Indomitable Spirit
Disclaimer: Crack the Skye does not own Pokémon, Bleach, Naruto, nor does he own any other franchise, series, or movie he may reference in the story. He does, however, own a real katana, which will be used with force against any lawyers who believe otherwise.
Track 01: Ignition of Battle
Opening Theme: Le Repos du Guerrier {Code Geass R2 OST}
Hirumanai's Theme: Zero by Keiki Kobayashi {Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War}
Yugana's Theme: Kiss the Rain by Yiruma
Misty's Theme: Wing Stock by Ashley MacIsaac {Rukia's theme from Bleach}
Satoshi's Theme: Again by Yui
-Above the Ocean-
"Sennichi no Shima's name came from an ancient legend. As the story goes, the island had been devastated by a war, and nothing would grow on it. The people of the island that had survived the war were slowly dying.
The people's leader, who could not bear to see them suffer so, built a shrine to Celebi, and began to pray to the Legendary Pokémon for aid. Day after day, he knelt before the shrine, pleading for aid. For ten thousand days, he would pray without fail. On the ten thousandth day, Celebi heard his prayers, the outpouring of his soul, and took pity on the man and his people. Celebi appeared before the man, blessing the island with renewed life.
Overjoyed, the man promised to devote himself to the preservation of all life, so that none would ever suffer the same fate as his people. Even more impressed with the purity and faithfulness of the man, Celebi gifted him with the ability to channel the power of the world around him, so that the man would have the power to fulfill his promise. This man became known as the first Aura Guardian.
In honor of Celebi, the people of the island created the Tournament of Celebi, a festival that occurs once every 50 years. It is said that the winner of this tournament may make one request of Celebi at the shrine. If it is pure, Celebi may grant the request." read Satoshi, "Hm. Do you think Celebi could help me regain my memories?"
His Charizard made a noncommittal grunt.
"True, I guess it doesn't really matter unless I win. Do you think we can win this, girl?"
The young trainer received a defiant roar in response. He smiled in appreciation.
"Thanks."
Spotting something in the distance, Satoshi sat up.
"There it is!"
-Sennichi no Shima, Pokémon Center-
"Finally! That line took forever!"
Max and Misty had just finished registering for the tournament, and were waiting for Brock to come back with the group's room keys. May and Dawn had already left the group, out on their first shopping trip.
"Do you think there'll be any really good trainers here Misty?" inquired Max.
"Oh, I hope so. If it's just the Pokémon League members then this tournament will be boring. I heard Gary's competing, and maybe also-"
Misty never got to finish her statement, as the doors of the Pokémon Center opened, admitting a single figure. At the same moment, a feeling of intense pressure exploded down on everyone. It was like being crushed beneath the foot of a giant. Misty found that she was having difficulty time breathing. Struggling to keep her head up, she looked more closely at the figure.
He could have been described as a symphony in black: black combat boots, black pants, a black shirt, and a black cloak with a deep hood that hid his entire face with the exception of his mouth. No one spoke as the figure smoothly walked up to the registration desk – not that they could have.
"I'd like to register for the tournament, please."
His voice was calm and polite, pleasing to the ears. Even so, it sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Y-Yes s-sir. A-And…wh-wh-what name d-do you wish t-t-to r-regis-te-ter under?" Asked a trembling Nurse Joy.
"Satoshi."
"A-and your last n-name?"
The tone of the now-named Satoshi darkened ever so slightly. "None."
"S-Sumimasen (I'm sorry). Here is y-your f-first round s-s-schedule."
The man took the schedule, nodded a silent thanks to the woman, turned, and walked out.
The pressure immediately dissipated, and everyone found they could breathe again.
"Wh-Who the hell was that?" Max gasped out, still on his hands and knees.
"I don't know," responded Misty, staring after the disappearing figure, "But I do know this; whoever he is, he is strong."
-Outside the Pokémon Center-
Satoshi smirked as he walked away.
'That certainly gained everyone's attention. Let's see…Oho! I have the first match of the tournament against…Fukuda Hiroshi…and he uses ground and fire types. Perfect types to show off against…And according to the guide, he personally trained under Flint of the Elite Four. It certainly will be an interesting match…'
The next day
Stadium, 9:00 AM
"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE 54TH TOURNAMENT OF CELEBI!"
The stadium was packed, and not just because it was the first day. After Satoshi's extremely dramatic registration, everyone from child to Champion wanted to see how strong this mysterious trainer was.
"Why are we here again?" yawned May, "I mean, I'm curious about Satoshi too, but I wanted to get more sleep."
"You might have gotten more sleep if you hadn't stayed up until midnight trying to decide what new stores to shop at today," deadpanned Brock.
"We're here to see how this guy fights. We need to know all we can. Having more eyes helps with that," Max answered.
"Satoshi didn't register what types he prefers to fight with, or his region of origin, or his teachers. He's the tournament's dark Horsea," added Misty.
"AND NOW FOR OUR FIRST MATCH! ON ONE SIDE WE HAVE THE SECOND COMING OF THE KING OF FIRE, STUDENT OF FLINT HIMSELF, FUKUUUDAAAAAA HIIIIROOOOSHIIIIIIII!"
The crowd erupted into screams of applause as the black-haired, heavily-muscled trainer stepped onto the field. He smiled and waved to the crowd, soaking in the applause.
"AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE THE MYSTERIOUS NEWCOMER, THE TRAINER OF UNKNOWN STRENGTH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GIVE IT UP FOR SAATOOOOOOOSHIIIIIIIIIIII!"
The applause was deafening as the dark trainer marched onto the field, cloak swaying softly in the wind. In contrast to his opponent, he seemed to ignore the crowds.
"TRAINERS READY! THE MATCH TYPE WILL BE ONE ON ONE, THE BATTLEFIELD WILL BE GROUND-TYPE!"
Abruptly, the field blinked, and then shifted to a dusty, dry setting, interspersed with rocks.
"BEGIN!"
The crowd fell silent, waiting for someone to make a move.
"Burn the house down, Infernape!"
Hiroshi broke the deadlock, hurling out his pokéball, releasing the fire ape.
"AND HIROSHI STARTS OFF WITH HIS STRONGEST POKEMON! SATOSHI COULD BE IN TROUBLE IF HE DOESN'T HAVE A COUNTER!"
Satoshi chuckled quietly to himself as he looked at his opponent.
"Perfect…"
Satoshi held up his pokéball. He paused, and then hurled it forward.
"Sengen (Declare), Hirumanai!"
The light from the release dimmed, revealing a Lucario kneeling down on one knee.
Up in the stands, confusion reigned.
"Does he want to lose? Lucario has weaknesses to fire, fighting, and ground, and Infernape knows all three types!"
Hiroshi laughed.
"A Lucario? You just sealed your own fate, you fool!"
Satoshi said nothing. He just waited for Hiroshi to make the first move.
"Fine! If you want to give up that easily, I'll take the victory! Infernape, use Fire Spin!
"InferNAPE!"
A vortex of flames exploded around Lucario, shielding him from view.
"Now quick, increase the flames with Heat Wave!"
The flames roared higher. Even the spectators in the nosebleeds could feel the heat now.
"Satoshi isn't doing anything! Is he trying to lose?"
Max was beside himself.
"It might not be that he isn't doing anything; he can't do anything! This is Hiroshi's best combo attack, not even Flint was able to avoid it!" answered Misty.
"Infernape, knock him down with Earthquake!"
Infernape slammed a fist into the ground, setting off massive tremors. Satoshi still did not react to the series of super-effective moves, barely shifting with the trembling earth, just enough to maintain his balance.
"Now, Infernape, finish him off! BLAST BURN!"
"INFERNAAAAAAAPE!"
The vortex was consumed by an almighty blast of flame. The heat and light were so intense the audience had to shield their faces from the inferno. When the light finally died, everyone turned back to the match, straining to see what had become of Lucario through the smoke.
"HAHA! That's what you get for underestimating me! No one can withstand that attack! This match is over! See, your Lucario didn't – wha?" Hiroshi broke off, surprise clearly visible on his face.
The smoke had cleared, but one thing was missing from the glassed-over crater: Lucario.
Hiroshi looked frantically around, trying to find the missing pokémon. He could see nothing. Then…
"LOOK, UP THERE!" someone screamed.
Hiroshi looked up, and his eyes widened in shock.
Lucario was standing, perfectly unharmed, on thin air.
"Impossible…" breathed Max.
"No…Lucario must have used Protect and Magnet Rise," corrected Brock, "But I have never seen a pokémon reach such heights using Magnet Rise! Even the strongest electric pokémon only make it a few feet off the ground…and for Protect to stop a blast of that magnitude…That Lucario is impossibly strong!"
Hiroshi was snapped out of his momentary shock by Satoshi's voice.
"Such an interesting attack. To take advantage of Hirumanai's weaknesses and prevent his movements…you truly do deserve to be Flint's apprentice. But now…let's end this." The trainer fell silent, cocking his head as if he was listening to something, then smiled and nodded.
The Lucario floated down until he was just inches off the ground – and disappeared.
'Extremespeed' thought Misty.
Both Hiroshi and Infernape tensed as they waited for the inevitable attack.
"Infernape! Behind you!"
Infernape turned to see Lucario, crouched low, all four paws and its tail glowing.
"Infernape! He's going to use Close Combat! Take him on!"
The fire ape's fists glowed, and the two pokémon met. Even the Fighting Gym Leaders had a hard time following the combatants.
Infernape swung at Lucario, who ducked and tried to sweep Infernape's legs. Infernape leapt over the scything leg and came down in a hammer fist strike on Lucario, but Lucario grabbed the attack with its hands, and flipped Infernape over onto its back, then flipped away to gain distance. Infernape got up and dashed back at Lucario, and the two met again.
Maylene, who was in a box with the other gym leaders, released her own Lucario, as did Cynthia.
"You guys need to check this out," said Maylene, not taking her eyes off the battle.
Meanwhile, down in the ring, Hiroshi abruptly realized that he wasn't supposed to be spectating.
"Infernape, use Fire Punch!"
Satoshi sighed, sounding disappointed.
"Over so quickly? Hirumanai! Dodge and finish it with Aura Rendan (Barrage)!"
Infernape's fist sped in, blazing red and orange. Just as it reached Lucario, however, the Aura pokémon casually batted the arm aside, and stepped inside Infernape's guard.
What followed could have only been described as absolutely brutal.
Lucario slammed rapid glowing blue fists into Infernape's torso, followed with a series of crane strikes, elbows, and backfists. The Aura pokémon then spun into a fierce back kick that knocked Infernape backward several meters. While Infernape stood there, dazed, Lucario's image flickered and disappeared again, only to reappear crouched directly in front of the still-reeling ape.
After a brief pause, Lucario shot upwards, blasting Infernape upward into the air with a savage open palm strike to the jaw. As Infernape rose into the air, Lucario followed, knocking the ape even higher with vicious Aura-boosted kicks. Once Infernape had reached the apex of its flight, Lucario tucked into a rapid somersault above it, coming out of the somersault in a screamingly fast axe kick that struck the fire ape square in stomach. The force of the kick propelled Infernape down into the ground with earth-shattering impact, eliciting gasps from the audience.
Still in the air, Lucario gathered Aura between his paws, forming an aura sphere almost half a meter wide, then released the attack downward, directly toward the pulverized fire ape.
KA-THOOOOM!
The resultant blast shook the entire stadium, even more than Infernape's Earthquake had.
While the dust settled, Lucario gently floated downward, touching the ground just in front of his trainer.
When the dust from the attack finally cleared, Infernape was revealed, laying in a crater nearly 30 meters wide and 10 meters deep, out cold.
Silence reigned for a full minute until the MC found his voice.
"INFERNAPE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS SATOSHI!"
Satoshi smiled, and held out his pokéball. "Great job Hirumanai. Take a good rest."
The dark trainer returned his Lucario, then turned and offered a respectful bow to Hiroshi.
"Arigatō, Fukuda-san. It was a wonderful match. I wish it would have lasted longer."
And with that, Satoshi swept out of the arena, leaving an awestruck crowd in his wake.
-In the League Box-
"Lemme go! Lemme go! I want to go see Satoshi-san! I want to learn how to do that! Cynthia! Lemme go!"
Maylene was in full fangirl mode, as Cynthia and Clair struggled to hold back the young Fighting Gym Leader.
"Maylene, if we let you go, you'll be arrested for sexually assaulting Satoshi!"
"WILL NOT! I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR SATOSHI-KUN!"
Realizing what she had just said, Maylene abruptly fell silent as a blush appeared on her cheeks that made a Charizard's tail flame look dim in comparison.
Cynthia looked at her cautiously.
"Are you done?"
"Mmmm-hmmmmmmm."
The older women let go of the pinkette, only for her to make a dash for the door.
"I'M COMING, SATOSHI-KUN!"
"Alakazam, use Hypnosis!"
Maylene fell to the floor as Sabrina returned her pokémon, an air of satisfaction emanating from the Psychic Leader.
"But seriously, Satoshi has some frighteningly strong pokémon if his Lucario is any indication. That finishing move – I've never seen anything like it," Cynthia mused out loud, "I actually think I learned something from that battle."
"Um….m-maybe we…c-can ask S-Satoshi wh-where…he learned…that move," suggested Jasmine, a heavy blush on her face.
"Okay! It's decided!" shouted Whitney, "The first one to talk to Satoshi-kun and ask him where he learned that move wins!"
"Wins what?" queried Clair hesitantly.
"A chance at Satoshi-kun!" responded the Normal-type Leader with a grin.
Almost all the other women in the room nodded, then dashed out the door, including Maylene, who had somehow recovered from Hypnosis. The only female Leaders left in the box were Sabrina, Clair, and Candice, along with Cynthia and Bertha.
"Did that…just become a competition…between Gym Leaders…over a boy?" asked Flint, speaking for all the male Leaders in the box.
"Yes," deadpanned Sabrina, "Yes it did."
Everyone present sweatdropped.
-Meanwhile, with Max and Company-
"Did you guys see that? Satoshi didn't even look like he was trying!" gushed Max, who couldn't stop talking about his new idol.
"For the fourteenth time Max, yes! We saw the match! We were there too, you know!" snapped May, getting slightly irritated with her younger brother now.
"Max does have a point though," Brock interjected, coming to the young trainer's defense, "Did anyone else notice something odd about what Satoshi did?"
Dawn thought for a moment, then her eyes widened.
"No commands…" she breathed.
"Exactly!" agreed Brock, "Except for the finishing move, Satoshi didn't speak a single direct command to his pokémon! Misty, you're probably the best trainer here, is such a thing even possible? Misty?"
Brock turned to see why the ex-Gym Leader wasn't responding, but to his surprise, she wasn't there.
-With Misty-
'Just where is this guy going?' wondered Misty, as she followed Satoshi through the streets outside the stadium.
She, like Brock, had immediately noticed Satoshi's lack of commands. She had never, ever, seen a Trainer and pokémon able to do that, with the sole exception of Sabrina, who was the most powerful Psychic in the world. Misty herself had actually tried to develop Psychic abilities during her tenure at Mt. Silver. According to Sabrina, everyone possessed latent psychic abilities to some extent. However, even after five years of meditation, Misty had only gained mild ability for empathy – and Sabrina said that she had huge psychic potential! Where did Satoshi –
Misty abruptly broke out of her thoughts as she realized she had somehow tailed Satoshi to a secluded portion of town. Noticing that she could be easily discovered, the orange-haired teen jumped behind trash cans in an alley. Before she could wonder what the dark trainer was doing, he spoke.
"I know you're there, I felt you following me all the way from the arena. No use hiding now!"
Misty jumped, sure she had been discovered, only for another female voice to break out into laughter.
"Ohohoho! So you noticed us, did you? As expected of such a strong trainer, Satoshi-san!"
Two figures jumped down from one of the rooftops, revealing themselves to be a boy and girl, twins by their appearance, in Team Rocket uniforms. Both were rather average looking, with the exception of their hair, which was orange. The two looked to be about sixteen or seventeen.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," continued the girl, "I'm Bonnie."
"And I'm Clyde," finished the boy, "We represent the Rocket Organization. Our boss was very interested in your performance during your match. He sent us to make an exclusive one-time offer: Join Team Rocket. A trainer of your strength would rise extremely quickly in the ranks. Think of it! You can have everything you ever wanted! Money, power, strong pokémon, women! Everything!"
"So, you'll say yes, right?" said Bonnie, the barest hint of a blush showing on her face.
Satoshi didn't respond. Apparently, to Bonnie, silence meant 'Yes'.
"Excellent, I will inform the boss that you wish to –"
"No thank you," came Satoshi's ever-so-polite refusal.
"W-what?" asked a baffled Bonnie.
"I said no thank you, Bonnie-san. I appreciate the offer, but I do not wish to associate myself with Team Rocket, especially considering the business you are involved in. Now if you will excuse me, I have places to be…"
Clyde let out a sigh. "Our orders are to bring you in, regardless of whether you want to come peacefully or not! Go, Honchkrow!"
Bonnie seemed to get over her shock at Satoshi's response, hurling her own ball. "Show 'em what you got, Gengar!"
The shadow pokémon joined the big boss pokémon, both of them ready to battle.
"Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse!"
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Both pokémon fired their attacks, but just before the attack reached Satoshi, the dark trainer flickered, and then, just like his Lucario, disappeared.
Everyone watching blinked in surprise, mouths dropping open.
'Extremespeed…? But he's not a pokémon!' Misty wondered, before noticing something.
Instead of hitting Satoshi, the two attacks continued…directly toward her hiding place.
CRASH!
"Waaah!" cried Misty as her cover was blasted away.
Bonnie and Clyde turned to look at the redhead, surprise evident on their faces.
"Who's this?" asked Bonnie, wondering how someone with such bright hair could have escaped her notice.
"It doesn't matter," answered Clyde, "She probably heard the whole conversation. We can't risk our cover being blown. Honchkrow, use Mean Look!"
Misty cursed as she found herself unable to run. She hadn't thought to bring any pokémon other than Pikachu with her, and these two trainers' pokémon were clearly very strong. Quick as a flash, though, Pikachu leapt off her shoulder, placing himself between his trainer and the enemy. Steeling herself for a nasty fight, Misty opened her mouth to command Pikachu into battle, but Bonnie interrupted her.
"I don't think so! Gengar, use Lick!"
The purple pokémon shot forward, giving Misty one fast lick on the face. Instantly, Misty felt her muscles lock up, including her mouth. She struggled to get her disobedient body to move, but she remained immobile as Bonnie and Clyde moved in to finish her off.
The trainers and their pokémon were so focused on each other that they failed to notice the observer balanced lightly on a nearby telephone pole.
'Oh dear,' thought Satoshi, 'It seems that the third person following me got dragged into this. I should probably help out…'
His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the small electric mouse between the redheaded trainer and the two Rocket members. On its head was perched a red Pokémon League cap.
A flash of recognition shot through Satoshi, and he shouted out the command without thinking.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Pikachu instinctively unleashed a torrent of electricity, which struck the two criminals and their pokémon, propelling all four of them into the sky in a familiar manner.
-Entering LEO (Low Earth Orbit)-
"Clyde-niisan (brother)?"
"Yes Bonnie-neesan (sister)?"
"Are we…Blasting Off™?"
"I think so."
"…Well, crap."
"I couldn't agree more."
-Back on Terra Firma-
Pikachu and Misty both stared at each other, wide- eyed.
"Y-you heard it too, right?" asked Misty, sure she had gone crazy.
Pikachu nodded his head firmly.
"Ash…?"
"Pikapi."
The trainer and pokémon both looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that could have summoned such a voice. But there was nothing.
Satoshi bounded away, leaving the strange scene behind.
'What was that? I saw the Pikachu, and the hat, and just instinctively shouted out the command…I must meditate on this,' he decided, continuing his flight.
The redhead groaned as control of her muscles returned. While she sat there waiting for the paralysis to wear off, she pondered the mystery that was Satoshi.
'He posseses extremely strong pokemon, he seems to have some sort of psychic ability, he seems to be able to generate some sort of invisible pressure on those around him, and he is as fast as a pokemon using Extremespeed. Just who are you, Satoshi?'
Finally, Misty stood up. Motioning for Pikachu,who scampered up onto her shoulder, she went to find Sabrina. If anyone could determine whether or not Satoshi had psychic abilities, it would be the psychic Leader.
-Woods Outside Town-
Satoshi sighed as he sat with his back against a tree on the edge of the clearing he had chosen as his camp. It had been an interesting day, to say the least. Reaching down to his belt, he pressed the release buttons on the four occupied pokeballs sitting there. Four bright flashes of light later, and his four pokemon stood in front of him.
"Okay guys, go relax. Hiru, do you mind staying with me? I need to speak with you about something."
Not at all, Master.
The Lucario's calm mental voice radiated through the clearing. Much like his trainer's voice, the Aura pokemon's manner of speaking was polite, but held an undercurrent of power.
Satoshi gestured to the ground next to him. Taking the hint, the pokemon sat down, leaning his back against the tree. Hirumanai had been Satoshi's first pokemon. He had hatched from an egg that Satoshi had found in the woods. The two had grown strong together, and they shared a bond that few others could understand. It was across this bond that Satoshi recounted the events that had transpired in the town.
Very interesting. The only explanation I can think of is that the Pikachu and the hat must have had a significant role in your previous life.
'I think so too, but how should I act on this?'
I would say you should befriend this trainer and her pokemon. If she possesses the pokemon that you knew in your previous life, she might know something about your previous life as well. Maybe you can recover your memories without Celebi's help.
Satoshi smiled, wrinkling the lightning-bolt shaped birthmarks under his eyes.
'Thank you my friend. Sound advice, as always.'
The amnesiac trainer stood up with a sigh.
"I'm going into town. I need to do some information gathering. Anyone want to come with?"
Lucario declined, saying he wanted to rest and recover some energy. As strong as he was, stopping Infernape's hellish attack still required a fair amount of energy.
Charizard snorted a negative, then closed her eyes to take a nap. One of Satoshi's pokemon was already soaking themselves in a nearby stream. His last pokemon, however, gently floated up to her trainer, and touched the button on her pokeball.
"Still a bit shy in public?" Satoshi remarked rhetorically after the light faded.
He received only a twitch of the pokeball in response.
Grinning, the trainer set off into the trees
-In town, at Sabrina's residence-
"You wanted to see me, Misty."
As usual, it was not a question. Sabrina almost never asked questions, a result of her impressive psychic capacities. Some people found it unsettling, but Misty had known the Leader long enough to become accustomed to it.
"Yes, I have a question concerning Satoshi."
"By the fact that you are asking a Psychic, I will assume that you are referring to Satoshi-san's curious ability to command his pokemon without words."
"Yes."
Sabrina sighed. "I also noticed it during his match. I tried to get a reading on any psychic ability he may have been using, but with such a large stadium of people, with everyone practically screaming their thoughts, I couldn't pick out Satoshi at all."
Misty frowned. "So how do we figure out whether or not he has psychic powers?"
"The best way would be to observe him during one of the smaller matches, or challenge him to a match outside of the tournament."
Misty nodded. It made sense. Aside from the matches that went on in the main stadium, there were also battles in several other locations, speeding up the tournament. "I don't think we will have the opportunity to find him outside of the tournament, so we will probably have to wait until his next match; according to the schedule, it will be around sunset, and it will be in one of the smaller arenas. Until then, why don't we explore the town? This tournament only comes along every fifty years, after all!"
Sabrina gave a small smile. Misty had become a very good friend to her over the years, and was one of the few people who felt comfortable enough to spend any amount of time with the gym leader.
"Sure."
-In town, a little bit later-
Misty and Sabrina walked side by side through the crowded streets. Everywhere you turned you could see something interesting. There were stands of all kinds, hawking wares, serving food, and offering games and other amusements for the passing crowds. The air was filled with the smell of food and the laughter of excited children. Both Misty and Sabrina had content smiles on their faces. The sheer happiness in the environment was enough to make the trip worthwhile. Pikachu rested comfortably on his trainer's shoulder, calmly surveying his surroundings. After such a confusing morning, this dose of simplicity was wonderful for the yellow mouse.
Frankly, the three were thoroughly enjoying the walk, at least until three stomachs decided to remind them that none of them had eaten since early that morning.
"We should probably get something to eat," remarked a mildly embarrased Misty.
Sabrina nodded in agreement, then pointed to a nearby stand that advertised a variety of foods. A satisfied-looking blonde could be seen departing the store, strangely accompanied by a large suit of armor.
Taking the look of satisfaction as a positive review, the Gym Leader and ex-Leader made a Combeeline for the stand, sitting down at the counter and placing their orders.
A few short minutes later, both young women were filling their stomachs, and making light conversation. Misty was discussing the strengths and weaknesses of her newest pokemon with Sabrina, when both of them felt an intense wave of shock ripple through the crowd outside. They turned, sticking their heads out of the stand to see the cause of the commotion.
Their eyes widened in shock as none other than Satoshi himself strolled down the street, seemingly without a care in the world. He seemed not to notice the effects his presence had on the crowd. Women swooned, men glared, and children pointed and whispered in awe.
As if the appearance of the mysterious trainer wasn't enough of a shock for Misty and Sabrina, Satoshi proceeded to turn and enter the stand, sit down, and order some food.
Misty and Sabrina counted themselves fortunate that the Gym Leader was the world's most powerful psychic, because telepathy beat whispered conversation hands down.
'Misty, challenge him to a battle, quick!'
'Right now? And why me?'
'It will make it easier for me to get a read on any psychic abilities he has! We may not have such a good chance again!'
Misty nodded, and reached down to unclip one of her pokeballs, but before she could turn to offer her challenge to the dark trainer, another figure burst into the stand.
"Satoshi! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"
All three current occupants of the stand turned toward the voice. It was a boy, looking about eleven, with brilliant red hair, green eyes, and a defiant expression on his face. Without waiting for Satoshi to respond, the boy continued. "You are being called one of the best trainers to show up at this tournament. If I can beat you, I'll be able to make a name for myself!"
Satoshi's smile could be seen beneath his hood.
"Challenge accepted."
-A few minutes later, nearby empty square-
Satoshi had led the boy to one of the town's many small squares, Sabrina and Misty following close behind. Once they had reached their destination, Satoshi and his challenger took up positions on either side of the space.
"I don't believe I caught your name," spoke out Satoshi, "Do you mind telling me?"
"Silph Hikaru," shouted the boy, "and don't you forget it!"
If Satoshi's eyebrows were visible, Misty was sure they would have been raised.
"Would you happen to be the son of Silph Akio-dono? The founder and head of Silph Company?"
The boy seemed peeved. "Don't compare me to my father!"
Satoshi actually sounded slightly abashed. "Sumimasen, Hikaru-kun."
The dark trainer turned to Misty. "Excuse me, Waterflower-san, do you mind refereeing this match?"
Misty blinked. "S-sure, but...how did you know my name?"
Satoshi grinned again. "I would be ashamed with myself if I did not recognize one of the strongest trainers in this tournament, and if I did not know a Leader on sight I would turn in my license, especially if that Leader is the strongest psychic in the world."
The redhead blushed, while the Gym Leader had the oddest expression on her face, as though she had just been slapped in the face with a very large, very wet Magikarp. For once in her life, Sabrina had absolutely idea how to respond.
Trying to salvage both hers and Sabrina's images, Misty assumed a poker face. "This match will be a one-on-one battle between Satoshi and Silph Hikaru! Both contestants please send out your pokemon!"
As one, Satoshi and Hikaru hurled their pokeballs.
"Take 'em down, Sableye!"
"Mai (Dance), Yugana!"
In the usual bright flash of light, a Sableye and a Gardevoir appeared facing each other. This Gardevoir, however, was not the ordinary green and white colors of the Embrace pokémon. Instead, the green was replaced with a gentle blue – the telltale signs of a shiny Gardevoir.
"Lucky! I'll start this one off! Sableye, use Shadow Ball!"
The Darkness pokemon complied, charging up and firing the packet of vile energy. It drew closer and closer to the graceful psychic-type, until there was almost no chance of it missing.
The attack struck - and kept going. It was as if Gardevoir wasn't even there!
To his credit, Hikaru hesitated less then a second. "Sableye, use Shock Wave to find out where she is, then use Multi Dark Pulse!"
On the boy's command, a pulse of electricity radiated out from the Sableye, reaching across the battlefield. As the electricity reached out, an outline of Gardevoir became visible, then the pokemon herself shimmered into existence. In response, Sableye fired off multiple barrages of dark energy at the psychic-type, filling the air with black projectiles. As the barrage reached Gardevoir, the blue and white pokémon closed her eyes, and teleported. She appeared a few meters away, only to disappear yet again. In the span of less than a minute, Gardevoir made over fifty different micro-jumps, avoiding the attacks entirely.
Misty let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. For a moment, she had been just a little bit worried about Satoshi's pokemon.
"Sableye, use Thunder Sneak!"
Misty's eyes widened as the purple pokemon appeared out of Gardevoir's shadow, its fist crackling with electricity.
The Sableye surged forward, throwing out the fist, only for the attack to reflect off an invisible barrier behind Gardevoir. The psychic-type teleported away again, eyes still closed. Undaunted, Hikaru called out another attack.
"Quick, while Protect is down, another Thunder Sneak!"
Sableye attempted to comply, but was stopped short as its body briefly flashed gray, indicating that Gardevoir had used Disable. Before Hikaru or his pokémon could react, however, Gardevoir retaliated for the first and last time in the battle, firing off swarms of glowing leaves that slammed into Sableye, knocking it out cold in one attack.
"Sableye is unable to battle; the winner of this match is Satoshi!" called Misty, fulfilling her role as referee.
Hikaru collapsed to his knees in disbelief, his eyes staring straight ahead.
"I- I couldn't do anything…Dammit!" he yelled, tears streaming from his eyes, "Why am I so weak?"
As the young boy continued to sob, he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up. In front of him stood Satoshi, the visible part of his face wearing a kind smile. A hand came down, resting on Hikaru's shoulder.
"Don't worry," the dark trainer reassured his challenger, "You are not weak, Hikaru-kun. You have a strong bond with your pokémon, and you battle well with him. If you continue to train, and continue to battle, and continue to build that bond, there will be no limit on how strong you can become."
With that, the dark trainer turned to Misty, his distinctive grin visible under his hood. "Waterflower-san, could you do me the favor of taking care of Hikaru-kun? He probably has enough money to survive the rest of the tournament; he just needs someone more responsible to keep an eye on him. I can trust you with that, right?"
Misty found herself blushing. For some reason, she found it hard to speak normally in Satoshi's presence. "S-Sure."
Satoshi grinned even wider. "Well then, I will be seeing you around. Waterflower-san, Sabrina-san, Hikaru-kun, sayonara (good bye)!"
And with that, Satoshi moved over to his Gardevoir, placed a hand on her shoulder, and trainer and pokémon vanished in a teleport.
-Later, at Sabrina's residence-
After Misty had taken Hikaru to Brock and Max's room, where he had fallen asleep on the couch, she and Sabrina walked back to the Gym Leader's apartment. There, Sabrina finally answered the question Misty had been burning to ask.
"Satoshi is undeniably an enigma. He used no psychic power that I could detect, but during the match, it was almost as if he and his pokémon were the same being. From the time he released Gardevoir to the end of the match, I couldn't distinguish between their psychic signatures. I've never experienced anything like it."
Misty frowned thoughtfully. "We should talk to Cynthia. She would be able to tell us if this sort of thing has ever happened before."
Sabrina nodded in agreement. "We can ask her tomorrow, during the matches."
The red-haired ex-Leader and the green-haired Leader spent the next hour once again comparing strengths and weaknesses of various pokémon. Eventually, Misty left, saying she wanted to get some rest for her first battle, which was scheduled for early the next day. She bade farewell to Sabrina, and headed back to her room at the Pokécenter.
-Later that night, concealed docking facility-
The ship was matte-black, and made no sound as it eased into the covered dock, gigantic doors closing after it, concealing it entirely from unwanted viewers.
The vessel sat in the darkness for a few moments, then with a snapping sound, brilliant white lights illuminated every surface of the dark craft. At the same time, figures dressed in black swarmed over the dock's concrete decks, tying off mooring lines and bringing a steel staircase to the side of the ship. At the top of the steps, a man dressed in an expensive suit appeared, and began descending. At the bottom of the stairs, a double row of black-garbed soldiers stood – an honor guard. At the head of the guard was a solitary figure dressed in white, a red "R" emblazoned on his shirt.
The man dressed in the suit finished his descent, and the black-haired man in white bowed to his superior.
"Welcome to Sennichi no Shima, Giovanni-sama."
*bows*
Hello again everyone, this is Crack the Skye with the first real chapter of Indomitable Spirit! Wooooot!
*throws confetti*
I hope it is as good as the prologue, because more than half of this chapter was written on my Blackberry at running camp, so the quality probably fell quite a bit, mainly because I can't buy the mobile Word Premium, which is what has spell-check. Sumimasen. So anyway, before anyone asks, YES I copied the idea of release commands from Bleach, and Hirumanai's finisher move was indeed a variant of Naruto's Uzumaki Naruto Rendan (barrage). Again, don't own.
As you may have all noticed, Satoshi only has four pokémon. The names and identity of his last two will be revealed next chapter. And to forestall any suggestions, YES he will eventually have six, but to reveal any more would be a major spoiler.
On the names:
Hirumanai : Dauntless
Yugana : Graceful
So they don't sound as good in English. Oh well.
Side note: can someone recommend a good Japanese translation site? I have some things planned that just don't work on Google Translate.
To the Reviewers:
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It really means a lot to know that someone out there is willing to give you feedback. Thank you.
Sardonicus: Yes.