Chapter 2
4/8/0046/Dusk
Route 29
Even with the decent head start he had gotten on Mari and Robbie, the duo he had left standing at the west exit of New Bark Town still managed to catch up with him after he engaged a flock of Pidgey's in battle. Most of the small birds had flown off the moment Cyndaquil and Larvitar burst into the are they had been resting. Only one remained, which proved to be easy picking for Larvitar.
From that point onward, they remained together deciding that it was best to stick together until they had given their new Pokemon some more time to grow in the field.
"Why didn't you catch one of those Pidgey?" Mari inquired as she looked toward Blake who was currently setting up his hammock with his usual silence.
"I'm not interested in Pidgey's." Blake replied as he tied up the second end of his hammock to the trunk of another tree.
"Why not?" Robbie asked, as if he had been hurt by Blake statement.
"They don't possess the kind of strength I'm looking for." Blake said in response.
"They're not weak! I happen to have a Pidgeotto that's responsible for a lot of my wins back in Olivine City!" Robbie proclaimed, getting a shrug from Blake.
"Big deal."
"You know what, I bet my Pidgeotto could kick your ass right now!" Robbie declared, detaching a Poke-ball from his belt. Blake glanced over his shoulder at Robbie, an inviting smirk forming on his face.
"Well let's see how that goes. Larvitar let's-" Blake began before the female brunette jumped in between the two boys, putting out her hands to halt their battle.
"Just save it for the Rookie Kings guys." Mari said, silencing them with the quick reminder. Blake gave Mari a quick glance, slightly irritated that she had interrupted the battle before he returned his gaze to follow.
"We'll settle this at the Rookie Kings." Blake said before turning away from the two trainers behind him, joining his Pokemon on the hammock. Robbie shrugged before flopping down on his sleeping back. It would be better to settle this in an official match anyway. It would give him some more the time to prepare.
"Just you wait Blake, I show you just how strong I am." Robbie said out loud, gaining a smirk from the dark haired boy that was resting in his hammock.
"Hey Blake, can you go get some firewood?" Mari asked politely as she approached him.
"Ask someone else." Blake replied as he rolled over.
Mari stomped her foot, groaning in annoyance before grabbing one side of Blake's hammock. She pulled it downward which caused the entire hammock to flip from the sudden imbalance in weight, throwing Blake, Cyndaquil and Larvitar to the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?" Blake hissed at her with a glare as Cyndaquil and Larvitar added their own glares.
"Firewood." She said, pointing at the woods.
"That's not going to happen." Blake replied, rising up from the ground.
"Is this a match?" Mari said suddenly, holding the small flammable stick near Blake's hammock. Glaring at Mari one again, he was more than tempted to try and prove that the girl was bluffing, but if she truly did set his hammock on fire, Blake knew he wouldn't be getting a replacement anytime soon.
"Firewood, right." He mumbled, leading his partners off into the forest. He could hear Robbie laughing as ventured into the woods.
Kanto Region
Viridian City
"Hey Lombre, let's get moving." The seventeen year old boy said to the green Pokemon standing on its hind legs, it's arms hanging loosely at it's sides with a green lily pad that looked like a sombrero on its head.
The boy possessed some curly brown hair, the top of it hidden under a red hat with the Poke-ball logo on the front. He wore a black shirt with two thin, yellow, vertical stripes and a pair of black cargo shorts. He was fair skinned with a sprinkle of freckles on both of his cheeks. On his back was a one-strap backpack and around his waist was a belt to hold a Potion and the Poke-balls he would need for his journey.
His record in the Battle Circuit was Two Matches-Two Wins-No Losses. An R-Class Trainer. He went by the name of Matt, and he had been requested to come to Kanto by the Regional Professor to help her fill out the latest Pokedex.
"Lombre!" It said in agreement. Matt's Lombre was an unusual Lombre since most of the time, this Pokemon was slow to move, agree or do anything really. On the other hand, Matt's was very energetic and curious, similar to its final evolution, a Ludicolo. The two of them were currently standing outside the Viridian Pokemon Center, wondering if they should continue north, or head west.
"Hey Lombre, do you want to check out Route 22?" Matt asked, looking down at his partner who gave him a nod. "Then let's get going."
After several minutes of walking, the two reached the west end of Viridian City, leaving civilization for the a densely forested area that was extremely dark in the night.
"Hmm, that's odd." Matt said, looking down at the Map function on his Pokedex. "The pathway on the right leads to Victory Road, but the one straight ahead hasn't been recorded…Let's go straight Lombre and do some exploring."
Matt and Lombre continued to travel down the dark pathway, looking into the darkness along side the pathway. A thick fog set in as they continued down at the path that quickly left Matt and Lombre confused and lost.
"Lombre, stay close by." Matt said before sighing when his Lombre practically jumped on his leg where it clung on for dear life.
Continuing forward, the fog lightened up a bit, but not enough for Matt to notice he was walking into a lake.
"Aw man, I just bought these." He muttered, feeling how soaked his socks had become. "Where's the edge of the lake?"
Looking around, Matt began to move backward before noticing the silhouette of a creature standing on top of the water, hidden by the fog. It stood on all fours with a long flowing mane and an oddly shaped horn on its head the resembled a hexagon.
"What's that?" Matt asked himself, taking out his Pokedex.
Matt lifted up the device and pointed the lens at the creature, taking a quick snapshot of it. The Pokedex lit up, showing Matt the picture he had just taken before declaring that there were no matches.
"Maybe if I get a little closer." Matt said, beginning to move further into the lake to get a better picture. He wasn't going pass off this opportunity. He had never seen or heard of a Pokemon that looked like this one. Lombre released its hold on Matt's leg to float beside him.
As he neared it, Matt made it through another layer of fog allowing him to get a better look at the mystery Pokemon. It possessed aqua blue fur with white diamonds scattered about on its body. He took a second picture, but this time his Pokedex began to speak, rather loudly.
"Oh boy." Matt muttered to himself, stuffing the Pokedex into his pocket to muffle the sound, but the Pokemon had take note of his presence. Then it roared, its eyes becoming a bright blue that could easily be seen through the fog. 'So much for being friendly...'
A harsh gust of wind blew through the area, clearing of the fog, but it also carried Matt up into the air. Lombre called out to its trainer, reaching for the boy who was well out of its reach. Matt grunted, feeling a sharp pain turn through his right wrist before it lit up in an aqua blue similar to the Pokemon's fur.
Then the wind began to pour into his wrist, being absorbed by the markings which caused him an immense amount of pain.
Johto Region
Route 29
Cyndaquil looked up at its trainer, curiosity evident on its face as Blake dropped the pile of twigs and sticks he had been holding, falling to one knee. he wore a pained expression as he clutched his right wrist which was throbbing.
"Cynda?" It asked, approaching Blake before it was cut by Larvitar who had seen Blake like this a few times before.
"Larvitar, Lar." Larvitar said to Cyndaquil, assuring it that Blake would be fine in a few minutes...hopefully.
Rolling up the sleeve of his jacket that covered his right arm, Blake found that his wrist was producing a bright grey light in a small design. Two pointed ovals resting right on top his wrist that resembled a pair of sharp eyes. And just below that was a small gray triangle.
Eventually, the pain subsided, allowing Blake to recollect the items he had dropped. Looking down at his two Pokemon, Blake assured them that he was fine.
'The eyes are still there, but the triangle is new. It must mean something.'
Kanto Region
Route 22
Once all of the wind swirling around Matt disappeared into his wrist, the creature sprinted off into the night, leaving Matt to plummet into the water.
"Lombre!" Matt's partner Pokemon shouted, beginning to swim toward its trainer who had just crashed into the lake, remaining unresponsive to his Pokemon's calls. Matt resurfaced, being carried away by the strong east current leading to the mouth of a river.
Once Lombre caught up with Matt who was face down in the water, it swam under him, getting itself in between Matt's torso and the single strap of his backpack. Lombre then pushed Matt's head out of the water to make sure he didn't intake anymore water.
Lombre attempted to turn around and swim back to the lake, but both of them had already been pulled into the current and there was no turning back now. As Lombre turned around, it noticed the dark tunnel it and Matt was headed for. Lombre looked around for anything, but nothing presented itself for Lombre to grab.
Lombre gulped as they were swallowed by the darkness of the cave, unable to see anything. As they floated down the river, a thunderous roar filled silence of the place, growing in volume.
"Lombre?" It said to itself, confused on why it didn't feel any water beneath for a couple of seconds. Matt and Lombre crashed into the water below after a fifty foot drop, creating a decent sized splash.
Before Lombre and Matt could resurface, the strong current created by the water fall forced them along to the exit of the cave. Lombre burst out of the water still attached to Matt, staring a head at the dark light at the end of cave.
At the mouth of the cave, the reflection of the moon could be seen on the large river that was flowing outward toward the beach near a small town. Lombre took note of the young woman in a sun dress standing on the beach, looking up at the moon. Quickly, it swam to the shoreline, pulling Max on to the sand before running over to the lady.
"Lombre!" It shouted, pulling on her dress.
"Ah, hello there." She said kindly.
"Lombre!" It shouted again, pointing to where it had left Matt, except Matt was no longer there.
Lombre looked around for a moment before noticing Matt floating in the water of the lake, drifting out into the center of the water..
"Lom-bre!" It shouted , sprinting back to the water where it dove back and caught Matt by the back of his shirt before bringing him back to the shore. This time, dual type Pokemon pulled him all the way up the beach to make sure that the tide didn't pull him away a second time.
"Oh my, is he okay?" She asked, checking Matt's soaked clothing. "Let's bring him back to my house, I'll dry his clothes there and give you something to eat."
Lombre lifted up Matt's legs, unable to do anything else until it felt the rest of Matt's body being lifted by the woman.
Johto Region
New Bark Town
Orphanage
Matt was awoken by a group of loud children who couldn't keep their mouth shut even though it was ten o'clock at night.
"Will you guys shut up! Some people are trying to sleep over here." Matt shouted at the group kids that he wasn't familiar with. Blinking twice, Matt noticed that his surroundings weren't familiar either. "Wait, who are you people? And where am I?"
The kids only snickered at Matt before whispering to one another.
"I told you guys to stay out of this room!" A woman shouted, barging into the room holding a broom which she proceeded to hit the children with to chase them out of the room. Once the kids were gone, the woman sighed before taking a seat on the bed Matt had previously been sleeping on.
"Um, who are you?" Matt asked before noticing that he was only dressed in a robe. "And why am I dressed in only a robe? Where am I? Where's my Lombre?"
"Calm down, your Lombre is fine; it's down stairs with the other kids." The woman began. "Your clothes are drying in the basement and you're dressed like that to make sure you don't catch a cold. You can call me Lola."
"Oh, well thanks. My name's Matt." Matt said. "Where am I?"
"Darn, I knew I missed one." She muttered, snapping her fingers before giving Matt a grin. "Anway, you're in the New Bark Town Orphanage. I found you at the beach near the exit of Tohjo Falls with your Lombre. You were completely soaked, so being the kind, considerate person I am, I brought you here."
"New Bark Town…" Matt said, repeating it twice before realization hit him. "That's in the Johto Region!"
"Is there a problem?" Lola asked, wondering what his sudden out burst could be for.
"Yeah, Professor Evergreen is going to kill me." Matt said, jumping off the bed he had been resting on, beginning to move around the room frantically.
"You know Professor Evergreen?"
"Yup, she called me in from Hoenn to help her record the data for the 8th Generation Pokedex for Kanto but now I'm in Johto. Do you know a way back?"
"There isn't one. You'd need the HM Waterfall to get back and you can only get that in Blackthorn City which is behind the moutain to the north. The quickest way back to Kanto is through the Battle Circuit." Lola answered.
"Really, how?"
"Once a year there's the IBF Tourney where trainers from any region in the B-Class and up battle for the chance of rise to the top of the IBF. At the end of the first round of the tournament, a large number of trainers go onto the second round in a different region. Each year it changes where the finals will take place so you'll just have to hope that this year they send the trainers to Kanto at some point." Lola explained.
"Wow, how do you know all of this?" Matt asked.
"I'm a former IBF Champion." Lola said, getting a pair of raised eyebrows from Matt.
"No way." He said in a slow whisper.
"Yep." Lola said with a nod before motioning for him to follow her. "Now come on, let's go give Professor Evergreen a call."
"You know her."
"Yeah, we go way back."
Down stairs, Lombre was having a grand time playing with the young children that lived in the orphanage. It had been here for a few hours now, at first following Lola around the house before it was drawn into one of the games the kids were playing together.
"Hey Lombre!" Matt called out to his Pokemon from the balcony above in his usual outfit, waving to the Pokemon. "Did you miss me?"
"Lombre!" It said excitedly, returning Matt's wave.
"That's you're trainer?" One of the kids asked, looking up at Matt who was coming down the staircase.
"Yup, me and Lombre are from the Hoenn Region." Matt replied as he neared the group.
"Wow. That's so cool!" One of the little girls exclaimed, looking up at Matt who was much taller than the rest of them.
"I bet Blake is stronger than him." One of them cut in.
"Definitely."
"He's got a Larvitar that's unbeatable."
"Oh please. Lombre would win hands down. One Grass or Water type attack would destroy his Larvitar." Matt claimed confidently declared, getting many blank stares from the children. "Right Lola?"
"...I'm not really sure about that one." She began, speaking slowly to give herself as much time as she could to think. "Blake is, special. It's almost like he exists on a different plane compared to regular trainers. I've only seen him battle seriously once, and I can say with confidence that Blake can turn around almost any situation, no matter how bad it is."
"Blake will beat you."
"Yeah, no contest."
"Oh yeah, what's his Battle Circuit record?" Matt asked. "I have two matches and two wins, no losses."
"He just left today, we dunno his record."
"Doesn't matter. Blake can beat anyone, including a dummy head like you."
"Hush you." Lola said at the children, sending them away. "Sorry about that, Blake has been their hero ever since he was their age and since he hasn't lost once, they believe he will never lose. And for their sake, I hope he doesn't."
"For their sake?"
"This is an orphanage Matt. Those kids don't have much to be happy about considering they don't even have parents. Blake made a promise to them that he would never lose. He's the light in their day, even though he never acts like it. They all love him and he's kept his promise so far." Lola explained.
"Well I'm sorry, but my goal is to be the World Champion and nothing is going to stop me. It's a shame, knowing I'm going to crush so many kids happiness but that won't stop me." Matt stated.
"Good."
"Good? Aren't you all angry that I'm going to beat Blake?" Matt said in confusion.
"No, not at all. He's been looking for a rival or anyone that can give him a challenge. He wants to find out what strength really is and he thinks he knows where his answer is." Lola went on.
"Really. Where is it?"
"He believes that the Golden Flash has his answer and that once he beats him, he'll find it."
"What! He's aiming to take down the Golden Flash?" Matt exclaimed loudly. "I don't believe in geniuses but that guy is a monster. The undefeated United World Champion of the Battle Circuit. That guy is a real Pokemon genius." Matt said.
"You could say Blake is too." Lola added.
"Huh?" Matt said. "What's that supposed to mean."
"In the Battle Circuit, you have two types of geniuses that can exist. You have a trainer that can naturally tame any kind of Pokemon out there and create such a close bond with them that they can reach a state of a mind where you could say they're battling as one." Lola explained, receiving a nod from Matt. "Then you have a genius like the Golden Flash and Blake. They naturally possess a battle hardened mindset that has a deep understanding of the mechanics behind each attack and how they work, and how to counter them. They're the most dangerous because they're the type that gathers information over time, and they continue learning as they battle so they make progress no matter what."
"So basically what your saying is that only the geniuses in the Battle Circuit are the ones who cane make it to the top?" Matt asked, getting a smirk from Lola.
"If that's how you interpreted it."
"Well that doesn't matter to me. I've seen tons of trainers with no talent make it to the World stage and I plan on doing the same with all my strength, knowledge and tricks. Genius or not, I'm going to take down anyone, including Blake." Matt declared, receiving nothing but silence for a few moments in reply.
'He'll be a great rival for Blake.' Lola noted mentally. 'And when the two of the clash, it will be a battle that no one will forget.'
"Hello, Professor Evergreen?" Matt said, holding the phone against his ear while looking at the monitor in front of him that displayed an image of Professor Evergreen holding a phone on her end.
She was a skinny woman, slightly on the tall side with long black hair stopping near the middle of her back with two hair clips holding her bangs behind her ears. Two bright green eyes started at Matt through the video phone.
"Ah, Matt, how are you doing?" She asked curiously. "I heard about your two victories in the Battle Circuit, good job. How's your Pokedex coming along."
"Thank you Professor, and its coming along nicely. I already have nineteen Pokemon cataloged." Matt replied nervously, getting a warm smile from the woman.
"I can see that everything is going nicely for you already. Keep up the good work." She said.
"Umm Professor, I ran into a bit of a problem." Matt began quietly, getting a confused glance from the woman on the other end of the call.
"What happened?"
"I'm stuck in Johto." Matt spoke quickly, hoping that maybe she wouldn't understand what she said, but somehow she still managed to comprehend his words.
"What!" She shouted into the phone. "How did you manage to do that? It's only been two weeks since I sent you to get started with this project, and your already off fooling around in a different region!"
"I'm sorry Professor. I found this weird Pokemon and then there was a wind storm and then I woke up in New Bark Town!" Matt yelled back, confused as to why he was yelling now.
"Hmm, alright then. Put you're Pokedex into the port on the phone. I'm updating it to the National Dex." She said, Matt following her orders. "You had better get data on all 460 Pokemon including the Legendary Pokemon."
"What!" Matt screamed. He was completely blown away by her demands, but before he could protest she hung up the phone.
"I have 460 Pokemon to get data on." Matt mumbled to her.
"Is it really necessary that you go through all of that trouble?" Lola asked, receiving a nod from Matt.
"I came to Kanto with a price. Basically my dad sold me to Professor Evergreen since he needed the money, although I was happy to leave. Even though I didn't get any of the money, its not like I can just ditch her after she bought me." Matt explained, calling for Lombre since it was time to go. "But whatever, at least I know I won't be getting bored anytime soon with a job this big."
"Good luck Matt." Lola said. She wanted to ask about his father selling him, but it was clear to her that Matt himself didn't want to talk about. "If you ever meet Blake, ask him for some Pokedex data, he got one from Professor Elm."
Matt seemed to perk up from Lola's reminder.
"I almost forgot. I can ask other Pokedex Holders for the info they collected." Matt said with a sly smile. "I'll be seeing you Lola, thanks for cleaning me up. Next time you see me will be at the World's Summit. I'll be the guy they're calling the new World Champion!"
4/11/0046/Morning
Route 29
Blake, Mari and Robbie slowly trekked down along the dirt road on an incline.
"This hill over looks Cherrygrove City. I'd always come up here when I was a kid." Mari said as they neared the top of the hill.
"Is Cherrygrove City that nice?" Robbie asked curiously.
"Didn't you see it while you were passing through?" Mari asked.
"Nah, my brother dropped me off at New Bark Town with his Pidgeot to keep me out of trouble." Robbie replied sheepishly.
"Oh…It's a really beautiful town. Nothing but flowers and colorful plants and today will be the last day of the Flower Festival. It's such a pretty occasion." Mari explained. "You'll see it in just a moment."
Blake sniffed the air, catching a light scent of smoke. As they reached the top of the hill, Mari gasped, covering her mouth with both her hands.
"This is nothing like what you said." Robbie noted, looking down at the burning city. The wooden houses of the city were being burned to the ground by dozens of people in black. "What's going on down there?"
'Team Rocket!' Blake shouted mentally. 'I'll start my search for Alan here.'
"Larvitar, Cyndaquil, let's go!" Blake said suddenly, his partners jumping up onto his shoulders. With a moments notice, Blake was sprinting down the long hill toward Cherrygrove City.
"Hey Blake, where are you going?" Robbie shouted, preparing to follow him before noticing that Mari had yet to move. "Come on Mari, let's go check this out!"
And here's chapter 2. This is still part of the opening to this fic. I still have quite a few people to introduce along with a few conflicts. Thanks for reading.