CHAPTER 10 – e4
Ash sat alone on a bench inside the battleground's Pokémon Center, hat pulled low over his eyes as he stared at the tiled floor. His next battle wasn't for another two hours or so, and he was glad to have some time by himself to reflect on his battle with Ari. His Pokémon had already been checked in for recovery, but Nurse Joy had told him that Gliscor might have to wait a bit longer than the others. He saw little sense in getting himself in a knot over their condition – the nurse knew how to fix them up, so instead he thought about the battle he'd just had.
Sure, Ari's point about sending Pikachu out right off the bat made a bit of sense, but aside from that, he hadn't put a foot wrong. Even with the clear advantage it had, Electivire beat Pikachu like it wasn't even an effort. Gliscor had fared better against Magmortar, but not by much, and had ended up noticeably worse for wear thanks to that technique Magmortar had used right before the Hyper Beam. Infernape had Gallade on the ropes, and although it had heavily damaged the Blade Pokémon in the process, it too had been beaten. He was willing to put those losses to the side for the moment.
What had him worried the most was where the loss left him in the tournament. He'd gotten no points from the battle, so he'd be at least three points behind the second-placed person in his bracket. Ari had gotten the maximum amount of points possible – four – so even if he won both his other battles, so long as that other person got another four from their other battle, he'd be eliminated in the first round. In all the tournaments he'd been in, he'd never been knocked out in the first round. Indeed, the only time he hadn't made the finals was in the Kanto League, and that loss was a technicality by anyone's standards.
"Ash," said a sullen voice above him. Ash dragged his vision up, and was surprised to see that it was Ari, minus the hat he'd been wearing for their battle. He looked apologetic, remorseful. Even though Ash understood that the battle went the way it did.
"Oh, hey Ari," Ash mumbled, casting his gaze back to the ground. He wasn't really in the mood for company, let alone from the person he'd just lost so heavily to.
"Look," Ari said, taking the seat next to Ash and looking over at him. "I know you're not expecting me to apologise for anything, and I wasn't planning to. But I still want to say that what happened in our battle earlier was nothing personal."
"What do you mean?"
"Regardless of who I faced in my first battle, I was going to do everything I could to come away with four points. You just had some bad luck running into me first," he shrugged, and as Ash returned stare he could tell that Ari was being honest. "Anabel even asked me to go easy on you before our battle."
"That's nice of her, I guess," he said, the words taking a while to register anything significant in his head. "Wait, you know Anabel?"
Ari nodded and hid a laugh. "Yeah, we've known each other for a while."
"Why would she ask you to go easy on me, though?" he asked, having not seen or even heard from the Salon Maiden for at least a year.
"Not important," Ari responded slyly, scratching his nose. "What is important is that, after the battle, she felt so bad that she guilt tripped me into doing something… different for you."
"She didn't tell you to lose a match to give me a better chance of getting through, did she?" Ash removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair. Even though he'd only been in the one battle, he was already hot under the collar from the action.
"Quite the opposite, actually," Ari replied, drawing a surprised noise from his fellow trainer. "She told me to win my other two battles three-nil as well, so you get the best chance of making it through."
"How does that work?" he asked, absentmindedly watching a small girl with maroon hair approach the counter.
"If I win my other two battles three-nil, then all three of you – you and the other two – will be on even ground. If you win your other two battles, you'll go through to the next round. It's not a sure thing, since it'll depend on the result of their match with each other but… Anabel wants you to get through, and I've got no problem with that, so you've got my word I'm going to help you," he explained, finally cracking a genuine smile for Ash at the very end.
"Don't feel like you owe me any favours, though."
Another laugh from Ari. "I don't. It's Anabel I'm doing the favour for."
Ash returned the laugh and held out his hand. "No hard feelings for the battle, then."
"No hard feelings," he said, accepting the handshake and grinning widely.
"So what was that move your Magmortar used?" Ash asked, but Ari got to his feet.
"Sorry Ash, but that's a story for another day," he said, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets. "Just… make sure you don't lose again, yeah? I want to see you in the finals," he added, and with that he made for the sliding glass doors, disappearing behind them shortly thereafter. Ash watched him leave, now with a new goal for the tournament. Aside from winning the whole thing, obviously.
He wanted to beat Ari along the way, if that were at all possible. Call it male pride if you will, but Ash wouldn't feel like a true champion until he bested him. Perhaps training with Ari would help toughen up him and his Pokémon for the future rounds. His first step, though, was getting some points out of his next battle.
Telling himself to come back in an hour for his Pokémon, he weaved his way through an influx of trainers and out the sliding glass doors. The sun was still high in the sky and contributing to another day of sweltering heat, signalling that it wasn't too far from midday. That gave him plenty of time to prepare for his must-win battle later in the day. Smiling to himself with the assurance that his loss to Ari was just a minor speed-bump, he set off.
"Hey Ash!" shouted a voice from the doors of the Pokémon Center. Ash looked over his shoulder, once again finding that it was Ari who had called his name, the boy leaning on the glass windows of the Center with a foot propped against it. This time he had his hat on.
"How come you're still here? Don't you have a battle to prepare for?" Ash asked, curious as to why Ari was sticking around.
"My battle's not for a few hours," he answered with a shrug, fidgeting with his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. "How's about we take a walk? I've got some things to discuss with you, and we can go watch a friend of mine battle, too," he offered good-naturedly, giving a 'why not' gesture with his hands to try and seal the deal.
"It won't take long," he added, sensing the hesitation in Ash's demeanour.
"I'd love to, but like you said, I should be researching my next opponent," Ash said politely, already with one foot aiming down the opposite end of the street.
"Way ahead of you, Ash," Ari said, grinning from ear to ear as he suggestively flicked an eyebrow.
"You researched my next opponent for me?" he asked suspiciously, wondering why Ari would do such a thing.
"Mate, I'm facing these trainers too, remember? It's only natural that I'd research them myself. You just get the benefit of not having to sit in front of a computer screen for a couple of hours," chuckled the Ecruteak trainer, clapping a hand on Ash's shoulder and steering him towards the stadiums. "Come on, it'll be fun. And who knows? You just might learn something. And it'll give both of us something to do instead of a couple of hours of bored waiting."
Ash was caught a little off-guard with how nice Ari was being. He certainly hoped it wasn't because he felt guilty over beating him earlier, but Ari said that wasn't bothering him, so he had no reason to complain. And if Ari had some tips for his next battle, he really couldn't turn down his offer. Not to mention it'd certainly be helpful to pick the brain of a regional champion.
"Alright then," he laughed, tucking his hands into his pockets as they walked. "Do you know where we're going? I almost got lost trying to find the stadium earlier," he admitted sheepishly with an embarrassed grin.
"Don't worry about it, I know where to go," Ari said. He'd searched out most of the island from above when he'd arrived, so he knew most of the streets, how to get around the stadiums, and also where all the good restaurants and cafes were. Of course, some of the routes had faded from his memory thanks to his company at the time, but he remembered enough to get by.
"So who's this friend of yours, anyways?" Ash asked, already beginning to miss the familiar feeling of Pikachu standing on his shoulder. Up ahead, he spied an elaborate archway decorated with numerous flowers and twists of climbing vines over the frame.
"Someone I met on the boat over here, actually. A trainer from western Johto. Don't think you've met, though. He's nearly always on the road, and you two never seem to be in the same place at the same time. Heads up, though, he's a bit of a—"
"—Whaddaya mean by 'same place at the same time'?" Ash interjected, feeling that Ari knew a little more about him than he was comfortable with.
"On your trainer profile, it says you competed in the Kanto League first, then Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh in that order. And judging from your age, none of those time slots line up with my friend's. Or me, for that matter," he added as an afterthought, almost to himself.
"Huh… I really need to start doing that research stuff, don't I?" Ash joked heartily. Now within arm's reach of the archway, he identified one of the flowers on the arch as a gracidea. "Which stadium, by the way?"
"Stadium 22," Ari said simply as they passed under the arch and into the main recreational hub of the island. "If his battle finishes quickly, we might be able to catch up with Anabel before you need to head off, too," he smirked, receiving an enthusiastic nod from his newest friend. He would've continued talking, but a voice invaded his thoughts, making a proper conversation with Ash impossible.
"Master Ari, is there a method to your madness?"
Of course there is. Anabel wants him to do well in this tournament, so I'm helping her by helping him. I'm not doing it purely out of the goodness of my heart, if that's what you're wondering, he explained as he and Ash passed a vendor selling hotdogs and ice-cold drinks. The temptation to buy one of his favourite snacks was erased when the voice spoke up again.
"Of course not. Though I am curious as to why you're employing the methods you are around Mr. Ketchum."
I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, he thought, tilting his head towards the multitude of shops on his left.
"You surely must have a similar "idea" regarding my telepathy, no?"
Ari suppressed a curse, keeping his head turned away from Ash as the conversation progressed. Sometimes he felt that his Pokémon were too smart for their own good. Point taken. What specifically has you curious, then? he asked the voice.
"Your decision to have Magmortar battle solo against Mr. Ketchum's Gliscor. You said that he was a trainer who relied on improvisation rather than any concrete strategy, and based on that analysis, he would undoubtedly have found it less challenging to fight Magmortar under your command."
Anabel speaks very highly of his abilities as a trainer. I thought he could handle the challenge, Ari answered as they turned down a side-street. He heard Ash's footsteps cease behind him as the other trainer pressed his face against the glass of a TM shop, so he chose to end the conversation by tuning the voice out. It managed to squeeze in one last comment before it went silent, though.
"Which does that imply, Master; that he could beat you, or that he could entertain you?"
"How's your hand holding up?" Michaels asked, his expression stern. He tucked a hand into the outside pocket of his jacket.
"Better than most in this situation, I'd imagine," said a pained Russell Carter, tapping the heavy bandaging over his left hand as a nurse checked his eyes for proper pupil dilation. "The medics transplanted some regenerative tissue into the wound when they were stitching it up. Doesn't actually hurt that much thanks to those morphine pills," he added, giving the nurse a grateful laugh as she finished her examination and walked off.
The pair of International Police agents were inside a private room in the Battleground's hospital, the jet black of Michaels' suit a stark contrast against the inviting whites and beiges of the hospital's interior. Russ, presently hunched over atop a spare stretcher, hadn't changed out of his attire from the previous night, despite the nurse's insistences. Michaels had taken the liberty of retrieving Russ' greatcoat, the garment having been forcibly confiscated when the nurse found Russ using it to stem the bullet wounds.
It had been difficult for Michaels to find a hole in his schedule with which to check up on Russ. Fortunately, Samsara had kindly offered to cover the ceremony's security report to Goodshow, giving him the half-hour he needed. I need to remind myself to thank him for that. I know how much he dislikes those reports…
"Mr. Carter, your antibiotics," chimed the nurse as she re-entered the room, placing a small tray on the table near the door. Russ nodded in acknowledgment and she took her cue to duck back out.
"Can't go getting infected if I want to get back to work," he sighed, hopping off the stretcher and scooping a glass of water off the tray. It was only then, with the two of them both standing up, that one could really get an idea of how tall Russ was. Michaels was by no means a short person, but he only reached Russ' chin.
"Russ, take—"
"—You know I can't do that, sir," he interrupted, downing the pills and cracking a bone in his neck. "I need to be back in the taskforce, investigating this."
"No, you don't," insisted his superior, putting a firm hand on his shoulder and pushing him back onto the stretcher. "I already have my suspicions as to who tried to kill you," he added, his eyes clearly sending Russ a message; don't stress yourself, I'll take care of it.
Russ made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sigh as Michaels turned to leave, wondering why Michaels was trying to keep him out of the loop.
Not as action-packed as the last two chapters, but I sure hope you all got a kick or two out of reading this.
Props to fellow TiNa moderator infinityphoenix for his handful of reviews this week; keep 'em coming, and that applies to everyone as well! As always, I'm keen as ever to hear your thoughts over this latest chapter, and I'm sure you're all keen as ever to avoid having farmland animals thrown through your windows. Wink wink, baa baa~
Chapter 12 - Latency Disguised will be released December 22nd, in keeping with this temporary schedule. Mark the date on your calendars, because [SPOILERS!] it's quite an interesting chapter in the scheme of things. [/SPOILERS!]
Until next time, keep reading, and don't forget to review~