Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I own this fan fiction (well most of it, anyway), but I do not own Pokémon. Wednesdays are normally such free days… well I've got two or three hours to write this story today… for which I'm thankful. Thanks to WickedWolf09 for reviewing! That's another new reviewer now… well I'm happy, and I hope you all are as well. Here's the next chapter of Pokémon Go, and I hope you enjoy it!
Wake up…
Ash groaned, turning in bed, trying to get away from the sound. It was too early to…
Wake up…!
He'd only just gotten to sleep; he needed his eight hours of sleep…
"WAKE UP!"
Startled, he shot upright and hit his head against the ceiling. Disoriented, he looked around wildly before realizing Erynn and Dave already wide-awake, Dave making as if to go take a shower. Erynn was already fully prepped, it seemed, and was toweling her hair dry; she hid a small smile under her towel as he winced, rubbing the bump on his head.
"Sheesh, Erynn, you didn't have to shout…"
Erynn hummed a little tune, apparently not listening. Dave shrugged haplessly and hastened to explain.
"Espeon tried sending psychic messages to you after a few minutes of my shouting didn't do anything… Erynn… wanted to help… I guess."
Ash shot her a dirty look.
"Wanted to help…?"
Dave smiled sheepishly.
"Insisted, rather."
Ash turned to the clock which hung on a wall in the room. It was 8.30 in the morning.
"Half-an-hour… there's plenty of time…"
He yawned and climbed down the bunk, gathering his own things.
"RJ's meeting us at nine, isn't he?"
Dave nodded. Erynn finished drying her hair and begun to pack her used clothing into a small bag. Ash watched her hum contentedly for a while, and then shook his head helplessly.
"Fine; if it'll make Princess here happy, let's go get ready."
He waited for them in the lobby, seated on the hard, black leather chair; his gaze alternated between the clock which hung above the reception desk and the corridor from which he expected them to burst through at any moment. The PokéCentre was relatively crowded today; trainers from neighbouring cities, as well as locals, had all come together for the event at Trainer's Square. He watched as a few slightly older trainers handed their Pokéballs to Nurse Joy; people had been arriving since morning. The immaculate Nurse Joy and her Chansey friend worked remarkably effectively; they popped up as suddenly as Digletts from beneath the counter.
"Hurry up; we're going to be late…"
He turned in the direction of the voice and stood up to greet the three of them.
"Hello, guys… don't worry," he added, reading their expressions correctly, "I haven't waited long."
Dave ran toward the door.
"What are we waiting for…?"
Ash shrugged. Somehow he'd expected something more before they left.
"Is there any… particular order or format there… at the Square…?"
RJ shrugged.
"As far as I know, it's just a few small arenas built into the stone… trainers fight whenever they feel like it, is all."
Ash nodded; a tad disappointed.
"That's all, then…?"
Dave stepped out of the way as another group of trainers entered; their sweat-stained shirts meant they'd probably traveled quite a distance. Dave turned to RJ.
"These trainers…"
"They've come for the event." RJ answered his unfinished question.
The four of them stepped out into the fresh morning air to the hiss of sliding doors. Ash hesitated a moment until the others walked through, then dashed across the dread border.
The quiet hung around the city like a fog; trainers trickled in from the south gate near where they were situated, but still the city remained as though in its early waking stages.
Ash nodded.
The city that never sleeps… has one serious hangover.
As they followed RJ through the city, Ash fully appreciated how large it was; the shopping district he and Erynn had visited the day before was merely a small fragment of this metropolis that they made their way through now. Across long stretches of pavement, automated conveyor belts had been set in to help pedestrians along. Most of the shops were closed, but a few were already being opened. Erynn stopped at a shop which featured a very pretty dress of her preferred colour before Ash pulled her along. Up an escalator, through a tunnel flyover made entirely of glass… and they got their first glimpse of the city from above.
On either side, high-rise buildings towered over them; smaller buildings littered the city in what appeared to be random patterns. The roads and alleys were a maze of twisted lines in the sea of shops and buildings. At every few blocks the sea would be broken by beautifully-tended parks; Ash could see a girl walking her Poochyena from where he stood. The sky was cloudless; clear.
Turning, he could see the Gym in the distance; it was a tall building made entirely of black glass. Tall, but very narrow. Remembering the structure of the previous Gym, he wondered just how they were meant to battle here…
And then his attention was caught by a large break in the sea. A huge rectangular clearing made entirely of stone, with over a hundred small enclosures built into it. Even from above he could see the masses of trainers pouring in. Erynn gasped at the enclosures, which contained terrain of all different kinds; in one of the enclosures, for example, lush foliage reigned, with a pool of water situated in its center. Ash stopped and stared at the sheer vastness of the place.
"That's… a little frightening, Dit…"
RJ's footsteps continued to echo around the glass tunnel as he stopped.
"You guys coming?"
He seemed a little amused at the surprise on their faces. Dave watched the battles taking place below with anticipation, and then turned to face RJ.
"Is that…"
But that unfinished question needed no reply.
They stepped into the Trainer's Square, looking around bemusedly at the crowd of trainers already there. All around them, sounds of battle could be heard.
"Pyuro! Use Confuse Ray!"
"Durana; finish it off with Hyper Beam!"
"Let's do it, Ninjask; attack with Silver Wind!"
"Darn it! Nebul, return!"
"Now, one more attack…!"
Their cries were everywhere. Those that weren't battle were busy spectating. Benches had been situated in front of each enclosure, but most of the spectators had their faces pressed against the glass walls of the enclosure.
The Square itself was a large enclosure; a glass dome contained everything inside itself, and every one hundred metres or so along the glass, small machines which conditioned the air made their soft whirring noises. The air was pleasantly cool.
Excited, everyone felt like running off in different directions.
"Stay together… it's too easy to get lost here."
Ash seemed almost surprised he'd said that. Ditto certainly was. It made a small noise of approval before Ash realized it had somehow gotten onto his shoulder again. Dave watched a battle between a Dragonair and a Starmie. The Starmie's psychic attacks seemed to be getting the better of the inexperienced Dragonair. RJ scanned the enclosures for a sign of…
"This way, everyone."
The four of them made their way down a row of enclosures, turning left and right again after. They walked through a tall gate which had the words
Double Battle
Written above it in bold letters; the arenas here were larger, the crowds significantly so. The four of them read a sign which had been placed at its entrance.
Trainers; this area is for your Double Battling purpose. Please keep to your own colour-code based on your level of experience.
Green – Beginner Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 15.
Yellow – Intermediate Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 20.
Orange – Advanced Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 30.
Red – Expert Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 40.
All trainers with Pokémon of a higher level may participate in the free-battle zones; these are colour-coded blue.
Please do not swear, litter, smoke, spit, cheat, abuse your Pokémon or other trainers while in these compounds.
Have a nice day
Trainer's Square – Fluoride Administration.
"That explains it then," RJ said simply, "we should just stick to the green and possibly yellow sections as much as possible… and avoid the blue unless you're suicidal…"
Dave nodded; he was clearly ready to go. Ash shrugged, unsure of what to say. Erynn hummed a little note as she watched a red-haired girl defeat an enemy Ivysaur with her Manetric in one of the yellow enclosures.
"… let's go, then. If we get lost we'll meet back here…"
At those words, Dave immediately sped off in the direction of the green enclosures. Erynn opened her mouth as though to say something, then closed it and ran after him. Hesitantly, Ash stepped into the fray, eyes taking in everything around him. Ditto waddled after him, and RJ and Machop took the rear.
The enclosures were all made of stone, and up close, each arena looked all the more realistic; staring into one seemed like looking into another world; almost. He heard a loud booming sound and turned to see a Charizard being thrown against the glass by a Golem before being crushed into the ground with a Hydro Pump from the Golem's partner, a Politoed. Hurriedly he moved on, checking the coloured orbs which were set into the side of each enclosure.
In the green area, the Pokémon battles were far tamer. Seeing an opening, RJ pulled Ash along towards an empty enclosure. The area here was less crowded; Ash noticed the terrain here was one of a desert, with a few rocks and an (apparently) fake mountain. He turned to RJ's Machop, who stepped toward a small platform set into the side of the glass arena. Immediately the platform began to hover and drift toward the glass wall of the dome. Ash wondered what'd happen when Machop simply went through the glass. Ash tested the glass with his hand; it felt firm. When RJ saw what he was doing, he couldn't help but laugh.
The wall shimmered for an instant, then stiffened again. The platform carrying Machop settled into a dock situated in the arena itself. Once Machop stepped off, the platform descended into the dock, and the dock practically buried itself, leaving nothing there. A tone sounded, and Ash looked up to see the display board above their heads. A profile picture of Machop appeared above RJ, and a green O appeared beside it. He noticed that the display board above his head had a red X.
Motioning to Ditto, he watched as the little creature reluctantly stepped onto the platform. As it neared the glass wall, Ditto jumped off, sending the platform trundling back. RJ slapped his forehead.
The next time, trainer and Pokémon both winced; but Ditto was through. Another tone sounded, and Ditto's profile appeared above his head. It seemed as though photos were taken on the spot, because a potato appeared.
Unsurprisingly, their arrival began to attract a few other trainers. Erynn winked at them as she and Dave walked past, wishing them luck. Dave and Espeon were racing through the crowds; Ash suspected he was looking for stronger prospective battlers.
He heard the footsteps and two trainers finally stepped up. A boy and a girl; the boy looked around his age, but the girl younger. They were wearing matching blue and red respectively.
People these days…
He watched as they released their Pokémon. A Nidoran of either gender.
Cliché. Done, done, and done.
The two Pokémon entered the arena, eliciting murmurs from the crowd which now surrounded the arena; they were starting to look like all the other arenas around.
I don't understand how people can think in these crowds…
Two more tones signaled the registration of both the opposing Pokémon on the field. Looking up, he realized that the display screen also noted down the health status of each Pokémon. Looking at his opponent's details, he realized that the camera had somehow managed to take a rather flattering profile of the male Nidoran's posterior.
Amusing. Disturbing, but amusing nonetheless.
RJ tensed beside him as a countdown clock appeared.
5…4…3…2…1…
A bell sounded. You'd have thought it was a wrestling match.
"Machop! Use Seismic Toss!"
"Ray, meet him head on with a Horn Attack!"
"Rena, attack the Ditto with a Double Kick!"
Ash stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Ditto! Agility…!"
As Ditto emerged from the dust undamaged, he watched with satisfaction as Machop managed to toss the rock straight into Nidoran's Horn Attack.
The element of surprise… at least we have that on our side… for now.
A/N: My bedtime's here, so I guess I'll have to go for now. Next, I'll be switching to Erynn and Dave's battle, so stay tuned for more! Hope you enjoyed these chapters, and please review!
Thanks so much and good night!