POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Capitolo 54 - Back to Ecruteak with Us!
oooooooooo
"Drapion... use Ice Fang!" Paul ordered. "And you, Froslass... use Shadow Ball on Huntail once again!"
The scorpion-like Pokemon and the elegant snow specter didn't have to get told twice: with a warlike yell, Drapion launches himself upon Jakov's Sableye and bit him with fangs shining with cold azure light, while Froslass skillfully dodged a Crunch attack from Huntail and retaliated with a powerful sphere of whirling shadows. Both enemies were struck head-on, and as the secondary effect of Ice Fang caused the surprised Sableye to be encased in solid ice, Huntail was struck by Froslass' Shadow Ball, crashing on the ground a moment later and laying there with swirls in his eyes! Both Team Vicious members stepped back, in shock from how easily the purple-haired boy had cleaned their Pokemons' clocks.
"It that all you can do? Pathetic." Paul said with an uncaring shrug. "You are no different from all those buffoons with delusions of grandeur that pop up from time to time."
Cezar grit his teeth as he recalled his defeated Huntail, while Jakov did the same with his frozen-solid Sableye. "Hmph... you don't really think this is it, do you, brat?" the obese Team Vicious executive growled as his Noctowl, perched on his shoulder, glared ferociously at Paul. "Don't get cocky just because you've beaten these Pokemon... you still have seen nothing of what Tean Vicious can do!"
"While my colleague here and I don't usually get along, this is one of those rare cases where we're on the same page!" Cezar answered, his arrogance and haughtiness back full force. "Now, my dear boy... you shall see with your own eyes the power and the chance you have foolishly refused!"
Grinning, Cezar put his Huntail's Pokeball away, and took out another one, of a model Paul was unfamiliar with - and indeed, even the stoic purple-haired trainer could not supress a surprised frown as he saw it. It was a dark Pokeball, almost midnight black, and there was something about it that gave a bad vibe to Paul, even though the cold-hearted Sinnoh trainer usually had no time for superstitous nonsense. Jakov did the same, though if one were to take a good look at him, he'd have seen that there was more than a little reluctance in the gesture...
"Come out... Dark Manectric!" Cezar exclaimed, sending out a Pokemon Paul was rather familiar with - a Manectric, an Electric-type Pokemon from Hoenn that resembled a dog or a small wolf, its body mainly blue with a spiky mane on its head and yellow tufts of fur on its haunches and around its front feet. Its mane was sticking straight up and had three points. The Pokemon had a jagged upper jaw, red eyes, and holes on either side of its head that seemed to be its ears. Each of its paws had three claws, and its spike-like tail was bent at a sharp angle.
However, that wasn't the strangest thing about it - but rather, the fact that the electricity surrounding the lupine Pokemon's body was a strange black-violet hue, instead of the vivid yellow normally associated with Electric-types. Paul had never seen anything like that... and he was further surprised when he saw that the expression on Cezar's Manectric's face was ferocious and intense to the point of making him look downright bloodthirsty! His blood-red eyes and his guttural growling did nothing to disprove this impression... and that was not the end of it, either!
"Are you surprised? My turn now!" Jakov affirmed. "Come to me, Dark Alakazam!"
Jakov's black Pokeball snapped open, and a well-known Pokemon appeared from it, an odd-looking creature with a humanoid structure and large mustache, holding a silver spoon in each on his hands. His snout was long and thin, and he had long, ear-like spikes extending from the back of its head, with an additional spike protruding from each cheek. Covering his yellow, skeletal body were brown armor-like sections over his chest, shoulders, forearms and knees, and his legs were so thin that they hardly seemed capable of holding its body upright. However, a disquieting feature differentiated this Alakazam from those Paul had seen before - his eyes were completely black, pits of evil void that seemed to fall into a never-ending abyss!
"What?" Paul exclaimed. Even Drapion and Froslass seemedto be wary of the two newcomers, while the Team Vicious leaders were chuckling to themselves, completely assured of their victory. "What sort of trick is this? These Pokemon... are different from the others!"
Once again, Paul felt annoyance when Cezar answered in his haughty, high-pitched voice. "Hehehehee... pleased to see you've noticed, boy! Not only are you a good trainer, you're pretty observant too!"
"I have no time for your nonsense." Paul fired back. "Explain this, what kind of sick trick is this? What's so different about these Pokemon?"
"I will gladly explain." Jakov answered, his fat face twisting into a cruel sneer. "Those you see... are what are know in Team Vicious as Dark Pokemon. They are Pokemon who have been through a... special treatment... that awakens a staggering potential within them! All we have to do is capture them with these Dark Balls, that increase aggressiveness, power and stamina of all Pokemon that are caught within! This way, a simple Pokemon is immediately molded into a formidable weapon, ready and capable of crushing any obstacle! These are the weapons that will allow us of Team Vicious to climb to the top in the environment of Pokemon battles!"
"Hehehee... exactly! And besides which, can you imagine what can be done through this technology?" Cezar asked. "Dark Pokemon are much tougher, offering longer and more spectacular battles. Which in turn, translates to a greater marketing price, under our control! There will be no more need of tedious training in order to bring out the Pokemon's true power. Thanks to this technology, a captured Pokemon will already be as capble as one that has been trained normally for years! Now, little boy... do you realize that you've kicked your own fortune in the teeth?"
Paul stood silent for a while... then, the executives' cocky smiled faded as Paul produced his trademark contemptuous smirks.
"Hmph. See, that's exactly why I would never join you losers." he said. "Leaving aside the fact that I hate having anyone telling me what I must or mustn't do, there is absolutely no merit to your strength. You did nothing to earn your power. You simply created a slightly different Pokeball, and made it do all the hardwork in your place. You have not spent hours upon end studying techniques, teaching them to your Pokemon, and drilling them so that they could be as strong as possible. You just pick a random Pokemon, throw your tricked out Pokeball, and call it a day. Tell me, where's the merit in all of this?"
These brutally forward words left speechless the two criminals for several seconds... then, without waiting any further, Cezar shook his head and decided they should back their words up with facts. "Tch... you sure talk big, brat... but it won't avail you after we've dragged you before our boss! C'mon, Dark Manectric! Show him what we mean!"
"Dark Alakazam! Show him how much of a boost your psychic powers have gotten!" Jakov went on.
The enemy Manectric opened his mouth and let out another frightening guttural growl, his eyes glowing as he fired a powerful Charge Beam attack towards Paul's Pokemon... and at the same time, Dark Alakazam raised his spoons and concentrated, unleashing a blast of psychic energy against his opponents! Froslass was hit head-on by the electric beam, and staggered backwards with a short, ghostly howl; Drapion, on the other hand, tried to simply tank Dark Alakazam's Psychic attack, trusting his natural immunity... but much to his disbelief, as soon as the giant scorpion was hit by the psychic shockwave, he was raised up in the air and tossed against a nearby tree, sliding down its trunk in a daze. Paul frowned in surprise and worry. How could that be? A Dark-type Pokemon like Drapion should have been able to shrug off a Psychic-type attack like nothing...
"Hehehee... as you can see, Dark Pokemon are powerful enough to overpower even a Pokemon's immunities!" Cezar cackled. "So, have you changed your mind yet? Will you wisely join us, or will you persist with your foolish honor?"
Paul's stoic expression was soon back as he recalled his two Pokemon. "Hmph. Froslass, Drapion, return. I will recall you later if needed." he said, before answering the previous question. "My answer remains the same. As far as I'm conerned, this Dark Pokemon business is a whole load of rubbish. You cannot gain a fair and square victory with your own strength, so you resort to these parlor tricks and take the easy way out. I'm not interested in throwing my lot in with you losers."
"Hmph. Suit yourself, you arrogant little brat." Jakov sneered. His Noctowl spread his wings and hooted threateningly. "Your foolish sense of honor will only take you to an inglorious end! Dark Alakazam, use Psychic again!"
"Dark Manectric, show him a real Electric-type attack! Bite him with Thunder Fang!" Cezar exclaimed, unconcerned with ordering his Pokemon to attack a fellow human being. But as fast as Dark Pokemon were, Paul reacted readily and took another Pokeball out of his belt, revealing another one of his fighters.
"Magmortar, stand ready for battle! Stop those attacks with Fire Blast!" Paul exclaimed... and the massive Fire-type Pokemon took a deep breath as soon as he appeared on the field, before firing a roaring, flaming projectile shaped like a five-pointed star that intercepted the Psychic attack, hitting it head on! There was a tremandous explosion, like fireworks going off too close... and a flash of red and purple light forced everyone to stand back a few paces. Dark Manectric stopped in its tracks and turned away, growling in annoyance, while Cezar grit his teeth... and Magmortar took advantage of the momentary distraction to point his arm-cannon at Manectric and charge up a huge gout of flames!
"And now, Flamethrower." Paul ordered.
"Be careful, Manectric! Use Protect to foil that attack!" Cezar ordered. The electric wolf was able to raise an energy shield in the nick of time, blocking the flames and splitting them in two gouts that went each their separate ways. As soon as the huge flame dissipated, Dark Manectric raised his glance and tried to attack again... but Paul, as the expert trainer he was, was not going to let himself get caught off guard.
"Now, use Smokescreen!" Paul ordered. Before Dark Alakazam and Dark Manectric could get their act together, Magmortar breathed out a large cloud of dense, dark grey smoke that flew in their faces and blocked their sight! Both Dark Pokemon, along with their trainers, staggered backwards, coughing and sneezing. Clearly, for all that they had been powered up, Dark Pokemon were still just as susceptible as others to status-changing and debuffing moves.
"Cough, cough... curses! I didn't see this coming at all!" Cezar angrily exclaimed, trying to clean his face from the soot. "J... Jakov, do something! That brat is getting away!"
"I'll do what I can!" his obese partner in crime fired back. "Noctowl! I need your help, right now! Use Foresight and see where he is!"
"Owl!" the owl-like Pokemon hooted, taking flight in the midst of the cinder cloud, and lighting his eyes up like a pair of flashlights. A second later, the blurred figures of Paul and Magmortar appeared to him, and Noctowl tried to pursue... but Paul, showing his foresight once again, stopped dead in his tracks and gave his Pokemon a new order.
"There's a Noctowl out to get us. Take him down with Thunderbolt." the purple-haired trained stated. Noctowl croaked in surprise as he saw that the Fire-type Pokwmon was already aiming his arm-cannon, and a crackling electric sphere was gathering in front of it! Realizing that he was way out of his league, Noctowl quickly swayed to his side... and was just barely ableto dodge the lightning ball that was sent roaring towards him! He frantically flapped his wings to remain upright, as the Thunderbolt attack faded in the distance, then activated his miraculous sight once again to try and find Paul and Magmortar... but this time, he was unable to find them. The Sinnoh trainer and his Pokemon had simply left, leaving Team Vicious alone to lament their failure... and indeed, as the smoke faded, Jakov and Cezar found nothing in front of themselves.
"Owwwl..." Noctowl murmured as he perched on his obese trainer's shoulder again, and Jakov sighed in annoyance before being assaulted by a string of insults from his colleague.
"Jakov, you good for nothing!" Cezar shouted. "You let him escape like you were an amateur! Was it so hard to take out that Smokescreen? Your useless featherhead was a total fiasco!"
"What? How dare you insult my Noctowl, you pipsqueak?" was Jakov's ready and furious answer. "You know, I don't remember seeing *you* put much of an effort into catching the brat! At least my Noctowl and I did try! We only failed because that Thunderbolt attack caught us off guard!"
"Owl, owl" the owl-like Pokemon answered, puffing out his chest.
Cezar grunted as he recalled his Dark Manectric. "Well, if you weren't that much of a wounded-heart towards your feathered fiend, we would have caught our goose!" he snarled, refusing to take responsability for the failed attack. "Our boss won't be happy to know that we failed..."
"Well, so much for that. That guyis just part of the plan, and he won't going to cooperate anyway." the corpulent executive cut the discussion short. "We'll make do without him, and we'll pull out some excuse to appease the boss. Right now, we need to scram. Won't be long before the cops are onto us."
"Fine, you big fat oaf..." Cezar growled. "Everyone, we're falling back! Pack up your things, and then we're outta here!"
Some of the grunts protested quietly, but they knew they didn't have much of a choice, and soon enough, Team Vicious was gone, making sure not to leave tracks...
oooooooooo
Some time later...
A tall, dilapidated Japanese-style tower, surrounded with majestic oak trees whose leaves seemed to be permanently tinted with the burning red of fall.
A wooden red tori standing over the road to the main square.
Two trails of gingko trees, flanked with cheery trees in bloom, with some actual birds and bird-like Pokemon fluttering among the branches, and a few Stantlers peeking out from their hideouts among the leaves. The team of trainers was taking a good look around as they approached Ecruteak Town, led by a black-haired 13-year-old boy with a red-and-white hat on his head, a casted arm hanging at his neck, and a vivacious Pikachu running after him, waving his lightning-shaped tail about! Two more guys and two girls were part of this group, who was pushing forward with convinction as they finally got to their destination!
"Aaaand we're back in Ecruteak Town!" Misty exclaimed, looking around in a fit of nostalgia. It was like going back in time... that traditional town had really changed little in the almost three years ever since she, Ash and Brock had visited it. Even now, after all that time, the town still kept that traditional, comfortable and quiet appearence she and her friends had appreciated during their first journey through Johto. "Takr a look around, guys! It's like we're back at the age of the Daimyo!"
Ash grinned mischievously at that. "Daimyo? Odd, I never heard about these Pokemon! Misty, do you know about them? Or should I ask professor Oak?" he said out loud, faking ignorance.
The effects were instantaneous. Misty stopped cold, with an angry and disbelieving look on her face, and a pulsating vein popping out on her forehead... and soon after, she produced a huge paper fan from nowhere and tried to smack Ash upside the head with it!
"Ash, you... you... YOU IGNORANT IDIOT!" the firey Water-type trainer roared, taking a swing at the young boy, who quickly dodged with a jovial laugh, leaving Misty to spin in place for a split second! Pikachu, Brock and Tracey couldn't help but chuckle a little at that, while Ursula simply facepalmed and shook her head in annoyance.
"Hahahahaaa, it was a joke, Misty! Can't take an harmless little joke, now?" Ash laughed at Misty getting riled up! "Now, now, no need to get angry! I do know that a Daimyo was a local lord in the feudal era... which is the historical period during which this town was built!"
"Ugh... did you just fake ignorance just to get me riled up?" Misty growled in awkwardness and annoyance as she put her harisen away. "I swear, sometimes I can't believe you, Ash Ketchum..."
"I must say... I have never seen such an old city getting preserved so well." Tracey intervened, trying to have Misty focus on something that wasn't hitting Ash upside the head! "I would really like to visit it thoroughly! And... what's going on up there? It seems to me they're doing some work around that tower..."
"Seems to me more like they're keeping people away..." Ursula answered, turning in that direction. "I do wonder why, though... that place looks like it would reel in the tourists."
"That's the famous Tin Tower." Brock explained, taking a good look at the tower that, more than everything else, was representative of Ecruteak City. "Rumors and legends about it abound, and it is said that this is the place where Ho-Oh, Johto's main Legendary Pokemon, comes to roost. But judging from the works they are doing, I'd say they don't want even a single Pidgey to come anymore! I mean, just look at all those workings...
"Indeed..." Ash commented as he observed Tin Tower. It was the only building in the whole of Ecruteak City not to have preserved its ancient, traditional appearence: someone had set up some sort of observation camp around the great tower, and the only people around were a group of people dressed in blue uniforms, working under the supervision of a few Agent Jennies and their Growlithes. "Say, guys... that tower is the place Ho-Oh is related to, and Ho-Oh has been sighted around here in this period, so..."
"If you're going to make another lame joke, just shut it." Ursula fired back. "I'm still nursing an headache from the one you just pulled!"
"Gee, how nice of you." Ash snarked, with Pikachu casting a glance at the haughty Sinnoh coordinator. "I was just thinking of the swarm of Flying-type Pokemon we saw the other day. And Professor Oak did tell me that Ho-Oh is a Fire / Flying Pokemon that is considered the king of all winged Pokemon in this continent. Therefore... I think that swarm might have been composed of Pokemon that were answering his call. Couldn't it be?"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu squaked. He was still surprised at to how his trainer and best friend could switch from frivolous and foolish to serious and determined so quickly.
Ursula sighed and decided to drop the issue. "Well, tell you what, you might have a point after all. We should ask those people... but before we do that, I would really love to go look for a dry-cleaner! I've been wearing these ridiculous clothes for far too long already! And I would like to put my favorite dress on once again, thank you very much!" the girl ranted angrily. Indeed, ever since they had left the Miltank farm, Ursula had resigned herself to wearing the clothes she had been given from the farmer's daughter... but she couldn't wait to finally take them off and put her usual elegant dress back on!
"Alright..." Misty answered as she took a good look at the workers around Tin Tower. There was a strangely tense atmosphere about that place... as if people were expecting something bad to happen at any time. "I have to say, they look rather alarmed. What on Earth are they doing there on Tin Tower?"
"I think it's obvious. They are waiting for Ho-Oh to show up sooner or later." A young confident voice cut in, belonging to a rather peculiar-looking person who showed up in front of the quintet as they began on their way along Ecruteak City's main road. He was rather young, certainly no older that thirty or so, dressed in some sort of violet tuxedo with a white silk shirt underneath, matching purple trousers, along a red papillon on the neck, white shoes and a white cape of sorts on his shoulders. He had light brown hair with a fringe falling on his forehead, and he was carrying himself with great pride and self-assuredness. Ash and his friends looked at him, wondering who he might be...
"Johto's Legendary Pokemon have been on edge recently." the man went on, seemingly not noticing Ash and his friends. "And from what I could gather, this has much to do with what happened in Sevii Islands and on Stark Mountain. The three Legendary Beasts of Johto have been particularly active, and both Lugia and Ho-Oh are revealing themselves. This cannot be a coincidence."
Ash and his friends had turned their glances at the mysterious individual that had, seemingly randomly, started talking about about the Johto Legendary Pokemon. "Er, well... I can see you're well informed, sir." a rather uncertain Ash stated. "But I'm afraid we don't really know who you are..."
In front of Ash's companions' weirded-out expressions, the man stood in silence for a while, as f he had acknowledged their presence only then; then, he cleared his voice and introduced himself. "Hm. Right, my apologies. Legendary Pokemon are my field of expertise, and I tend to get myself lost in narration when I get the chance to talk about them." he politely explained. "Anyway, my name is Eusine. And who would you happen to be? I seem to know some of you at least." He turned to Ash, Pikachu and Ursula, trying to remember where he had seen those three. "Hmm... why, yes, I do seem to recall mow. You are Ash Ketchum, winner of this year's Sinnoh conference. Am I correct?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, proudly raising his ears.
"Well... yeah, that's me, Mr. Eusine!" the black-haired young boy exclaimed, adjusting his telltale hat on his head. He had to admit, it felt good to be recognized for his victories rather than his defeats for once. "Modesty aside, well, I must say I did my best there!"
Eusine nodded, then turned to Ursula. "You, on the other hand... you got to the quarter finals of this year's Sinnoh Grand Festival, right? Sure, your hairdo and your clothes are different, but I'm sure I recognize you." he said, causing the girl to sigh angrily. Ursula could only hope that she'd be able to live down that whole matter of the change of clothes...
"Well, at least I'm glad you recognized me... my name is Ursula, and yes, I got to the quarter finals. Hmph... I guess it's not a bad outcome, for my first Grand Festival..." the young heiress answered. "Though, I would have been happier if I had won. Meh."
"Mr. Eusine, since you seem to be pretty well informed about Johto's Legendary Pokemon... could you give us some informations regarding what recently happened? We already know about Lugia and Ho-Oh being particularly active..." Misty said, placing herself in front of the newcomer. "But what about the Legendary Beasts? Suicune, Raikou and Entei? Did they start to show up more often, too?"
"They did, and it happened in a town in Sinnoh, to boot." Eusine answered, causing Ash, Brock and Pikachu to frown. "Only a few months ago, the Legendary Beasts showed up in a town called Crown City. Their appearence was probably related to the sightings of Celebi, the forest guardian, around that place."
"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed in surprise. He remembered what had happened all too well. That was when Grings Kodai had forced Zoroark to use her illusions to make people believe Suicune, Raikou and Entei were attacking Crown City, all this is order to get his hands on Celebi. "Pika pi... pika pikachu!"
Brock nodded seriously. "Yeah... we remember that, too! Still, the Legendary Beasts haven't shown up that often, ever since that occasion..."
"Not the Legendary Beasts..." Eusine answered. "But with all that's happened recently, we cannot be sure that they won't show up soon enough anyway."
"I'm afraid we're heading for some hard times." Tracey concluded, taking a look at his Pokeballs, especially the one belonging to his newborn Dunsparce. He was quite possibly the least experienced battler of the group, and the idea that he would probably be forced to send his Pokemon in battle soon was rather scary to him. Especially since the memory of Scyther's passing was still fresh in his mind, and he did not want to lose another of his friends.
Eusine nodded, agreeing with the young artist. "Exactly. But for what concerns us, I can simply say that there have recently been some mass Pokemon migrations towards Ecruteak City. Just a few days ago, a large group of Flying-type Pokemon gathered around Tin Tower and swarmed around it for several hours, before dispersing for no apparent reason. This has caused quite a bit of worry among the inhabitants of Ecruteak City... and we do know for certain that it is somehow relating to Ho-Oh being sighted near the tower. We stillhave no idea what he wants, and all those working around Tin Tower are there to observe his next appearence and gather as much data as possible. Anyway, if you would follow me... I can take you to meet someone who's as much of an expert as me about Johto legends, and will certainly be able to help you on your quest."
"Hmm, I think I know who he is." Brock affirmed, looking at Ash, Pikachu and Misty in understanding. "You're talking about the Ecruteak Gym Leader. Morty, right?"
For the first time, Eusine gave a thin smile. "Exactly. Morty and I are longtime friends, and we do keep in contact." he answered. "I'm pretty sure he will be glad to see you again... and to know your two friends, too."
"Well, seeing as we're speaking of a Gym Leader, I certainly won't refuse this honor." Ursula said, doing a curtsey to Eusine. "And since I'm caught in this mess as well, I might as well do all I can to help Ash out. Alright, I accept. By the way, my name is Ursula, and I'm twelve years old."
"My name is Tracey Sketchit, I'm seventeen, and I'm from the Orange Islands Archipelago." the younf artist said. "I may not be much of a battler, but I will help out as much as I can."
"Good. Your group may be sort of... heterogeneous, I suppose the word is. But you do look determined as well." Eusine said, after carefully surveying the members of the quintet... as well as the Pikachu that, for some reason, was standing alongside Ash instead of staying in a Pokeball. "Alright then. I believe that talking to Morty would be a good idea for you. Please follow me. I'll take you to meet him."
"Thank you, Mr. Eusine. I know it will be of great help to us." Misty stated, following her companions as Eusine began guiding them to the Ecruteak Gym. She turned to Tin Tower for just a moment, looking at the workers still going on about their business... and for a moment, she was sure she could see a massive shape flying above the tower, little more than an indistinct shape hidden by thunderclouds...
oooooooooo
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked nervously as he and hisfriend walked along an half-obscured corridor, only dimly illuminated by some lantern-shaped lamps hanging from the walls, their lights flickering as if there really was just a small flame burning inside of them. The Ecruteak Gym had changed quite a bit ever since Ash had sustained his match with Morty: clearly, the place had gained in fame, and Morty had had the chance to expand it and add some new quirks to it.
"I agree with you, Pikachu... This place is really fitting for Ghost-type Pokemon! I'm sure Phoebe would approve of it..." Ash answered, briefly remembering the pretty Elite Four member that had helped them out at Knot Island. "Hey, guys, you okay?"
"W-well... it could be worse, I guess! Hehehee... it could have been a Bug-type Gym like Bugsy's!" Misty murmured with a nervous chuckle. The redheaded Water-type trainer was not exactly a fan of Ghost-type Pokemon as well - which was understandable since her first experience with them had been rather negative. "Still... let's just say I'm going to feel better if we're all together!"
Misty firmly held Ash's shoulders with both her hands, as if counting on his guidance to get out of the maze-like passages of the Gym! Once again, Ash felt himself blush at Misty's touch... and Brock, who was right behind them, smiled knowingly. They were small steps, but they were getting somewhere...
Since Tracey and Ursula had never seen the Ecruteak City Gym, their reactions were rather different - as the young man looked around, probably searching for some interesting Ghost-type Pokemon to draw, Ursula was keeping to the center of the corridor with a neutral expression... though, if one had watched her more closely, he or she would have seen that she was making an effort to remain calm. Ursula wasn't what one would call an impressionable girl, but that place was spooky enough to unsettle her.
"Do not worry, the Ghost-type Pokemon living here aren't aggressive." Eusine reassured them. A mischievous-looking Misdreavus phased its way through the wooden wall to Eusine's left, and after greeting the team with an high-pitched giggle, it floated upwards and disappeared through the ceiling. "See? That's their way of playing around."
"Pika pika..." the electric mouse squeaked, feeling somewhat unnerved anyway.
Luckily, the walk through the darkened corridors didn't last much longer, and soon, the team reached a red, heavy-looking double door to the Gym's central room. Eusine stepped forwards and gave the door a gentle push, causing it to slide open with a low screeching sound...
...and just then, the grinning face of a Gengar, complete with large red eyes, popped out of the darkness, causing everyone - Eusine included - to jump up in surprise! Ash, Pikachu and their friends let out a brief cry of fear and surprise, and staggered backwards as the Ghost/Poison type floated up to them, letting out a gloating laugh!
"Gengar... how many times did I tell you that it's not nice to scare the guests?" asked the voice of the Gym Leader Morty, who was walking up to Gengar with a falsely exasperated expression on his face. Gengar kept his usual taunting grin and looked away in mock-innocence.
As Ash and his friends saw the one that was approaching them, they had no more doubts: his sandy blond hair, with a blue headband keeping them in place; his long-sleeved black shirt, his trademark purple scarf, his dusty white pants with black work shoes... as well as an elegant Mismagius floating by his side; all of this left no room for error. That man was clearly the mysterious Morty, Gym Leader of Ecruteak City and Ghost-type Pokemon enthusiast! Ash stood back and waited for Eusine and Morty to greet each other before reintroducing himself.
"Well, if it isn't Eusine. Been a while since last time, huh?" Morty joked as he and Eusine shook hands. "So, what brings you here, for better or for worse?"
Eusine chuckled a little at his friend's question. "I wish I could say it's just a friendly greeting." he answered, getting serious quickly. "I heard about what's happening with Ho-Oh, and the recent mass Pokemon migrations, so I thought I might as well try to help out."
Morty nodded, never changing his expression. "I can imagine that. Your help is much appreciated, Eusine, since I'm afraid we still aren't anywhere closer to understanding what's really going on. And by the way... I see you're brought quite a few people along! Welcome back, Ash, Misty and Brock... I can see your adventurous spirit hasn't waned yet!"
Ash smiled and shook Morty's hand with his free arm. "You could say that we don't tire of wandering around that easily!" the young boy joked. "And, well, I have brought a pair of friends with me! Ursula, from Sinnoh... and Tracey, from Orange Islands!"
"Pleased to meet you, Gym Leader Morty." Tracey greeted, shaking hands with Morty as well. Ursula stepped forward and curtseyed once again, even though she bitterly thought that the farm clothes she was still wearing ruined the effect somewhat. "Yeah... we joined Ash and his friends for several reasons, and I'm afraid it would take too long to explain."
"Of course, I understand." Morty answered, motioning for Eusine and Ash's friends to mke themselves at home. The team entered, with Pikachu glancing warily... and jumping up a bit when a pair of Duskulls appeared from the floor in front of him, glaring at him with the red points of light they had for eyes! "I believe you have already heard of the strange recent happenings that involved Legendary Pokemon, right?"
Brock nodded seriously. "We've been involved in several of theseincidents already..." the young aspirant Pokemon breeder, looking at Ash's still-casted left arm. "And some of us have risked as well. As if that wasn't enough, some of our old enemies are involved as well. We do know that the infamous Hunter J, who we thought to have perished a few months ago, is working with Team Vicious as well."
"We are trying to anticipate their moves... and as soon as we heard of the incidents in Johto, we thought it would be wise to be here to deal with those people." Misty concluded, taking a look at her companions. Even Ursula, who was not on optimal terms with Misty, had nothing to argue against that.
"We understand that. And we appreciate you being here right now." Eusine answered as Morty nodded in assent. "Right now, Ho-Oh has given little signs of his presence, aside from these sudden Flying-type Pokemon migrations... but in Whirl Island, in the seas south of Olivine City, massive concentrations of Water-type Pokemon, even coming from other continents, have been sighted. We believe Lugia, the guardian of the seas, is involved in this."
"I understand. Then, we'll have to keep an eye out for the Whirl Islands as well." Ash concluded, as he thought back of both Ho-Oh and Lugia. More than three years had gone by since the first day of his journey, when he had seen the mighty Ho-Oh soar towards the horizon on flame-licked wings... and two years before, he had met Lugia, the guardian of the seas, in the unlikeliest of circumstances...
"Pika pi... pika pikachu?" Pikachu asked his trainer, perking up as though he had just remembered an interesting detail. "Pikachu pi pika pika chu?"
"Heheheee... don't worry, Pikachu, I hadn't forgotten about that!" Ash answered, before glancing back at his companions. Brock, Misty and Tracey nodded in assent, while Ursula shrugged, seemingly not caring one way or the other. "By the way, Morty, there is one thing I'd like to ask you, if possible. Since it's been a while since we fought, how about we had a Pokemon match? Just to see how much better we've gotten, what do you say?"
"As the Ecruteak City Gym Leader, far be it from me to turn down a challenge!" Morty answered, rubbing at his chin with interest. "Why not? Even in this situation, there is no reason why we cannot take some time for a friendly match! Alright then... if you want, we can have our match tomorrow! Should anything happen in Tin Tower, we'll be ready to intervene!"
"Pika pikachu!" the yellow mouse squeaked enthusiastically, giving Ash a thumbs-up.
"I'm okay with that as well, Pikachu!" the black-haired young boy answered. "Fine then, Morty! We'll have our battle tomorrow! Be prepared, 'cause I'm not gonna take it easy on you!"
"Same goes for me!" the Ghost-type Gym Leader answered. "Say, Eusine... you're okay with being the referee, right?"
The elegant Legendary Pokemon expert chuckled quietly. "I knew you'd ask that, my friend. I'm okay with it, anyway." he answered. "It will be a chance to see how good an ally he will be."
"Then I'm sure you'll be plenty impressed, Mr. Eusine!" Misty said with a cunning grin.
oooooooooo
Damien could say that things were going well for him, right now.
Team Vicious had achieved some important objectives, among which the capture of a Deoxys, the destruction of a leftover Team Galactic base, capturing the Plate Heatran had left behind... and getting Grings Kodai to join their cause. Everything seemed to be going well, or at least that was what Damien thought as he went back to his room, greedily clutching a dimly luminous stone in his hand. Finally, the young Team Vicious grunt felt it was the right time to get his revenge... and he knew how to do that, too!
His Togetic fluttered close to him, glaring at him with the oddly ferocious expression that set her apart from the other members of her species... and Damien chuckled fiercely as he showed her the luminous stone.
"Heheheee... do you know what this is, Togetic? This is my reward for helping mess up Team Galactic's day!" he said. "And this, my dear, is what will allow us to get our revenge on Ash Ketchum! Thanks to this Shiny Stone, you will become more powerful than ever, and I will get the glory I deserve!"
"Toge, tic?" Togetic chirped with cruel joy. She was already thinking about what she would be able to do once she evolved into a Togekiss...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: We've finally reached Ecruteak City, and Ash has met with both Eusine and Morty. Which means that I'm about to finally write an important part of this story... the fact that we're close to Tin Tower should already give you a clue of who is going to show up soon!
I will try to update faster this time. Hopefully, my newest timetable should work to the advantage of this story... and I will surely do my best to keep the updates coming!
See you next time!