A/N: Jeez, all of this hype about the XY anime has kept me occupied for the past week. But now, I'm back in business! ENJOY!
P.S.: Production on the "Soul Eater" story I announced in the last chapter has been put on hold for a bit due to scheduling problems and also because I have already started production on the "Pokémon" story set in the XY anime. Too much hype means too much influence...
The Rocket Blimp
Near Ketchum City
Nate sat in the living room offered by the Rocket Blimp, staring down silently at his palms. Though he hadn't shaken hands with Felix last night, to seal the pact that he detailed to him, the Trainer could still feel the ghost of a foreign palm grazing along his own, as if he did shake hands with the syndicate leader. The morning sun was still making its rise over the Johto mountains, bathing the landscape with its warm, golden light. The light crept through the window and illuminated the living room; at the corner of his eye, Nate could see something glinting. He glanced at May's bag and saw that a Time Flower was sticking out.
He then looked at the hallway that led to the bedrooms, as if he were expecting someone to appear in the room at any moment. Nate then reached inside the bag and pulled out the Time Flower. On it was a post-it that read '21: VERY IMPORTANT!'. Intrigued, Nate reached his hand, wondering if it would actually respond to his Aura.
It did.
Several hours later
Ketchum Month Stadium
At Ketchum City
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!"
The olive-green-haired announcer's greeting drew an explosion of uproarious cheering and applause from the vast audience that had practically filled up the Ketchum Month Stadium up to the brim; some people even had to sit on the staircases after finding that there were no available seats for them. Vendors struggled to keep up with the demands of their customers, and many of the audience was wearing a variety of clothing that was themed after some of their favorite contestants.
"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about, everyone!" the announcer exclaimed into his microphone as he hovered in the air using a high-tech, rocket-powered platform. "Alright, as you all know, today marks the start of Ketchum Month, the month-long celebration dedicated to our very hero of the skies, ASH KETCHUM!"
Upon the exact moment the announcer shouted out the name, multiple fireworks were shot into the air, as if on a cue, and exploded with a deafening BOOM!, creating an image of majestic golden wings, with brilliant, sparkling colors of crimson, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet trailing from them, and an 'A' placed directly in the middle of the wings. The audience exploded into cheer for a second time as the announcer held out his arms, relishing in the excited uproar he stirred up.
"Okay, everyone! Now that that's done, I shall give you our beloved mayor, Zander Harrington, who has an important announcement to not only the citizen body of Ketchum City, but the overall population of the world! Mayor Harrington, everyone!"
The audience applauded and cheered as the four large screens, each one situated at each side of the stadium, displayed the image of Mayor Harrington, who flashed a ridiculously toothy grin. Beside him was his cyan-haired assistant, who looked especially uncomfortable in this current state of presence.
"Good morning, Ketchum City!" the mayor announced, offering special emphasis to the first word, which made his assistant cringe in disgust and disapproval. As the audience once again erupted into cheer, he continued, "It is, at this hour, one of the most golden hours the world has ever experienced in its long history. It is the start of this year's Ketchum Month, which would happen to mark the decade that has passed since Ash Ketchum selflessly set aside his life to ensure the continued survival of our very lives. So, let us honor his memory, and spend the first minute of Ketchum Month in commemorative silence."
Not only did the audience in the Ketchum Month Stadium fall silent, but the citizens of Ketchum City followed suit as well. No noise was made at all in the city, and it felt as if the city had temporarily become a wasteland, completely devoid of any signs of life.
Finally, a minute passed, and Mayor Harrington exclaimed, "LET'S START THIS TOURNAMENT, EVERYONE!"
The audience burst into cheer once again as the same fireworks from before exploded in the sky for a second time.
The Forest of Hearts
Near Ketchum City
Ash sat inside the protective thicket, sitting in a meditative position, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and calm. Lucario cautiously entered the thicket, followed by an elderly Pikachu. The former Trainer, sensing their presence, let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. He could now hear the fireworks that he had blocked out.
"What is it, Pikachu, Lucario?" he asked, turning around to face them.
"The city is celebrating your death again," Lucario replied.
"Is that supposed to be important in any way, Lucario?" asked Ash, his voice holding a simplistic tone.
"Maybe you should enlighten them with the truth, Master."
"Pika," agreed Pikachu.
Ash's lips tightened. "No," he replied. "No. These people don't deserve to know that I am alive. They are better off knowing that they worship a god who has set aside everything else, even his own life, to save the lives of others. If they know that I'm alive, it will cause a bigger ruckus than ever. They will go on about how I've rescued the whole Universe, without registering all of the bloodshed that had to occur in order for it to happen. ...They do not know. They do NOT know...the nightmares that I have seen. The revelations I have heard, the deaths I have seen, the otherworldly experience of death that I have experienced... They don't know anything about it..."
"Pikapi, pika-chu pi-pika-ka chu-kachu pi-chu pika-pika ka-pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"No, Pikachu. I do not care if I will see my friends again. If I see them, then I see the scars that I have inflicted on them...and myself..."
"But Master-" Lucario began.
Ash abruptly stood up and stamped his foot in defiance. "DO NOT CALL ME MASTER, LUCARIO! IT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE YOU'RE A SLAVE OR SOMETHING, WHICH YOU'RE NOT!" When he noticed Lucario's shocked expression, Ash softened his voice. "I'm not reintegrating myself into society. It's always been nothing more than a backdrop to the the tragic story that is my life. Well, I won't let that damn Arceus have his last laugh. I will continue to keep this Plate, and I will continue to hide here, until I die. That is a promise I will make." He let out another long sigh. "Now, leave me in peace, you two."
Sensing that there was no point in continuing the argument, Lucario and Pikachu left the thicket.
"What should we do now?" Lucario asked, beseeching Pikachu.
Pikachu merely looked up at the sky and watched as the fireworks of the Ketchum Month Tournament celebration exploded. Then, it snapped its fingers.
Outside the Ketchum Month Stadium
Dawn, May, Iris, Lyra, and Marina were standing near the ticket booth, waiting for Tory, Hilbert, Khoury, Jimmy, Jessie, James, and Meowth to purchase all their tickets. They were currently glancing up at a poster of Marina, which depicted her using a melodramatic position as she stood under a burst of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The entire poster obviously was enhanced with an overload with CGI effects, something that the young women were laughing about.
"Seriously, how's it like, living the life of a model?" asked Dawn. "If they're not all that confident in the fact that your true beauty will sell it off, what's the point?"
"Well, recently, my life hasn't been as good as all of the TV stations suggest," Marina replied, shaking her head as she stared up at herself. "My clients are demanding, obsessive over the last details, and worst of all, only in it for the big bucks. They never give me a chance to promote real beauty. I wonder if I should've given a second thought about my dream of being a model." She shrugged dismissively. "But the pay's really good, and Jimmy's there to support me all the way. I'm glad about that."
"That's not good," said Lyra. "You should quit if your clients aren't letting you show your true beauty."
"Agreed," a voice said. The women all turned their heads and saw Misty, Gary, Max, Molly, Brock, and Holly standing a few inches away from them, all smiling.
"MAX!" May exclaimed happily as she embraced her younger brother.
Meanwhile, Dawn embraced Brock. "Brock, it's great to see you here!" she cried. "How are you, Holly, and Arid?"
"We're doing fine, Dawn, no need to worry!" Brock replied. "How about you? I hear there's some...problems..."
"Yeah." Dawn looked away, towards a doorway leading into the stadium's waiting room. "Nate's adjusting to the information, but I think that inside, he will never take the revelation well." She sighed and shook her head, the image of a stricken Nate flashing across her mind...followed by an image of herself, shocked by the revelation of her father's true identity. "Honestly...I can't say that I blame him. I guess that's what happens when you're separated from your parent or parents for too long."
"How's Hilda handling all of this?" asked Gary.
"She's stayed quiet about the fact that she's his actual mom and not Kelly. I don't blame her either."
The Ketchum Month Stadium waiting room
Nate watched on the TV screen the waiting room as the fireworks exploded in the sky and created the winged insignia. He then let out a long sigh. After watching the recording depicted on May's twenty-first Time Flower, the Trainer was now ready to face the inevitable, which was set to come sooner or later. He knew he should be nervous. But right now...all fear and cowardice had dissipated from his system completely. After what he had seen, Nate understood everything that has happened.
He knew what to do now.
"Nate, are you ready?" a voice asked. Nate turned around to see Cheren and Hilda standing there.
"I've never been more ready in my entire life," Nate replied honestly.
"Good luck in the tournament, Nate," said Hilda, smiling brightly at him.
Nate smiled back warmly, using all of the love in the world. "I will, Hilda. Thanks."
"And now we're ready to begin!" The announcers voice attracted Nate's attention; the TV screen was focused on the stage, which was extremely wide and boasted large flamethrower-like devices at every side. "Round 1 has begun, and our first contestants are...Hugh versus Caleb!"
"Hugh, good luck!" Nate exclaimed, looking at his friend, who was also in the waiting room.
"Thanks, Nate," replied Hugh as he dashed out of the room. Cheren watched Hugh leave before glancing back at Nate.
"Alright, Nate, we'll just be going back to the audience seats," he said. "Good luck."
Cheren left the room, and Nate noticed a strange expression flash across Hilda's eyes before she followed him out of the room. The Trainer smiled slightly and resumed paying attention to the TV screen, which was now showing Hugh and his opponent, a brown-haired young man named Caleb, enter the stage.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have our first contestants!" the announcer shouted. "Here on the red side, we have Caleb Ross, a Trainer from Celadon City in Kanto!" A cheer instantly erupted from several members of the vast audience, obviously visitors from Kanto. "And standing at the red side is Hugh Azure, a Trainer from Aspertia City in Unova!"
Other members of the audience, visitors from Unova, responded with their own roars of delight. Unfortunately, all of the Kanto visitors booed and threw as much items as they could at Hugh's supporters; those sitting closest to them immediately engaged in fistfights with them. Fortunately, all of the chaos that would potentially ensue was broken up as immediately the moment the announcer exclaimed, "Okay, now it's the time everyone's been waiting for! Let the countdown begin!"
The four large screens of the stadium immediately began showing a countdown, which the entire audience formed a big chorus alongside the announcer.
"FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE!"
"Let the battle begin!" the announcer roared, and the audience cheered as Hugh and Caleb began their battle.
Nate watched as Hugh summoned his Dewott, while Caleb summoned an Excadrill. Just then, he felt someone sit down next to him.
"Hello, Nate," a familiar voice said.
Nate didn't need to look to see who it was. "So, your boss sent you and your brother here to gather my response to his deal, isn't that right, Nancy?"
"No. I'm actually here on my own accord. To warn you."
The Trainer glanced at the pink-haired girl at last. She was staring back at him; her blue eyes were glittering with tears. Nate's eyes softened at the expression.
"I...I never betrayed my father and my brother, but...I know I could count on you to make things right. ...The New Sky Soldiers plan to attack the tournament today, at exactly 8:15. Fifteen minutes from now. But before that, my father will come to you and ask for your response to the deal he gave you-"
"Your dad is the leader of the New Sky Soldiers?!" exclaimed Nate, interrupting Yancy.
However, she merely nodded shamefully and continued. "He expects you to say 'yes'. If you don't, he'll...he'll..."
"Torture me in the worst way possible until Ho-Oh arrives to protect me, the most pure-hearted soul?" completed Nate in a matter-of-fact tone. Yancy looked up at him in surprise, to which he smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I know. And do not worry about me. I've got it all handled out."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. In fact, I know exactly what I have to do now." Nate then raised an eyebrow in curiosity upon recognizing the gentle, relieved expression on the pink-haired girl's face. "But...how come you're so concerned about me, Yancy? I am sure I didn't do anything for you to ensure that you repay me in return."
"It's just..." Yancy hesitated for a moment. "...You do know. You just don't remember it."
She then quickly kissed Nate on the lips.
"But you're gonna have to find out what I mean later. I have to go. Good luck."
Yancy stood up and ran out of the waiting room, leaving behind a shocked Nate.
Outside the Ketchum Month Stadium
Yancy stopped running beside a group of trees standing a few yards away from the stadium, located in a secluded area, as she began catching her breath. With a tired sigh, she collapsed on an outdated bench, the gears of her mind quickly formulating her next plan. She planned to go back to the New Sky Soldiers and begin covertly undermine their affairs in order to give Nate some more time with whatever it is he had planned.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Genesect Army, ATTACK!"
"Tepig, use EMBER!"
Yancy shook her head and stood up from the bench. She glanced up at the cloudless sky and the shining sun, and smiled slightly.
It was only a few months ago since she first met Nate. No, not at the Rocket Fashion and Mecha Headquarters, but at the Virbank Complex. She, Curtis, and a team of several New Sky Soldiers, led by the Sky Seven, were, at that time, on a mission to obtain a collection of X Attack, X Defend, X Special, X Sp. Def., X Speed, X Accuracy, Dire Hit, and Guard Spec. items that were rumored by the townspeople of Virbank City to have been stashed there. They were suddenly ambushed by a group of five Genesect apparently residing in the area, calling themselves the 'Genesect Army', who viciously attacked them and would have nearly killed them all if it weren't for the intervention of a trio of ragtag Trainers, one of whom happened to be none other than Nate.
During that incident, Yancy witnessed Nate display a great amount of bravery and selflessness, battling the Genesect Army persistently, and even willingly take a blow from the Genesect Army's leader that was meant for her, nearly costing him his own life. He was, however, saved by two Mewtwo, one male, the other female, and his memory of the incident was wiped clean, while the Genesect Army was placated. And ever since she made her close escape with the other New Sky Soldiers, she knew that what she had seen before her very eyes meant something. Not only for her father, but...to her, for some reason... And she understood why...
Yancy punched one of the trees in frustration. "Stupid, STUPID!" she snarled. "I shouldn't have told Father about Nate! It's all my fault now... I shouldn't have..."
"Yes, you shouldn't have."
Yancy looked up and saw Felix standing beside one of the other trees. Then, at the corners of her eyes, she noticed the Sky Seven approaching, their cloaks gliding in the air. The eight superiors were encircled around her in a halo, barring off any probable means of escape. A cheer erupted from the audience inside the stadium.
"So, you go out here," Felix said calmly, as if this were a mere friendly conversation, "and rat out my master scheme to Nate."
"H-How'd you know?" asked Yancy, struggling to keep herself composed.
"I knew that something was off with you the moment you asked if we should reconsider our scheme. You mentioning the Pure Impurity. The hint of doubt laced in your voice. So, I sent Curtis to follow you. Later, he sends us the coordinates to where you currently were, which was inside that stadium. Once we got there, Curtis comes over to me saying that you were having a little chat with our dear old friend Nate." He smirked.
Yancy flicked her head at Curtis, who just appeared by Felix's side, looking pitiful over betraying his sister, but maintaining an unwavering aura of loyalty.
"He also says that you gave Nate a little going-away present." Felix's smirk widened even more. "How cute. I'm betting this is because of the Virbank Complex incident. A shame he'll never remember that. Those Mewtwo really did a number on his mind." He looked up at the stadium, as a second round of cheer erupted into the air from the stadium. "I took you in, Yancy. I took you in when you and Curtis were all alone in this dark, damp world, with no other comfort. And this is how you repay me?"
"If only you'd understand," Yancy replied defiantly, "but I can see that you're going down the same path as your father! You'd NEVER understand until it's too late."
Felix snickered and looked back at Yancy, a malicious glint flashing in his eyes. "Oh, I understand all right," he said in a menacing hiss. "I understand it all."
He held up his hand and abruptly snapped his fingers. Two of the Sky Seven, the ones wearing the green and violet cloaks, seized Yancy, while a third, who wore the indigo cloak, thrust a cloth onto her nose. Yancy felt the all-too-familiar smell of chloroform (for she was assigned to experiment with several products) fill her nostrils, and then, her world slowly started to fade away, being consumed by the pitch-black darkness...
And as she did, she heard Felix say:
"But I will overcome..."
Ketchum City
On the rooftops of the city, Lucario hopped from one roof to the next, landing without missing a beat. Down below on the walkways, Pikachu was dashing past many pedestrians, all of whom looked puzzled as to what would make a Pikachu and a Lucario make such a run parallel to each other.
But only Pikachu and Lucario knew what was wrong. The son of their dear friend was in danger.
And they had to protect him somehow.
A couple of hours later
The Ketchum Month Stadium
Nate briskly stepped onto the battle stage, facing down his opponent, who happened to be none other than Professor Gary Oak, the world's most renowned scientist in the field of Pokémon research, and one of the people that was in contact with Dawn's group...
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," he announced, pointing at Nate and the other Trainer, "here we have Nate Brown of Unova's Aspertia City standing on the red side of the stadium, and Professor Gary Oak of Kanto's Pallet Town standing on the blue side of the stadium! Now Trainers, get ready!"
Nate narrowed his eyes and stared at Gary, who stared back just as seriously. The younger Trainer wondered why the Professor was participating in this tournament. Maybe to see how good he was at battling, or if his battling skill matched that of his father's?... The heat of the sun was already boring down on them like a drill...
"Alright, let's do the countdown, everyone!"
"FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE!"
"Let the battle begin!" the announcer shouted.
The battlefield suddenly exploded.
A/N: And another cliffhanger, everyone! So, what do you think is gonna happen next? Will the New Sky Soldiers successfully unfold their scheme? Or will a lil' monkey-wrench be thrown into Felix's plot? What did Nate see in the Time Flower? And why in the world is Ash not getting off his ass and saving the day already?! Stay tuned!
Well, I'd like to thank those who reviewed:
woodland59 (guest reviewer): Ah, sounds great! Be sure to alert me once you get an account! I shall follow whatever stories you've got! :D :D :D
Pokemon Trainer White: Well, Ash also runs a community of Pokémon, but I'll go into details in later chapters. But yes, officially, he has Pikachu and Lucario as his own team of Pokémon, while the rest are undeniably still sitting at Gary's lab. But maybe I think I can fit them in somewhere later...
MadMan (guest reviewer): Here's the more you wanted! Hope you enjoyed it! :D
random girlz: Oh. I really don't like aggressiveness in my reviews, it makes things a bit deterring. Get it under control or I will have to do something about that.
Alpha B. A. 7: Meh, it's okay. Take your time, you obviously have a life to attend to! Thanks for the review! :D
GODDAMN IT, I WANT OCTOBER TO COME RIGHT NOW!
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!