Creation began on 10-27-19
Creation ended on 12-27-19
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Heart of a Trainer, the Soul of a Champion
A/N: A trainer's heart is one of gold, and a champion's soul is one of silver. Whoever has both will always have what it takes to come out on top in any situation, no matter what.
Shinji's color on the display screen in the stadium was green while his opponent's was red. And they got the first move, which allowed him to find a counter to their strategy.
"Go, Gastrodon!" Cynthia called out as she threw her Poke Ball, releasing her Sea Slug Pokémon onto the field; due to the higher number of votes, Cynthia had won the right to face Shinji for the champion title, meaning Tobias, who was also present, had to watch as this skilled newcomer fought her for his title, and if she lost, he lost by default.
"And for her first Pokémon, Cynthia has chosen her West Sea Gastrodon!" The announcers yelled. "How does Shinji intend to face her?!"
"A Gastrodon?" Ritsuko questioned as she and the others sat among the audience watching the match. "Isn't that a Water/Ground-Type Pokémon?"
"Yes," went Kensuke. "Because of the poll voting, Shinji probably had to wing it and build his party for this match using whichever Pokémon he felt gave him the best chance of winning."
"Excluding his Eevee, we have no idea which ones he picked until he reveals them," Asuka stated, wondering how Shinji was going to deal with his first opponent.
Taking out one of his Poke Balls, Shinji threw it onto the field and uttered, "Show your conviction, Oashisu!"
The Pokémon was revealed to be the strongest of his Tropius, her six wings spread out in a display of power and authority.
"Grr!" Oashisu growled.
"And it looks like Shinji has decided to go with a Tropius! How will this type match-up fare?!" The announcers went.
Cynthia had suspected that Shinji would have a Grass Pokémon in his party, but she wasn't expecting a Tropius; her combat experience with them, particularly the bigger ones, was limited.
"Begin!" The referee yelled, and the match began.
"Gastrodon, use Hidden Power," Cynthia told her Pokémon.
Shinji saw the blue circles of light forming around Gastrodon and reacted.
"Oashisu, use Leaf Storm," he told his Tropius, which unleashed a multitude of glowing leaves from its body towards Cynthia's Gastrodon.
-x-
"Hey," Sakura Suzuhara heard one of the nurses inform the patients in the recreation room, "that Giovanni Corp. is broadcasting the Pokémon match again!"
Sakura's grandfather pushed her wheelchair towards the door to go to the roof of the hospital to watch on the Jumbotron screens outside as the girl was looking to forward to seeing her big brother's friend facing his latest opponent.
"…You think Shinji's going to win?" They heard some of the other kids asking.
"I know Shinji's bound to win."
"Shinji's got some cool Pokémon."
When they reached the roof, Sakura could see below on the street that some other people had stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing to watch the match. On the screens, Shinji had some sort of dinosaur with giant leaves for wings and fruit growing under its long neck, unleashing a blast of glowing leaves at this large, slug-like Pokémon with a pink underbelly surrounded by spheres of blue light that popped as soon as they were hit by the leaves, with the remaining leaves hitting it. After that, the slug went down without a fight.
"Okay, I was expecting your Gastrodon to hold on a little bit, ma'am," Shinji told his opponent, a beautiful woman, and then the slug slowly got back up. "Oh, uh…"
"You're a lot stronger than you seem," the woman responded, and her name was revealed under her face, letting the viewers know that she was Cynthia, a former champion of the Sinnoh Pokémon League that won a voting poll for who got to face Shinji for the championship. "But this match has only just begun. "Gastrodon, use Earthquake."
The pink slug raised its lower body up and slammed down on the ground, causing it to rumble.
"OH, WHAT A COMEBACK!" An announcer yelled. "Cynthia's Gastrodon has used Earthquake, causing a hurting blow to Shinji's Tropius!"
The other Pokémon, a Tropius, was affected by Earthquake, but looked as though it didn't hurt it as much as it should've.
"What kind of Pokémon is this…Tropius, Grandpa?" Sakura asked.
"Based on its appearance, it must be a type of dinosaur that developed plant features and later developed the ability to fly if it has wings made out of large leaves," he answered her.
-x-
"Oh, gosh," Maya gasped as she looked at her tablet at the broadcast of the Pokémon match, seeing Shinji's friends were there watching him while in Central Dogma. "Doctor Akagi's over there, too!"
"And the sub-commander!" Hyuga pointed out to Fuyutsuki, and then noticed Antonio Giovanni was also present. "We should've gone to see if we could go there!"
"It's getting to the point that anyone with some sort of positive connection to Shinji can go there," went Shigeru as the broadcast returned its focus to Shinji, whose Tropius had now taken flight off the field to avoid another ground-based assault from Gastrodon.
"Oashisu, finish it off with Solar Beam!" Shinji commanded, and his Tropius started glowing with energy that seemed to be flowing into it from the sunlight itself.
"Oh, man, a Solar Beam is a hit that quits," the Bridge Bunnies heard one of the lower technicians say; they had no doubt saw a previous video that featured a Pokémon using Solar Beam in some way. "Shinji's got this in the bag."
BLAST! The Tropius' Solar Beam was fired from its mouth and at the Gastrodon, sending it flying backwards onto the ground in front of Cynthia, its eyes dizzying and stars circling its head as it laid there.
"Gastrodon is unable to continue," the referee declared. "Tropius wins this round!"
The tablet screen shifted to show a display of Shinji and Cynthia with six slots for their Pokémon, and then one of Cynthia's with a picture of Gastrodon darkened to show that it was defeated, leaving her with only five Pokémon left.
"Nice move, Shinji!" Maya expressed.
-x-
"…That…was perhaps the most impressive attack I've seen so far," Ritsuko expressed after seeing the Solar Beam.
"Yeah, that's solar power for you," said Antonio, "clean and efficient."
"Which Pokémon will Cynthia choose next to face Shinji?" Misato questioned, watching as Cynthia threw a new Poke Ball out onto the field, releasing a new Pokémon to face Shinji.
It looked like…a blue and black dog standing upright on its hind legs, sporting near-human features all over.
"A Lucario," Kensuke uttered, getting their attention. "Shinji may need to switch Pokémon."
"Is this…Lucario stronger than his Tropius?" Toji asked him.
"It might be," he explained. "It's a Fighting/Steel-Type. If he substitutes now, he can use his Tropius at a later time."
"Oashisu, take a break for now," they heard Shinji tell his Tropius, and recalled it back into its ball, replacing it with a new one. "It's your move, Asuka."
The ball exploded open to reveal his Charizard.
"Rrrrahh!" It roared.
"Luu…" Cynthia's Lucario went, unwilling to be intimidated.
"Your Charizard is quite impressive, young man," Cynthia praised Shinji.
"Thank you," he responded. "Asuka here used to be temperamental, but she's one of the best I've ever met."
As if to prove Shinji right, the female Charizard unleashed a breath of fire into the air, declaring that she wasn't some weakling or just for show. She was strong, fierce and unwilling to go down without a fight.
"He actually nicknamed that reptile after you?" Ritsuko questioned the redhead girl, wondering if the Flame Pokémon had possessed a similar temperament as the Eva pilot.
"Back when she was a Charmeleon," she explained. "She was abandoned by her previous trainer and was angry about it. Shinji put up with her attitude until she learned to trust him and eventually mellowed out."
"Begin!" The referee announced, and the match continued.
"Aura Sphere, Lucario!" Cynthia commanded, and her Pokémon brought its hands together, forming a sphere of bluish energy.
"Lucari!" It yelled, throwing the sphere at Asuka, who took it head-on!
BLAST! The Aura Sphere exploded upon contact with the Charizard and left minor scrapes on her head and torso.
"Grr!" She growled, and spat out a few sparks, indicating that the attack, while powerful, was not very effective.
"Oh, and you can tell from the look of things, Shinji's Charizard has faced attacks of this sort as a testament to its power," one of the other announcers had expressed to the audience. "An Aura Sphere to its body and it's still standing with only a few scrapes!"
Then, Shinji's Charizard glowed as it got bigger and became more powerful, now looking dark and sporting blue flames on its mouth.
"Mega Evolution is quite the phenomenon that you're able to have your Pokémon do without the stones necessary for it to occur," Cynthia stated to Shinji.
"Something I will need to find out more about when I make a travel plan to go to the Kalos Region at a later time," Shinji responded. "Asuka, Fire Blast!"
-x-
"Oh, man!" Gendo heard one of the NERV technicians gasp as they were looking at the pirated broadcast of the latest Pokémon match that Shinji was in. "If he actually wins this, he'll become the Sinnoh League Champion!"
"He's getting more hits than most rock stars and movie stars," a woman added as she was looking at the tablet they were watching the broadcast on. "Wait, it says here that, due to this dimensional displacement phenomenon and the recent blackout we had in the city, the Giovanni Corporation lost power in an experiment where the Fourth Child was sent to the other world to spend time with the Third Child, and as a result, almost four years went by. It says here on Shinji's file that he's about eighteen…but…he still looks fourteen."
"He probably has a baby face; not many people age properly. You couldn't tell he was once the pilot of an Eva, though. I mean, just look at him right now with his Charizard. He was piloting a skyscraper-sized cybernetic humanoid that connects to his nervous system…and now he's training these strange animals that he can literally put into his pocket and face other people that have been at this longer than he has. Oh! Man, he just sent that Lucario to the burn unit!"
"Poor Lucario. But the good thing about these matches is that they're not too serious; everyone's just out to show and test their skills. Okay, what kind of Pokémon is that?"
"I think that's a…Spiritomb."
-x-
With Cynthia's Lucario defeated from the super-charged Fire Blast, Cynthia replaced it with her Spiritomb, a Pokémon that her study of Shinji indicated that he had only seen from a distance and therefore had no experience dealing with. But Shinji was still at an advantage over her by still having six of his Pokémon while she only had four left.
Shinji was bothered by Spiritomb; having only faced it less than three times before, his experience with it was less than that of a trainer that had overcome the adversity that it represented against him. And worse was how he did have at least one nightmare involving a Spiritomb almost two months ago.
"Eee!" Misato went, snapping him out of his moment of weakness, reminding him that now was the time to take action and deal with this matter.
"Sorry about that," he apologized to her. "Hey, Asuka, do you want to switch out?"
His Charizard looked at him and nodded in the negative; she still had strength to spare.
"Okay, let's go!"
"Begin!" The referee declared.
"Spiritomb, use Curse!" Cynthia commanded, and Spiritomb did something Shinji wasn't familiar with.
Something appeared out of thin air in front of the Forbidden Pokémon. It looked like a…a large nail that you hammer into wood. Then…it flew straight at Shinji's Charizard at high speed, impaling her in the chest!
"Oh! And it looks like the plague is on, people!" The announcers cried. "Cynthia's interested in taking down one of Shinji's Pokémon, one way or another!"
As the nail disappeared, Shinji wondered what the point of an attack like that was if it didn't look like it affected his Charizard (who looked unharmed, if not enraged).
"Say, Kensuke, have you ever heard of that move before?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "Curse has two different effects, depending on whether or not you're a Ghost-Type Pokémon. If you're not a Ghost-Type, the enemy's speed is reduced instead of being harmed, but if you are a Ghost-Type, you sacrifice half your total health in exchange for inflicting continuous harm until the battle ends or the trainer switches them out."
"I take it Shinji has never dealt with this move before?" Ritsuko questioned.
"Most of his opponents tend to faint before they can even consider using a move like that. Though, I don't think many of Shinji's opponents that use Ghost Pokémon exploit the Curse move all the time because it affects their Pokémon, too. Look at Spiritomb. Curse is already affecting it, as well."
On the field, Cynthia's Spiritomb was showing signs of decreased strength, looking less present in its ghostly form.
"I don't think Shinji will switch out until he's forced to," Toji expressed.
"Okay, Asuka," went Shinji to his Charizard, "use Sunny Day!"
Asuka fired a large ball of flame into the air and it illuminated the sky with more sunshine than the sun itself afforded the people right now.
"Why use Sunny Day?" Antonio wondered. "The weather's already sunny."
"Shinji's probably hoping that, since Spiritomb has cut its own strength in half by putting Curse on his Charizard, the use of Sunny Day will increase her Fire-Type moves enough to inflict large damage to defeat it before he has to switch her out," Asuka suggested.
"If he ends this fast enough," Rei spoke, "he can avoid being down one Pokémon in case he still needs her."
"Spiritomb, Night Shade!" Cynthia commanded, and Spiritomb unleashed a wave of dark energy.
"Counter Night Shade with Flamethrower, Asuka!" Shinji responded, and his Charizard unleashed her stream of flame at the wave, resulting in an explosive cancelling out of their attacks, covering the field in smoke.
"Impressive, young Ikari," said Cynthia to Shinji. "You truly are stronger than I had expected you to be."
"Thank you," he responded. "You're quite powerful yourself."
Because Asuka had failed to inflict any harm on Spiritomb, the crippled Charizard had begun to lose some strength due to the Curse's effects on her.
"Grr," she growled, unwilling to fall because of some Ghost-Type move.
"But can your Charizard counter a second time?" Cynthia questioned, and her Spiritomb repeated itself in the Night Shade attack.
"Take flight and use Fire Blast, Asuka!" Shinji gasped, unwilling to let his Charizard go down without a fight.
She took to the air and unleashed a large blast of flame in the shape of a star.
-x-
"…Even though it looks like Shinji has this match in the bag, it seems like this Cynthia is somewhat of a challenge for him to face," said Ritsuko, "and he's already defeated two of her Pokémon to have a lead in this match."
"Probably because Shinji's never fought against a former champion before," expressed Misato. "They're different from Gym Leaders and runner-ups, as they're powerful and possess far more experience than regular trainers due to having trained Pokémon for a long time."
They watched as the female Charizard had rendered the ghostly Spiritomb burnt beyond its original recognition. Despite having witnessed how Fire-Type Pokemon were cable of unleashing flame attacks that were able to burn in ways similar to small-scale weapons, this was something that was as close to brutal as it could get with facing creatures that related to the afterlife and people's fear of the unknown that was just beyond their last breath.
"Whoa," went Antonio as he saw the Spiritomb fall over. "Former champion or not, this Cynthia hasn't faced someone like Shinji before, and he's one tough trainer."
As Cynthia recalled her Spiritomb, Shinji looked at his Charizard and had his concerns about her ability to continue with the effects of Curse still lingering.
"It looks like Shinji might substitute his Charizard in order to let her recoup," Hikari suspected.
"I wouldn't blame him for considering that," said Kensuke, just as Cynthia called out her fourth Pokemon to the field, this one being a Garchomp. "Even if it was required of him, he doesn't want to overwork any of his Pokemon if they don't have the strength to keep going. He takes their feelings into consideration. So even if his Charizard tries to hide her pain, he won't have her continue until after she's rested.
"Always the compassionate trainer," went Asuka, seeing Shinji give his Charizard a break from the match. "Which Pokemon will he choose next?"
They watched as Shinji threw out his next Poke Ball, releasing…
"Oh, come on, Shinji," groaned Kensuke in what seemed like a combination between fear and annoyance. "Why'd you choose her of all Pokemon you could've chosen for this match?!"
"Is that a…Jigglypuff?" Fuyutsuki questioned; he'd seen just one of the videos featuring Shinji capturing a Pokémon of this sort, but not of whenever he used it in matches, either to best another trainer or to train his other Pokemon.
"That's not just any Jigglypuff," Toji expressed, seeing the item said Pokemon was holding in its hands. "That's Diva."
-x-
"A Jigglypuff?" Maya went, confused by the Balloon Pokemon's presence on the field. "Why would Shinji choose that to go up against a Dragon-Type Pokemon?"
"Size doesn't matter, Ibuki," said Shigeru to her, "but it looks like everyone else is a bit disturbed by this one he has. It's probably because of that microphone it has."
"Based on one of the older videos Kenuske Aida took while he was displaced there, this one has a rather-troublesome history," Hyuga explained to them as the match continued. "This Jigglypuff, or Diva, as Shinji came to call her later on, has a tendency to put a lot of people and Pokemon to sleep every time she used Sing. As far as everyone knows for sure, Shinji's the only immune to her singing melody."
"Sing puts you to sleep. Shinji can't be immune to Sing used by any Pokemon."
"Not every Pokemon, just Diva; she can put anyone to sleep without meaning to, and when she discovers that her would-be audience has fallen asleep during her singing, she gets upset and marks up their faces. Shinji listened to her song from beginning to end, and not once did he nod off. He came close to doing so, but he stayed awake. This earned him her respect…and she let him catch her."
"So, Diva's not entirely powerful, then, just a good singer. What does he plan to do with her?" Maya questioned.
"You can't fight back if you're asleep," Shigeru stated.
-x-
"A Jigglypuff?" Cynthia questioned. "I've never met any trainer that had one in any match. You must be the very first."
"In all honesty, most of my strategy was for facing Tobias," Shinji revealed, "but I'm actually relieved to be facing you, my final challenge of the conference to become the champion."
"I won't lose to a Jigglypuff, young man. Garchomp, Dragon Rush."
"Sing, Diva."
As Garchomp charged towards Diva, the Balloon Pokémon unleashed her most impressive move upon the foe.
"Jigglypuff…Jiggly…" She sang, which reverberated across the stadium.
"Ahh…" Cynthia yawned, feeling the effects of Sing being used; somehow, the move was a lot more influencing than it had been for most other Pokémon that could exploit it.
"Oh, this is quite a move being used by Shinji's Jigglypuff here," one of the announcers expressed to the crowds. "It would appear that this version of Sing is much more potent than any other version ever used in battle. It's affecting the whole stadium."
"Garchomp! Gar…" Cynthia's Garchomp went, slowing down in its charge…and then falling to the ground in front of Diva, fast asleep.
"Jigglypuff, Jiggly," went Diva, pleased with herself.
"Nice one, Diva," Shinji praised.
With Sing no longer being employed, the people shook off the drowsiness that nearly put them out of commission.
"And it looks like Garchomp is in dreamland, folks," the female announcer expressed. "Until it wakes up, it can't attack or defend itself from any move Shinji chooses to make."
-x-
"But wait, isn't Jigglypuff a Normal-Type Pokémon?" Fuyutsuki asked. "The attacks of Normal Pokémon aren't entirely effective against most other types. What can a Jigglypuff do against a foe like Garchomp?"
"Oh, Shinji did his homework regarding Pokémon," explained Kensuke. "Diva's not entirely a Normal-Type Pokémon. She's part Fairy-Type, as well."
"Fairy-Type?" Rei questioned.
"What's the Fairy-Type, stooge?" Asuka demanded.
"Another recent discovery," he continued. "Fairy-Type moves are very effective against Dragon-Type Pokémon, just like how Ice and Steel-Type moves are."
"Why is that so?" Rei wanted to know.
"In most myths, dragons are susceptible to the powers of fairies, which are known to inhabit forests and spread cheerfulness."
-x-
Gendo couldn't believe that his son had stopped a dragon-like creature with some…little, pink ball with limbs! It was ludicrous to believe that such a small creature could best a larger one. Then again, he was informed of the match his son was in earlier that had him use his Eevee, another small creature, completely insignificant because it wasn't an evolved organism, go up against a towering creature that looked like a dumpster with arms…and defeated it.
It'd be nice if he were to lose or be disqualified from this ridiculous tournament, he thought as he watched the Third Child order this…Jigglypuff to use a move called Disarming Voice against this sleeping Garchomp.
What he saw next was quite a game-changer; the Balloon Pokémon used its voice again…and caused a massive degree of pain to the sleeping Garchomp.
-x-
Cynthia recalled her Garchomp to prevent it from being defeated completely, substituting it for her Milotic.
"And what a twist here, people," the announcers cheered. "Cynthia has substituted her Garchomp for her Milotic! With just three Pokémon left for her, it's anyone's guess as to which way this goes for the former champion!"
"Uh-oh," went Shinji; his Diva might've been a tough Jigglypuff, but Balloon Pokémon weren't so tough against Pokémon that could hit without the need for precision. "This isn't good, Diva!"
"Puff?" Diva responded; she had remembered the last time she was hit by a stream-like attack.
"Ice Beam, Milotic!" Cynthia commanded, and her Tender Pokémon unleashed a stream of ice-blue light at Diva!
"Puff!" Diva gasped, being sent into the air, but taking a while to float back down. "Puff! Jigglypuff! Jiggly!"
"Eee!" Misato went, and Shinji knew this was a mismatch before the round even started; Diva was meant specifically for Tobias' Darkrai and Latios because of her Fairy-Type advantage over Dark and Dragon Pokémon, not for attacks that were meant to inflict massive harm, both physically and emotionally. "Eevo!"
"And Sing won't do until she's on the ground again," he accepted, and recalled her to save her for later; with her Garchomp snoozing, the most dangerous threat they had seen by far had been disabled until further notice. "We've bested her Gastrodon, Lucario and Spiritomb. So far, I've only used Oashisu, Asuka and Diva against her. That leaves you and the two mystery guests."
"Eee?"
"I'll send out Oashisu again," he decided, and threw out his ball containing the Fruit Pokémon, releasing it back onto the field.
-x-
"…Aw, I hope to see his Jigglypuff later," Sakura expressed as several children in the hospital were disappointed to see the Ballon Pokémon for just a little while. "It was so cute."
"But Tropius and this Milotic are quite impressive, too," her grandfather gave his opinion.
"Very beautiful, but they're big, not small like Shinji's Eevee or his Jigglypuff."
On the Jumbotron screens now, they could see Cynthia's Milotic use its Ice Beam against Shinji's Tropius, who had countered with a Solar Beam, resulting in a negation between their attacks. It was an amazing display of power and determination.
"Man, these two trainers are so cool!" One of the other child patients cheered.
"Why do a lot of the female trainers Shinji has gone up against look like supermodels?" Another of the patients questioned about the trainer, which seemed to be a half-truth when thought about; while most of the women Shinji had Pokémon matches against or even had to work together with in order to face someone else that was bad news were quite stunning, not all of them looked like models or celebrities.
The people watched as Shinji's Tropius unleashed a gust of leaves from its wings at Cynthia's Milotic, leaving several minor cuts on its body.
"OH!" Sakura heard one of the male nurses cheer. "Go, Shinji!"
"I think if I cheered too much, I'd get a heart attack," her grandfather expressed, just as Cynthia's Milotic retaliated against Shinji's Tropius with another Ice Beam, knocking it down with the intense cold it gave off.
"Tropius is unable to continue," the referee declared, and Shinji returned his Pokémon to its ball.
"Poor Shinji," Sakura uttered, worried that Shinji would lose this match and the prize that came with it.
"He's beaten three of her Pokémon so far, Sakura," her grandfather reminded her, "and only one of his Pokémon have been bested by one it had a type advantage against. No matter how you look at it, young Ikari isn't defeated until he's used all six of his Pokémon to face this woman."
Then the people on the hotspot roof gave cheers when Shinji called out his next Pokémon, which was quite a surprise for those that were seeing it for the first time.
"It…kinda looks related to that bird he used when he faced Seiryu Shores," Sakura stated, seeing some degree of relation between the Pokémon Zapdos and this new creature, "except it's prettier and smoother."
-x-
"…It's the Articuno he encountered that night," Kensuke realized as he and the others watched as the match continued.
"But Shinji hasn't trained with Articuno since he caught it," Misato realized; Articuno was among the recently-acquired Pokémon Shinji had during the time it took for the Giovanni Corporation to reestablish their connection to the Pokémon world, so there was some doubt that the Freeze Pokémon was as strong as it was before he caught it.
"So, you have an Articuno, huh?" Cynthia questioned. "You must be one of the most unfathomable of Pokémon Trainers in existence if you have a menagerie of Legendary Pokémon in your possession."
"Much appreciated, but it's not always the quantity of Pokémon you have as it's the quality of Pokémon," Shinji responded as his Articuno hovered over the ground in front of him. "And I'm hoping Towatōdo here will prove the quality bit right."
"Eevo!" His Eevee cheered in agreement with him.
"Towatōdo?" Hikari questioned, confused by the nickname of the Articuno.
"Permafrost," Toji explained its meaning. "Shinji chose a nickname that symbolized what kind of Pokémon Articuno is: A bird Pokémon with Ice-Type qualities."
"But Water-Type Pokémon can't be affected by Ice-Type Pokémon, right?" Ritsuko asked them. "Ice just melts when in water."
"I don't think Shinji is relying on his Articuno's Ice-Type attacks to face Cynthia's Milotic," said Asuka to them. "He caught a Moltres and Zapdos, Pokémon that possess qualities that shouldn't go together, but do. He may rely on its Flying-Type abilities to win."
Fuyutsuki had to agree with the Second Child; all three Legendary Pokémon were just large birds with the elemental qualities of fire, ice and electricity, but unable to change the fact that they had to have been birds first belonging to a common ancestor that evolved down three paths.
What kind of techniques does your…Towatōdo know, Shinji? He wondered.
-x-
It was annoying. It was annoying, filling him with disgust, and he was losing his temper over it, but Gendo continued to watch the Pokémon match between Shinji and Cynthia, just hoping that the brat would lose the match and return to the goal of finding the necessary creatures to aid in his return to this world. The sooner Shinji lost, the faster he could return to what was important.
"He knows what happened to his mother," he recalled Fuyutsuki telling him. "He knows what we all did, and he won't go back to being a tool for you to exploit."
If it were up to me, I'd have their operation shut down indefinitely, he thought, wanting to humiliate the Giovanni Corporation for their usurpation of NERV's pilots for their project, if only those old men would permit it.
Because SEELE didn't feel threatened by what those people were doing or that Pokémon they had involved in their research, Gendo was prohibited from acting in any way that hindered their work into accessing other dimensions, no matter how much it bothered him personally to have his Eva pilots spend time away from synchronization testing in favor of seeing the boy.
"Use Surf, Milotic!" Cynthia ordered her serpent creature, with spat out a large wad of water and started riding it towards the blue bird with the long tail.
"Towatōdo, use Fly and counterattack!" Shinji had ordered his creature, which then took to the sky, avoiding the wave attack.
"Iiiiee!" It sounded like the bird shrieked, flapping its wings and soaring towards the serpent.
Slash! It flew past the serpent, leaving it injured and on its back on the ground.
Gendo was surprised by this; he wasn't expecting a bird like this to move as quickly as it did, or to attack a serpent that was able to take down some creature with leaves for wings. Not only just that, but to see what happened next infuriated him.
"Milotic is unable to continue," the referee announced. "Articuno wins!"
How in the Hell does this brat get a bird that's able to best a sea serpent?! Gendo wondered as the Articuno landed gracefully in front of Shinji and his Eevee, both of whom were cheering for it. And this woman has only two of these creatures left in her party she's permitted to use in this match. Either she's not as good as she used to be…or the brat is just destined to come out on top of this.
Gendo was more inclined to believe in the latter over the former; the fact that Shinji spent over four years in an alternate universe full of strange creatures had left him filling his brain with more knowledge that proved useful to him than it could've been against an Angel if he were here instead of sojourning there. Worse was the increased popularity he gained from the people around the world due to his…educational understanding of these Pokémon and the battles and contests he participated in; the boy was practically evolving from an Evangelion pilot to a vagabond…to some traveling animal trainer that could turn some of the most visually-dangerous of these beasts into the most loyal and friendly of pets or allies. Not a literal evolution, but a metaphorical one that made Shinji the most special person on the planet, a social media envy that bordered on either a demigod towards a new god.
No-good brat, he thought as he saw the woman unleash her fifth Pokémon against Shinji, some sort of…plant creature that had a cape and a mask. What is that?
"A Roserade?" Shinji spoke. "A Roserade, a Gastrodon, a Spiritomb, a Milotic, Lucario and Garchomp. I guess since your Roserade is also the smaller of your Pokémon, I should see where this goes a little. Are you up to this, Misato?"
"Eevo!" The Eevee chirped in response, willing and able to go up against this Pokémon that Gendo had no understanding of, and then he recalled his Articuno back into its ball.
"And this is another twist with Shinji!" One of the announcers informed everyone. "He's substituted his Articuno with his Eevee! How will this Normal-Type Pokémon fare against a Grass/Poison-Type?"
He wants his house pet to go up against a poisonous plant that moves on two legs? Gendo thought as he recalled several videos that featured Shinji using this Eevee against creatures of similar size or larger, often resulting in predictable outcomes. Even if he doesn't win with that un-evolved creature, he'll win with his other creatures.
-x-
"I don't understand why Shinji would substitute the bird for his little companion," Ritsuko expressed her confusion. "He could've had the bird defeat this creature and likely have the match won in his favor. Why prolong it?"
"Most likely," went Antonio in response to her confusion, "Shinji needs to put each of his Pokémon through the trial that that is his current match with this former champion, to achieve victory through hard-earned struggles rather than easy-win tactics. Who would want to win something through a beat-down strategy instead of showing adaptability? Shinji's methods and strategy are not entirely about power or domination. It's more versatility and resilience."
"Quality over quantity," Hikari added in. "His Eevee bested a Garbodor and won the match for Shinji, despite it being a giant."
"Size doesn't always matter," Toji also expressed. "Have you ever heard of this myth about the Luxray and the Pichu?"
"Huh?!" Asuka went. "You actually listened to that story?!"
-x-
Cynthia got the impression that Shinji Ikari was much stronger than most of the other trainers he fought against gave him credit for if he was able to best four out of her six Pokémon and he hadn't even shown his sixth, already knowing each of hers and only having one of his defeated by hers. Still, to put his faith in an Eevee, a Pokémon that could've become any other Pokémon that was bigger and stronger than its original state of being, was a sign of conviction that he believed in its ability to overcome the adversary in front of them. Even if he had Pokémon that couldn't evolve further without the aid of Evolution Stones or some other item necessary, he wouldn't use them in favor of his own belief that they were strong in their own right, not needing to be evolved any further.
"One train of thought regarding this legendary man," she had recalled her mother telling her once, referring to an old tale about a Pokémon Trainer from many lifetimes ago, "was that his bond with his Pokémon was so immense, so pure, so selfless, that he was able to preserve the lives of those that were on the verge of death…and help them live for decades after his own passing. Some believed he once befriended a fiery beast that had fallen into the ocean and was doomed to pass into the afterlife, but carried it to dry land and encouraged it to reignite back into its glory and carry on."
"Like a Moltres?" She had once questioned.
"That's what a few people believe," her mother had answered back.
Cynthia was beginning to suspect that maybe Shinji was probably similar to this legendary man.
"Begin!" The referee declared, and the next battle commenced.
"Energy Ball, Roserade!" Cynthia commanded.
"Double-Edge, Misato!" Shinji countered.
Cynthia's Roserade unleashed a green sphere of energy towards Shinji's Eevee, who countered by charging head-on into the attack…and then ramming into the Roserade with less than her full force that dealt some damage to it and herself, forcing it to fall on its back.
"Ooh, and what a collision, people!" One of the announcers gasped. "Rarely anyone takes an Energy Ball head-on and still manages to hit their opponent!"
As her Roserade got back up, Cynthia saw how Shinji's Eevee, unsure if she even felt the recoil of her Double-Edge attack, shook off the dirt that got on her fur and scarf.
"Did the story ever say what his first Pokémon was, Mother?" Cynthia had asked her mother in the past.
"No, dear, only that he was friendly to all the Pokémon that followed him in his life," she had answered her. "Some believe, however, that his favorite Pokémon in his life was a Dragonite. Others choose to believe that it was a Gyarados…or a Pikachu, even. That's the thing, nobody is for sure what his first Pokémon was in his life or if he favored one type of Pokémon over the rest. What kind of Pokémon do you think might've been his first one?"
"I think he'd probably have a Pidgey or a Turtwig, something small and cute, but also strong and capable, full of life and promise."
And yet, even as she called for her Roserade to use a Shadow Ball on the Eevee, who was told to use a Swift attack, Cynthia couldn't fathom the un-deniability that it was also possible for an Eevee to be the legendary Pokémon Trainer's first Pokémon, as it was also small and cute, but strong and capable.
Roserade unleashed the Shadow Ball whilst Misato unleashed her Swift towards it, resulting in another canceling of each other's attacks.
-x-
"…If I never said this before, I'll say it now," Hyuga expressed as the streaming battle between Shinji and Cynthia continued. "Shinji is really skilled as a Pokémon Trainer…and many times better than when he was piloting the Eva."
"I know," Maya agreed with him. "Every one of his Pokémon is at their best because he puts his faith in them and the way he trains them. He puts in the effort to make sure that they're able to do their hardest to overcome their opponents. Some say that he has a heart of gold and a soul of silver, but when you think about it, those two things mean something else entirely in the Pokémon world. Shinji's got the heart of a Pokémon Trainer…"
"And the soul of a Pokémon Champion," expressed Shigeru, just as the footage streaming showed Shinji's Eevee using its Iron Tail attack against another Shadow Ball from Cynthia's Roserade, which resulted in the desired outcome that most of the viewers were expecting to see: Roserade was knocked out by the Iron Tail and didn't get back up. "Maybe he's just destined to be a Pokémon Master, no matter what anyone else says."
"Roserade is unable to continue," the referee declared. "Eevee wins!"
Shinji's Eevee, standing proudly on her legs in front of the fallen Roserade.
"He's a Pokémon Master already," went Hyuga as the crowds in the live stream cheered for Shinji to win the match. "He's got the conviction of one."
"No matter how you look at it, young Ikari," Cynthia uttered to him, "it looks like you're the victor of this match."
"Maybe, but the match isn't over yet," Shinji responded. "You still have one more Pokémon to play…and you need all six of 'em to be defeated in order to lose this match. I have to say, you're quite the challenge. This has been one of the best matches since I came to the Sinnoh Region. Gym Leaders, rival trainers, including the ones here in this tournament, have all been great at trying to keep my Pokémon and I from progressing further, but in the end…we can only fail if we were to simply give up…and we can't give up just yet. Can you?"
"I cannot," she told him, and summoned her Garchomp back onto the field. "Do your best."
-x-
Even though Garchomp was still under the effects of Diva's Sing, part of the point of any match was to win, not to go easy on your opponent. And Sing wasn't permanent; sooner or later, Garchomp would awaken and have its strength unleashed upon his Pokémon.
"Are you feeling up to facing Garchomp, Misato?" Shinji asked his Eevee.
"Eevo!" Misato responded; if she could defeat this Garchomp, then they would have won this tournament and Shinji would be the champion and they'd be in this Hall of Fame.
"Okay, then," Shinji praised. "Let's win this with another Iron Tail!"
Misato ran towards Garchomp and leapt into the air, her tail glowing brightly as the desired move affected the properties of her fur. She swung around and struck the still-asleep, still-standing Mach Pokémon in its side, knocking it down to the ground.
Garchomp was still asleep, but still in the match.
"Gar…" Garchomp went, not even the slightest bit motivated to stir from its slumber.
"This is quite something, people!" The announcers gasped. "Cynthia's Garchomp received an Iron Tail attack, and it's still in dreamland! It looks like Garchomp is just a heavy sleeper!"
Then, as if struck by lightning or responding to the assumption that it was a heavy sleeper, Garchomp awoke from its slumber and shook its head.
"Gar!" It roared.
"Garchomp ain't a heavy sleeper," said Shinji as his Eevee stood her ground in front of the enemy. "It just needed motivation to return to the game."
"Eee…" Misato growled as Garchomp looked down on her.
"When your Eevee struck my Garchomp, you severely injured her and reduced her to less than half of her strength," Cynthia informed Shinji, looking like she needed a break. "To the victor goes the glory."
"To the victor's Pokémon go the spoils of their success," Shinji replied, feeling the exhilaration of being so close to victory…but still so far away from it.
For a brief moment, his perception of his Eevee as she was currently…was replaced by the image of how she was when they first met over four years ago.
Misato, you've gotten stronger than even I could've expected you to get when we first met outside of Pallet Town, he thought, feeling her conviction to win this match. You're among the best Pokémon I'll ever know, in this life and the next one. Let's win this and end this.
The people watched in silence as this next move these two trainers would, without any doubt, decide the whole match.
"You got this, Shinji," went Asuka.
"The match is in your favor," added Rei.
"You're a lot stronger than most people think," Toji stated.
"Win this, Shinji," Kensuke cheered.
"Go, Shinji! Go, Misato!" Hikari cheered.
"Dragon Rush, Garchomp!" Cynthia commanded.
"Iron Tail, Misato!" Shinji told his Eevee.
As the Mach Pokémon's body was aglow with energy, the Evolution Pokémon's tail was aglow with energy meant to counter the other's attack. They both charged at one another, each determined to defeat the other for their trainer. The Evolution Pokémon leapt into the air like before…and made contact with the Mach Pokémon, slamming her to the ground with enough force to knock her out.
"Gar…" Garchomp groaned, unable to continue.
Misato landed on the ground and stood proudly as this match against Cynthia was done.
"Garchomp is unable to continue," the referee declared, giving the final decision. "The victor of this match is Shinji Ikari!"
The crowds went wild with excitement and congratulatory cheers for Shinji as his Eevee ran back to him and jumped into his arms.
"You were all amazing, Misato," Shinji praised her. "I'm proud of you."
"Eevo!" Misato replied happily.
Cynthia recalled her Garchomp and accepted this defeat with dignity, knowing that Tobias wouldn't be pleased with knowing his position as the champion was to be given to the new champion as a result of her loss.
He might be the legendary Pokémon Trainer from so long ago, she believed as she approached him with his Eevee on his head like a hat or her resting spot. "Congratulations on your success, Shinji Ikari. Your Pokémon were magnificent in getting you victory."
"Thank you, Ms. Cynthia, but it's more their victory than my own," he told her. "Victory is hollow if it's not shared with those around you and those that motivated you to do your best. Because my Pokémon…are the real winners here."
"Yes, they certainly are."
"Eevo!" Misato cheered.
"Shinji! Shinji! Shinji!" The people chanted.
While he might've been the new champion of the Sinnoh League, Shinji was only such a designation because of the faith and hard work he put in training his Pokémon and bringing out their best to win. Even as he looked up at the crowds and saw his friends and admirers, he knew he wouldn't have gotten here without their support, as well.
To be continued…
A/N: You know people are excited, upset, indifferent or something else entirely with Shinji winning, but that's people reacting differently. Look forward to the next chapter that will be next year. Happy New Year!