A/N: Gym battle time! How will Ren handle his first ever Gym fight? He does have a Riolu, so maybe he gets through without issues? Also, I do want to mention that I played Black 2 on Challenge Mode, so if you get confused by the Gym Leader teams, it's the harder teams. Plus, it adds to the pressure whenever we get to the actual Team Plasma fights later on (especially the big final two at the end). Also, figured I'd better start out with this. I've updated the poll to another question (apologies for not waiting for an answer on the previous one; I started writing the next part of the outline after starting the next gameplay in SoulSilver and getting a few possible ideas) regarding possibly Yusei gaining his own Legendary mark. Figured I'd be curious over the answer to that poll compared to the last one. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
PS- I rewatched the first episode of Pokémon Origins to get an idea for a past quote from Ellis if it seems to sound a bit familiar to Brock's speech to Red.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's nor Pokémon. Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OCs. And prepare the soap for Ren's potty mouth. Also, blood/violence and slight dark theme(s) in one flashback (will be another N's Castle flashback, so if those themes are uncomfortable for you to read, skip over until it hits the 'Present Day' section).
Chapter 5:
(Flashback, Ren's POV)
I drummed my fingers on the table at the cafe my team and I were stationed at. I gave a huge sigh. "Man, this sucks," I groaned, setting my head on the table.
When going into the Gym, Ellis was told that I couldn't come see in case I tried helping him get through the puzzle Lenora sets up for Trainers, so we were stuck outside while he took on the second Gym. Blue also was pretty disappointed in not seeing the battle. The others (Pyre, Sal, Clayton, and Falcon) didn't seem quite as upset. Probably due to the fact that aside from Pyre they came after Ellis's first Gym battle. I guess I get the issue with me joining in, but I wouldn't help Ellis cheat! He doesn't even need to anyway. He's the best Trainer ever, even though he says he's not all that strong.
"Dew...?" I heard Blue chirp.
I moved the bangs out of one of my eyes. "What is it?"
"Oh...you're Ellis's brother, yes?" a voice asked. I sat up immediately, seeing the Trainer (N, I think?) that challenged my brother back at Accumula standing not far from our table. A Pidove rested on his shoulder while a Timburr and Tympole were on either side of him. "I'm a bit surprised to see you out here and not in the Gym."
"I wasn't allowed in to watch since they were concerned with cheating," I retorted, pulling my head fully off the table.
"No, I mean challenging it."
"Only Ellis is taking on the Gym challenge. I'm just tagging along for the ride, helping document for the PokéDex and all that."
"I see...so you would rather trap Pokémon in Poké balls than force them to fight in dangerous Gym challenges like your brother does."
Oh, that was it. I slammed my hands on the table, standing up. "Look, I don't know what the crap is your problem with Trainers, but I'm not 'trapping' any of my partners! If they don't want to come with me at all, I don't force them to! And the Gym challenges are not dangerous! They've gotten better at safety precautions to the point that the only way a Pokémon loses a life is if that's what the Gym Leader or Trainer is aiming at—which, by the way, is illegal! So don't go comparing Ellis or me to whatever bad Trainers you met on the road. Not everyone is the same!"
My shouting seemed to have agitated the Pokémon with him as they got into a fighting stance. Blue and the rest of the team did the same in case the Pokémon decided to attack. N didn't seem that upset with my shouting and held a hand to calm the Pokémon he had. "You say that, but that is only words. Not actions. For all I know, you could be lying."
"Then you obviously don't know me 'cause I can't lie to save my ass. Besides, you can always ask Blue if you really can't believe my words."
He seemed to think about it, but then he shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I have somewhere to be at the moment. Good day." He headed off, the Pokémon following after him.
"I swear, he and that Team Plasma could get along if those Plasma weren't doing what he claims Trainers do." I sat back down with a sigh.
"Prrrra?" Falcon chirped, hopping on the table.
"I'm good, Falcon. Just-" I was cut off when a cloud of smoke exploded from the Gym/museum's doors. A group of Plasma members ran past. The explosion had also gotten my partners riled up, each yelling in their language. "What the hell?!"
"Pan Pan!" Pyre shouted, pointing at one of the Plasma grunts. I squinted, seeing that they were carrying something. The Dragonite skull from the museum!
(Present Day, Aspertia Gym)
I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest. I was about to do my first ever Gym battle, and I already felt like I was going to be the one passing out before even stepping out to the field. It was one thing to watch a Gym battle, but to actually participate? That was a whole different level than what I'm used to.
"You okay there, Ren?" Yusei asked while I was in the waiting room.
"Oh, you know, just feel like every part of me is going to explode from anxiety," I retorted and gripping my bag's strap. "How in the world does any Trainer handle this? I feel like I'm going to drop dead at any moment from a heart attack!"
"It's only pre-battle jitters. Everyone gets them."
"Says the guy with a giant Luxray at his side."
"Well, he wasn't always a Luxray. Besides, you've got Auren. He should be enough for Cheren should anything go wrong."
"But he only just learned Force Palm. What if hurts himself from some recoil that I don't know about, or isn't fast enough for Cheren's 'mons, or-"
I felt hands on my shoulders. "Ren, breath. You'll do fine. We've been practicing different scenarios out and getting a good strategy for you to go with. All you have to do is focus on what's happening and adapt. You've got this." Yusei's talk started to help a bit, until...
The door to the field opened. "Excuse me, Ren? Cheren is ready for your battle now," the referee said.
Well, there's the Butterfrees again. "I-I'll be right there," I replied with a squeak.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Yusei said as I headed out. Hope you're right...
(No One's POV)
Ren stepped onto the other side of the battlefield. It looked barely used at the moment, and there was some playground equipment a few feet on one side. The referee came up to the middle of the field between the two Trainers. "This is an official Pokémon Gym Battle! The challenger may use up to their full team while the Gym Leader can only use three in this battle. If either side causes the loss of life of a Pokémon—be it the Challenger or the Gym Leader—the battle is stopped and an investigation will be done on the offending party," the referee announced.
Sounds like they're really cracking down on it, since that Plasma bullshit, Ren thought. "Now, begin!"
"Emerald, go!" "Show them what you're made of, Patrat!" Ren and Cheren called as they threw the Poké balls. Emerald appeared in front of Ren while a Patrat came out in front of Cheren.
"Hoping to see the skills you studied up on after these few years," Cheren told Ren.
"Yeah, don't hope too much," Ren replied.
"Patrat, focus and use Work Up!"
"Paaatraat!" The Normal-type glowed a reddish orange, increasing its attack power.
"Emerald, use Growth and go in for a Vine Whip!"
"Vy!" Emerald glowed green, increasing his attack power as well. When the glow ended, he rushed ahead with vines coming from the back of his neck.
"Intercept with Tackle, Patrat!"
"Rat!" The Patrat held up its arms. Emerald closed the distance and slammed the vines into the Patrat. The Normal-type skidded a little before putting its arms down and charging at the Snivy, hitting him hard in the middle. Emerald was thrown back to the other side of the field. The Grass-type slowly got back onto his feet, glaring at the opponent.
Shit shit shit! That hit really hard! I've got to get Emerald out of there! Ren thought, pulling out Emerald's Poké ball to try and call him back. He stopped midway when he remembered the words that Ellis said when Ren had asked years ago how he could be so calm during battles. "I trust in my Pokémon's abilities and strength, and they in turn trust me to lead them. Once you work with your Pokémon and know their battle styles, you can really become in-sync with your partners."
"Trainer Ren, are you recalling your Snivy or continuing the fight?" the referee called, snapping Ren out of his frozen state.
Ren looked at the Poké ball in his hand and then back to Emerald on the field. The Snivy was giving a look that read he wasn't ready to be pulled back. Ren's grip tightened on the ball. You've got this... He put the ball away and straightened up. "Emerald, gather more power with Growth and go in for another Vine Whip!"
"Sniiii!" Emerald glowed green again and charged, vines out.
"Use Bite! Keep him from getting the attack through!" Cheren commanded.
"Rat!" The Patrat charged as well, opening its mouth.
The two Pokémon met in the middle of the field. The Patrat bit hard on Emerald's tail. Emerald winced but still landed the Vine Whip attack, knocking the Normal-type out. "Patrat is down!" the referee announced. Patrat was returned to its ball.
That's one, but Cheren still has two more. Can Emerald's defense handle another barrage like with Patrat? Ren wondered. Emerald munched on the Oran Berry he held, healing a bit of the damage he took. He got back into a fighting stance, tail swishing behind him. No, I've got to get that talk outta my head. I've gotta have confidence in my partners. If Emerald gets knocked out, I'll send Auren in to finish up.
"Here's my next Pokémon. Go, Pidove!" Cheren threw the Poké ball in the air, releasing the bird-like Pokémon.
"Prrre!"
Crap! A Pidove?! I can't send Auren out against 'em! He'll get blown away! "Sni Snivy!" Emerald hissed, snapping Ren out of it. Keep calm and focus. Emerald showed during training that even being at a disadvantage doesn't mean it's an immediate loss. If he can land his attacks before the Pidove, we can still win!
"Pidove, Gust!"
"Emerald, tank and use Slam!"
Pidove flapped its wings, kicking up the winds to attack Emerald. Emerald gritted his teeth and kept from being blown away. When the blast started dying down was when the Snivy struck. He ran forward, leaped toward the Pidove, and wrapped his tail around the bird. Finally, he used his strength to slam the other onto the ground. The dust cleared from where the Pidove had landed, showing that the Pokémon had fainted. "Pidove is unable to battle!" the referee concluded. The Pidove was recalled to the ball.
"Well, you've certainly improved from last time," Cheren commented.
"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be challenging the Gym," Ren retorted.
Cheren chuckled. "I'll give you that. Here's my last Pokémon. Go, Lillipup!" The Poké ball was thrown, and in a flash of red light the Pokémon appeared.
"Pup!" the Lillipup barked.
"Work Up and then Tackle the Snivy!" The Lillipup let out a howl as the orange glow appeared around it.
"Vine Whip!"
"Sni!" Vines came from Emerald's back. He dashed for the Lillipup.
The Lillipup's glow stopped as Emerald closed in. It winced as the vines hit it in the head, but the Normal-type held on and tackled the Snivy in the middle. Emerald skidded a few inches, shaking off the damage. The Lillipup munched the Oran Berry it also held, giving a slight smug look to the Grass-type. Emerald let out a hiss.
"Emerald, Vine Whip one more time!" Ren commanded.
"Vy!" Emerald brought out the vines, whipping them toward the Lillipup. The Lillipup let out a yelp as the hit was stronger than usual. With a wobble, the Pokémon crashed to the ground, fainted.
"That's it! The challenger wins the battle!" the referee called as soon as the Lillipup fell.
Ren let out a huge breath as he went to his knees as Emerald walked over to his side. "Oh sweet Arceus, that was stressful," he groaned.
"Sni Sni," Emerald said, patting Ren's arm in a 'there there' way.
"Well done, Ren. Quite interesting you went with only one Pokémon for your first battle," Cheren stated, walking up. "Looks like you've learned a lot more than I thought."
Ren looked back up. "Yeah..." He eyed Emerald beside him. "...or I've started having confidence in my partner's strength."
(N's Castle, Two Years Ago *WARNING*)
Ellis panted as the next to last of N's Pokémon fainted. Mason, despite all his gusto, was getting onto his last bit of strength at this point after doing most of the fighting while the others caught their breath. He sent Cross and Ciel to check on Ren, especially if Zekrom went on a rampage so they could get him out of there if necessary. Now that the rest of N's Pokémon were down for the count, it was the best time as any to use the strategy Zach and Spirit attempted earlier.
"How...How can you still be fighting against me? Your Nidoking couldn't even scratch Zekrom earlier. You know how strong they are! So why...do you still defy destiny?" N said.
"I told you...as long as my partners are willing, we won't stop until you snap out of whatever lies Ghetsis told you to go this far. Separating people and Pokémon isn't the answer. Believing Pokémon would be better off dead than with a Trainer is bullshit. Maybe not every person should be a Trainer, and there are Pokémon that are strong without a Trainer...but one person—or group—shouldn't decide that! You're depriving everyone of a choice! If a Pokémon doesn't want to be with a Trainer, then fine. That's their choice! But liberation will deny the Pokémon that want to be with humans that choice! Hearing their voices is one thing, but understanding their hearts is way different! How can you not see that?!"
N seemed to hesitate with his order. Then, with a shake of his head, he commanded his remaining Pokémon. "Zekrom, Fusion Bolt!"
"Mason, back! Zach, get in there!"
"Rar."
"Nido!"
As Zekrom flew into the air, becoming surrounded by electricity, Mason hurried out of the battle and Zach took his spot. Zekrom launched itself toward the Nidoking. Zach held up his arms and grabbed the larger Pokémon, the electricity not doing damage but Zach gave a slight wince at the power of the attack. "Now, Spirit!"
"What?!"
The Aromatisse who had been hiding on Zach's back spikes leapt into action. She jumped up, formed a ball of pink energy, and launched it at Zekrom's head. The Vast Black dragon roared in pain as the attack landed, weakening it significantly.
"Zekrom!" N gasped.
"Yes! Now use-" Ellis didn't get a chance to finish as a bladed arm erupted from his chest. He coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. The Bisharp pulled its arm from behind the Trainer.
Ellis collapsed forward, feeling the numbness and black closing in. Before all was lost, he heard Ren scream out, "Ellis!"
(*WARNING OVER* Present Day, Ren's POV)
I leaned back in the seat once getting on the bus. "Holy crap, I'm still shaking. How do other people do this?" I groaned.
"Just takes time and practice," Yusei replied. "Besides, you did better than a lot of beginning Trainers in their first Gyms."
"Oh sure, almost passing out in the first five seconds doesn't happen to everyone."
He rolled his eyes at my comment. "You know that's not what I meant. It's not unusual for Trainers to go through most of a team of six before they defeat the Gym Leader's ace."
"Well, it's not exactly my first journey. Just the first one where I'm heading on the Gym Challenge."
"Speaking of, the next Gym is Poison-type. We might want to spend the time working on Auren since he'd be the best to handle it after he evolves."
"Maybe...I also heard there's Magnemite in the area nearby. Since my you-know-what doesn't work with Electric-types, I don't have to worry about losing it."
"That could work, too."
"Hey, uh, you said a lot of Trainers tend to go through a whole team of six before beating their first Gym. Were you speaking from experience..?"
"Nope, I only had Argen for my whole first Gym Challenge."
"... wait what?"
(Next Day)
After spending the night resting at the Pokémon Center in Virbank, Yusei and I got up early (ugh) to head for the Complex to get practicing. Emerald and Auren mainly did much of the battling as when Jason saw a Growlithe in the grass, he ran back to me with a hiss and hid behind my legs. And as soon as I saw said Growlithe, I grabbed him and ran out. Since gaining the marks, specifically Reshiram's blessing, I had been super nervous about getting another Fire-type or even sending out Cross. It always ended badly, so I gave up trying to get it under control.
It was well into the afternoon when Auren evolved into a Lucario after winning in a Trainer battle. Seeing another evolving before him inspired Emerald to work hard and evolve as well into a Servine. Jason didn't seem too upset that his team mates had reached evolution. I guess he's expecting me to ditch him as soon as I can find a better Pokémon to put on the team than him. Even if I did, I doubt I would just throw him to the ranch with Chelsea. I figured if he decides he's done fighting, I'll register him as a companion than a battler.
"Man, I'm tired. I think I'll skip the Gym 'til tomorrow," I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Probably a good idea. I don't think Roxie does Gym Battles after a certain time," Yusei replied. Argen got up from his spot on the grass with a loud yawn.
"Yeah, I heard—shit!" I hadn't zipped my bag well enough and a lot of my supplies spilled out. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
I started gathering up what had rolled out, Yusei coming over to help me. During the hurry, we heard a familiar ding from not far away. "Was that...?"
"I think you just caught a new Pokémon."
"But I didn't even...*sigh* I guess it can't hurt to check and see what the 'mon i—holy sacred Arceus crap!" I yelped the last part when I released the Pokémon to reveal that it was a Magby, a Fire-type.
"Mag..?" the Pokémon chirped, tilting their head in confusion.
"Uhh...well then," Yusei mused. "That complicates a few things."
"Complicates?! That's putting it mildly. I can't train a Fire-type! What if I lose control and hurt someone?! I can't risk that!"
"The only other option is to see if the Pokémon wants to go back to the wild. With how easily he went into that Poké ball, I don't think he intends to."
"I guess it can't hurt to check..." I carefully stepped closer to the Magby, bending down to their level. "Erm...hi."
"Mag Magby," the Magby replied.
"Um, listen...i-it's not exactly a good idea to go with me. I have a...uh, condition that could hurt you pretty bad if it gets out of hand. I can get rid of the Poké ball and you can go back to the wild...if you want." I quickly added the last part. I knew my brother liked giving the option to the Pokémon whether they wanted to stay or not after he caught them. I know a lot of the Pokémon I caught on my first trip here chose that after what happened. Some did choose to stay at the ranch, but most went back.
The Magby blinked up at me, stepped closer, and grabbed my pants leg. I turned rigid at that.
"Yeah, I didn't think he was going to go that easily," Yusei said.
"Yaaay...what do I do now?" I recalled the Magby before standing up. "I can't even send out Cross to defend me when I really needed it. How can I expect to even train this guy if I'm too scared to let him out into battle?"
"It may be time to try and work with this ability of yours, Ren. I know it makes you nervous to be around Fire-types, but the more you keep putting this off the worse it's going to be. We can try going with small and easy fights and work up from there. Though, you will also have to practice staying calm during them."
"Can it be that easy, though?"
"We won't know until we try it, I suppose. If not, I can add him to my team for the time being until you feel ready."
"...okay, I think I can work with that..."
A/N: Okay, so...I know it's been clear from the beginning that Ellis is dead, so I hope not many were shocked how he went. But yeah, I can so see Ghetsis killing a human to further his goal (N not so much despite him not being quite as happy with humans; I think I missed trying to show that he was as shocked about Gecko getting killed by his Pokémon, though I guess I did make it sound like he ordered his Archeops to kill Charlotte so that's more on me as a writer than anything; I tried to write the colder version of N we see in the manga than we do in game and in the anime/specials). Anyway, don't forget the poll and also, I'm curious. What are you (the reader) looking most forward to in this story? I'm just curious at the moment, I won't spoil anything (or I'll try not to; I'm bad about that sort of thing, unfortunately, unless the person is like me and doesn't care much for spoilers of movies/games/whatever...well, maybe outside fanfics; I like being left on the edge of my seat there). See you guys in the next chapter!