Beta: Gerald Of Revea
-Cloud-
Once upon a time, I wanted to be a champion.
Not just of Unova (which is where I originally started out), I wanted to make a checklist of Regions I needed to conquer.
I even wanted to do it in a certain order, go through each champion for each generation, and come out on top. From there, I'd go to some of the other regions from the spin-offs, like Fiore, Orre & Almia.
It wouldn't have been for fame or anything. It's just something I wanted to do because I could do it. Becoming the champion is the goal in every Pokémon game, what else was I supposed to do?
So I spent all my time training, catching & battling Pokémon. I'd steamroll every region with Pokémon that were way too strong to win against.
The thing is, I got sidetracked. Met Meowth, Psyclone & Sonia. The need I had to be better than everyone else just ebbed away. I stopped training my Pokémon, I was basically on top already and didn't see the need to go any further.
A small part in the back of my mind was regretting that now.
If I knew how pretty Cynthia was in real life, I would have swiped through Sinnoh's Elite Four years ago.
"I 100% agree," an idea came to mind. "But if we start that conversation, we'd be here the whole night. Why don't we move to somewhere quieter?"
She giggled softly, a retort on her lips that never came.
"Cynthia!" Leon, (the bastard) interrupted. "Cloud thinks you are stronger than me, we need to battle!"
I'm going to kill this man.
"Leon!" I tutted. "We still have our battle in the morning! I don't want you making any excuses once I beat you."
"Defeating two champions in just as many days? I believe that would be a first."
"Like he could beat me," Leon snorted before pausing. "Maybe if I went a bit easier on 'em. Not Dynamax, not use Charizard…maybe make it a 3v6? You might just have a shot then! I've gotten even stronger since our last battle, so you should probably take the advantages as they come!"
"That loss was entirely luck-based." I scowled, making him grin in victory. "Despite that. It's rare I say this, but you do have some skill."
"Undefeated Champion~" he singsonged, I elected to ignore him.
"I really should have used one of my stronger teams to battle you."
My team in Galar wasn't designed for Pokémon battles, it was designed for capturing legendaries. And it succeeded in capturing a single legendary. I just didn't expect to walk into Leon on the same day.
"And you think I was really going all out against you as well? A battle where I didn't Dynamax?"
"The same battle where I didn't Mega Evolve, Z-Move, or Terastalize?" I hummed. "And I was using a team for capturing Pokémon and not battling? Are you seriously going to call that a win?"
The bastard knew it got under my skin. I had a clean win record until he went and walked into my life. The guy knew (or thought) he was the strongest. He liked proving that at any chance given, which is half the reason why he wanted to battle me in the first place.
"Excuses, excuses, excuses," he smirked. "If you didn't think you would win, you shouldn't have accepted the challenge!"
"Then I guess the only way to prove who's stronger…is by having a Pokémon battle."
"Oh you really are trying to start something aren't you?" I cocked a brow at the woman, who just giggled in response. "But let's see, if I battled him again with respect…it's 50-50 on whether or not I win. If I battle without respect, that's entirely my win.
"Battle without respect?" Cynthia asked amusedly. "Because you respected Leon, you lost?"
"No, Leon doesn't deserve any respect," I waved my hand dismissively, making the man squawk. "If I wanted to win, I just shouldn't have battled him with respect."
"And what would be the difference?"
"Clauses."
Species Clause, Sleep Clause, Freeze Clause, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause. So many more clauses I was used to following that I never had to.
There wasn't a limit on the Pokémon or the moves they could use. Not like how competitive formats back home had. The world sees it as using your strongest six Pokémon for every tournament.
I have been following these clauses unintentionally. Making an entire team fall to Spore? Using multiple Dracovish? Spamming Double Team to make yourself practically invincible?
And it was only during my battle with Geeta that I realized that I didn't have to follow these rules.
Because they don't exist.
"You, me, battle right now." Leon snatched a Pokéball from his belt. "Let's see if you can back up your words."
On any other day I would have expected. Leon's defeat did gnaw at the back of my mind but a different part of me realized something else.
There was a golden opportunity in front of me. A way of proving I am undoubtedly the strongest in one fell swoop.
Sure, beating 2 champions in one day would be cool…
But at the moment an even better idea came to mind.
-Cynthia-
Admittedly, she was expecting the battle. Leon is a well known battle-maniac and Cloud always seemed to escalate every situation he found himself in.
Which made it all the more confusing when he brought Leon into a huddle to have a hushed conversation. 10 seconds later, Cloud left with a hurried goodbye and Leon was giggling with the broadest smile she had ever seen on the man.
Her smile became a little more fixed as Cloud left the ballroom entirely, ignoring the protests of his co-star as he made his rushed exit.
She pouted slightly, her questions going unasked and unanswered. Her conversation was hijacked before it could even begin.
There were a lot of words to describe Cloud. Arrogant, narcissistic, vain, supercilious, but that wasn't why she wanted to talk to him.
Genius and arrogance go hand-in-hand, but Cloud seemed more insightful than anything else. She only recently found out about his stream after his recent controversies, but what made her keep her focus was a simple comment.
"If there was a battle between the two, I would bet a million on Cynthia. Double so if she gave her Milotic a Flame Orb."
He went on to explain the tactic. Flame Orb paired with Marvel Scale. Many were calling it an amazing strategy, others were calling for a ban on Flame, Toxic & Life Orbs for being 'items designed for cruelty.'
It caught her off guard, because she knew that tactic. She invented it, or at least thought she did. She hasn't battled using items in a while because it slightly favored her opponent in battle, (Not that it changed the final result).
Still that led her to watch a few more of the videos made by Cloud. His thoughts on her being the best Champion were flattering, but that was not why she wanted to speak to him.
Idly, she started to palm her Key Stone. Frowning slightly as she recalled one of Cloud's past streams.
She had questions. And she'll get her answers sooner or later. Whether it be here and now or tomorrow.
For now, all she had to do was play her part.
"So tell me, how long have you known Cloud?"
-Rotom-
"A tournament? So soon after your battle with Geeta?"
It was odd seeing Cloud being proactive. Ever since he settled down, he had taken that attitude to heart. If anything, he thought Cloud was just going to retire and spend the rest of his days in the comfort of his own home.
It was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one nonetheless.
"Hey, I haven't even announced anything yet! Besides, I want to get some training with Geeta done first. Make a decent team or two before she can fight against the big leagues," he said confidently like his apprentice wasn't a Champion-level trainer.
"Well, I certainly won't complain about this," he freely admitted. "You have barely left the house for the past six months as is. Having someone to train may do you some good."
He enjoyed his vacation more than he expected to. He had never visited Paldea before and enjoyed his time off as an acting butler. He'll most likely have a bit more free time on his hands if Cloud is off galavanting with Geeta to become stronger trainers.
Still…a tournament was unexpected of Cloud. He wasn't the type of person to want to organize something of this scale. Having Geeta to help organize such an event in the future would be useful. However, that's considering Geeta would be willing to cooperate on such a project.
Geeta most likely despises Cloud for the position he put her in. She has every right to be resentful, but he currently didn't have much of an opinion on the woman. They haven't even been introduced yet.
Still, it will be interesting to have someone new living in the house. It didn't take long for Sonia to adjust, but a large part of that is due to her kind heart. She held no malicious intentions for Psyclone, only curiosity. Same for himself & Meowth. Her goal was knowledge, not to be hoarded but to be shared.
For some reason, he doubted Geeta would be as quick to adjust. Only time will tell.
"Well, if that's the case, I will get ready to pack your things. We will leave first thing tomorrow."
-Cloud-
Paldea is a nice place. I'll probably come back here sometime when I need a vacation. I forgot places existed where it wasn't cold or windy all the time.
Maybe we should stay another day, try and get everyone to come to the beach with me. It would be free eye candy at the end of the day if nothing else.
A knock came from my window, making me jump.
And then-
I blinked, words on the tip of my tongue disappearing as I took in the sight in front of me.
Was that…Clair? Lance's cousin? The Johto Gym Leader?
Her eyes glistened in triumph, her heavy breathing started to fog up the glass where her mouth was. With a hunger in her eyes, she started writing on the glass with her finger.
The only problem was she was writing everything backwards. And I could barely make out what it said in the dark.
'Bread?' I squinted, only to jump in alarm as she pressed herself closer to the window before slowly sliding down it.
I snatched a Pokéball from my belt, rushing over to the balcony, and slamming the door open.
Only to walk in on Lance giving me a deer-in-the-headlights look. In stark contrast to his trainer, his Dragonite was giving me a happy wave.
Clair was resting on Dragonite's shoulder, butt in the air & hoisted over as if she were a sack of potatoes.
"Ignore her," Lance said curtly, breaking the silence. "My cousin can be enthusiastic at times, sorry for any inconvenience."
"Today doesn't seem to end, does it?" I muttered, Lance only shrugging before signaling Dragonite to leave.
As I closed the door to the balcony, I was finally able to read what Clair wrote on the window.
'Breed me '
…Oh?
"You are a hard person to find alone," he spoke commandingly, like I didn't see what happened 30 seconds ago. "You have come far since your time in Kanto. You've become stronger and now you have defeated a champion."
He held his hand out.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you." I took up the offered hand, getting another nod from the man.
"But that is not why I'm here," he reached into his pocket, a picture of a very familiar boy nestled between his fingers. "Do you recognize who this is?" And I had to choke down a laugh.
Because of course, I knew who Red was. I was once hyper-focused on beating the bastard to the point of obsession. And when I finally got to battle him, I failed. There was no one else there to witness it but I never felt so humiliated in my life.
"Lance, you can't beat Red. It's impossible."
"You remember him" his eyes lit up, "He is the strongest trainer I ever fought. His skill was-"
"Red doesn't have skill."
He paused, looking at me in bemusement, before letting out a small chuckle.
"You may not like the fact he nearly bested you, but you shouldn't speak about another in such a way."
"I never said he isn't strong." I countered. "He's the strongest trainer alive. I'm willing to admit that, but none of that is due to skill."
"The two are hand-in-hand.! You must have both to become the best!"
"If only that were the case," I chuckled wistfully, "Originally, I didn't think it was possible. For him to do what he did. Every attack? Critical. Every move? Pre-determined. Whether or not he would win? That was his decision."
"Then why didn't he?"
"Because I manipulated the odds as well."
Lance was silent for a moment, replaying the conversation in his head as he tried to figure out what I was trying to say.
And he arrived at the right conclusion.
"You fixed your match," he scowled, his anger flaring. "Is this the type of person you are? Resulting to bribery so you wouldn't lose? I thought you a better trainer."
"I never said a word to him during our battle," I assured. "I didn't need to."
"He's a psychic." He breathed, looking at me wide-eyed. "Of course! All this time-"
"Nope."
"But-"
"Nope. He's not a psychic. Close, but it's much, much worse than that."
I sighed, knowing that a long conversation was ahead of me.
I often thought back on the battle I had with Red. It was a battle I thought I would win. I was stronger, better, faster. My team was more well-rounded, and certain counters were put in place to ensure my victory.
It was only when he started to brutally destroy each and every one of my Pokémon did I finally understand what I was battling.
Red is the final boss of Pokémon. But that's the thing.
Red doesn't even pull his own strings.
"Tell me, Lance. Have you ever heard of save states?"
-Psyclone-
"It will not work."
In concept, it was a sure idea. Announce to the world you are holding a tournament to see who is the strongest. Considering there would be at least two champions there, a lot of people would want to put their teams to the test.
However, Cloud is going into this as if the world revolves around him. That given this chance, multiple people from around the world will drop everything that they are doing and battle it out to see who is truly the strongest.
Getting it to be league-sanctioned would be a nightmare in and of itself. But what he was offering was just not enough.
Cash prizes wouldn't be enough for those made of money.
"Of course it will, who wouldn't want to knock me down a few pegs? Have a big enough prize pool and anyone worth their salt will sign up."
That was true, but not the point. "I never said it wouldn't draw interest, I said it wouldn't work. Not for what you want, anyways."
It didn't take long for him to realize why he was doing this. He wanted a rematch. Draw out Red from whatever dark cave he is lingering in and battle him once more.
Money doesn't interest Red. He won every battle he ever had. And despite becoming Champion of Kanto, he is not a relatively well-known figure. He could easily challenge anyone he wanted to easily accrue funds.
"Money is not an incentive for Red. It never was."
"...Ah shit, you're right," Cloud muttered, a frown overtaking his face. "Shit, I might need more time than I thought for this. But enough on that, I gotta know, who was switching my Pokémon?"
"Rika," getting a confused look from Cloud again. "Paldea's Ground-Type Elite Four," he clarified, and Cloud's eyes lit up in recognition. "She used her Claydol to cheat."
"Ah, thanks for dealing with that then," Cloud nodded. "That really threw me off my game when it was happening. So what did you do with her?"
"She went involuntary spelunking."
"...So you left her in a cave? Did she get out yet?"
"No."
"Psyclone," Cloud said slowly. "What exactly are you doing with her?"
"I am studying her." He shrugged. "Whenever she is close to escaping to the outside world, I teleport her to a different cave. Repeat the cycle."
"Huh, I was actually expecting worse from you there," And he didn't know whether to be offended or not. "Just don't be at it for too long. People would go crazy if an Elite Four went missing."
"Noted," he replied curtly, annoyed that Cloud was right in this case. It would be a minor inconvenience that could easily become an annoyance quickly.
He already removed her memories of their encounter, something he had no plans to tell Cloud about. He didn't have to admit to a mistake if no one found out in the first place.
"What about the legendaries? Did you catch 'em all?" Cloud grinned, and Psyclone didn't even bother hiding his smirk.
"The Ruin Pokémon are mine, of course, none of them were stronger than me."
"Awesome, did they have any answers?" Cloud immediately followed up, making him scowl.
"They are as blind as we are." He reluctantly admitted, making Cloud hum in acknowledgment.
"I think we can rule out sub-legendaries for now then. If those four didn't know anything, we can make a safe bet that none of them do. Any luck finding an Azure Flute?"
"You already know the answer to that."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Yeah, I do."
He ran the calculations in his head over a dozen times. Cloud is a net negative to the world. His brain patterns, thought processes, and genetics. They are all different from the normal humans of this world. It wouldn't be wrong to call him an Alien, because that is what he is.
Like a parasite, his way of thinking, tactics & mannerisms were being picked up upon by other people. Profane speech has become increasingly common. People have started to choose Pokémon not based on personality, but raw ability. But most importantly, people are starting to become better battlers.
There are concepts that existed in Cloud's world that never belonged here. There is no such thing as an R-rated movie. What constituted as adult content in this world was extremely tame compared to Cloud's own.
Then there was the weaponry. With no Pokémon to fight in mankind's wars, better & better weaponry were made. Instantly being able to kill tens of thousands of people in a matter of seconds.
In a world like Cloud's, it would make sense why humanity is at the top of the food chain. Whether that world would last more than 100 more years, he did not believe so.
If that type of knowledge were to spread, he wondered how this world would react.
Would it become more like Clouds'?
Which is why it would make more sense to kill him. Well, from a human's perspective anyway. Let the world live in peaceful ignorance, without worrying about how horrible humanity can actually be.
Of course, he would never allow that to happen. Cloud had his uses. For Psyclone, it was best to keep him alive. For the world, it was best he stayed alive as well.
Because the day Cloud dies is the day this world will burn.
-Geeta-
She had left Paldea many times before. For business and for pleasure. But she was never gone for more than a few weeks.
She knew her stay in Sinnoh was going to be much longer.
Cloud was planning something, what it was, she didn't know. He didn't feel bothered to say anything about it yet.
But considering they were about to have their first…lesson, that might change.
"Geeta, Geeta, Geeta." Cloud walked around her chair, his flair for dramatics on full display. "For our first lesson, your job is to answer this one single question," he clicked his fingers, and a question displayed on the projector.
'What makes a strong team?'
"Not a Pokémon! Not a Trainer! Forget about those for a moment. And think to yourself, what do I need to make a strong team?
She let out an annoyed sigh, Cloud was treating her like she hadn't been an educator for over 10 years, and as usual, it was annoying her.
"There are multiple factors that make up a strong Pokémon team. Your Pokémon should consist of a wide range of different types, especially if you are a specialist. For those that are, they should make sure each Pokémon has a uniquely different type. Apart from that, ensuring the Pokémon is well-trained and has a strong moveset is necessary for any strong Pokémon team."
"Amazing!" Cloud smiled. "40 marks, could be better."
"40?" she asked, her smile becoming a bit brittle. "And what would you like to add? Items? Abilities?"
"Eh, extra 20 marks for those." Cloud waved her off. "You forgot about the roles each Pokémon should have, Team Synergy, Speed Control & Team Strategy, but not bad, you did better than Sonia the first time I asked her."
He went on to explain in detail why each and every one of these points was both important and necessary. That a fine balance was needed to make the strongest team possible.
'And then he is going to explain how my team isn't strong." She thought with an eye-roll.
Honestly, for how smart the boy seems to be, he can truly be an idiot. Not just anyone was willing to put in the time and effort to become the strongest. He spoke about 'levels' before, but the amount of people truly on their 'level' was less than 1%.
"And the point of this lesson is…I want you to forget about all of that for a moment."
'What?'
"What?"
"I mean, sure, a balance of all those aspects is how you usually make a strong team," he shrugged. "But then there are outliers. Outliers that can truly change how a team should be made." And she immediately thought of her Houndstone.
"What are you trying to say?" she asked, and Cloud allowed himself to grin.
"It's that in order to show just how strong a Pokémon team can be, we need to stop playing by our own rules."
-Sonia-
Peace.
She was starting to forget what is was like, considering how hectic things have been recently. As soon as she arrived home, she expected Cloud to be fighting Cynthia or something equally as crazy. But as the third day passed with things going back to normal, she started to relax.
Geeta smartly decided not to stay at Cloud's home. Instead, she bought the house next door instead. For how much, she didn't want to know.
She brewed her favorite tea, the aroma filling the kitchen as rain tapped on the window. Pouring the steeped tea into her chipped mug, she added a splash of milk, watching it turn golden. With a contented sip, she smiled settling in for another day of hard work.
And started choking once she read the first headline on today's news.
She read over the headline one more time, hoping to herself that it was some kind of mistake. That it was a fake article or a nightmare.
"Please tell me this is some sort of prank," she whispered, an agitated groan escaping her.
Three days, that's all she got. All she got before Cloud went ahead and got himself into more trouble.
Checking the dates once more, she let out a small sigh of relief. If anything, she could try to convince him to cancel it. He planned it for three months away anyway, so it wouldn't affect anyone in the long term.
Or he could just change the prizes and she wouldn't have to worry!
Because this? This… this is madness! Complete and utter madness!
Shocking! Cloud reveals his tournament challenge! With a shocking victory prize!:
"My Money. Myself. My Pokémon. Winner takes all."