Ch.6
Ascension
Pokemon is the property of its respective owners
Hope's and Karen's laughter echoed throughout the hallway as the exchanged pleasantries from their past before Karen settled down enough to ask Hope if she heard him right.
"So basically what you're telling me is when you were five you scared you're older sister by making her think the house was haunted?" Karen asked incredulously with barely contained laughter.
Hope snickered as he remembered how he would always command his friend to make the lights flicker on and off in her room and make the doors open and close violently at random intervals.
"Yeah, she nearly camped outside when it went on for more than a week before I finally told my delightful friend behind me to knock it off as she legitimately believed that there were "evil spirits" infecting out house," Hope said before he too burst into laughter.
Karen's loud laughter bubbled down to a slight chuckle before turning staring at Hope compassionately.
"That sucks though. You only did that because you thought it was the only way for your parents to finally acknowledge your presence in their lives," Karen stated pitifully to Hope as she gripped his hands.
If Hope seemed surprised by this, he didn't show it as he smiled at her warmly.
"When you're a child all you want is your parent's full attention and that's hard with a soulless, empathetic robot of a sister. However, as I got older, I finally got sick of them and when I was old enough I moved out of the house and cut them off from my life," Hope stated proudly.
Karen raised her eyebrows at this as if something told her otherwise.
"If that's true, how did your sister get ahold of you?" Karen asked curiously.
"During my time here as a psychiatrist with the reputation of raising the morale of students it didn't take her long to find out that this same psychiatrist was her baby brother. So of course she barged right into my office and demanded to know why I haven't been trying to call her after all these years of being blissfully separated," Hope replied to a seemingly irked battle master.
"So after treating you like the dirt she walks on she expected you just to accept you back in her life, just like that?!" Karen asked rather angrily.
"Yeah, she gave me her pokegear number and expected to at least wish her a happy birthday if "I wanted to do something valuable" with my life," Hope said mockingly as he imitated his sister.
Karen giggled slightly at this gesture and asked him if he wanted to continue to have her in his great life.
"No, I don't. That's why this last happy birthday wish to her was my last and I told her in my note that I traveled to the Kanto region to further my studies on the human mind," Hope said as he let a small smirk contort onto his lips.
Karen nearly fell out of her chair when she heard this and allowed him to continue what he was going to say,
"I set up a hundreds of fake pokegear numbers and false addresses just to get her off track if she ever does try to contact me again," Hope stated triumphantly to Karen with his hand not grasped by Karen behind his head.
"I'm assuming that she won't be able to wrap her head around that all of them are phony?" Karen questioned Hope.
"Of course, she couldn't solve a puzzle even if it was lighted up on a billboard telling her what to do," Hope answered as they both snickered at the thought of her struggling where to put the last piece of a puzzle.
"I'm glad all the teachers usually go to Nimbasa city for lunch instead of just staying here, cooped up in the teacher's lounge," Karen happily said as she got up from her seat across the table to sit next to Hope.
"Well, I guess I just want to know how exactly Mr. Hands On got such a rare pokemon," Karen asked with puppy dog eyes.
Hope just smirked ever so slightly before gently removing Karen's hand from his and sat up from his chair.
"Sorry, but that will have to wait till later. This conversation has been…pleasant. I hope we get to do this again sometime," Hope stated respectfully to Karen.
"Indeed it has and please don't forget that favor I asked of you," Karen said as Hope made his way to the door.
The battle master smiled warmly as the humble psychiatrist lightly closed the door behind him and thought about the odd request she made to him as they were walking down the hall.
"Hope you and I both know that this school, while it has trained some of the greatest trainers in the entire world, is holding my son back. The constant drills and strategies shoved down his throat has made him predictable and one dimensional. While he has…slightly improved, I fear it may be years until his full potential is realized. That is why I'm asking you to write a request to the headmaster to let him go see the world. I'll personally do the same thing because I fear he'll be stuck in the middle of the road for the rest of his time here if he doesn't experience the world for himself," Karen said matter of factly to Hope.
Hope put his hands behind his head as he continued to walk back to his office which gave him enough time to think about Karen's request. Hope stared up at the sky just as a flock of pidove passed overhead and finally came down to his conclusion.
"Very well, Karen. You want your son to experience the world, then that's fine with me. But first his will must be tested before I can carry out your request," Hope said firmly as he wheeled around and headed towards the gym.
Meanwhile
After that "Zach" incident as it was now referred to class went on as usual with everyone practicing with their classmates in the hopes of learning something new. Of course, only battle rookies and battle aces had this class because of the battle masters having special, high caliber classes which were meant to test their skills to the limit. Dmitri of course was paired up with his trusted friend Delia as Haxorus was furiously trying to teach Maris dual chop and stone edge while Delia was teaching Dmitri tactics books just can't teach someone.
"So in the scenario when a Braviary uses sky attack on Maris what are you going to do?" Delia asked Dmitri hoping he wouldn't give her an expected answer.
"Well, I guess I would have Maris use fake out then follow up with swift," Dmitri replied to Delia in the hopes that his answer satisfied her.
Delia stared quizzically at Dmitri before nodding her head in approval. Delia had expected him to start with his favorite move force palm then follow up with jump kick. Delia decided to press on further hoping that his answer wasn't a fluke.
"Alright then what about when your opponent uses surf what are you going to do?" Delia asked once more to her "student."
Dmitri tapped his chin with his finger before responding with:
"Well… I guess I could use wide guard, but that would Maris stationary and open to attack. I could have her use bounce, but the timing would have to be just right or she'll get overwhelmed by the tidal wave. Oh, I don't know what to do. So many things can go wrong if I do either strategy!" Dmitri said frustratingly.
Delia smiled briefly before returning to her usual serious face and decided to input her own two cents in his predicament.
"While it is true that both can go wrong, they're still both feasible strategies as wide guard doesn't leave Maris stationary for a long time while using bounce can still be a huge risk, it will definitely be worth it as you not only outflanked your opponent you can also follow up with a counter attack as they'll definitely still be in the middle of using surf which leaves them open for a free shot," Delia intellectually stated as Dmitri looked on with awe towards his friend and mentor's advice.
While Delia's and Dmitri's training might be going well, the same can't be said for Haxorus and Maris.
"(C'MON, LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU WERE A FRIGGIN' DRAGON TYPE POKEMON WHICH MEANS THE MOVE I'M SUPPOSED TO LEARN FROM YOU, WHICH IS DRAGON TYPE MIND YOU, SHOULD BE EASY FOR YOU!)" Maris screeched at Haxorus in frustration as she couldn't even fathom how an elite dragon type pokemon couldn't teach her a basic dragon type move.
"(SEE HERE YOU DAFT NINCOMPOOP IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T REALIZED I FORGOT THAT MOVE IN ORDER TO LEARN A FAR MORE EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE SO I CAN'T JUST REMEMBER IT WITH THE SNAP OF A CLAW!)" Haxorus roared furiously at Maris as he got right in her face trying to intimidate her.
"Maris!"
"HAXORUS!" Dmitri and Delia simultaneously shouted at their pokemon as they failed to realize that their bickering attracted the attention of the whole class and Mr. Yamamoto who stared at the two pokemon with a mix of frustration and fear.
Delia spoke up for the two of them as she made eye contact with the crowd of frightened or awestruck students.
"We apologize for our pokemon's actions please continue on with your lessons," Delia shouted to her fellow classmates.
Some were relieved by this and returned to whatever they were doing before while others seemed disappointed as they wanted to see another pokemon battle to kill time. Delia shot a cold glare at Haxorus which sent chills down his spine while Dmitri sent a pleading look at Maris which she scowled at, but nonetheless they both knew what that meant.
"(Alright, then iguana boy I'm willing to calm down and listen to your advice if you can stomach working with me,)" Maris offered reluctantly.
"(Very well then, if you can suppress your urge to vomit then I guess I can too,)" Haxorus agreed begrudgingly.
Haxorus took a deep breath in and out for a few seconds before continuing with his lesson.
"(Now while we both know different moves they all involve one focal point; control. If you learn how to control the energy pouring through your hands when you use this move then you have mastered it,)" Haxorus told Maris calmly.
Maris wanted to say something unpleasant back to him but decided against it and tried to feel the flow of power he mentioned earlier. Minutes passed and she still felt no rush of power in her palms and hesitantly looked to Haxorus for help. He pondered on what he could do to help before a light bulb shone brightly over his head.
"(Maris, I want you to meditate and focus on bringing the power of a raging dragon surrounded by fire into the palm of your hands,)" Haxorus ordered.
Maris gave him a "You got to be kidding me" look before just rolling her eyes and going along with his crazy command.
"(Now instead of focusing your chi into the palm of your hands, I want you to focus on bringing out the latent power of dragon fire, but slowly,)" Haxorus commanded.
Maris inhaled and exhaled before a humongous, black as the night sky dragon appeared in her head and shot a stream of azure flames towards her and like Haxorus said she channeled the dragon fire into her palms and felt such a great overflow of power that it nearly made her arms go numb.
Haxorus nodded in approval before speaking to her once again.
"(Good now that it is out, I want you to focus on attacking these punching bags that I will throw at you without losing control. Are you up for it?)" Haxorus asked her as he grasped one punching bag in his claws.
"(Of course I am now just throw em' at me!)" Maris shouted impatiently.
Haxorus rolled his eyes and hurled one punching bag at Maris, which like a fly, sent careening back to Haxorus's feet with blue flames still covering it. Haxorus didn't seem surprised as he emotionlessly looked at Maris before throwing another one at her with the same result.
"(Ha that didn't take long I totally got this move down!)" Maris said as she jumped for joy.
"(Remember to remain in control of the fire,)" Haxorus said in a bored tone as he saw the azure flames go wild in her hands before exploding in a beautiful show of light.
When the dust settled, Maris could be seen on the gym floor with swirls in her eyes. Haxorus let out a hearty laugh as Maris sprung to her feet with a furious blush on her face.
"(SH…SHUT UP! I HAVEN'T MASTERED THE MOVE YET SO YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LAUGH AT ME!)" Maris yelled embarrassingly to her still laughing like mad partner.
"(I'm sorry, but feel free to correct me because I heard you say "Ha that didn't take long I totally got this move down" which implies that something like this shouldn't have happened in the first place!)" Haxorus shouted back at her smugly.
Maris flailed her arms angrily as her face turned as red as the sun before Dmitri's voice calmed her down.
"Uh…Maris if you're done doing whatever you're doing it's time to go home. Everyone left already," Dmitri said worriedly to Maris as he was already in his normal after school attire which consisted of a white t-shirt and jeans.
"(WHAT THE FLIP! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME AND WHY DIDN'T I HEAR A BELL?!)" Maris crazily screamed at Dmitri.
Dmitri smiled awkwardly before responding back to her.
"Sorry, you looked so focus on your training with Haxorus that I didn't want to bother you and the reason you probably didn't hear the bell is because it went off right when you struck that punching bag with dual chop," Dmitri said hoping his answer soothed his agitated partner.
Maris scowled at this and right when Haxorus was out of ear shot due to returning to Delia who just exited the locker room she asked him about the night before.
"(Are you feeling better now Dmitri?)" Maris asked her friend concernedly.
"Yeah I do. Thanks for taking me to Hope Maris it really helped and thank you for helping me through that as I probably would have never been able to go to school without your support," Dmitri said gratefully to the Martial Arts pokemon.
Delia walked up to the duo before Dmitri thanked her as well which she responded with a quick hug and nod.
"I heard Striaton City is serving lasagna that is too die for at their restaurant. How bout we go tomorrow since it'll be the weekend and my mom can drop us off their?" Dmitri asked Delia as they walked down the dirt road.
"Sure why not? I'll probably be able to-"
Delia suddenly noticed a figure walk out of the bushes with his hands in his pockets staring at them with a blank expression.
"And who are you?" Delia asked cautiously to the strange man.
"Forgive me Delia Shiina for not properly introducing myself, but you can call me Hope," Hope answered to the still wary battle ace.
"Mr. Hope what are you doing here?" Dmitri asked confusedly.
"You two know each other?" Delia asked Dmitri as she protectively moved in front of him.
"But of course, I'm the Battle Academy's premier psychiatrist and I just so happened to help Dmitri with that nightmare he had last night.
Unconvinced, Delia still glared at Hope before turning too Dmitri.
"Is what this man says the truth?" Delia asked Dmitri.
Dmitri happily nodded his head before staring at Hope; wondering why he was here.
"So, um… why exactly are you here?" Dmitri asked Hope.
"One thing and one thing only. To test your strength of will," Hope said as he waved his hands and out of the shadows formed a snickering, shadow like creature gazing menacingly at Dmitri.
Maris jumped into the air and landed in front of Dmitri; her mind and body impatiently awaiting his commands.
"Wait Maris you're still injured from your battle with Golden Streak so let me use a super potion to heal you then you can battle," Dmitri told her as he fumbled through his pockets to discover, to his horror, that he had none.
Hope seemed to notice this and gently chucked one over to Dmitri who gave a grateful "thank you" before spraying its contents on Maris.
"Well, Dmitri, are you ready to be tested on your willpower and a test of your abilities to see if you're ready to be a battle ace?" Hope asked him stoically across the dirt road to Dmitri.
"Can a psychiatrist really approve if a student is ready or not to be promoted a rank?" Delia muttered quietly to herself.
"Don't let my title fool you. Just because I'm a psychiatrist doesn't mean I'm not a good battler. In fact, I managed to stalemate Dmitri's mother Karen in a pokemon battle so my prowess as a trainer should not be underestimated," Hope told Delia sternly as she stared wide eyed at the smirking psychiatrist.
"If what he says is true, then Dmitri and Maris stand no chance at all. There's got to be another reason to this than just a mere promotion battle," Delia thought to herself as she suspiciously glared at Hope.
Hidden in the high above the trees Karen and Stephanie watched on with serious faces.
"This is it Steph, time to see if Dmitri is truly ready to go out into the world," Karen told her starter while never taking her eyes off the soon to be battle.
"(Indeed, time to see if Junior and Ragamuffin can impress him enough to let allow him to pass,)" Stephanie said as she coiled around the branch above her too get a better look at the tense scenario.
"Fine, I guess I'll be the referee once again. This match will be between battle rookie Dmitri and Battle Master Hope to test whether or not Dmitri has shown competent enough skills to be promoted to the rank of battle ace. This will be a one on one fight and it will end when either side is unable to continue or gives up," Delia shouted to the two combatants.
"BATTLE BEGIN!" Delia yelled.
"Go," was the simple command Hope gave his strange pokemon before it flew towards Maris in a fit of giggles and snickers.
Maris narrowed her eyes and braced herself for an attack; an attack which never came as her opponent passed right threw her. Maris's eyes widened in shock as she heard cackling from behind her and promptly turned on her back foot and struck out with a yellow chi enhanced blast from her palm, which too her horror, once again passed through her opponent as it chortled hysterically at her.
"What the? How are we supposed to beat an opponent we can't even hit?!" Dmitri thought desperately as he felt their chances of winning slip through his hands like cool, clear water.
"(NO, I HAVE COME TOO FAR TOO LOSE NOW! I WILL WIN FOR YOU DMITRI AND THIS SNICKERING SHADOW WILL. NOT. STOP. ME!)" Maris thought determinedly as she prepared for one the single hardest battles she will ever fight in her life.