Shades of Destiny

[Hector]

Hey everybody. This is my first fanfic of any kind ever, so I'm open to constructive criticism. That being said, I'm hoping ya'll like it. So here goes.

One more thing, if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, don't hesitiate to point them out. I'm writing this without a proofreader (besides myself of course) so I probably missed a few.

One more quick note: this chapter is the shortest one that I will write, so that's that.


Table of Contents:

Chapter One: Beginnings
Chapter Two: The Calm Before the Storm (link: http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showpost.php?p=933071&postcount=7)
Chapter Three: Through the Looking Glass (link: http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showpost.php?p=967250&postcount=12)
Chapter Four: Let the Games Begin (link: http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showpost.php?p=1080626&postcount=17

Shades of Destiny

Chapter One: Beginnings

“Ivanson, Bishop. I am very disappointed in you two. You were unable to secure the Flame en route. This failure makes our mission much more difficult to complete.” The man wearing a black hooded cloak spoke in a quiet, emotionless voice. But that didn’t matter to the two men he was addressing; both were both quivering in fear. The thinner man, called Ivanson, was the first to gain control of his anxiety and speak.

“Lord Shade… We are sorry. The guards… they had powerful Pokémon. There were too many of them.” Ivanson was speaking fast, clearly scared for both his welfare and that of his partner as well.

“Both of you know that I do not accept failure.” Shade said as he stood up from his black leather chair. Shade did all of his business out of his office, which was large and luxurious and featured a large window that had an excellent view of the city skyline. Shade opened a drawer in the wooden desk in front of him and pulled out a small bundle.

“My liege… we won’t fail you again. I promise.” Bishop spoke in a nervous, anxious voice as he ran his hand through his curly brown hair.

“You are correct. You will not fail me again.” Shade flipped the cloth off of the bundle, revealing that he was holding a semiautomatic pistol. Without saying another word, Shade brought the pistol up and fired a single shot which struck Bishop between the eyes. The man was dead before he hit the ground, blood leaking slowly out of the single head wound. Ivanson began stuttering and quivering once again, which made Shade laugh. “Come here Ivanson.”

“Ye… yes, my lord.” Ivanson managed to squeak out as he walked shakily towards Shade, who was standing by the window.

“It is a shame you put me in this position Nikolai.” Shade said as he put his two scarred hands on Nikolai’s shoulders. “You are one of my finest men. One that I thought I could trust.”

“You can trust me…” Nikolai said quickly, sounding desperate once more. “I am as faithful to the cause as anyone.”

“Yes I know. It’s a shame you failed your most important mission. But I reward loyalty, which is why I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You will lead the team that is in charge of acquiring the Flame once it is lit.” Shade turned his back to Nikolai, which was a signal to the other man to leave immediately.

“Thank you sir.” Nikolai said after breathing an audible sigh of relief. Before Shade could respond, Nikolai walked out of the room as fast as he could to prevent Shade from changing his mind. Once his officer had left his office, Shade reached up to his ear and clicked a small button on the headset he was wearing.

“Mindy, can you please send a cleanup crew to my office. There’s been an unfortunate accident.” Shade requested in a cold voice that had no hint of emotion, and to a casual listener it would sound like he had spilled a cup of coffee and not a man’s blood.


****************************************************************


“We’re back to our exclusive television coverage of the Indigo League Championship tournament. This has been a great match thus far between Jonny Walker of Lilycove City and Andrew Boyd of Saffron City. Both trainers are down to their last Pokémon.” The atmosphere in the large stadium was electric. The fans were going crazy, and everyone was on their feet eager to see what the final outcome would be.

“Gallade. This is all you.” Jonny said to his most faithful Pokémon, who instead of sitting in a Poké ball waiting to be summoned for battle was instead standing on the raised platform next to his trainer. Nodding once to his trainer, Gallade nimbly jumped off of the platform onto the floor of the arena. Wind began to circulate throughout the stadium as a light rain began to fall on the battle field. Jonny took off his sunglasses to reveal a pair of ice blue eyes and pulled a hood over his light blonde hair to protect it from the rain.

On the other side of the battlefield, Boyd had also called out his last Pokémon, which was a Tangrowth.

“This battle will be between Gallade and Tangrowth. The winner will advance out of the preliminary rounds and into the final tournament bracket.” The referee announced as he looked to both trainers to check if they were ready. With a nod from both Jonny and Andrew, the battle began.

“Gallade, Swords Dance!” Jonny shouted and Gallade closed his eyes and twirled his arm blades around in a complicated pattern, which was designed to build focus and boost attack power.

“Tangrowth, Sunny Day!” Andrew chose his first move and Tangrowth spread its arms wide and moved the rain clouds away from the stadium, bringing the sunlight back along with intense heat. Jonny pulled down his hood and took off his white track jacket because of the heat, revealing the simple black short sleeved shirt he was wearing underneath.

“Gallade, get in there and use Ice Punch!” Jonny commanded and Gallade took off running to cover the sizable distance between it and Tangrowth.

“Tangrowth, Solarbeam now!” Andrew countered and with the sun shining bright, Tangrowth was able to fire the powerful greenish beam of energy almost immediately.

“Gallade, dodge it!” Jonny urged, and Gallade easily sidestepped the beam and continued to charge. The crowd began to cheer louder as the distance between Gallade and Tangrowth began to decrease. Jonny watched his Pokémon’s charge with a smirk on his face, he thought that victory was assured.

“Tangrowth, Solarbeam again! And this time don’t miss!” Andrew shouted loudly and Tangrowth quickly shot another beam of energy towards Gallade, who was just a few short feet away from his opponent. At close range, the part fighting type didn’t have time to sidestep.

“Jump it!” Jonny yelled desperately, and Gallade leaped over the beam an instant before it would have struck him directly. Flying through the air, Gallade’s right arm began to glow light blue and he scored a direct hit on Tangrowth with a powerful hook as he landed gracefully. The super-effective attack clearly damaged Tangrowth, which staggered back and was trying to regain its balance. “Finish it with Close Combat.” Jonny gave the order in an even voice, hiding his excitement at knowing for sure that he had won the battle.

“Tangrowth, get back!” Andrew bellowed, but it was too late for his last Pokémon. Gallade closed the short distance between the two almost instantly and began taking aim at the stunned grass-type with a devastating combination of kicks and blade cuts, whose incredible efficiency and brutality awed the fans into a stunned silence. The finishing blow was a powerful crossing slash across Tangrowth’s chest area with both arm blades that knocked the grass-type to the ground. Gallade stopped his attack and Tangrowth shakily stood up and staggered forward one step before falling on its face, clearly unable to battle from the punishment that it had taken. Jonny pumped his fist excitedly and threw his white hat into the air as the referee announced his victory.

“What a great battle to finish our coverage of the preliminary rounds with. Jonny Walker advances to the final 128 with an impressive win over Andrew Boyd. This is Steve Berman signing off for myself and everyone here at the network. We hope to see everybody in three days for the start of the actual tournament.” With a click, the television screen went blank, and a young man with a Pikachu on his shoulder stood up from the table he was sitting at and walked off.

“Hey Ash.” The young man’s companion said as he stood as well. “You ready to make the trip to the Plateau?”

“Sure thing Brock.” Ash answered. “Just let me wash up and then we can get the girls.”

“We?” Brock asked. “No. You’re getting the girls. They’re mad at you because you insisted that you needed to watch nearly every final preliminary match.” Ash didn’t answer but instead tossed Brock a small black notebook. Curious, Brock opened the notebook and saw a list of twenty names that was labeled: “Trainers that have a chance at the title.” Brock knew that the top 16 (who all had byes into the final 128 trainer bracket) comprised the majority of the names. But the last five names on the list he didn’t recognize, except for one, which was clearly just written in moments before. “That last guy impressed you that much?”

“Yes he did. Gallade isn’t usually that fast. I didn’t think it would have been able to dodge a point-blank attack like that. And now you see why I watched all those matches. I know there are exactly 20 trainers in the entire field that have a chance to beat me at all. And considering the fact I’ll be seeded in the top five I know I can take it easy for at least the first three rounds.” Ash explained his reasoning as he took his notebook back from Brock. “Now let’s go. I can deal with Misty.” Ash grinned as he thought about the fact he was able to spend some more time with his oldest friend. They had lost touch over the years as she had to lead her Gym and Ash had travelled around the world. But now that Ash was back in his home region, he was glad that he was able to spend time with her once more.


***************************************************************

“Ash Ketchum! Why do you insist on spending every moment up until this tournament watching battles? What about spending time with me while we have the chance?” Misty was once again yelling at Ash, who was looking down at the ground avoiding Misty’s eyes.

“Sorry Mist.” Ash apologized in a soft voice. “I just want to make sure I’m fully prepared for every trainer I may have to face.” Once Misty heard Ash say this, she realized that she shouldn’t have snapped at him. Her anger at the teen quickly evaporated and a smile came to her face.

“I know Ash. But I just want to spend some time with you. Just like the old days.” Smiles came to Ash and Misty’s faces as they remembered all the adventures they had shared years ago.

“Mist.” Ash looked up and took her hands in his. “You’re right. I’ve missed you so much. But I just got worked up about this tournament.”

“Hey guys! Let’s get going!” May had poked her head inside the room and shouted at Ash and Misty, who were now both blushing heavily. “Oh sorry.” May said softly before leaving.

“We should get going.” Ash said quickly, and Misty nodded with a sad look on her face. The two trainers quickly grabbed their bags and followed May out of the room.

 

[Flaze]

I liked that chapter, I already knew the first part but I loved teh battle between Gallade and Tangrowth.

 

[Gama]

I only skim read this as I'm short on time right now but I liked it very much. I like the character of Shade, and I look forward to seeing more of him, he seems very well written. The prologue was very well written indeed too, I found myself hoping that Nikolai and the other guy (whose name I've now forgotten) would make it out alive, which is always a plus.

However, and this is just a personal preference, but I couldn't help but groan when Ash, Misty and Brock were introduced. Personally, I much prefer original characters as the main characters - I don't mind cameo appearances, but I don't like the main characters being the main cast, especially not of the anime. However, as I've already said that is just personal preference, others may disagree, so it's nothing to worry about too much.

What I'd be interested to see is a fic where an unquestionably villainous character is the main character, and that's why I have a lot of hope for this. Usually, when the bad guy is the main character, they end up seeming a lot less "bad" (like in my fic - Rival's Story - read it!), but surely someone as villainous as Shade can't be humanised? All I know is I can't wait to see - keep it up!

 

[Hector]

I only skim read this as I'm short on time right now but I liked it very much. I like the character of Shade, and I look forward to seeing more of him, he seems very well written. The prologue was very well written indeed too, I found myself hoping that Nikolai and the other guy (whose name I've now forgotten) would make it out alive, which is always a plus.

However, and this is just a personal preference, but I couldn't help but groan when Ash, Misty and Brock were introduced. Personally, I much prefer original characters as the main characters - I don't mind cameo appearances, but I don't like the main characters being the main cast, especially not of the anime. However, as I've already said that is just personal preference, others may disagree, so it's nothing to worry about too much.

What I'd be interested to see is a fic where an unquestionably villainous character is the main character, and that's why I have a lot of hope for this. Usually, when the bad guy is the main character, they end up seeming a lot less "bad" (like in my fic - Rival's Story - read it!), but surely someone as villainous as Shade can't be humanised? All I know is I can't wait to see - keep it up!

thanks for the positive review. The main anime cast, while important, will share the stage with a large group of OC's. And Shade starts evil and will stay that way.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I have to say, that sounds like a really stock villian there. He just comes off as "I kill people because I can and to show that I am evil" and hit us over the heads with it. Now, the "because I can" type can be done well, but this just comes off as over the top.

 

[Hector]

I have to say, that sounds like a really stock villian there. He just comes off as "I kill people because I can and to show that I am evil" and hit us over the heads with it. Now, the "because I can" type can be done well, but this just comes off as over the top.

Yeah I guess this is somewhat true. But give him a chance, because he sets himself apart later in the story.

 

[Hector]

Alright, here's chapter two. And I'm running on minimal sleep cause I've had a rough week so I probably messed up some spelling and grammar stuff. So don't hesitate to point that out if you see it.


Chapter Two: The Calm Before the Storm


“Hey little brother.” Jonny was sitting in front of one of the telephone booths in the Indigo Plateau Pokémon center talking to his older brother Jack. The resemblance between the brothers was uncanny; with the exception of their eye color and the fact that Jack was a few inches taller; the two brothers looked nearly identical.

“Hey big bro. Any exciting ranger developments lately?” Jonny asked.

“No problems lately. I managed to catch the second half of your match yesterday.” Jack said with a smile on his face. “Your team looked good out there.”

“Thanks Jackie.” Jonny said as he saw Jack’s Chatot fly into view. “That little guy is still hanging around? I thought he would have gotten sick of you by now.” Jonny teased.

“I guess not.” Jack answered as Chatot landed on his shoulder, chirping happily. “So when is your next battle?”

“I have no idea.” Jonny replied. “They still haven’t made and or revealed the final bracket. But it’s not for a couple days at least. Which is good because the team and I need some time to relax.”

“Which means you’re going to be off hanging around clubs and…” Jack was interrupted by an annoyed glare from his younger brother.

“Yeah. That’s about it.” Jonny answered with a grin on his face. “The nightlife is great around here, at least from what I’ve heard, but I haven’t really given myself a chance to enjoy it because I’ve had to focus on battling.”

“I see.” Jack gave Jonny a look that made it clear that he knew his younger brother wasn’t being entirely truthful. “Just don’t do anything too dumb, okay? You’ve got a tournament to compete in.”

“Sure thing Jackie. I just won’t do anything that you wouldn’t.” Jonny teased. The two brothers often teased each other due to the fact they had very different philosophies on following rules; Jack liked to do things by the book, but Jonny saw rules as an inconvenience that could and should be avoided.

“Good to hear. Jonny, I have to go. I’ve got a meeting with the boss in a few.” Jack said as he reached over towards his monitor and was about to disconnect the call.

“Okay. Talk to you in a few days.” Jonny nodded and an instant later the screen went blank. Reaching down into his white backpack that was sitting on the floor beside him, Jonny pulled a small notebook out and flipped it open. The pages had a list of all the Pokémon Jonny owned, and they were sorted into a number of categories. Scanning the pages quickly, Jonny tapped the paper a couple of times with a pen before dialing a number on the telephone. After a few moments, a laboratory office appeared and the face of a young man with black hair that was wearing thick glasses appeared.

“Hey.” Jonny said to the man. “This is Jonny Walker. I was just wondering if Professor Birch is in. I need some Pokémon transferred from his lab.”

“He’s in his office. I’ll go get him.” The man answered and Jonny thanked him. After a few short moments, Professor Birch’s friendly face was staring at Jonny from the other end of the line.

“Jonny. How are you?” Professor Birch asked. The entire Walker family was close to the Hoenn region’s Pokémon professor because Jack often needed the professor’s help due to the nature of his work as a Pokémon ranger.

“I’m great Professor. I made my way out of the preliminary rounds of the Indigo Conference tournament. That’s why I’m calling actually. I want to rotate some of my team for the first round. Keep everyone healthy and fresh.” Jonny explained and Birch nodded.

“I’m glad to hear you are doing well. So who do you need?” Birch asked as he motioned for his aide to prepare to collect whatever Pokémon Jonny asked for.

“Well, I’m going to send you Weavile and Sandslash.” Jonny answered. “They’ve done some good work in the prelims but they’ve taken a bit more punishment than I would have liked.” Jonny added an explanation because he didn’t want his Pokémon to feel like they hadn’t done a good job in their battles. “So I’m thinking I’d like Feraligatr and Scizor to switch back in.”

“Terrance.” Birch said and the young man who answered the call ran out the back door. “So Jonny, have you talked to Michael recently?” Birch asked the teenager. The professor was referring to Jonny’s best friend, Mikey Johnson, who started out from Professor Birch’s lab the same day that Jonny did at the age of ten. They travelled together for a few years before they both went to ranger school together. Their lives took a different path at this point because while Jonny dropped out and went back to training, Mikey stayed in school and became a Ranger.

“Not for a couple of weeks. Why?” Jonny was curious as to why Birch would bring this up.

“Because…” Birch was about to answer Jonny’s question when the back door opened once again and Terrance was flanked on both sides by two large Pokémon. To his right was a large muscular light blue reptile that crawled on all fours. To his left was a red and black armored bug with powerful pincers. “Here they are.” Birch said as the two Pokémon realized that Jonny was on the screen in front of them. Feraligatr ran surprisingly fast for a Pokémon of his size and soon reached the large image of his trainer. Scizor was much more reserved and slowly hovered towards the screen.

“Hey guys.” Jonny was grinning at the behavior of his two partners; he was glad that in their time apart, the personalities of both Feraligatr and Scizor hadn’t changed. “I was wondering if you’d like to get into this tournament.” Although Jonny knew he didn’t need to ask, he did anyway. He got the expected excited response from his Feraligatr and a more dignified nod from Scizor. A few moments later, Jonny watched as Birch put the two Poké balls onto a transit machine and Jonny did the same with the two that held his Weavile and Sandslash. “Thanks for some real good work you two. Now get some rest and say hey to everyone back at the lab.” Jonny said before there was a flash of light from the machine and the two Poké balls were gone, quickly replaced by the two from Birch’s lab.

“Thanks a lot Professor.” Jonny said as he clipped the two red and white capsules onto his black belt.

****************************************************

“Now I’ve called each of you into my office because you are the best men I have at my disposal for a mission that is paramount to the success of our organization.” Shade was sitting at the head of a large table surrounded by ten men and women who were clothed in similar black uniforms. “The Moltres Flame is a crucial piece of my plan and we must obtain it. Unfortunately, the artifact was heavily guarded in transit to the Indigo Plateau and we failed to acquire it.” Shade paused briefly as his eyes caught Nikolai’s. Shade glared at the man for a short moment before looking away and continuing his speech. “But now is not the time to worry about the past. I have formulated a new plan… it will be dangerous, but I have faith in you, my finest operatives.” Shade stood up from his black leather chair and walked over to a computer screen. Fiddling with the controls for a few seconds, Shade was eventually able to bring a large map up onto the front wall of the room. “This is the view of the Plateau from below the ground. All of the lines you see crisscrossing the area are the underground passages buried deep in the rock that are used by maintenance personnel and other workers to ship equipment all over the city.” Shade explained because he had heard some confused mutters from his agents. “I expect each of you to have this diagram flawlessly memorized before tomorrow. Then I will explain the plan itself. Understood?” Shade grinned as he heard ten people say that they did understand in perfect unison. “Excellent. This meeting is over. Pick up a copy of this diagram from my assistant on your way out, and make sure you know it to my expectations. We will be discussing the plan itself tomorrow in here at 3. Make sure you are prepared. It will be vital to our success.” Shade added in a voice that made it clear that failure to comply with his requests would not be tolerated. As he heard low mumblings from his agents, he turned and walked out the door. “Mindy.” Shade greeted his blonde haired secretary, who was just entering the conference room to hand out the documents per Shade’s orders.

***********************************************************

“ASH!” Misty was shouting at the raven haired boy who was sleeping peacefully in his tent. “WAKE UP!” Ash rolled over and clutched his pillow tightly. Groaning, Misty pulled a Poké ball off of her belt. Flipping it into the air, her Starmie quickly appeared. The purple starfish Pokémon looked to its trainer for a command. Misty took a moment to admire Ash’s toned chest before waking him up; she was glad that he chose to sleep shirtless most nights. “Starmie, Water Gun on Ash’s face.” Misty said happily as her Pokémon shot a jet of water at Ash, who woke up screaming. Misty giggled as Ash jumped up off of his sleeping bag.

“MISTY!” Ash shouted as he pulled a towel out of his bag and dried himself off as best he could. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?”

“You weren’t getting up.” Misty shrugged as she tried to hold in laughter. “And we need to get going. Everyone else is already outside eating breakfast.”

Ash looked excited at the prospect of breakfast and completely forgot that he was angry at Misty. He quickly pulled on a red t-shirt with a black stripe on it and styled his hair. Misty watched him silently. “Hey Mist.” Ash said softly to the copper-haired girl as he started to walk out of the tent. “You coming?” Nodding, Misty followed Ash out.

“Heya Ash!” Brock shouted to his friend. “Glad to see that you’re awake.” Ash glanced darkly for a brief second at Misty before Brock handed him a plate of food and his smile quickly returned.

“You can thank Starmie for that fact.” Misty answered for Ash, which caused May and Brock to laugh at their companion’s expense.

“Where’s Dawn?” Ash asked between mouthfuls of food. “I thought you said everyone was out here eating.”

“She already ate.” Brock answered. “She’s just doing her hair. You know the deal.” Ash and Brock shared a knowing glance. Dawn had always been the girl out of the three who had travelled with Ash who had always cared the most about her looks.

“Sorry about that everyone.” Dawn said as she emerged from her tent. She was wearing a short black skirt and a black pea coat. She had pink barrettes in her hair, which was carefully done with just a small strand falling down in front of her face.

“Hey Dawn. Do you really need to dress up like that? We aren’t getting to the Plateau until tonight.” Ash said and all three girls glared at him simultaneously.

“Yes I do Ash.” Dawn said with her hands on her hips. “You never know when you’re going to meet a cute boy.” Since Ash and Brock thought of Dawn as their little sister, they didn’t care for this statement, but neither said anything because they knew better. They had gone down a similar path with May when she started dating her rival Drew a couple years prior. Ash and May had gotten into a major fight because Ash thought Drew was all wrong for her. Even though Ash ended up being right, he realized that just because he thought of May and Dawn as his little sisters didn’t mean that they actually were.

“She’s got a point Ash. You never know.” May said as she adjusted her light blue bandana. She took it off and carefully retied it before putting it back on her head.

“Don’t even bother.” Brock muttered to Ash, who nodded in agreement. The rest of their breakfast passed in silence and soon the five travelers were packed and on the road once again, headed towards their next stop: Indigo Plateau.

***********************************************************

“I’ll just have a bacon cheeseburger with Swiss. Cooked medium rare. Oh and another Jack and Coke please.” Jonny grinned at the waitress as she nodded and wrote down his order. Jonny was sitting alone at a small table in an outdoor café. Sitting outside, Jonny had a good view of the main avenue of the city. For a brief moment, he was puzzled that there were so few people there compared to the previous week, when it was sometimes a challenge to see the other side of the street through all the people. “Oh yeah. No battles today. And all the people who got knocked out probably went home. So it’s only trainers and shoppers left.” When the word shopping crossed his mind, Jonny realized that he had been spending a lot of money since he had begun competing in the tournament. “Shit. Shopping… do I have enough cash for this…?” Somewhat worried about his financial situation, Jonny reached into his pocket and pulled out his brown leather wallet to check and see if he had enough money. Seeing that his wallet was still stuffed with cash, he was relieved and thought, “Good thing Pokémon training is such a money making profession.”

“Here’s your drink.” Jonny smiled at the waitress, a very attractive brunette who was about Jonny’s age. Taking a sip from his cocktail, Jonny nodded and thanked her. She turned and walked away. As Jonny’s eyes followed her away, he caught the television and saw that it was a preview for the upcoming tournament.

“We are anticipating a well fought tournament and we have one of the strongest fields here in recent memory. We have the defending champion here in Tyler Baldwin, another former champion in Steve Porter, two Sinnoh League champions in RJ Kennedy and Ash Ketchum, and three Ever Grande Conference champions in Tyson Lambert, Kelly Owens and Hiroshi Hayabusa.” Jonny turned his full attention to the television. He recognized the name Ketchum but he couldn’t remember why. After watching the preview, which was basically the television announcers talking about various trainers and their best Pokémon, Jonny gave up on remembering where he had heard the name Ash Ketchum before. “I’ll remember later.” Jonny said to himself right before his cheeseburger came out. “Looks great. Thanks.” Jonny smiled at the waitress, who gave Jonny a grin. As she walked away, Jonny started eating and all thoughts of Ash Ketchum were replaced by food, drink and the excellent view of the city streets.

******************************************************

“My lord, I have a question for you.” Shade was sitting in his office reviewing various plans and documents that he would need for the coming weeks when he heard a voice from the door.

“Yes?” Shade asked, waiting for the question from the young man in the doorway, who looked very nervous and was shivering slightly.

“I was thinking… What are we going to do about the trainers? The ones in the tournament? They are very elite battlers. Won’t they be able to stop us from acquiring the Flame?” The red-haired young man, who looked like he was barely twenty at the oldest asked. Shade smiled at the boy and waved him inside.

“I’m glad you thought of that Nichols. I was waiting for someone to ask me about that.” Shade replied and the young man let out the breath he had been holding. “You see, I’ve been reviewing tape of the preliminary rounds of the tournament and I’ve made a list of trainers that threaten our plans. Combining that with what I know about the seeded participants, I’ve made a short list of people we will have to keep away from the stadium when we attack. I will be giving this out to our people, so I figure you might as well have this copy.” Shade handed Nichols a piece of paper with fifteen names on it. “We plan to attack after all of these trainers have battled so they won’t be able to stop us. Oh and Nichols, good work. I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one that is prepared.” Shade said in a tone that made it clear to the young man that he was dismissed.

“Thank you sir.” Nichols hurried out of the office with the piece of paper clutched tightly in his hand. If he had read the list, he would have seen that the third name down from the top was Ash Ketchum: Pallet Town, Kanto.

 

[woops]

I've read it so far, and I really like Shade. He just strikes me of the overly awesome guy that appears in a series.

But one thing.

“We are anticipating a well fought tournament and we have one of the strongest fields here in recent memory. We have the defending champion here in Tyler Baldwin, another former champion in Steve Porter, two Sinnoh League champions in RJ Kennedy and Ash Ketchum, and three Ever Grande Conference champions in Tyson Lambert, Kelly Owens and Hiroshi Hayabusa.”

“We are anticipating a well fought tournament and we have one of the strongest fields here in recent memory. We have the defending champion here in Tyler Baldwin, another former champion in Steve Porter, two Sinnoh League champions in RJ Kennedy and Ash Ketchum, and three Ever Grande Conference champions in Tyson Lambert, Kelly Owens and Hiroshi Hayabusa.”

--Hayabusa--

Hayabusa

Or maybe I've just been playing too much Ninja Gaiden. I just imagined Ash fighting against some Ninja fanatic.

 

[Hector]

I've read it so far, and I really like Shade. He just strikes me of the overly awesome guy that appears in a series.

But one thing.



Hayabusa

Or maybe I've just been playing too much Ninja Gaiden. I just imagined Ash fighting against some Ninja fanatic.

yep. I'm a Ninja Gaiden fan. That's where I got the name. I was wondering if anybody would guess that.

 

[woops]

I feel smart now.

As for the fanfic, I didn't have much more to say. I suck at reviewing. I'll keep up, though!

Though, the only problem I had was I had no idea what the people looked like. I couldn't even guess at Shade. I imagined some sort of Skeleton-Lich thing.

 

[Hector]

Though, the only problem I had was I had no idea what the people looked like. I couldn't even guess at Shade. I imagined some sort of Skeleton-Lich thing.

Damn! I knew I was forgetting something I meant to put into this chapter. I've got a really good description of Shade that I wrote for this chapter... that I forgot to put in.

Looks like I'm going to have to edit. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

[Hector]

Here's Chapter Three. I knew it took a long time. I just didn't have a chance to get much writing in. And I know this isn't a very action packed chapter, but I promise some fireworks in Chapter Four, including Ash's first battle of the tournament.

Chapter Three: Through the Looking Glass


Shade looked at the digital clock by his bedside with his eyes only halfway open. 5:45 AM. Groaning, the pale-skinned man pulled himself out of bed. “Another early morning.” He said softly to himself as he took a couple of sleepy steps away from the bedside. He always made sure that he was the first one in his entire organization awake. He didn’t do this because he was a hard worker; but because he wanted to make sure that he was fully dressed before any pressing matters that needed his attention were to occur. This desire was not a desire to be prepared for the day; it was a desire to hide his true appearance from the world. Nearly every morning, Shade attempted to talk himself out of rising before six until he walked into the bathroom and saw himself in the mirror. His skin was incredibly pale and he had multiple jagged scars running down his chest as well as a large one across his right cheek. The only hair remaining on his head was a few white wisps that were incredibly out of place for a man that hadn’t even hit forty years old. But the thing that was most unusual about Shade’s appearance was his eyes. His pupils were a deep purple and his irises were dark navy blue with red speckles spread throughout. Shade quickly turned away from the mirror and stepped into the shower. The warm water helped to pull him out of his melancholy thoughts. Even though Shade put on an emotionless front for his men, the truth was that he still had doubts and feelings. The only time that he was not able to suppress these was in the early hours, when he couldn’t help but dwell for a few minutes on the life-changing chemical accident that had destroyed his appearance and should have killed him. As a young man, Shade was a prodigy in the scientific community and was quickly becoming one of the government’s top researchers. But late one night, Shade was working alone and misread a label on a bottle because of fatigue. This eventually led to a massive chemical explosion that left Shade with severe burns on his entire body. The shards of glass that flew everywhere had scarred him for life. The chemicals were so strong that he nearly lost all of his hair and his eye color was permanently changed. As a result of the mishap that had destroyed the multi-million dollar secret government lab, Shade was fired from his job and disgraced from the scientific community, changing the course of his life forever. He had disappeared from the eyes of the public and had been working steadily towards revenge against the government that had cast him aside ever since.

Getting out of the shower, Shade quickly dried himself off and pulled on a black shirt and grey pants. Without hesitating, he walked over to his closet and pulled out a hooded black robe. He wore the robe to hide his hair and eyes from view. Pulling the hood above his eyes, Shade nodded and walked out of his bedroom and headed for the elevator.

“My lord.” Shade nodded to the man who held the elevator open for him.

“Jenkins. What are you doing up this early?” Shade asked. “It’s only 6:15 in the morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep sir.” Jenkins answered honestly. “Just heading down to get a cup of coffee before reporting for duty.”

“I see.” Shade smiled. He had quickly put all thoughts about his past and his appearance and was instead happy to see that Jenkins was a competent employee who was up early for work. “I’ll join you then.”

*******************************************

“Arceus damnit!” Jonny cursed as he stumbled out of his bed and into the bathroom. “The light is killing me. Damn headache.” Jonny mumbled in a frustrated and tired voice as he rubbed his eyes and looked in the mirror. He frowned because he realized that he looked terrible. His normally bright and shining ice blue eyes were dull and bloodshot. His light blonde hair was a rumpled mess and he had to hold onto the marble counter to keep himself from falling to the white tile floor. “Mental note. Don’t party that hard. Ever again.” Jonny thought as he slumped against the tile wall in the shower. He reached over and turned the water on and just let the hot water flow on his body. He had no idea how long he actually stood motionless under the warm and soothing water but eventually he woke up enough to clean himself up and get out of the shower. Wearing just a blue towel, he walked out of the bathroom and looked around his room. His bed was still fully made, a fact that made Jonny laugh. “That means I didn’t even get a chance to get in bed.” He said to himself as he clutched his head. “Damn. Need a headache cure now.” Jonny cursed as he opened the closet in the back of the room and started rummaging through his backpack. After a few moments, he triumphantly pulled a small plastic bottle out and opened it. Pouring four brown pills into his hand, Jonny threw them into his mouth and swallowed.

After a few minutes of lying on his bed and watching television, Jonny decided to get going for the day. On the bottom right corner of the screen, Jonny noticed that it was just after nine thirty in the morning. He waited for the weather reports to come on before getting dressed; he was thrilled to see that it was going to be sunny and warm with no chance of rain the entire day. Going back into the closet, Jonny looked at his entire wardrobe for a moment trying to figure out what to wear. Reaching a decision, he changed into a pair of tan cargo shorts and a white polo shirt. After fixing his hair, Jonny grabbed his Poké belt and backpack and was planning on leaving. But two steps away from the door, he realized that his eyes were still incredibly bloodshot. After considering the problem for a moment, Jonny took a pair of amber aviator sunglasses out of his backpack and put them on. “Perfect.” Jonny winked at his reflection in the mirror before walking out the door.

*************************************

Ash yawned and stretched out as he looked at the clock by his bedside. “Brock, is it really eleven?” Ash asked his friend, who was sitting on the balcony outside the room drinking a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper.

“Yep.” Brock answered as Ash walked over. “No need to wake you up because you don’t need to register until tonight.”

“You’re right. So what’s everyone up to today?” Ash asked as he pulled up a chair. Even though he was only wearing a pair of black boxers, he was still warm because of the heat.

“I already did some shopping for supplies this morning. The girls are out in town. Clothes shopping you know.” Ash and Brock both grinned because they were both happy that they weren’t forced to go along.

“Anything interesting in the paper today?” Ash asked.

“There’s a good bit in here about the tournament. You’re mentioned a few times.” Brock answered without looking up from the paper. Ash wasn’t sure what to think about this. While he thought it was cool that people recognized his skill as a trainer, the fact he was a minor celebrity annoyed him.

“Great. Means I’m going to have to deal with that the whole time.” Ash muttered as he stood up and walked back into the room. “I’m getting some food then I’ll be back.”

“I expected you would want food as soon as you got up!” Brock shouted from the balcony, which brought a smile to Ash’s face as he walked into the bathroom to pull himself together. He looked at his messy black hair, which he made no effort to tame because he just put his black hat with a red Poké ball symbol on to cover his hair. Since he was shirtless, his athletic frame was clearly visible; being on the road for seven years meant that Ash was in good shape without trying to be. After shaving quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth.

“You know that facial hair makes you look far more mature.” Brock shouted from outside.

“You’re just saying that because you have your goatee.” Ash countered.

“Exactly.” Brock smirked as Ash left the bathroom and started rummaging through his suitcase for his favorite outfit. After a moment Ash found the clothes he was looking for. He was holding a blue long sleeved shirt and light blue jeans. He pulled on a pair of blue and red biker gloves after changing into his shirt and pants. Since the weather was warm, Ash bunched the sleeves of his shirt up before grabbing his backpack and heading for the door.

“I’ll be back in a few.” Ash shouted to Brock, who waved him out the door.

***********************************

Jonny was walking down a large street with shops and restaurants everywhere when he heard a girl shout from the other side of the road. “Jackie! Jackie Walker! Is that you?” Jonny stopped and turned towards the source of the shouting. He was intending on correcting her mistake and going on his way until he actually saw who was yelling for him. He was looking at a group of three girls and they were all beautiful. The one in the middle who had called out his brother’s name was a curvy brunette who was wearing a light blue bandana, a light blue shirt with a white design and a pair of short white shorts. To her right was a taller girl with long flowing red hair who was wearing a short yellow halter top that showed off her toned stomach. Next to her was a girl who was wearing a black and pink short skirt and pink boots that showed off her legs that went on for days.

“Damn… Let’s hope today is my lucky day.” Jonny said to himself as he hurried to cross the street to reach the three girls.

“Jackie?” The brunette asked when Jonny approached the three of them. “Is that you?”

“Nope. That’s my older brother.” Jonny smiled at the three girls. “But don’t worry about it, everyone tells us that we look a lot alike.”

“Oh.” The brunette said as she blushed because of her mistake. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, like I said don’t worry about it. I’m Jonny by the way.” Jonny introduced himself.

“I’m May. May Maple.” May answered. “And these are my friends Misty and Dawn.” May motioned to the two girls with her.

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you three.” Jonny said. “So May, how do you know my brother?”

“It’s a long story.” May replied.

“Well how about you tell me over lunch.” Jonny said smoothly and May smiled brightly.

“Sounds good to me. Guys?” May answered as Misty and Dawn nodded excitedly. “We’re hungry from shopping all morning.” Jonny led the three girls to a small Italian place that was a bit secluded from the main thoroughfare of the city. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks for the preliminaries.” Jonny explained when Dawn asked him how he knew of the place. “So why are the three of you here?”

“Our friend is competing in the tournament. We just got here because he earned a bye into the bracket.” Misty answered. Jonny thought for a moment and he realized that meant that he was with the friends of one of the top contenders for the title.

“That’s cool.” Jonny remarked as they sat down at a small table outside that had a great view of a river that ran across a good part of the plateau. “So who are you here with?”

“Ash Ketchum.” Dawn answered and Jonny looked thoughtful.

“I swear I’ve heard that name somewhere.” Jonny said softly to himself but May heard him.

“Probably your brother.” May interrupted his thoughts. “After all Ash and I helped your brother with the Manaphy incident.” Having heard the story of Jackie’s encounter with Manaphy in great detail, Jonny’s face lit up.

“Yes! Thank you May!” Jonny shouted excitedly. “I knew it had something to do with my brother.”

“No problem Jonny.” May answered with a slight blush covering her face because of the young man’s excitement. She looked him over closely and saw how much he did resemble his older brother. The exception to this was his ice blue eyes. Even through his sunglasses, May could see the cool confidence flowing through them. She was instantly reminded of her ex-boyfriend, her former rival Drew.

****************************************

“And that’s how we plan to infiltrate the security system, deactivate the alarms, and take the flame.” Shade was once again running through a diagram of the underground passage ways that formed a labyrinth inside the Indigo Plateau.

“Sir. A question.” A voice spoke up from the back of the room.

“Yes.” Shade made it clear that he was not angry that there seemed to be a misunderstanding.

“You said we have to go through the irrigation system, correct?” Shade nodded as this was indeed his plan. “But what if the water is filled with chemicals? It could be toxic.”

“I see.” Shade said after a brief moment. “I have thought about that. That is why I will be supplying everyone with portable breathers.” Shade pulled a small mouthpiece out of his briefcase that was set on the table. “This device will purify the oxygen that it extracts from the water.” Seeing the satisfied expressions of his operatives, Shade smiled. “Alright, now that there are no more questions, this meeting is dismissed.”

 

[Legacy]

Shade is a badass! Anyways, great chapters man. I really enjoy your detail and protrayal of your characters. I would suggest spacing your paragraphs a bit more often just so it isn't so grueling to read the long ones. Other than that, fantastic stuff!

Great storyline.

 

[Hector]

Shade is a badass! Anyways, great chapters man. I really enjoy your detail and protrayal of your characters. I would suggest spacing your paragraphs a bit more often just so it isn't so grueling to read the long ones. Other than that, fantastic stuff!

Great storyline.

yeah I did have a couple of huge paragraphs. but next chapter the action kicks in and everything will be nice and spaced out. Thanks for the review.

 

[woops]

Shade is a badass! Anyways, great chapters man. I really enjoy your detail and protrayal of your characters. I would suggest spacing your paragraphs a bit more often just so it isn't so grueling to read the long ones. Other than that, fantastic stuff!

Great storyline.

Yes. This.

Also, the description of Shade made my head nearly explode of awesomeness. It needs to stop doing that.

 

[Hector]

Also, the description of Shade made my head nearly explode of awesomeness. It needs to stop doing that.

I'll keep that in mind

 

[Hector]

Wow... I completely put this on hiatus without meaning to. So to the few people who read this... sorry about that. But now that I remembered I had this story, I won't take eons between chapters again. I promise.

And I regret I broke the promise of Ash's first battle being in this chapter. But to make you feel better, Jonny's first battle is there. And to those who like Shade... sorry. He's going to have a much bigger role in the upcoming chapters though.

Without further ado, here's the next installment:



Chapter Four: Let the Games Begin




“He’s a nice guy.” May said softly as she, Misty and Dawn went back to their room, which was across the hall from Ash and Brock’s.

“Well to be fair, you were eying him the entire time.” Dawn had a triumphant look on her face. “Not that I blame you.” May’s face flushed bright red, a combination of a blush and anger at Dawn.

“What? I was not.” May denied Dawn’s accusations vehemently.

“Sorry hon, but you were.” Misty agreed with Dawn rather quickly. “But if it makes you feel any better, he was clearly interested.” May smiled slightly and looked down at the small piece of paper in her hand. Jonny had slipped her his phone number before they had parted ways. She hadn’t mentioned this detail to the other two girls because she hadn’t wanted them to read too much into it, but she realized that it was too late.

“He wasn’t and I certainly wasn’t.” May denied once more with a slight blush on her face.

“He was not what? And who was he?” Brock had overheard the girls’ conversation from his spot in front of the television. Ash was there as well, but he was busy looking over a sheet of tournament rules with Pikachu and thus wasn’t paying attention to the noise from the hallway.

“Remember Jackie Walker from all those years ago?” May quickly asked Brock to prevent either of the other two girls from saying anything.

“Is he here?” Brock asked, clearly hoping that he’d be able to catch up with the Pokémon ranger after all this time.

“His little brother is.” Dawn butted in. “May mistook him for Jackie. After correcting her, he took us out to lunch anyways.” Brock nodded, waiting for further explanation.

“Jonny is competing in the tournament.” Misty added. “He had to make his way through the preliminary rounds, so he’s already been here for a couple of weeks.”

“And how is Jackie?” Brock asked, and Ash finally figured out what they were talking about.

“Jackie?!? As in Jack Walker? Is he here?” Ash was clearly excited about seeing Jack, as he was talking quickly in a louder voice than usual.

“No. It’s his younger brother. The girls ran into him and thought it was Jackie. Apparently, he took them out to lunch and that’s why they’re back so late.” Ash looked at the three girls for a moment, but he was his typically clueless self and didn’t pick up the blush on May’s face and the amused looks that the other two girls were wearing.

“Do you think I’ll get to meet him?” Ash asked. “I’d like to hear how Jack is doing.”

“I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.” Dawn said in a sly voice and May glared at her.

“Well that’s good. If he’s anything like his older brother…” Ash trailed off because he was thinking about how he had idolized Jack during their brief journey together. May looked like she was going to say something, but decided against it. The conversation quickly moved away from the subject of Jonny and Jackie Walker to the reason why Ash and the others were there: the registration for the Indigo Conference Championship tournament that was taking place later that night.

**********************************

“Mikey, how are you?” Jonny was on the phone with his best friend. He was sitting in a small outdoor café enjoying a tall glass of lemonade and a plate of nachos when his phone had gone off.

“I’m good Jonny. And it just so happens that the tournament officials requested a squad of rangers to patrol the Plateau in case anything funny happens.” It took Jonny a few moments to figure out what this meant. Once he did, a smile quickly came to his face.

“So when are you getting here?” Jonny asked eagerly.

“Later this afternoon.” Mikey answered. “But Jonny, I’m on duty.” He added warningly.

“I know, I know.” Jonny said quickly. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have some fun too.” He added in a roguish voice. “Because everything you could ask for is here; girls, bars, clubs… it’s a dream.”

“Don’t you have a tournament to compete in?” Mikey had always been the rational one of the pair and he quickly took Jonny out of his dream world.

“I do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time while I’m here too.” Jonny rationalized and he started to laugh when he heard Mikey sigh loudly on the other end of the line.

“I’ll make sure you don’t do anything stupid. Like always.” Mikey joked before Jonny heard numerous voices through the phone. “Jonny, I have to go. Planning meeting before we depart. I’ll let you know when we get here.”

“Alright Mikey, see you later.” Jonny ended the call and took a sip of his drink. He was excited that his closest childhood friend was going to be there for the tournament, which Jonny knew was going to make an already good few weeks even better.

*******************************************

Jonny couldn’t believe how much excitement there was for the upcoming tournament around the entire city. If he didn’t know better, he would have guessed that matches were already under way. But this wasn’t the case. The truth was that the current night time attraction was the official revelation of the final bracket for the championship. Over the years, this had become a made for TV event, with broadcasters, fans, interviews… the works really as Jonny put it in his head.

“Relax. It’s not like you have to battle tonight.” Mikey gave Jonny a pat on the back because he noticed how nervous his friend was. Out of all the people Jonny had met and befriended over the years, Mikey was the person he trusted the most and he was willing to tell him everything.

“I know.” Jonny said after a moment. “It’s just that I’m going to be seen by so many people on television… and if I do something stupid…” Jonny didn’t even want to consider the possibility of embarrassing himself.

“Then don’t do anything stupid. That’s why I’m here after all; to make sure you don’t screw up. The usual really.” Mikey smiled and Jonny felt the tension in his body flow away. The pair continued the short walk from Jonny’s hotel room to the main stadium, where the bracket announcement was taking place. Jonny took note of every detail of the city streets; the light cobblestone was bathed in bright lights which created a brilliant effect. The streets were crowded with excited and exuberant people, all clearly headed to the same place. Jonny could hear snippets of conversations as he and Mikey continued the stroll in silence; nearly everyone was talking about matches they wanted to see between their favorite trainers and who they thought was going to win the championship. Jonny knew that all these good-natured arguments were typical in the days leading up to a major tournament, but he was also somewhat impressed with the random people he was listening to; nearly all of them were well informed and clearly knew about battles and proper strategy.

“Names.” Jonny was taken out of his own world by a burly security guard, who was standing in front of a glass door that labeled ‘Trainers Only’ in bold black letters. Jonny took a moment to realize that the large man, who had a black crew cut and was wearing a grey suit, was talking to him.

“Jonny Walker.” Jonny answered as he took out his gold and silver accented badge case and Pokédex to prove his identity. After the man waved him through, Jonny stood off to the side, waiting for Mikey to follow. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. The room he was in reminded him of a Poké center, except that all the typical features were far more luxurious than usual. Instead of one Nurse Joy manning a single desk, there was a line of ten check-in desks, each manned by a Joy sibling. Next to these desks was a computer complex with a number of Pokémon transfer stations, making it much easier for trainers to sub members of their team in and out. Most of the spacious room was taken up by a waiting room and a hangout for the competing trainers and their companions. Numerous large leather couches were spread out throughout the area and there were tables and large flat screen televisions interspersed as well. And in the back of the room, was a large buffet that took up ten tables and Jonny could smell all sorts of delicious smells. He was so taken in by how beautiful the room was that he didn’t even notice the trainers all around him and it took him a second to notice the pair of thin, feminine arms wrapped around his waist.

“Jonny!” He realized whose arms were holding him and a content smile came to his face.

“May, how are you?” Jonny asked enthusiastically as he briefly returned the curvy brunette’s tight hug.

“Great. This place is amazing, isn’t it?” May asked and Jonny nodded vigorously. Jonny was about to ask her what she was doing here but he was interrupted by a very familiar and clearly amused voice.

“And who would this be?” Jonny and May spun around simultaneously and faced Mikey, who clearly wanted to burst out laughing at the light blushes that soon presented themselves on both Jonny and May’s faces.

“Err… right. May, this is my best friend and Pokémon ranger Mikey Johnson. Mikey, this is May Maple, Pokémon coordinator extraordinaire.” Jonny handled the introductions smoothly and Mikey and May quickly shook hands. As the three of them talked about upcoming events, May observed that it was somewhat odd that Jonny and Mikey were apparently very close friends because Mikey didn’t appear to fit very well with Jonny. While she already could tell Jonny was a bit of a rogue and was blessed with classic good looks and a very athletic build, Mikey had a bookish appearance. He wore thin squared framed glasses, was slightly shorter than average, and was built like a stick: slightly longer than normal arms and legs and a very thin and sinewy frame. His only notable feature was his bright emerald green eyes which shone brilliantly even in the brightly lighted room. May also noticed that he was somewhat shy and awkward by his hesitancy to answer her brief questions.

“So this is Jonny…” Jonny turned to face Brock and Ash with a quizzical look on his face. “May told us about you.” Brock explained for Jonny’s benefit. “We’re good friends of your older brother. I’m Brock Slate and this is Ash Ketchum.” Jonny shook both offered hands and after a few minutes of small talk between the group of trainers, an amplified voice grabbed their attention.

“Trainers and guests! Welcome to the tournament selection show!” Every head in the room turned to a tall thin man with grey hair who was holding a microphone and was waving to the television cameras that had been wheeled into the room. “And a welcome to all of you watching from home!” The man shouted enthusiastically, and Jonny shook his head with an amused expression on his face. “I’m Mick Page and I’ll be your host this evening. Now are you ready to see the official bracket for the first time!” As the man said this, he pulled a sheet off of a massive television screen. The screen displayed a quarter of the bracket. “This is the quarter of the bracket featuring the defending champion and top seed, Tyler Baldwin!” Jonny stopped listening to the television host, who was now interviewing Baldwin, to scan the first part of the bracket himself to see if he was listed. A weird feeling hit his stomach, not of nervousness necessarily, but the feeling that his fate had been sealed. His name was listed towards the bottom of the first quadrant. His opponent was a Brendan James, a name he wasn’t familiar with. He also noticed that if everything went as he planned, he would be facing the defending champion in the quarterfinals.

The next few minutes were a blur to Jonny. He watched the crowds react to the analysis of each competitor’s team, and he responded to his friends’ questions and encouragement. But he wasn’t focused on what was going on in the room, he was focused on his first battle, which was set to take place the next night in the main stadium. He could already hear the noise of the crowd, tens of thousands of people cheering his name.

The show quickly continued and the next quadrant of the bracket was introduced. “This is the quarter of the bracket featuring the second seed and reigning Sinnoh league champion Ash Ketchum!” A quick video montage of Ash’s Sinnoh league victory from the year before, mainly staring his Infernape, Buizel, Staraptor and of course Pikachu, played on the big screen where the bracket was being displayed as the host went through Ash’s accomplishments. Jonny was highly amused that Ash was blushing and looking down at the ground because of all the attention being showered on him. Brock and Misty shared a knowing smile at Ash’s reaction; as both of them had known him for years, neither was remotely surprised that Ash felt awkward with all the praise being heaped on him.

Watching the rest of the bracket show, Jonny soon realized that he had one of the battles on the first night of the tournament. “Tomorrow night… get your first battle out of the way.” Mikey pointed out.

“Yep. That also means I can enjoy tonight.” Jonny smiled roguishly. “Because I have all day tomorrow to prepare.”

“And would enjoying tonight involve a certain brunette?” Mikey asked Jonny, who vigorously shook his head to hide the fact that he was blushing slightly.

“You’re getting the wrong idea.” Jonny insisted. “She and I are just friends. I only met her yesterday.”

“And that proves my point.” Mikey said quickly. “I didn’t say a name, but you clearly had one on your mind.”

“You’re insane.” Jonny muttered. “Too much time out in the woods by yourself has rotted your mind.”

“Whatever, Jonathan.” Mikey used Jonny’s full name to annoy him further. “I’ll drop this for now, mostly because I know there’s someone you’d rather spend the rest of the night with. And I have to get back on duty.”

“You suck. So much.” Jonny said in a half-serious tone as he turned to walk away. “You are way too smart for your own good, you know that right?” He added over his shoulder. Mikey smiled slightly before leaving the party.

*******************************

Jonny could feel the electricity in the air as he walked onto the battle field for his first round matchup. Although he had battled in multiple matches in this same stadium in the preliminaries, there was a clear difference in the crowd. The stadium was filled to maximum capacity and all fifty five thousand people present were on their feet screaming in anticipation.

Knowing that it was a three on three battle rather than a full six on six affair, Jonny had planned his team carefully. He knew that he needed a solution to every possible situation, something that wasn’t easy to achieve with such a small team. But he was still confident because he had faith in his three chosen Pokémon and he had faith in himself as a trainer. Even though it was nine o’clock at night, Jonny was wearing his aviator sunglasses because of how bright the stadium lights were. A cold breeze swept through the arena, making him thankful for the white sweater he had put on before leaving the locker room. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the stars made the arena even brighter than usual, so much so that the visibility on the field was basically the same as it was during the daytime.

“May I have your attention please.” Jonny could hear the announcer, who was sitting at the center of the field. “The first round match between Jonny Walker of the Hoenn region and Brendan James from Saffron City is about to begin!” A roar erupted from the crowd as Jonny took a good look at his opponent for the first time. James was a young boy, no more than thirteen years old, but he looked confident and ready to go. He was wearing all black except for the red sweatband around his head.

“Hey kid.” Jonny called out over the crowd noise. “Good luck.” He didn’t get an answer, so he just shrugged and pulled a Poké ball off his belt. Jonny had decided on his first Pokémon hours before the battle. “Alright Blaze. This is yours to win.” Jonny didn’t care that he was choosing first. He had a feeling that his opponent didn’t have anything that could beat his Infernape, who had just appeared out of a flash of red light. The flaming chimp Pokémon looked ready to battle and was staring intently at the Raticate that James had chosen.

“Okay! We’ve got Infernape against Raticate. Let the match begin!” Jonny ignored the crowd noise and focused intently on the battle. He watched closely as Raticate started to close the distance between the two Pokémon.


“Let’s see how Jonny battles.” Ash said softly. He and the rest of the group were sitting three rows back from the action and even he noticed how interested May was in the action, even if he wasn’t sure why that was the case. “He’s got a big advantage in this battle. Infernape is a very powerful battler. And I would know.” Ash smiled because he had one of his own and it was one of his most trusted team members.

“I know.” May said quickly. “But I’m still nervous for him.” She added after a moment in a voice barely above a whisper. “GO JONNY!” She shouted loudly.


Jonny recognized the voice among the others because of how close to the field May was. A hint of a smile crossed his face as he finally gave an order to his Infernape. “Blaze, Close Combat! Don’t give that rat a chance!” Jonny shouted confidently and Infernape closed the short distance between himself and Raticate in two quick strides. From the moment that Infernape connected with the first right hook to Raticate’s oversized jaw, it was clear to everyone that the rat Pokémon was out of its league. In an eerily similar manner that Jonny’s last preliminary match ended, Infernape backed Raticate up with a brutal combination of kicks and punches. A flurry of jabs and a right hook stunned Raticate and prevented any counter attack. Two quick kicks with the right foot sent the rat Pokémon staggering back and it was clear that it was difficult to even remain standing for the large rat. The crowd was getting louder and louder with each strike, drowning out Brendan’s desperate orders to his Pokémon. Jonny could see the kid screaming, but he had no idea what he was saying, or even if his Pokémon could hear. With one final roundhouse kick to the jaw, Infernape sent Raticate crashing into the wall. It was a testament to the toughness of Raticate that it was even able to attempt to get to its feet. But Jonny had no intention of leaving the slightest opening. “Finish it Blaze! You got this!” Jonny shouted and Infernape closed the distance before Raticate could do at thing. Brendan shouted for a Hyper Fang attack, but Infernape slugged Raticate with one last punch, a bone shattering uppercut, that dropped Raticate like a stone before it could use its own attack.

“Raticate is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner!” The announcer shouted as loud as he could to propel his voice over the roaring of the appreciative crowd. They knew that Infernape had just put on a very impressive display by knocking out Raticate without giving his opponent the slightest opening to attack or even flee the barrage of kicks and punches.


“WAY TO GO JONNY! TWO MORE!” May yelled. Dawn and Misty were cheering as well, but they were nowhere near as loud as their friend was.

“That was impressive.” Ash admitted. “Quick, powerful and efficient.”

“Yes it was.” Brock echoed. “I want to see what else he has in the tank.”


“This next battle will be between Infernape and Wartortle.” Jonny cringed. He was going up against a bad typing for Infernape. But he felt like showing off, so he didn’t make a switch.

“What are you thinking?” He asked himself as the blue turtle Pokémon shot a quick burst of water at Infernape, who easily dodged. “Blaze! Grass Knot!” Jonny shouted and Infernape closed his eyes and focused. The scattered sprouts of vegetation that covered the mostly stone and dust field were just enough for an effective attack. At once, a massive wave of grasses shot up from the ground and trapped Wartortle. Although the attack was super effective, it wasn’t doing critical damage even when Wartortle lost its balance and fell down face first. “Perfect. Now get in there and do your thing.” Jonny knew that he could just let Infernape loose on the trapped turtle. “Just don’t get hit.”

Everyone in the stadium watched with bated breath as Infernape charged at Wartortle, dodging attacks all the way. Infernape slid under a Water Gun attack, then dashed to the left to evade a Hydro Pump. Only feet separated the two battlers when Wartortle used another Hydro Pump. Everyone in the stands was anticipating a direct strike because they assumed that Infernape was too close to dodge. But they were wrong. “Jump!” Jonny shouted and Infernape sprung into the air. The torrent of water passed inches below the ape’s feet and slammed harmlessly into the wall of the arena. “Now Thunderpunch!” Jonny ordered and the yellow aura that surrounded Infernape’s fist was crackling with energy. Unfortunately for Jonny, he had made a crucial mistake: he had sent Infernape on a straight attack vector, so once his punch made contact, there was nowhere for Infernape to go. So when Wartortle unleashed yet another Hydro Pump, it struck Infernape straight in the face. The water connecting with the flaming monkey covered the entire field with smoke, making it impossible to see if either Pokémon was still standing. A few seconds passed before the smoke cleared, but to Jonny it seemed like an eternity. Once he saw what had happened, he pumped his fist excitedly and screamed joyfully. Wartortle had keeled over and was clearly out of the battle. But to make Jonny even happier, Infernape was still in it; albeit exhausted and down on one knee, but still standing nonetheless. “You did it!” Jonny shouted over the thunderous cheers emanating from the capacity crowd.

“Wartortle is unable to battle. Infernape is the winner.” The shocked and heartbroken expression on his opponent’s face didn’t damper the joy that Jonny was feeling in the slightest. Even though there was still at least one more battle to go, everyone in the entire stadium, and everyone watching on television from their homes knew that the match was all but over.

“Blaze. I’m calling it a day for you unless shit hits the fan here. You’ve done more than enough.” Jonny held out a Poké ball and recalled his Infernape with a joyful smile creasing his face. He reached down and casually flipped another Poké ball onto the field without appearing to even think about his decision. “Alright Bolt, time to end this.” Jonny said to his new battler, his Jolteon.

“Walker has taken his Infernape out of the battle and has replaced him with a Jolteon. James has chosen to counter with a Hitmonlee.” Jonny surveyed the field with a wry smile on his face. He knew that he had a speed advantage, but with Hitmonlee’s impressive kicking range he would have to be careful.

“Hitmonlee, Mega Kick!” Brendan started the battle off quickly, clearly desperate for something to go right.

“Alright Bolt, time for some hit and run action. Pin Missile!” Jonny ordered and Jolteon quickly shot hundreds of yellow pins at Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee shrugged the volley of arrow like bolts off like they were nothing and kept up his charge. “Alright Bolt, evade and use Discharge when you get a chance.” Jonny suggested and Jolteon dashed to his left, leaped on top of a boulder and managed to jump over Hitmonlee’s head. The fighting type attempted to kick Bolt out of the air, but the veteran Jolteon was able to dodge and took off running towards the other side of the field. Hitmonlee began to charge again, and once he got in range, Jolteon released a powerful dome of electric energy that enveloped most of the battlefield.

Hitmonlee had no chance to dodge and was struck by the attack. Sparks flew across the brown Pokémon’s body as he struggled to keep in the battle. After a brief moment, it was clear that Hitmonlee had shaken off most of the damage. Brendan was pleased and was starting too look slightly more confident. Even though Bolt’s attacks weren’t appearing to do much damage, Jonny was pleased with his electric type’s performance. He was using his strongest asset, Jolteon’s blazing speed, to keep him out of harms way.

The two battlers faced each other twenty feet apart in the center of the arena. The crowd was silent in anticipation of a resolution either way. “T-Bolt now!” Jonny went for the finisher, which was an attack that he had created especially for Bolt. The attack was a combination of a standard Thunderbolt attack, but made much more deadly by combining the high voltage electric attack with a volley of Pin Missiles. In effect, each pin was charged to the brim with energy. The only negative to using this attack was that it sapped the majority of Jolteon’s energy reserves, and he would have to rest for a moment after attacking and it would take a few minutes before he could use another electrical attack. In effect, Jonny was choosing the all or nothing strategy.

Bolt crouched down and released his specialty attack. At the same time, Hitmonlee was covering the distance between the two Pokémon in quick powerful hops. But this decision would prove to be the end for the fighting type. Ten oversized pins, each bigger than the normal Pin Missile attack and each crackling with over ten thousand volts, slammed into Hitmonlee in a deadly barrage. Brendan was clearly confused because he had been expecting a Thunderbolt attack based on what Jonny had shouted. But T-Bolt meant Ten Bolts, not Thunderbolt. Hitmonlee didn’t have a chance. The powerful fighting type staggered forward as visible streaks of lightning swept across his body. After two agonizing steps, Hitmonlee crumbled to the floor face first, bringing up a small cloud of dust when he hit the ground. Jonny threw his hat in the air in celebration and pumped his fist excitedly as the crowd went wild cheering for his team’s outstanding effort.

“And that’s the battle! Jonny Walker advances to the next round without loosing a single Pokémon. The final statistics for Walker: Infernape; 2 knockouts and not defeated. Jolteon; 1 knockout and not defeated. For James: Raticate; defeated with no knockouts. Wartortle; defeated with no knockouts. Hitmonlee; defeated with no knockouts.” Jonny didn’t hear a single world of the announcer’s final thoughts because he was too busy waving to the sizable crowd and celebrating his convincing victory. He walked into the locker room with a grin on his face listening to the crowd’s cheers slowly fading into the warm night.

 

[Hector]

just alerting all my readers (because there's so many of you *sarcasm*) that I did some editing of the already posted material.

 

[1337R34P3R]

i'm here...*cries*...

 

[woops]

So am I. Quite a winner battle.