Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Mesoa League: The Ultimate Challenge. In the last episode, everyone was divided into their teams, and while some teams hit it off nicely, tension couldn't have been more obvious with other teams.
In this episode, finalizations will be made with everyone, and we'll FINALLY get this damn thing started, beginning with Ash's group
Also, if anyone wants/needs any changes, speak now. Cause after your team is posted, that's it. No more changes will be made to anyone's character. At all
The next morning found everyone in attendance with their respective teammates. There were still a few things that needed to be taken care of before everyone could set off for their journeys.
"Hello everyone. I'm glad to see everyone in attendance for this. I have some important information all of you must be made aware of, before you go off on your journey." Stated the town representative
Everyone was listening with keen interest at this, especially those not from around here, since they had no idea what was out there.
"First, and foremost, I must warn everyone here to be very careful where you walk, and what you do. Many tribes of Pokémon will attack first and ask questions later. This is due to them being quite territorial about their habitats."
At that, Ash and his friends recalled about how many Pokemon played executioner to their enemies, and how their land was being taken from them. Guess that turned them a little paranoid about it happening again
"As for this next piece of information, this one you cannot, under any circumstance, break or forget."
Just from the seriousness in his voice, the non-natives could tell it was a "do-or-die" message
"Stay away from Dragon Valley if you wish to keep your lives."
They could all guess that, just from the name, that it was a valley, inhabited by Dragon types and Dragonesque Pokémon. The only real question was why it was deadly to everyone.
Everyone had started to whisper amongst each other, asking questions and spreading strange rumors.
"Why's Dragon Valley so terrifying? Asked Iris
"It's because of their behavior." Said Sierra
"Huh?" Iris and Cilan asked at the same time
"Five years ago, the Pokémon just suddenly went berserk and began attacking anything that didn't resemble a Dragon, or live there. The local village has been trying to deal with it, but had no success. If it wasn't for the fact that they began fighting with the mountain range Pokémon, that village would've been destroyed on Day 1." Said Sierra
"Oh. But there has to be a reason for that. Pokémon don't just go berserk like that for a reason, especially Dragon types!" said Iris
"If there is a reason, no one's been able to find a good enough one. Everyone's been too afraid to go to the heart of the valley."
"Did anyone die?" asked Cilan
"Not that I'm aware of, though I have heard of both people and Pokémon getting seriously injured."
"Oh." Replied Iris, looking a little depressed
"Why so depressed?"
"It's just that I've always strived to become a Dragon Master, and while Dragons get territorial, I've never heard of one hurting others without some kind of reason."
"Well, whether or not that's the case, we can't take the risk on the matter. For now, we stay away." Sierra said with no room for argument
"The last thing I want to address are a few necessities for your journey." The town representative finally spoke
Everyone ceased chatting and decided to listen
"What I have here is where all your badges and ribbons shall be placed." He said pointing towards a metallic cylinder in his hand.
The cylinder was about half a foot long, with thick metal rings on both ends, just and inch below, going around it. At the top and bottom was a blue marble like part, which was placed in the center of the device. If one looked at it enough, they could tell that one of the rings was longer than the other
"This device here will act as a badge/ribbon case. It's necessary because with every badge/ribbon collected, the marble placed at the center will light up, and reveal a piece of a map. After collecting a certain number of badges/ribbons, the location of the Mesoa League/Grand Festival is revealed. And before any of you get any ideas, regular maps won't give you the location. Only these specialized maps will guide you only after you gained all the necessities."
"So, it looks like they're doing everything they can to make sure we abide by the rules." Said Laura De Vos
"Doesn't matter. We'll still be the winning team." Said an enthusiastic Katy
"Hopefully this will be worth my time." Muttered Eclipse, recalling how he even agreed to this.
He was, by no means, a fan of Pokemon Leagues. Ever since he won the Sinnoh League, on his first try no less, he believed they were a waste of time and only for the weak that enjoyed being "showoffs." He didn't mind the Battle Frontiers, since the brains were said to rival the Elite 4's power, and they weren't aired on TV. He absolutely hated the media!
Daisuke just popped out of nowhere and badgered him to enter the Mesoa League. Of course, when he challenged him to a battle, he of course, would do everything to crush Daisuke and shut him up.
His plan went very, very astray
Daisuke beat him 2-out-of-3, and didn't even treat it seriously. It was like Trainers of his caliber were nothing to Daisuke. He mocked him in every way, and he vowed that Daisuke would feel humiliation by his hands.
'Damn that man! Damn him to hell!'
After everyone got a container for their team, they all regrouped and lined up. They also received a traveling bag, containing a map
"Now, there's only one thing left to do." The representative said, gesturing to Professor Sugi
She nodded, and threw out a pokeball. From the pokeball came a detached head with a blue bill and a red horn like structure on its head. Its eyes were all yellow, minus the black circle and pupil. Its body had two blue, wing like structures and a blue tail pointing downward, at the bottom of the body. Porygon-Z
Other aides that were there also threw pokeballs into the air, and different types of Pokémon appeared.
One of them was bipedal with a pink body and red and white collar. On its head was a crown like structure with a red gem on it. It was a Slowking
Another Pokémon that appeared was human-like in appearance with a large moustache. Its body was of average height, and mainly tan in color, with brown over its forearms and knees. On its feet were three toes, all of which ended in white claws. Its ears were somewhat foxlike, and it was holding a spoon in each hand. It was an Alakazam
Other pokeballs followed suit, some of them being either previous evolutions, or in Slowking's case, counterparts. A few Starmie and Meditite also appeared. In total, 16 Pokemon that were either Psychic types, or had psychic abilities, appeared.
"What's with all the Psychic pokemon?" asked Max
"The purpose of all these Psychic types is for the purpose of teleportation." Replied the representative
Everyone had confused looks on their faces
"The current champion of Mesoa pitched in an idea where the teams would be teleported to randomized locations all over Mesoa. Before anyone gets any ideas, or is concerned, no one will wind up in a deadly location, such as a volcano, or Dragon's Valley. Just as a precaution, though, if you happen to wind up near a mountain or a forest, make sure you don't do anything to agitate the Pokémon. They can be quite territorial."
Almost everyone was confused at who the current champion, but seven people there knew who it was
'Of course that jackass would think of this. He really is a pain in the ass!' all seven thought at the same time
Said person sneezed at the same time as the thought also
'I wonder who's talking about me this time.' The individual thought
As soon as Ash could see again, he found himself, May, Max, and Brock in the middle of a forest. He rubbed his head, which was still somewhat off from the teleportation. He got up slowly, and ran over to his friends, who were still sprawled out on the ground. He recalled the Pokemon egg and checked his bag, to find it completely unharmed
'Whew, glad it's okay.'
"May? Brock? Max?"
As it turned out, Brock woke up about a minute later, albeit startled that Ash, of all people, was the first to recover.
The two guys walked over May and Max and managed to shake them awake, despite coming out of it bruised.
Brock pulled out the map. "We should attempt to orient ourselves."
Max nodded. "Yeah. That's definitely the best option at this point. That way, we can find the closest Gym or Contest hall and head there."
Ash sighed. "Who packed the food?"
Brock laughed. "I did; don't worry; and lots of it, thanks to you two."
"Thanks," they both muttered while blushing from embarrassment. Max just laughed.
At that moment, they heard several voices.
"Keep quiet, you bumbling simpletons!" one said
"But we finally have it. They's appeared right in front of us, too; lucky us!" said another, more recognizable voice
"Pika Pipichu!" was the third give away
Ash instantly jumped in the direction of the voice, with his friends following them. What they saw wasn't a complete surprise, but they were still shocked. They saw their familiar foes; Team Rocket, who were wearing red uniforms with black "R"s in the center, and another person who looked as if he was an assassin. He was significantly calmer than the familiar trio; in fact, the man smiled.
"So, they have arrived. Took them long enough."
Ash was enraged. "Just who are you?"
The man smirked. "My name is Ven. It's a pleasure, Mr. Ketchum."
May then started yelling at him. "Just who do you think you are?"
She would have ranted more, but the man pointed his handguns at her, immediately silencing her.
"Stay out of this, and you'll make it out alive. All I want is Ash, and we have his Pikachu to do it."
Ash scowled at him. "You have an unfair advantage over me. Put away the guns and fight me Pokemon to Pokemon!"
Ven's smirk grew as he returned the handguns to their holsters. "Battling me without your precious Pikachu? Ha! You don't stand a chance!"
Ash glared at Ven. "We'll see."
Ven laughed before saying, "Go, Salamence!"
The mighty pseudo legendary dragon of Hoenn appeared before Ven, roaring with pride.
Ash was raging at this point. Not only had they taken Pikachu, but now they had a pseudo-legendary for backup. This was not good.
Well, I'd better make the best of things, Ash thought.
"Let's go, Torterra!" His Torterra appeared and immediately growled at Salamence, angered that it was guarding Pikachu.
Ven raised an eyebrow. This battle would be interesting.
Ash took the first move. "Use Earthquake, Torterra!"
The Continent Pokemon slammed its front feet into the ground, causing a shock wave that blasted towards Salamence.
Ven merely smirked. "Dodge it by flying, Salamence; then use Dragon Pulse."
The legendary dog jumped into the air, effectively evading the earthquake, then fired a ball of draconic energy at Torterra.
Ash smirked. He had prepared for this. "Leaf Storm!"
The turtle-like pokemon obeyed, shooting thousands of leaves at Salamence, hitting it while in the air and also destroying the Dragon Pulse.
"Use flamethrower to counter!"
The dragon fired a stream of fire at the storm of leaves, which not only burned them, but provided Salamence with a make-shift smokescreen.
"Use Hyper Beam, now!"
A large blast of orange-yellow energy was shot down from the sky, eliminating the smokescreen, and hitting Torterra hard
"Torrrrt!" it cried out in pain
"Torterra!" Ash yelled in concern
The Continent Pokemon was hit hard, but it was still standing
Ven was impressed and frustrated at the same time. So that's why he's revered as a powerful trainer.
"Use Hydro Pump!"
Ash was a little surprised by the command of attack, but figured his Salamence inherited from a parent.
A large jet of pressurized water was launched from the Dragon's mouth towards the land-turtle
Ash was not going to wait for that Hydro Pump to hit it, and decided to counter
"Grass Pledge!"
A column of vines and verdant energy shot from the ground in front of Torterra, colliding with the Hydro Pump. The water and grass mixed and it resulted in a swampy mix, which was still headed for Salamence.
The attack it Salamence head on, blinding it
"Now, use Rock Climb while it's still blind!"
Torterra raised its two front legs and a small hill rosed from the ground, with Salamence at the top. Torterra began to race towards the still blinded dragon
"Wait for it to approach you, then use Ice Fang!"
"Jump now Torterra!"
"What?!"
Just as Torterra was within distance of the Ice Fang, it somehow managed to jump up and over Salamence. Then, Torterra threw its body weight into falling right on the Dragon-type
"Use Leaf Storm to propel yourself to the ground!"
Doing as instructed, the leaves from the tree on Torterra's back fired upwards to increase the rate at which Torterra plummeted to the earth
"Use Dragon Claw, maximum power!"
Not willing to go down without a fight, the dragon put everything it had into this attack. They collided, kicking up a lot of smoke.
When it cleared, it showed both Pokemon looked worse for wear, but Salamence looked even worse off. It had scrapes, cuts, bruises, and one of its wings had obvious damage to it. It was struggling to stand on its legs, and when they did move, it showed that it was limping
Ash was hesitant now, since it was plainly obvious that Salamence was in great pain.
"I'll stop hurting your Salamence if you give me back Pikachu."
Ven shook his head in disgust. "Only cowards give up! Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
Salamence flew as fast as it could with its injured wings. However, it did give Ash time to counter. "Use Energy Ball!"
Salamence was slammed with the ball of verdant energy and knocked backwards.
By now, Jessie and James were getting a little antsy.
"Just end it now!" Jessie yelled
"Maybe youze should go help him battle against the twoip, then!" he yelled at the two, tired of their whining. Meowth then pushed the two forward, resulting in them falling, rubbing their heads.
When they got up, Jessie smirked. "Finally, some action! Go, Seviper!"
The snake-like Pokemon gave its signature call and hissed at Torterra.
James shrugged. "Alright! Go, Amoongus!"
The poison/grass Pokemon called out its name and landed next to its partners-in-crime.
With three Pokemon staring down at him, Torterra was more than a little frightened.
"That's not fair! Blaziken, go!" May yelled
May's starter Pokemon appeared, its wrists flaming.
"Don't forget about me! Let's help out, Gallade!" Max called out
The Psychic-and-Fighting dual-type extended its arm blades and glared at its opponents.
"You're not going to win this, Ven. Just give us Pikachu back and we'll both live to fight another day." Said a smirking Ash
Ven scowled back, but returned Salamence anyways. "I look forward to that."
"Release the Pikachu now!" he yelled at Jessie and James
The trio shook their heads, clinging to Pikachu's cage for dear life.
"This is our chance to get a better position in this cruel world. This is our one shot for greatness." Said Jessie
Ven took out his handguns. "It's also what it will take to end you, too."
The trio cowered in fear, opening the cage. Immediately, Pikachu sprang out and ran to Ash, jumping into his open arms.
"Pika Chupi Kachupika!" it yelled joyfully
Ash smiled, hugging Pikachu close. However, he glared at Ven. "I suggest you leave now, before things get rough."
Ven returned the glare, but smirked. "Trust me, this will not be the last time we meet, Mr. Ketchum."
Ven threw another pokeball and revealed a Krookodile. Compared to Ash's, this one was definitely bigger, and also older
Before anyone could do anything, a sandstorm kicked up, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone
Everyone there decided to recall their Pokemon at that moment
"Who was that guy?" asked Max
"Most likely someone Giovanni hired to get Pikachu from me." Said Ash
"Yeah, probably, but did anyone else notice something was off?" asked Brock
"Like what?" asked May
"The way Ven acts. He a lot like Daisuke acted."
"The moment Brock said that, Ash, May, and Max could recognize the similarities between the two. The smirks, cruelty, even their escape methods were alike
"Do you think they're related?" asked Max
"I honestly don't know that, Max. Though, I can't help but feel like they have met before."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. We have Pikachu now, so let's get going!" yelled Ash
"Pika pika!" the yellow mouse yelled as well
Brock was quick to shush Ash. "Remember the part about not disturbing Mesoa Pokemon? We're not supposed to yell."
Unfortunately, Brock's warning came too late, as an unfamiliar Pokemon barrel rolled straight into Ash and Pikachu, afraid of the noise.
Ash and Pikachu were thrown backwards, with the strange Pokemon on top of them. Ash and Pikachu got up, rubbing their heads in pain, to see a pokemon about Pikachu's height. It had a black body with a white head and small, pale wings. Its black beak was open in surprise and its white talons gripped the ground, unfazed. Its black eyes with pale blue irises glared at Ash, shrieking.
"Skreeeee?!"
Everyone jumped back, startled by the sound. Ash managed to pull out his pokedex, which read basic info on the pokemon.
"Skreechik, the Shrieking Pokemon. Skreechik is filled with shadowy energy which can be expelled as a defense mechanism. Its cries are said to cause nightmares to all that oppress it."
Ash nodded and walked up to the Pokemon. "Hey, little guy. I'm sorry I scared you."
The Skreechik huffed and pecked Ash's head.
"Ow!" He said, rubbing the sore spot.
May was enraged at the little bird, and was going to scold it, but it suddenly shrieked with unholy fervor and a dark purplish energy blazed from its wings and head. The unprecedented screech threw May off-balance, and she fell backwards into her brother, leaving them both in a heap on the floor.
Brock had been studying the small bird Pokemon, and came to a conclusion
"Ash, I think this Skreechik wants to battle you."
Ash, invigorated by the notion of a battle, jumped to his feet.
"Is that it, Skreechik? Do you want to battle?"
Skreechik nodded, forming what could only be traced as a smile on its beak. "Skree!"
Ash nodded. "Alright! let's go, Pikachu!"
Pikachu jumped forward, which was met with a loud shriek from Skreechik, causing both trainer and Pokemon to cover their ears in pain.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt it!"Ash managed to yell through the scream
Pikachu uncovered its ears for a moment, charged electricity on its cheeks, and shocked Skreechik with energy, stopping its piercing cries.
Ash smirked. "Now, Pikachu; Volt Tackle!"
Pikachu charged itself with energy and ran towards Skreechik, who had apparently been paralyzed by the previous Thunderbolt.
Pikachu collided with Skreechik, knocking it back into a nearby tree. Afterwards, to the surprise of everyone there, Skreechik began to cry.
Ash ran over to it. "Skreechik! I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
Brock and the others ran over as well. Brock looked at it for a moment.
"Though I'm not exactly the expert on Mesoa Pokemon, I'd say that this Skreechik was only hatched a few months ago, and is still very weak. And, knowing Mesoa's worldview, I'd say that it wants to be strong as soon as it can. So, it's crying because it's being beaten by you."
Ash looked at Skreechik with an air of pity. "Is that right, Skreechik?"
Skreechik reluctantly nodded.
Ash smiled. "Well, Skreechik, how about you come with me on my journey throughout Mesoa? That way, you can become really strong!"
Skreechik formed a smirk on its beak and blew Pikachu backward by flapping its wings.
Ash smirked as well. "If I win, then. Okay?"
Skreechik nodded. "Skreee!"
Ash called, "Alright, Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!
Pikachu ran up to Skreechik and prepared to slam its metallified tail into Skreechik when Skreechik shrieked once again and ghostly energy shot out from its head and wings, causing Pikachu to jump backwards in surprise.
Ash smiled. "Alright, then! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu charged its energy and shot it at Skreechik, which hit the young Pokemon, resulting in it collapsing.
Ash smirked. "Pokeball, go!"
Ash threw the orb at Skreechik, which took it in in a burst of red energy, falling to the ground.
The Pokeball shook once...
Ash looked on in desparation. He wanted Skreechik on his team.
The Pokeball shook twice...
May, Max, and Brock stared on, anxious.
The Pokeball shook a third time...
Everyone was nervous.
Then, the Pokeball stopped shaking.
Ash grabbed the Pokeball and held it up high. "All right! I caught... a Skreechik!"
Pikachu was overjoyed, and sprang into the picture. "Pi Pikachu!"
All of a sudden, the Pokeball disappeared in a flash of red light. Ash looked confused, but Brock, as always, knew what was going on.
"You already have twelve Pokemon, Ash. It was sent to the PC. You can receive it when we get to the closest town."
Ash nodded, anxious to get to the next town.
"Alright! Let's go, then!"
Ash's stomach rumbled, however. "Right after lunch."
The group laughed as Brock began to pull out cooking materials.
Gavin's group seemed to have a better time with things than Ash's group. For one, there was no bounty hunters waiting for them. Second, no screeching Pokemon were attacking them. Third, they wound up in the outskirts of a town with a Pokemon Gym
"Wow, I can't believe our luck." Said Gavin
"Yeah, what are the odds we'd wound up near a town, with a gym no less!" said an enthusiastic Dawn
"It seems we got the lucky draw from the lot." said M
It seemed like Sierra was the only one who knew why they got the lucky pick
Flashback
The battle between the former champions was definitely something to behold to the spectators. They watched in complete awe and admiration at the two battlers. Sadly, it ended far too quickly for everyone's tastes, and it had been getting late, so everyone either went to the Pokemon Center, or to the lab due to the large numbers.
Sierra Scott was just about ready to crash and sleep the night away, merely deciding on shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in, when she heard something. At first, it seemed like nothing, but after a few more minutes of hearing the same sound, she discovered it came from her window.
Looking out, she saw a man wearing a black hoodie and pants and had red eyes. The giveaway was the Gliscor popping up from out the hoodie.
'What does this idiot want now!' Sierra mentally whined. She was all set and ready to sleep
Deciding not to waste time, she simply jumped out the window and landed in front of him. When she looked up, he wasn't there.
'I swear if he's pulling another prank on me, I'll…'
She never finished her though since an arm wrapped around her and the other one was giving her a noogie
"Well, well. It looks like little Sierra's finally playing in the big leagues. Hope you'll be able to keep up with the big kids now." Daisuke teased
Tired, annoyed, and on the verge of a migrane, she smashed her foot on his, which manged to hurt, and caused him to loosen his grip. Taking the opportunity, she threw a punch to his stomach and used her bodyweight and momentum to throw him to the ground
"Serves you right for doing that, asshole!"
"What, can't I say hello to one of my favorite trainers every now and then?" he groaned out
"Not when I'm ready to go to bed."
"Ugh…who taught you to do that, cause I know I didn't."
"It was Luze, of course." She said smirking
"Figures. I swear both of you will give me grey hairs before I'm even 27."
"Quit your complaining."
Gliscor decided to leave his trainer's hoodie and climbed onto Sierra's back, licking her cheek
"Great to see you too Gliscor." She said with a happy expression
"Gli gliscor!"
"So when he jokes around, it's alright, but if I do it, I get punched in the gut?"
"It's not his fault he gets like that, he gets it from you."
"Whatever." He mumbled
"So, why are you really here."
"I need a favor from you."
"Like what?"
"Nothing really, just to keep an eye on your team members."
"Didn't realize you hated foreigners."
"No, it's not like that."
"Then what is it."
Wasting no time, he told Sierra everything that happened on the ship between him and M. He even decided to throw in what happened what he did in Kanto, and even an incident that happened with one of the six dragons and M
"Okay, I remember hearing something about one of the dragons going berserk, but the rest?"
"Odds are M.E.R.E.S and I.P. will try to bring down the Senate's figure heads from the inside. Using M was something I'd expect, but I have no idea who the I.P. agent is, other than it's one of the foreigners. Without any real leads or data, I can't even come up with a hunch on who it is."
"Are you sure you can't narrow it down at all."
"I know for sure that Ash and his friends can't be it, since I was the one who kept an eye on them."
"Anyone else?"
"No, that's it really."
"…fine. I'll keep an eye on all three of them, and let you know if I find out anything." She relented, too tired to carry on this talk anymore
"Thanks, I owe you one."
Gliscor took that as his cue to leave, but not before licking her cheek one more time
"I'll see you two later."
As Sierra wandered back to her room, she definitely took into account the fact that he didn't spare any details. Normally, he would leave her the basic info and leave it to her to piece it all together. If he was giving her all this info, she could tell this situation was definitely serious. The way his voice sounded, it definitely screamed one thing: Be careful
That one message was something she would definitely keep in mind…tomorrow morning.
Flashback Ends
The group found out they had entered New Madrain, a rather festive city with a rather large beach. Other than the annual festivals, people also found it was the perfect place for urban exploration. With other places, ya have no more than 10 minutes before the police show up and slap the cuffs on ya. Here, even the police seem to forget that they're police, and not tourists. Don't get the wrong idea, they still uphold the law, but they also like to have a little fun on the side as well.
"Come on, I know where the gym is." Said Sierra
"You do? How?" asked Dawn
"I came on vacation one time with a few friends of mine. We actually had a chance to climb the buildings and do some exploring around."
"Isn't that illegal?" asked M
"Normally, yes. With New Madrain however, the cops are a little preoccupied with other things (the male cops anyway), so naturally, everyone gets to have a blast. The festivals were so much fun!"
"Cool, maybe we can have a chance to be part of it." Said Dawn
"Maybe."
"Anyway…" started M "You said you knew where the gym was, right?"
"Yeah, it's just down this road."
"So, what's the gym leader like?"
"She's really tough. Her water Pokemon were something else."
"You battled her before?" Gavin asked
"No duh. How else could I be telling you all this stuff?"
"Yeesh, I was just asking. No need to be rude, you know."
"Back to the matter at hand, how strong would you say she is?" M asked
"You'll just have to see for yourself."
"Well never get straight answers from you about this stuff, will we?" Gavin asked
"Nope." Said Sierra, smiling
"Wait, aren't you from Mesoa, M? Shouldn't you know about this place?" asked Dawn
"I've never been here before, so I wouldn't know."
"We're here, you guys." Said Sierra
The gym was actually close by to the beach. Pretty convenient for a water type specialist.
All four of them entered the gym
The gym was what most would expect in a water type gym. It had a rather large pool with small platforms all around. The roof though, well…there was none. It seemed to be type that could open via a remote or a switch.
At the end of the room stood a woman with wavy turquoise hair and hazel eyes, and had a fair tan on her. She was wearing a sweater that was also turquoise and white khaki shorts. From the looks of her hair, it looked like she just came out of the pool
"Hello, challengers. Welcome to my gym." She said
"Hi there Katherine." Said Sierra
Katherine merely waved back at her
"So, which one of you four will be my challenger?"
"I will." Gavin spoke up, before anyone could do anything
The other three decided to pull him into a group huddle of sorts
"What do think you're doing?!" Sierra whispered
"I was going to challenge the Gym Leader, before you guys interrupted me." He replied
"I told you before, her Pokemon are really powerful."
"Which is why you shouldn't battle her. Since you two already battled, she'll know what to expect."
"Still, I think M should battle her."
"Why's that? Is it because I'm not from here?"
"No, it's not like that at all. It's just I know what he can do. I don't know how powerful your Pokemon are."
"Then we'll just show you, right Pichu?"
"Pichu pichu!" it replied, throwing a small fist in the air
"But…"
"Let it go, Sierra. Just let him battle. It'll give us a chance to see how powerful his Pokemon are." M replied
"…okay" she sighed. Complaining wouldn't get them their first badge anyway
"The rules for this gym will be two-on-two, and ends when one side's pokemon are unable to continue" said Katherine
"Fine by me."
"Then I hope you won't mind ladies first. Go, Prinplup."
What came from her pokeball was a blue penguin with yellow, three-toed feet. Its body was mainly light-blue with a dark blue "mantle" and a short tail. On its abdomen were four, white spots. Its face was owl like and it had blue irises, and two yellow crests running down its head.
"Prinnplup!" it cried out
"Prinplup, huh? Then I choose you, Leafeon."
Gavin's Pokemon was one that was similar to both a fox and a cat, with a tan body. It had one shade of dark brown that was carried out on the tip of its paws, its eye color, and in the center of the ear. It had sprouts growing all over it, making it look more like a plant. It had a longer sprout of its forehead that took on a bit of an 'S' shape. Its ears and tail both shared a leaf-like quality.
"Leaf!" it purred. Then for some reason, it went to Gavin's leg and started nuzzling it
"Aww, how cute!" Dawn gushed. Gavin's teammates just laughed at the display
"Despite the playfulness, it was a good call. Grass types do have the advantage." Said M
"Don't think that'll matter. I once tried the same thing, and lost the first round." Said Sierra
"Leafeon, I really need you to focus on this, okay?" Gavin pleaded, red in the face
Leafeon decided to stop showing its affection for its trainer for now and got into a battle stance
"Since you're the challenger, I'll let you take the first move."
"Fine then. Leafeon, use Sunny Day
"Leeeaaaaaf..!" it started. Then, from its body, a yellow sphere shot into the sky, illuminating the field
"Not a bad trick. With Sunny Day, Prinplup's water attack will be even weaker than normal." Said M
"True, but there's another reason a grass type would use Sunny Day." Said Sierra
"Like what?" Dawn asked
"You'll see."
"Now use Solarbeam!"
Leafeon charged and focused solar energy into the leaf on its head. Turning into a sphere, it fired the attack at the penguin
"Into the water, now!"
Prinplup did as commanded and managed get into the pool
It's fast!' Gavin thought
"Now, use Drill Peck on the platform where Leafeon is!"
Under the water, Prinplup began spinning its body and charged energy into its beak. Then, it charged at the platform
Gavin, meanwhile, was waiting for the penguin to pop out from the water, but it never did
'What is she up to? Why hasn't Prinplup…'
"Leafeon, jump onto the nearest platform, now!"
It did as its trainer commanded, managing to get away in time, and for a really good reason: The platform was destroyed
Unfortunately, Prinplup continued the attack and smacked into the Verdant Pokemon
"Leeeaaaf!" it cried out in pain
"Leafeon, are you okay?" Gavin asked
Leafeon struggled for a second to get up, but still managed to do so
"Okay then, use Razor Leaf!"
Leafeon shot out sharp edged green leaves
"Counter with Ice Beam!"
Prinplup shot out an icy blue beam of cold energy, stopping the leaves in their tracks
"Now use Drill Peck, once more!"
"Counter with Leaf Blade!"
The two met in a head-on collision. When the smoke cleared, both were still standing, and pretty banged up, but it was clear Leafeon sustained more damage. What made things worse was the fact that the Sunny Day's powers were waning
"Use Rain Dance, followed by Scald!"
Prinplup shot a blue sphere into the air, and it started to rain. After that, Prinplup shot a jet of scalding hot water at its opponent.
Leafeon screamed in pain from the hot water, however, when it stopped, Leafeon was, for a brief second, engulfed in fire. It was burned
"Looks like I'm about to win this battle" said Katherine
"It's not over yet." Said Gavin
"Then make the next move."
'This isn't good. She's able to keep up with my attacks and counter them as well. What can I do?'
Gavin thought on this for a little bit before he came up with an idea to deal with the problems he was currently facing
"Leafeon, jump into the water!"
Leafeon did as its trainer commanded and jumped into the water
"Bad move. Use Ice Beam!"
Prinplup fired the blue, icy energy at the pool, freezing it at the top
"Swim lower"
"Keep it up, Prinplup
As Leafeon was pressured to keep away from the ice, its opponent was just as pressured to have the ice catch it
"Spin around, and use Sunny Blade!"
Confused at the name of the attack, they saw the fox-cat spin around and charge at the ice. As it did so, it gathered energy and formed a blade from the leaf on its head. However, the energy from Sunny Day was also gathered into the blade, producing a large amount of heat.
The blade sliced through the ice and struck the Penguin Pokemon
"Prinnnnn!"
"Prinplup, no!"
"Now, let's show them our new move, Giga Drain!"
On command, all the leaves on Leafeon's body began a dark green and turned into vine-like tendrils, which ensnared Prinplup. After that, the vines started to glow red, signifying that Prinplup's energy was being drained
When it was over, both combatants fell to the ground. Leafeon was fine. Prinplup…well its eyes were nice and swirly
"Great effort Prinplup. Take a break." She said
"Alright, he did it!" yelled Dawn
"Pip piplup!"
"Pichu pi!"
"Calm down, you three. It isn't over yet." Said Sierra
"Not bad, not bad at all. I wasn't expecting that at all."
"Thanks, but to be honest those moves were new, and I was worried they wouldn't work out."
"Looks like they did. Anyway, that kind of luck won't happen twice. Kingdra, Flamethrower!"
What appeared was a large seahorse appeared. It had compact scales on its stomach, and cress like fins along its cheeks. Its snout was long, and very thin.
No sooner than it had been called out then it had shot a jet of fire onto the unsuspecting Verdant Pokemon
"Leaaaaf!"
"Leafeon!" Gavin cried out
"Wrap it up with Dragon Pulse!"
Gathering a ball of draconic energy at the end of its snout, it quickly fired it at the struggling grass type. The smoke cleared to show an out-cold Leafeon. Kingdra landed in the now melted pool
Gavin was forced to recall Leafeon, and think about his next choice
'I do have Fraxure, but he'll be limited to the platforms. With Crobat and Empoleon, I'd have more mobility, but I won't be able to do as much damage to Kingdra.'
"Well…will you send out another Pokemon, or forfeit the match?"
"No way am I ever gonna give up. Fraxure, I choose you!"
Gavin's next Pokemon was a bipedal Pokémon with long, gray and red-tipped tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth. It had dark eyes with red irises, a gray face, and a cowl-like feature of green segments on its head, neck, back and chest. Its arms had three red fingers, and its lower body was gray, with red speckles on the underbelly, as well as red toes and a red tip to its tail.
"Frax fraxure!" it called out
"Why use Fraxure? They both have an advantage over eachother now." Said Dawn
"I guess Gavin's hoping he'll get lucky again like with Round 1." Said M
"With Katherine as your opponent, you'll need more than luck. You'll need skill, and lots of it." Sierra replied
"I'll start it off this time. Kingdra, use Dragon Pulse!"
Kingdra fired the familiar ball of draconic energy
Just as Gavin was going to tell Fraxure to dodge, he recalled a technique he learned back when he and the others were training for Mesoa
"Grab the Dragon Pulse!"
Fraxure did as it was told and grabbed the ball of energy. What was better was that it didn't detonate
"Now eat it!"
The command surprised everyone there but Dawn. She knew what was coming
Fraxure ate the Dragon Pulse, and could feel its power rising greatly. Its tusks were growing much larger, and its eyes were now radiating power from them. The tusks suddenly turned into a dark green color
"What the…how did it do that?!" asked a shocked Katherine
"It's simple, really. If a Pokemon ingests an attack that's the same type as its own, then it can gain a great boost in power for a short period of time."
"That idiot!" Sierra muttered
"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, a little peeved
"You don't give away secrets or techniques like that!"
"So, if that's all there is to it, then I'll take a page from your book. Kingdra, ingest a Dragon Pulse."
Once Kingdra did as commanded, its fin seemed to grow both larger and wider. Its scales turned a very deep blue, resembling armor more than scales now. Its horn-like structures seemed to have actually gained a very sharp edge.
"See, you never know when an opponent can turn your ideas against you." Said Sierra
"Gavin still has a chance, though. Have faith in him." Said Dawn
"I'd have to agree with Dawn on this one, Sierra." Said M
"Why?"
"Like you said, we don't really know how this guy battles. He just might have a way out of this situation."
Dawn smiled at the fact she had backup on this matter
"Fraxure, use Dragon Claw!"
Fraxure's claws grew very long and sharp, bearing a hue of black, dark red and dark blue. It then charged at the Dragon Pokemon.
"Under the water!"
Kingdra did as instructed, and while the attack did miss, it did kick up a lot of the water, exposing Kingdra.
"Now, use Dual Chop!"
Using its enlarged tusks, it charged at the airborne seahorse and struck it down
Kingdra whinnied in pain as it was slammed back into the water
"Kingdra, are you okay?"
Kingdra nodded in response
"Okay, now use Ice Beam!"
What was meant to be three separate beams of icy energy turned out to be a Hydro Pump blast of ice, and since it was so fast, it struck Fraxure.
"Fraaaax!" it cried out in pain
"You okay Fraxure?"
"Frax fraxure!" was the reply
"Good. Now, use Poison Jab!"
Fraxure, its claws formed into fists, charged at Kingdra
"Under the water!"
"Aim the Poison Jab into the water!"
"Get out of there!"
In a rapid succession of commands, Kingdra dived underwater, Fraxure poisoned the water, and Kingdra escaped in time, but was confined to the platforms, less it risk being poisoned by the now contaminated water
"Alright, now we have it cornered! Use Dragon Claw once more!"
Fraxure charged at its opponent
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Use Outrage!"
"Kingdra's body started glowing red, and it scales turned as such. It raced towards its opponent in a fit of rage
"This isn't good." Said Sierra
"I agree. Outrage is deadly on its own, and with that power boost, who knows how deadly it is now. Said M
"But…Gavin still has a chance, right?"
"Unless your boyfriend comes up with a strategy real fast, it's game over." Said Sierra. Her comment made Dawn blush in embarrassment and M look jealous. This didn't escape her notice
'Hmm, I wonder?'
She was pulled out of her thought by an explosion caused by the impact
Both Pokemon were still standing, but Fraxure was still being beaten by Kingdra, the adrenaline forcing it to ignore the pain
"Use Payback, Fraxure! Get it away from you!"
Fraxure, gathering darkened energy into its body, launched a devastating haymaker onto the Water/Dragon type, sending it airborne
"Finish it with Draco Meteor!"
Fraxure gathered all of its dragon energy into the center of its body and compressed it into an orange ball of energy. Since Fraxure still had some power left from the boost, the meteor was a little larger than average
"Fire, now!"
Launching the attack, that one meteor soon broke into dozens, all of them making contact with Kingdra
After the smoke cleared, it was obvious Kingdra was down for the count
"Alright, we did it! You were really great out there Fraxure!"
"Frax fraxure!"
"Oh yeah! He did! He did it! He really won!" Dawn enthusiastically shouted
"Pichu pichu pi pichu!"
"Pip pip lup piplup!"
"I'll admit, he's pretty good." Said M
'Talk about dumb luck. He just barely won against one of the lower ranked Gym Leaders. I hope he knows what he'll be up against'
Sierra just sighed "He's got a long way to go before he's ready for the higher up gym leaders." She muttered
"Well, you're one of the more interesting challenges I've had."
"Thank you."
"As proof of your victory at the New Madrain Gym, here's the Pacific Badge."
"Taking it in hand, he yelled " Oh yeah, I just won us the Pacific Badge!"
"Pi pichu!"
"Leafeon Leaf!"
"Frax fraxure!"
"So, where's your team heading off to, next?"
"Honestly, we don't know yet." Gavin replied
"Hey, are any of you coordinators?"
"Yeah, I am." Dawn replied
"Well, there's a contest starting tomorrow. You can enter it, so long as you have a partner."
"Huh?"
"Some contests here make you require to compete with a partner." Replied Sierra
"Oh…" replied Dawn
"So, who's going to compete with you?" Katherine asked
"Umm…I don't know yet." Dawn replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head
"I'll help you!" Gavin and M said at the same time. Then, they stared at each other, sparks flying between the two
"I'll help." Sierra said
"Huh?" all three said
"This way she has a partner, and I don't have to waste time dealing with you two idiots."
"Uh, sure. Thanks Sierra." Dawn said
At that moment, Gavin's stomach growled.
"Uh…sorry about that. I guess I'm a little hungry." Gavin said sheepishly
His teammates fell down anime style, while the Gym Leader just giggled
'It really is just like traveling Ash all over again.' Thought Dawn
"So, let's go to the Pokemon Center. We'll spend the night there and focus on the coordinator stuff tomorrow." Sierra suggested
"Sure!" they all replied
Along the way, Gavin had his own individual thoughts on this whole thing
'Man, that was close. Her Pokemon were really powerful, and there's no doubt the other Gym Leaders will be just like that. It looks like I'll have to train even harder…and keep an eye on M.
And that is a wrap on that chapter, finally. Writer's block and other stuff had gotten on the way, including Ven's appearance and Sierra's objective
New Madrain was based off New Marais from the infamous series. Sorry, but that game is very addicting once you start it
Originally, I was going to do one team every chapter, but then it would take too long, so now it's two-three teams a chapter
Now, if you haven't heard, a Generation VI was confirmed. The confirmed Pokemon are Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Xerneas, and Yveltal.
So, next chapter will focus on Kirrie's team, and my OCs team. What happens then? Well, you'll have to wait and see
So, as always, subscribe to me or this story for future updates. Add this, or me, to your favorites as well. Leave a comment in the review box below, but NO FLAMES
As always, remember to read, review, and enjoy. I'm A.M.P 1008, signing out!