FOREWORD
Hey, guys...I'm back! So, who's excited for Episode Three? *hears the chirping of a Kricketot swarm in the deafening silence* Well, I am! Oh... :'(
Just kidding, guys... Anyway, I've never expected that I'd be more than busy at work after my last update, which forced me to delay the writing of this episode. April has been one hell of a hectic month! Whew! But I don't wanna bore you with my work life... What's important is that I still managed to publish this long-awaited chapter. In fact, I even made this chapter longer than the average length of the previous three just to compensate for the long wait! Isn't that great? *shakes own hand to congratulate myself* XD
Okay. Before anything else, I'd like to acknowledge my guest reader SaiSuki1329 for his (or her) review... (Thank you for that, by the way.) I understand that the vampire concept has been frequently used, and sometimes abused, in modern literature, but I don't wanna completely pattern my vampires with existing archetypes, like the ones in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga. To be honest, I'm actually more of a Bram Stoker fan when it comes to vampiric lore. So, expect this fic's vampires to burn in the sunlight. (Sparkling and 'day-walking' are great ideas. It's just that I don't think it fits the overall atmosphere of this story.)
Actually, I was expecting that kind of review, and I appreciate that someone had opened it up. The only thing I can say for now is that this is just a refreshing spin on the concept, but there are slight similarities to what has been already established in ancient legends. Don't worry, I will explain little by little in future chapters as to how vampires came to be in the Pokémon world. Thus, there are no spoilers for now. Hehehe.
Oh, one more thing, I mentioned on this episode's sneak peek that I was going to include Ash and Max's battle for the Brave Symbol. Unfortunately, I wrote it off for the next chapter. I did plan in incorporating it, but it was too long that it almost counts as an episode on its own. However, this doesn't mean that these two aren't gonna make an appearance here, in a segment that PalletShippers would probably kill me for writing. Well, I hope not. -_-" *knocks on wood*
Without further ado, and before the intro bores you from reading the actual story, let me present you Episode Three: Bloodlust! *gets the popcorn* XD
DISCLAIMER
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot... I don't own Pokémon. Period. (I'm tired of making it too witty. Besides, it's another cause of delay.)
EPISODE THREE - BLOODLUST
Ilex Forest
west of Azalea Town
Johto Region
07:00 AM
"W-where am I?"
Weakly fluttering his heavy eyelids to adjust his hazy vision in the unnatural dimness of the world around him, a Pokémon trainer woke up finding himself in an unfamiliar place, lying on his side on a grassy floor. Slowly gathering his wits, the confused boy attempted to get up from his position but because he was feeling numb all over he wasn't able to do so.
Growing annoyed despite his languid state, the flustered boy forced himself again to stand, only to realize that his feet were bound together by a tightly wound rope that squeezed his sore ankles. Moreover, his hands were also a similar case, crossed by the wrists behind him. As he tried to make sense of his current predicament, a nauseating wave of panic washed over him, his accelerating heartbeat similar to that of an athlete's after completing a triathlon.
"What the hell is this?!"
Squirming frantically on the ground, the frazzled trainer attempted to get out of his restraints, although he knew in the back of his mind that any struggle would be futile. Exhausted from his useless efforts, the boy eventually gave up. Opting for a more productive course of action, he decided to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Squinting his eyes as he scanned the area around him, he saw his Pokémon League Expo hat overturned a few inches away, much to his surprise.
Despite his harrowing situation, he couldn't help being happy finding his cap. Clumsily crawling towards the familiar object, the trainer suddenly lost his balance and ended up rolling until he had hit the wall of his 'prison'. Luckily, he wasn't hurt, although he did get a little bit lightheaded from the impact. Using the vertical surface to support himself, he finally managed to sit up, his back leaning against the wall. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, the trainer realized something.
Feeling the texture of the surface behind him with his restrained hands, he could barely make out its rough but uniform woody grain, which was met by root-like protrusions as the wall touched the ground. At this point, the boy deduced that he was inside a spacious hollow of what could only be an enormous tree...and at that thought, everything clicked.
'So, I'm still in the Ilex Forest... Now, I just need to find out where my Pokémon are...but I have to get out of here first!'
Now drenched in sweat, the trainer reached again for his hat, this time using his feet. At the same time, his probing eyes were busy searching for the exit. As he shuffled awkwardly on the moist ground, he suddenly felt an acidic sting invade his eyes from droplets of perspiration that trickled from his forehead. The resulting irritation was jeopardizing his sight.
Almost yelping from the incapacitating pain, the poor boy immediately straightened himself, rapidly blinking the sweat away from his eyes to somehow ease the sting and clear his now-blurry vision, a feat that proved more difficult than it sounded given his situation.
While waiting for the pain to dissipate, the dejected boy found himself on the verge of crying, disheartened by his pathetic experience. If only he waited until morning before continuing his trek to Goldenrod City, then he wouldn't have been mugged by some random thug that evening.
As he thought of it, the trainer wondered if it was already morning. From stories that he had heard, it's really hard to tell the exact time of day with the Ilex Forest unless you had a timepiece, which reminded him of his Pokétch. Since he could only feel rope on his bound wrists, it was probably taken from him already. Crestfallen by his fortune, he let a heavy sigh escape his quivering lips.
'I hope that dumbass didn't do anything to my Pokémon...but with my luck, I could only wish that they're not in any worse condition as I am.'
Finally feeling no pain, the trainer (now wearing his hat after trying to put it on a few times) was eventually able to find the opening to the tree's cavity, although the view outside was almost no different from the lack of light inside the hollow, as if there wasn't any outlet of escape. As hope welled in his chest in spite of the overwhelming panic, he started to make his way towards the exit. When he was half a body away from tasting freedom, hope turned into despair when a pair of combat boots suddenly appeared in front of his face.
"Shit!"
Growling a curse as he bared his razor-sharp fangs, the auburn-haired researcher was beginning to lose his cool. After minutes of searching through the towering vine-wrapped trees of the Ilex Forest, making sure to evade those dangerous rays of sunlight along the way, the emerald-eyed predator still wasn't able to get his 'breakfast'. At this point, his thirst was getting more unbearable, as the lack of nourishing blood in his system worsened the dryness in his throat, searing it in a slow manner.
Ever since that heart-wrenching pain in his chest started half an hour ago, Gary became an entirely different person...if he was still considered a person, that is.
Fueled by his newly-awakened primeval impulses, Gary's state of mind was distorted in such a way that he was almost no longer capable of human emotion. He was simply propelled by a bloodlust so powerful that he wouldn't hesitate to suck dry the first human being he would lay his eyes on, regardless if friend or foe. Despite the emotional deficiency, his calculating intellect remained, making the auburn-haired researcher more formidable than before...and obviously more dangerous.
Unfortunately, there weren't any adventurers traveling along the main pathway that connected Azalea Town to Route 34, as well as anywhere within the territory south of it. However, the newly-turned vampire wasn't going to give up that easily. Undeterred by the absence of human beings, he decided to hunt for Pokémon instead.
As he scoured the dense forest undergrowth, the Pokémon he flushed out were predominantly Bug-type or Grass-type, but he knew full well that their hemoglobin-deficient blood wouldn't do him any good. On the other hand, warm-blooded Flying-types might be a suitable alternative, but most of their population reside at the forest canopy, which evidently posed a huge dilemma: direct exposure to sunlight.
The emerald-eyed vampire couldn't help imagining how it could have been less difficult for him to feed if he was able to withstand sunlight, similar to those 'domesticated' vampires of contemporary literature. For example, it would've been helpful if there was an magical object that would allow him to walk in broad daylight. Apparently, traditional vampire lore held more truth than that of modern fantasy, based from what he had already experienced. Simply speaking, the cons obviously outnumbered the pros.
Hissing with a twinge of disappointment, the auburn-haired vampire decided to push his way northwards to continue his hunt for prey. As he made his way beyond the main road with a speed that surpassed that of a high-leveled Accelgor's, his blood-stained lab coat was flapping wildly in the wind as if it was a superhero cape. The normal Gary would've smiled at the comparison, but the researcher's face remained impassive.
As he approached a darker section of the forest, something suddenly stopped him on his tracks (figuratively, of course, as he levitated an inch above the ground the whole time). It was a faint pulsing sound in the stagnant forest air: the delicious rhythm of a human heartbeat. Licking his lips greedily with his venom-laced tongue, he proceeded to track the source of the enchanting music. When he finally saw his soon-to-be victim, Gary lurked in the shadows like a Persian on the prowl, waiting for the right opportunity to strike...to sink his teeth in that juicy jugular.
"Ah, guess who's finally awake? By the way, thank you for the watch. Quite nifty, I must say," said a husky voice coming from the owner of the intimidating footwear, mocking the stunned trainer who was halfway from completely emerging through an opening at the base of a colossal tree. Snorting as he brandished his loot in front of the boy's face, the thug continued taunting, "So, where do you think you're going, eh, kid? Missing your momma in Sinnoh already? Boo-hoo!"
Trying to sound brave, the bound trainer wanted to snarl at his captor, but he ended up stuttering when his confidence wavered because of fear. "If you w-want my s-stuff, y-you can have it, I d-don't care... J-just untie me and g-give me b-back my P-Pokémon!"
"Gutsy lad, aren't you?" sneered the brute, squatting to face the trembling boy. Glaring ferociously, he forcefully grabbed the trainer's jaw with his calloused right hand and spoke again, showering the cowering trainer with bits of spittle, "I'm sorry, but I don't take orders from punks like you. You want your shitty Pokéballs? Get it yourself, before your whole bag turns into ashes. There wasn't anything valuable in there, so I burned it...along with your Pokémon for good measure*. Just to teach you a lesson for your uselessness, yes?"
Upon hearing the last words of the musclebound brute, the flabbergasted trainer's reaction was instant. Despite the apparent lack of light, the boy's pupils dilated abnormally as equal parts of horror and anger overshadowed the rest of his emotions.
With a swift upward jerk of his head, the trainer was able to remove his abused chin from the thug's grip. Taking his eyes off from the malicious stare of his captor, he proceeded to survey the forest's murky environment for any sign of his belongings. Somewhere off to his right, he finally found what he was searching for and, unfortunately, he realized that the brute wasn't joking. It wasn't obvious at first, but if anyone would look closely, the thing just stands out, especially in a dark background.
The Pokémon trainer's heart broke when he saw that his backpack was slowly roasting on a newly-set bonfire. Red and orange tongues of flame were constantly licking at its surface, threatening to burn through the protective fabric of the bag. But the traumatized boy didn't care about his burning stuff, he was more concerned about the Pokéballs that were inside.
Determined not to lose his unreleased friends, in spite of his obvious handicap, the boy desperately darted in the direction of the fire, his movements mimicking an agitated Caterpie. Warm tears started to fall on his cheeks, earnestly praying for a miracle that would at least spare his Pokémon from imminent danger.
On the other hand, observing the drama playing out in front of him, the hulking thug was relishing the sick satisfaction of witnessing the pathetic condition of his victim, who was now a few meters short of reaching his burning belongings. Bellowing in derisive laughter, the villainous goon now stood up from his hunched position, having decided to up the ante of the boy's suffering.
Catching up to the crawling trainer after a couple of strides, the brute planted a heavy kick to the trainer's stomach, knocking the wind out of the poor boy who catapulted a few seconds in the air until he hit the ground with sickening thud. Not noticing that his head was inches away the nearest ember, the trainer groaned weakly as he writhed on the ground, forcing himself to curl into a fetal position to somehow alleviate the throbbing pain in his abdominal area.
Another rush of gratifying pleasure excited the sadistic thug when he saw the agony painted on his victim's face. The sensation was invigorating, more satisfying than those cheap hallucinogenic drugs that he took infrequently, purchased with the money he gained from the items he stole. Mugging the boy might not have benefited him in some way (Well, except the Pokétch since it was the only thing that costs something) but torturing him instead would be a pleasant alternative.
Now under the influence of his own evil desires, the sadistic brute stood staring at his victim with a murderous intent, preparing for another way to augment his suffering...only to be distracted by a sudden drastic drop in the forest's temperature.
The abused trainer, on the other hand, decided to take his chances to find a way in removing his backpack from the flames (Good thing it was tougher than he expected) now that the pain on his torso was getting a little bit tolerable. Although it sounded crazy, but he wanted to thank his captor for sparing him the effort of crawling all the way to the bonfire. The ridiculous thought somehow made him lighten up a bit in between his tear-choked sniffs. At least at this point, he had a shot in saving his Pokémon. If only he could time it right...
Taking a quick glance at his captor as he remained lying on his side, he noticed that the thug was sort of spaced out, distracted about something. Slowly getting up from his position, with the bonfire directly behind him, he tried to reach for one of his backpack's straps, braving the scorching heat of the crackling flames as he carefully stared at the musclebound thug a few meters away, making sure that he doesn't get caught.
A few grueling seconds had passed and the trainer finally managed to hook one of his fingers on the bag's left strap. Sweaty from the whole ordeal, he moved away from the fire slowly like a Slakoth, tugging his soot-covered backpack along with him. While his fingers fumbled for the bag's zipper, he noticed something odd in the periphery of his vision. Was that fog? He wasn't sure. What was important for him was that he already retrieved what he was looking for.
Apparently, out of excitement, he ripped his backpack open too fast...a mistake that he immediately regretted.
The scratching sound of the unfastened zipper vibrated in the prevalent silence, catching the thug's attention. Locking his eyes on the bonfire, he noticed that the boy and his backpack were gone, only to find them already a few feet away from it. Enraged by his carelessness and at the boy's impudence, he stomped his feet on the leaf-littered ground as he walked towards his victim, preparing to launch a mean fist to the trainer's weary face.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."
A cold, taunting voice froze the angry brute in his tracks. Dropping his clenched hand as he turned to face the intruder, he found himself eye to eye with a tall pale-skinned man in a tattered researcher's garb standing in the middle of a blanket of icy mist (At this point, he realized where the cold was coming from), someone who didn't really look threatening but worth teaching a lesson for minding other people's business. "So, who's this? Your knight in shining armor, huh, kid? Can't say I'm impressed, 'cause it looks like your savior fought a war before he got here. Regardless, I'll make sure that he regrets surviving it before I get back to you," the thug retorted as he looked at the smirking stranger squarely in the eye.
"Nice words from a petty felon... Not sure if I'm gonna be scared by those, but I find that attitude of yours really appetizing... It's actually working me up... Unfortunately, you're not much of a threat, though... A piece of cake, so to speak..." Gary responded with his now-raspy voice, punctuating it with a slow lick on his dry lips. Tilting his head sideways as he returned the thug's malicious stare, the emerald-eye vampire continued, "Now, that's making me hungry..."
"The fuck did you just say?!" the thug reacted, apparently nonplussed. Although his face wasn't showing it, but deep inside he was intimidated by the spiky-haired man's presence, obviously caught off guard by the vagueness of his words. On the other hand, he felt challenged by the insult, and if there's one thing that he hated, it's anyone who dared to ruffle his feathers. Gathering his resolve, he spat out a comeback, still addressing the shaking victim behind him. "Sorry to disappoint you, kid, but it seems that your hero here has some loose gears! Ha! To think that's he's wearing a researcher's coat. Now, that's what you call funny!"
Despite the jeer, the auburn-haired researcher's face remained blank but calculating, unnerving the thug further. Getting annoyed by the passing second, he decided to end the ridiculousness once and for all. Unclipping a Pokéball from his belt, he called out his strongest Pokémon as he tossed it in the darkness, "Ursaring! Teach that asshole some manners and use Seismic Toss!"
Right after the brute's Ursaring materialized from its plasma-like state, it charged at Gary with blinding speed, preparing to fling the researcher upwards. At the last second, fixing his smirk at the Hibernator Pokémon's trainer, Gary simply sidestepped as the feral Ursaring was about to raise its huge right paw to grab him, causing it to lose its balance at the execution of the move. In an instant, its momentum sent it rolling in a straight line, plowing a distinct path on the forest floor until it bashed its skull onto something hard when a huge tree happened to block the almost unstoppable boulder of fur. The scene looked as if it was a bowling pin that didn't budge after getting a direct hit by a bowling ball, earning a throaty chuckle from Gary.
"The clumsiness of your Ursaring precedes you... I take pity on its training... You might as well release it into the wild to let that pathetic excuse of an Ursaring learn some ferocity..."
"Are you saying that my Pokémon is tame? Oh, I'll teach you fucking tame! Ursaring, get up on your ass and Slash that asshole's smirk from his face!" The brute was seething with anger, the already prominent outline of the veins in his forehead looked like they were practically going to burst. The fazed Ursaring, on the other hand, eventually straightened itself after hearing its master's command and unsheathed its elongating claws to launch its attack...which it wasn't able to complete, much to its trainer's horror.
Like a statue, the Ursaring stood frozen in its spot, its wide eyes looking downward on its torso, fixing its gaze at a huge gaping hole smack on the apex of its trademark yellow ring of fur, wherefrom a rich cascade of crimson spilled over onto its round belly. When the hole finally gave up the last drop of blood, the Pokémon's eyes rolled up into the back of its head, its giant lifeless body instantly collapsing on the ground.
"Told you I was hungry..." the emerald-eyed vampire explained matter-of-factly as he raised a blood-soaked arm to proudly show the brute his Ursaring's still-beating heart. "It's the perfect hors d'oeuvres, isn't it?"
"Y-you maniac! You k-killed my Ursaring!" was only what the horrified thug was able to scream out from his forbidding throat. "What the fuck are you?!"
"Isn't it obvious to you already?" Gary calmly replied in between ravenous bites of the succulent heart, sucking its raw juices with unmitigated gusto. "Let me correct you, though... A hungry man is not necessarily a maniac... Ah, Ursaring blood... If only this stuff was available on tap..."
"You're so gonna pay for this, monster! I'll start with this kid that you're trying to save," the thug growled desperately, seeking to avenge the murder of his Pokémon. Turning around to reach for his bound captive, he was shocked to find out that his bound captive was no longer behind him, only be replaced by a half-open sooty backpack.
"Aw, what happened, man? The kid escaped? Well, you could've reserved him for my dessert... Guess you're not aware that Pokémon blood doesn't really satisfy my recommended daily allowance..." Gary derided, irreverently throwing away the shriveled organ to the earth, where it bounced off once with a squishy sound, coating itself with dust as it rolled towards the hoodlum, eventually stopping at the latter's feet. "Don't worry, the boy couldn't really have gone that far... I'll take care of him myself... What's important is that we move on to our next agenda: the main course..."
Upon hearing the auburn-haired researcher's last three words, the musclebound brute found himself shaking uncontrollably from head to toe, finally acquainting himself with that dreadful sense of fear. He wanted to send out another of his Pokémon, but he decided not to, afraid that it might follow the Hibernator Pokémon's fate.
Out of all the strange things he had experienced so far, an unfortunate encounter with a real vampire would probably take the cake. Although he was utterly devastated by the death of his Ursaring, he was still sane enough not to allow himself to be the emerald-eyed monster's main course. As he stood paralyzed in his place under the rabid researcher's piercing gaze, he started to rack his mind for anything that would help him get out of this one hell of a tight spot. Apparently, the only thing he had discovered was just a flicker of his long since forgotten conscience, and right there and then, he realized that all hope was lost for him.
"I don't wanna sound clichéd or anything, but do you have any last words?" Gary inquired with a devilish smirk as he seductively licked the thick film of blood on his arm. Laughing as he saw how the brute remained stunned with a mask of sheer terror on his face, the auburn-haired researcher continued in his cold-blooded voice, "Well, I can perfectly understand where you're coming from, but think of it this way; you're allowing someone, me, to continue living and you even get to pay the price of all your sins... Isn't it a win-win situation? To think that I was merciful enough to let you stand there for the past half hour while I'm here reining in my desire to snap your neck, I'm the one who's actually being inconvenienced! I don't wanna play with my food, you know..."
Hearing no response, the emerald-eyed researcher finally allowed his uncontrollable urges to take over his consciousness, flitting right in front of the thug in the span of a split second. As he latched his canines on the man's neck, he was instantly intoxicated by the rich coppery flavor of human blood...and all of a sudden, the eerie stillness of the Ilex Forest was replaced by his victim's unearthly screams, viciously torn limb from limb while Gary remained under his murderous frenzy.
After sucking the life out of his prey down to the last available drop, Gary started to detect the changes in his body. The crippling pain in his chest was beginning to fade. The sore lining of his throat was revitalized by a new layer of moisture. His broken sanity fixed, immediately returning to his normal line of thinking. All in all, he was completely rejuvenated. Yet amidst the liberating sense of comfort, the auburn-haired researcher felt sick to the bone, as he saw the extent of the carnage he was undoubtedly responsible for.
'What have I done?!'
Not too far away from the dead corpses of the forest thug and his Ursaring, the bound Pokémon trainer found himself hiding inside a random tree, still fearing for his life. Although he finally managed to get away from his captor and saved his Pokémon from a fiery death in the process, knowing that there was a real-life bloodsucker on the loose made him think how foreign the word freedom really sounded.
It was quite ironic that after escaping from a tree, he would end up taking shelter in another. He couldn't believe his luck. He almost wanted to congratulate the brute (before he ended up like a torture porn movie victim) for making him realize what a momma's boy he really was, how he almost implied that he shouldn't have left Sinnoh in the first place.
He was fully aware that a Pokémon trainer's life was fraught with all sorts of danger, but he was too seduced by the wonderful things it promised, causing him to be too complacent. If only he opted for a different career instead, anything that didn't lead to a life that concluded with death-by-blood loss. But it was too late, and the hopelessness of his situation was making him paranoid.
"Was he gone already?"
"Did you think that I couldn't hear your heartbeat from where I was? If only you can hear it the way that I do..."
The boy held his breath in shock upon hearing Gary's voice. He wanted to slap himself (well, if he could) for forgetting how easy it was for any bloodsucker to spot him, even if he was six feet under the ground. Although he was enveloped with an overwhelming sense of fear, he couldn't help noticing how the vampire sounded a little bit...friendly? Remaining silent in the refuge of the tree hollow, he heard the vampire speak again.
"I know you're afraid of me... Actually, I'm afraid of me, too... Haha... I guess you saw what I did... I couldn't blame you for that... I don't know how to explain this, but, that wasn't me... I mean, I wasn't in the right state of mind... Hahaha... This is funny, explaining myself... I don't know who I am anymore..."
Then, the unexpected happened. The hiding trainer suddenly heard sniffling sounds after the vampire ended his monologue. Was he crying? This could be a trick. He did sound honest, but it didn't erase the fact that he was a murderer. Either way, there was no escape from where he was, add it to the fact that he was technically a vampire's lunch (if they have one) ready to be served in his rope-bound form, with a drinking straw jammed in his neck if he preferred it.
Taking his chances, the boy crawled out of the hole, bracing himself for his demise but was surprised to find out that nothing happened. As he searched for the melodramatic vampire, he found him a few inches to the left of the cavity's opening, sitting on his backside, his head resting on his folded knees. The sight was baffling. If someone would ignore the disgusting smears of blood all around his body, he would look just like any ordinary researcher in his twenties, a total opposite of the monster he saw minutes ago. Although he couldn't believe the strange turn of events, the trainer finally had the courage to speak up.
"Hey, you okay, mister vampire? Are you gonna eat me, too? I'm sorry, but I'm just confused. You don't really have to pretend to be a goody two-shoes or anything, since I couldn't really escape anyway. I'm sorry again...I'm just being ridiculous."
Raising his head to meet the trainer's curious but cautious gaze, the auburn-haired researcher replied with an awkward smile. "No, I won't eat you, don't worry... Let's say I'm already full... But honestly, if that felon wasn't there, you would have met his fate... It was actually your heartbeat that led me here... Sorry if I'm scaring you again, but I guess what just happened was a good thing... Well, I admit I killed a human being and a Pokémon, but in a way I somehow saved another human being's life, your life, as well as your Pokémon's lives... Enough of my randomness, both of us need to get out of here... Let me help you out with your bonds..."
Effortlessly, Gary was able to cut the thick ropes on the trainer's wrists and ankles with his bare hands as if they were noodles. As he assisted the trainer to stand up, the emerald-eyed vampire suddenly noticed the boy's hat, immediately remembering someone who owned an identical piece of headgear. At this moment of recognition, Gary found himself smiling.
"You know what, kid? My best friend had a same hat like yours... It was his first and most favorite hat, and he was proud to say that he sent a million postcards for it... Anyhow, I guess you're okay to go on your own... If by chance you meet my best friend, tell him not to look for me, okay?"
"Why not?"
In an instant, the trainer found himself all alone in the vastness of the Ilex Forest, completely puzzled as to where the auburn-haired vampire went. Although he forgot to thank his savior, he promised to himself that he would find a way to repay his kindness. As he reattached the Pokéball belt to his waist, the trainer continued his trek to get out of this dark and wretched woodlands, bursting with happiness with his second chance at life.
Battle Pyramid
northern White Forest
Unova Region
01:00PM
After the bespectacled Pokémon trainer had introduced himself, the young Pyramid King didn't have any idea how to react. For the first time in his life, Ash had never felt so tongue-tied. He didn't expect that he would be having a hard time finding the appropriate words to say. He was so stumped that all those thoughts swirling inside his head were basically of no use to him.
Little did the Frontier Brain know that he was already staring blankly in Max's direction for a full minute, causing the younger trainer to look at him with a twinge of genuine concern. Pikachu, on the other hand, from his comfortable perch on Ash's shoulder, also started to feel the same for his master after he had noticed his glassy eyes and strange quietness.
As he rustled the knee-high blades of grass of the meadow beneath him, Max slowly made his way to his former traveling companion, getting more worried by the passing second. Despite the growing anxiety bubbling inside him, the bespectacled trainer gathered enough courage to feign a weak smile as he looked at him, stopping a foot away from Ash. Playfully waving a hand in front of the raven-haired trainer's face, Max finally broke the awkward silence.
"Hey, Ash! Are you okay?"
Upon hearing Max's deep voice, the young Pyramid King instantaneously recovered from his reverie. As he composed himself, he noticed how near he was to the younger trainer, causing a pinkish tint to accentuate the trademark lightning bolt-shaped wrinkles on his cheeks.
Attempting to hide his embarrassing reaction, he immediately pretended to adjust his hat (which was a black-and-red variation of the one he originally wore on his first Unova adventure) and shot a quick glance at the Battle Pyramid behind him and replied with a chuckle, "Sorry about that, Max. Don't ever think that I wasn't glad to see you, 'cause I am. It's just that I had a lot of things on my mind. So, I guess you're the one who's going to battle me, right?"
In all honesty, he was really glad that he saw Max again, but he found it very troubling that he was having these inappropriate thoughts about him. Although there wasn't no denying that Max was, well, hot, suddenly taking an interest in him was definitely not on his checklist. In fact, he even thought of May's brother as if he was his own sibling. To find himself being attracted to Max was simply just as worse as entering an incestuous relationship.
"Yeah, Ash. It's so surreal, don't you think? I couldn't believe that I was only seven when May and I accompanied you and Brock all the way to Pewter City when you challenged Brandon for your last Battle Frontier Symbol inside that facility," Max responded with a sigh, following the line of sight of Ash's chocolate-brown eyes.
Walking towards the young Pyramid King until he was right next to him, Max placed a hand on the raven-haired boy's right shoulder and continued, flashing a kind smile as he gazed at his face, "Now that I'm the challenger and you're the Frontier Brain, you're now able to fulfill your promise to battle me! I trust you not to take it easy on me, Ash! Nine years of battling didn't make me a weakling, so you better watch out! Just don't be surprised if the Brave Symbol disappears right under your nose, okay?"
Meeting Max's gaze through his glasses as he turned his head to the right to respond, he suddenly found himself entranced by the young trainer's handsome face instead, absorbing every detail of it starting from his piercing coffee-colored eyes down to his pale thin lips. Like an iron nail to a strong magnet, he couldn't help being drawn nearer to him, slowly seduced by the woody perfume evaporating from the crook of the younger trainer's smooth neck. It was like being subjected to a forbidden sensation which was forcing him to close the distance between their mouths...
'Wait...is Max allowing me to kiss him? Does this mean he's into guys, too?'
As the inches between their lips shorten into centimeters, Ash felt that he was going to commit an unforgivable sin, yet his body was too weak to pull away from the temptation. He really wanted to stop what he was doing but something in the back of his mind wanted him to go on with it, to find out what's it like to taste a boy. In the midst of his struggle, he needed a voice of reason, someone to give him an idea whether this was gonna be his boon or his bane...and the answer came to him as swift as Genesect's ExtremeSpeed**.
"Pika?"
The Electric Mouse Pokémon's curt interruption may have brought the Frontier Brain back into reality but still it wasn't enough to overpower the awkward silence that crackled in the atmosphere. The tension was so thick that you could practically slice it with a cleaver. However, Ash didn't want to allow a frustrated kiss to mess things up between them.
While pulling off a fake cough as an excuse to pry his face away from his bespectacled friend, he placed his gloved left hand over the palm that rested on his right shoulder. Squeezing it gently, he smiled at Max and said, "You bet I won't hold back. Let's just give it all we've got. Come, Pikachu must be already getting impatient for our battle. Well, it's been almost half a year that we both haven't tasted a decent battle, you know? But that doesn't mean you could easily have my ass kicked!"
As the trio walked towards the gigantic black pyramid, the two trainers (and Pikachu) broke into fits of laughter as if nothing really serious happened.
Unmindful of the intense noontime heat beating down on him, Max was becoming more and more confused.
Staying a few steps behind the Frontier Brain as they were about to enter the facility, the bespectacled trainer couldn't take his eyes off Pikachu's raven-haired master. When he first laid eyes on him that day, he couldn't help being awestruck at the older trainer, how he looked much cuter and less scrawny than the last time they saw each other, in his opinion (although he surpassed him by an inch in the height department). Max felt like a fangirl and no one could blame him for it. If one had a crush as lovable as Ash they would've probably felt the same way.
'What the hell, Max! Can't you try not to be so fucking cheesy?!'
Nevertheless, he knew full well that berating himself would be of no use, especially with what just happened between them a few minutes ago. Although Ash might be acting cool now, but it couldn't be denied that they almost kissed. Heck, it was even Ash who initiated it!
Well, in his point of view, the Frontier Brain did...but regardless, he found it very perplexing to know why Ash thought of doing it in the first place. Not that he didn't want it, but he was under the impression that Ash was into that Misty girl, or asexual if he wasn't. He couldn't bring himself to imagine that his fantasies of the raven-haired boy (since he saw him on TV during the global broadcast of Johto's Silver Conference twelve years ago) might not be as one-sided as it looked. Smothering his face with his palms, he shook his disturbing thoughts away as he shifted his focus on their upcoming Battle Pyramid confrontation.
The young Pyramid King, on the other hand, thought that he already got away with it, but he didn't expect that those troubling thoughts would come back to him with a vengeance. If he was perturbed by illicit feelings of lust earlier, this time Ash was being affected by suffocating pangs of guilt.
Even though he wasn't in the position to assume that he was Gary's, but to feel something for another person (albeit that he was aware that it wasn't as strong as what he felt for the auburn-haired researcher) still raised a question on his faithfulness. The doubts on his mind were beginning to escalate into a migraine. If he wasn't with company in the darkness of the main corridor of the Battle Pyramid's ground level, he would've screamed the all that pent-up stress weighing down on his heart until he fainted.
With their respective musings making the both of them busy, the Frontier Brain and his challenger didn't realize how unusually quiet they were as the three of them made their way to the entry point of the ground level's maze, to set Max on the start of his official Battle Pyramid challenge.
Finally after a few minutes of walking, Ash, Pikachu, and Max stopped at the entrance of the first maze, which was a simple steel door at the end of a long, illuminated hallway, one of the many that branched from the main corridor. Since Scott wasn't present to brief Max about the basics***, Ash volunteered to do the honors. Besides, no one else was qualified to do it, anyway. Speaking in a formal tone of voice, the young Pyramid King began the introductions.
"So, Max, this is it! I officially welcome you to the Battle Pyramid, the final lap of the Battle Frontier. I believe you've already been made aware that after collecting six Frontier Symbols, you will be considered eligible to challenge this facility for the Brave Symbol. As proof of your eligibility, could you please show me the first six Symbols?"
After unstrapping his backpack, the bespectacled trainer pulled out his Symbol Case, showing Ash his collection of golden circular badges, namely the Guts, Tactics, Spirits, Luck, Ability, and Knowledge Symbols. Upon swift inspection for authenticity, the young Pyramid King acknowledged his claim.
It was for formality purposes, of course. Even without the hullabaloo, he was confident that Max was skilled enough to sweep the other Frontier Brains off their feet, even if he hadn't seen how he battled after they separated at the end of his Kanto Battle Frontier journey. Clearing his throat after handing back the acquired Symbols of his teal-haired challenger, Ash rattled on.
"Thanks, Max. Anyway, behind this door is the moment of truth, the beginning of your challenge. The Battle Pyramid is composed of seven levels. The first six stages are mazes of increasing difficulty, with the final level being me, as the Frontier Brain of this facility. As the last of the seven, this challenge capitalizes not just on bravery, but on all aspects of Pokémon battling.
"You may already know this but each maze is also a test of survival, which may take days depending on your progress. I will have to keep your bag for the duration of this challenge because you have to rely on three things: your self, your Pokémon, and what you have learned throughout your Battle Frontier experience. Don't look at me crazy, Max. I won't rummage through your stuff. We will hand it over to the staff for safekeeping, just so you know. So, do you have any questions, man?"
"Nope. I'm all ready! Bring it on!" Max energetically replied, adjusting his spectacles ritualistically with his right index finger. "I can't wait to battle you, Ash! I'm gonna be at your level before you even know it."
Grinning at his enthusiastic friend, Ash responded, "Well, Max, not that I'm biased or anything, but I wish you the best of luck!"
Opening the huge metal door after entering its passcode, Ash then took Max's backpack and ushered him to get inside the maze.
At first glance, it looked as if it was a dungeon, as pitch-black as the exterior of the pyramid itself. But after a few blinks, one can see a beam of light shining down from the maze's ceiling, illuminating a section of the floor with a diameter enough to accommodate the average human being. As the Frontier Brain closed the entrance, the challenger took one last look at the former, giving him a wink as he showed a thumbs-up gesture before taking his first step into the maze.
NOTES
*Whether it was serious or not, you may interpret the thug's threat either way, but something about it has been bugging me for quite a while now... If a Pokéball is damaged or destroyed, what happens to the Pokémon inside? Yes, it's a dark topic to tackle but as much we want to be PG-13 about it, if ever Pokémon was real, this is a possible worst-case scenario. Any thoughts on this, guys? -_-
**Okay, before you bring out the flames, I am fully aware that ExtremeSpeed is a move that Genesect couldn't learn legitimately, whether it's by leveling up, tutoring, TM, breeding, or an event. I just did it because I feel like doing it (Besides, it has a nice ring to it), especially because the sixteenth Pokémon movie, ExtremeSpeed Genesect: Mewtwo Awakens, is gonna be released on the 13th of July in Japan. Exciting, yes? XD
***I know Ash directly battled Brandon in the animé, but as a nod to the games, I retconned Max's Battle Pyramid challenge by introducing the actual rules. However, I had to modify the mechanics to make it more realistic to the reader...and this was the reason why I chopped off the Ash-Max battle scene in this episode. Sorry, guys! Hehehe...
After my final proofread of this chapter, I felt that there was still something off with how I wrote it. I just probably wasn't impressed with it, I guess. Even the title seems awkward. For me to confirm or disprove my thoughts on the story, please make sure to review after you read, okay? It'll give me some peace of mind. I really appreciate it if you would. No flames, though, or else I'll call my Froakie! Hehehe... ^^,
By the way, if you haven't noticed, the two events above happened simultaneously. How come, you say? Please check the previous chapter's Notes.
Sneak peek time! Well, it's no surprise. It's Ash and Max's battle...with the special appearances of Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum. Yeah, it doesn't sound exciting now, but you know me, I love pulling the rug under my readers when they least expect it! *evil laugh*
Again, a humongous THANK YOU to all of those who have already read, reviewed, followed, and faved! Stay tuned for Episode Four! XD
P.S. (as of 05/08/2013, 05:30 AM CST) I'm already two-thirds through Episode Four and, boy, there are lots of new characters introduced in this chapter...but no OCs though. I'm so sorry if it took long again like last time, but I assure you, guys, that the long wait is worth it. I don't want to disappoint you with Ash and Max's battle, so I'm working extra hard with the editing to make the scenes as thrilling as what's shown in the animé. If you happen to have any suggestions or requests for the next chapter, just leave a review or PM me, perhaps. Who knows? Your input might be shown when I finally publish Episode Four! I'm so excited!
P.S.S. (as of 05/14/2013, 10:00 PM CST) Sorry, guys, I know I've promised to post Episode Four on the 10th, and I feel sad that I've failed you again. (I guess I should stop making promises... -_-) I accidentally deleted the final and longest fragment of the chapter...which was the separately-created Ash-Max battle. I feel so stupid for doing it and now I have to start from scratch. Well, I'm almost done and I hope I was able to closely recreate (or improve) what I've originally written. Just watch out for it, guys. It'll be up before you even know it... *sigh* -Borj-