To the two people that still read this, I am back with another chapter here for 'Rise to the Challenge'. Stay tuned for the author's note and statements at the end since I will be making an important announcement.
Last Time: Tom and Sparks left the group while they were still sleeping in hopes to find his brother quicker. On the way he bumps into Chris Walker who was in the forest and on her way to Castelia City. Their journey to Castelia City was cut short when Scolipede returned for vengeance against Tom. Meanwhile, Pierce confronted Melanie and Liam on the last mission they had together.
Bold- Message Bulletins/PA System/Plaques/Books
Italics- Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
Bold Italics- TV/Radio/Pokedex (AKA Dexter) Descriptions/Xtransreceiver Messages/ Xtransreceiver Conversations
Tom and Sparks took another look at the teen who had just appeared and saved them from Scolipede's wrath. The boy was standing there with a focused look, his Charmeleon ready to fight the Scolipede more. He decided to watch the exchange between the two parties and slowly let his hand drift down to Sully's ball just in case.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Russell pointed at the Scolipede.
The large jet of fire left Charmeleon's mouth and shot at Scolipede. It got more interesting when Scolipede curled into a ball and began to roll in place. The Flamethrower engulfed Scolipede at first, but split off in two directions a second later. Scolipede's rolling power managed to prevent a lot of damage from being done. It then rolled at Charmeleon and Russell who looked mildly surprised at the intelligence their opponent had. They managed to dodge Scolipede's attack and turned around to get another attack in.
"Fire Blast!" Russell shouted.
A giant star of blistering flames flew from Charmeleon and towards Scolipede who came to a stop in front of a tree. The Fire Blast hit Scolipede and surrounded him and the tree, burning it to a crisp. Scolipede emerged from the attack a second later looking even more furious that before. It opened its mouth and a burst of purple liquid shot out and covered Charmeleon, earning a snarl from him.
It was here that Tom stepped in and summoned Sully. Sully cracked his neck and fixed his eyes on Scolipede. This garnered the attention of Russell and Charmeleon.
"Team up?" Russell suggested.
Tom shook his head and pointed behind Scolipede. The Fire Blast that Charmeleon used on him earlier had started a blaze where the tree was and it was growing. He hoped that Russell had some way to stop the fire since he did not have a water type on him. If he did, he could put out the fire while he and Sully finished off Scolipede.
"You got a water type?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, why?" Russell replied.
"I want you to put out that fire before it spreads. I'll deal with this clown."
Russell blinked and nodded before recalling Charmeleon and pulling out another Poké Ball. The ball grew in his hand and he threw it towards the growing fire. It opened a second later and a Swampert emerged with a determined look on its face.
"Swampert, use Hydro Cannon!" Russell pointed at the large fire
Swampert opened his mouth and a massive jet of water shot forth and started to douse the roaring fire. While Swampert and Russell dealt with the flames, Tom, Sparks and Sully were fighting Scolipede.
They managed to lure Scolipede away from Russell and Swampert to keep them out of harm's way. Sparks stood to the left and Sully to the right. They both glared at the angry bug and jumped out of the way again when he rolled towards them. After they dove out of the way, Tom gave his order.
"Sparks, use Thunderwave!"
Sparks held up his arms after getting behind Scolipede. Light rays of light appeared in front of him and cruised toward Scolipede. The rays hit Scolipede and started to make him tremble. Although the paralysis sank in, it did not have the effect that Tom had hoped for. Scolipede curled up into a ball and barreled for him. Tom got ready to dive out of the way, but stilled himself when Sully got in Scolipede's path.
Sully braced himself and his eyes narrowed at Scolipede when he got on top of him. He thrust his hands forward at the last second and caught Scolipede in his tracks, but the force of the roll continued to push him back. Tom got out of the way and watched as Sully continued to be pushed back. The pair of them came to a stop almost twenty feet away and a wicked grin formed on Sully's face.
"Hit him with Flamethrower!" Tom grinned.
A red and orange fire built inside Sully's mouth and blasted out a second later, engulfing Scolipede and forcing him back. Scolipede let out an angry cry and ran out of the flames, seeking refuge behind a tree.
"Sparks, force him out with Thunderbolt! Sully, finish him with Flame Wheel!" Tom yelled.
Sparks hurried around the tree and a bright, yellow light appeared from behind the tree followed by a crash of thunder. Scolipede scuttled out and right into the path of Sully who covered his entire body in flames and rolled straight for him. The collision between Sully and Scolipede burst with a loud bang and a wave of blistering heart blew through the area. When the smoke cleared a second later, it revealed that Scolipede had been defeated. Sully spat a small ember out and walked away with a victorious look on his face.
"Nice job, guys!" Tom smiled at Sparks and Sully.
Russell and Swampert came over after extinguishing the fires. Tom held out his hand and Russell shook it.
"Thanks for helping us out there. If you weren't here, I'd probably be in a world of hurt," Tom said.
"Don't worry about it. Those poison types can be nasty when they're mad." Russell waved it aside.
"No kidding."
"Why was that thing chasing you anyway?"
Tom sheepishly scratched the back of his head and told him about his first encounter with it over a week ago. He explained that Kenta was the one responsible for angering it and then inadvertently leaving him behind and shifting its anger to him.
"Dick move." Russell shook his head.
"I said the same thing." Tom nodded, but then smirked. "I heard karma got him in the form of a Sawk giving him an atomic wedgie."
Russell smirked before bursting into laughter. That was the funniest thing he heard all day and had to agree that suffering an atomic wedgie was indeed karma at its finest. The two of them continued laughing until they heard movement from the trees. They turned to the source of it and Chris emerged a second later with Espeon beside her
"I finally found you!" Chris sighed.
"I told you I'd be fine," Tom said, nodding at the unconscious Scolipede.
"You didn't look fine a second ago." Russell glanced at him.
"Shut up. I caught a bad break, but everything worked out in the end."
"Whatever you say, dude. You would have been bug bait if I didn't help you. Literally."
Tom rolled his eyes and ignored Russell's comment. He held up Sully's ball and returned him to it. He shivered and a sneeze escaped from him. The cold water finally sunk in and he began to shake from the cold. He would have to find a place to warm up and dry out his clothes.
"We should get you to the ranger station so you can get cleaned up," Chris said, giving Tom a quick look up and down.
"How far away is it?" Russell asked.
"Not far. Maybe five minutes."
Chris pulled out her map and did a quick check again to be sure she read it right. When she was sure of herself, she rolled it up and tucked it back in her bag. She motioned for Tom and Russell to follow her and they did. The three of them were silent on their trek back to the main trail. Once they got on the main trail, Chris continued to lead them to the northeast and just like she said, they reached the ranger station very quick.
The station was a decent sized building that had trees surrounding the back half. There were some vehicles parked outside and a small lodging area attached to it for people who wished to stay and rest.
"Good, now I can get changed!" Tom punched the air.
"Well, while you're doing your thing, I'll check to see when the next bus can take us to Castelia City," Chris said as she started walking again.
"Wait, a bus?" Russell turned to Chris. "I thought people could bike or walk across?"
"If you want to take half a day, be my guest."
Russell merely raised his hands to drop the subject. He learned from past experiences that arguing with girls was never a good idea. Women were mental terrorists and had the capabilities to turn a man's words against him in an instant. The girl before him was smart and would more than likely destroy him in an argument.
On their way down the hill to the station, Tom's mind wandered back to his friends. They were probably up and moving and now knew that he was gone. He felt guilt creeping its way back to him for leaving them behind. He had fun traveling with them, but he felt that moving around in a large group had all but suppressed the reason why he came to Unova in the first place. His goal was to find Marcus and as long as he was with Eri, Corey, Elliott, Vanessa and Kenta, there was no way he would find him as quick as he wanted to.
He could picture each of their reactions to his note. Eri and Elliott would be mad that he didn't say goodbye in person, Corey and Kenta would be surprised and bummed that he would not be around to hang out, and he had the feeling that Vanessa would be both mad and bummed out.
"I hope they won't be too pissed with me." Tom sighed.
Back in Nacrene City, Kenta and Corey just finished their battles against Lenora, this time succeeding in earning their second badge towards their badge run. They both learned Lenora's attack style and strategy from their losses and after watching Elliott, Vanessa and Tom win their battles. Corey and his Heracross, Crusader, managed to win against Lenora's Kangaskhan and Kenta had his Jolteon, Ace, face off against Miltank, but he just barely won the battle. The two of them decided to head back to the hotel to catch the end of breakfast and eat a well-deserved meal.
"No disrespect, Kenta, but I did not think you were going to win that battle," Corey said.
"Why's that?" Kenta challenged, looking back at him.
"Well, Ace was getting demolished by those Rollout attacks, and he's not exactly the most beefy Pokémon either."
"Well, I won, that's all that matters."
Corey only shook his head. Kenta was still a trainer with a lot of heart, but he was still a novice in the end. If he were to get critical, he would tell Kenta that he won out of luck, which was true. The fact that Ace lasted as long as he did was impressive, but he only won because of a last second paralysis ailment that affected Miltank. He had been on the losing edge since the start of the fight.
"True, but you still have a lot to learn," Corey said, opening the door to the hotel.
"Oh, what are you, an expert?" Kenta retorted.
"No, but I have more experience than you do."
"What's your point?"
"I'm just saying that for trainers like me and Tom, you're not exactly in our league."
Kenta said nothing back to that and picked up a plate when they reached the buffet table. He began filling his plate with everything he could find and then walked to the nearest table he saw. Corey joined him a second later with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, I know what I said was rude. I didn't mean to kill your mood," Corey said, leaning on the table.
"It's fine. You were right anyway." Kenta shrugged.
"Did your parents ever teach you how to battle?"
Kenta dropped his fork in surprise at the question. His eyes stayed fixated on the plate and he zoned out for a minute. He did have a little training from his parents in the past, but nowhere near the amount other kids his age got. Because of that, he struggled in learning how to improve when he was younger.
"They taught me a little," Kenta muttered.
"Are you okay? You looked lost for a second there," Corey replied.
Kenta smiled quickly and nodded before shoveling a spoonful of food into his mouth. The question about his parents still lingered in his mind and he shook his head again to rid the thought of them. He brought his glass to his mouth to take a drink, but the arrival of Eri, Elliott and Vanessa stopped him. Upon looking at the three girls, he could see that they looked irritated about something.
"What's wrong, ladies?" Kenta tilted his head.
"That jerk left us when we were sleeping!" Elliott ranted.
"Who? Tom?" Corey asked, a little perplexed.
"Who the hell do you think?"
Vanessa put a firm hand on Elliott's shoulder to calm her down. The last thing they wanted was to get thrown from the hotel because they were disturbing the other guests. She then nodded at Eri who remained silent when she set the letter she was holding down on the table. Corey and Kenta scooted forward and took a look at the note.
Guys,
I know that I should be saying this in person and I would not be surprised if you'd be royally pissed with me by doing this. The past two weeks I spent with you all have been fun and I would not trade it for anything in the world, but I needed to leave. If you remember what I told you on the first day we met, I came here looking for my brother. Since I have not seen him in three years, I jumped at the chance to search for him here when one of my friends said they saw him. When Lenora told me how long ago his name was put on the plaque, I realized that it was possible he was still here and taking a break from his journey. I felt that if I left and went on my own from here, it would allow me to move faster and increase my chances. I know we will meet up again in Castelia City, but after that I think it'd be us to go our separate ways. We all have our own goals, but if we want to achieve them, I think it calls for us to journey on our own for a while.
I'll see you later.
Thomas A. Sandbourne
"Can you really blame him?" Kenta asked.
"If he wants to search for his brother, that's fine. But he could have at least told us in person," Eri said with a sigh.
Vanessa, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.
"He did it like this because he knew we'd try to stop him and continue to tag along."
"But he allowed us to stay with him up until now, so why the sudden change?" Eri replied.
"Correction." Elliott turned to Eri, "He invited me to tag along with him. You guys just kind of invited yourselves and he only agreed because he didn't want to be rude."
She only raised an eyebrow at the others when they gave her an annoyed look. She shrugged it off because she knew she was right. Tom only invited her to go along on his journey and if it stayed that way, she would have been long gone with him at the moment. Elliott sighed and crossed her arms.
"Look, he said he'd meet us in Castelia City," Elliott said, slinging her bag on her shoulder, "if we leave now, we can probably get there before the day ends."
"I guess that would give us time to think of a way to convince him to let us continue traveling with him." Eri tucked the letter away.
Eri and Elliott left to go pay for their rooms. Vanessa followed behind them a second later, but not before telling Corey and Kenta to finish their food so they could get going. When the girls left, Corey and Kenta spared each other a look and shook their heads. They finished their food and went to the front desk to check out. After paying for their rooms, they exited the hotel and saw the girls waiting for them.
"Alright, let's go." Vanessa nodded.
Tom and Sparks came out of the changing rooms, feeling clean and refreshed after their untimely encounter with Scolipede. He spotted Russell and Chris talking in front of a time schedule near the exit. He walked over to them to see what the deal was with their bus.
"So what's the deal?" Tom asked.
"Our bus leaves in fifteen minutes," Chris relied, handing him his ticket. "The bad news is that it will be a long ride over to Castelia City."
"Why's that?"
"Construction work," Russell answered, leaning against the wall.
With the bus leaving in fifteen minutes, it gave them time to get some lunch. The concourse outside had some kiosks selling some food. His stomach gave a growl and he smirked when he heard Sparks' stomach do the same. After getting the attention of Russell and Chris, he led them outside to get some food. Once they stood outside, they could see the platform ahead for the busses.
"Alright, since we got time, let's get something to eat quick." Tom pulled out his wallet.
Tom and Russell went over to a small burger stand while Chris went to sandwich stand by theirs. They paid for their meals and went to sit at a nearby picnic table. Sparks had all but devoured the small burger that Tom bought him and his cheeks were puffed out as he tried to chew it.
"I won't call the hospital if you choke because you won't learn anything if I do." Tom shook his head.
He finished his burger a second later and let out a loud belch, earning a look of disgust from Chris. His eyes then looked toward the platform to see their bus pull in a second later. He took a quick look at his watch and realized they still had seven minutes before they had to board. Tom took the chance and excused himself to head to the small convenience store to purchase snacks for the road.
Russell joined him a second later and pulled out his wallet to pay for some water, jerky, and peanuts. While they were paying, another voice got their attention.
"Sandbourne!"
Tom cursed under his breath and shook his head. He really did not want to deal with the one behind him at the moment. He took a deep breath and paid for his things and then turned to see Trent Phoenix standing behind him.
"What?" Tom asked.
"Battle me, now!" Trent glared at him.
"I got a bus to catch. You'll have to wait."
"That wasn't a suggestion. You're going to battle me here, now!"
Tom's brow furrowed and he glared back at the teen. He was sure that Trent was still bent out of shape from their draw during the tournament a couple of days back. He folded his arms, his glare still in place.
"Oh, really? What are you gonna' do if I don't?" Tom challenged. "What are you gonna' do, tough guy?"
Trent's face contorted to one of fury and he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to beat him to a bloody pulp. He continued staring at the taller teen and remained calm. He knew Trent was a short tempered sore loser, but he was not stupid enough to start a fight with security guards around them. His hand drifted down to his belt for Sully's ball.
"You better stop insulting me, Sandboune. You're going to regret it!" Trent sneered.
"Insulting you?" Tom replied incredulously. "You're the jackass that started every fight since we met! If you think I'm gonna' let you threaten me and push me around, think again!"
Trent took a step forward as his anger grew to a new level. He glared at the smaller teen in front of him and felt his body shake with unbridled fury. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the defiant look off Tom's face. The kid in front of him had no idea what he went through growing up and for him to say he started all of their fights angered him even more. His hand pulled out the first Poké Ball in found on its belt and he held it up to Tom's face.
"Don't make me repeat myself," Trent said in a low and dangerous tone.
"Get this through that thick skull of yours," Tom began, "my friends and I have a bus to catch, and I've got better things to do with my time than waste it on a whiny brat like you."
Tom walked around Trent with Russell following close behind. He heard a frustrated cry from behind him and saw Trent wind his arm back and throw the ball he was holding. The ball opened a second later and his Serperior stood tall and ready for battle. By this point, Tom had enough. If he had to knock Trent down a few pegs, he would gladly do it. His fingers traced the ball of the Pokémon he would have lost to Trent in their bet they had.
No matter how powerful Trent thought he was, his Pokémon did not have the strength of the Pokémon he was getting ready to send out. He enlarged the ball and got ready to throw it, but stopped when Russell held up his arm to stop him.
"Go get on the bus. I'll meet you and Chris there in a second," Russell said, sparing him a look.
"Thanks. I don't want to deal with his insufferable ass right now." Tom placed his ball back.
He turned around and started to walk to the platform towards Chris. He ignored each of Trent's shouts to him and only raised his hand and gave him the finger. Chris looked a little worried when she looked at Tom and then back at Trent who looked livid beyond belief.
"Is Russell going to be okay?" Chris asked.
"He's a big boy. He can handle himself," Tom replied, stepping on the bus.
"I hope you're right."
Once Tom and Chris were on the bus, Russell looked back at Trent calmly. He could see the hateful gaze of the taller teen shift to him and if looks could kill, he would be in the lowest depths of hell. He pulled out a Poké Ball of his own and threw it, releasing Charmeleon.
"This did not concern you!" Trent growled.
"Really?" Russell replied. "I think anyone who acts like a douchebag could use a lesson in manners."
"Your funeral. I'm going to wipe the floor with you."
"Then put your money where your fat mouth is and do it!
Trent glared at him and he glared back. He would not give in to intimidation. Especially when the person was an obnoxious loser. He despised people like that and it amped him up even more to defeat him.
"Serperior, use Leaf Blade!" Trent shouted.
"Charmeleon, dodge it and use Slash!" Russell countered back.
Well, that's the chapter. Short, I know, but it's still a new chapter either way. Now to give any of the readers here a quick update on this story. The OCs of Tom's group will more than likely go their own ways by Castelia City. Reason being is because the people who submitted them don't read or say anything about the story anymore, so I am going to make it easier on myself and cut the group down. With that said, no, I will not switch out OCs in Tom's group with characters of people that are reading and reviewing. Having a group that big makes it a pain in the butt to give everyone screen time, so that's why I am cutting it down. Anyway, I'm not sure when the next update will be, so just stay tuned. -CaptainPrice
Statements:
1.) I have taken up a challenge that I want my fellow reviewers and writers to start doing. I'm talking about constructive critique. Anyone who has received a review from me knows that when I give you one, I give you a pretty decent sized review that usually has a brief summary of the chapter, but I point out mistakes that I see as well as offer suggestions or critique that I feel needs to be said to help that author out. That is a review and the sad thing is I don't think a lot of people on this site understand that concept and that truly screws an author over. I want to see my fellow readers and writers step up and truly give critique instead of the infamous "Good chapter!", "Well done," or "Update soon!" that's not a review, and offers no assistance, because that's all I see on the majority of stories on this site. So let's get away from that and start giving true critique! Prove to me that you can do that!
OCs featured in this chapter:
Chris Walker (Flypandabear): Last appearance chapter 25
Russell "Russ" Shepherd (Nobel Six): Last appearance chapter 25
Eri Summer (wisdom-jewel): Last appearance chapter 23
Elliott Kane (Kurono-Angel): Last appearance chapter 24
Vanessa Blake (phatomstorm): Last appearance chapter 24
Corey Spina (Cyclone20): Last appearance chapter 24
Kenta Hammer (LinkHammer): Last appearance chapter 24
Trent Phoenix (Trentavious Phoenix): Last appearance chapter 19