Ch. 10 – Unexpected Challenge
A/N: Wow. This chappy has been in my head for the longest time. Sorry it took so long to update.
A musty odor clung to the air of a darkened living room. Two lovers sat upon a hideous old-fashioned green-and-yellow sofa that clashed horribly with the mismatched furniture. The carpet seemed so stained, it was almost impossible to tell its original color. A little bit of sunlight that filtered into the room through a small window revealed the dust particles gently swaying within the air.
"C'mon baby, you know it's the smartest idea." A gentle voice purred into her sweetheart's ear. "By doing this you gain an edge to prove she isn't real." A girl wearing skimpy clothing and had blue hair with black tips sat on her boyfriends' lap, leaning against him.
"I dunno. I'm the one who challenged her. I should be the one to fight her." The well-muscled guy with spiked green hair that also had black tips responded.
"All we have to do is let this guy win and have him say bringing him was your idea. You get the glory for a brilliant idea and the exposure of that wretch." Her head nuzzled into his neck before she raised her lips to kiss him on the cheek.
The big guy's face contorted as if thinking this out made his head hurt. After consideration though, he sighed and nodded. "You're right. Even if she is a fake, she seems confident enough to make me think I might actually lose. At least with this guy it'll be an easy victory. So go ahead. Make the call."
She lingered for a deep kiss, and then stared him in the eye. "You're such a smart boy Jake." Her eyes gleamed in triumph, her smirk devilish and cold. The sluttish girlfriend grabbed her cell phone, dialing slowly and listening to the dull ring on the line.
Someone picked up, "Hello?"
"Hey," she spoke, "Alexis needs a favor."
"Atsune! Where are you taking us?!" Gary asked as he, Ash, and Pikachu raced after her. Brock and Misty had left earlier in the day to stock up supplies for when everyone left after the big match. Now Atsune and the guys ran through small uncrowded streets hidden throughout the city.
"It's a surprise!" Atsune yelled back, her hair flying in its ponytail.
"Where's Absol anyway? I thought she never left your side." Ash wondered aloud. For once, Absol was no where to be seen.
"See for yourself!" Atsune yelled out as she turned a corner to reveal an unimaginable scene that caused them all to stop in their tracks. Before them stood the entry to a beautiful park, abandoned by people too busy with city-life. On a low grassy hill Absol sat patiently, guarding a picnic blanket that lay out with a picnic basket sitting on its center.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Gary exclaimed.
"I just thought to spend some time with my friends before my match. Too bad Misty and Brock couldn't make it with us." Atsune explained.
"Yeah, but this is perfect! Nothing like a good picnic before a match to put you at ease!" Ash shouted.
"Absol!" Absol agreed.
"We came here right before facing the gym leader back when we were still journeying throughout Kanto. We were nervous about our match after hearing all the rumors about her power. Getting lost on the way to the gym, we came across this place. It was so peaceful it practically told me to meditate, and that's what I did. After that we felt no fear and had a brilliant match." Atsune told them.
"Ah, so you plan to meditate again to boost your confidence for this match." Gary analyzed.
Atsune shrugged, "Yeah, eventually. But for now, I call the monkey bars!" She rushed toward her choice of play-area, leaping up to grasp the bars as energetically as a child.
Ash and Gary leapt up and grabbed the bars one either side of Atsune, all of them beginning to laugh. Pikachu went to say hello to Absol.
Atsune pulled herself up onto the top, sitting on the bars. "Hey, you guys wanna see a fun training game Absol and I made up last time we were here?" she asked, looking down at the guys.
"Sure!" they exclaimed in unison, making them glare at each other.
"I suggest you step away from the bars." She grinned, standing on top of the bars.
Each guy dropped down, backing away with an occasional hostile glance towards one another. Their attention focused on Atsune as Absol stepped near them. They stood where the monkey bars faced horizontal with them as though it were a stage. Suddenly, Absol ran towards the bars, jumping up high enough to aim a tackle at Atsune.
Atsune cart wheeled away last second, landing on the rungs as easily if they were solid earth. Absol tried again, much quicker now, only to be dodged last second. This kept up for a while, their speed increasing, until Absol started firing Razor Winds and Shadow Balls. Of course Absol made sure not to let any of them hit the guys.
Ash, Gary, and Pikachu watched in astonishment, Ash calling out, "You call this a game?!"
Atsune merely smirked, not noticing a rusted bar on the end until she landed on it. The rusty metal bar seemed to vanish beneath her feet, her momentum from the game making her slip backwards. Not to mention Absol didn't have time to stop her Shadow Ball attack which launched straight for Atsune's face. In a mere instant Atsune grasped the end vertical bars as she fell between them and just barely hooked on foot onto the top bar. Purposely she leaned farther back, watching as the Shadow Ball nearly skimmed her nose as it flew past.
The guys ran up, "Are you okay?" they asked together, glaring at each other yet again.
Absol and Pikachu ran up as well.
"Absol?!"
"Pika?!"
Atsune allowed herself to the ground, picked up the rusted metal she broke off and staring at where it had been. "'Course I'm okay." she muttered. After a moment she tossed aside the broken piece in her hand and grinned, "It takes a lot more than that to keep me down! I was about to end the game anyway."
Absol nuzzled into Atsune's side apologetically.
Atsune stroked her companion's head. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Heh, maybe you're natural reputation caused that bar to rust!" she joked.
Absol grinned, but shoved her trainer in mock anger.
"Well, Absol are known to be disaster pokemon." Gary pointed out.
"Then you obviously don't know Absol." Atsune snickered. "I've been in a lot of so-called 'disasters' but I really don't think it's all caused by Absol. In fact, if it's true and Absol somehow was the cause of the dangers we've been through, it's been Absol who helped get me out of it. People see Absol as a dangerous creature that brings death and misfortune, but I've seen that it can also stop such terrible things IF they even start the trouble."
Ash nodded, "There was once when we met an Absol before, outside of an old town. Everyone thought that because they saw it so much, the rivers were flooding. Really Absol was warning everyone about where water was being added to the river. If it weren't for that Absol, the whole town would've been ruined."
Atsune nodded happily, "Exactly my point! Though having an Absol is awesome not only because they make such good friends, but because everyone thinks you're so high and mighty to control one. Though in reality Absol doesn't always listen to me." Atsune playfully stuck her tongue out at Absol who looked away with sudden dignity.
They all laughed, Absol joining in as well. "Well, let's eat already!" Atsune shouted, rushing to the picnic basket. They followed, again each guy sitting on either side of Atsune. She put out bowls of pokemon food for Absol and Pikachu, next serving a sandwich to each of them. "Well, it's not as awesome as Brock's cooking, but dig in!"
Ash bit in at the same time as Gary, savoring the taste. For just a sandwich, it tasted so delicious!
"Wow Atsune! This is incredible!" Gary exclaimed.
Ash swallowed grumpily. While he slowly chewed that first bite, Gary got dibs on the first compliment. All Ash could do was make a simple agreeing comment.
"Thanks you guys. I was afraid I messed up or something." Atsune smiled.
"Pika! Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, waving around a piece of pokemon chow made by Atsune and popping into his mouth with satisfaction.
"Thank you Pikachu, I'm happy to have pleased you." She laughed. She looked at the guys again, "If you want another one after those, just reach in and grab one." Little did she know that they were already plotting their own schemes.
I have to finish my sandwich at the same time as Atsune, Ash thought.
So when she reaches for her next one, I could casually brush my hand against hers, Gary planned.
All of them finished at once, Atsune starting to reach for her next sandwich.
Now! Both guys reached out their hands determined to lightly grasp Atsune's hand, yet looking away to make it further look like an 'accident'.
Their hearts soared happily as they found Atsune's hand, both surprised to feel Atsune grasping back.
Her hand is so warm, Gary thought.
I could stay like this forever, Ash smiled to himself.
Suddenly Atsune giggled.
Both guys couldn't help but look back at the female trainer. Both of her hands covered her mouth in a failing attempt to stifle a hiccupping fit of laughter. Their eyes widened in shock as Ash and Gary looked at their hands. Their soaring hearts plummeted back to earth with a crash. What they thought was Atsune's hand was actually each others!
"AHG!" They shouted as they jumped apart quickly.
"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU GRABBING MY HAND FOR?!" Ash shouted.
"I WAS JUST REACHING IN FOR A SANDWHICH! YOU GRABBED MY HAND!" Gary yelled back.
Their red faces caused Atsune to laugh even harder and she now clutched her stomach that felt sore from laughing so much. She continued to laugh until her throat hurt and she could hardly breathe. Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her face. She turned on all fours, one hand clutching her mouth to silence herself. Her body shook with silent laughter and tears dropped to the picnic blanket.
Both Ash and Gary looked over at Atsune, shocked. Both saw tears and a trembling body and instantly they went to her side.
"Atsune, please don't cry. We're sorry we're fighting right before your big match." Ash said gently, trying to soothe her.
"Ash's stupidity goes beyond measure, but please don't let it upset you." Gary told her. Both guys glared at each other as Pikachu and Absol watched in amusement. They knew that Atsune wasn't crying.
Just the fact that they thought she was crying made Atsune laugh harder. Her laughter, muffled by her hand, now sounded like terrible sobbing.
Absol tensed and growled right before Ash and Gary were suddenly lifted into the air and flung ten feet away! Atsune chocked and coughed, just barely managing to sniff the air and a familiar scent.
A Mr. Mime ran up, followed by Atsune's fan-club. "Good job Mr. Mime!" Adam praised.
"We're here for you Atsune! We show no mercy to those who make you cry. Go Flareon!" Kyle shouted, tossing a pokeball towards Ash and Gary. Immediately a snarling Flareon faced them as Pikachu and Absol stood between them, growling back.
Atsune coughed some more, fits of giggles still coming occasionally. "Kyle, you've got it all wrong. These two guys bickering made me laugh like crazy. I was laughing so hard my eyes watered and I could hardly breathe. They, and apparently you too, thought I was crying, making me laugh more. That's when you guys came. By the way, why are you guys here?"
All four guys looked at Atsune, shocked at first, and then suddenly embarrassed. Kyle and Adam called back their pokemon, allowing Emily to explain. "We came to help you prepare for the match. We heard you like to meditate, so we'll just get these guys off your hands."
"Hey! We're not junk she's forced to carry around or anything!" Ash shouted at them.
Atsune grabbed Emily's wrist to glance at her watch. "No you guys aren't, but it probably is about time for you to head to the stadium. That'll give me enough time alone and enough for you guys to get good seats. Take the picnic basket as well. I put a couple extra sandwiches in so if you guys are hungry during the match and so you could give some to Misty and Brock."
Gary stood, followed by Ash. They both went to hug Atsune, but all three of them stopped and glanced at Adam and his camera. Instead they merely said their farewells and parted. Atsune watched as everyone faded into the distant street.
Alone now, with the exception of Absol, Atsune sat cross-legged upon the cool, soft grass. She breathed slowly, trying to clear her head of all thought. It took her a moment longer than usual to clear her head with the thought of seeing Ash's and Gary's hands closing in on one another. Soon enough she let her senses take over, void of all thoughts.
Not far off, she heard the families in their houses close to the park. Listening carefully, she could pinpoint their approximate location and the basic floor plan of the houses. Atsune could smell each scent that wasn't downwind of her. Women cooking lunch for their families smelled great despite the fact she already ate. She heard few kids playing, but she heard more TVs on the same station. Commercials for a little while, and then a short news report talking about the upcoming match. Murmurs of excitement and doubt sounded during these reports, but quickly changed topics once they ended.
Filtering out these sounds and smells, she went even further. The rank stench of the streets filled her nostrils, nearly making her gag. Atsune wondered why people never realized how much streets of cars smelled. She filtered out this smell as best she could to ignore it, but its strength made it linger lightly. Just barely she could feel the ever constant footsteps on the busy sidewalks. Voices chattered along with occasional child laughter or cry and pokemon calls. Like a dull roar farther in the distance, but still fairly close by Atsune's standards, the gathering of people at the pokemon stadium filled her ears. With the time closing in, everyone's excitement vibrated within the air.
Atsune sat like this for a while, just listening in on the daily life of others. Her mind cared nothing for her battle and she felt at ease. Team Rocket weren't currently chasing her, giving Atsune this much needed peace. She couldn't begin to explain how tired she really was. Constantly alert and tensing at every unfamiliar sound or scent, Atsune didn't realize how much she wore herself out.
On the other hand, Atsune was quite surprised. Ever since she escaped the Rocket grasp, her senses seemed to have increased. All five senses at their peak was a wonderful yet dangerous thing. She must never let Team Rocket capture her, as it may be the end of this peaceful world.
I know I can do it…Atsune's thoughts murmured. She opened her eyes and stood up, looking at Absol. "I can do this. I know I can. I survived Team Rocket; I can surely beat some punk."
"Absol!" She agreed. Atsune dashed off with incredible speed, her heart set for the fight.
"Ash! Gary! Pikachu! Over here!" Brock shouted to the guys as they walked into the stadium.
"Hey Brock, hey Misty, everything go alright?" Ash asked as he, Gary, and Pikachu went over to Brock and Misty.
"Yeah, once Atsune whips this guy into shape, we'll be ready to head out no problem." Misty assured them.
"That's good. C'mon, let's go find our seats." Gary said. Seeing as they traveled with Atsune, everyone got front row seats where family and close friends of the competitors sat.
Brock pulled out a few papers, handing them to Ash and Gary. "Misty and I finished our chores early in time for homework. I'm pretty sure this guy, Jake, is no greater than any of us."
"That much we know." Gary snickered, skimming over the pages.
"He's good at sports, the best in his school. It doesn't say much on his trainer abilities, but they seem to be pretty good for a guy who's been in a town all his life. I can't really say he's much of a threat, but who knows what'll happen?" Brock wondered.
"Atsune's gonna win, that's what I know." Ash stated boldly, the others nodding their agreements.
Not too far off, Atsune's fan club members were preparing to cheer for their idol. Emily clutched in her hands the very shirt she made, hoping for Atsune to come quickly so she may sign it. Only those within a few feet of her could notice the girl trembling with excitement.
It went by quickly, the filling stadium of excited and hopeful audience members. One would begin to think the entire city sat in the rows and rows of chairs. The time for the battle had come.
Atsune's heart pounded with nervous excitement. Her body trembled lightly, eager for her challenge. Absol seemed to dance as the two of them walked down the large, dark hallway that led to the outside, to the battle field. The young trainer felt numb, though aware. She could smell hundreds of people outside the end of the hallway, though not the nicest of smells. Her ears listened to the ever constant babbling of the crowd. Step by step until stopped near the end of the corridor. Would beating some high-school kid really prove she was who she said? Why would they believe her? Or even the opponent Jake? What could the challenge be?
Of course, Atsune wasn't worried about these matters, merely wondering their meanings and answers. Atsune pulled off the necklace that held her father's ring, staring at it. Quickly, Atsune took the ring and slid it onto her right middle finger and tucked the string into her pocket. She checked one last time for her weapons, patting here and there to feel the reassuring shapes under her clothes. "Let's go Absol." She told her partner.
"Absol."
Together, they walked into the light of day and the burst of cheers that echoed throughout the stadium and seemed to grow in intensity. Booing, of course, sounded out from the numbers that disbelieved in Atsune's return. The crowds' yells pained Atsune's sensitive hearing, but she dare not let it show. She and Absol walked together into the arena. Scanning the area, Atsune took in her surrounding with care.
Rocks and boulders lay scattered among the arena; a perfect fit for rock and ground type pokemon. A few rocks looked much sharper than others, their tips pointing jaggedly to the sky. Across the center of the field was a small river, just wide and deep enough for combatants to duke it out under its surface. Along the sides of the river and through its center, many bamboo shoots stood just thick enough to step on. Of course the shoots in the middle were a lot higher than the ones around them.
"And there she is folks! Atsune Tamotsu in the flesh!" An announcers' voice rung out in the stadium followed by loud cheers and booing of the audience. "Or at least, we hope its Atsune. Whoever she really is, we'll know for sure when this match is over."
Atsune glanced at the big screen that held her close-up on it and located the camera. She pumped her right fist towards it, showing off her father's ring. Cheers louder than before sounded, everyone knowing that ring.
"And would you look at that?! Atsune is doing the traditional ring-showing her father used to do before his battles. She truly is carrying on his spirit. The crowd is going wild, most of them being die-hard Richard Tamotsu fans." The announcer stated.
It almost hurt to hear her fathers' name, but again, Atsune didn't let it show. She sniffed the air a little. This scent…it seemed too familiar. She didn't smell it before with the scents of everyone in the stadium, but now it smelled…closer.
"And word is, here comes our opponent now, invited by our young Kyle all the way from the Indigo Plateau!"
Indigo Plateau? Who exactly am I fighting? Atsune wondered. One thing's for sure, I'm not about to fight some high-school punk.
A tall and heavily muscled figure walked out of the opposing corridor. He had dark hair, fierce eyes, and scars that showed rigorous training. He was shirtless, standing in martial artists' pants with bare feet. "Everybody give a warm welcome for Bruno, the Fighting Champion!"
Well this just got more interesting… Atsune thought with a smirk. Atsune and Bruno exchanged looks, a small hidden question in Bruno's eyes. From the far sidelines, Atsune noticed Kyle and Alexis waving with malicious laughter.
"And Atsune doesn't look in the least bit worried! I know I would be folks. And now I will explain the rules of the match!" The announcer spoke. "This will be an all out fight between the trainers. Both Bruno and Atsune are well known martial artist and will fight until one of them can no longer continue. They are each allowed one pokemon to fight along side them. Trainers, choose your pokemon!"
Ash and Gary leaned forward a little from their seats. Brock, Pikachu, and Misty watched in utter silence.
Bruno pulled out a pokeball, tossing it out before him. "Go Machamp!"
The powerful Machamp burst from the pokeball, flexing his muscles as if to frighten Atsune. "Machamp!" he shouted.
"A Machamp!" Brock shouted. "And by the looks of it, that Machamp won't be some push-over."
"It doesn't matter." Ash stated matter-of-factly.
"Atsune will win." Gary followed up confidently. The two guys glanced at each other in annoyance, but dismissed their glares quickly.
Atsune smirked even more. "C'mon Absol!" Absol leapt a little in front of her trainer with poise.
"Look at that! Even knowing her opponent's pokemon, Atsune still chose Absol who has a clear disadvantage. Let's hope she knows what she's getting into." the announcer told the crowd.
Brock stared, dumbfounded. "Even Atsune should know not to use a dark type against a fighting type."
Misty shook her head, "No, that's not it. I bet Atsune used Absol because of that reason. The tougher she makes it on herself; the more people will believe her when she wins."
To Atsune's left, she could easily hear her fan-club shouting like crazy, getting the weirdest looks. But even that wouldn't distract her.
Atsune stared at Bruno intently, who stared back just as forcefully. A bell signaled the start of the match, and they were off!
Atsune shouted to Absol, "Let's take out that Machamp as quickly as we can, Future Sight!"
Absol's eyes began to glow as she started the attack, "Absoooool!"
"Go Machamp! Don't let that attack finish!" Bruno shouted, knowing full well of the consequences.
Machamp rushed over, stepping across the bamboo shoots with ease and leaping towards Absol.
Atsune ran in and jumped at Machamp, kicking out in mid-air. Machamp blocked, but flew back some with the force of her kick. Machamp landed neatly on the ground, a little shocked at Atsune's kick. The winds picked up and swirled around, stopping almost as soon as it had come. Future Sight was complete.
"Would you look at that folks! Atsune knocked that Machamp back with a single kick! Could this really be our Tamotsu?" The announcer shouted, followed by the roar of the crowd.
Almost immediately, Bruno came in at Atsune with a punch. He had followed closely behind Machamp in order to catch Atsune off-guard.
But Atsune wasn't off-guard, and blocked the on-coming attack purely on reflex. "Absol, keep Machamp busy!" she shouted, exchanging blows with Bruno. He performed a wide combination of punches and kicks. Atsune blocked and dodged every hit effortlessly.
"This is utterly amazing! Bruno has yet to land a hit! Atsune or not, this girl is good!" said the announcer.
Bruno ducked beneath a punch, sweeping his leg out to trip Atsune. Atsune jumped up, flipping over Bruno and spinning to meet his next attack. She had her back to the river and bamboo shoots now. Again Bruno released an unyielding combination, though only managing to knick Atsune's chin. Atsune captured his wrist. She pivoted towards the small river and tossed Bruno towards it.
He narrowly landed on the tops of a couple bamboo shoots, taking but a few seconds to gain his balance. Atsune chased him as soon as she threw him. She leapt onto the bamboo shoots, rushing towards him.
Bruno saw her advance and ran to meet her in the middle. There they clashed, a good distance from the water below. Both fighters punched with their right fist, and both fighters caught each others' attack with their other hand.
"Unbelievable! The two combatants are locked in a stand-off and it doesn't look like either will back down! And to think they're standing on the bamboo no less!" exclaimed the announcer. Seriously, all announcers began to annoy Atsune during pretty much any fight.
Bruno smirked at Atsune, "Its good I have a chance to talk to you now."
"It's nice to see you too, Bruno." Atsune told him.
"To let you know, the fact that you lasted this long without a scratch has me sure you're Atsune. I don't mean to boast, but there's no one but a Tamotsu who I can't land a hit on." He explained. He applied more force, moving her arms back a little.
"Yeah, and I guess it doesn't help you to know I'm no where near using my full strength." Atsune snickered. "And by the way, how did a high-school punk manage to call you up?" she asked, applying enough force to move his arms back some.
"Ah well, funny story. I was actually visiting Koga, down in Fuchsia. He has a distant niece that abandoned the family a while back. She called him up, knowing how good he is in finding people, and she asked for me and told me everything."
Atsune thought hard, "A girl? What was her name?"
Bruno, "I believe it was Alexis. Why?"
Atsune shook her head, "Well I'll be damned…"
They released their lock and exchanged blows some more. They locked themselves again when both of them grabbed their opponents' kick. "Excuse me? You never even said a curse word when I knew you. Tsk, tsk, Atsune." Bruno teased, though he almost seemed proud.
Atsune laughed. "It came with the whole 'staying-with-Team-Rocket' territory. They have a very pretty language there." She told him innocently.
"Well this is incredible folks! It seems in their constant locks, these to famous fighters are carrying out a conversation! It's almost as if this were entirely regular between these two!"
"Except fighters are always full of surprises." Bruno muttered to Atsune.
"ABSOL!" Atsune heard Absol shout in warning.
Atsune dropped her lock on Bruno and leapt to the side, cart wheeling across the bamboo tops as easily as if they were the monkey bars. Machamp had maneuvered himself towards Atsune in his fight with Absol, planning to attack her back all along. Atsune jumped back to solid ground, rushing to Absol's side.
Machamp panted heavily, looking worn. With Absol's speed, Machamp probably couldn't land many blows, if any at all. "Way to go Absol, you did great." Atsune praised her prize-fighter.
The winds picked up again, swirling forcefully about the arena. A great wall of psychic power slammed against Machamp from the side, knocking him off the bamboo and into the water.
"Oooh! That's gotta hurt! Machamp, a fighting type, has a huge disadvantage from such a powerful psychic attack." The announcer narrated.
Sure enough, Machamp floated to the top of the water in a fainted state. "And there you have it folks! The first one out is Machamp! What will Bruno do now?"
Bruno called back his Machamp. Atsune waved off Absol, who sat at the end of the arena diligently.
"What's this? It seems Atsune has ordered her Absol to stop fighting!"
From up in the stands, Gary snickered, "That's so like her." He felt a little happy though. Atsune had this in the bag, and he'd be the first one to congratulate her. He couldn't wait until they were back on the road, just having fun.
Bruno raced forward, leaping off of the bamboo shoot onto the ground to run at Atsune.
Atsune met with him in a series of punches, kicks, blocks, and dodges of all sorts. They almost seemed to be dancing within the limited world of the arena.
What the…? Atsune thought, just barely hearing a rushing noise sounding from far above. "Kuso!" Atsune shouted, forgetting the fight and grabbing Bruno's wrists again. She tossed him with enough force to fly over the bamboo shoots and land roughly on the other side.
Not even an instant later a powerful energy blast shot down from the sky, landing a direct hit on Atsune.
A/N: So, how was that for ya? Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm really behind in school and whatnot. Though that's not much of an excuse, now is it? (SHAME ON ME! D: ) Well, I have a new little project I'm working on. I'm currently re-writing this story to improve it. More like, I'm just adding a helluva lot of detail. So don't expect chappy #11 for a while. I will let you guys know when I have it all re-written and such. I already updated the new first chapter on DeviantArt. My s/n on DA is Ayoko-Kotsunai (big surprise! :O ). So you can just go find me or whatever.