Chapter Seventeen
Trials of the Heart
Why don't I like the girl I see?
The one that's standing right in front of me.
Why don't I think before I speak?
I should've listened to that voice inside me.
I must be stupid, must be crazy,
Must be outta my mind,
To say the things I said last night.
Mirror, mirror, hanging on the wall.
You don't have to tell me;
Who's the biggest fool of all.
Mirror, mirror I wish you could lie to me,
And bring my baby back,
Bring my baby back
To me.
Mirror, Mirror
M2M
Sam's Point of View)
Lunchtime. The instant that Keira had said it, I had groaned in relief. Food was sounding great right now. All morning we had been training, with Pokémon and Trainers alike getting a workout. Diana had managed to learn Roll-Out though, an unexpected bonus that had resulted from the young Eevee tripping over and chasing Artemis down.
Keira's training philosophy, it had seemed, was 'For the Pokémon to be fit, the Trainer must be fit'. My muscles didn't agree with her. Especially after we'd done thirty laps of the gym's stadium. Zeus the Nymbis had been excluded, sine he didn't actually have muscles to tire out. Sparx the Pichu had come in first, with Diana and Artemis a near second and third. Nick had gone and come fourth, Hera had come fifth, while I was left behind some of the other Pokémon to come a dead last. 'Dead' because that's what I had wanted to be afterwards.
Straggling after the Pokémon, we departed the gym through the hidden door. Emerging out into the bright sunlight made me blink, and also spurred the thought that it wasn't too well lit in the Gym of Light.
The trip to the Pokémon Centre was bad. Almost worse was Artemis and Nick making fun of me on the way back.
"Better watch it Sam or you might be forbidden to have flying Pokémon. We don't want an eclipse every time you take off!"
"You know Nick, Sam's seen a legendary Pokémon."
"He has?"
"Yep. He sat on a rainbow and a Ho-oh popped out!"
"I wonder if we should weigh him? Actually, better not. There probably isn't a scale in the city that would accept him without saying 'We Don't Do Onix'!"
"You know you two; I'm actually quite light for my age. Now stop lowering your standards with the insults. I know I just lowered mine by talking to you two." I retorted, giving them a glare. The blank looks on their faces made me smile. Dropping back a little, I left them wondering If I had just insulted them or not.
Now that I was behind them, and with the more sympathetic Diana, I began deciding what to have for lunch. We weren't due back at the Gym for another two hours, which gave me plenty of time to have lunch and relax a little.
The Pokémon Centre was the same as before. Albeit, a little more crowded now that it was midday. Heading back into the Food Hall, I looked around for signs of familiar life. When I saw only Brendan, and what looked like half of all the food in the kitchen, I gave a sigh of relief. Walking up to one of the counters, I submitted all of my Pokémon that were in Pokéballs to the lady behind the counter. Now that the Pokémon were being cared for, I grabbed some lunch of my own and claimed a spot across the table from Brendan. Looking down at the food, I contemplated what I should eat first, before just taking a blind scoop of something with my fork and putting it in my mouth.
"How's the training going?" Brendan asked me. Pointing to my stuffed mouth, I swallow after a few seconds, washed the food down with some water, before replying, "Oh, great. If you count running in circles, nearly getting blasted from behind by concentrated light and throwing things around for your Pokémon to aim at as being great. Don't suppose you wanna swap? But then again, Keira might notice that you're not me." I mused on that thought, before I noticed the look that Brendan was giving me. "What?"
"You know, exercising is meant to release endorphins that make you happy. Maybe you were looking the other way when they were handing out that particular body function? Or maybe it was surgically removed at your birth?"
"If you aren't quiet, your brain will be surgically removed at the present." I growled, making mocking stabbing actions with my fork. Or was it a spork? I had no idea. Suddenly distracted by this run of thought, I wasn't aware of Brendan's reply until he said my name.
"Sam?"
I gave a start and looked at him. "What?"
"Ok, I just insulted you and your Pokémon. Currently I'm awaiting some kind of sarcastic remark that I can retaliate towards." The look on Brendan's face was far too innocent. Knowing that he wanted me to insult him right back, I kept quiet and continued to eat.
Something abruptly nagged at my mind. The sort of feeling you get when you know you have to remember something, but you just can't remember what it is. A sense of the room I was staying in flashed through my mind, and I got up and abandoned my food. Brendan watched me leave the hall, a startled look on his face, before he shrugged and dragged my almost untouched food over to his half of the table.
I ghosted through the hallways of the Pokémon Centre, ignoring the people I passed. Upon reaching my room, I put my hand into my pocket and drew out the door key. Almost in a trance, I opened the door. After that, I only had the sense of two hands putting themselves on my head, on my temples, and after that, darkness.
Some time later)
A throbbing headache ran through my head, similar to the one I had last night. Opening my eyes, I was met with a white roof. Raising my head, I discovered I was on my bed in the Pokémon Centre. It was daytime, and taking a look at my PokèNav which was still in its pocket, I gave a yelp when I saw that it was 2:35pm! I knew I had been tired last night, but definitely not this tired. Getting up, I dashed around the room, into the shower, and out again, before getting changed and leaving my room.
The Lobby was my first stop. Screeching to a stop in front of Nurse Joy, I stammered, "Can I grab my Pokémon please?"
Giving me a blank look, Nurse Joy said nothing. Raising my eyebrow, I looked around warily, wondering if something was about to jump out at me, I looked back at the nurse. "Hello?"
"Didn't you pick your Pokémon up earlier?"
"No." I said slowly, thinking back. My last memory was running into Keira last night. At the mention of her name, I quickly thought of the gym. I still needed to challenge it. Coming suddenly back to the subject at hand, I suddenly thought of the others. Maybe they had picked my Pokémon up!
Shaking my head, I nodded to the nurse who regarded me with a look similar to someone who was in the same paddock as an enraged Tauros. Walking further back into the Pokémon Centre, I emerged in the Food Hall. Hope was in there. Giving her a quick wave, I exited the hall in the search of the others. Waling out into the lobby, I got another strange look from Nurse Joy. Ignoring her, I continued outside into the sunlight. When I didn't see anyone, I sighed and reached beneath my shirt, drawing out my PokéNav I punched a few numbers in before I reached Katrina's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kat. I'm surprised you didn't wake me up. Do you have my Pokémon?" I asked. My PokèNav had been on audio before, when it suddenly went to visual. Katrina's face appeared, looking confused.
"No. You had them when you went to the Gym earlier. Why aren't you there? Nick said you only had an hour for lunch."
Now was my turn for confusion. "I just woke up, Kat-"The PokèNav suddenly crackled and roared. Wincing, I looked at Katrina when she came back into view. "Just a sec Kat, I'll see if I can fix this up. Wonder what's with the distortion?" Using my powers, I reached out the focused it on the machine in my hand, helping it to pick up a signal. Instead, the screen deadened instantly as the machine sparked, and then died. A whisp of acidic smoke curled up out of it as I looked down at it, startled.
"That can't be good." I muttered. Flipping the machine over, I saw a blackened part of it smoking, something obviously destroyed. I swore, quite fluently. My powers weren't so extreme that I could suddenly lose control of them. Taking off the cord that the PokèNav was attached to, I put it in my pocket, before flipping over my wristband and taking a look at my TWT. It was fine, except a small red light was on. Wondering what it was for, I shook my head and retreated back into the Pokémon Centre and into my room. Grabbing my bag, I took out my old PokèNav, the one I had had before the International League had given me a new one. Dialling in Katrina's number, the machine told me that her PokèNav was either turned off or unavailable. I raised an eyebrow, before stretching out with my mind. I located Katrina's mind-pattern on the other side of the town. Too far for me to talk to her telepathically, but I decided to try anyway.
Katrina?
A sudden barrier hit my powers and bounced them back to me. A mental echo went through my head. What had stopped my powers? Now, very annoyed, I stood up. My Pokémon were missing and Katrina was suddenly unavailable. Switching into 'Hero' mood, I stormed out the door, heading for where Katrina was. Whatever was blocking my powers didn't stop me from being connected to Kat; it just stopped any psychic waves going down the link.
Brendan went past me on my way out of the Centre. He took one look at my face, and knew something was wrong. He instantly wheeled around and fell into step beside me.
"Sam, what's wrong? I haven't seen you since lunch. That was about three hours ago. Nick left a while ago as well, he told me to tell you that you can catch up."
I slowed down, before stopping. I turned to look at Brendan. "Lunch? I just woke up. What's with everyone today?" Not waiting for an answer, I continued on. Unnoticed, Brendan stopped behind me, frowning. Pulling out his own, green, PokèNav, he pressed a few buttons.
"Kat? Yeah, it's me. What's with Sam? He's acting weird. What do mean, why am I asking you? You're the only one available. Nick's at the Gym and phone calls don't get through the walls. You know how they have those Sonic Barriers. I don't know Hope well enough, and I'm not even gonna ask Ashlee. She won't know. What? You PokèNav shut down when you were talking with Sam? That's not good. I'll get back to you on that." Switching off his mobile, Brendan stared off into the distance. Biting his lip, a sudden light sparkled in his eyes.
"No way. She wouldn't. She can't, it's illegal. But it'd explain that-." Not finishing the sentence, he took off.
By now, I was a few blocks away from Kat. People bustled either side of me, but I ignored them, contemplating a battle-plan without my Pokémon. Rounding the corner, I was met with Katrina, her arms crossed in front of her chest, in her butt-kicking pose.
Raising my eyebrow, I looked at her. "You're alright?" It was a statement and a question.
Katrina rolled her eyes, before walking forward and grabbing me by the wrist. "Come with me."
I followed, when she stopped in front of what looked like a sun, I gave her another look. "This the Gym?"
She slapped her forehead, saying 'Duh!' before leading me inside. Once inside, I looked around with interest. A single corridor was in the room, and it was filled with a mist. Above the corridor, there was an inscription, and as I read it, I frowned.
"That can't be good."
Katrina stopped suddenly and let go of me. Turning around, she glared. "Don't go anywhere."
I nodded, and once I did, she nodded once herself and took off into the mist.
Katrina's Point of View)
The mists swirled and pulsed around me. Running forward, I had only one thought in mind: 'Figure out what was wrong with Sam'. So, I was going directly to someone who should know. The gym leader of the city.
Abruptly, I stopped. What was that?
A voice suddenly went through my head, talking in a rhyme.
The first test now you'll see.
Upon you shall be placed the law of three.
What you do, so you shall reap.
Take nothing, for only knowledge you'll keep.
My surroundings suddenly changed. I was in a deserted neighbourhood. A wind whipped around me as I looked around warily. A snuffling sound came to my ears and I turned my head. A small girl was curled up against a wall. Walking over to her, I crouched down. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She looked at me, her eyes red with tears. "My Skitty, it went up a tree and it can't get down. I'm too little to get it. Can, can you help me?"
I winced. I wasn't particularly fond of Skitties. "Show me the tree and I'll try to help. I'm probably not that much bigger than you."
The girl pointed to my left, and a mewling sound called out. A tree had appeared, and in its branches was the small, cat Pokémon. Looking at the tree, I saw the branches were just in my reach. Walking over to the tree, I reached up and hoisted myself up. Climbing up, I kept an eye on the Skitty. When I reached the branch below it, the tree suddenly had no more branches strong enough for me to climb on. Sighing, I reached up to the Skitty.
"Come here you stupid thing." I told it. It gave a hiss, and swiped at my hands, cutting my finger. "Ow!"
Looking down at my finger, a drop of blood pooled quickly. Sticking the finger in my mouth, I rethought my action plan. Reaching up again, I looked it in the eyes. "Can you please come here?"
It looked wary, before coming closer. It came close enough for me to grab, and grab it I did, roughly pulling it off the branch before it got the idea to run in its head. It hissed again, but a far louder sound caught my attention. The branch beneath me snapped, and we plummeted, and landed on a branch five feet below. Wobbling, I groaned in pain. Wondering how I had landed on the branch, I saw that I had angled enough to have simply fallen on it in a way that I was sitting on it. Wincing, I stood up, before climbing down a branch. The Skitty growled, before it attacked with a fury, scratching me while it was in my arms. Deep cuts appeared on my arms from it. I yelled in pain, and went down the tree as fast as I could. The instant I hit the ground, the cat Pokémon stopped, and the girl rushed forward.
"Thank you!" She said, getting the Skitty from me. I relinquished it happily, focusing my attention on my cuts. The girl looked at them solemnly, before touching one with a finger. The cuts suddenly healed, and white flesh was in its place. A white light filled my vision, and I was suddenly in the corridor again.
The law of three you have learnt,
You have received what you earnt.
Good deeds you have been rewarded for,
But bad deeds you were punished and more.
The Test of Kindness you have passed,
But this test won't be your last.
Shivering, I took a shaky step forward, and then another. Walking forward, I smiled slightly. The way was clear. Walking now, I went back to my original journey of getting through to find Keira, when I suddenly dropped. Dark surrounded me, when I suddenly landed. Straightening, I looked around. The darkness thinned, until I could see a single, shadowy figure. Drawing a Pokéball, he released a Pokémon from it. A Scyther emerged, looking quite angry, but it didn't move. Suddenly, the figure clicked their fingers and I was rooted to the spot. Drogan the Dratini appeared from nowhere and in the line of the Scyther. The orange glint of Drogan's skin looked red in this light, and that was enough for the Scyther. It flew forward, its scythes glimmering. At the last second, Drogan suddenly dodged, and looked wildly around. When he saw me, his eyes widened happily. "Mummy!"
"Drogan! Turn and use Thunderwave!
I didn't want to hurt this Scyther, just stop it. I wasn't expecting Drogan to understand me, but when he turned, he opened his mouth. A wave of yellow flew out and went towards the Scyther. When it hit it, the Scyther, Drogan and the Thunderwave disappeared.
Throwing another Pokéball, the shadow figure moved. Suddenly I was able to move myself. Out came a Jynx, looking smug. When it saw me, It came towards me. I thought quickly. The dress was making it slow, so I used that to my advantage. Moving quickly around the Jynx, I looked for my mark. All Jynx had a weak spot in the middle of their back, one that made them freeze. Something to do with their nerves and things.
Spotting it, I leapt, and missed. The Jynx was slow at moving, but it could still turn, still slowly. Turning my jump into a roll, I wound up in a crouching position and took off again, this time determined to get the Jynx. This time, I hit the mark, and the Jynx disappeared. I dropped again, and landed on the floor of the corridor.
The Test of Compassion you have faced,
You have stopped each Pokémon in their place.
By doing this, you show you'll do no pain,
Even if it's for your gain.
Given the chance, you'll help, not hurt,
You play with fire, but you don't get burnt.
"Enough with the rhymes already." I muttered. Taking off again, I switched into my perception mode. Keeping an eye on everything, I relied on my intuition as much as my senses. It served me well when I managed to escape capture from the cage that tried to slam shut on me. Looking back at the cage, I smirked at it.
A wind whipped around me, and for the third time, I was taken away to somewhere. I was definitely beginning to think that I was within my mind. The place I was in now was completely empty, apart from a single mirror. Walking forward a step, my footstep echoed around me. Unease crept into my stomach, and I looked around warily.
This test will be your last,
Upon you this spell is cast.
Your own world you're used to and more,
And now we open this dimensional door.
You cannot run, and you can't hide,
We now switch you to your other side.
I had come up to the mirror. In it, I saw myself. But I was different, colder, and more serious. Reaching up to touch my face, my reflection did the same. Reaching forward, I touched my reflection and my vision swam in front of me. When it was back to normal, I could see myself, the one I was accustomed to. A noise behind me made me swing. I saw something flash, but, instead of me standing numbly, I easily reached up and caught it. It was the arm of a man, and he was trying to hurt me. Suddenly, I realised that my body had left my control. My arms and feet continued to hurtle out, assaulting the man, until, with one last swing, he vanished. And as he did, memories sprang through my head.
My younger brother, Mark. He was training with me. I knew our parents had been killed by a Rocket attack. My parents had been hiding rebels in our house, until they were all found.
Uncle Lance, Aunt Claire, I could see them battling against Giovanni and Agatha of the Elite Four. My Aunt and Uncle were winning, until they had been ambushed by Rocket soldiers.
Sam, he wasn't the one that I knew. He was harder, and more powerful. This version I could see in a field, using powerful psychic attacks and throwing Rocket soldiers away like they were rag dolls. Nick was next to him, almost as powerful as he used brute strength to lay the hurt on the Rockets. Ashlee, while she had been powerful in my world, she wasn't here. She was using her Pokémon to attack. Brendan was the same, teaming up to perform incredible attacks.
Me, I was there. I was good at Martial Arts in my world. Here, I had learnt to fight out of sheer need. After my parents were killed, me and my brother had had to sneak our way to Uncle Lance's hideout.
Suddenly, I saw myself, the real me. I saw my strengths, my weaknesses. My soul was laid bare for everyone to see. I saw everything I had ever done that was 'bad', and everything that was 'good'. I saw my place in the scheme of the world, not the universe, just the Pokémon World. I was going to be needed, I didn't know when, I didn't know where, but I had the sense I was going to be needed somewhere and at some time.
Then, my complete potential was unlocked for the briefest moment. I was, to put in exactly, perfect. I was at complete balance with my self, and able to do anything. Lifting a finger, I could have lifted the world. And as abruptly as it had come, my perfection was gone.
And as a concluding effort, I could see a mental picture of something crucial, something that had happened, or that was going to happen.
Sam was opening the door to his room in the Pokémon Centre. Before he had any time to do anything else, a pair of arms stretched out and touched him on the temples. The view changed, until I could see Ashlee, her hands glowing, and Sam's eyes, glowing green, the green of Ashlee's powers.
Mind wipe.
Those two words echoed throughout my head. Mind wipe, that was all.
And I was then at the exit to the Trials of Romanc Gym. In front of me was one, final rhyme.
You have triumphed over your own soul,
And now you are here at your goal.
But will you still have strength to fight,
Now you know you aren't completely light?
It isn't a foe against whom you've won.
It's your heart, the part you've shunned
I nodded. It was fitting this rhyme. My attention moved downwards, where I saw and empty Gym. Frowning, I flicked out my PokéNav. The time read 6pm, two and a bit hours after I had gone into the Trials. My eyes widened, and I quickly turned back into the Trials, knowing that there was no way that they could affect me again. I was right. Running through the mists, I emerged into the lobby of the Gym. Running out the door, I made a mad dash for the Pokémon Centre, hoping that I wouldn't be too late.
Nick's Point of View)
This was it. The big battle. Beside me stood Sam, who, for some reason, looked confused. It was probably nerves; I bet I looked almost the same. A small bell chimed somewhere away from us, signaling that the battle would start in five minutes. I inhaled slowly, and began to pace. When I looked back at Sam, he had begun to sweat.
"You alright?" I asked him, suddenly worried.
He gulped. "Yeah, when is this battle meant to start? And why do I have to battle? The only notice I got was you telling me that we were gonna fight. What, did you get on someone's bad side again?" He had a straight look on his face. And if I didn't know better, I could have sworn he was being honest.
"Oh, you're funny. We're here becau-."
"Nick? Sam? It's time." Keira's voice called from outside the door. Nodding to Sam, I made my way out. Keira smiled when she saw us. For some reason, we had to get dressed up in weird costumes. Mine had a symbol of the sun on it in yellow. Sam's had the full moon, in a bright blue. The rest of the suit was almost like the kind you'd see in Medieval times. A tunic, with yellow, or blue, in Sam's case, bordering. Simple and effective.
The hall began to end, and me and Sam walked outside into the fresh air of the Twilight Stadium. It was situated between Romanc City and Rorroh town, the exact same distance apart. There was a tower nearby, since this was also a place of worship. The tower was raised in dedication to Gaios, the legendary Earth Pokémon. These weird little seeds were there, the 'Seeds of Chaos' and the 'Seeds of Life'. If you ever wished to summon Gaios, the legend states, you must 'Plant the seeds where plants and humans meet in harmony.' The type of seed you planted resulted in the temperament of the Gaios you summoned. Planting the Seeds of Life would result in a peaceful Gaios that would heal the planet. The seeds of Chaos would create a war-like Gaios who preferred to wipe the planet of the creatures destroying it.
Luckily, this stadium was brand new. 'The Battle' used to be held in a small stadium attached to the Tower, until the crowds had proven too big for it to hold. So, they had built this one a few years ago.
Nodding to Sam again, we walked forward to the middle of the stadium floor. Two others stood there, waiting for us. They were dressed in identical costumes, except that theirs was black.
When we got close enough, I blinked in surprise. I knew these two. It was Kai and the psychic girl who had helped us escape the Monarch's Tombstone. Sophie, I think the name was. Kai looked coolly back at me, plainly not happy that I was there. We hadn't been on good terms since I had picked him up as a joke and thrown him. Sam had come through the door at that exact moment, and trapped Kai in a Psychic Bubble as an automatic reflex. It had been funny for me, but plainly Kai hadn't been amused.
"Will the combatants please shake hands." A voice called out through the speakers. Extending my hand, I shook first Sophie's, then Kai's. Making a quick reference, I remembered that Kai had chosen Hekark, that weird, evil looking bush Pokémon, and Sophie had chosen Senvar, the teddy bear.
Once the hand shakes were done, we turned around. Making a bee-line for a red column I was meant to stand on, I gave Sam a quick thumbs-up.
"And welcome to the four-hundredth and sixty-third Battle of the Twilight. As the legend goes, Mew and Missingno met on this very plain, just a little bit away. Since then, to commemorate the battle and large battle have commenced in order to remember these two Legendaries. The two made theirs homes not far from here; Mew lived where Romanc City is now, and in particular, where the Romanc Gym stands. The same can be said for Missingno, except that it lived in Rorroh where the Rorroh Gym stands. The winners of this battle not only earn prestige, but they also earn for the cities that they represent, the right to hold the Chalice of the Ages for one year. This Chalice is said to have the power to look through time, if it is used properly. Luckily, no-one has ever figured out how otherwise I'd have stopped buying lotto tickets a while ago. Now, will the combatants please stand up on the columns?"
Going up a step, I stepped onto the red column. Sam went onto the blue, Sophie onto the yellow, and Kai onto the green. Sam was now starting to look pale, and I could see funny sparks playing on his skin.
Suddenly, I could almost feel something burning into my skin. Looking over, I saw Kai delivering the mother of all death glares. Making a face at him, I looked to the centre of the field, keeping an eye on Sam from the corner of my eye.
"The rules are simple. The first team to hit the other's target with their designated attack THREE times wins. Mew's Chosen will use the attack 'Light Beam'. Missingno's Hallowed will use 'Darkness Stream'. When the light up on the scoreboard goes green, the battle will commence. Additionally, the first team to knock the other's Pokémon out will win."
Up on the side of the Stadium, three lights appeared on the screen. I looked at them nervously, and hoped I wasn't gonna stuff up. Sophie looked calm and ditzed out, Kai looked determined to beat us and Sam was definitely looking sick. We had had to pick up his Pokémon from the Centre. Keira hadn't been happy, especially since he had blown off the afternoon training. But what was done was done, as she had said.
A yellow light lit up on the screen, followed by an orange. And then, after an agonizing stop, the red light flashed on.
"BEGIN!"