Chapter 8: Enter Jack
Early the next morning, Matt woke up to the sun in his face. Upon waking up, he noticed that Raiden wasn't next to him. But what really startled him was the fact that Kari wasn't in her sleeping bag either. If neither of them were here, obviously something was wrong.
"Raiden!? Kari!?" he yelled. There was no response. Fearing the worst, he ran towards the tree line of the forest and looked. Finally, he saw what looked like a familiar blue-striped tail. He went over and saw that both RiRi and Raiden were lying on the ground against one of the trees, either asleep or unconscious. "RiRi, are you alright?" Matt asked, checking to make sure the squirrel Pokemon was okay first.
RiRi then opened her eyes, and shook her head. It looked like she had hit her head against the tree and lost consciousness, but appeared to be okay. She then looked over to where Raiden was, gasped, and went over to him and shook him, trying to wake him up.
Matt then picked up his most loyal companion and looked him over. He looked pretty beat up. Whatever hit him looked like a flying attack. Something really did happen last night. "Don't worry Raiden, these will make you feel better," Matt said, taking some Oran berries out of one of the pouches he had and fed them one at a time into his mouth.
Soon, Raiden then opened his eyes, and looked to Matt with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, RiRi is fine as well," Matt reassured him. Then something came to him. "Raiden, where's Kari?" Both the Pokemon had a look on their faces, one that looked of shame. Raiden then explained to Matt the events that took place last night since Matt could pretty much understand him.
Matt then put his head into his hands, completely caught by surprise. How could this have happened? Matt then curled his hands into fists in anger. Team Galactic was behind this, and he made sure that they would pay for what they did. "Alright, let's not go overboard here," he then said. "We have to find her, yes, but we have to figure out where and possibly why."
He then had an idea. He then went over to his sleeping bag where he had his other Pokemon and called out Houndoom. "Houndoom, we really need your help," Matt said. "Kari's been kidnapped and we need to find her. Do you think you can catch her scent?"
Houndoom nodded and went over to Kari's sleeping bag and sniffed it out. Once catching the scent, he then ran off into the woods. Matt then went over to where Kari's other Pokemon and then hesitated. He wasn't one to use other people's Pokemon, and just felt weird about it in general, but this was an emergency. He then called out Noctowl.
The majestic owl Pokemon was surprised to see Matt and not Kari. He then explained the situation to her. "Do you think you can check the skies and see maybe if there are any traces of tracks?" Noctowl nodded and quickly took off into the air.
Matt then got all his and Kari's stuff packed. Once he was done, he looked back to RiRi and Raiden. "Alright, let's track down Houndoom and see if he found anything."
(A/N: Alright, we have a song coming up here soon. The name of it is "Dino Pakkun" from SMG. By the way, I'm not the only one who thinks this would fit as a Pokemon song.)
Sprinting deeper into the woods, Houndoom tracked down Kari's scent. It was strange he could still smell it this deep in the forest, but perhaps it was because she was was drug this far out. Soon, however, the scent became faint and Houndoom knew that he was close to where she was last seen.
Finally, he stopped in a small meadow. She was last seen here, but must've been driven out by some sort of vehicle since he could smell faint fumes. However, there was another scent that he smelled which made him rather uneasy: chloroform. Whoever had kidnapped her had drugged her so she couldn't yell out or resist.
Knowing that Matt was probably following him, he decided to wait here. However, he then heard his stomach rumble. He hadn't quite eaten breakfast yet. Fortunately, he then spotted a bush close to him that was full of Oran berries. Hunger getting the best of him, he went over to the bush and pulled off a berry and ate it.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing eating my berries?" a gruff voice said. Houndoom turned around and saw that the voice belonged to a Mightyena who appeared out of nowhere.
"I don't see your name on it," Houndoom said testily. "So I can eat these if I want to."
*He was about to pick another berry but had to jump out of the way as a Shadow Ball whizzed by him. "Maybe you didn't quite hear me the first time," the Mightyena said fiercely. "Those are my berries." However, he was caught off guard as he was hit by a Will-O-Wisp attack from Houndoom.
"We'll just see about that," Houndoom said, forgetting that he had a job to do. He then jumped into the air and landed with an Iron Tail attack which hit the Mightyena directly. The Mightyena, now officially pissed off, lunged straight at Houndoom and pinned him to the ground, trying to take a bite at Houndoom's throat.
"That's enough Shadow!" a voice then said. The Mightyena then looked up and reluctantly got off of Houndoom. Houndoom then looked up and saw a young man, about nineteen, walking up to the Mightyena. Apparently this was his trainer.
Looking at the Oran berry bush, he then sighed. "Hunger always seems to get the best of you, doesn't it Shadow?" The Mightyena, named Shadow, looked down in shame. The trainer then smiled and laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it, no one got hurt." He then looked over to Houndoom. "Sorry about that, food is one of Shadow's favorite things. I guess perhaps I should introduce myself then. The name is Jack, from Twinleaf Town." He then looked over the canine Pokemon. "You can't be a wild Pokemon, so you must belong to someone."
As if on cue, Matt then came out of one of the bushes behind Houndoom. "There you are, Houndoom," he said, gasping for breath. "Boy do you run fast." He then noticed Jack. "Umm, can I help you?"
"Oh I'm sorry, the name's Jack," Jack said. "Afraid that he and my Mightyena Shadow got in a bit of a fight, but everything's fine now."
"Oh, I see," Matt said.
"Apparently, your Houndoom must be strong," Jack said. "In that case, I have to see how strong you are by challenging you to a Pokemon battle."
(A/N: Okay, another song here. The name of this song is "Battle theme" from Pokemon Gold/Silver.)
Matt wasn't really willing to do a battle right now. After all, Kari needed his help. But maybe if he could win, he could get this trainer to help him find her. Besides, he wasn't one to turn down a challenge. "Alright, not a problem for me," he then said. "Three Pokemon each?"
"Sure," Jack said. *He then took out a Pokeball. "Alright Flash, I need your help!" There was a flash of light and a Linoone appeared.
"A Linoone, huh?" Matt said. "Alright Empoleon, time to take the stage!" There was another flash of light and Empoleon appeared.
"We'll start things off," Jack said. "Flash, use Shadow Claw!" Flash then ran towards Empoleon, and then jumped into the air while it's claw started to glow purple.
"Dodge it, and use Aqua Jet!" Matt said. Empoleon then got out of the way and charged towards the Linoone while being engulfed in a jet of water and hit him directly, knocking him back
"Pretty good," Jack said. "But not good enough. Flash, use Charge Beam!" Matt gasped as Flash shot out a large of electricity right at Empoleon, a direct hit. Empoleon was knocked back and fell unconscious.
Matt realized that this trainer was no joke. "You did well, Empoleon," he said, calling him back. He then looked at Jack. "I may be down, but I'm not out. Come on out, Lucario!" There was another flash of light and the Aura Pokemon appeared. "I can assure you that Lucario is not one to be taken lightly," Matt added. "Lucario, use Close Combat!"
Lucario then charged straight at Flash with extreme speed and attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. While Flash was able to dodge a few, he took hit after hit and was finally struck back. "Flash, use Shadow Ball!" Jack said.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Matt said. Flash produced a ball of dark energy while Lucario formed a ball of blue energy in it's palms. They threw their attacks at the same time, and both balls of energy connected, causing a small explosion.
"Lucario use ExtremeSpeed, and then use Force Palm!" Matt commanded. Lucario then zoomed towards Flash with such speed that he could barely be seen and once he got to Flash, grabbed him and unleashed a huge surge of energy from his palm and Flash was knocked unconscious before he fell to the ground.
"Impressive. Very impressive," Jack said, calling back Flash. "Your Lucario is strong indeed, but this battle is far from over." He then took out another Pokeball. "Alright Jet, it's your turn!" There was a flash of light and a Staraptor appeared. "Jet is another one of my loyal companions, as well as Flash," Jack said. "We've been through a lot together, and now it's time to put it to the test. Jet, use Aerial Ace!"
Jet then charged straight at Lucario. "Lucario, use Focus Blast!" Lucario then charged up another ball of energy, this one light-blue, and shot it straight at Jet. However, the shot hit the Staraptor but he didn't seem affected by it as he kept coming and hit Lucario.
Lucario was pushed back. "You alright, Lucario?" Matt asked. Lucario nodded in response.
"Jet, now use Brave Bird!" Jack said. Jet flew up and was suddenly engulfed in flames. Soon, however, the flames disappeared and Jet was surrounded by a blue energy, and then charged straight at Lucario.
"Counter it with Metal Claw!" Matt said. As Jet charged at him, Lucario then jumped into the air, claws extending from his one paw and headed straight towards Jet. The two then met in the air, but Jet's Brave Bird proved to be stronger as Lucario was shot down to the ground, knocked out.
Matt was rather surprised by the outcome, but kept calm. Calling back Lucario, he looked to Jack. "I have to say, your Pokemon are trained well."
"Same with yours," Jack replied. "This battle is probably the most fun I've had in quite awhile." He then looked to Jet, who appeared from the recoil of the attack. "I know it was a risky shot, Jet, but we had to take it." Jet then nodded in agreement.
"So, Jet is now even more weak from that Brave Bird attack," Matt thought. He then looked over to Raiden who was on his shoulder. "You feel healthy enough to go out there?"
"Raichu," Raiden said, giving him a salute. Nothing could stop him that easily.
"Alright then Raiden, it's your turn now!" Matt said as Raiden jumped out in front of him.
"Jet, use Close Combat!" Jack said. It was now or nothing here.
Matt then saw the window of opportunity. "Raiden, clamp onto to Jet and use Thunderbolt!" Before Jet could land an attack, Raiden clamped onto him using his tail and once on his back, unleashed a large thunderbolt attack, electrifying Jet and sent him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Jack was not surprised by this. He knew that Jet was weak and was at a disadvantage. "Guess it all comes down tot his," he said then. He looked over to Shadow. "Alright Shadow, it all comes down to you now." Shadow then took the field. "Shadow was the first Pokemon I found," Jack explained. "We've been friends for so long and that bond is what makes us strong."
"The same for me and Raiden," Matt replied. "Guess it's time to see whose bond is stronger. Raiden, use Charge Beam!" Raiden then, like Flash before, charged a beam of electricity at Shadow.
"Shadow, Dark Pulse!" Jack said. Shadow then shot out a purple beam of energy which connected with the other. Neither one proved to be stronger as there was a small explosion.
"Now use Focus Punch!" Matt said. Raiden's one paw began to glow as he charged straight at Shadow.
"Shadow, Double Team!" Jack said. Shadow then made copies of himself and surrounded Raiden. However, Raiden wouldn't be fooled as he changed direction and hit the real Shadow directly, knocking him back. "What, but how?" Jack said.
"Raiden's had that move put on him plenty of times during our training," Matt explained. "Practically makes the move worthless."
"Now I'm really impressed," Jack said. "But I'm afraid it ends here now. Shadow, use Giga Impact!"
"Raiden, counter it with Volt Tackle!" Matt said. Shadow then surrounded itself in a sphere of energy while Raiden charged at him, electricity engulfing his body. The two then met in mid-air, trying to push each other back. Then, there was an explosion as both Pokemon flew back and hit the ground, unconscious. It was a draw.
"Wow," both Matt and Jack said. They then looked at one another. "Now that was an amazing battle... um-"
"Matt," Matt said, calling back Raiden. "The name's Matt. And yes, it was an amazing battle."
"Nice to see that I could get some good training in," Jack said. He then noticed something. "Wait a minute, you're only supposed to have six Pokemon at a time and you have eight Pokeballs."
Matt then realized he was doing before. "I can explain that," he said. "You see, my one friend has been kidnapped by Team Galactic, and I'm keeping a hold on her Pokemon."
"Oh, forgive me if it seemed like I was accusing you of something," Jack said quickly. "Say, since we're here now, why don't I help you?"
"Are you sure?" Matt asked. "I mean, I don't want to be a grievance or anything."
"No, of course not," Jack said. "In fact, I was just doing some cross-country walking with my Pokemon. It's always nice to get some fresh air."
All of a sudden, Matt heard a cry and looked up to see that Noctowl was returning back from her reconnaissance duty. "Did you find anything, Noctowl?" Noctowl nodded and flew back the opposite direction, telling them to follow her. "Looks like she did," Matt said as the two trainers ran off to where she was flying to.
They soon found her deeper in the woods, hovering over a road of dirt. Looking closely, Matt saw that there were tire tracks. "So she was taken by vehicle then," Matt concluded.
"And by the direction, it looks like they're headed towards Veilstone City," Jack added. "We better follow them then."
The two then started walking on the road, heading out of the forest and back into total sunlight. "So, what's her name?" Jack asked Matt as they continued walking.
"Kari," Matt answered back. "We've been friends for awhile in Sandgem Town."
"Sandgem Town, huh?" Jack said. "I'm from Twinleaf Town."
"That's a nice town as well," Matt said. He then grew quiet for a bit.
"So, is she your girlfriend by chance?" Jack asked.
Matt blushed slightly. "She is," he said.
Jack laughed. "Hey, no need to get all worked up about it," he said. "I personally am single right now, but there's always that chance I'll run into someone."
"Yeah, that's true for sure," Matt said. "What I don't understand is why Team Galactic would want to kidnap her in the first place."
"Actually, that's not really a surprise to me at all," Jack said. "They're searching all over Sinnoh for new recruiters. Unfortunately, they're doing a good job of it. I, however, chose not to."
"They came to you?" Matt asked, a bit surprised.
"Yep," Jack answered back. "Of course, I refused and had to battle them, although it wasn't much of a battle in general."
"Now that is no surprise," Matt said with a smile on his face. "So, we better stop at Celestic Town first to heal everyone up."
"That's why it's there," Jack said.
Matt then returned his thoughts to Kari. "Kari, wherever you are, hang on. I'm come and find you, I promise."
(A/N: Phew, that was quite a battle. Just to let everyone know, I do not own Jack, Shadow, Flash, or Jet. Credits go to godofmadness43. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one will come up soon and should be an interesting one.)
FoxMcCloud7921