Now Akuma's two most powerful Pokémon faced off inside a boiling hot room with him trapped in the small battlefield as well. Both of Magmortar's arms were facing downward leaving it open to attack while Metagross could toss Magmortar into the air with a simple flex of its psychic power. Neither Pokémon moved while Akuma put his shoe back on.
"Metagross, Magmortar is completely out of control. He wants a battle, not a staring contest. Beat him down quickly or you'll lose."
Having been given a direct command from its trainer, Metagross tossed Magmortar into the air, brutally smashing him into the ceiling. Before Magmortar could fight back, Metagross sped toward it with a precision bullet punch followed by a double hammer arm attack from two of its other legs by spinning, then finished with a meteor mash that blasted Magmortar through the ceiling and to the upper floor. Akuma briefly used his exhausted Charizard to follow them.
The battling duo now found themselves in the trainer battlegrounds where two hunters were already engaged in battle. They began to attack, but stopped when they got a good look at the two battling Pokémon and ran to the sides when they saw Akuma and his wounded Charizard emerge from the hole.
Magmortar had recovered in the air and was sweeping a flamethrower from side to side in Metagross's direction. Metagross defended itself by psychically redirecting the flames toward its attacker with confusion. Magmortar pulled the flames back into its arm cannon then fired a high power lava plume back at Metagross who used a zen headbutt to break the fire attack. While Metagross was occupied, Magmortar fired a double flamethrower from each arm cannon. Unable to evade, Metagross used a meteor mash to break the ground underneath it and drop into the cell it was originally contained in. Magmortar couldn't see past the wall of flames to know Metagross had escaped, but after the flames subsided Metagross rose up from the first hole to use a strong hammer arm that struck Magmortar hard enough to spin it around. Before Magmortar could orient itself Metagross hit it with an extremely powerful move that Akuma hadn't known it to have. Metagross tucked its legs into its body so it was levitating in the air, then spun rapidly toward Magmortar at an intense speed. As it closed the distance a wave of energy formed in front of it which continued to grow until Metagross collided with Magmortar. The impact blasted Magmortar across the room and into the wall so hard an outline of Magmortar was left after it collapsed to the floor. Metagross fell to the ground exhausted while Magmortar tried to recover as well. Both Pokémon were gasping for air and trying to gather enough energy for one more attack, but the power of Metagross's giga impact was too much for either of them to endure and they both collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Akuma had managed to crawl to a wall on the side where he was trying to cool down after being in the suffocating heat. After both of his Pokémon fell he closed his eyes and lay down in a faint as Mr. Fuji, Kurishimi, Chad, and a slew of hunters entered the room.
"I told you so," Kurishimi said to Chad as they entered a room where Akuma sat in a medical bed. "Every time one of us gets separated from the others they end up getting hospitalized. Akuma's lucky he only got heatstroke, but this is turning into a real trend. This time not only did he suffer physically, but his Pokémon totaled a section of the base we were staying at. Next time I bet the whole building is going to fall down on our heads!"
Chad raised his hand. "I move for the motion of not taking any more risks which could potentially land one or more of us in the hospital."
"I second the motion," Kurishimi said after raising her hand as well. "Majority rules that you don't take any more risks, Akuma. You're not allowed to put yourself in unnecessary danger whenever you get the chance now, got it?"
"Stuff your reasons, I finished the job," Akuma snapped at the two. "The battle and talk I had with Big Red convinced him to take his training more seriously so he can rejoin our group soon. Within a few days he'll be just as passive as my other Pokémon."
"Like that's real encouraging," Chad said under his breath.
"Look, I took care of the most important business I came here to do and that's what matters most. I'll be out of this bed within a couple hours too so there's no reason to worry about my health for once. Now did the two of you come here just to mock me or did you have some something in mind?"
"We were wondering how long we were going to stay in town actually," Chad told him. "At first we were thinking we might stay for a few days and then we thought we'd leave town shortly after you arrived. But now you just mentioned that your biggest reason for coming here was all taken care of so we could even leave by tonight. We were wondering what kind of schedule we should plan for."
"It's true that my most important business is finished, but there are still things I need to do while I'm in town. First I need to get a Pokémon specialist for Totodile concerning health reasons, and then I'll make my rounds of the streets like I always do when I come to town. After that I want to speak with some hunters about putting the two of you through a couple tests for development purposes which will naturally be accompanied by my overseeing those tests. Finally I want to check on some new acquisitions to our ranks that we are still unsure of for obvious safety purposes and later go out to the north of town to catch a certain Pokémon that lives near the abandoned power plant. We won't be leaving today and probably not tonight either.
"Chad, I've heard that you've been spending a lot of time in the libraries doing research to create your own strategies. This is a good thing, but you should start practicing with your most powerful Pokémon before the test I mentioned. Come up with a strong set of six that complements each other and prepare for everything you can't think of. Akashi, you're good enough that any further tips I can give you would make the tests invalid. Just prepare a wide variety of Pokémon and don't expect anything predictable. And when you two leave the room, send in Fuji or someone who's healthy. I've got a lot to get done before we leave town."
After Chad and Kurishimi left the room Mr. Fuji entered. Akuma told him what Brianna had said about Totodile's water gun difficulties and asked him to send for a specialist that could treat the problem. Fuji had a couple people in mind who he believed could help with the problem, and promised to send for them immediately. Akuma also briefly discussed his plans for putting Chad and Kurishimi through certain training tests. Fuji was unsure at first about Akuma's request, but agreed to follow his plans by finding some hunters who could assist him. When they were done Akuma gave Totodile's poké ball to Mr. Fuji.
That evening Akuma had recovered enough to leave the building and walk around town. Once again as he passed through the streets he found eyes looking out at him from missing windows and dark alleys. He made eye contact with some which vanished into the darkness when they realized he had seen them. Akuma walked on until he came to the center of town where a statue of an Arcanine was erected. He sat down on an old stone slab in front of the statue which was meant to be a bench after brushing off leaves and other natural clutter that had gathered on it. With his back to the statue and sunset Akuma reclined against the rough stone structure while keeping an eye on the road in front of him. There were no movements in the plaza or on the roads at the moment, but Akuma was expecting someone tonight. While he waited he opened Cleffa's poké ball so the little creature could wait with him. Knowing his Pokémon would quickly become bored he gave it a magost berry to eat which was his Cleffa's favorite snack.
As the sun began to vanish behind the buildings some movement could be seen down the street Akuma was watching. He smiled from the corner of his mouth, but didn't stand as more figures began to emerge and walk down the street toward him. When they came into the plaza Akuma could clearly see that they were all children as he'd been expecting. He stood to his feet and walked over to the group with his Cleffa following beside him as a total of seven kids approached him. He stood in front of the group which had formed a pyramidal shape with a young boy in the front who didn't seem much younger than Chad.
"You're late," the boy said to him. "Fuji said you were bringing back his Cubone four days ago."
"Cubone didn't like to fly so we walked here," Akuma replied. "I didn't know I was expected until I got back either." Unlike when he was talking with other people he spoke with a gentle and patient voice without any hint of underlying aggression.
"Marie saw you come into town this afternoon so we knew you'd be here tonight."
"Yes, I know. I saw her outside my old home when I left. Thanks for taking care of my room for me too."
"Are you gonna pay us like you promised?"
"Don't worry; the four of you be compensated for doing a good job soon."
"You said we would be paid when you got back."
"Yes, but I haven't had time or convenience to get all of the aforementioned payment just yet. I do have a small bit for three of you, but I would think you all wanted it at the same time. I'm going to try to pick up the last one in a day or two."
The boy held out his hand. "We'd like the three now please."
"Alright, catch." Akuma reached into his vest and tossed the lead boy and the two girls behind him a poké ball each. The weight indicated there was a Pokémon inside each of them. "Yours has a Paras from Mt. Moon, Ethan. Krissy, your Pokémon is a Meowth that came from the northern grasslands of Saffron City. Marie, I know how much you like a challenge so I bought you a Psyduck while I was in Vermillion City."
After the children had been given the Pokémon they rushed Akuma and all gave him a hug. Unexpectedly Akuma knelt down and smiled as they did so.
"Welcome home, Akuma," they all said to him.
"So Jeffrey is a trainer too now? I figured he would have left when he was old enough," Akuma said to himself while he and the kids sat around the statue. Cleffa was perched on his head eating another magost berry. "Maybe he'll be Mr. Fuji's new bodyguard in a few years too."
"No way, Akuma. We all know Miko and Jason like their jobs too much for that," One of the boys sitting on the ground said.
"Plus he wants to open a gym here in Lavender Town someday too," Ethan added. "He thinks the publicity might help make our town better. Most of us in the Survivors want to train under him in the gym too."
"What kind of gym would he make?" Akuma asked.
"Probably a ghost type gym, but I think that's been done before," Ethan said. "We want him to make the first dark type gym in Kanto."
"Now that would make a name for our group: the Dark Survivors," Akuma thought out loud. "That might give the gym a bad name I think."
"Eww, I don't like that name!" one of the girls said. "I want the town to be a happy place!"
"What kind of Pokémon will you train, Kimberly?" Akuma asked.
"Water type Pokémon! They look real pretty and water Pokémon trainers look pretty too."
"She's a big fan of Misty in Cerulean," Marie explained. "Even though we want Jeffrey to create a new and unique gym we all like training different kinds of Pokémon."
"Why not join different gyms then?"
"Because we all want to stay together of course."
"You'd better come up with a Pokémon type you all like then or the gym will probably never open."
"We know, but we can still try," Ethan stated. "So have you caught any more Pokémon since we last saw you?"
"I've got a few you haven't seen, but one of them might scare you," Akuma warned.
"Oh show us anyway!" said a boy named Luke. "I always want to see the toughest Pokémon."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Akuma told them as he released Houndoom from its poké ball. All the kids let out a yelp, including Luke, when they saw the devilish appearance of the dark Pokémon which led to a brief moment of teasing the former tough kid. "Houndoom was the leader of a Houndour pack outside Saffron City when I caught it. We aren't completely in synch when we battle yet, but it's tougher than my Totodile."
"You caught a water Pokémon finally?" Kimberly exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
"Yes, but Totodile can't battle yet so I left it at Mr. Fuji's place for treatment. Sorry, Kim."
Akuma then proceeded to introduce his Misdreavus and Sableye to the kids. Sableye was expected to be a creepy Pokémon, but its jester personality soon made it a favorite. While Akuma was with the seven kids however, someone across the street was watching him.
"He seems to be enjoying himself," Chad said to himself as he watched Akuma and the other kids interact. "I don't get it. Why is he so happy around them and so cruel to everybody else, including me and Kurishimi?"
"Because he grew up with them," said a voice from behind. Chad turned around in surprise to see a boy his age looking at the group as well. "Akuma grew up with all those kids. He was the leader of the Lavender Town kids gang called the Survivors; named that way because they survived for as long as they did in this city."
"Great, and who the heck are you?" Chad asked the boy in suspicion.
"I used to be one of them. Now I'm not and they don't know it so I just watch them from a distance without their knowing."
"That's… pretty creepy, ya know?"
"I can't make it on my own outside of town so I just stay hidden instead."
"Why not go over and talk to everybody then?"
"Because they don't know I'm here. My name is Jeffrey, and they think I'm on a Pokémon journey. I was going to learn how to be good enough to open my own gym here, but I failed."
"Everybody fails so keep trying until you don't anymore. Talk to Akuma about it if you want some help."
"I can't. Akuma never failed before so he wouldn't understand."
Chad laughed at the other boy's words. "Boy do you have it wrong. Akuma's had a lot of failures in his life. That's how he became so strong in the first place. One thing I learned from him is that while your Pokémon become stronger by winning battles, we become stronger by losing battles. I haven't been with Akuma for a full month yet and I've seen him get stuck a few times already, but he didn't give up, he kept trying until he won. From what I hear he also came back to Lavender Town early on because he thought he couldn't cut it as a trainer either. Just go talk to him when you get a chance, alright? You might even become good enough to match him someday since you're in the same position he was."
"But why would someone like Akuma want to help me? I'm nothing special."
"And neither was Akuma when he was your age, I'm sure. What have you got to lose anyway?"
"Self respect for one thing."
"No offense Jeffrey, but you already seem to be lacking in that. You'll gain self confidence if you ask for help too. Just try it, okay?"
Jeffrey looked down at his toes while Chad resumed watching Akuma and the other kids. Even if Akuma had grown up with all those children it didn't seem fair to only allow them to experience his kinder side. Outside of this town he was a mentor to at least two people and an example to many others. Most importantly he was a figurehead to the adults living in this town as well, so how was it that only these few children got special treatment from someone who was possibly the most powerful trainer in the world? To be honest with himself, Chad was pretty jealous of the street urchins. They couldn't afford a single oran berry and right now they had what seemed to be the hardest and most valuable thing in the world to obtain.
"I'm done here," Chad said to the air. "I'm going to get some rest."
"Before you go, I have a question for you," Jeffrey quickly said. "If Akuma came home like me, how did he get better?"
"Simple," Chad answered the boy. "He went through the most intense training programs available to someone of his age and background. Something else I learned from Akuma is that for us to get better we have to train until we've reached our limits, and then push ourselves beyond that limit to a new high point. If you can, find a mentor or even a rival I'd say. The right people can have a definite and positive impact on your training. I found both of those figures in Akuma. Anyway, good luck to you. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."
With that, Chad began walking back toward Mr. Fuji's place. Jeffrey continued to watch the others who seemed to be starting to go their separate ways. The last one to leave was Akuma whose route home brought him down the same road Jeffrey was watching from. After Akuma had started down the road, Jeffrey began walking out to meet him.
"A teacher and a rival, huh?" Jeffrey said to himself as Chad's words came back to him. "Well I suppose I've found at least one of them tonight, if not both."
This one was a bugger to piece together and I took some risks with Akuma's character near the end. I wanted to start cracking his shell by this point so I gave him someone special to come home to. I'm not sure if I rushed this part of his story though. I'd really like some feedback on this one, even if someone reads it after the story is all finished.