DISCLAIMER: All rights to Pokémon Special/Adventures belong to Hidenori Kusaka, Shōgakukan, The Pokémon Company and all those who've worked hard to bring us this awesome manga. Volume 40, here we come!
RATING: T for language, mild crude humor and SHIPPING!
CHARACTER AGES: Red (29), Green (29), Blue (30), Yellow (27), Gold (26), Silver (26), Crystal (26), Ruby (25), Sapphire (24), Emerald (24), Diamond (22), Pearl (22), Platinum (22), Black (21), White (21).
TIME FRAME: January 8th, 10 years later.
A/N: Happy Birthday, Emerald! It's a shame that there aren't more stories about Emerald. That's probably because he's the only Dex Holder without a "mandatory love interest." Hopefully this chapter will come to change that. With that being said, I feel like I should also mention that this chapter will have the inclusion of an original character. Now before you click the back button on your computer, please give me the benefit of the doubt. I personally think this is the best chapter I done so far, but then again, that for you to decide. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
Chapter 3 - EMERALD
(Battle Subway, Gear Station, Nimbasa City, Unova Region)
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When the subway car carrying the Hoenn Dex holder was finally in view, a man sporting a camera around his neck stood up from the bench he was sitting on in excitement. The car came to a stop in front of him, and when the doors opened, Emerald hopped off, smiling at his companion.
"Hey Emerald; so how'd it go?" asked the taller man, giving the blonde a fist-bump. "Did you make it to the Subway boss?"
"Duh!" answered Emerald, holding up his Vs. Recorder for his friend to see. "What do you take me for, Todd? A twenty-round loser?"
"Congrats, dude! You're up to thirty-four battle points!" Todd remarked. "Fourteen more and you can get that Focus Sash."
"Yup!" the Hoenn man replied, as he and Todd were walking back up into the Gear Station's Main Hub. "Kinda sucks you weren't allowed to take any pictures during the battle."
"Aw, its cool. I'm just happy to lend my support. Besides..." The photographer flipped on his camera and showed Emerald the image display. "It gave me the chance to take some sweet pics of Nimbasa City for my portfolio."
"Holy, whack-a-moley, this is one helluva set!" The Frontier Champion exclaimed. "Big Stadium. Rondez-View Ferris Wheel. A behind-the-scenes look at Pokéwood? Boy, was I right hiring you for the reception!"
"You got that right!" Todd grinned. "And since you're my friend, I'll throw in a discount for the glossies."
"Thanks, bro! Just be sure to run that over by Seniors Blue and Green. I'm just here for the mission."
"Right, right. Speaking of which, how's that going so far?"
Emerald pulled his Magic Hand Extender into his sleeve, and after digging for a bit, whipped out a small, folded up piece of paper. "Not so good," he said reluctantly. "I couldn't tell where this letter specifically came from, but by examining some of the dirt on it, it's somewhere in Unova."
"Well, wherever its from, I'm sure you and Crystal can figure it out." Todd assured.
"Tell that to her when we return home tonight, and she finds out I've got nothin'!"
"Take it easy, man," The photographer placed a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sheesh, you act like you two are married, or something."
He received a very dirty look in response. "You know its not like that."
"I'm just saying, for the past thirteen years I've known you, you've never even once shown any interest in a girl. And you're twenty-four years old."
The Hoenn native grumbled and turned his head away from his friend. "So?"
"So..." Todd continued, "That's not natural. I mean if this has anything to do with you being a midget-"
"IT DOESN"T!" Emerald shouted, startling the brunette with the sudden outburst. "I JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT GIRLS, OKAY?"
"Okay, fine!" Todd said, putting his hands up defensively. "No need to get huffy!"
"Sorry." The two friends didn't say another word until they were back at the Main Hub. They took seat on a nearby bench for a small rest, feeling too awkward to make eye contact with each other. After a few seconds, Emerald finally spoke up.
"Todd?"
"Yeah?"
"I gotta take a piss."
Todd groaned and stood up from the bench. "Alright, I'll just meet you back at airport before your flight gets here."
"Great!" said Emerald. "That gives me six hours to earn enough points for that Focus Sash!"
"Um, don't you think that's kinda pushing it?"
"Hey, how else do you expect me to buy a gift?"
"True," Todd stated, throwing his camera over his shoulder. "Well, I guess I'll see you in a few."
"Laters!" Emerald replied, rushing off in search of spot to do his business.
"Don't hook up with any chicks while I'm gone, you stud, you."
"Screw off, Todd!"
The Hoenn man waddled up some nearby stairs, not hearing his friend laughing behind him. He looked back and forth, desperately searching for a window. At the side of the building, he noticed a wide balcony, with tourists enjoying the view.
"Excuse me, coming through!" he yelled, pushing his way through the large crowd. The group of people moved away in disgust, as the young man began to unzip his pants. Emerald sighed in relief, and looked up at the clear sky as his bladder gradually became empty.
"I don't need a girlfriend! I've been taking care of myself for years! The last thing I need is to end up like-"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
Looking down towards the sudden screaming, Emerald saw a woman right in his line of fire. She was pointing up to him as she violently shook her hair around. "Get down here, you bastard!" she shouted. "I ought to whoop your butt right now!"
The Hoenn man simply stared at her, not really sure what all the commotion was about. He leaped off the balcony and tactfully landed next to the very irritated woman.
"Yo, wassup?" he asked, resting his arms behind his head.
"WASSUP?" she shrieked. "YOU PEED ON MY HEAD, THAT"S WASSUP!"
"Oh...my bad."
"That's all you have to say?" she growled, folding her medium-sleeved arms. "My bad?"
"Well here; let me get that for you." Emerald pulled a Pokéball from out of his sleeve and released his Mantine. "Mantine, use Scald on her hair!"
"Wait, don't-"
Her words were lost in the stream of boiling water that was now drenching her face. Muffled screams of pain were heard instead as her dreadlocks began to scorch from the intense heat.
"Okay, Mantine, that's enough." The Kite Pokémon obeyed its trainer and immediately stopped the move. The woman, soaking wet, pulled out a handheld mirror out of her purse and looked at her hair in horror.
"OH MY GOD! MY HAIR IS BURNT!" she wailed as she pulled out a Pokéball of her own. She held it out, releasing a Bellossom that recoiled in shock at the sight of its distressed trainer. "Hurry Belle! Use your Healer ability to get rid of the burns on my hair!"
Her Bellossom tenderly wrapped its arms around the woman's head and closed its eyes. Waves of green energy started to pulse out of its body and into its trainer. After a few seconds, the burns on her hair began to vanish and her dreadlocks were completely rejuvenated.
"Phew!" she sighed, looking back into her mirror and patting Belle on the head appreciatively. "Thanks, Belle. For a sec, I thought I'd need to get a buzzcut."
"Well, glad that's over with!" Emerald said, turning around to leave. "I guess I'll be going no-"
"Don't even think about it blondie!" she called out, stopping Emerald in his tracks. "Just who do think you are, peeing and burning my hair?"
"Well, I'm Emerald." he replied, turning back at her. "Maybe you've heard of me."
The woman arched in eyebrow in confusion. "Emerald, huh? Ain't you one of them Dex Holders or something?"
"Thats right. Now if you don't mind, I've got business to take ca-what are you doing?" She leaned in forward and squinted her eyes, her nose almost touching the Frontier Champion's face. "Um, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing, its just...you have freakishly long eyelashes."
"Yeah, well...you have green hair."
"And your head looks like a croissant."
"So? Y-you're, uh, wearing cargo pants."
"And what's with the rubber gloves?"
"I...I've got nothin'."
The lady smirked and held out her lightly-tanned hand. "Well, since you owe me for almost mutilating my hair, I might as well introduce myself. Name's Jade."
"Owe you? Owe you what?" he asked indignantly.
"I dunno. Dinner by the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel?"
"Um...ok?" he said wearily, shaking her hand. "So, Jade...uh, can I give you an IOU on that favor? I'm kinda busy right now."
"With what?"
"I'm off to the Battle Subway to earn some points for a Focus Sash."
"You like Pokémon battles?" Jade grinned, jumping up and down in excitement. "I love Pokémon battles!"
"For real?" he asked, as the taller woman continued to bounce in place.
"Hellz yeah! I've been going to Battle Subway for years!"
"You ever make it Ingo and Emmet?"
"Well...no," she stopped jumping and rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I've never been able to make it past the seventh round before. Pretty sucky, huh?"
"Pretty much, yeah," Emerald said bluntly. He started to stammer, however, when he realized he had just insulted her. "B-but, hey, y-you can always improve and stuff. Uh...you probably just need someone to train you, you know?"
"You mean someone like you?"
"...maybe..." The Hoenn man looked away, trying to hide a faint blush on his cheeks. "If you want, I could take you on the Multi Line...I mean, if you're not busy or something."
"Well, alrightly then!" Jade answered happily, grabbing Emerald's arm running towards the Gear Station. "Let's do it, Em!"
"Em?"
"Sudowoodo, finish it up with Earthquake!
"Gale, use Helping Hand!"
The subway car shook violently as Sudowoodo's powered up attack caused massive damage to the virtual trainers' Maractus and Stunfisk. The two Pokémon struggled to remain upright before finally going limp.
"Maractus and Stunfisk are both unable to battle! The winners are challengers Emerald and Jade with their twentieth victory!"
"SHA-BAM! That's what I'm talking about!" Jade cheered, high-fiving her partner. "Ingo and Emmet, here we come!"
"Jade, that was incredible!" said Emerald, wide-eyed. "I didn't know Gallade could have the Telepathy ability, or even use Helping Hand!"
"Oh, uh...let's just say Gale is a very...special Gallade, okay?" Jade moved forward, focused on the subway car ahead of her. "C'mon, Em! One more battle, and that Focus Sash is as good as ours!"
The two battlers stepped into the back of the next car, where they weren't surprised to find Ingo and Emmet waiting for them. The Subway Bosses' faces remained stoic as Emerald and Jade stood before them.
"Well, well," Emmet said, "Seems we've got ourselves a couple's match, eh, Ingo?"
"Indeed. Looks like we're in for good one." Ingo replied as a matter of factly.
"Enough chit-chat!" Jade interrupted. "Bring it, Pinocchios!"
"Very well then," Ingo responded, throwing a Pokéball in the air. "Klinklang, go!
"Galvantula, go!" Emmet said, at the same time.
"Sudowoodo, I choose you!" Emerald cried.
"Gale, let's rock!" Jade exclaimed. The four Pokémon took the field, giving their respective opponents intimidating stares. When the electronic judge gave the call to initiate the battle, Emerald wasted no time giving the first move.
"Let's give them a double knock-out!" he announced. "Sudowoodo, Rock Slide!"
"Right!" Jade nodded. "Gale, use Helping Hand!" Gale grabbed onto Sudowoodo, and channeled a surge of energy into its partner's body. The Imitation Pokémon swung its arms in the air, causing rock formations to appear in the air. They fell towards the opponents' Pokémon, yet Ingo and Emmet remained unfazed.
"Shift Gear." Ingo ordered. Klinklang moved protectively in front of Galvantula and began to rotate its gears. As its attack and speed power increased, the rapid spinning of its body deflected the Rock Slide, leaving them nearly unharmed.
"Damn it," Jade cursed. "Aerial attacks aren't working!"
"Then we'll go underneath," said Emerald, "Use Earthquake!" The violent vibrations of the subway car shook up Ingo and Emmet's Pokémon, as they tried endure the attack. Jade held on to a nearby pole to steady herself, whereas Emerald and her opponents managed to keep their balance.
"Quickly, Galvantula!" Emmet ordered. "Escape by latching onto the side of the car!" In the midst of the earthquake, Galvantula shoot a line of web at the ceiling, then used it to swing over to the wall.
'Now, use Thunder Wave on Sudowoodo!" A stream of blue electricity shot towards the Rock-type, but before it could make contact, the Thunder Wave took a sudden u-turn and headed back towards Galvantula. The EleSpider Pokémon cried out in distress as its entire body became immobile.
"Galvantula, what's wrong?"
"You might need to get your eyes checked, dude."
Emmet looked towards the voice, where he saw Jade smirking at him, as well as a Xatu by Emerald's corner. "You switched in Xatu?"
"You got it, guy," Jade answered. "When Em here used Earthquake, that's when I switched in my Xae. Then when you ordered that there Thunder Wave, Xae's Magic Mirror ability sent it back up your ass!"
"I told you that would work!" said Emerald proudly.
"I must say, that was pretty good..." Ingo said.
"You ain't seen nothing yet! Xae, use U-turn!"
"...but not good enough. Galvantula, Wild Charge!" The two Pokémon charged into each other at a head-on collision, causing the subway car to rumble from the force exerted. Xae fell backward, with Galvantula slamming into the wall across from it, both falling unconscious.
"Xatu and Galvantula are both unable to battle!"
"Crap, I thought for sure Xae could take that hit!" Jade groaned.
"That Scope Lens Galvantula had must have screwed you over," said Emerald. "At least the recoil damage knocked it out."
"No more kids' games! Lets rock, Gale!" The Fighting/Psychic type took the field once again, raising its arms up defensively. Across from it, Emmet released his Durant, which crouched down and growled at its opponent.
"Durant, use Iron Head on Sudowoodo!" Emmet commanded. His Pokémon immediately obeyed and leaped towards the Rock-type, its metallic head shimmering in the light.
"Vacuum Wave!" Gale jumped in front of Sudowoodo and spun its arm, creating a miniature cycle around it fist. Durant didn't have time to react as the swirling vacuum shot it back to where it had started.
Emerald smiled at Jade appreciatively. "Thanks for the save, Jade."
"Whatever, Em." Jade replied, smiling back.
"Now, Sudowoodo, use Low Kick on Klinklang!" Sudowoodo charged in for the Steel-type, and swept it foot across Klinklang's bottom. Ingo's Pokémon lost its balance and fell down on its side. "Another Low Kick, Sudowoodo!"
"Klinklang," Ingo ordered. "Use Gear Grind." As Sudowoodo went in for a consecutive attack, Klinklang got back up and caught its foot in its body. As Sudowoodo struggled to free itself, Klinklang rotated its gears, grinding into Sudowoodo's body, who cried out in pain. When the first strike stopped, Sudowoodo hanged down from its opponent, barely keeping its eyes open. The second strike suddenly came, proving too much for the Rock-type to handle. When the full course of the move ended, Sudowoodo slid off of Klinklang's gears, and laid motionless on the floor.
"Sudowoodo is unable to continue the battle!"
"Ugh, I was afraid of this." Emerald groaned.
"Afraid of what?" Jade asked.
"I was hoping Sudowoodo's Sturdy ability would allow me to make a comeback with Counter," he explained. "Unfortunately, that doesn't work against multiple strike moves."
Jade gave him a frown. "Shut up, Em. I didn't get this far by joining up with a wuss!"
"You're right!" Emerald agreed, pulling out another Pokéball. "Lets go, Sceptile!" A large, reptilian Pokémon exited the Pokémon, and eagerly faced the other team.
"Its two to three, now," Ingo stated. "The odds are in our favor."
"Nuts to your odds! Sceptile, show Klinklang a taste of your Focus Punch!" Sceptile gritted it teeth as it clenched its claw, focusing all of its energy into a fist. Emmet saw an opening and called out his next attack.
"Now's our chance! Durant, use X-Scissor on Sceptile!"
"Dodge, and attack!" Durant's attack missed entirely as Sceptile leapt agilely out of its path. The Forest Pokémon charged right in for Klinklang and prepared to deliver the punch.
"Volt Switch!" shouted Ingo. The Gear Pokémon rotated its body once again, this time generating a ball of electricity. Right before Sceptile made contact, it sent the electrical orb straight at its face. The sudden attack caused Sceptile to fly backwards into a nearby bench. The Grass-type attempted to get back on its feet, but had gotten its arm caught in between a handrail, unable to escape the large, purple Pokémon that stood above it. "Garbodor, Venoshock!"
"Sceptile, look out!" Emerald cried, unknowingly running up to his Pokémon. A blast of corrosive liquid shot out of Garbodor's fingertips, heading right for Sceptile. Right before the attack landed, however, Emerald jumped into its line of fire, taking the full force of the hit.
Jade screamed. "EMERALD!"
"...Wha? W-What happened?"
"Yo."
Emerald slowly opened his eyes to the sight of a glowing, tan-skinned face smiling down on him. He yelped in surprise and cautiously backed up against the metal wall.
"Where am I? What's going on? ...Where the hell are my clothes?" he babbled, noticing he was in only his boxers.
Jade gave a slight chuckle. "One, you're in the subway car back to Nimbasa City. Two, you went all unconscious after you got hit by that Venoshock attack. And three..." she pulled out his Magic Hand Extenders and platform shoes from behind her back. "...you're clothes got dissolved, so that's why you're half-naked."
The Hoenn Man sighed in relief, before another thought crossed his mind. "Wait, what about Sceptile?"
"Don't worry, hon, your Sceptile is just fine. So's your Sudowoodo." The green-haired woman presented him with two Pokéballs. "I put them in the recovery machine before we left."
"Thanks goodness," he sighed, retrieving his Pokéballs and taking a seat on the bench. "Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't I be, you know...dead?"
"Actually yes." she replied. "You're just lucky that my Gale knows Heal Pulse."
"Oh, well...thanks, for...you know, saving my life, and whatever."
"No problem, Em." Jade said, her smile glowing with admiration. "You know, that was a pretty badass thing you did back there. I've never seen someone do something so stupid, yet so right at the same time."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, most trainers wouldn't go the extra mile like you did."
"Would you?"
"Yeah, but..." she faced the floor, trying not to make eye contact. "I was never allowed to have Pokémon in the first place. My dad thinks trainers are a menace to society, they treat Pokémon like slaves, or some other bull."
"Your dad sounds like a jerk." Emerald remarked. "No offense."
"Ah', its cool." she replied. "He was actually a decent guy. When I was kid, he gave me Tepig, saying that its dream was to be a battler. He told me that if anyone could make that happen, it'd be me. After that, he sort of...disappeared."
"I know how that feels."
"For real?" she asked, skeptically.
"Totally," Emerald answered, as Jade turned to look at him. "I never knew my parents, so I never really knew how they wanted me to turn out. I just hope they'd be happy with how I am today."
"Parents," Jade scoffed, though smiling. "They're always giving you hell, even when they're not around."
The two battlers laughed at each other, enjoying the each others' company over the sound of the railroad tracks. As their laughter subsided, Jade asked a question that made Emerald turn scarlet red.
"Soooo," she began, "You're a midget?"
"I-I wasn't trying to be all secretive o-or nothin'!" Emerald blurted out. "I mean, I-I didn't want you to think, like, that I was some kind of weirdo. N-not that you look like the kind of girl that would think that! It's just-"
"Chillax, dude," Jade laughed. "I ain't got any problem with you being a midget. In fact, I like short guys. They're sexy."
Emerald froze, not sure whether to feel glad or terrified that he was still alive. He sank into his seat, his face still red with embarrassment. Jade realized how uncomfortable she was making him, and raised in eyebrow.
"Boy, you act like you've never talked to a girl before. No one ever called you sexy before?"
"Cute. Yes. Sexy. No."
"Come on, don't be like that," she teased, punching his shoulder playfully. "Here, I got something that'll cheer you up."
Emerald turned his head slowly, afraid to look at Jade in the eye. The blush on his cheeks disappeared though, when she held up his Vs. Seeker.
"No way!" he exclaimed. "I got fifty battle points! But how?"
"Ingo and Emmet felt that what you did was worth more than any victory. So they decided to award you with those last ten points."
"Nice! Now I can buy him that Focus Sash!"
"Wait, its not for you?"
"No, it's for a friend of mine," Emerald explained. "I was planning to buy a Focus Sash as a gift for-CRAP, THE LETTER!"
"What letter?" she asked, as the Frontier Champion stood up in fear.
"I brought a letter with me that I was suppose to investigate! It was the real reason I even came here!"
"Oh, you mean this one?" Jade pulled out a folded up sheet from out of her pocket. "Its weird, 'cause it didn't get burned from the attack. It's like polymerized titanium or something."
"Oh, thanks, Jade!" Emerald said. He embraced her in a hug, which made her cheeks turn a shade of pink. "You have no idea how important this is."
"Uh, don't sweat it," She released herself from the hug and tried to cover her face with her hands. "But I'm confused. How come whoever sent it is threatening to kill you?"
"No clue. I'm supposed to go back to Hoenn tonight with a friend of mine so I can figure this out."
"You're...leaving?"
"Um, yeah...yeah, I am."
The train's horn blared, signaling that they were about to reach its intended destination. Emerald grabbed his belongings and waited at the door until the train made a full stop. He glanced back at Jade, who was grinning softly at him.
"Bye, Em." Jade spoke, her voice almost inaudible.
"Bye, Jade."
The front doors of the train opened up, revealing the drop-off area of the Gear Station. A conductor outside stood patiently outside, waiting to depart the subway's two passengers. "Are you coming off, sir?"
Emerald looked back a Jade for a couple of seconds before turning back to the conductor. "Excuse me, where is this train heading for next?"
"Well, this is its last run for the day, so it'll be going to the amusement park as public transportation."
Emerald stood motionless at the door before a light smile grew on face. He quickly thanked the conductor and took a seat on the subway's bench next to Jade.
"So, where's that Ferris Wheel again?"
To Be Continued...
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NEXT TIME: "Um, I don't know about this, Pearl."
"Hey, I don't like this any better than you do, Dia." he replied, bitterly. "Just follow my lead, keep up with the pace of the music, and don't step on my toes."