Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon… I'm getting quite tired of trying to think of witty things to put in my disclaimers, so this time I shaln't bother.
MESSAGE TO READERS: Well, we're still going strong. There will be a couple of new characters added in this chapter who will play a vital part later on in the series… that's right, folks… there will be a sequel to "The League Of Champions" that I am already working on. I don't want to spoil it too much for you, so you shall just have to figure out what is going to happen yourself.
And to answer the question posted on the reviews by Zeda The Twilight Knight, when Darkhan says 'Disaster,' you should note which Pokemon are in view as he says it… in particular, his Absol. Absol is known as the Disaster Pokemon, so Darkhan uses it as a visual means of intimidation as well as effectively influencing Darkhan's destructive and dark character, since Absol is a Dark Type and all.
So, without further delay, go grab a lemonade or something, kick back and enjoy!
THE LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS
CHAPTER 32: WILD ROTOM APPEARED! THE DARKNESS STARTS TO FADE!
The Rotom hovered ominously above us. For such a small Pokemon, it certainly seemed to pack a powerful punch with its electrical attacks. I knew that Rotom were extremely rare in the wild, but it made sense that one had appeared right here. Like most Electric types, they tended to feed on electrical currents. And being the main lobby to one of the biggest tournaments, there was a feast of technology available for it to consume. However, it was certainly not an appropriate feeding ground and this time. Houndoom continued to stand obediently by my side as it had done so many times before. I considered this a good match up for us. Dark Types could wipe the floor with most Ghost Types. If all else failed, I had Quagsire and Gabite on hand, both of which were Ground Types, rendering its electrical attacks useless.
"Rororororo!" the Rotom wailed again, engulfing itself with electricity. Sparks seemed to form around it, before concentrating inside its plasma-like body. The pointed tip of its head began to glow an electric yellow.
"What is it doing?" I frowned, confused by the wild Pokemon's tactic.
"It's using Charge," Nurse Joy explained. "It literally charges up an electric attack, whilst increasing a part of its defence."
"So that means it's going to launch an electric attack next," I deduced. "Stay focused, Houndoom." I didn't take my eyes away from the Rotom, who was concentrating even more electricity to the tip of its head, before suddenly shooting a large beam of electrical energy straight at Houndoom and I. "Dodge that!" I shouted, jumping back at the same time as my Dark Type Pokemon. A crackling sound could be heard as the Rotom's Charge Beam hit nothing but the floor, dispersing over the area. Some sparks hit Houndoom, which let out a small yelp surprised by the pain that it inflicted. "Now, Houndoom use Faint Attack!" Once more, Houndoom leapt into the air, before fading from view. It was rather amazing to see it mystically reappear behind the Rotom and went to strike it. Suddenly though, as if from nowhere several more Rotom appeared alongside it. Houndoom did not lose focus however and continue to tackle one of the figures. It faded as Houndoom passed through its body.
"It's using Double Team!" Misty gasped. "It knows moves that can raise both its attack and defence as well as being able to effectively dodge attacks." Houndoom landed back on the floor unscathed, although perhaps a little bit frustrated.
"We've got no choice," I scowled. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower on all of them!"
"You can't!" Nurse Joy pleaded. "You'll set the whole place on fire."
"Quagsire and Pelipper can help douse any flames," I suggested, a little annoyed at Nurse Joy's protest. "And Misty has an army of Water Pokemon. Now Houndoom, do it!" A ball of flame began to swirl in Houndoom's mouth, before spitting out a stream of flames towards the Rotoms. One by one, they faded into nothingness as the Flamethrower attack passed over them, until finally the real one was engulfed by the fire. It soon shook off the attack and retaliated by unleashing a strange wind. The wind felt quite warm, yet at the same time it was like being pelted with some kind of filth. Houndoom seemed to resist the attack, simply shielding its eyes by turning away. But this would prove to be a critical error, as the Rotom suddenly unleashed another Charge Beam whilst heading straight towards it. The electrical attack struck Houndoom with authority, knocking the Dark Type clean off its feet. It skidded across the smooth floor, before bumping into the wall coming to a stop. It got back up to its feet and bounded forward preparing for another attack.
"That Rotom is surprisingly powerful," Misty said to me. "I guess that Ominous Wind raised its power considerably."
"I don't care… it can't handle Dark Type attacks. Houndoom, Faint Attack!" I ordered again. Houndoom jumped up once more, disappearing from view before revealing itself behind the unsuspecting Ghost, knocking it down to a lower level of altitude. "Now use Crunch!" As Houndoom began to fall back down to the ground, it angled its head above the Rotom, before baring its sharp fangs and crunching down on the Rotom. But in response to this attack, the Rotom sent a scattering of sparks into Houndoom's throat, causing it to yelp wildly, dropping back down to the ground limply. "Damn it," I cursed, noticing that the Discharge attack had once again left Houndoom suffering the paralysing side effects. "Nurse Joy, do you have another one of those Full Heals?"
"Sure," she nodded, running over to the desk. Before she could reach the Full Heal that she was seeking, the Rotom suddenly appeared in front of her and began to use Charge warningly. She quickly backed away.
"Houndoom, use Faint Attack again!" I instructed. Houndoom slowly turned around and attempted to use the attack, but the paralysis had seeped in and had immobilised it entirely. The Rotom noticed the failed attempt and retaliated by firing another Charge Beam. My Houndoom was completely helpless as the powerful electric attack struck it down again, this time knocking it out. Houndoom had been defeated, much to my dismay. But this Rotom must be more powerful than any of us had expected to defeat a Pokemon with such strength as my Houndoom. Perhaps this Pokemon was worth capturing…
"Houndoom, you've done well. Return!" I called to it, withdrawing the tired hellhound back into its Poke Ball. I held a replacement ball in my hand and tossed it forward. "Quagsire, let's go!" I called, as the happy mudfish appeared in front of me. It turned to look at me, it's gaping smile wider than ever. It started running towards me with its arms spread. "No time for hellos, Quagsire," I said to it sternly. "Battle this Rotom. Use your Yawn to put it to sleep."
"Sire!" It yawned, a bubble appearing and floating up towards the Rotom. The Rotom unleashed another Discharge attack, popping the bubble. So much for that idea.
"Fine… then use Ice Beam!" I ordered. Quagsire unleashed its freezing ray at the Rotom, striking it dead on. The Electric Ghost Pokemon let out a strange buzzing noise as it sustained damage. "Now follow up with Yawn again!" I shouted. Quagsire let loose another drowsy bubble, floating up towards the Rotom. It popped as made impact, but unusually nothing happened.
"Rorororo!" the Rotom laughed mischievously once again.
"Why didn't that work?" I snarled in frustration. "It should be asleep."
"Normal attacks like Yawn don't work on Ghosts," Misty informed me. I couldn't believe that I had overlooked this fact.
"And neither will it's Focus Punch or Body Slam in that case," I sighed. "But we can win with Ice Beam alone. Hopefully, we can freeze it. That way it will be a cinch to capture. So use Ice Beam again, Quagsire!" With the instruction given, Quagsire let loose yet another Ice Beam, as the Rotom let loose another Ominous Wind. At least that would be the only real attack it could use, since it's electric attacks could do no damage to a Ground Type like Quagsire. Despite the Ghost's attack, it could not keep it going once the Ice Beam hit it again. Another strange buzzing sound could be heard. I watched carefully, hoping for some sort of indication that the Ice Beam had frozen the persistant Rotom. However, it had not. I cursed under my breath, wondering how long it would take. For some reason though, the Rotom had begun to use Charge again. This made me scratch my head in confusion. "Why use Charge? Electric attacks won't work…"
"It could be doing it to raise its defense levels," Nurse Joy suggested, who had now returned from the desk, albeit empty handed. "After all, I doubt any Pokemon can withstand too many Ice Beams for a great period of time."
"Good point," I nodded. "But we've got to keep trying. Ice Beam again!" I shouted. Quagsire let loose another Ice Beam, but to my annoyance the Rotom split itself into more copies of itself. The Double Team technique was proving to be a huge disadvantage. "Never mind, use Ice Beam on all of them!" I grinned. Quagsire focused its Ice Beam over each and every Rotom that had appeared in the same manner that Houndoom had done with its Flamethrower before. The copies of itself vanished as the Ice Beam passed through them, before finally the true Rotom was found. "Full power!" I ordered, hoping that the extra effort that Quagsire would put in would be enough to freeze it. I instantly noticed the Ice Beam gain size and speed. The Rotom continued to buzz, before finally I could see a crystalline film appear over the Ghost. As Quagsire ceased the flow of the Ice Beam, the frozen Rotom fell like a stone to the ground. I pulled out an empty Poke Ball, this was the best chance that I would get.
"Poke Ball… Go!" I shouted lamely, throwing the Poke Ball towards the frozen ball of plasma. As it struck, the ball opened and sucked the Rotom inside before dropping to the ground. Misty, Nurse Joy and I all looked on with great interest. Hopefully, this Rotom would be mine. The ball rocked back and forth. A small red light was flashing in the very center of the ball… finally, it came to a stop. I approached the ball slowly and picked it up.
"That's that, then," I grinned, clutching my newly acquired Rotom's Pokemon. "I caught the Rotom!" For some reason, I gleefully posed with the Poke Ball. To my surprise, the Poke Ball vanished into thin air. It was then that I realised that it had gone back to Johto, since I already had six Pokemon with me.
"Congratulations," Nurse Joy smiled. "At least now we can find a way out of here."
"Yeah… and I can't even use Rotom to undo what it has done, so we'll have to try something else." I sighed.
"All the light bulbs burst earlier anyway," Misty said. "It's getting rather dark outside. We need some light."
"It's too bad that I don't have a flashlight," Nurse Joy sighed. "Would have been useful right about now."
"Do tell," I replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Why don't we just bust the door down? It's not as though it will make much difference. The place is already in a big enough of a state."
"We can't leave the doors open. Anyone could come in and there are still some trainers' Pokemon with us." Nurse Joy explained. "And with these thieves running around the place, we can't afford to just leave the door open for them."
"If only I could get that Rotom back," I sighed. "We could use it's electric powers to unlock the door."
"Why not use Aggron's Shock Wave?" Misty suggested.
"Aggron doesn't seem to know the meaning of gentle," I chuckled slightly. "He'd probably blow the thing to smithereens."
"Yeah, you might be right," Misty sighed. "But there must be something we can do?"
"I've got it!" Nurse Joy smiled, a light turning on in her head. She reached into her apron and withdrew a Poke Ball of her own. "I hope this works. Come on out, Chansey!" Nurse Joy, opening the ball. An egg shaped Pokemon appeared, cheerfully saying its name out loud. "Chansey, we need you to use Psychic to open the doors for us, but please don't break it," Nurse Joy seemed to plead to it. The Chansey smiled obligingly, before focusing on the sliding doors that were currently locked. The Chansey's eyes began to glow a pale blue, which seemed to light up the whole area. The doors slowly began to slide open, as the Chansey walked out through the door. We were quick to follow, before the doors quickly closed behind us.
"Wow… a Chansey that knows Psychic," I exclaimed. "That's kinda cool."
"Yes, this Chansey is particularly fond of battling and manual work rather than healing patients," Nurse Joy explained. "Perhaps we should battle you sometime," she suggested.
"I think I've had enough battling for one day, thanks," I sighed. "We need to head back to the Trainer Village. It's way past the curfew."
"I'll walk with you," Nurse Joy kindly offered. "After all, if the night patrol spot you walking alone you'll be in big trouble. At least I will be able to vouch for you both."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Misty bowed gratefully. Nurse Joy simply smiled, signifying that it was not a problem.
"Chansey," Nurse Joy addressed to her Pokemon. "I'd like you to walk with us, if that is alright with you? If the Pokemon Thieves show up or anyone else that might cause us trouble, we'll need you to help take them down."
"Chansey! Chan!" the egg shaped Pokemon replied happily.
"There's no need for that," I said to Nurse Joy. "We've got our Pokemon that can help."
"You should rest your Pokemon until tomorrow," Nurse Joy replied. "Besides, your Houndoom needs some healing after taking all that damage from that Rotom."
"I suppose you have a point," I shrugged in agreement. With that, we began to walk in the direction of the Trainer Village. During the walk, Misty began talking to Nurse Joy about all sorts of things, but my mind began to wander after beginning to think about my next battle with Mimi. I had been told that she was using a Sudowoodo, a Chatot, a Ditto and a Smeargle. All these Pokemon had something in common, they were all masters of mimicry and imitation. It then struck me. Mimi… mimicry… it all made sense. Sudowoodo of course is known as the Imitation Pokemon, due to it's tree-like appearance when it is in fact a Rock Type Pokemon, as well as the ability to use Mimic, a move which can allow the Pokemon using it to use one of their opponents moves temporarily. Then, Chatot… a Pokemon that can imitate human speech. Although not particularly powerful, per say, it could well be Mimi's trump card, as in it may well be stronger than I had anticipated. Ditto of course has the ability to transform into a battling foe. And with our match being a double battle, it could take one of two forms. And finally, Smeargle. Capable of using pretty much any move a Pokemon can learn by using the fabled Sketch technique. Mimi would certainly be an unusual opponent, but I knew that I would need to stay focused and believe in my abilities as a trainer and believe in my Pokemon. They had done me justice so far and I refused to let them down, just in the way I'm sure that they will for me. I was snapped back into reality when something above us narrowly missed decapitating us, flying at a high speed just over us.
"Hey… what was that?" Misty jumped in shock as a whoosh of air rushed past her.
"I don't know," Nurse Joy replied. "But it's heading into the forest."
"It's probably just a Noctowl or something," I shrugged, yawning with more passion than Quagsire could.
"No way," Misty disagreed. "That was too big to be a Noctowl. It had quite a long tail though from what I saw."
"We'd best check it out," I muttered, with a possible idea of what it might have been.
"But you two need to go back home," Nurse Joy protested.
"Sorry, Nurse Joy," Misty apologised. "But there have been a lot of strange things going on around here and somehow Jonathyn and I seem to have gotten mixed up in it."
"And if it's anything to do with Darkhan, then I assure you that not even an army of Machamp will stop me," I added.
"Well…" Nurse Joy contemplated unsurely. "I'll come with you. At least I'll still be able to vouch for you."
"Really? You'd do that?" Misty asked.
"I could use a bit of excitement," Nurse Joy smiled, almost blushing. "Why, I haven't been on a proper adventure for years. It'll be nice to do something a little bit 'out-there' and whatnot."
"Fine by me," I smiled in acknowledgment. We looked back over to where the flying Pokemon had flown towards. It had flown into the forest, so we decided to make haste and pursue it. Despite how fast we were running, we were all undetected by several people who were meant to be on patrol. I noticed a couple of patrolmen had fallen asleep and two were having a Pokemon Battle themselves with a Vulpix and a Pachirisu. We managed to make the safety of the trees, before looking around vaguely. It was pitch black and we could barely see a thing.
"Chansey, would you use Flash for me, please?" Nurse Joy asked her Pokemon. Within seconds, a blinding white light lit up the whole area. Yet, it soon faded slightly, enabling us to see further. I could see a couple of shadows nearby. One of a human, the other of a familiar looking Pokemon.
"Misty… do you think that is who I think it is?" I questioned.
"I think so… if you're thinking it's that girl…" she replied, looking a little envious already.
"Let's go…" I whispered, as we walked closer. Chansey's Flash faded into nothing once again. I could hear some voices coming from nearby… I could not understand what they were saying from so far off. We crept up further and eventually came into view of the creature that had nearly taken our heads off… a Flygon. It's owner turned, detecting our presence. As thrilled as she was to see that I was not harmed from the Articuno's freezing attack, Sandra urged us to remain silent. Through a small parting in the trees, there were two figures. One was dressed in black and purple, not dissimilar to Darkhan. He was obviously a man. The female he was stood next to wore a similar outfit, however the purple was much darker and predominant than her male counterpart's attire.
"He won't be long," the female said with a sneer. "I'm sure that he suspects that something is amiss.
"I don't care," the male snorted, throwing and catching a Poke Ball into the air. "All that matters to me is that he is out of my life."
"You really want this position, huh?" the female chuckled. "Well, I can't say you aren't deserving. You're the only Dark Type Trainer so far who hasn't lost to any of us."
"I know that," the male snarled back, before placing the Poke Ball back into his pocket, before impatiently pacing back and forth. I gave Sandra a small look before whispering in her ear.
"Who are those two? Members of Team Rocket?" I asked.
"No," Sandra whispered back. "I don't know who they are… but I know that they're up to no good."
"In what respect?" I asked again.
"Just keep quiet and keep your ears open," Sandra ordered me. I nodded and slunk back next to Misty. The two people dressed in purple and black both seemed a little distressed now. The male was now kicking dirt into the air. The female was now leaning back against a tree, arms folded looking quite impatient by this time as well.
"What's taking him so long?" the male scowled, not willing to wait for much longer.
"Tyne, just settle down," the woman retorted. "He is probably preparing himself for the worst."
"Well, however bad he thinks its going to be will be ten fold," the man known as Tyne remarked. There was a sudden rustling from nearby. Leaping down from a tree, a figure dressed entirely in black appeared right next to the other two. I instantly recognised the man to be Darkhan.
"There he is," I whispered aggressively. "Let's take him down once and for all." I prepared a Poke Ball, ready to launch a full scale assault on the wicked swordsman.
"Wait, Jonathyn," Sandra blocked off my path, yet silently. "Just wait and see what happens." With a reluctant sigh, I crouched back down whilst placing the Poke Ball back into the safety of my jacket pocket. The trio still did not seem to suspect our presence. The female stretched as she ceased leaning against the tree, standing back upright.
"Glad you could make it, Darkhan," the woman chuckled darkly, even more sinisterly than Darkhan's usual cackle. "I assume you know why you are here."
"More time," Darkhan suddenly blurted out with a fearful voice. This struck me a little bit. This was not the sort of tone I expected from someone as sadistic as Darkhan.
"You've had enough time," the female snapped at him with an agitated snarl. "We had a deal. You were to capture Azelf for his Lordship and dispose of anyone who got in your way. Yet, you have failed miserably."
"Not to mention the severe misuse of our Pokemon is something that his Lordship will punish you terribly for," Tyne smirked evilly.
"Wrong," Darkhan stammered a little, his throat apparently becoming dry.
"Oh, we're not wrong," the female grinned. "And to think that all this time, you were hiding an Articuno from us…"
"What!?" Darkhan exclaimed, as if not understanding how he had been foiled. "But…I… I…" he stuttered once more.
"You dare defy his Lordship?" Tyne stepped forward, withdrawing a sword similar to the one Darkhan used.
"I shall deal with this," the female intervened, holding a Poke Ball in her hand.
"Damn sake, Sabheen," Tyne huffed. "You get all the fun jobs."
"Now, first things first," the female who had now been called Sabheen smiled. "I would like you to hand me back my Dusclops… or rather my Dusknoir now that you made it evolve."
"Never!" Darkhan boomed defiantly, swinging his sword unleashing all six of his Pokemon… a Dusknoir, a Tangrowth, a Weezing, a Charizard and an Absol all appeared, not to mention of course the Articuno. Darkhan looked quite smug, with his six power packed Pokemon standing at his side. "Defend!" he grinned. His Articuno seemed to nod, but the other Pokemon looked almost blank. What was going on here?
"I highly doubt that the Pokemon will listen to YOU now that we are here," Sabheen smiled coldly. "Remember, we raised these Pokemon and we simply allowed you to borrow them for the cause. But rather than capture Azelf, you used them for your own personal revenge on that trainer that beat you." My ears pricked up at hearing this, before letting a small satisfied grin. "Tyne… I'm guessing you would like your Absol back?"
"Gladly," Tyne nodded. "Absol, come here." Darkhan stared at the Disaster Pokemon for a second. The Absol exchanged the look, before snorting and walking calmly to Tyne's side. It turned around and took an aggressive stance in front of the swordsman.
"Dusknoir, you still recognise me?" Sabheen almost whispered to the Ghost Type Pokemon. It floated eerily across to where the purple dressed female was stood, taking a position next to Tyne's Absol.
"No…" Darkhan pleaded. "Friends."
"Friends!?" Tyne almost burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you actually hold feelings for these Pokemon. You claimed to be the most ruthless Pokemon Hunter in existence!"
"Collector!" Darkhan angrily corrected Tyne.
"Come off it," Tyne chuckled. "Collector is just a less negative word for Hunter. We should have called upon Pokemon Hunter J. She has a far more impressive record than you. I don't know why his Lordship insisted on hiring you in the first place."
"Well, at least he shall get a Legendary Pokemon before the day is gone," Sabheen chuckled back. "We shall be taking that Articuno from you now."
"Flamethrower!" Darkhan ordered, calling to the Charizard. However, the Flying Fire Type did not obey.
"Charizard, return to us!" Tyne grinned. "In fact, Tangrowth and Weezing… return with us too." Immediately, the three Pokemon moved away from Darkhan and stood alongside the other Pokemon. Now, the five Pokemon originally in Darkhan's possession had now been confiscated back to their true owners. But just who were these people? And what did they want?
"Articuno…" Darkhan gasped, a little bit distraught. "Help…" the bird took a look at its trainer. Despite what it must have been feeling, it obediently took to the sky and hovered just a few feet above the swordsman.
"So… you think that you can win with that oversized budgie?" Tyne taunted.
"I suppose I'll let you handle this one," Sabheen shrugged, calling all the Pokemon other than the Absol into respective Poke Balls. Tyne called back his Absol into his own Poke Ball.
"His Lordship shall be most impressed when we present him with this Articuno… and I shall prove to you why I am the Master of Dark Type Pokemon, Darkhan," Tyne smirked. "And I've got just the Pokemon to do it…" With that, he launched the Poke Ball forward. What emerged from it was a huge brownish green monster with scales with the visual texture of rock. It was well over seven feet tall, it's tail swished menacingly.
"No Absol…" Darkhan began. "But… Disaster." For some reason, he still had a slight tone of tension in his voice, as he prepared to face off against Tyne's Tyranitar.
"Disaster for you, perhaps," Tyne smirked evilly. "This will be the last battle of your worthless life." The two swordsmen stared each other down. This was sure to be a huge battle that neither wanted to lose. But what kept on itching at me inside my head was this… just who are these people? Tyne and Sabheen. What do they want?
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT TIME: Darkhan literally begins the battle of his life against the strange Tyne. Will Jonathyn and Sandra allow this match to end? Or will someone else get in the way of things? You won't want to miss the next explosive chapter!