2 The Invitation
"Mmm . . ."
Startled by the sudden stirring, the pidgy leapt away from the flaccid body that had been hanging next to its nest. It circled around its nest and watched, trying to decide what this new development meant.
With a painful groan, Jin'ei slowly opened his eyes. Someone was beating drums inside his head and his whole body ached horrendously. He tried to blink away the drowsiness. Bit by bit, the morning light brushed away the clouds over his eyes and his vision slowly came into focus. Water.
Water! The River! Falling!
He flailed in sudden panic and scraped his arm against the trunk of the tree. Crying out in pain, he jerked his arm away, throwing off his balance and causing him to slide down. At the last second, his hands wrapped around the branch and he held it with all his remaining strength. The sudden stop of his descent brought a new stinging pain to his spine. Groaning in anguish, he struggled to keep his weak grip.
He looked down to the river below him. The rushing water foamed white as it roared furiously over the rocks. Looking back up, he saw the three carvings that he had contended with, once again nothing more than lifeless stone.
Luckily for him, he'd only fallen for ten feet before the outstretched branch had caught him. Struggling for each breath, he dragged himself back to it, every agonizing inch a desperate battle. Finally up, he laid himself back against the trunk and sighed, wincing as his own breath set his chest aflame.
He gently felt his ribs with his hand, checking them for fractures. Somehow, none of them were broken, though three of them were badly bruised. There were no other serious injuries, just a few cuts and scratches. Dried blood was caked over a wound in his forehead and ran down his face, over his right eye. Seeing the smaller, broken branches above him explained that.
'How long have I been here?' he wondered.
Pulling back his torn sleeve, he glanced at his watch. The crystal face was cracked and oil leaked out from it. With an indignant snort, he tossed the useless object away. His thoughts suddenly went back to his prize.
"Damn!" he growled.
If Cerebral had remained frozen and floated downstream, it could be miles away by now. He closed his eyes and attempted to feel out the medallion's power. He was right. He could faintly feel its energy coming from some point far down the river. As far away as it was, he must have been out for a day or more. He realized, with slight relief, that its signal wasn't decreasing any further, which meant it had probably thawed and sunk.
"That's good," he said, relaxing a bit. "It's not going anywhere. I can wait here for now and let my injuries heal a bit." Noticing the pidgy that circled over him agitatedly, he added with a note of loathing, "Perhaps not right here."
Summoning up his mental powers, he rose up from the branch and seated himself down at the top of the cliff. He laid himself stretched out on the soft grass and closed his eyes. It wouldn't be too much longer now. Cerebral would soon be his.
---
The light of the morning sun burst into the room as Brock opened the blinds. Ash groggily sat up, squinting from the sudden brightness, and looked over at the motel window. Even with his hand cupped over his eyes, all he could see was the outline of his friend.
"Morning already, huh?" he yawned, turning away.
"It's seven o' clock," Brock said, adjusting the belt of his khaki jeans. "Misty's gone out to buy some breakfast. We'll be leaving after we eat, so get ready."
Rubbing his eyes, Ash climbed out of bed and stretched. After hastily throwing the blankets back into place, he grabbed his day clothes and went to the bathroom to get dressed, his pikachu following at his heels. Brock watched the boy disappear into the bathroom, slipping his green vest on over his orange T-shirt. With an apathetic sigh, he straightened the blankets out and then went back to the window to enjoy the warmth of the sunlight on his tan skin.
Dipping his hands beneath the running tap, Ash splashed the cold water onto his face. He donned his white-sleeved, blue jacket and, after drying off his hands, put on his green biker gloves. He looked at the comb sitting on the counter, then at his image in the mirror. Shrugging apathetically, he brushed back his black hair with his hand and put on his cap. With a satisfied smile, he looked to his pokemon for a second opinion.
"Pika," it said approvingly.
Just as Ash was coming out of the bathroom, the front door opened and Misty came in, carrying a sack on her shoulder and her togepi in her free arm. Still half asleep, the tiny pokemon clung to her sleeveless yellow shirt like a blanket. Her faded shorts hung loosely about her hips, held in place mostly by red suspenders
"I got some muffins," she said, putting the sack on the table next to her backpack. "They were out of butter, though."
Ash started a groan of disappointment, but Misty cut him off.
"No complaints!" she snapped. "If you wanted something else, then you should've been up with the rest of us and gone to get it yourself."
"Muffins are fine," he amended quickly.
Brushing aside her wild auburn locks, Misty opened the sack and took her breakfast to the writing desk at the other end of the room. There was a somewhat hostile silence as she opened the drawer and sifted through the periodicals inside until she found a camping magazine. She skimmed through the articles as she ate, now and then tearing off tiny pieces of the muffin to feed her togepi.
Though neither of the other two was exactly sure what it was, something had put Misty in a bad mood and none of them dared say anything for fear of further inflaming her volatile temper. They took their muffins and ate them quickly and quietly, nervously eyeing Misty sideways every now and then.
After breakfast, the three friends packed up their things and made one last check of the room to make sure everything was in order. Their inspection was interrupted by a sudden dull thud and the cracking of glass. Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw the long fractures in the window, stretching out from a single point of impact. Rushing out to see what had hit, they found a spearow standing beneath the window on wobbly feet, its eyes swirling dazedly.
"Wow!" Brock said, inspecting the broken window. "It hit really hard."
Putting her togepi down, Misty picked up the stunned bird and cradled it gently.
"There's a letter attached," she noted, removing the envelope tied to its neck. "It's for you, Ash."
"Really?" he said confusedly, taking it from her.
With a bewildered squawk, the spearow shook its head to clear its senses and then leapt from Misty's arms and flew off into the sky. She watched the bird fly away for a moment and then, with a shrug, reached down and picked up her togepi.
"So what does the letter say?" she asked.
Ash opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Unfolding the paper, he read the first line.
"It's an invitation!" he said, his excitement evident in his voice. He read the letter aloud.
"To Mr. Ash Ketchum,
"You are cordially invited to Blackthorn City to participate in the Bridenbeker's Memorial Cup Tournament. This special exhibition pokemon tournament, sponsored by the Bridenbeker Humanitarian Foundation, is held once every five years to help raise money for humanitarian aid.
"We would like to congratulate you on qualifying for this tournament. It is only available to twenty people who meet the tournament's prerequisite conditions. It will be held on the weekend of November tenth through twelfth and you must arrive at least two days prior to the first round to register. Accommodations will be provided for you and up to three friends or family members.
"We hope that you will come and eagerly await your arrival.
"Signed, Vincent Parker, Tournament Committee Chairman."
The rest of the letter was the long list of companies that sponsored the tournament and other legal formalities, which he didn't bother to read. He looked over letter again with an elated smile. The Bridenbeker's Memorial Cup was one of the most prestigious tournaments in the pokemon league. Trainers from all over the country coveted the opportunity to participate in it and envied those few who actually did. And he was invited to it! He was going to be the one that people envied. He couldn't have kept himself from smiling even if he tried.
"There's a post script message on the back," Brock noted, drawing the boy back from his daydreams.
Turning the letter over, Ash read on.
"Enclosed, you will find thirty-five dollars to cover the cost of the broken window. I apologize for the inconvenience."
He looked back into the envelope, confirming the amount. He put the bills into his pocket along with the letter. The three of them started off toward the main office to deliver the money.
"I can't believe you made it into the Bridenbeker's Memorial Cup," Misty said teasingly. "I always thought that they had strict requirements."
"They do," Brock remarked. "Only very skilled trainers get in."
Ash beamed with pride at the praise, but his smile was replaced by a grimace when Misty spoke up again.
"Careful, Brock," she warned. "We don't want to have to buy Ash a bigger hat again."
Changing the subject, Ash asked, "What's today's date?"
"It's October twenty-fourth," Brock answered. "We've got two weeks to get to Blackthorn, plenty of time."
Entering the main office, Ash explained the incident with the window to the woman at the front desk and gave her the money. She gave him an odd look, then shrugged as she put it away.
Switching on the desk Vid-phone, Ash dialed a number and waited. After several rings, the monitor switched on and Prof. Oak appeared on the screen, the image taking them by surprise. His normally well kept, graying hair was badly disheveled and his lab coat was slightly askew. His bewildered expression lightened when he saw his friend on the screen.
"Hello, Ash," he greeted. "It's nice to see you."
"Is something wrong?" Ash asked. "You look pretty messed up."
Prof. Oak heaved a downcast sigh. "We have interns staying with us this week," he explained. "They have no idea what they're doing. It's almost enough to make me loose faith in our educational institutions." Glancing off to the side, he suddenly exclaimed, "Don't play with that! It's very sensitive equipment!" With another heavy sigh, he turned back to Ash. "So, what can I do for you?"
"I just got an invitation to the Bridenbeker's Memorial Cup Tournament," Ash said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh! Congratulations!" Prof. Oak replied. "That's quite an accomplishment. I can't wait to see how you do."
"Are you going to be there, too?" Ash asked.
"Of course," Prof. Oak said. "As the world's foremost expert on pokemon, I get a special invite to every tournament. Every five years Mr. Parker graciously offers to buy me a new window. Nice bird, his spearow. Not too bright, but certainly a nice bird."
"Yeah," Ash said dryly. "We kind of figured that out."
"Hey, Prof. Oak," Misty interrupted, "what exactly are the prerequisites for the Bridenbeker's Memorial Cup?"
Prof. Oak took a moment to think. "Let's see," he started. "You have to be officially registered as a trainer and have all of the Johto Region gym badges . . ."
"Not the basic requirements," Misty clarified. "I mean the more specific ones."
"Oh," Prof. Oak said with a slight chuckle. "The decision is mostly based on the way that the trainer conducts himself. They select people who they feel best represent the kinds of ideals that Markus Bridenbeker stood for. Being in this tournament says as much for character as it does for skill. Of course, you do have to have participated in a few official tournaments and done well enough to catch the tournament committee's attention."
"See, Misty?" Ash remarked. "It does take skill."
"Don't let it go to your head," Misty said sharply. "You at least want to be able to stand upright when you're up in front of the audience."
Ash sighed, his head drooping sullenly. Why she always had to use him to sharpen her tongue was beyond his understanding.
"I'll be sure to tell your mother the good news," Prof. Oak said, a hint of anxiety in his voice. "I'm afraid that I have to go, before these blasted interns tear my laboratory apart. DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO TOUCH THAT?!"
There was suddenly a bright flash with the beginnings of an explosion and the screen went to static. After a few moments, the image of a woman appeared and, in a cheerful voice, explained that the line had been disconnected. After the message repeated a few times, Ash switched the monitor off. Misty and Brock shot each other nervous glances.
"Do you think he's okay?" Brock asked.
Ash took a step back. "I hope so," he stuttered.
"I'd worry about the intern," Misty commented. "Prof. Oak's going to kill him."
Ash chuckled weakly. "Right," he said without conviction. "Let's get going."
---
As the hours passed, the chill of the autumn frost from the previous night began to warm. The slowly dwindling dew that remained of it sparkled in the sun's soft glow, accentuating the gold and red hues of the changing trees. Fallen leaves were scattered about on the ground and every now and then a slight breeze would send a few more down to join them. The atmosphere was lightly moist and cool, but not cold and there were only a few clouds in the sky. The crisp air was refreshing to the three companions as they followed the path to Blackthorn City. They kept a slow stride, admiring the splendors of the forest. Only the sound of a nearby river disturbed the serenity of their travel.
With such a peaceful day, it was only Ash who kept their pace consistent. The young trainer was adamant about getting to their destination as quickly as possible, almost as though he believed his arrival would hasten the tournament to begin. His impatience was useless, however, and his rush was frustrated by the calmness, as even his pikachu couldn't bring itself to hurry with such splendorous scenery to admire. He continued to complain, but it did not take long for the others to begin to ignore him.
As the sun was passing its peak in the sky, the group came to a growth of apple trees. The fruits that hung from the branches shined bright red, a sight too appealing to pass by. With a smile, Brock stopped beneath one, looking up at the fruit hungrily.
"This looks like a good place to stop for a break," he said.
He reached up into the lower branches and plucked one of the apples. Sitting down, he bit into it.
"Do we have to stop now?" Ash asked.
"Aren't you hungry?" Misty asked back, taking a seat next to Brock. "It's been hours since breakfast."
A sudden gurgle affirmed the point. Chuckling, Ash replied, "I guess we can stop for a little while."
"There's no hurry," Brock stated. "It's a four day walk to Blackthorn and we have a couple of weeks to get there. They might not let us take our reservations until a few days before the tournament, so we don't want to show up too soon. We might as well enjoy ourselves."
Conceding to the point, Ash sat down with the rest of them. They unpacked their sandwiches and plucked a few apples for lunch. The next hour was spent eating and relaxing. Pikachu and Togepi played together, while Misty and Brock carried on in their own conversation. Ash lay back against the tree, thinking about his upcoming tournament, wondering who and what he might go up against. He'd faced a lot of trainers and competed in a lot of tournaments, but none of them would ever hold a candle to this one. He just knew that this was going to be the highlight of his life.
They boy couldn't contain his excitement and continually insisted that they press on. Each time, he met with a firm refusal and he eventually gave up on it. Pulling his cap down over his eyes, he made himself comfortable and let himself drift from his daydreams into sleep. Brock woke him an hour later, shoving a water purifier and some bottles into his hands.
"Go fill up the water bottles," he said. "We're going to pick a few more apples for the road."
"Sure," Ash replied, his sleep instantly washed away by anxiousness. "Come on, Pikachu."
Ash and Pikachu left the trail and followed the sound of the river until they found it. Sitting down on the bank, he dipped the filter into the water and pumped it a few times to build up the pressure. While Ash refilled the bottles, Pikachu sat on the riverbank and watched the fishes' playfully swimming.
A sudden faint glimmer of reflected sunlight caught the pokemon's eye. Strolling a bit further down the bank, it found a small metal object partially buried in the mud. Pikachu wrapped its paws around it and pulled it out, then dipped it under the water to clean it off. With the mud washed away, Pikachu saw that it was a small bronze disk with a string attached. With the exception of the strange hole in the center, it looked like the medals the pokemon had seen given out at tournaments. It sniffed the curious item, its ears twitching once in confusion, then carried the medal back to Ash.
"Pika-pi," it said, holding the medal out to him.
"What's this?" Ash asked, taking it.
"Pika," Pikachu replied, shrugging its little shoulders.
Ash held out the object so that it caught the sunlight and inspected it. It felt strange to his touch, pulsing as though it had its own heartbeat. For a moment, he thought he heard a metallic ringing coming from the medallion and then a sudden sensation of warmth passed over him, leaving his whole body tingling for a moment. He shuddered slightly as the feeling faded away.
"Pika-pi?" Pikachu inquired in a worried tone.
"What was that?" Ash thought aloud. He shook his head to clear away the ringing in his ears. Seeing the concerned expression on his companion's face, he smiled. "I'm okay. I just caught a chill, or something."
"Hey, Ash!" Misty called. "What's taking so long?"
"I'm coming," he called back.
Dropping the medallion into his pocket, Ash scooped up the purifier and water bottles and rushed off to join his friends.
---
Jin'ei shot up to sitting position, instantly awake. He jerked his head to the side and starred downstream with a mixture of anger and confusion. It couldn't be! He stretched out his mind in search of his prize. His eyes bulged wide when he felt the energy. It was different now.
"No!" he hissed. "This can't be happening."
Ignoring the pain in his chest, he jumped to his feet. Leaping from the side of the cliff, he flew off down river with all the speed his mental strength could muster. There was no more time to waste now.
"Do what you will," he growled. "But I'll still win. You will be mine, Cerebral."
---
The thin sliver of the moon rested high in the heavens, but it provided little light for the three friends. In the eerie darkness of the forest, they huddled around their makeshift fire pit, eating the broth that Brock had cooked up. Closer to the fire, Pikachu and Togepi were cuddled together and slept soundly.
"It's cold," Misty remarked, shivering.
Setting his bowl on the ground, Brock reached into his hiking pack and took out a blanket. Handing it to her, he said, "I expected it to be, so I got us some extra blankets."
Misty wrapped herself up in the blanket and moved a few inches closer to the fire. She looked up at the sky and gazed at the stars in silent contemplation. Ash scooted up next to her.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Nothing really," she replied. "Just admiring the stars. It really is a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Ash said.
His gaze turned upward and a smile crossed his face. So many stars; thousands of tiny points of light in an endless sea of blackness. As he viewed the heavens, marveling at the vast expanse of the universe he let his thoughts stray from himself, traversing the incomprehensible distances between each of them. Innumerable swirling balls of fire and gas, many of them hundreds of times the size of his own sun, and each likely to have its own collection of planets. As the minutes passed, the universe seemed bigger and bigger, while he himself became smaller and smaller. He was so tiny, so insignificant. Suddenly, he found that he felt very helpless and he shuddered at the thought.
"What?" Misty asked him.
"It's so huge," Ash answered. "All those stars out there, going on endlessly. Here we are on a little ball of rock hurtling through space with nothing out there but more space. This little world is all that we have. There's nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. It seems kind of lonely."
A slight grin tugged at Misty's cheeks. This was a side of Ash she had never seen before. She inched closer, leaning her head against his shoulder. Ash looked down at her, his expression somewhat distant. She smiled back at him, fixing her gaze on his eyes, immersing herself in their deep, ocean blue.
"It's not as lonely as you might think," she whispered.
Ash continued to stare at her, his face blank. What was she doing? Why was she acting so strangely? He felt a little uncomfortable, his face flushing a bit. He never realized how much her eyes sparkled with life, or how soft her hair really was. Her skin was so smooth and so warm.
Again, Misty drew closer, opening up the blanket to wrap it around him.
"Hey, Ash," Brock cut in suddenly, absently pulling flashlight from his pack. "We need to set up the tent."
Rising to his feet, Ash snatched up his backpack and rushed off to help Brock, leaving Misty alone, still extending the blanket out to wrap him. She stared at the two for a second, her eye twitching in disbelief. With an indignant pout, she wrapped herself up again.
"Smooth, Brock," she grumbled to herself. "Perfect timing."
Ash took the tent off from his bag and handed it to Brock, slipping it on afterward. While Ash held the flashlight, Brock assembled the poles and started to run them through the tent. Shivering from the cold, Ash struggled to keep the light steady as he guided them through. Suddenly, Pikachu lifted its head and sniffed the air.
"Pika," it called out in warning.
"What's wrong?" Misty asked. "Do you smell something?"
Shaking its head nervously, Pikachu rose to its feet and stepped forward, an intense glare on its face. It couldn't smell anything, but it knew something was there, something evil. An unmistakable cold feeling had come over it, like icy daggers of fright. It sniffed several more times, then shouted another warning. In that moment, the fire began to dim and then extinguished altogether.
"Who's out there?" Ash demanded, shinning his light out into the trees.
"So young," A soft and icy voice replied. "A pity that you must die."
Before them, an outline of lavender flames appeared, illuminating a figure dressed in tattered clothing. His expression revealed no emotion as he stretched out his hand. The purple flames intensified around his palm and then formed into a ball.
Brock opened his mouth to speak, but the words were stopped in his throat when the ball struck him in the face, throwing him back. Ash rushed to his friend and helped him to get up.
"What are you doing?" Misty yelled, throwing the blanket aside and rising to her feet.
The assailant looked at her coldly, then held out his hand with his palm pointed upward. When his hand rose up, the tent stakes shot up into the air and then rained down toward her as he turned his palm over. Misty dived aside and rolled away as staves sank into the ground.
Angered by the unprovoked assault on its friends, Pikachu released a jolt of electricity at the attacker. He held out his hand and caught the bolt, allowing it to gather in his hand and then dissipate. He gave a short grunt of exertion and Pikachu was violently hurled backward. Leaping up, Ash caught his pokemon in the air.
"Run!" he shouted.
He ducked his head quickly and the attack that was meant for him struck a tree behind him. The trunk shuddered under the force of the bolt, its bark exploding off from it, and crashed to the ground on top of the tent.
"I'm with Ash," Misty yelled as she scooped up Togepi.
The three of them dashed off into the forest. In the darkness, it seemed as though every branch and bramble reached out at them with grasping hands to hinder their escape. They scrambled through the brush, pursued by their assailant's glowing projectiles. One hit Misty in the back, barely missing her spine, and she stumbled a bit. In her panicked state, she hardly felt the pain of the bruise that was forming from the impact and quickly regained her feet.
Maddening fear filled Ash's mind. His lungs and legs burned from the strain. A bolt struck a tree branch above him and it scraped his arm as it fell. In desperation, he cried out for help. Only his own echo answered him and his next plea was cut short. The attacker was standing before him, a ball of purple light clutched in his hand.
"Scream all you like," he hissed menacingly. "No one will hear you!"
With that, he released his missile. By a stroke of luck, the aim was off and it only clipped Ash's ear as it sailed past. He turned abruptly and fled, Misty and Brock close behind him. Twigs and leaves fell like rain as the volley of deadly orbs exploded all around them.
"Someone help!" Ash called again. "Anyone!"
As he was shouting, his foot caught itself on a large, fallen branch and he tumbled forward. He felt something graze the back of his head and blindness swallowed him.
