Chapter One: The Champion's Fall
Indigo Plateau, 10 PM, January 27th, 1997.
Red stood inside of Indigo Stadium, contemplating his newfound position as Champion of the Indigo Plateau. And thus, the position of the strongest Pokemon Trainer in the entirety of Kanto and Johto. It had been a dream of his for as long as he could remember, and now, he'd achieved it in only three Conferences. Which was now officially the third shortest record in Indigo League history, behind Professor Oak, who did it in one back when he was a Trainer, and his missing father, Victor Ketchum, who did it in two.
It still felt surreal- even though he was now officially the strongest Trainer in Indigo. He wasn't looking forward to all of the other responsibilities that he'd have to deal with as the Champion, but figured that he'd get used to it.
A smile crossed his face as he thought back to his younger brother, Ash. He was eagerly awaiting the day that they could face off as equals in this stadium. He remembered the smile on his mother's face when she realized that he'd won.
He recalled the look on old Champion Marcus' face when his absolute monster of a Nidoking finally fell to his Charizard's Blast Burn. The knockout that ensured that he'd won the match- his most powerful partner bested Marcus' oldest teammate at last, enabling him to take the victory and the title of Champion.
He was focusing on training, deciding that he wanted to grow stronger still, even if he'd already won. He'd promised Lance that he wouldn't wreck the stadium, as his battle with Champion Marcus had.
The Elite Four's resident Dragon Tamer was an intimidating presence, even if Red was now technically his boss. Which, again, felt surreal. He was only barely sixteen, and here he was, standing on the pinnacle of strength in two regions.
The Elite Four were all adults, seasoned Trainers in their own right. Lance was in his mid-twenties, Agatha was at least sixty, Bruno was probably mid-thirties, and Lorelei was about the same age as Lance. Yet, here he was, at sixteen, stronger than them all. Not that battling any of them would be particularly easy, but he felt that he could pull off a win. He'd done it to get to Marcus in the first place, after all. But that's why he'd resolved to train, keep growing his strength. Marcus had been his father's predecessor on the Champion's throne, and was mostly retired when he'd vanished into the ether.
So, old Marcus ended up reassuming the title until they could find him, which unfortunately came up empty. As a consequence, Marcus ended up retaining the title, hoping for another worthy successor to come along. It was poetic that Red was that worthy successor, taking the title after a long, hard road to the top. He'd crushed Team Rocket on his journey, growing from those hardships. He'd had his girlfriend and friendly rival Leaf, his former best friend and not-so-friendly- rival Blue, and he'd had the support of his mother and little brother.
And now, at long last, he was the best of the best. His dream was achieved, yet he felt like the only way to go was up. He'd forge his own legend- take his place amongst the Indigo League's Hall of Fame. But little did he know, all of that was just about to come crashing down. A mysterious challenge was forming on the horizon, one that he was not prepared for- his night- and his life- were about to be forever changed….
Ten minutes later…
Red felt an eerie feeling chill his body to the bone, and it wasn't just because of the cold winter weather. He turned around to face the field, noticing a strangely dressed man standing in the center of it.
"Who are you?" he asked, wary. The man did not speak, merely staring at him, as if he was studying him. Red's hand immediately reached for Charizard's Poke Ball. "Stay back!" he said. "What are you doing here?"
The man chuckled, his voice sounding distorted. Red figured that his mask probably had some kind of filter built into it to disguise it. Which only made him more wary of this man, who had just…appeared inside of Indigo Stadium seemingly out of thin air. Red was thoroughly perturbed, though he tried his best to not let it show. "How'd you get in here?" he asked, remembering the extremely tight security of the Plateau. You had to be let in- you didn't simply stroll inside, yet here this man was.
"How'd you get past the Elite Four? And all the other League forces here?" Red questioned, after a few moments. The man chuckled again, his laughter ominous. "I have my ways, young Champion," he said.
"What the hell do you want?!" Red demanded, angrily. "I came looking for you," the mysterious stranger answered, calmly. Red's eyes narrowed, and his tension shot way up. "Who are you?" Red asked, still extremely wary of this man. Every single part of him, body, mind, and soul, said not to trust this man, yet he felt that something about him was familiar. Yet he could not place what- it was eerie, and he disliked it immensely. "Just who are you?" Red asked, his eyes still narrowed suspiciously.
"You may call me Shade," the mysterious man said. "So… Shade…what exactly do you want?" Red asked, his hand now nearly on top of his Charizard's Poke Ball. "I want Mewtwo," Shade replied. "I know you found it," he added, ominously. Red's face contorted into a shocked expression. "How do you know about that?!" he demanded. "I've been watching you, Red," Shade said. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I do not wish to harm you, but it is your choice."
Red remained silent, not sure of how to respond to that. "My terms are simple," Shade began again, "we shall battle, and you will take me to Mewtwo if I win. If you win, I shall simply take my leave."
Red was still silent for a few minutes afterward, thinking it over. Finally, he spoke. "Fine," he said. "Good," Shade said. "You've made the right choice."
Red was sure that he was smiling like a maniac under that mask as he took his place at the end of the field. Shade did the same, and readied a strange black and purple Poke Ball. A strange insignia was painted on it. "Team Rocket?" Red thought. "No… I beat them…"
His thoughts were soon interrupted by Shade. "Are you going to dawdle all night?" he asked, sounding slightly condescending. "No," Red snarled, drawing a Poke Ball. "Good, good," Shade said. "You may release first."
Red nodded. "You'll regret that!" he said, tossing his first Poke Ball. His Machamp, Brawl, materialized onto the field soon after. "We've been challenged to a battle! Get ready!" Red called. The powerful Fighting type nodded. He knew what to do.
Shade said nothing, merely tossing his Poke Ball. A strange black Pokemon appeared, floating above the ground. A blue eye was visible on its face, and a plume of white…something… extended from the top of its head. What Red assumed was a mouth was just below the eye, red in color. "What is that thing?" Red thought, confused. "You seem surprised," Shade said, chuckling. "This is a Pokemon called Darkrai."
"Darkrai?" Red asked. Shade nodded. "Yes. It is very powerful," he replied. "If you can defeat it, then you will be a worthy opponent."
Red leveled his gaze at the mysterious Pokemon, now identified by its Trainer as 'Darkrai'. He'd never heard of it before, but he wasn't planning on losing to it, either. "Brawl! Close Combat!" he ordered, starting off the match. Shade laughed, before ordering his Darkrai. "Psychic!" he called.
Darkrai nodded, and its eye flashed blue with psychic power. Brawl was promptly crushed, leaving Red stunned. "How…?" he thought, shocked. He drew his second Poke Ball, that of his Blastoise, Deluge. "It took out Brawl in one shot. Be careful. Keep your distance," Red said. Deluge nodded, awaiting orders. "Hydro Pump!" Red called. Shade smirked to himself as Deluge took aim at his mysterious partner. "Dark Pulse," he said, calmly. Darkrai nodded, and raised its arm.
A burst of Dark-type energy shot forth in the purplish beam, striking Blastoise in the chest. The Shellfish Pokemon crumpled, utterly defeated. Red grit his teeth and recalled him. Two down? In one hit each? What had he gotten into? Red drew up his third Poke Ball, containing his Venusaur. "You're up, Bloom!" he called out, deploying his third battler. "It's taken out Brawl and Deluge without a single scratch! Be careful!"
Bloom nodded, leveling his gaze at Darkrai. A low rumble escaped his mouth as he declared his challenge. "Sludge Bomb!" Red ordered, knowing that Solar Beam would be hard to charge at night. Shade remained confident. "Darkrai, Ice Beam," he ordered.
The mysterious Pokemon complied, raising its hand. The icy energy shot forth, defeating Bloom just as easily as Brawl and Deluge had fallen. Red was now in complete and utter shock- half his team had gone down, and he hadn't even scratched his opponent's Pokemon. "Get out here!" he called, sending out his fourth Pokemon, his Snorlax, Bulwark. The lumbering Normal type took notice of Darkrai, preparing to fight. Shade said nothing, remaining silent as he awaited Red's command to Bulwark.
"Hyper Beam!" Red called. The massive Normal type complied, and began charging the attack. Shade chuckled as the orange beam began to form. "Don't give it a chance to fire. Focus Blast," he said, calmly.
Red was left stunned beyond belief when he heard that. Just how many tricks did this 'Shade' guy have up his sleeve? Bulwark was nowhere near fast enough to dodge that, and Red grimaced as the orb of Fighting type energy came flying from Darkrai's hands.
Predictably, the hulking Normal type got taken out in one shot, just as his teammates had. Red grit his teeth once again and recalled Bulwark. He was the Indigo Champion! How could he be losing so easily?
He drew up his fifth Poke Ball, that of his rarest Pokemon, his Saphira. "Saphira! Get out here!" he shouted, deploying his fifth teammate. The slender, yet massive Dragon-type appeared on the field, her expression turning serious upon seeing Darkrai.
"Alright, girl. Be careful! You're up fifth! This thing has taken everyone but Inferno down already," Red said. Saphira nodded and awaited her Trainer's orders. "Dragon Rush!" Red called. "Ice Beam!" Shade called. "Evade it!" Red shouted. To Shade's genuine surprise, Saphira banked hard to the right and evaded the Ice Beam entirely. She then slammed into Darkrai with the full force of her Dragon Rush, knocking it back a good ways.
Despite this, Shade was still sarcastic and condescending. "Bravo. You managed to do some damage," Shade said, slow clapping. "Now, let's end this."
Darkrai took in its Trainer's nod and then fired a Dark Pulse, hitting Saphira head on. To the surprise of both Shade and Darkrai, Saphira got back up. Clearly, she'd taken a lot of damage, but she was still capable of battle. "Are you okay?!" Red asked, concerned. Saphira nodded. "Well, in that case, Hyper Beam!" Red called. "Ice Beam!" Shade commanded. Unfortunately for Red, Darkrai hit Saphira this time. She was too exhausted and hurt from the Dark Pulse to evade it. She collapsed in defeat, forcing Red to recall her.
"Down to my last one…" Red thought, drawing the scratched up Poke Ball from his belt. "Get out here, Inferno!" he called, tossing the ball. The massive Fire type appeared soon after, quickly orienting himself for battle. A massive stream of flame escaped his maw as he unleashed his usual pre-battle ritual. He set his sights on Darkrai, who was obviously his newest opponent. And he was hungry to increase his winning streak. "That thing has taken everybody down but you! Get ready!" Red said. Inferno nodded, fire building up within his throat.
"Flamethrower!" Red ordered. "Dark Pulse!" Shade ordered, not the least bit concerned. The attacks collided in the center of the field. They appeared even for a short time, and then the Dark Pulse cleaved right through the Flamethrower and struck Inferno, who fell to the ground. But he wasn't out yet. No, the massive Fire type practically leapt up, fire burning in his eyes. "Alright, then! Focus Blast!" Red ordered. Inferno nodded and carried out the order, forming the Fighting type attack. "Dodge it," Shade said, calmly.
Darkrai complied, moving nearly faster than Red could see. But Inferno didn't have that problem, though- he adjusted and nailed Darkrai right in the chest. The mysterious Pokemon fell right to the ground, kicking up a substantial cloud of dust. "Get in the air! Then Flare Blitz!" he ordered. Inferno nodded, and began to carry out that order, spreading his wings. He shot into the air, the act blowing the dust away from the field as Darkrai recovered. "I am impressed with your skill," Shade said. "But you will not defeat us! Darkrai, Dark Pulse once again!"
Red grit his teeth together for a third time, cursing his rotten luck. As soon as Inferno had gotten airborne, the Dark Pulse struck him in the chest, sending him falling back down to the ground. He slammed into the field, seeming to suffer significant damage.
"Finish this," Shade said, calmly. Darkrai nodded and raised its arm again, firing another Dark Pulse at the downed Inferno. The Flame Pokemon suffered even more damage before he managed to hoist himself back to his feet.
But by then it was too late- Darkrai had raised its arm again. It fired yet another Dark Pulse, blasting him again. Inferno dropped to one knee, feeling the damage start to add up. After that, it switched to Ice Beam, inflicting further damage.
Red noted that Shade seemed to be letting Darkrai finish this on its own as he desperately tried to order Inferno to dodge and return fire with a Flamethrower, only for Darkrai to launch a Shadow Ball, smacking him in the face.
Red's starter reeled back as Darkrai prepared to finish it, charging what Red recognized as a Hyper Beam. "Inferno, get out of there!" Red called, desperately. But it was too late- Darkrai loosed its Hyper Beam, defeating Inferno with ease.
Red's eyes widened in shock. "NO!" he called, rushing to his Pokemon's side. "Now. Do as I asked," Shade asked. "Why should I?" Red asked. Shade started to speak, but before he could do so, he found himself cut off. "You shall not harm the boy," a voice boomed. "What…?" Red said, before looking up. To his surprise, there was Mewtwo, floating midair. "Thank you for revealing yourself," Shade said. "Darkrai, if you would."
The mysterious Pokemon complied, unleashing another Dark Pulse. However, Mewtwo was prepared, and stopped the attack with Protect.
"That won't stop us!" Shade said, laughing. "No. But this will!" Mewtwo said, launching a Focus Blast. He hit Darkrai head on, dropping it to the ground. Shade remained silent, as if he was taking in Mewtwo's power, before drawing another Poke Ball. From said Poke Ball emerged a Gengar. "Trap it," Shade said. "Mean Look."
Gengar complied, and prepared the Mean Look. But he didn't get a chance to pull it off- for Mewtwo immediately dropped him with a Shadow Ball. Shade opened his mouth to say something else, only for Mewtwo to teleport himself, Red, and Inferno away. "That was unexpected," Shade said. "No matter. We will just hunt them down…"
He then recalled his Pokemon and strolled away. He had a boy and a Legend to hunt down, after all.
Elsewhere…
Mewtwo dropped Red and Inferno in Pallet Town. "Recall your friend," Mewtwo said. "He is hurt."
Red nodded and did so, recalling his oldest friend. "What will you do?" he asked. "I will deal with that man," Mewtwo replied. "We must go our separate ways, I'm afraid," the Psychic type Legend added. "Are you sure?" Red asked. Mewtwo nodded. "Yes. It is the only way to keep you safe," he said. He then teleported the Ultra Ball that he'd allowed Red to capture him with into his hand. "I hate to do this, but I must," he said, before shattering the ball with his powers.
"Farewell, Red," Mewtwo said, before teleporting away. Red watched him leave, before sighing. "I'll go see the Professor…" he thought. "He'll help me with my team."
With that, the boy bounded off to Professor Oak's lab. He had a lot of explaining to do if he was going to get the old man to understand what had happened. And while he was at it, see if he knew anything about Darkrai.
A few minutes later, he was rapping on Professor Oak's door. A groggy Oak answered the door a short time afterward. "Red? What brings you here this late?" he asked. "Something important. May I come in?" Red responded.
Oak nodded. "Yes," he replied, slipping into a serious mood- he was now all business. This wasn't a personal visit- when Red got serious like that, he was needing to talk about something that couldn't wait. The boy walked into Oak's lab as the professor closed the door behind him. "What's wrong, Red?" he questioned. "A man showed up at the Plateau," Red answered. "He was after Mewtwo."
Oak considered his next words carefully. "And you decided to come here for help?" he asked. "Not intentionally," Red replied. "I was going to ask the Elite Four, and get the rest of the League involved, but Mewtwo saved me. Brought me here."
Oak took that in, a solemn look crossing his face. "So you came to me," he said. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked. Red nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "He crushed me with a Pokemon called Darkrai. Who knows what he would have done if Mewtwo hadn't saved us."
Oak's face went white. "You say he used a Darkrai?" he asked. Red nodded. "Why?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?" "No. That is an extremely powerful and rare Pokemon," Oak said. "The man you fought was likely a man that everyone in the National League has been looking for for a very long time," he added. "What was his name?" "He called himself Shade," Red said. "I'll never forget that. I'm going to find him, and I'm going to beat him."
"Be careful, Red," Oak said. "Shade is a very dangerous criminal, and he is wanted for a lot of things. He works for Team Eclipse."
"Team Eclipse?" Red questioned. "A clandestine criminal organization. Far more powerful than Team Rocket ever was," Oak said. "That's why he's wanted, right? He's done bad things for this 'Team Eclipse'?" Red asked. Professor Oak nodded. "Yes," he replied. "What will you do?"
"I'm going to rest here for the night. Probably go home to mom," Red replied. "And then I'm going off to train. I'll grow strong enough to crush that pathetic excuse for a man with my own team."
"There is more to this than just him, Red," Oak said. "I know that," Red replied. "But I won't be satisfied unless I beat him myself. He can't just crush me and get away with it!"
"I understand your frustration," Oak said. "But you cannot recklessly challenge him. You may be the Champion, but you are still young. He could use your relative inexperience compared to him to hurt you."
Red sighed. "I know. But what kind of Champion would I be if I didn't at least try?" he asked. For once, Oak had no reply. "My Pokemon need healing. Can I leave them with you?" he asked. Oak nodded. "Yes," he said. "I will take care of them."
"Thanks," Red said, handing them over to the Professor. "Goodnight, Professor," he added, turning to leave. "Good night, Red," Oak said. The boy nodded and departed, heading home. That proved to be the last time that anyone from Pallet saw Red in person.
He retrieved his Pokemon in the morning once they'd recovered, and headed off to train. Their only clue was a note saying that he was going to Mt. Silver for a few months to train in solitude. Those few months turned into three years. And Shade was never caught, simply moving on to new goals- as Mewtwo had evaded him. That was a mere inconvenience, as he didn't need it. It would have merely been nice to have such a Pokemon in his possession.
His boss was mildly displeased, but moved on rather quickly. Shade himself moved onto other goals as well, furthering the interests of Team Eclipse across the world…
Mewtwo's escape was unfortunate, but was far from a death blow to Team Eclipse' plans to expand into Kanto and Johto. Team Rocket was pretty much finished, even if remnants were still scattered about. They did not matter in the long run. Shade was to make sure of that, a high priority order. Straight from Malcolm himself. While Shade resented the old man, he had to admit that he was clever, ruthless, and intelligent. One did not stay in charge of an organization like Team Eclipse for as long as he had by being weak and stupid.
So he was going to carry out his orders. His first project was to be finding the remnants of Team Rocket and dealing with them. At which point they could roll into Kanto entirely unopposed and begin setting up their operations there. A wicked smile crossed his face as he began looking forward to such a thing. "Time to put together a team…" he mused, recalling the boss offering him a selection of elite Eclipse agents to aid him in his quest.
Indigo Plateau, Six Months Later…
The Elite Four and Professor Oak stood inside a meeting room deep within the Plateau. "What do you mean, Red has disappeared!?" Bruno thundered. "He's off on a training journey! I do it all the time!"
"Yes, but you announce it, where you're going, and when to expect you back," Lorelei said, attempting to keep the peace. Bruno acquiesced to her point with a sigh. "I guess you're right," he said. Lorelei nodded as Professor Oak spoke up. "All he left behind was this," he said, producing the note that Red had left behind. He felt almost as if he was breaking Red's request, his trust, but he also felt the need to inform the Elite Four of what had happened to their Champion.
He'd intentionally given them an incomplete copy, though. Excluding Red's destination of Mt. Silver. The same one he'd given Delia and Ash. "This is the only evidence?" Agatha questioned, staring a hole through the professor. "Yes," Oak said.
"Do not lie to me, Samuel," she said. "I'm not," he replied, brushing her angry tone off. Agatha huffed and returned to silently listening as Oak continued. "All he left behind is the note that I've provided you a copy of," the Pokemon Professor said. "And I do not know where he went. Though I expected him to be back before six whole months had passed."
"That is unfortunate," Lorelei said. "It's June. And Red vanished in January." Professor Oak nodded, though he said nothing. "Yes," Lance said, speaking for the first time. "This is most unfortunate." "What do you propose we do?" Bruno said. "The League season has already started. We cannot postpone it now."
"We organize a search party," Lance said. "We have until the end of August. That's when the Indigo Conference is." "But the League season started May 1st," Lorelei said. "We're already behind." Lance nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I know," he said. "But what's going to happen if we don't find him?" Agatha asked, rejoining the conversation. "I don't know," Lance said. "We may have to consider his position abandoned and seek a new candidate." Agatha nodded, placated. "How are we supposed to do that?" Lorelei asked. "Allow the winner of this Conference to battle us," Lance said. "If they win, then we have a new Champion."
"That's not exactly a sound plan," Lorelei said. "Do we have any other options?" Lance sighed. "There is one," he said. "But I'd rather not invoke that solution." "What does this entail?" Lorelei asked, not willing to be left in the dark. Bruno, who was sitting just to her left, also spoke up. "Yes. I wish to know about this solution as well," he said. Agatha remained silent, knowing which rule they were speaking on. But it wasn't her place to reveal it; that was up to Lance and Samuel Oak.
Lance sighed again, not really wanting to get into that discussion. So Professor Oak did it for him. "League rules state that if the Champion vanishes for an extended period of time, or explicitly abandons their throne, then the leader of the Elite Four, in this case, Lance, or the Champion's immediate predecessor may claim the throne," he said.
"Is this true?" Lorelei asked, looking right at Lance. "Yes," the Dragon Master said, after several moments of silence. "And as Marcus is enjoying his peaceful retirement, should we invoke this rule, then I would hold the dual roles of Champion and Elite Four leader simultaneously, at least until we can find Red."
"And what if we don't find Red?" Bruno asked, erring on the side of caution. "Then we don't have any choice but to declare the throne abandoned," Professor Oak said. "And then what happens?" Lorelei asked.
"Then I will take the mantle of Champion," Lance said. "And leave a vacancy on the Elite Four."
Lance's fellow Elite Four members fell silent, apart from old Agatha, who finally spoke again. "That is a very old rule," she said. "And as the keeper of the League's rules, I am quite knowledgeable on them."
Everyone in the room turned to face her, including Professor Oak and Lance. "I have only seen it invoked once: when Champion Victor disappeared," Agatha said. "It was right before Lance and Lorelei took their positions." "I recall the incident in question," Bruno said. Agatha nodded his way briefly and continued. "Champion Marcus returned from retirement and took over. As we were unable to find him, that meant that Marcus was in charge full time."
"And then he lost to Red…" Lance said, trailing off. "Right, young Lance," Agatha said. "Marcus will not return a second time, in all likelihood."
Lance swallowed hard. "So I'm going to have to become Champion. At least temporarily," he said, solemnly. "That is correct," Agatha said. "I know of at least two promising Elite Four candidates to fill your position, should you ascend to the Champion's seat."
Lance nodded, though he still seemed wary of the idea. "I understand," he said. "But I want to at least make an effort to find Red."
"I bet you do," Agatha said, not caring if she seemed irreverent. "But you are going to have to take on the mantle for this year's Indigo Conference. We'll have some time before the Silver Conference, so we can look for Red then." Lance's eyes narrowed, and he took on a serious scowl. "No. I want a team put together. If we can't find him before the Conference, then I will take over as Champion," he said. "We'll make it official after the Conference. And then I'll have to find a new Elite Four member."
"Alright, then," Agatha said. "I will get right on it. Do not interfere in my work."
Lance nodded again, remaining silent. "What do we do?" Lorelei asked. "You and Bruno will also lead teams to look for Red," Lance replied. "I will remain at the Plateau to coordinate our efforts."
Lorelei nodded affirmatively as Professor Oak interjected. "I, too, will assist," he said. "We need to find Red." Lance nodded. "That is gracious of you," he said. Oak nodded. "Do not forget. I was once Champion of this Plateau," he replied. "I am not weak. Out of practice, maybe. But never weak. I will go looking for him right away."
Lance nodded yet again. "Good. Then our plan is set," he said. "Meeting adjourned. We'll meet here again when we've made some progress." The other members of the Elite Four and Professor Oak nodded, though none of them actually spoke. Their goal set, they each departed the room for their plan to find Indigo's missing Champion.
Atop Mt. Silver…
Red watched as Saphira and Inferno continued their aerial spar, hitting each other with everything that they could muster. Deluge stood at his side, watching. Bloom and Brawl were practicing techniques of their own, and Bulwark was sleeping. He wondered if he should have brought some of the other Pokemon he was keeping at Oak's lab. But he quickly moved on from that thought, staring up at his two best Pokemon training. They held nothing back, six months of training having greatly improved their skills. A powerful Tyranitar that lived nearby had menaced them, but his team had driven her away. Now she came back by for regular spars, and Red welcomed them. His team could always use an opportunity to keep themselves sharp.
"Maybe I should go back…?" Red thought, staring up into the sky just in time to see Saphira drive Inferno into the ground with her Dragon Rush. His Charizard replied with an Overheat, forcing Saphira back into the air.
Inferno shot back up after her, exhaling a mighty gust of Dragon Breath. Saphira evaded it and retaliated with a Thunder, forcing Inferno to fire a Flamethrower. The attacks collided in a tremendous explosion, and Red smiled.
His teammates were growing so much more powerful by the day. He could feel it. And then, they'd finally be strong enough to best Shade and his Darkrai. He wanted nothing more than to avenge that loss. For himself and for his Pokemon. His thoughts drifted to his family, his friends…his girlfriend. He thought about how he missed them, resolving to wrap up his training in a couple more months.
But until then, his sole motivation was growing stronger.
Strong enough to avenge their loss to Shade. Just thinking about the man made him angry, but he did his best to suppress his rage. A quaking rumble caused him to turn around, spotting the Tyranitar from before.
She roared her challenge, and Red smirked. "You're up, Deluge," he said. The Blastoise nodded, taking up a position and preparing himself for battle. Red's blood began pumping in anticipation of the newest battle.
He was seriously starting to consider capturing this Tyranitar. She'd make a fantastic addition to his team. And as a Champion, he had no restriction on the amount of Poke Balls that he could carry, unlike a regular Trainer. He recalled the Ultra Balls in his bag, another smirk forming on his face.
"Do it, Deluge! Hydro Pump!" he called. His Blastoise nodded, unleashing the first move. Tyranitar replied with a Dark Pulse, striking him on the shoulder. But it was nothing compared to Darkrai's use of the same move. So they effortlessly shrugged it off, and Deluge unleashed his attack. Tyranitar staggered as Deluge unleashed his follow up Ice Beam.
The left side of Tyranitar's body was suddenly frozen over by the attack, and she roared her displeasure. One Flamethrower later, and she was free again. Red smiled to himself. After that, he definitely wanted to capture her.
"Hydro Cannon!" Red ordered. Deluge nodded, lowering one of his cannons and taking aim. The high pressure sphere of water began building up, aimed right at Tyranitar's chest. She didn't intend to let him fire, though, launching another Dark Pulse.
Deluge shrugged the attack off and fired his own, very nearly sending Tyranitar flying off the edge of the cliff that they were battling atop. But she dug her feet in and planted her tail, stopping herself. She unleashed a Rock Slide in retaliation, and Red smirked, ordering a Protect from Deluge. The summoned boulders smashed into nothing against the Blastoise's shield. As soon as it dropped, Deluge nailed her with a Hydro Pump. Red smirked, impressed with her toughness. "Ice Beam!" he called. Deluge nodded, firing the beam of icy energy. Only for Tyranitar to reply with Flamethrower, blanketing the area in a cloud of steam.
Red smiled, ordering another Hydro Pump. But Deluge struggled to aim with the steam cloud obscuring his vision, enabling Tyranitar to connect a Stone Edge. Deluge suffered his first real damage from the attack as the steam faded. Tyranitar followed it with a Dark Pulse, only to be nailed by a Solar Beam courtesy of Bloom. Red smirked as he saw Bloom and Brawl come to Deluge's aid. Brawl smashed a Drain Punch into her face, sending her staggering.
Tyranitar roared again as Deluge recovered, joining his teammates. "Triple assault! Brawl, Superpower! Deluge, Hydro Pump! And Bloom, Solar Beam!" Red called, not backing down one bit. Tyranitar buckled as Brawl smashed a Superpower fueled blow into her abdomen. He followed that up with a nasty uppercut to the jaw, causing her to stumble. Finally, he grabbed hold of her tail and swung her around, smashing her enormous form into the ground.
The entire area shook at that as the now-tired Brawl released his Superpower. Tyranitar struggled to her feet just in time to get blasted with both Bloom's Solar Beam and Deluge's Hydro Pump. Brawl then added to the pain by slamming a Drain Punch into the mighty Rock type's back. She fell to her knee just in time for a Solar Beam to strike her chest. Bloom roared, preparing another. But he didn't get the chance as Deluge slammed a Hydro Cannon home, causing Tyranitar to drop to one knee. Red smirked, readying an Ultra Ball. This fight was about to be over! And he'd (hopefully) have a new teammate.
"Here goes nothing!" he thought, slinging the ball at Tyranitar's crumpled form. It struck her, pulled her in, and fell to the ground, rocking. The angry beast soon broke out, shattering the ball into a million pieces.
"Still got work to do!" Red thought, pulling another ball from his bag. "Alright, guys! Keep it up! She's not weak enough to catch yet!" he shouted. His Pokemon nodded, preparing themselves for another round of attacks, seeming just as eager as Red was. Tyranitar would make a great teammate, provided that Red could properly control her destructive powers.
What followed was a barrage of nasty blows from all four Pokemon involved, eventually ending with Tyranitar down on one knee, seeming utterly defeated. Red's Pokemon, including a now awake Bulwark, surrounded her on four sides. Red smirked. "You should have just submitted," he said. Tyranitar grunted something in return as Inferno and Saphira touched down near their Trainer, having finally finished their spar. Red barely acknowledged them, remaining focused on Tyranitar.
She knew better than to try anything, especially considering that she was surrounded by Red's Pokemon, all of whom would be eager to punish her for it. "I want you to join us," Red said. "You would be a great teammate for us, I think."
Tyranitar stared at him for several seconds following that, eventually lowering her head in what seemed to be a nod of respect. Red smiled again, readying himself. "Alright, then! Join us, Tyranitar!" he said, tossing the Ultra Ball.
It struck Tyranitar on the forehead, pulling her in. It fell down into the snow, rocking three times before clicking shut. "We did it, guys!" Red said, strolling over and picking it up. His Pokemon celebrated as well. Red smiled at the Ultra Ball in his hand. "You'll fit in just fine," he said. "Take a rest for now…we will, too."
With that, he turned toward his team, allowing them all to stop and rest for a while. They could certainly use it.
So...this a story that I've had bouncing around my head (and partially written, in various forms) for at least two years now. Longer than that just as disjointed stories I used to make up in my head, but probably about that in written form.
It's not intended to be in continuity with Troublemaker, so if you've read that one, keep in mind that it's basically an AU of this one. Not exactly, but close enough. Several of my OCs that appear in this story will probably show up in that one as well. Victor Ketchum being an example of one.
It's been up on AO3 since September, but I wasn't exactly happy with how it was going, and it stalled out. So I decided that I was going to rewrite it. And then I posted it here with this first chapter. I hope you guys will enjoy this one.
Feel free to leave a review. Just keep in mind, if it's just to complain, don't bother. I won't acknowledge it. If you can't offer any constructive criticism, keep it to yourself, thank you.
Until next time, signing off.
-Robbtastic01.