The Ketchum Month Stadium
Ketchum City
Everyone exploded into an uproarious cheer as Nate's Pignite and Gary's Blastoise sprinted through the billowing cloud of smoke, undeterred by the explosion that had just happened several seconds earlier. As the smoke began to clear, it can be seen that Nate and Gary were also calm and collected, as if the explosion didn't happen.
"Well, it looks like Nate and Gary didn't fall for our nifty explosion trick!" exclaimed the announcer as he hovered overhead on his platform. "I guess this goes on to show how prepared they are for any potential surprises on the battlefield! And here we are! Nate makes the first move!"
"Pignite, use Flamethrower!" Nate ordered.
Pignite fired the attack, and it successfully hit Blastoise. However, the fire merely exploded into a cloud of smoke, which cleared up to reveal that the Shellfish Pokémon had only suffered a small burn on its forearm. It roared tauntingly at Pignite, which was taken aback by the lack of damage it inflicted on its opponent.
"Oh, that is just plain-out terrible!" the announcer shouted. "Pignite's Flamethrower failed to do a thing on Gary's Blastoise! And, to make things even worse for Nate, he cannot recall Pignite, for the rules of the Ketchum Month Tournament forbid it. Nate can only pray to Arceus that the tide will shift in his favor."
"So, this is gonna be a decisive battle," Nate thought as he examined Gary and his Blastoise. "But knowing Gary and his past with my father, he's gonna go easy on me. No doubt he wants to observe my battling strategies and compare them with my father's, see if there are any similarities. Which I know there will be." His lips slowly curved into a small smile. "Well, if that's what Gary wants, then I'm gonna give it to him, and I'm gonna blow the Professor away."
"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!" commanded Gary.
Blastoise roared and fired a pair of powerful spheres of water from its cannons, which were hurled towards Pignite.
"Pignite, dodge, then use Take Down!" Nate shouted.
The Fire Pig Pokémon quickly dodged the Hydro Cannon attack before charging towards Blastoise, the golden aura enveloping its outline, becoming nothing more than a golden beam, streaking across the stadium. However, Gary smiled, having seen the attack coming.
"Blastoise, dodge, then use Water Gun," he ordered, almost effortlessly.
Blastoise dodged the attack before releasing a spiral of water from both of its cannons. Pignite couldn't dodge the Water Gun in time and was hit in the face; it tumbled away, a smelly smoke issuing out of its nostrils. Panting with exhaustion, it quickly wiped its face and grunted at Blastoise.
"Pignite, you okay?" asked Nate. Pignite nodded and snorted out embers in response before staring down the Shellfish Pokémon. "Okay! USE ARM THRUST!"
Pignite roared out as it charged forward towards Blastoise as fast as it could, its arm outstretched, the fist at the end curled into the glowing sphere of a fist.
"Dodge, Blastoise!" Gary ordered.
The Shellfish Pokémon managed to dodge Pignite. However, Nate was undaunted.
"Arm Thrust AGAIN, Pignite!"
Blastoise dodged Pignite once again. Nate gritted his teeth as Gary smirked.
"Nice move, Nate," he said, "but ineffective."
"ARM THRUST AGAIN, PIGNITE!"
Pignite attempted the attack again, and Blastoise dodged once again.
"ARM THRUST AGAIN!"
Another attempt, quickly followed by another dodge.
"ARM THRUST AGAIN, PIGNITE!"
Yet another attempt, with the same results.
"ARM THRUST AGAIN!"
"Is it just me, or is Nate repeating the same move over and over again?" the announcer asked curiously, himself intrigued by Nate's newest tactic.
Nate watched as Gary observed the pattern, no doubt trying to deduce any potential weak spots. The younger Trainer smiled triumphantly, knowing that his plan had succeeded. Remembering his conversation with Cheren and Hugh aboard the cruise ship, about the severe disadvantage of repeating a move again and again during a battle, he had realized that there was a great advantage as well: if he kept the opponent occupied with the same move, repeated over and over again, then he could take advantage of this distraction and turn the tide of the battle. It was a very risky strategy, but it seemed to be working for Nate so far.
"Are you sure you wanna keep doing this, Nate?" asked Gary, in an almost concerned tone.
"I AM NOT SURE, I AM CONFIDENT!" Nate replied in a loud roar. "ARM THRUST AGAIN, PIGNITE!"
"Intercept Pignite with a Hydro Pump, Blastoise," said Gary in a calm tone.
Nate suddenly smiled. "On second thought, Pignite," he said, before Blastoise could start its attack, "dodge the Hydro Pump, then use Take Down, Pignite."
"What the-?!" began Gary, just as Pignite charged forward, glowing a golden color. At this point, Blastoise fired a Hydro Pump attack. "DODGE, BLASTOISE!"
But it was too late, for Pignite was easily able to sidestep the Water-type attack before violently slamming its body into the abdomen of the Shellfish Pokémon. Flecks of spit flew out of Blastoise's mouth and into the air as it grunted loudly, falling and rolling over on the ground, just a few inches away from Gary.
"BLASTOISE!" shouted Gary.
"Blastoise is down! And it looks like he may be- Oh wait, what is this? Blastoise is getting back up!"
Nate watched as the Shellfish Pokémon stumble back up, roaring tauntingly at Pignite. Gary pointed at the Fire Pig Pokémon, smiling.
"USE HYDRO PUMP, BLASTOISE!"
Blastoise fired powerful streams of water out from the cannons in its shell. Pignite couldn't dodge it in time, and it received the full force of the Water-type attack. Nate gasped as the Fire Pig Pokémon tumbled across the stadium, its body lying still just a couple of feet away from him.
"PIGNITE!" Nate cried.
"Ooh, it looks like Pignite is down! And by a Water-type attack! It looks like the battle's not doing so well in Nate's favor. Another hit, and Pignite's out!"
Nate's eardrums were assaulted by the excited cheering of the crowd, not for him, but for Gary. But he didn't care. He looked at Pignite, who was struggling to get up despite the heavy blow it suffered. He couldn't believe the strategy failed, for he was sure that he was now in control of the battlefield. He'd never gotten himself into a Pokémon battle this intense. Gary's Blastoise was definitely powerful. He looked up to look at the Pokémon Professor, who was now staring back at him, a strange expression etched on his face. ...No, it wasn't strange at all. Nate knew that expression by heart.
It was an expression that he saw on Cheren's face many times before in the past. He'd always see it whenever the two engaged in practice battles back at his school. Cheren's Pokémon would always hit Nate's own with a super-effective attack, only enough to leave Nate's Pokémon barely conscious. It was then that Cheren would always give the expression. It was one that practically said, "Your Pokémon is close to falling unconscious. Do you wanna continue?"
And Nate knew exactly why Gary was using that same expression. This was not just a mere tournament battle. To Gary, it was also a test. They both knew Ash was a determined fighter who would fight to the bitter end. Gary wanted to find out if Nate inherited that from him. And, reflecting back on all of the battles he engaged in in the past, Nate knew that he did. Sure, there was a risk; one more hit, and Pignite would be out for the count.
But it was either that, or concede defeat. Nate couldn't bear with the latter tactic.
He commanded, "PIGNITE, USE FLAMETHROWER, ONCE AGAIN!"
"And Nate commands...Flamethrower? Didn't it fail last time?"
In the corner of Nate's eye, he saw a golden glimmer. Seconds later, Pignite fired a stream of red-hot fire at Blastoise. For some strange reason, it looked much larger than last time. In fact, it encompassed about half of the battlefield's area. The audience screamed in both shock and wonder as the Flamethrower attack engulfed the helpless Blastoise. A cry of pain and anguish was barely audible over Pignite's triumphant roar and the crackling sound of the Fire-type attack.
"OKAY!" Nate cried. "Pignite, use Take Down while Blastoise is distracted! Quickly!"
Pignite nodded and charged into the raging fire, its golden glow barely visible. A smashing sound was heard, but no one could see absolutely anything.
Once was the fire and the smoke cleared up, Blastoise's fallen frame, lying on the battleground, was the first thing to be seen.
At first, it was deadly silent in the stadium. Then, another cheer, louder this time, erupted from the stadium as the entire audience stood up, shocked and awestruck by the sudden defeat of Professor Gary Oak. The four TV screens on the sides of the stadiums immediately broadcast up-close images of Nate, who was in equal shock at what had just happened. However, he smiled and ran up to Pignite, hugging him tightly as it snorted in triumph.
"I don't believe it!" the announcer screamed. "I don't believe it! Nate and his Pignite have triumphed over Kanto's Professor Gary Oak and his Blastoise! I just cannot believe what I just saw! A Fire-type Pokémon defeating a Water-type Pokémon, let alone one belonging to the world's most renown Professor?! My Arceus, this probably has to be a battle to end all battles! This announcer is at a loss of words!"
"Pignite, great job, buddy!" exclaimed Nate as he hugged Pignite. "Great job! You did it, buddy! You did it somehow! But you did it!"
Pignite snorted out flames in response, comically burning Nate's face.
"I can see you're happy as well," Nate added, chuckling.
"Great job, Nate," a voice said. Nate looked up and saw Gary standing before him, his hand outstretched. A smile that seemed to signify satisfaction was etched on his face, and the recovered Blastoise, its body still boasting injuries was standing beside him. "That was a great battle. You fight just like your father. He would be proud."
Nate smiled slightly and shook Gary's hand.
"I think he would be," he replied softly.
He thought he saw the golden glimmer again, but he dismissed it as a glint from the overhead sun.
In the audience seats, Enigma watched the entire battle, an impressed smirk etched on his face. Sitting beside him was Slate, who was equally impressed.
"He fights like his father," Slate commented, more to himself than to his superior. "Recklessly, yet boldly and with determination. ...This is gonna complicate things-"
"Say all you want, Slate," replied Enigma. "We're still making our move, no matter what this battle says to us about who we're going up against."
"I'm not worried about the boy only. As we continue to prepare, the resistance effort is still building up. More and more of them are converging here." Slate narrowed his eyes into slits, his purple hair falling over his eyes and casting them into shadow. "Are you sure this is part of the plan, boss?"
"Everything is part of the plan. Don't fret, my dear Slate. All shall go just as planned."
Slate shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he glanced at Hilda, Dawn, Cheren, and the others.
"Very impressive," Lucario commented as he watched Nate experience his victory against Gary. "He fights like his father..."
"Pika..." agreed Pikachu, standing up and inching closer to watch as Nate laughed and hugged his Pignite.
The two Pokémon stood beside one of the four TV screens, mostly obscured by one of its support beams. They had just arrived a few minutes earlier, in time to watch as Nate made the first move. Lucario couldn't help but feel impressed upon seeing the Trainer's battling skills, for they were essentially a projection of his master's, and he was pretty confident that Pikachu felt the exact same way. And, speaking of Pikachu...
He glanced at the Mouse Pokémon and saw that he was now staring at several members of the audience...
"Wow, he WON!" Rosa exclaimed happily. "Nate won!"
"And against a Water-type!" Marina added. "Let alone one owned by one of the world's most renowned Pokémon researchers! Awesome!"
"I knew he'd be able to do it," Cheren said calmly, closing his eyes and smiling slightly. "After all-" He glanced fleetingly at Hilda. "-he's his father's son."
Hilda smiled back, nodded at Cheren, and glanced at Nate again as he waved towards the audience. Her smile widened.
"Good job, Nate," she said. Then, her voice was joined by another's as she added, "I'm very proud of you."
Kelly was smiling too.
As Nate walked back into the waiting room, staring proudly at the Poké Ball that contained the recovering Pignite, he suddenly felt a strange chill flood the hallway, and then, the lights started to flicker. He looked up and saw whitish-blue crystals of ice slithering across the walls, the ceiling, and the floor of the hallway, in the manner of snakes. He stepped back, just as he realized that ice was slithering over behind him as well.
"What?!" he exclaimed in surprise. "What-What's going on?! Please tell me this is a part of the tournament!"
"No, it's not," a familiar voice said.
Nate blinked for a split-second and saw Enigma standing at one end of the hallway, the scarlet flash in his eyes barely visible. Several Cryogonal were hovering behind him, including a Shiny one that appeared to be the leader of the group. Nate could see energy emanating from them and immediately deduced that they were behind the ice. He didn't need to look back to see if there were any Cryogonal behind him as well.
"You disappoint me, Nate," Enigma said, but his voice was calm and complacent. "I gave you a deal no one could refuse."
"Who said I refused your deal?" asked Nate.
"Your dear friend Yancy." When Nate gasped at the mentioning of the pink-haired girl, he smirked in satisfaction. "Don't worry, she will be fine. But let's get on with the more serious matters. She says that you know I will do whatever it takes to get my hands on Ho-Oh, even if it means torturing you, and that you, quote, know exactly what you have to do." His smirk widened. "Tell me, what is it that you know you exactly have to do?"
"Do what my father did," Nate replied. "Protect Ho-Oh, no matter what."
"Even if it means dying?"
Nate was silent, and his eyes softened. Enigma knew he hit a soft spot, and he bared his teeth as he grinned, looking almost hungry.
"Still afraid to die? ...Aren't we all? If I can recall, your father was afraid like the rest of us."
Nate regained his composure and retorted boldly, "You will fail, just like your father did. I know of the legend of Ho-Oh. How it was created to protect the entire world from Arceus's first mistake, Pure Impurity. How trying to take control of it will disturb the hold it has on Pure Impurity and allow it to take control of Ho-Oh. How its dark energy will overwhelm the entire Universe and destroy it, turn it into nothingness. It doesn't matter what you do, Felix. Nothing will matter. Whatever you try to do to control it and hold it back, Pure Impurity will be unleashed. You call your mission a purge against evil?" Nate smirked as he felt all feelings of the ice and its chill quickly disappear from his senses. "You're no different from any other evildoer. You're nothing more than a foolish human who thinks he can overcome. But you cannot."
Enigma blinked, his smirk disappearing in a flash. Then, he chuckled maliciously, as if Nate told a terrible joke that he could only get.
"I guess it has begun," he said.
Nate blinked. "Huh? Wh-What're you talking about?" he asked worriedly.
"I think you should look down."
Nate blinked again and looked down. What he saw next shocked him beyond belief. He was glowing a brilliant gold.
He screamed as the glow became brighter and brighter, threatening to engulf the entire hallway...
"Here we go," Enigma said as he and the Cryogonal were swallowed by the light.
The Forest of Hearts
Near Ketchum City
Ash's eyes jerked open as he sensed a disturbance. He stumbled out of the dome-shaped thicket and looked into the sky. He could see it clearly. It was a golden glow, which seemed to be coming from the direction that led to Ketchum City. He knew that glow anywhere.
"Pikachu, Lucario!" he cried. "Are you seeing this?"
There was no response. He glanced back at the community of Pokémon, which was also looking at the glow in awe, and saw that Pikachu and Lucario were absent.
"What the hell?!" He addressed to the community, "Where's Pikachu and Lucario?!"
A Chikorita pointed its leaf in the direction of Ketchum City.
He knew he shouldn't be in the midst of civilization again. He promised himself that. But...Ash found himself running towards Ketchum City...
The Ketchum Month Stadium
Hilda, Dawn, and the others were all headed their way to the waiting room when the golden light suddenly appeared, illuminating the hallway they were in.
"What?" Hilbert exclaimed. "What's that?!"
"Whatever it is, we gotta investigate it!" replied Dawn.
The moment he was immersed in the golden light, Nate thought he lost all sense of hearing. He couldn't hear anything; the Cryogonal, the low howl brought by the icy chill, Enigma speaking...nothing. However, he could still see, despite the fact that it was such a bright light that it would blind anyone close by.
He suddenly heard a tremendous screech, so loud that his eardrums were close to exploding. He instinctively covered his ears and looked around, but he saw nothing but golden light. Nate crouched down, looking like a scared child, as the screech continued to hammer away at his ears, passing through his palms and assaulting his eardrums with complete and unrelenting ferocity. Nate didn't know what was going on. Was this a hallucination? Or was it something more?
Just then, the golden light began to clear, and Nate suddenly found himself flying across a bank of clouds, just like in his recurring dream. Although he wasn't standing on a solid surface this time. He was actually flying, gliding effortlessly along the air, slowly but progressively descending. Nate completely passed the bank of clouds...
...And found himself staring at the skyline of Ketchum City.
Suddenly, the same tremendous, triumphant screech attacked Nate's eardrums, and he wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't. He was still flapping his wings... And then, he noticed that there were brilliant golden sparkles trailing from his wings, colored in the same shade of gold that he thought he had seen back at the Ketchum Month Stadium, the one that seemed to guarantee his victory against Gary... And that was when he made the shocking realization.
He was Ho-Oh...
He screeched again, and then there was another flash of golden light...
And before he knew it, he was back in the ice-coated hallway; the icicles had grown much larger, indicating that some time had passed. Enigma was snickering evilly.
"Just as I predicted," he said. "I have triggered your connection to Ho-Oh, and it is on its way." Enigma's smirk widened. "Thank you, Nate, for the contribution."
Then, Enigma looked up at the Cryogonal hovering behind Nate and nodded with approval. Nate heard the Cryogonal as they suddenly fired an Ice-type attack, which encased him in a seemingly-unbreakable sheet of ice. The only part of his body that was spared from imprisonment was his head. Growling angrily, he struggled, using all of the power he could muster, but he could only move his head. All Nate could do was grit his teeth as Enigma approached, his smirk still in place.
"Don't worry, Nate," he said. "It'll be a successful catch."
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Nate roared.
However, Enigma replied calmly as he walked away, "Trust me, it's for the good of the world."
Nate growled and screeched after him, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! GET BACK HERE, FELIX! FELIX!"
Pikachu's ears twitched as it explored the perimeter of the stadium with Lucario. It glanced off at a security door, a look of confusion and also concern on its face.
"What is wrong?" asked Lucario, sensing his partner's shift in behavior.
"Pikapi..."
In the stadium seats, the audience waited patiently as the intermission between battles progressed. From his reserved seat, which was on a balcony that overlooked the rest of the Ketchum Month Stadium, Mayor Harrington observed the civilians with giddy glee.
"Oh, look at all those youthful and energetic and satisfied faces, Stark," he said, grinning widely. "This is how you run a city. Keep the civilians satisfied with things that you know cannot be attainable! It's like a Meowth and a ball of yarn. Just pick it up, allow a small bit of the rope to dangle from it, and walk along, and the Meowth will follow along for sure. It's exactly the same thing with these civilians. Like a pack of Meowth, converging for a singular, large ball of yarn. That's my strategy, Stark. That is my way of keeping this city together and stable, like a well-constructed house of cards. And it's going so well..."
Stark sighed, finding himself having to listen to another arrogant and narcissistic rant that his superior had indulged into. However, the job required patience, and the boss entrusted him with that. He had no other choice but to continue to listen. And so, he did.
As he did, he saw a golden glimmer at the corner of his eyes. Stark glanced at the sky and saw a trail of golden sparkles. He never saw anything like it before.
That could mean...
The walkie-talkie that he secretly kept interrupted his thoughts, blaring out the voice he had been waiting for. "Streak, are you there? Over."
Watching the ranting Harrington all the while, Stark cautiously answered, "I'm here, Enigma. What is the status? Over."
Enigma's response was simple and terse. "It's time. Over."
Stark instantly understood. "Got it," he replied. "Phase One is almost underway." He then quickly added, "By the way, Enigma, are you seeing what's outside? Over."
"Yes, it's here. Much earlier than expected, but I also expect that the plan will still go smoothly. Is that clear? Over."
"Crystal clear. Over and out." Stark pressed another button on his walkie-talkie and said, "Teams Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, are you in position?"
"Team Alpha's in position," replied Cassidy as she spoke into her own walkie-talkie. Behind her was a team of Sky Soldiers that were finishing in setting up a strange device that resembled a futuristic spotlight at a side of the stadium, near one of the large TV screens. "We're ready to launch. Over and out."
"Team Beta's in position," replied Omicron, casting a fleeting glance over his shoulder as another team of Sky Soldiers finished setting up a second spotlight-like device at another side of the stadium, beside another TV screen. "We're all ready to go. Over and out."
"Team Gamma's in position," replied Curtis as he sat in a helicopter. He quickly observed a third team of Sky Soldiers setting up a cage and preparing to open the side-door. He then looked out of the pilot's window and saw the Ketchum Month Stadium nearing. "We should be arriving in another minute. Over and out."
Nate struggled against the grip the ice had on him, despite his realization that it would be useless. He glanced at the floor and saw Pignite's Poké Ball lying just a few inches away from his reach. He angrily slammed the back of his head on the ice, unable to bear the taunt of the Poké Ball.
"I can't..." he moaned. "I can't...fail... I just can't... Lives are at stake... Hugh, Rosa, Cheren...Mom..." Nate let out a long sigh and looked up at the ceiling, as if he were expecting someone to magically appear through it. "Dad? I know you're dead, but...I need your help now... Tell me, how do I do this?..."
Suddenly, at the corner of his eye, he saw something glint in the darkness at the end of the hallway, and the next thing he knew, Nate saw a blue Aura Sphere hurling violently towards him, glowing with energy. Split-seconds later, the icy prison shattered, spraying the entire hallway with numerous shattered pieces. He landed on the floor, accidentally slipping on some of the ice and falling flat on his face. Groaning, the Trainer looked up, a small trickle of blood appearing from his nostril, and gasped.
It was Lucario. And beside him was a Pikachu.
"YOU!" Nate instantly leaped to his feet, nearly slipping on the ice again. "You're the Lucario from earlier, aren't you?!"
"Yes, I am," Lucario replied, nodding. "And as we speak, Ho-Oh is approaching the stadium."
"And right into an ambush..." Nate added gravely.
The usual noise of tens of thousands of conversations happening all at once was nothing special to Enigma's ears. But then, he couldn't hold back the satisfied grin as he heard the noise quickly turn silent for a moment, as if someone had turned on the mute function of a radio. Then, a few seconds later, the noise came back, united in a roar of surprise, confusion, and most of all, awe. At that exact moment, everyone had their attention on something no one believed would ever be seen.
It was Ho-Oh, who let out a triumphant, mighty screech as it neared the stadium. Enigma chuckled, a noise of satisfaction that only he could hear.
"It's good to see you again, Ho-Oh," he said, his eyes narrowing with determination. "Very soon, the good ol' days will be upon us again, and this time, the plans of my father will succeed. A new era of peace, harmony, and prosperity will reign supreme, and all evil shall be purged. Nothing can stop the forces of good!"
And with that, he devolved into a cackle of triumph, which was drowned out by another screech from Ho-Oh.
A/N: ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! The next chapter shall be where the real action begins! Will Ash get involved? And what exactly does Nate know from the Time Flower?
STAY TUNED!
I'd like to thank all of those who reviewed:
ThirteenMoney
Amalgam24: Actually, you'll see there's another reason why Ash isn't acting. And we'll find out what Nate saw in the Time Flower eventually.
woodland59 (soon-to-be-a-non-guest-reviewer!): XD
Galaxina-the-Seedrian
random girlz
PsychicEevee0103: Well, Gary obviously used his Blastoise, but we'll see more Pokémon in the next chapter! :D
BlueLightningXD: :P I think the anime's very awesome! I'm practically finished with the basic plot of my next Pokémon fic as a result! I'll be sure to post it once I see a few episodes of the anime, to get a sense of what the new characters are like.
Guest reviewer: Thanks for the review! I'm glad it's set in the same tone as the B2W2 trailer. And...Harry Potter-ish? Well, I DO see the resemblance... And yes, I am very disappointed that Nintendo won't attempt a special that's like the trailer! But it looks like "Pokémon: Origins" might qualify for that; I can't wait for it to come out!
TheNightIsYoung97: There's actually a pretty good reason I picked her over every other girl... ;)
IronPikachu
Alpha B. A. 7: You're welcome. :D
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!