Omarnosian10: Hello readers! *comes in dressed like Ghostface with a Unovan Yamask mask*
Ash: What are you wearing?
Omarnosian10: The Poké-Earth (that's what I'm calling Pokémon worlds) version of Ghostface from the Scream franchise. Don't your people celebrate Halloween?
Ash: My people?
Omarnosian10: I mean the people on your planet, not your skin color or anything racist.
Ash: Oh. Well, I haven't celebrated it since a little after I started my journey.
Omarnosian10: A little after… *checks Bulbapedia* Right, the Dub started in September.
Ash: Did you call me here just to show off your costume?
Omarnosian10: And the story. Before I begin, I want to give shout-outs to the people responsible for the elements I'll be using in this fanfic.
A Surprising Journey: Kanto Arc by Spidey108 for the team stats and Pokédex entries.
Insane Dominator for the Poké-Speech
19jchoi for the scoreboards
Omarnosian10: One more thing; mid-chapter, there's gonna be a sort of segment that's inspired by a couple of conspiracy theories. Unless I'm forgetting something, that's all. ON WITH THE SHOW!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, it would've gone the Yu-Gi-Oh route and had Ash succeeded by someone, given Ash a sensible harem, done Unova better (like anyone would), or a lot of other stuff. All descriptions of Pokémon and most of their moves belong to Bulbapedia. A majority of this chapter before being edited by me belonged to 19jchoi's Unova Journeys.
"Normal"
'Thought'
"Communicating through a medium"
"Possessed"
"Telepathy"
Flashback or Dream
"[Poké-Speech]"
Chapter 1: Let's Go, Pokémon!
Mayhem.
Disorder.
Chaos.
These are but a few words that can describe the scene around him, his hometown in pieces with some houses and buildings in flames while others were torn to shreds, the castle atop the hill being the most damaged.
It's not only the sights that are horrifying. Screams from humans and Pokémon alike pierce the air like a Bisharp's blade.
But the roar… the roar of a large white Dragon-Type Pokémon haunt him forever. Just as the Dragon-Type flies over…
(Reality, motel in Nuvema Town)
Teal eyes shot open before their owner sat up, a hand grasping his black undershirt over his heart while another grabbed a pair of highly-teched glasses and put them on. Looking around, the owner sighed in relief at the calm surroundings.
"That memory again…" He shivered before getting out of bed and walking to a bathroom. Splashing water from a sink onto his face (thankful that the glasses are waterproof), he looks at his reflection. Staring back at him is an 11-year-old boy with orange hair (mistaken for strawberry blonde or ginger) styled like a Basculin, teal eyes with a diagonal scar over the right one, and 4'9 tall. His attire, for now, consists of a white undershirt and a pair of cyan shorts. Brushing his teeth, the boy leaves the bathroom, stopping while gazing at a picture; one of the only possessions he brought with him. Carrying him as a newborn baby in it is a 5-year-old girl with dark pink hair, the same eyes as him, and wearing a Cubchoo onesie. Behind them are their parents… faceless with the picture having been partially burned in the incident.
'I promise you Mom and Dad… I'll be an Adventurer you two will be proud of!'
(1 hour later, outside Prof. Juniper's Lab)
Standing outside, the boy took a deep breath. Replacing his sleep attire from earlier is his default one; an orange sleeveless hoodie with black branch patterns over a red shirt, desert khakis reaching his ankles, and black sneakers with a white ice pattern. On his back is a white backpack with cyan highlights; a birthday gift from his sister. The only odd thing is that hanging from above on a pole in an open zipper from the backpack is a high-tech video camera. On his left wrist is a blue Xtransiver that seems highly advanced. Tapping a button, the boy turns on the camera, which moved to the front of him.
"I am coming live in front of the local Professor's lab. This is Darwin Langley, recording what will be my first day as a Pokémon Trainer and soon-to-be Adventurer. Watch as I enter." narrated the boy, now known as Darwin.
*BA—BOOM!*
"Meanwhile, a very unusual thunderstorm occurs over this very town. Having metal equipment outside my bag would normally be hazardous if I hadn't prepared," added Darwin, moving the camera to see a large cloud the size of a town and lightning crackling around it. Eagerly ignoring it, the 11-year-old walked into the Lab, being greeted by a basic front lobby and someone on the desk. Clearing his throat, Darwin walks to him.
"Excuse me, I'm assigned to be a new Trainer today." greeted the boy. Humming, the new receptionist looks over his computer.
"Darwin Langley, correct? (boy nods) Apologies, but Professor Juniper is currently picking up a work friend from the airport along with a few of his friends. She'll be arriving within an hour." informed the receptionist.
"Aw, man. (pauses camera) Can I at least stay and wait until they come here?" asked Darwin hopefully.
"Sure. You can sit by the other child by the doors." With that, the receptionist went back to work.
"What other chi…" trailed Darwin, turning. Lounging on a cushioned chair is an 11-year-old boy with dirty blond hair, white pants, a black shirt, an orange jacket… and a digital teal camera on his lap. Sighing, Darwin briefly un-paused his camera.
"This is gonna be a l~ong day."
(Meanwhile, in the clouds)
A pair of draconic red eyes gaze downward, looking at the visitors… or more specifically the Pikachu.
"[Such magnificent power… and to think, it was being wasted on a rat…]"
[MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE!]
"[Wha—AAAGGGHHH!]" yelped the mysterious Pokémon, feeling a comet of fuchsia, green, and cyan pixel-like energy hit his side and knocking him out of the clouds and down to Route 18, creating a dust cloud. At the fallen Pokémon, many other residents hid. Once the cloud dispersed, two figures are facing each other; the Pokémon, and the one responsible for the comet, evident by his smoking foot.
"[Who dares interrupt my judgment?!]" The Pokémon is black, bipedal, and resembling a dragon or dinosaur, with dark patches on various portions of his body. He has red sclerae, white irises, and black pupils, as well as a small horn-like protrusion on the tip of his snout. His head sports a thundercloud-like crest tipped with light-blue coloration. There are six pairs of pointed teeth visible when its mouth is open, two in the upper jaw and four in the lower. At the base of his neck is a black, stud-like feature, and atop its shoulders are similar, larger features resembling armor padding. The bases of its wings also have padding, and a fanned, splayed, seemingly webbed shape with a small "wing-spike" on one edge. The lower length of Zekrom's arms extenuates into splayed, seemingly webbed, somewhat baseball-mitt-like formations, with three-clawed, dark-colored hands on the undersides. The front portion of his waist is black-colored, with its belly and thighs having thin striations down their length. Its knees are black, as are the foremost parts of its three-clawed feet and spiked heels. His tail consists of a large, round, conical, and spiked formation, likened to an electricity generator, with a black inner portion and bands on the tip of the outside portion. This is the Deep Black Pokémon, Zekrom.
"'Judgment', my butt! You were trying to take what isn't yours!" The 'human' is clad in a fuchsia bodysuit with four black streaks going down the left side of his suit before angling like a circuit pattern and three black stripes doing the same on the right side. He also had fuchsia shoulder guards pointed but conformed to the shape of his shoulders. His arms from the elbow down were covered in black sleeves with neon green edges at the ends merging into armored bracelets around his wrists and silver armor along the sides of his forearms, silver plates on the back of his fuchsia gloves with green straps going around the palm of his hands. Black sleeves covered his legs just above his knees with the same green edges as silver knee and shin pads armed the fronts of his legs. He has boots that emulated sneakers, colored mostly in neon green with black and fuchsia stripes along the edges, and even showed tongues with fuchsia triangles. Silver armor covered the sides of his chest with buttons and screen display across his chest. A green-collar lined the sides of his neck which were covered in black fabric before ending at his helmet. His helmet was all silver along the front and sides with ear-like pads on the sides of the helmet, the same armor along the ridge of his jaw formed and covered most of his mouth. The rest of the mask was black with cyan compound eyes with white pupils, white goggles resting over the mask. Four fuchsia spikes curved to the right side of his head acted as sculpted hair with the same hair sculpted along the top of his head. This is Kamen Rider Sega — Action Gamer Level 2.
"[I do not know who you are, but you have no right to interfere! Dragon Pulse!]" roared Zekrom, eyes glowing blue while forming a pale purple flame in its mouth, then releasing a stream of pale purple fire at Sega.
"Whoa! (jumps to the side and dodges it) Not my fault you're such a hypocrite! Pixel Breaker!" called out Sega, summoning a white hammer with a fuchsia 'A' button, a chartreuse 'B' button, and a fuchsia 'mohawk' on top. Spinning it, he pressed 'B'. Suddenly, fuchsia energy shrouds the face of the Breaker while Sega rushes to Zekrom, ducking under another Dragon Pulse before slamming it onto the Electric/Dragon-Type's gut, with a game effect appearing over the impact.
[HIT!]
Growling, Zekrom tries to swat the Rider away, only for him to dodge and jump around, smacking across the Deep Black Pokémon's body.
[HIT! HIT! HIT! HIT! HIT!]
"[GGGGRRRRAAA—ENOUGH OF THIS! Dragon Claw!]" roared Zekrom, pale purple energy coating his claws before he spun and swiped them at Sega, launching him into a tree and knocking both down.
"Man, you're not Legendary for nothing." groaned Sega, cracking his back after standing.
"[Zen Headbutt!]" Not showing mercy, Zekrom lowers his head and pinkish-purple energy begins to form in front of his forehead. Zekrom then raises his head and the purple energy grows larger and forms into a ball of shining light blue energy. Zekrom then lowers his head and flies headfirst into Sega.
"Going for Psychic, eh? Good thing I got something Dark… or Ghost, not sure which counts." shrugged Sega, taking out a white Rider Cartridge with a spiky-haired mascot in armor.
[DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!]
Sega inserts it into his Breaker while winding up and pulling the trigger.
[DANGEROUS CRITICAL FINISH!]
Dark purple pixel-like energy coats the hammer, followed by moans before Sega swung it at the Psychic-Type Move. The power struggle was brief before the energy exploded, resulting in Zekrom shaking it off while Sega skidded a few yards away, dismissing the Breaker.
"[Allow me to proceed with my judgment if you value your life.]" ordered Zekrom.
"If you call stealing an innocent creature's power 'judgment', then there's something wrong with you." taunted Sega, discretely taking out a fuchsia/orange double Cartridge.
"[Very well. (flies above Sega) Then allow me to pass judgment onto you first! Thunder!" Zekrom's wings become surrounded by light blue electricity and he releases a beam of light blue electricity from his body at Sega, creating an explosion. "Now for the power that is rightful—]"
[KNOCKOUT FIGHTER 2!]
"[What?!]" screeched Zekrom, seeing fuchsia/orange light shine from the smoke.
[CLICK AND SAVE! DOUBLE UP! ME AND MY FIST! (OW!) THE PROOF OF FRIENDSHIP! SUPER CO-OP PLAY! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER 2!]
"If you think I'm giving up when futures are at stake, you have another thing coming!" said Sega while the smoke dispersed, showing him in a different armor. Sega's cyan eyes and fuchsia spiked hair are still there, except his visor was a bronze-orange and silver, his game-pad chest-piece was replaced with an orange-bronze chest-piece, his shoulder-guards were the same color, two large metal fuchsia boxing-gloves on his hands; his bodysuit is orange now with the stirpes being fuchsia, and aside from the leggings, everything on the legs is colored gold.
"For a so-called Legendary Pokémon, your personality is lacking in that department." Beside Sega is another armored being. His armor had spiked red hair with two bangs over his purple sclera eyes, a silver visor with a red jaw. He has the same chest piece as Sega; only with 'P1' replacing the 'P2'. His suit's a mirrored version of Sega's, including color.
They are Kamen Riders Sega and Arcade — Fighter Gamers Level 39.
(A/N: Design is owned by DynamoTom in Artstation except for the eyes)
"[JUST WHO ARE YOU?!]" roared Zekrom.
"Oh, you know…" shrugged Sega, taking out a gold Cartridge shaped like a dragon.
[DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!]
"Just your average ordinary everyday…" continued Arcade, taking out a cyan Cartridge.
[TADDLE QUEST!]
"KAMEN RIDERS!" screamed the two, inserting their Cartridges into the slots by their belts before pressing the button by it.
[DRAGO KNIGHT/TADDLE: CRITICAL STRIKE!]
"Dragon Vengeance Punch!" Gold pixel energy shrouds Sega's left arm, forming a dragon head over his hands. Taking a deep breath, Sega jumped toward Zekrom, powered fist swinging.
"Fist of Quests!" Pixel-like flames and icy energy overtook Arcade's right arm before the ice took over, forming a makeshift sword over his knuckles. Yelling, Arcade mirrored his comrade.
"[Bolt Strike!]" The electric generator inside Zekrom's tail starts to spin and glow light blue with electricity. Zekrom then clenches his fists and his body becomes surrounded by yellow electricity with large yellow lightning bolts coming off of him. Zekrom then flies down at the two Riders.
*BOOM!*
The Electric-Type Move collided with the Dragon/Ice-Type improvised attacks. The two Riders remained in the air, pouring energy out into their punches. It seemed equal at first…
[KNOCK OUT: CRITICAL KNUCKLE!]
Zekrom widened his eyes, having noticed the Riders closed and opened their buckles with their free hands.
"[What are you…]" Suddenly, fuchsia/orange energy exploded from the two before moving towards their punches, the double finisher beginning to overpower the Signature Move.
"[No… (energy flickers around him) No… (energy shatters) NNNNNOOOOO!]" screamed Zekrom, receiving two Super-Effective attacks with the energy overload creating an explosion around him. Suddenly, a red gem flew out of it before shattering.
[GAME CLEAR!]
Landing and taking deep breaths, the two Riders watch the explosion disperse, showing the Legendary Pokémon on his back with swirls replacing his eyes.
"Think that's it?" asked Arcade.
"[That will be for me to decide.]" Wary, the two Riders turned. Descending to them is a small, gray-blue, fairy-like Pokémon. It has two tails that each have a red jewel on them. He has a partially cyan face with another red gem encrusted into his forehead. He has a cone-shaped head with elf ear-like protrusions on each side. This is Azelf, the Willpower Pokémon.
"Are you a friend?" asked Sega hopefully.
"[Fear not, Outworlders. An ally of yours calling himself Decade contacted me and told me everything. (floats to above Zekrom) So this is the one responsible for the Chosen One's weakened state had you two not intervened?]" nodded Azelf.
"The greedy reptilian battery, yeah." insulted Arcade. Humming, Azelf had his eyes glow blue, his Psychic abilities activated. He frowned after a few moments.
"What is it?" asked Sega.
"[It appears you two weren't the only ones interfering in the Chosen One's journey. I sense a psychic presence in Zekrom's mind, along with how he was forced out of hibernation.]" noted Azelf.
"So his envy of Pikachu wasn't his own?" asked Sega.
"[No, it wasn't falsified. His envy formed from… I cannot tell how, but tales of Pikachu's feats are notorious among us Legendaries. The Psychic presence I felt seemed to have amplified his envy, for the lack of a better term.]" explained Azelf.
"Does this remind you of anything?" asked Arcade, looking at Sega.
"Those Sin Demons Josh told us about, yeah." nodded Sega.
"Specifically Leviawind," added Arcade, remembering being told of the representative of Envy.
"[Give me a few moments, and I shall remove the foreign presence from Zekrom's mind.]" ordered Azelf. Seeing them nod, the Willpower Pokémon did his work, his eyes glowing brighter as a sign. Like he said, around half a minute later, his eyes dimmed.
"[It is done.]" Once it was said, Zekrom's eyes turned to normal while he groaned. Sitting up, the Deep Black Pokémon rubs the back of his head.
"[What happened? (blinks) Out of hibernation? How is that possible?]" asked Zekrom to himself.
"[You were forced by an enemy I am familiar with.]" said Azelf, getting the Dragon/Electric-Type's attention.
"[Bringer of Willpower? Why are you here and who are these two strangers beside you?]" asked Zekrom, confused and subtly sensing their ideals. While the purple-eyed being's are weak and steady, the icy-eyed being's are staggering and seemingly endless.
"[An ally of these two brought your premature awakening to my attention. Tell me, what do you recall recently?]" asked Azelf. Standing straight, towering over the three, Zekrom gasped.
"[Something in grey rags… a gold 'G' amongst where a human heart would be… He spoke of recreating a 'new world order'.]" remembered Zekrom.
"Typical." sighed Sega.
"[The last thing I recall… is some sort of red crystal coming out of my heart and briefly linking to it before… this.]" sighed Zekrom.
"You mean that thing that broke when we kicked your butt?" asked Arcade.
"[Red chain… To think that he has more of it.]" sighed Azelf.
"You know who did this to him?" asked Sega.
"[Yes… and we must hurry.]" ordered Azelf, preparing to leave.
"[Bringer of Willpower, before you depart, may you tell me what I did under that thing's control?]" asked Zekrom. Halting, Azelf sighed before tapping the Deep Black Pokémon's forehead, psychic ripples going over him. Controlled memories returning, Zekrom winced in guilt.
"It's not your fault; you weren't in control of yourself." sympathized Sega, remembering when the archangel Uriel tried to make him his Vessel back in his world.
"[That doesn't mean I am not partially responsible.]" gloomed Zekrom. Rubbing his chin, Azelf went over ways for Zekrom to redeem himself. Aside from returning the Chosen One's companion's power, it wouldn't erase all that happened. An idea struck him.
"[Tell me Zekrom, have you heard of Blessings?]"
(Meanwhile, with the main group)
"UUUUGGGGHHHH…" snored Darwin, lying upside down on a different cushioned chair, backpack next to him. The other future Trainer had his ears plugged, eyes squeezed shut at the loud snore.
'Dear Reshiram, if Prof Juniper doesn't get here in the next five minutes, I'm gonna do something I'll regret!'
"Hello Trip and Darwin!" Speak of the devil and she shall walk in through the front door. Unlike most Professors aside from Elm and Birch, Juniper's in her middle ages with light brown hair and cyan eyes.
'FINALLY!' cheered Trip, seeing Darwin wake and sit up at almost impossible speeds before unpausing his video camera.
"Hi, Prof. Juniper! I'm finally ready to set off my journey as a Pokémon Trainer!" declared Trip, confident.
"I know you've waited a long time for this! Welcome to the world of Pokémon!" smiled Juniper.
"I bet you two were so excited last night that you couldn't sleep a wink! I was the same way!" chuckled a slightly older voice, drawing the future Trainers' attention. Standing behind Juniper is a man in his mid-50s with grey hair and blue eyes wearing a lab coat over a red shirt, khakis, and black shoes; most likely the work acquaintance. The one who spoke has two Pokémon riding on each of his shoulders.
On his left shoulder is a small, bipedal dragon-like Pokémon that is primarily blue. It has a big mouth filled with sharp teeth, no neck, and arms that start at the outer edges of its jaws. A red underbelly stretches from its abdomen to the bottom of its jaw. It has two horns that resemble jet or plane engines, each with a light blue stripe in the middle. It has a single light blue stripe wrapping around its back. On top of its head is a dorsal fin, which has a notch on it to signify its male gender.
This is Gible — The Land Shark Pokémon.
On the opposite shoulder before being taken to an infirmary by an assistant is a short, chubby rodent Pokémon. It is covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. It has a small mouth, long, pointed ears with black tips, and brown eyes. Each cheek is a red circle that contains a pouch for electricity storage. It has short forearms with five fingers on each paw, and its feet each have three toes. At the base of its lightning bolt-shaped tail is a patch of brown fur.
This is Pikachu — The Electric Mouse Pokémon.
The one who spoke is—
"OH, MY ARCEUS!" freaked out Darwin. The outfit may be different; with a black/white hoodie, blue jeans, black fingerless gloves, red hightop sneakers, and a red cap with a blue Poké Ball on it, but there's no mistaking those zigzag marks on his cheeks (he and his sister still debate on whether those are birthmarks or scars), the Pikachu (he's oblivious to the Gible) and those brown eyes that seem to always be filled with fire. "IT'S ASH FREAKING KETCHUM!"
"Who?" At Trip's ignorance, Darwin snapped his head towards the blonde.
"Have you not watched the latest Sinnoh League Conference?" asked the orangette, looking like someone asked him what air is.
"Why would I watch something from that Reshiram-forsaken place?" retorted Trip, getting glares from Ash and Gible.
'Oh dear.' sighed Juniper. Having read the two's profiles, she is aware of Trip's background and how his view on other regions formed. She is also aware of Darwin's… phobia and surprised that he didn't react to the sight of a peculiar Pokémon. 'Then again, Georgia told me that she's been taking him to therapy, plus he isn't native to Unova, so maybe he doesn't know and might react differently.'
"Come on, today's your first day as a Trainer! So, it's a happy day!" negotiated Juniper. Seeing no risk of physical fighting, she walked to her cart filled with three Poké Balls, ten empty Poké Balls, and a Pokédex.
"Now, you can choose your partner among these three Types! First is Tepig; A Fire-Type!" started Juniper, throwing the first Pokéball up in the air. It then opens, with white energy coming out and forming into a Pokémon.
Tepig is a quadrupedal, pig-like Pokémon that is primarily orange. It has oval eyes, a red nose, and a thick yellow stripe on its snout. The upper portion of its head is dark brown, and its long, pointed ears are positioned closely together. Tepig has short legs, and its front feet are dark brown. A dark brown band covers it's lower back and rear. Its curly tail is tipped with a ruddy red sphere.
This is Tepig — The Fire Pig Pokémon.
"[Hello]!" replied Tepig proudly.
'Kind of reminds me of a small Fire-Type Grumpig.' noted Ash, remembering the Hoenn Psychic-Type.
"[Your name is Tepig?! (mentioned shot little fire from the nose) Awesome!]" laughed Gible.
"That's a Fire Type; nice and fiery!" chuckled Ash, comparing the starter to his own Fire-Types.
"Up next, it's Oshawott; A Water-Type!" called Juniper, opening another Poké Ball before the Pokémon forms and stands.
Oshawott is a bipedal sea otter-like Pokémon. It has a spherical white head with small, triangular dark-blue ears on the sides. Oshawott's eyes are dark and its dark-orange nose is shaped like a horizontal oval. Several freckles cover its cheeks which may be premature whiskers, and two pointed teeth can be seen when it opens its mouth. The light blue fur on its body forms bubble shapes around its neck. Its arms are white and rounded, while its feet are dark blue with three toes each. It also possesses a rudder-like dark blue tail. It carries a pale yellow seashell called a "scalchop" on its belly.
This is Oshawott — The Sea Otter Pokémon.
"[What's up, people?!]" hollered Oshawott.
"Aw! Aren't you the cutest!" gushed Ash, the influence of his previous female travelers showing. Oshawott rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Finally, Snivy; A Grass-Type!" explained Juniper, throwing the last Poké Ball in the air and calling out the last Pokémon.
Snivy is a bipedal, reptilian Pokémon with a slender build. Most of its body is green with a cream underside. A yellow stripe runs down the length of its back and tail, and it has yellow markings around its large eyes. Two curved yellow structures that resemble leaves or small wings protrude from their shoulders and bend backward. Its slender arms have three fingers, while its tiny feet have no digits whatsoever. It has a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail.
This is Snivy — the Grass Snake Pokémon.
"[Greetings!]" nodded Snivy. Ash felt a sense of unease, remembering a certain Team Rocket member with serpentine Pokémon. He shook it off, although it didn't escape a newbie's eyes.
"Cool! This one's got plenty of confidence! Each one of them would be good to train! It's gonna be a tough choice!" stated Ash sagely. If they hadn't prepared beforehand, the newbies would've agreed with him, one reluctantly.
"I arrived first, so I get the first pick." reminded Trip, looking at Darwin. The orangette only shrugs. The blonde took out his camera and took a picture of the three Starters, especially one that Ash had the least positive reaction to.
"I've decided. I'm choosing Snivy." declared Trip. The decision made Snivy stand proud, Tepig a bit annoyed, and Oshawott looked as if he became a stone in despair.
'Why do I have a feeling he made that choice for another reason?' thought Darwin, catching his fellow newbie glance at Ash with a smirk.
"Alright! How about you, Darwin?" questioned Juniper, getting the orangette everyone's attention. Shaking off his suspicions, Darwin looked between the remaining Pokémon.
"[Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!]" pleaded Oshawott, getting on his knees.
"[Drama Qu~een!]" hollered Tepig, bringing up a hoof for an echo. At the response, Darwin's decision was amplified.
"My choice is Tepig, Professor," announced Darwin, making Tepig happy and Oshawott face vault.
"Okay! First of all, here's your very own Pokédex!" called Juniper, handing Trip and Darwin Unova Pokédexs; a blue one for Trip and an orange one for Darwin.
"Thanks, Professor!" thanked Trip. He activated his Pokédex and scanned Snivy.
Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm, and collected, Snivy uses photosynthesis to collect energy with the leaf on its tail.
This Snivy is Male and has the Ability, Overgrow.
'That's new.' thought Ash. All of his previous Pokédexs only showed the Pokémon's Moves, not gender or Ability.
It knows the Moves—
Trip muted it, confusing everyone.
"Don't you want to know his moves?" tilted Juniper.
"No thanks, I can look over his Moves later." shook Trip, although it doesn't take a genius to know the true reason since he kept his Pokédex out of Ash and the other Professor's sight.
'Petty much?' sighed Darwin, scanning his new Starter with his Pokédex in plain sight, angering Trip.
Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. It can deftly dodge its foe's attacks while shooting fireballs from its nose. It roasts berries before it eats them.
This Tepig is Female and has the Ability, Blaze. It knows the Moves Tackle, Tail Whip, and Ember.
'A girl Starter? That's rare.' thought Ash, thinking of his Bayleef.
"And here are your Poké Balls! You can carry up to six Pokémon!" explained Juniper, bringing out two small boxes of five empty Poké Balls each.
"Yeah. That's basic." stated Trip, taking his box. Rolling his eyes at him, Darwin did the same, nodding. The Unova professor then took out two familiar Poké Balls.
"And these are your Starters' Poké Balls! Take good care of it!" replied Juniper, giving them the Poké Balls.
"Right. Alright, Snivy. So, let's get this journey started!" called Trip, returning Snivy to his Poké Ball.
"You too, Tepig." nodded Darwin, doing the same to his Starter.
"Have a great journey! Good luck!" called Juniper.
"Thanks. Thanks for everything!" thanked Trip, bowing down to the Unova Professor before leaving.
"Professor, may I borrow…" trailed Darwin, seeing Ash follow Trip. "On second thought, never mind." He did the same.
'If Trip's gonna piss Ash off, then I gotta see this!'
(Outside)
"So Trip, going for Gym Battles?" asked Ash, stopping Trip a few meters from the lab.
"That's basic. Pokémon trainers go around in different Gyms and try to win eight badges. So, they can enter the Unova League." explained Trip while Darwin caught up.
"Really? That's just like back in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh!" exclaimed Ash. Making a mental note to watch the Conferences he participated in the first three, Darwin felt amazed at the senior Trainer's experience.
"Please. (snorts) Unova's Gym Leaders are far better than those Regions'." smirked Trip. Because of his experience with most of his previous rivals, Ash can tell the difference between confidence and arrogance. Suffice to say, Trip has a lot of the latter.
"[Wait up!]" called out a Pokémon. The three trainers turned to see Pikachu running out of the lab. The Electric-Type Pokémon leaped into Ash's arms.
"Pikachu! Done with your tests, huh?" asked Ash happily.
"[Yup!]!" nodded Pikachu. Humming, Gible helps Pikachu to the other shoulder
"[What'd they say?]" asked Gible. Pikachu sighed before taking a sticky note off his tail and giving it to his Trainer. While reading it, he is unaware of the Unovans looking at his Pokémon.
"Who're those Pokémon?" asked Trip as he took out his Pokédex, not noticing Darwin do the same for Gible.
Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning as it raises it to check its surroundings.
Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It attacks using its huge mouth. While its attacks are powerful, it hurts itself out of clumsiness, too.
'A Dragon-Type?!' noted Darwin, seeing the royal-blue word flash alongside the sandy-brown 'Ground' word.
"Hmm…" Trip narrowed his eyes as he put away his Pokédex and took pictures of the three.
"What are you doing?" asked Ash after pocketing the note, confused.
"This is why we don't like people from the boonies." glared Trip.
"Hey, don't drag me into this!" protested Darwin, hands up.
"Listen up! A Pikachu and a Gible in Unova are huge! It's really a big deal!" explained Trip, pointing to Ash.
"It's not a big deal! Pikachu is my number one partner and buddy! And Gible maybe my newest pal, but he's as strong as they come!" explained Ash.
"[That's right!]" agreed the Pokémon.
"Oh really?" asked Trip.
"You bet!" answered Ash, determined.
"[Oh yeah!]" nodded Gible.
"You wanna see?" asked Ash.
"Sure I do," smirked Trip.
"Well, you can't have a memorable battle without a referee! Lucky for you two, my sister got us certified. To the battlefield!" declared Darwin, marching away.
"Referees need to be certified?" asked Ash, the battlers following Darwin. Trip only shrugged.
"That's new to me too." Soon enough, they entered a battlefield by the Lab for field testing, with some trees having cuts on them and pebbles coating outside it.
'That's weird.' noted Darwin, walking to the referee stand. Finding Pikachu's type via Pokédex, he grew confused at the lack of scorch marks anywhere from Electric attacks. 'Guess Pikachu's sick or something.'
"The battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Trip Shackle of Nuvema Town shall now begin! Given that this is Trip's first battle as a Pokémon Trainer, each side can only use one Pokémon and the battle will be over when either or both sides are unable to battle! To make it clear, no substitutions are allowed, including ones created by Moves like Roar, U-Turn, Volt Switch, etc." droned Darwin.
'Volt Switch?' quirked Ash before shaking his head, deciding to ask later.
"Both Trainers take out your Pokémon!" ordered Darwin.
"Show this hillbilly how us real Trainers battle, Snivy." sneered Trip, bringing out the Snake Pokémon.
"Go Gible!" smiled Ash, pointing forward.
"[Let's battle!]" cheered Gible, stepping to his side.
"[Battle? This won't be classified as such when I'm through with you.]" laughed Snivy, head held high. Suddenly, Trip took out his camera and took more pictures for the battle's beginning.
"Why are you always taking pictures?" asked Ash.
"I'm recording my journey! And remember, this is Snivy's first battle!" explained Trip.
"And this is our first battle in the Unova region!" smiled Ash.
"With the handicap, Trip will have the first move. Let the battle begin!" shouted Darwin, chopping the air.
Trip: Snivy VS Ash: Gible
"Leer." ordered Trip. On cue, Snivy's eyes glow red. The red outline heads towards Gible, and when it hits, the eye outline disappears and the same red outline surrounds the Dragon/Ground-Type, dropping his defenses by one stage.
"Our turn. Gible, go for a Rock Smash!" said Ash, punching the air. With him battling a beginner, he's deciding to use his weakest moves, no matter how much Trip's racism irks him.
"[Sayonara!]" yelled Gible, rushing at Snivy with a fist glowing orange.
"Dodge it!" ordered Trip. Snivy leaned his head away from the Fighting-Type move… only to be met with another. "What?!"
"[Ouch!]" winced Snivy, being launched to the side.
"I bet the basics don't say anything about some moves being used in more than one limb." chuckled Ash, Gible stopping Rock Smash after spinning. Growling, Trip looked at his Starter.
"Tackle it!" The Grass-Type nodded before jumping toward Gible, head lowered.
"Counter it with a Rock Smash!" At Ash's command, the Land Shark Pokémon ignited the Fighting-type move and threw the punch at the Normal-Type Move. Relatively, the two Moves share the same power; however, with Gible having more experience and Move Type advantage…
"[AAAHHH!]" screamed the Grass Snake Pokémon, skidding backward while holding his head, his Defense dropping by a stage. Gible only shook his fist, the Fighting energy fading. Frowning, Trip prepared to order for a Leer until another idea struck him.
"Snivy, get close to it!" Confused, the Grass-Type decided to trust his new Trainer, running towards Gible.
"Gible, keep him away with Dragon Pulse!" ordered Ash, wary.
"[Finally!]" Eager to use a STAB move, Gible opened his mouth, forming a sphere of turquoise Dragon energy in it.
"It knows Dragon Pulse?!" worried Trip. With the Sinnoh Pokémon having used Rock Smash so far, he doubted it knew any Moves that match its Types. Suffice to say, his doubts are gone.
"[FIRE!]" screamed Gible, exhaling the ball at his foe.
"That doesn't change anything. Evade it!" Nodding, Snivy lowers his head while still running, right when the Dragon Pulse flew overhead. With his Speed marginally higher, the Grass-Type managed to slide to Gible's blind spot.
"Now take him up with Leaf Tornado!"
"Leaf what?" blinked Ash. His confusion left Snivy time to start spinning his body around and flips around so he is spinning on his head with his tail straight up in the air. Then, a large tornado of wind with a circle of light-green energy spinning around it appears at the tip of Snivy's tail. He then swings on his side and catches Gible in the tornado.
"[Uh-oh!]" gulped Pikachu. The light-green energy circles separate into light-green glowing leaves that spin around inside the tornado with Gible. The wind then starts glowing green and Snivy swings around, slamming the tornado into the ground. Once it dispersed, it revealed Gible… upside down with his fin stuck.
"Gible, are you alright?!" called Ash.
"[Why is everything upside down?]" blinked Gible, trying to right himself.
"Keep at it with Leaf Tornado until he's out!" smirked Trip.
"[Understood!]" Nodding, Snivy created a smaller Leaf Tornado before striking at Gible, careful not to use too much power to knock him back up. Snivy didn't let up, repeating the Move.
"Oh, man…" groaned Ash, watching the repeated Leaf Tornadoes. After the battle's over, he plans on looking for what Moves Gible can learn to prevent this from happening again.
"[Cut it out.]" grunted Gible, feeling the Grass attack pelt him like Hail. Snivy only haughtily chuckles, not obeying. Feeling his Accuracy lower by a few stages, not to mention the dozens of leaves scrape him, Gible started feeling… something bubbling inside him.
"[Surrender?]" laughed Snivy.
"[NEVER!]" screamed Gible. Smirking, the Unova Pokémon sped up, lowering Gible's health… yet that feeling remained.
"[Just be a good Sinnoh sack of waste and go down already!]" laughed Snivy, still attacking. Clenching his fist, Gible's feeling went up. It's one thing to insult him, but to do that to his Trainer, friends, family or his home is another thing entirely.
"[DON'T UNDERESTIMATE MY HOME!]" shouted Gible. Without warning, a ball of fire with black highlights formed in front of his mouth.
"[What the—?!]" gasped Snivy.
"[FIRE!]" The sphere shot through the Leaf Tornado, blazing through before striking Snivy in the gut before exploding. The explosion cracked the ground around Gible's fin, letting him break out.
"Snivy!" called Trip, seeing his Starter being launched to a tree. Limping, the Grass-Type's eyes became swirls.
"Snivy is unable to battle! Gible wins! The match goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" declared Darwin.
Winner: Ash
"Way to go, Gible!" laughed Ash, walking over to his Sinnoh Pokémon.
"[YEAH, I WON!]" screamed Gible before jumping and latching onto Ash's head. The Trainer only smiled and petted him.
"[Nice job, man.]" nodded Pikachu.
"Return, Snivy. (does so) We were just unlucky. If it didn't learn a new Move, we would've won." grumbled Trip, stuffing his hands into his pockets before walking away.
"Sore loser." sighed Darwin before walking to Ash, who took Gible off.
"I wonder what that move was. It looked like a Fire-Type Move, but none that I've seen." frowned Ash, looking at Gible.
"That was Incinerate." The three see Darwin stand in front of Ash, keeping his eyes away from Gible.
"Incinerate?"
"Not surprised you don't know; it was founded here in Unova." nodded Darwin.
"Really? What can you tell me about it?" asked Ash, curious. Pikachu and Gible also looked curious.
"Well, it's a bit stronger than Ember, more Pokémon than Fire-Types can learn it like Flamethrower, and the fire the Move makes burns Berries to a crisp and leave nothing behind," explained Darwin.
"Whoa… Remind me not to cook anything with it." awed Ash. Nodding, Darwin took out Tepig's Poké Ball.
"I know this is sudden, but do you think—"
"[Ugh…]" Without warning, Pikachu fell off Ash's shoulder.
"Pikachu!" gasped Ash, catching him while Gible jumps off.
"What's wrong?" noted Darwin, looking over the Electic Mouse Pokémon. Ash remained silent, taking the sticky note out and giving it. Taking it, Darwin reads it over.
Dear Mr. Ketchum,
If you're reading this, then you must know something. After some testing, we found out that Pikachu is somehow unable to use Electric-Type Moves. We don't know if this is temporary, but if it gets worse, you must bring him to my Lab for immediate attention.
Sincerely, Prof. Juniper
"Well, this is definitely worse!" gulped Darwin. Dire, the two ran towards the Lab like Zubats out of the Reverse World.
(Prof. Juniper's Lab)
Prof. Juniper, her assistant, Ash, Darwin, and the other professor were there, checking on Pikachu's stats.
"Professor Juniper! Something's not right with Pikachu after all!" called Ash, worried for his pal.
"It appears that Pikachu has suffered an electrical overload of some kind," analyzed Juniper.
"Overload?" repeated Ash, worried.
"Right! All that electrical energy that Pikachu absorbed from the thunderstorm was too much," explained Juniper.
"And that would explain why Pikachu is not able to use any Electric-type moves," explained the man.
"You must be Prof. Oak, right? My name is Darwin, sir." greeted the newbie.
"Ah, yes. Professor Juniper told me about you and your skills at programming," replied Oak.
"No way… You mean Pikachu's not able to use Electric-type moves anymore?" asked Ash.
"Is that so bad? I mean, Pikachu can learn more than just Electric-type Moves, right?" asked Darwin, clueless on Pokémon biology.
"Normally, you'd be correct Darwin, but certain Pokémon are required to use those Moves to release the energy they generate. Otherwise, it'd overload the organs that hold them and…" dreaded Oak, not wanting to put an image in their heads. Suddenly, the stats began buzzing, surprising everyone.
"What's going on?" asked Oak, surprised. Suddenly, Pikachu began to buzz with lost control of electricity. Pikachu began to grunt in pain as he tried to control his electricity.
"Pikachu!" gasped Ash.
"Huh? Professor Oak! Look! That cloud!" called Juniper. Everyone turned to see the thunderstorm cloud near the lab.
"It's the same cloud as before!" stated Oak. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the satellite, with more negative electricity zapping into Pikachu's body.
"Reboot the system quickly!" ordered Juniper.
"Right!" nodded the assistant as he opened the doors to do so. Juniper turned back to the lighting cloud.
"It couldn't be… Could it?" Juniper asked.
"What is it?" frowned Darwin.
"Could the source of those storms be… Zekrom? The legendary Pokémon?" asked Juniper. At the name, Darwin froze.
"Zekrom?" repeated Ash.
"Zekrom is quite a legend in these parts. From within its thunder clouds, Zekrom watches over people and Pokémon. And the lightning bolts are said to be… Judgments, up above, there are also pillars of the skies…" explained Juniper.
Suddenly, Pikachu screamed in pain as masses of electricity zapped into his body.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out. Gritting his teeth, Darwin noted his camera going on the fritz. Pointing it, he turned professional.
"As you heard, Pikachu is currently being overloaded with what I'm assuming to be negative electricity, which may be drawn to a potential positive charge Pikachu is giving out because of what happened earlier today with a thunderstorm I mentioned. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but if anyone finds this, they should know what happened in case… This is Darwin Langley, signing off for what might be the last time."
Ash's Pokémon Team
Pikachu (M): Ability: Static. Moves: Agility, Thunder, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle, Thunderbolt
Gible (M): Ability: Sand Veil. Moves: Dig, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Rock Smash, Incinerate
Darwin's Pokémon Team
Tepig (F): Ability: Blaze. Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Ember
Omarnosian10: How'd you like the story so far, Ash?
Ash: It's just one chapter, but you did better than the canon writers.
Omarnosian10: Thank you. For those that are curious, Darwin is named after Charles Darwin, the scientist responsible for the theory of evolution. I'm positive that Charles Goodshow is also named after him.
Ash: Speaking of Charles…
Omarnosian10: Minor spoiler, but yes, unlike canon, Charles will be organizing the Vertress Conference in this story.
Darwin: Y'know, some fans think that the guy passed on sometime before Unova, with how old he is.
Omarnosian10: It hasn't been confirmed or denied.
Darwin: Also, why is my hair like that?
Omarnosian10: OK, you're also named and sort of based after Darwin from the Cartoon Network show, "The Amazing World of Gumball". And the design of your clothes is sort of based on Kamen Rider Ghost's Darwin Damashi.
Darwin: Speaking of Kamen Rider—
Omarnosian10: Sega's my Trinity OC Logan and he has one more appearance to make before returning to deal with his version of Urizen.
Ash: The DMC5 antagonist?
Omarnosian10: Yeah, he'll appear in a future Trinity story centered around Logan. Before any of you DMC fans ask; no, his Urizen is not the demon-half of Virgil or anyone. When I get around to it, his origin will be explained. Am I forgetting anything?
Ash: Our ages?
Omarnosian10: Right, thanks. First off, I'll put in the specific ages when the whole group is gathered… and no, it's not gonna be the canon group.
Darwin: What about Gible?
Omarnosian10: Ash will give you the answer next chapter. I think that's everything for now. SMOKEBOMB!
*Poké-Earthlings faint*
