"Hey, Wes, Can I ask you something?" Rui asked curiously as she, Wes, and his Pokemon made they're way to Duking's house.
Wes looked at the girl beside him.
"I saw you looking at that poster in the police station." She said. "When you were looking at it you looked angry. You've also been in more of a bad mood than usual since we left the station."
Hearing all this made Wes look away from her.
"Is something the matter?" Rui asked curiously, worried about her friend.
Wes let out an irritated sigh.
"Just some bad memories in my head right now."
"Do they having something to with that man on the poster you were looking at?" Rui asked.
Wes remained silent not wanting to say another word to Rui. She knew he hated he taking about his past. However she also knew he was a member of Team Snagem so there was no point in hiding anything about his history with them from her.
"There's bad blood between me and Gonzap." Wes said, continuing to not look at Rui.
"Gonzap?" Rui asked curiously
"The guy on the poster you saw me looking at. He was the boss of Team Snagem and He and I have a bad history."
"What happened?" Rui asked.
"Nothing that concerns you!" Wes snapped. "Don't ask me anymore questions about him alright!?"
Rui stepped back, frightened by Wes' anger. Wes saw the fear in her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Sorry" He said much more calmly, ashamed of his reaction. "There's just a lot of bad things that happened between he and I that I don't like to talk about."
Wes felt Umbreon licking his left hand and Espeon nuzzling his right hand. The young trainer pet them both for a moment before turning to Rui.
"What about you, Rui?" He asked as he crossed his arms. "You keep asking me about my past but you haven't told me one thing about yours, so spill it, what's your story?"
That question made Rui turn away from Wes before he could even blink. Wes tilted his head in confusion as Rui was doing her best not to look him in the the eyes. This was a new side of her he had not seen yet. She was usually bright and cheerful and now she looked nervous and rather sad just from that one question. Wes remembered thinking that she was hiding something from and this sudden change in demeanor was definitely increasing his beliefs.
"You okay?" Wes asked only to receive no response.
Even though a minute had passed it felt like an hour before the tense silence was broke when Rui opened her mouth.
"Um, W-Wes...I-"
"Hey you over there!" A voice suddenly called out making Rui fall silent.
Turning around the group saw a man as well as several other trainers behind him all holding Pokeball's in their hands. Wes looked at the group confusingly before looking at his own group, motioning his head for them to follow them. He didn't notice it but Rui was walking behind him silently thanking the trainer for calling Wes out. Like Wes she had things in her past she didn't want him knowing about.
"What do you want?" Wes asked as he approached the group of trainers.
"I know who you are!" the man snapped catching Wes off guard.
The young trainer froze in his tracks, fearing he's been discovered. Acting on instinct Wes reached for a Pokeball in his pocket, forgetting that all he had in them were the dangerous Shadow Pokemon. Espeon and Umbreon jumped in front of Wes ready to protect their master.
"Uh, y-you know who I am?" Wes asked rather nervously.
"Yeah I know who you are." The man said with a smug look on his face as he enjoyed the fear he was instilling inside of Wes. "You're the newbie trainer in town who was pushing around, Cail."
Wes and his Pokemon immediately relaxed, now knowing that these people didn't know he was with Team Snagem.
"You think you can just come here and attack us just because you're from a better town than ours." The man snapped as the trainers behind him shouted in support.
"What?" Wes' group asked confusingly in unison.
"You heard me!" The man snapped.
"Look the only I attacked that punk because he was threatening me." Wes explained.
"Heh, sounds like someone can't handle the pressure of Pyrite Town." The man scoffed.
"What are you talking about? My friend was being threatened." Rui said "Does every trainer in town act like a low life thug?"
"RUI!" Wes snapped angrily through gritted teeth.
The girl gasped and covered her mouth after realizing what he had just said.
The man in front of Wes glared at her angrily.
"Oh you're gonna pay for that snide remark you little bitch!" He said venomously as he clenched his fist and took a step towards her.
However before he could make another move He felt a hard fist connect with his jaw making him fall to the ground. Holding his jaw and seeing that he was bleeding from the mouth, the man looked up and saw Wes standing over him over seething angrily, and ready to strike again.
"Wes, stop!" Rui said as she held onto him trying to stop him from making another attack.
"Don't ever threaten her again!" Wes snapped angrily.
"Wes, please calm down." Rui begged as she held onto him.
Wes finally took a deep breath and recomposed himself before looking into the eyes of the man that was now getting to his feet.
"Look we don't have to time to deal with you right now; so you and your posse need to move so we can pass." Wes said in a much more calm manner.
"Can't do that, punk, you think you can just push us around because you think you're one those tough big shot trainers?" The man asked. "Heh, you look weak to me, I bet a Magikarp could beat your pathetic Espeon and Umbreon."
Wes immediately froze when he heard that insult before looking down at his Pokemon who were both growling angrily. Umbreon was showing his sharp teeth while Espeon's eyes were glowing. The two Pokemon have never taken kindly to anyone who insults them or their master.
"Espeon! Umbreon! Both of you settle down!" Wes ordered not wanting the two to cause a scene. "Look if I battle you will you leave us alone?"
"Oh, it's not just me who wants to battle it's all of us. We challenge you to what we like to call a Pokemon Gauntlet!" The man said.
Rui suddenly a serious, yet familiar sharp pain in her head.
"Does this mean what I think it means?" She thought to herself.
Looking at the trainers Rui could feel a familiar presence radiating from all the trainers. She wasn't sure but could it have been possible that...
"Wes!" Rui whispered making the young trainer turn around. He arched an eyebrow at her and she made a hand motion to come closer.
"What's up?" He asked quietly so no could hear him.
"I think that one of these trainers has a Shadow Pokemon."
Wes looked at the girl confusingly.
"I thought you could only see Shadow Pokemon whenever they have black auras." He said "How do you even know one of the trainers have a Shadow Pokemon if they haven't even called them out yet?"
"I have been feeling a sharp pain in my head every time we have come across a Shadow Pokemon. I felt it when we first met Makuhita and again when we met Quilava. I'm almost certain that one of these trainers has a Shadow Pokemon so you have to battle."
Rui looked back up at the trainers momentarily and saw them all twitching their Pokeball's itching for a battle.
"Besides, I don't thing they're going to let us pass unless you win." She stated to Wes who looked back himself before nodding his head back at her.
Turning back to the trainers Wes scowled at them.
"I accept the challenge," He said. "I'll run you're stupid gauntlet . But I'm warning you now I'm a lot stronger than you think I am."
The crowd smiled sinisterly, thinking they could easily beat Wes because they had the number advantage and also because he couldn't leave to heal his Pokemon until he defeated all of them without stopping.
"Alright, I'll be your first opponent." The man in front of Wes said. "Go Ledyba, Go Noctowl."
when both Pokemon appeared Rui stared at both of them and noticed the black aura around Noctowl.
"Wes!" She whispered as he looked back at her. "That Noctowl's, a Shadow Pokemon!"
"Alright." Wes Responded.
Wes reached down to grab a Pokeball from his pocket, but before he could, Espeon and Umbreon jumped in front without waiting for an order. Wes could see that were both angry and were ready to fight. They were still angry at the snide remarks that Wes' opponent had made earlier and they wanted payback. They were ready to defend they're master as well they're pride.
"Oh, come on!" Wes' opponent said "Don't you have any other Pokemon, I want a real challenge."
Everyone behind the man laughed making Espeon and Umbreon even angrier.
Wes closed his and shook his head.
"You know not what you have done." He said calmly. When Espeon and Umbreon were angered no opponent they faced stood the slightest of a chance.
"Whatever," the man replied "Let the gauntlet begin!"
"Espeon Confusion on ledyba." Wes said flatly.
With a cry of anger the Psychic Pokemon shot a powerful wave of energy that sent Ledyba flying it felt like it had an hour before it finally hit the ground with a hard thud.
"What the hell!?" The man shouted stunned at the power of the Pokemon.
"I warned you, I've been training My Espeon and Umbreon since they were both young Eevees." Wes stated. "They are my strongest Pokemon that I have and I can guarantee you that they have battled Pokemon far stronger than any Pokemon that any of you trainers have."
"We'll see about that!" Wes' opponent shouted. "Noctowl, use Shadow Rush!"
"Dodge it, Umbreon, and use bite!" Wes ordered.
Noctowl took the skies, flying high in the air, almost out of sight of any of the trainers. Then a second it began to descend at a speed far faster than a normal Noctowl's flying speed. Umbreon watched the Pokemon flying towards him but did not move an inch. Coming to the ground and dashing forward, Noctowl charged towards Umbreon ready to strike. Umbreon remained still for a second before jumping into the air.
Wes grew worried; Umbreon had jumped to early to fully dodge the Shadow Rush and when he lands, Noctowl would be able to ram him head on. However what happened next surprised everyone. It was true that Umbreon did not fully dodge the attack. Instead he landed on Noctowl's back and sunk his sharp teeth into the Pokemon's neck. Noctowl howled in pain as it began to fly around madly, trying to shake Umbreon off of it.
Seeing the two Pokemon like this gave Wes an idea.
"Umbreon don't let go of Noctowl, hang on tight!" Wes ordered as he readied a Snag Ball.
Noctowl began to fly up and down and all around doing spins and corkscrews to try and get Umbreon off it's back but the Pokemon would not let go. Wes looked down at the snag ball whispering 'Hurry up' over and over again. When a beep came from the snag machine Wes waited for the right moment to throw the Snag Ball. Noctowl did one long corkscrew and Umbreon finally lost his grip on the Pokemon's neck Both Pokemon fell to the ground. Umbreon was uninjured but the same could not be said for Noctowl. This gave Wes the moment to strike.
"Let's Go!" He shouted as he threw the Snag Ball at Noctowl.
Within seconds the Shadow Pokemon disappeared into the ball. After a moment of violent shaking the Snag Ball finally stopped Wes let out sigh of relief, knowing that he had successfully snagged Noctowl. He then looked at his crowd of opponents with a confident smirk.
"Next!"
It had taken only five minutes before every trainer in the gauntlet was defeated. It was a good thing that Wes had accepted the challenge because something had happened that surprised both he and and Rui. Not just one but each and every one of the trainers Wes had battled had used a Shadow Pokemon. Both Espeon and Umbreon had fought the entire gauntlet and were not hit even once. Even Wes was shocked about how powerful his partners were.
Umbreon returned to Espeon's side as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately. Wes' last opponent that he battled stood dumbstruck and silent at the quick defeat he had only been on the field for 30 seconds and now he was beaten.
The Woman Wes had battled before him helped take him off the battlefield and she was just as confused as everyone else as to what just happened. The young trainer in front of them had just wiped the floor with them. Suddenly looks of shock came across every defeated trainers face when they had realized they were each one Pokemon short.
"You thief! You just stole our Pokemon!"The woman said angrily as everyone behind her began to shout the same the thing.
"Give them back now!"
"Yeah, This may be a town of thugs and lowlifes but nobody has ever stolen a Pokemon from trainers!"
"I bet you stole those Pokemon you have."
"How do you sleep at night knowing your nothing but a thief!?"
Wes tensed up violently. The word "thief"was a word that made him feel sick and guilty. He had lost count at the many he had been called that when he was with Team Snagem. It was a word that he wished would just go away. And it wasn't just the word "thief" it was all the other insults that came along with it. It was then that a memory began to form in his mind.
"So Wes how did it feel to snag your first Pokemon!" Gonzap asked a young Wes who stood in front of him holding the Eevee he was raising.
Wes reached in his pocket and put the Snag Ball that contained his catch in Gonzap's hand but did not look him in the eye.
"I-I don't like stealing them." He said softly and quietly. "Everyone was calling me mean things."
"Ah, the guilt of the job's already hitting the kid." One of the members beside Gonzap said.
"Aye, but it's best to let the pup feel that guilt now rather than later." Another member stated
"They're right Wes." Gonzap said to the young child in front of him. "The things that people say come with the territory of the life we live. You're gonna have to get used to it."
Back in the present time, The trainers continued their verbal assault, and Wes looked away from them trainers with his head hung low. The constant yelling of the word "thief" made him feel hurt and guilt ridden. Rui looked at him worryingly. This was the first time she had seen him look like this. Walking up to him she gasped as she saw a few small tears escape his eyes.
Rui's eyes were as wide as saucers, Wes was crying! This was something she never thought that she would see. She had never seen Wes look so upset. He looked like he had lost the gauntlet instead of Won. She knew that the people he had beaten were causing this problem because they didn't know that Wes had taken very dangerous Pokemon away from them. She looked up at the trainers determinedly. Wes didn't deserve this abuse, and she was going to put a stop it.
"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs making the trainers fall silent.
"Why should we listen to you?" one them said. "You're with that thief."
"Stop calling him that!" Rui snapped angrily "The only reason he took those Pokemon is because he had too! Those Pokemon are not normal Pokemon, they're very dangerous! They're extremely violent and will attack you!"
The group fell silent but than began to chuckle.
"They'll attack us?" the first man Wes had battled asked. "You make me laugh."
"Oh yeah? You wanna laugh even harder?" Rui asked as she took a Pokeball from Wes' pocket and threw it. Out came Noctowl who looked at it's former trainer.
"Get back over here, Noctowl, I'm your real master." The man said.
Noctowl stared at the man for a moment. It's eyes then suddenly turned red and it let out loud screech before charging towards the man. The Pokemon's previous owner barely ducked the attack and saw that it was coming right back at him.
"Noctowl what are you doing!?" The man screamed as he began to run from the Pokemon. Noctowl suddenly disappeared and everyone turned around to see Wes holding the ball that contained it.
Rui looked at him sadly for a moment. before turning back to the trainers.
"Now do you see why he took, Noctowl?" She asked sternly. "And guess what, all of the other Pokemon he took are just like it."
Each of the trainers looked at the girl in front of them. The fire in her eyes plus the events that they had just witnessed made them believe that she was telling the truth.
"Now," Rui began "The deal was that if my friend won you're stupid gauntlet, you would let us pass so uphold you're end of the deal and get out of our way. However before we go, you owe him an apology. And you can apologize by telling us where you got those Pokemon he took."
After a tense moment of silence the woman of the group spoke to the girl in front of them.
"We got them at the Colosseum. Pokemon are given to the winners of each tournament."
Rui glared at the group before turning back to Wes.
"Come on, let's go." She said to him as she softly rubbed his arm.
Wes looked at the trainers and then back at her before nodding his head.
"Espeon, Umbreon, let's go." Wes said to his Pokemon who followed their master.
"Excuse us." Rui spat at the trainers.
She walked past them with her group but not before turning back to scold them one last time. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves."
With that said Wes and his group left the trainers who were all shocked confused and feeling a little bit guilty.
Needing to unwind after the events that just happened. Wes and company decided to go back to Phenac City for the night and went to the Pokemon center to let all of Wes' Pokemon heal and rest for a while.
Rui looked at the young man sitting beside her who had his head in his hand. She felt bad for him. Before the gauntlet, every Shadow Pokemon he snagged was from someone who already knew about them. Now he had snagged 6 Shadow Pokemon from trainers who had no idea about the Pokemon they had been carrying.
However what made Rui feel bad for him was the fact that she knew this was something he did not want to do. He was trying to escape a life of a criminal, but now he's being forced to take Pokemon from others in order to prevent total chaos in Orre. It must bring back to him nasty memories of his time with Team Snagem.
Rui cringed at that name. She hated even thinking about that group of thugs. Not only could she not stand them for all the bad deed's that they had done. She also couldn't stand the fact that they had forced Wes to do things that he no doubt never wanted to do.
Turning her attention back to the boy in front of her. She looked at him sadly before reaching out to and putting a soft hand on his. Wes felt the hand and looked at the girl in front of him. He tried to pull his hand away but Rui gave a soft squeeze that told him she wasn't going to let go. He gave up and let her hold onto his hand.
"I know how hard this must be for you." She said.
Wes sighed and nodded his head as he looked down sadly.
"Wes, look at me." Rui said softly.
The young trainer looked up into her blue eyes.
"I want you to remember that no matter what people say, you are a good person. You know you are and I know you are too."
Wes said nothing as he looked down at the ground.
"Why are you doing all of this?" he asked Rui rather softly. "Why are you trying so hard to help me?"
"Because," She began. "I can see the good in you. I'm not gonna let you sink back into the darkness when you have the chance to step into the light."
Wes said nothing and looked away from the girl beside him, but after a moment a small, soft smile formed on his face.
"Thanks, Rui." he said softly.
Author's Note: After a long unwanted hiatus, I have Returned! I gotta tell you guy's I never thought I would get this chapter finished. Between having to rewrite the entire chapter after a problem with my computer and being incredibly busy with other things I have had no time at all until now to actually sit down and finish this chapter. I love making this story and I promise you guys these delays will end soon. I will keep trying to update this story as frequently as possible.
Anyway on to the chapter, the Pokemon gauntlet is basically Pyrite Town's duel square. However the Shadow Pokemon that were caught in the gauntlet will not be a main part of the story. The main team is still Espeon, Umbreon, Makuhita, and Quilava. don't worry I haven't forgotten Makuhita and Quilava. I promise you guy's they'll see plenty of action in the upcoming chapters.
I wanted to give Rui a little more spotlight in this chapter. I like to think she would be very protective of her friends. I also tried to make a nice tender Moment between Wes and Rui I hope I succeeded in doing so.
Anyways I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter of "Pokemon Colosseum: Shadow's of Orre" Thank you all for the favorites and follows
Be sure to leave a review so I can find what you guys think they're greatly welcomed and encouraged. I always read you're reviews and try to respond to them.
I'll see you all later. :)