Chapter 9 – Soul
Koga watched from the shadows as the champion made his way into Fuchsia. The young man walked with a quiet confidence, his hat hiding most of his face from people. Koga suspected this was to keep people from instantly recognizing him. Arthur's Scyther escorted the young man into the town. Since Baoba moved the safari zone away from Fuchsia, the city had seen a decrease in visitors. Even with the gym here, trainers were hesitant to make their way this far south if they weren't already heading to Cinnabar. Now with the volcano erupting as it did a few months ago, even less traffic was entering the city.
Koga's estate was on the outskirts of the town, a sprawling expanse of wooded areas, lakes and the ninja mansion. He had handed down the gym responsibilities to his daughter, Janine. She had taken up the mantle fairly well, but she still had some way to go before she would be able to defeat this challenger.
"Champion" the elder ninja said as Arthur walked past him. Arthur looked up at the title and locked eyes with Koga.
"You don't need to refer to me as that Koga. Lance is technically the champion."
"While he is the champion in role, the title still applies to you." Arthur just shook his head as he headed further down the street. Koga stepped in stride with the younger man.
"So what brings you out here skulking around in the shadows?" Arthur asked.
"I came to check on Janine. There haven't been many challengers lately at the plateau. So I thought I would come and see how my daughter is doing. Also, Lance told me you were on your way here the last time he spoke with you."
"So you came to watch me battle your daughter? You know I won't be taking it easy on her right?" The ninja laughed.
"You had better not!" the gruff voice said. "The best way for me to gage how she has improved is to see how she does going up against one of the strongest in the region." The two walked in silence for some time until they arrived at the Pokemon centre. Koga and Arthur grabbed some food in the cafeteria area while they waited for Arthur's team to get healed up. No words were spoken, and Koga was struck once more at how mature this young man was. He acted far older than he seemed. Finally, the ninja broke the silence.
"You seem troubled." Arthur looked up at the Elite.
"Is it that obvious?" Koga laughed quietly.
"Part of being a ninja is being observant. Unlike some of my colleagues, I am somewhat more aware of others around me than they are. In fact part of the reason I came to see Janine was to see how you were doing here travelling by yourself." Arthur looked over towards where the nurses would come and inform him that his Pokemon were ready to be picked up.
"You're not wrong" Arthur said quietly after a moment. Koga waited for the young man to elaborate. "I've travelled around this region, I've visited so many different cities, met many different gym leaders and yet, thus far, I haven't found any answers."
"To what questions?" Koga asked. Arthur was silent once more.
"What is it about the legends that make them need to pick a worthy trainer?" the champion finally asked. This time it was Koga who was quiet.
"You seek answers that men that you know searched for their entire lives" the ninja noted. "Your father was among such men." Arthur nodded.
"I'll ask an easier question then. Has three years been enough time?" The change in thought tracks caught Koga off guard.
"Enough for what?"
"For people to forget and mend? What was Red like? How did a single person take down an entrenched criminal organization?" Arthur's questions reached deep and Koga began to get a greater understanding to this young man.
"Those are questions I'm not sure I know all the answers to." Arthur stared at the Elite. "But I'll try. First however, I think you need to understand what Team Rocket was. Before anything else, Giovanni was a man interested in science, history and Pokemon battles. He was not originally a crime boss. Indeed, he was much like you or Red, or any other trainer who has decided to begin their travels. However, and don't ask me where for I do not know, things changed. He must have discovered that science could be subverted to create more powerful Pokemon. As our understanding grew, Giovanni began recruiting. I know not of anything that happened while Team Rocket grew as I was somewhat sequestered. It was Red who awakened within all of us, our more pure natures. Red was the one who showed us what it truly meant to be friends or partners with our Pokemon. Something Giovanni had forgotten about.
This didn't stop the rise of Team Rocket however. Giovanni had become more and more ruthless. They were stealing Pokemon, searching for the most powerful. The battle at Silph Co. utterly destroyed the upper floors. Everything about what happened showed that Giovanni was searching for something. I don't know what."
"So Team Rocket is defeated. Red goes on to conquer the league and become champion. All of this done by himself and those Pokemon who he befriended. How? Is he really that powerful?" Arthur asked.
"He was extremely impressive when he faced me here three years ago. I believe that he was chosen, if you will. There was something about him that forced people to see the world plainly. It is a quality that you share with him. People saw you face down a city under siege. Whitney was unable to do anything, and the league was frozen, unsure what we could do to help without causing more pain and strife. You however, strode forward and crushed an uprising. You forced everyone in both regions to relive and face once more what happened three years ago. To take our blinders off and see the world without obscurity. This alone makes trainers like yourselves special. It is also the reason I believe that you've both been able to topple this criminal syndicate. It is also why legendary Pokemon would look towards you to help them." Arthur's gaze sharpened as Koga said that last part though the ninja remained unaware. He said it offhand, but the champion realized what he meant. And suddenly things were starting to become clear. Or at least, less muddied.
"Thank you Koga." The older man nodded.
"To answer you in truth, is three years enough? Yes. It was more than enough to let people go back to what they feel is normal. Most are not interested in power. And those who are, usually aren't fit to wield it. But even fewer are neither overly interested in power, but find that they can use it for good."
The champion and Elite wandered the small town seeing the damage wrought by the volcano along the coast of the town. The small port had been partially ruined, but crews were working around the clock to repair them. Finally, the pair headed out to the ninja house. The two talked sparsely about league business and where things would go from here. Until they reached the gate into the acreage. Koga smiled as he and Arthur entered the structure.
"I must leave you here. Challengers must find their way through this maze to reach the gym leader. It is part of the trials for the soul badge." Arthur grinned now as well.
"Fine by me. Oh and Koga?" The ninja turned and looked back as he reached the doorway which would lead him on a shortcut towards the battlefield.
"Make sure she throws everything she has against me." Koga smiled.
Arthur made his way through the expansive house. The sliding walls, altered rooms, random challenges. All of them fell before the champion. There was nothing that the house of ninja's could throw at the champion to knock him off track. It was no surprise to Koga when he saw the young man enter the main hall where battles took place. The young men and women who trained here to become ninja's whom had been defeated by Arthur were already in attendance to watch their current master face off against this challenger.
"Welcome champion. I am pleasured that you came all the way here to battle me!" Janine said as Arthur took his position on the other side of the field. "I hope I am witness to some of the battle technique you used to defeat the Elite four!"
"I'm sure you'll be able to wring out some sort of technique. Each battle here in Kanto has given me something else to experience."
"I am glad to hear it!" Janine exclaimed.
"Arthur, if it is alright with you, I would be the referee for this match" Koga stated from the sidelines.
"I see no problems with that." Koga nodded then faced the centre.
"This match will be a five on five match! Substitutions are allowed on both sides. The winner will be declared once all of his or her opponents Pokemon are knocked out. Trainers ready?" Both leader and champion nodded. "Then begin!"
"I'll start with one of my most trusted partners! This Pokemon will have you spinning in circles!" Janine said sending out a Crobat. Koga nodded as the bat took to the air. It was a very fast Pokemon, and would most certainly give his daughter an advantage in battle. However, she seemed to be forgetting about…
"Spark your assistance por favour!" Arthur sent out his Magneton. The steel/electric type held every advantage in this battle. In fact, Arthur could potentially leave the steel type out there for the entirety of the match and win. It's immunity to poison would prove to be the breaking point for Koga's daughter.
"Type advantages mean little to ninja's! Allow me to demonstrate! Crobat begin with confuse ray" Janine commanded, her stance changing to point towards the Magneton. The bat darted around the magnet Pokemon sending ghostly vibes towards it, causing the electric type to become confused.
"Use discharge!" Arthur said. His Pokemon must have heard which attack to use because it did. On everything. People around the room were jumping up to avoid the arcs of electricity bouncing around. Crobat wasn't fast enough to evade them for very long. A stray bolt brought the part-flying type down. Janine frowned as she returned her Pokemon. Arthur also returned his.
"Luck won't help you much either here! Battles are about cohesion between trainer and Pokemon. Technique matters, as it ensures accuracy and increases effectiveness." Arthur smiled.
"You're not entirely wrong Janine, but who says that wasn't a technique? Spark heard an attack called out, one it acknowledged. It was too confused to understand why to use it however, or on what or how powerful. Thus it simply launched its attack." Janine frowned more as she sent out her next Pokemon, an Ariados. The arachnid faced an empty field for a minute. That was quickly changed as Blaze was sent out.
Blaze watched carefully as the spider moved around the field looking for some type of advantage. Suddenly, it shot out its threads, using the silk to move close and try to strike with a poison jab attack. Blaze saw the strategy and dodged the first attempt by rolling well out of the way.
"Burn the silk" Arthur said pointing at the threads.
"No shit. Or I could just roast the fucker. You know I'm not a fan of these things." Arthur's mind flashed back to the previous year when they had found the Kimono girl surrounded by the arachnids in the Ilex forest.
"Then blast away old friend." Arthur watched as Blaze ignited the flames on his back and inhaled. Janine had ordered another attack, not recognizing the exchange between Arthur and Blaze. Koga on the other hand saw what was coming all too clearly. Blaze let loose his flamethrower, the flames causing the Ariados to scream in pain before passing out. Janine's jaw dropped as her second Pokemon went down without so much as landing a hit on Arthur's.
Then next battle did not fare much better for the young ninja. She sent out her Weezing who went up against Arthur's Togekiss. Koga was a little surprised. He wasn't aware of Arthur evolving his Togetic. The happiness Pokemon was graceful and quite handsome, its warm light spreading upon everyone in the room. It was powerful too, much to Janine's chagrin. Its extrasensory attack caught her off guard and forced her to rethink her strategy once more. Psychic types she could handle. She knew ways to defeat them. What she wasn't ready for was for Pokemon of power from different types. Koga realized that his daughter's lack of flexibility was her biggest weakness. She was not being observant enough, whereas Arthur was the complete opposite. He was aware of the surroundings, using them when he needed to. But he also had faith that his Pokemon were that much more powerful and able to handle themselves. His attack commands were less than they were a few months ago.
Another Ariados was sent out, and Blaze once more entered the battle. Once again, it was short lived, as the fire types flamethrower all but reduced the spider to ashes. Janine was down to her final Pokemon. For all her bravado, Koga could tell she was unnerved. Arthur was the champion true, but she had landed only a single attack the entire battle. And that attack had been rendered useless immediately. Never before had she been on the receiving end of such power. That said, Arthur was being rather reserved about how much he was pouring in to the battle. He was letting his Pokemon do most of the work. They knew what needed to be done.
Koga watched as Janine's Venamoth fell to the Typhlosion's flamethrower. The heat washed over the older ninja, but it wasn't near as much as he was expecting. Even Blaze realized that Arthur and he were overmatched when against Janine. Her poison types fell, one and all quickly.
"I've never faced anyone as powerful as you!" Janine exclaimed as she handed Arthur the soul badge.
"It would appear she still has much training left to do" Koga noted, causing his daughter to blush with embarrassment. "However, I can see she has come far further than I ever imagined she would. Thank you Arthur for allowing me to witness this match." The champion nodded.
"Where will you go next?" Janine asked. The young man shrugged for he was not sure at the moment. Part of him wanted to visit Cinnabar but with the port destroyed here, he would need to find a different route.
"I would advise Pewter." Arthur looked at Koga. "There lives a man there who is the embodiment of the past. Also there is a small chance that perhaps the museum may be able to answer some of your questions."
"Thank you Koga." The old ninja nodded and shook the champion's hand. New information in hand, Arthur made his way back towards the northern city nestled in the mountains. Who knows, perhaps he would finally find some of the answers he was searching for.
Koga to me seemed the logical choice for someone who would know a bit about Red and the events from three years ago. The goal here was to show Arthur trying to piece together a mystery he knows nothing about. I wonder if you as the readers understand why he is struggling with what the legends are wanting from him?
I should note here that this story will not be as long as the first in the series. This chapter of Arthur's life is to fill the gaps that would have been left if I had instead simply moved on. That said, I would still love to hear who you would like to see in a different protagonists team for my next run through, this one taking place in Sinnoh. Please send me the Pokemon you'd like to see characterized. And let me know what you think of the story!