AN: Yo! Welcome back to the 10th chapter. So far I have 3 favs and 1 follower which is completely fine with me. I didn't expect anything at all since this is my first story and what not. But I'm glad there are people who're checking out the story. Without further ado, let's start off this mini arc shall we?
-Start-
"Thanks for sending over my pokemon, Juniper."
"It's no problem! Anything to help out a friend." The extremely energetic voice originated from the current professor of Unova, Aurea Juniper.
"Heh, i'll keep in touch, if you see Hilda again, be sure to give her and Zangoose my regards?"
"Sure thing Gedeon! Take care!"
Gedeon closed the call and with a large sigh, the young adult shifted into a more stoic look. He set up everything for the tournament which was sure to become a popular attraction over the next week. The tournament had multiple attractions and battle formats. They all ranged from single battles to double battles to tag team battles and a new method of battle royal which he learned was given inspiration from the Alola Region.
This tournament was sure to push him to his absolute limits and he was satisfied with that.
"Yo! Gedeon, there you are."
The young adult moved his head to seek out the voice calling him, and the moment he found it, his eyes widened a bit to see who it was.
"Flint? What are you doing here?"
"Ha! I'm fired up for this tournament so I came to check it out, the other members of the Elite Four are here as well, and some of the Gym Leaders too."
Gedeon saw only excitement and anticipation coming from Flint, who was the Fire Type specialist of the Sinnoh Elite Four. Flint's hairstyle is that of a small afro, a shade of light red or orange depending on the person. He wears a yellow collar shirt with the collar being loose, black slacks with a red belt and black sandals, on his wrist were black armbands.
"That's interesting, are the gym leaders actually gonna be attending the matches?"
"From what I hear, yeah! That's what I'm most excited about. They won't be battling as a Gym Leader today, but just another Trainer, like you." Flint said, full of enthusiasm and vigor.
Gedeon couldn't help but scratch his head hearing everything. He was in for quite the struggle if the Gym Leaders are gonna be going all out, well, the ones who are actually competing. The young adult felt a bit nervous at this but shook his head to clear any second thoughts.
"Guess I better go find out who I'm battling. I'll catch you around." Gedeon said waving at Flint as he walked to the arena.
…
"WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE VERY FIRST HEARTHOME CITY BATTLE RUN!" The announcer bellowed through his mic as loud as an Exploud.
"FOR THE COURSE OF THE WEEK BATTLES WILL ENSUE! FIRST WE'LL START OFF WITH THE DOUBLE BATTLE FORMAT!" The announcer began. "OVER 52 COMPETITORS JOINED SO TODAY WILL BE QUITE THE DAY, SO GRAB YOUR SEATS, DRINKS AND SNACKS! LET"S GET THIS PARTY GOING!"
Gedeon was situated among the other competitors, he liked his odds quite much.
"FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY! LET'S ALL HAVE GEDEON ALEXANDER AND JACK BURNINGDALE!"
'How ironic we're first, huh?'
' Verily. Although I suspected the creator of the story to do this.'
'Let's show these people how we battle, yeah?'
'Heh, yeah.'
Gedeon formed a smirk on his lips as he stood at his side of the field. The young adult glossed over himself, his outfit now being changed. He wore a black shirt with a medieval cowl, with the hooded part being down so the arena could see his face. Black utility cargo sweatpants and to end it, black boots that his sweatpants tucked into. To say the least, he looked a bit edgy. His black and green hair was kept in a manbun with the sides being shaved down.
His opponent was a red color fanatic, wearing a complete red tracksuit with orange stripes, his trackshoes were red with the tip of the shoes being white, his medium length hair was black and shaggy, with his eyes being orange.
"HERE'S HOW THIS TOURNAMENT WILL GO! FOR THE FIRST 4 DAYS, COMPETITORS WILL RACK UP POINTS, IN THE LAST 3 DAYS THE TOP 8 WITH THE MOST WILL MOVE ON TO THE FINALS! SO DON'T BE DISCOURAGED IF YOU LOSE! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN!"
And with that, the crowd erupted into an excited frenzy, who could really blame them? This was meant to be a fun and enjoyable tournament.
"ALRIGHT BATTLERS, YOU'RE ALLOWED A TOTAL OF 4 POKEMON, SUBSTITUTIONS AREN'T ALLOWED AND MOVES SUCH AS U-TURN AND VOLT-SWITCH ARE ILLEGAL! SEND OUT YOUR FIRST 2 POKEMON!"
The rules were pretty standard for a double battle, all he had to do was rack up a lot of points? Meaning even if he were to lose, he'd be able to try again later. Not that he planned on losing, this Jack person was quite predictable, as he sent out two fire types.
A Magmortar and Infernape.
Gedeon chose to send out Emboar and Dewott, both Unova native pokemon.
Emboar is a bulky, bipedal Pokemon with pig-like features. It has a red nose, large bushy black eyebrows, and two tusks protruding from its lower jaw. Constantly burning flames cover the front of its neck and shoulders. It has short legs and thick arms. Its arms have orange upper portions while the legs have red upper portions. All of its limbs have black lower portions with thin yellow lines where the upper and lower colors meet. These lines are straight on the arms and spiked on the legs. The arms have red lines around the wrists and tufts of fur on the elbows. The hands are tipped with three claws, while the feet have two claws. A large, dark horizontal stripe on the chest of Emboar has swirled yellow markings. Its small tail ends in a tuft of hair.
Dewott is a bipedal, otter-like Pokemon that is primarily light blue. It has small black ears, a pointed crest at the back of its head, a red nose, and long white whiskers forming tilted V-shapes. Two pointed teeth are visible in the upper jaw when its mouth is open. Its forelimbs have three fingers on each black paw. Its feet and flat tail are black. Around its waist is a large, dark blue, fringed arrangement of fur, with two Scalchops on the thighs. These scalchops are detachable, and Dewott trains to use several techniques with them.
"AND HERE WE HAVE IT FOLKS, TWO SINNOH NATIVE POKEMON AGAINST UNOVA NATIVE POKEMON, THIS WILL BE QUITE THE SHOW! BEGIN THE MATCH!"
"Heh, This outta be a burnout! Infernape let's strike with Mach Punch! Magmortar, use Fire Blast to cover Infernape!"
Jack ordered with a confident smirk on his face, Gedeon had to admit, Jack seemed to be quite smart with how he strategized his moves, Infernape excelled in close vicinity, so it would need coverage for the most part.
"Cinder, tank those Fire Blast, Mera, counter Infernape with Razor Shell." Gedeon said in his usual tone, that being quite monotonous for the most part.
Infernape ran in with it's fist cloaked in a white veil, the kanji shaped flames besides it rushed ahead of it, only for Emboar to jump in front of Dewott, with a wave of its stocky arms it slap the blasts of fire, making this disappear, Mera jumped over Emboar and grabbed it's two Scalchops on it's thighs, the two weapons were pumped with energy, causing water to flood out.
Infernape gave a cry before it launched its fists forward at the Unova Starter, however Dewott countered with it's right Scalchop and intercepted the first fist. The Infernape gave a snarl before going for another strike, only to clash with Dewott again.
"Magmortar, use Cross Chop!"
"Heh, Cinder, use Protect!"
Magmortar and Infernape both went to attack Dewott, however Emboar intervened by throwing up a barrier, covering it and Dewott, who gave a nod in thanks. Emboar let loose a large fume of smoke from it's nostrils and grinned quite mockingly at Magmortar and Infernape who both took the insult hard.
Gedeon knew Cinder like being a tank, his Emboar took pride in its defensive capabilities and lending a hand to others. It was in its nature to do so, however Emboar was a bit too mischievous for its own good.
Jack on the other hand was quite stunned at how the Emboar pushed back both his Pokemon, this was quite the workout, the young looking man couldn't help but let loose a small laugh before pointing at Gedeon.
"It's settled, you're my rival from here on out!"
"Huh?"
"Let's burn this place up a bit! Infernape, use Flare Blitz! Magmortar, use Sunny Day!"
Gedeon's chocolate colored eyes watched as Magmortar gave the sun a bit more flare to it, boosting the power of fire type attacks, meaning the attack that Infernape was doing was sure to be a finisher. Gedeon couldn't use Mera right now, she'd be useless in this weather.
"Cinder, Take that attack head on!" Gedeon gave his command which caused everyone to wonder what the young adult was thinking.
Emboar's ring of flames ignited to life as it took a more defensive stance, it's arms were out, waiting for the attack to hit it.
Infernape closed the distance first, it's target being Emboar. Infernape was covered in a veil of intense flames, the flames erupting from the top of its head being the source of the power. As Infernape was closing the gap, Emboar steeled itself, it's feet breaking into the ground as it did. Dewott stood behind the large starter with a stoic look on its face.
BANG!
An explosion occurred from Emboars location, causing the dust to pick up and whip around like a raging sandstorm created by a Flygon. Everyone in the stadium were on the edge of their seats, awaiting to see the results of what was being played out right before their eyes.
"BOAAAR!"
The violent, bellowing cry came from Emboar who held down Infernape on the ground. Seeing the display, everyone cheered. Emboar held down Infernape with it's bulky arms, constricting its movement.
"Good! Now Dewott uses a Hydro Pump!"
Emboar lashed Infernape towards Dewott with enough force to break the sound barrier, hurling the Sinnoh Starter towards Dewott, who clapped their arms together, summoning forth a mighty blast of water right Infernape who couldn't dodge, evade or do anything as it's body was spinning rapidly out of its control.
The next thing Jack knew was the defeat of his Infernape which was imprinted into the wall behind him. Magmortar stood there trying to piece together what just happened.
"AND INFERNAPE IS DOOOOOOWN! WHAT A DISPLAY OF TACTICS!"
"Whoa, I didn't expect that to happen, sorry about that partner." Jack recalled his Infernape, with a solemn look upon his face.
"Alright then, time to turn up the furnace. Heatran let's go!"
"Eh?"
Gedeon looked at the new addition to the battle, that being a Legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh, Heatran. Emboar and Dewott felt their instincts kick in, telling them to run from the fight, but another part of them was there, telling them to continue.
"There wasn't anything in the rules stating that Legendary Pokemon weren't allowed….so i decided to bring one! This battle is beginning to truly set ablaze! Haha!" Jack laughed a bit cheeky at the end.
Heatran is a reddish-brown, quadrupedal Pokemon. It is dotted with orange and gray spots, and it has metal bangles locked on its legs. Its four claws on each of its feet are in a cross formation. Heatran has a gray underside, and its face is covered by an iron mask, with red-orange eyes uncovered. Its eyes seem to remain open even when it is asleep. Whenever it is seen with its mouth open, an orange glow emanates from inside it. Because of its intense body heat, certain parts of its body are melted slightly out of shape. Boiling blood, like magma, circulates through its body. While its body is rugged steel, it melts partly due to Heatran's own heat.
'This just became quite the interesting match, yeah?'
'Heatran...hm, I might switch up my strategies….'
"WELL LOOK AT THAT, THE LEGENDARY POKEMON ITSELF! JACK IS PULLING OUT EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO WIN THIS, HOW WILL GEDEON CONTEST THIS!"
"Alright, Cinder, Mera. Time to switch up."
Gedeon's pokemon both nodded, knowing exactly what will happen now.
"Heatran, use Heat Wave!"
"This is gonna hit hard due to the sun empowering the Fire Type attacks! Mera, use Double Team!"
Dewott gave a grin before putting its hands together, forming a sheep hand seal, the next thing that happened was dopplegangers of Dewotts appearing on the field.
"Hydro Pump!" All of the Dewott's shot off the dangerous Water Type attack, trying to counter the devastating wave of heat that was incoming.
The combination failed as the attack from the Legendary Pokemon washed right over. Dewott was sent back, only to get caught in the clutches of Emboar's hands.
"Magmortar, Cross Chop!" Jack wanted to keep up his assault, seeing as now he has a clear advantage over the flow of the battle.
"Mera, Razor Shell!"
"Heatran, use Magma Storm!"
With a screech, Heatran bellowed, a storm of flames and molten rocks formed around Magmortar like a protective shade of armor.
"Cinder, open a path for Dewott by using Brick Break!" Emboar approached the middle of the stadium where Magmortar was currently at. Emboar lowered it's right hand before swiping it upwards into the mighty raging storm of intense flames and rocks, ripping it in half.
Dewott flipped over the Emboar and went through the clearing, it's Scalchops were smudged together as one blade of water made its way towards Magmortar.
"Thunderbolt!"
Gedeon widened his eyes as he heard the next command, next thing that happened was Magmortar being cloaked in electricity before firing it at Dewott who had no time to dodge, it could only feel the pain of both attacks and sent barreling back Gedeon's way, only to get caught by Emboar again.
Emboar diverted it's attention to Dewott who had swirls in its eyes. Gedeon sighed before a light smile appeared slowly on his face.
"Good work." Gedeon recalled his first official starter.
'Who can I use to flow with Cinder…..'
'Use Magmar….'
'That's right! The Sunny Day is still in effect!'
"Let's do this, Flazz!"
Gedeon threw out his next pokemon, being the Magmar from before. Who automatically was already pumped to take on the Magmortar.
"Oho! A full on Fire Type match! This should be quite the burn up!" Jack grinned eagerly seeing that only Fire Types were present on the field.
"Magmortar, Fire Punch!"
"Flazz, Fire Punch! Don't let up either, Cinder, use Brick Break!"
All pokemon readied themselves as they went to strike at their opponents, Magmar and Magmortar closed the gap before both flame cloaked fists struck at each other.
…
"Interesting, very interesting."
"What is it, Looker?"
"I've gotten a letter from someone who wishes their name to be confidential." Looker held in his hands an envelope, which he stared at with an uneasy gaze.
"I see."
"Anyway, Cynthia, what do you think of Gedeon's battle style?" Looker said changing the subject, as they were both here to watch the battles and relax.
"He's certainly an enigma, I find that he's been prepared for double battles for a long time and trained to be great at them. " The blonde haired champion said as she watched from her spot Magmar and Magmortar clashing fist back to back and Emboar trying to connect a hit to Heatran, who was doing an exceptional job at evading the blows.
"Hm, I suppose you're right. I guess it has to do with the fact that not everyone will do single battles. He always told me to be prepared for the worst and I've always done so, it saved me a few times."
Looker chuckled as he saw Magmar successfully land an uppercut to Magmortars chin, only for it to get hit in the back of its head by Magmortar retaliating. The two from Looker's perspective seemed to have some sort of rivalry.
"That's understandable, he may look like a bad person, but he's actually very kind. I see why Caitlin always talks about him now."
"Ha! They're quite alike."
…
"Huh! Who's that person with the Magmar and that large fire type?"
"Don't you know? That's Gedeon Alexander, he's quite a hero." Answered a man who was currently watching the Television in the Bar Room.
"So, he's quite strong?" The one asking had a white bomber baseball jacket with the linings being a royal gold, Brown pants and gold boots with the bottom of them being black in color and a golden visor that covered his eyes.
"I'd say he'd be able to challenge one of the Elite Four and win." The visor wearing man formed a challenging grin on his face as he pushed his seat back to stand up.
"That's all I need to hear, I'm gonna go fight this guy!" The bartender just watched as the man rushed out, he was about to shout but he averted his eyes to the bronze like counter and saw a stack of money laying there.
…
"Down to the very last." Jack moved his hand to his forehead, a finger ran from one side to the next, swiping off trailing sweat. His last pokemon was Heatran who managed to survive till now.
"Seems so, i didn't expect to be fighting a Heatran of all things."
Gedeon wasn't prepared for his first battle to be so challenging, this felt like some Pokemon League Battle, where your hopes and dreams can be crushed in a single battle, the outcome was quite random. However the battle was enjoyable.
'Don't think I had this much fun in a long time….'
"Sobek, let's get this going, yeah?"
With a large clamp of its jaws, Krookodile gave a thumbs up towards Gedeon, signalling that it was ready to go.
"I got ya." Gedeon answered back before an unexpected smile came to his face.
"Heatran, let's start off with Iron Head!"
"Sobek, be careful! Heatran is much faster thanks to Rock Polish!"
Krookodile's focus was solely on the legendary pokemon in front of it, as it rushed in at it with amazing pace and ferocity. Krookodile leapt over to the left avoiding the attack aimed at it.
"Don't let up Heatran!" Heatran gave a cry as it quickly leapt onto one of the rising stone pillars, thanks to the earlier stone edge, it bounced right off in a split second and already made its way back as Krookodile, hitting it in it's back. The force of the blow caused Krookodile to cave into the very ground.
Gedeon closed his eyes, which could be seen as someone who has given up, however this was quite the opposite in Gedeon's case. He knew his partner wasn't as weak as some and wouldn't be defeated like this. His Krookodile hated boring losses.
"AND ITS-"
"KROOOOO!" Krookodile roared as it picked itself off the ground. The announcer was stumped at the sudden burst of energy. Gedeon's eyes remained closed, before he opened them slowly to see Krookodile looking at him as if waiting for approval of sorts.
"So, you're ready to go all out? Let's give the people a flashy ending! Use Bulldoze!"
"This one's gonna hit hard! Jump in the air to dodge Heatran!"
Heatran did as Jack asked and swiftly ran to a stone pillar and jumped up, however both Krookodile and Gedeon smirked simultaneously.
"Since Heatran is in the air now, attack it's underbelly with Payback!"
"Not so fast! Heatran Heat Wave!"
Gedeon and Jack were both gritting their teeth as they watched their Pokemon attack at each other, Heatran released the strong Fire Type attack with all the strength it could muster. Krookodile's arms were covered in a pitch shroud of energy.
Gedeon knew Heatran was running out of fumes as its body was beginning to blacken from the overuse of it's Fire Attack attacks, This was precisely what Gedeon was hoping for.
Krookodile's right hand went straight for Heatran's underbelly, which was surprisingly soft for a Steel Type pokemon as well. However that was due to its own molten body melting the very steel that makes up some of its body. It was a rare Pokemon indeed, fit to be a Legendary pokemon.
Heatran flipped over from the powerful, boosted Payback from the Unova native pokemon and fell onto the rocky ground below with a large boom.
Krookodile landed just beside it, panting and sweat pouring from the top of its head down. It was a harsh battle and it proved to make it much stronger.
"AND FOLKS, THAT WRAPS UP THIS FIRST BATTLE, I CAN FEEL THE BURNING SPIRITS OF BOTH TRAINERS AND POKEMON ALIKE! GIVE IT UP FOR GEDEON ALEXANDER!"
Gedeon held his hands to his ears as everyone let off a loud screech of excitement.
"IF YOU ALL LOOK AT THE MONITOR!" The announcer continued, everyone saw a huge floating board that showed Gedeon's and Jacks face and their pokemon that was shown in battle, but just below the pictures were a set of numbers.
Gedeon now has 50 points while Jack has gained 10, despite losing. It would seem even from losses you still gain some points, that was reassuring.
"EVEN IF YOU LOSE, YOU'LL STILL GAIN POINTS!"
Gedeon heard all he needed to hear from the extremely loud announcer and walked off, Krookodile next to him snapping its jaws happily.
"Heh, good work. Didn't expect to win."
"Dile…."
Krookodile tilted its head a bit, trying to figure out its trainer's doubt.
"What I'm trying to say is, beating a Legendary Pokemon is no small feat, you've grown stronger these past few years. I guess what I'm saying is, this victory will only make stronger opponents see us as formidable opponents, some won't hesitate to use underhanded tactics and dirty play. We'll need to be prepared for that scenario."
Krookodile bit Gedeon's head before quickly releasing him, Gedeon took that as Krookodile's way of saying 'Don't worry about it.'
"Right, maybe I'm being way too discreet about this. I should relax huh?"
"Shs!"
"I agree."
…
Gedeon was currently sitting in a waiting area in the facility, thankfully a food stall was nearby, he was quite famished after all the battling he did today. He racked up 50 points so he was still in the clear for now.
The waiting area also had several other competitors walking and talking. It was just another facility, the place was decorated a crystal blue, giving it a vibrant glow. The tables were matching in color and the material seemed sturdy enough.
One thing Gedeon didn't like was all the eyes on him, as if he was the center of attention, seriously were people that worked up?
"MY MAAN!"
"Arceus, give me strength…." Gedeon comically prayed before the source of the passionate voice came near him, that being Jack.
"I didn't expect Payback to be in your arsenal, you had that planned from the start huh?" Jack said as he sat across from Gedeon, eating a pizza.
"I figured you were gonna try to counter me, so I used that move. It gets more empowered when the user receives damage that moment. It's a tricky move, but effective." Gedeon explained.
"Heh, well. I'm not mad that I lost, in fact I feel quite relieved."
"Really?"
"Yeah! I caught Heatran a year ago and ever since then my battles have been quite easy. I try not to use him too much. He still gets quite explosive." Jack chuckled as he talked about his Heatran.
"Legendary Pokemon like Heatran need a worthy trainer. One can't hope to have one and be strong. However it seems in your case, Heatran likes your spirit."
It was true, most Legendary Pokemon won't just obey whoever catches them, they have to earn their respect and in return you'll be graced with a powerful ally, or friend. It really chalks up to perspective.
Jack seems to have a very passionate and powerful spirit which matches Heatran's overall power, so it was to no surprise that Jack was worthy.
"By the way, were you the one that saved the people on that boat a few days ago?" Gedeon blinked at the sudden question before closing his eyes.
"I am, although I was just doing what anyone with the power to change the outcome does."
"Heh, then you have my thanks. My grandfather was on that boat, so I'm eternally grateful."
Jack's sudden demeanor changed immediately, Gedeon watched as Jack gave a bow, something he'd do as well. The young adult waved it off, it was nothing of major importance, well to him at least. To others, his act of courage supposedly made him out to be a hero, but that begged the question.
What if someone did what he did? Would they be the hero? Or would they go about their average life after? But something about that bugged him, no other human seemed to have his mindset, most humans who have the power to bring about change never do, they don't strive to accomplish what's needed. Gedeon did what he did because he was confident in his power and skills, although to some it was just plain recklessness.
He didn't care about that, as long as he did something, he won't regret his choice.
"Think nothing of it."
"Aw, c'mon don't be like that, no need to be edgy." Jack grinned like a child after saying that which only got a shake of the head from Gedeon.
'I meet the oddest people….'
…
"Good, it seems he has won his match, now I'll do the same. And in the finals, I'll completely thrash him, mind, body and soul." An extremely vile and dark voice spoke filled with malicious intent.
The figure was in the hallway, walking out to the field, their wavy blue hair lashed against the wind.
…
Night had finally come, closing the first day of the tournament, so much had happened in one day and already everyone was in a race to gather points.
"What're you doing out here so late?"
"Oh! Gedeon, it's you."
"Of course it is, Looker, i'm a night Decidueye." Gedeon answered calmly as he stood next to the policeman who was sipping on coffee.
"I'm just thinking, was this choice in my life correct?"
"What choice?"
"To become an International Policeman? I mean, I enjoy locking up the bad people, but every time I do, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Ah, self-doubt. Gedeon hated that with a passion, it could cause mental stress to one's mind. It was never a good thing to keep talking about.
"That just makes you human."
Looker shifted his attention to Gedeon, not understanding what the younger man meant. Gedeon knew of that look anywhere and let off a chuckle.
"What I'm trying to say is, you're not wrong to have these doubts, that just makes you human. You feel depressed that you don't understand why that person did such an act and you can't help but feel distant that you're not capable of understanding. Humans will never truly understand one another, Looker. We're meant to be different. No matter how twisted our ideals are."
Looker was visibly awestruck, the way Gedeon conveyed everything to him was something a proud philosopher would do. However what irked Looker a bit was how close Gedeon sounded to Cyrus, the madman was bent on creating a new world.
But there couldn't be any connection between them, right?
"Heh, I don't know how to respond to that if I'm being honest." Looker moved the mug in his hands and took another sip. Gedeon gave a small grin before it quickly turned into a frown.
"I've experienced the issue as well, many times over actually. I also thought I was the reason for my parents death, until I came here."
Looker stood there in silence, seeing as Gedeon was finally opening up to him.
"Sinnoh houses the most extreme treasures and lore, after all. Sinnoh was supposedly the first region to exist. My parents would often come here, and come back to Unova after many attempts of finding rare items, some of them were wonky and some were pretty cool. I wanted to be one as well…..but then they died when I was only eight years old. Here in Sinnoh."
"Nearly ten years ago…." Looker said slowly
"Correct, if the Pokemon we're searching for has any connections to my parents death, I'm going to be the one to destroy it, even if I gotta use my bare hands."
The murderous tone the young man expressed sent jolts through Looker's body, something told him that the younger man was dead serious about that remark, Looker steeled his eyes realizing he'll need to be ready to stop Gedeon from walking down that path.
"Thanks for the pep-talk. You're nicer than you give yourself credit for, kid." Looker had a smile on his face seeing Gedeon scratch his head. He knew the young man wasn't experienced with receiving praise but that made it all the more better seeing the reaction.
'Wonder if this is how it feels to be a dad….' Looker had a look of uncertainty on his face as those were her last thoughts.
…
Day 2
The second day of the tournament was underway and many people were excited for more heated matches, thanks to the appearance of a Legendary and Gedeon the Hero, to some from the events of oceans a few days ago.
Today's battles were quite rare, each trainer will need a partner, thankfully you were allowed to pick who you wished to be paired up with. Although there seems to be a problem…..
"I have no one to pair up with….." The voice of Gedeon entered, the young adult felt left out from the sounds of it as well.
"HA! I MUST BE LUCKY."
"Oh no…" Gedeon's eyes deadpanned in false disappointment as the rambunctious voice of Jack came along.
"Seems like you need a partner eh? Well guess what? I do too!"
Gedeon shook his head, knowing Jack will be a recurring character in the next few days. He should just get used to having the energetic bundle of energy being around him.
"Just don't drag me down, yeah?"
Jack wrapped a shoulder around Gedeon and chucked a large toothy grin.
"I'm Jack fucking Burningdale, i never drag anyone down!"
"That's reassuring…" Gedeon said sarcastically as his voice tuned out.
'Seems the brat has someone to keep him out of his shell, this ought to be interesting.' Susanoo said to himself as he watched Gedeon and Jack talk about strategies together, a straight face adorned him before a small smile formed.
…
Gedeon and Jack were both seen eating as they were up next for their tag team match. Gedeon was already used to Jack's fighting style, Jack lacked coverage for ground types so using Dewott was a given, and he could always sneak in Ivy, his Serperior. Jack liked fighting so he'll play as the back-up for right now.
"You think we're gonna fight someone strong?" Jack said.
"Everyone here is strong, surprisingly."
"Surprisingly?"
"If I'm being honest, I didn't expect anyone to give me a challenge. But I was proven wrong, so I'm no longer underestimating anyone." Gedeon admitted with a scratch to his head.
"Honesty gets you pretty far dude, so I'm glad you said that, I'm definitely gonna lead us to victory."
…
Gedeon and Jack walked out to the field, given that their battle was happening now. Gedeon noticed the change of scenery, it was no longer the plain grassy field, but a more rocky terrain.
"Might need a change…" Jack whispered into Gedeon's ears, getting a nod from the young man.
"Yeah, this field will be detrimental to our plan."
Gedeon's and Jack's opponent was Twins of some sort, they both looked like the other, except one had dashing blue hair, with it flowing down like a waterfall, while other had green hair that seemed to be the opposite and was in a mini ponytail with a bang falling between their eyes.
Their outfits were of the same color, the blue haired twin was a female who looked more like a fighter, wearing a karate outfit the color of blue, with white wave patterns at the hem. The Karate belt was black, meaning the lady was quite strong. The green haired twin was also a female, however they wore a chinese style set of clothes, it was a Tai Chi uniform with a leaf symbol near their left breast, the color was black with green linings.
"So, you're our opponents! I expected nothing less." The blue haired lady spoke, if Gedeon had to guess her age, she was a bit older, maybe 20 years of age. As well as the green haired one.
"Jack, I hope you provide my Pokemon with some entertainment."
Jack seemed to flinch under the sudden pressure the green haired twin gave him, her voice was dominant and rough, something Jack wasn't used to. Gedeon narrowed his eyes as the blue haired twin seemed to direct her attention to him, as if challenging him in a battle of will.
Suddenly Susanoo appeared next to Gedeon and had a look of curiosity.
'Seems like they mean business, for some reason, I can't sense any malice, they may seem rough on the outside, but they seem to look up to both you and this Jack, for some reason. Respond in kind.'
'Heh, seems wherever I go, I spark some motivation in people, guess I'll go all out from the beginning. '
"AND HERE WE GO FOLKS! THE NEXT MATCH OF THE DAY IS BETWEEN THE FIGHTING TWINS, CORAL AND CLEMENTINE!" The announcer waved his free hand towards the twin sisters who stood there stoically, not faulting under the pressure of the rain of cheers.
"AND SO FAR TWO FAN FAVORITES! GEDEON ALEXANDER AND JACK BURNINGDALE!" The crowd's cheering caused Gedeon to chuckle, he felt like he was on cloud nine. Jack, being Jack, waved back at everyone with a goofy grin on his face.
"SEND OUT YOUR POKEMON!"
Gedeon and Jack simultaneously threw their pokeballs out to the rocky field. Gedeon summoned a heavy looking Pokemon that caused the ground to shake a bit more. Even Jack and everyone else was surprised at the choice.
"I didn't know you had a Rhyperior!" Jack practically shouted in admiration, his eyes were sparkling.
Rhyperior is a large, brownish-gray Pokemon with two horns: a larger one on its nose, and smaller one above it. The upper horn is even smaller on a female Rhyperior. The larger horn is divided into three sections by two thin slanted rings, making the horn resemble a drill. Its hide is partially covered by orange, rocky plates on its head, shoulders, arms, waist, and knees. It has blade-like protrusions on its elbows and has holes in the palms of its hands which work as cannons or guns. It has three blunt, gray fingers on each hand, two gray toes on each foot, and a club-like tail. Its eyes have red irises with what appears to be two thick, rectangular rocks above each one, resembling heavy eyebrows.
"I didn't think you'd have anything but a Fire Type." Gedeon cocked a smirk back at Jack, seeing his pokemon, which happened to be an Electivire.
Electivire is a large, humanoid Pokemon covered in yellow fur with black stripes. It appears to lack a neck and has red eyes, a black spot on its forehead, and a pair of antennae with bulbous tips. A pattern on Electivire's back resembles an electric outlet. The fur on its cheeks and shoulders is spiky and ruffled. It has two black tails with red rounded ends, resembling open electrical wires. Electivire has black feet with three, clawed toes, and five black fingers on each of its hands.
Both Electivire and Rhyperior looked at each other before nodding.
"Seems they're fine with each other, team synergy is everything." Gedeon sighed in relief. He knew most pokemon couldn't get along with another for lots of reason, he was just glad his Rhyperior accepted Electivire
"I can feel their passion, Sister, let's use that!"
"Very well Clementine." Coral threw her Pokeball, not before shooting it like one would do a ki blast.
Coral's pokemon was something that raised his eyes too, it was a Samurott, and a very large one at that.
Samurott is a quadrupedal, blue, sea lion-like Pokemon. It has two pairs of pointed teeth, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. Long, white whiskers extend from its snout and head, and it has a red nose and eyes. On the back of its head is a large, rounded beige helmet-like shell with spikes and a spear-like, pointed protrusion in the front. A dull bluish-gray seashell-like carapace covers its underbelly, and its limbs are covered with beige, sectioned bracer-like coverings, that appear to be made of seashells. The forelimbs' bracers contain swords called Seamitars. The lower two segments of these bracers are the scabbards for the two swords, and the upper segment and spike make up the seamitar and its handle. Samurott possesses three black digits on each limb, and a fin-like, splayed tail with the innermost section being beige.
Clementine's pokemon was a Torterra, something that could make use of the current field.
Torterra is a tall, bulky, quadrupedal Pokemon resembling a Tortoise, with a large shell covering its back. There is a single, oak-like tree and three triangular, stony extensions resembling mountain peaks on the top of the shell. There is a patch of brown, resembling soil, next to the tree. A white rim surrounds the shell and forms a diamond-shaped continuation on the front. Torterra's body appears sectioned, with the upper half being green and the lower half brown. Its mouth is jagged, which gives it the appearance of a snapping turtle. It also has a black nose. Its lower jaw is green and there are two large spikes protruding from its cheeks. Torterra's small, red eyes are encircled by a black ring. Its legs are thick and they have four toes each, which appear as if they are actually jagged stones. There are three toes on the front and one on the heel.
"WELL LOOK AT THIS, I CAN ALREADY FEEL THE SPARKS FROM OVER HERE! BEGIIIIN!" The enthusiastic announcer cried out, with the crowd cheering as well.
"I'll go first!" Jack announced. "Alright Electivire, Thunder Punch the Samurott!"
Gedeon noticed something was entirely wrong with the way the Twins haven't said anything yet to counter, they watched as the fast moving electric type jumped from rock to rock, on its way to strike.
Just as Electivire was near, Torterra suddenly moved in front of Samurott, both Jack and Electivire looked stumped at the display of speed the Torterra showed.
"HOLD IT WITH LEECH SEED!"
"RAAAH!"
Electivire moves its arms coated with electricity in order to slash at the approaching vines, however it was ensnared and fell over.
"Now, Razor Shell!"
"Ready, Goliath?" Rhyperior didn't look back at Gedeon, but the young man knew it was grinning like a battle-crazed man. "Rock Polish then, continue with Fire Punch!"
Rhyperior despite it's sluggish size ran in as if it was a speedster, cleaving off any access rock on its body to give it a big boost in speed, it made one huge bound towards the three other pokemon, shocking each of them with it's sudden boost in speed.
"Tch, Samurott, change your target!" Samurott growled as it saw Rhyperior approaching and leapt towards it.
"Jack, now!"
"FULL FORCE THUNDER!" Jack bellowed out quickly.
"WHAT!" The sisters watched as Electivire shouted as it lit up the mountain like field with intense power of electricity, the lightning coursed as throughout the terrain, Torterra wasn't phased as it was dual ground type, so was Rhyperior, however Samurott couldn't relate as it was struck with the super effective attack.
"NOW!" Gedeon shouted.
Rhyperior closed it's three large fingers as flames cloaked it. It landed the attack on Samurott, crushing it beneath the strength of tons thanks to its weight, slamming it onto the ground.
Electivire was able to escape the trap of leech seed and leapt back near Rhyperior who looked at Samurott regaining it's bearings.
"That was unexpected, but certainly a learning experience." Coral spoke with some regret in her voice as she watched Samurott wince in pain from the double attack.
"Don't worry sister, we know how this will work now, let's really test the flow of the waters and the power of the land, yes?" Clementine encouraged Coral, nodding, her face becoming less gloomy.
"Jack, they're most likely gonna be expecting that tactic, so we're gonna have to switch up."
"What do you suggest?"
"Let me go in, Rhyperior likes to fight, but he's also quite tanky, we can take the pain quite well, we're depending on that damage from you."
Jack's lips curled a bit, before his eyes showed confidence in them.
"You bet, partner!"
"Let's go!" Gedeon grinned, feeling his excitement for the battle rise.
…
"This is new." Looker said as he watched from his seat next to Cynthia.
"Hm, what is it?"
"Gedeon...he never shows much emotion, but right now, it actually looks like he's having fun, it makes me happy to see him grow out of his cold and hollow shell." Looker spoke like a proud father, something Cynthia caught up on.
"You know, you seem much more different too."
"Do I?"
"Anyone could see that, your relationship with Gedeon was one based on acquaintanceships and helping each other at work, now it looks like a Father-Son bond." Cynthia explained with a serene and warming smile.
"I...never really noticed that until recently." Looker spoke as he scratched his head, unsure of everything.
"You'll eventually see it, I'm sure he does as well." Cynthia ended before her attention turned on to the battle again. For some reason, the champion of Sinnoh really wanted to know Gedeon more.
…
"Tobias, this Gedeon Alexander, what is he?" The wavy haired man who's clothes resembled Darkrai merely scoffed at the question.
"He's weak...his sister is the better trainer." Tobias answered, pure destestment was in his voice. The man hated Gedeon for some reason, was it because Gedeon was weak? Because he didn't share the same strength as his sister? Tobias wanted to destroy Gedeon for a multitude of reasons.
"I see, so he really is related to the boss. When do we kill him?"
"We can't do that just yet, Arthur."
"Yes, that's true, it'd be unfair of me to strike him when he doesn't even know of my presence."
"Must you really be….like whatever you are? Why did Orochi even send you here to Sinnoh?"
"So you won't kill her Brother, my job is just that. You can be quite cocky." The man dubbed Arthur said bluntly, which caused Tobias to click his teeth in annoyance.
"Whatever, let's just keep watching." Tobias changed the topic quickly, his undivided attention back at the current match.
…
"Impressive, you two are really formidable." Coral said, her cerulean eyes glowing quite a bit.
"I agree." Clementine said with her eyes closed.
The same four pokemon were still in a heated fight, both sides didn't let up not once in their fight.
"This will be the final assault, it's now or never, sister." Coral looked in the direction of Clementine who also stared at her.
"Very well. I'll strike first."
"Torterra, Wood Hammer!"
"Samurott, charge forward with Aqua Jet!"
"Ya ready, Gedeon?"
"Yeah! Goliath, stand guard!"
Rhyperior knew what that command entailed and roared loudly, shaking the stadium itself under the cry of its name. Even Electivire was envious of how loud its partner was.
"Iron Defense!" Was the command that Gedeon gave his Rhyperior. The Rhyperior pushed its arms up, a metallic sheen overlapped its body, giving it a boost in defense.
"WE'LL CRUSH YOUR DEFENSE!" The Twins shouted in sync with each other, getting Gedeon to grin.
"Bring it!"
Torterra and Samurott slammed into Rhyperior with all their might, getting the large Rock Type type to grunt at the assault, it was being pushed back as it was being pushed into the very ground itself.
"RYYYY!" Rhyperior shouted as it's arms grappled both pokemon, shocking everyone.
"THUNDER!"
"ELECTI…..VIRE!" The cry came from above, causing everyone to look up as Electivire high in the air. A flash appeared before a raging bolt of electricity crashed down onto all three of the pokemon below, Samurott and Torterra couldn't escape the grasp of Rhyperior as it held them down.
"Oh no!"
BOOM!
…
"What a victory…."
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" The extremely loud and cheerful voice came from Flint, who appeared suddenly.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S FLINT!" Jack's tone was that of a fanboy who just met his favorite idol, getting Gedeon to sigh.
"Ha! I'm impressed by the skills shown today by you two. If I didn't know it any better, you two are a replica of me and my friend Volkner." Flint said with a look of remembrance.
"Yes, that's true, I was impressed by all four of you." Gedeon, Jack, Coral and Clementine all looked behind Flint to see Cynthia and Looker walking towards them.
"Sister, am I dreaming?"
"No, no you're not." Jack answered Clementine.
"Great work, that was most definitely the best battle for today." Looker spoke up.
"It was nothing." Gedeon said as he turned around to scratch his head.
"Still can't accept praise, that's fine." Looker smiled.
"Now, let's go to the meeting."
"Eh? Meeting?" The four young adults said together.
"Yeah, something came up, and it involves the recent killings as of late." Cynthia mentioned, this time her face showing deep concern and hidden anger.
"I see."
"Am I missing something?" Jack blinked.
"Oh, you guys don't know?" Flint watched as Coral, Clementine and Jack shook their heads.
"Gedeon here is my assistant, in public, however he himself is a detective at night, stopping the crimes that happen in secrecy. He's stopped a lot of big name drug trafficking bosses in Unova and some more." Looker answered.
"And you three proved to be quite strong, strong enough to Gedeon handle this current case, I know it's sudden, but I'm sure he'd appreciate the help." Cynthia added on.
"Of course! He's my rival after all, I gotta help him out!" Jack quickly answered.
"If it means helping others, by the land's grace, I'll help." Clementine said
"If my sister agrees, then i'll join, the flow of nature must be kept steady." Coral added with a firm tone.
"Great, it's settled. We'll debrief our current information." Cynthia smiled thankfully.
Gedeon watched everyone walk ahead of him, his face was filled with a mixture of emotions.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't help but feel…..happy?"
"That is the joy of being able to share the burden with everyone else, not just yourself, it's fine to let others in and help, I myself was once like you, doing everything by myself. Then I learned from Lugia and your ancestors. Now I have no regrets in my choices, just carry forth, kid. You have no idea how much your existence makes others feel content and courageous."
-END-
AN: Holy, did i go crazy this chapter. I didn't expect to write 2x more than what i usually do, but i did promise longer chapters, did i? I feel 8k - 10k is enough.
I introduced quite a few interesting characters, like Jack, Coral and Clementine who are completely original. Jack will play a huge role in the story as well as Coral and Clementine. Gedeon himself finally realized that he can't do everything on his own and Susanoo finally explained that to him.
Gedeon is a character who struggles with a lot of self-doubt and feels like he can do something on his own, however this chapter also gave him some development that he finally accepted the help from others. Looker even pointed that out.
I feel like I'm doing good with Looker, we know some stuff from him but I wanted to go a bit further and have him be that Father Figure to Gedeon, Looker feels conflicted and Cynthia conveyed what he actually feels, making him understand himself a bit more.
Next we got some snippets of Tobias with someone named Arthur, who we can tell doesn't like unfairness. He's meant to portray the actual ideals and philosophy of King Arthur, so I hope you guys liked that.
The character at the little tavern will appear next chapter and trust me, he's gonna be quite the interesting one to write!
Next chapter will focus on a bit more of the villains and what they're currently doing. I know people won't connect with a villain if they're never even shown.
Anyway, I hope this chapter was up to standard, be sure to leave reviews, tell me what you liked and disliked so I can improve on that.
With that said, be safe and healthy!