Author's Note: I think I may have mentioned this before, but one of the fun parts of doing this story is taking an event from the Black and White anime and turning it on its head. Those familiar with BW anime might recall the episode where Bianca's overprotective father tries to drag her home when she challenges Elesa. That's going to happen here too, only with a very different ending. Before moving on though, I'd like to review the chronology of the stories that make up this AU.
Trial of the Phoenix/Rise of Noir Mask, Scourge of Galactic, Best Wishes Revised/I Was a Teenage Jenny/Memories of Maiden's Peak, Fire for Ice, Revenge of Noir Mask, Half Moon Bay, and Dawn of Shadows.
The title of this chapter should be a major hint to why I did this little refresher.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 25: Coach Noir Mask
It had been a long road, but after weeks of traveling Ash and his friends had finally arrived at Nimbasa City. Upon their arrival the group immediately headed for the Pokemon Center. They had decided to rest there for a day rather than go straight to city's local gym, as they were still more or less fresh from their encounters with Jessie, James, Persian, and Miyamoto. But the following day the group decided to set out for their main reason for coming to the city. They exited the Pokemon Center that morning to head for the gym, only for Misty to stop next to a large fountain outside the building as she rummaged through her bag.
"What's wrong Misty?" Ash asked.
"Shoot! I think I left something up in my room." Misty answered as she finished rummaging through her bag. "I'm gonna go look for it. Only take me a second."
"Okay, we'll wait here." Ash replied before Misty headed back into the building. "So, I wonder what kind of Pokemon this city's gym leader uses?"
"Beats me. I don't even know who the gym leader is." Chili replied with a shrug.
Suddenly Pikachu's ears perked up to a distant sound. He glanced back and quickly hopped off of Ash's shoulder and went next to Lucario.
"Hey buddy, what's up?" Ash asked his electric companion.
A split second later in answer to his question, Ash and Chili suddenly heard a noise like something was stampeding towards them. They looked back, and coming at them like a runaway train was a familiar blond wearing a green hat, leaving a thick cloud of dust in her wake.
"Outta the way! Outta the way! OUTTA THE WAY!" Bianca called out as she continued to barrel towards them.
Quicker than Ash could react, Bianca tripped falling forward onto him like a domino. Just as it was at the start of their last two encounters their faces were only inches away from one another. Misty reemerged from the Pokemon Center to once again find Ash and Bianca on the ground. Her expression turned to one of murderous rage as her hands balled into fists at her sides. Just like before, Misty stormed over and kicked Bianca off of Ash into the fountain and yanked Ash to his feet by the collar of his shirt.
"Why do you always do that Misty?" Bianca asked almost shouting as she got out of the fountain.
"Bianca, what're you doing here?" Misty demanded to know.
"Hey Misty?" Chili cut in.
"WHAT?" Misty shouted.
"Nothing." Chili quickly replied in a high voice.
"Well I'm here in the city to have a gym battle." Bianca answered a little more calmly.
"You'll have to wait until Ash is finished." Misty told her.
"Actually Misty…" Ash began to say.
"Shut up!" Misty snapped.
"Okay." Ash quickly replied.
"No, he's going to have to wait until I'm done!" Bianca argued. "I called ahead and made an appointment."
"Look, why don't we just go to the gym and let the gym leader decide who goes first?" Ash managed to suggest.
"Fine!" Misty and Bianca agreed together as they stormed off in the direction of the gym.
"Chili, I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those days." Ash said with a heavy sigh.
"Oh yeah." Chili agreed as they began following after Misty and Bianca.
A few minutes later the group had reached the gym, a two-story building with a green roof and tan brick walls. Upon reaching the door of the gym though they found a sign saying that it was closed.
"No! The gym can't be closed!" Bianca complained.
"So much for your appointment." Misty gloated.
"You know Misty, this is kind of a bummer for me too." Ash pointed out.
"Hey, according to the sign the gym leader is away at a fashion show." Chili informed them as he took a closer look at the sign.
"Why would the gym leader be at a fashion show?" Ash wondered.
"Oh! I know." Bianca answered as she pulled a magazine out of her bag. "The gym leader Elesa is also a super model. I read something about that in here."
"So what do we do now?" Misty wondered.
"I guess we go check out this fashion show." Ash shrugged.
A bit later the group had arrived at the building where the fashion show was being held. Inside they found themselves in a large crowed of people, many of who were flashing cameras. Before them in the large dark hall was a runway illuminated by spotlights. Stepping onto the runway from behind the red curtain was a young woman with short blond hair, pale blue eyes, fair skin, and a lithe figure. On her head was a pair of large silver headphones with two long black cords that looked almost like ling pigtails. The outfit the model was wearing at the moment was a strapless dark burgundy dress with a short skirt and a red belt.
"Wow! That's really Elesa the gym leader?" Chili asked with awe as he looked up at the super model.
"She's so pretty." Bianca commented.
"Yeah." Misty agreed. "And quite the dress too. Don't you think Ash?"
"It'd sure look beautiful on you." Ash replied somewhat absent-mindedly, causing Misty to blush.
The group watched as Elesa went on and off the catwalk in different outfits. As she came out wearing a red shirt over a white top with a pair of tight black jeans, Elesa glanced into the audience and noticed Ash and Pikachu. Suddenly she leapt into the crowed and landed right in front of Ash.
"What an adorable Pikachu." Elesa commented. "It simply sparkles and shines like the sun."
"Uh, thanks." Ash replied. "I'm Ash, by the way. I actually came here to challenge you to a gym battle."
"Oh of course, and you came to the gym only to find it closed." Elesa realized. "Sorry about that."
"Um, I came to challenge you to a battle too Elesa." Bianca spoke up. "My name's Bianca."
"Oh right, Bianca Edmonds. You made the appointment." Elesa recalled. "Well, why don't you all come down to the gym later this afternoon and we'll have your battle first. You don't mind waiting awhile, do you Ash?"
"Not at all." Ash agreed. "It'll give me a chance to see what you can do."
Afternoon came and the group arrived back at the gym to find it open. What they found inside though was a small room with yellow walls and what looked to be a red rollercoaster car.
"I guess we have to ride that car to go further into the gym." Chili deduced.
"Well, what're we waiting for then?" Ash asked as they all got in.
Ash and Misty took the front seats while Bianca and Chili took the remaining two seats in the back. The car soon took off down the track taking them through a dark tunnel that led into a sort of indoor carnival illuminated by bright neon lights of all colors. Zooming quickly down the winding track the car soon took them over the park into another tunnel that led to a dark room.
"I wanna go again!" Bianca declared.
Suddenly the room was lit by single spotlight. Standing under it with her hand on her hip was Elesa, wearing a pair of long tight black pants with a black choker and a bright yellow sleeveless top that extended down past her waist. The top was open a bit in front and held together by three thick black v-shaped straps in strategic spots.
"Welcome." Elesa greeted.
"I'm ready for my gym battle." Bianca said eagerly as she hopped out of the rollercoaster car.
"Before we get to that, there's someone here who'd like to see you." Elesa revealed.
A pair of purple electric doors adorned with a yellow lightning bolt slid open behind Elesa. Standing behind them was a portly gentleman with brown hair wearing a grey suit with a red tie.
"Hi." The gentleman greeted with a wave.
"Daddy?" a surprised Bianca identified. "What're you doing here?"
"I came to bring you home Bianca." Mr. Edmonds answered as he approached.
"But you can't!" Bianca told him. "You said I could go on a Pokemon journey!"
"I did, but I think I may have been premature to allow you to go." Mr. Edmonds replied. "A Pokemon journey can be very dangerous and I just don't think you're ready."
"Uh, excuse me Mr. Edmonds," Misty cut in, "but isn't Bianca sixteen? I mean most kids become Pokemon trainers at ten."
"What's your name young lady?" Mr. Edmonds asked.
"Misty." She answered.
"Well Misty, you are right about Bianca being sixteen. But she still lacks proper judgment." Mr. Edmonds argued. "Until she learns that I can't let her continue on her journey."
"I won't go back home!" Bianca argued fiercely.
"Bianca…" Mr. Edmonds began to scold.
"No! I'm going to continue my journey and enter the Unova League!" Bianca told him.
"Maybe I can offer a solution. Why don't we use Bianca's gym battle to decide whether she should go home or not?" Elesa suggested. "If she wins, she can continue on her journey. And if she loses, she goes home."
"That sounds fair." Mr. Edmonds agreed. "So how 'bout it Bianca, do you promise to go home if you lose?"
"But Daddy…" Bianca began to argue.
"It's either this or we just go home now." Mr. Edmonds told her.
"…Fine." Bianca finally agreed after realizing she had no choice in the matter.
"Let's get this show on the road then." Elesa decided as she led the group to the arena.
"I didn't expect you to stand up for Bianca like that." Ash told Misty. "I thought you like her."
"It's not that I don't like her, it's just…" Misty began to explain. "It's complicated. But I just don't think her father has the right to just force her to come home."
"I don't think so either." Ash agreed. "And there's way too much at stake on this gym battle."
"Seems like it's out of our hands though." Chili pointed out. "All we can do is watch and hope that Bianca wins."
In moments the group was led into a large stadium with stands filled with cheering fans. The fans all seemed to be girls, many of who were dressed like Elesa. The fans cheered louder as Elesa took her position on the battlefield.
"Hello everyone!" Elesa greeted the audience with a wave. "Get ready to watch me glow!"
Bianca nervously took her own position on the battlefield while Ash and the others stayed behind to watch from the sidelines. Mr. Edmonds stood a few feet away from them. In moments the referee, a woman with short brown hair wearing an outfit similar to Elesa's, walked onto the field.
"This match will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle!" the referee announced. "Only the challenger will be allowed to switch Pokemon! Begin!"
"Let's shine Zebstrika!" Elesa called as she threw out a Pokeball.
Emerging from the ball was a black horse with lightning bolt-shaped stripes running along its back, chest, and legs. Running down its back from the top of its head was a jagged white mane that ended in a tail that resembled lightning striking the ground. Unsure of what to do, Bianca took out her Pokedex to find out a little more about what she was up against.
"Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokemon." The Pokedex identified. "When angered, this Pokemon will run wild and fired bolts of electricity from its mane randomly in all directions."
"Okay then." Bianca decided after taking a big gulp. "Go Minccino!" The grey rodent Pokemon emerged from the thrown ball onto the battlefield. "Use Swift!"
"Dodge and use Flame Charge!" Elesa ordered.
Minccino jumped up into the air and fired a barrage of yellow stars from his right paw. Zebstrika galloped out of the way before the stars could hit, creating an explosion on the ground where the electric zebra stood only moments ago. As soon as Minccino landed back on the ground, Zebstrika dashed at him at top speed, its body becoming shrouded in flames as it did. Minccino was run over before he could get out of the way.
"Now attack with Double Kick!" Elesa commanded.
Zebstrika came around for another pass. About the second Minccino had gotten back to his feet he was kicked hard by Zebstrika's powerful hind legs. The force of the kick hurled Minccino into the air. The grey rodent crashed hard into the earth. Yet by some miracle he managed to get back up.
"Let's wrap this up Zebstrika!" Elesa decided. "Dazzle Minccino with your Wild Charge!"
The electric zebra began to barrel towards Minccino again and its body became shrouded in yellow electricity. Zebstrika ran down Minccino again, and this time Minccino did not get up.
"Minccino is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The first round goes to Elesa and Zebstrika!"
The audience cheered loudly in approval with this result. Bianca meanwhile called Minccino back to his ball.
"That Zebstrika's a powerful Pokemon." Ash commented grimly.
"Yeah, and it doesn't seem like Bianca's head is really in the game." Chili added.
"Who can blame her with everything that's at stake on this battle?" Misty pointed out. "And all these fans cheering for Elesa can't be helping."
"Go Pignite!" Bianca called as she threw out her next Pokeball. The fire pig wrestler burst out of the ball to face Zebstrika. "Use Flamethrower!"
"Dodge and use Flame Charge!" Elesa commanded.
Pignite breathed out a stream of flames through his nose at Zebstrika. The electric zebra dashed out of the blast's path and came at Pignite from behind with a body covered in fire. Zebstrika rammed into Pignite's back. But the fire pig withstood the attack.
"Use Heat Crash!" Bianca commanded.
Jumping high into the air, Pignite's body became surrounded by a red ball of fire. Before Zebstrika could get out of the way, the massive fireball plummeted back down and impacted with a huge explosion. But when the smoke finally cleared, Zebstrika was still on its feet.
"No way!" a shocked Bianca exclaimed.
"That was a dazzling display, but not quite dazzling enough." Elesa commented. "Use Wild Charge!"
"Quick Pignite, fight back with Flame Charge!" Bianca ordered.
Zebstrika began to gallop towards Pignite with a body shrouded in lighting. At the same time a flame covered Pignite took off like a rocket at Zebstrika. Both Pokemon impacted with explosive force. When the dust finally settled after a moment, Zebstrika was still on its feet while Pignite was on his back unconscious.
"Pignite is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The second round goes to Elesa and Zebstrika!"
"Both you and Pignite shined brightly Bianca." Elesa praised over the roar of the crowed as Bianca called Pignite back. "But I'm afraid you didn't shine brightly enough."
"This is bad." Chili commented on the sidelines. "That Zebstrika just seems way too hot for Bianca to handle."
"And now Bianca's down to one Pokemon." Misty added. "If she loses…"
"We just have to hope that Bianca can figure a way out of this." Ash told them.
"Please send out your next Pokemon." The referee ordered Bianca.
"Oh, right." Bianca replied as she hesitantly pulled out her last Pokeball. "Come on out Frillish!"
The pink ghostly jellyfish emerged from her ball and floated before Zebstrika.
"My, that's an interesting choice." Elesa commented with a raised eyebrow.
"No way! Don't tell me that Bianca doesn't have any other Pokemon she can use!" Misty exclaimed. "Frillish won't stand a chance against Zebstrika."
"I think Bianca knows that too." Ash said gravely. "But it looks like she doesn't have any other options."
"I hope this works. Frillish, hit Zebstrika with Attract!" Bianca commanded.
Frillish gave Zebstrika a seductive wink, sending out from her eye a pink energy heart. The heart hit Zebstrika in the face, but the electric zebra only tilted its head at her.
"Sorry, but my Zebstrika is female." Elesa revealed. "In fact all of my Pokemon are."
"No!" Bianca whispered.
"Time to finish this battle!" Elesa declared. "Zebstrika, dazzle Frillish with Wild Charge!"
A lightning-covered Zebstrika rammed into Frillish at top speed, instantly knocking her to the ground. Frillish was out cold.
"Frillish is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory goes to Elesa and Zebstrika!"
The crowed cheered loudly as Bianca sadly called Frillish back to her ball. Mr. Edmonds nodded in approval of the result.
"Aw man, this really sucks." Chili commented.
"A deal's a deal Bianca." Mr. Edmonds told her as he walked up. "It's time to come home."
"Yeah… okay." Bianca sadly agreed.
"Before anyone starts packing their bags, maybe we should all go down to the Pokemon Center." Elesa suggested. "I know Zebstrika could use a little care."
Several minutes later Ash, Misty, and Chili were sitting down in the Pokemon Center's waiting area. Bianca had since retreated up to her room. Her father had gone up to talk to her a few minutes after she left. Elesa meanwhile was taking a phone call.
"This whole thing with Bianca just isn't fair." Misty commented. "It seems like the odds were just stacked against her."
"Plus her father didn't really give her a choice." Ash added.
"But what can we do though?" Chili pointed out.
"Maybe we can convince Mr. Edmonds to change his mind." Misty suggested.
"That might be easier said than done." Ash told her. "He's pretty protective of Bianca."
"A little too protective if you ask me." Misty added.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I have some bad news for you Ash." Elesa cut in as she approached. "I was just talking to a friend of mine from Lillycove City in the Hoenn Region. He's helping to sponsor a fashion show that's being held there, this weekend. They're short a model, so he asked me to fill in. So I'm afraid our battle will have to wait until Monday."
"That's fine." Ash assured her. "I've got other stuff to deal with right now anyway."
"Well then, I should be going." Elesa decided. "Sorry about what happened with your friend. I'll see you all on Monday."
With that, Elesa left the Pokemon Center. Almost as soon as she did, Mr. Edmonds came running up with a panicked expression.
"Have any of you seen Bianca?" he asked them.
"Not since she went up to her room." Misty replied. "Is something wrong?"
"She wasn't in her room when I went up to talk to her." Mr. Edmonds told them. "I think she's run away."
Bianca found herself walking through a seedy part of the city after taking the subway and just walking in a random direction. She didn't really pay attention to where she was going. She just wanted to get away from her father. Soon Bianca came upon an old abandoned warehouse that looked as though it had not been used in years. Deciding that she needed a break from walking, Bianca decided to go in. It seemed like the last place her father would look for her.
Upon entering the warehouse though, Bianca found that it was not unoccupied. Standing in the middle of the vacant space were three men. The first had white hair and wore a black suit. The other two men were larger than the one in black. One of them had black hair and a mustache and the other a shaved head. Both of them were wearing black leather jackets and faded jeans. Bianca quicky crouched down and hid behind an old rusty barrel.
"So let me get this straight Mr. Blackwater, you want us to torch this guy's shop." The thug with the mustache inquired to the man in black.
"I want it burned to the ground." Blackwater confirmed. "I've tried five times to talk some sense into that old shopkeeper, but he won't budge. I've got a shopping center to build here in Nimbasa and I won't let some old man stand in my way."
"How do you want it done?" the thug with the shaved head asked.
"I don't care how you do it as long as it looks like an accident." Blackwater told them.
Suddenly the doors on the far side of the warehouse burst open. Walking in was a Pokemon that stood at five feet tall and looked like a bipedal fox. Much of its fur was dark-grey, though it had long black fur covering its upper torso. There was also a mass of red fur on the top of its head that was tied back into a ponytail by a large teal orb. The creature's snout and ears were pointed, with the inside of the ears being red. Its eyes were light blue rimmed with red fur, and the claws on its hands and feet were red as well.
"Ain't that a Zoroark?" the thug with the shaved head asked.
"Very good." A female voice confirmed from outside. "Now, which one of you is Edger Blackwater?"
"Who wants to know?" Blackwater demanded to know.
Walking in next to Zoroark was a young woman with blond hair that went just past her shoulders and stood about as tall as Zoroark. She looked to be about sixteen and had incredibly pale skin. A black mask with blue lenses covered the top half of her face. In addition to the mask she wore a black shirt with a large red R on the front and a white skirt with a red stripe near the bottom that ended just above the knees. She also had on white knee-high boots with a red band near the top and a matching pair of elbow-high gloves. Atop her head was a black cap with a red feather sticking out the right side, and from her neck hung a white cape that was draped over her left arm and went down almost as far as her skirt.
"I am Noir Mask." The young woman informed them. "And I'm a special agent from Team Rocket."
"I have no further business with Team Rocket." Blackwater told her.
"Oh, but Team Rocket has business with you." Noir Mask retorted. "It seems we hired you to build a headquarters for us here in Unova and you cut corners in the construction to embezzle money for us. Needless to say, our leader isn't happy. So I was sent to deal with you."
"I don't have time for this! Crusher, Bruiser, get rid of her!" Blackwater ordered.
"I think it's time you meet a friend of mine." Noir Mask decided as Blackwater's thugs began to advance. From behind her cape she produced a Pokeball with a purple top half with two pink spots on top and a white letter M on the front. "Go Darkrai!"
Bursting out of the thrown ball was a legless shadowy creature with a tattered black body and an hourglass figure. On its head it had white hair that looked like a billowing flame and obscured one of its light blue eyes. Around its neck was a somewhat spiky growth that resembled a necklace of large red beads.
"What kinda Pokemon is that?" the thug with the shaved head exclaimed in a frightened tone.
"Experience my hell." Noir Mask said in a cold low tone. "Dark Void!"
Darkrai raised its arms and between its claws formed a ball of black energy. It threw the black sphere at Blackwater and his thugs. The ball split into three and hit them before they could get away. The three fell to the ground trapped in a deep dark sleep, convulsing from horrid nightmares. Deciding that she had seen enough, Bianca tried to sneak away. But standing right in front of her was Zoroark. The monster fox had apparently spotted Bianca and had quietly sneaked over to her while Noir Mask was dealing with Blackwater.
"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Noir Mask ordered.
"Please don't hurt me!" Bianca begged as she stood up from behind the barrel, raising her hands in surrender.
"Who are you?" Noir Mask asked.
"B-Bianca." She answered. "And I don't have anything to do with whatever was going on here."
"Obviously." Noir Mask observed. "Do yourself a favor and forget about what you've seen tonight."
Zoroark trotted back over to Noir Mask's side as she and Darkrai turned to leave.
"So, are you like a superhero or something?" Bianca hesitantly inquired.
"Hardly." Noir Mask chuckled darkly. "Now go home."
"Wait!" Bianca called after her, causing Noir Mask and her two Pokemon to stop. "This Team Rocket you said you're a part of. Do you think maybe I could join it?"
"Trust me, joining Team Rocket is the last thing you want to do." Noir Mask told her before continuing on.
"But… I don't have anywhere else to go." Bianca told her, causing Noir Mask to stop again.
"What do you mean?" the masked agent asked as she turned around a little to face Bianca.
"Well you see I'm a Pokemon Trainer. But my dad won't let me go on my journey." Bianca explained. "He thinks I can't handle it. Today when I went to challenge this city's gym leader he came to get me and force me to come home. I ended up having to try and prove myself by beating the gym leader… but I lost."
"So now you're running away." Noir Mask deduced.
"He's probably looking for me right now." Bianca assumed. "Ash, Misty, and Chili probably are too."
"Wait, as in Ash Ketchum?" Noir Mask asked in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, do you know him?" Bianca inquired.
"In a way." Noir Mask answered. "Tell me… is there a young woman traveling with him named Lisa Flare?"
"Well, no." Bianca answered.
Noir Mask suddenly screamed and swung her fist into the metal wall of the warehouse, greatly startling Bianca. The masked agent pulled her fist away after a moment breathing heavily.
"Uh, are you okay?" Bianca asked hesitantly.
"…I'll live." Noir Mask assured her as she calmed down. "So, where were you planning to run away to?"
"I don't know." Bianca admitted. "But I'm not going home, no matter what my dad tells me."
"What if you could prove to your father that you truly are strong?" Noir Mask asked. "Would he let you continue on your journey then?"
"I don't know. In fact I think he would've dragged me home even if I did win that gym battle." Bianca admitted. "No matter what I do he's always going to see me as a helpless little girl. Sometimes he makes me so mad."
"Maybe I can help you then." Noir Mask suggested as a smirk came to her face.
"Well thank you, but why would you help me?" Bianca asked.
"I know what it's like to have my freedom taken away. Just like your father is trying to do to you." Noir Mask revealed. "I can train you to bring out your hidden strength. The kind of strength I learned how to use in order to survive. What do you say Bianca?"
"I guess I don't have anything to lose." Bianca agreed.
"Okay then. Let's get out of here before your father or Ketchum finds us." Noir Mask decided.
Author's Note: As mentioned above, the events of this story take place a few years before the events of Revenge of Noir Mask, in case anyone asks. Anyway, Bianca's path down the dark side has now begun. This is what can happen when one is too overprotective of their kids. By the way, Bianca's family name, Edmonds, is just a name I pulled out for the purposes of this story.
Please review and let me know what you think.