Seeing that Conqueror is getting a bit too bloody and mature (Realistic settings y'all) I've officially pulled the rating up to M. Just to be safe.
Disclaimer: I Don't Own Pokémon.
Xxx
Development!
A Few Days Ago…
Damien stared at the Pokémon Center, trying to formulate a plan. He had to get in and steal some resources but it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
For one, he didn't have any Pokémon with him so he had no excuse to enter the Pokémon Center too. If only he could get his hands on some of the Wild Pokémon roaming around…
The bluenette felt a wild Rattata lunge at his pocket and quickly reacted. Grabbing him with the tail, Damien slammed it on the ground ruthlessly.
Rattata was out like a light within a few slams and Damien made sure he stayed that way by roughing him up even more. "Convenient." He got up and ran into the Pokémon center, pulling the cap he recently stole down so nobody would identify him.
"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy!" He cried out. The pinkette was at her desk when she heard his cries. "Help it! Please!" He pleaded. Nurse Joy quickly called a stretcher for the Rattata and told Chansey to take him away.
"Your name and trainer ID?" Nurse Joy asked, feeling he looked familiar. Damien felt a bit alarmed at that.
"He's just a wild Pokémon!" Damien cried out. "He's not mine! Please save him!" Nurse Joy nodded, relenting.
"He'll be just fine. Relax." She said. Damien nodded and saw the pinkette walk away. 'That was close!' Damien thought as he took a seat in the lobby. 'Need to get to the medical bay soon!' He thought. 'But first, light's out.'
The bluenette got up and looked around. "Where's the bathroom?" He asked another trainer sitting in the lobby. He pointed towards a particular direction and Damien followed it.
'Where is the main switch now?' Damien asked, looking around. "Need a change of clothes first though." He realized, looking at his not so casual looking clothes.
The bluenette saw the hallway leading to rooms just nearby, and looked around. Realizing that nobody was really paying attention to him, the fugitive made a run for it and quickly sped upstairs.
"Hey!" Damien called out to a trainer about to enter his room. "Can you please help me?" The trainer stopped.
"Sure buddy," He smiled warmly. "What can I help you with?"
"I can't open my door lock." Damien lied. "Can you help- oh screw it!" Damien swung the wrench he had been hiding in his shirt straight to the trainer's temple.
It made contact and he fell down like a sack of potatoes. Damien looked around and, making sure nobody saw him, dragged the unconscious trainer inside.
"The wrench is useful." Damien grinned, having stolen it from a worker a few days ago. He locked the door behind him, cracking his neck and dragging the guy to one of the two beds.
"Wait a minute…" A realization hit him. "Double Bed…"
"Charlie?" The door to the attached bathroom opened and a feminine voice rang out. Damien quickly leapt to the wall against the wall, feeling his breathe quicken. "What was all that noise?"
She walked past Damien who readied his wrench. The girl was pretty, Damien admitted, and she was about 17 with wet brown hair reaching her back, dressed in a pink skirt and black one sleeved shirt.
A shame he'll have to kill her.
"Charlie!?" The girl called out, rushing to his limp form. "What happened!? What hit-"
"I happened." Damien called, swinging his wrench and breaking the Pokémon Center phone. "And you're next!" Damien lunged at her, tackling her and knocking her on the bed.
"Ah!" She screamed, flailing around and trying to push Damien off her. Damien's hands gripped around her neck, digging his nails into her throat.
"Die!" Damien growled. The girl's leg flicked up and hit Damien between his legs, making the bluenette flinch and loosen his grip. The girl threw Damien off her, making a mad dash towards the door. "Why you?!"
The girl, in her haste and panic, didn't see the locks and began to tug at the door. Damien grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back against a wall. The girl used her long legs and pushed off it, slamming Damien against the opposite wall.
Damien bit down on her neck hard, making her cry out. The girl reared her head back and slammed it into Damien's nose making the fugitive flinch.
"Ah!" He grunted. The girl pulled his hands off her waist, turning around and kneeing him again in the balls. Damien fell down in a futile state, clutching his jewels.
The girl lunged at his face, digging her nails in his eyes. Damien managed to stop her, struggling against the surprisingly strong girl. He lifted his leg up, and kicked her on her left leg.
The girl lost her footing and Damien quickly pulled her forward, unbalancing her. "Bitch!" He quickly got up, kicking her right elbow with his entire strength. A splitting sound was heard and the girl screamed in pain.
Damien pulled her up by her hair, slamming her head against the wall roughly. "That's for the kicks, bitch." He said repeating the process. The wall began to be painted red at the repeated slams.
"What do you want!?" The girl questioned in despair, crying from the pain. Damien forced her to make eye contact, scowling.
"What I don't want is the question…" He mumbled and leaned in. Capturing the pretty girl's lips in his. He pushed her against the wall, hand roaming around her body.
"N-no!" She pleaded as the kiss broke. Damien grinned evilly and threw her over on the bed, rushing forward like a hungry animal.
"What's your name huh?" He asked, scavenging a knife from the knocked out trainer's belt. "What's his name?" He asked, crouching next to the trainer and aiming the knife.
"Charlie!" The girl screamed as Damien stabbed him in the forehead. "No!" Damien got up, barely bothered by the fact he just took a life. "You monster!"
"What's your name darling?" He asked, taking off his shirt. The girl backed off, trying to get away from him. "You're going nowhere!" He quickly leapt at her and pinned her down.
"No!" The girl screamed as Damien flipped her over and took off her skirt. "NO!"
Sometime later…
"That was fun and all," Damien commented, stripping Charlie naked and laying his clothes on the bed. "But you have to die now," He grabbed the whimpering Isabella's hair.
"You won't get away with this!" She cried out. Damien pulled her into the bathroom and opened the tub.
"I don't want to." He threw her naked body into the tub and climbed with her. "Now you die!" Isabella futilely struggled as Damien pushed her head under the water, easily overwhelming her.
Isabella struggled for her life against the monster Damien was, though her struggles were weak and pathetic given her broken elbow. Damien waited until she ceased to struggle.
Damien looked at her pale body one last time, admiring it, before getting up. "Rest in Piss, Isabella." The fugitive got up and quickly dressed up making sure his face was well hidden. "Fancy stuff," Damien quickly combined both of their supplies into one bag and left the room.
'A slight detour but now back on the main path.' Damien walked down the stairs, finding the Main Switch near. "Fantastic, the med bay is near here too." He mumbled, manipulating the wiring. He pulled out a lighter, lighting up the wires.
He quickly dove down as the main switch exploded, the Pokémon Center being surrounded by darkness. Damien grinned, knowing Nurse Joy would come running to fix it. He made a dash towards the med bay, quickly opening his bag and stuffing in whatever he could salvage.
"Who's there?!" Nurse Joy called out, directing her flashlight at his hiding position. Damien sighed, pulling out his knife.
"You shouldn't have done that." Damien said, waiting until she was near enough, and then lunged at her.
"Se-" Damien clamped her mouth shut and stabbed her in the stomach repeatedly. Nurse Joy's eyes widened as he stabbed her back to back, switching aim to her chest.
"Sorry babe," Damien grinned as she struggled. "But," He twirled her around, pulling his knife on her neck and slitting her throat. "This has to be done."
Damien lowered her body and hid it behind some shelves. He continued to stuff his stolen bag with whatever he could find. "Oh," He exclaimed. "Inflammable medicine for Fire Types?" He smirked.
A couple of minutes later, the Pokémon Center's back part was on flames, its main nurse murdered and two trainers also murdered. The culprit was at large, security cameras to be checked as soon as the light was restored.
Damien rushed out of the Pokémon Center sneakily, reaching the wild and making a mad dash away. He made some great distance and kneeled down, opening the backpack he just stole and stuffing everything inside.
"You don't have much time left blondie." He grinned, going over his plan. "Now… I just need a ride…" He knew Police Officers would be at the Pokémon Center soon and he could steal one of their bikes.
That was the tricky part though. If he screwed up even a little, he'll be back in jail and he could kiss his entire plan goodbye.
"If" being the keyword.
But for now, he was hungry. He wanted to eat something. "Should've stolen a Pokémon or two too." Damien grunted. "Oh well, let's hunt some." He pulled out some Pokémon food he took from the Pokémon Center and placed it down on the ground, pulling out more stuff and making a makeshift trap of sorts.
'Let's see what desperate idiot comes here.' Damien licked his lips at the thought and hid behind some trees, waiting. 'Could've just stolen human food instead of Pokémon food.' He cursed.
Eventually, a Pokémon did come to the bait. "A Pidgey," Damien smiled. "A roasted bird will do for now." Damien said, waiting for Pidgey to jump into the trap.
The avian did as he expected, pecking at the food and the cage falling on him. Damien smirked smugly and was planning to get up when another Pokémon leapt.
"Huh?!" Damien blinked as a brown fox jumped from the bushes, hitting the cage and biting down on the Pidgey. 'It's going to steal my prey!' Damien realized, getting up and picking up the wrench he stole.
The fox bit down on Pidgey's neck, flailing him around wildly and slamming its back against the tree aggressively. Pidgey could do nothing but endure the pain as its neck was snapped.
The fox spat the Pidgey down, baring its bloody fangs. However, in his bloodlust, it did not spot Damien who slammed his wrench into her left hind leg, shattering it.
The fox, now identified as an Eevee, yowled in pain, collapsing. Damien picked the fox by the neck, slamming it against a tree roughly and smashing his wrench into her right foreleg.
Eevee cried out as her limbs were broken. Damien grabbed Eevee from her tail and spun her around, disorienting her and then slammed her against a tree.
Eevee made a bloody splat and slid down, dizzy. Damien stomped down on her back, making her gasp in pain. "Down you bloody fox!" He said, stomping her repeatedly.
Eventually he stopped, and turned her on her bruised back. "Hey there," He grabbed her roughly by her fur and forced her up. "Planning on going somewhere?"
Eevee inhaled before opening her mouth. Damien was blasted off by the Hyper Voice, sailing through the air and hitting the ground hard. Eevee fell back down, crying out in pain as she tried to crawl away.
The bluenette rubbed his ringing ears, trying to regain his senses. "Hyper Voice? Where did I see an Eevee using that?" Damien wondered. "Where are you going?!"
Eevee yelped as Damien stepped on her toe, pinning her down. "If you haven't figured out by now, I hate Pokémon. I'll pay to kill them." Eevee whimpered.
"Oh yeah, I remember." He smiled evilly. "You're Cynthia's right?" He tugged her tail roughly making Eevee cry out. "You're the one who tried to convince that retard dragon to vouch against me."
Eevee was roughly picked by Damien and forced to face him. She opened her mouth for another Hyper Voice when he punched her in the face.
"You're going to come in handy," He said, grabbing her by the back of her face and slamming her repeatedly into a tree. Eevee, already feeling hungry and tired, felt her consciousness slip away from the constant abuse.
Damien pulled out a duct tape from his bag and tapped her legs together, putting some over her mouth too. "This day keeps getting better," Damien cheered, punching the unconscious Eevee once again out of spite. "Just wait until I get my hands on your master… Then…"
Xxx
"Aerial Ace!" Leaf ordered. Spearow quickly dove down towards the Raticate, hitting him with sharp reflexes. The mouse was sent flying back.
"Raticate!" His trainer yelled out. His mouse hit the ground in front of him, unconscious. "Gr!" He returned the mouse, Spearow landing on Leaf's shoulder smugly. "My last choice, go Voltorb!" The Ball Pokémon came out, sparking dangerously.
Ash stared at the Electric Type with interest. After such a long time, he finally saw another Voltorb. The last time he saw one was at the Pokémon Lab.
"Wanna continue Spearow?" Spearow squawked and took to the air. "Let's do it!" The trainer nodded and ordered Voltorb to use Sonic Boom. The Ball Pokémon obliged, spinning and firing off three Sonic Booms in quick succession.
Spearow swerved between the Sonic Booms with the help of Aerial Ace, speeding down and heading towards the Electric Type. Voltorb, per his trainer's command, raced forward to meet him with Rollout. The two met, straining against the other before recoiling back.
"Charge Beam!" His trainer ordered. Voltorb quickly fired off stray current from its ball-like form towards Spearow who failed to dodge in time.
"Oh ho!" Leaf cried out. Voltorb's trainer pushed on with Rollout, getting the weakened Spearow and knocking him back. Spearow went sailing through the air, hitting the ground in front of Leaf and skidding to a stop.
"End this!" Voltorb sped once again towards the downed Spearow who struggled to get up. Leaf fiddled with the end of her red miniskirt as Voltorb neared Spearow.
The Tiny Bird Pokémon eyes the approaching ball of electricity, and got up, spreading his wings. With a roar of might, his form began to glow white.
"What?!" Leaf exclaimed in surprise. Voltorb rushed towards the evolving Spearow who took to the skies, dodging the Ball. "Spearow… You're…"
Spearow grew in size, his wings widening. His form took drastic changes before the white glow faded, revealing a Fearow. Voltorb skidded to a stop, staring at the large avian with distress.
"Fearow!" Leaf called out confidently. Fearow looked at her and shrieked challengingly. "Let's get him!" She smirked confidently. The trainer gritted his teeth.
"Voltorb! Sonic Boom!" Voltorb spun, firing off successive six Sonic Booms at the large Fearow. Leaf, who had just been checking her pokedex, ordered,
"Mirror Move!" A reflective shield formed in front of Fearow, absorbing the Sonic Booms, and he squawked. Six replicas went sent towards Voltorb, hitting around him and blasting him back. "Now Aerial Ace!" Fearow sped forwards, his larger form ramming into the stunned Voltorb and throwing him back against a tree.
"Voltorb!" The trainer cried out as his Ball Pokémon was knocked out. "I lost…" He lamented. Fearow landed in front of Leaf, shrieking his victory to everyone.
"You did it!" Leaf cheered, running forwards and looping her hands around Fearow's neck. Fearow cheered and wrapped his brown wings around the chestnut haired girl joyfully.
"That was an awesome win." Ash commented as he walked over. Leaf nodded, rubbing Fearow's neck. Ash stared at Fearow a bit warily, knowing that newly evolved Pokémon tended to have some adrenaline running in their system and could be particularly aggressive.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." Leaf told him, looking at Fearow. "You won't," Her left hand slightly dug into Fearow's neck and her eyes glowed purple for a second. Fearow felt fear creep into him at her tone and nodded.
"Great job there buddy." Ash congratulated. Fearow shrieked once again. The trainer Leaf had just beaten handed her the money and walked away, leaving the duo alone.
"Let's cover some more ground." Leaf told him. "Fearow, go spread your wings. Stay close though." Fearow nodded and took to the skies. "Finally got a beast aerial Pokémon," Leaf grinned.
"Gotta bring back Skylar and evolve her into Pidgeot." Ash joked. "Otherwise I'm toast in the sky department."
"Would love to let the two have aerial battles." Leaf commented. "Skylar is very strong but you don't give much time to her." She mumbled.
"I know," Ash whispered. "The thing is, my team is growing at a much faster pace than I can cope with. She's my main fighter against Erika so I'll bring her back anyway."
"Charmander and Skylar…" Leaf mumbled. "Got a pretty good chance against Erika I'll say. Especially Skylar."
"I'm not worried about Erika," Ash remarked. "I'm worried about Sabrina."
"How are your preparations coming along?" Leaf asked as the two picked up their pace.
"Not as well as I expect them to," Ash sighed. "Haunter still hasn't got Destiny Bond down even with Misdreavus's help, nor is Shadow Orbit working properly. And Luna is in no state to battle."
"We'll get help in Saffron," Leaf assured him. "What about others?"
"Zeus can help against Psychic Types," Ash continued. "He's fast, packs a punch, and can take some too. And then there's Viper, not as fast but can adapt and possibly win too. Lairon can manipulate the terrain but not much against Sabrina. Oceanus can do something too."
"And your Ivysaur is out of the picture due to his Poison Typing." Leaf frowned. "Charmander is obviously out. What about Skylar?" Leaf asked.
"She's fragile." Ash replied. "Sabrina's battlefield is indoors and she can easily twist Skylar's wing and render her defenseless."
"Sabrina is known for unorthodox tactics." Leaf mumbled. "You'll need a large tray of tricks if you want to defeat her."
"I have a few ideas in mind which might work." Ash smiled. "We need to reach Saffron first though." Leaf nodded. The two saw another trainer nearby.
"This one's yours." She said. Ash nodded and grabbed Ivysaur's pokéball. The Poison/Grass Type was having quite the rivalry with Leaf's Ivysaur, the latter being more skilled due to him evolution prior.
But he was determined to surpass him.
Ash was happy to help him.
Xxx
The Cycling Road!
Finally, after a rather eventful travel from Celadon till here, Cynthia was glad she was near her destination, Fuchsia City! The blonde grinned and sped forward, excited to traverse the Cycling Road.
Cycling Road, an easy route running over the sea that separated Route 17 and Fuchsia from connecting. It was made so trainers, already exhausted from the long route, wouldn't have to travel through the wild and be easy prey to predators.
As mentioned before, the League had been organizing a lot of facilities for trainers, both so they wouldn't die so early in their career and also to boost the willingness of the youth to indulge in it.
Pokémon Training was a very difficult career, plenty examples given before, and many would prefer choosing safer options like Medicine, Teaching, and the sorts. The League had to do something to preserve the ancient tradition and are trying to do so ever since.
The Cycling Road was a bit windy and twisty but nothing Cynthia couldn't handle. The blonde quickly swept her stray sweaty hair out of her face (they had grown a lot longer than what she usually kept) and entered the Bicycle Shop.
"Welcome to the Bicycle Shop!" The girl standing at the counter chirped. "How may I help you?"
"I would like to rent a Bicycle for the entirety of Cycling Road please." Cynthia answered. The Bicycle Shop dealt with both selling and renting of cycles, funded by the League to further accommodate trainers.
"Please come with me and choose your ride," Cynthia obliged and followed the lady to the array of bicycles ready for use. The blonde stepped forward and inspected the various Two-wheelers, weighing their pros and cons.
"This one, please." She said, choosing a red colored standard bicycle.
"That would be 700 pokédollars." She said. Cynthia pulled out her pokedex and placed it in the scanner, letting the machine do its trick. It beeped, deducting the price from Cynthia's balance, and the blonde removed it.
"Thank you," Cynthia smiled, picking up her helmet.
"You should tie your hair first," The lady assisted. "They'll get in your face." Cynthia mentally kicked herself for forgetting that.
"Forgot about that," The blonde smiled sheepishly and quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail, thanking her mother for teaching her to do so without a band. It was a nifty, neat trick.
"Have a safe journey," She wished. Cynthia strapped on her helmet and grabbed her bicycle.
"I'll try," She joked and led her bicycle outside. "Whoa," Cynthia gasped as the entirety of Cycling Road stretched before her. "It's massive," She stretched before mounting her ride.
'Shouldn't have decided to go to Fuchsia so soon,' Cynthia mentally chided herself. 'As well, the final stretch. Might as well make it now.' Cynthia pushed her bicycle and began her journey on the Cycling Road.
She started at a slow pace so as to get used to it first. After ten minutes or so, the blonde ramped it up. The wind hit her perspired face, cooling it.
"Oh!" Cynthia gasped as a strong gust nearly broke her balance. The blonde gripped on, applying brakes and slowing herself down lest fall. "Gotta be careful," The blonde said, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart down.
"Ay, you new to this thing?" The blonde turned around and saw a thuggish guy with a purple Mohawk approaching her.
"No, just getting used to it." Cynthia replied. The guy chuckled and gestured to his own ride.
"Want me to accompany you?" He asked. The blonde shook her head.
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." She replied. The guy shrugged and grabbed a pokéball. Cynthia noticed the gesture.
"What about a Pokémon battle?" He questioned. Cynthia nodded and pulled her bike to the side. "One on One?"
"Fine by me." The man threw his pokéball and a Wheezing appeared. Cynthia grabbed Gible's pokéball and threw it, revealing the Dragon in all its might.
"What's that?" He asked surprised. "Never seen one before!" Cynthia smiled, knowing the surprise factor would play in her hands.
"You'll know soon enough." She smiled. The man shrugged and ordered his Wheezing to use Double Hit. "Dodge!" Gible quickly jumped away as Wheezing rushed at him, Cynthia's training doing him wonders. "Now Take Down!"
Gible quickly dodged the follow up hit and slammed into Wheezing, knocking him back and forcing some toxic air out too. "Sludge!" Wheezing inhaled and unleashed toxic waste towards Gible.
"Protect yourself with Sand Tomb!" Gible grunted and sand formed around him, acting as a shield. The sludge splattered over the Sand Tomb but Gible managed to block it entirely. "Now Dragon Breathe!"
"Smokescreen!" Wheezing ducked under the fiery draconic flames, unleashing thick smoke.
"Back!" Cynthia ordered. Gible quickly stepped back from the spreading Smokescreen. Her silver eyes stuck to the smoke, wanting to see from where Wheezing would strike.
"Double Hit!" Wheezing rushed from the smoke, lunging at the Dragon. Cynthia smiled, knowing that victory was in the bag.
"Dodge and Bite!" Gible quickly dodged the two strikes, jumping forward and biting down on the Poison Gas Pokémon.
"Self-Destruct!" Cynthia's eyes widened in fear.
"Get back!" Gible saw the Poison Type glow white and quickly spat him out, trying to get back. Unfortunately, Wheezing had ample time to prepare and exploded.
Gible formed a Sand Tomb to salvage whatever health he could, but was blown away from the explosion. "Are you insane?!" Cynthia called out in shock.
"It's my choice, missy." He replied smugly, returning his knocked out Wheezing. "Oh, look at that." Cynthia spotted Gible and gritted her teeth. The dragon was hurt bad, scorches all over his body. "Looks like you win."
Cynthia ignored him and ran over to her Dragon, crouching next to him. "You okay?" She asked. Gible nodded, walking over and collapsing in her lap. "Hey!" The blonde called out. "Here," She pulled out an Oran Berry from her pocket and fed it to the Land Shark Pokémon.
"Here," Cynthia looked up and saw the man handing over a few bucks. "Your prize money," Cynthia snatched more than took it from his hands. "Oh, fiery."
"Go away please." She snarled. The man shrugged and walked away to his bike.
"A friendly advice, ride slowly and do take brakes in between. It's not a race, it's a marathon. Treat it as such." The biker mounted his bike. "See ya around."
He rode off, leaving the blonde alone. "Great work Gible," She stroked his scales. "I'm going to return you for now, kay?" Gible nodded and Cynthia returned him.
'Why was he acting so… off?' Cynthia wondered. 'Who in their sane mind uses Self Destruct so early? What was he even thinking?!' She'll have to keep her guard up.
The blonde can't seem to catch a break.
Xxx
"Okay guys!" Ash called out, gaining their attention. "We're nearing Saffron and I plan to challenge Sabrina." He revealed his plans. "She uses Psychic Type Pokémon, a typing we don't have much, if any, experience against."
"She's also one of the strongest Gym Leaders in Kanto, known to have countless tricks." Ash told them. "We need some solid strategies against her if we want to have the slightest chance to win. She isn't Brock or Misty or even Anpu, she's stronger than all of them."
His team listened on intently, feeling more excited by the second. "We also don't have any type advantages against her as well. Only Haunter has his Ghost Typing and his Poison Typing makes it a double edged sword. Sabrina has an equal chance of blasting him back."
"After careful thinking and deliberate planning, I have come up with a balanced team." Ash continued. "Haunter is an obvious selection given his typing." Haunter gave a playful laughter in response. "Viper, you're also a part given your capability to dish and take."
Viper simply nodded in acknowledgement. "Since Sabrina does a four on four battle, the other two choices are Zeus and Oceanus." Luna blinked. "I'm sorry girl, but you'll have to sit this one out as well." Luna meowed in protest. "You'll be my lead Pokémon against Erika. Kay?"
Luna wasn't satisfied but she sat down, a grumpy expression on her face. Viper looked at her from the corner of her eye, frowning a bit. "Zeus and Oceanus both are back at the lab and I'll train them afterwards. At the moment, we're all going to train."
"Lairon, you're back up just in case." The Iron Armor Pokémon looked at him interestingly. "Sabrina might pull out a 5 on 5 too. We need to be ready."
"What if she plans on a full battle?" Leaf asked suddenly from where she was cradling Vulpix. Ash turned to look at her, having expected such questions from his childhood friend.
"Ivysaur," He replied simply. "I'm going to train all of you regardless of whether you're battling or not. It'll be helpful future practice." They nodded. "Viper, you're practicing Vine Whip like I instructed you." Viper nodded and walked away to do just that.
"Haunter, you're practicing Destiny Bond with Misdreavus." Leaf nodded and released her Ghost Type. "Also, practice Shadow Ball. You'll need some control over it for something I intend to teach you later." The Ghost Type floated off with Misdreavus to do the practice.
"Lairon, you're on movement training with Ivysaur." He told both of them. "The daily drill, move." The two nodded and walked away. Ash smiled at that. The two had really matured overtime. He'll even say they got fond of each other.
A big change from their first meeting in Rock Tunnel.
"Charmander, you're with Luna." Luna looked up. "She'll teach you the basics of battle." He looked at the Sun Pokémon. "Kay?" Luna looked at him slowly before nodding. "She's an expert." Charmander cheered and looked at Luna, already having forgotten their past interaction.
Luna got up, gesturing Charmander to come with her. The Fire Lizard was more than happy to comply. Ash smiled fondly at that. He couldn't continue training with Luna so soon, given their previous experience.
He'll have to give her more time to process her own trauma first. Her block wasn't physical, it was mental. He hoped that practicing with Charmander would help her too.
"You're quite determined." Leaf commented, walking over to him. "Sabrina should fear you." She joked.
"What about you?" Ash asked. "You giving it a shot?" Leaf shook her head.
"My team can barely handle Erika or Lt Surge currently." She remarked. "I'll have to train more before challenging the likes of Sabrina or Lt. Surge."
"You do have a good chance against Lt. Surge." Ash commented. "Ivysaur is resistant against Electric attacks and is your strongest Pokémon. And Vulpix packs a punch too. Misdreavus can get a knock or two in if you manage to use Destiny Bond properly too."
"…I don't know," Leaf mumbled. "I'll see what cards I'm dealt later on." She switched on her pokégear and opened the notes section. "Yeah! We should challenge the Pokémon Dojo in Saffron. They give off rare Fighting Pokémon to worthy trainers."
"I could use a Fighting Type." Ash nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Ash looked at his Pokémon all training. "I'm going to switch my team around too. Bring back the team needed for Celadon."
"You should." Leaf suggested. "Managing such a big team is so hard!" She whined. "That's why I kept my team so small…" She trailed off in the end.
"Leaf…" Ash reached out. Leaf stopped him.
"It's fine." She managed a smile. "Whatever occurred, let's just move on." She said distantly.
"What do you suggest I do with Luna?" Ash asked her. Leaf, glad the topic had changed, frowned.
"Baby steps," She replied in the end.
"Trying that too." Ash replied. "Should I have a mock battle with her?" Leaf shook her head.
"Don't. Let her heal up first." Ash nodded. "I'll go check up on her and Charmander. You go check up on Viper. She seems a bit off."
"Huh?" Ash blinked. Leaf shrugged. "I'll don't think so…" Ash looked at his team. "I'll go check up on all of them."
Leaf nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Xxx
As Cynthia progressed through the Cycling Road, she realized just how exhausting cycling could be. The blonde had to take breaks ever so often, the opposing wind resistance wearing out her stamina.
Whenever she stopped, the newbie would find one of more trainers ready to battle her. She won against all of them, though the victories seemed more like handouts.
The Pokémon they used weren't that strong, she noticed, as every match ended within a few minutes. They either tried to hinder them with status ailments and wear them out or outright try to knock them out with Self Destruct or Explosion.
Due to this, Cynthia, already short to five Pokémon from which Luxio refused to cooperate despite her attempts and Riolu who obviously wasn't at the skillset the rest of her team had.
Plus, Eevee had run away from her and was yet to be found despite her attempts to do so. The blonde didn't want to lose hope but odds were against them reuniting.
At the moment, Cynthia only had Riolu in a fighting position, having only fought a handful of times. And he was poisoned as well due to a Koffing.
The blonde was almost out of supplies as well, exhausted from the long journey. Good thing she was almost at Fuchsia. After Cycling Road ends, she'll have a short distance to cover and she'll reach it.
Cynthia wouldn't leave Fuchsia soon that was for sure.
"Endure!" An orange glow surrounded Riolu as the Wheezing hit him with Double Hit. He skidded to a stop, panting and falling down to one knee.
"End him with Sludge Bomb!" The Wheezing expelled toxic waste towards Riolu who barely managed to dodge with Quick Attack.
"Bullet Punch!" Riolu focused and sped forward, slamming his fist into Wheezing's smaller head. The Poison Type was stunned, and Riolu quickly followed up on Cynthia's command. A Force Palm hit him and Wheezing was thrown down towards the ground.
"Gr!" The man growled. Cynthia understood his next command and, knowing Riolu could feel her emotions, managed to signal him to stay on guard. "Explosion!"
"Back!" Riolu quickly jumped back, as Wheezing glowed white and exploded. Riolu was still struck but the damage was negligible. "Phew!"
"Clever," The thuggish guy said, returning his Poison Type. "You win." He said and returned his knocked out Wheezing. "Congrats."
Cynthia didn't reply, kneeling down in front of her Baby Pokémon and checking up on him. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?" She pulled out an Oran Berry and fed it to the Emanation Pokémon.
'He blew himself up,' Riolu told her. Cynthia nodded, pulling out one of her potions and spraying it on his wounds. 'Why?'
"I don't know," Cynthia mumbled, rubbing his head. "Now you go rest, I'll call you out once we reach Fuchsia, kay?" Riolu agreed and the blonde returned him.
'Something is wrong.' The blonde knew. She just couldn't point her finger on what. 'My entire team is down by now, really need to reach Fuchsia.' Cynthia sighed and put her helmet back on.
She kicked her stand up and began to peddle, the evening glow illuminating her path. She had peddled through the majority of the Route anyway, only a small bit remained.
Cynthia was confident she'll reach Fuchsia tonight. She'll have to since her team was all down and she was defenseless.
Though not entirely, she could always use a Repel for Wild Pokémon and escape them. If hordes of them attacked, she could pull a Viridian Forest on them.
But her gut signaled her repeatedly not to fear the wild, but to fear something else entirely. The blonde could not put her finger on what exactly, but Cynthia knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Xxx
"He's really enjoying himself up there." Leaf commented, looking at Fearow. "Feeling sky high," She looked at Ash who seemed lost in thought. "Hey! Ash!"
"Huh?" Ash blinked. "Yeah, he's enjoying himself." Leaf sighed, knowing what was bothering him. She just didn't know what else to say except reassure him.
"Hey, let's have a battle." She suggested. Maybe a battle would help. "A friendly one. Vulpix against… um, Viper?"
"Giving me a Type Disadvantage?" Ash asked already reaching for his Grass Type's pokéball.
"Well, if you're scared then you can use Lairon." Leaf replied cheekily. Ash rolled his eyes.
"Lairon can take out your Fearow; Vulpix doesn't hold a candle against him." Ash drawled.
"Confident, are we?" Leaf questioned, walking away and taking a few steps away from her childhood friend. "Vulpix, come on out!" Leaf threw her pokéball and the Fox Pokémon came out, growling at Ash.
"Viper I choose you!" Ash's Grass Snake came out gracefully, looking at Viper with narrowed eyes. "You have the first move Leaf!" Ash ordered. Viper calmly boosted herself with Swords Dance.
"Incinerate!" Vulpix formed and fired a fireball with black highlights towards Viper who dodged it with ease. "Quick Attack!"
"Slam!" Viper rushed forward to meet Vulpix, jumping and slamming her tail into the approaching Vulpix. Both of them ricocheted back, cancelling the other's impact.
"Disable!" The Fox Pokémon's eyes glowed dark and Viper felt her muscles freeze against her will. "Now Incinerate!" Vulpix fired the fireball and got Viper, blasting her back.
"Viper!" Ash called out in alarm. Viper skidded across the ground, feeling the Disable fade. She snarled, boosting up again with Swords Dance. "You okay?" She didn't reply, forming a Leaf Shield around her.
"Incinerate! Repeatedly!" Vulpix formed the fireballs and fired them off, Viper shooting Leaf Shields as decoys and nearing her sneakily. Vulpix fired off a dozen Incinerates before pausing to take a breather.
Viper emerged from a Leaf Shield, spinning and slashing at the Fox Pokémon with Leaf Blade. Viper squealed in pain, thrown back and hurt bad due to repeated Swords Dance.
"Vulpix!" Leaf called out as Viper twisted in the air while using Vine Whip. The vines whipped at Vulpix repeatedly, damaging her brutally and even tearing off her fur at some places.
Vulpix could do nothing but try to endure the beating, her foe leaving no room for retaliation. "Viper!" Ash called out. "Stop!" Viper finally stopped, forming a Leaf Storm and sending it towards the struggling Fox.
"Extrasensory!" Leaf ordered desperately. Vulpix's eyes glowed pink and she focused on the incoming storm, forcing the front to move back and mess up the entire strike.
She did not expect Viper to come out from the Leaf Storm and fire off a Solar Beam point blank. Vulpix didn't have time to even blink before she was blasted off.
Vulpix hit a tree trunk and gasped, sliding down knocked out. Viper landed down, breathing out and calming herself down. Leaf rushed towards Vulpix, picking her up and cradling her.
"Viper!" Ash called out. "It was a friendly battle girl!" Viper turned out, rolling her eyes. "What happened?" Ash asked softly, walking towards her and crouching near her.
Viper shrugged, looking at Leaf who was patching up the banged Vulpix. "Viper!" Ash scolded. Viper stared at him, using her Glare effect. "You know as well as I do that won't work on me."
Viper gestured to his waist where Luna's pokéball rested. She then made a few gestures which Ash managed to translate roughly. Ash picked Viper up gently.
She squirmed against his touch, jumping out. "Hey," Ash called out softly. Viper tapped her pokéball and returned there, leaving a stunned Ash behind.
"What's up with her?" Leaf questioned, holding a much better looking Vulpix to her chest. Ash stayed down for a few seconds, trying to process everything, before getting up.
"Leave it," He said, face stoic and emotionless. "Let's go. Saffron isn't that far away."
"Okay," Leaf mumbled and the two continued their journey.
Xxx
Finally!
Cynthia got off her bicycle, her body exerted beyond its limits. The blonde would be out like a light tomorrow.
"Here," Cynthia pulled her Cycle into the shop, taking off her helmet and hanging it on the handle. "Cynthia Carolina," She handed her pokedex to the cashier who inserted it into a machine.
"500 Pokédollars returned." He said and handed her back her black and golden pokedex. Cynthia pulled out her nearly empty water bottle and gulped down its remaining contents, panting. "Take some rest," he advised.
"I can't." Cynthia replied. "I have to reach Fuchsia today. My team's nearly spent too." He nodded in understanding.
"Fuchsia is only a thirty minute walk from here." He told her. "It's night time so I'll advise you to be careful." Cynthia pulled out a repel from her bag and sprayed herself with it. "That's better."
"Thank you," Cynthia inclined her head in acknowledgement and left the shop, staring at the path. 'Here we go final stretch.' The blonde began.
She dragged more than walked towards Fuchsia, as her legs felt like jelly to her. Cynthia stumbled, grabbing onto a tree trunk to balance herself.
"Not good…" She mumbled, slipping down. "Maybe a little rest won't hurt," The blonde breathed heavily, sweat trickling down her face and neck as the sweltering heat made its effect known.
"Look what we have here." Cynthia's eyes shot open as she heard the voice. "Is my darling about to die?" She turned her neck to the side and saw someone she hated a lot.
"Damien?!" Cynthia rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"Hello there, blondie." He walked over to her steadily, a wrench in his hand. "We meet again." Cynthia forced herself back on her feet, hand going to her belt. "Your team is all burnt out, they can't do anything."
"H-how…" Cynthia's eyes widened as she realized what was in play all along. Damien grinned at her expression, knowing she had figured it out.
"You played into my hands darling," He experimentally swung his wrench. "And now, nobody can save you from me." Cynthia picked up a rock with shaky hands, trying to focus on the bluenette.
Cynthia pondered her options before throwing the rock down and preferring to run. Damien chuckled, following her at a leisured pace. Cynthia, running only on adrenaline, struggled to carry her pace as she stumbled and staggered.
"You can run, but you can't hide." Damien called from behind her. Cynthia gritted her teeth.
'Hide…' The blonde quickly ran into the foliage, looking around for a place to hide into. She spotted a thick tree and quickly ran behind it, collapsing down.
"Oh Cynthia!" Damien called out in a singsong tone. "Where are you?" Cynthia covered her mouth with her shirt, trying to silence her heavy breathing.
'I need to reach Fuchsia!' Cynthia thought, feeling her vision darken. Damien's calls became more indistinct as he walked away from her position. Cynthia pulled out her last Oran Berry and bit on it, chewing it and swallowing it hurriedly. 'Now!' The blonde got up and made a mad run, checking her pokégear for the correct direction.
The surroundings became a blur for her, the voice of the nocturnal Pokémon becoming static for her as she focused on the road. A final path had suddenly turned into a race for survival, as the blonde ran, and ran, and ran.
There was a cry of pain from besides her, one that Cynthia recognized. "Eevee?!" The blonde paused, looking around. "Where are you?!" There was another cry, and Cynthia faced in the direction. She didn't care to think for a second if it was trap before dashing towards there.
"Hold on!" Cynthia hollered as she continued her run. "I'm almost there- Ah!" Cynthia tripped on something and hit the ground hard face first, skidding to a stop.
"Aw, stupid you." Damien mocked her and kneeled down on her back, grinning as she struggled. "Die you idiot," he pulled out a plastic bag and pulled it down on her face, holding it tight.
Cynthia's muffled cries rang out as she struggled in the dirt, trying to force Damien off her. "I'm enjoying this so much…" Damien smirked evilly as Cynthia struggled for oxygen.
Eventually, Cynthia's struggle began to cease, her adrenaline wearing off. The bluenette kept her down until her struggling ceased to exist. Damien pulled the bag off her face, cracking his neck and rolling her onto her back.
"Look at that," He commented, checking her pulse and finding a weak one. "You're still holding on," Damien lifted the limp blonde up and hoisted her over his shoulder, walking away.
"Long Kiss Goodnight, blondie." He remarked, smiling evilly.
Xxx
Response to Reviews:
Mark Andrew: Yeah I wanted to end Kanto Arc within a year but already it's been three years. Plus, I get motivated and demotivated quite randomly so yeah. About the rest, you'll find out later on.
UltimateCCC: On point as always, my dear friend.
Uday Sra: Thanks a lot!
Goku275: Thanks a lot for all the love and support!
Vital Info: I wanted to give a few lighter chapters but for future plot, I have to add some dark parts. It'll get lighter further on but for now, it'll be a mix up. Whether Sabrina can help or not, we'll see. You also got your update on Damien so there's that XD. Conqueror is set around my own rules which are pretty loose and not that well defined, adapting to better suit the story. And it's pretty childish to think Pokémon wouldn't die in the wild, especially since I'm giving Conqueror a realistic feel. Thanks for the lengthy review, enjoyed reading it.
Leafy boi: Yeah, I wanted to give Conqueror a realistic setup. Glad I'm being successful in that. Trauma isn't leaving that soon, too. If that is trauma…. That is.