The Pokémon Master
Broken Diamond
By
the Davids (DK and Darth David)
Chapter Two:
The Pokémon Master
Ash Ketchum gazed
up at the stars as he had so often done before, looking back at
the previous events that had passed so quickly, so very quickly.
He was certain that the stars were gazing right back, but not
just at him, but all who had shared his almost impossible dream.
It had been a long voyage, to be sure. All too often he had been
forced to throw away the trappings of his previous life into the
turbulent sea of progress simply to stay afloat, but here he was.
Riding the big waves.
"IPokémon
Master" he breathed out, only beginning to understand
what the title meant. "I am the Pokémon Master," Ash
repeated, standing up and brushing the grass off his freshly
ironed trousers and matching suit. "I am the Pokémon
Master!" he yelled out to the whole world in complete
confidence this time, arms spread out wide, pride of everything
he had achieved, become, done and ever will do bursting in every
vein in his entire body, coursing through it. His mind bathed in
a pool of images, thoughts, and memories that manifested
themselves into a trickle that ran down Ash's cheek. As Ash
Ketchum of Pallet Town, he had come far, and now, as the Pokémon
Master, he would go farther still. And as if a transformation
occurred, he ceased to think of his identity, his past, who he
had been and how he had got here, and only focused on what he
would do with this great power he now possessed.
"I'm
proud of you," a voice whispered softly in his ear. Ash
didn't recognize the voice as any variable of his own; his
mind searched for a possible source.
"Ashhello?
It's me, Misty."
Still, Ash was
unsure. He turned around, and sure enough, there was Misty
standing there, aqua-blue eyes brightly shining, face radiant
with pleasure and happiness. How far they had come together, and
yet he didn't recognize her voice. Have I become so
consumed with myself that I can't even remember something so
familiar? Ash wondered. But as quickly as he had realized it,
he cast the thought aside. He was extremely tiredyeah, that
was it, he was just tired. After all, who wouldn't be after
just becoming the Pokémon Master? His final battle played itself
out time and time again whenever he closed his eyes. The scream
of Venomoth's Psychic attack still rang stubbornly through
his ears, as if it was Montella himself refusing to accept
defeat. But there was no escaping the justice of Ash's
victory. All those years he had focused on "just
maybe's" and "if only's" until, in one
pivotal moment, the penultimate chapter in his life, his dream
had become a reality. In the end, he had fought side by side with
his Pokémon, breaking down the boundaries between trainer and
Pokémon, as every master must learn to do or die trying. Not in
a mortal sense, Ash decided, but if he could never have become
the Pokémon Master, then he was dead in a way. There was nothing
in life, nothing in his past or his future that could compare to
this present, he was certain. This last thought hadn't
finished echoing in his mind before being replaced by another. You
deserve it. You and no one else.
"Ash!
I'm getting a little worried about you now"
Ash jerked back
to reality, smiling awkwardly at the pretty redhead. "Sorry,
Misty. I'm just tired, that's all."
Misty relaxed
visibly. "Ash, it's midnight. All of Indigo Plateau is
tired"—she drew closer to
him—"especially you."
Ash's mind
was a blank. He opened his mouth, to agree with her, to tell her
how tired he was, but also how happy, how wonderful, but no words
came out.
She leaned even
closer, her breath warm on his bare neck. "I love you, Ash
Ketchum."
"And I love
you too, Misty Waterflower." Ash blinked, surprised. His
answer had been automatic, his mouth had acted independently of
his mind. He felt nothingbut then again, maybe it was
because he was tired. Many times he had thought of Misty as
something definitely more than just a friend, he knew he loved
her, he must love herBut why is it, Ash thought, that
being this close to her would stir up such feelings before, but
not now? What's changed?
Their lips
joined, but still, he felt nothing.
One Week Later
A monarchy of
rogues summarized their progress in Cerulean City before the
royal departure.
"Excellent!
I assume that everything is ready for our escape?" inquired
Giovanni, a king among thieves. His prince nodded. Their king
smiled, a sure sign of his approval. Sighs of relief were
expelled. When the king was happy, there were no casualties. But
suddenly a very unusual thing happened.
"You may now
leave," announced his heir. This action of unauthorized
authority angered the king, and his troops shifted uncomfortably,
murmuring.
"You dare
talk to me as if our positions are reversed?" Giovanni
raged. The prince was not of Giovanni's blood; his name was
Jup Zing, and he had been hand-picked by Giovanni when he was a
rising star in the Pokémon League, and promised a great many
things, which he received in full at the mere cost of the lives
of a trainer and two Pokémon.
"They
are," Jup replied crisply, running his fingers through his
long, midnight black hair. "You made me what I am, sir, and
I thank you for that. But today, we"-he gestured at
the surrounding men-"say goodbye. You will be allowed
to live if you do not cause us any trouble. We have a new leader,
Giovanni, and that is me."
"You?"
Giovanni asked, amused. "And I suppose all my men belong to
you as well?"
Jup allowed
himself a small smile. "Mostly. But, any man or woman here
that chooses to go with you is more than welcome to go. No one
will be killed." Judging by the prince's smile,
however, he seemed to be implying that those loyal to Giovanni
would be few and far between. That, the king could not allow.
"Kill
him!" Giovanni roared, pointing a menacing finger at Jup.
The prince hardly flinched.
One man
indistinguishable from the rest held a small handheld pistol at
Jup's head. Almost instantly, that man in turn heard the
sound of many rifles being cocked and aimed at him. The people
stared at the two rulers, waiting for a reaction from Giovanni.
Giovanni was
steaming with hot anger. His facial expression clearly reflected
his inner fury as he rose up and pointed an angry finger straight
in Jup's face. "I made you who you are, ungrateful
scum!" The finger trembled in rage, but Giovanni's
voice had faltered slightly. Even he knew that every king had to
step down sometime.
"It is a
poor pupil that does not exceed his master," Jup recited
slowly and deliberately. That proverb was Jup's mantra. He
had learned much under Giovanni, and now, Giovanni would learn
even more under him. The tables had turned, and he could hear the
soldiers step back and lower their rifles as Giovanni drew out a
Poké Ball.
Evidently, this
conflict would not be resolved with guns.
"Kangaskhan,
go!" Giovanni said, calm and placid once again, completely
confident that he could easily beat Jup.
"Electrode,
come out!" Jup commanded, expertly throwing the Poké Ball
and releasing the Ball Pokémon.
Giovanni
scratched his head, unable to understand Jup's choice. The
child knew that his team ran strong with Ground and Rock types,
but he would not let the error go to waste. Returning Kangaskhan,
he sent out Rhydon instead.
"Electrode,
Toxic!" Jup ordered, but the Ground/Rock hybrid simply
shrugged off the attack, unaffected. Jup, knowing this would
happen, quickly switched to Sandslash. Rhydon stomped on the
ground, causing an Earthquake, but Sandslash was unimpressed by
the attack and answered with an Earthquake of its own.
Rhydon's Rock heritage left it weak to Ground attacks, and
the creature fell to the ground.
The man who had
threatened Jup's life stood down and holstered his pistol.
Giovanni, still
calm, sent out his Kangaskhan once again. He wasn't
licked—just yet. Jup smiled. He had waited an eternity for
this day, had planned it carefully as he toiled under the
king's iron rod. And now, his dreams were becoming a
reality. He returned Sandslash and called out his Poliwrath,
which was promptly knocked to the ground by one of
Kangaskhan's heavy punches. Jup didn't know the
creature's moveset, so he ordered three Amnesias and a Rest
as Kangaskhan sent blow after blow.
Then, Poliwrath
woke up.
Giovanni bit his
lower lip. There was an unspoken rule in Pokémon training that
stated you were never to use a Fighting type. The reason for this
was the general overuse of elemental attacks, which Fighting
types did not like one bit. But Poliwrath had Amnesia, so his
special defense was quite formidable. Its Water type complimented
its fighting type perfectly, and because Poliwrath was a Water
type Giovanni could not switch to his only remaining Pokémon,
Nidoking, no matter how appropriate that would be.
Jup recited the
words he had practiced so many times. Normal types, such as
Kangaskhan, were weak to Fighting attacks, and nothing else.
"Submission," Jup said.
For years now,
Giovanni had defeated Jup time and time again as much to teach
him as to humiliate him. Inside, that had destroyed Jup. But he
took heart now, in this incredible moment, that what goes around,
comes around, even among princes and thieves.
Back in the
Indigo Plateau
The lower depths
of Indigo Towers were bathed in red light. Sirens screamed,
computer terminals displayed red alert messages, and various
members of the staff of the Pokémon League scurried about like
scared rabbits, trying to get a handle on the situation. In the
war room, Ash Ketchum was experiencing his first taste of
terrorist activity. Of all the days not to sleep in! he
thought to himself.
"Indigo
Towers, come in!" a distorted voice buzzed. "Do you
read me? Officer Henry *bzzzt* Jackson of the Cerulean City
Police *bzzzt* Force reporting, we've got a *bzzzt*
situation here! Repeat, we've got a situation!"
Ash grabbed the
microphone headset Bruno offered him. As Ash listened in, another
person took over and identified itself as a Pokémon League
Official.
Ash spoke
quickly; there wasn't a second to lose. "Can you tell
us what's the problem? Hurry, we don't think we can
hold your transmission much longer!"
"They came
*bzzzt* twenty, thirty *bzzzt* strong, taken *bzzzt* everything!
Whole city *bzzzt* ransom!"
"Who?"
Ash demanded. "Who came?"
"It
was—" Gunshots were heard, and then a dying scream
echoed throughout the steel-walled room.
"—AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!" Static quickly
followed as the transmission was terminated completely.
Ash slumped in
his seat. He had never heard the scream of a dying man before,
and he hoped he would never hear it again. But it was likely that
if he lived to be a hundred, he would never forget it, no matter
how hard he tried.
"Ashwe
have to do something!" Lorelei prompted as her long, slender
fingers danced across a keyboard. No matter how young he was,
this was his job, and people looked to him for orders. Ash
didn't consider himself strong in leadership capabilities,
but he just couldn't bring himself to turn his back on his
duties.
"I suggest
we send in two anti-terrorist SWAT teams and set up roadblocks
around Cerulean, then contact the remainder of the Cerulean
Police Force to stop all traffic flowing into or near
Cerulean," Lance offered. "What do you say, Ash?"
Ash thought a
moment. "Yeahthat sounds good" Just then a
familiar voice interrupted his plans of action.
"I'm
going too!" the voice yelled.
Ash knew who had
spoken, but willed with all his heart, Please, don't let
it be her. She doesn't need to get involved. He turned
around in his swiveling chair, and sure enough, it was Misty. Ash
knew he had to stop her at all costs. This was no picnic, and
considering Misty's stubbornness, he'd have to do a
heck of alot of persuading.
"No,
you're not," Ash said, as firmly as he could. He
couldn't let his personal feelings for her get in the way of
him carrying out his job. "Stay here with me, Brock, and the
rest"
"Ash, this
is no time for chauvinism, I have a family there, and I
can't possibly—"
Ash was
indignant. "Listen, Misty, I'm not being a chauvinist!
This is no time for you to play the hero and go out and rescue
the entire city! The only thing that will happen if you go to
Cerulean is you'll join your sisters in a grisly
death!!!"
Suddenly, the red
alert sirens didn't seem quite so loud. Lorelei took a wary
step back as Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat. But Misty
never moved a muscle.
"And what do
you say?" she asked quietly, her deep, aqua-blue eyes gazing
into his.
Ash simmered
down, knowing that he'd overreacted. "Stay here, and
stay safe."
"Thank you,
Ash," Misty replied evenly, but with no hint of courtesy.
"You just saved me from making the biggest mistake in my
entire life."
Ash breathed a
sigh of relief. She'd been sensible, and she wasn't
going to Cerulean, she was going to stay here with him. Or
she'd die trying to play Superwoman. Surely that would have
been not only her biggest mistake, but her last mistake as well.
Suddenly, before
anyone could react, Misty turned around and charged out of the
room, her decision made, her destination clear: Cerulean City.
At first Ash
couldn't understand it, and expected her to return. But
then, he realized that she had decided upon going from the moment
the sirens had begun their wailing. Minutes later when it became
apparent she was already well on her way, he resolved that he was
going too.
Ash stood and
stated with an air of authority, "Lance, order the SWAT
teams to withdraw the roadblocks. I will liberate Cerulean on my
own."
This statement
rocked everyone in the room. Here was a fourteen-year-old boy
saying he was going to deal with an entire terrorist attack.
Either he was extremely brave, or more probably, extremely
foolish. "Ash!" Bruno declared in such a fashion no man
would dare interrupt him. "Terrorists don't play by the
rules. If you think you have the slightest chance against a group
of terrorists, you're asking for death." Bruno nodded
towards the headset clenched in Ash's hand. "Think of
our League buddy that was killed trying to communicate with us.
You're only human; follow your own advice and stop trying to
be the big hero."
Ash shook his
head. Bruno's words had bounced off him like a tennis ball
off a brick wall. "I can still do this, I am the Pokémon
Master—"
"As it is
human nature to overestimate your chances!" Bruno thundered,
blocking off the exit with his huge body. "Why are you doing
this?!?"
Agatha had held
with the shadows so far. As she stepped forward, darkness seemed
to clothe her. "Child, you have nothing to gain, and
everything to lose," she said in an undertone. "Let the
SWAT teams do their job; they are trained professionals, and you
are but a mere child. You have nothing to gain, everything to
lose. Which shall it be?"
There was more
pleading, and everyone in the room tried their best to prevent
Ash Ketchum from leaving the room, to work some sense into him.
But what they didn't know was that Ash Ketchum no longer
existed. All that remained was summed up by his last words:
"I am the
Pokémon Master."
Ash stood rigidly
in front of Bruno, matching glare for glare, until finally Bruno
realized that Ash would never back down. He was only delaying the
inevitable. With a final sad, longing backwards glance, Bruno
stepped aside and walked over to the far wall, where he stood
silently with his back to Ash. Ash, his emotions nonexistent,
simply breezed out the door and was gone. Just like that.
All eyes were on
Bruno as he remained as still as a statue, stiff and unmoving.
Finally the big man spoke. "We won't be seeing him
again." With those words, he stepped towards the door and
disappeared into the hallway.
Lance, leader of
the Elite Four, rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "We
can't ensure his safety," he said at last, to the
remaining staff present in the room. "But we can ensure
Misty's. I'm positive that Ash will never forgive
himself if Misty is killed in the fight." The others nodded,
and issued commands for Misty to be brought back to Indigo
Plateau. But they still heard the Pokémon Master's last
words ring clearly in their ears.
"I am the
Pokémon Master."