Creation began on 11-27-23
Creation ended on 04-09-24
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Storm has Passed, Psychic Match Begin!
The storm didn't cease until two more days had passed in Tokyo-3, and even after that, the work to repair whatever electrical damages had to be done to restore power to the city. It was a powerful storm that felt like a god's anger washing over the land. It wasn't until the third hour of school at the junior high that the lights finally came back on and illuminated the classrooms.
"Let there be light to illuminate the darkness," went Toji as he sighs in relief.
"Amen, Suzuhara," the teacher expresses, looking out the windows. "May we never experience another storm like this again."
"Machamp!" Brute-Chan cheers, and the students in the room were once more reminded that, since the previous day, Kensuke started bringing his Machamp with him to help around the school. "Champ!"
"I seriously wish I had a Pokémon on my own right now," one of the boys uttered.
"I'd settle for a Wigglytuff," a girl went.
"Give me an Onyx," added another boy.
"Dratini are cute," another girl expresses.
"Pikachu are awesome!"
Asuka, Rei, Hikari, Toji and Kensuke knew that it was only a matter of time before Pokémon became a new trend in their world once there was a way to bring them over.
"To those that wait, that show patience," Rei then states, "will greatness make itself known for those to behold."
"Yep," Asuka agrees.
"Any Pokémon, so long as it's tiny for the time being," Hikari tells them of her own desire to have a Pokémon of her own one day.
-x-
"…Okay, Boomer," said Antonio to the Electrode, holding a pair of jumper cables in his hands covered in rubber gloves. "Just a small jolt should do it."
"Trode!" Boomer expressed, and then unleashed a bolt of electrical energy from its ball-shaped being into the cables Antonio held up.
Relying on the information Kensuke had obtained through Shinji, Antonio learned of the moves Boomer possessed as both a Voltorb and Electrode, which included Thunder Shock, Explosion, Spark Ball and, which seemed unusual to both teens, Self-Destruct. It also seemed unusual for a Pokémon like an Electrode to possess two different moves that were similar in that they caused the creature to detonate like a bomb, but Antonio doubt he was in any position to question such, and so he just had to put up with it. As Boomer fed its electrical energy through the cables, the research lab's primary power roared back to life as the lights came back on in the building.
"And we are back in business," one of the personnel expressed over by the energy meters. "Way to go, Boomer."
"Electrode!"
Antonio went over to the control console and flipped a switch, turning it back on. It would be a while before it completely rebooted, but once they resumed from where they left off with Shinji, they could begin another sojourn and progress with the research to opening doorways to new worlds and saving theirs. A screen on his left side showed a static picture as it sharpened its connection to the world it was reaching out to, and the picture cleared up to show a young man and a little girl stepping out of a building as sunlight shone over them.
"Well, Hanmyo," they could hear the young man utter, "I think today, the most radiant of stars is going to shine over us."
"Huh?" The girl beside him reacted, looking up at the sky. "All I see is the sun shining over us."
"It's just a metaphor for how it may be a good day to do things today," he explained to her. "I didn't mean that there are any actual stars shining."
"Oh. Where to, then?"
"Poké Mart; that storm nearly depleted my inventory of healthcare remedies and there were many of the trainers here that were unprepared for the long haul. Then, it's to the sundial before facing the gym leader."
"You might want to restock on Poké Balls, too. Last night, I thought I heard you almost breaking one of your empty balls in your sleep."
"Yeah, it was a bad dream. Poké Balls help to alleviate stress during sleep a little."
"What's wrong with using stress balls?"
"The last time I had two of those, Brute-Chan broke 'em. I haven't been able to find a replacement pair yet. I kept putting that off when I didn't have to."
"Procrastinating?"
"Yeah, but only on the minor concerns. I should really treat the minor concerns more seriously than I would the major concerns."
"Well, then, here's a small concern you can treat seriously, too: You should let your Eevee hang on your head because there are puddles everywhere."
Suddenly, everyone saw as the small, mammalian creature the boy had with him hopped onto his head with a smile, causing him to smile.
"No argument from me," he responds as they walk away from the Pokémon Center.
"Shinji actually put off getting new stress balls?" Antonio questions. "I didn't think the Pokémon world had stress balls."
"If there is a ball for anything, there is a ball for all things," went Tama Pāru as it sat in front of the console. "What matters to the human is the type of ball they require. In Shinji's case, it is these stress balls that he put off replacing to help in alleviating whatever stress he feels."
"Electrode!" Boomer utters as it hops over to Antonio. "Electrode!"
"Do I use balls when I feel stressed?" He asks it.
"Trode!"
"I used to, but they were Baoding balls."
"Trode! Electrode!"
"It doesn't matter, because a ball is a ball," Tama Pāru states as it translates for Boomer to Antonio. "And as for a Baoding ball, I believe they do not connect with this country we are currently residing in, do they?"
"No, they do not. They're related to China, the neighboring country next door."
Tama Pāru then smiled.
"In the end, where they originate from does not matter if they help you handle what needs to be handled," it expresses.
"Yeah. I actually found them to be helpful for two reasons: They were beautiful to look at…and they relieved tension."
"Do you think there are any of these…Baoding balls…that are my size?"
-x-
Tug of war, something that didn't seem childish this time because of Brute-Chan, and something the students could get into today because of how it meant facing a Pokémon that was categorized for being capable of actual combat against other Pokémon and humans. However, the instructor was left to wonder just how strong Kensuke's Machamp was against the whole class, including Kensuke and Toji.
"Okay, ladies, this is how it goes," he tells them. "The first side to be pulled to the ground loses. Do not hold back. Go!"
With the word given, the male students pulled on their side of the rope as best as they could, but Brute-Chan barely moved an inch, and his only handicap was that he could only use two of his arms. Then he frowned as he tightened his grip on the rope and pulled with all his might, causing the rope to snap in half.
"Champ?!" He gasps; nobody fell over, except for two students in the back of the rest.
"Uh, I think we're going to need a stronger rope, sir," went Toji to the gym instructor.
"Uh, yeah," he agrees with him.
"Ha-ha-ha!" They heard the female students laugh from the pool area.
"Everyone's trying to be a macho man," went Asuka, chuckling.
"Machamp!" Brute-Chan went, posing for the ladies.
"Aw, he likes the attention," Hikari says as she applauds the Machamp.
-x-
The Anistar City Giant Sundial was a magnificent sight as Shinji stood in front of it.
"Wow," he expresses as he steps onto the first step of the stairway leading up to it.
"You said it, Shinji," Hanmyo agrees with him as she follows him up the steps. "Whoa. Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"There's some energy emanating from this place."
"And it feels like your insides are quietly knotting together?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, I feel it, too."
"Eevo," went Misato as she held onto Shinji's head for good measure. "Eee."
This energy the sundial gives off, went Hanmyo's cats as they floated behind her, it seems similar to that stone Shinji keeps in his pocket.
"Oh?" Shinji reacted and reached into his left pocket to pull out the Mega Stone he got from Korrina. "You mean, this?"
Yes, Kemi responds. The energy is similar, but on a bigger scale.
"Shinji, what is there to be said about this sundial?" Hanmyo asks him.
"According to Kalos lore, it fell from the stars a long time ago and is believed to be the source of where all Key Stones and Mega Stones originate."
"So, the sundial is like a…a giant Mega Stone?"
"Yeah. If the stones all originate from this sundial before it crashed here long ago, then they're all pieces of it that broke off and scattered across the land and were hidden away until the dawn of civilization and discovery, finding the fragments and refining them into whatever so they could be worn or carried by Pokémon and their trainers. But like anything else that is from a different environment, the stones would've likely undergone an adaptive phase, accommodating whichever Pokémon they were used by until it became common knowledge that a particular Mega Stone can only work on a specific Pokémon."
Upon reaching the last step and walking to the middle of the sundial, Shinji felt like his insides had knotted up completely as he turned to face the ground below where the markings of what represented the rest of the sundial resided, seeing the sunlight shine through the crystal to tell the exact time to those that looked at it. He then took out his Pokégear and checked the time on his clock, finding that they were spot on.
"Magnificent," he expresses, putting the Pokégear away.
"I can see that there are strands of energy tangled around you, young Pokémon Trainer," they heard a woman's voice around them. "I saw you arriving days ahead of now."
Shinji looked up and noticed a woman dressed like a mystic hero of sorts, floating in the air beside the sundial. The woman lowered down to the platform and bowed to the two and their Pokémon, and so Shinji bowed back.
"The remarkable transient Pokémon Trainer, Shinji Ikari," she greeted him. "How nice it is to meet you for the first time."
"You know who I am?" Shinji asks her.
"Everyone that has stopped to learn of you knows who you are. But those of us that have learned how to look into what lies beyond the veil of tomorrow can know more of what lies within today. I am Olympia, the Anistar City Gym Leader. I have been expecting you."
-x-
"…How soon do you think we'll be able to see Shinji in his next gym match?" Toji asks as they were walking down the street towards the research station upon receiving a text from Misato that the power had been restored to the place and that the connection to the Pokémon world had been reestablished.
"The sooner we get there," went Asuka as they crossed a street, "the better. Want to see how he's been doing."
"Do you suspect that he's likely trying to fly on Komadori?" Hikari suggests.
"He already has a Charizard," Kensuke states. "I fail to see why he would want to try and fly around on his Talonflame…besides the fact that he could try to."
"Any Pokémon larger than a human implies that it's a Pokémon large enough to be ridden," Rei utters. "Any Pokémon large enough to be ridden. Charizard, Gyarados, Onyx, Blastoise, Lapras, Lugia, Pidgeot, Fearow, Wailord…"
"Ponyta," Asuka adds in, "Rapidash, Rhyhorn, Dodrio, Steelix, Rayquaza, Dragonair and Dragonite, even Dewgon and Milotic."
"Yeah," Kensuke agrees as they went down another block. "Some large and powerful hitters, but some people have a preference for Pokémon that are strong enough to support additional weight and still move at a good pace. And…we left out one other Pokémon that I don't think Shinji would let us live down if he found out."
"Which one?" Toji questions.
"Gogoat."
They all realized that they didn't take into consideration that Gogoat were also rideable Pokémon once big enough and strong enough to carry people.
"He's going up against another Psychic-Type Gym Leader, right?" Rei asks.
"Yep," Asuka answers. "Psychic-Type Pokémon are among the strongest for a reason. They do battle with their minds rather than with fists or wings…or attitudes."
"But Shinji will bring his own kind of solution with a little faith," Kensuke reminds them. "He won his first gym battle against an Esper with Bug Pokémon he trained. He continues to have faith, even when it seems hopeless for him to win."
They were a block away from the building, separated only by a traffic light and several cars driving up and down the street. With few seconds before the light changed, Kensuke checked his pocket for Brute-Chan's Poké Ball like he had the last right times since leaving the school. Then, the light changed and they crossed the street.
-x-
Shinji was used to being intimidated by Psychic-Type trainers, but when Olympia greeted him and stated that their match was to be after his friends had shown up to support him, he was met with the suspicion that Olympia was among those Espers that could see into the future, which meant that she likely knew what was going to happen before he did. This, of course, made him wonder if she already knew the outcome of their match yet to come, but he didn't want to know the outcome. Knowing before it even started…would've defeated the purpose of earning the victory and the next badge that came with it.
"One way or another, Shinji," went Hanmyo to him as they sat outside the Anistar City Gym, "you'll do well. You always do. Because you have faith."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence you have in me, Hanmyo," he tells her.
"Eee!" Misato perked up, pointing her tail over towards some people that were coming from afar.
Shinji smiles at the sight in front of them; it felt like a long time since he last saw the beauty of friends from far away paying him a simple visit that he valued more than words could describe.
"Hey, Shinji," greeted Kensuke and Toji. "Sorry we took long to get here."
"Heh. Nobody and nothing are ever perfect, including the weather," he replies, just grateful that they were all here. "It was raining like crazy here."
"Yeah, it was raining the same way on our end, too," Asuka tells him. "The storm even took out the power grid. That's why we couldn't come sooner. But we were informed of your progress in your recovery."
"Oh?"
"You were dealing with the memory of the Pokémon that almost defeated you," Hikari reminds him. "Your alternative therapy attempt."
"Yeah. I'm not entirely over it, but I am getting there. It's great to see all of you."
"Squawk!" Pen-Pen expressed.
"Eevo," Misato chirped.
"Were you…waiting long?" Hyuga asks Shinji.
"No, actually, I was informed by the gym leader here that our match would be witnessed by friends and admirers," he answers. "Friends and admirers."
"So, this gym leader saw the future," went Antonio; there was no way he was going to miss out on seeing another gym match and watching Shinji earn his next badge. "Ooh, this is so exciting."
The doors to the inside of the gym suddenly opened and Shinji turned around to start walking.
"Are each of you ready?" He asks them as his Eevee hopped onto his left shoulder.
"Lead the way, Shinji," his guardian responds, and he does so.
-x-
"This is a tag-team battle," announced the referee to all witnesses in the gym. "The Gym Leader, Olympia, using her Meowstic. The challenger, Shinji Ikari, using his Phantump and Tyrunt. The match ends when one team's Pokémon tag team is unable to continue. Let the match commence. Begin!"
And with that, the battle for the Psychic Badge was underway! Even though that they had seen Shinji's previous matches against Psychic-Type Gym Leaders before, everyone felt that this one was anything but like those of his previous matches. This Olympia woman seemed a lot stronger than those trainers of the previously visited regions, not to mention that she was an Esper of a different level. But Shinji, as they also knew, was not the same person he once was before he transitioned from Evangelion pilot to Pokémon Trainer, as he was leagues above and beyond his former self…and could only aim to go higher than some consider possible.
"Are you ready, Shinji Ikari?" Olympia asks the trainer that had survived his brush with death just mere days ago and stood up to the ghost and memory of a wrathful spirit that couldn't be redeemed. "I said…are you ready?"
"Let's do this," Shinji replies.
"Eevo," Misato added by his side.
Olympia smiles and her Meowstic levitate into the air.
To be continued…
A/N: My apologies for taking so long to get this chapter completed. My real-world life is becoming a current pain in the Victribeebel because I'm currently assisting in caring for some people that stretching me to the limits of my tolerance towards them. And worse is that I only get time off when these people are asleep. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take long, but I can't promise anything right now. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter.