented.
Rui placed a hand behind her head. "Mimi's not my strongest Pokemon. We're very close but I haven't used her that much. She's…still around level 30."
"I don't think it matters if your Pokemon is strong or not, only if you have a good friendship with them." Mona shrugged, lying down on the bed and making sure she didn't move Huntress in the process. "It took me a while to grow a bond with Togechikka when she was still a Togepi…so it took a long time for her to evolve. And there's Mewthree…he practically hated my guts when I caught him." She chuckled at recalling how she had to have Mewtwo and Phanteon out as "bodyguards" when she first let the clone out of the Master Ball.
"He's gained a grudging respect, hasn't he?" Rui giggled.
"Most of the time," The brunette flicked her ponytail so it wasn't on her shoulder. "Still, it's like a growing family of Pokemon."
"I've been meaning to ask," Rui started.
"Huh…?" Mona turned towards her with confusion in her eyes.
"When we were back in Phenac City, you told us you were from a world where Pokemon were fictional…but you came here and discovered you had parents and a past." The red-head paused a moment to pet Mimi behind the ears as Mona waited for her to ask. "I was wondering…how is it like…living two lives?"
The brunette changed her attention to the ceiling above her while a half-frown grazed her facial features. The long silence was enough to suffocate a Slowpoke before Mona finally replied: "It's confusing…" Rui, having returned her attention to Mimi, turned abruptly towards her with mild interest.
"How so…?"
"I remember my childhood here and there clearly ever since my first trip here. It's like I was living simultaneous lives until I was pulled in…now I'm not sure who I am at times." Mona looked back down. "Here I'm a Pokemon Trainer, and one of the best (second to Cynthia from Sinnoh), but over there I'm only a high-school student struggling to make a place in the world. Not only do I have a feeling I'm acting both lives right now, I feel like I'm choosing between my families. My parents there both care about me and my future…but here it's more complicated. My f— (Mona corrected herself) Giovanni's the leader of an evil organization and my mother here wants to be sure I'm safe and out of harm's way…"
Rui, sympathetic, smiled sadly, "That difficult…"
"Afraid so…" She sat up, disturbing the sheets but not waking up her Sneasel, and hugged her knees to her chest. "It was hard going back to the other world last time…I had to leave a world that I both existed in and dreamt about being in as a child. Now I'm not so sure. As much as I want to stay here with my friends and Pokemon…I have friends and family back there."
Both girls were in a state of silence before Mona picked up where she left off.
"I'm starting to feel stupid…the only reason why I came back here was to avoid Summer Vacation ending. But now I've got to make sure that both Snagem and Cipher don't get added onto the list of evil Syndicates…and, to make matters worse, I've even drawn Ash into this mess…"
"You care a lot about Ash, don't you?" Rui asked. The brunette on the other bed almost shot upwards but kept her composure.
"He's like the brother I never had." She replied while a small blush stained her cheeks. "We've been best friends for a long time, not to mention we have traveled together three times, and I don't want anything bad to happen to him."
The red-head, having caught the blush, replied: "something tells me it's more than that." With that said, the pink on Mona's face turned bright red before the brunette shook her head back and forth to get rid of it until she was sure her face had cooled down and looked away from Rui with a scowl.
"He's only a brother-figure to me…we're really not that close. Besides he's denser than a brick in the romantic department…I should know…I've watched his adventures…not in a stalker kind of way…you know…because his adventure is a TV series back in the…yeah…just don't say anything about what I told you. Okay?" She replied, trying to keep her cool as Rui giggled. Mona eventually collected herself before turning towards the red-head. "But what about Wes, what do you think about him?"
This time, it was Rui's turn to turn hot-pink. "Ah…well…I…err…he's…" Mona gained a Cheshire cat smile, stopping short of the grin, as she watched the red-head stutter. "Well-ah…he's-he's cute even though he acts tough…I guess…I mean…he's helping us save the Shadow Pokemon so that counts…he's like an awkward knight in shining armor…only a bit dark…which is okay—"
"Alright, alright, I got it," The brunette chuckled. "You've got a crush on him."
"You were just getting back at me for talking about your crush weren't you?" Rui stopped blushing long enough to smirk back at her roommate.
The only response Rui had gotten was a split-second of witnessing the brunette flush a beet red before shutting off the lights. "It wouldn't work, even if he isn't my actual brother. Good night Rui, see you in the morning!"
"You're definitely your brother's keeper…"
"Subject over!"
SHUFFLESHUFFLE-KICK!
"OW!! THAT WAS MY HEAD!"
"Sorry Huntress…"
Ash and Wes lied awake in their separate beds with Pikachu, Espen, and Nox sleeping close to their trainers. Wes kept his gaze fixated on the blank ceiling above them as Ash unconsciously stroked Pikachu's sleeping form.
"Hey Ash," The sandy-blonde spoke up after a long period of silence passed between them.
"Huh?" The raven-haired boy looked up from the electric mouse which chirred silently at being stroked behind the ears.
"I need your advice," Wes turned towards Ash with a serious expression.
"About what…?" The other trainer stopped petting Pikachu behind the ears and gave Wes a confused expression. The sandy blonde took a deep breath as though to calm his nerves before speaking up.
"It's about girls…" Wes sighed. "You've been friends with Mona for a few years right?"
"Yeah…?" Ash nodded before turning and smiling towards the ceiling. "We were friends since we were four years old and she's become a sister to me, even though we're not related."
Wes's left eye squinted slightly while his mouth contorted into a half frown. "Any other girls you've become…eh…friends with?"
"Well…there's Misty, May, and Annabel…"
"And…?"
"They're good friends of mine and great Pokemon trainers. Misty's a gym leader, May's a Pokemon coordinator, and Annabel is a member of the Battle Frontier."
The ex-Snagem member's expression became that of disbelief. "Nothing more than…just friends…?"
"…no…why…?" Ash blinked.
Wes shook his head disdainfully and put a hand to his face. So much for attempting to get advice… "You're dense…"
"Dense…" The trainer's expression immediately snapped into surprise before he sat up in bed, surprising Pikachu into waking up but not enough to get Ash shocked. "Wait! No I'm not!"
The sandy blonde sat up as well, but not as fast so Espen and Nox remained slumbering at the foot of the bed, and frowned at him. "Ash, as far as I can tell, you've been surrounded by girls while traveling. I'm surprised none of them have gotten frustrated enough to kiss you."
"That's not true!" The black-head all but shouted in defense. "I've kissed a girl before…TWO OF THEM!" He faltered slightly before snapping back. "Well…actually, err, both of them kissed me but what's the difference?!"
Wes leered at Ash. "Alright…who…?"
"Well…one, Melody, at the Orange Islands but I'm sure that's a greeting since it didn't really go that far…since I was only ten…and the other girl, Bianca, was in Alto Mare…" The trainer appeared to shrink down in place, "…but I think it was a Pokemon called Latias…in…human form…"
"You got kissed by a Pokemon…" Wes frowned.
"Yeah…?"
The sandy blonde was caught between laughing in hysterics and hitting his head against the wall. Wes collected himself and grumbled at the black head opposite him before lying back in bed and pulling the sheets up to his chin. "You're such a dork…"
Ash bit the inside of his lip as he snorted at Wes's comment before he turned towards his starter. "I'm not dense…am I?" Pikachu only shrugged in response before curling up in place. The fifteen year old looked down at the covers and frowned slightly before moving back under the covers and falling asleep.
Mona gritted her teeth as her Feraligatr "Godzilla" skidded while digging his heels into the ground. The four Ludicolo continued dancing in place, spinning and hopping back and forth as though the bipedal crocodile had not harmed them.
"Dang it…" The brunette immediately gave another command. "Godzilla, keep clear of their attacks and use Slash! They're water and grass types!" Godzilla roared, sounding similar to his counterpart, and charged forwards as music began playing in the background and into Mona's eardrums. Godzilla dodged an attack before raking his sharp claws into the Ludicolo that had turned its back to him. The grass/water type was then grabbed and hurled into the other Ludicolo that toppled like dominoes.
"Go Godzilla!!" The brunette pumped her arm before hearing a painful wheeze.
"Mona, help me…please…" Mona turned towards the source of the noise and her blood froze in each vessel and capillary. Ash Ketchum coughed into his palm while holding another one out. He was coated in a cover of fine yellow-orange dust that clung to his clothes. The trainer staggered towards her and held his palm out in a desperate gesture.
"Ash…what happened to you?!" The brunette shivered at the sight of her brother figure before insane laughter erupted from behind.
"Can't protect your loved ones, can you Mona Sakaki?" The same red eyes dug into her back while Godzilla skidded and collapsed onto the ground in front of her having been struck hard in the face by a smaller Pokemon that resembled an elongated Bonsai plant but was harder than rock.
"Godzilla…Ash…no…" Mona watched horror stricken as Ash and Godzilla began disappearing into the darkness and were replaced by the four Ludicolo spinning and dancing around her. Her terrified expression immediately turned into anguish and she charged forwards before a Hydro Pump sent her flying backwards onto her back. Mona quickly got back on her feet and screamed "YOU LET THEM GO!" as she grabbed the Dragonair whistle around her neck before blowing sharply into it.
FW-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
"AAAUGH…!" Mona jumped out of bed with a frantic yell that almost woke up the other residents and fell none-too-gracefully onto the floor with a painful thud. Mimi, who had woken up earlier and blown into the whistle out of curiosity, sprang off the brunette and landed on the bed while Huntress and Rui snapped out of their peaceful sleep with a start.
"Mona? Mimi?" Rui got out of bed and all but scampered to the other bed where the Minun was shivering and Mona was face down on the floor in a tangle of limbs and bed-sheets. The Sneasel at the foot of the brunette's bed slowly rested a claw over her face.
"It's too early…" Huntress grumbled groggily and fell back onto the bed.
"Are you alright?" The red-head asked, peering over the other side of the bed after picking up the shivering Minun.
"Swell…" The brunette wheezed as the weather outside began to look cloudy for a moment before dispersing…
To be continued…
[January 4, 2009]
Foreshadowing…foreshadowing…
The song playing in the dream sequence is supposed to be "I won't Dance" by Frank Sinatra but I didn't put it in because of the rules and I'm playing it safe. I'm using it to create a double meaning in the story. What the meanings are and what significance the Dragonair Whistle has to the plot? [Clams up]
In case anyone is confused. I made Giovanni's full name: Giovanni Sakaki which is why the voice addressed Mona using it.