Disclaimer: Come to think of it…I don't own Pokémon! I shall not stand for this injustice any longer! Baroness-chan! Ready the tranquilizer rifles and the torture equipment! We're going to Japan!
"Hai, Nii-san!"
Yeah, still don't own, but ask us again in a month. HEHEHEHEHE…
Movement 04: Darkest before Dawn
Chapter Theme: Dance of the Hours [Composed by Amilcare Ponchielli]
Tayuminai's Theme: Overture to Barber of Seville [Composed by Giaochino Rossini]
Rocket Theme: All Hail Britannia! [Code Geass OST 1]
-Somewhere on Sennichi no Shima, 11:00 PM-
"Are all units ready?"
"They are, Giovanni-dono."
The head of Team Rocket nodded, stroking his Persian. "Begin."
"At once, sir!" The underling pressed a button on the console he was standing behind. At the same time, across the island, green lights switched on in dark rooms, signaling the occupants of those rooms to carry out their orders. Headlights switched on, and several dark-colored vans departed from hidden locations. Once each van reached its destination, the doors on the back opened, disgorging black-clad figures, which quickly moved to accomplish their assigned tasks.
In the hidden command center from which the operation was being observed, a man dressed in a white Rocket uniform turned to his superior. "All units are proceeding without detection, Giovanni-sama. Do you wish to stay and observe the entire operation?"
The man in the expensive suit shook his head. "No, I believe I will retire to my quarters. I leave this operation in your capable hands, Vice-Executive Saturn. Present your report after the operation is complete."
The man bowed. "As you wish, Giovanni-sama!"
Giovanni did not return the bow, electing instead to turn and leave the command center.
-Woods of Sennichi no Shima, Several minutes later-
The two black vans rolled to a stop, concealed from prying eyes by the thicket of leaves and branches, and, just like a dozen other vans across the island, the back doors opened, and sixteen Rocket Grunts spilled out. One of them, brown-haired and green-eyed, grumbled as he emerged. "Two hours sitting cramped in there with all the gear! You'd think they'd buy bigger vans at this point!"
His partner rolled brown eyes in response. "Stop whining. It's your fault for picking the seat in the back corner because you were so eager to get in."
"Urusai!" (Shut up)
"Both of you be quiet!" snapped the group leader. "We have a job to do!"
Chastened, the two quarreling members rejoined the rest of the squad, moving deeper into the forest, carrying their equipment with them. The woods weren't quiet in the least, as bushes rustled, twigs snapped, and the calls of nocturnal pokémon filled the trees. Most trainers would be unnerved by the woods at night, but these were hardened Team Rocket commandos. The only things they feared were reporting a failure to their Boss.
Silently, the group proceeded onward, until they stopped at a signal from the team leader. Without speaking, the Rocket members spread out, and began setting up their equipment. Within an hour, a command post had been set up, and the team leader was transmitting his first report. On the edge of the camp, the two operatives that had been reprimanded were setting up a motion detector, talking quietly to each other.
"Ngh…Hold it steady…alright, done," the green-eyed one grunted, as he attached the pod to a tree, then stepped away. "Aaaand…yep, we're done."
Crack.
At the sound of a large twig snapping immediately behind them, both Rockets spun, pulling pokéballs from their belts. Seeing their comrades' action, the other commandos in the clearing all tensed, the closer ones also drawing pokéballs.
The bushes rustled, and the light brown face of a curious Leafeon poked out. The humans relaxed.
"Just a Leafeon," murmured one of the members further away.
The green-eyed Rocket member turned to his team leader, a question on his face. "Team policy is that any valuable wild pokémon encountered on missions are fair game, right boss?"
The senior Rocket nodded. "Go ahead, we're just about done here."
The lower-ranking operative and his partner both turned back toward the Leafeon, twisted smirks on their faces. One pulled out a pokéball, and started moving slowly forward. At the same time, the Grass-type, instinctually realizing what they wanted, began to back away.
"Come on, just get in the ball. We're not going to hurt you." The words were reassuring, but the face and tone were all wrong. The two Rocket members took another step forward, and the Verdant pokémon turned and fled. Grinning at the prospects of a hunt, the two humans followed in hot pursuit.
'Run! Run! Don't look back, they'll catch you! Left, go left. Double back, maybe they'll miss you… Arceus-damnit! They're right there! Back away slowly, maybe they won't…oh Toxic! Go, go, GO! Wait, I recognize that rock…oh no. No! No! I've got to get them away from here! Quick! Toward that clearing! They can't get near that rock! I can't let it happen!'
Satoshi and his pokémon were resting and recovering from the long day. Hirumanai was lightly practicing his katas, while Taifuu stretched out on the grass. Satoshi himself was leaning against Sorahime's side, Yugana's head resting on his shoulder. The hooded trainer chuckled at his last pokémon. Of his four companions, the Shiny Gardevoir was the most emotional and affectionate. Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift back…
-Yugana used Flashback!-
Five Years Ago, Somewhere in the Kami-Kyoku no Yama
"Ugh…" groaned Satoshi, as he pulled himself up the side of a gully in the dense forest that grew in the valleys of the Kami-Kyoku no Yama. "Damn it Aaron-sensei, what was the point of dropping us off three mountains over and telling us to find our way home?"
Yeah, what the hell was that jerk thinking? Agreed Hirumanai, as his partner pulled him up over the edge of the ravine. One minute we're training, the next he gets us onto his Pidgeot, flies us out, and just dumps us, yelling over his shoulder that we need to make it home by tomorrow!
Satoshi chuckled at his companion's small rant, shaking his head as he leaned against the bark of a nearby tree. 'Well, at least he left us off in a pretty safe region. If he had taken us another five klicks to the west, we would be fighting for our lives right now.'
Hirumanai nodded, as he rested against an upthrust rock, catching their breath after the clamber up the ravine. The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes, before Satoshi sighed, standing up. 'Well, we should get a move on. I want to get out of this valley before nightfall, so tomorrow we only have to cross the next valley and climb back up to the cabin.'
The Emanation pokémon nodded, and the two began to trek further up the wooded valley, only to stop upon hearing a pained cry.
Satoshi and Hirumanai didn't even stop to look at each other. The moment they registered the cry, they were bounding through the trees toward the source of the sound. Less than a minute later, they found it.
A pack of Mightyenas had closed ranks around a smaller pokémon, although Satoshi couldn't see what species it was. They were taking turns snapping at whatever it was, having backed it up against the tree. Ordinarily Satoshi would have turned and left. It was natural for Mightyenas to hunt other pokémon, they were carnivores. But from what the trainer and his pokémon could sense, this pack of Mightyenas had no intention of eating their victim- they were toying with it.
With a growl that sounded almost exactly like Hirumanai's, Satoshi leapt forward, his fists clenched.
His first target, an ugly brute with a mess of scars on its snout, didn't even see the hit coming, and went flying across the clearing. The remaining members of the pack, startled, turned to Satoshi, snarling. They didn't notice the small pokémon behind them, fury in his eyes.
"Hiru, use Blaze Kick!"
The small Fighting-type complied, blasting a Mightyena in the head with either foot. At the same time, Satoshi launched an unstable fist-sized sphere of energy at another Mightyena, the subsequent explosion propelling the Bite pokémon into one of its brethren. Satoshi didn't waste any time, leaping into the air, spinning rapidly, dispatching another Mightyena at the end of his jump with a powerful kick that was made even more so by his high-speed rotation. "Hiru, use Low Kick, then Bullet Punch!"
The Emanation pokémon crouched low and sent his foot scything outward, breaking the front two legs of a nearby Mightyena, then proceeded to turn and launch a blistering barrage of bullet-like bludgeoning fists at three other Mightyena. None of them even had a chance to counterattack, collapsing to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut. On the other side of the clearing, a single Mightyena managed to gather itself enough to fire off a Shadow Ball at Satoshi. In response, the black-haired amnesiac conjured a disc of blue energy. It was roughly formed, and barely held long enough to stop Ghost-type attack. All the same, the Mightyena's surprise at its opponents move distracted it enough for Hirumanai to hit it with another Blaze Kick.
In less than thirty seconds, the entire battle was over, and eleven Mightyena were scattered about the clearing, either unconscious or unable to battle anymore. Dismissing their defeated opponents, Satoshi and Riolu turned toward the tree where the Mightyena had backed their victim into a corner. Trembling in between two roots that were wide enough for it to fit into was a small blue and white pokémon.
"A Kirlia?" Satoshi questioned, surprised. "Now how did a little one like you get lost out here? This is no place for a lower evolution."
The Kirlia didn't know who this strange human was, but she could sense what he was. She reached out with her mind, hesitantly, and touched his thoughts. Upon contact, her eyes widened. Never before had she met such a pure soul, not even in her mother. She felt something within her heart leap for joy, and, without hesitating, leapt into his arms, opening her mind fully to him at the same time.
Satoshi gasped, but it wasn't from the sudden impact of the Psychic type into his chest. It was the shock of his mind experiencing everything that this Kirlia was in less than a second. From the creation of her egg, to the moment she met him, every thought, action, fear, and emotion played out on the landscape of his mind. If it had been any other pokémon or human save Hirumanai, it would have overwhelmed him, but the sheer purity of this Kirlia's entire being rivaled that of Lady Mew's. There was not a single blemish to be found upon her soul, and thus, her identity bore no threat towards his own sense of self.
When the flash of insight had passed, Satoshi looked down at the Shiny pokémon that still clung to his chest. With a glance at Hirumanai, who had also experienced the Psychic type's…unique…introduction through his bond with Satoshi, the trainer knew that he could no longer simply deliver her back to the forest she had mistakenly teleported from. To leave her now would be like leaving a piece of themselves behind. Smiling, the amnesiac looked down at the smiling Kirlia, gently prying her off his body. Unlike what many others would do when removed from an embrace like that, the Kirlia did not feel hurt or rejected. She knew this human and pokémon far too well now for her to suspect that of them. She simply waited for Satoshi to speak.
"Well, I think you know we can't just let you go off on your own now…would like to come with us?"
The Kirlia smiled even wider, and began dancing around the clearing. "KIRLI LI A!"
Satoshi smiled. "Welcome to the team…" he searched for a name that suited the second-stage evolution. Thinking over the entirety of what he had experienced through the Psychic type's connection, a word floated to the top of his mind. "…Yugana."
-Reader woke up! Reader is beside itself with rage!-
'Yes, that was a most interesting day…' Satoshi chuckled, his mind returning to the present. At his chuckle, Yugana sat up, her eyes questioning for a moment, before twinkling in amusement, as she sensed what he had been thinking of. Yes, it was…no, it still is the best day of my life.
Satoshi laughed again, but before he could make a response, a green and brown blur shot into the clearing, and slammed into him full-tilt. Surprised, but sensing no ill will from the living projectile, the amnesiac trainer set down the Leafeon he had reflexively caught, looking at it with concern. "Daijōbudesuka, Shinrin no Musume?" (Are you okay, Forest Daughter?)
The Leafeon looked at the human she had run into with awe. After a moment of stunned silence, the Grass-type recovered, and began to rapidly babble out what was happening in Pokéspeech. As she finished, a crashing sound came from the side of the clearing that she had bolted from, and the two Rocket members emerged, panting, but still grinning.
"Well now, looks like it's all over for you, isn't it?" grinned one of the Rocket members, pulling out a pokéball. "Come on now, get into the ball."
Satoshi stood up, patting the trembling Leafeon on the head. "Yu-chan, take care of her for me. I think someone needs to be taught a lesson." He stated, cracking his knuckles and taking a step forward, shielding the Grass type from the approaching Rocket agents.
The black-haired Rocket raised an eyebrow, smirking maliciously. "And just what are you going to do, punk? You think you can stop Team Rocket from taking what we want?"
Satoshi shrugged off the remark. "Depends. What is it you want with this pokémon?"
The brown-eyed Rocket grinned. "Simple. We're going to force her to lay as many eggs as possible, and then we're going to sell her on the black market. Leafeons always fetch a pretty good price."
For a moment, Satoshi didn't say anything. Then, he looked back at the Rocket members, his mouth underneath his hood a thin line. "I see."
The Rockets gasped, as gravity seemed to triple, nearly sending them to the ground. Shaking, they struggled to remain on their feet, as their hooded opponent took a step forward. Panicking, they release their pokémon, ordering them to attack.
"Haunter, use Shadow Claw!"
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash!"
The released pokémon shot towards their target without hesitation, claws at the ready, only for two blurs to intercept the attacks, and knocking both Rocket pokémon out. The blurs resolved into Hirumanai and Taifuu, rage blazing in their eyes. Satoshi had shown no reaction to his pokémon's actions, merely continuing his slow march towards his own targets.
Sheer terror forced the Rocket agents into motion, as they turned, fleeing wildly into the woods. Branches scratched their faces, but the only thing that currently mattered to these two was the primeval fear racing through their systems, focused on only one objective: survival.
Finally gaining some control over themselves, the fleeing criminals slowed, taking cover behind a tree. Gasping for breath, one managed to choke out a question. "Can…can you see him?"
The other Rocket member peered around the tree, searching for any sign of the vengeful stranger. "I don't see…"
Swish
He paused as he felt a gust of wind behind him. "What was that?" For some reason, his partner didn't answer. Turning, he opened his mouth to repeat himself. "I said-"
He froze.
His partner was gone.
Somewhere in the dark of the woods, he heard a scream.
Not even stopping to scream, the terrified Rocket flew through the trees, sheer terror lending wings to his heels. Three times he tripped over a root or fallen branch, and dragged himself to his feet, disregarding the gashes sharp rocks left in his arms and chest. After what felt like an eternity, the Rocket agent burst into the command post, promptly falling to his knees, gasping and panting. "He…he got…Akira!"
The team leader frowned at him, looking confused. "What are you talking about? Akira's right next to you."
Looking where his commanding officer was pointing, the exhausted Rocket turned to the left. His jaw dropped. There, also on his hands and knees in exhaustion, was his comrade, who was wearing an identical expression of shock.
"What the-?"
A stick snapped behind them, leaving them no time to question each other. As one, the entire squad drew their pokéballs, as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows of the trees, an anticipatory grin visible underneath his hood.
"Well, look what I found."
Moments later, screams echoed through the forest.
-5 minutes earlier, Cynthia's residence-
Cynthia had remained buried in her work since Misty and Sabrina departed earlier that day. She had brought a fair collection of her older tomes, to amuse herself during the tournament, which afforded her sufficient information that she didn't have to boot up her computer. Cynthia enjoyed watching the matches, yes, but sometimes the blonde Champion needed to spend some time amongst her beloved books.
Sabrina and Misty had just happened to give her a perfect opportunity to do so. She had spent the past several hours happily immersed in the obscure scripts that were some of the only relics of ancient kingdoms and their knowledge, searching for any record of the powers Satoshi displayed.
She had found nothing.
One would expect Cynthia to be somewhat discouraged by such a result. After all, she had just spent a large amount of time cross-referencing ancient Pokégyptian glyphs with Pokélantean runes, painstakingly deciphering texts that told stories of long-dead heroes, and legions of prophets who performed miraculous deeds, only to come up with nothing that carried all of the described abilities.
But Cynthia was a Champion, and in order to become Champion, trainers had to relish challenges, nearly to the point of addiction. And Cynthia fit that description very well. Far from being put off by such a setback, she instead became even more excited. Here was a puzzle that she could sink her teeth into! A task that would require hours, days even, to complete!
The Champion was so immersed in her work that it took several minutes for the sound of a knock on her back door to register. Growling at the interruption, she pushed her chair out from her desk, stalking to the door and yanking it open. "What is – oh, Koga! Is there something I can do for you?"
"I have important information, Cynthia-dono."
The Elite Four Member inclined his head respectfully, causing Cynthia to roll her eyes. Sometimes, Koga's overly respectful attitude annoyed her. "Oh stop that, Koga! You know that I don't like being treated like that! I know that it's a habit from your ninja training, but honestly! We're friends, aren't we?"
Koga almost bowed his head again, but caught himself just before doing it. "Sumimasen, Cynthia-d…san." (Please excuse me).
The blonde sighed, before beckoning the Ninja Master into her house. "Come in. No use standing out here."
The Poison-type Elite followed her into her sitting room, sitting down across from her. "So, what great mystery will you unravel for me today?" she asked, a grin crossing her face.
Koga did not smile in return, instead delivering his tale. "I was following Satoshi-san today."
Cynthia's eyebrows rose. "Small world…please continue."
"We all noticed his unusual abilities today at the match, so I decided to observe him from the shadows. He showed up at Misty-san's match earlier this afternoon. It may also interest you that Misty-san seems to finally have snapped. She battled against someone who bore several similarities to Ash-dono, and lost her temper when he sent out a Pikachu. She dismantled his strategy with anger I haven't seen the likes of in years. It was frightening."
Cynthia winced. Maybe she shouldn't have brought up Ash to Misty earlier.
Koga continued. "After the match, Misty-san went to a small park, probably to blow off steam. Anyway, Satoshi followed her there, and he must have said something quite meaningful to her, because she cheered up rather quickly. He proceeded to ask her if she would show him around the fair."
Here Cynthia grinned. "Let me guess; she shot him down like an Ice Beam to a Dragonite, right?"
Koga shook his head. "No. She agreed, and they went to the festival together."
Cynthia's jaw dropped. She had not expected that.
"They spent a while at the festival. Satoshi-san won a game, and gave Misty-san the prize from it. He may have a crush developing on her, as he flushed red when he gave it to her." Koga paused, frowning. "At least, I think he did. It was hard to tell with the hood he wears. Anyway, after they left the festival, they walked along the sea for a while."
Cynthia almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. After six years of rejecting every attempt at her heart, Misty was now offering it freely to a total stranger. This was as strange – no, it was stranger than Satoshi's own abilities. "And then?"
"Satoshi accidentally ran into a rather angry Biker, who decided to challenge him to a Tandem Battle. Satoshi won, hands down. He and his Lucario have frightening teamwork, let alone sheer power. Satoshi's punches and kicks were strong enough to send a hundred-kilo Biker flying. At the end of the battle, the Biker lost his temper and ordered his Machamp to use Focus Blast." Koga politely ignored Cynthia's gasp at the breach of battling etiquette. To use such a devastating attack in a Tandem Battle had been expressly forbidden. "Satoshi summoned some sort of barrier that completely blocked the incoming attack, and absorbed it at the same time. What he did next though…" Koga's throat dried, and he swallowed before dropping the bombshell. "He created Aura Spheres, Cynthia-san. Satoshi is an Aura user!"
Cynthia's eyes widened, and she found herself speechless. An Aura user! It was one of the rarest abilities in the world amongst humans. In fact, the only known Aura use was Riley, and, to her knowledge, he hadn't found anyone else with an Aura strong enough to train. She stood, and Koga mimicked her, finished with his story. "Koga, I want you to continue to monitor Satoshi. We don't know where or how he gained Aura powers, so he may or may not be a threat, but we can't take any chances when it comes to Aura users. I'm going to contact Riley immediately. He's probably the only one who might know anything about any other Aura users."
The Poison-type Elite nodded, bowed, and disappeared in a swish of his cloak. Cynthia turned towards her computer, booting it up and establishing a connection to Iron Island. While she was waiting for the call to go through, she thought about the powers Satoshi had displayed.
'Just what are you, Satoshi?'
-Forest of Sennichi no Shima-
A twig snapped on the edge of the clearing, drawing the attention of Leafeon and Sorahime. Yugana did not turn, already knowing who it was. The approaching figure stepped into the clearing, and the Grass-type and Kanto starter both relaxed when they realized that it was Satoshi.
"Those Rockets won't be bothering you again," the hooded Aura user announced, showing no sign of the fight he had just been in. He stopped and crouched in front of the Leafeon, patting her on the head like she was a wayward child. "You're safe now. Go back to your burrow."
The Leafeon nodded, trotting over to the edge of the clearing, but stopped just before she entered the woods. She turned back to look at Satoshi, then crooked her tail like she was beckoning him to follow her. "Leaf eon!" (Come on!)
Satoshi, puzzled, looked over at Yugana for some indication of Leafeon's thoughts, but received only a gentle smile and a nod of the head. Sighing, he turned back to the Grass-type, and smiled.
"Lead on, Shinrin no Musume."
The Leafeon smiled, then turned again and set off into the woods, Satoshi following close behind.
They walked for several minutes, until they reached a large rock that jutted out of the ground. At the base of the rock, under a slight overhang, was a large hole dug into the earth. Leafeon disappeared into the hole, and Satoshi crouched down outside, peering deeper into the hole. Two meters further under the rock, he could see that the burrow widened into a rounded chamber. There, sitting on a bed of grass, leaves, and straw, were…
"Aha," mused Satoshi. "So this is why you didn't run straight to your burrow."
Nestled in the bed of foliage were four eggs. This Leafeon was a mother.
Satoshi smiled. "I'm very glad I was able to help you. I hope that all of them grow up strong."
He bowed his head, and began to get up to leave, but was stopped by the Grass-type's insistent call. "Leaf!" (Wait!)
A moment later, the Leafeon came back out of the burrow. Wrapped in her tail was one of her eggs, which she placed in front of a shocked Satoshi. Reverently, he picked up the egg, looking at the mother with a question clear in his just-visible eyes.
"For me?"
At the enthusiastic nod of the Grass type, Satoshi bowed his head in gratitude.
"You honor me, Shinrin no Musume. I promise you that your child shall become one of the strongest pokémon to ever live, one you can be proud of. This I swear to you on my life."
The Leafeon nodded in response, and Satoshi turned and left the clearing, the egg cradled within his arms.
-Several minutes later, Satoshi's Clearing-
I see you found out what she wanted to give to you, Satoshi-kun.The hooded trainer rolled his eyes. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn Yugana sounded smug.
"Mm. Looks like we'll have a new member of the family soon." At this, Yugana's eyes took on a joyful glint. As the self-proclaimed "den mother" of their team, it was usually the Psychic type's job to keep all of them in line. She was usually the one who broke up the quarrels between Taifuu and Sorahime, and was the one who held Hirumanai and Satoshi down when they were training themselves past their limits and forced them to go to sleep.
"You like the idea of raising a baby? You're more of a mother Blaziken than I thought." Across the clearing, Sorahime snickered. To anyone else, though, it probably sounded like an angry snarl. A tic mark appeared on Yugana's forehead, and Sorahime suddenly was levitated off the ground, and held head-down. Yugana smiled sweetly, and Satoshi, Taifuu, and Hirumanai, who had followed behind Satoshi, shuddered. You didn't need to be able to sense Aura to know that there was an ominous feeling hanging around Yugana.
Something you'd like to say, Sora-chan?
"Rrrrr…." (Not really…) Sorahime growled nervously. Yugana was scary when she was angry.
Yugana beamed. Wonderful!
Then she let go of the telekinetic hold she had over Sorahime. The Kanto starter crashed to the ground. Hard.
"Grrooo…" (Ouch…)
Yugana turned to the three males. And you three?
They paled, and shook their heads rapidly.
"I-Iye, Yu-chan." (No).
"Z-Zel." (N-No.)
No, nothing at all.
The Gardevoir's eyes narrowed, and she floated a little closer to the three males, who tensed.
The air seemed to thicken, as the trainer and his two pokémon prepared to face the scariest thing they could conceive – an angry female. Anticipating Yugana's possible violence, Satoshi summoned a barely-visible screen of aura around the egg he still held. Just as it seemed inevitable that there would be violence, a sound rent the air. The sound repeated itself, and all present found their eyes drawn to the source. In Satoshi's arms, the egg trembled, and cracked again.
It was hatching.
Within moments, everyone in the clearing was clustered around Satoshi, as he set the egg down gently on the grass. Sorahime brought her tail around, the radiant heat from the brightly burning tail fire warming the air around the impromptu hatching nest. Acting on instincts that were ancient when castles were new, Hirumanai and Taifuu immediately took up protective postures, searching for anything that might pose a threat to the hatching egg. It didn't matter if it was from another species; it was family, and therefore it was to be protected.
The egg cracked again, shuddered, and burst open.
In the remnants of the egg, eyes still closed against the remnants of the fluid within the egg, was an Eevee. Like most of its – no, Satoshi realized, stealing a quick glance at the underbelly – her species, the young Normal-type was mostly light brown, with a cream-colored ruff around her neck and a tail tipped with the same light color. The fur was slightly damp, as was expected of a newly hatched pokémon, but would be dried off within a few minutes. Two foxlike ears stuck up from the Evolution pokémon's head, and all four paws looked uniform and normal. All in all, the Eevee appeared to be perfectly normal, no pun intended. But appearances aren't everything, as Satoshi could attest to. What he felt from this Eevee…
Master, this one is…
"Yes, Hiru, I know. No newborn Eevee's Aura should be that strong."
At that exact moment, the young pokémon's eyes opened, and the pokémon and human present all received another surprise. As opposed to the usual dark brown of a typical Eevee's eyes, this Eevee's large irises were a shade of brilliant blue, and seemed to dance with intelligence and curiosity.
The brand-new pokémon looked Satoshi in the eye, and the Aura-user felt a strange presence brush against his being, almost the same as when he first met Yugana. What was different from his first encounter with the caring Psychic-type was that this contact did not originate from mental contact.
It was through his Aura.
As the presence pushed itself into his mind, Satoshi continued to stare into the strange eyes of the Eevee in front of him, and came to a conclusion that, despite its obviousness, was almost unbelievable.
This Eevee, this newly hatched Normal-type pokémon, could use Aura. As impossible as it seemed, the evidence sat right in front of him.
The Eevee's curious mental probe now had pushed firmly against his own, and Satoshi felt the juvenile presence clumsily trying to imprint a thought onto his mind.
Pa…pa?
Smiling, Satoshi reached out toward the young pokémon, gently caressing the top of the Eevee's head.
'Yes, little one. I'm your Papa.'
The Eevee's face lit up, and she leapt forward into Satoshi chest, nuzzling against him with a happy cry, repeating out loud what she had already expressed through her supernatural ability.
"Veevee!" (Papa!)
All the other pokémon present smiled at Satoshi, who embraced the young pokémon as warmly as if she was indeed his own child. At the same time, he opened his mind to her, filling her mind with knowledge. He had done the same when Hirumanai had hatched. Aside from possibly a Psychic-type, the only pokémon that could withstand such an inflow of information was one who could reach its aura. Satoshi poured knowledge into the young Normal-type. He gave her knowledge of battles, and understanding of the world around her. But most importantly, he gave her knowledge of Aura. Everything he and Hirumanai had learned and discovered over all their years of using it was presented to the baby pokémon, and was eagerly absorbed with sparkling eyes and a tail wagging so rapidly that Sorahime joked that it might burst into flames, much to the momentary alarm of the Eevee, who spent a few seconds frantically trying to see if her tail was actually on fire, before realizing it was actually a joke.
From the moment that she heard of battling, the young Eevee declared, both verbally and nonverbally, that she was going to be a strong battler, and "make her Papa proud." This declaration had warmed Satoshi's heart with pride, and at the same time, sent a stab of fear into his heart. In the two hours since she had hatched, the blue-eyed Eevee had firmly planted herself in all of their hearts. Letting her out onto the battlefield would mean she would get hurt, and every human and pokémon in the clearing knew they would protect their little girl with their life without any hesitation, and woe to anyone who ever hurt her.
When Satoshi had finally finished the transfer of knowledge, the young Eevee immediately shot over to her "Sora-nee" and began climbing on her back, occasionally losing her footing and sliding down.
A short distance away, her "Papa-san" (for some reason the Evolution pokémon refused to call him 'Tou-san'), her "Hiru-nii", and her "Yu-nee" sat against a tree, silently discussing their new "child."
'I'm still not sure why she developed the ability to access Aura. I can't ever remember Sensei mentioning any chance of an Eevee using Aura.'
Hirumanai was silent for a while, before offering his own opinion. Master, it might be that she simply developed this ability as a random mutation. This is usually how new pokémon species come into being, through slight, random mutations.
Yugana was quick to respond. Granted, but for a pokémon to hatch with the ability to use Aura for a trainer who just happens to be one of the only Jinsei Kōken in the world? That doesn't sound like a coincidence, or like a random evolution.
At this, Satoshi almost jumped up to shout "Eureka", as he suddenly recalled what happened before the Eevee hatched. 'Now I remember! Just before she started to hatch, I put an Aura shield around her! Eevees have an unstable genetic structure! The Aura surrounding the egg must have energized her as well, and allowed her to use Aura!'
Both Hirumanai and Yugana's eyes widened as they realized how much sense that made, but their silent exclamations were cut short when the subject of their discussion dashed over from where a slightly shell-shocked-looking Sorahime and laughing Taifuu lay on the ground.
Come on, Papa-san! Let's play! We can go explore the woods, or maybe you can teach me a new move? Oooh! What about Aura Sphere! ComeonComeonComeon!
Laughing, Satoshi scratched between his "daughter's" ears, earning a contented purr from the nearly-bouncing pokémon. "Not right now, little one. It's late, and we have another battle tomorrow. If you're good, I promise you can come and watch."
"Veeeeee…." (Awwww…) The young pokémon's ears drooped and she made a face that almost broke Satoshi's will. Big, watery blue eyes, a small pout, and ears flattened against her head. The dreaded Growlithe Eyes. Fortunately for Satoshi, he had developed a slight resistance to it after having to take care of his Sensei's baby Dratini for a few days. Now there was a true master of the technique that could defeat all but the coldest-hearted pokémon.
"Sorry, little one, but it's time to go to sleep."
The baby pokémon sighed, but nodded her head, and clambered up onto Satoshi's lap. Despite her previous hyperactivity, the Normal-type's eyelids rapidly began to close, and her tail finally slowed down to a stop. Sleepily, she reached out again to her adoptive father.
Ne, Papa-san?
'Yes, little one?'
Papa-san, you never told me what my name was.
Satoshi blinked. He had completely forgotten to name his newest pokémon, even after she had jumped into the empty pokéball he had produced earlier that evening. He thought for a moment, remembering the bright sparkle in her eyes, as well as her constantly-wagging tail, and then he smiled.
'Your name, little one, is Tayuminai.'
The young Eevee smiled as her eyelids fell shut. Ta..yu..minai?...I…like…it…
With those last words, her contact with Satoshi's mind faded away into her dreams.
- One Hour Later, Team Rocket Base on Sennichi no Shima-
"Vice Executive Saturn, Sir!" The flunky's loud cry as he ran up to his superior made the blue-haired ex-commander of Team Galactic cringe. He had been on the clock since seven that afternoon, preparing for their latest operation, and at this point all he wanted to do was return to his quarters and sleep. He had a pounding headache that refused to go away, and his subordinate's voice continually grated on his nerves. 'Arceus, why do I continue to tolerate these fools?'
"What is it?"
'Perhaps that question came out a little sharper than intended,' observed Saturn, as he watched the reporting man cringe a bit before continuing.
"Sir, Team Four is an hour behind their last scheduled check-in."
This made Saturn sit up. "Why was I not informed earlier?"
The Grunt flinched again at his superior's tone. "Apologies sir, but we have been experiencing some issues with the radio transmissions on the island. For some reason, there is a large amount of interference on most of the high-frequency channels we've been using, so we figured the message was lost in the fuzz. Several of the more remote posts had the same issue, but Team Four hasn't been responding to any of our outgoing calls."
Saturn frowned. "Are the GPS locators on the team still at the outpost?"
The Grunt looked down at the report he held. "Yes sir, but none of them have moved in the last four hours."
Saturn nearly burst a vein. "THEN WHY DIDN'T ANYONE THINK TO NOTIFY ME EARLIER?"
The Grunt quailed under the blue-haired man's rage, unable to make a response.
Saturn pushed past the Grunt and stalked back into the command center. "Someone try to contact Team Four again! I want the channel audio on the speaker now!" His tone made it clear that no excuses would be accepted. Hastily complying, the radio operator tuned in onto the frequency that Team Four was registered on. "This is Octilery-Chatot-Chatot calling Octillery-Tauros-Four, please respond, over."
The only response was static. Trying again, the radio officer repeated his previous transmission. Once again, static was his only reply.
Saturn turned to another Grunt in the command center. "Dispatch a scouting team to find out what happened to Team Four. Tell them to bring a medic as well.
Ignoring the Grunt's cry of "Yes, sir!" Saturn turned and left the command center. He needed coffee.
-Cynthia's residence-
The Blonde Champion sighed in exasperation as she switched her computer off. After waiting for almost twenty minutes for the call to connect through to Iron Island, she had only received a voice mail saying that Riley was currently deep within the island and wouldn't be able to respond to her until tomorrow morning. This meant that whatever Satoshi was planning, he would have an additional day in which to move about freely.
Realizing what course her thoughts were taking, Cynthia shook her head, slightly annoyed with herself. 'Just because he can use Aura doesn't mean he is planning something.' She chided herself. 'He may just be here for the tournament, nothing more and nothing less. Regardless of that, though, we do need to know where he learned how to use Aura. Such teachings have long since been lost to history, and Riley has been struggling to piece together what little remains. Any knowledge Satoshi could provide would be invaluable.'
Looking at the clock, Cynthia felt an urge to slap herself. It was after four in the morning! Groaning, the Sinnoh Champion turned off the lights in the room and promptly headed to get ready for bed. She desperately needed to get some sleep if she wanted to get anything done today. Shrugging, Cynthia put aside thoughts of Satoshi and the mystery surrounding him.
It could wait.
-Six Hours Later, Terra Stadium-
"AAAND FACING HER, THE HARD-BITTEN TAMER FROM THE WILDS OF JOHTO! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GIVE IT UP FOR MORITAAAA KENJIIIIII!"
Misty watched silently as her opponent emerged from the tunnel. Brown-haired, heavily tanned, and wearing durable and practical clothes, this trainer was clearly a no-nonsense type. He nodded respectfully in her direction, and she responded in kind. Once someone reached a high enough level of skill, words became almost unnecessary. The nod the two trainers now on the field had shared carried their recognition of the other's skills, as well as a challenge.
On the sidelines, Max and Hikaru were looking at a display that showed Kenji's record. He was definitely a strong trainer, finishing in the top four at the Silver Conference for the past three years. He hadn't ever made it to the finals, but he had nearly defeated the winners twice in the semi-finals. He was by no means an easy opponent.
"Apparently, he specializes in double battles. There are several battle analysts who firmly believe that if last Silver Conferences semi-finals had been double battles, he would have easily been able to reach the final round. Geez, I hope that this battle doesn't become a double battle," Hikaru voiced his thoughts, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Max.
"You've seen Misty battle, haven't you? Have some faith. Besides, they probably won't give one trainer such an advantage so easily."
"BOTH TRAINERS READY! THE BATTLE TYPE WILL BE DOUBLE BATTLE! THE FIELD TYPE WILL BE SEASHORE!"
Hikaru and Max both facepalmed. At the same time, the battlefield shimmered, and was replaced by an expanse of sand, bordered on one side with a pool of water several feet deep, and very shallow tide pools spaced throughout. Opposite the water, there was a small thicket of greenery, with normal dirt underneath.
"Hmm, a true mixed-battle setting. This is a good field for either contestant, if they can take advantage of it," observed Brock.
"BEGIN!"
Misty started off, releasing her chosen pokémon. "Umi o shihai (dominate the sea), Kaiō! Kaminari to inazuma to himei o ageru to kōshi, Pikachu!"
The thrown pokéballs released their contents in a burst of light, leaving behind a Golduck and a Pikachu, both ready for battle. Responding to Pikachu's battle aura, storm clouds began to gather overhead, despite the previously clear skies. Across the arena, electronic devices flickered for a moment, before compensating for the charge in the air.
Kenji reacted quickly to Misty's challenge. "Burn, Arcanine! Crush, Rhyperior!"
Both pokémon appeared on the battlefield, roaring defiantly at their enemies. Undaunted, Misty began her attack.
"Kaiō, use Psychic, hold Arcanine in place! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Arcanine! Let's get the odds on our side!"
Kenji responded in kind, ordering his own pokémon into battle. "Arcanine, start charging up Solarbeam! Rhyperior, use Rock Blast to counter Pikachu's Thunderbolt!"
Obeying their trainer's commands, the pokémon on both sides leapt into action. Golduck's eyes began to glow, and Arcanine began to float off the ground. A second later, Pikachu fired his signature attack at the floating Legendary pokémon, only for it to be intercepted by a high-speed rock fired from Rhyperior's palm.
"Rhyperior, use Hammer Arm to break Golduck's focus!" The Drill pokémon complied, slamming its fist into the ground, causing a minor tremor, knocking Golduck off of its feet. Distracted by trying to maintain its footing, the water-type lost its mental hold on Arcanine, allowing the fire-type to touch back onto the ground.
"Kaiō, use Hydro Pump on Arcanine before it can release the Solarbeam!"
"Rhyperior, use Rock Polish to get in front of Arcanine, then use Protect!"
The ground-rock-type's body glimmered, and it blurred into motion, moving far faster than it normally did. At the same time, the water-type opposite it spat out a torrent of water, aimed directly at the exposed fire-type. Just as the attack was about to hit Arcanine, its teammate appeared in front of it, a green translucent barrier already in place to absorb the impact of the stream of water. The water struck the barrier with enough force to split rocks, but the shield held firm, fading only after the attack ended.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Arcanine! Kaiō, use Ice Punch to take out Rhyperior!"
"Rhyperior, block the Ice Punch with your Fire Punch!"
Golduck shot in, claw glowing blue-white. Just as it was about to strike, Rhyperior's own fist came up, bursting into flame. The two elemental punches collided, each side pushing against the other, before Rhyperior's superior strength allowed it to send its opponent flying back several meters. A moment later, Pikachu once again fired his attack at Arcanine. Instead of striking the fire-type, however, the bolt of electricity curved towards Rhyperior, struck it, and dissipated.
"Hey, what gives?" cried Hikaru. "That attack was dead-on!"
"It must have been Rhyperior's Lightningrod ability!" answered Brock, "While Rhyperior is still out in battle, all Electric-type attacks will redirect themselves toward Rhyperior. However, because of Rhyperior's ground-type nature, all electric attacks that hit it will have no effect."
"Kenji actually has a very good team structure, when you think about it," Max thought out loud, "His Arcanine sits on the back line, and takes all the time it needs to build up powerful attacks, while his Rhyperior stays on the front, absorbs all the damage, and prevents attacks from getting through to Arcanine. It's actually a very well-balanced strategy, and fairly hard to counter if well-coordinated."
"So Misty needs to find a way to bypass Rhyperior if she wants to turn this battle around?" questioned Dawn, her brow furrowed in worry. "Can she pull it off? That Rhyperior is really strong…"
May cheerfully clapped Dawn on the back. "Come on Dawn! Where's your usual optimism? If anyone can do it, Misty can!"
"Arcanine, launch your Solarbeam at Golduck!"
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to deflect it towards Rhyperior! Kaiō, charge in and use Ice Punch on Rhyperior!"
"Rhyperior, use Endure!"
The fire-type, finally done charging its attack, released the beam of green energy toward its water-type opponent. Golduck, however, ignored the incoming attack, instead charging towards the Drill pokémon in front of it. Obeying Misty's order, Pikachu darted in and held a glowing tail protectively in front of himself. A split second later, the beam of solar energy struck the tail, pushing the yellow mouse back slightly, before he swung his tail, launching the energy toward the same target that Golduck was charging towards.
Max pumped his fist. "Alright Misty!"
Dawn's eyes lit up. "I see! Since Rhyperior is already bracing for the Ice Punch, it can't move to dodge the Solarbeam, but if it tries to, Golduck will adjust course and still hit it!"
"Not only that," continued Brock, "But even with Endure, receiving two super-effective blows in quick succession will do some serious damage to Rhyperior. Misty really is good at thinking on her feet."
Back down on the arena floor, Misty frowned. From what she could feel with her empathy, her opponent didn't even have the slightest concern for what was about to happen to his pokémon. If anything, he felt…smug? The redhead's eyes widened, as she realized, a second too late, the error she had made.
"Kaiō, get-"
"Arcanine, use Extremespeed and Thunder Fang on Golduck! Rhyperior, drop the Endure, dodge the Solarbeam!"
Before Misty could even call a counter, the Legendary pokémon became a blur, which resolved itself right next to Golduck before clamping down jaws snapping with electricity.
"DUUUUCK!" cried the water-type, its body involuntarily twitching from the energy coursing through it. Arcanine did not release his grip on Golduck for several seconds. When it did, the Duck pokémon collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Misty grimaced, taking out Golduck's pokéball. "You did a great job, Kaio. Take a rest."
Hooking the ball back on her belt, Misty turned back to her opponent, her hair shadowing her eyes. "So you think you've won?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Kenji smiled confidently. "My Rhyperior and Arcanine are the best duo on my team. Every time they are in battle together, they win. And all you have left is your Pikachu, and most of his attacks won't do anything. I think my chances of winning are certainly much higher than yours at the moment."
A smirk appeared on Misty's face. "You think so? Pikachu, max out your speed with repeat Agilities!"
Pikachu nodded, his cheeks sparking. "Pi!" A moment later, Pikachu became a yellow blur, racing across the battlefield.
"Now, use Iron Tail on Rhyperior!"
"Arcanine, intercept it with Extremespeed and your own Iron Tail!"
The fire-type appeared in front of its partner, blocking Pikachu's tail strike. The two Iron Tails deadlocked, each trying to overcome the other.
"Rhyperior, while Pikachu is still deadlocked, use Strength to kick it high into the air!"
Rhyperior, still moving quickly from the Rock Polish, shot over to where the other two pokémon were deadlocked. Rearing back a glowing white leg, the rock and ground-type proceeded to kick the small yellow mouse up nearly 20 meters.
"While it's in the air, use Rock Wrecker!"
With a growl, a large rock formed between Rhyperior's claws, glowing purple-red. Rhyperior reared its arm back, in preparation to hurl the boulder.
"Pikachu, use Double Team!"
The boulder flew out just as one Pikachu turned into twenty. Reaching the point where the original was, it simply sailed through the illusionary image that had replaced the real Pikachu, who was falling through the air towards the pond.
"Pikachu, use Substitute to stay on top of the water!"
Confusion spread throughout the stadium.
"Huh?"
"What is she talking about?"
Pikachu, however, seemed to know exactly what Misty was talking about. As he fell, a copy of the electric-type pokémon shimmered into existence, joining its original in free-fall. Just before they hit the water, though, the Substitute's shape changed, becoming a copy of…
"A surfboard?" wondered May, eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"What's Misty planning?" Dawn questioned, a similar look on her face.
A split second later, the "surfboard" impacted the water, and Pikachu landed firmly on top of it. "Chu!"
Kenji looked as surprised as the rest of the stadium. "You used Substitute as a surfboard? What good will that do? Now your pokémon's a sitting duck."
Misty smirked at her opponent. "You think so? I think I just won this battle. Pikachu, use Surf!"
Everyone's eyes popped as a massive wave of water rose up under the surfboarding mouse, bearing down on the dumbfounded Rhyperior and Arcanine. Kenji, managing to pick his jaw up off the ground, tried to call a countermove, but it was too late.
"Arcanine, Rhyperior, get-"
"PIIIKAAACHUUUU!" cried Misty's pokémon, as the wall of water engulfed his opponents.
The roiling torrent surged around the arena for several seconds before receding back into the basin where it had originated from, leaving behind two unconscious pokémon and a grinning Pikachu, who happily jumped off his surfboard and bounded back over to his trainer.
The MC picked up his eyes, which had bulged so much they had fallen out of his head, and cleared his throat before calling the match. "MORITA KENJI IS OUT OF USABLE POKÉMON, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS MISTY WATERFLOWER!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, although whether it was for the match itself, Misty's victory, or the impossibility that had ended the match wasn't clear. Regardless, the cheers were deafening, and Misty smiled as she turned and left the arena, Pikachu perched on her shoulder.
Up in the stands, Satoshi watched her leave, a smile on his face.
"Now that was an interesting finish."
Still grinning, Satoshi released Yugana from her pokéball, and in a flash of light, they were gone.
-Woods of Sennichi no Shima, minutes later-
The scouting squad had almost reached the clearing, after multiple detours to avoid detection and a long trek through the thick woods.
"Damnit," grumbled one, "Why couldn't we have waited for night to fall to do this? It would have taken half the time."
"Quiet!" snapped the senior agent, "keep your pokéballs ready, we're almost there!"
Moving cautiously, the five man squad pushed through the bushes into the clearing where Team Four had set up camp, only to stop and stare in shock.
"Wh-What the hell!"
OHAAAYOOOOO, MINA-SAAAAAN! We're back, with another chapter of I.S.! Satoshi fifth pokémon: an Aura-using Eevee! I know, I know, some people are going to say "No, bad!" but I do have my reasons. Chief among them is the fact that I needed something unique about Tayu-chan (isn't she cute?) for her to be able to be battle-ready sooner. Also, the part about Eevee's genetic structure is definitely hard-canon, and I can easily see an Eevee developing Aura abilities if in an Aura-heavy environment.
Tayuminai – Tireless
Also, YES I took the inspiration for Pikachu using Surf from the manga. I mean, think about it, Misty's been training on Mt. Silver for 6 years. She's basically like a female Red.
…Okay, maybe not, but STILL! You can't argue that it's freakin' badass for a Pikachu to pull out Surf out of nowhere. (At least, I think it is) Besides, it is possible to get a Surfing Pikachu in HG/SS on a specific Event pokewalker route. SO I'm not too far off from the realm of possibility. Sorry there was only one real battle in this chappie, I promise that next chapter will have at LEAST three, honest. Really sorry this was a couple days late, but my life is barely my own.
I hope you enjoyed it, please deposit all reviews in the appropriate receptacles as you exit the theater.
Ja ne!