Mahogany Town
Jackson and his team arrived in the town he previously got his seventh badge in. They took a break in the Pokémon Center to recuperate themselves, get some sleep, before continuing on their way. Jackson, Leafeon and Lyanne decided to explore the town a bit more, deciding to eat out to find any place to eat at. It was then that Jackson discovered an outdoor restaurant that surprised him, and in a great way.
"This...is amazing!" Jackson muttered with sparkles in his eyes, as he stared at a familiar meal he had back in the Japan world, "They have ramen here?! And gyoza?!"
"I never saw this kind of food before." Lyanne noted, looking at her bowl.
"It's the best stuff in the world, next to chili dogs!" Jackson exclaimed. He took his chopsticks, and grabbed some noodles with scallions out of the broth, before slurping them down. He made an 'mmm' in delight, before taking a bite of the pork belly slice, before putting it down and used a spoon to sip up the broth. "This is paradise~!" Jackson swooned with bliss.
"I've never seen you enjoy food like this, Jackson." Leafeon noted, as she and the rest of Jackson's team were out of their balls, enjoying the restaurants homemade food for Pokémon.
"Well, when I went to the Japan world I spoke of before, they introduced me to the food in that world." he explained, taking a slurp of noodles, sighing in relief, before continuing, "I honestly hadn't had anything so flavorful in my life before that. I loved it so much!" He took a gyoza from the other plate, dipped it in the sauce served with it, and chomped on it. "It's so much like the flavors back then." he said happily.
"Maybe we should get some to go with us." Lyanne suggested, enjoying her bowl of ramen, before looking at a display tray of triangular-shaped rice, "We could take those with us. Those look like donuts."
"Nope. Those are clearly rice balls." Jackson counter-argued, "And they even have varieties of what's inside of them. Maybe we should get some, so you can see that they are clearly not donuts."
"I'll give them a try." Lyanne replied.
"Hey, Jackson!" Dewott spoke up abruptly, "Why don't you tell us more about that dojo you trained at! You still need to finish that for us." All of his Pokémon voiced their agreement to this statement.
"I still wanna learn about that, too, Jackson." Lyanne agreed.
Jackson looked to his team, before taking another slurping of noodles from his ramen, before starting, "I might as well. Hope you don't mind me eating in the midst of it. Ramen is best eaten when hot." He took another slurp of noodles, before starting, "So, both Seth and I agreed to join the dojo and train under multiple masters. For currency, I had a couple gold rings on me, which were pretty pricey, as it turns out, in that world."
"Didn't they sell pretty high in this world, too?" Leafeon recalled.
"Gold rings are apparently spendy all over the place. But they're rather common in my world." Jackson stated, "Seth was hesitant on having me pay for his tuition as well, but I wanted to do the right thing. But after that..." Jackson's eyes were shadowed as a grim look came across his face, "...we experienced the most hellish training imaginable."
(Insert 'STAND UP' by Twill (full version))
Music Intro
(Traveling through shining golden tunnel of energy, leading out into space with many world, all of which different colors, with the central world being the Pokémon world. The logo 'Jackson in Johto' appears on screen, before the camera passes through the arch of the 'n' from 'in, going into the world, through the clouds, where the glowing shadow of Ho-Oh can be seen, to the sea, where the shadow of Lugia is flying beneath the waters, before reaching the shoreline, getting blinded by the sun.)
Yeah, stand up boys!
Come on, face forward
(Jackson stands up, with Quilava at his side, followed by Dewott, Weavile, and Ledian, all of which expressing their unique personalities to Jackson.)
The call enveloping you is your guide
Step towards tomorrow
(Dewott gets angry at Weavile for trying to act so cool, while Jackson rolls his eyes before he, Quilava and Ledian took off ahead, with Weavile following behind, ignoring Dewott, who panicked and ran to not be left behind.)
Yeah, stand up girls!
At the end of what's more than real
(Leafeon rises up with Lyanne as Jackson and the boys pass by. The two look to one another, before giggling at the sight of the boys, before looking to the sky.)
We'll grab a light that's been covered by thick clouds
(Camera goes up to see Gardevoir appear in a sparkling light, landing right next to the two girls, smiling pleasantly at the two before they raced after the boys.)
How we spend our days before isn't good enough
(Camera passes by still images of all the companions and gym leaders that he has met or will meet in the future, including Cypher at the end of the pictures, while Jackson, Lyanne, Leafeon, and the rest of his current team walked along the bottom of the screen.)
At full speed
We can blast through
Even the highest wall
(Team Rocket suddenly appears, with the four admins of Team Rocket standing together, with the images of their ace Pokémon at their side, and the satellite system right above them.)
Stand up for your dream!
(Jackson draws his sword, while Lyanne turns into her Latias form, and the rest of his team ready to fight together.)
Be enthusiastic at what you do, no matter what it is
(Jackson rushes forward as he slashes his blade against Team Rocket grunts, followed by a spin kick, sending them flying, while Leafeon leaps up and unleashes a forward somersault Leaf Blade, taking out their Pokémon.)
Push your way through to make an opening
(Weavile unleashes an Ice Punch as Dewott throws a Water Pulse at a different direction, followed by the pair unleashing simultaneous Night Slashes. Quilava leaps through their attack, going into a Flame Charge.)
No matter how far
The answer you're seeking is
Stand up for your dream!
(Ledian flies in, striking with a couple Ice Punch, before unleashing a Bug Buzz. Latias flies above him, unleashing a Mist Ball, sending it ahead. Gardevoir flew forward, using Psychic to catch the Mist Ball, spinning it around her before shooting it forward, adding a Moonblast alongside the attack, creating an explosion.)
Even if my feeling show weakness
Your voice that I hear close by
(In the burning Ecruteak City, a serious Jackson raced along the path with Leafeon and Quilava at his side, towards the two towers, where a deranged Ho-Oh and Lugia were at, unleashing Aeroblast and Sacred Fire onto the city.)
Gives me courage and strength
I can go the distance
(Jackson leaps high, landing on Latias's back as they flew off, with the rest of the team leaping with him before encased in a stream of their signature colors, before the screen turn white, with a crystal blue Pokéball with a gold and silver sword crossing behind it the only thing remaining.)
(Flashback) The young Jackson was trying to remain still, beads of sweat pouring from his head. His hands were spread out, as he had heavy jugs on each hand. Hooked spikes were strapped underneath his upper arms, pointing towards the areas below his armpits. His feet were strapped to a board that spread his legs out, limiting his support, as spikes were also at his knees, pointing up to his lower arms. For Jackson, this was an agonizing position for him. Kensei Ma was standing right behind him, reading a magazine that had the cover of a woman in a bikini.
"Master Kensei?" Jackson strained to ask, "Why...do I have to...do this?!"
"It's to sustain your posture and improve your arm muscles." Kensei answered, not even bothered by Jackson's straining groans, "From what I am able to see, while you are efficient with weapons, you primarily rely on your feet. So improving your all-around body will do you well."
"But...are the spikes...really necessary?!" Jackson asked, feeling his arms slightly lower, leading the spikes nearly reaching his skin.
"It's motivation." the master simply replied, as Jackson made sure to straighten his arms up again.
"Not the motivation I was looking for!" Jackson exclaimed, "How long do I have to hold this position?!"
"You've only been there for ten minutes. Another fifty minutes to go." the answer caused Jackson to exclaim in horror, realizing how little time passed when it felt a lot longer.
Meanwhile, running laps outside the dojo was Seth, a rope bound around his waist, as he dragged a large tire behind him, with Master Akisame sitting on the tire as he ran.
"Keep running." Akisame told Seth, "We only have done five laps around the town this morning."
Seth seemed aggravated, his eyes started to glow. However, there was a whip coming from behind him, cracking him in the back and stopping him. "No using your psychic power to levitate the tires." the teacher called out, "You want to develop strength, this is the best way to do it."
"Apologies, sensei!" Seth apologized, "Force of habit!"
"A habit you must train out of doing." Akisame told him, "Once we are done here, I will hand you off to Shio."
"Yes, sensei!" Seth answered, running with beads of sweat pouring down his forehead as he ran.
An hour later, they did their sets of laps, and made it back to the dojo, with Seth falling to his hands and knees. "There you go. I've done the first set of warmups for you." Akisame told Seth.
'That was just ONE SET of warmups?!' Seth demanded.
"Shio, would you mind making sure our new pupil doesn't over-stimulate his legs?" Akisame asked the karate master.
"Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." Sakaki answered, causing Seth to give a sigh of relief. This relief was immediately dismissed when Sakaki took off his harness to the tire, picked him up by the legs, and shove him into using his hands as he was wheel-barreled around the area.
"You know the reason why your legs have more muscles than your arms?!" he demanded as he pushed him along, "It's because you are constantly walking about on them every day! So we're gonna have your run with your hands instead!" He cackled as Seth shouted in agony as he was forced to paddle with his hands as they ran about the courtyard.
Jackson was released from his training with Kensei Ma, only to be thrown into training with Master Shigure, who according to Master Kensei, seemed really eager to train him. "What weapons... are you... familiar with?" she asked.
"Well, I am good with swords." Jackson asked, "I'm also good with all forms of hi-tech stuff, like this..." He quickly raced over to grab his bag, before coming back with the EMP glove, the Miles Machine Defuser, only this one was the Mark II, showing it off. "My friend, Tails, made it for me. It can short-circuit machines, and even stun people, if I want to."
Shigure grabbed his glove, pulling it off Jackson's hand, and looked at it. "It's different... to anything... I know."
"I mean, it would be weird if you saw anything else like it." Jackson noted, "I didn't see anything that high-tech anywhere in here."
She was really intrigued by it, before handing it back to Jackson, starting, "I'll start with...teaching you... how to use... a katana."
"Katana?" Jackson echoed.
"This." She told Jackson, pulling out a curved blade similar to the one on her back from out of nowhere, still in its sheath.
"Where were you keeping that?" Jackson asked, "Or should I not know?"
"Pervert." Shigure muttered.
"I AM NOT!" Jackson barked back at the accusation.
"I'm kidding." she assured him, raising the katana, "Here. Take." Jackson, still flustered at what she called him, took the katana, and pulled it out of its sheath, looking at the flat of the blade, before pointing it up. "Your first time... seeing one?" Shigure asked.
"Yeah. I mean, I have seen curved swords like this before, but I didn't know what they were until now. So this is a katana. It's way lighter than my usual sword."
"Your sword. It is...a shortsword, correct?" she asked, "It's... heavier?"
"Yeah. My friend, Tails, helped me craft it. He wasn't a traditional blacksmith, but he used technology to make it. The outer coating of it was composed of Mobibendum, an extremely sturdy but super heavy material back home. Though lightly coated, my sword was around 100 pounds."
Shigure was intrigued, stating, "You must be... strong. Why don't you... show me... how you... fight."
"You mean... you want me to spar with you?" Jackson asked, "No offense, but I can tell you are stronger than me. I don't know if I can beat you."
"I'll use... this." Shigure told Jackson, and he pulled out a wooden paddle-like spoon.
"And that is...?" Jackson asked.
"A rice spoon." she answered, "Miu... gave it... to me."
'She's serious, isn't she?' Jackson asked, but looked at his katana, "Seems like only one side is sharp. Not use to it, but I'll give it a shot." He walked some distance from Shigure, getting into a fighter's stance with his sword, gripping it in both hands, and launched forward, readying his katana. Shigure readied her spoon just as Jackson quickly closed the gap, and swung his sword. Shigure was so much swifter, and quickly swung her spoon before Jackson could react. He came to a halt, and was stunned. The katana was shattered in his hands.
"You were... predictable." She told Jackson, who just stood there, stunned at the fact that someone shattered metal with wooden spoon. "You have... much to learn."
"How... did you do that?!" Jackson gasped, turning to her in shock, "And... is it okay for you to break a sword you just gave me?"
"It's fine." she replied, "I have... many more."
"Apa~ Now you try do dodge!" called out Apachai's voice from a good distance way. There was a sound of something being hit, followed by Jackson just in time to get a face full of Seth being sent flying right into him, causing the pair to careen together into a wall, creating a crater on it. They collapsed to the ground, barely conscious from that sudden attack.
Apachai had the practice gloves on him as he looked innocent as he muttered, "Apachai told him to dodge. Why didn't he dodge?"
"That might have been too fast for him to avoid." Sakaki assumed.
"I know the pain..." Kenichi muttered, but was in a panic as he was in some sort of hamster wheel machine made by Akisame that forced him to run frantically to avoid the electrocution.
'This is only the first day of practice?!' Seth and Jackson mentally asked together, with spirals in their eyes.
That night, Jackson and Seth were in the room set up for the two of them to sleep in together. They were so battered and bruised, they couldn't even put the sheets over their bodies without getting pain.
"These guys are lethal..." Jackson muttered, "How the heck does anyone learn under them and survives?!"
"Not sure." Seth answered, "They are extremely strict, and incredibly powerful. No other Pokéhuman could match them. And they don't even know the meaning of restraint."
"I know, right?!" Jackson asked, "I mean, I can tell it's gonna pay off in the long run, but their lessons might kill me before we even return home!"
Jackson gave a deep sigh, which was followed by some pain from just breathing. It hurt to move any part of his body.
"And yet..." Seth muttered, getting Jackson's attention, "...compared to what I went through back in the lab, this pain doesn't mean anything to me."
Jackson strained himself into a sitting position, asking, "Things were that bad, huh? You gave us a brief explanation before."
Seth looked at the ceiling, a frown forming on his face. "You have no idea what I had to go through." he stated, "The painful experiments they put me and everyone through. The tests they had me do. How they forced me to kill fellow people, even ones I knew well, just for their observation. The damage done to me from those same people. I had to survive with so much physical pain, so much trauma from what happened. Even after leaving the place, I haven't forgotten anything from it."
"Seth..." Jackson muttered, feeling the amount of agony he must've gone through.
"And that's why..." Seth continued, getting himself into a sitting position, wincing from the pain, "This pain is different from the pain I experienced before. It didn't come from suffering and agony, or any negative reason. It came from getting stronger. It came from people who care enough about me without being heartless. These people are not heartless. They care. This pain is a good pain."
Jackson looked at him in awe, before looking at his hands. They were full of injuries from training with Shigure and Kensei. Sure, he had suffered injuries before, between training back home, or fighting Eggman and his forces. However, this was far more difficult, yet not as bad as he thought, after hearing Seth.
He clenched his fist, and turned to Seth, saying, "You're right. This may hurt a heck of a lot, but it's not like the masters are heartless. In fact, they gave us a place like this to rest, food, and more importantly, they gave us freedom. In return, we chose to train here, and that's what we're gonna do. If it takes this amount of strain to improve myself and become the hero I want to be back home, then I'll happily take it! I don't want to make my friends worry about me again."
He raised his hand to Seth, declaring, "Let's work hard together. And if one of us tries to give up, let's make sure we support one another. And we'd better make sure to find a way back to our home worlds, while we're at it."
Seth looked to his hand, before huffing out a smirk, saying, "You're pretty optimistic, Jackson. You act like it'll be easy to get home. Still, for the time being, I'll make sure you don't quit on me." He took Jackson's hand, responding, "We'll get stronger, together. And find a way home." The young swordsman smiled and nodded in response.
Surrounding the outside of the room, the Ryouzanpaku master, Grandmaster included, were listening in on the boys talking, without them noticing their presence whatsoever. Apachai was tearing up at their words, thinking of it as a sort of brotherhood bond they formed.
"Heh. And you thought they would give up on the first day, huh?" Sakaki told Akisame.
"What are you talking about. You were the one who thought they would quit so easily." the judo master answered.
"They are as committed to this as Kenichi." Kensei stated, "It's kinda fun teachings these lessons to new students, after we taught him."
"I'm eager... to teach Jackson... to use my... weapons." Shigure stated, with her pet mouse nodding in agreement, "It's...brand new."
"Yes. Kenichi doesn't use weapons, so this will be a new experience for you, Shigure." Hayato stated, smirking as he could see her eagerness, "We should help them find ways back home, but in the meantime, we should teach them all we can. That means we should show no mercy!" All six sets of eyes glowed at their decision to hammer their lessons into them.
Inside, Jackson and Seth had shivers go down their spine, getting a foreboding feeling.
Present Day
Jackson finished his ramen and gyoza moments ago, placing the payment of the food on the table behind him, before turning to his team, continuing, "The training they put us through that time was nothing short of hellish. If you thought I was tough on you guys, you have not seen anything when it came to what my masters put Seth and I through. It was as painful as fighting Ho-Oh and Lugia alone every day."
"That has to be an over-excessive comparison...right?" Leafeon asked, getting the feeling she knew the answer.
"Not even. And yet, I was able to get physically stronger, faster, more enduring every day thanks to them. I also got smarter, thought faster, and was better skilled than ever before. Master Shigure, in particular, was helpful in teaching me all sorts of weaponry. Not just various kinds of swords, but knives, shurikens, whips, kisurigama, quarterstaffs, sais, tonfas, nunchucks, scythes, naginatas, bow and arrow, all sorts. I even decided to dabble in firearms while I was at it, but only when I went home."
"I don't what each weapon you spoke of is, but it seems like a great amount." Lyanne muttered, "You really can remember how to use each weapons?"
"My body can." Jackson answered, "It's all through muscle memory that Shigure practically downloaded into me throughout my time there. She even taught me about armoring myself, such as arm braces, chainmail, and such. What's more, she also taught me how to properly do blacksmithing."
"Blacksmithing?" Weavile echoed, "And what is that?"
"Crafting things using a forge, primarily." Jackson answered, "She taught me how to make weapons and armor through it. It's even how I made this sword." He pulled out his primary blade, showing it to the team. "It was the first one she approved. It took several attempts, but I managed to make this. I even named it."
"Your sword has a name?" Dewott asked, "This I gotta hear! What's it called?"
Jackson paused, looking at his sword, thinking on it. Suddenly, a look of surprise and concern came across his face, attracting the attention of his cohorts. "What's wrong?" Gardevoir asked.
"I...don't remember." Jackson answered, amazed at his own answer.
"You don't remember what you named your sword?" Dewott asked.
He shook his head, as he answered, "I don't remember at all. But why? I know I called out this weapon's name a lot back home. So why can't I...?" He thought for a moment, before the memory of his father flashed in his face, followed by the destruction from sending one of Eggman's giant robots into a building, causing him to frown, before bracing his forehead, feeling pain. "Dammit...!" he grimaced, "Don't tell me...what my dad put me through... and what I did before... made me forget?"
His team looked worried at Jackson's expression, seeing him struggle. Gardevoir, knowing how he felt, walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "It's okay, Jackson. You may not remember now, but it is still there inside your mind. Give it time, like you told me involving my memories."
He looked to the Embrace Pokémon, before looking down at his sword, and nodding in agreement. "You're right, Gardevoir. It's just...I am missing a crucial part of my life, and I can't even use the final lesson Shigure taught me."
"The final lesson?" Quilava asked.
"I'm getting ahead of myself, but it's a technique known as 'Shinto Gōrenzan'. Sword-wielders can perform this technique to unleash the full power of your blade. It takes a great deal of time to train, and an incredible amount of sword mastery, which I was able to achieve. However, there is one thing that's missing; a deep bond between weapon and wielder."
"A bond between blade and wielder?" Lyanne asked.
"Yeah. Shigure taught me that every weapon has a soul deep within." Jackson explained, "When the bond between the two become strong enough, they can harness that power in the form of Shinto Gōrenzan. But, without remembering my sword's name..."
"You can't tap into that power." Leafeon understood.
"You are still strong, even without it." Ledian stated.
"True." Weavile agreed, "But what about that other master you were taught under?"
"Master Kensei, you mean?" Jackson asked, "Oh, he was an incredibly amazing teacher. He taught me about Chinese Kenpo, learning many martial arts skills. Although..." At this point, he gave an awkward look as he stated, "Kensei had some traits that I didn't support. Such as looking at certain magazines. Or... how he ogled and groped the girls at the dojo."
"Wait...you mean...?" Lyanne realized, living long enough to know what that meant. Jackson nodded, causing her to glare harshly, growling, "What a despicable person. Why would you consider him your master?!" Leafeon and Gardevoir looked at each other with confusion, not sure what they meant.
"Well, I made sure that I stood my ground on my beliefs, so he made sure not to do those things around me." Jackson noted, "Still, he was a great master. It's thanks to him that I can even fight without my sword. It was not even from Chinese Kenpo I developed it, but from something else."
(Flashback) Four months passed since he and Seth started living in Ryouzanpaku. Jackson was laying on his back in the medical bed, with Kensei right by him, a wooden medical box right on the table. The training he went through with Shigure was so brutal, he ended up pulling a muscle on his left arm, practically numbing it out of use.
"I told you... not to swing... the the kisurigama... so violently." Shigure told Jackson, standing right by him.
"Yeah... lesson learned." Jackson grimaced, "But how long will this take to heal up?"
"Not that long. Just give me a moment to fix you up, and you should be good to go." Kensei answered, pulling out a thin leather case from his medical box, bringing it with him to Jackson's dominant arm. He massaged his arm, making sure he found the spot where the most damage was at, "Looks like I found the source of it. Just stay still." He opened up the case, revealing numerous long needles, which he begun sticking down Jackson's arm.
"What are you doing, master?" Jackson asked.
"Making sure the nerve system and ki in your body is restoring the damage in your arm." Kensei answered.
Jackson examined the needles, feeling the pain from the sting, meaning the numbness was fading. He was impressed by his skill, as was the accuracy of the needlework. "I see. This is acupuncture, right?" he asked.
"You are familiar with it?" Kensei asked.
"Yeah. I remember it being done to me before." Jackson explained, "Was a bit squeamish about it then, but I don't feel the same fear as I did before. Maybe being around bladed weapons has that affect."
"That's good. Just lie still for me. It will be done momentarily." he did as he was told, watching Kensei do his work. He did try to sneak a camera snap of Shigure from a provocative position at one position, but a swift slash of Shigure's blade made him back off unscathed. The same couldn't be said about his camera, though.
Once they were done, Jackson sat up, flexing his arm, feeling the soreness from the recovery, but otherwise, he was okay. "Thanks, master." Jackson thanked Kensei.
"It was no problem. Just taking care of my pupil before I train him." he answered.
"We should... get back to... training." Shigure told Jackson, "We'll use... your other arm... in the meantime."
"No time to recover from the shock of it, huh?" Jackson asked with a nervous giggle. He sighed, before turning to Kensei, asking, "Master, if it isn't too much trouble, I am kinda interested in learning about acupuncture. Could you teach me?"
Kensei looked intrigued as he asked, "Really, now? It is very complex to understand. You must have a full understanding of the anatomy of your individual. It might take some time for you to learn it properly."
"That's fine. I don't know when I'll get back home, but I do want to learn as much as I can." Jackson replied, "If anything, it might help my friends if they are injured during or after a fight. If I can learn it, I can help."
Kensei eyed Jackson as he looked to him with a look in his eyes that showed him all he needed to know. "Shigure, I'm gonna have to cut off your time with him short." he told the maiden of weapons, "While I see that glimmer of curiosity in his eyes, I should teach him medical knowledge."
Shigure looked a bit forlorn from losing more time with Jackson, but he replied, "Don't worry, Master Shigure. This could be a good opportunity to recover my arm for my next lesson with you." Shigure heard this, and smiled, acknowledging her student's eagerness to get back to their lessons later on. But first, Jackson wanted to learn from Kensei.
Present Day
"Thanks to Kensei, I was able to develop medical knowledge, which I of course wrote down so I can recall it again at a later time." Jackson stated, digging into his bag, and pulling out the journal where he kept the said lessons he got from Kensei in.
Lyanne took the journal, and opened it up, before looking startled by it. "Um, Jackson?" she asked, "What does any of this say? Your handwriting is awful!"
"Yeah, I've been told that plenty of times." Jackson replied, looking sheepishly at this, "You never saw my handwriting before?" Lyanne shook her head. "Well, I heard left-handed people have great imaginations, but horrible handwriting. As long as I can read it, it doesn't matter."
"So how did this help you learn your style of martial arts?" Leafeon asked.
"You know how I was able to use my hands to paralyze Team Rocket grunts and other folks?" Jackson asked, "That was developed from learning acupuncture. I developed a way to use my hands like swords, but the tips of my finger can be used like needles to strike at people's pressure points and nerve systems. I mixed my medical lessons and Chinese kenpo with styles such as Kyusho Jitsu, Piquaquan, and even learned a bit from Miu and her Kuremisago style. I dubbed it 'Reipia-Alpphire Style'."
"That just sounds amazing!" Quilava and Dewott said as one.
"Wait, Miu?" Leafeon asked, "You mean you learned from the other pupils?"
"Yeah. In fact, the Piquaquan style I learned came from a person who was a rival to Kenichi named Natsu Tanimoto." Jackson explained, "I not only learned from my masters, but I sparred with Seth, Kenichi, Miu, and many other people they were friends with, particularly those who were part of a group called the Shinpaku Alliance."
"You made quite a few friends in that world, huh?" Leafeon asked, "Do you miss them?"
"Yeah. I enjoyed my time with them. In fact, since the masters at the dojo were socially inept, they were my saving grace in enjoying time outside the dojo." Jackson explained, "Listening to music made by Hibiki. Talking weapons with Kaname. Going to cat cafes with Kisara..." He blushed as he thought about that time. He did end up developing a soft spot for cats after that day because of it.
"Were there any girls you had a crush on there?" Lyanne asked, smiling sweetly at him.
Jackson looked flustered as he answered, "N-No! I wasn't gonna do that! Not only was I in a different world, but I was still going against my dad's beliefs in women, so I didn't have any crushes. Besides, the majority of the girls already had partners."
"That's a shame." Lyanne muttered.
"Hey, did you learn anything else from your masters?" Dewott asked eagerly.
"Yeah. Like that ki control thing you showed before." Ledian pointed out.
"Oh, well that, I learned from the grandmaster Hayato himself." Jackson explained, "He taught Seth and I two important techniques; Ki control, and the Seikuken."
"Say-whatnow?" Dewott asked.
"The Seikuken is both an offensive and defensive technique." Jackson explained, standing up and stepping away from the restaurant, "Follow me. I'll show you how it is done. Follow me."
He led his team away from the scene, eventually making their way to the outskirts of town, far from prying eyes.
When they were ready, Jackson distanced himself from his team as he had his six Pokémon circle him.
"Alright, you guys." Jackson told his team, looking about them, "Give me a moment to warm up." He closed his eyes, drew out his sword, holding it in one hand, stretching it out as far as he could. He had his free hand out, his open palm at the ready, also outstretched. He concentrated as he felt his reach, before he opened his eyes, and called out, "Come at me!"
"You got it!" Dewott shouted, racing in with Night Slash, before jumping up at him. He tried to get in for an attack, but Jackson immediately swung his blade to parry the attack, sending the Discipline Pokémon reeling. Weavile tried to attack with an Ice Punch from behind, getting in closer. However, Jackson had his open palm at the ready, smoothly turning and thrusting his attack out of the way, before quickly grabbing Weavile's wrist, throwing him into Dewott, causing the two to fly away.
Quilava shot a Flamethrower at Jackson, while Gardevoir fired off her Magical Leaf. Jackson saw the two attacks coming from different directions, and gathered up the wind in his sword, making it spiral around his blade. The Flamethrower ended up getting caught into the wind, and he circled it around, sending it into the Magical Leaf, burning it up and sending the trajectory of the Flamethrower right at the Psychic/Fairy-type, causing her to get scorched by the attack.
'I should mention the one lesson I gained from traveling around that world.' Jackson told himself, 'Shigure had me travel with her to different places with her, and she took me to the Appalachian Mountains, where she introduced me to a blind sword master who was trying to harness the wind with his sword. Despite his lack of sight, his other senses made him keenly aware of how the wind moved around him. Being me, I tried technology at first, but that failed epically with the strength of the winds in that mountain. But during that time, I had not only improved my senses, but had the basics in ki control. Shigure taught me how to channel my ki into my weapon, and that helped me control the wind. I already had some experience in using the wind with my Extreme Gear, so I was able to experiment and develop some tricks with my 'Wind-Blade' or Kazaha technique.'
"Ledian, gather up speed while I try to stop Jackson!" Leafeon called out, unleashing her Sunny Day to boost her speed, getting in close to Jackson in an instant, unleashing her Iron Tail. Jackson used his hand to knock the attack aside, but Leafeon carried the spin into a reverse slash, which Jackson parried with his sword. The two engaged in a headed battle, with Jackson blocking with his hand and sword, while Leafeon was spinning and dancing to try and get a hit in.
Ledian used Agility to boost his speed multiple times, before blitzing towards Jackson while he was fighting, getting around and using his Ice Punch to try and hit Jackson. However, his attack was stopped by the flat of Jackson's sword, while his free hand grabbed Leafeon's tail, putting them in a standstill.
"Even with our speed...!" Ledian gasped.
"...he still stopped our attacks?!" Leafeon finished.
"You entered my space of reach." Jackson explained, "That is the Seikuken!" He spun around and unleashed a shockwave with a sword spin and the flat of his palm, knocking the pair away.
All six Pokémon gathered themselves, amazed at their trainer's martial arts skill. Lyanne was especially amazed. "It's like he saw every attack coming, and either blocked or parried it!" she gasped, "But how did he do that?!"
"You saw how I stretched my sword and my palm out, right?" Jackson asked, "Think of that distance of reach all around me as a barrier. Anything that goes into that barrier is something I can block and counteract. I merely see where the attack is going in my field of range, and close the gap to stop it from hitting me, or strike my opponent before they get to me. What's more, I had both my palm and my sword out, meaning there was two layers I needed to learn. It's extremely tricky, and something Seth and I went through hell to learn, thanks to Grandmaster Hayato."
"It sounds simple, but it looks so complex." Leafeon muttered, walking over to him, "Your fighting style is extremely diverse, but amazing."
"There is one thing I want to ask, though." Gardevoir intervened, "I understand how you became such a skilled figher. But how did you find a way back to your home world?" That was a question on everyone's mind.
Jackson sheathed his blade as he answered, "Well, in between recovering from training and sparring, I used technology to try to find a way back. I did some serious research to find a way back home. However, Tails and the other back home were doing their best to search for where I disappeared to. See, after we defeated Solaris down to its very beginning, it caused a time alteration, so everything that was affected by Solaris, never happened, and everyone had forgotten about those events. I was the exception, as I was outside the space-time continuum. So when Sonic, Tails, and the rest of the gang found I had vanished, they were confused, but concerned. So they were searching for me as I was searching for them. Finally, after over a year in Ryouzanpaku..."
(Flashback) Jackson was in a spare room next to his room, deeply digging into a very complex machine that practically filled up one of the long walls. He was making sure the wiring was fine, and everything was connected. Tochimaru was also assisting him, able to crawl into the tight spaces and fix things up for him via his instructions. He had a few books out on the floor. Some were advance engineering books he bought at the library, while others were journals he wrote when he was being taught by Tails. Seth was sitting there, drinking his tea, while Apachai was sitting next to him, baby-faced and watching Jackson with a confused expression, and Shigure was also by his side, cleaning her katana.
"That's it, Tochimaru. Just screw that piece tightly in place." Jackson told him. The mouse tightened the fastener he was talking about. When it was completely in, he saluted to Jackson that he was done. "Excellent work, buddy." he told him.
"I swear, Tochimaru is far smarter than any mouse Pokémon back home." Seth muttered.
The Muay Thai master pointed at himself, saying, "Apachai can do stuff Tochimaru can, too."
"No offense, Apachai, but you often break anything you try to help me fix." Jackson pointed out, causing his target to feel dejected, "Then again, Seth and I have to watch out, as well. We're hilt of a lot stronger than we were a year ago."
"No kidding." Seth admitted, "I still felt bad when I broke one of the master's tea cups just by grabbing it." He looked at his own body and limbs, seeing the lean but toned muscles he developed on his body. He looked to Jackson, seeing his body had developed since the day they first met. What one year could do to them.
Jackson sighed in relief, as he muttered, "That should do it. Time for another trial by fire." He went to the control panel of his device, and activated the nobs and switches on it, stimulating the machine to start working. He then pressed his hand on a panel piece, muttering, "Combining my DNA with any traces left on me from the space time travel." He turned to Seth, saying, "You're up! Let loose your psychic energy on it!"
Seth nodded, putting down his tea, and stood up. He concentrated on a multiple-rotating ring device on the machine, and used his Psychic attack on it. The machine started to spin even faster, the psychic energy being stimulated, the rings spinning in multiple different directions. The machine was starting to make the room shake as Jackson used his free hand to draw the speaker to him.
"Calling anyone of Mobius! Does anyone copy?!" Jackson called through the speaker, "Anyone of the Pokémon world or Mobius! Do you copy?!" He didn't hear anything but static for a good long time. He tried different frequencies using the control panel, calling into it after every adjustment.
Finally, after a minute of adjusting, he started to get a signal. He stopped his adjustments and listened in carefully, as did everyone else. Suddenly, he started to hear a voice. A very familiar voice. "H...lo...? Wh... is... is...?" the voice called out.
"Tails? Tails!" Jackson called out, remembering the voice, "Is that you?!"
"Tha... oice..." his fox friend called back, the voice getting slightly clearer, "Jack... that you?"
"Yeah! It's me, Tails!" Jackson responded happily, "You have no idea how fantastic it is to hear your voice!"
"It's been...ever, Jackso...!" Tails called out, "Where are...ou?!"
"In another world! It's a long story, but I need help getting back home! Also, I have someone here from another world apart from ours or this place. We need help sending him home, too!"
I got it." Tails called back, his voice now becoming clear, "I'll get Sonic over, and we'll figure something out. Hold on the line, okay?"
"Sure, but make it quick." Jackson answered, "The electric bill here might be through the roof if I stay on too long." Seth gave a cheeky grin. He wasn't completely wrong, but the majority of the power was coming from a source he created.
It took about ten minutes, but he heard Sonic's voice as he called out, "Jackson! Long time, no hear!"
"Sonic! Thank goodness..." Jackson sighed in relief, "Can you pick me up? I'm kinda stuck in another world, and I'm not techy enough to get back home."
"We got your back!" Sonic answered, "We have a couple Chaos Emeralds on hand. Should be enough to get you back home."
"You gotta tell us how you ended up in another world in the first place." Tails stated.
"Right." Jackson answered, "Hope you can lock onto where I am at."
"Never underestimate Tails and his genius." Sonic argued.
"I never do." the swordsman answered.
Moments later, Jackson, Seth, and the masters and disciples of Ryouzanpaku were standing in the garden. The sun was setting on the scene. A second later, a large portal, stimulating with the power of the Chaos Emeralds, opened up before them. Everyone was startled by the sight of it, except for Jackson. Moments later, Sonic and Tails jumped out of the portal, landing neatly on the ground in front of them.
"Sonic! Tails!" Jackson raced over to them, crouching down to give them a hug.
"Whoa! Jackson! Easy there!" Tails answered, surprised but happy to see him, too.
"It's been AGES since we last saw each other." Sonic told him, as he let go of the pair, "You're looking a bit more fit than before."
"Well, I had to do something while I was working and waiting." Jackson answered, standing back up again and looking to his friends and masters.
"That's his friends?" Shigure asked, "They are...animals."
"But they talk and move just like we do." Miu noted.
"So this is what actual aliens from other worlds look like." Akisame understood.
Jackson smiled as he stated, "Well, I should probably gather my things and get going. Seth, you should do the same."
"You sure you can take me back home?" Seth asked.
"Trust me and my friends. You have so far, right?" He couldn't argue with Jackson's statement, so he went off to get his things.
"Looks like it's time for you to go, Jackson." Kenichi told Jackson, walking over to him.
"Yeah. Tell everyone in the Shinpaku Alliance I said bye." he told him.
"We're proud that we got to teach such eager disciples." Kensei told him.
"Yeah. You and Seth were refreshing for us." Sakaki stated, "After getting Kenichi as far as he did, I wondered how well we would do teaching someone else."
"Jackson, who are these guys?" Sonic asked.
"My masters. My fellow disciples. But all of them are practically a family away from home." Jackson answered, smiling at all of them.
Suddenly, Shigure appeared to his side, and she pulled him into a hug, Jackson's head pressed against her cleavage. He seemed flustered while everyone else was shocked, while Kensei was a bit irritated. "Wha-!" Jackson was flustered beyond belief at this, "M-M-Master Shigure!"
"Please...let me do this..." She told him, causing him to stop struggling, "Kenichi was... my first student... But you... were the one... who I got to teach... the most. Thank you... Jackson."
Jackson was blushing horribly, but this wasn't just from his position. It was the words she said that made him realize how much she meant to him. In truth, he was also grateful for everything she taught him. She, Kensei, Grandmaster Hayato, the other masters, Kenichi, Miu, the Shinpaku Alliance. They were all very dear to him.
"You sure you don't wanna stay here, Jackson?" Sonic asked, looking cheeky at Jackson's predicament. Tails looked a bit hesitant, as he wanted one of his friends to return home.
Jackson got himself away from Shigure as he answered, "I'm positive. My mom and my sis are probably worried about me. Plus, with all my experience here, I can't wait to show Dr. Eggman my brand new fighting style! Let's get back to being heroes again!"
"Hey, Jackson!" Seth called out, arriving back with two knapsacks on hand, "Got your stuff, too. Here." He tossed his sack to him hard, which Jackson did an upper palm strike to send it airborne, before he jumped and caught it. Sonic whistled at his skill.
Seth said his farewells to Akisame, Sakaki, and Apachai, just as Jackson did. "Hey, Kenichi?" Jackson spoke up to him, "About you and Miu. Make sure things work out well together, okay? Treat her right." He then looked to Miu and stated, "And try not to get flustered every time you talk about that subject, okay?"
Both disciples looked taken aback at Jackson statement. They looked to one another, blushing at the fact, before Kenichi turned back to him and smiled, saying, "I'll do my best. I already know it will not be easy, but I do want it to happen."
"I can't make any guarantees, but I'll try." Miu responded sheepishly.
Jackson nodded as he made one last look at all the people before him, before he saddled his knapsack on his back, with Seth coming to his side, as they, Tails, and Sonic went back into the portal, returning home once again.
Present Day
"After that, we sent Seth back home, as well, and things went back to normal." Jackson stated, standing there as he looked to the sky, "My new fighting prowess took Eggman by surprise, as did many other villains and citizens. I ended up becoming a better person because of it...until I lost it." He looked down, thinking back to the moment his dad reunited with him, and everything that happened afterwards that ruined Jackson's reputation as a hero.
"That is an incredible story, Jackson." Leafeon stated, "Now I can see how you ended up such a skilled fighter."
"A thought occurred to me." Lyanne noted, "Since you sent Seth back to this world, do you think it was through that influence that you came here, as well?"
"Maybe." Jackson answered, looking back at her, "The Chaos Emeralds may have recorded the 'memory' of sending me here, before. They are mystical gems that work in unusual ways."
"And what about Seth?" Weavile asked, "Since you sent him back to this world, do you plan on seeing him again?"
"I do." Jackson answered, "He's in the Kalos region, and I do want to see him again. I wonder what he is up to, right now?"
There was a brief pause as he thought about the answer to that question, before Gardevoir said, "Well, I am glad to hear that story about you, but maybe we should continue on our journey."
"She's right. I want to challenge Clair again, and show her how strong I've gotten!" Ledian exclaimed.
"You're right." Jackson answered, looking to his team, "We got another route to go, then there's the Ice Path. We got a ways to go, so let's get moving while we have daylight." He returned his team back to their balls, leaving himself, Leafeon, and Lyanne together. He gathered his back, propping it onto his back.
"Time to go on our way." Leafeon told Jackson.
"Take the lead." Lyanne followed up. Jackson nodded, and together, they went back to town again, so they can go onto the route forward.
Kalos Region, Vaniville Town
In the outskirt suburbs of the town, a boy dressed in black clothing and a black cap exited a house, turning around as he said, "I'll come back some other time, Joanne, Michael." He made his way out the door. This boy was Seth Muto.
He pulled out his Holo Caster as he walked, making his way down the street as the newscaster, Malva, appeared on the holo screen. "Thank you for joining us today." she spoke up, "In today's top world news, a disaster was diverted in the Johto region, when the revived members of Team Rocket attempted to use the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh and Lugia to cause havoc throughout the region. But fortunately, their plans were stopped thanks to the authorities and the support of many trainers, including one young man by the name of Jackson Alpphire." The screen showed a picture of Jackson running through the streets of Ecruteak City, with Leafeon and Quilava at his side. "Thanks to the bravery of this trainer, the Legendary Pokémon were subdued and saved."
Her voice continued on, but Seth stopped listening, as he was shocked at the name and face of the person he just witnessed. It had been years since he last saw him. He couldn't quite believe he got to see him again. "Jackson?" he echoed the name, his eyes widened in surprise, "How... I thought he made it back home? What is he doing here in the Pokémon world?!"