There was silence throughout the stadium. On the field a combination of steam and smoke obscured the vision of everybody; the spectators couldn't even see the battling trainers. In the Champions box Steven and Lance were on their feet, although Ash was still sitting down, his eyes shut. He could sense what the rest of the stadium wanted to see; what was happening on the battlefield.
In the stands, Gary was on his feet, staring down onto the stadium, desperate to see what had happened to Pikachu. Every single one of the gang was with him, to see if the little electric type had managed to endure. As the smoke and steam started to clear, there was a collective gasp throughout the stadium. Stood in the middle of a circle of black scorch marks and water droplets, panting, battered was Pikachu, standing tall. As the crowd watched, the little electric Pokémon dropped to all fours and glared across the arena at Absol who looked back with an interested look on her face. Aaron also blinked in surprise, before a grin spread itself across his face.
"That is an impressive Pikachu you have there Misty. I don't know where you got him, but he is impressive. Absol, get him moving again."
Absol nodded, before firing a Flamethrower across the field that caused Pikachu to leap to the side, and fire a Thunderbolt back. Absol lightly leapt away, but as soon as she landed she jumped again, as another Thunderbolt crashed into where she had been a moment before. She looked across the field to where Pikachu was charging another attack and this time met it in the middle with a Flamethrower. Yet to Absol's surprise, the Thunderbolt crashed through and she only just had enough time to dodge out of the way. As the smoke cleared once again, Absol found a focused Pikachu smirking at her across the field. Absol bowed her head in acknowledgement of her opponent, before charging her first Dark-attack of the battle.
Pikachu fired a Thunder attack into the Shadow Ball, but to no effect, and was unable to get out of the way as the powerful move smashed the Mouse Pokémon of his feet and through the air. Pikachu crashed into the ground once again, with more gasps coming from the stadium. As he slowly got to his feet again, Misty called out to him.
"Pikachu, can you continue? If you drop out now nobody will think less of you."
Pikachu spun to stare at the Water-trainer, and shook his head. He turned to face Absol, sparks flying from his cheeks, and started running forwards, an action that Absol instantly mimicked.
Lance and Steven had just started to settle down in their seats again. Neither of them had seen a battle like this for a long time; two closely matched Pokémon with neither side willing to give up. In fact, both men were considering how their Pokémon would fare against the Pokémon they were watching.
"'Champion'." Steven started, but was cut off.
"Your Pokémon could beat them. Absol and Pikachu are probably more than a match for any but your absolute strongest, and even then I suspect that they would be able to prevail. The problem is that neither trainer has another Pokémon of similar strength. Although their strongest could beat one maybe two of yours, the rest of your teams should easily beat them. Both of them could become stronger, but neither has really found a way. Yet."
"Would you consider training them?" Lance asked.
"I have. I have suspicions that one of them will go on to win the tournament, and therefore will be able to train with me. Although it will have to wait until after the expedition into the wilds." 'Champion' said calmly. "The other may get invited if they can impress me throughout the remainder of the tournament, since it's a good chance to watch them train."
"So you'd considered training Misty after you suspended her license?" Lance asked.
"I did what I had to. Miss Waterflower has clearly learned from her experience, seeing if she wants Pikachu to drop out. Although I suspect that he will fight till he drops, as will Absol. They are impressive."
"And against you, what do you think? Enough to make an impression?" Steven interjected.
"I doubt it." 'Champion' continued. "Compared to my Pokémon their attacks lack power, although they may be able to last longer than some of the others that I have faced."
Steven and Lance exchanged slightly worried glances. The Pokémon that they were watching were terrifyingly strong, but 'Champion' seemed to think that he could beat them easily. The idea as to how strong his Pokémon actually were was terrifying. As the two Pokémon closed the distance they turned back to the action.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball." Misty called as the Pokémon were mere meters away. Pikachu threw himself up into the air before flinging a ball of electricity at Absol. The Disaster Pokémon was unable to get out of the way and was sent flying by the explosion, skidding across the ground. Pikachu didn't let up, firing another Thunderbolt at Absol who was unable to get out of the way. To the surprise of both trainers, Pikachu's Thunderbolt didn't stop, pouring more and more power into the attack. The grimace on Absol's face showed the effect it was having. Finally the attack stopped and both Pokémon started panting. Pikachu was showing the damage he had taken which was far more than he had managed to deal to his opponent. However, Absol looked just as battered. Pikachu smiled; he could outlast his opponent, if he could just keep going. He was confident that he could outfight most Pokémon and this was further evidence. Despite this though, another powerful hit could be it, for either side. Looking across the field, it became clear that both Pokémon knew it.
"Absol, Perish Song." Aaron ordered. Misty blanched, knowing that she was running out of time. If she couldn't beat Absol quickly, then the match would be a draw, and they would be tied at the top of the group. She didn't want to know what the rules were for that.
"Pikachu, Agility into Electro Ball." Misty commanded. The little Electric Pokémon nodded, before vanishing in a flash. Absol suddenly leapt to the side, as a yellow ball flashed where she had been. As she landed she took off immediately once again as the same thing happened.
"Absol, Double Team then Shadow Ball." The Disaster Pokémon multiplied and started shooting Shadow Balls throughout the field. There was a series of explosions as Electro Balls smashed into Shadow Balls, before Pikachu started to slow down facing Absol. The two Pokémon nodded to each other, and launched themselves across the field one last time. As they met there was a massive explosion, with orange light flashing out, before an audible thump came from the center of the explosion. As the crowd surged to their feet, Absol staggered out of the cloud of dust, before falling to her knees. As she forced herself back up, the dust started to clear, to show the prone form of Pikachu at the center of the field, knocked out. As the crowd watched, the referee stepped forwards.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Absol is the winner! The victory goes to Aaron Olson!"
The crowd roared, but in the stands the Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum watched in silence as his first Pokémon was picked up by Misty and stroked, recovering to coo at his new trainer. Silently he stood up and walked away, leaving Lance and Steven to look around for where he had vanished to.
Gary looked in shock. Brock had given up trying to get an answer from him, as the researcher looked at the stadium, where Pikachu was being petted. Across the field Brock could see that Absol had also collapsed. The Pokémon had given absolutely everything, and now she needed a break. The group stood up, as Misty slowly left the field, while Aaron recalled his Absol and hurried away, to find a Pokémon center.
"Gary." Brock said quietly. "Gary, come on. You can't just sit here."
The researcher made no reply, so Brock gestured to James and grabbed his arm, lifting him to his feet.
"Gary, come on, Misty will need you after that. Her first major tournament ends in a bad defeat." Brock said, trying to instill life into the researcher. Gary nodded slightly, and started walking towards the stairs. As he reached them he turned back to the group. "Give us a while."
The group nodded, and headed off. Max dropped back to talk to Sam and Mellanie who were lagging behind.
"You two alright?" he asked kindly.
"I just didn't think Misty could lose…" Sam said quietly. "She seemed so confident."
Max dropped to a crouch in front of the youngsters, causing them to stop. As the group behind him turned to see where they had gone, he gestured for them to leave.
"I don't want to say this in front of the others." Max said. "But Misty will be kicking herself after that loss."
"Why?" Mellanie asked curiously.
"Strategy. She is better than that, but she cracked under the pressure. When Absol was released, Misty still had three Pokémon left. Golduck fell because she fell into one of the simplest, oldest traps ever, and Gyarados was caught out by the combination of Flamethrowers. You saw Absol at the end, she was battered and bruised; Misty nearly won. Had she not messed up with Gyarados and Golduck then she would have most likely gone on to win. But even without that, I suspect Pikachu was at the very least equal to Absol. Given that Absol had already taken damage, Pikachu should have been able to win. But then she let him get caught by Pursuit at that speed. Then letting Pikachu get caught out by the Hyper Beam, then the combination that left him frozen on the field. The combination of those attacks meant that despite the huge advantage Pikachu had going into the fight, it was gone fairly quickly. Aaron was the better trainer, Misty cracked under the pressure."
Max looked at the two youngsters that were crestfallen, as they heard mistakes being rattled out at them. With a small smile he stood up once again, causing them to look up. "I'm telling you this so you don't get overconfident. I'll be honest, I doubt either of you will win this tournament, but you both have the potential to go a long way. Your Pokémon are strong enough, and you're both good enough strategy-wise to not get caught out. If you keep focused, and don't give in to the pressure, you have a good chance. Now come on, let's go see who you're facing in the Victory Tournament."
"Max?" Sam asked.
"Yes?" The braniac answered, turning back.
"Why aren't you competing in this tournament? Or in any tournament for that matter? Aren't you a trainer?" Sam asked, causing Max to chuckle.
"You are correct Sam, I could be competing in a tournament. However, I'm in training at the moment. Tell you what, if either of you can make it to the Semi-Final, I'll battle you after the tournament. See if you can learn something."
"You're confident." Mellanie remarked, before she could stop herself. Max burst out laughing, at her reaction as she blushed.
"You'll just have to find out why." Max said, as he left down the stairs. Sam and Mellanie looked at each other, before hurrying after him.
Misty sat in her trainer's room, her head in her hands. Next to her, Pikachu was gently pawing at her arm, trying to get her to move. The little Pokémon had recovered slightly from his battering, and was focused on trying to get a reaction out of the trainer he had promised to do his best for. It was no good though, and Pikachu eventually gave up, curling up at her side. The door across the room opened, and Gary walked in, crossing the room to try to put his arms around his girlfriend, but flinching when she pushed him away.
"Misty…" Gary started, but was cut off.
"Go away Gary. I just want to be alone." Misty snapped.
"But I…"
"Go away."
Misty put her head back in her hands, and heard the door close across the room, before letting tears run from her eyes. Pikachu started licking her face, and after a few minutes, she stopped to look at her Pokémon.
"I'm sorry Pikachu. I didn't think about you. Let's get you to a center."
The little electric type jumped into her arms, before licking the tears away, causing Misty to smile through them. The two of them quietly left the room, heading towards the Pokémon Center that was nearby.
Ash stood in the clearing where the Salamance had disappeared. Around him Espeon prowled with Ninetales, neither of them able to find a trace. Ash turned to Espeon.
"Tell me again what you saw."
"Alakazam sensed the Salamance and alerted me. Together we tracked it and then when it was here its presence vanished. We couldn't sense anything else."
"Logically if the Salamance vanished it was taken into a Pokéball. That would hide it from you and is a known way of doing so. But no trainer?"
"No. We're sorry. I…"
"Espeon." The Sun Pokémon stopped talking and looked up at her trainer. "I don't blame you. You did what I would have expected of you. I can't ask any more than that."
"But we lost that Salamance."
"Yes. And now we have to find it again. If it's wild I want to know why it is here and how it vanished. If it is a trainer's, I want to know why he came here and how he managed to high from your Psychic…"
Ash broke off and looked at Espeon, who returned his gaze. Reaching down, Ash recalled Ninetales before pulling out another Pokéball and releasing Charizard. His trademark Pokémon appeared with a roar, before looking down at his trainer.
"Charizard. I think that the Salamance belonged to Agent." Charizard looked down before letting out another, much larger roar. The area in the clearing began to heat up as the flame on the Fire-Types tail began to grow in size, his anger showing. Espeon edged away from the Flame Pokémon, to try and cool down slightly. "Get a grip Charizard. I can't have you running wild here. I need your anger as a drive, but if you can't control it you're sitting this one out."
Charizard roared, and looked down at Ash, before lowering his head.
"Charizard, I know that you want revenge. Don't think you're the only one. But I need you all focused. Can you manage that?"
Charizard lowered his gaze, resting his head on the ground, before raising it again and nodding. Ash looked into the dragons' eyes before nodding to himself and turning back to Espeon.
"I need the scouts to track down Agent and his Salamance. I am aware that neither of them will be easy to find, but when they do, Charizard will be bringing Espeon in. The two of you have to stop Agent from escaping, while I get there. Charizard; that means stopping his Salamance. Espeon, you will face Agent."
"No human can face me." Espeon said, a touch of pride in her voice.
"I can." Ash said calmly looking at his Pokémon. "Espeon you are one of my Pokémon and like the others extremely powerful, but hold no illusions. You are facing Agent because I don't know how he is avoiding your sense. You are powerful enough a psychic to be able to face him and a wily enough battler to be able to take anything that he throws at you. Furthermore, he will most likely have five other Pokémon with him; you will have to be able to face them all. Charizard this is where you have to help; the faster you take down his Salamance the quicker you can get the rest of his Pokémon. I will come as soon as possible, to bring Agent in. Questions."
Charizard roared, before looking at Espeon, who translated for Ash to ensure he understood perfectly.
"How will the scouts find him? They failed once."
"Agent will be here to try to do something. I don't know what, but something. If they look for things that are wrong, then they will find him. If they use the other Pokémon, then they can. Anything else?"
"If we find him in a crowd?" Espeon asked.
"Don't lose him. I will join you and we will take him when he moves away."
The two Pokémon looked at each other and then back at Ash who sighed. "I know this will be difficult. I assure you, I feel no need for excessive revenge on this man, and you shouldn't either. Once we capture him he will be tried and convicted. Properly. Now go, I want results quickly on this one."
Agent stepped into the house and crossed to the wall. Quickly plugging a box into the wall next to a telephone, he called a number, getting an almost instant response.
"I'm here." Agent said.
"Well done" came the voice of Giovanni. "Any signs that he knows you arrived?"
"Yes. When I recalled Salamance within a minute there was a team of Pokémon at the location. I was long gone and had cleared my scent but a friend told me."
"So he will be looking for you."
"Yes"
Giovanni folded his fingers in front of himself, before leaning back. "Do you need back-up?" The Rocket Boss asked.
"I need Mewtwo." Agent responded. "When will he be arriving?"
"Tomorrow. Along with the squad you requested."
"Thank you."
"Do not fail here Agent. Even if you don't succeed in getting the stadium, I expect something else to show for it. And do not lose Mewtwo. I would rather lose you. Now that we have him behaving, he is our most valuable asset. Understand?"
"Yes Sir. I will bring him back, along with myself." Agent said impassively. The phone cut off and he glared at it. Following Giovanni had made sense at first, particularly given the fragmented nature of Team Rocket when he had first joined; he had found it very easy to quickly move through the ranks. It was galling to still be shackled to the man, but Agent was aware of just how secure Giovanni had made his power base. Taking him down wasn't going to be easy to do. And to realistically be able to survive the turmoil, Agent had to also force the Pokémon League onto the back foot. Looking down at his Pokéball belt, he smiled. He knew he was capable of becoming one of the greatest trainers in the world; he just had to show his potential. There was only one trainer he wasn't sure he could beat. And that was the man he thought he had broken, but had made a fool of him. It wouldn't happen again.
Giovanni though. Agent had almost hoped that when the Pokémon League had attacked the Goldenrod Base, Giovanni might have been captured. If that happened, he would undoubtedly be the person best to step in. His position in Team Rocket meant that he was given a great deal of authority and independence but not total. He knew that Giovanni could take away all the power he currently had. As he walked to the window and looked out, a small Pokémon appeared. Opening the window, Agent let the Spinarak climb in.
"What can I do for you?"
"Spinarak, spinarak."
Agent leaned back and smiled at the Spinarak before throwing it some food and letting it back out once again. He knew Pokémon all over the world, and they always knew when he was around. They looked after their own, and he was kind to them when he saw them. It meant that he had eyes everywhere when he was away from the Rockets, and it put him in a good stead for the upcoming fight.
Moving away from the window, Agent stretched and moved into a room which just had a bed. Sitting on it he started to think over what he knew. 'Champion' spent most of his time sat in stadiums watching the tournament. As the tournament moved into the victory tournament with every battle being held in the main stadium it meant that 'Champion' was going to be on hand to try to stop any attempt he made to target the stadium. Furthermore, he knew that 'Champion's' Pokémon were hunting him. Spinarak had told him that they had been seen moving around Silver Town, as if they were hunting. It made him smile; a scout force that could apparently track down Giovanni within days couldn't find him. Although it did restrict his use of Pokémon, since they would be sensed. The battle that was coming was going to be one of the toughest he ever went through, but he was quietly confident. If it went right, the Pokémon League would be given a shock to let them know Team Rocket were back in the world.
Brock was clearing up after dinner when he heard a loud bang. Looking up he saw Misty storm across the room, before crossing to her room and shutting the door again. He sighed. When Gary had come back, he had come to talk to Brock, upset with Misty's reaction. Brock knew what Misty was going through; she had always struggled to make herself the best, and to lose a battle like that would have hurt her. It had been a long few months for her; starting with her thumping from 'Champion', her having her license suspended, and then the trip around Johto to try to earn badges. And then she fell at the first real hurdle. He crossed the room, picked up a plate of food he had set aside for when Misty finally came back, and crossed back again to her room. Knocking quietly, he heard a shout from inside telling him to go away. Just not as politely. Brock was taken aback; Misty never swore.
Opening the door quietly, Brock saw Misty lying on her bed, face down. Trying to be silent he stepped into the room, but he had barely gotten two steps when he heard her snap.
"Gary, get out. I just want to be alone."
Brock ignored her, putting the plate of food next to her bed and settling in a chair across the room. Misty growled, but didn't look up, and didn't speak again.
After a few minutes of silence, Brock decided that he couldn't take it anymore.
"You know Misty, you aren't the only one who ever feels like this" he said quietly. When she realized it was Brock not Gary, Misty shifted, but didn't look up or make any response. "I remember a young boy, some twelve, thirteen years ago who was in his first regional tournament. He went in confident, believing that he could do little wrong. Early victories were enough to make him get overconfident, and when the tournament started properly, he assumed that he would win easily."
"Brock stop it." Misty groaned, but the Pokémon Doctor carried on.
"When this boy was beaten, he couldn't believe it. He sulked for days, barely ate, wouldn't talk, and barely looked at his Pokémon. Throughout this, his friends worried, tried to get him back to how he had been, but all unsuccessfully. He refused to do anything. Eventually one friend was able to pull him out, and make him see that defeats happen. Within a year, that boy had gone from rock-bottom to winning the Orange League, being the first person to defeat the Champion, Drake, believed to be one of the best ever Orange League Champions."
"Brock. Please, just go." Misty said, but Brock continued like he hadn't even heard her.
"After that victory he came to Johto, and was beaten in a battle. And after that battle? He didn't run and hide. He had accepted that you can't win them all, and moved on. Misty, you have to do the same. You can't just sit in here. You need to grow up."
As the words left Brocks mouth, the fiery trainer surged off her bed, and grabbed a Pokéball, releasing her Poliwrath. Advancing on Brock, with the Tadpole Pokémon at her side, she gave full vent to her emotions.
"How dare you?" Misty shouted at Brock. "You, who have never competed in a tournament, you who don't know what it's like. You who DIDN'T SEE THAT YOUR BEST FRIEND WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE IS GONE! HOW DARE YOU LECTURE ME ABOUT HIM?! HOW DARE YOU?!"
Brock sat utterly motionless, not moving as Poliwrath sensed his trainer's mood and glared at the Pokémon Doctor. Brock just waited, as Misty glared at him, panting heavily, before she fell back down again.
"I'm sorry Brock. It's not fair to blame you. I… I just…"
Brock just held out his arms, and Misty fell into them, crying. "I just want my best friend back Brock." Misty sobbed. "I thought that this would help get me over him, but it hasn't. I miss Ash."
Brock said nothing, just sat there, gently stroking his friend's hair, while she sobbed on his chest. He didn't need to say anything; being there was enough and they both knew it. As the sobs died down, Misty let go of Brock and crawled back onto her bed, before turning to the plate of food and starting to eat. Brock stood up and started to leave, but a call from the bed stopped him.
"Can you send Gary down? I need to apologize." Brock nodded, and reached the door when he heard a final word from the bed. "And Brock? Thank you. I needed that."
He turned and smiled at her, before nodding and leaving the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Sam stood in the stadium, looking around. For his first battle in the Victory Tournament, he was feeling the pressure, but having had another long discussion with Max the night before, he felt quietly confident. Not enough to shake him though; his team was ready. Across the field his opponent stood there, but Sam wasn't looking at him. After a cursory handshake, where Sam didn't talk, he returned to his trainer's box. Given that Mellanie had battled her way through her first battle, he knew that he needed to win. He pulled a Pokéball of his belt, and threw it, causing his Furret to appear. Across the field his opponent released his Pokémon, and the referee announced the battle to start.
In the stands, Agent stood, looking out across, where he saw the Pokémon Master sitting and watching. The last two days since the team of Rockets had arrived had been a whirl of activity, using Mewtwo to hide them, and avoiding 'Champions' Pokémon. But now he was ready to start putting his plan into action. Speaking into a radio at his neck, he gave a curt order, before settling down to watch the battle unfurl on the field far beneath. As the young trainer before him took two quick victories he started to get more interested. He was only here to keep an eye of 'Champion' while Mewtwo was able to watch the Pokémon hunting him. But the kid below him was doing well. As a third victory went his way, and there was a break, Agent pulled out a computer, connecting it to the network. A quick search told him that he was watching a trainer called Sam Fernandez, who was in his first year of training, and in his first tournament. This was enough to make Agent raise an eyebrow; he looked far more assured than somebody in their first tournament. He decided to keep an eye on the boy; a potential person to take back to Headquarters with him. If the mission went well, there was a good chance that he could take back people to be turned into Rockets. Giovanni hadn't told him to, but he would hardly complain…
As the battle wore on, Agent quickly realized just how one-sided it was. Rotation of the boy's team meant that it took until his opponents fifth Pokémon for him to finally lose one. His response was to send out the Furret that had won the first two battles, giving him another victory, before the Furret and another tired Pokémon were taken out. As his opponents sixth Pokémon faced its third opponent, Agent felt a buzz in his pocket. Pulling out his phone he glanced at the message, and then left the stadium, as on the field below Sam Fernandez took the victory.
Walking out of the stadium, he strode back through the crowd, before a Pokémon caught his eye. Sat on a roof was an Espeon, flicking her tail and looking around the crowd. Unlike Giovanni, Agent didn't trust everything Mewtwo had told them about the Pokémon Master, but the alleged strength of his Espeon had caused him to be curious. He suspected that this was that Espeon, but equally, trying to face it would be an interesting experience. He considered trying to test its mental strength, but decided against it. It was best Espeon didn't know where he was, and he was unsure how well it would detect such a test. Moving on, he walked back to the building he was using as his base. There were five Rockets there, having just completed a task that was set them. They had successfully rigged a few of the outer stadiums, meaning that there was only one major target left. The main stadium that was in use. Agent had already decided on when it would be targeted; the day off between the semi-finals and the final. Given that he had just watched the last of the last-sixteen, they had a few days battling to wait.
Steven was surprised when there was a knock on the door to Lance's office. The two men had retreated there after the day, and hadn't expected to have somebody look for them. Steven called for whoever it was to enter, and Tobias walked in. Steven stood up with a smile, and extended a hand which Tobias took, before they faced Lance.
"Lance, this is Tobias. He is a trainer of legendries. How many do you have now Tobias?"
"Six" came the simple reply. "Although Darkrai remains my most commonly used and my most famous."
Lance just nodded, he had heard of Tobias, although he hadn't known that the trainer was at the tournament.
"What brings you here Tobias?" Steven asked.
"Darkrai. He can sense another Legendary here, but one that seems to be trying to hide. He is struggling to find him."
Steven looked at Lance, who nodded. "Tobias, legendries are beyond us. We need to go to the Pokémon Master with this, if Darkrai is sure." Steven said.
"He is." Tobias confirmed.
"Alright" Lance picked up a phone, which connected instantly. "Champion'? Sorry to intrude, but we have something that we need to discuss with you." A pause. "Legendries." Another break. "A trainer called Tobias who owns legendries says one of his is…. Ok. Thank you." He put the phone down, and looked at his two guests. "He will be here in a minute."
The Pokémon Master strode into the room, his Espeon at his side. Ash had called for the Pokémon to join him in this; he would need to have a long conversation with the legendry. Although on the way he had reflected on how difficult it would be to come face-to-face with Tobias once again after all this time, he knew he had to put it out of his mind. Being able to mentally prepare made that a great deal easier. As well as ignore the capturing of legendries, which had been made illegal under the original rules of the Pokémon League. Rules that, although they had fallen out of use and memory, he knew were still technically in place. Once this was over, he knew he would have to make that rule known once again.
Inside the office, Lance, Steven and Tobias were all sat quietly awaiting him. A chair had been set out, but he ignored it.
"What did you find?" he asked, getting straight to business.
"I was out training with Darkrai." Tobias said. "But he was agitated. He is usually fairly focused, but on this occasion just couldn't seem to manage to concentrate. After a while I gave up, and started to talk about what might be the problem. It turned out that he could sense a Pokémon in the area that shouldn't be. A Pokémon of great power that was trying to hide it. We tried to track it, but failed; Darkrai, although aware of the presence of this Pokémon was unable to actually locate where it might be."
'Champion' nodded, before turning to Lance and Steven. "Are any of your Pokémon acting strange?" Both of them shook their heads. "Right. Release Darkrai."
As the Pitch-Black Pokémon appeared, 'Champion' turned to Espeon. "I need to know everything from a Pokémon's view. Crucially, does it feel like what I think it will?"
Espeon mewed softly, and turned to Darkrai. The Dark-Type started talking, and Espeon just looked back balefully. Soon the conversation died down, and the two Pokémon were just staring at each other. The four trainers looked on, when after a minute, Espeon nodded to 'Champion'. The Pokémon Master looked at the other trainers, and gestured for them to follow him out of the room. Moving into the office just along from Lance's, he started to explain.
"What I'm about to tell you is not to be discussed with anybody other than us. Lance and Steven, you know that Team Rocket have returned. Tobias, you were sent out to search for Cynthia Shirona, but Steven wisely didn't tell you anymore. She has been captured by Team Rocket. You would not have been able to find her; I know roughly where she is likely to be, but nothing more. However, that isn't the thing to worry about. Tobias, what do you know about a Pokémon called Mewtwo?"
Tobias thought for a moment, before answering. "Heard of it. Nothing more."
"Right." 'Champion' continued. "Mewtwo was genetically cloned by Team Rocket to be the most powerful Pokémon in the world. Suffice it to say, he was too strong for them to control, and he escaped. Over the years they have made repeated attempts to recapture him. He was recaptured recently, I believe with Miss Shirona."
Steven was surprised, but Lance was the one who spoke up. "Recaptured? He was free after Goldenrod."
The Pokémon Master turned his head to gaze at Lance, causing him to recoil. Not even being able to see his eyes didn't stop the power of the gaze from terrifying him.
"Miss Shirona decided to try and find Team Rocket's headquarters. I have also found the location of this base, and my team found Mewtwo, but not Miss Shirona. They also uncovered something worrying about a member of Team Rocket, known only as Agent. The man is undetectable; Espeon couldn't sense him. I believe that this man is now inside Silver Town, during the tournament. I won't explain why, but suffice it to say, when I spoke to him he claimed to be the man who gets things done for Team Rocket. My Pokémon are hunting him; hopefully we will get to him before he can do anything too bad. Now, Tobias, Darkrai has a problem with a Pokémon here. Espeon talked to him, and showed him what Mewtwo's mind feels like. The connection between legendries isn't quite the same as the psychic sense of a psychic type, but Darkrai still recognized the mind. Mewtwo is here. This also effectively confirms that Agent is here as well. The task for us now, must be to track down both Mewtwo and Agent. If we can stop either of them getting back to Team Rocket, we have a huge advantage when we try to take them down. So, keep both eyes on the lookout for them. Steven, make sure that Tobias has the capacity to contact me directly. If any of you find something, let me know immediately."
'Champion' crossed to the door, which swung open for him. Outside was Espeon who fell into step with the Pokémon Master, who walked away, leaving Lance, Steven and Tobias looking after him.
Aaron walked into the Pokémon Center, to join a group of people who were stood there. It had taken him a while to track down the Pokémon Center that Misty had used; it wasn't one many people knew about. As he reached the group, the nearest person turned to face him, and scowled.
"What are you doing here?" Gary Oak asked aggressively. Aaron just smiled, and looked past him to Misty who had by now turned to face him.
"I wanted to see how you are doing. And more importantly how Pikachu was doing. That was one hell of a fight."
Misty looked at him for a moment, before replying. "He is fine thank you. Pikachu?"
The little electric type leaped into her arms from across the room, before looking at Aaron. His eyes narrowed slightly, causing Misty to smile.
"Pikachu, don't blame him. He was just doing what he does best; going on to win. What can we do for you Aaron?"
"I meant what I said at the start of that battle" Aaron said. "Had you beaten me I would have been rooting for you for the rest of the tournament. That battle against you was the toughest I have ever had. Absol is still recovering; he wasn't in my team for the first round of the Victory Tournament."
"But you still won." Misty said with a slight smile. "I hope you do well Aaron, but I'm afraid I'm not supporting you yet. I have two others to support first."
Aaron raised an eyebrow and Misty gestured to the two youngsters now stood slightly apart from the group. Aaron smiled as he recognized them. "I never thought you'd be swayed by youngsters Misty. I hope they do well, although Absol should hopefully be fit again soon. After that, they will need luck!" With a smile Aaron began to walk away, when Misty called him back.
"The draw for the quarter-final is about to be made. Don't you want to know who you're going to be against?" she asked.
"I doubt they will be as good as you." Aaron said with a smile. "That was genuinely the hardest I have ever fought."
"Then good luck if you win this tournament." Misty said. "Champion' is stronger than me. By a long way. You'll get slaughtered."
Aaron grinned before turning to face the screen as it started to flicker. As he saw his face appear next to that of a trainer he recognized he smiled. "I guess I'll be in the semi-final then" he said with a smile. I've beaten her before, she is good, but beatable."
Misty nodded, then saw the two other faces that she was looking for. Next to each other. Across the room, Sam and Mellanie were staring at each other, in shock. They had never thought that they would be facing each other in the tournament; it hadn't ever occurred to them. In front of everybody, Sam turned and ran out of the Pokémon Center, turning right as soon as he was out of the door. Mellanie did the same, merely turning the other way when she exited. The rest of the group looked after them, before sighing. Misty and Gary started walking towards the door, before splitting off to go and talk to the youngsters.
Ash stood in front of his Pokémon. Every single one was released, and were looking at the trainer.
"When I stood in front of you, and told you that we were going up against Team Rocket, I asked for your trust and your commitment. I thought that the assault in Goldenrod would bring to an end something that we had trained for, and crucially end the threat of Team Rocket. Well now I know there is a greater threat. Team Rocket is here, at the tournament, and planning something. Furthermore, Mewtwo is here, and under their control. We have to find both Agent and Mewtwo before whatever their plan is can come into effect. This will require all of you. Be subtle where possible, but find them. We cannot afford to let their plan happen. Any questions?"
There was silence, so Ash turned away. Looking across Silver Town he briefly imagined it burning, and shut the image out of his mind. Next to him, Espeon stepped up, and pushed her head against his hand. Without turning, Ash said one last thing.
"If we fail, it could mean something akin to war."
A/N
Ok, I'm late again. But again only one day… Hopefully I'll make my deadline of two weeks' time for the next chapter, just don't hold your breath!
To the person who shouted at me for not updating: I said I'll be doing every other week. So here it is. Please don't kill me!
And to all of those who wanted Pikachu to lose… well he has. Shame really, but Misty did make quite a few mistakes. It made me think back to ages ago when somebody complained at the prospect of Misty winning the tournament with weak strategy. She is only really comfortable with Water-Types.
Otherwise, I don't really think I have much to say. The person that asked if they can post this elsewhere; go ahead, just please say where you got it from.
Till next time.
Iama2p