What Dreams Are Made Of [Archive] - Page 2

mr_pikachu

3rd July 2004, 03:48 AM

Okay, I'm posting again, without any more replies, and only four days since the last chapter. Are you suffering from delusions? Have I finally gone insane and starting double posting just to ask witty questions? Or do I actually have another chapter ready?

What do you think? :lol:

Get ready for another chapter of WDAMO, everyone! Something I alluded to previously will finally be revealed, right here! It's time for Chapter 43!

Chapter 43

“Sir!” Giovanni groaned once more as the footsteps behind him approached. “Sir! I have some information about your operation!”

“Marcus…” The boss glared at the young man before him. “If this is another theory, I could put the bullets in your brain this time…”

The teenager gulped nervously. “N-no, sir, it isn’t that. I decided to tweak the film from the dome incident on my own time–”

“YOU ALTERED MY PROPERTY WITHOUT ORDERS?” his boss boomed. The boy shrunk back, and after considering the option of fleeing, continued.

“Well… yes… I suppose so… but I found some crucial information. The magnetic field disrupted the cameras, so the signals have been blurred for the past few–”

He stopped. The frighteningly familiar revolver was now cocked and pressed against his forehead. “Marcus, tell me something I don’t know now, or you die,” Giovanni growled.

“W-w-well, sir… that guy you’ve been watching… he didn’t have his Pokéballs when he left the area… sir.”

Giovanni’s eyes flashed open. During the conversation between Professor Oak and Ash, the boy mentioned that he didn’t have all of his Pokémon with him… the criminal boss mentally cursed himself for overlooking such an obvious remark. The legendaries… was it possible that they were still missing?

Everyone in the building cringed as yet another bullet was fired from Giovanni’s gun. In seconds, Giovanni had called several members of his staff.

“Get a search area to the eastern border of Luanda, now. Yes, NOW, damn it!”

Back in Luanda, Ash had just stepped into the Luanda Gym for the second time, anxiously waiting for the chance to try his strategy against Raini. Sure, his Pokémon weren’t his strongest, but that couldn’t matter. After all, he’d prevailed with worse odds before.

On the opposite side of the field, Raini stepped in. Strangely enough, this was not the familiar, hotheaded, cruel Raini they’d seen before. If it was possible, she was now worse, bearing an unearthly scowl that made even Ash step back. Her sky-blue bikini was still a distraction for Brock, but Ash kept his mind off it, reminding himself that he had much more important things to worry about now.

“So, Ash,” she began, “your pitiful friend was able to pull off a miracle against my team. Think you can do the same?”

“Raini, you don’t stand a chance today!” Ash retorted. With the strategy he had laid out, he truly believed that comment.

“Bring it,” she grunted, pausing only to toss a Pokéball into the arena. The form of a long, elegant Dewgong formed in the water, and it was all Ash could do to keep from smirking.

‘Okay,’ he thought. ‘Charizard’s Flamethrower should be able to turn the water in that center pool into vapor. Once the field’s to my advantage, stopping Raini’s Pokémon should be a breeze!’

“Get ready, Raini!” Ash cried. “Charizard, let’s go!”

The Pokéball soared into the air, and everyone present eagerly anticipated the emergence of the mighty fire lizard, Charizard. As the ball burst open, Pikachu looked up abruptly.

“Aaab…”

Ash drew back instantly. Everyone in the Gym was in complete shock. Their surprise was compounded further by the fact that Ash’s Pokémon suddenly disappeared without a trace.

“Is this some sort of a joke?” Raini muttered.

“Um… uh… I don’t… I don’t know…”

The Gym Leader sighed. “Well, your Abra just Teleported out of the battlefield… and out of the Gym entirely. That means you forfeit the round.”

“What? But I–”

“Just send out your next Pokémon, Ash. And pray that this one actually obeys you.”

It was all Ash could do to keep from lashing out at Raini, but he merely gritted his teeth and grasped another Pokéball. He’d had a backup plan in case Charizard couldn’t defeat Dewgong, anyway…

But why wasn’t Charizard in his Ball?

“Go, Tauros!” The ball exploded, and the scarlet energy by the edge of the pool formed the familiar shape of…

Magikarp?

“I really hope you’re joking now, Ash…” Raini yelled from across the arena.

“I…” Ash shook his head furiously. “Oh, what the heck is going on here?”

Magikarp was knocked senseless instantly by an Ice Beam, and Ash was forced to rethink his strategy once more. Not that his mind wasn’t on other things, as well.

“Guys…” May began, “just what is going on? Why did Ash send out those two Pokémon? I didn’t even know he had either of those two–”

“That’s because he doesn’t,” Brock interrupted. “Ash has never once caught or used one of those Pokémon, or even any others related to them. Something’s up. And I intend to find out what.”

He jogged out of the Gym, leaving behind cries of “Hey, wait!” and “Where are you going?”

In the meantime, Ash had come up with a solution. The only problem (besides his having already lost two Pokémon) was that every time he tried to send out a Pokémon, something entirely different than what he anticipated appeared.

“Okay… go, Corphish?” he said. It was the first time he’d ever released a Pokémon with a question.

And sure enough, his worst fears were revealed to be true, as his new Dunsparce slithered toward the pool. Before Raini could even issue an attack, the Pokémon fell in, and Ash had to run up and recall it from the depths of the pool before it drowned.

“This is just pitiful,” Raini muttered. She shook her head. “A champion of four different Leagues, and his own Pokémon won’t obey him. Ridiculous.”

Ash clenched his teeth and gripped yet another Pokéball. “Squirtle, this had better be you!”

Sadly, it wasn’t. Geodude appeared above the pool and crashed into the waters below, sinking like… well, a stone. Ash recalled his fourth unconscious Pokémon, and clenched his fists. He had now reached the peak of his frustration. There was no holding it back any longer. Before anyone else recovered from the shock of yet another Pokémon disobeying Ash, he flew into a frenzy.

“What the hell is going on?” he screamed at the top of his lungs. May and Misty both cringed at his sheer volume, as Ash began to rant. “Every Pokémon I send out isn’t even my own! First that Abra, then the Magikarp, then the Dunsparce, and finally that Geodude! Where the heck are my Pokémon? What happened to Charizard, and Tauros, and Corphish and…”

He paused. “…and Squirtle,” Ash whispered to himself, completely inaudible to anyone else in the Gym. He realized it now. It was so obvious! Every Pokémon he’d had transferred from Professor Oak… wasn’t his at all!

Ash pulled his last two Pokéballs from his belt and stared at them. Everything was riding on his last two Pokémon. Somehow, he was going to have to survive Raini’s six Pokémon with two of his that weren’t even evolved. He didn’t even know if Bulbasaur had regained all of its former energy.

But that didn’t matter now. He’d have to have complete faith in his last two Pokémon. There was no other choice. Those two Pokémon were now his last chance to stay in the Safari League.

ZeldaFan20

3rd July 2004, 06:07 PM

:what: Ooooooookaaaaaaay...I'm at a loss for an explanation! How...I mean when on Earth did Ash recently get new Pokémon---specifically, Pokémon that WEAK??!! Does this have anything to do with that fake Professor Oak? I'm on the edge of my seat, here!

mistysakura

4th July 2004, 08:14 AM

Okay, I get half of this now; it's becoming clearer to me. Depriving Ash of his best Pokemon, kicking him out of the Safari League... (1, it's just annoying when you click on "Last Page" and see a huge plot twist in someone's reply. 2, I needed a reason to use that tag!) Argh these chapters where there's not much action but so much stuff goes on, they're driving me crazy.

And since there hasn't been much action, I'm short of an innovative reply. Or that's my excuse anyway. :P Keep those chapters coming!

mr_pikachu

4th July 2004, 01:37 PM

Yes! Two replies! ^_^

ZF20: You're really close, there. I'm glad you're excited about this; I thought that nice little plot twist might work. If you want the full extent of the answer that's understandable at this point, reread the end of the chapter. Or, you could just read mistysakura's spoiler... :D;

ms: We have ourselves a winner! Okay, you've gotten part of the mystery. More specifically, you've gotten the part of the mystery that's solvable without psychic powers. :lol:

You want action? Just wait until next chapter... there's going to be a lot more going on than just a Gym battle... someone's going to be in very hot water... :eek: Just know that you won't have that excuse to use next time. I've started working on the chapter already, and it's clearly going to be longer than the last several I've done. (It's already surpassed them, and there's still more I want to add...)

Anyway, the next chapter will be coming soon. Feel free to keep replying, and I'll make sure to respond! See ya then! :wave:

mr_pikachu

7th July 2004, 12:54 AM

I'm ba-a-a-ack! :D

Well, I've been on a complete writing tear lately, and believe it or not, the next chapter has been completed! I think you guys'll like it better than the last several, since as I mentioned before, it's about double the length of most chapters in this fic. (In fact, not counting multi-part chapters, I think this is the longest one so far!)

So here it is! Enjoy, and let me know what you think! As I said before, there's a lot going on beneath the surface...

Oh, I almost forgot my earlier promise. This fic includes some violence and blood, though it's nothing too major, IMO. Well, without any further ado, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 44

“Nurse Joy!” Brock yelled, crashing through the automatic double doors and landing in a heap at the Pokémon Center entrance. He had run a considerable distance from the Gym, and was noticeably tired, wheezing and coughing occasionally.

As Joy cautiously approached Brock, he tried to crawl over to her, his eyes practically begging for her to listen. Instead, he received a kick in the face, and crashed to the floor in pain.

“Nurth Joy?” he whimpered, before he saw where her hand was headed…

To the carving knife on the counter behind her.

“Pleath… Nurth Joy…” he stammered, forcing himself to his feet as the formerly kindly nurse advanced on him. Blood shot out of his nose as he exhaled sharply, leaving a splatter across his shirt. But that was the least of his worries now.

She didn’t respond. She merely glared at him with cold, unfeeling eyes that Brock had never seen in a Nurse Joy before. Much darker than when he had seen this Joy earlier, as well. Was it all a façade? Was this her intent all along?

Giovanni laughed at Brock’s confusion. Soon, it wouldn’t matter. Soon his plans would finally come to fruition.

From his dark office, he tapped a button on his desk, prompting a flood of outdoor noises to fill the room. Birds chirping, wind blowing, and people cursing were just a few of the sounds that met the criminal lord’s ears.

“Status report,” he spoke into the microphone on his desk. One could clearly hear the gasps of surprise from the other end.

“Master Giovanni, sir! Um, we’ve been searching the area for the past 20 minutes, but there hasn’t been any trace–”

“Don’t tell him that!” someone on the other end whispered to the man Giovanni had spoken to. “Just… tell him we’re getting closer, or something!”

“Hold on, we’re picking up a signal…” the man lied. “This could be a strong lead. The metal detectors are picking up an object somewhere in this vicinity. We’ll have those Pokéballs to you soon, sir!”

“Good to hear it.” Giovanni’s eyes narrowed even as he spoke. “You know I always reward success.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Over and out.”

Unfortunately for Giovanni’s searchers, anything that they heard, he could hear whenever he cared to listen. He spun the chamber of his revolver in a sort of dark amusement.

“People who conspire to lie to me, on the other hand, receive a bullet in the mouth. ‘Honesty is the best policy,’ after all.”

He switched the sound back on for his surveillance in Luanda. Brock had backed out of the double doors and was taking timid steps backward onto the pavement. Nurse Joy, on the other hand, held the knife aloft and stalked Brock, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Nurse Joy… y-you really don’t want to do that… just put the knife down… I’m not gonna hurt you…” Brock honestly didn’t think he could hurt Nurse Joy, even if he wanted to. For one thing, he’d always had a not-so-secret crush on the redheaded family, and harming a family member wasn’t exactly the best way to win approval. And for another, if Nurse Joy really was intent on attacking him with a knife, he didn’t think there was much of anything he’d be able to do about it.

“Do it!” Giovanni hissed into the microphone. “Now!”

With that word, Nurse Joy charged at the Pewter Gym Leader, arms tense and prepared to stab Brock if she got close enough. Brock, on the other hand, turned and ran for his life, screaming and intentionally trying to draw as much attention as possible.

Across town, Ash was contemplating his next move. Dewgong still lay in the pool, completely unharmed, and he had only two Pokémon remaining. Considering that Bulbasaur was a Grass type, and Dewgong used mostly Ice attacks, he figured Bulbasaur wasn’t exactly the ideal Pokémon to use. That left only one choice.

“Pikachu, go!” he shouted, pointing his finger directly at Dewgong.

“Finally, a Pokémon that’ll obey you,” Raini sighed. “Well, it won’t do you any good. Dewgong’s Ice attacks will freeze your Pikachu like a rat trapped in an ice chest!”

“You think so? Then why don’t you try attacking?”

Raini opened her mouth to call out an attack, but then she paused. True, Ash’s first four Pokémon were weaklings that wouldn’t even obey. But Pikachu obviously would, and Ash was one of the craftiest trainers she’d ever seen. He’d come up with so many different strategies in battles off the top of his head that most trainers were scared to even face him. And his Pikachu was one of the most powerful Pokémon he’d ever trained. It would definitely be a threat. She had to approach this battle with caution.

“Dewgong, use Ice Beam!”

“Now, Pikachu!”

The electric rodent sprinted across the floor with blinding speed, not bothering to stop at the water’s edge. He dashed straight across instead, his tiny feet moving fast enough to propel him along the surface of the water. Once he reached Dewgong, he slammed into it and attacked with a close-range Thunder. The Sea Lion Pokémon crashed into the water, having never gotten the opportunity to charge its Ice Beam. Pikachu was propelled back toward the edge of the pool by the collision, and landed with graceful ease.

Raini begrudgingly recalled her fallen Pokémon, instantly coming up with another Pokéball to counter Ash’s strategy. She tossed it over the land portion of the field nearest her, and Quagsire burst out, ready to take Pikachu down.

“I don’t make the same mistake twice, Ash,” Raini yelled. “Quagsire’ll stay on dry land this time, thank you!”

“Who ever said I’d be trying to electrify Quagsire? Pikachu, come on back for now!” Ash called back. His starting Pokémon zipped back across the battlefield in response, and Ash clutched his other remaining Pokéball.

“Let’s do it, Bulbasaur!” he cried. Bulbasaur exhaled sharply out of its nostrils, as if it was a bull preparing to charge.

“Razor Leaf!”

“Water Pulse!”

Bulbasaur fired a flurry of leaves from its sides, while Quagsire countered with a thin wall of water. The leaves smashed into the liquid, obliterating its foundation, so that it did little more than sprinkle Bulbasaur. The leaves, however, also floated to the ground, having been blocked by the powerful barrier.

“Vine Whip!”

“Dive, Quagsire!”

Bulbasaur’s vines shot across the arena, but Quagsire moved faster, launching itself into the center pool. The Grass type then proceeded to throw his vines into the water, but Quagsire dodged each blow with surprisingly agile underwater swimming. Bulbasaur wasn’t helped by the fact that the water was slowing down his Vine Whip considerably.

“I only meant Quagsire would stay on land when Pikachu was out. The water gives me the advantage against Bulbasaur!”

Much to Raini’s surprise, Ash shot his arm out and fired the Pokéball beam, recalling Bulbasaur. Before the Gym Leader could utter a word, Ash yelled, “Thunderbolt, now, Pikachu!”

With one quick burst of electricity, the arena was flooded with light and sparks. Both of the female spectators grabbed at their hair when it began to rise upward from the static, while Gary merely looked on, expectant of the events to follow.

When the blast subsided, everyone present could see that a large amount of water had been splashed out of the pool, and that Quagsire was now belly-up at the surface.

“Not bad, Ash,” Raini said as she recalled her Pokémon. “After that hideous display earlier, you actually knocked out two of my Pokémon in a row. Sort of impressive, I guess.

“But you’re still down to two Pokémon, Ash, both of whom must be getting tired by now. And I know who both of them are. On the other hand, you have no idea what my next four Pokémon might be. I just may have a surprise in store for you.”

Ash cringed at this last remark. Knowing Raini, she must’ve seen Pikachu out of his Pokéball before, and probably took extra precautions specifically to counter his strengths, and to take advantage of his weaknesses. That meant his only trump card was Bulbasaur, and he’d already tipped his hand.

“Go, Kingdra!” she cried. Ash cursed under his breath. Of all the Pokemon she could’ve picked, that was probably the worst one for Ash. Kingdra was a Dragon type as well as a Water Pokémon. That meant that both Electric and Grass attacks wouldn’t affect it very much. But Ash had no choice at this point. He had to go for broke.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!” he screamed.

“Hail, now!”

As Pikachu prepared to send a streak of electricity Kingdra’s way, a large cloud formed above the Gym floor. Before Pikachu could make a move he was pelted by a spray of large ice chunks and was knocked to the floor. The fierce hailstorm was unrelenting, and as much as he tried to get back up, he couldn’t move an inch from where he stood.

Ash raised his arm to shield himself from the weather, and he quickly began to bleed from the biting hail. He squinted to see that his Pokémon was in dire straits. “Agility, Pikachu!”

Raini smirked. “That won’t save you.”

Pikachu finally leapt to his feet and charged ahead, but was knocked on his back by a particularly large piece of hail. His face was bombarded with shards of ice, and the desperate Thunder attack he launched to keep them away only made the attack subside for a second.

“Let’s end this. Ice Beam, now!”

Before he could even move, Pikachu was completely frozen in a block of ice. Ash somberly recalled him to his Pokéball (since he couldn’t make it out onto the field now), and groaned to himself. Having Bulbasaur out would be worse than having Pikachu in the battle, since the Grass type would actually be weaker against the Hail attack than Pikachu was. Unless…

“Bulbasaur, go!” Ash shouted, tossing his Pokéball into the sea of ice. “Sunny Day!”

Raini drew back instantly. Sunny Day? Bulbasaur could learn that move with a Technical Machine… she’d completely forgotten that countermeasure. And when the sun came out…

The hail instantly subsided. Raini tried to order another Hail attack, but it was already too late.

“Solarbeam!”

Bulbasaur blasted Kingdra into the side of the pool with his supercharged Solarbeam, and Raini grimaced. Kingdra was one of her very best Pokémon for combating Grass types. And now that it was defeated, she stood little chance of stopping Bulbasaur.

And then she realized it. She’d forgotten about it in all the commotion, but she did have another idea… it was just lucky that she’d chosen that particular Pokémon for her lineup.

‘Okay,’ she thought. ‘Ash thinks he has me in a tight spot, now. Water Pokémon are traditionally weak against Grass types. But I’ve got a Pokémon that’s so unique, it’ll completely turn the tables on that Bulbasaur…

‘Ash is confident now, I’m sure. If I boost his confidence a little more, he may let his guard down. That’ll be the perfect time to strike.’

“Well, Ash,” she finally spoke, “You’ve taken down three of my Pokémon now. But do you think your Bulbasaur can take my last three alone?”

“You’d be surprised how well Bulbasaur and I can work together. We’ll beat you yet, Raini. Bulbasaur and I will win!”

Raini held back a smirk. ‘Perfect. My next two may be at a disadvantage to Bulbasaur… but my last Pokémon will blow you away, Ash!’

“Let’s get this party started, then!” Raini yelled, drawing another Pokéball from her belt. “Go get ‘em, Starmie!”

As the starfish appeared above the water, Raini smirked. ‘Go ahead, Ash. Do everything you can to take down my next two Pokémon. It won’t even matter… because you’re as good as toast!’

mistysakura

7th July 2004, 01:16 AM

It's not that long... an okay chapter though. I still think it's a bit weird how Pikachu and Bulbasaur took out three of Raini's Pokemon so quickly. Especially Dewgong, which was one-hit-KO'ed. From May's battle, I had an impression that Raini's Pokemon could take quite a bit more than that.

Aside from that, the strategies were interesting; I predicted how Quagsire would go down, actually, and Ash could really use Pikachu's strong electric attacks to his advantage. The quick switches were essential too.

And the other bit in the chapter... uh oh.

mr_pikachu

7th July 2004, 01:26 AM

ms: Well, you have to remember that Ash has been training with Pikachu for many years by now, a lot longer than any of May's Pokemon. And Pikachu did most of the damage, too. But that doesn't mean he can't be stopped... it just means it'd be a trying task. I agree that the KO's were a little quick, though... let's just say Pikachu hit Dewgong when it was distracted. Wouldn't you be distracted if you had to charge up an Ice Beam attack?

Wait, that didn't make much sense. Never mind. ^^;;

I also wanted to show just how much Ash had improved in his tactics; the switching Pokemon helped me demonstrate how desperately he had to knock out Raini's first few Pokemon. After all, 6 on 2 isn't exactly the fairest fight in the world.

Brock's definitely in serious trouble. I told you someone would be in hot water! And I actually checked; that was almost a page longer than any other single-part chapter on my computer. It reads really fast, doesn't it? I'm almost a little ashamed of the miniscule length of my chapters (which has been commented on numerous times by you all). I'm determined to change that whenever I work on a future project. And I'll be making a decided effort to make all following chapters in this fic longer than before, as well.

.hacker

9th July 2004, 02:02 PM

I was searching around the forum when I received a "suggestion" ;) to read "What Dreams Are Made Of". Several hours later, I managed to read all 40+ chapters. This has been an emotional rollar coaster. Please keep up the good writing, and I'll continue to read on. :yes:

mr_pikachu

9th July 2004, 03:06 PM

Mr. Tsukasa: Hello, there. Nice to see you've finally managed to read the entire thing, Sean. (To everybody else: Yes, I know him IRL.) I'm glad you're enjoying this, and I'll definitely continue to write.

And btw, there were no "suggestions" on the forum to read WDAMO. I suggested it to you IRL. Don't make my readers think I'm advertising here. ;) Glad to have you as a reader, and please stay for the rest of the ride!

Everyone: I'm working on Chapter 45, but I'm a little stumped by how to do the battle scene(s). It'll be out soon, though. I've just gotta keep working on it. These power outages don't help, though... *curses weather*

mr_pikachu

11th July 2004, 02:32 AM

Well, after editing this chapter six or seven times (literally), I think it's finally ready to be introduced to you all, the readers. Some of you have complained about the numerous cliffhangers... there won't really be much of a problem with that this time, as several things will be resolved. Of course, the mystery will deepen further as well... but at least some questions will be answered for you.

Without further ado, here is the next chapter!

Oh, btw, it contains some violent scenes and blood, as well as some minor language. Viewer discretion is advised for those who are very faint of heart. If you don't want to read this chapter and need a summary, just post here and I'll edit it into the end of this post for you. Alright, here we go!

Chapter 45

“Solarbeam, Bulbasaur!” Ash yelled. At this point he had to shield his eyes to see anything – the mystical light coming from the ceiling was so bright, he was nearly blinded by now.

Thankfully, Bulbasaur could still see perfectly fine, and he fired his Solarbeam straight into the Starmie’s core gem. It was knocked out without a fight, and Raini swiftly recalled it.

‘Just a little bit more, Ash,’ Raini thought. ‘You’re already grinning ear to ear… I’m sure you’ll be ecstatic if you can beat my next Pokémon…’

“Go, Midas!” she shouted. “Confusion attack!”

Bulbasaur groaned in misery as he tried to resist the force lifting him off the ground, but it was to no avail. He flew toward the ceiling, waving his legs as an instinctive reaction to his sudden flight.

Ash quickly studied his surroundings. The walls were covered with old Pokémon bones, and the stone ceiling was completely flat. Bulbasaur would quickly be crashing into the stone surface, unless…

“Bulbasaur!” Ash shouted as he pointed to a sharp horn protruding from the side wall. “Use Vine Whip! Resist that Confusion!”

Raini drew back as Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around the old horn. He strained immediately upon attaching himself to the bone; Midas’ confusion was a force to be reckoned with. Ash and Raini both clenched their teeth as they waited to see who would win the struggle. However, Raini broke the tense silence before Ash could think to issue another order. “Stop your attack, Midas!”

Ash blanched. With nothing holding Bulbasaur in the air, he’d crash into the water… and if he tried to pull himself away from the pool with his vines, he’d land outside of the battlefield… Ash had his doubts about whether Bulbasaur could swim, too. The situation was hopeless. He could only try a desperate ploy to stay in the match.

“Take Midas down with you! Vine Whip!”

Now it was Raini’s turn to be shocked. Bulbasaur crashed into the water and sank quickly, but his vines pulled Golduck under with him. Although Golduck could swim easily, he couldn’t break free of Bulbasaur’s hold, and breathing underwater was out of the question. He struggled in vain to wrench himself out of the vines, but to no avail.

Bulbasaur clamped his mouth firmly shut, determined not to take in any water. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he held his ground at the base of the pool, locking Midas within his grip. Just as he began to feel slightly faint he heard a muffled voice come from above. If the water had been any deeper he wouldn’t have been able to hear the “Raor Lehh!” at all. Bulbasaur thought quickly. ‘Raor lehh… raor lehh… Razor Leaf?’ It was his only chance, so he fired a few choice shots at the Golduck he held captive, slicing through his sides and nearly knocking him out of the vines. Midas went limp quickly, and Bulbasaur allowed him to float safely up to the surface to be recalled.

Ash had troubles of his own, though. As he’d thought, Bulbsaur was incapable of swimming to the surface, leaving him with a quandary. If he recalled his Pokémon, Bulbasaur would be safe, but he’d forfeit the match. But if Bulbasaur stayed underwater, he’d faint before having the chance to win. That left only one option. Ash would have to get him out of the water without recalling him. And he had to do it fast.

But how? It wasn’t as if Bulbasaur could just float up to the surface and swim to dry land. His stubby legs were far too short for that. Ash racked his brain, desperate for any hope of staying in the battle. His arms dropped to his sides, his hands shaking from the tension. As he grumbled, a familiar light obscured his eyesight.

Of course! It was all too obvious… Bulbasaur’s earlier technique could help him again! “Solarbeam on the floor of the pool!” Ash smiled slightly. If all went according to plan, Bulbasaur’s beam of energy would shoot him out of the pool and back into the battle.

Unfortunately, such ingenious plans almost never work as they’re supposed to. It took a few seconds for Bulbasaur to recognize the muted command his trainer had issued. Plus, once it was clear what he was supposed to do, he struggled to point his bulb at the floor, as he had to tilt it drastically to even reach a wall of the pool. To top it off, he was having trouble collecting the energy properly, as the water was refracting the light into the walls and away from him.

Raini chuckled as Ash stared, wide-eyed, at the pool. Miniature bubbles were beginning to float to the surface, and it was clear that Bulbasaur was having trouble holding his breath for this length of time. If it had been a different situation, the Gym Leader probably would have laughed out loud once the Solarbeam propelled Ash’s poor Grass type into the wall of the pool and out on Raini’s side. By now he was battered and barely conscious, and Ash struggled to resist the urge to recall him immediately.

Raini’s words reminded him of what was at stake as he began to reach for Bulbasaur’s Pokéball. According to Luanda Gym rules, you may only challenge this Gym once. He drew his hand back at the memory, and yelled for his Pokémon. “Bulbasaur! Can you still battle?”

Ash’s last hope winced as he forced himself to stay conscious. “Bul… ba…” It was no good. Ash grabbed the Pokéball, now certain that Bulbasaur wouldn’t be able to continue. It could barely even muster the energy to respond, so there was no way it could put up a decent fight against whatever Pokémon Raini had left.

Pokémon, however, will not give up a fight so easily. Bulbasaur struggled to his feet before glancing back at his trainer. He was holding the Pokéball out… the beam shot out at Bulbasaur, and Ash closed his eyes, knowing full well that he was about to fail in his Safari League quest.

The next second passed in a blur. Bulbasaur pushed his vines under him, thrusting himself into the air. He retracted the appendages just as the crimson beam whizzed by, narrowly avoided being recalled.

Ash opened his eyes to see his Bulbasaur still out and landing painfully on the ground, facing Raini. It couldn’t be possible. Bulbasaur didn’t actually want to keep battling, did he?

Raini just laughed. The shrill sound made all others in the room cringe, and she sneered wildly at Ash. “You’re going to wish you had recalled Bulbasaur, Ash.” She continued to laugh, now tossing a Pokéball in the air as well. “You’ll need a spatula to get it off the floor when this Pokémon’s done!”

At first glance, the Pokémon that had been revealed looked to be no more than a run-of-the-mill Staryu. Then Ash looked closer. The new battler was darker than a typical Staryu, and its core gem was a deep brown instead of the usual red.

“Time for Starblaze to roast Bulbasaur!” she shrieked. The three spectators could only stare at Raini as she continued to laugh, thoroughly scaring all of them with her crazed antics. Something was wrong here…

“Starblaze?” Ash mumbled. He’d heard of a variation of Staryu… could this be the rare Pokémon he’d heard of?

May pointed her Pokégear at the new creature. “This Pokémon is known by several names, depending on the region, but is most widely accepted as Starblaze. It is only found near areas of abundant hot springs and volcanoes. Starblaze is a highly powerful Water and Fire type. It has been endangered since 2001. Do not attempt to catch this Pokémon. If you see anyone possessing this Pokémon, please contact your local authorities immediately.”

“What the…” Ash started. He was completely stunned. “You own an endangered Pokémon? Do you even know how many laws you’ve broken by catching it?”

Raini grinned. “Answer: None. I caught Starblaze during my travels in South America, which ended in 1999, well before Starblaze was endangered. This guy was a pain to catch, but it was well worth it.”

“You…” Ash snarled. “Even if you have a Starblaze, I’ll still take you down! You can’t beat Bulbasaur’s spirit!”

“We’ll see!” Raini spat. “Flamethrower, now!”

Ash cursed as Starblaze began to rapidly spin. Any fire attack would take out Bulbasaur at this point. His only chance was to evade the attack. “Vine Whip the floor, Bulbasaur!”

Bulbasaur weakly shot himself into the air, but Raini wasn’t through. “Aim the Flamethower into the air, Starblaze!”

The hovering starfish responded by tilting itself back and blasting the inferno through the tips of its legs. The flame streams quickly connected, forming a swirling energy attack.

“Vine Whip the ceiling!” Ash yelled, and Bulbasaur fired his vines upward on the command. The vines pushed him back down to the floor, where he crashed in a heap. The flames proceeded to char his extended vines, leaving him extremely weak.

‘I’m only gonna get one shot at this,’ Ash thought. ‘This is it!’

“Synthesis!”

Raini’s fists clenched. If Bulbasaur could successfully perform a Synthesis technique, he’d recover enough energy to fight back. And if Starblaze was beaten…

She paused. Then she’d be free… she’d be able to live in peace at last, knowing that she’d failed… or she might die. But was death better than living as a slave?

She didn’t have much time to think. Bulbasaur cried his name, glaring with renewed strength at his opponent. She had to act fast, if at all. “Fire Blast!”

“Solarbeam!” Ash screamed back.

Now was the moment of truth. The still-effective Sunny Day strengthened Fire attacks, while allowing Solarbeams to charge faster. Even if Bulbasaur could get the Solarbeam off in time, the Fire Blast would surely overpower it.

Across town, something entirely different was taking place.

“Help… heeeelllp…” Brock wheezed. He was losing his strength quickly, while the stern Nurse Joy behind him was still going strong. She squeezed the knife ever tighter, racing toward Brock as if she’d been born to run. And to kill, for that matter.

“Hel… heh… heh…” It was no use. The residents of Luanda simply stared in shock as the scene unfolded before their eyes. They obviously didn’t want to get involved for fear of being hurt.

As Brock lost his balance, a motorcycle careened around the corner ahead of him and screeched to a halt. “Joy! Freeze, now!”

She ran on, apparently not hearing the command of the police officer. Brock had collapsed to the ground, his eyesight blurring. It was just as well; he didn’t want to feel the blade slice through his body. If Joy was intent on ending his life, then maybe there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Drop the weapon and freeze, dammit!” the officer continued. Joy’s steely glare remained focused on Brock, as she took the final steps to close the gap between them.

A single gunshot rang through all of Luanda, and Joy crashed to the ground, the knife falling from her hands. She smashed against the dirt, a small trickle of burgundy oozing from her forehead.

“Why didn’t you stop?” the officer muttered as he walked over to Joy’s limp form. One quick check of her pulse confirmed his suspicions. He sighed, letting go of her wrist and allowing it to drop onto the road. “Why, after all these years…?”

The gunshot went unheard in the Gym as the two massive attacks thundered toward each other. Bulbasaur’s bulb had blasted the pure-white beam at precisely the same moment that the odd fire symbol burst forth from Starblaze’s core gem. They streaked through the air toward each other, and oddly enough, the room dimmed slightly.

‘Impossible!’ Raini thought. ‘The Sunny Day… it’s gone!’

Indeed, the light had disappeared from above the combatants, and the more powerful Solarbeam blew apart the flames with ease. Starblaze was engulfed in the devastating attack, and quickly grew limp as the energy overwhelmed it.

“Finish this, Bulbasaur! Win the battle with a Razor Leaf!” Raini could only look on as the leaves sliced through Starblaze like daggers, knocking it out and effectively ending the battle.

“Raini! This match is over! I’ve won,” Ash declared, leaving Raini completely stunned. But she couldn’t have been as stunned as Ash was when she began laughing once again for no apparent reason.

“Ash! Ha ha! Take your badge and get out of here! You beat me! Ha!”

Puzzled, Ash could do little more than follow Raini’s directions. He pulled the badge from the large machine in the corner of the Gym, and after glancing back at Raini, walked out with his three companions.

The Luanda Gym Leader sighed happily as she stared into the pool water. Before she knew it, a ringing sound emanated throughout the room. She pulled a cell phone from the strap on her bikini, and proceeded to speak with a gleeful smile on her face. “Hello! Raini here.”

“You worthless piece of trash! How dare you defy me!”

“Why, hello, sir.” She snickered. “It’s a great day today, isn’t it, Giovanni?”

The voice on the other end of the phone couldn’t have been louder if he’d used a bullhorn. “Goddamn it, Raini! You won’t live to regret this, I promise you!”

Her laughing became oddly strained as she fell to her knees, and finally broke her nose on the ground. Giovanni cursed several times before Raini’s phone burst into flames next to her limp body.

.hacker

11th July 2004, 09:13 PM

Huh? Raini is working for Giovanni? :what: Is Raini herself or a clone? Apparently, Giovanni has managed to take over the Pokemon Gyms in the Safari League. Another great chapter.

More! Give me more!!!

mr_pikachu

12th July 2004, 01:25 AM

Mr. Tsukasa: Wellll... you'll see, about both of your comments. I will tell you that the last part wasn't just a random thing I threw in there. It definitely is there for a reason, one which will be revealed... eventually. :P Glad you want to see more, and you will before long. :yes:

mistysakura

13th July 2004, 06:24 AM

This is so infuriating. All these mysteries just taunting us, making us (or me) feel as if we should be able to have a guess at what's going on, attempting to convince ourselves that only psychic powers could solve the mysteries... *holds a staring contest with the computer screen* Reveal your secret! :tongue:

Anyway, that was a really good battle; I was always in doubt about whether Bulbasaur could win, and it was miraculous that Bulbasaur managed to get out of the pool. It did seem a bit unrealistic though, I'd have thought that even if the attacks didn't work on type advantage, Fire Blast would still have overpowered the Solarbeam; Bulbasaur must have been really exhausted. Unless Raini somehow got Starblast to do it on purpose? It was still an exciting battle though.

mr_pikachu

13th July 2004, 10:21 PM

ms: Sorry, but I can't reveal everything just yet. And even when you do find out what's with these mysteries, I just might have some more riddles to test you with. :lol: I'm so cruel!

Basically with that final attack, I was trying to show the downside of Starblaze. See, it's an endangered Pokemon, so if she used it in battle a lot, it would raise a lot of questions that she wouldn't want. So she couldn't exactly do much training with it. Bulbasaur, on the other hand, has had years of training. There's also the fact that I screwed up mentally and thought that Solarbeam had more power than Fire Blast... but let's not get into that. :sweat2: And yeah, there was sort of that element with Raini. Remember the Synthesis? She had a little mini-debate while Bulbasaur was performing that move. That also helped to really get a lot of his energy back, especially since Sunny Day was still in effect. :yes:

Well, I've been working on the next chapter, and Ash is in for one heck of a surprise. Well, except for the "one" part. You'll see.

mr_pikachu

20th July 2004, 09:30 PM

Well, it's time for yet another chapter of WDAMO to be revealed! Enjoy!

Chapter 46

Ash walked briskly away from the Gym, anxious to get away from the site of the brutal battles. He took in a deep breath and looked at his badge. His second Safari League badge. Well, it was a start. Only six more to go…

“I can’t believe Gary left,” May muttered. “I thought he liked traveling with us! Besides, doesn’t he need us with him? You’d think he’d have more sense, after getting kidnapped and all.”

“Well, we can’t tell him what to do. I don’t get it either, but it’s his choice, I guess,” Ash responded. He wasn’t sure that he believed his own words, but at least it would offer some sort of explanation for Gary’s abandonment.

“So, um…” Misty began. She didn’t really know how to ask what was on her mind. “What was with all that laughter, anyway?”

Ash looked into the sky, pondering the question. It had been on his mind as well. As soon as he’d beaten Raini she’d started laughing hysterically, almost insanely. There was something about Raini that didn’t seem to fit.

And the battle was perplexing, as well. When Bulbasaur used his Synthesis technique, Raini had ample opportunity to knock him out with Starblaze. Yet she held back, as if she was unsure of her decision. Was she simply questioning her tactics? That didn’t seem right, either. Raini always battled with fierce confidence. The hesitation was very out of character for her.

“I dunno,” Ash stated. May nodded assent, and Misty looked toward the ground. Even though Ash had somehow prevailed in his match, there was a general feeling of despair among the three trainers.

Three trainers. Ash bolted upright. Brock! Where was he? And why had he skipped out on the Gym battle?

“Hey, guys, we’ve gotta find Brock!”

Brock was unaware of how close his friends were as he lay on the dirt road, nearly unconscious. His encounter with Nurse Joy had left him thoroughly drained. He was actually surprised when he began to wake, still living. The young man let out a low moan before forcing himself to sit up.

And then he remembered. Joy. The knife. The chase. The officer. The gun. But he couldn’t remember any more. In fact, he didn’t need to. The officer walked over to him, still shaking his head.

“You okay, there? You must’ve ran quite a ways. You need to go to the hospital, or somethin’?”

After his recent encounter with the Pokémon nurse, he was in no mood to see more physicians. Brock shook his head slowly. The officer next to him furrowed his brow in response.

“You sure? Your nose is bloody, young man. You need to go to a hosp–”

“No!” Brock shouted, releasing all the air in his lungs. He gasped momentarily before continuing. “I’m fine. I just… need to get up…”

Brock slammed his palms against the ground and strained to push himself to his feet. He failed miserably.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m calling an ambulance.” The officer pounded the keys on his cell phone, raising it to his ear afterward. Brock didn’t need or want to hear what the officer was saying, so he tuned him out.

Ash came around the corner of a nearby building just as the policeman hung up the phone. Needless to say, he was more than a little shocked at his friend’s condition. “What the…” he breathed. “What happened to you?”

Brock coughed slightly as Ash ran over to him, closely followed by May and Misty. “I… Nurse Joy… she–”

“You gotta rest,” the officer broke in. “I’ll tell them what happened.

“About ten minutes ago,” he said, looking at his watch, “I got a frantic call saying that Nurse Joy was chasing some guy with a knife. I sped over here on my bike as soon as I heard. It took me a few minutes to find ‘em, because I didn’t expect them to run so fast. But I caught Joy just as your friend fell to the ground. I told her to freeze. She didn’t, so I had no choice. And so,” he pointed to the fallen nurse at this point, “that’s how she ended up like… that.”

Ash’s eyes boggled. Nurse Joy? But he’d just seen her earlier in the day! She was fine then, and certainly didn’t seem to want to hurt Brock. So why would she attack him?

If it was possible, his eyes widened further at the realization that followed. It couldn’t be true.

Could it?

Without a word he sprinted in the direction of the Pokémon Center, leaving his friends behind him. If his theory was correct, there was no time to waste.

“Ash? Where are you… Ash?” Misty’s voice became little more than a whisper behind him as he raced away.

“C’mon, Brock,” May grumbled. “Let’s get you some help.”

Ash reached the Pokémon Center about 20 minutes later, and was completely winded from his mad dash. He’d never run so far in his life. But he had to get word to Professor Oak. Plus, there was another question on his mind, one that had been bugging him ever since his Gym battle had begun.

It took less than three rings for the professor to answer the phone. He once again looked disheveled, and was peering through a pair of very dirty reading glasses at Ash. Even someone like Oak wasn’t immune to age.

“Ash,” he breathed. “What is it?”

Well, Professor… Nurse Joy just went nuts and attacked Brock. Some cop shot her. And Raini started–”

“Raini? Who’s that?” the professor broke in.

”She’s the Gym Leader here. She got real weird after our battle, and Nurse Joy was weird, and so many other strange things have happened… I just…” He couldn’t say any more after his last few rushed sentences. Not only was he out of breath, but he just couldn’t come up with a reason why everything was going crazy around him. Everything and everyone.

“I don’t know, Ash.” Professor Oak adjusted his spectacles. “I’ll try to find out, though. You be careful out there.”

The connection broke off before Ash could ask about the switched Pokéballs, or the now-missing legendary Pokémon. “Professor, I… damn!” He slammed the phone down. “Well, I guess he doesn’t want to talk to me. Stupid–”

The phone rung again before Ash could vent his frustrations in a string of curse words. He picked it up, anticipating Professor Oak to be calling to apologize for the Pokéball mishap.

Instead, an entirely different face appeared on the screen. The thin eyes of Professor Ivy widened slightly at the sight of Ash, but she quickly gave a faint smile.

“Good. It’s you. Saves me the trouble of having Joy get you.” Ash’s eyes turned to the floor at this last remark. “Listen, I have to tell you something important.”

Ash didn’t let her finish. Whatever was on her mind, he had a more important matter to ask about. “Professor Ivy, I need to ask you something.” He didn’t allow time for a reply. “Has Professor Oak been acting… odd, lately?”

The professor’s eyes widened. Somehow she had a feeling she knew what was coming. “Ash… why would you ask something like that?”

“Well, he sent some Pokémon to me earlier, but–”

Ivy inhaled sharply. She spoke very slowly, making sure Ash could hear every bit of what she was about to ask. “What do you mean, he sent you Pokémon earlier?”

Ash gave her a look of utter confusion. “I mean what I said. When I woke up, I had him send me some Pokémon, but they weren’t even mine! And when…”

She was no longer listening to the young trainer. Her focus was now turned to her computer, where she typed furiously. Ash was unable to see what she was working on, but he had a bad feeling about it nonetheless.

“Holy… Ash, listen to me. From now on, transfer all Pokémon you want exchanged to me. Do you understand?”

Ash took a step back in surprise. She was superceding Professor Oak? The Professor Oak? This couldn’t be happening.

“O-okay… but why?”

She glared at him. It wasn’t meant to be a mean glare, or an intimidating one. She just had to make sure he got the point.

“From now on, do not communicate with Professor Oak. Do you hear me? I will take care of everything.”

“What the hell–”

“If you call Elm and Birch, they’ll say the same thing. I will handle your Pokémon from here on out. Got it? And I know all about the situation, so don’t worry about holding back information. The others know, too.”

“But why can’t I talk to Professor Oak? He’s been a part of my journey since the beginning!”

“Not anymore. Trust me, Ash.”

He finally agreed, hanging up the phone shortly afterwards. Ash immediately called the other two professors, just to make sure Ivy wasn’t up to something. They both went pale when he told his story, but they agreed with their associate. Professor Oak was no longer a part of Ash’s quest.

Brock was just settling into a hospital bed when May pulled the officer aside outside his room. “Um… listen, there’s something I need to ask you.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Well, Raini battled using a Starblaze,” she began. The officer choked momentarily on his coffee as she continued. “They’ve been endangered for awhile, haven’t they? Isn’t it illegal to use them in battle?”

The officer stared intently on the wall in front of him before punching numbers into his cell phone for the second time of the day.

No less than fifteen minutes later, an entire squadron of police officers had burst into the Luanda Gym. “Raini, come out with your hands up! Don’t make us do something you’ll regret!”

There was no response, so the head of the team released two Growlithes. “Sniff her out, boys!”

They walked no more than twenty feet before stopping and studying the ground intently. The floor had been retracted to cover the pool, and it was easy to walk across to Raini’s portion of the field. The dogs stopped at the trainer’s box, barking loudly.

“What the hell…? We should be able to track her down, but all we’ve got…” he focused his stare on the floor, “is a scorch mark…”

“Captain! I’ve got something!” One of the more technologically inclined men was typing on the computer behind Raini’s box. “It’s big… you’ll want to see this.”

He walked swiftly over to him and stared at the screen. “Aw, hell.”

“I think it’s true, sir.”

“Dammit, why do I always have to be the one to find these things? This is crap. The League’s not going to like this…”

DannyBoy

20th July 2004, 10:12 PM

Haven't replied to this fic since about page 3 (Totodilelover if you forgot). A lot has happened since then. ONe thing I noticed in your writing was that every chapter you progressed them to become longer and have more in them which is great! I liked how everyone still has the personalitys from the show yet it seems they matured a little bit like Misty.

The latest chapter you has was good. Surprised that Ash doesn't trust Ivy but then again he has good reasons not to. But wierd how Oak isn't apart of his jounrney no more.

Good chapter and I am going to read this more and reply. I've read a few here and there but never replied but I read some more today and replied. See ya!

mr_pikachu

20th July 2004, 10:46 PM

ImmortalDreams: Weren't you already ILXT when this started? For some reason I thought you were...

Yeah, I've tried to develop everyone's personalities. I figured that they would change some in the two years between the show and now, so I tried to predict how that would happen. I'm happy to hear you think I've done a good job of it.

Normally Ash would trust Professor Ivy, but this was a bit of a unique situation. After all, she was basically telling him not to trust Oak. That's why he was so confused about it all, and mistrusting in general about the whole affair.

Glad to have you back replying, and thanks for continuing to read! :yes:

DannyBoy

20th July 2004, 11:05 PM

Your welcome and I didn't become ILXT until May. I was Totodilelover when it starterd because I remember I hadn't used that sn since I was TrainerDan14 when you first signed up here as well and then it was Totodilelover in january around the time you fic started. Confusing but pointless. But I'll keep reading even though it took me long enough to finish what I've missed. And going back reminded me when i went over the chapters of the baby totodiles. See ya!

mistysakura

22nd July 2004, 07:03 AM

That was a very cool chapter indeed. Although it didn't exactly reveal any new information (or even more mysteries), it's a relief that Ash is heading in the right direction for once. (But knowing you, you'll throw another huge plot twist in and it'll turn out that Officer Jenny's working under Giovanni too. Or something like that.) I think this is the start of the resolving of the situation? Now this is where things get more interesting. I see how Ash would find it hard to trust Ivy, since trusting her would mean distrusting Oak, and he's definitely got more ties with him.

These holidays are really doing good for your writing.

ZeldaFan20

22nd July 2004, 12:02 PM

:eek: Huh? What's going on here? The last chapter said that Giovanni killed Raini somehow, right? So what on earth happened to the body?! I have a theory about what they'll find on that computer...then again, you've always proven me wrong. Update soon.

mr_pikachu

22nd July 2004, 07:32 PM

ID (ImmortalDreams): Yeah, you're right. I do remember that now. Sorry about the confusion! :sweat4:

Ada (mistysakura): Well, I'm glad you liked it! Things are (sort of) looking up for Ash, even though (and perhaps because) Professor Oak won't be siphoning information from him. Or will he? You'll just have to wait and see... and so will I, for that matter! :lol: This may be where things start becoming clear, but this mystery runs very deep, I assure you. No one in this fic knows the full extent of what's going on. They all only understand some aspect of it.

And I'm really glad you think my writing's improving. It has started to feel a bit more professional, instead of plotlines thrown together. But maybe I'm just imagining things, and it'll all end up falling apart. :eek: I hope not!

Steph (ZeldaFan20): Yes, Raini is gone, with no trace left. Mysterious, isn't it? Well, she didn't just vanish off the face of the earth, I can tell you that. ...Or did she? ;) Your theory may well be correct, because I've tried to make this part a bit more clearer than the rest of the fic, so your thirst for information will be somewhat satisfied. I'll update as quickly as I can, because I'm anxious to show you what happens in the next chapter. It could change the entire fic! :oh: I'll leave you with that little teaser. :yes:

mr_pikachu

28th July 2004, 01:30 PM

:what: Okay... I was just getting ready to post the next chapter, when I realized that I left a stupid plothole in the beginning of the last one! I've changed it so that it makes a little more sense. If you want to read it, the changes are paragraphs 2 and 3 of the last chapter. Those paragraphs weren't there before.

Aaaanyway... :sweat2: I've got the next chapter ready, at least. Hopefully this won't have any problems like the last one! Here we go...

Chapter 47

“Are you certain of this?” the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

“Positive. I wouldn’t be making this call if I wasn’t.”

A groan was heard, and then momentary silence. She finally responded, “Okay, then. I’ll get the Chairman.”

The police commissioner gulped at these words. This was going to disrupt things, big time. “Are you sure that’s necessary?”

“Look, Commissioner Morton, I respect your work. You step into situations most of us wouldn’t dare face. But I know how to do my job. This could be the biggest thing since the plague of ’38. If the Chairman doesn’t hear about this from me, he’ll have my head. I’m off to call him now.” The connection abruptly broke off, leaving the Police Commissioner of Luanda in a state of bewilderment. He’d just set off a chain of events that had the potential to destroy the League.

Soon after, Ash, Misty, and May relaxed outside of Brock’s hospital room as dusk passed over the town. The two girls were soundly asleep, and Ash was on the brink of joining them. They had been through a horrific day, and it was about to get a lot worse. The television was turned on across from them to a news station that none of them particularly cared for. They had heard too much about the legendary Pokémon already, and the repeated rumors were beginning to grate on their nerves. But even that would have been more bearable to Ash than what came up next.

“And reports of an Ursaring terroriz–” The anchorman stopped short of finishing his sentence as his eyes glazed over. He was visibly surprised, and dropped the papers he was holding to the floor. As his partner bent down to pick them up, the suddenly very nervous man stuttered ahead. “Um… we’ve got some breaking news. According to a reliable source from the Safari League, the Chairman is convening a meeting of the Gym Leaders. They are considering… canceling the League’s competition for the year. There is no word on the reason…”

Ash blocked out the rest of what the man said. If the League were canceled, then he wouldn’t have any way to try to determine the reason for the legendaries’ odd behavior. He winced as he thought of the legendary Pokémon, as it was only another reminder of how he lost Entei and Articuno. There was no telling where those two were at this point.

But on the other hand, he had no way to get from place to place anyway. The disappearance of the League-provided Jeep had left them helpless in the middle of Africa. There appeared to be no solution to the problem. If they asked the League for another vehicle, the obvious question would be, “What about the one we gave you?” They couldn’t answer that very well without divulging information about recent events, and doing so would surely prompt some sort of investigation.

May’s newly-returned Pokégear buzzed to awake her from her slumber. She hurriedly flipped it open to see the tired face of Professor Ivy staring back at her intently. “May, please hand the phone to Ash. I need to speak to him.” Before May could object, the woman hastily added, “In private.”

As Ash took the phone, Ivy continued. “Ash, please go downstairs to the Pokémon treatment area. You’ll need my help, and that’s the only place where I can give it to you.” The young trainer complied with the request, taking the steps downstairs three at a time and finally slipping over a wet spot. Ash flew to the floor in a heap. A few seconds later, he finally looked up from his crumpled position on the floor at the “Caution: Wet Floor” sign that stood as if to mock him.

“Ash? Go down to the Pokémon area now. We may not have much time.” Without a further word Ash pushed himself to his feet and jogged to the dull red rooms of the Pokémon care facility.

“Okay, go over to the Pokémon exchange machine.”

He stopped in his tracks. “The exchange machine? But I don’t have any Pokémon I can exchange, now that I can’t talk to Professor Oak. He’s got all of my Pokémon.”

“That’s why you’re not going to get any of your Pokémon. You’ll be receiving some of mine.”

Ash was now officially startled. “Your Pokémon? But why would I need yours? Couldn’t I just catch some more like I did in Hoenn, or something?”

Professor Ivy responded with a piercing glare. “Ash, you do not yet comprehend the gravity of this situation. You’ll soon find out, but until then, you must trust me. I’m sending over the Pokémon right now.”

Ash merely stared dumbly at the machine as four Pokéballs appeared on its surface. He placed them on his belt before turning to the Professor once again.

“What Pokémon did you send me, Professor Ivy?” He looked at the screen strangely. “Professor Ivy?”

He was now looking at a blank screen, with no sign of the Professor on it. He groaned before placing it back into his pocket and walking slowly back to his friends.

Giovanni was watching these events very closely. “Are you in position?” he spoke into a small microphone.

A strange crackling was heard for a few seconds before the human response came. “Yes, sir. We’re ready on your command.”

He growled in delight. “Excellent. Prepare yourselves. You have the entire advantage, but prepare for a fight. It won’t be as easy as you think. He’s done this before, mind you.

She sighed. “Yes, sir. We’ll handle it. You can count on us.”

“Over and out.”

Only a second later in the Luanda hospital, all hell really did break loose. Without warning the entire building burst into flames, leaving Ash horribly confused and confined to the stairs.

He cursed aloud. “How am I supposed to get out of this? I don’t have any Pokémon with me that can fight fires!” Ash stopped just before he prepared to try to jump through the blaze. The raging crimson nearly scorched his face as he thought. “Or do I…?”

He slowly looked down at the four new Pokéballs on his belt. “I hope Professor Ivy sent me good ones… let’s see. This one feels right.” The heat quickly made him begin to perspire, and he wiped his brow out of annoyance. He finally grabbed the Pokéball on his far right and threw it just short of the inferno. “Go, whatever you are!”

For once, Ash was happy to see a Gyarados appear. The gigantic serpent wasted no time in dousing the fire, flooding the entire hospital with multiple Hydro Pumps in seconds. There was no doubt that some people were probably hurt by the attack, but it couldn’t have been worse than being burned to death.

“Ash!” a voice from upstairs called. May and Misty were staring into his eyes, unsure of just what was going on. The two of them had dragged Brock from his bed, and were now supporting the burned and drenched breeder as he struggled to stand. Ash hastily recalled Gyarados as May spoke again. She never even seemed to notice the massive beast that had single-handedly put out the fire. “What’s going on?”

“I dunno. Something caused a fire here, but I’m not sure what. It was like it spread everywhere instantly. But I don’t know any Pokémon that can do that!”

Misty gasped. “But I do, Ash. We’ve got to get outside in a hurry!”

They had soon escaped the building, despite the frantic people who crowded the halls of the hospital. There was no mistaking what they saw next, even though they struggled to believe it.

Two figures stood in the distance. They were hardly menacing, but the Pokémon by their side were. The legendary Entei and Articuno were slightly slumped over with frustrated obedience. Ash yelled in fury at the two people behind the legendaries.

“You!” he screamed. “I don’t believe it!”

Articuno responded by firing a stream of ice at the building, shutting it off completely from the outside. Before Ash could grab a Pokéball Entei was inches away from him, roaring menacingly.

“So, you’ve finally got yourself trapped, Ash. How does it feel to be helpless?”

Ash would have whirled around if Entei hadn’t tackled him to the ground. He raised a paw for a final attack, but he would not succeed. The legendary flew forward from a massive stroke of lightning and whipped his body so that he could face his attacker.

“Ugh,” Ash moaned as he struggled to stand. “Thanks, Pika… chu?” Staring at him was not the tiny mouse he was used to battling alongside, but its far smaller counterpart: Pichu.

“Thought I’d help you for a change. Now let’s blow these two away!” she cried.

“Easier said than done,” the distant woman laughed. “Two on two against Entei and Articuno? You’ll be done before you call an attack!”

May blinked as she stared at their two adversaries. Misty ran up from behind her, and the two simultaneously yelled, “What the heck?”

“No way…” Misty mumbled. “But I thought… I should have known!”

ZeldaFan20

28th July 2004, 04:17 PM

Good news: Entei and articuno are finally back.

Bad news: WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! And just WHO exactly is controlling them?

So the League may be cancelled, huh? Considering what's going on, I'm not that surprised. I'm just glad to see that Ash finally has some decent Pokémon with him---even if they're still not his own.

Take your time with the next chapter, but I really want to find out what happens next!

mr_pikachu

28th July 2004, 11:19 PM

Steph (can I call you that?): Yeah, they're back, and they're back with a vengeance. Just who is controlling them just might surprise you. Hehe... I left a little "Easter Egg" several chapters ago, and no one caught it. It's a big, big clue as to who's using the two legendaries! :eek:

Yeah, the League may well be cancelled. It's not every day that a prominent Gym Leader is murdered and kidnapped, and you find out about her "secrets". But Ash's new Pokemon had better be useful, or he's toast!

I'll definitely make this next chapter the best that I can. Until then... ;)

mistysakura

29th July 2004, 02:27 AM

I am now utterly confused. Entei and Articuno are back... and although at first glance it seems that they're under Giovanni's control, you said that the identity of the person would surprise us. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to go and hunt for the Easter Egg (would probably miss it anyway.)

So Entei and Articuno are back, and Ivy's somehow predicted the attack on the building. That makes things very interesting. Unless she planned it herself, of course. But then, it doesn't make sense that she would give Ash Pokemon to defend against it. Imagination going wild here.

Next chapter's going to be good? Cool.

mr_pikachu

29th July 2004, 09:03 AM

Ada: Well, I suppose confusion can be good... sometimes. :lol: The identity will probably surprise a lot of you, because... *clamps mouth shut* I can't say anything... this is frustrating for me, too! :evil:

Ivy knew about the impending attack, sort of... you'll find out eventually. (That seems to be my favorite word in this fic: "eventually". ;)) I'm glad your imagination is working overtime. That's a good sign, methinks. :yes:

Well, I'm off to work on the next chapter (and reply to a dozen other fics in the process). Until then! :wave:

ZeldaFan20

29th July 2004, 01:14 PM

Sure, you can call me that. That's just my nickname, but I mostly prefer to be called that anyway :lol:.

DannyBoy

4th August 2004, 05:51 PM

Wow, Articuno and Enti got them trapped. I agree with MS on the Ivy idea. I think if anything she might be apart of the whole thing. Never did like her to much. Wonder what other pokemon Ash has in the three remaining pokeballs. Can't wait to find out. See ya!

mr_pikachu

4th August 2004, 11:36 PM

It seems I've got everyone coming up with theories! :D

ID: Yeah, Entei and Articuno are working for the enemy now. But who is this enemy? You'll find out soon enough...

A lot of people dislike Ivy, I think. I don't know why, but there's something in her personality that frustrates people.

And the other three Pokemon... I'm not telling! ;)

You guys'll have the next chapter eventually, but remember: I'm trying to make this next chapter as good as possible, so it may take a little longer. Plus, I've gotta review Expect the UN-Expected, which is pretty big by now. :eek: So that will take up some of my time in the next week. But never fear, for I am here! ...Er, yeah. ^_^;; Anyway, I'll be working on it for the next few days... I can't wait to show you what happens! :D

classy_cat18

10th August 2004, 12:50 AM

Whoa. I had to read, like, six or seven chapters just to catch up. Sorry I haven't replied lately. Anyway, I like the new chapters. Since when had Entei and Articuno worked for the bad guys?

Your battles are exciting and calculating. Makes me wonder why I haven't seen you write any battles in AC/CC.

I hope the real Professor Oak's going to be okay. He must be pissed right now.

mr_pikachu

10th August 2004, 01:01 AM

Shonta: Heh, I guess you read my reply PM. ^_^; I didn't mean that you had to read it, I was merely inquiring as to whether you were! :lol:

Anyway, things have changed a bit with Entei and Articuno. There's a reason they're working for the other side... you'll find out after I complete the next chapter.

I'm glad you like the battles. I'm always unsure as to whether they're any good, so it's nice to get some feedback on that.

And the real Oak... well... you'll see. :D I say that a lot, but yeah.

Everyone: Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. The goodnews is that I got my new computer today. I would have thought that this would allow me to transfer the files from my old comp to the new one and begin writing again. But nooo, the thing didn't come with Microsoft Word. :eek: That wouldn't be a problem, except that ALL OF MY FILES ARE IN WORD. *cries* Coupled with the fact that my broken computer prevented me from getting much writing done, it'll be abit longer than I expected before the next chapter is ready. I'm sorry, but I'll work on it as much as I can, once I get Microsoft Word. *curses the creators of Microsoft Works*

mr_pikachu

14th September 2004, 12:46 AM

The new chapter is finally here. It's time for some revelations as to what's really going on... if you can figure everything out. Regardless, this is sure to excite you. I hope you enjoy. However, I hope even more that if you have any criticisms at all, that you tell me. I'm really working on improving my writing skills, and I need all of the advice you can give to help me.

Well, here it is! The battle is about to begin...

Chapter 48 – Impossible Battle

Ash glared at the two humans ahead of him on the grassy plain. He was not only frustrated by the fact that he had been completely tricked, but also because the duo that had played him for a sap now had a vast advantage over him. Things certainly didn’t look good.

“After all these times that you’ve blown us away, Ash Ketchum,” the female began, “we finally have a chance to put you in your grave. But I don’t think I want to use Pokémon to finish you. I want to do it myself.”

Ash shuddered. This was no mere stunt. This time, his longtime foes didn’t want to just take his Pokémon. They wanted to end his life completely.

“You…” he growled. “How could you two be so heartless?” He took a deep breath as the two humans sneered at him. “Damn you, Team Rocket!”

Jessie gave a shrill laugh. “You idiot! Don’t you realize that Team Rocket is finished? There is no Team Rocket anymore!”

Ash’s attention finally focused on the uniforms of his two adversaries. The familiar “R” was still present, serving as a reminder of all the times Ash had been attacked by these two.

“Then why do you still have your uniforms on?”

“Call us sentimental,” said James. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You’re going to die. Right here, right now.” As he spoke the last word, the two of them raised the pistols they had hidden, and aimed both weapons at Ash’s skull.

“Any last words?” Jessie said sarcastically.

“I’ve got a few,” said Misty. James’ and Jessie’s attention was diverted toward the redhead as she called for the Pokémon she’d already released. “Togetic, use Protect!”

James cursed as he hastily fired his weapon at Ash, as did Jessie. But the Protect attack was too quick. Ash covered his head with his arms as the bullet flew at him, but momentarily opened his eyes to see the two bullets floating harmlessly in the air. The fairy-like Pokémon blinked, and the instruments of death fell to the ground.

Jessie growled. “Giovanni was right… this won’t be easy, after all,” she muttered. After she motioned to James, the two of them shoved their guns into their Pokéball belts. “It doesn’t matter,” she spoke up. “We have two of the most powerful Pokémon in the world. You have none. There’s no way you can defeat two of them at once!”

“We’ll see!” Ash yelled before grabbing a Pokéball. To his surprise, May stepped up with one of her own.

“Told you I’d help you this time,” she said, smiling at Ash. “Now let’s win this!”

Ash didn’t comment at first. Although it would be helpful to have a partner in this battle, May was setting herself up to be a target if they lost. Nevertheless, there was no way he could win alone this time. He needed all the help he could get.

“Let’s take ‘em down,” he finally replied.

In the Orange Islands, a lone woman sat at her desk, propping her head up with her arm. It was all she could do to stay awake with the massive sleep deprivation she’d endured in the past few days, but she knew she needed to fully understand how the conflict would end.

She stared at her computer as intently as she could. Two windows were open on the massive screen, and her eyes first scanned the one on top. There were numerous odd symbols scattered across an eroding slab of rock, and her eyes quickly glazed over as she looked over the ancient markings.

“Why am I still looking at this thing?” she groaned to herself. “I already know what it means…”

With that, she turned to the bottom window on the monitor. This one featured an assortment of calculations that even she couldn’t understand. But the meaning was clear to her, due to the text that was printed at the bottom of the screen.

The fight against false friends will begin
When ownership of the great beasts finally ends.
The conflict ensues; the ultimate fight
Shall test the strength of darkness and light.
The evil will conquer the hero swiftly
As the fate of the world becomes misery.

Professor Ivy sighed to herself. These kinds of prophecies were never wrong. There would be no changing of the future, no matter what she did. Ash would lose without a doubt.

Giovanni sat in his dark office, staring at the battle that was about to unfold on his large television. Without a thought he flipped open a panel on his desk and reached for the switch that lay beneath it.

“Wait,” he told himself, pulling his hand back. “If Ash somehow manages to win this, everything will be revealed… I can’t clue him in. It’s too risky.” He slapped the wooden lid back over the switch and turned back toward the fight.

At the heart of Luanda, a small flock of villagers was gathering to see what was going on at the hospital. James smirked as he watched the crowd grow. A few of the residents screamed upon seeing the legendary Pokémon, while others fell to their knees in shock.

“Ash,” James said. “You know that this entire town will see your downfall in just a moment. Why not just give up and save yourself the humility of being blown away?”

Ash chuckled grimly. “You really are an idiot. Giving up would be a lot worse than fighting and losing. I’ve never been a quitter, and I never will be. So come and get me!”

With those words, Ash and May threw a Pokéball each. The mighty Gyarados and Tropius appeared and prepared to put all their power into the fight.

“Heh,” James said. “Flamethrower.” Before anyone could even think of responding, Tropius was nothing more than a roasted figure on the ground. Entei glanced at the ground before again staring coldly at its former trainer.

May shook as she recalled her Pokémon. “Damn,” she muttered. “Those things really are powerful…”

“Hydro Pump!” Ash called to Gyarados. The giant sea monster roared and blasted a large stream of water toward Entei, but the legendary calmly jumped out of the way.

“Sheer Cold, Articuno!” Jessie yelled. Gyarados was just finishing his Hydro Pump attack when he started to shiver uncontrollably from the freezing winds emanating from Articuno. Things went from bad to worse when he collapsed, writhing in agony in the grass. Ash recalled him and swore under his breath.

“Pichu, do it!” May shouted, motioning to her already-released Pokémon.

“Go, Pokéball!” Ash said. Jessie and James both raised an eyebrow at him for not calling his Pokémon’s name, but continued the battle anyway.

“Pichu, use–”

“Ice Beam,” Jessie interrupted. Pichu tried to prepare a Thunderbolt, but Articuno quickly blasted it with its streak of energy. The tiny mouse collapsed just before freezing completely. May recalled her second Pokémon and swiftly sent her Trapinch into the battle. The crimson antlike Pokémon screamed when he saw his opponents, but May didn’t give him a chance to object.

“Sand Tomb!” she cried.

“Hyper Beam, Flygon!” Ash yelled.

“Hmph. Idiots. Gust, now,” Jessie muttered.

“Flamethrower, again,” said James.

A mass of rocks rose up around Entei, but it merely leapt over them and blew a gout of flames at the dragon, Flygon. She winced as the blaze struck her, but nevertheless weakly stood up, trying to prepare the Hyper Beam. As the energy collected in front of her face, she closed her wings against her jade-colored body.

Articuno would have none of it, though. It flapped its mighty wings several times, tossing its two opponents into the air and slamming them to the ground with the sheer force of the wind. Both fallen Pokémon were recalled and two more took their place.

“Jynx, Body Slam!” May yelled

“Use Earthquake, Dugtrio,” Ash said.

Both attacks were for naught as Entei torched May’s Jynx with yet another Flamethrower. Dugtrio didn’t fare much better, as the cluster of moles collapsed after being ripped from the ground by Articuno.

Ash growled before releasing the last of Professor Ivy’s Pokémon. Before there was even a chance to see what it was, it was simultaneously attacked with Flamethrower and Ice Beam, which ended in the charred Magneton being frozen solid.

“Go, Smeargle!” May called.

“C’mon, Bulbasaur…” Ash grumbled as he released one of his oldest companions. “Leech Seed, now!”

“Thunder, Smeargle!”

“Flamethrower,” James laughed.

“Ice Beam.”

Bulbasaur aimed the bulb on his back and fired a giant seed from it. The attack completely backfired, though, when Articuno’s Ice Beam slammed it back toward the Grass type. The seed had just reached Bulbasaur when his opponent’s attack sealed him in a glacial prison.

Smeargle fared no better. The small Pokémon was just beginning to wave his paint-covered tail when the Flamethrower reached him, knocking him out instantly. Both Ash’s and May’s Pokémon were returned, and the trainers prepared to send out their final battlers.

“Altaria, go…” May said, releasing her second Dragon. The birdlike Pokémon’s wings appeared almost as clouds, and her blue body vibrated as she released a small, melodic chirp. May both smiled and grimaced inwardly. Altaria’s Water characteristic gave her the advantage against both of her opponents, but the young girl worried that it wouldn’t be enough.

“Pikachu,” Ash said. “This is it. Are you up for this battle?” His first Pokémon had no need for words as he bounded into the grassy field. Ash clenched his fists as he mentally prepared for what he knew could easily be his final match.

“Use Perish Song, Altaria!”

“Blizzard, Articuno!”

“Pikachu, Agility!”

“Take Altaria down with Fire Blast!”

For once, Ash’s Pokémon wasn’t knocked out with a single attack, as he dashed around the field. Pikachu nimbly avoided the clumps of snow that were quickly clustering on the ground, and Articuno grew slightly annoyed at the same strategy that Ash had used against it before.

Altaria wasn’t so lucky, however. Even with the type advantage, the intensely hot blast of flames sent her to the ground. May trembled as she recalled her last Pokémon.

Jessie nodded to James. “Articuno, fly up, now!”

“Hunh?” Ash said. He knew full well that being airborne would make Articuno more susceptible to Electric attacks. So why was Jessie just handing him that edge?

“Set everything here on fire with a Flamethrower, Entei!”

“Damn,” Ash spat. Articuno streaked away from the blaze as Entei engulfed the entire field in fire. Pikachu tried to leap above the flames with its Agility, but the attack quickly singed him upon landing back in the inferno. Ash recalled his Pokémon before he could be injured further, and stared wide-eyed at James and Jessie.

Jessie smirked. “Blizzard at full power, Articuno.” Entei’s massive Flamethrower had set the field ablaze, but the falling snow quickly put the flames to rest. The legendary Entei and Articuno slowly approached the losing trainers as they gaped at the mighty beasts.

Ash gulped. “I don’t believe it… it’s over…”

ZeldaFan20

17th September 2004, 04:18 PM

Wow, that was unexpected. So, are Jessie and James double agents or are these clones too? It certainly looks like that so called "prophecy" is coming true, but I have a feeling that something will happen to turn things in Ash's favor. I mean, it ALWAYS does, right?

mr_pikachu

18th September 2004, 01:20 AM

Steph: Heh heh... I'm glad I surprised you there! Frankly, I'm surprised no one caught on to this sooner. The hint I mentioned earlier was back when Oak was captured... the other professors saw an "R" flash in front of the videoconference screen before the transmission ended, but TR had already clearly been dismantled by then. I'm glad it worked so subtly, but I'm astonished that I was able to slip it by everyone. That makes me feel good as a writer. :D

Yes, the prophecy is coming true... or rather, it already has. Ash was thoroughly destroyed in that battle. If something doesn't turn in his favor, this this fic will either take a drastic turn or end very abruptly. Then again, maybe that's the point. Who knows?

...Oh, wait, I do. That's right. But sadly, I won't be telling. You'll just have to read on to find out! *grins mischeviously* :badsmile:

Anyway, I'm working on Chapter 49 as we speak. Hopefully it'll be done relatively quickly, but I can't make any guarantees because of possible schoolwork. These teachers just love to disrupt my plans with their assignments. Evil, evil, evil! :evil: But I'll work on it as much as I can.

mistysakura

29th September 2004, 04:27 AM

Hi, when I saw Jessie and James in their Rocket uniforms, I thought you were going to pull a Union on us, heh. It seems like the prophecy's coming ture, but it can't be. I mean, unless you're getting really sick of this fic and want to end it desperately, there are way too many loose ends and mysteries, and you just can't resist keeping us in suspense, can you? On the other hand, you could always start all over again with new protagonists! That would be interesting :D.

mr_pikachu

29th September 2004, 11:55 PM

Ada (as I askd Steph before, can I call you that?): No, I'm not that desperate. Yet. This isn't the same thing as the Union, exactly... especially since I had it planned out months before the secrets of Gavin's Union came to light. I HAD THE IDEA FIRST! *shakes fist at Gavin* ;)

No, it's really not the same thing, actually. You'll see. As for Jessie's and James' motives behind this... well... you'll see pretty soon.

And you know, maybe this fic is getting a bit too long. Hmm... 50 might be a good, round number for the total chapters. Sorry, Ash! :eek: Maybe I will and maybe I won't... hee hee hee... :lol:

New protagonists actually might be interesting... but I think our heroes are just too tied to this fic by now to rip them out and use other characters. Maybe for another fic, but not for this one.

Everyone: Okay, good news/bad news time...

Good news: I'm working as much as I can on this fic.

Bad news: That amounts to a whole lot of nothing, because of my exams... three this week, and another one last week. Argh! College can be really irritating sometimes...

But don't worry too much, because I'll be back working on this like crazy once the week ends. *starts counting seconds until 5:00 Friday (when my last class ends)*

I appreciate all of the interest in the fic, even through 48 chapters. It's good to know that there's people in Fanfic who care enough to stick with a fic of this magnitude. Thanks for reading, everyone. And I'll get that next chapter out ASAP! :yes:

.hacker

24th October 2004, 06:10 PM

Sorry I haven't responded for so long, I've been way over my head with work. *looks at mr. pikachu* Anyway, interesting development. Jessie and James have taken control of Entei and Articuno. I wonder what this means...
*glares at mr. pikachu for bringing in another mystery, and for being harassed. ;) *

Well, I understand that it will be a while for you to write another chapter because of school. I can't wait for the next chapter, I wonder what new mysteries or developments will happen? I'll try to read it earlier next time....

Bad news: That amounts to a whole lot of nothing, because of my exams... three this week, and another one last week. Argh! College can be really irritating sometimes...

But don't worry too much, because I'll be back working on this like crazy once the week ends. *starts counting seconds until 5:00 Friday (when my last class ends)*

Man, counting seconds must be hard. Let's see, if you start classes at 10:00 a.m., it's seven hours until 5:00 p.m, which means that there are (60*60*7) 25,200 seconds to count. That will take a while. 1...2...3...4...5,,, 25,200 :nod: A suggestion, time travels faster if you take notes or listen to the professor. *hint, hint*

Hopefully it'll be done relatively quickly, but I can't make any guarantees because of possible schoolwork. These teachers just love to disrupt my plans with their assignments. Evil, evil, evil! :evil:

Oh yes mr pikachu, teachers deliberately give you exams and homework so you can't write the next chapter. :rolleyes:

mr_pikachu

24th October 2004, 11:59 PM

Hey, I'm an IRL friend, Sean. I'm allowed to harass you offline. ;)

Yeah, J&J have somehow taken control of the legendaries, and used them to absoltuely annihilate Ash's and May's teams. It's another mystery, but it may well not ever be solved... *debates having Ash and co. killed right here*

Counting seconds is indeed hard. And I do pay attention to the teachers! It's not my fault that they're all evil! It's as if they're psychic or something, too...

On another note, I am not looking forward to my two exams this week. Sure, I'm expecting to ace my first one, but the second one is in a class that absolutely killed me on my last exam. *watches GPA swirl down the toilet bowl*

I'll be working on the chapter as much as I can, which won't be often this week. *cries* Those teachers just want to disrupt the writing process as much as they can...

*tries to hack into files with test questions*

*fails*

Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. It's hard, though, when I'm still figuring out the direction I want to go right here. Two roads diverged in a figurative wood... do I take the one less traveled? :s:

Orion

5th November 2004, 06:56 PM

Hi mr_pikachu. I'm just halfway. Up to chapter 25 actually. Anyway, I feel it's time to post the usual first impression.

So far, it's really good. Awesome job on merging Pokémon with the real world! Plus, it's nice to see the good ol' characters from the Anime. Ash and Misty are the same for the most part, but Brock's new attitude is kinda scaring me. Never expected he'd be so fast with girls. *Gulp*. May is now so manipulative and something else (Dunno the word.) that she's completely different from what I've seen. While I feel the attitude she has here doesn't fits her at all, it's evident that you made her a great character too. Ahhh, the ex-Team Rocket is still the funniest thing in the world. The incursion of some minor characters is also a nice touch. Giovanni is REALLY evil. I'm starting to want him dead... the revelation of Lance was great too. Kinda expected from what I've seen in regular Shipping, but well-done. Anyway, the relationship between characters is awesome, and seems to advance on. The cast is what's getting me into this, really.

Now, for the plot... Africa League? That's good! With so much variety of environments and animals, it's the perfect place for new Pokémon to be found. So far, the two I've seen were cool. Too bad Orpionic is gone *Sniff*... I liked it too. The twists you're pulling off ARE really involving. Whereas I don't like Trainers catching Legendaries, it seems there's a reason behind Ash getting'em, a big deep reason... guess I'll find out later. Giovanni's comeback is really intriguing and scary. That stuff of clones and his monitoring of the group is really breaking. So far, things are really intense, and I'm liking it. The first African Leader was cool too... too bad everyone had Dark Pokés. Mewtwo's death really impressed me. I'll keep on going, since it's REALLY deep and involving. Well done for the most part!

No complaints about the aesthetics of the Fic. Grammar and spelling is perfect, as far as I know. And while some chapters are kinda short, most are of good enough size. Description is VERY good too, and it's an original story. Almost not based off the Anime as there's FEW stuff you're using from it. It's a whole new story, and I like it.

I could say more, but that's enough for now. You're doing it great. This Fic got me hooked, really. I know I'm just halfway, but I'll keep on reading. I just wanted to say my first impressions. Keep at it. Hopefully I'll catch on for my next reply. As of now, well done. Awesome Fic! See you around. :wave:

EDIT: Oh yes... the realism you put in is good. Sometimes a bit too disturbing and too imagination-enciting (What with Jessie's new outfit and Brock's "pranks"... O.O), and a bit too strong sometimes, but good. I'll keep on reading, because it IS great! I still don't get why it's named "What dreams are made of", but I might find out someday... hehe. That's all for now.

mr_pikachu

5th November 2004, 09:36 PM

Orion: Hey, there! Glad you could make it. You say you're "only" halfway, but that's pretty good for a fic of this size!

Yeah, Brock's personality changed a bit. I just tried to figure out how it would develop. Of course, this is assuming he would actually grow beyond his usual antics on the anime... >_>;;

And May... yeah... I can explain that. When that chapter was written, all I had seen of May were the previews of the upcoming Pokemon Advance that would be coming up. So I had bits and pieces of two episodes to work with. It looked to me like she might've had the beginnings of a liking for Ash, so I tried to build on that. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't wise to use a character I knew next to nothing about, but it did make for some interesting scenes.

Oddly enough, the "ex-Team Rocket" thing you mentioned was also done by Gavin Luper in his fic at practically the exact same time. It's freaky, because I was still catching up at that point. And I'd be surprised if anyone didn't hate Giovanni. He's dastardly, isn't he?

And I realized too late that I wrote myself into a corner in the first Gym. I mean, how can you beat Pokemon that can psychically control your movements? I couldn't come up with a decent scenario, so I figured the trainers were experienced enough to have a variety of types.

I don't like a trainer just going around and snatching up legendaries for no good reason, either. Heck, I don't like a trainer even seeing a legendary Pokemon unless there's an excellent explanation. That's why I figured I needed something really good for what's transpired. It's good... you'll just have to trust me for awhile on that. ;)

The clones was something I figured I had to explore. It's actually an integral part of the plot, since everything's developed much more from my original concept. Again, you'll see eventually. But for now, be patient as I watch my GPA get flushed down the toilet. (Translation: College is hard and time-consuming.) :P

It's interesting about the "super-descriptiveness"... let's just say my writing style has changed a whole lot since I began this fic. The tone of it has changed dramatically from my original intent, as well. I sort of began to realize what real writing really was after awhile. So my writing style slowly changed to reflect that. Don't worry; there's not much of that later on. That's not to say I won't use stuff like that occasionally, but it won't be quite to the extent that it was early in this fic.

And the title has an odd history... that wasn't what it was initially. It was something much, much different, but I changed it at the last minute because I thought this was better. I think I was right. :)

Everyone: Chapter 49 is... well, delayed. I just had yet another exam today, and I'm exhausted. I studied like crazy for the four exams I've had in these two weeks, and I'm actually not sure if it helped much. :( But anyway, I'll be working on the new chapter as soon as I can free myself from the shackles of schoolwork. :grumble:

mr_pikachu

6th February 2005, 02:56 AM

Wow. It's been almost five months since the last chapter. Chapter 49 is definitely long overdue, so... here it is! I've been slowly putting the finishing touches on it over the last several weeks, and I think it's ready to go now.

Before you read it, though, I'd like to make note of something. The lack of a divider between scene shifts was really hurting the readability of my work, so I've added an asterisk to signify the changes of setting. Eventually I'll edit the previous chapters to have that as well, but that'll take quite awhile.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the new chapter!

Chapter 49: Resisting the Darkness – Part One

Within a small room in the Orange Islands, Professor Ivy scowled as her hypothesis was proven all too correct.

“Horrendous,” she breathed. “Pitiful. Their teamwork was nonexistent. Those two couldn’t have taken down the legendaries with all the Elites’ Pokémon alongside them. Why did I believe they could win?”

She closed her eyes.

“Because of that last segment…”

The breeze outdoors swept a few more leaves from the maple trees in the Professor’s yard, but she paid it no mind. Rather, she chose to slowly, nervously click the mouse aside her massive computer monitor. The screen instantly responded, scrolling downward beyond the bulky stone tablet that Ivy had been poring over previously, and focusing instead on a far smaller fragment of the original piece. Though the rock appeared to have broken away from the original mass, it was practically undamaged. Practically.

“Those few characters… If they hadn’t been smashed, I’d know whether or not Ash will be spared. But this computer just can’t…”

Lightning flashed outside her window as she sighed. “Why am I going through this again? I already know I can’t decipher it.” She glowered at her phone. “But he can. Damn it, Birch, why do you have to be out now?”

*

Just outside another laboratory, deep in the far-off region of Hoenn, Professor Birch was in a predicament of his own. A long, grassy knoll was the site for the massive conflict that was about to ensue between two lifelong friends.

“What are you so mad at me about, Professor?” Professor Birch cried.

His counterpart snorted. “You think I don’t know? My own student, betraying my greatest research. How dare you release that report! I’ve been working on that project for decades now!”

The student shouted back, “What paper? I haven’t released anything for years, Professor!”

Professor Samuel Oak’s eyes opened wide in rage. “You have the gall to patronize me and deny it after I’ve seen it with my own eyes? And you even call me ‘Professor’.” The world’s greatest researcher of Pokémon had finally had enough. “You never could accomplish anything on your own! Every single thing you’ve ever done has been because of someone else! You never had what it takes, and you never will! And I’ll prove it right now!”

Only now did Professor Birch realize the extent of his mentor’s rage. The old man’s laboratory coat flew to the ground, revealing not only a pure white T-shirt, but also a standard trainer belt with six separate Pokéballs.

“You mean to battle me? Here? Now?”

“Of course? What better time or place?” He spread his arms wide, gazing at the beautiful makeshift battlefield before them. It was practically unspoiled nature. The massive expanse of low grass waving in the breeze, the large rock face on one side, and the small lake on the other made it an ideal battlefield to be sure.

Professor Birch gritted his teeth until a memory he’d pushed aside resurfaced in his mind. His eyes opened wide and his jaw tensed as he recalled the event.

‘The four of us were having a discussion on the videophone… the Professor was scared, that was certain. Someone was after him. He told us what to do, and then… that wet handkerchief on his face… and he was gone.’

“He’s not Professor Oak,” Birch mumbled.

“Hmph. Get over your weakness, boy. I want to take down a man today, not the child I let go.”

“This isn’t like him at all… none of it. The Professor hasn’t battled in years, and he’d never issue a challenge like this. He was always very respectful, and I heard he even arranged the few battles he had like appointments beforehand. Instead he showed up outside my laboratory out of the blue and lured me outside with obscenities. For a battle. Who is this guy and what does he want?”

“Let’s get this started!”

“And more importantly…”

“Give me everything you’ve got!”

“Who’s really behind this?”

*

Back in Luanda, Articuno and Entei had reached Ash and had stopped just in front of him in a tormenting manner. Ash’s jaw shuddered in pure terror, as he knew there was no way he could combat the mighty beasts before him.

May was to his side, in shock at her ineptitude in helping Ash out in this, his greatest battle. She was unable to get him through the hardest fight he ever faced. Despite all the training she’d done, her Pokémon were blown away in seconds. She couldn’t do anything to stop the onslaught. ‘And now, because I was too… too weak to help… it all ends… I… I failed…’

Brock and Misty stood behind their comrades, helpless to the situation. As much as they each wanted to release Pokémon to fight back, they didn’t dare risk Ash’s life. All they had going for them was Misty’s Togetic that was still standing far back from the battle, ready to use Protect just as it had before against the gunfire. Misty, though, was well aware of the unreliability of constant usage of Protect. All they could hope for was the denseness of Jessie and James shining through once again.

The two criminals were, in fact, pondering that at the moment, despite their outward appearance of final victory. ‘If that thing can shield others from attacks, then it can probably do the same for itself. So we can’t just destroy it and then kill Ash… how can we get around it? Better stall for time to think…’

“Tell me, Ash. What’s it like?” Jessie sneered.

Giovanni nearly roared from his far-off vantage point. “What are those blithering idiots doing?”

“What’s what like?” Ash yelled back, his voice wavering.

“To be completely at the mercy of someone else. For someone else to have all the power to use against you for once. Pikachu’s put us through our share of pain, sure. But do you think mere pain is the full extent of what we’re ready to do?”

Ash gulped. “No.”

James chuckled in response. “Right. With just one command, Entei could tear your head from your shoulders. With its fangs or its claws.”

“Or Articuno could rip you apart with a slash of its beak. Or pelt you endlessly with a barrage of ice attacks. You’d die of hypothermia before you hit the ground.”

Ash’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s the problem? If you’re so set on attacking me, why not do it? Can’t you decide which Pokémon to use?”

“No, no, we’re just relishing this moment. That’s all. It’s not every day you get to completely destroy the kid who ruined your life for years.”

‘That’s not it,’ Ash thought. ‘There’s something more…’

*

At that moment, the battle outside Professor Birch’s laboratory was ready to erupt into chaos. Neither of the two men were paltry trainers, and both had released intensely powerful Pokémon to begin. Professor Birch stood beside his Salamence, while his opponent was ready with a Tyranitar. The wind swirled around the two combatants as they glared at each other.

‘And that’s another thing,’ Professor Birch thought. ‘The Professor was an incredibly powerful trainer in his day, but I don’t remember him doing extensive training with any Dark-type Pokémon. I remember writing an essay right before I received my degree… I had to list in detail every Pokémon used by a distinguished trainer in all of his… or her… League competitions. I chose Professor Oak. To this day I remember them all, and he never called on a Tyranitar to battle. He surely would’ve been smart enough to use it if he’d had it. And I really don’t think he would feel a need to raise a Tyranitar on the side since his retirement from training. Plus, he’d never have stolen a Pokémon away from his reserve for just some battle. If this is the real Professor Oak, he didn’t do that. So what the heck is going on here?’

“Always afraid to start a battle, as well. Listen up. I could teach you so much about Pokémon battling that it would make your head spin. You know that as well as I do. I could destroy you at my leisure, but instead I think I’ll finish you fast. Hyper Beam!”

The result was instantaneous. No sooner had Professor Oak spoken those words than the searing beam of energy smashed into the very spot where Salamence had stood only a moment before. The dragon, however, had launched itself into the sky, and was already streaking toward its foe.

“If you thought I was that stupid, you were wrong! I don’t know what’s going on with you right now, but I’ll do whatever it takes to bring you down! Steel Wing!”

The shimmering protrusion from Salamence’s side slammed into Tyranitar’s chest, leaving a deep gash in its wake. Professor Oak, however, had a devious grin. “You know what to do!” The Tyranitar, who was now bleeding profusely from the chest wound, had already latched onto the surprised Salamence’s wing. Upon that command the mighty dragon was thrown into the ground and Body Slammed, Mega Kicked and Fire Punched simultaneously. Professor Birch could do nothing more than recall his thoroughly beaten, bruised and bloodied Pokémon.

“That was an awful tactic.”

“Oh? Your dragon’s out of commission, while my Pokémon’s still standing! It seemed pretty effective to me.”

Professor Birch’s fists clenched. “You know that’s not what I mean! You forced your Tyranitar to get hit with that devastating attack just so you could win the round! It couldn’t even defend itself, and that’s a wound it may never recover from! Didn’t you see how hard that Steel Wing sliced into it?”

“What I saw was your Pokémon getting thoroughly beaten by mine. Stop your ceaseless whining, and send out your next victim already!”

“You’ll regret those words!” Professor Birch shouted, grabbing another Pokéball.

*

In Luanda, Jessie and James were running out of excuses, and Misty and Brock were slowly gaining confidence. A wrong move would be unforgivable, but the two people who were the only remaining hope for Ash couldn’t just sit around, either. Eventually, their enemies would figure out why they were stalling. If that time came before they acted, it was all over.

Unfortunately, that moment came a moment too soon. “Wait a minute… that’s what they’re doing!” Giovanni growled from the dark room he sat in. He hastily leaned forward and slapped a button on his desk, activating the microphone that lay there. “That Togetic can’t keep using Protect! Finish Ketchum now!”

Jessie’s eyes sprang open in glee. “It’s over.”

*

High above the turmoil in Africa, a group of tourists were preparing to skydive into the meadow that lay below. The smallest of the group, a young boy, had begged to be the first to take the plunge. Thus, he was crouching just in front of the open door with his parachute strapped on.

“Okay, kid, now I’m gonna jump with you, so listen close…” He ignored the request, preferring instead to gaze out of the plane at the forestry below. Miles and miles of trees, as far as the eye could see, with one tiny meadow that looked like a speck beneath him.

He blinked. His head swiveled to his right, toward the front of the plane. What on earth…?

There it was again. The streak of light. And another. Three more followed. Alternating flashes of radiant color through the foliage.

“What the–”

The rest was drowned out by his screams as he toppled toward the ground.

Orion

7th February 2005, 12:45 PM

Great! I waited for the next chapter for a while, as I caught up about one month ago. Guess I can comment on how's it going so far.

So many twists and turns. This story is really involving! I hate Giovanni with a passion... how can he be so evil? He's gone too far on using his father and his son for his evil purposes. I hope he dies an horrific death when the time comes... I SO HOPE IT! :mad2:

I liked the second GYM Leader Battle too. It was quite challenging to see that they could only battle her once. May battled really well. But Giovanni came in and messed Ash up... it was funny, though. Fitting GYM Battles in such a tense situation was pretty involving.

The last turn of events got me hooked. Team Rocket using the Legendary Pokémon, the fake Oak battling Birch, the missing bit of the prophecy... it's just too much. Everything is tense at this moment, and I'm eager to know what's next. The last bit of the last chapter I couldn't quite understand, though. Guess it'll take some relevance later on.

I'm glad you implemented the asterisk, as it was quite confusing at times. Also, I had some trouble with reading some chapters that had weird symbols all over them. I guess it was a Forum mess-up, though... I figured out most of it after all. Since I'm no expert on grammar and stuff, I can't comment on the more technical stuff...

Either way, I really like the Fic. The recent twists are awesome, and so involving I can't do better but to wait impatiently for the next chapter. Hopefully you can get to it faster...

Good job. Keep it up! Until next time! :wave:

ZeldaFan20

7th February 2005, 05:48 PM

You know, it's funny: the same night I post my next chapter, you post this. What did you do, wait until I went first? :lol:

Getting back to the chapter, it was actually very cool. I thought the whole scene with the plane was a tad irrelevant. Then again, it was probably to spare us the gore of what was happening down below (and I've got a pretty good guess what).

Great job!

mistysakura

8th February 2005, 04:45 AM

Well, I don't usually continue reading fics after they've been dormant for a long, long time. (Seriously, I thought this fic was dead.) It's because I have a short memory span, and between all that stuff I read, a fic that I haven't read for months tends to disappear from my memory. (Heck, I even get lost in active fics sometimes.) So, I remember that this fic is cool. Porblem is, I don't remember what's so cool about it. Second problem is that I don't have much time on my hands. so when I do, I'll reread this fic from Chapter 1. In the meantime, see you around.

mr_pikachu

8th February 2005, 11:36 PM

Well, I've finally finished with a very hectic day at college (a group presentation and two exams), so now I've got a little time to reply to you guys!

Orion: Yeah, there are a lot of twists, and still many more to come. That's one of my favorite things about this fic from a writing standpoint, actually. It's fun to surprise people! :D Giovanni's got a definite problem with greed, so much so that he's willing to use his family to get what he wants. Let me just say that I'm not planning on letting that aspect of his personality get weaker any time soon.

I've always wondered why the Gyms can be repeatedly rechallenged. You'd think that, at least for the later Gyms, they'd set a limit. I guess they don't want to discourage trainers, but I sort of thought of this as an advanced league, anyway. (That's not referring to the sixth season of the anime, just so you know. :rolleyes: ) If a trainer's not good enough to win, there may not be a second chance.

There's actually a lot going on behind the scenes right now, as well. Just why are the Professors so obsessed with Ash all of a sudden? What's with the "fake Oak", as you put it? And how the heck can a prophesy come into the picture? There's a lot more happening than you know...

And the boy in the plane... dang, I had hoped that technique wouldn't backfire. I honestly couldn't figure out a better way to say what I wanted to... but there's still some definite relevance there. All will be revealed in the next update... but with Ash's life on the line, will it be the last? :eek:

Yeah, I thought the asterisk would help. It's hard to section off different scenes without an artificial device. Of course, now I'll have to edit the previous chapters. All 48 of them... :sweatdrop: The forum error was not my fault, actually; that affliction affected all of TPM for a time, actually. It hit Fanfic hardest, but technically every post was affected to some extent, even if it wasn't visible. They changed a few setting, and that screwed EVERYTHING up. You can change how your browser views web pages to fix it, but why bother? After all, I'm going to have to edit that, too... :grumble:

Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying this, and I hope you continue to read!

Steph: Well, no; actually, I was going to wait until after this week's exams, but your chapter kinda gave me an incentive to post mine. Or something. I don't make much sense when I'm tired. *shrugs*

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. But everyone hates the plane scene! I'll really have to tie what I'd planned in well, I guess. More work for me. Joy. ;) Heh, and the gore was indeed spared! At least I've got that going for me... for now. *grins evilly*

I'm glad you're still reading, too! I'll see you next chapter!

Ada: Well, everyone seemed to think that I was dead, too, so I guess it's not much of a surprise. I'm sorry that the delay is going to force a reread. Really, it's hard for me to get writing time now. It was even harder last year with all the technical work I was doing. Thankfully, however, that means that I should have more time this semester. So, hopefully we won't have any more five-month delays! Take your time, though; I'll need some serious inspiration for Chapter 50. I know what's going to happen, but now I've gotta figure out how to make it look perfect.

Oh, and when you read the first fifteen chapters or so... uh... just remember that my writing style... and topics... have matured a heck of a lot since then. When the final copy of this goes in the archive, that early part will experience some heavy editing. Half the stuff I wrote feels like rubbish in retrospect. Someday that may happen with what I'm producing now, but until then, this'll stand.

But it's good that you're still reading. This fic is most definitely not dead. And contrary to popular belief, neither is my other "current fic" listed in my sig. That'll be continued when I have more time to work with. (Can't Spring Break come any faster?)

It's good to still have some readers. I appreciate your support. I really do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have spent so long replying here. :D Anyway, see you next chapter! :wave:

mr_pikachu

2nd August 2005, 11:28 PM

Wow. It's been almost six months since I posted the last chapter. I really feel like an idiot now.

Sorry about the massive delay. I truly have been working on this chapter all this time, but I just can't get it to feel right. I'm not sure if I'm just being overzealous in striving for perfection, but that's why this chapter's been delayed until now. (It still doesn't feel like my best work, frankly, but I've got to get it out eventually if I want this fanfic to ever continue.) So, this post will contain the next chapter.

Also, I'd like to note that I'll be going back to re-edit some of my earlier chapters. I've improved somewhat since then, and I'd like to make those chapters measure up to my more recent ones. Besides, it couldn't hurt for me to review the entire plotline, anyway.

Well, I hope you enjoy the fiftieth chapter of this fanfic. Here it is!

Chapter 50: Resisting the Darkness – Part Two

“Entei!”

“Articuno!”

Jessie and James smirked. “Kill him now!”

Ash cringed as the two beasts tensed in preparation, and Giovanni’s fists clenched as he anticipated the outcome of the final strike.

“Togetic!” Misty’s voice shook. “Protect, hurry!” she cried, fumbling for another of the few Pokéballs she still had with her. Brock followed suit, knowing full well that releasing another Pokémon was their last chance.

Of course, if the Protect failed, it wouldn’t matter, as was proven when Entei charged straight through the weakened barrier to clear the path to Ash. The trainer could do little more than yell in fright at his imminent fate.

And then he heard it. Two noises caught his ear just before the last attacks. The gentle breeze growing ever stronger, and the far-off rumble of thunder. If he was wrong about what he was sensing, then everything was about to end. But if not, then there could still be a chance…

*

Across the ocean, the conflict between Professors Birch and Oak picked up again.

“Alright. I have faith in you, Golem!” The younger man slammed his Pokéball to the ground, allowing the Megaton Pokémon to take form next to him.

“Tar…” the elder man’s creature groaned. The deep wound was quickly taking a toll on it, and already the Tyranitar was beginning to fade in and out of consciousness.

“Return, now, Tyranitar!” Professor Oak said, recalling the injured Pokémon. “It’s taken enough damage for now. I’ll face you with a Steelix, instead!” he cried as he tossed out his second Pokéball.

“Fine, then! Rollout attack, Golem!”

“Iron Tail!”

The boulder’s body quickly curled up and spun rapidly at the massive opponent it now faced. Steelix, on the other hand, swept its immense tail across the ground toward Golem.

‘No time,’ Birch thought. ‘Even Golem can’t make it through an Iron Tail, and Rollout won’t do a thing to Steelix yet. We’ve got to build up speed to deal decent damage. It’s too soon for us to attack, so I’ve gotta dodge. But how?’

“Golem!” the portly professor’s voice boomed. “Jump the tail!”

“Jump the tail?” Professor Oak cried. “Golem weighs practically a literal ton, with almost nonexistent legs! It can’t possibly jump. Nice try!”

Professor Birch only stared on as Golem, without breaking its spin, zipped to the side and toward the rock face at the edge of the meadow. It had no trouble scaling the formation in less than a second and soaring just over the Iron Tail, crashing back to earth only once the deadly attack had passed it by.

“Now! Come in for an attack, Golem!” With those words the gargantuan Rock Pokémon sped forward and slammed into Steelix’s side, dazing even the massive Steel-type.

“That’s not enough to win! Iron Tail again, Steelix!”

“You know what to do, Golem!”

The boulder once more raced toward the rock formation, barely outrunning the Iron Tail. As it reached the base, Oak sneered. “You think I’d be fool enough to fall for that twice? Swing it around and redirect the attack, Steelix!”

“Wha… redirect?”

Before either Golem or Professor Birch could react, Steelix shifted its body, wrenching its tail back toward Golem’s newly aerial position. The extraordinarily powerful attack careened into the Rock type, smashing it out of the Rollout and bouncing it toward the base of Steelix’s tail. The Megaton Pokémon blinked its eyes quickly as it flopped to a resting point on the newly flattened ground, desperately trying to avoid fainting.

“There’s no choice,” Professor Birch muttered. “Golem! Explosion!”

Professor Oak swore aloud as a titanic detonation rocked the entire area, sending even the trainers tumbling to the ground. Steelix, who was caught at the epicenter, was sent flying headfirst toward the lake across the battlefield. Before either trainer could think to look to see Steelix’s condition, the entire battlefield was covered with a thick cloud of dust and debris. Only after several moments of obscured vision did the air clear to reveal an unconscious Steelix floating in the lake and a large crater where a beautiful meadow had once laid. Golem’s battered body lay in the middle of the ruins.

“Damn,” Birch said to himself, shaking his head. “Hope that doesn’t screw up more than it fixes. I’d better win now, or that mess I just made here will be for nothing anyway.”

He turned his eyes to his foe, who was angrily recalling his Pokémon. Birch did the same.

“You whine about cheap tricks, then you pull that? Pathetic. You should be ashamed.”

“I didn’t have an option left. Your Tyranitar was still fresh. You sacrificed your Pokémon outright! What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s a legitimate battle technique, you simpleton. Now, let’s get back to business!” Professor Oak yelled, whipping out another Pokéball.

“Get out here, Gyarados!”

Professor Birch carefully picked a Pokéball from his waist.

“Fine, then, Pidgeot!”

“So it’s an aerial battle this time? I suppose the wreckage on the ground won’t matter much, then.”

‘Don’t be so sure,’ Birch thought.

“Let’s begin!”

*

In Luanda, Entei was at last making its final lunge at Ash’s neck. As Misty and Brock yelled in futility, the young boy closed his eyes. Nothing but faith stood between him and death. There was no final defense.

“It can’t end now.”

The moment he spoke those words, a thick, yellow streak ripped across the meadow and slammed into Entei, sending the Dog of Fire skidding away. A similar blur crashed into Articuno with just enough force to shake its focus away from launching an Ice Beam.

Ash’s eyes flashed open. As he gazed upon his saviors, he smirked. “All right,” he said. “Now we’ve got a battle!”

“…The hell is this?” Giovanni roared.

Numerous noises of shock were heard throughout the town as the entire scene came into focus. No longer were two legendary Pokémon mercilessly attacking a group of trainers. That was no longer the case, as the situation had just become far more impressive.

“Okay!” Ash bellowed, his voice echoing around the city. “You. You cornered us with those two legendary Pokémon before. We didn’t have a chance. But that doesn’t mean we won’t fight you now with everything we have! Consider this a challenge!”

“Uh…”

“If you’ve really got as much skill with Entei and Articuno as you think you do, take us on now and prove it!”

And by Ash’s side, Raikou and Suicune howled in agreement.

Jessie’s glare hardened, as did James’ a second later. “We don’t have to!” they said, pulling out the guns at their sides.

But it wasn’t as if they had a chance to use them. Raikou’s eyes narrowed as two thin streams of electricity shot from his mane and connected with the guns. Before Jessie or James could think, their weapons were ripped from their hands and pulled up to Suicune’s mighty jaws. A quick Ice Beam ensured their uselessness.

Ash grimaced. “Trying your tricks until the very end. That’s why you’ll lose,” he said just loudly enough for his foes to hear. “If you can’t trust your Pokémon, then they can’t trust you!”

“Trust is overrated. All that matters is that you can win. So let’s find out who handles things best!”

“Fine!” Ash looked toward the two legendaries near him. “Is that okay with you two?”

“Uh…” May started, trying to earn one last chance to redeem herself. A sharp sideways glance from the legendaries was enough to get her to quickly back away.

The great beasts nodded toward Ash, and he straightened to face his enemies.

“Then let’s do this!”

classy_cat18

4th August 2005, 09:36 AM

Whee, another chapter! Yeah, I've magically reappeared in Fanfiction. Took me ten days after the forum came back to find out that Knights to Remember had disappeared. I would be working on getting it back, only my computers had been stricken with another virus. So, nice chapter. A little short but I can't find anything wrong with it.

Orion

4th August 2005, 02:00 PM

Glad to see you're still writing, mr_pikachu. I kinda missed to read this story.

This chapter was cool. It was mostly battling, but it was cool. It seems things are turning less tense thanks to the help of the other Legendary Beasts. I wonder what they're intending to do in the end. As of now, they seem to wish to help Entei and Articuno, and also save Ash, but I guess we'll see.

The battle between the imposter Oak and Birch has turned very intense and dangerous. I wonder what'll happen next.

Though I'm not much for battle-only chapters, it was cool. It provides yet more room for more twists and turns. Let's see what happens in next chapter.

Just found this chapter to be overall short, and I also thought you should've emphasized Ash's feelings when he was in the verge of death. I think that would've added a bit of weariness into all this mess.

Even so, this is nice. I hope you can get the next chapter up sooner. This is still very intense, and I'm dying to find out what'll happen next. Keep it up, and until next time! :)

ZeldaFan20

5th August 2005, 05:33 PM

For Pete's sake, Brian, the one time in months you post a chapter and you leave us hanging! Uh...oh, I guess I shouldn't be taking since my last chapter took a long time too. Getting back on track, it was an intense chapter; I'm really glad Suicune and Raikou managed to make the fight. I wonder how it will turn out...

mr_pikachu

9th August 2005, 12:03 AM

Wow, three replies! I was worried that I wouldn't get any after all this time! Thanks! You've definitely lifted my spirits.

Shonta: It's good to have you back, classy_cat! I was worried that we might have lost you during the server move! I'm sorry to hear that your computer's having trouble... KTR is an excellent fic that I've really enjoyed. I hope you can get it back. And yeah, it was a little short, although this was actually longer than my average chapter. I've had some really short ones in the past. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read!

Orion: Hey, it's you! I'm glad you're still hanging around Fanfic. I started to worry after you stopped your last fic. Yes, there are now four legendary Pokemon in the middle of the conflict. And Professors Oak and Birch are indeed going at it. Sorry about it being battle-heavy. I'm not much for those myself, but it couldn't really be avoided. Ash's emotions might have been better expressed, I suppose... I was trying to convey his putting his faith and his last hopes completely on the shoulders of the legendaries, but I guess I didn't do that very well. And it was longer than a lot of my earlier chapters, in all honesty. But length is something I need to develop. I'm glad it's still got the intensity to interest you, and I'll certainly try to be more efficient with the next chapter!

Steph: Well, yes. Guilty as charged. I'm glad you like how the events are unfolding, and I hope the next chapter satisfies your curiosity... or makes it grow even more. :biggrin: There are two different ways I can write the next chapter, and I haven't completely decided which method I prefer. We'll see soon enough.

Again, I'm very pleased to see that I still have some readers after the time without a chapter. Hopefully the next one will live up to your expectations! Well, see you then!

Charles Legend

25th August 2005, 03:02 AM

well Mr_pikachu I don't know if I posted before or not but I have been reading, thought very slowly, but rest asheer I well ceatch up one of these days...

~Charles legend

mr_pikachu

25th August 2005, 06:27 AM

Hey, another reply! It really does pay to get new chapters posted! ;)

Charles Legend: Well, it's good to have you as a reader! I understand the need to take it slow; this fic has gotten rather long, after all. I'm just glad that's not keeping you from working to catch up. Don't worry about being quick with it. I'd rather have you enjoy it than feel the need to rush through it. Anyway, thanks for joining our little group of readers! It's good to have you here. :)

Everyone: After what happened tonight, I'm going to work even harder to get this fic moving again.

Why, you ask? Well, I kind of had a revelation tonight. I've been planning a few different events for chapters in the future, but I wasn't entirely sure about how to make them work. I've been pondering the plot devices for quite awhile, and every time I've had an idea, it clashed with something important that I simply can't afford to leave out.

Then, as I was driving back to my dorm room from my parents' house, I found a solution. Frankly, it surprised even me. I've thought of variations of it for awhile, but this particular idea is not only vastly superior to my other thoughts, and it not only makes everything else work, but it even ties it all together into one dramatic moment that, with luck, I can use to make things really, really intense. Everything just fell into place as I was thinking about it. It allows even greater drama in the short-term, and it makes several of my long-term plans work perfectly as well. I felt like I was watching a puzzle being put together as I delved deeper into the idea. Suddenly, everything added up.

Now that was an awesome feeling. :D

mr_pikachu

19th June 2006, 08:59 PM

Whoa. I had no idea that it had been that long since I posted the last chapter...

Well, shoot. While I'm glad that I've finally got Chapter 51 done, I hope that you all don't have to do too much re-reading... although I have a bad feeling that my hopes are probably in vain. :P

Dang it. Apologies all around... really...

Anyway, here's Chapter 51, which shouldn't have taken me nearly so long to write. Ack.

Chapter 51: Resisting the Darkness – Part Three

Okay. We’ve got Articuno and Entei, and the twerp’s got Raikou and Suicune. I have a feeling he won’t be dumb enough to give us another free shot at him, and if we spend all our time gunning for him, Articuno and Entei will be left wide open to attacks. So we’ll have to battle, Pokémon to Pokémon.

Well, if we get Articuno against Suicune, that’ll be pretty good. Articuno can just overpower any Ice attacks that Suicune tries, and Water moves won’t do a thing to us, either. Plus, Articuno’s got the advantage of flight, so it’ll be tougher for that Suicune to get a shot in. We should have a win there.

So that leaves our Entei against that Raikou. And Raikou may be fast, but Entei’s got a lot of firepower. I’m pretty sure we’ll match up well that way, too.

Of course, Raikou’s got the power of electricity, which is strong against Flying Pokémon… like Articuno. And Entei won’t be able to deal with Suicune, because any Water attacks will leave it senseless.

So we need to separate the battles. We can’t let Raikou get anywhere near Articuno, and the same goes for Suicune and Entei. But how do you break up a double battle?

Amidst the confusion of the two legendary dogs coming to Ash’s aid, Jessie and James quickly crafted a strategy for dealing with the beasts. Although no words of their plans were spoken, the two thought in tandem, instantly building upon their ideas to form a battle plan.

“Articuno,” Jessie began, “cover the area in Mist!”

Before Ash could think to utter a command, Articuno flapped its magnificent wings, launching itself skyward. As the momentum carried it into the sky, a cloud of tiny ice particles floated from its feathers and sank toward the ground, obscuring the vision of all three legendary dogs. With another flutter of its wings, the impenetrable fog extended to surround Ash as well.

“Entei, strengthen yourself! Calm Mind!” James called.

Although none of the other combatants could see it, Entei grumbled and closed its eyes in an attempt to clear its head. After its recent experiences of being captured, losing a battle to Articuno, and being effectively stolen from its trainer, it had a lot on its mind. So as the Mist surrounded it, Entei tried to forget the chaos of the previous weeks and refocus its attention on the battle.

“Raikou, Reflect! Suicune, Calm Mind!”

“Articuno, use Mist again! Thicken the fog!”

“Entei, Calm Mind again!”

What are those two doing? Sure, Raikou and Suicune can’t see well enough to launch an attack, but neither can Articuno or Entei! So Entei’s powering up, but both Raikou and Suicune are doing the same. That’s two against one, since Articuno’s wasting its time keeping up the Mist. If Jessie and James were still being idiots, then they’d just launch a bad attack like they always do… but this doesn’t seem to be a good strategy, either, from what I can see. What are they up to?

As Ash considered this, he coughed, choking on the intense Mist.

“Now, Articuno! Use Ice Beam!”

Okay, now they’re switching strategies. Articuno’s using Ice Beam to freeze the watery fog… the watery fog that’s surrounding all of us… including me…

No! If I can’t blow the Mist away, I’m done!

“Suicune… um… Gust!”

With a glint in its eyes that was only hidden by the thick shroud which engulfed the battlefield, Suicune let out a deep howl. A torrent of wind erupted from its jaws and carried the Mist away, leaving the Ice Beam to freeze a small patch of grass in the middle of the cleared meadow.

“Gust?” James cried. “Suicune can use Gust?”

Apparently so. Giovanni tapped his fingers against his desk, staring curiously at the image before him. Suicune is said to be the embodiment of the North Wind, so perhaps that moniker sprung from that ability in times past. But none of my scouts indicated that it had such a talent. How could a mere boy, even one as lucky as this one, possibly know that Suicune could use Gust?

“Suicune and Raikou! Electrified Hydro Pump!”

As Suicune opened its jaws again, unleashing a thick, powerful blast of water at the airborne Articuno, a lightning bolt struck the stream and followed its path straight toward Articuno.

“Reflect, Articuno!”

“Entei, use Fire Blast on Raikou!”

“Suicune, keep up the Hydro Pump! And Raikou, run straight into that Fire Blast!”

Giovanni quickly stood up at his desk, sending his armchair rolling across the room from his sudden movement. Has he lost it? He’s sacrificing Raikou for no reason. The idiot!

Wait. He may rely heavily on luck, but he’s not stupid. If he’s sending Raikou into that attack, he must figure that Raikou can take the heat. But why?

A nearly invisible wall formed in front of Articuno’s beak, blocking the blast of water just before it reached its target. Nevertheless, the torrent continued from Suicune’s mouth, and the electricity continued to engulf the continuous stream.

Meanwhile, Entei summoned six titanic flames and launched them toward Raikou with one furious roar. Rather than jump away from the heat, Raikou ran directly toward the inferno with the blinding speed that proved him the fastest of the legendary dogs. Giovanni stared at the sprint for only a moment before swearing loudly at the screen in front of him.

“That glimmer… make Entei dodge! Get it out of there!”

“What?” James mumbled. “What do you mean, dodge?”

It was too late. The Fire Blast hit Raikou’s body and shattered into short-lived wisps of flame. Entei was left completely helpless as Raikou tackled it and poured all its electrical energy into the fire dog’s body.

“You idiot! Raikou used its own Reflect earlier! But it didn’t form a wall… it coated its own body with the shield!

“What’s the matter with you? You can’t even win when I give you a pair of legendary Pokémon!”

James had no reply. Even though he desperately wanted to remind his boss that Ash had two legendaries as well, the hope that he might live another day carried more weight in his mind.

“Raikou, Thunder again! Give it everything you’ve got, and shatter that Reflect!”

With his underlings now outnumbered two-to-one, Giovanni considered the battle tactics. The irony that stuck out most in his mind was that of the Reflect defense that both sides had used. In both cases, they were used to block so-called “special” attacks – Articuno was defending against Electric and Water attacks, while Raikou had endured a Fire Blast. Yet that sort of technique was supposedly best against “physical” moves, which left him to smirk at its surprising effectiveness in the battle before him.

It would seem that neither side wants to lose. Perhaps that is the greatest strength of the legendary Pokémon… the will to fight on.

Just as Suicune paused its attack to take a breath, the Reflect which stood between Articuno and its assailants finally shattered, leaving it exposed to Raikou’s Thunder. Jessie’s fists shook as she called out a final command to the ice bird.

“Please, please let this work… Sheer Cold!”

With electricity flowing through its body, Articuno called out in anguish and rage, blasting a wave of arctic air in all directions. The arctic bird crashed headfirst into the ground, but Suicune and Raikou were left frozen solid as well.

“No! Articuno! No…”

Ash blinked. How in the world did she pull off a lucky attack like that? She hit both of my Pokémon with Sheer Cold at once? And just as I had them beat, too…

Jessie and James, with their hands shaking, each held up a Pokéball to recall their respective legendary beast. Ash was left to merely stare at Raikou and Suicune, who were each frozen solid and unconscious.

The young trainer glanced at the two spheres in his hand.

“It doesn’t seem right… but I have a feeling that there’s something big going on… and we’re going to need you two.”

He sighed.

“Pokéballs, go.”

*

“Steel Wing, Pidgeot!”

“Gyarados, Flamethrower!”

As Professors Birch and Oak both clenched their fists in an attempt to focus, their Pokémon tangled once more in the now-ruined field. Birch’s Pidgeot was indeed lightning-quick, and she darted toward her massive opponent without a second thought, spreading her wings wide and allowing the sensation of cold, heavy steel to overtake them. Thanks to that speed alone, she was able to tear a gash in the face of her opponent, enraging the Atrocious Pokémon all the more.

Unfortunately for her, rather than cry out in pain, the leviathan whipped his body around and poured a torrent of flames into the back of her. The combination of Pidgeot’s natural speed and Gyarados’ intense attack sent the bird toward the earth, where she slammed helplessly into the edge of the crater that had formed. Thanks to the weak soil that had been unearthed from the earlier chaos, she sunk well into the dirt. The Hydro Pump that followed from Gyarados only pushed her further into the muck, completely burying her.

Professor Oak smirked.

“Should I just kill you now? It isn’t as if you have a chance.”

No response came from the mouth of his opponent.

“I see you’re not so cocky now. It’s a little late for that.”

Silence.

Now Professor Oak, the instigator of this clash, paused in thought. It wasn’t like the younger professor to have nothing to say… he was usually fairly talkative once he got started, after all.

But I knocked out his first three Pokémon with ease. Salamence fell quickly thanks to Tyranitar’s sacrifice, and he was forced to have his Golem use Explosion on my Steelix. And Pidgeot lost after a single attack!

Pidgeot…

Why hasn’t he recalled Pidgeot?

The realization came too late. Pidgeot burst from the point of impact, streaked toward her opponent, and delivered another solid Steel Wing to the jaw of her unwitting opponent. Although she was completely covered in mud – almost so much so that she couldn’t see – she was still far quicker than the large, hulking Gyarados.

“That Steel Wing is strong, but it makes any Flying Pokémon temporarily vulnerable to Fire attacks! Flamethrower!”

“Steel Wing!”

What?

As the wave of flames once more rushed from Gyarados’ maw, Pidgeot hurled herself through them, slamming into the beast a third time. Pidgeot’s wings remained completely stiffened this time, so she willed herself to tilt her body in order to turn for another attack.

“How are you doing this?”

Professor Birch smiled. Or at least, he was as close to smiling as he’d been since the battle had begun. “Steel Wing!”

“Thunder!” Oak yelled desperately.

To the elder professor’s utter shock, the bolt of electricity merely ricocheted off Pidgeot’s mud-crusted form and crashed into the ground, leaving Gyarados open to one final Steel Wing. He’d finally had enough, and he plummeted into the crater, where he was recalled. Pidgeot, on the other hand, landed sharply by Professor Birch’s side. He might have petted his bird if she hadn’t been caked in mud.

“I hit your Pidgeot with all those attacks… the thing should be dead by now!”

“Wrong! You only hit her once!”

Oak’s mouth opened slightly due to his confusion.

“You knocked her into the dirt with that first Flamethrower, sure. But then you tried to finish her with Hydro Pump. That never actually hit Pidgeot, since she purposely dove with enough force to completely bury herself. But you did manage to turn that pile of dirt into a sea of mud. Thanks, by the way.”

“So I didn’t hit you with Hydro Pump. Fine! But Flamethrower and Thunder should have knocked that Pidgeot out of the sky!”

“Wrong again, because those didn’t hit, either. Your second Flamethrower did nothing more than to harden the mud covering Pidgeot, turning it into some very… unusual armor. And that made Thunder completely useless.”

The point was proven when Pidgeot flapped her wings a single time, shattering the “armor.”

Just like a Mud Sport attack! The Pidgeot was completely shielded. I don’t believe it!

Professor Oak angrily ripped another Pokéball from his belt. “You’re done!”

*

Ash raised the only one of his Pokéballs that he had never before used.

“Pikachu, go.”

Despite having been singed in the battle with Entei and Articuno, and despite the preservative effects of his Pokéball, the yellow mouse looked quite happy to be free of the device once again.

“Just in case those two have any more tricks… Thunder Wave, Pikachu.”

Once the two short bursts of thin, wiry electricity struck Jessie and James and sent them to their knees, Ash strode across the plain. The formerly beautiful field was now a charred, shredded wreck. But Ash took no heed of this. Rather, he grabbed the necks of Jessie and James in his hands and lifted them, raising their limp forms off the ground.

“Ash… what are you doing?” breathed Misty.

He didn’t hear her comment, nor did he see the stunned expression on her face. Rather, his eyes bored into the faces of the fiends before him. His ears pulsed with his throbbing heartbeat. His mind knew only rage.

But first things first.

“Explain. Now.”

Neither of the two moved. Not a twitch of the lips nor a blink of the eye. In a moment of panic, he dropped the two – good. At least they’re still breathing.

“Talk!”

And to his utter surprise, they both struggled to their feet and stood up to face him.

“Pikachu, another Thund-”

“Don’t bother.”

Ash almost fell over with surprise. Before they couldn’t move a muscle, and now they were standing perfectly well, commanding him in such a powerful tone…

But that was hardly how the two usually acted…

“You won this battle, yes,” Jessie spoke. “That would be a surprising achievement had it not been for your opponents’ ineptitude. But I will admit, you were able to use your Pokémon’s abilities well.”

“I must ask… how did you learn that Suicune could use Gust?” asked James. “It’s certainly not something that most people know.”

Ash stared into the empty faces of Jessie and James. “Who are you? You’re not…”

“Information is a precious commodity. I won’t just give you your answers for free. It’s a business of give-and-take. Tell me what I want to know, and I will answer your question.”

I can’t tell him that! We had to save Celebi years ago, and Suicune was the only thing that Team Rocket didn’t expect! And that was when I saw it use its powers…

“Hmm?”

“It just makes sense. They say Suicune is the embodiment of the North Wind, so why wouldn’t it be able to use attacks that use the wind?”

He’s lying. His eyes give it away. Such a poor liar… But I’ll let him think he’s tricked me for now. All I really needed to know was that he didn’t learn that just by thinking about it. He must have seen something. Once I discover what that is, I’ll be one step ahead of him.

“Very well. As for my own identity, you already know who I am. I’m the only person who had any power over these two imbeciles.”

Ash growled. “Giovanni…”

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Ash Ketchum.”

And the bodies of Jessie and James fell to the ground.

darktyranitar

23rd June 2006, 09:14 PM

Hey, mr_pikachu! I just saw the update to this fic, and went to read it until this chapter. It's the third long-written fic that I read recently, after Lisa The Legend and EBTV.

I must say, this fic certainly took a different path than I thought it would be, reading on the earlier chapters. And who would have thought of combining Pokemon with the real world? Africa is a unique location for a Pokemon league to be held on.

There's sure a lot of unexpected twist that you pulled off. It makes me wonder if you have planned the fic to be the way it is now ever since you started writing it. I don't like Giovanni one bit; it anger me that he played Ash with the clones and all. Speaking of which, is Ash's Pokemon in his hand? And what happened to her mom?

The legandaries are cool, and the prophecy is quite intriguing. So, it happened that the whole thing is pointing at Ash? Looking at the last few chapter, I wonder if the reason for Raikou and Suicune to be on Ash's trail is to stop Entei and Articuno, or just because Ash is a legendary magnet... I don't know...

Intense battle there. I didn't expect Ash would catch Raikou and Suicune, but it was better than to just leave them frozen out there. Which I think is what Giovanni expect him to do.

Wow, this fic is already 3 years, huh? That's sure a long time. Well, I'll be sticking around for future instalment. Good luck coming up with the next chapter.

ZeldaFan20

24th June 2006, 08:58 AM

So...does this mean that J and J were robots this whole time? Or what?

mr_pikachu

1st July 2006, 02:20 AM

Wow, people actually replied to this fic! WDAMO has not been forgotten! Hooray! :cool:

darktyranitar: Hey, welcome to the club! It's good to have you here. ^_^

Wow, I'm impressed that you took the time to read so many chapters! I know my chapters aren't as long as those of many others here (nor are mine as long as they should be, really), but that much text can still be rather imposing. Thanks!

I know what you mean about the direction; it's developed completely differently than I expected, too. Actually, I kind of changed its direction after I started it. I think somewhere around Chapter 10, I realized that what I was going to do was pretty pathetic, so I rebuilt most of the plot, using what I had already written as a starting point. I'm still revising it to some extent now, although it's defined much, much better than it was then.

Giovanni's been an interesting personality to work with. Even though it may not be very noticable, I've completely changed my outlook on his character several times. In fact, his early scenes are some of the biggest reasons for me wanting to revise some of my earlier chapters. As for your questions, I can't reveal too much right now, but certain... aspects of the situation should reveal themselves before long. However, I can reveal that some rather unexpected characters will play a big role in the whole affair. Heh heh...

To be honest, I'm a bit of a hypocrite about the legendaries, and it's partially because I didn't know what I was doing when I started this fic. I've never been a big fan of giving the main character a bunch of legendaries in a fic. And yet here, Ash has one by the end of Chapter 8! Still, I hope that the plot changes I've made have kept it interesting despite that. After all, I haven't seen too many fics in which a character has caught a legendary and then lost it. Or maybe I'm just making excuses. I dunno.

I'm glad you liked the battle. I was hoping that I made the thing with the Mist clear enough... I was thinking that if the attack hit, everything in the Mist would be frozen solid. But I'm not sure that I explained it well enough... Also, I hope the part with the Sheer Cold didn't seem like a deus ex machina; it was supposed to be more because Suicune and Raikou were too focused on finishing off their opponent to be able to dodge. But anyway...

And yeah, it's been 3 years. (Dang!) Maybe it'll be finished sometime during our lifetimes, eh? Let's hope so.

I certainly do hope you keep reading; it's always nice to have responses like that one. Thank you very much for the reply! :)

Steph: It's great to see you! I hope you stick around here!

Unfortunately, I can't really explain too much with Jessie and James. I'm not sure that I'd call them robots, actually, but... well...

Gah, I can't reveal anything more than that without giving a ton of stuff away! Argh! Well, hopefully I can make things clearer soon.

Anyway, work has begun on the next chapter, although it'll take a little time, since I've got a summer class starting now. But it'll get there! And if it's not done in less than half the time as this last one, you have my permission to chop off my feet and use them as hammers. How's that for an incentive?

Out of curiosity, does anyone have any thoughts over the battle between the professors? It seems to have gone largely unnoticed...

dark fire

12th July 2006, 12:11 AM

Hey there Mr. Pikachu!!! This is one of the best fanfictions that I read so far, keep it up!!!

mr_pikachu

13th July 2006, 04:12 PM

dark fire: Hey, welcome to this fic, and to TPM! It's good to have you on board. I'm glad you like it!

And by the way, great timing. Because you're not going to have to wait for months to see this chapter...

Chapter 52: Shadows in the Light

To Ash, the ensuing events were nothing more than a blur. Although he barely realized it, he had waited in a hastily-prepared, temporary hospital for three hours while what remained of its staff tended to Brock and all the other patients. He didn’t particularly care that the ice cream cone, which he had held until the sun set, had thoroughly soaked his arm with runny vanilla liquid.

He did, however, remember four words that were spoken after the battle.

“They’ve both… passed on.”

*

“Gengar, go!”

The large, black figure emerged from Professor Oak’s Pokéball, grinning as the sphere rocketed back into his master’s hand.

Professor Birch’s eyes narrowed. Fine, he’s using a Gengar. Either he’s an idiot who doesn’t know that Ghost attacks won’t work on Normal types like my Pidgeot, or he has something up his sleeve. And he’s definitely not an idiot.

I guess I’d better be ready for anything.

“Pidgeot, take to the sky!” he commanded. Upon his word, the majestic beast launched herself into the sky, circling far above her opponent, who planted his feet on the ground.

Oak paused for a moment before giving his order. “Confuse Ray!”

A Ghost attack? Is he trying to trick me into making Pidgeot dive, giving up her advantage of aerial mobility? He can’t possibly hit Pidgeot with it…

Yet, to his astonishment, Pidgeot immediately drifted from her perfectly circular flight. Her trainer looked on in shock as she tottered weakly toward the ground.

“It’s not like she can take much more anyway. Finish it, Gengar! Toxic!”

No!

It was too late. As Pidgeot slammed into the barren earth, a mass of sticky, purple goo rose from the dirt and enveloped her. It took all of her strength and sense just to keep from being suffocated by the gunk, and she promptly collapsed once her beak was free. Professor Birch quickly recalled her.

And as he looked across the wasteland which the battle had created, he saw Gengar, who hadn’t moved.

“I haven’t seen Toxic used that way before, but it’s not unreasonable. After all, Ghost types are mysterious enough, and Toxic itself is a pretty odd attack. Not to mention needlessly vicious.”

“Thank you.”

The comment was ignored. “But how did Confuse Ray hit? Ghost type attacks can’t touch Normal Pokémon, and Pidgeot is part Normal, part Flying.”

A barely noticeable smile appeared on Professor Oak’s lips. “Obviously, you’ve been too busy with your little ‘field research’ to notice any of the newest reports. Your analysis is correct for most Ghost attacks, but there are some exceptions to those rules. One of the most notable ones is Confuse Ray, which works on any Pokémon that can be confused.

“This is why you’ve failed as a Pokémon professor. Sure, your little idea of experiencing the Pokémon world to understand it sounds beautiful. How quaint. If you want to learn about Pokémon, why not start by just playing with them? Right?

“But you haven’t learned anything at all! As perfect, as novel as your idea sounds, you haven’t gained anything from it!”

Yet, as his diatribe ended, Professor Oak’s face fell.

An enraged Mightyena had its fangs sunk into the now-unconscious Gengar.

“What did you do?” Oak roared, recalling his Gengar.

“I learned something. I learned how to launch a sneak attack, to catch you and your Pokémon off guard. It was clear to me that Gengar was doing nothing more than waiting for your commands. So by distracting you, I shut down your Pokémon. I don’t really know why it didn’t at least resist the attack. But I did say that I’d do whatever was necessary to take you down, even if it means using dubious tactics like that. Mightyena’s been out of his Pokéball for quite awhile now, but you’ve been to busy to notice him, lying in wait.

“You know plenty about my habits. But I’m well aware of yours, too. I may not read all the latest reports, but you never could resist telling someone what they did wrong. However… you used to do it because you wanted others to improve themselves. Now, you act as if it’s all about you.”

Not that I entirely believe my own words, though. I still don’t think this is Professor Oak. At least, not the one that I know. Something’s up, and I need to get to the bottom of it.

Even though Professor Birch couldn’t see it from across the field, his opponent’s eyes glanced downward in thought, just for a moment.

But it’s not all about me.

*

He glanced frantically around him before clicking the mouse button.

Initiating direct connection. Using secure line 674. Please wait.

He sighed deeply. I can’t believe I’m doing this. This has to be the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, with the highest stakes. I pray that I know what I’m doing.

Connection established.

Of course, maybe he won’t show up.

(7:35:22) Host: You’re late, damn it.

What have I gotten myself into?

He slowly began typing on his keyboard, trying to pick the perfect words to convey the confidence he wished he felt.

(7:35:52) Guest: Don’t expect me to apologize. You know as well as I do why we’re here.
(7:36:21) Host: You’re either absurdly arrogant, or you’re trying to act that way. I’d guess the latter, knowing you. Either way, talking to me that way is like asking for death.

Damn it!

(7:36:42) Guest: I could be killed just for talking to you. You know that, right?
(7:36:54) Host: Do you honestly think I care?
(7:37:02) Host: You act as if me killing you is less likely.

I don’t like it when he makes a valid point like that…

(7:37:23) Host: So quit your whining. What do you have?

I could just leave now. I could sign off, let him think there was a power surge, and leave it at that.

And I’d be dead within the hour. Not an option.

(7:38:44) Host: Am I talking to myself?
(7:38:58) Guest: No, no, sorry.
(7:39:14) Guest: Just getting the information together.
(7:39:34) Host: Don’t lie to me. Just start the exchange.
(7:39:52) Guest: Well, Ash Ketchum just battled against Entei and Suicune.
(7:40:08) Guest: He started out rather poorly. He and a companion were both decimated.
(7:40:10) Host: I KNOW ALL THIS.
(7:40:27) Host: GIVE ME SOMETHING NEW.

He shuddered. His chat partner was not someone you wanted to anger.

(7:40:45) Guest: Okay, okay!
(7:41:00) Guest: Well, we knew in advance that he would eventually survive the battle.

He gulped. All he had was a prayer that this was “something new.”

(7:42:31) Host: What do you mean, you knew?

He smiled in relief.

(7:42:47) Guest: We had something that helped us predict the outcome.
(7:42:56) Guest: Something new, I take it?
(7:43:11) Host: Yes. And since I’m certain that you won’t be giving me anything more today…
(7:43:22) Host: Now for your end of the deal.
(7:43:44) Host: We are currently investigating the link between Ketchum and the legendaries.
(7:43:58) Host: Most of my staff is researching every aspect of the boy’s life.
(7:44:14) Host: The rest are following up these findings by interviewing all those involved.
(7:44:25) Guest: Interviewing?
(7:44:43) Host: Don’t ask questions if you don’t really want the answers.
(7:44:57) Host: By the way, there’s a book you should read.

Goosebumps again formed on his skin. Why would he mention something trivial like a book?

(7:45:05) Guest: A book?
(7:45:22) Host: Yes. Understudy of the Demon, I believe it’s called. An excellent read.
(7:45:42) Guest: I’ve never heard of it.
(7:45:56) Host: Really? Because there’s a copy of it right behind you, on the desk.

What?

(7:46:04) Host: Well, you owe me one. You can pay me back next time.
(7:46:05) “Host” has broken the connection.

He stared at the computer screen. He barely dared to breathe, for fear of what lay behind him. But, fighting the urge to scream, he reached behind his back, inched his fingers along the table, and found a hard object.

With a deep breath, he pulled the book from the table and placed it in his lap. As he opened the front cover, he noticed a small envelope taped to the binding.

His eyes widened.

“No, no, no… no… what have I gotten myself into?”

*

Ash sat alone in his hotel room, staring at his oddly distorted reflection in the blank television. The curve of the screen reflected his form like a fun house mirror. He hardly blinked, looking at his ridiculous face.

Clearly, they haven’t realized the joy of flat-screen TVs…

He shook his head. What’s wrong with me? I shouldn’t be making jokes! Not after what happened…

He paused.

“They’ve both passed on.”

A half-hearted chuckle filled the room. Funny. ‘They’ve both passed on.’ Hah! They didn’t ‘pass on.’ You pass on when you have a heart attack, or you drown, or… something. When someone kills you, you don’t pass on! You get killed!

He howled, cackling as if loaded with laughing gas. “You get killed! Ha ha! Jessie, James! News flash! You didn’t pass on! You were killed! Murdered! Hah!”

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He paused, gasping for breath, struggling to contain his swirling, exploding emotions.

And then his eyes glazed over. The deranged smile left him, and he was left staring into the television screen. Staring into his warped, twisted face.

“You were murdered. You were murdered. You were… murdered.”

He looked toward his knees before adding in a whisper, “…By me.”

His line of sight rose again, and he looked blankly at the television once more, with his eyes now frighteningly wide. It was probably fortunate for him that no one was around to see his expression.

“I’m… I’m…”

classy_cat18

13th July 2006, 04:30 PM

Yay, new chapter! I wonder who the Guest and Host were. I have a guess but I'm not telling...

By the way, I'm working on my fic too.

darktyranitar

14th July 2006, 01:39 PM

Dang, it just keeps on getting more mysterious, isn't it?

Hm, who could this "guest" and "host" be? Hmm... no, no idea at this point.

Wait, did Jessie and James just die? Then... why are they acting all weird before? Were they being controlled by Giovanni, or were they just merely clones of their original body?

Still, I found it scary that other people are stalking Ash’s life, and how he is to be involved in some sort of prophecy. This just builds up the mysteries...

dark fire

14th July 2006, 07:22 PM

This last chapter was a little confusing I should say. What did he mean by "I murdered you?" oh well, this was a great chapter like usual and all so the fight between Professor Birch and Professor Oak was interesting. I learned a few things in this chapter, for example I thought that ghost attacks don't work on normal but I didn't know about confuse ray. Well thanks for the great chapter Mr. Pikachu. :grinning:

mr_pikachu

18th July 2006, 12:24 PM

Hooray, more replies! Everybody loves replies. Never leave home without 'em. ^_^

Shonta: Yes, I'm sure several people have guesses as to who the two mystery chatters could be. Are you right? Are you wrong? Are you anywhere remotely close? That's my secret.

And yes, I saw your new chapter. Good fun!

dt: Curiouser and curiouser, you think? Heh heh...

I'm rather proud of the Guest and Host. I had planned it to work differently, but suddenly I realized that a long-distance chat could actually work better for what I'm thinking. The real question is how long it will last before things become a little too intense.

Yes, there went Jessie and James. And yes, they were acting quite odd, even for them. That's all I'm gonna say.

And thank you! Everyone is watching Ash, and someone's finally noticed that! It's like Big Brother, only a lot more dangerous, and infinitely more realistic. Which is rather scary, when you think about it. Imagine having to look over your shoulder every hour of every day. Of course, Ash has no idea how many eyes are really on him. That kind of mystery, of course, can only build paranoia even further...

Last but not least, you mention this "prophesy"... but what is it, really? Someone knows something, and these ancient texts are proof. But if the jigsaw puzzle doesn't fit together, it's usually because you're missing a few pieces.

...I love metaphors.

dark fire: Welcome back!

Well, Ash is a little confused right now, and for good reason. How is he supposed to know how Jessie and James died? Did the Thunder Wave kill them? Was someone else involved? Either way, it probably has something to do with him winning the battle, so he certainly feels some responsibility, however deserved or undeserved it may be.

The match between the Professors is beginning to wind down, although the final outcome may be a little surprising. Cheap shots, cruel tactics, and advanced strategies have brought the match to its current point, and things can only get hairier.

Oh, and a few Ghost attacks are exceptions to the usual immunity. I heard about Confuse Ray quite awhile ago during a team-building discussion, and I believe there are a couple of other examples of Ghost moves that can also hit Normal types.

(Ironically, I had a practice battle just a couple of days after posting the chapter, and my Pidgeot was hit by a Haunter's Confuse Ray. Freaky!)

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope the next one is just as appealing!

Speaking of which, I've been working on the next chapter while balancing it with schoolwork, schoolwork, and schoolwork. For an easy class, it sure is a difficult summer course... Methinks that the professor is a bit picky with his grading. >_< Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I get it completed. Until then! :wave:

P.S. 8000 posts, huh? Awesome.

mr_pikachu

26th October 2006, 09:52 AM

I think now would be a good time for a new chapter.

Warning for the faint of heart: This chapter contains some rather extreme violence. Read at your own risk.

Chapter 53: Darkness

He held his head in his hands.

What have I done? he thought. What flash of complete stupidity prompted me to consort with that demon? For mere information, no less! I’ll be surprised if I haven’t already gotten Ash killed. And even if I haven’t lost this war already with just those few words, it doesn’t matter. Now that I’ve put myself into the fold, it won’t end. I can’t back out now…

His hand drifted toward the envelope, still taped to the inside of the book. With a small tug, he wrenched it from the binding.

His hand shook as he slowly tore the top off the envelope.

I don’t understand myself anymore. I know that dealing with him will get me nothing but trouble. And yet, I can’t hold myself back. I need… I need to know! I have to know everything that’s going on. I just can’t resist the temptation… but I need to be rescued from this hole I’ve dug myself!

He slid his hand into the envelope. With a shudder, he pulled out the contents.

…Damn it.

*

“Machamp, go!” Prof. Oak yelled. The towering, four-armed fighter burst onto the muddy battlefield with a roar, glaring directly at Prof. Birch.

Okay, Birch thought. His reason for choosing Machamp is obvious. I’m using Mightyena, a Dark Pokémon. Fighters have a natural advantage over Dark types, so he’ll have me beat easily.

Still, this seems a little obvious. But what choice do I have but to switch?

“I’ll call back Mightyena,” Birch yelled, “so that I can fight you with Gardevoir!”

The lovely Psychic Pokémon emerged with a burst of white to replace the blackened wolf.

Oak’s eyes narrowed.

“Let’s end this fast, Gardevoir! Use Psychic!”

“Double Team.”

What?

With a growl, Machamp crossed its arm in front of its face and flexed its muscles. Before Professor Birch could blink, several dozen copies appeared around the battlefield, completely surrounding a confused Gardevoir. A few of the clones immediately exploded from the telekinetic attack, but more than 30 Machamps remained in a thick mob.

“Teleport!” Birch screamed to Gardevoir, prompting her to flash wildly around the battlefield.

Oak and the Machamps stood totally still, their faces stony.

Wait a minute, Birch thought. It’s clear that this is some imposter. It’s not the Samuel Oak I know. The only reason I haven’t been able to take him out is because his Pokémon have blocked the way. But if I take this opportunity, while he and his Pokémon are doing nothing, I can capture him and start to unravel this mystery.

“Gardevoir,” Birch breathed, “hit the professor with everything!”

Oak smirked.

At the very moment that Gardevoir appeared in front of Oak’s face, the Machamp clone at his side whirled around, grabbing her with its top two arms and slamming her to the ground, her face pressed firmly into the mud.

“For shame, Professor Birch! Of all people, I hoped at least you would resist the urge to commit the cardinal sin of battling. To attack the opposing trainer! What a horrible role model you are.

“Machamp, show him why he should’ve kept his honor.”

The beast needed no further instructions. Its lower arms slammed into the back of the already asphyxiated Gardevoir. Even Prof. Birch, who stood on the other side of the wasteland, could clearly hear the resulting crunch.

Machamp backed away and glared at Gardevoir. Birch merely stared on, his eyes wide and unblinking.

“Go on,” Oak laughed. “Call your Gardevoir back.”

Still without blinking, Prof. Birch raised a trembling arm, his fingers tightly gripping a Pokéball. The familiar flash of light touched Gardevoir and was dispelled with no effect.

He tried again to no avail. Again and again the beam flashed, each with the same result as the one before.

The Pokéball fell to the ground, yet Birch still continued to clench and unclench his hand.

*

The hotel door shook a few times from the rapping on its outside.

“Ash, can I come in?”

The young boy sat on his bed, facing his own distorted image in the television, completely oblivious to the call from outside his door.

“Ash, are you there? It’s me, May. I was wondering if you wanted to get a snack, or something. Thought you might be a little hungry. Or we could get a drink, too, if you’re thirsty.”

There was no response.

May knocked again. “Ash? Are you there? We’re a little worried about you… could you at least say something if you’re in there?”

Nothing, not even the creak of an overused bed spring, alerted May to Ash’s presence inside. With one confused glance toward the door, she turned and walked away muttering, “Well, maybe he really did go out. Weird.”

*

Ironies never cease. I long for information, and he grants my wish. He gives me a book, when he can read me just like one. And now I need an escape, so he gives me exactly that.

He stared at the contents of the envelope: a sleek, polished dagger. His right hand gripped the hilt tightly.

If I was smart, I’d kill myself right now and escape this horror. But I just can’t. I can’t end my own life now. I have to know everything about this. There are so many secrets, so many questions that I want answered. I can’t rest quite yet.

He laid his fist on the table beside him, still firmly embracing the weapon.

But then again, he thought, what good will those answers do me when I’ve crushed all our hope? Can I really claim to have accomplished anything if I’ve destroyed everything?

He blinked.

I don’t have much time to make a decision. He must be getting someone ready in case I try something. Sure, he must've given me the knife for a reason that suits him. But how could my death be better for him than having me as a practical spy?

That does sound awful. A spy… I really have done it this time. I don’t understand his actions, but I definitely don’t want to go on like this, even if I am playing into his hand.

Face it. You’ve screwed up this one too badly. I guess the only way out of this hole is to make it a grave.

He chuckled ruefully. How morbidly poetic.

With one quick motion, he swung the blade toward his throat. It stopped right at the edge of his windpipe. His arm shook, desperately trying to push the knife through.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Beedrill, which had covered him with enough strands of String Shot to immobilize a Donphan.

A man clad completely in black from head to toe fell to the floor, landing lightly on his feet without making a sound. It wasn’t even clear if he could see through his fabric mask. He spoke gruffly. “You were correct, Master. He was too weak to resist the temptation of death, as well.”

“Am I to assume that you prevented his untimely demise?” Giovanni’s voice spoke back through momentary spurts of static.

“Yes, my master. I apologize for my initial vagueness. The subject is alive and undamaged.”

“Very well. Continue the operation as you were previously instructed.”

Without a sound, the figure drew a Pokéball from inside his disguise. A Butterfree with sickly purple wings and disgusting green eyes appeared directly in front of the captive’s face. Though he hadn’t before thought it possible for a Butterfree, he could swear the flying bug was glaring at him.

“Sleep well,” the trainer spoke. A pale, blue mist floated from Butterfree’s wings, and Giovanni’s hostage promptly passed into slumber.

*

“But what if he really isn’t there?” May said. “Or what if he’s asleep? After all that’s happened, we really shouldn’t disturb him if he’s sleeping. He needs some rest, after all!”

Misty glared back at her. “Just give me the key.”

The door was open within seconds. Misty stormed into the room, glanced back at May with a clear “I told you so” look, and set her steely gaze on Ash. He didn’t acknowledge her presence.

“Get up.”

He didn’t respond. She slapped him.

“Get up!”

While he breathed sharply, presumably to take his thoughts away from his stinging cheek, he didn’t say a word. Misty grabbed him by his collar and threw him down onto his bed.

“So you’re just going to lie there like you’re dead? Like you’ve been killed, too?”

May shuddered. “Misty, stop it! You shouldn’t say things like that!”

“You know what?” she yelled back without taking her eyes off Ash. “I don’t care! And apparently he doesn’t, either. He just sits there like a lump, not caring about anything! He doesn’t care about Team Rocket, he doesn’t care about the legendaries, and he sure as hell doesn’t care about us. If he did, he’d stand up and press on! He’d stand and fight! He’d try to make things right instead of letting everything go wrong!”

While he now lay on his side, Ash merely stared at the wall in front of him. His eyes hardly flickered in response to Misty’s comments.

“Damn it, Ash,” she said, her voice suddenly cracking. “What’s wrong with you? I know it’s been bad, but I mean, you can’t…”

May whispered, “Misty…”

Misty sniffled.

“Things haven’t gone the way we wanted, but c’mon! Where’s that victory sign, that laugh, that emotion you always have? What’s happened, Ash?” Now she was crying, the tears running down her face. “What’s happened… where have you gone? Where have you gone, Ash? We want you back! I want you back!”

She buried her face in his chest, her hands clenching his dampening shirt. “Please come back, Ash… please come back. Come back…”

*

“No,” Prof. Birch breathed. His arm was still outstretched and his eyes were still bulging, but his fist was now tightly clenched.

“Congratulations,” Oak said. “Your desperation for victory cost your Gardevoir her life. Some professor you are.”

Birch didn’t reply. Instead, he dumbly grabbed a Pokéball and threw it, revealing his Mightyena.

“Giving up already? No matter. Machamp, remind him of his place!”

With a cocky smirk, Machamp lumbered forward. Mightyena stood still, waiting for an order this time, but no movement came from Birch’s pale face. Instead the professor simply stared at Machamp.

Then he saw Machamp’s foot slam into the head of Gardevoir, its massive weight flattening it and nearly severing it from her body. The further crunching could be heard even above the thud of Machamp’s own footsteps.

Birch flinched. His body suddenly jerked upright, his mind becoming aware in an instant.

NO MORE.

Birch leaned forward sharply, his jaw clenched and his teeth visibly grinding in rage. His brow furrowed and his nostrils flared as the man’s entire body began shaking.

Mightyena followed suit by firing a volley of Shadow Balls directly at Machamp, one after another. The first, though larger than a beachball, barely slowed down the four-armed fighter. The next ten sent it to the ground, all four arms dangling limply from its unconscious form.

Oak grimaced and held out his Pokéball. But a surprisingly quick Shadow Ball from Mightyena forced him to dive to the side.

“YOU WILL NOT DISHONOR GARDEVOIR!”

From his position on the ground, Oak stared at Birch, who was hardly comparable to the jolly man from ages past. His brown hair whipped in the wind, his coat flying about and making him appear wild. Or worse yet, utterly mad. And Mightyena was no different, as he pounced onto Machamp’s limp body and sank his fangs into Machamp. Muscle tore from bone as he swung his neck back, shredding the arm in a single move.

Oak only stared calmly at Mightyena as he continued to ravage Machamp’s body. The wolf, every bit as angry as his trainer, relished the pain he could bring upon the one who killed and disgraced Gardevoir.

“KILL IT, MIGHTYENA!” Birch howled. “KILL IT! KILL IT NOW! IT DOESN’T DESERVE TO LIVE! IT ISN’T WORTHY OF BREATHING! RIP IT TO SHREDS! TEAR IT APART! KILL IT, KILL IT, KILL IT!”

So you’re no better than him.

Birch stopped abruptly, his heart slamming against his chest and his breathing terrifically panicked. He could feel the trickle of blood dripping from his white-knuckled fists. He quickly blinked several times to calm the burning in his eyes. Shocked by the sudden pause, his Mightyena glanced back at him.

You’re as bad as him. In fact, you’re worse. You even tried to kill him, just because you were worried about losing. He was right. What kind of a role model are you? What gives you the right to take a life?

“But maybe he’s still alive,” Birch whispered.

As if to answer the question, Mightyena slowly turned his head back to Machamp. The fighter’s own juices dripped from Mightyena’s muzzle back onto its chest and quickly joined the puddle forming around its body.

A few shreds of meat fell from Mightyena’s jaws as both Pokémon and trainer realized the truth.

Prof. Birch did the only thing he could do.

He screamed.

darktyranitar

27th October 2006, 10:26 PM

Wow, pretty scary stuff. Never knew that Prof Birch could be so... violent. And desperate. And what exactly did Prof Birch realized?

Now, it seems that this whole battle with Prof Oak is... a game of some sort.

I liked the part of the information-obsessed man and Giovanni; lots of mystery and intrigue that makes readers keep wondering and wondering. Anyway, I still like Giovanni and his secret plans or game. Wonder when will it all be revealed?

And Ash... Oh man, how he had lost it... Will he ever recover, or will he... eventually becone crazy?

Good chapter! Great to see that you're still writing!

mr_pikachu

27th October 2006, 11:24 PM

*wipes brow*

Whew, I was worried about this chapter! For some reason it seemed a little off-kilter, but since it was also exactly what I wanted to say, I posted it. Glad to see it apparently wasn't too bad.

Yeah, that got your attention, didn't it? Prof. Birch really lost it there. To answer your question, I was trying to say that he realized what he'd done. Maybe I didn't do that very well. And in some ways, perhaps this battle is a little like a game... interesting analogy.

I'm honestly not sure when I'll reveal everything about the man and everyone's favorite villain. (I figure it's now safe to admit that the latter is Gio.) I'm really looking forward to giving all the background there, but finding the right time will be essential. But it would certainly appear that Giovanni's outmaneuvered our mystery man, at least for the time being. Obsession can make you do crazy things...

And yes, Ash. What more is there to say? ^_^

Anyway, thanks for the comments. I'm definitely still writing, even if it takes me a little longer than most. :sweat2:

mr_pikachu

5th January 2007, 04:34 AM

Enough short stories for now. Time for a new chapter.

Chapter 54: Lost

“We’ve been spending an awful lot of time in hospitals lately, haven’t we?”

Misty ignored the remark. While May, who was sitting across from her in the waiting room, was certainly correct, that wasn’t something she wanted to think about. It was bad enough when they required medical attention for their wounds, which they were acquiring all too often, but now Ash was apparently in trouble despite escaping such obvious harm. Further, Brock was still recovering from his earlier beating, despite his injuries not being quite as dire as they had initially appeared.

To say that the situation was infuriating would be an understatement.

May sighed. “He won’t talk, he won’t eat, he won’t move. But he’s not hurt – at least, I don’t think he is. I mean, he definitely had a hard fight against… them… but he takes worse hits all the time. It just doesn’t make any sense. I mean, this is Ash we’re talking about, right? How could it possibly be so bad? It’s not like he-”

“Shut up,” Misty breathed.

“What?”

“I said shut up!” The fiery redhead was on her feet now, nostrils flaring and breathing ragged. “I don’t want to hear about it any more! Something’s wrong and we don’t know what. You’ve said it twenty times when you didn’t need to say it once! So just shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

She did. The only sound that could be heard was Misty’s short, deep gasps for air. Even if somebody else had been in the room with the two girls, they likely would have remained silent as well.

Misty finally slumped back into her chair and threw her head into her hands. “I’m sorry, I just… it’s like we can’t catch a break! We finally have a battle where we don’t almost get killed, and it doesn’t even matter! I don’t know what’s going on with Ash, I don’t have a clue why these things keep happening to us, and I just don’t want to think about it any more! It’s just… it’s just too…”

“Overwhelming?”

Misty glanced up, tears in her eyes. “Y-yeah.”

A sigh. “Misty, do you know why I’ve been… talkative lately?”

She shook her head.

“Well, it’s like when I traveled through Hoenn with everyone. Whenever we’d end up in some scary place, or whenever the situation was really intense, I’d make-believe that I was on some TV show. I could just think to myself how the heroes always come out on top on TV, and that would help me get through it. Whether I was lost in the jungle or trying to preparing for the Grand Festival, that’s what I did. It helped me stay calm, I guess.

“Of course, I realized later that it didn’t exactly look good. I mean, someone my age shouldn’t be playing pretend, right? So I just started finding other ways to keep my mind off things. I tried playing games, but somehow I always lost. Then I tried drawing, but I wasn’t any good. In the end, I just started talking. For some reason, even if I talk about the very thing that freaks me out, it helps.

“If you hadn’t realized it already, I’m… totally out of my wits right now. I don’t think I could bear to leave this place because every time we go anywhere, something bad happens. So all I can do is talk. I think Ash and Brock just put up with it because I’m a girl – you know how boys are, right? – but I can’t really talk to them right now. I’m sorry for dumping this on you, but I’m terrified! I want to help, but I only get in the way. I want to run away from this, but where could I go? So I don’t know what to do. And so all I can do-”

She didn’t have to finish. Misty had already risen from her chair, leaned over toward May, and hugged her. Misty was shaking furiously, and May could feel the tears dripping down her back, but it wasn’t worth mentioning. All she did was hug Misty back and whisper, “Thanks.”

“Y-you too,” Misty stammered.

“Ahem.”

The two girls barely breathed, but turned toward the disruption: a tall, blonde man whose blue smock and stethoscope were clear identifiers of his profession. He looked on sheepishly. “I, uh, hope I’m not interrupting anything…?”

May and Misty looked down to see their arms still wrapped around each other. With a squeal, Misty jumped backward, crashing into her seat and falling over the armrest. “It’s not what it looks like!” she said as she hit the floor with her legs awkwardly sprawled over the chair.

The doctor fought back a laugh, mumbling, “I’ll bet.”

May protested, “Er, ah, we really weren’t-”

“What you do on your own time is your own business, not my problem. Anyway, your friend is fine for the most part. He’s just suffering from a bout of depression.”

“Depression?” Misty cried, knocking over the chair as she tried to right herself. “Are you serious? He’s not moving! I can barely even tell if he’s breathing, and you’re saying he’s a little bit sad?”

The man covered his eyes to try to avoid looking at Misty, who he was sure must have flipped a few tables by now in her attempts to maintain what little dignity she had left. “He should be out of it soon,” he continued, ignoring the incredulous response. “We’ll keep watching him until he’s ready to go, but other than that, you’ve got nothing to worry about. If you need me, ask for Dr. Hopkins at the front desk.

“Now, I’ll let you get back to… you know.”

“But, um, sir! I mean, doctor! We weren’t doing anything, really! I mean, she was crying, and I was just…”

He chuckled to himself as he walked out the door, paying no attention to May’s words. “It’s a shame, too… why do all the fun ones have to be like that? Then again, they’re probably not legal yet, even here… oh, well.”

*

“Well. That was messy.”

Professor Birch was still shaking as tears flowed from his eyes. He hadn’t spoken a word since his realization. Mightyena, likewise, had frozen in place over the fallen Machamp and was in just as much disbelief as his trainer.

“So, you’re going to give up now?” Professor Oak taunted.

“I killed a Pokémon,” Birch squeaked. “I killed another trainer’s Pokémon.”

“Are you giving up or battling? Answer me!”

“I killed… I k-k-killed…”

“Battle or give up! Choose now!”

“I… who am I… how can I call myself…”

“Stand and fight, or fall like a dying maggot!”

No response was given. Professor Oak sighed. And to his shock, the bloodstained Mightyena immediately recalled itself.

Great, he thought. I’m supposed to trounce him in a battle, not take him away once he’s given up. This is not at all what my orders were. Is there some way I can force him to battle?

“Don’t bother,” a voice spoke. Of course, the only person who could hear it was Professor Oak himself.

Sir! he thought. How do I proceed?

“You’ve done enough here. You didn’t win the battle, but you completely broke him through alternative methods. He can’t possibly fight anyone now, so consider this a victory.”

Thank you, sir.

“My agents are already in the area and should be picking him up momentarily. Return to base.”

Professor Oak nodded. And as he turned to leave, his foe glowed momentarily and vanished without a trace.

“So that’s how he takes them,” Oak whispered. “Teleport…”

*

“Ugh,” he mumbled. “Why do I feel so groggy...?”

The man raised his head, wiped a few strands of hair out of his eyes, and glanced at his computer.

Oh, shoot. I was supposed to make the exchange hours ago. How the heck did I fall asleep for that long in the middle of the day? Perfect. He’s going to kill me now.

It’s weird, though... I don’t remember being tired at all. I feel like I must have met with him, but… I know I didn’t, or else I’d remember it. Strange.

He felt for his glasses, which lay askew atop his nose, and straightened them. Well, if he wanted me dead, it would’ve already happened. Maybe he’ll give me a second chance. But I’ll probably have to really make it worthwhile since I messed up already… man, I blew it this time.

*

“He told you what?” she cried.

May and Misty gawked at the young doctor standing before them outside Ash’s room. “Well, he said that Ash was depressed, but that he’d be back to normal soon, so you guys would-”

“Depressed. He actually said your friend was depressed.”

May nodded slowly.

“That idiot Hopkins,” the woman mumbled. “Only got his license because his dad runs the place… idiot bureaucrats’ll do anything to stay on his good side. Maybe I could forgive that if he at least tried, but he’s too busy being a letch to worry about his patients. Depression, my ass. I ought to report him for this. Really, I should. He’s gone too far this time.”

“Ma’am?”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s nothing,” the woman stuttered. “Anyway, your friend is not ‘depressed,’ despite what… some people may claim.” She rolled her eyes.

“Okay, so, what is it?” May asked nervously.

She sighed, choosing her words carefully. “In layman’s terms, you could say he’s suffered an emotional breakdown. More of a mental breakdown, actually. I don’t know what happened, but your friend’s rather torn up inside right now.” Seeing horrified looks from the two girls, she added, “Not torn up as in injured! It’s not like he’s bleeding internally, he’s just suffered a bit of a psychotic break.”

“You said you’d explain it in layman’s terms,” Misty said, gritting her teeth. “Can you go a little more layman?”

“…Sorry. I guess it’s like he’s trying to piece a puzzle together in his mind. He’s so consumed by it that he won’t – can’t break out of his trance until he’s come up with some sort of solution. I’m guessing something happened that deeply challenged how he thinks about himself. So, he’s desperately trying to figure out who he is. He wants a way to move on, but until he’s found a direction, he can’t move.

“Dr. Hopkins did get one thing right. Given time, your friend should break out of this. But it may be awhile, and he may not be quite the same when all is said and done. Whenever he wakes up, be prepared for anything.”

May blinked. “So, you’re saying he’s lost sight of himself?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“And how long will it be until he finds himself again?”

The doctor sighed, as her slow, downward glance said exactly what the girls didn’t want to hear.