I finish lap three, all five of my pokemon not far behind.
"Sorry guys, but I thought that this would prepare us for today." I pant, and they all nod and wave me off.
This is a regular morning routine for you and your team, Master?
"More or less..." I pant, patting his head as I gulp my water bottle.
Well I'll be... I think I'll like it here.
He has a grin on his face, as he practices honing his Psychic powers by lifting things. I watch in awe as the nearby chauffeur car is lifted a good foot off the ground, then up and down repeatedly, almost like repetitions.
"Babe!" N strolls out of the castle, handing me a towel.
"Thanks." I kiss him, then begin towelling myself off.
"You ready for today?" He asks, and I nod.
"It's going to suck, her not being here. She worked so hard for it, which is exactly why she would want me to do it." He nods, handing me another bottle of water, which I graciously take, and pass to Manny.
"Who's this little guy?" N bends down, shaking Mannys hand.
My name is Mannix, as per Master. He bows, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
"Well, nice to meet you, Mannix!" N bows as well.
Mannix's face lights up from the display of respect, and he floats happily into the air.
"Nareen got him for me." He nods, kissing me again.
"Whats the plan?" I ask quietly, and he nods.
"Meet me and the other leaders and participants out here, half an hour." My eyes go wide.
"Half an hour? What do I need to pack?" I ask, and he laughs.
"Prim's already packed for everyone." He kisses me again, then walks off, as I shake my head.
What does that mean?
I laugh to myself, as I head back up to the room.
"Dad?!" I hug him, and he chuckles.
"Hey buddy! Glad I could make it before your left!" He laughs.
"When did you get back?" I ask, and he steps back.
"About ten minutes ago. But before you leave, I have something for you." He holds out a small box.
"Whats that?" I ask, taking it gingerly, and he smiles.
"A gift... from Grandpa." My eyes go wide. Grandpa has been dead for almost as long as I've been alive.
"Grandpa? But..." I open the box, and there's a single ultra ball, with my name carved in beautiful cursive.
"While I was cleaning out Grandma Tottie's apartment, that was under her bed, with this;" He hands me a sealed envelope.
I take it gently, and open it;
Dear Cole;
First off, I'm sorry. If you have obtained this letter, it means that I have passed on, and probably that Tottie has as well. We love you. You and Kai. Enclosed in this pokeball is a gift, though it could be considered a lesson. It is very kind, but can take some getting used to. It's from my home region, and I hope it has some use for you. Please do not be alarmed, as she can get a bit... entitled. But fight through it, and you'll make a friend for life. She's one of a kind.
Stay strong, this was never a goodbye, just a... see you soon.
We love you, Cole, and don't you ever forget that.
Good luck.
-Grandpa Gio
I wipe the tears that have formed in my eyes as I take the Ultra Ball.
I head out to the patio, and release it.
Mom passes out, and Dad comes pretty close, but catches her just in time, before falling on his butt.
I step back, my body pressed against the door behind me, as she turns to look at me.
Who... who are you? Wheres Trent?
I shake my head, and she sighs.
If you can't help me... wait a second.
She floats a bit closer, eyeing me expectantly, her small body glowing.
You look like him... are you... Cole?
She asks, and I nod.
Names Celeste, but you may know me better as... Celebi.
After mom wakes up, I introduce Cel to the group, who are all just as confused as me.
"How did... how did Grandpa capture you?" Kai asks, and she shrugs.
He helped me, I swore my life to him.
"How did he help you?" I ask, and she shrugs again.
Got rid of someone who was threatening my forest. Speaking of, can we go visit at somepoint? I miss it.
"Sure sure, but today I have an event. I would love it if you helped us with it!" I ask, and she turns to me with a confused expression.
I have to help you, it's part of the rules.
"That may have been the case with Grandpa, but I want you to know this; If you do not want to help me, I will NEVER force you to. You are free to leave at any time." Her eyes go wide.
But... that wasn't...
"Rules or not, I will not be running my team in anarchy." She nods a few times, as does everyone else in the room, before pointing to her pokeball.
What about that? Doesn't that mean that I have to obey you, or you could just suck me back into it?
I nod a few times, before grabbing the pokeball. She flinches, but her mouthy goes agape as she watches me push the secret release button on the inside.
A quick flash of white light, and Celeste's imprint is erased off of the ball.
"I'm serious. If you wish to continue with me, we would be honoured to have you, but it has to be your choice."
I... well... oh, Arceus.
She taps the middle button of the ball, capturing herself again.
She comes out of her own volition, and hugs me.
Thank you. This means a lot, but I will stay with you. I will battle until my last breath if it means protecting a soul as beautiful as yours.
With that, she kisses my forehead.
"Alrighty then, well, we should get going!" I hug everyone, return everyone but Cel and Manny to their pokeballs, and we head down to the courtyard.
I am the last one to arrive.
"About time! Where have you- Holy crap." Rayna stops from where she was coming over to greet me, and everyone turns.
"Everyone, meet Mannix and Celeste." I gesture to them, and Manny bows while Cel curtsies.
"Is that Celebi?" N asks, his eyes alight.
"It sure is, her name is Cel." Cel floats over, gingerly shaking N's hand.
It is a pleasure to meet everyone, I hope we can all get to know each other.
After the initial whoa moment, we all get into a large vehicle, and as it takes off, N explains whats going to happen.
"First of all, we drop you off at your specific team points. Plasma at one, Magma at one, etcetera etcetera. Then, you wait for the horn. Upon hearing it, a door will pop open. From there, it is fair game in the maze. Please note, any damage done to the maze itself is generally frowned upon, but we do understand that accidents happen. Your wardrobe and packed survival kit's are waiting for you, and are labelled accordingly, thanks to Prim for the outfits," He claps politely, and we all join in, "To win, you must steal the tokens from the opposing players, and each token you get counts as another one for you. If your only token has been stolen, you are out, and will be transported out of the maze immediately."
"Any questions?" Shelley asks, over the sound of her sloshing coffee cup.
"How many pokemon are we permitted to use?" I ask, and she smiles.
"As many as you want, up to your league permitted six."
"Mythical pokemon?" I ask, and they all look between each other.
"I mean, it's never happened so there's technically no rule on it..." Jessie says, and James nods.
"We'll allow it." N says, and the leaders all nod.
We enter an airstrip, where a huge jet is waiting for us.
We all load up, and it takes off.
"Nervous?" She asks, and I nod.
"A little, I have two new team members that I haven't battled with yet. You?" She nods.
"Very. This is all so new. Why did they have to separate us on the plane?" Prim asks, and I shake my head.
"No idea. Probably to stop us from making plans with the other teams." I wink at her, and she giggles.
"So, anyways, I heard you caught some new guys?" I change the subject, and she nods.
She releases all four of her pokemon.
First is Princess, who is now evolved into Stoutland.
"Whoa! Look how big you've gotten!" I laugh as she licks my face.
Second is Francis, the adorable, lovable Bibarel.
He hugs me, kissing my hair.
"Hey dude! You look good, have you been losing weight?" His eyes lights up and he blushes hard as he waves me off.
The next two are new to me.
"This is Krokky," She points to a large crocodile pokemon, tan and black stripes running down its body and all the way through to its tail, "And this is Helda!" The last pokemon is a small bug type, huddled in a beautiful maple leaf.
"Nice to meet you two!" I shake Krok's hand and gently pat the terrified bug type, who gently kisses my hand.
"Do they know... the plan?" I ask, and she shakes her head.
"That's okay, neither do Cel or Manny." I call the fore-mentioned pokemon over, and sit them down in front of us.
"We have a pact with Rayna, Matthew, and Nareen. Once we find them, we are not to attack. We help them finish off everyone else, then settle it the old fashioned way; one on one pokemon battles." Prim explains, and they all nod.
Rayna... beautiful woman with the red hair? Cel asks, and we both nod.
Got it. Your friends will not be harmed, Master. Manny bows.
"Also, stop calling me Master. It sounds too... formal. Call me Cole." I smile, and Prim gives me a weird look.
"I rarely hear you use your name aloud, its kinda weird." I hit her arm playfully, and she giggles.
"Here's our stop." I link my arm through Prim's, and she nods as we walk out of the jet.
We got a quick view of the maze from outside, and its massive.
It's roughly the walking distance from Pallet town to Lavendar town, so a good couple days walk, in a straight line.
I sigh as we enter our beginning room, knowing that this is going to last a while.
We enter, and the door locks behind us. I scan the room, and see nothing too exciting. There are two large backpacks siting by a metal door, and two chairs. I also notice each chair has a bottle of water on it.
I grab the water, putting it directly into the backpack, which has my name on the handle.
Prim does the same, and releases Princess.
"Might as well only have one or two out at a time, why waster the energy of our entire team if we won't be seeing anyone else for a while." She explains, and I nod.
I release Cleo and Manny.
"You two are on first shift, we switch out after battles or after a few hours." They both nod, and we all sit down.
We were the last group to get dropped off, so it shouldnt be too long before-
CLICK!
The metal door swings open, revealing a long corridor.
BEGIN.
A loud voice rings out.
Gulping, we grab our bags, and head out the door.
The TeamRace has begun.