Note: A few hours later then I intended, but here's chapter 4. I'm happy to share the chapters where more characters are now part of the story. Gold's my favorite character from Adventures, so writing him has been a lot of fun, personally.
Reminder: No updates next week. Chapter 5 will be released on the 9th.
Please enjoy. Like, share, comment, the works.
Chapter 4: Don't Run with Scizor!
"A battle huh?" Ash said "You're on."
"No hesitation huh?" Blue said. "Good, good."
Blue tossed the pokeball to Ash. He hadn't even noticed that Blue had pulled out an opaque pokeball, not a clear one.
"From the professors. They asked me to bring this to you," Blue said.
"Thanks."
Blue examined the area around them "So where should we…"
"Right here, right now."
"Hmff.."
Blue and Ash moved to opposite ends of the driveway, while the rest of the group stood by at a safe distance.
"This Blue is a little forward, isn't he?" Gary said, looking at Yellow.
"He's a bit tough, sure, but he doesn't do anything without a purpose," Yellow responded.
"Oh senior Blue's strong alright," Gold chimed in "Red-look-alike's gonna have a tough time with this one."
"One pokémon each. First one to get the knockout wins," Blue said, taking out one of his own pokeballs. At that distance Ash could see that it was translucent, but he couldn't make out exactly what pokémon was in it, not that it mattered much to him.
"Alright," Ash looked at the pokeball Blue had given him. Even without the ball being translucent like Blue's, he knew exactly who was inside. It was difficult to pinpoint why, but it was an intuition that every trainer worth their salt had. He tossed the ball forward with a fervor he hadn't felt in a long time.
In a burst of red energy the pokémon revealed itself, a Quilava! Its slim blue body and short appendages made it look almost meek, though the red spots adorning its head and lower torso ignited to showcase a searing hot flame.
"Quilava! Long time no see!"
"Qui!" Quilava turned to face Ash, his face full of fiery determination, at least on the surface. Ash couldn't help but notice Quilava's eyes, which were unnaturally twitchy, and the flames on his back seemed to be far more erratic then he remembered. Something definitely wasn't right, but he could also tell that Quilava was more than happy to fight. If anything, it seemed like he wanted it a bit too much.
"Alright," Blue said, tossing his pokeball in a swift yet powerful motion "Scizor, come on out!"
Blue's scizor stood… well floated… as stoically as its trainer. The bright red insect-like pokémon's most striking feature was its two massive claws, and Ash was quite aware that they could do some serious damage.
"Scizor, huh?" Ash said. Being a steel and bug type, Scizor was particularly weak to fire. A couple solid hits could likely finish it off fairly quickly. However, if this Blue even had an inkling of the battle prowess that Gary had, then such a feat would be far easier said than done.
"That's right, my first pokémon. Scizor and I have trained for years," Blue raised a finger, pointed towards Ash. "You go first, Ash from pallet town."
Ash spread his feet apart and dug them in. Blue didn't budge, awaiting Ash's first attack.
"Alright Quilava, use flamethrower!" Ash yelled as Quilava launched itself into the air, unleashing a powerful blast of flaming energy directly at Blue's Scizor.
"Dodge it, and use metal claw," Blue quickly retorted. Scizor burst over the cone of fire, quickly closing the gap between itself and Ash's Quilava. Its claws hardened as they became coated in a glossy sheen of metallic energy. They hit Quilava right over its head, sending it creaning into the ground.
"Quilava!" Ash shouted as Quilava hit the rocky pavement. "Are you alright?". Quilava recovered quickly, almost responding to Ash's call. He shook off the dust collected on its fur, ready to strike again.
Part of Ash had missed this, not having competed in a proper pokémon battle in almost a year. He lived for pokémon battling, the back and forth between trainers, the unity they shared between their pokémon, the fiery power of devastating attacks and the victory of a successful strategy, pulled off in the heat of the moment with seconds deciding the difference between success and failure. It gave him a headrush unlike anything else. Or at least… it used to.
Right now the excitement was there but it was hollow. The sense of fulfillment he used to get was absent. The emotions were still present but it all felt like there was no weight to anything.
"Scizor, metal claw again!" Ash's brief moment of pause gave Blue another opening to attack, his Scizor closing the distance, swiping at Quilava who took the hit again. This time the blue pokémon got up a lot slower, his legs quivering under his own weight.
"This all you got, Ash? Why should we bother with you?" Blue looked over to where the onlookers were standing, specifically looking at Yellow "How are we going to find Red carrying this dead weight around."
The words stung Ash to his core. Has he really lost it? He continued training with Pikachu; and Quilava looked as strong as ever, being dutifully raised at Professor Oak's research lab. He couldn't give up, his pride at least was somewhat intact, and he would never forgive himself. Yet…
"QUI!"
Ash snapped back to reality. His Quilava was now standing upright on his two back legs and had turned his back to Blue, looking directly at Ash.
"Quilava, I'm…"
"QUILAVA!"
Quilava didn't need to tell him twice. Now was not the time to apologize for his self-doubt, for questioning his abilities as a trainer. He had said it himself so many times before, all he needed was to trust in his pokémon, and to do that, he needed to trust himself.
"Right Quilava," Ash said with a subtle nod. Quilava turned around, facing his opponent, both pokémon and trainer glaring down their opponents with newfound vigor.
"Hmm," Blue seemed to raise his eyebrow, though it was difficult to tell. He was difficult to read, his stoic gaze never wavering.
"Scizor, use slash!" Blue called. Scizor began to close the distance yet again, blasting through the air.
"Quilava! Use quick attack to dodge it, then counterattack with flame wheel!"
Quilava leapt into the air, circling the Scizor mid flight and landing right behind it. Using the momentum gained he immediately spiraled forward, his entire body becoming engulfed in flames, crashing directly into Scizor. The attack sent the pokémon hurtling towards the ground, its metal hide searing with heat.
"Scizor, get up and use slash again!"
In the blink of an eye Scizor leaped up, seemingly shaking off the damage it sustained.
"Quilava! Hit it head on with flame wheel! One more time!"
Spiraling once again, Quilava bathed itself in flames. He charged forward, straight into the oncoming Scizor. The two pokémon collided in a burst of energy, combusting into a large explosion.
"Quilava!" Ash screamed, fearing the worst for his pokémon. Blue didn't say a word, not even looking at the cloud, instead being more intent on examining Ash.
Finally the smoke cleared, with the two pokémon locked in the air, Quilava being firmly clamped by Scizor, who in turn looked to be incredibly weary. Seconds passed, each pokémon not moving an inch. Then, Scizor began to slowly float down, gently placing Quilava on the ground. The two pokémon looked at each other for a few more seconds, their expressions almost unreadable to even their trainers. Quilava gave in first, falling unconscious. Scizor stumbled a bit, getting down on one knee, but still awake.
Ash immediately ran up to Quilava, cradling the pokémon in his arms. Blue walked up to Scizor.
"Quilava, you did great buddy," Ash said softly. Quilava slowly opened his eyes, giving Ash a smile. "I'm sorry, I should have gotten it together sooner."
"Well done Scizor," Blue said, placing a hand on Scizors shoulder. Scizor got up and reached into Blue's pocket, pulling out a large blue Oran berry with the tip of its claw. Blue didn't resist as Scizor took the berry over to Ash, handing it to him.
"Huh? Oh… thanks Scizor," Ash said, somewhat confused, plucking the Oran berry from Scizor's claw and giving it to Quilava. "Here, take this," Quilava grabbed the berry with its two front arms and weakly nibbled at the fruit. Oran berries were highly valuable for their natural medicinal properties, and this would definitely help with the healing process. As the transaction took place, the onlookers walked over to the trainers. Pikachu and Totodile ran up next to Ash, looking at Quilava with concern.
"Pika?"
"Dile?" the two pokémon spoke quietly.
"Quilava will be fine guys," He looked back at Blue. "Thanks for the Oran berry."
"Don't thank me, Scizor's always been a bit soft since he had a brief stint with Red," Blue looked at Scizor. Ash still couldn't fully read him, but he felt that Blue didn't fully disapprove of Scizor's behavior.
"Good battle Red-look-alike, but I told y'all that Blue was tough as nails!" Gold said.
"So," Ash stood up with Quilava still in his arms. "I guess I'm not exactly like…"
"You're just like him," Blue interrupted Ash.
"But I lost. Gave it a good shot sure but…" The sourness in Ash's voice was apparent. He wasn't a sore loser per say, but he always took his losses to heart.
"I wasn't testing your skills Ash," Blue's tone shifted, sounding uncharacteristically warm. "The Professors already filled me in. They showed me videos of your fights during the pokémon leagues. I knew you had Red's talent. But they also told me about your… current situation."
"Well, you can say that maybe I'm a tad rusty."
"So was Red. Hasn't done any serious battling for a few years now. Kept his skills sharp with training but he's been…" Blue briefly glanced at Yellow "Settling down, as it were."
"Make no mistake, Red-look-alike, Red's still the best! He even personally trained yours truly!" Gold chimed in, grinning with misplaced pride.
"Red's spark may have wavered," Blue continued "But his dedication to his pokémon never faltered. And it looks like yours didn't either."
"Well, in that case, how about a proper introduction," Ash said, sticking out his right hand, slightly angling himself to keep Quilava secure in his other. "The names Ash Ketchum, nice to meet you."
"The name's Blue," Blue reached out, shaking Ash's hand. "From Pallet town."
Ash chuckled, feeling a lot more relaxed around Blue. Everyone else seemed to be a bit more relaxed too.
"It's good to finally meet you too Gary," Blue said, shaking hands with his look-alike.
"Likewise," Gary responded. "Hey Yellow, did you know about Blues plans from the start?"
"Yep," Yellow said "Though I didn't approve. I told him that Ash's connection to his pokémon was strong."
"And I didn't doubt you, but I had to know for certain," Blue pulled out a blue pokeball from his pocket. "Also here, meant to give this to you too," he tossed it to Ash, who caught it with his free arm. It was Totodile's pokeball.
"Thanks," Ash said as he clicked the pokeball. A stream of red energy engulfed Totodile, placing it safely into the ball. As he strapped the pokeball to his belt, he took out Quilava's. "Let's put you back in too, we can heal you back up in a bit." Quilava nodded as Ash placed him back into his pokeball, freeing his left hand.
"Alllrriigghhttt," Gold chimed in, sticking himself right in the middle of group. "Now that everyone's all introduced, how about we get going to Heart village?"
Gold's jeep comfortably held 5 people. However, that didn't account for the pair of pokémon eggs that were now sitting in Ash and Gary's laps, held in large cylindrical jars that managed their temperatures. At least Yellow had space to stretch sitting between them. Blue sat in the passenger's seat. Seniors right, they supposed.
"So Gold, what's with the eggs?" Gary asked.
"Professor Elm asked me to take care of em. Besides, pokémon breeding's my specialty," The backseat passengers could almost feel the smug look on Gold. Blue's scoff somewhat confirmed their suspicions.
"Really?" Gary was surprised, in his brief introduction to Gold, he didn't take him for the nurturing type.
"What can I say, I'm naturally talented."
"Definitely full of yourself, aren't ya?" Gary said.
"Guilty."
"And never lacking shame," Blue said coldly.
"Come on Blue, don't be mean now," Yellow said. Blue simply raised his hands in defeat.
"Thanks straw hat gal."
Yellow looked towards Ash who hadn't said a word yet. He had opted to stare out the window during the ride, gazing out at the countryside. The clouds had cleared, creating a more scenic view of the Johto countryside. Granted, Yellow doubted that he was staring out in awe over a couple of grassfields laden with Mareeps.
"Hey Ash," Yellow said quietly as the rest of the group chatted away.
"Oh, hey Yellow," Ash seemed to snap back to the present. "What's up?"
"Hey, I know you technically lost to Blue, but it's no big deal."
"Oh?, no that's fine," Ash replied with a smile "I've lost before, many times."
"Yah but… it's okay to feel down about it. No one likes losing."
"I know…" Ash said, his eyes staring down at the egg.
"Red's like that too. Never took a loss well," Yellow said.
"So… about Red… what was his dream?" Ash asked hesitantly, though he was now looking at Yellow.
"It was somewhat simple really, to become the greatest trainer in the world," she giggled softly. "Silly sure, but that's just how he was. He was just so… determined and headstrong," Yellow seemed to almost get lost in her own thoughts now. "Sounds childish, but that's what made him so charming…" Now Yellow snapped back to reality "I mean…".
"Hey, you're marrying him, I think you're allowed to say things like that," Ash replied.
"I guess I am," Yellow said. The two laughed, not realizing that the others weren't currently conversing.
"Hey, what's so funny back there?" Gold chimed
"Nothing, nothing," Yellow said
"Hmmm…, whatever you say."
"So…" Ash spoke quietly again. "What about you? You got any dreams or goals"
"Can't say I ever had a strong motivation like you or Red. I just wanted to help people who needed helping, whenever I can," Yellow replied
"That's as good a goal as any, and if you ask me, you're doing a good job of it. You saved me, and now you're saving Red, again."
"Right," Yellow face filled with stern determination. "And we will!"