Chapter 84: The Next Horizon
It was nearly a year and a half since Lucas left his hometown of Cherrygrove City for Sinnoh. In roughly seven months he had gone from a hopeless punk to the Sinnoh League Champion, and after that he headed for Hoenn for his shot at a second Championship. In that time he had gained the Hoenn League badges and faced the Hoenn Elite Four. So much had happened in all that time, and though it was only moments since he stepped into the stadium to face the Champion, it seemed like all that time ran through his head as he took his place across his opponent. It felt like a blur now. Only one more obstacle and his time in Hoenn would end. Only one more battle to face.
The Hoenn League Champion was a sixteen year old boy in clearly failing health. But in spite of his frail appearance his eyes shined with determination and experience. Lucas would not dare underestimate him. To a small-minded amateur, a weak-looking boy like Wally would seem like an easy win, but Lucas understood the truth, for someone like Wally to be Champion, it meant he overcame hurdles the teen couldn't even begin to imagine. Wally greeted his opponent kindly and gave a short speech before the battle began, "My name is Wally, and I'm the Champion of the Hoenn League. I was born with Cystic Fibrosis. I probably won't live past my twenties, and every day I'm alive is a gift. I was so sick and my lungs so weak that my parents wanted me to live with relatives in Verdanturf Town, the least polluted city in Hoenn to buy me as much time as possible. But even as sick as I am, I wanted more than anything to be a Pokemon Trainer. My parents humored me, but my friends May and Brendan believed in me. Being a Trainer has kept me alive, and meeting Trainers like you, Trainers who love Pokemon more than anything gives me determination to fight with everything I have, no matter how many times I keep getting bounced back to the hospital. Lucas, today you are my challenger for my Championship. Win or lose, promise me you'll give me everything you have as well,"
Lucas nodded solemnly, and Wally's gentle smile widened. Both challengers held up their Pokeballs and Lucas' final Hoenn League battle began. Wally's first Pokemon was an Altaria, a flying and dragon type. Wally began the fight by having his Pokemon use Dragon Dance multiple types to boost its attack to stratospheric heights. Lucas started with his Steelix, the Pokemon in the best position to defeat the typing combo. The Steelix used Rock Blast after Rock Blast while the Altaria responded with Dragon Breath. The clash between both opponents lit up the stadium with blinding white light. After seemingly countless rounds, the first match went to Lucas, the Altaria collapsed before the exhausted serpentine creature.
Wally continued to smile even though his Pokemon was defeated, though his hand trembled as he recalled the fallen Pokemon in favor of his next creature. The second Pokemon was a Delcatty, similar to Macaroon, the cat-like Pokemon Ashley had used at her Contest. Lucas recalled his Steelix and summoned Kazza, thinking the powerful psychic Pokemon could easily outmatch the feline. Though the first Psychic attack did harm the cat significantly, the Delcatty responded with a fighting attack. To Lucas' shock, the Alakazam went down with one hit and the teen was forced to summon his Tentacruel next. Wally had the Delcatty use Moonlight to recover the damage it had gotten from Lucas' Pokemon and tried to evade the powerful tentacles of the jellyfish-like poison type. But against Genghis Khan the Delcatty stood no chance and soon found itself defeated as well.
Wally was now down two Pokemon, but Lucas had lost one as well.
Next on the field of battle was Wally's Roserade, the final evolved form of the Roselia line. Lucas recalled his water type and summoned Diablo. The Mightyena was able to defeat this third Pokemon, a series of Fire Fangs taking it down just like he had the Metagross, but the Roserade's Poison Point ability left Diablo badly poisoned, and unable to fight in the next round. For his fourth Pokemon Wally summoned a Magnezone and once more Lucas summoned out his Steelix. At first it seemed Lucas would again easily win the match, but unlike Steven's Magnezone that focused on outlasting its opponent, Wally's steel type was trained for offense. Rock Blasts wore down the Pokemon's health, but the Magnezone knew an unexpected Fire Blast, and the Steelix was defeated. Once more the amount of Pokemon was more evenly matched as Lucas had four Pokemon remaining to Wally's three.
Lucas called on the power of his Torterra, hoping Wally's lower defensed Magnezone would lose before more Fire Blasts would wear out his own Pokemon. It came close. The Torterra's Earthquake attack nearly took the Magnezone out with one hit, only the steel Pokemon's Sturdy ability keeping it from being a one hit knock out. But the rival Pokemon's Fire Blast left the Torterra burned, and while in the end the turtle was victorious, it barely survived with just one hit point left.
The Champion nodded thoughtfully and summoned his fifth Pokemon. In a sweeping arrival the psychic type Gardevoir appeared before the tattooed Trainer. Lucas recalled the injured land tortoise and jutted his arm forward, "C'mon Gizmo, let's get this victory like we did all the rest!"
The Eevee jumped off of the Trainer's shoulder and joined the battle. Powerful psychic and grass abilities sent the normal type flying across the arena. Gizmo responded in kind with powerful Shadowball and Bite attacks that damaged the psychic Pokemon severely. It seemed both Pokemon were matched in power and sheer determination. Lucas knew this battle would have to be won with a single attack, "Gizmo, use Return!"
"Use Return as well, Gardevoir!" Wally responded. Both Pokemon summoned an aura of energy and blasted each other in another stunning explosion. But this time when the light cleared and the arena became visible, there were two collapsed forms on the field.
"Gizmo!" Lucas cried out and ran to scoop up his fallen Pokemon. Both creature's Return attacks were astoundingly powerful, and had managed to knock each other out. The teen cradled his slumped Eevee gently and buried his face into the unconscious Pokemon's fur, "Thanks buddy, you did great,"
The teen recalled Gizmo into the Pokeball around his neck, and Wally did the same with his own Pokemon.
Wally had just one Pokemon remaining. Just one Pokemon stood between Lucas and the Championship. His heart was racing as he analyzed his chances. Three of his own Pokemon were knocked out. Two had devastating status conditions in the form of poisoning and a burn. Only one remained in good health. And for this final round, he would not have Gizmo, his first and most loyal Pokemon, fighting for him. He took a moment to calm himself as he looked up into the crowds. Somewhere in that sea of faces cheering for and against him was Skyler, willing the teen to win with all his heart. And just beyond Wally was the podium of the Winner's Circle, where the Champion's team would be registered into Hoenn's Hall of Fame and would receive the Champion's badge that bore the crest of the Hoenn Region. This is where he would meet Skyler when he won.
Just one more Pokemon to go.
Looking at Wally he knew it wouldn't be that simple. Standing for so long was causing a physical toll. He could see the current Champion's breathing become more labored, even with his oxygen tank, but Wally's eyes sparkled with joy, and the smile on his pale face was infectious in its joy. The younger teen pulled out his last Pokeball and clasped it momentarily to his heart before throwing it into the arena.
The Champion's final Pokemon was a Gallade, the alternate evolution for the Ralts line and a psychic and fighting type, an always tricky combination. And knowing this was the Pokemon of a Champion, knew it would be especially difficult to take out. Lucas summoned his injured Torterra first, sparing a moment to use a Full Restore. It cost Lucas a precious turn, and he paid dearly for it. Though fully healed and no longer burned, the much faster Gallade was able to get in two attacks before the Torterra could even get off a single attack, the grass attribute outmatched by the Gallade's fighting abilities. Next Lucas summoned his Tentacruel. It too was at a terrible disadvantage, but faster, the teen hoped he could at least dent the opposing Pokemon before its weakness could be exploited. No such luck. Even the mighty Genghis Khan went down against the Gallade after one psychic blow. From a three Pokemon advantage, Lucas too was down to his final Pokemon.
Just one more Pokemon to go.
More than a little panic seemed to bubble in Lucas chest, and he even seemed to struggle to breathe. His final Pokemon was the poisoned Diablo, and while the dark type would have no problem against a psychic type, the Gallade's fighting element made the two Pokemon more than evenly matched. Suddenly the Winner's Circle behind Wally seemed far away. Lucas gritted his teeth. He could not give in to fear and more importantly, desperation. Desperation was how mistakes were made. He was no rookie. Though he was facing Hoenn's Champion, he was a Champion himself. In an arena much like this one, he had defeated Dawn with his team. Like his Sinnoh battle he tuned out the crowd, even pushing Skyler out of his head until all that was before him was his opponent. Wally had as much to fight for as he did. He had all but said being Champion was what was keeping him alive. And yet the boy smiled at him kindly. It was not patronizing or pitying. He was genuinely enjoying this match as he combated his body as much as he battled Lucas.
"So what are you going to do when you're not Champion anymore, Wally?" Lucas finally addressed his opponent.
"I haven't lost yet!" Wally said brightly.
"Humor me,"
"There's tons I plan to do! I can go to another Region and maybe become Champion there. Explore more of Hoenn, maybe even go back to Verdanturf and become the Gym Leader again. Though it would kind of be unfair to Vincent after how well he and his family have been doing since taking over. What about you? Would you challenge the Elite Four again, or maybe move on to try a Championship somewhere else?"
Lucas found himself laughing, "I haven't lost yet either,"
"Then I guess there's only one way to find out where we go from here," Lucas couldn't have put it any better himself. Wally could enjoy himself, be in the thrill of a Pokemon battle because he didn't look at this fight as the end of anything, only the beginning. And this was where Lucas found his answer. Even if he lost, there was still time to say goodbye to Skyler. And if he lost he would simply challenge the Elite Four again, a hundred times if he had to. The stakes were nowhere near as high as he had made them for himself.
And with that pressure gone a single thought went through his mind. He was going to win.
The teen from Cherrygrove closed his eyes, took a calming breath and pulled the final Pokeball off of his belt. Once again Diablo appeared on the field of battle, snarling and ready to fight anyone who opposed him. His body shook slightly from the Roserade's venom, but he refused to show weakness in front of his opponent, and especially not in front of his Trainer. Once more Lucas took a calculated risk, using a Full Restore to recover his ill Pokemon. And once more Wally took the opportunity to call his Gallade into action.
The Gallade threw Diablo up into the air and slammed him across the arena like a shuttlecock. Diablo snarled in pain, his injuries severe. Lucas nodded solemnly and dug his feet into the ground. Seeing his Pokemon hurt always stung him, but Diablo had to risk the injury to avoid further damage from the poison. Without the status condition, he had more than a chance. The Mightyena shook himself off and looked to his Trainer, a fresh wave of dedication as he determined to gain victory for Lucas. Trainer and Pokemon were in perfect sync, as were Wally and his Gallade.
As the younger boy called out fighting attack after fighting attack to the Gallade, Diablo ducked and weaved against the fast Pokemon, dodging almost all the hits. In response the Mightyena repeatedly used his Snarl attack, badly damaging the psychic Pokemon. Soon both Pokemon were equally injured, and as a result, the Gallade slowed. Its attacks landed less, Diablo's landing more often. Wally continued to smile but his commands to his Pokemon became more urgent. Lucas tuned it all out. The stakes, the crowds. Nothing but him and Diablo. He was going to win, because no matter what happened, there was always something afterwards to look forward to. He was going to win, because Pokemon Training was something he was best at. He was going to win, because winning at Pokemon Battles was fun.
Lucas was so involved in the heat of battle he barely noticed that the Gallade was no longer moving and the stadium had erupted into a deafening roar. The first thing to get the Trainer's attention was the fact that his opponent was wheezing. "Wally, are you okay?!"
The smaller, younger teen waved off his opponent's concern and with his walker strode over to his Pokemon. The exhaustion the frail boy was feeling finally showed on the surface, as he sunk to the ground next to his Gallade, "This was my first Pokemon, you know? May and her father Norman helped me catch him. My family was fine with me having a Pokemon, but for me to go traveling, with what I have was unthinkable. But I convinced them. I told them I wasn't going to be alone. That I'd always have my Pokemon by my side. And I still do. It'll be fun to travel with him again," Wally recalled his Pokemon and with much effort lifted his body back up to face the other Trainer, "Congratulations new Champion,"
Lucas smiled at his opponent as Diablo trotted to his Trainer's side. The teen dug his hands into the Mightyena's fur as the Pokemon folded his ears and nuzzled against the boy's thigh, "We did it. We did it you little hell raiser,"
The teen strode to the podium as photos of the six Pokemon on his team flashed on the stadium's giant screen. As he stepped up to its heights, almost the entire crowd chanted his name. A Pokemon League official Lucas didn't know came forward with a velvet covered case and snapped it open, revealing the Champion Badge inside. It was similar in size and shape to his Sinnoh badge and covered in gold. It said 'Hoenn League Champion' and the crest of the Region was made up of a trio of glyphic looking Pokemon, including the Rayquaza Lucas had seen in person surrounding three round red, green and blue jewels. As thrilled as he was to receive this badge, this sign of his triumph of now a second League, the thing he really wanted was now running towards him from a doorway behind the podium.
"Lucas! You did it!" Skyler ran to the smaller teen and lifted him off of the ground, pulling him into a tight embrace and kissing him with a passion Lucas didn't even know he had. He held onto his boyfriend just as tightly. Diablo looked up at the two Trainers in love and sat on the ground wagging his tail, realizing his Trainer's happiness was all he ever wanted. As Lucas and Skyler held onto each other, the gravity of two facts sank into the tattooed teen. Lucas was now the Hoenn League Champion.
And his time with Skyler was just about to run out.
Neither knew just how short that time was until the cry of a Dragonite pierced the revelry of the stadium. Just before the podium where Lucas and Skyler stood landed Lance. The older, red-haired Dragon Tamer approached his cousin, a solemn look on his face, "It's time, Skyler,"
"Already?!" Lucas couldn't believe it. Skyler had only been in his arms for a mere few minutes after his victory. "We haven't even had a chance to have dinner. To properly say goodbye!"
Lance's eyes were sympathetic, but his face was stern, "I'm sorry. I've given as much time as I could. Even with my influence, any longer and Skyler's punishment will be that much more severe,"
Lucas snarled. He didn't care if he was in a stadium full of people and he didn't care that Lance was one of the most powerful Trainers in Kanto and Johto. He wasn't about to give up Skyler without a fight. Even if it was just to get one more moment. "That's not fair-"
But as he pulled forward, he found it was Skyler holding him back, "No Lucas. Lance is right. I have to face the consequences of what I've done. It's the only way to show my family my growth. And it's the right thing to do,"
"I love you Skyler, I don't want you to go," Lucas gripped both of Skyler's shoulders, his knuckles white from the strain.
Skyler covered Lucas' hands with his own, and leaned in close, "I love you too, Lucas. Even if I never see you again these past few months have been the greatest of my life. But I know I will. You're on your way to your next Championship, for another eight badges, including the one at my sister's Gym. I'll be waiting for you in Blackthorn City,"
"I promise I'll see you again. Nothing could ever stop me,"
One final time Skyler bent his head down and kissed Lucas. When the all-too-brief kiss was finished he closed his eyes and walked towards his cousin. Lance put a consoling hand on his young relative's shoulder and the two climbed on the Dragonite's back. The dragon Pokemon flew higher and higher and soon were no longer visible in Hoenn's sparkling blue sky.
The docks at Slateport City were just as busy as the first day Lucas arrived. Cruise ships full of tourists skittered excitedly to the Regions' beaches while ferries full of Trainers shuffled into their ports, the occupants stampeding down the planks to catch the ferry for Littleroot Town. But the teen Trainer barely noticed the hustle and bustle around him as he headed single-mindly towards the ticket counter. While everyone around him was just getting ready to explore Hoenn, he was getting ready to go.
Lucas thought back to everything that happened in the past few months, including the events of just two days ago. The Trainer was now the Champion of the Hoenn League, the highest honor a Trainer could have in the Region. It was the single goal he had when he arrived at these same docks. And there was nothing left for him here anymore.
Especially now that Skyler was gone.
At first, the pain of seeing Skyler leave him right in the middle of the stadium almost tore the teenager apart, but as he left the arena with the Champion badge in hand, he thought back to his battle with the now former Champion Wally. His Journey was just beginning, he had to keep looking forward to what life had in store for him. What always came after, even in the worst of circumstances. And he had many things to look forward to now that he was leaving Hoenn, as well as a vital promise to keep.
"One ticket for Olivine City, please," as the ticket man behind the counter printed off the pass for Lucas' ferry, the tattooed Trainer turned to the furry Pokemon resting on his shoulder, "Well Gizmo, Skyler's waiting for us in Johto. I think it's about time I go home,"
Lucas' adventure continues in Pokemon Rebel: Homecoming