Chapter 72 – Where's Hunter?
The next morning - Ula'Ula Island, Alola Region…
Mount Lanakila was the tallest and most rugged mountain in the whole of the Alola Region. The stadium at the peak was only accessible using the the funicular railway that ran from the base station at Tapu Village to the southern end of the summit of the mountain.
Indeed, to engineer and construct the stadium, had been a difficulty and costly exercise for Lusamine, the Aether Foundation and her financial backers. Even more so, considering the extent to which Lusamine had gone to ensure her project didn't disturb the unique environment and Pokémon habitats in a top the mountain.
Mount Lanakila was the coldest part of the Alola Region, and the only part of the region with snow. It was the only part of the region where Ice Type Pokémon, including the rare Alolan Vulpix, and their evolved form Ninetails, lived.
In order to save costs, and to limit the scope of the construction project (and thus it's environmental impact), the Mount Lanakila stadium had not included a competitor's village, the way the Kalos League had. Registered competitors were offered accommodation in Hea Hea City and were required to travel up the mountain each day for their matches.
It was the morning after Charizard and Hunter's little… feud, so to speak… on the beach, and Ash had an early match. He was set to compete in the first match listed that morning. It was just after daybreak when he arrived at Tapu Village. The sky was just turning from black to blue and the air was warm and sticky, but not yet hot as it would become later in the day.
The league provided trainers with complimentary bus and ferry services to get them to and from the stadium, but for many competitors, hitching a ride on a flying type was much faster, including Ash who, along with Pikachu, flew in on the back of Dragonite. He slid off the mighty dragon types back just as its claws made contact with the grass and gave him a pat on its flank.
"Thanks, Dragonite."
"Pika Pika." Pikachu, who had been holding on just at the base of Dragonite's neck, leapt off and onto his usual place on Ash's shoulder.
"Nite nite, dragon-nite…" Dragonite beamed at the compliment and expressed his joy and affection by giving his trainer a big hug.
Ash wondered if his ribs might break from the Pokémon's tight grip. "Hehehe. Appreciate it buddy." Though his arms were pinned to his side, he managed to get Dragonite's Pokéball loose from his belt and the return the dragon type, allowing him to walk the short distance to the station.
"Well, you're certainly affectionate," Ash muttered as he restored the ball to his belt. "But at least you're reliable, unlike Charizard. Where is the useless reptile, anyway? We've barely got an hour before the match."
"Pika," squeaked Pikachu disapprovingly.
"I bet him and Ashachu have been out all night, doing Arceus knows what."
"You know what," Pikachu giggle giving his trainer a coy smirk.
"Stop it Pikachu."
"Oh, come on Pikapi," said Pikachu, his expression softening. "Charizard hasn't let you down…recently at least. I'm sure they'll both be waiting for us when we get to the stadium. Besides, it's not like either of them to turn down the opportunity to battle."
"Not the point," Ash replied, clicking his tongue irritably. "I really wish Ashachu wouldn't keep running off like that. He keeps getting himself into trouble."
"At least he's with Zard this time, and not that Sneasel…Still." Pikachu pulled a face and his right ear flicked. He mumbled something under his breath, but it was in Pika speak, so Ash's didn't understand.
The train was waiting in the little station. The funicular railway was served by three car trains, with the first car being reserved for competitors, Aether Employees, and special guests. Though at this time in the morning, it wasn't really necessary as the train wasn't busy.
Only three other trainers and a group of about five Aether Employees in white overalls and caps were boarding along with Ash and Pikachu. They took a seat at the front of the car, Pikachu sliding off Ash's shoulder to sit in his lap. The trains featured wrap around panorama windows, giving passengers a 360-degree view of the mountain and its surrounds.
Lusamine had spared no expense…The bell chimed to announce departure, the doors slid shut and there was lurch as the train started its journey upwards and forwards. Pikachu glanced upwards, staring out of the overhead windows and into the sky… where he noticed a bright glint among the clouds, like a star.
"Pikachu!" He gasped and pointed upwards as a blue furry meteor came tumbling out the sky towards them. It was going to it.
"What it is bud…"
THUD…
Ash barely had a moment to look up before the blue thing slammed into the roof of the train. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it was… "Lucario?"
The blue human shaped jackal like Pokémon was laying on his stomach across the window, a dazed look on his face. The spike in his chest had seemingly caused large cracks to appear in the glass. A split second later and…
CRASH…
There was noise like a Hyper Beam going off as Lucario… and something else… came crashing through the roof and landing in a heap on the floor of the carriage. All around there were indigently, angry, and fearful reactions from the other passengers.
Two people screamed, one person swore, and an angry Aether Employee shouted, "What the fuck do you two think you're doing…"
"Ouch…Son of a…"
Aside from Lucario, the figure of a boy was laying on the ground. With surprising speed for somebody who had just fallen from an indeterminate height through a glass window, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, and looked upwards, raising his fist, and shaking it.
"Arceus damnit Hirosaki. What kind of partner are you?" Looking back down he added, "I told you not to antagonise him…"
"Please get off me," Lucario growled in a muffled voice.
"C-Cameron," gasped a surprised Ash, rising to his feet.
"Ash! Oh, thank Arceus I found you." Cameron jumped to his feet, seemingly having suffered no injuries from his fall, and seized Ash by the front of his shirt.
"Err Cameron."
Cameron's face looked wild and panicky, and his clothing, hair and headband were dishevelled. Though that was probably due to the fall.
"Hunter…He didn't come back last night. I can't find him anywhere!"
"What?" said Ash.
"Hunter's missing," Cameron said again, his voice more urgent and panicky. "Blade too… They wandered off last night while Lucario and I were…umm busy. And now I don't know where he's gone. You haven't seen him have you."
"Ummm I'm afraid I haven't," Ash replied, starting to feel a sense of unease.
"Oh." Cameron's face fell. "I thought he might be with Ashachu. I thought both of them might have come to find Ashachu."
"Ashachu's not with me," said Ash, his sense of unease becoming a growing apprehension. His heart started to beat faster in his chest. "He's with Charizard."
"Is it like Charizard to be gone all night," Asked Cameron anxiously.
Ash shrugged. "Charizard tends to do his own thing."
Cameron bit his lip then. "Aww I really should have kept a better eye on him."
"Should never had captured that damned Sneasel," Lucario growled as he got back to his paw, dusting glass out of his fur. "I'm sure this was his doing!"
[Pokémon]
Meanwhile – Route 3, Mele mele Island…
"Damn that Charizard," Blade angrily muttered to himself as he wandered along Route 3.
Route 3 led away from Big Wave Beach, and up the cliff face that formed most of the northern shore of the Island. A narrow ledge with sheer rockface on one side, and the sea on the other far below.
"Why did you have to do that to Hunter!"
He noticed something shiny lying the ground to the edge of the path, glinting in the early morning sun. Stopping to look down, he noticed it was a bottle of sorts. He scooped it up his claws and examined it. It had a spray nozzle, meaning it was probably a potion a trainer had dropped while hiking.
Briefly he thought it might heal his injuries from the battle with Charizard, though it quickly became apparent to him that his claws wouldn't be able to work the nozzle. He drooped the bottle and kicked it hard, imagining that it was Charizard's face.
"SNEA…Take that you ugly reptile." He sighed. "Fuck kid. Why in the distortion world did you want to mate with that!" His mind turned to his own past. "Charizard's your Shadow alright." The though caused painful pang in his heart.
Trying to keep from wandering into painful thoughts, Blade turned his mind to what to do now. "I guess I should try and find my, trainer." He put a dark emphasis on the last word. "He'll becoming to find me, I'm sure. And when Lucario finds out." He shuddered. That didn't bare thinking about.
Blade craned his head back to look up at the sky. "I could just run. Find a place the humans can't get to. I saw snow up the top of the mountain, there must be Ice types there right. Other Sneasel…but then." He gritted his teeth and looked back down at the road. "No, I can't run away. I can't leave the poor kid…there! Inside that…beast. I've got to help him. Man, I'd like to slay that Charizard. If only Shadow was here."
He clenched his fists and jaw, fanaticising about what he would like to do to Charizard, or rather what he would like Shadow to do to him, if only the opportunity presented itself, and muttered under his breath a slew of threats and insults at and about the Flame Pokémon. As Blade wandered further along the path, it split into two, with the northern path continuing to curve along the cliff, and the southern path heading further up.
Blade didn't really notice or acknowledge the fork in the road, simply allowing his feet to carry him. He headed up the southern path, and soon came to a large rock formation in the middle of the road. The sound of chirping filled the air, and Blade noticed a large flock of bird Pokémon flying around the rock. Mostly Spearow and Cutiefly, but there was at least one Delibird amongst them.
"Alright," Blade said to himself, licking his lips. "If I can catch one of them, I can use them to get me…" Where he wasn't quite sure. He crept closer and rested his claws on the rock. He gripped it so tightly enough that they began to cut into the surface, his body tensing. "And…ICE BEAM!"
He fired a beam of blue electric energy at the closest Spearow, striking it on the wing and causing a large clump of ice to form. The flying type lost its balance and fell out to the air like a feathery stone. It crashed to the ground nearby. "Gotcha," cried Blade in triumph, pumping a claw in the air.
One thing Blade hadn't counted on…The reaction of the Spearow's fellows. He had thought the attack by a larger Pokémon would cause the rest of them to flee or become compliant. Especially after a few choice threats. After all, that had worked with Tropius.
But Spearow…As Ash and Pikachu had once found out…are protective of their fellows and aren't afraid to attack. No sooner had the Spearow hit the floor then a terrible cry filled the air and Blade found himself assaulted by a dozen angry Tiny Bird Pokémon. Their beaks and their claw pecked, scratched at clawed at every inch of his body.
"Ahhhh get off." He brandished his claws this way and that, trying to shoo them away, but it was no good. They were relentless. Even when he did manage to hit one, several more continued to bombard him. He cried out in pain as their little claws and beaks ripped at his fur and tore at his flesh. It was like be caught in a hailstorm of knives.
"Ahhhh…fuck off…fuck off…FUCK…"
And then… "Use Shock Wave!"
If Blade had thought the pain, he was in was the worst, it was nothing compared the giant electric shock that came seemingly out of nowhere. His nerves were suddenly on fire. It was so bad that he didn't feel himself fall. It was as though the ground were coming up to meet him.
"Ahhhh." He blinked to clear the tears from his eyes as a tall figure approached and stood over him. "Wh-Whaa!" As his vision came back into focus, he saw a red-haired girl with a wicked grin on her face.
[Pokémon]
The Alola League Stadium, Ula'Ula Island…
As they rose higher up the side of Mount Lanakila, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the wind picked up speed. Ashachu clung onto to Charizard tighter, pressing his little body against the warmth of his scales. Below the rocky slopes of Mount Lanakila became white with as they flew over the peak.
Charizard soared over the peak of the mountain and the Lanakila stadium came into view. A pillar of steel rising out a ring of Ice. Given the cost the Aether Foundation had gone to construct it, it was not Ascetically that appealing. A short icy path, known as Victory Road, separated the Summit Funicular Station from the Stadium itself.
Scouring the area, Charizard quickly found who he was looking for, milling just outside the station. "Zard…" He landed a top the mountain with a roar and a thud. The frozen dirt of the road crunched under his foot claws, and the snow beneath him started to melt from the heat from his tail flame.
Once landed, the windchill factor became more noticeable. Chari felt Ashachu drew even closer to his body in the cold. Something he noted with contentment, and he opened his maw wide in a big grin. "Charr."
Ash didn't share his contentment. "There you two are," he said irritably. "Where have you been. Staying out all night before the match."
"Told you they'd be back," Pikachu murmured unhelpfully in his ear.
"Zard!" Charizard wasn't, of course, taking Ash that seriously. To show this he blew a jet of flames right in his face. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder, narrowly avoiding being hit, and Ashachu giggled.
"Thanks buddy," Ash grumbled, glowering at the Flame Pokémon, and spitting out a mouthful of soot and ashes. "Now come on, we've got a match to win."
"Hey Charizard," asked Cameron, who came running up to Ash, along with Lucario, as Ash was taking out his Pokéball to return the lizard. "You haven't seen Hunter around have you."
Charizard grunted nonchalantly, which could have been interpreted either way, and was interpreted by Cameron as a negative, as he hung his head and groaned "Oh!"
Lucario however acted quite peculiar. His started at Charizard, his eyes widening, and his maw opened in a near perfect O, as though in shock and disbelief. Then his expression morphed into one of silent fury, his maw curling into a snarl and his fangs coming to view, though he didn't growl.
If Charizard had noticed, he didn't show it. The flame Pokémon grinned as Ashy climbed up his neck to lick his cheek as the red beam of light shot from Ash's Pokéball and hit him in the stomach. His form remained corporal just long enough to permit Ashachu to leap from his head and onto Ash…
Something Ash hadn't been expecting, as he nearly lost balance as Ashachu landed on his head. "Ahh…Ashachu, be careful!"
It was then that Cameron noticed the expression on his partner's face. He put a hand his shoulder and turned to him in concern. "You okay."
"I…" Lucario stuttered, his voice shaking. "It's him!"
Ash hadn't noticed. He had already run off in the direction of the entrance to the Stadium, his two Pikachu's hanging on to him….
"Who," asked a confused Cameron.
To which Lucario growled. "Charizard!"
[Pokémon]
Twenty minutes later…
"Charizard, I Choose you!"
"Go Blastoise."
"It's on you, Decidueye!"
"Crabominable! Let's do it!"
The Battle Royale… Four Pokémon enter the ring. One remains standing. That Pokémon's trainer wins the match and progress to the next round. And it was in that way that the second round of the Alola League contest would eliminate three quarters of the competitors.
Under the contest rules, trainers had to choose their Pokémon in advance, and would not know until they stepped out onto the arena so there was no ability to be strategic in your choice of starter. When in doubt, Ash had chosen his ace in the hole, Charizard.
A good thing too…the other competitors Pokémon were all fully evolved and of the same size as the fire/flying type, and they all looked as strong. Charizard took it all in his stride however, flexing his muscles and raising his head to roar loudly as he stepped into the arena.
"…And just look at that line up," roared one of the announcers. "…This surely promises to be an exciting match, as each. Remember, only one of these four fine competitors will be going onto the quarterfinals. And now the ref is preparing to strike the bell!"
"ON YOUR MARKS," A loud voice, that of the referee, called out managing to stand out over the noise of the crowd. "GET SET…"
DING!
It was an all-out brawl… Blastoise moved first. No sooner had the bell sounded, than it fired a spurt of water at Charizard from the water cannons protruding from its shell, perhaps seeing him as an easy target, being a fire type.
But Chari was too fast for him and had already taken to the air before the water jet could get close. He returned the gesture in kind, firing off a flamethrower attack and sweeping it across the field, trying to catch as many of the other competitors as he could.
Crabominable took a different strategy and charged at Decidueye with its claw. Decidueye for its part raised a wing and fired what appeared to be arrows made of a green energy at Charizard. Being vulnerable to fire types, it probably saw him as the biggest danger on the field. But that left it open to a direct strike from Crabominable.
For the next few moments, it was pandemonium as special attacks flew this way and that, and the four Pokémon charged and hit at each other. The announcer had trouble keeping a running commentary with all the confusion of the attacks and Ash had difficulty keeping his eyes on Charizard, let alone directing him. Fortunately, Charizard was no stranger to multi-Pokémon battles.
Decidueye was the first to go down, struck near simultaneously by Charizard's flamethrower from behind, while taking an ice punch to the chin from Crabominable. Once however, the biggest threat on the field to Blastoise was out the way, it was able to double its attention on Charizard. It fired off a hydro pump attack, while at the same time Crabominable used Ice Beam.
Charizard again took to the air to avoid the attack…And that was when it happened!
"CARRR!"
It all happened, in the blink of an eye, but to Ashachu, Pikachu and Ashachu it seemed to be in slow motion. The Pokémon leapt out of the stands with a howl of fury, like a furry ninja. Right paw raised in a fist, and a murderous snarl across his muzzle. His eyes were glowing with malice and his fur bristled.
So vicious and aggressive was his appearance, that it took Ash a moment to realise exactly who he was…
"Lucario," he cried out, as his two rodents squeaked out various cries of "Pika" and "Pikachu!"
"Zar." Charizard turned his head just in time to see Lucario pounce, but not quickly enough to avoid it. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened in surprise as Lucario came crashing down on top of him, driving his paw, now glowing with a white aura, into the base of his neck.
CRASH…Charizard lost his balance and hit the floor of the arena with a dull thud, as Lucario landed lightly on his paws just beside his tail. "ZARD!" He wasn't down for long, however. Charizard pushed himself up, so he was crouched on his all fours, and flicked his long neck around to glare at Lucario. He opened his maw and roared threateningly at him.
Lucario wasn't deterred. "Regurgitate him," he barked, his voice echoing through the stadium. "Regurgitate Hunter this instant, you predatory overgrown lizard, or I'll kill you. Right where you stand!"
The crowd erupted in a chorus of groans and jeers at the interruption of the battle and the other contestants made their protests heard over the top of them. The announcer boomed, "Folks I'm not entirely sure how to describe what's just happened. A random Pokémon has entered the battlefield…Ummmm…. This isn't supposed to happen."
Charizard snarled and snapped his jaws at Lucario. "Little blue bitch had it coming. I'll let him go when I'm good and ready. Now, fuck off!"
"Lucario," shouted a bewildered Ash. He was almost unable to process what was happening it was so out of character. For Lucario and Charizard. "What in the name of Arceus are you doing!"
"Yeah Lucario," Pikachu added with a squeak. "Knock it off!"
He wasn't alone in thinking that. At the same time, a frantic and panicky Cameron came running up to the side of the ring and tried to climb over the ropes. "Lucario, dear. What the hell. STOP!"
He was held back by the referee, who put an arm on his shoulder and said in a stern voice, "Is this your Pokémon son."
"Yeah, he's mine. He's my Lucario," Cameron replied.
"Well then you need to get him back in his Pokéball immediately," said the referee. "You'll be disqualified from the competition for this…Ahh"
Cameron managed to pull himself free, before climbing over the ropes and into the ring. He rushed to Lucario's side.
As he approached, Lucario raised a paw, pointing at Charizard, looked over his shoulder at Cameron and growled, "He ate Hunter Cam. That's where Hunter is. He's struck inside Charizard."
"What! That's Crazy."
"You're crazy!"
Cameron and Pikachu shouted nearly the same reaction at the same time. Cameron continued, "What are you talking about," sounding and looking even more confused, while Pikachu growled dismissively, "Have you lost your mind."
Ash however turned to Ashachu, who had gone very still, his breath coming in short bursts and his tail raised. "Ashachu! Is there something you want to tell us?"
If there was, (and there certainly was), Ashachu didn't get a chance to say. Ash's two remaining competitors chose that moment to either take advantage of their opponents distraction or clear the field of the meddlesome Lucario. Crabominable charged at Charizard with its claw/fist, while Blastoise fired off Hydro Pump. Lucario threw himself at Charizard, sinking his paw and his fangs into is throat.
"GUYS…STOP IT!" Ash and Cameron reacted at the same time, in the same manner, throwing themselves into the fight in a vain attempt to break their Pokémon apart. All while Ashachu and Pikachu watched helplessly from the sidelines.