"Speech" - Regular Human speech
"Speech" - Legendary Pokemon telepathic communication (or location)
"Speech" (Actions) - Flashback
Just to let ya'll know, this is by far the longest chapter I've written to date, so enjoy. You may read now! :)
Chapter 25
7/11/0046/Afternoon
West Dome
"I made it…" Matt mumbled, slightly winded from the sprint he had just finished from the East Dome to the West Dome.
"Are you ready?" The ref called out to Matt who gave him a nod and thumbs up. "Alright then, Clash!"
Matt selected a Poke-ball as did his opponent who went by the name of Aiden, an A-Class trainer. Together the two of them tossed their Poke-balls onto the field, the two of them used the Hook as their choice throw for the Clash. The Poke-balls meet with a flash of light and sound of metal clanging, grabbing the attention of quite a few spectators.
The Pokemon were released, Matt's Hariyama appeared on the field along with Aiden's Quagsire, the two Pokemon sliding back on their feet. The two Pokemon grunted before looking at the other.
"Match begin!" The ref shouted, raising both flags.
"Quagsire, use Mud Bomb!" Aiden ordered as soon as the ref was finished speaking.
"Quag!" The blue Pokemon said out loud before opening its mouth, firing a ball of densely packed mud at Matt's Hariyama.
"Hariyama, knock it away with Force Palm and then attack!" Matt shouted, getting a nod from his Pokemon as both its large hands lit up in a yellow halo of light
The large fighting type Pokemon used its monstrous hand to knock away Quagsire's attack as if it were nothing before rushing at the Water type.
"Quagsire, dodge it!" Aiden commanded as Hariyama neared his partner, thrusting its glowing hand at it.
"Keep going Hariyama!" Matt shouted when Quagsire barely avoided their first attack.
"Hari!" It yelled, continuing its assault on Quagsire, the Water type Pokemon evading each attack with just enough time to think about where it could move to-to dodge the next one.
"Quagsire, look out!" Aiden shouted when Hariyama attacked with a feint which Quagsire fell for, the Water Pokemon jumping straight into the path of Hariyama's left hand which it balled up into a fist, hitting Quagsire with a solid left hook that sent in flying backward. "Quagsire, are you okay?"
"Quag." It replied, just back to its feet, returning Hariyama's stare.
"Alright then, use Rollout." Quagsire took a small leap into the air, curling up into a tight ball. As it touched the ground, the Water type Pokemon rushed forward, speeding toward Hariyama.
"Hariyama, use Bulk Up and then follow up with Force Palm!" Matt said quickly.
"Hari-yama!" The Fighting type Pokemon yelled as it tightened its stance, a small halo of white light forming around it. Hariyama remained still as Quagsire neared it before its right hand began to glow like it had before only the light was darker yellow.
Hariyama thrusted its arm forward, its large hand easily over powering Quagsire who was sent flying by the attack, landing on its back with a thud.
"Quagsire!" Aiden shouted, as the ref inspected his Quagsire.
"Quagsire is unable to battle, Matt is the winner." The ref said, raising the blue flag for Matt and Hariyama.
"We did it Hariyama!" Matt shouted his Pokemon who gave him a nod.
"Pupitar, use Dark Pulse!" A familiar voice shouted, getting Matt's attention.
On the opposite field to Matt's, he spotted Blake and his Pupitar battling a Girafarig that was already heavily damaged.
"Pupitar, use Dark Pulse." Blake ordered.
"Pupitar!" The floating rock type Pokemon said as it charged up a black sphere in front of it, the orb gaining a purple outline. The core of the attack began to spasm, just like how Blake wanted it to as Pupitar fired it at Girafarig.
"Girafarig, dodge it!" The psychic Pokemon attempted to move, but its knees buckled, halting any movement from it. The Dark Pulse hit Girafarig, exploding on impact which left it stunned.
"Pupitar, use Earth Power!" Blake ordered, his partner beginning to glow in a soft white light.
"Girafarig, move!" The psychic Pokemon's trainer shouted as it remained still. Pupitar, dropped itself to the field, creating a few cracks on impact, but beneath Girafarig, the ground became a dark yellow.
Girafarig was sent flying as the ground beneath erupted, releasing an dangerously how burst of energy. Giragarig was airborne for a few moments, then it crashed down on the field with a hard thud.
"Girafarig is unable to battle, Pupitar is the winner!" The ref shouted, raising the blue flag to declare Blake and Pupitar the winner.
"Tch, show off." Matt muttered, watching Blake approach his opponent, offering them a handshake. "Come on Hariyama, let's go."
7/12/0046/Early Afternoon
Main Dome
Meegan J stood in the stands by herself, watching Grace in yet another battle, using her Lucario. The fighting/steel type Pokemon was incredibly dangerous, matching Grace's style of battling with its high speed and powerful attacks.
Most of its opponents couldn't keep with its speed and were easily beaten like that, and even if they could keep up, Grace had trained her Lucario well in case it had to fight in a high speed duel.
The crowd shouted in approval as Lucario landed a Fire induced drop kick on the airborne Donphan, sending the Ground type Pokemon crashing to the ground, creating a small cloud of dust. The ref ran over to Donphan after Lucario landed on the ground, checking the Pokemon to see if it could continue.
"Donphan is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner." The ref said, raising the red flag to declare Grace the winner.
"Lucario, we did it!" Grace shouted to her Pokemon. The Aura Pokemon turned around, giving Grace a high five. "Come on, we have to see Meegan in her next match."
"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake asked after approaching the young woman from behind. Meegan jumped in surprise, glaring at the boy who just gave her a blank stare in response.
"What?" She asked after catching her breath.
"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake repeated for her.
"I'm not completely sure. The first time I had seen her about a year ago, I was surprised to see such a young trainer have such a powerful battling style and well trained Pokemon to boot." Meegan explained, glancing at Blake. "After that I hadn't seen here again until now, and I'm shocked. Not only did her Pokemon get stronger, but her style improved."
"So you believe that she's gotten stronger?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from her. "Do you think you have a chance of beating her now?"
"Against her original style, I could've won back then. But the holes I had seen a year ago have completely vanished." Meegan continued. "But I wasn't sitting around idly, I've gotten stronger too.
East Dome
Grace had found Blake waiting for her in the hallway leading into the East Dome where Meegan J's match was currently in progress.
The floor of the stadium was still divided, but now it was only split into five different fields to give each trainer more attention from the crowd.
"How's her match going?" Grace asked, joining Blake at the entrance to the stadium.
"She's dominating the battle. Her opponent hasn't even landed an attack on her Glacieon." Blake replied, folding his arms in front his chest.
"Glacieon, use Iron Tail!" Meegan shouted, pointing at the Machoke they were currently battling.
"Machoke, use Karate Chop!"
Glacieon jumped at Machoke, swinging its glowing tail at the Fighting type Pokemon who countered the attack with its left forearm. The damaged Machoke was knocked backward by Glacieon, sliding on its feet while the Ice type Pokemon landed on its hind legs, jumping at the off balance Machoke again.
Glacieon preformed a somersault, swing its tail down at Machoke's head.
"Choke." The Fighting type Pokemon exclaimed, barely managing to raise both its arms to block Glacieon's second attack.
"Now use Ice Beam!" Meegan commanded when Glacieon's tail forcefully pushed Machoke's arms down, leaving its head completely open.
"Machoke, look out!" It trainer shouted when she noticed Glacieon begin charge up a cyan colored sphere in front its mouth. Machoke was surprised when the airborne Glacieon placed both its forward legs on its torso, pushing it downward while firing the Ice Beam at point blank range at Machoke's head.
Machoke fell to its back with Glacieon on top of it, its head frozon in a block of ice.
"Machoke is unable to battle, Glacieon is the winner!" The ref shouted as Meegan ran onto to the field to congratulate her Glacieon.
Grace sighed inwardly, turning to head back toward the Main Dome.
"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake asked suddenly, causing Grace to halt her footsteps.
"Yes, I think I can beat her. She's gotten much stronger, but I still think I can beat her." Grace responded, gaining a smirk from Blake.
7/17/0046/Afternoon
Main Dome
"Alright Swampert, wrap this up with Brick Break!" Matt's order was easily heard by the silent stadium now that Matt was battling for the ninety-ninth spot in the Top 100. The field had returned to one large field that was standard sized for the Battle Circuit since today would be the last day for round one.
"Swampert!" The large dual type Pokemon shouted as it dashed in at Granbull, raising its forearm to land the finisher.
"Granbull, dodge it!" Its trainer shouted, motioning for the Pokemon to move, but Swampert was far faster than they expected, allowing it to slam its forearm into Granbull's torso which knocked it down to the ground.
"The winner is Matt and Swampert in the blue box!" The ref shouted after checking Granbull. Its eyes were replaced with black swirls.
The crowd roared at the end to another battle. Even though Matt was viewed as a foreign trainer, his weird battling style had won the crowd over, giving the young trainer a fan base in Johto.
"You can win the whole thing Matt!"
"Go straight to the top!"
"So Donny, what you think of this one?" A conversation was being held in the announcers box where two former trainers were providing commentary for the match. They were both active in the Battle Circuit years before and had retired after engraving their names on the World Stage.
"Well Jeff, I can definitely say this kid has some talent, a strong team to use his abilities as a trainer to the fullest and a style that brings out all his strengths. Something I feel is incredibly noteworthy is the acceleration his Swampert possesses. The speed it used to close in on Granbull and finish the battle is something that takes a lot of time to develop, so hats off to that kid."
"Do you think he has the potential to win this tournament?" Jeff asked, smiling at the camera.
"He has so much potential right now. He could definitely get far. Can he win it is a good question." Donny replied before narrowing his eyes as he stared at Jeff. "Will you quit staring at the camera."
"I can't help it; this year they put me on my good side." Jeff replied, giving the camera a wink which gained a groan from his partner. Donny then snapped his fingers several times at Jeff to get his attention.
"We have one more match to go." He said, pointing down at the field where the last two trainers were taking their places in their respective boxes.
"Alright Donny, what do we have a closer for today?"
"Well by the looks of it, we have a super rookie facing off with a veteran when you compare them." Donny began. "Celia, an S-Class trainer with quite a record in the Johto Circuit will be facing off against this young buck named Blake who had just become a Rookie King before the tourney was held."
"Ah, something like this happens every year, one weak trainer somehow makes it this far." Jeff replied, leaning down onto counter. "I can already tell who's going to win so I'll be right back."
Blake, who was standing in the blue box down in the stadium could here and see their conversation using the large monitor that was used for people who were two high up to see the battle properly. Blake clenched his fists, glaring up at the announcer's box where he could see Jeff walking out the side door.
"Jeff, you're supposed say here until all the matches are over." Donny called out to the man who standing outside the door.
"You can see it to; this kid has no chance of winning. Clearly he has to have some kind of talent to make this far, but he lacks experience. Without that, he has no chance of getting any farther."
"You never know what could happen."
"Alright, if the rookie wins again the girl, I'll…go to Hoenn in a damn tutu." Jeff declared, immediately getting a dark smile from Blake. With that Jeff disappeared into the stands in search of one of the sales persons.
"This one on one Pokemon battle will now commence." The ref shouted. "Trainers, Clash!"
Blake and Celia quickly made their choices before hurling the Poke-ball onto the field.
'Accel!' Ceclia shouted as her Poke-ball burst forward, racing across the field. ' Now we'll have the upper hand to start...'
Celia was shocked to see Blake's Poke-ball curve over her own, dropping down on it from above which sent it crashing into the field before their Pokemon were released. She couldn't help but curse under her breath as her Venomoth appeared on the field, possessing a few bruises. Blake's Gallade on the other hand, was in perfect condition.
"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Blake yelled, pointing at Celia's downed, bruise covered Venomoth.
Blake's airborne Gallade swung its right arm in a horizontal path, creating a ripple in the air that produced a pink, crescent shaped wave of energy that was fired at Venomoth.
"Venomoth, use Bug Buzz!" Celia shouted to her Venomoth. The large purple moth Pokemon frantically began to flap its wings, creating a yellow sound barrier around it that created a cloud of dust around it.
Gallade's Psycho Cut disappeared inside the cloud while the psychic Pokemon landed on the ground, waiting to see the result of the attack.
"Venomoth, use Poison Fang!"
Venomoth burst of out the cloud of dust, charging toward Gallade as a pair of dark purple fangs extended from its small mouth.
"Gallade, use Poison Jab to block the attack." Blake ordered quickly. Both of Gallade's hand became enveloped in a purple aura that used to hold back Venomoth with a double block. "Now give it a kick and attack with Psycho Cut again."
Gallade landed a swift kick to Venomoth which sent the Pokemon sailing backward while its left forearm became covered in a pink color light. The tall Psychic Pokemon swung its arm in vertical arc, firing another wave of Psychic energy at Venomoth who failed to dodged the attack.
The moth Pokemon was sent flying backward, coming to a skidding halt after it hit the ground from the super effective attack.
"Venomoth, are you okay?" Celia asked her partner, the moth Pokemon becoming air borne again.
"Venomoth!" It said quickly, proving it could be performing a quick loop in the air.
"Alright, use Signal Beam!"
"Gallade, use Night Slash to counter."
Both of Gallade's forearms and extended elbows became a sinister black as the Psychic Pokemon rushed toward the approaching beam of yellow light. Using both its forearms as a shield, Gallade deflected away the Signal Beam attack while continuing is advance.
'If experience is something they need to beat me, then I'll just use something they've never seen before.' Blake concluded as he raised on hand over his head. "Gallade, mix in a Psycho Cut and put a spin on it!"
Gallade took a small leap, is right arm becoming a bright pink. Gallade spun itself, extending both its arms outward which left a trail of black and pink light which was whipped up into a small black cyclone with several pink streaks.
"Look out Venomoth!" Celia cried out as the moth Pokemon disappeared into the cyclone. The crowd watched in awe as the sound of metal clanging was heard multiple times before the cyclone disappeared, revealing Gallade who was floating above a heavily damaged Venomoth.
"Now end it with a dual chop, Night Slash and Psycho Cut!" Blake ordered. Gallade followed through with Blake's orders, dropping down on Venomoth with both attacks while leaving a trail of black and pink light.
"Venomoth!" Celia shouted as Venomoth was smashed down onto the hard field with a flare of black and pink light, forcing the moth Pokemon about two feet into the ground. Once the light faded, the ref spotted Gallade standing over a spot in the ground, both its arms covered in some large bruises.
"Venomoth is unable to battle, Gallade and Blake are the winners!" The ref shouted after checking the hole where he found Venomoth's unconscious form.
The crowd roared as Blake approached Gallade, initially checking its arms that were bruised and battered from the combined use of Night Slash and Psycho Cut.
"It hurt to use them together didn't it?" Blake asked his Pokemon, receiving a nod as an answer. "Considering you did it on the spot without the Synchronism, this should be expected, but nice job Gallade."
"Hot damn! Not only did the rookie win, but he did it with style too!" Donny shouted as Jeff reentered the box, dropping the ham and cheese sandwich he had just gotten from the lunch room. "Hey Jeff, you know what this means!"
"Crap…" Jeff muttered in disbelief that the rookie had won in the short space of time he was gone.
"Alright folks, you saw the last match yourselves, the rookie Blake has seized the last spot for the Top 100 for Johto. Anyone in the Top 100, we'd like to inform you that as of today, you have two months to prepare yourself for the second round and to travel to Meteor Falls in the Hoenn Region. Go out there and kick some b-u-t-t for Johto!" Donny shouted as the crowded roared, watching Blake and Gallade retreat into the stadium hallways after shaking hands with Celia.
"Nice job bro!" Grace shouted, pulling Blake down in a head lock which only received a blank stare from him.
"Yeah, that move you did with Night Slash and Psycho Cut was pretty cool. How much did you and Gallade practice that?" Matt asked after Grace released her hold on Blake.
"That was first time we ever used it. I'm surprised with how well it worked out though." Blake explained, surprising Grace and Matt.
"That was your first time using that attack?" Grace asked for clarification, getting a nod from Blake. "Big bro is amazing!"
'I guess what Lola was telling me is true, he is some kind of genius to create such a combination on the spot.' Matt noted, watching Grace tackle his rival in a hug. "So when do we start moving?"
"Right, we have to get to Hoenn." Grace noted, remembering that only the first round was over and that she, Matt and Blake would be moving on to the second round along with Meegan J.
"Let's start moving now. We can use the Olivine City seaport for a ferry ride to the Hoenn." Blake suggested, getting a nod from Grace and Matt.
"Let's move!" Grace and Matt shouted together, Blake grumbling to himself now that he was stuck with two over zealous people.
7/19/0046/Night
Hoenn Region
Lilycove City
Lilycove City, the largest city of the Hoenn region that was composed of skyscrapers that filled up the business district of the city. The urbanized area spanned for nearly twelve miles, nothing but tall buildings, neon lights and advertisements in every direction you looked.
The city had been completely destroyed during the Dark Days, but was rebuild to be twice as large as it originally was. The city possessed none of its previous relics from the Old Days except for the hidden base that was build and used by Team Aqua during the Old Days. The gang of criminals had disbanded long ago, but the structures built by them were left intact during the time that followed.
The foot steps of a Pokemon moving on all fours could be heard in the night.
"Hurry up and find it, we can't let it get away!" A Team Rocket grunt shouted, pointing at the Pokemon that possessed a coat of white fur that shined in the moon light, a crescent shaped horn protruding from its head.
"Don't let that Absol get away. If the Red Orb leaves the city that'll be catastrophic to the Hoenn operation!" The Admin that was in charge of this sector shouted as the rounded the corner, once again spotting the Absol that held the Red Orb in is mouth running down an alleyway. "Get it!"
"Ab-sol!" The Dark type Pokemon turned around, the horn on its head glowing in the night. With a quick swing of its head, Absol's glowing horn produced a white, boomerang shaped blade of wind.
"Duck!" One of the grunts shouted as the squad dropped to the ground to avoid the Razor Wind attack.
"Go!" The Admin shouted as they all got back to their feet, prepare to continue their chase before they were forced to move back as several spheres of black energy hit the ground in front of them, exploding on impact.
"Look out!" Everyone scrambled out the alleyway, trying to avoid being hit by the Dark Pulse attack.
After a few moments, the Team Rocket grunts charged back into the alleyway again with the Admin leading once the small explosion came to a stop.
"Umm, we lost it sir." One of the grunts said to the Admin.
"I can see that." The Admin snarled at him. "Separate and find that Absol at all costs, change out of your uniforms if you can't find it by morning and keep searching through the day."
7/24/0046/Noon
Kanto Region
Saffron City
"Alright Raichu, follow up with Thunder Bolt!" Mari shouted to her newly evolved Electric Mouse Pokemon.
"Rai!" It cried before firing one condensed bolt of electricity at Mightyena who jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Mightyena, finish this battle Shadow Ball!" Roy commanded, his partner roaring as a sphere of purple energy formed with in its mouth.
Mightyena fired the orb at Raichu who failed to dodge it, the ball exploding on impact which wiped out the last of Raichu's health.
"Good job, Mightyena." Roy said as he appoached his partner, scratching it behind its ear.
"That was a good battle. Your Mightyena was really strong!" Mari called out to Roy who thanked her as she returned her Raichu. "Are you from Hoenn? I heard that Mightyena's are native only to that region."
"No, I was born in Kanto, it was gift from my father while I was visiting him in Hoenn a few years back." Roy explained to her.
"Woah, you've been to Hoenn? So cool." Mari exclaimed, rushing over to Roy to begin questioning him. "What's it like there? Are the trainers strong? What kinds of Pokemon live there?"
"Wait, wait. One at a time." Roy said, silencing Mari. "Just one."
"Are the trainers in Hoenn strong?"
"Yeah, I'd say they're on par with Kanto, but none of them can compete with what Sinnoh has to offer still." Roy noted, looking up at the sky. "I had some good battles there before I came back for the IBF Tourney."
"Wow, you're in the IBF Tourney?" Mari exclaimed loudly, getting the attention of many bystanders.
"Yeah, I made it through the first round just last week in Kanto. Now I said I'd get in a little more training before heading to Hoenn." He explained.
"So cool." Mari said with stars in her eyes. "Do you think you can win?"
"Well even if I lose, I was going to head to Sinnoh to see the finals."
"Awesome!" Mari shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Do you know how much a ticket to Sinnoh would cost?"
"A little over a thousand…I think."
"Aww, no way I can get that anytime soon."
"Do you need a ticket to Sinnoh?"
"Yeah, but it's rare I have any money on hand so buying a ticket isn't possible at the moment."
"What if I bought you one? For making it to the Top 100 in the first round, I was given the money to buy at least four boat tickets to invite people to come with me. I could buy you a ticket since that money won't be of any use to me." Roy offered, getting shocked expression from Mari.
"Really, you'd do that for me?" She exclaimed loudly as Roy shushed her again.
"Yeah. I don't have anything to use the money for."
"Awesome, but before I accept, I have to make a call."
Saffron Poke-Center
"Mom, guess what?" Mari asked enthusiastically, looking through the screen to see a picture of her mother on the other side, holding the receiver to her ear.
"What dear?" She asked curiously as to what had made her daughter so excited.
"I'm going to Sinnoh!" She shouted happily, getting a wide smile from her mother.
"Good for you sweetie, good luck."
"How's everything going in Cherrygrove City?" Mari asked, becoming serious, getting a smile from her mother.
"Great, we've already finished fixing the damage to the Pokemon Center, and started reconstructing the town hall. Thanks to the all the money that's been piling in from you and that boy, rebuilding the town is going along even faster than we planned on." Mari's mother explained happily.
"Awesome! But what boy?" Mari asked.
"We didn't see him, but a couple told the mayor that another trainer that was there during the attack offered to give his Battle Circuit winnings to Cherrygrove City as well. They said his name was Blake."
"Blake? No way!" Mari shouted. "He's been sending in his money to Cherrygrove City."
"Yup, he gives just as much money as you do." Mari's mother responded before a voice called out to her. "Oh, I'm sorry Mari but I have to go, good luck in Sinnoh."
"Bye mom!" Mari said, waving to her mother as she hung up the phone, ending the call. "So Blake's been sending money too…maybe he isn't that bad after all. Anyway, to Sinnoh!"
Saffron City
Plaza
"Oh, there he is!" Mari said, waving to Roy who was sprinting toward her, a worried expression on his face. "Roy!"
Instead of stopping, Roy grabbed Mari's wrist, tugging her alone with him.
"Roy, what's going on!" Mari asked, the young man pointing behind them while maintaining the fast running pace he had set.
Mari glanced over her shoulder, spotting several people in a uniform that was all too familiar to her.
'Team Rocket!' Mari exclaimed before looking back at Roy, keeping up with his pace. "Why are they chasing you?"
"If we can get somewhere safe I'll explain this to you."
Roy and Mari leaned against the walls of one of the buildings for support, venturing further into the alleyway. The two of them were gasping for air since they had finally escaped the group of Team Rocket grunts that were chasing Roy.
"Alright, so why are they chasing you?" Mari asked in between breaths of air.
"…Before my family moved to Hoenn, by father used to work at the abandoned Power Plant near Lavender Town." Roy began. "There was day he invited me to come to work with him, and that turned out to be the same day the Power Plant was attacked by that Bird Pokemon."
"Bird Pokemon?"
Ten year old Roy Mekson followed his father through the large hallways of the Kanto Power Plant. After several months of begging, Roy had finally convinced his dad to take him to where he works.
"Alright Roy, lunch hour is about to begin. I'll be right back. I have to pick up some paperwork from my boss so stay right here." Roy's father said, pointing at the plastic stool that was resting next to a doorway.
"Okay dad." Roy said, taking a seat on the stool while watching his father enter the doorway, leaving him outside.
Roy looked around, bored since he had absolutely nothing to do at the moment.
'Hmm?' He said, noticing a glowing yellow light at the end of the hallway. "What's that?"
Roy jumped down from the stool, running toward the light that faded as he neared the end of the corridor. As he rounded the corner, Roy spotted the light again. This time it was coming from the one of the corridors that broke off from the long hallway he had just turned onto.
Roy quickly ran toward the light that faded away like it had before as he neared. Upon reaching the corridor, Roy peered into, finding nothing but bare walls and a dead end.
"Huh?" He said in confusion, walking down the corridor while wondering where the light had disappeared to this time. As Roy neared the wall at the end of the hall, the floor beneath him creaked, gaining his attention. "What was th-!"
The floor crumbled beneath him, allowing Roy to drop some fifty feet before landing on a pile of debris that cushioned his fall to a certain extent.
"Ouch." Roy muttered to himself as rose from the pile. "Why'd the floor collapse?"
Roy groaned, rubbing his side while looking around the dark room, the only source of light coming the opening in the floor above. As he scanned the room, a pair of eyes stood out in the darkness, causing Roy to jump.
"Drat, you've noticed my presence." A voice said, surprising Roy.
"W-Who are you?" Roy called out, unsure of who he was talking to.
"I am Zapdos. And I know who you are Roy." The voice replied.
"How do you know my name?"
"Because the two of us are joined by fate. I was awakened from my slumber on the same day you were born." Zapdos went on.
"Joined by fate?"
"Yes, I have done my part, and now that the two of us have finally met, we must join our Crests."
"Join our Crests. What does all this mean?" Roy asked, even more confused since he couldn't see who he was talking to.
"It will all be explained in due time Roy. But first, you must accept the Magnet."
Roy's jaw dropped as a forty foot tall, bird with very pointy yellow and black feathers stepped into the light, its wings folded in front its body.
"Whoa…" Roy exclaimed in a whisper, staring at Zapdos' true form.
Zapdos spread its wings, revealing the same light Roy had been seeing in the hallways above. Within the light, Roy could see a gray U-shaped object floating in front of Zapdos.
"What's that?" Roy asked.
"This is the Magnet Roy. Take it, and protect it."
The Magnet flew forward toward Roy, crashing into his torso where it vanished into thin air as the boy was knocked clean off his feet.
"Oww…what was that for?" Roy whined, clutching his chest as he sat up straight.
Zapdos jumped onto the top of the pile of debris Roy was resting on, looming over the boy with its wings spread. As Roy observed the large bird, he noticed a glowing lightning bolt at the center of its chest.
Roy felt a small spark on his left wrist, forcing him to glance at it where he spotted the same symbol on Zapdos' chest on his wrist.
"That is your Crest, and this one is mine. Join them."
"H-How do I do that?" Roy asked, observing his glowing Crest.
"Place your left hand on my Crest."
Zapdos leaned forward, lowering itself so that its Crest was with in Roy's reaching range. Roy nervously followed its instructions, placing his left hand on the lightning bolt which caused a vertical ray of yellow light to appear.
"Wow!" Roy exclaimed, looking up at the light as it began to shrink in radius, closing up around his wrist. A jolt of pain shot through Roy's body as the light disappeared into his left wrist, the boy hollering in pain before dropping to the ground, unconscious.
"After that I woke up in a hospital room with my mother beside me. She explained everything to me. That same Bird Pokemon named Zapdos I had seen rampaged through the Power Plant and destroyed it." Roy finished his story, turning to Mari who had been listening intently the entire time.
"Whoa, that sounds just like what happened to me when I met this Pokemon named Entei." Mari noted, surprising Roy.
"Wait, this happened to you too?" Roy asked, getting a nod from the girl. "Does your wrist light up?"
"Yeah, whenever I want to it which is really weird. It doesn't do anything else but it's pretty helpful in the dark." Mari said, raising her hand.
The Crest on her left wrist lit up in the shape of what looked like a wild, roaring flame.
"No way." Roy said in a whisper. "You have one too."
"I have one what?" Mari asked, a confused expression on her face.
"A Crest." Roy exclaimed excitedly. "That means I can entrust you with the Magnet."
"What does that mean?"
"Here, just keep this and head to Sinnoh." Roy said, handing her the Magnet as well as a slip of paper that was her ferry ticket to Sinnoh.
"You seriously bought it for me? Thank you so much." She said, tackling the young man in a hug before promising to keep the Magnet safe.
"I'll to my best to make it through the second round of the IBF Tourney so that I can make to Sinnoh, but even if I lose, I'll see if I can find my way there to meet up with you." Roy continued as Mari took out her Pokedex.
"Here's my number, give me a call when you're coming to Sinnoh so that we can make a meeting spot." She said, getting a nod from him as he took out his Pokegear.
"Right." Roy said as they exchanged numbers. "The boat in Vermillion City leaves in four days. I highly doubt Team Rocket will try to hunt us down, but if they do, protect the Magnet at all costs."
"Okay, and thanks again Roy!" Mari said, waving to him one last time before exiting the alleyway they were hiding in.
'Good, at least Team Rocket doesn't know that the Magnet isn't with me anymore.' Roy said with a sigh. "Anyway, got to get to Meteor Falls so it's time to start moving."
Roy exited the alleyway cautiously, making sure there wasn't any Team Rocket grunts near by that would be able to spot him.
Up on top the roof of the two floor building Mari and Roy had previously been hiding next to was a Latios floating next to a cloaked figure.
"Sound like we made it just in time Latios. That tip from the grunts that the Magnet appeared in Celadon City got us here in time to find out they had been trying to trick us. But now its seems like joke is on them." Alan said with a smirk as he climbed onto the Eon Pokemon's back. "If she didn't open her Crest so foolishly, we wouldn't have found them in time, but I guess that's what happens when you don't know anything."
"Will you shut up! You talk way too much." Latios hissed at him while morphing into a Pidgeot.
"You're just jealous because no one else can here you speak." Alan said as they two of them took off into the skies.
8/2/0046/Night
Lilycove City
Harbor
"Did you bring along the Blue Orb this time?" The Team Rocket Admin asked, glancing at the grunt running along side him.
"Yup, just like you said." He replied, taking the spherical blue object out his pocket.
"Good, once we retrieve the Red Orb from the blasted Absol, report to ." The Admin explained.
"Yes sir."
The Absol that Team Rocket was currently in pursuit of dove into yet another alleyway in attempt to escape the grunts.
"Don't lose sight of it!" The Admin shouted.
"Alright, we made it!" Matt shouted, pumping his fist into the air as the threesome strolled through the harbor of the large city in search of cheap hotel.
"Matt, be quiet. It's late." Blake whispered harshly at the boy with a glare since he wanted to get some sleep.
"Hey, what's all the commotion about?" Grace asked, pointing toward a crowd of people dressed in black chasing a four legged white Pokemon.
"Wait, I know those uniforms. It's Team Rocket!" Matt exclaimed as the Absol raced toward them, expertly finding its way through the trio without dropping its speed while the squad of Team Rocket grunts crashed into Blake, Grace and Matt.
The grunt that was in possession of the Blue Orb lost his grip on it as he ran into Grace, the round object flying upward. Within moments, group of Team Rocket grunts were on the ground in a confused scuffle with Blake, Grace and Matt.
"Oww, what you guys doing?" Grace shouted at them before the Blue Orb landed on her head, bouncing off it while leaving a bump. Grace's complaints continued as she rubbed the top of her head before she realized what had hit her. "No way, the Blue Orb."
Grace quickly snatched the sphere from the ground, observing it closely while one of the Team Rocket grunts grabbed her by her ankles.
"Hey, give that back!" The grunt shouted only to find Grace's other foot smashed down onto his face, forcing him to release his hold on her.
"Get the Blue Orb!" The Admin shouted as he grabbed both of Grace's ankles this time, the two other grunts rising to their feet so that they could jump on the girl.
"Ludicolo!" Matt shouted, releasing his partner Pokemon. "Use Hydro Pump on Team Rocket!"
"Ludi-colo!" The Water/Grass type Pokemon yelled as it fired a cannon of pressurized water at the Team Rocket grunts that were trying to pin down Grace. Two of them were blasted away by the water, leaving on the Admin that had been holding her ankles and the grunt Grace had kicked was now standing again, holding a Poke-ball.
"Ryuu, let's go-" Blake began.
"Blake, take this and run. Follow that Absol!" Grace interjected, preventing Blake from entering the battle while tossing the Blue Orb to him.
"But I have to help out here." Blake said, barely managing to catch the Blue Orb.
"You'll be helping out a lot more if you take the Blue Orb and follow that Absol. Wherever it goes, follow it!" Grace shouted, pointing in the direction they had seen Absol running in.
Blake nodded reluctantly, turning away from the battle to follow the orders he had received from Grace.
Chapter 25. Alan makes yet another appearance, learning the Magnet's true location and where its headed. Our IBF gang lands in Hoenn after making it through the first round, already running into trouble on their first night in a new region. And a mysterious Absol makes two appearance, am I implying anything?
And sorry for anyone who was looking for a high level skill battle for the IBF Tourney, but what I put in was just for the first round. I can't guarantee anyone super awesome battles until the third round, but the second round does will have a lot going on to, way more the first round.
Read, Review and Enjoy.