The reason why
(I somehow managed to mess up the Italics for the thoughts, so just bear with me for this chapter, Oh yeah, Please leave a review and enjoy the chapter!"
The air flowed seamlessly through Ray's body as he rode atop his Vikavolt, the rain pouring down on him as it became increasingly difficult to navigate through the sky.
"Curse this weather; Vikavolt in itself isn't a fast Pokemon, and this weather isn't helping," Ray muttered. He couldn't see what was going on below him, which means he was unaware of the current situation on the cycling road; he could only put his trust in Bloz.
"It's going to be fine, Ray. Bloz is strong; he will be able to handle it."
Ray signaled for the Vikavolt to come to a halt, and as he began to see signs of Eterna City, he ordered the Vikavolt to slowly descend onto the ground, which the Metal bug did.
"This place is in ruins." Ray muttered as he slowly descended, before stepping foot. The previously cheerful Eterna city was now as quiet as the breezing wind and incredibly ominous, which Ray was not a fan of.
"Luxray, detect nearby enemies with your X-ray vision." Ray muttered before releasing the feline Pokemon, whose eyes instantly glowed a deep blue.
"So, are there any?" Ray was cut off as Luxray suddenly growled, and he heard a terrifying roar.
Ray's eyes widened as he reached to grab his pokeballs, as an abnormally big Garchomp suddenly leaped out of the Pokemon gym.
Civilians screamed and fled, terrified of the absolute beast that had awakened.
"If... Alpha Garchomp is present..."
Ray hastily released the rest of his team, and the four Pokemon instantly tensed up when they saw the mighty Garchomp.
The four Pokemon were Magnezone, Manectric, Jolteon, and Ampharos.
"Vkavolt, Magnezone, Flash cannon!""Amph, reflect, and light screen, then Dragon pulse!" yelled Ray.
"Manectric, Energy Ball!" Ray ordered, "Jolteon, provide aid with the Shadow Ball!"
"Luxray, find an opening to use Crunch; don't be too hasty!"
"Go!"
All of the Pokemon dashed at the Garchomp as Ray released his vehicle Pokemon, an Altaria, and went towards the Garchomp alongside the rest of his Pokemon.
He slid out a long and slick orange stick, which had an orange buzzer on the tip.
This was a special device given to him that he called the "Mandatum." All of his Pokemon have a ring attached to some part of their body with another device attached. Every time he clicks the orange buzzer, it will send an electrical vibration that only electric Pokemon can sense, and only electric-type humans can use the Mandatum, as they are the only ones capable of telling different wavelengths of the electricity, meaning that they are the only ones able to command Pokemon with it.
This simple tool allows Ray to command his Pokemon much easier and with much more proficiency.
Ray commanded his Pokemon through the Mandatum, repeatedly pressing the buzzer and using his connection to electricity to change and differ the wavelengths of the electricity as his Pokemon launched multiple attacks against the Garchomp, who yelled angrily before launching a wave of hot flames.
His Pokemon instantly dodged the attack as Vikavolt launched a bug buzz, which diverted the Garchomp's attention towards it, but the land shark Pokemon suddenly screamed in pain as Ray's Luxray latched onto it, biting down with as much force as possible.
Suddenly, to Ray's surprise, another Garchomp appeared, albeit much smaller, but it launched a flamethrower at Luxray, forcing the feline Pokemon to back off, and suddenly two more Garchomp appeared on the battlefield.
"Damn, this isn't good."
"Need a bit of help?" A voice suddenly said, "Who the hell are you?" Ray instantly turned his head around, only to see a magician-looking man wearing full white saying, "Who the hell are you?"
"You can call me Lux." The mysterious man said, "Admin of Team Unity."
"Team unity…" Ray muttered, "Fine, any help is needed against these beasts."
Suddenly, an explosion could be heard as a massive torterra suddenly appeared; Ray recognized it as Gardenia's famed "Terra," known for their sheer destructive force.
The Torterra slammed into the Alpha Garchomp with a mighty Giga impact, and both Lux and Ray took it as a cue to continue fighting.
Ray released a flurry of commands using the Mandatum as Lux released his Pokemon, which were two Zoroarks, one Weavile, one Bisharp, one Honchkrow, and finally a rather intimidating Krookodile.
Ray was amused as Lux stood still, concentrating deeply but making no noises, Ray's instincts suspecting that he was silently ordering his Pokemon.
"It seems he has a type, too."
Ray's focus returned to the battle, as he continued dishing out commands and orders. The Alpha Garchomp launched a fire blast at Luxray, who swiftly dodged the attack, as Manezone and Vikavolt shot Flas cannons at the Garchomp, who countered the attacks with a swift flamethrower.
The smallest of the Garchomp suddenly dashed at Vikavolt in the air, but his attack was countered by a swift sucker punch from Lux's Bisharp, and the Garchomp was then jumped by multiple clones of Lux's Weavile using Night Slash.
The clones suddenly dispersed after another Garchomp intervened with two swift dragon claws, but they were then met with a barrage of flash cannons and dark pulses.
The two Zoroarks provided long-range aid alongside Jolteon; Ray and Lux were surprised when the Alpha Garchomp broke itself from the constant chaos and dashed at Jolteon and the Zoroarks.
The Zoroarks hastily launched two powerful flamethrowers at the Alpha in hopes of slowing it down, but the infuriated Garchomp shook the attacks off and sharpened its claws before leaping atop a nearby wall.
"Abomasnow, Blizzard!"
A wave of cold wind and ice engulfed the Alpha Garchomp, and as Gardenia stood behind her abnormally large Abomasnow, both of them seemed incredibly tired, as the Abomasnow had multiple bruises and scars on it.
"Return. You did great." Gardenia muttered before commanding her other Pokemon.
"Terra, divert your focus on the Alpha!" Gardenia ordered, "Tangy and Leafon, support the others!"
"Shifty and Roserade, "Remain alert and be cautious; avoid all attacks coming your way!"
Then it was complete chaos.
As the Alpha Garchomp recovered from the Blizzard, more enraged than ever, he went toe-to-toe with the heavily bruised Torterra.
The Garchomp seemed to be running on pure adrenaline and rage, as it didn't even dwindle from the heavy injuries it suffered as it dashed at Torterra, rearing its claws for a dragon claw, but was forced to dodge as Torterra sent a powerful stone edge flying at it.
The Alpha Garchomp was hit with multiple dark pulses and shadow balls in the back and was then struck by a leaf tornado.
The Alpha Garchomp finally seemed to be at its limit, and as it nearly fell to the floor, the Torterra carefully approached it, ready to send the land shark toppling away with a swift takedown.
The Alpha Garchomp growled at the Torterra, who returned the gesture.
"The Alpha Garchomp was likely enraged at the radicals, who were causing mass destruction of their territory, and my partner, Bloz, likely tried to stop him, and the Alpha likely gained the thought that the humans have been purposefully attacking it." Ray mused, "If I am being honest, I don't know whether or not Bloz is alive."
"I honestly don't care," Lux said blankly.
"It seems you're straightforward."
"Thank you." Lux replied, "But sadly, I can't just swallow the pill of socializing with a government buffoon anymore."
"Rude." Ray muttered, "At least you were a strong trainer..."
"This situation should be resolved, as since their leader has fallen, the rest of the packs should convene."
Suddenly, the Alpha Garchomp stood back up.
"Shit."
Lux, standing on his Honchkrow, suddenly stopped talking, and his Pokemon instantly sprang into action as the deadly battle continued.
Instead of targeting the Torterra, he suddenly leaped into the air, glaring at Lux and Ra.
"DON'T TELL ME-"
Vikavolt and Magnezone followed the Alpha, but suddenly, the rest of the Garchomp intercepted it, shooting flamethrowers and slapping them down with dragon claws.
The Alpha Garchomp launched a flamethrower on the Altaria Ray was standing on, and he was knocked off, plummeting to his doom.
"Shit! Is this… "How am I going to perish?"
"Fucking hell…"
"Damn it…"
"I haven't even..."
Line break
Nick hastily scurried over to where the massive roar and explosions came from, and he saw civilians screaming as they fled.
Then he saw it: a massive Alpha Garchomp, at least 8 feet tall, possibly nine feet tall; to call it a giant of its species would be an understatement; it was comparable to the "true" Alpha Pokemon that appeared in the now-regions of Sinnoh and Unova until they were all nearly completely exterminated during "Operation E."
Nick could only stare in awe from afar at the sheer power the Garchomp possessed.
However, a familiar face appeared, wearing a bright blue uniform with the symbol "STD" written on it, and he was certain that this was not a force formed to combat a sexually transmitted disease, but rather a force formed to combat a gang.
The specially trained defense force, or just "STD,"
He saw…
Ray.
And he noticed, as he stood upon his altaria, that he had an orange stick-like object with a button on top...
"Wait, is that a button or just the tip?"
Nick shook his head as he continued to observe the battle. He assumed that it was some sort of tool for commanding, judging by the lack of orders Ray was giving verbally and how organized his Pokemon were.
Suddenly, he heard a ringing in his head, but before he could do anything, he heard a massive roar as a Torterra unleashed its fury upon the Alpha Garchomp. He continued to hear the ringing sound again as two Zoraorks appeared on the battlefield, firing dark pulses and flamethrowers at the Garchomps.
He continued to hear the ringing sound as he turned to see a familiar man, Lux, with his extravagant and flamboyant magician costume.
"The ringing…"
"It's coming from him."
Nick had a sneaking suspicion he knew why, but he had to push that thought away as he was forced to take cover behind a house as boulders caused by the Torterra's mighty stone edge were hurled at him.
"This is bad; at the rate we are going, this city could be in ruins by the time they are done!"
He poked his head out from behind the house, and as he saw the chaotic brawl happening, he quickly realized that both Lux and Ray were at a massive disadvantage.
Ray was an electric specialist, and while Nick was confident, he had countermeasures for ground types. Like, for example, Nick could tell from his own experience that the reason he was putting his Luxray in a potentially dangerous scenario by getting in close with a swift pounce was likely because his Luxray knew Ice Fang or some other move that could counter the Alpha Garchomp.
But, due to the other Garchomps interfering with it, his Luxray is forced to be on the defensive to avoid being torn to shreds.
Lux, on the other hand, is likely not used to this sort of fighting.
"He's a dark type specialist, and, judging by his type specialty and job, he is likely not suited to an all-out brawl like this."
The ringing became even louder as the battle progressed, and it became more frantic.
"It seems like my hunch was correct."
Nick was now confident that Lux was commanding his team through subtle releases of dark energy, which only other dark types could sense.
"What a crafty bastard; not only that, but it is also extraordinarily difficult, as he had to dedicate a lot of training."
Nick had numerous close calls as boulders, glass, etc. nearly smacked him in the face; sometimes he even had to dodge stray flash cannons and flamethrowers.
Nick scanned his surroundings and paid close attention to Lux and his Pokemon. He narrowed his eyes as he realized that Lux was still commanding his Pokemon, likely using the same technique. He was shocked as the man barely moved his mouth; even if somebody has non-verbal ways of commanding their Pokemon, they would usually still use verbal commands.
But not a single word came from Lux's mouth as his Pokemon seamlessly fought against the Garchomps.
Suddenly, a misfired flamethrower exploded upon some rubble from the destruction of the gym, and the pieces flew straight at Nick, who hastily hid back behind the house. He then ducked his head out, quickly realizing that the Alpha Garchomp, although strong, seemed to be starting to exhaust its energy.
Nick wasn't surprised, as the Pokemon was the main target for the onslaught of the powerful Pokemon's attacks, along with having taken several Ice-type attacks, which it was naturally extremely weak to.
Nick heard a bloodcurdling roar as the massive Garchomp swung its shoulder blades and green and purple dragonic energy coursed through the beast's body.
It then clashed with Bisharp, who managed to dodge the powerful swings and retaliated with a swift sucker punch, which only served to anger the pseudo-legendary.
The Garchomp stumbled as it was hit in the back by flash cannons from Magnezone and Vikavolt, and it was then hit by a flurry of dark pulses and shadow balls. The torterra slammed one of its younger brethren into the ground with a swift Giga impact, while Tangrowth and Roserade launched sludge bombs at another; however, one Garchomp managed to escape and released a powerful dragon pulse, green draconic energy spewing from its mouth.
The powerful beam exploded against Vikavolt and Magnezone, but the Garchomp was suddenly slammed to the ground by a power whip from Tangrowth and then hit by a raging leaf storm from Roserade.
Nick managed to catch a glimpse of Gardenia's frail and tired body as she tirelessly commanded her Pokemon.
The other garchomps jumped the roserade, who instinctively released spores at them, but the garchomps blew a gust of burning heat at the flower Pokemon, but it was quickly knocked away by a raging Torterra, who was now bruised and scarred, and used a powerful head smash, slamming the average-size garchomp into the gym rubble.
The brutal battle continued, and ultimately, the Alpha Garchomp finally fell.
Nick sighed, naively thinking the brutal battle was finally over.
However, to his surprise, Alpha Garchomp stood up.
It instantly leaped into the air before it could be slammed back down by the Torterra, who futilely tried to knock it down with a razor leaf.
The Magnezone and Vikavolt chased after it, but they were suddenly sent hurling towards the ground as the other Gaarchomps sniped them down with a flamethrower and a dragon pulse for each.
The Alpha Garchomp roared as it slowly approached Ray, as Lux's eyes widened in pure terror.
The Altaria that Ray was riding on desperately tried to flee, but it was sent hurling backwards by a flamethrower. The Alpha Garchomp's shoulder blades suddenly intensified with purple draconian energy, before in a rush of power, the Altaria and Ray were sent hurling towards the ground.
The rest of the Pokemon stared in shock and horror as they were then suddenly attacked by the other Garchoms, struck by a barrage of dragon pulses, fire fangs, and dragon claws.
"He's going to die!"
Nick's thoughts were racing because he knew all of the Pokemon were too preoccupied to properly assist Ray, which meant...
The only option was his.
"But if I do that, I am going to get singled out and then have to face the wrath of the Garchomp!" Nick thought to himself, "That would be near certain death!"
However, Nick remembered something.
"You know, when I first heard about you, when I first read that damn file, I thought that you were some kind of brave hero!"
"You are a coward!"
"You are a fool, selfish, and coward in everything you do!"
Nick remembered it as the driving force behind his decision to become a trainer.
The reason he went beyond, the reason he continued to walk the perilous path of a trainer despite having already become a strong trainer once,
The reason why he strived to reach the limit
because he wanted to be human.
He wanted to escape from the cruel chains of the facility, and on that rainy day, when a lone child stood amidst the pouring rain...
He met a lively and bombastic woman.
For the first time, he felt affection.
For the first time, he finally understood human emotions.
For the first time, he could grasp humanity.
And he vowed to become the very best, to reach the limit, if there even was one.
To become a trainer, the very best.
To become human is to become a fleshed-out man, to reach for and grasp human morals and thoughts.
And, as his duties as a trainer and his morality as a human blended together seamlessly, he did what he thought was correct.
He leaped in the direction of the battlefield.
to defy all logic and face the problem head-on.
to save someone
Like a…
Human.
LINE BREAK
Welcome to the A/N.
Sorry for the shorter chapters recently, but recently I have been blind-sighted by school, work, and just the shenanigans that come with life.
Have a fantastic day, leave a review, please, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!