Chapter 12: Exposure
Touko stretched her arms above her head as they left the stadium, letting out a sigh of a relief as her back cracked. Turning to her brother, she poked him.
"Today's matches were rather quick weren't they?"
"Ah..." came the single syllable reply.
"Doing your best Ash impression I see." said Touko, raising a curious eyebrow.
Behind them, Red observed silently, wondering if that was what he really sounded like.
"What do you think Cheren?"
"Ah..."
Touko frowned, unconsciously imitating Red herself as she stayed silent.
"..."
It took Bianca throwing her arms over the shoulders of her two favorite boys to break them out of their mood.
"Cheer up! At least Elesa will be in a good mood now. She may never let you hear the end of it but at least she won't be giving you the cold shoulder."
Leaning over, she whispered into Touya's ear. "Maybe she'll be in a good enough mood to.." She wiggled her eyebrows around, "let you Rhydon her like a Horsea. Her words, not mine."
Touya turned red and covered his face in shame for both him and his girlfriend as Bianca laughed, before bonking Cheren in the head.
"And you! I'm surprised you lost to Marshal but most of your Pokemon are weak against fighting types anyways. Take this as a lesson to bring a more diverse set into the tournament next time!"
Cheren grunted before waving her off.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
"Anyways..." Bianca said, finally addressing Touko's question. "I am surprised at how short today's matches were. Even the close matches were over pretty quick. I mean we finished 8 battles in 4 hours. It's not even time for dinner!"
"We expected Nate to dismantle Surge and Iris to finish off Brock pretty quickly." Touya pointed out. "And Touko had Falkner... so that was pretty much a freebie. I just didn't expect Rosa and Lyra's match as well as N and Clair's to be an all out offensive against each other. They were down to 1 Pokemon each in less than 15 minutes!"
"Yeah, you and Elesa had longest match by far. A whopping 30 minutes." Cheren rolled his eyes.
"Look who's talking ," Touya retorted.
"Yeah well-." Cheren was cut short as Bianca harshly tugged on both their ears.
"Enough bickering." Releasing their ears, she folded her arms and frowned.
"Don't forget about that mysterious guy. He beat Drayden pretty handily and that guy is no pushover. We don't know what he's capable of yet."
As they turned the corner , Elesa's figure in front of them ended the conversation.
Hands on her hips, she smirked before pointing at Touya.
"Bow to your new Mistress peon!"
Touya groaned.
She was nervous.
Rolling over onto her back, Touko stared up at the ceiling, temporarily giving up on trying to fall asleep. She had a huge battle in the afternoon tomorrow, against Iris, one of the premier trainers in the world. She'd defeated her once and knew just how tough it would be.
But, she admitted to herself, that wasn't the only thing keeping her awake.
Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had heard earlier in the day.
"The tournament has been pretty good so far, but they're missing some people."
"Give it some time. Its their first year after all."
"Yeah, but think about how good it would be if some of the other trainers came. Sure, Brock and Falkner are gym leaders but we're missing the elite! What if Cynthia, Blue or Gold were participating as well? Imagine if RED came? That would so fucking cool!"
"I hear you. Who knows though, maybe that hooded guy IS Red. He's taken out some of the others pretty easily so far!"
She scoffed.
Red.
All day, as she wandered throughout the grounds, signing autographs and having a good time, she had constantly heard that name.
But she couldn't blame them. She would have been just as excited for him to come if she hadn't been so disillusioned.
Closing her eyes, she thought about her younger days, when she first started out as on her journey. As an aspiring young trainer, she was thrilled when she heard that someone slightly older than her, who had a similar path she was following, had managed to become the reigning Pokemon Champion in a different region.
In many ways, she had modeled herself after him. When Team Plasma had shown up, Touko had decided to take them down for a few reasons. One of them happened to be due to the fact that Red had taken down a criminal organization of his own.
In retrospect, she conceded, it had become an obsession. From the first time she had laid eyes on his portrait, she had imagined what personality lay behind that mysterious figure. She had fantasized about what kind of man behind those piercing red eyes, handsome face and battle prowess. Blushing, she recalled that some of those thoughts had taken a decisively different course from time to time during those years.
So when he had run away to hide himself up on Mt. Silver, it had shattered all her illusions surrounding him. No longer could she imagine him the way she wanted. No longer could she hold onto her dream of what she wanted him to be. Not when he did something that she disapproved of so strongly. She had felt betrayed, though he had done nothing to actually betray her.
Having heard that name for the millionth time today, she had looked up his picture once more and found that he looked like a certain someone she knew.
Ash couldn't be Red... could he?
In fact, the more she thought about it and pictured that face, Ash appeared to have an uncanny physical resemblance to Red. Same build, similar hair and similar facial structure. Of course, he didn't have red eyes, and was missing the signature hat and gloves. Most importantly, he was lacking Red's most famous feature.
His Pokemon.
Speaking of Ash, she didn't know how she felt towards him. Certainly, she found herself rather relaxed around him and they got along rather well despite his lack of interest in using his vocal chords, something she was working on with some success and was determined to change.
But being one of the only guys she had spent time with outside of Cheren and her brother in recent memory, she couldn't tell if the little tug she felt was due to actual interest or her lack of ever having love life.
The only thing resembling a date or could be placed in that category she had been on would've been with N last week or when they were on the ferris wheel.
She pressed her face into her pillow, groaning.
What a date.
Vowing to figure whatever these damned feelings were after the blasted tournament, she attempted to shove away all thoughts regarding men.
Unfortunately, her traitorous mind had other ideas, Red's face appearing in front of her once again.
But what if Ash is really Red?
She shook her head.
Ash would tell me if he was Red. He doesn't seem like the type to lie.
But the physical resemblance continued to bother her.
Touko rolled over restlessly, listening to Touya's soft snores before attempting to drift off to sleep once more.
"Get ready for Elesa versus Hood! BATTLE START!"
The fans erupted in cheers and the stands shook as the first battle began.
Elesa stood confidently in the middle of the arena, watching her opponent draw out a Pokeball and release a Carracosta.
Grinning, she threw her own out.
"It's time to Zapdos Pokemon! Go, Zebstrika!"
Touya nudged Cheren as they watched from the stands.
"Really? Hood? What kind of name is that? And did she really just use one of her jokes just now?"
Cheren rolled his eyes in response.
"Don't ask me. She's your girlfriend. Let's just see what this guy can really do."
Touya watched as Elesa's Zebstrika was able to knock out the Carracosta with a well placed thunderbolt, only for her opponent to release a Golurk.
He winced as the ground Pokemon bullied the Zebra Pokemon around the stadium, before picking it up and throwing it against a large boulder.
"I think she's going to have a hard time."
-o-o-o-
Touya watched passively as Elesa shook hands with her opponent.
"He's good."
"No. He's really good," Cheren corrected him.
"Elesa's not gonna be too happy about this. Good luck tonight," said Cheren, patting his friend on the back before leaving to find Touko.
Touya sighed. Why did these things always have to happen to him?
The air was filled with columns of fire as Iris' Salamence continued its onslaught against the bird Pokemon in the air. Releasing yet another overheated torrent of fire from its mouth, it forced the Braviary to dodge to the side, wings flapping furiously as it weaved in and out before retreating to a safe distance.
Sweat dripped down the back of her neck, the stadium rising to uncomfortable temperatures from all the fire. She watched as the Salamence started to dance, its wings and tail sweeping in arcs as it prepared itself for the next wave of attacks that would be even more powerful than the last.
She knew she needed to strike before it finished.
"Braviary, Brave Bird!"
She watched as her Pokemon climbed up high into its sky, its tired wings beating until it was a dot high above. Dropping its wings into its body, it pulled itself into a dive, plummeting at high speed towards its target. As Iris shouted out a warning, the Salamence took a hop to the left, hoping to avoid the high speed Pokemon, only to find the bird had adjusted to the change, crashing directly into its chest.
Both Pokemon let out a cry on impact, with Salamence being thrown several yards onto its back, while Braviary crumpled in a heap on the ground.
The crowd screamed and gasped at the two fighters, watching as the two Pokemon struggled to get back on their feet.
Iris' Pokemon rose first, collecting itself before rising up on its hindlegs, taking advantage of the moment. Slamming its front legs down forward with a loud crash, it split open the ground at feet, creating a creator and sending forth a shockwave. Touko watched in dismay as Braviary was unable to dodge the earthquake, cracks marking the path of the incoming attack. The fissure stopped under her Pokemon, and there was a momentary pause, before the earth exploded, flinging the bird Pokemon through the air to her feet.
As her Braviary hit the ground, Touko ran over to it, stroking its back.
"Good work Braviary, that's enough for now. Take a nice rest and we'll get you patched up soon."
Sealing him back inside her Pokeball, she stood up and stared out at the Salamence, her mind ticking away. She only had one Pokemon left and it was not nearly fast enough to compete with Salamence.
She had one single chance to end it, and that was if she was lucky.
She'd be in trouble if she didn't.
Expanding the red and white ball in her hand, she brought it up and gave it a kiss for good luck. Dropping it in front of her, the crowd's cheers were met with the roar of her dragon Pokemon.
Kneeling she whispered in its ear before standing back up, blue eyes focused ahead of her.
"Alright Druddi, nice and easy, just like we practiced."
Iris stood confidently across from her, arms crossed, grinning as she knew she had the upper hand now despite her Pokemon's fatigue.
Touko decided she was going to immensely enjoy wiping that smirk off her face. All she could do was pray that Iris would do as she hoped.
Deciding not to take the risk of receiving another blow while powering up, Iris went for the kill.
"Salamence, Dragon Claw!" she hollered as she sought to end the battle.
Just what I needed.
Touko grinned, as she watched the dragon Pokemon take off into the air like a jet, barreling towards them at high speed, one dangerous looking claw extended.
Now she just needed a little patience and a little luck.
Wait for it...
Both trainer and Pokemon watched as the blue dragon flew ever closer, its fangs bared, zipping from left to right as it approached.
Wait for it...
The other Pokemon was now two thirds across the fighting space.
There!
"Druddi now! Sucker punch!" she ordered, spotting the opening.
Her own Pokemon disappeared from view, the stunned crowd falling silent and forcing Salamence to stop its flight. Skidding across the ground, its momentum carried it forward, digging up dirt as it searched for the missing Pokemon. Confused, it searched the arena, looking up and down, and left and right for the missing Pokemon.
Half a second later, it was all over.
Druddigon appeared in front of Salamence, completely catching it off guard. Instinctively, it tried to move out of the way, but it was too late as Druddigon drove its claw into its face, launching it into the arena wall.
Touko blinked.
When the opposing Pokemon failed to even twitch, the crowd erupted in a roar.
"AND THE WINNER IS, TOUKO!"
Wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, she sighed in relief.
Well, that worked out well. I'll have to thank Ash later on.
Running to her Pokemon, she enveloped it in a big hug, laughing, petting its head and showering it with praise. A rather dejected looking Iris approached her offering a handshake, a congratulations and a promise to beat her next time before departing the floor and letting Touko bask in the cheers and applause of the crowd.
"So to recap, Hood will be battling Touko and Nate will be against N in the semifinals," commented Cheren, the group having just parted ways with Nate and Rosa. "I hope Nate beats the crap out of that guy like he did Marshal just now."
"Be nice." Bianca chided him. "He's not that bad."
"He's not," agreed Touko. "I was hoping Rosa would end up winning against Nate, cause of you know, girl power, but I guess Lyra took too much out of her the previous day."
"Also..."
She slung an arm across Red's shoulders, doing her best to ignore the tiny flutter in her stomach.
"Thanks for the pro tip on teaching Druddi sucker punch. That really saved me today."
"You're welcome. Congratulations," came the reply from the quiet man.
Though she was a bit disappointed at his response (and she wouldn't admit to herself why), Touko cheered herself up by reminding herself that she was into the next round.
As they walked off to the stadium Pokemon center once more, a blue haired man stepped into their path.
"Can we help you?" Touya asked politely.
The man nodded, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses.
"I'd like to battle."
Puzzled, Touya responded.
"Well, right now's not a good time. If you want, we can battle after the tournament or..."
The blue haired man shook his head.
"No, not you."
He raised a finger and pointed, the rest of the group tracing his arm and gaze back to his target.
"I want to battle him."
-o-o-o-
There was a stunned silence, before Cheren stepped in.
"You must have the wrong person. Ash doesn't have Pokemon and he's not a trainer."
"He's not who you think he is" was the reply, his gaze never leaving Red's face. "I know him."
At this, Touko roughly shoved her way past her friends, stepping directly in front of the man and next to her brother.
"Hey! I don't know who you are, but shove off! Ash doesn't have Pokemon and he doesn't want to battle you," she snapped.
The blue haired man's gaze drifted down to Touko for a brief moment before returning to Red's face behind her.
"Are you going to hide behind this girl? The person I knew would've accepted the challenge and flattened me in a sec."
Red studied the man from behind Touko. The face looked so familiar, but he couldn't really place where he had seen it, especially with the sunglasses.
"I'll battle you."
Touko turned around, gaping at Red as he stepped up next to her.
"On certain terms."
The opposing figure cocked his head at the demand.
"Name them."
"You tell me who you are if I win."
"And if you lose?"
"Nothing. I'm agreeing to battle you after all."
The man nodded, satisfied with the terms.
"Unfortunately, like they said, I don't have any Pokemon."
The blue haired man shrugged at that.
"A one Pokemon duel it is. All or nothing. Just borrow one from one of your groupies over there."
Touko bristled at this comment, only the tightening of Touya's hand on her shoulder preventing her from doing anything rash.
Turning, she opened her mouth to offer Red her Druddigon before Cheren cut her off.
"Use mine. It's a grass type" he whispered.
Handing him a Pokeball, he glanced at Touko.
"Put yours away. You have a battle in two days and you had a tough one just now."
Letting out a huff of frustration, she turned sharply and marched past both of them, stopping only to say one thing.
"Kick his ass Ash."
-o-o-o-
The two men squared off in a staring match, both with a Pokeball in each hand, as a small crowd gathered around them forming a ring.
"You want to know what's happening right?" the man said, Red's eyes tightening as a reaction to this remark.
"You've got that little feeling in the back of your head that something's wrong" he continued "You just don't know what."
"Beat me, and I'll tell you that as well as my identity. Go Stoutland!"
Releasing his own Pokeball, he watched as a serpentine Pokemon emerged.
Realizing he didn't even know the name of the Pokemon he was battling with, Red decided, at that very moment, that it may not have been the best idea to agree to this bout. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. Shaking away his worries, he focused on the Pokemon in front of him. It had to know vine whip right?
"Use Vine whip!"
At the command, Serperior extended its vines into the air before bringing them down swiftly. They crashed into the ground where the canine Pokemon had previously stood.
Red would be lying if he wasn't surprised by the speed at which it had moved. It wasn't close to the fastest he had seen, but it was certainly faster than he expected as he was hit with another realization. He knew absolutely nothing of what that Pokemon was capable of.
"Sand attack!" came the command from his opponent, the Stoutland appearing in front of Sereprior and kicking up a large amount of sand into the Pokemon's face.
"Can't hit me can you," came the taunt as the Stoutland jumped back in front of its owner, growling with its teeth bared.
Gritting his own teeth, Red decided to launch a counter attack.
"Use Razor Leaf!"
The serpentine Pokemon looked back at him confused for a moment, before launching an attack that certainly was not Razor Leaf. In fact, Red thought, as he watched the attack move towards the other Pokemon, it looked like a tornado filled with leaves.
The attack engulfed the Stoutland, the leaves tearing at its fur as it crouched and took the brunt of the attack, its paws digging into the ground.
"Sand Attack!"
Leaping sideways and out of the tornado, the Stoutland began to run towards the green Pokemon. Zig zagging its way towards the leaf Pokemon in a way that reminded him of a Pokemon using Quick Attack, it continued to kick up sand until clouds of it began to fill the air.
Realizing that with the small area they were enclosed in and that neither him nor Serperior would be able to dodge its attack, he needed to finish this battle quickly before they were completely blinded.
Sending a particular viscious gust of sand towards them, it managed a direct hit, landing sand in both their eyes.
"Now Tackle!"
Launching itself off all four legs into the temporarily blinded Pokemon, the Stoutland crashed into it before immediately retreating, leaving the grass Pokemon dizzy and woozy.
"Can't see? That's too bad." His opponent smirked, his blue hair blowing slightly in the wind. "I guess you're not so great a trainer after all eh?"
His anger rising, Red decided it was time to end things.
"Start charging energy," he ordered, rubbing his right eye with his hand in an attempt to clear out the sand.
It was then he realized his mistake, far too late, as a gasp arose from the crowd.
A lone, red eye peeked out from under his dark hair, exposed for everyone to see.
Taking a long drink of scotch, he turned his back to the figure behind him.
"What happened?"
"There was a confrontation."
"And?"
"He won."
The man sighed.
"Then are plans our still intact. Make sure that shit doesn't happen again."
"Yes sir."
"What about the other one?"
"He's in the city but hasn't done anything."
"Good, make sure they don't meet."
He mused silently as the figure behind him disappeared.
"Who would've thought that those two would have a chance to cross paths once again?"
Author's Note
I know, I know. I update slowly. I'm sorry!
I get distracted by games.. and work... and games... and Game of Thrones... and I don't want to release anything I think is done half assed.
Also, I don't have a beta reader. If you see any mistakes, especially glaring ones in both grammar, the actual story (conflicts and such) and just things that don't make sense, please let me know.
-o-o-o-
There are a few things I'd like to mention. I assume that B/W takes place almost simultaneously as R/B/Y. By that I mean, maybe a 1-2 year difference? I don't really know how long each of their journeys last so its hard to say. The point I'm making is that Red became a Champion sometime towards the beginning (or at the beginning) of Touko's journey and he didn't go up to Mt. Silver until close to the end.
And also, I've decided, that I'm not really an action writer. That and I didn't want to really narrate ALL the battles that would take place, so I only chose the important ones which I thought I would be able to write properly.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please leave me some reviews! :D
Also, one more thing.
Ekans is snake backwards and arbok is kobra... so what is Muk? :D
I admit, I borrowed this one here and the other one above. There will be plenty more coming =]
Did I mention..
Reviews!?
Edit: It's been brought to my attention that there's an actual sort of timeline (guess I'm a noob) of when each game takes place. I'll have a clarifying author's note on ages and such in my next one. IF anyone wants to help me out with this, that would be great! Just send me a PM