Holy Cow! Three reviews already? That's fan(fiction)tastic! (You see what I did there? You see…oh, I crack myself up sometimes!!) Thanks for the kind words guys, its comments like those that make me think 'yeah, this story lark is totally worth it!'.
Anyhow, it's time to continue this bad boy, as Ash finds himself saved by none other than…
"Mewtwo?" The word came out of Ash's mouth, but it did nothing to clear the fog forming in his mind. Here was one of the most powerful Pokemon he'd ever come across, one whose battle with Mew had temporarily killed the young Pallet trainer, and now the Genetic Pokemon was saving him?
"Pikapi?" Pikachu ran up to his trainer, obviously worried. Ash hauled himself up, Pikachu atop his shoulder.
"I'm fine, Pikachu. Just a little…"
…Surprised? Ash, Brock, Dawn and Paul all took a step back. The anthropomorphic feline closed its eyes, as if contemplating what to say, or think, next.
I owed you a favour, Ash Ketchum. You helped me to see the light, to see that not all humans are the scum that created me. He turned to Paul. You, on the other hand, do nothing to remove my previous estimation of mankind. Defiant as ever, Paul stepped up to the Genetic Pokemon.
"Like I'm scared of some overgrown science project." He sneered, his purple hair waving in a sudden breeze. Dawn wrapped her arms around herself.
"Is it just me, or did it suddenly get a lot colder?" she wondered out loud. Brock nodded
"It's certainly come down a few degrees very quickly" he said, noticing his breath turning to vapour in the cold air. Paul looked around him. Frost was suddenly appearing on the trees, the leaves seemingly frozen in place. The Sinnoh trainer swung back to Mewtwo.
"Is this one of your pathetic psycho tricks, hmm? To try and freeze your opposition?"
"He doesn't need to…" The sudden interruption took the entire group, bar Mewtwo, by surprise. Ash looked left and right, unable to see where the voice had come from. It was Dawn who saw it first. She pointed up to the sky.
"Look!" Three pairs of human eyes (and a Pikachu) all went skywards, as a magnificent blue bird flew overhead. Its long tail feathers twinkled like icicles in the late morning sun, every flap of its wings seemed to send a shower of snowflakes towards the ground. Amazingly, the blue bird swooped into the clearing, landing behind Ash and Pikachu.
"Pipi Pikachu?" inquired the electric-type. Ash shook his head.
"I know what it looks like, buddy, but the chances of it actually being…"
"Articuno, return." The Ice/Flying-type disappeared in a flash of red energy, revealing a young man stood in the clearing. Ash took in the new guy.
His trainers were white with red trim, above which sat black jeans. An open black shirt revealed a white tee-shirt underneath. His hands were covered in white fingerless-gloves, each one having a square of black on the back and a gold band around each wrist. His black hair hung down to his shoulders, in which five read streaks were visible. As he walked towards the group, Ash saw his eyes were a piercing blue. Ash couldn't help but gulp. He didn't know who this guy was, but he got the feeling that he wasn't one to mess with.
The newcomer stepped up to Ash.
"Ash Ketchum?" Ash started, and then nodded slowly.
"That's me." The newcomer flashed a smile and extended his right hand.
"Shane McKraken. It's a pleasure to finally put a face to the name." Ash looked confused. Shane just laughed. "What, you didn't know that Mewtwo keeps going on and on about you? You're like his saviour or something." Brock stepped in.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you…and Mewtwo…you're his…"
"Trainer" finished Shane. The forest went silent, as mouths dropped. Dawn was the first to shake off the stupor.
"You mean, you train…him ?", pointing towards the psychic feline, who seemed to have gone into a state of meditation. Shane nodded, noticing the attractive blunette for the first time. He was about to walk over when a gloved hand planted itself firmly on his chest. Ash's voice, whispered, hoarse and filled with malice, accompanied the hand.
"Touch her, and I'll have Pikachu fry your ass." Shane blinked, and then stepped back. His smile never faltered, and his voice gave no hint of anger at the Pallet youth.
"Fair game, pal. Can't hate a guy for trying. I'm not one to try and snatch another man's woman" Ash now blinked, surprised that Shane wasn't pushing against his threat. The thought of Dawn being 'his woman' brought an instant red tinge to his cheeks, a reaction that no-one bar Shane n oticed. Before Shane could respond, another voice filled the air.
"HEY!" The yell surprised the newcomer and the travellers, as Paul dragged the attention back to himself. "If you're the bozo in charge of the science-project-gone-wrong over here, then it's you that I need to challenge. What do you say, three on three?" Shane's cerulean eyes seemed to flash at the thought of a Pokemon battle, especially against someone who obviously thought very highly of themselves.
"You're on, Paul, was it? But I'll do you a favour. I won't use Mewtwo." A cocky grin appeared on the trainer's face. "I wouldn't want to wipe the forest floor with you using just one Pokemon. Mewtwo, take a break." Holding out a black and red PokeBall, Mewtwo turned into red energy before zapping into the sphere. Paul's face turned bright red, anger at being mocked flaring through him.
"That's it, stripes. You're going down."
Shane and Paul stood across from each other, Brock standing in the middle of the clearing between them, while Ash, Dawn and Pikachu stood behind Shane. Ash warily kept his eye on Shane. I don't know what it is, but there's something…strange about him. Something familiar, yet completely foreign…I don't trust him…but anyone who takes on Paul is a temporary ally at least…
"Torterra, standby!" Paul started with his strongest, his starter Pokemon. A self-satisfied grin crept onto his lips as the huge turtle-like beast appeared on the battlefield. "Let's see what you got!" Shane nodded as he took another black and red orb from his belt.
"I give you my starter. Gengar! Let's go!" A flash of light revealed a round, purple humanoid creature. Two spikes adorned its head, with smaller spikes running down its back into a short tail. The slightly psychotic grin of the Ghost/Poison type made Dawn grab onto Ash's arm, earning another blush from the trainer, unnoticed by anyone else. The sight of Gengar made Paul's brows knit together in concern.
"How can that be your starter Pokemon?" he queried, not trusting the black-and-red haired youth one bit. Shane just shrugged.
"Hey, when you live in Lavender Town, there aren't a great deal of pokemon to start with" he said in monotone, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"As acting judge for this Pokemon battle, I declare this a three-on-three match" called out Brock. Neither trainer was paying attention, as Shane and Paul glared at each other, ready to do battle.
Oh right! Battle time! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know you're probably wondering what Mewtwo is doing with a trainer. All will be explained in the near future. For now, prepare for what should be a hell of a battle!
On a seperate note for any Sonic the Hedgehog fans. Starter for 10: Which StH character does Shane's appearance remind you of? If you're not sure, take a look at my profile pic!
That's all for now folks. Catch you later. Theos