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Chapter 5:The Elemental Trials. Part 2
"If this isn't the electric test, then I'm a shiny Magikarp,"I said flatly, staring at the gigantic storm clouds that practically poured out lightning. The ground was just a barren landscape of rock. A large bolt struck the ground in front of me, creating a flash that blinded me temporarily, not too mention pissed me off. How many times did I have to tell them that my eyes were photo-sensitive?! When I could see again, Raikou was standing in front of me, smirking.
"You ready, kid?"he asked, bolts crackling around him. I nodded, wondering what the thunder beast had in store for me as I blinked away the spots.
"What do I have to do?"I asked, not liking the smirk he had.
"Dodge,"was all he said in response to my question, firing a bolt at me.
"WHOA!"I barely managed to roll out of the way of. I paled as his fur gave off an incredible amount of electricity."...Aw, shit..."Good thing this armor was practically weightless, because I was forced to quickly jump up to dodge another bolt, then twist my body around to dodge a third. He fired toward the spot I was about to land at, but I quickly let out a burst of wind from my hands to avoid it. As soon as I landed, I rolled forward into a standing position and ran to dodge yet another. I lunged forward, just above another freaking bolt. I landed on my hands and started backflipping like mad to avoid a series of bolts. I landed in a crouching position, catching my breath as Raikou stared at me, still smirking.
"Hmph. Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."he said. Another portal appeared and I stood back up, still a bit out of breath as I walked through.
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This next place...wow. Just wow. I didn't think it was possible, but this place looked weirder than the Unown's dimension. Everywhere I looked, there were stairs going in every direction. Some were even upside down. Spreaded here and there were what looked like the ruined remains of buildings, very few of them even having roofs. One really weird thing was a waterfall that was flowing upside down.
"Okay, I have no idea which test this is,"I said slowly."The only one I can think of is psychic, because none of the remaining would make any sense here."
'Correct,'a voice said in my mind. It was then that the familiar figure of Mewtwo appeared in front of me. I sighed irritably. This was not going to end well."Maybe not, but that depends on how well you do."My eye twitched. I hate it when he does that.
"I know I'm going to regret this, but what's the test?"I asked dreadfully. He crouched down and picked up a rock the size of a toy car.
"All you have to do is take this little stone from me,"he said calmly. I stared blankly.
"You're going sensei on me?"I asked incredulously. He didn't even smirk at my question.
"Be glad Arceus forbade me from giving you a time limit,"he said, his usually calm tone laced with just a hint of annoyance."Begin."He flew off before I could even blink. I groaned audibly. This was going to suck. I quickly flew after him, dodging through the jutting stairs and ruins. As I chased him, I started gathering the moisture in the air, forming it into a cloud that I quickly sent up. Or whichever direction was over my head in this twisted world. He stopped at a wall and spun around, staring at me as I charged at him, my hand outstretched to grab that pebble. Just before I could, though, he simply pulled his hand out of the way, and I smacked into the wall headfirst.
Or at least, that's what would have happened if I hadn't stopped myself with my hands and feet, the momentum hugging me to the wall for less than a second before I lunged the psychic clone. Obviously, it didn't work, which was proven when I bounced off a barrier of psychic energy, flipping through the air before landing back on the wall with my feet.
"Did you really think that was going to work?"he asked me, eyebrow raised as he let his barrier down. I smirked.
"Nope,"I told him calmly. He must have read my mind, because just after I said that, his eyes widened and he looked up just in time to see a lightning bolt fire down at him from the cloud I had created earlier. I lunged at him again. Even he couldn't block the lightning and keep the stone away from me at the same time.
Oh, how I wish I had been right, because that's EXACTLY what he did, knocking me away with his tail and dodging the lightning in one swift move, which annoyed me to no end once I had shaken away the dizziness the bumpy landing had caused and I realized what happened.
"That was pretty good,"he said, tossing the pebble up and down nonchalantly as I stood back up."There's a good chance it would have worked if you had learned how to block me from your mind."
"You're the most powerful psychic in the world,"I deadpanned."How the hell am I supposed to block you out?"He shrugged.
"I suppose that's a valid point,"he said reasonably."But it doesn't help you with this test, now does it?"
"No, but this might!"I said, throwing a fire ball at him with a grunt, keeping my hand outstretched as it flew towards him. He floated sideways to avoid it, but I quickly utilized my psychic powers to pull the fire ball back towards him, hitting him in the back. He grunted in pain as I shot forward, trying to grab that damn pebble again; only to stop inches away from the clone, thanks to his confusion attack. I chuckled nervously."Uh...hi?"
"Bye,"he said calmly, throwing me back to the ground with a flick of his wrist. I sat up and held my head, groaning. At least my armor had absorbed the brunt of the landing.
"This is ridiculous,"I muttered as he floated above me.
"Oh, come now. Are you really giving up so easily?"he asked only half-seriously."There's still a few tactics I can think of that you haven't tried. Remember, this is your psychic test. Use your mind."I blinked at him, then a light bulb went on in my head. I held my hand out.
"May I have the pebble, please?"I asked as politely as I could.
"Of course,"he said almost cheerfully, dropping it right into my hand. Another portal appeared as I stood up and he floated down to where I was standing.
"I don't get it,"I said in confusion."If you were just gonna give it to me, why make me go through all that Tauros crap?"
"Two reasons,"he said,"One:Because it was incredibly amusing."I scowled at that."And secondly, to teach you a lesson. A psychic warrior cannot be narrow-minded, or they will not be able fight to their fullest. There will be battles where you must be strategic. Unorthodox, even. To be a truly powerful psychic, you must be as open-minded as possible, but not so much so that it clouds your judgement. If you learn to achieve the right balance of mental state in the midst of a battle, then it's possible that you can reach my level."He smirked."Of course, that possibility is still rather low."I rolled my eyes, but he had a point. He is pretty damn powerful, after all.
"Thanks for the lesson,"I muttered sarcastically, walking through the portal.
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"Oh, this isn't right,"I muttered, covering my nose as I looked down. I was now standing in a completely white room, the only noticeable thing being a pit of poisonous...something in front of me, purple fumes rising to greet my nose with a painful sting.
"Stinks, doesn't it?"a voice asked from across the pit. I looked over to see the Lake Spirits, Azelf being the one who had spoken. I glared at him.
"No, I'm covering my nose because it forgot to bring it's sweater,"I replied sarcastically. Uxie was the only one who didn't laugh.
"Are you ready for your poison test?"he asked calmly.
"I think you know the answer,"I told him. He nodded.
"Yes, but I just didn't want to be rude,"he said.
"Thanks. So, what do I do?"
"You're probably not going to like it,"Mesprit told me.
"I already don't like it,"I said flatly."Let's just get it over with."
"Fair enough,"Azelf said."All you have to do is inhale the fumes."
"...You're kidding me, right?"I deadpanned."What, and stay conscious?"They shook their heads.
"No, there's no chance you'll stay awake,"Mesprit said."In ancient times, poisonous fumes were inhaled to see visions of the future. That is what you must do. It doesn't matter what you see. Once you awaken, you'll pass the test and be allowed to move forward."I stared back down for a moment, watching the poisonous gunk bubble and churn.
"Crap,"I muttered. Steeling my nerves, I let my hand down from my face and inhaled deeply.
I was knocked out before I even hit the floor.
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Everything was blurring. So much so that I couldn't tell where the hell I was. People and pokemon moved too fast for me tell what they were. Voices floated around here and there, so distorted that I couldn't understand them. It was all so disorienting that I couldn't tell which direction was up.
But something...something stood out from it all, a white and green figure stood across from me. The figure was too blurred for me to tell who or what it was, but I could tell that it was looking straight at me. Before I could blink, I found myself staring into a pair of red eyes just a few inches from my face. They were...beautiful. For whatever reason, I felt so peaceful that I couldn't look away. They held a strange, inner beauty that sent a strange tingling through me. I just wanted to stare at these eyes forever. Then and there, nothing else really seemed to matter anymore...
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I gasped as I awoke, quickly sitting up and looking around. I was back in that strange white room, where the Lake Spirits were surrounding me.
"Are you alright?"Mesprit asked. I sighed and looked down at the gauntlets on my hands, thinking about those beautiful eyes I had seen.
"Ken? What's wrong?"Azelf asked. I looked back up at them.
"...I've passed my test, right?"I asked, ignoring his question. Mesprit and Azelf looked at each other, then looked back at me and nodded."Then I should get going."I stood up slowly, the three floating back. A pause, then another portal appeared. I walked past them and towards the shimmering light.
"Ken, what did you see?"Mesprit asked. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, seeing their concerned stares.
"The most beautiful eyes I've ever seen in my life,"I said, barely able to make it above a whisper. I walked through the portal without another word.
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I looked around curiously. I was now in what looked like a dojo, with a square arena in the middle of the room.
"Hi, Ken!"a familiar voice said. I blinked, then turned my head to see Anubis and Mew sitting on a pair of Mew's psychic bubbles. I realized Anubis was the one who had spoken.
"Fighting test, I assume?"
"Yup!"Mew chirped. They both hopped off their "chairs," moving over to the ring. I followed them onto it, standing across from them. I stood in a fighting stance, fists clenched.
"So, Mew. What are you gonna turn into?"I asked, automatically assuming I had fight her. She could transform into any pokemon in the world, so I think my assumptions were justified.
She tilted her head."You think I'm the one you're fighting?"She made a sound like a buzzer."I'm sorry, that's incorrect, sir!"She pointed her tail at Anubis."He's the one you gotta get through."My stance dropped and a long silence followed after that statement.
"...What?"I finally asked flatly.
"I said--"
"I know what you said,"I interrupted with a small growl."Why?"
"Well, there aren't any fighting type Legendaries,"Mew said with a shrug, as if that explained everything, which it didn't.
"And you thought Anubis was a good subsitute!?"I asked incredulously. Why would they want me to fight my oldest and best friend?
"You don't have to worry about hurting him,"the pink kitten said, remaining calm."We'll heal him just as soon as you're done."
"That's not the point,"I growled angrily."How is this a good test? I would beat him in seconds. He's way too weak to stand a chance against someone with my kind of power."I quickly glanced at the blue-furred fighter."No offense, partner."
"None taken,"he said with a carefree shrug. I looked back at Mew.
"Don't you want an easy test after all those harder ones?"Mew asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, but not like this,"I said, crossing my arms.
"Are you sure?"she asked, her voice edged with...excitement?
"Yes, I'm sure,"I said, my eyes narrowing."Find someone else."To my surprise, Mew broke into a massive grin.
"Congratulations! You've passed your fighting test!"she said cheerfully. My arms dropped as I stood there, flabbergasted.
"...Say what?"I asked, incredibly confused. Was she hyper or something?
"I'm a bit surprised you haven't figured it out,"Mew said, still smiling at me.
"An explanation would be nice..."I mumbled as they came over to me.
"You see, it's true that a great hero needs to be strong both physically and mentally, but they also need restraint,"Mew started. I blinked, already figuring it out. It was an advantage of having such a high IQ. Mew continued her speech, floating on her back."Just because you have the power to do something, it doesn't mean you should. Those who abuse the power they have don't deserve it."
"Those with power should always defend those who can't defend themselves, not pick on them,"I said calmly, finishing for her.
"That's right!"Mew said happily, another portal appearing."Just a few more tests, and you'll finally be done!"
"Thank goodness,"I muttered. Mew then formed two psychic bubbles, and the two of them climbed on top. Anubis waved to me.
"See ya later!"he said. I walked towards the portal as they started to talk with each other, but stopped just short of it, looking at them from over my shoulder. I couldn't help but think of how close those two were becoming. I wonder, would they become more than just friends? I walked through the portal with a chuckle, shaking my head.
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Rocks. Lots of 'em. Everywhere. Need I say more?
"Why is it that very few of these tests aren't blatantly obvious from the start?"I asked rhetorically, looking around. I heard some light stomping, and watched as Regirock emerged from behind a large boulder.
"Hello, Ken,"he said, his voice low and gravelly.
"Let's get this over with,"I said. He seemed to nod, hard to tell since he didn't have a neck. The ground rumbled for a moment before the ground on either side of us heaved up, putting us in a narrow 'canyon' of sorts. I saw that there was no wall behind Regirock. And when I looked back, there was no wall behind me, either. I looked back at the rock type legendary, raising an eyebrow as he walked to the middle.
"Walk forward about...mmm....five or six steps,"he said. I did so, wondering what he was about to do.
"Okay, now what?"I asked.
"I'm going to try and push you back through that opening,"he said, pointing behind me."You have to keep me from doing just that for about 30 seconds. You don't have to push me back, just keep me from shoving you out."My eyebrow rose again.
"Let me guess, it's all about keeping a firm resolve like a boulder or something, right?"
"Basically, yes,"he said calmly. He seemed to tense up, and I did the same, holding my hands forward and digging my heels into the ground. "Ready?" I nodded, and he charged without another word. I gulped audibly; I believed I could hold him back long enough, but I figured an impact from something as big as him running at me full tilt wouldn't exactly tickle, even with my armor.
I was right.
I grunted in pain as he collided, pushing me back a few feet, but I held him back with all my might, which was a lot more than most humans had. My muscles strained as I struggled to hold him back. This guy was stronger than he looked; and he looked pretty damn strong from the start! I could feel that sweat was already starting to form on my forehead. He started to push me back, though very, very slowly. After a small amount of time, he stopped just a few feet away from the 'exit.' He took a few steps back and nodded.
"Good job,"he said, the walls receding back into the ground."To be honest, I figured I would push you much farther."I sighed tiredly, nodding.
"You almost did,"I told him as another portal appeared."Too much longer, and my arms probably would have given out."He chuckled.
"Ah, I'm sure you would have held on,"he said."You're a real tough guy."
"If you say so,"I muttered, not really thinking on the same lines as the golem. I walked through the portal, grateful for having such good healing abilities.
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The next place was a lot like the last, except with no rocks. Just a barren landscape with the sun beating down. The ground rumbled and shook from behind me; and I turned to see Groudon standing across from me about 6 or 7 yards.
"Alright, bud. I know you're tired, but you only got three more tests to go,"he bellowed."Now, I want you to make a fissure between us, and make sure it reaches me from where you are. Don't make it too big, but don't make it small either. About the size of my middle claw will do."I nodded and cracked my knuckles, staring at the ground. I took a deep breath and held my hands forward.
The ground began to shake as I concentrated on it, trying to generate enough power to split it as a start. I gritted my teeth and growled, a small crack beginning to form between us. I began to manipulate the ground the best of my ability, trying to ignore the throbbing in my head. Slowly but surely, the crack began to grow and lengthen, either side eventually reaching us both. I pulled my hands apart slowly, widening the crack considerably, but not too much. When I was finally finished, I doubled over with a gasp, hands on my knees as I tried to stay steady.
"That...was...hard,"I muttered, out of breath. I looked up at Groudon, who was examining the fissure.
"A little big, but still a good job,"he said, looking back at me and grinning."It's all about control, kid, and you've got plenty."I took off my helmet for a moment to wipe my forehead as another portal appeared."Two more to go and you're finally done. Good luck."I walked through the portal, putting my helmet back on as I did so.
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Now I was in what looked like a factory, with conveyor belts, cranes, and even a furnace. In the middle of it all was a metallic, yet immobile conveyor belt that was bigger than the rest. And sitting on that belt was Registeel, arms crossed and his eyes dull, which basically meant they were closed. I walked up to him and climbed on top of the belt.
"Greetings, Ken,"he said calmly, his voice, obviously enough, sounding somewhat like a metal object on the verge of snapping in two. He opened his eyes and stood up, standing just a few inches taller than me.
"So, what do I do this time?"I asked.
"Basically, this will be Regirock's test backwards,"he said calmly."You have to push me off this conveyor belt. That's it."Before I could ask, he chuckled and added "Don't worry, it won't move."
"Good, 'cause I really wasn't looking forward to that,"I said. The steel type crouched slightly.
"Any time you're ready,"he said, arms crossed in front of his 'chest.' I held my arms forward and charged, my hands slamming into his daimond hard skin, my gauntlets thankfully absorbing the blow. I began to push as hard as I could, which would have been much more if I weren't so tired from all the previous tests. I began to slowly push him back, despite my muscles screaming at me for rest. But I couldn't, I was way too close to finishing all this, and there was no way I'd give up now.
As I continued to push him back, he spoke in calm voice, as if he wasn't being shoved back by a superpowered teenager."Do not see me as an obstacle, Ken."
"Well, you're sure as hell acting like one!"I managed grunt out through my fatigue.
"No, I mean you shouldn't see me as an obstacle in your path,"he said."I want you to look at me as if I were a limit within yourself."I grunted again and closed my eyes, trying to picture this. I saw myself standing in front of a wall, staring it down. I imagined myself rearing my fist back as I concentrated. Then I smashed through the wall with all my might, breaking it to peices and a strange light engulfing me. I opened my eyes wide, seeing that my armor was glowing, renewed energy coursing through my veins and into my muscles.
"GRRRAAAAAGHHH!!"I roared as I started charging forward at increasing speeds.
"Whoa!"I heard Registeel shout as I picked him up and ran with all my strength, reaching the end of the conveyor belt and nearly throwing him off! I panted heavily, trying to regain my composure. When I finally came to my senses a few moments later, my eyes widened as I realized what I had just done. I just picked up a creature who weighed nearly a ton and ran nearly 10 feet before tossing him to the ground. I was shaken out of my musings when I heard Registeel laugh.
"Uh...sorry about that,"I muttered as he stood up, still chuckling.
"That was far beyond my expectations, boy!"he said cheerfully."You have nothing to be sorry for!"Another portal appeared."Your final test awaits, Ken. I'm sure you'll pass it just as you have pass all the others."
"Thanks,"I said, walking through it with anticipation.
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I was now standing on a circular platform with runic markings around the edge, floating in the middle of space. Why? Because it made so much sense, of course! Floating in a circle around me were all the dragon Legendaries, including Giratina.
"Well, I don't need process of elimination to figure this one out,"I said calmly."Just please don't tell me I have to fight you all or I am going to be pissed off."Many of them laughed.
"Don't worry, this test won't be phsyical in the slightest,"Rayquaza assured me. I sighed in relief.
"Another riddle, huh?"I asked rhetorically. They nodded."Let's hear it, then."
"Tell us, what do we dragons represent?"Rayquaza asked. I brought a hand to my chin in thought. Hmm. What do dragons, as a whole, I presume, represent? Grace? Nope, Dialga and Palkia prove that wrong on a daily basis. As I thought this, I heard the Latis snicker. So they were reading my mind. I didn't care at the moment. Knowledge? Hell to the no. Dialga and Palkia proved that wrong too. I rolled my eyes upon thinking this, and the Latis snickered a bit louder, earning the attention of the other dragons. I tried to ignore them.
Hmm, can't be strength. The Latis prove that wrong themselves. When I thought this, they both stopped snickering and gave me annoyed looks. Speed is more their thing. I smiled as I thought this, watching as they seemed to be calmed by my compliment. I looked down in thought, crossing my arms. Life? Of course not, Giratina is part ghost type, so that was out of the question. And I really doubt it's death, since some dragons live for ages. I groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of my nose. I blinked, contemplating everything I had just thought about. Wow, come to think, dragons can do a lot of things. Flying, swimming, psychic abilities, even control time, space, and dimension. I looked amongst the dragons. They had incredible potential...
I smirked to myself, finally figuring it out.
"Potential,"I said calmly. The dragons looked at the Lati twins, who nodded, as if to answer an unspoken question. I assumed they were asking if I truly understood what I had just said, or something like that. They all turned their heads back to me, smiling.
"Congratulations. You've passed your dragon test,"Rayquaza said, grinning. There was a humongous flash that forced me to cover my eyes as I shouted.
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I opened my eyes seeing that I was back in the meeting tower, back in my regular clothes. Looking up and around, I saw the Legendaries all smiling down at me, even Mewtwo. I looked forward to see Arceus, who was smiling just like everyone else.
"Well done, Ken,"he said."You have passed every test we have to give you. You are now ready to start your journey."I looked down to see Anubis grinning up at me. I looked back up.
"That's good, right?"I asked tiredly.
"Correct,"he said with a nod. I weakly held my fist up.
"Woo...hoo,"I muttered, then passed out on the spot face-first to get some much needed rest.
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End of Chapter
Again, I ask for reveiws.