Hello everyone, shield here. This chapter was pretty fun to write, and I really hope you enjoy it. I was going to release this chapter a few days ago but I decided that I was going to make this a longer chapter for y'all. I would also like to thank Silicon42, Hobbes22, Desidere, and Ta-Ni Kitsune for following and/or favoriting the story. Also a special thanks to Mades for helping me work out some kinks on A New Age and following that story. I would also like to thank Philip Harbindinger for his continued support and reviews. Last but not least, I would like to thank Monpoke for following ANA and showing support many times over on this story. And thank you to all of those who have read the and followed the story and have left reviews. On to the reviews.
Monpoke: I am actually pleased to announce that this chapter will put OMAA over the 100k word mark without the A/N.
Philip Harbindinger: I figured that the Haunter Sabrina got from Ash would evolve. I don't think it would evolve through trading, so I just said that it evolved. I also figured that since the Haunter was the first to make Sabrina laugh, a special bond would form between the Haunter and Sabrina. I also thought that throwing in a Gengar would be a unique twist since Sabrina is a psychic type trainer and Gengar is a ghost/poison type.
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
Vince Lombardi
Chapter 29
Sam's POV
After about an hour or so, Marik was back to his unbelievably quiet self. The nurse that had helped us gave me some medication for him to take if he ever felt sore. I quickly pocketed the meds; then we headed back to Katlyn's. It started to get a little dark by the time I made it back. Katlyn was a little mad that I forgot to record the match for her, but she quickly forgot about it when I showed her the Marsh badge. Everyone else had gone to bed so my congratulations was very small. I didn't really mind, because my going to the gym was rather spontaneous. I took a quick shower and headed up to bed myself.
"Sam, wake up. Sam! Wake up!" a girl whispered. Her words pierced through my slumber just like a bullet through cloth.
"Katlyn, what do you want? I'm trying to sleep." I moaned as Katlyn prodded me awake.
"It's seven in the morning. Mom is making breakfast. Besides, you said you would help us practice for the contest when you got up." she replied innocently.
"I said I would help. I didn't say when." I replied through gritted teeth.
"Well, you are awake now, so after breakfast you can help me practice for the contest tomorrow." she smiled.
"I just thought of something. After the contest, we will be traveling again." I realized. "By ourselves."
"I guess you're right. I can't believe I forgot about that." Katlyn said as realization had finally dawned on her. "It is nice being with my parents, but they treat me like a kid. Finally getting back on the road will make me feel somewhat better. You know?" she gazed at me with confused eyes.
"I can't imagine what you are... strike that, I do know a little." I said.
"At least your parents didn't see you like that." she said bitterly.
"I know, and I can't imagine how weird that is for you three." We both sat there for several long seconds before I decided to break the veil of silence. "So what did y'all work on yesterday?"
"We just practice some moves for the contest, and we worked on Jack and Caleb's teamwork. I think that, with a little more practice, we will have a pretty good shot at winning." Katlyn said with a brighter tone of voice.
"Ok, I will work with you after breakfast. Just let me get cleaned up and I will be right down." I said deviously. Katlyn sighed then walked out into the hallway. I quietly got out of bed, shut the door, and locked it.
"Sam! You freaking liar! Open this door right now!" Katlyn yelled as she banged on the door.
"Sorry, I can't here you over the sound of my eye lids closing." I laughed.
"Fine be that way!" she yelled. It was quiet for an astounding amount of one minute. After that single minute, the door knob began to rattle. A few seconds later, the door was flung open with Katlyn standing in the doorframe.
"Next time you lock the door on somebody, make sure they don't have the spare key." She spat.
"Fine, I'll get up." I grumbled.
"You better. Oh yeah, my Mom called your parents this morning. They are kind of mad because you haven't called them in a while. They decided that they were going to send something in the mail. They said they paid for the express fee, so it should be here tomorrow."
"What does that have to do with them being mad?" I asked.
"I don't know? What do I look like? The shell answer man? Look, all I know is that they are sending you something in the mail. Now hurry up and come on." Katlyn said impatiently.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming."
Katlyn's POV
Despite Sam being the one helping me get around the region, he was pretty annoying sometimes. The stunt he just pulled wasn't helping his case. He came down a little after I did. We quickly ate breakfast and we headed outside. We were just about to get started when my Dad's car pulled up. He got out and barely acknowledged my existence. Only after I called for him did he realize that I was there.
"Hey sweetie how have you been? Hello, I'm assuming that you are Sam?" Dad said awkwardly.
"Yes sir, Mr. Ward." Sam replied cheerfully.
"So Dad, whatcha doing?" I asked nervously.
"I am going to talk to your mom about something." My Dad seemed uneasy, as if he didn't know how to continue. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath. "Katlyn, I talked to Mr. Ketchum about your situation. I've known him for quite a long time, ever since he first tried to beat the Pokémon League here in Kanto. I asked him to do me a few favors. He agreed. He has connections pretty high up in the government. He got me somethings in order to help make things easier if... if you don't get back to normal."
"What kind of things?" I asked. I trembled slightly as all kinds of thoughts raced through my head.
"We'll...we'll talk about that later. You look like you are about to do something."
"Ok, I...I guess I will talk to you later." I faltered. Dad smiled dolefully at me, then walked inside the house.
"Sam, I don't think I can practice right now." I said as depression set in.
"You couldn't practice even if you were in a better mood. You don't have what it takes." Sam said impartially.
"What did you just say? Why, I ought to just beat the crap out of you." I threatened. All of my sadness had transformed into rage. I was ready to completely knock Sam out.
"Whoa now, let me rephrase that! You don't have what it takes because Jack and Caleb are inside! I didn't mean to make it sound like you couldn't do it or anything!" Sam yelled as he slowly began to back away.
"Oh, yeah. Next time, word it differently!" I yelled as I kicked Sam in the shin as hard as I could. Sam cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain.
"Ok, ok, I will reword it next time! I wasn't thinking!" he said quickly.
"You better or I will kick higher next time." I threatened.
"Look on the bright side, at least you aren't sad anymore."
"Sam, I am really not in the mood right now." I warned. "Let's just find Caleb and Jack."
Caleb's POV
"Katlyn, can we stop now? My legs feel like they are going to fall off." I panted. I was beginning to run on fumes.
"Yeah, and my cheeks are getting sore." Jack added.
"No, the contest is tomorrow and we have to be ready." Katlyn said steadfastly.
"Yes sir Master Drill sergeant." I said sarcastically.
"Caleb, just shut up and practice."
"What do I look like to you? I'm not your pet or your property." I declared.
"If you want to leave, than fine. I'll find someone else who can help me!"
"I said that I would help and I will. But I am not going to be treated like crap just because you had a crappy morning! You are always overreacting! You need to learn to calm down! Especially when people push your buttons!" I yelled.
"Um, Caleb? Don't you think that you are overreacting just a little?" Jack asked quietly. I became quiet as I thought about it.
"You are right Jack. Katlyn, I'm sorry. I guess I did overreact a little."
"It's fine, let's do one more run down, and then we can call it a day."
"It's about time you stop arguing. You guys were going good until you started arguing." Sam said as we got into position. "Ok, from the top; action!"
Katlyn's POV
When we were done practicing, we just sat outside and talked. Aside from talking, there really wasn't anything else to do. I wanted to put off talking to my Dad for as long as possible, and staying outside seemed like the best way to do that. Unfortunately, everyone else was getting hungry and there is no reasoning with people who are running on empty stomachs. I stalled for as long as I could, but eventually everyone else had enough and went inside. I sighed and followed suit.
"It's about time you all came in. Your lunch was starting to get cold." Mom said as she set some plates on the table.
"Katlyn, your mother and I decided that I will take you to the contest tomorrow. Your mother has a doctor appoint at nine-thirty tomorrow morning. She won't be able to drop you off. As soon as her appointment is over she will come to see your contest." Dad said as I sat down.
"All right." I sighed. "Dad, what did you want to talk about." Dad shifted uncomfortably.
"Honey, why don't you wait until tomorrow for you two to discuss that." Mom suggested.
"I don't see why we should put this off. She needs to know right now or it will just be harder to tell her later." Dad said firmly. Dad then turned and looked at me.
"I called in a favor from the Champion. He pulled some strings and made it to where he can put you into the system whenever we need to. If you get to the shrine and you can't be changed back, you can no longer be Katlyn." Dad said. A chilled shiver went through me as I realized what he was saying. I didn't want to believe it I kept trying to convince myself that he wasn't.
"What exactly do you mean?" I asked. My voice barely louder than a whisper.
"We would have to basically fake your death. You would no longer be Katlyn the college student. We would have to most likely change your name. To everyone else, you would be somebody else." Dad replied solemnly.
"It won't come to that. I promise you that it won't come to that Dad." I vowed. A mixture of sorrow and rage filled my very being.
"Katlyn, I had to make preparations, just in case. It's not that I doubt you, but it is always good to have a backup." Dad said calmly.
"So, who will I be if the shrine doesn't work?" I asked.
"I...we haven't decided. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to decide. You get to that shrine first. You better eat your lunch." Dad pushed his chair back and left the room.
"Whoa, that was some pretty heavy stuff." Sam whispered. I looked at everyone else in the room. Mom and Jack both had sad frowns on their faces, Sam was trying his best to look nonchalant, but he couldn't stop from frowning. Caleb, despite the red fur, looked pale. He was also shaking nervously.
"Caleb? Are you ok?" I asked.
"Y-yeah I-I'm fine. I just need to go do something." Caleb replied. He instantly ran out of the room.
Caleb's POV
"Maggie! Maggie where are you?" I yelled as I wandered around aimlessly. I didn't see her or any of the other Pokémon, except Jack, all day. After who knows how long of walking, I finally caught onto her scent. It was maybe a few hours old, but it was still a trail I could follow. I found the entire group having a good old time by the pond on the far side of our property. Maggie, Lawrence, and Basil were sun bathing, while Zan and Marik were taking a dip in the pond. Apparently, nobody joined them out of the fear that they may accidentally get shocked.
"Do you know what you did?" I seethed with anger. I was filled with so much fury that I could barely control myself. Maggie looked up at me from where she lay. She obviously hadn't heard the news yet.
"Caleb, what's wrong?" she asked innocently.
"Do you remember what you did in Celadon City?" I asked, trembling with rage.
"Yeah, and I already apologized for it. I told you before that I was only trying to help."
"Really? Really? You were only trying to help? Do you know what my Dad just got done telling Katlyn? He told her that if the shrine doesn't work out, that Katlyn Ward would be dead! They are going to make everyone she knows, relatives and all, think that she is died!" I yelled acrimoniously. Maggie was taken aback by my words.
"Caleb, let's talk about this somewhere else. Nobody else needs to hear our discussion." Maggie said after she regained her composure.
"I think that everyone has the right to know. In fact, they should know. They should know how you..."
"Shut your mouth right now or I will shut it for you! They have nothing to do with this! This is about me and you and nobody else!" Maggie said sharply. Despite the raging inferno inside me, her words affected me like taking a Hydro Cannon straight to the chest. I crouched low to the ground out of fright. Maggie walked over to me and picked me up by the scruff of the neck. She carried me out of earshot and placed me roughly on the ground.
"I will give you an opportunity to tell me what you were doing. If I don't like your answer, so help me, I will make your life a living hell until you leave tomorrow." Maggie threatened. I wanted to say something like 'I wouldn't burn' but all I could do was whimper. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I-I'm sorry, I was j-just upset." I whimpered. Maggie's expression softened as I sat there whimpering pathetically.
"Caleb, I know you are upset. Often times, I regret what I did. However, what's done is done. There is no going back and changing it. There is one thing I am certain about."
"What is that?" I asked.
"It will all work out in the end. That, I am certain of. Why don't you join us? Relax while you can. After tomorrow, you will get very little time to relax." Maggie didn't even wait for my reply. She quickly picked me up and carried me back to the pond.
Katlyn's POV
The next morning was chaotic. Mom had left for her appointment, leaving me and Dad the chore of getting everyone organized. It was no easy task. Half of the group wanted to stay, mainly Zan, Marik, and Lawrence. That caused the other half to argue, Caleb, Jack, and Basil. Eventually, Sam and I rounded everyone up and placed most of them into their Pokéballs. By the time we got everyone situated and I got everything I needed into the car, it was already nine-thirty. The contest didn't start until ten-thirty, but I had to be early in order to get dressed in my contest clothes. I tried to rush everyone outside to the waiting car, but they weren't going to break any land speed records today. Eventually, we got into the car and we drove to the contest hall in Jackson.
Jackson is a small town to the east of Saffron City. It was around long before Saffron could even considered a village, but for one reason or another the town never grew above three thousand in population. It was close enough to Saffron to act as a sort of gateway to Saffron City. Because of this, the town was able to get quite a bit of business. In a surprising twist, Jackson is actually one of the richest towns in Kanto. We pulled up to the contest hall with little time to spare. I had to run in and check in so I wouldn't be disqualified for being late. A few minutes later, Sam came in. Apparently, I had to have Sam come with me for supervision. I hated this but it couldn't be helped. It didn't take long for me to get ready, but it did take longer for Caleb and Jack. They didn't like the idea of getting groomed, and they really didn't like the gel that I was using to make their fur shine. It took me most of the thirty minutes just to get them to accept the gel. At last, they finally conceded and let me finish my job.
Once we were ready, I headed to the staging area. Once there, a stage hand told me I needed to find which number I was and wait in the waiting room. I found the match board and looked for my name. To my utter disappointment, I was third to last out of three hundred contestants. Then a thought struck me, what number was that Emily Lee girl? I quickly found her name. Which was ten slots in front of me.
"I hope this goes by, pretty fast." I said to myself. I walked over to the waiting room. The announcer began the contests with the naming of the judges.
"Today's judges are Mr. Contesta, the director of the Pokémon committee, Mr. Pockman, the Mayor of Jackson, and Nurse Joy!" The crowd yelled excitedly after every introduction. "Now, let me introduce today's coordinators!"
I waited for what seemed like forever. If Sam hadn't of been with me, I would have been bored out of my mind. I could hear the announcer outside introducing contestant after contestant, but soon I was asleep in my chair.
"Katlyn, they called your number. You better hurry or they might disqualify you." Sam said as he shook me awake.
"I told you to wake me when that Emily girl went up." I mumbled as I stood up.
"Sorry, I forgot. Hurry up. I will be in the stands with your parents. They said that they would be somewhere on the left side of the auditorium. Break a leg." Sam said as he waved good-bye. I waved back; then rushed to the stage. Caleb followed close behind me, and Jack sat on my shoulder.
"The next contestant is a seven-year-old girl from Saffron City. Don't let her age fool you. She is one of the few children to receive a junior trainer permit. If she could get that, then we will be in for one amazing performance! Please welcome Katlyn Ward to her first contest!" the announcer yelled to the excited crowds. I grimaced at what the emcee had said, but I continued onto the stage. I took a deep breath and ran out on the stage.
"Jack do your stuff!" I yelled nervously. Jack jumped from my shoulder and started charging electricity. Jack launched three Thundershocks, in rapid succession, into the air. The bolts flew down at the exact moment Jack had charged a Volt Tackle. He smashed through the Thundershocks which sent sparks in every direction in a dazzling display. Jack came to a stop in the middle of the stage. The crowd applauded and whistled. I looked at the judges nervously. They were whispering amongst themselves. Then they began pressing buttons on their consoles.
"I must say that, for your first time in a contest, your Pokémon did a splendid job. You should be proud of what I am about to give you." Mr. Contesta applauded as his number appeared on the screen. "For your performance, I believe you deserve this." A bright red ten appeared on his scoring screen.
"I must be perfectly honest. I did think your performance was exceptionally well thought out and executed, but I feel that you and your Pokémon were to tense. You both need to loosen up when you are in these contests, and remember to have fun. Your tenseness made your routine seem almost automatonlike." Mayor Pockman said as a red six appeared on the score screen. I looked at my feet in disappointment.
"I must agree that you did seem a little tense, but I don't think it hindered your display. You obviously practiced your routine for a long time. Since this is your first contest, you can't help but to be a little nervous. You are both very skilled and I would love to see you go onto the next round." Nurse Joy smiled. A bright red nine appeared.
"It looks to me that Katlyn may be going onto the next round! Give her a hand folks!" the crowd erupted with applause and shouting. I smiled and walked off the back stage.
When I got out of the staging area, I saw Mom, Dad, and Sam standing just to the side of the exit.
"You did great honey!" Mom said as she gave me a hug.
"Thanks, I was kind of scared. I didn't think there would be so many people here." I said.
"It looks like you will make it to the battle round. Do you have any ideas of what you are going to do?" Dad asked. I shook my head no.
"I thought that I would just improvise, since I really don't know what to expect. I have a few things that I can do though."
"You had better be careful, I will be one of the ones out there you know." Caleb said warily.
"Actually, you will be the only one out there. Apparently, the battle round is a one on one." I laughed lightly.
"What?" Caleb asked with a deadly glare.
"Yeah, I asked one of the stage hands and they said that it was a single one on one fight."
"I'm dead. I am going to be chewed up and spit out." Caleb fretted.
"We won't do that bad. You will do fine." I said with confidence.
"I don't think I want your brother fighting by himself. I would like to see him in one piece when he is normal again. I honestly can't believe that he actually agreed to participating in a contest to begin with." Dad said disapprovingly.
"Dad, I am right here. I can hear every word you say." Caleb moaned. "I told her that I would help and that is that."
"Son, I know that you want to help, but you shouldn't degrade yourself like this."
"Dad, he wants to help and that is his decision." I defended. Caleb looked at me with suspicious eyes.
"Are you sure it's not because you need me to participate?" Caleb asked. I remained silent for several long minutes. Caleb opened his mouth but was interrupted by a loudspeaker.
"Thank you for your patients. The following announcement is for all coordinators. If the following coordinators will please make their way to the battle stages." the voice began to announce various names. I was becoming more and more disappointed. The list came to the very end and I was sure that I didn't make the cut. "And finally Katlyn Ward. If all of these coordinators will make their way to the battle stage, the battle competition will begin shortly."
"I made it! Mom! Dad! I made it!" I yelled excitedly. I jumped up and down just like a kid on Christmas day.
"We heard." Mom laughed as I made a complete fool out of myself. "We will be rooting for you. You better hurry before they start without you."
"Ok! I'll see y'all after the contest!" I said to them.
"Katlyn don't get too upset if you don't win. I'm just proud that you made it this far." Dad said proudly. Despite the seriousness just moments before, It seemed like everyone was happy for the first time since before Caleb's incident.
"I'll make you proud." I vowed.
"You already have." Dad replied. "Now get out there and show the world what you can do."
Caleb's POV
The battle stage was just an ordinary dirt battlefield in a large room. A jumbotron stadium screen hung from behind the field in order to provide the audience with a close up view of the battles that were about to begin. We were matched up against three other trainers...er...coordinators. The first one was some dude from Fuchsia City. The second person was none other then the same girl from the store. Katlyn looked as if she was going to hurl something through the air. She managed to restrain herself, but only just. We were one of the first matches so we wouldn't have to wait long for our match to begin.
After ten minutes of waiting, the battle competition began. We watched as two coordinators battled it out. One had a Raichu, while the other had a Chansey. I never knew that Pokémon moves could be used in such a way that made them seem like an art form. I always thought that coordinators were a bunch of weirdos that couldn't make it as real trainers. The truth is, is that these people are extremely talented. At the end of the fight, the Raichu won by a particularly amazing combination of Flash and Thunder. The result was that the Chansey had fainted, meaning that it lost all of its points.
"The next match is between Katlyn Ward and her Vulpix, and Mark Thompson and his Teddiursa!" the announcer yelled over the loudspeaker.
"That's us Caleb." Katlyn said quietly.
"Yeah, let's beat them." I said with determination. We stepped out onto the battlefield. Katlyn stood in the trainer box while I stood on the actual battlefield. From what I can remember, there are four ways to lower your points or your opponent's points. You can do it by using a move but failing, using an appealing move, causing a Pokémon to faint, or by using the opponent's move against them. As determined as I was, I just somehow knew that this wasn't going to end well for me. I had just learned how to use my fire attacks, and I am sure that my tackles aren't going to be very pretty either. If I wanted to win, it would be by outsmarting my opponent.
"Coordinators, ready! Fight!" a referee called as he commenced the battle.
"Teddiursa! Use Sweet Kiss!" the coordinator yelled. The Teddiursa began to run at me. I was frozen in place, not sure what to do. Then Katlyn ordered me to use Tackle. As if a twig snapped, I jolted out of my panic and into action. The Teddiursa was still coming at me, but I wasn't worried.
"Caleb! Use Ember before you hit!" I shot out several small fire balls as I ran. As I ran, I continued to use Ember. The small flames were adding to themselves and before I could blink, they had grown into a single large flaming ball. The ball began to pull away from me, so I sped up.
"Teddiursa, dodge and counter with a Dynamic Punch!" The Teddiursa dodge the flaming ball by a hair. Its left arm began to glow a white color which then swung in an amazing left hook. The attack knocked every bit of oxygen out of my body. I flew backwards and landed roughly on my back.
'What happened to playing it smart?' I chided myself. I looked up at the point board to see that my bar was already a sixth of the way depleted.
"Katlyn! Let me take care of this! I think I know what I can do to beat him!" I yelled to Katlyn as soon as I could breathe again. Katlyn nodded slightly.
"Caleb! Plan B!" She yelled. I was confused by what she said at first, but then realized that she was giving me the ok.
"Teddiursa! Dazzle that Vulpix with your Feint Attack!" The Teddiursa began to run towards me once more. Then it disappeared. I closed my eyes and concentrated. During the last few days, Zan taught me this neat trick for finding hidden enemies. It wasn't anything special like sensing aura, but it is helpful. All you did was listen, then find the quietest place. Once you have found that place you launch a ranged attack at that area. It has a ninety-nine percent chance of working. I quickly found that place, despite all of the noise, and fired a shower of Embers. At first I thought I had missed, until the Teddiursa had reappeared with the top of its head on fire. The Teddiursa's point gauge fell significantly as the little bear rolled around on the ground trying to put the fire out.
"Teddiursa! Use Hidden Power and Dynamic Punch at the same time!" The Teddiursa obeyed and charged up both attacks, the Dynamic Punch was still in its left hand, while a mysterious green energy glowed in its right. It began a new charge.
'Same song different tune.' I thought as the Teddiursa came closer. 'I hope this works.' the Teddiursa swung with its left hand first. I jumped up and landed on the bear's head! Then, before it had any chance to react, I pushed off again. The Teddiursa had lost its balance and toppled to the ground. It landed on its right arm, which still possessed the energy of the Hidden Power. The energy was released in a brilliant display of green. The little bear flew up into the air and came smashing down hard. It didn't even twitch. We waited about thirty seconds, and the ref called the battle.
"Caleb! You won your first battle!" Katlyn cheered. She ran onto the battlefield and nearly hugged the life out of me. "We may actually have a chance!" she continued. We quickly got off the field and found Mom, Dad, and Sam.
"You two did great! I am so proud of the both of you!" Mom said as she gave us both kisses.
"That was quite the piece of strategy, Caleb. When you finally get to the Pokémon league, I have no doubt that you will be able to get the championship title." Dad commented.
"Thanks, Dad." I smiled.
Charles' POV
The contest was going smoothly. The battles were getting pretty intense as the more experienced coordinators began to battle. Unfortunately, I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't help but to think of why I was still on this mission. I reported enough info to be able to satisfy even the most nosy people, but here I am still watching this girl. Team Rocket could have made their move whenever they felt like it, but something was causing Giovanni to hold back. I watched the battle intently, but saw none of it.
"Giovanni, what are you after?" I muttered to myself.
I really hope that y'all enjoyed the chapter. I had a good time writing it. If you have any comments, be sure to leave a review. If you are enjoying the story, be sure to smash that favorite/follow button. This is shieldliger001, signing off.
