... "What's the difference between Slam Dunk and my manga? Why is Slam Dunk so cool and interesting?"
Of course, I myself also loved Slam Dunk, and would be the first to admit that it was very interesting! I just wanted to get an outside, objective view of the differences between Slam Dunk and my manga. My friend replied thus:
"You can tell by reading it how much Mr. Inoue Takehiko really loves basketball. And you can feel how much fun he has drawing Slam Dunk, and it's like Mr. Inoue's drawing it with the message 'please read it, basketball's so much fun' to the readers. With your manga, I'm sure you're drawing it because you really love it too, but it's just not coming through as fun... it's like, you're having all the fun by yourself and we're being left out or left behind. There's no sense of 'please read it'..."
When I heard the truth, it did deflate me, but I continued to pose the same question to other friends of mine. And yet I kept getting similar responses from them as well.
And then, it came to me. There are many different elements to drawing manga, but the most important principle is:
"One must have fun drawing one's own manga. And then, what's even more critical is to be aware of one's audience and draw for the readers' enjoyment. Everything must be for the readers. One must be able to change the expressions on their faces and make them say 'wow! That is so cool!' when they've finished reading it!"
And after a little while, I realized that this is what is meant by 'entertainment'. It's important to grasp the practical aspects of drawing manga, but as long as one draws thinking 'I'm going to be an entertainer!' I feel that the other things will quietly and naturally fall into place.
- Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto. Extract from Naruto volume 14 'My Personal History' parts 19-20
Aenrhien: It's actually a Luxray... Y'know, shoulder height panther and all -_-'
aweswomstorydigest: Thanks for the add to Favourites! :D
Nega20: AN ADD TO ALERTS *glomps*
Chapter 10 – Arrival
Six's View
I was starting to get a headache. So many of these... animals kept jumping out at me, always fleeing when confronted with my swords.
Ugh.
At least, in very good progress, I had managed to fly to what a sign called 'Oreburgh City'. There was another Pokémon Center, another large brown-roofed building (which I discovered were called 'Gyms') and a large mining company.
Hidden by a slag heap next to the entrance to the mine, I pulled out the Town Map again. The GPS' message this time was "Oreburgh City is home to the mining company 'Digtrio' (clearly a play on the Kantonese Pokémon Dugtrio) as it was founded by three miners, now deceased. The Gym is probably the most popular attraction here, with battles and seats to view them booked out almost constantly. The Mining Museum offers information on Digtrio's past, as well as a Pokémon resurrection service for any trainer with three badges that has found an identifiable fossil somewhere." Wow. Like Jurassic Park or something.
As I put the small device away, a flash of purple next to my foot caught my eye. It had better not have been another monster...
A small bag poked its drawstring out of the heap. Digging it out, I found it was filled with a soft, dark pink, extremely fine-grained and slightly oily sand. I rubbed a tiny pinch between my fingers and it settled into the creases and ridges of my fingerprints, refusing to budge. However, on closer inspection, the dust had a sheen... the only word was delicate – the kind that appeared on some gemstones, like a tiger's eye or petrified wood.
Pulling the drawstring tight, I hid the hoverboard and turning a corner ran into a young man of maybe twenty. He took one look at the bag and exclaimed "Oh! That's Stardust! I'm a shopkeeper for the Pokémon Center, and can sell it to you for 1,000 Pokédollars, how about it?" He carefully pulled out a strange-looking note of currency. I narrowed my eyes, studied it (it seemed legitimate), his expression (which was good natured and a bit dumb) and his uniform, waited a moment, then replied "Sure."
Half an hour later I'd booked a room at the Pokémon Center for 400 Pokedollars (camping in the cold, anyone?), stashed the hoverboard under the small bed and walked back outside, where people were milling around, shopping, chatting or exercising.
"Hey, no fair! Give it back!"
I turned to the indignant shouting a few metres away to see a small boy jumping into the air, trying to reach a cap that a larger kid was holding just out of reach. I frowned.
The older boy laughed. "Not until you give me the Super Potion you found!"
The young boy gave one more giant leap at the hat, and the bully grabbed one of the two red-and-white capsules off the desperate kid's belt. Landing, the smaller boy cried out and quickly threw the other one, yelling "Starly! Help me get Geodude and my cap back!"
In a flash of red plasmid light, a pigeon-like bird appeared and gave a small "Stree!"
In a roaring fury, the smaller kid ran at the bully. The younger one sprang around the elder one just out of his reach, confusing him as the bird divebombed the items, successfully getting both.
Quickly backpedalling, the younger one did a quick airpunch, snatched the hat from the still flying bird's claws and jammed it onto his head, and shouted "You're never getting my Super Potion, or my cap, or my Geodude, so there!" The bird perched on his shoulder triumphantly as he walked away. An exultant "Thanks for helping me, Starly!" floated back to where I was standing.
The bully kicked the ground, looked after the boy and said "Darn..."
I couldn't sleep. No matter how I tossed and turned I simply couldn't. I just... couldn't...
A thought floated just at the edge of my subconscious. -There a problem?-
Yeah, I thought in response to my thoughts, I can't sleep. Obvious much?
-You seem in need of help... of more than one kind...-
I rolled over. No I don't...
The voice in my mind seemed to snort. -I think you do. Lost in this place called 'Sinnoh'... with only the word of a strange teenage boy and GPS map to trust... and unable to sleep...-
I turned again. I can sleep... It'll come...
-Here... let me help you...-
A black fog clouded the edges of my thoughts. This isn't me... I thought. Instantly alert, I struggled to fight the fog.
-So you finally figured... I'm not your head. You're going to sleep. My brother wants something conveyed to you, you know...-
No. No more mind tricks...
-Yes...-
Never... I'd already had my memory erased once...
-Yes. It won't hurt... you'll keep all your memories...-
No!
-Yes!-
I struggled to stay awake, but the fog consumed my thoughts and I lost consciousness.
...
... Darkness...
... Plateau...
... Jagged teeth, reaching to the sky...
... Lizard-like eyes, staring at me...
... They disappeared...
... Pain...
... Roar...
... Time stopped...
... The land went grey...
... As far as I could see down from the mountain...
... A thought floated past...
... Help...
... Help it!
My eyes flicked open. Heart pounding, cold sweat on my face... I was scared.
I didn't get scared.
Rolling over to peer at the small digital clock next to the bed, its red digits glared 2:04am into my face. All just a dream... a freaky dream...
-Hurry to Sandgem now... or the land will never move again...-
...The voice! Still dreaming! I pinched myself, but nothing happened.
-Hurry... corny as it is, Sinnoh depends on you... and your... friends...-
Friends. Holiday. Rex.
-Yes, those friends...-
But where could they be...?
-They are already at Sandgem Town. Tell them Giratina helped you – but I cannot help any more... goodbye...-
I... knew... instantly what I had to do. Throwing back the small quilt, I donned my suit and sunglasses and rushed down the stairs with my hoverboard under one arm. No time to wait for morning.
Sneaking expertly out into the rocky city, I leapt onto the board and vanished into the inky night.
Holiday's View
In a torpor, my head rolled on the pillow to see the small clock with its luminescent hands pointing out 2:04am. As I did so, I heard the shuffling steps come from Rex's room down the hall towards the public bathrooms. I could hear him muttering "Darn... dreams... scary..."
I crawled out of bed and opened the door to whisper "Rex?"
A small "Yeah, Doc?" came in reply. I squinted in the darkness. "You okay?"
"I'm being plagued by nightmares..." he yawned.
Where are you... I found his torso and pulled him into a hug. He happily hugged me back. "You'll be okay, Rex. They're just exaggerated dreams of a situation that you find scary..."
A muffled "Scientist..."reached my ears. I tightened the embrace for a moment before turning to walk into my own room.
"Doc..."
I turned. "Yes, Rex?"
"What's a Giratina?"
Six's View
I followed the roads through a mountain and down another Route before coming to a large city. It had a TV tower and major 'Training Academy' among other things. Turning left as the GPS indicated, I stuck to the shadows of the forest and headed directly south.
Rex's View
"Aw, c'mon Lucas! Can't I borrow one of your Pokémon so we can battle? Please?"
Lucas sighed and rubbed his temples. "For the last time Rex, no!"
I pouted and built the Smack Hands. "Then how about I fight one of your Pokémon?"
"I think that's a pretty good idea!" exclaimed Dawn as she sauntered over to us across the field outside the lab. Lucas frowned. "No, Dawn. You saw what he can do. What if he could fly, or make giant feet to go with the hands?"
I built the Boogie Pack and Punk Busters at the same time. "C'mon, if Holiday's account of that Carnivine is anything to judge by, it shouldn't be too easy for me to beat." I pulled a cheesy grin at Lucas. He rolled his eyes. "How about you just use the fists? Pokémon are animals and they will bleed – but they can take incredible amounts of damage before they do – so don't use your sword... thing... okay?"
I quickly switched to the Smack Hands and nodded. "Good," Lucas asked, "What kind of Pokémon do you want to battle? I have quite a few."
I cocked my head to one side. "Something fast, strong and difficult. Very difficult."
Lucas unclipped an 'Ultra Ball' – brown with yellow stripes – from his belt. I could barely hear his muttered "Garchomp it is..."
Dawn's eyes flicked nervously to the Pokéball. "Lucas, you bred that for high stats from a Gible! You're not seriously..."
Lucas ignored her and tossed the metal sphere into the air. The plasmid light took shape into a seven-foot-tall dragon-like Pokémon. Leathery indigo skin stretched taut over a body streamlined, made for speed. Two elliptical blobs stuck out from the sides of its head, which had a permanent, toothy grin. Small spikes adorned thighs and biceps, and a long fin extended from each forearm, which ended in a single curved claw. Fins also were on its back and tail. Red and yellow covered its chest. If a shark had gone EVO and grown legs, this was what it would look like. It glanced around with predatory yellow eyes, blinked, and glanced at its trainer with a questioning expression on its face.
The trainer in question stared back up at it, maintaining eye contact. "Garchomp, you're going to be fighting Rex over there. He is a person, but he has... abilities. Fight him like you would a Pokémon – but whatever you do, do not use Hyper Beam. Do you understand?" The beast nodded in comprehension. "And I won't be instructing you – do it on your own, okay?"
Dipping its head in a final response, it turned to face me and sized me up. I could only do the same. Dawn and Lucas stepped back a few metres.
Suddenly, the Garchomp roared and rushed me, closing the few metres between us at a speed to rival Six. In a split second I swung forwards, but it rushed behind me, and I swung back around to hit in the side and fling it into a nearby tree. The tree shuddered and a few select leaves lazily made their way down to the earth, totally disregarding the pace of the fight.
The Garchomp shook its head and got to its feet growling.
"What's the matter, big guy – can't you make earthquakes? Grow trees?" I taunted. "Give me your best shot!"
Immediately, its whole body turned white. It tucked its arms into its body so the fins stuck out like wings and started closing the fifty-metre distance between us at a speed I didn't think possible for a cheetah. I formed the Shield Hands on instinct and braced against the impact – which forced me back twenty metres, if the furrows my shoes left in the soil were anything to judge by.
I locked eyes once more with the Garchomp.
Almost in slow motion, a long spike of refined steel spun through the air and embedded itself deep into the Pokémon's shoulder. My heart skipped a beat. I leapt to the falling Garchomp and flung my hands outwards, initiating the dome shield around us – not a split second too soon – to see the other thunderbolt-shaped sword ram into the shield and ricochet off. Its owner glared at me from behind shades. I returned the stare and slowly shook my head.
We trusted each other's judgement. Six stood back and nodded, allowing me to turn off the shield and kneel down beside the injured Garchomp. Disassembling the Shield Hands, I pulled my gloves off and eased the sword from its shoulder. It growled warningly, but kept still. I gently placed my hands on the wound area, which was oozing thick, dark blood, and directed about a third of my total nanites into its body to fix torn muscle tissue and tendons and a punctured lung.
Holiday told me later that as Dawn had frantically called her out, she had stepped into the field to be greeted with the sight of a Pokémon, half dead, criss-crossed with blue nanite lines at the mercy of an elite mercenary who was watching the said Pokémon so he could strike if it endangered his EVO charge, who was directing the blue lines to various points of injury on the creature.
When the nanites had healed the Pokémon to a point that the incident may have never happened, I recalled every single one of my nanites and rocked back onto my heels, utterly spent. With black closing in on the edge of my vision, I could just make out Holiday frantically explaining things to Six, Dawn and Lucas, and the Garchomp looking at me with a worried expression, before I lost consciousness.
Six's View
I'd been filled in on what I should and shouldn't have done and that that was a 'Pokémon' and not an EVO. Dawn had introduced me to a Professor Rowan, and I'd been given a room on the second floor. The Professor has sent Rex to the local Pokémon Center for a check-up, staying there just in case someone picked up on his EVO abilities.
Dawn had called us into the Professor's office, saying we needed to have a 'meeting of extreme importance'.
As Lucas sat down, I asked "You wanted to see us?"
He nodded. "Obviously something's happened to get you to Sinnoh from Earth. It was probably dimension travel on Palkia's behalf, but I have no idea why he would do it."
"Palkia?" Holiday was confused.
Dawn answered. "There are four major deities on Aera; Arceus, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. I did a little bit of research into their origins and found that the latter three are Arceus' sons and daughter. They respectively control Time, Space and the Afterworld."
I raised an eyebrow at this. "How do you know they exist?"
Dawn made eye contact with me. "I've met them."
I caught Holiday's tiny flick of her eyes towards me. She didn't believe Dawn.
"So what do they look like?" she asked.
Lucas answered by pulling out a red handheld device. He input something, presumably the deities' names, and showed us the screen. The name of each one was displayed under a picture of the Pokémon, assuming they were Pokémon, and it switched after ten seconds to the next one in a slideshow. I studied the white, blue, pink and black beings and leaned back. Holiday studied them for a little longer, and I saw a flicker of fear and comprehension in her eyes. I'd ask her later – now wasn't the time.
Lucas stowed the device in his pocket and sighed. "Well..." he glanced at Dawn. "I'll confirm with Professor Rowan, but... I suppose..." Dawn's confusion changed to comprehension, then excitement.
"I suppose," Lucas continued, "Since you're here you're obviously here for a reason. I haven't the slightest clue what that reason is. But if you're going to survive here, you need a Pokémon."
Dusk's View
"Master, what are we doing at Lake Valor Cavern?"
I glanced at my Absol, Snowshadow. "You'll see, girl." I strode to the centre of the cavern and placed five Oran Berries, as was the ritual. I took five steps backwards to stand with my Pokémon and waited for the shimmers of azure that signified the arrival of Azelf, being of willpower.
Yes guys, next chapter they will get their Pokémon! Those 'Mon logically fit, and I have mentioned them before. *hint hint nudge nudge* What's Dusk doing? ...Does anyone have ideas on what his party is? All will be revealed, grasshoppers! *shot* Sorry for the Month of No Updates, life seriously got in the way -_-;;
I hope this chapter was worth it!
~SK