Before we get started I'd like to congratulate Scarlet Pikachu, Ashton Nauran, Death's Serenade and et4279 for correctly guessing the mystery Pokémon from Chapter 5 (Kyogre).
Chapter 6: Rules of the Game
Far away from Professor Redwood's lab the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James and Meowth were recovering from their recent unfortunate blast-off. The three of them were tired, hungry and Jessie was in a particularly bad mood.
"I am sick and tired of that twerp always beating us! Just what do we have to do to get the upper hand on him?!" she shrieked, forcing James and Meowth to cover their ears momentarily.
"Perhaps if we had some Pokémon of our own that could go head-to-head with the twerp's Pokémon we would stand a better chance," James suggested.
"Easier said than done, Jimmy. That twerp has been training his Pokémon non-stop for the past seven years," Meowth commented.
"That's true. It'll take years of training for our Pokémon to even hope to get that strong," James moaned.
"I don't want to wait for years! I want results now!" Jessie cried.
"But there's no way we can get instant results unless we…" As James was speaking the trio came upon a phone booth.
"Well that's strange… what's a phone booth doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?" James questioned.
"Who cares! Now we can call the Boss and ask him for some more Pokémon!" Meowth cheered. With hopeful optimism the three managed to squeeze themselves into the phone booth.
"Good thing I remember the Boss's number," Meowth bragged.
"Hurry up and dial it! The sooner we get more Pokémon the sooner Pikachu will be ours," Jessie said.
"Alright, hold your Horsea," Meowth said. He dialed the number and then, along with his teammates, waited for their boss to answer.
"Hello? Who is it?" a rough sounding voice asked. The voice belonged to Giovanni, former Viridian City Gym Leader and current leader of Team Rocket. Immediately Jessie, James and Meowth's bodies stiffened. Just the sound of their his voice was enough to strike fear in them.
"G-Greetings, B-Boss," Jessie stuttered.
"Who is this?!" Giovanni demanded.
"J-Jessie, James and M-Meowth reporting in!" Jessie quickly announced. From the other end a loud sigh echoed over the phone.
"What do you want this time?" he groaned.
"We've found ourselves in the Legenda region and were wondering if you could send some stronger Pokémon our way," Meowth said. "So, umm… what do you say?"
"What do I say?! I say you three haven't shown you're deserving of anything but termination!" Giovanni roared. The three of them flinched at his harsh words.
"However…"After recovering from their initial shock the trio huddled around the phone, eager to hear what Giovanni was going to say next.
"If you believe you do deserve some reinforcements then you must prove yourselves to me and the Team Rocket organization," he added.
"Of course, sir! Just tell us what you want us to do!" Jessie enthusiastically said.
"I've been looking to expand our operations to the Legenda region, so I want you three to scout the area and report back to me should you find anything worth noting," he ordered.
"We'll do our best, sir!" Jessie announce.
"Though your best is never good enough," he thought. "Carry on." The call was ended and the trio was left with a slim glimmer of hope.
"He… He's depending on us to take over the Legenda region! This is our chance to show him how dependable we are!" Jessie gasped, misinterpreting what Giovanni had actually told them.
"I've never felt so motivated in my life!" James shouted. "Seeing as how we're the only team here this region is already ours!"
"Yeah! No Team Magma, no Team Aqua, no Team Galactic… Team Rocket already rules the Legenda region!" Meowth announced.
"Alright team, let's get out there and show our dominance!" Jessie shouted.
"Yeah!" James and Meowth agreed. Filled with new confidence the trio set off to claim the Legenda region in the name of Team Rocket.
A large field provided the perfect resting spot for Ash, Nikki and their Pokémon. The group had left Professor Redwood's lab nearly an hour ago and were making good progress towards Miyasa Town, the sight of Nikki's first Pokémon contest.
"So Miyasa Town is only a few days away from here and Lunick City isn't much further," Ash said.
"Yeah. If we keep up at our current pace we'll reach Miyasa Town in about half a week and then Lunick City about a week after that," Nikki explained.
"Alright. That gives us about a week and a half to get ready for our first Gym battle," Ash announced.
"Just out of curiosity are Pikachu and Pidgeot the only Pokémon you brought with you?" Nikki inquired.
"Oh no, I've got some others with me," Ash told her. With that Ash called out his other Pokémon. One by one Pidgeot, Bayleef, Cyndaquil and Gible all appeared.
"Wow," Nikki gasped, in awe of Ash's Pokémon.
"Guys, this is Nikki and her Buneary. They're going to be traveling with us," Ash announced.
"(Hello,)" Cyndaquil greeted.
"(Nice to meet you,)" Bayleef said.
"(Glad to have you onboard,)" Pidgeot said.
"(Hiya!)" Gible cheered.
"They sure are a friendly bunch," Nikki giggled.
"Yeah, and strong too," Ash bragged.
"Well, as true as that may be if they are the only ones you brought with you there's no way you'll qualify for the Legenda League," she declared.
"What?! Why not?!" Ash demanded. "They're strong enough to beat anyone!"
"And I don't doubt that, but the way the League is set up you'll need a lot more than them," Nikki explained.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked, his emotions back to a normal level.
"You see, the Legenda region is separated into four areas with each area having a large number of Gyms," Nikki said.
"Okay, that doesn't sound too much different than normal Leagues," Ash commented.
"That's where you're wrong. Not only does each area have a lot of Gyms but they also have a trainer called an Area Boss," Nikki informed him.
"An Area Boss? What's that?" Ash asked.
"They're trainers that oversee all the Gyms in their area of the region," Nikki explained. "They're much tougher than any Gym Leader you'll come across here."
"That doesn't matter. I'll defeat them too if I have to," Ash declared.
"That's just it. You will have to defeat them, all four of them to be exact," Nikki said.
"That doesn't sound too hard," Ash commented.
"That's what you think. It's tougher than you think to challenge an Area Boss," Nikki told him.
"What do you mean? What do I have to do?" Ash inquired.
"Well, first you'll have to beat two Gyms in the area in order to challenge an Area Boss," Nikki explained. "Then you'll have to find out where the Boss is. Defeat an Area Boss and you'll receive an Area Crest. All in all you need eight Gym badges and four Area Crests to qualify for the Legenda League."
"Okay, so all I have to do is beat two Gyms in each area and then the Area Boss. Do I have that right?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, but even that is more difficult than you think," Nikki said.
"Okay, so what's the hard part about that?" Ash inquired.
"Each Gym Leader and Area Boss specialize in one type," Nikki answered.
"Most Gym Leaders do," Ash pointed out.
"True, but do those other Gym Leaders make the challenger battle using the same types they do?" Nikki questioned.
"Huh?" Ash asked.
"That's where the challenge comes in. The challenger is restricted to only being able to use whatever type the Gym Leader or Area Boss is using. That means if you're facing a Gym Leader or Area Boss that only uses Grass types then you can only use Grass types," Nikki explained.
"So wait… I can only use Pokémon types that match whatever the Gym Leader or Area Boss is using?!" Ash asked, making sure he heard Nikki correctly.
"That's right," Nikki replied. "Whatever type they use you have to use, and battles against the Area Bosses are harder still."
"You're kidding, right?" Ash commented. Nikki shook her head.
"I don't see how they can be any harder than the Gym battles," Ash sighed.
"They are. In battles against the Area Bosses they always have special conditions. For example, you could face one who specializes in Flying types and in that battle all combating Pokémon must stay airborne," Nikki explained.
"Are you serious?! Man, it might take me two or three tries just to beat one of them," Ash groaned.
"Let's hope not. If you lose to an Area Boss you'll have to go out and earn two more badges," Nikki commented.
"What?!" Ash shouted.
"That's another thing. In order to battle against an Area Boss for their Crest you need to wager your two Gym badges. If you lose you lose the Gyms badges and will be forced to go out and earn two more," Nikki clarified. Ash sighed and scratched his head.
"Man… this is going to be tough," he sighed. "Did you guys get all that?"
"(Yeah. This is going to be our hardest challenge yet,)" Pikachu commented.
"(True, but we've never been ones to back away from a challenge,)" Bayleef pointed out.
"(No we haven't. No matter how difficult the challenge we've always faced it head-on,)" Pidgeot said. "(This time will be no different. Right, Ash?)" Ash couldn't help but smile as he listened to his Pokémon speak out so confidently.
"Right," he agreed. "No matter what we're going to win!" His Pokémon all cheered, each one eager to meet this new challenge.
"Looks like all the Pokémon I have are going to get a chance to shine here, even the ones I have back at home," Ash commented.
"Well if they're anything like this bunch you'll have no problem winning the Legenda League," Nikki said.
"Yeah, but there are some types I'm lacking in. If I want to be competitive I'll need to go out and catch some types I need," Ash stated.
"You'll find some. And Buneary and I will be there to help you along the way," Nikki announced.
"(That's right,)" Buneary agreed.
"In that case, let's hit the road!" Before they could get moving Ash's stomach spoke out. The raven-haired trainer nervously laughed.
"Right after lunch," Ash added. Shortly after that Nikki's stomach growled, causing the young girl to blush.
"I think our stomachs are in agreement," Nikki laughed. The two trainers shared a laugh before having a quick lunch.
After speaking with Nikki about the Legenda League Ash now knows just what he is facing. And yet, in true Ash Ketchum style this has only motivated him and his Pokémon that much more. With that in mind what new challenges will he face? What new Pokémon will he add to his ever-growing team? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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