Chapter 4: Next generation.
I woke up tired, hungry, and alone. I wanted to sleep more, but I had to reach Blackthorn by noon, so I packed up anyway. I packed up the tent, got dressed, and started to walk towards the mountains that I had crossed so frequently. I knew them better than Clair did.
I stretched my stiff muscles, sore from the exertion I had done the day before. Sebastian was still hurt from his fight, stored safely in his Pokéball, but Alex and Daniel walked beside me as always. Ronin, tired from all the flying he did the day before, was also resting in his Pokéball.
After five minutes of walking, I reached a lonely Pokémon Centre, which was built to service passers-by like me. I decided to drop Sebastian off there, pick him up on my way back. He needed to rest.
Opening the front door, I stepped into the cool, air-conditioned main room of the Pokémon Centre, smiling at the pink haired nurse behind the counter. I handed Sebastian's ball to her, and she smiled, understanding what I wanted her to do with it. She knew me pretty well.
Stepping outside, I squinted against the bright morning sun. Soon, I would be in the cool shade of the mountains, and not long after that, I would be underground. I nodded to Alex, who was lounging around by the door, and he sighed, not wanting to walk but knowing he had to. He stood, shrugging his shoulders and yawning. He was just as tired as I was.
I walked down the lonely mountain path, wishing that I still had Kenya. That bird could have flown me here, and I wouldn't have to deal with a cranky Alex all day. But she had submitted to her instincts, and was now flying free with a large flock of Fearow somewhere in Kanto. I sighed, missing my prized Pokéathlon champ, but I knew she was in a better place now.
I was nearing the Ice Path, when I heard someone call out. "Hey you, I challenge you to a battle!" I sighed, tired of fighting amateurs. I turned, looking as un-interested as possible. It wasn't very hard. He threw out a Great ball, likely containing his best Pokémon, and I nodded to Alex. He could handle this one.
The great ball burst open, revealing a Shuppet who was clearly no match for Alex. I had never been in a serious battle before. I nodded to Alex, giving him free rain to do whatever he wanted. He turned back to the battle, grinning like a maniac. Just a moment later, the Shuppet was writhing on the ground in pain. Alex knocked it out with a swift slap in the face.
The trainer ran off, upset at his loss, and I smirked lightly. Serves him right. I walked foreword into the tunnel of ice that I was frequenting all too much lately. The darkness closed in around me quickly, making it hard to see. But I knew exactly where I was going, years of experience would do that.
Fifteen minutes later, we cleared the end of the tunnel, walking into the broad daylight. Blackthorn was just a short jog away. I hit the Pokémart first, grabbing some Full Restores from the shelves, and dropping twenty thousand yen on the counter on my way out. I shoved the spray bottles into my bag, and ran towards the gym, hoping that I wouldn't be late. I managed to make it just in time, stepping into the blazing hot room that Clair loved a little too much. Alex and Daniel had an aversion to heat, so I let them wait outside. They nodded; I wouldn't need them to beat Clair.
Moments later, I was through the gym's elaborate puzzle system, standing next to a fuming Clair. "How do you get through so fast?" she asked. "Even I can't remember it that well!" I sighed, she just didn't get it. "Listen," I said. "You call me here every week hoping to beat me. It's not hard to figure out the trap system when you've run it a thousand times." She growled, not happy with my response. She was going to say something, but I held up a finger, and Ronin's ball.
She seemed to understand, as she let out her team, a Dragonair and a Gyarados and a Charizard, all decently powerful, but nothing compared to Ronin. I tossed the expertly crafted; never miss Master Ball, with slight satisfaction at seeing her horror. She had forgotten that my team most powerful, if volatile fighter was housed in this ball. She always forgot.
Unleashed in a ball of red energy and smoke, Ronin, a Lugia, emerged. He roared angrily, intent on getting back to his rest as quickly as possible. He looked over at me angrily, but I just smiled and pointed at Clair's Pokémon. He seemed to understand, and he turned back to them, more than ready to wipe the floor with them.
The three, used to losing against Ronin, looked to Clair for guidance. She shrugged. "Go to town." She said. The three, very scared, Pokémon looked back towards their opponent, preparing to attack him all at once. Dragonair launched a Hyper Beam, Gyarados used Giga Impact, and the Charizard used Blast Burn. The three combined attacks would have taken down any lesser Pokémon, but Ronin simply shrugged them off, countering with a Hydro Pump attack on the Charizard.
It slammed into the wall, unconscious, while the remaining two launched another salvo of attacks, two doses of Dragon Pulse. The combined attack force caused Ronin to stagger, but he remained on his feet. Rolling his eyes, blasted the two with Aeroblast, knocking them both out. Ronin roared triumphantly, his gaze settling on me. I understood his meaning, and returned him to his Master Ball. Clair did the same to her Pokémon.
"Well," Clair said. "I guess you win again, Ethan. I guess Red was serious when he said you were good. But I will beat you someday!" I sighed, she said that EVERY TIME! And she had yet to beat me once. Not surprising, considering that I was considered the best Pokémon trainer in the world. I had beaten every Pokémon league in the known world, Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, even Sinnoh. I had beaten Red long ago, with extreme difficulty, to secure my place as the best in the world.
Few could hold there own against me, only Red, Blue, Lance, and Steven Stone of Hoenn could withstand more than a round of pummelling from Ronin. Red was the only person who had managed to defeat Ronin, wearing him down with his six Pokémon, until a weary Pikachu had hit him with an over-powered Thunder attack. Blue, widely regarded as the third best trainer in the world, had beaten all the leagues, like me and Red, but he could never defeat me or Red, regardless of whether I used Ronin or not.
Clair, who had become obsessed with the idea of beating me, challenged me every week that I was in Johto. She wanted very badly to overcome Lance in the grand scheme of things, but I kept beating her back. Red and Blue, along with Lance himself, did the same. She had managed to beat the Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon leagues, and she had been offered a spot on the Johto Elite four, but she had declined. She said she wanted to stay in Blackthorn, to take care of "Her gym" and the Dragon's Den, but I knew she didn't want to serve under Lance. She would only accept it if she became Champion of Johto.
I stepped back into the sunshine and relative cold of Blackthorn, leaving the gym behind yet again. I stretched my arms, still tired from lack of sleep, and motioned for Alex and Daniel to follow me. The lithe Toxicroak and hulking Feraligator had been lying down in the shade of a small tree. I wanted to check on that Umbreon again. He had a knack for getting himself into trouble.
I was walking briskly back to the Ice Path, when a familiar voice called to me from behind. "Hey, Ethan!" Blue called. "I got a present for you!" I turned toward my friend, watching him run towards me with an Ultra Ball in his hand. He tossed it to me, throwing it a good forty feet. He must have played softball as a kid. I caught the flying ball, and looked at the markings on the surface. They were old, faded words that had long since become illegible. I looked towards him, puzzled as to why he would give me his Ball. He nodded. "Open it," he said. I tossed it lightly to the ground, activating the trigger mechanism. Red energy spewed out, unleashing a Staraptor with brown and white feathers.
It looked around, confused as to where it was, before its gaze settled on me. "Do you like it?" Blue asked. "I caught him a while ago in Sinnoh, and I heard you lost Kenya, so, here you go. This guy is for you." I thanked Blue, returning the Staraptor, Talon, to his Ultra Ball. "And he already knows fly, so you can get wherever you need to go." I thanked Blue again, before setting out towards the Ice Path. Blue went towards the gym, probably going to see Clair.
…...
An hour later, I was resting in Ecruteak city, with Sebastian's Pokéball at my side. Sebastian himself was busy searching for the Umbreon, well north of where I was now. I could only hope he found him soon. Knowing him, he was either maimed, dying, or dead already. I either had to capture him to keep him safe, or forget about him completely. Neither was an option at the moment, I can't forget him, and I had filled up Bill's PC with Pokémon already. So, I continue to keep an eye on him until he learns not to stick his nose where it shouldn't be.
Sebastian came back a half hour later, motioning for me to hurry. I tossed Talon out of his ball, and told him to follow Sebastian. He took flight hurriedly, and powerfully, much better than Kenya could have. We flew out, very far from anywhere I had been before, deep into the mainland. It was largely unexplored, with no human towns anywhere near where we were now. I heard rumours about a group of ruins way far up north, deep in the polar regions of the Earth.
Sebastian started to fly lower and lower over time, leading me to think that we were close. I was partially right, as Sebastian signalled for me to land. I returned Talon to his ball, and followed Sebastian on foot. He was fast for a Dragonite, outdistancing me somewhat quickly. He stopped at the entrance to some dark looking woods.
He nodded towards it, before walking in and being swallowed by the shadows. I took a deep breath, before following him in. Claustrophobia set in almost immediately, causing me to sweat and hyperventilate. I forced myself to continue farther in, before I lost sight of Sebastian. If that happened, I would get lost. And getting lost in the woods was not on my to-do list for today.
I caught up to Sebastian, who had stopped to get his bearings. I looked around, and to my surprise, found someone staring back. Red eyes were staring at me from the bushes, glowing from the light of golden rings on the Umbreon's fur. It was the one I was searching for, Scarred face and all. His eyes seemed, distraught, unlike the last time I had seen him. He stared distrustfully at me, unlike before. And he had a new collection of scars, all over his body. I didn't know how I knew that, his fur still covered his body, but I knew.
He started to back into the brush, and I noticed a small green tail sticking out of a bush. He saw where I was looking, and growled deeply. I took a step back, even with Sebastian there to protect me I didn't want to fight this Umbreon. I wanted him to be protected, not hurt. He started to walk out of the bushes, still watching me, never once looking towards Sebastian. I saw a finned, blue tail join the green one. The Vaporeon had arrived.
I was watching the Umbreon when I heard a massive crash off to my left. I whirled, Sebastian going into a defensive stance, as a red being came closer and closer. I thought of letting out Ronin, but the cramped trees would give him no room to manoeuvre, he would just get hurt. A Scizor, badly bruised, stumbled into us, with a broken arm held awkwardly at its side. The Umbreon visibly stiffened at the sight, I couldn't think of any reason why at the time.
I looked towards Sebastian, saw that he was just as stiff, if not more so. The two obviously knew the Scizor. But he stumbled on without attacking, so I figured he was scared of something behind him, following him. I turned to see a massive, hulking figure emerge from the bushes, its thick brown fur getting caught on several bushes and branches. A cloud seemed to flow along its back, and I recognized the Pokémon as Entei. It stared at me with dark eyes, before walking past me. It seemed to talk to Sebastian, and it turned towards me with narrow eyes. It roared massively, causing intense pain in my ears. I cried out, but the sound was lost in the sound that assailed my body. Yet in the roar, clear as day, I could hear a voice. My gift to you, It said. After that, I blacked out.
….
When I woke up again, my ears still hurt. I stood, noting that I had fallen against a tree when I passed out. Sebastian was watching me from a tree he had climbed. He smiled peevishly at me, before jumping down. He landed with a dull thud on the ground. He opened his mouth as if to yawn, yet I heard words come out. "About time you woke up!" he said.
My eyes shot open, I jumped back from the shock. I could understand him! I looked at myself, just to make sure I was still human. I was, for the most part, still human, except for a small, blue ring on my palm. It glowed slightly in the darkness, a natural flashlight. I blinked in surprise; this mark seemed to be like the rings on an Umbreon. I looked around, spotted the Umbreon still lounging in the grass. He looked at me, smirking at me. "The least you could do is call me Tal," he said. I walked backward oh so slightly, and he seemed to notice. "What's wrong?" he said. "I don't scare you, do I?" I clenched my hand into a fist, and turned towards Sebastian.
But he was gone. I looked around quickly, claustrophobia setting in once again. "Sebastian!" I called. Tal padded up beside me, silently, to sit at my side. "He decided to leave, he has things to do." I looked down at Tal, somewhat angrily, and he looked back. He wasn't afraid of me, he wasn't afraid of even Sebastian, who towered over him. He smirked, walking away from me with slight aggravation. Not wanting to be alone in the forest, I followed him.
He led me to a small clearing, wear his two partners were waiting. The Espeon gazed at me with curiosity, while the Vaporeon eyed me with blatant hostility. I watched her wearily. Tal wouldn't have any of that, however. "Enough, Null. He's not a threat." The one named Null looked unconvinced, but she looked away from me. The Espeon continued to stare at me, or more accurately, at my hand. I clenched it into a tight fist, and looked away.
Tal walked over to the Espeon, conversed with her for a moment. He said something that made her gasp in shock. I was reasonably sure that he was telling her about my new ability, it was obvious. She looked me over quickly, again lingering on my glowing blue hand. I resolved to buy gloves as soon as possible. I had lost my first pair years ago. I shrugged under her gaze, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
I heard a rustle in the bushes; saw a human walk towards us. I couldn't see his face, but I had the impression of red hair. Silver walked into the clearing, smirking at me, at everything around him. He had changed his attitude towards his Pokémon, but he still treated me with disdain. He was angry that he could never beat me. He had recently upped his game, however, and he was more than capable of holding his own against Blue. He had beaten Lance and his Elite 4 two weeks after I did. He was thinking of journeying to Hoenn to take on their Pokémon league, but he didn't have the money for a plane ticket, so he settled on constantly challenging Red and Blue.
He looked me up and down, noticing my hand but not commenting on it. "So," he said. "What are you doing out here? I thought you had the weekly bore fest with Clair today." I clenched my hands, biting back a response. Fighting verbally with Silver was never a good idea; he had a way with words. "So," I said. "You want a rematch? I have a surprise for you this time…" His eyes brightened at the prospect of a rematch with me, we hadn't faced off since that day, so long ago, at the gates of the Indigo Plateau, and he wanted to see just how much better I had become. Yet at the same time, he was worried about my "surprise".
In the end, his desire to battle me came forth, and he agreed. "Fine," he said. "I win, and you finance my trip to Hoenn. You win, and I do whatever you want." I agreed to his terms, a plane ticket to Hoenn was nothing compared to my limitless funds. I pulled out Ronin's Ball, and Silver pulled out his custom made silver-gold ball with a mysterious M plated on in what I assumed was a crystal of some kind.
We tossed our balls together; they collided in a flash of red. Tal and his team skittered out of the way. Ronin roared fearsomely as always, angry that he had been released. Silver looked the Lugia over, thinking him was less of a threat than he was. Silver's Pokémon, a monster of a Typhlosion named Mina, roared equally loud, a feat I had not thought possible until I had met Entei. The two faced off, Ronin dwarfing Mina, had a clear advantage. He unleashed an Aero Blast, slicing Mina repeatedly with nothing more than wind. She fell backward, knocked out.
Silver did a double take at the sudden defeat of his prized Pokémon. "So, you're good," he said. "But then, you've got a legendary on your side. Well then, what do you want me to do, oh master?" I shook my head at his antics. "Keep an eye on the Umbreon." I said. "He tends to get into trouble and I can't be here all the time, can I?" He nodded slowly.
Tal, hearing my words, looked hurt. I must have hit a nerve with that jab. He looked at me sullenly, growling slightly. I sighed, not wanting to revoke my statement. Silver agreed to my terms, having nothing better to do anyway. I thanked him, and walked out of the clearing.
I searched around for Sebastian, but he was nowhere to be found. I was looking when I heard the parting of bushes somewhere behind me. I spun, seeing a harmless looking Skorupi staring back at me. I shooed it away, but it didn't move. I started to get angry, which surprised me, since I was usually so calm. Then, I saw a great pair of eyes open in the shadows, some great beast hidden within began to come foreword, causing a shaking of trees and bushes all around. I stared into the face of the nine foot tall Drapion with slight fear, knowing without a doubt that it wanted to kill me.
The fury in its eyes was clearly seen.