Author's Note: It seems the previous chapter of this story has gotten a lot of raised eyebrows. So at the moment it seems like this whole story line with Bianca might just be one of my weirder ideas. But like I said last time, we'll just table that story line and get back to it later. In the meantime I ask those of you reading to keep an open mind.
Anyway, Chili is going to take center stage in this chapter. This one is based on the anime episode where Ash confronts the original trainer of his Tepig. The title of this chapter is borrowed from the song Burning Heart by the band, Survivor. The song was used in the movie, Rocky IV, which is admittedly not the best of the Rocky films. There are going to be a few references to Rocky IV though. And a small reference to Rocky III.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 36: "Burning Heart"
An uneventful week and a half passed since Ash and his friends almost got caught in the odd thunderstorm. After it had passed they immediately continued their long trek to Icirrus City. The weather slowly became colder as they pressed on, forcing them to dress a little more warmly than usual. Before long they started seeing more and more snow on the ground. It seemed like winter had come to that part of Unova. But at last the group spied the halfway point to their destination in the distance, a little community known as Ember Town, the Town of Burning Hearts.
The group was about to enter the town when Pikachu's ears perked up to a rustling in the bushes. Suddenly a Pokemon leapt out into their path. It was a small red chimp-like creature with a yellow face, outer ears, stomach, hands, and feet. A red flame blazed on its rear.
"A Chimchar?" a surprised Ash identified.
"What's a Chimchar doing in Unova?" Misty wondered.
Before anyone could venture a guess, Tepig suddenly emerged from his Pokeball at Chili's waist. The fire pig and chimp glared at one another before Chimchar suddenly leapt into the air and came at Tepig with a flying kick shrouded in fire. Tepig quickly darted out of the way before the kick could make contact.
"Wow! That was Blaze Kick!" Chili identified. "Okay Tepig, fight back with Flame Charge!"
Tepig came around to Chimchar's right and dashed at the fire chimp as he became shrouded in flames. Chimchar responded by raising a fist covered in fire and delivered a powerful punch to Tepig's snout just as the fire pig's attack was about to hit. The two attacks seemed evenly matched, but after a few seconds Chimchar lost its ground and was soon run down by Tepig. When it was over, Chimchar seemed to be on its last legs.
"Pokeball, go!" Chili cried as he threw and empty ball at the chimp.
The ball hit Chimchar on the forehead and sucked it inside. The ball jiggled for a few moments before making the noise that signaled a completed capture.
"Yes! I got it!" Chili excitedly declared as he went over and picked up the ball.
"Yeah, and that can probably only mean one thing." Ash commented gravely.
"What do you mean?" Chili asked.
"Chili, you do know that Chimchar are pretty rare in the wild, right?" Misty pointed out. "In fact they shouldn't even be here in Unova."
"That's right, they're usually given out to new trainers in Sinnoh." Ash added.
"Wait, so that would mean…" Chili began to realize.
"Someone probably abandoned that Chimchar." Ash confirmed. "It did look pretty beat up when it came at us."
"Well either way, we should get Chimchar to a Pokemon Center." Chili decided.
As soon as the group entered town they immediately headed for the Pokemon Center. It was quite a few minutes before Nurse Joy came out with Chimchar's Pokeball. Tepig had remained with out to wait with Chili and the others.
"How's Chimchar?" Chili asked as he got to his feet.
"He's just fine." Nurse Joy assured him as he handed the ball over.
"Nurse Joy, do you think that Chimchar was abandoned?" Ash asked.
"Yes, and I think I know by who." Nurse Joy sighed. "There's a young trainer here in town named Anton Drago. They call him the Red Star of Fire. Apparently he specializes in raising Fire Pokemon. But there's a rumor that he abandons Pokemon that don't live up to his satisfaction."
Tepig gritted his teeth at the mention of the name of this trainer who apparently abandoned Chimchar. Pikachu and Lucario both took notice to Tepig's reaction.
"This Drago guy sounds like a lot of other trainers I've come across before." Ash remarked. "Is he still in town?"
"Yes, but I'd avoid him if I were you." Nurse Joy answered. "They say he's supposed to be pretty tough. Now if you'll all excuse me…"
"So what now?" Misty asked after Nurse Joy left.
"Come on out Chimchar!" Chili called as he threw out the ball.
Chimchar emerged before the group and gave them all a mistrusting eye. Tepig stepped up and reassured the fire chimp in his own language.
"Don't worry little guy. You can trust all of us." Chili assured Chimchar after kneeling down to face him.
Suddenly Darumaka burst out of one of the Pokeball's on Chili's belt and went over to Chimchar. The little fire Pokemon enthusiastically shook Chimchar's hand. Soon Chimchar began to relax.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to have a word with the this guy, Drago." Chili told Ash and Misty as he stood back up.
"Let's go find him then." Ash decided.
The group walked through town for a few minutes before learning the whereabouts of the trainer they sought. Drago was apparently in the town square showing off his prized Pokemon. They found him surrounded by a large group of people. Drago was a young but muscular man with slick blond hair and ash-grey eyes. He had on a black coat with a furred collar and cuffs, along with black pants and black gloves and boots. On the left breast of the coat was a large red star.
Drago had three Pokemon out. One was a Pokemon that was foreign to Ash and Misty. It was a sort of bipedal anteater with a beige head and lower legs. The rest of the creature's body was red, and on the torso were vertical yellow stripes. Its arms ended in long curved yellow claws and around its wrists were beige-colored bands with indentations that resembled some sort of vents. Its red tail looked like a pipe, and running on its back and lower torso was a sort of beige piping. Ash got out his Pokedex for a closer look.
"Heatmor, the Anteater Pokemon." The Pokedex identified. "Heatmor breaths using the hole in its tail."
The second Pokemon was one that Ash and Misty were more familiar with. It was somewhat humanoid with a bulky figure. Atop its head was a single flame and it had thick pink lips on its face. Its tail was completely enveloped in flames, and its torso had a red and yellow pattern of flame-like stripes. On the creature's upper arms were black shackles and its forearms were like yellow cannons. Ash and Misty knew this Pokemon as a Magmortar.
Drago's third Pokemon was an Emboar, but it was different from the one Ash and his friends had seen in the past. The normally red parts of its body were blue, including its beard of flames. The swirling pattern on its torso was a light-blue color rather than a normal gold.
"Come one and all!" Drago called to those passing by. "Witness the strength and power of my fire warriors! What you all see before you now are my three finest specimens. The power of my Heatmor and Magmortar are unmatched by any other member of their species. But the strongest of my warriors is truly my Emboar, Ivan. Not only is his Heat Crash attack a force to be reckoned with, his Arm Thrust and Fire Punch attacks deliver an incredible amount of force. Simply put, whatever Ivan punches, he destroys."
"Hey!" Chili called into the crowd, causing them to part.
"Can I help you?" Drago asked as Chili approached.
"I have a serous bone to pick with you!" Chili told him as he stormed up to him with Tepig and Darumaka.
Drago quickly noticed Chimchar riding on Chili's shoulder. The fire chimp glared back at him.
"Oh, its seems that you have the Chimchar I threw out." Drago coldly observed. "You'd only be wasting your time trying to raise that one. It shows absolutely no promise as a fighter."
"How can you say that about a Pokemon?" a horrified Misty asked.
"I'm only telling you the truth." Drago replied with an arrogant smirk. He glanced down and noticed Tepig glaring at him, causing him to chuckle. "Well, whoever you are it seems you've made it a hobby to collect my rejects."
"Wait, you're the one who abandoned Tepig?" a shocked Chili asked. "All because he lost to a Grass-type?"
"Try five Grass-types." Drago replied. "Those results were simply unacceptable. The Chimchar did even worse. I gave both of those Pokemon my best effort, but in the end they were just rejects."
"Are Pokemon just things to you?' Ash asked with anger in his voice.
"Hardly." Drago chuckled. "But the fact is there simply strong Pokemon and weak ones. And for generations my family has worked to bring forth the strongest Fire Pokemon. Through selective breeding, hard training, and the right combination of status enhancers such as Protein and Calcium, we have created champions. But of course the process isn't perfect. Every now and then there are rejects like that Chimchar and Tepig. Somehow the weaker traits seem to take over at time."
"You abandoned them just because you think they had genes?" an outraged Chili exclaimed. "That's heartless!"
"Ah, one of those sentimental types I see." Drago replied with a cold smirk. "Just who are you, anyway?"
"Chili of the Striation Gym!" he answered.
"The Striation Gym?" Drago laughed. "There is no Striation Gym anymore. The word is it closed down."
"…What?" Chili uttered in disbelief.
"Seems that the two brother running the gym decided they couldn't do it anymore." Drago went on. "Maybe because the third brother, which I assume is you, left them high and dry. But then it's probably for the best. After all, what kind of gym needs three gym leaders to run it? If you couldn't do it alone you shouldn't have bothered. I guess it's somehow appropriate that you ended up with my reject Pokemon."
"That's it! No one insults my family's gym and gets away with it!" Chili proclaimed. "I'm challenging you to a battle Drago!"
"A battle, eh? I suppose that could be amusing." Drago agreed. "But I can't do it today I'm afraid. I'm a busy man. But I will be back in this town in four days. Care to wait until then?"
"Fine!" Chili agreed.
"There's one other condition." Drago added. "It'll be a triple battle. My three champions against your two rejects and that pathetic-looking Darumaka."
"Deal!" Chili agreed again.
"Meet me back here on this spot in four days at noon then." Drago told him. "I'll be waiting."
"I'll be here!" Chili angrily assured him.
Chili sat looking depressed and somewhat angry outside of the Pokemon Center with Tepig, Chimchar, and Darumaka. Ash and Misty looked out at them with concern inside through the window with Pikachu and Lucario.
"Looks like what Drago said about the Striation Gym closing down really shook Chili up." Ash observed.
"He's probably blames himself for the gym closing down." Misty assumed.
"I guess we should have a talk with him." Ash decided.
"I'll handle that." Misty told him. "Maybe you could make a call and see if you can find out why the gym closed."
"I'm on it." Ash agreed before walking off with Pikachu and Lucario to use the Pokemon Center's PC.
Misty headed out the door and sat down next the Chili on the stone bench outside the center. Chili turned his head to face her for a moment before looking back down at the ground.
"How're you doing?" Misty asked.
"Well, I guess I've been better." Chili sighed. "Feels like I really put my foot in it this time."
"More like you feel like you let down Cilan and Cress?" Misty guessed.
"Yeah, I guess that's more like it." Chili admitted. "You know it was my idea to open up a gym. My brothers and I made such a good team I thought we could open up a gym that'd be the strongest in Unova. But then I decided to travel with you guys and screwed it all up I guess."
"Chili, you decided to go with me and Ash to get stronger." Misty reminded him. "There's nothing with wanting to be strong on your own."
"Maybe. But I've also wondering if there really is something to what Drago said." Chili replied. "Maybe I can't be strong on my own. Maybe I've already gotten as strong as I can and can't do any better without my brothers or you guys."
"It is only when a person start to believe something like that when they truly reach the limits of their strength." A voice interrupted.
Misty and Chili looked up to see a man with light-blue hair approaching them. Tied to his head was a blue mask that covered the top half of his face. The rest of his outfit consisted of a blue robe with a snowflake pattern that failed to cover his right arm and shoulder, a pair of dark-blue pants that ended in white cuffs above his ankles, and a pair of light-blue shoes. Chili stood up and looked at the masked man in awe.
"You're… you're…" Chili began to say.
"Who are you?" Misty asked the masked man before Chili could identify him.
"I am Brycen." The masked man answered. "Is one of you Chili?"
"He is." Misty answered, pointing to the redheaded young man who was still in awe of Brycen.
"A few weeks ago I ran into your brothers." Brycen informed Chili as he took out an envelope from his robes. "They asked me to deliver a letter should I run into you, as they did not think it would reach you by normal post. You look exactly as they described you."
"You're…" Chili said again as Brycen held out the envelope.
Misty sighed and grabbed the envelope. "Thanks. I'll give it to him if his brain ever turns back on."
"Good luck in your battle, Chili." Brycen told him with a nod before turning to leave.
"…Misty, do you know who that was?" Chili asked her excitedly.
"Will you just take a look at this letter from your brothers already?" Misty told him as she handed him the letter.
"Oh, right." Chili replied as he took the letter. Ash walked out with Pikachu and Lucario as Chili opened the envelope.
"Well? What's it say?" Misty inquired.
"Dear Chili." He read aloud. "We hope that the letter reaches you on your travels. Though considering whom the deliveryman is, we're sure that it will. You've probably heard by now that the gym is closed down. That's because we both decided to follow your example and strike out on our own. We were a formidable team, but each of us has dreams and ambitions of our own. You were the one who had the courage to follow those dreams first. And by doing so, you've given both of use to do the same. Good luck on your journey. Signed Cilan and Cress."
"See Chili? Your brothers didn't close down the gym because you let them down. They closed it because you inspired them to do better." Misty said encouragingly.
"Yeah, I guess I did." Chili realized as a smile returned to his face.
"Looks like you've got a lot of work to do in the next four days." Ash reminded him.
"You bet!" Chili agreed with the pump of his fist. "Tepig! Darumaka! Chimchar! Let's get to work so we can beat Drago!"
Over the next four days, Chili and his Pokemon trained diligently in preparation for their battle through intense physical exercise and battles with both Ash and Misty. At last the time had come and Drago was waiting in the town square with his three Pokemon. Already a large crowd had gathered to watch the coming battle. Ash and Misty were among them. But there was no sign of Chili.
"Where's Chili?" Misty wondered as she looked around. "It's already been five minutes since noon."
"Don't worry. He'll show up." Ash assured her.
"It seems I haven't missed anything yet." A voice spoke. Ash and Misty looked and saw that it was Brycen.
"Oh hey Brycen." Misty greeted.
"You know this guy?" Ash asked.
"Oh yeah. Ash, this is Brycen." Misty introduced. "He's the one who delivered that letter to Chili four days ago."
"Nice to meet you." Ash greeted as he shook Brycen's hand. "Never met a deliveryman who wore a mask before."
"I prefer to keep my true face hidden from the public." Brycen explained. "Say, is that your Lucario?"
"He is, actually." Ash confirmed.
"It's been years since I've one in the flesh." Brycen revealed.
"Drago!" Chili's voice called out, interrupting the conversation.
The crowd parted to allow Chili to enter the square. Drago looked back at him with an arrogant smirk.
"I was beginning to think you backed out." Drago told him. "Not that I'd blame you of course."
"Don't you know anything? The hero is always fashionably late." Chili replied.
"Fine then. Send out those three reject Pokemon of yours." Drago demanded.
"They're not rejects!" Chili told him as he threw out his first Pokeball. "Go Pignite!"
The fire pig burst out of his ball, revealing that he had indeed evolved. Pignite glared at his shiny fully evolved counterpart.
"Now! Go Darmanitan!" Chili called as he threw out the second ball. The newly evolved fire ape emerged and stood next to Pignite. "And finally, the Chimchar you only thought was trash! Go Monferno!"
The fire chimp emerged from his ball, revealing his new form. He had grown to over two feet tall and his fur had become orange. Each of the primate's upper arms had gained a gold band and he had grown shaggy white fur around his neck. His brow had become blue and the bridge of his nose had turned red. From his rear had sprouted a long tail that ended with a tall flame.
"So they evolved. But evolved trash is still trash." Drago scoffed. "Ivan! Heatmor! Magmortar! Take your positions!"
Drago's three Pokemon took their positions on the battlefield. Ivan stood on Chili's left to face Pignite while Heatmor stood in the middle across from Darmanitan. And Magmortar stood on the right across from Monferno.
"Before this battle is over… I will break you." Drago declared, signaling the start of the fight. "Ivan, attack that weak Pignite with Fire Punch! Heatmor, use Slash on Darmanitan! And Magmortar, use Thunder Punch on that pathetic Monferno!"
"Pignite, dodge and use Stone Edge!" Chili commanded. "Darmanitan, use Substitute! Monferno, attack with Mach Punch!"
Ivan the Emboar charged at Pignite with a raised fist covered in flames. Pignite sidestepped the attack and two rings of sharp stones appeared around his body with a flash of white light. The stones orbited around Pignite before hurling themselves at Ivan, hitting the shiny fire boar in the back. Meanwhile, Heatmore charged at Darmanitan and raised the claws on its right arm high. At the same time, Darmanitan glowed briefly with a white light and a copy of himself sprung from his body.
"What kind of attack did Darmanitan just use?" Misty wondered.
"It's called Substitute. The Pokemon using it sacrifices some of its energy to create a sort of copy that can block attacks." Brycen explained.
"Chili must've taught that attack to Darmanitan before he got here. Because he sure didn't use it when he was training with us." Ash recalled. "That's probably why he was late."
Once the anteater Pokemon got in range it brought down its claws and slashed the copy hard in the face, causing it to vanish. Meanwhile, Magmortar rushed at Monferno with a raised fist charged with electricity. Quickly, Monferno jumped at the magma creature and hit it in the face with a glowing red punch. Magmortar recovered and rammed its electrified fist into Monferno's abdomen, shocking the fire monkey. Monferno seemed to have trouble moving after the attack.
"Oh no! It looks like Monferno was paralyzed." Misty observed.
"This battle might be over sooner than I thought." Drago gloated. "Ivan, hit that weak Pignite with Arm Thrust! Heatmore, use Slash again on Darmanitan! Magmortar, hit Monferno with another Thunder Punch!"
Magmortar struck Monferno with another electrified punch to the face. Ivan meanwhile began to pummel Pignite with his fists. But as the attack continued Pignite's expression changed to one of rage.
"Now Pignite's getting beat up." A worried Misty observed.
"He's not getting beat up, he's getting mad." Ash told her.
Heatmor slashed Darmanitan hard in face. Suddenly Darmanitan flashed pink before changing into a blue statue.
"What? A Zen Mode Darmanitan?" Drago exclaimed.
"I was surprised too when Darumaka evolved." Chili confirmed. "Okay Darmanitan, use Psychic on Ivan! You hit Ivan too Pignite! Flame Charge!"
Darmanitan's eyes glowed blue, and suddenly Ivan was lifted up into the air and sammed back into the ground. Before the fire boar could recover, Pignite rammed into Ivan hard with a body covered in flames. Ivan was hurled back ten feet, forcing some of the surrounding audience members to quickly duck out of the way before the fire boar hit the brick wall of a nearby building. Ivan was knocked out cold.
"Impossible!" Drago protested. "There's no way Ivan could lose to a reject like that Pignite!"
"Then explain how Ivan is over there on the ground." Chili retorted. "Monferno, use Acrobatics on Magmortar!"
Monferno recovered from Magmortar's last punch and flipped into the air over the magma creature, hitting Magmortar hard in the back of the head with his foot. Upon landing, Monferno twirled around and struck the magma creature in the back with a punch, followed by a roundhouse kick.
"Damn it! Heatmore, attack Monferno with Fury Swpies!" Drago ordered. "Magmortar, finish that reject of a Monferno with Flamethrower!"
"I don't think so!" Chili declared. "Pignite! Darmanitan! Attack Heatmore with Psychic and Stone Edge! Monferno, dodge and use Fire Punch on Magmortar!"
Before Heatmor could lay a claw on Chili's fire primate, Darmanitan lifted the anteater into the air with his mind. Pignite shot Heatmor with another barrage of sharp stones before Darmanitan slammed the anteater hard into the ground and knocking it out. Meanwhile, Monferno managed to sidestep a blast of flames that Magmortar fired from its right cannon arm and then hit the magma creature in the jaw with a flaming fist.
"No! This can't be!" Drago protested. "My Pokemon are the products of perfection!"
"Not perfect enough!" Chili told him. "Darmanitan, finish Magmortar with Focus Blast!"
Before Magmortar could recover fully from Monferno's last punch, Darmanitan formed a large ball of bluish-green light on his forehead and shot it at the magma creature. After the impact Magmortar fell to the ground face first and was unconscious. Disgusted, Drago called back all three of his Pokemon.
"You guys did real great out their. Get some rest." Chili told his three Pokemon before calling them back to their balls.
"How can this be? My perfect Pokemon defeated by a mongrel and a pair of rejects!" Drago protested.
"It seems you still do not understand." Brycen told Drago aske stepped forward.
"Brycen." A star-struck Chili observed.
"You did very well today in that battle." Brycen praised. "I'll take it from here."
"Okay. Thanks." Chili replied before going over to Ash and Misty.
"What, so some washed-up movie star is going to try and teach me a lesson now?" Drago scoffed.
"Brycen's a movie star?" a surprised Misty asked.
"Of course." Chili confirmed. "Didn't you guys know that?"
"If you truly think I am so weak, than why not prove it by battling me?" Brycen calmly dared.
"Okay, I do have one other Pokemon I can use." Drago agreed. "He's not quite as strong as Ivan, but he's a close second. Go Charizard!"
Emerging from Drago's thrown ball was a large orange dragon-like creature with a yellow stomach and underside. The Pokemon had a large pair of wings that were bluish-green on the inside, and on the tip of his tail burned a red flame.
"Go Beartic!" Brycen called as he threw out his own Pokeball.
Emerging from the ball was what looked like a polar bear with a beard made out of icicles. Ash got out his Pokedex to find out more.
"Beartic, the Freezing Pokemon." The Pokedex identified. "Beartic are able to freeze their breath to form fangs and claws. They prefer the ice-cold waters of the northern seas."
"You're challenging my Charizard with an Ice-type?" Drago laughed. "This should be quick then. Use Flamethrower Charizard!"
"Dodge and use Stone Edge!" Brycen ordered.
Charizard blasted a stream of flames at Beartic, but the arctic Pokemon quickly dodged the attack. Two rings of sharp stones formed around Beartic and were shot at the fire lizard, causing Charizard to cry out.
"Now use Aqua Jet!" Brycen commanded.
Beartic got on its stomach and slide on the ground towards Charizard as its body became shrouded in water. The bear rammed hard into Charizard, knocking it onto its side unconscious. Drago was completely stunned.
"You were right. That was quick." Brycen remarked as he called Beartic back to its ball.
"How can this be?" Drago demanded to know.
"It is not breeding or any special combination of status enhancers that make a strong Pokemon. It's the bond a Pokemon has with its trainer." Brycen told him. "You have no true bond with any of your Pokemon because you only see them as fighting machines. That is why you lost today."
"This isn't over." Drago declared with a scowl before calling back Charizard and storming off. The people that had gathered to watch the battle began to disperse.
"Thanks for the help Brycen." Ash told him as he walked up with Misty and Chili.
"Not at all." Brycen replied. "Ash, am I correct in assuming that you're traveling to collect gym badges?"
"That's right." Ash confirmed.
"Then we will soon be seeing each other again. For I am the leader of the Icirrus City Gym." Brycen revealed. "But for now this is goodbye. Take care."
With that, Brycen calmly walked off. Chili stared in awe as the masked man walked away.
"Wow. Just when I thought Brycen couldn't get any cooler." Chili commented.
"He's really a movie star?" Misty asked.
"Well actually, he stopped acting a few years ago for some reason. But he's done a few films." Chili revealed. "My brothers and I are all really big fans of his work. Come to think of it I have a poster from his last movie in my bag."
"Mind showing it to us?" Ash requested.
"No problem." Chili replied as he began to root through his bag for the poster. "You know now that I think of it, there was a Lucario in that movie. Now where… ah! Here it is."
Chili pulled out the compressed paper that was the poster and unfolded it. Ash and Misty looked at it and saw that it was indeed a poster for a movie called Iron Winter. But what shocked them along with Pikachu and Lucario was the human actor featured next to Brycen and his Beartic. He was a man with black hair wearing a black sleeveless karate outfit with a blue belt. Standing next to him was a Lucario.
"What is it guys?" Chili asked upon noticing Ash and Misty's reactions.
"That guy on the poster with Brycen," Ash replied, "…is Riley."
Author's Note: I am never writing a triple battle again. Well, I may do one in a future story. But certainly not again in this one. Anyway, the former trainer of Chili's Tepig ended up being a different character from the former trainer of Ash's Tepig in the anime. I kinda decided that since Chili's Tepig had a different personality from the one in the anime the trainer should be a different character all together. The last name of this chapter's villain was taken from the Soviet boxer that served as the antagonist in Rocky IV. Also, the nickname of Drago's shiny Emboar was also taken from the aforementioned boxer. The rest of the Rocky references are in the dialogue.
Please review and let me know what you think.