Chapter 9 - Understanding
Thanks very much for the review. I'm glad many of you are liking the story. I'd like to apologize for delay. With that said, please enjoy!
"So basically, you don't have any Pokemon with you," Touko stated, as Red shook his head.
"And you traveled all throughout Unova by yourself."
A nod.
"Without Pokemon."
Another nod.
"Don't go into tall grass with Pokemon they said. It's dangerous they said," grumbled Touko. "That's all I heard until I got my first Pokemon. They'd never let me or Touya out of town."
The two were sitting in the usual clearing as they took a break.
Touko flopped onto her back, arms spread out onto the grass and she stared up at the grass.
"So either you're extremely lucky or it's really not as dangerous as they say," she continued. "I've personally never run into any trouble, but..."
"Plenty of people don't have Pokemon. It's just a matter of not being rash," Red replied. "From what I hear, it's something you should work on."
Touko sat up and grasped a handful of grass. She threw it at him, only for the wind to blow the blades of grass back in to her face.
She brushed the grass from her face and stuck her tongue out at him before turning around.
"Whatever. Touya just sees things differently. I like to think of myself as bold."
"Highly defensive and not very aggressive? I only see half of it."
Touko growled, whipping her head around, brown hair flailing in the wind and throwing him a dirty look.
"You trying to pick a fight with me?!"
Red merely raised an eyebrow, his expression barely changing. To most people, it would have been expressionless. However, after spending a few weeks with the dark haired man, Touko had begun picking up on the small changes in facial expressions and attitude. She noted, with annoyance, that this one seemed to be his slightly amused face...
With a hint of 'I told you so'.
She stomped off out of the clearing only to realize she had left all her gear.
"FUCK!"
Red watched with boredom as the opponent's Mienshao danced out of the way of the incoming flamethrower, flames engulfing and area where it had stood previously. The speedy Pokemon continued to dodge more flames as Touko's Audino continued to belch out super heated fire from its mouth.
"Mienshao, use Bounce!"
The white and purple Pokemon cried out its consent, leaping high in the air above the crackling flames and towards Audino. The pink Pokemon looking into the sky and trying to track the Pokemon. Catching sight of the airborne Mienshao, it opened its mouth ready to spit out more fire.
The feline Pokemon crashed into its target, a barrage of claws sending Audino tumbling backwards as Mienshao landed a few feet away from it.
"Now, hi jump kick!"
The assault continued as a heavy kick from one of its hind paws landed against Audino's chest area, sending it flying into a tree and crashing onto the ground.
Red focused on the battle in front of him, his interest being piqued for the first time that afternoon. Glancing to his right, he watched as the battle girl ordered her Pokemon to Sword Dance while Audino was still down, sweat dripping down her forehead from the intensity of the battle as well as the heat from the flames. Opposite of her stood Touko, arms crossed, looking like she had barely broken a sweat.
Audino can't keep up and Mienshao just got faster. What will you do now? were his thoughts as he took in the sights in front of him.
"Audino, wish" were the only words spoken from Touko's lips as she gazed at her opponent's Pokemon.
The floppy eared Pokemon crawled onto its feet, its wounds slowly healing and recovering, cut closing up and bruises disappearing as it used its technique.
"Bounce Mienshao! Knock it out!"
Mienshao bounded towards Audino, its quickness and speed confusing the other Pokemon as it disappeared in and out of view.
Touko smirked as she watched it approach."Dig."
Mienshao was in the air, bearing down at its target when Audino suddenly disappeared in a cloud of dirt and dust only to land next to a large hole where the pink Pokemon should have been.
"That won't work on me!" the battle girl said haughtily. "Mienshao, keep moving, don't let it get a bead on you!" she commanded.
The Pokemon continued to dance around the battlefield, it's speed, agility and lightness allowing it to continuously appear in various spots without tiring out.
Touko's grin grew wider as she saw it land on of the various large rocks around the area. Bingo.
The ground literally erupted as a pink blur shot out of the ground, rocks and debris scattering into the air as it aimed for Mienshao.
"You missed," came the cocky call from her opponent as she watched the pink mass blow past her airborne Pokemon as it completely avoided he attack.
No, she didn't miss. thought Red. That was merely just a setup.
Touko pointed her finger, shouting her next command. "Audino, use Thunderwave!"
Lightning arced through the air from Audino's body, crackling as it approached the still airborne Mienshao. With no way to move out of the way, the technique scored a direct hit, knocking it to the ground.
"Mienshao!", came the gasp from the battle girl as she watched her Pokemon take a direct hit from the lightning attack and fall to the ground.
Audino approached the speedy Pokemon as it managed to weakly stand, paralysis wracking its body and turning it into an immobile target.
"Sorry, but it ends here." Touko commented. "Drain Punch!"
Audino drew itself to its full height, its right paw glowing yellow as it focused its energy into the limb. Stepping forward, it delivered a brutal punch to Mienshao's body, throwing its full body weight and power behind the punch. Mienshao was sent flying backwards in the air, unconscious before it even hit the ground.
Red sighed. Well, he had expected something like this. Defeating three trainers in a row using only one different Pokemon to each of their six. Touko was in a whole different class from these trainers, even if they had collected 5 badges.
Still, he mused, that strategy was something that they must have used many times. For a Pokemon and Trainer to have that kind of synergy takes lot of practice together.
"Here's your winnings," said the battle girl, reluctantly placing the cash prize in Touko's hand.
"It's ok," reassured the youngster as a hiker patted the battle girl's back. "None of us had a chance of winning. She's a Pokemon Champion after all..."
"Yeah I suppose you're right," came the gloomy reply. "We were outmatched. But I really wanted to win..."
As they convinced each other they never stood a chance, Red's irritation at their lack of ambition grew, their words sparking up memories from his past.
People telling him he couldn't reach his goal.
Various defeats in his first months as a trainer.
Defeating Blue.
He was broken out of his recollection by Touko's own irritation as she snapped at them.
"Hey! You can't have that kind of attitude! You'll never win like that!" admonished Touko as she glared at the younger trainers, hands on her hips.
"But you're a Pokemon Champion. It's nearly impossible for us to beat you. Even if we made it our lifetime's goal we probably wouldn't win!"
"Yeah! And you're older than us!"
"Almost everyone is older than you", she snapped. "That can't be your excuse!"
She glared, some more, eyes full of annoyance.
"You need to feel like you can beat everyone! Otherwise you'll always lose." She looked around for support, her gaze landing on Red who had already started walking away.
"Right, Ash?"
Her question was met with silence as he stopped, back turned towards them.
His answer came in the form of ambiguity.
"You can always make excuses about why you lost. The question is, how bad do you want it?"
-o-o-o-
Touko threw one last scowl at the trio before excusing herself, having scolded them thoroughly.
Catching up to Red, she poked him in the side.
"Hey."
He glanced at her.
"You know, I've never seen you lose your composure like that before," she commented.
So she noticed...
"Even if it was just for a little bit, you seemed really annoyed."
"Aah." was Red's only reply, not interested in discussing the subject.
They walked in uncomfortable silence, until Touko let out a sigh.
"But I was too."
Red looked at her, eyes silently urging her to continue.
"Ever since I was little, I've wanted to be the best there ever was. That's all I thought about and that's everything I've ever wanted to be."
"So when people told me to give up," Touko continued, "it just made me angrier and more determined. They didn't believe a small girl from a small town could do it."
She stopped and turned to him, a seriousness surrounding her that Red had never seen from her.
"That's why I want to win this tournament and show everyone that I'm the best. Even if I lose, I'll come back here the next time and win."
Red eyes met blue ones.
"So when people just give up, it makes me really angry and even more motivated."
The wind blew as the two stared at each other, ruffling Red's dark hair while blowing strands of silky brunette hair around in Touko's face.
The tension was broken as she laughed, a hand rubbing the back of her head.
"Eh heh. Sorry, that was kind of weird, " Touko managed to groan while still smiling. "I just needed to vent."
She had no idea why had she felt so compelled to tell her life story. She just felt like he would understand.
"I shouldn't be so angry about this."
From the way Red was looking at her, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea. Deciding that she just needed to forget this happened and brush it off, Touko started moving again, hoping for the moment to pass.
Unfortunately for her, Red didn't seem intent on letting to slide.
"No."
The answer caught her off guard, her companion not having taken a step from his position.
"No?" she repeated after him, a little unsure of what he meant.
He resumed walked.
"That's why you're a champion and they're not."
Touko beamed.
A few hours, some trainers and lots more money later, Touko found herself picking up a bottle of water, her face instantly dropping into a frown as she stared at the little label.
"600 dollars for a bottle of water? This is an outrage!", she sputtered, glaring at the bottle.
Marching to the counter, she thrust the offending beverage in the cashier's face.
Sighing, Red plucked the bottle from her outstretched hands, ignoring the eyes on the back of his head as he fished out his wallet.
"Go wait outside before you make a scene."
Scowling at him and throwing one last glare at the poor cashier, Touko walked outside, muttering under her breath.
"Stupid, bossy jerk...Why I put up with this-"
"Hello Touko."
She jerked her head around to see the smiling face of N.
"N! What are you doing here?"
He chuckled, gesturing at the store behind her. "Presumably, the same thing as you."
She flushed in embarrassment at her question, eyes cast over his shoulder as she looked at anything but his face.
"Oh, just, whatever. Are you going to compete at the tournament? Have you decided?"
"Oh that depends."
"On what?"
"On if beating you would earn me a date with you."
Touko crossed her arms in front of her, trying to frown while a smile tugged on her face. "I'm getting used to this new flirtatious talent of yours. Fool me once, shame on you.. Fool me twice shame on-"
She was cut off as N's face suddenly appeared only a few inches away from her, cause her body temperature to rise a few degrees.
"Shame on you then," he breathed out in front of her.
His face inched towards as she stood frozen, quote all but forgotten.
The door behind her opened, the jingling of the bell distracting both of them.
Red raised an eyebrow at their proximity as he walked towards them, tossing a bottle of water to a surprised looking Touko who somehow managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Walking over, he sized up the green haired man in front of him, before turning to the dark haired girl.
"I understand how you feel, but you shouldn't create a scene."
"Hmph. It was way overpriced-"
She was interrupted by the teal haired man.
"A friend of yours?"
Touko glanced at N and seeing him eyeing Red curiously, she nodded.
"You could say that. N, meet Ash. Ash, N." she said, waving her hand around.
N produced a polite smile.
"Nice to meet you."
Red nodded at the greeting before walking away.
"I'm going," he tossed out behind him.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Touko shot an exasperated look at N.
"Sorry, about him. He's always like that."
She turned around to leave, before a hand on her wrist stopped her dead in her tracks.
"I was serious about the date. Would you like to go on one sometime? I promise it will be worth it."
Indecisively, she glanced at his hand, thoughts racing before looking back to Red's slowly disappearing form for the second time that day.
Should I? It's only one night...
A line floated into her head as she watched his back get smaller and smaller.
"How bad do you want it?"
Composing herself, she took a deep breath before giving him her answer.
"Maybe after the tournament N. I need to focus on winning this thing. There's only a little over a week left until it starts"
She smiled politely at him, hoping to see some sort of understanding in his face.
"Hmm, I see. We can celebrate when I win then," he joked teasingly before letting go of her wrist.
"Well, If you change your mind, let me know."
N watched as Touko ran to catch up to Red, punched him in the arm and began scolding him for his rudeness while he quietly ignored her.
I've seen that man's face before...
"You headed back now Boss?"
Cheren nodded as he packed some of his things into his back pack.
"I'm headed back to the tournament. Take care of the place while I'm gone," Cheren said.
"And try not to get sick again."
Shino merely laughed.
"I'll try not to as long as you don't lose in the first round then Boss. The Aspertia Gym pride is at stake here."
The gym door opening interrupted the conversation as a cerulean haired female stepped inside followed by a Herdier.
The clicking of heels echoed through the nearly empty gym as she approached, stopping only when she had reached Cheren.
"Gym Leader Cheren I presume," she said. "If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you privately."
"Officer Jenny." he greeted her. while nodding at Shino.
Taking the hint, Shino walked out, leaving the two alone.
"Now, how may I help you?" he asked curiously. "It's not everyday I interact with someone from the police force."
Taking a seat on the platform steps, she reached out to stroke her Herdier's fur.
"There have been more and more reports of missing Pokemon the past month. We've been trying to see if they're all related, but we haven't found much details.
She sighed.
"It's always surprised me how people could do such a thing. To cause such loneliness and pain in the world? How terrible."
Sighing again, she continued.
"A few of my colleagues in each city will be contacting the other Gym Leaders. We were hoping that as a major figure in your town, you might know something we don't."
"Sorry, but I haven't heard anything at all," he said as he shook his head. "Is it Team Plasma?"
Officer Jenny's jaw tightened.
"We thought it might be Team Plasma again, but we ruled them out. We've kept tabs on both Ghetsis and Colress since the incident and they've done nothing to recreate that organization. There have also been reports about people wearing all red and people wearing all blue entering Unova. No criminal activity has been connected with them at all, so we think it may just be some sort of fad."
Standing up, she brushed off the seat of her skirt.
"I'll be taking my leave then. Please let me know if you or anyone know see or hear anything suspicious."
Cheren nodded.
"Of course."
Stepping outside of the gym after Officer Jenny had left, he found Shino impatiently waiting for him, his back against the wall.
"What was that all about?" he drawled, cigarette in his mouth. "You in trouble?"
He then smirked, his hands coming up to form air quotes. "Or was it a 'private goodbye'?"
Cheren whacked him in the shoulder for that comment.
"Don't be an idiot Shino. She came asking if I had heard anything about disappearing Pokemon in the area."
Tapping his chin, Shino thought for a second before putting out his smoke.
"No, not around here. We would have heard about it."
"Exactly."
Locking the door, Cheren tossed the keys over to Shino and released his Unfezant.
"See ya."
As he entered the night sky, Cheren couldn't shake the feeling that these disappearances were tied to something big.
"Some of our scouts have settled down. However, they report that we're not the only ones there."
"They will be looking for retaliation. Tell them to stay low. The rest of us will join them in due time."
"And then what sir?"
The man glanced at the calendar on his desk.
"Then we move."
His eyes glittered with ambition.
"It is almost time for us to reveal ourselves to the world once again."
Author's Note: Read and review please!
I've been finding the last 2 chapters really difficult to write, and maybe the next one as well. I have plans for the story as it develops, it just has to... you know, kind of get there. I've never realized how difficult it is to really develop characters as well as relationships between them until now. It's so hard making sure everything is realistic. I know for a fact that I never enjoy stories where a relationship goes from 0-60 in about 1 second. It just doesn't make sense.
Hopefully after 1 or 2 chapters I can start cranking them out. There are plenty of plots, twists and kicks I hope you don't predict!
Anyways... Props to anyone who understood the personality traits/natures I incorporated. :D.
For anyone who has REALLY paid attention, Aspertia City Gym doesn't actually have a Gym. I'm pretty sure its like the backyard of a school, which is really really lame. I've given Cheren a proper gym in this fic.
And yeah, Pokemon dollars. I looked it up at the vending machine and it seems like freshwater is 250. D:
Review! And let your friends know if you like this!