Hello all. Excuse the slightly...how do I say this...cheesy title. Admittedly this wasn't perhaps the most elegant title, but as you can see, it is abbreviated to TPML...which is TPM, with an L...clever? No, not really.

This fanfic is nothing too serious and a small project I am doing based on the antics of ASB. For those unfamilliar with ASB - get down there! You basically choose a team of 4 Pokemon and battle them with other members, winning points to evolve current team members or catch new ones. I was made moderator there not too long ago, and have taken the ASB concept, as well as the characters, events, landmarks and battles and made them into a little fanfic. Obviously in this setting, Anime Style Battling is something of a weak and odd name, since the Anime won't exist there. Henceforth the name change to TPML.

Many characters are here, from (Oz)Andrew, Razor Leaf, The_Missing_Link, The Arbiter, Aragornbird, Pichu, Chris Watarimono, and Syberia, with many more to come. Each chapter focuses on a particular character from ASB.


So here we go! Please read + rate. I hope some ASB-ers do arrive in here and give me some feedback. Ch1 is mainly a prologue and does not take place at TPML Village. Ch1 is also the only chapter in 3rd person.



Below is a chapter guide with links to each chapter.

Chapter 1: The Missing Link
Chapter 2: Girafarig (Part 1)
Chapter 3: Girafarig (Part 2)
Chapter 4: Razor Leaf (Part 1)
Chapter 5: OzAndrew (Part 1)
Chapter 6: OzAndrew (Part 2)
Chapter 7: The Arbiter
Chapter 8: Aragornbird VS Pichu
Chapter 9: Hanada Tattsu
Chapter 10: Wolfsong (Part 1)
Chapter 11: 04621 (Part 1)
Chapter 12: 04621 (Part 2)
Chapter 13: Crystal Tears
Chapter 14: FabuLass
Chapter 15: Knight of Time
Chapter 16: Razor Leaf (Part 2)
Chapter 17: Razor Leaf (Part 3)
Chapter 18: Razor Leaf (Part 4)
Chapter 19: The Blue Avenger
Chapter 20: The Weakest Link
Chapter 21: Cocoa Sting
Chapter 22: Girafarig (Part 3)
Chapter 23: Wolfsong (Part 2)
Chapter 24: Chris 2.0
Chapter 25: Salon Maiden Annabel
Chapter 26: Charles Legend
Chapter 27: Pike Queen Lucy (Part 1)
Chapter 28: Pike Queen Lucy (Part 2)
Chapter 29: Hanada Tattsu (Part 2)








Chapter One
The Missing Link




The sun cast a bright glow over the hills as a new day slowly began. It was the start of the summer…finally. In the city; the big, metropolitan city, businessmen and women alike sat in cars, sweltering in the heat of their small cars, stuck in heavy traffic during the rush hour. Housewives bode farewell to husbands for the day, standing in their disinfected confines for another stale day. Meanwhile, the children had finished school for the next couple of months. Now they were free from the shackles of education, the city was theirs. Ice cream parlors and burger bars were raking in excess cash and high profits.

The sky was a beautiful, pastel blue. Its vivid colours stretched across the sky as far as the eye could see. The sun sat behind a collection of fluffy white clouds which began to gently drift across the atmosphere.

Two people were wandering out of the city and up a dusty ridge towards a long, flat stone arena overlooking the beautiful city. One, a young man of 16 years, took a swig from a bottle of water and hiked farther and farther. His light brown hair was very dark in some places, and came down to the bridge of his nose. He had a well defined face. Carrying the gaze of his hazel eyes around, he saw his companion huffing and puffing as she walked slightly behind him.

Both were in light-coloured T-shirts, as it was a sweltering day, especially when one was this high up in the mountains. The male, who went by the name of Chris, wore a white t-shirt, which already showed sweaty patches underneath it. The girl, however, wore a light coloured yellow t-shirt. Both were in shorts.

“Can we have a break now?” the girl asked, tying her light brown hair in a ponytail. She took much precision in keeping two strands either side of her face. She dabbed on some more foundation with a brush, and pursed her lips. She fluttered her eyelashes and admired herself. She was of a similar age to her boyfriend, and had a very pretty face. This was Jenny. Jenny had often been told she had the face of a model. She would never disagree.

“Sure,” Chris replied glumly. The two then sat down on the large, flat rocks surrounding the area, sighing as the heat and humidity began to get to them. Grabbing four red and white balls on her belt, Jenny, with her eyelids half-shut in fatigue, dropped the balls to the floor and let the creatures within take form.

First was her fluffy yellow sheep, Mareep, nicknamed Bleats. It was adorable, and Jenny’s favorite Pokemon to show off. The little sheep seemed very flustered by the heat. Besides Bleats was Jenny’s next Pokemon, a Sunflora. She had a big, wide, plate-like face of enthusiasm, with bright leaves and a sturdy stem. It was nicknamed Flora. Flora absorbed the sunlight with gusto. Thirdly was Jenny’s Mudkip, nicknamed Skip. Skip was the only male in the group, and as he came out, he gave a happy little cry. Jenny chuckled. Finally, Jenny’s Meowth, Paris, emerged, looking elegant and refined. She was a lot like her trainer; often very hissy and quick to strike. Paris sat by her trainer and cleaned herself while Bleats, Flora and Skip ran around merrily.

“Skip, honey, can you use a water gun to cool us off?” Jenny asked, stroking Paris. Skip complied, firing a jet of water high into the air, letting it fall as droplets of rain over the group. Bleats instantly shouted cries of gratitude, while Flora dug her root-like feet into the ground and Paris just watched the group from Jenny’s arms.

“This hike is really exhausting,” Jenny said. “I hope it’s worth it!”

“Of course it’s worth it,” Chris replied, drinking his water. “The initiation test is the first step.”

“Naturally you’re going to do fine,” Jenny replied placidly, sipping her water elegantly. “I just hope I’m up to scratch…”

“As long as Paris doesn’t think she’s too good for fights,” Chris replied. Paris hissed loudly, slashing the air.

“Paris doesn’t think like that!” Jenny said defensively, stroking her cat to calm her down. “All my Pokemon enjoy battles.”

Jenny looked at her boyfriend.

“Why aren’t you releasing your Pokemon?” she asked. “They want to stretch their legs, I bet.”

“They’re fine,” Chris replied. “Honestly. They’ll just get distracted.”

A figure wandered towards them. He looked young. He had mousey brown hair in a mop-like shape over his eyes. His expression was one of utter emptiness.

“Are you ok?” Chris asked.

“Yea…” he muttered. “I just had my Initiation match.”

“Oh, how did it go?” Chris asked, suddenly excited and keen to hear this boy’s story.

“I didn’t get in,” he sighed. “I lost my match.”

“What Pokemon do you have?” Jenny inquired.

“I used my Raticate,” replied the boy. “But…well, the examiner is strong. She uses evolved forms. Good luck.”

And with that, the boy wandered off past them. Every Pokemon had their eyes on the defeated trainer as he made his way back the way Chris and Jenny had come. The two watched the boy go.

“Evolved forms?” Chris asked. “Uh-Oh.”

In truth, he had no evolved Pokemon whatsoever. It depended what evolved forms the examiner had. Tyranitar or Charizard would be tough, but an evolved form like Butterfree or Pidgeotto would probably pose little or no challenge.

For the next ten minutes, Jenny made sure her Pokemon were all psyched up for their initiation battle. While Paris did seem somewhat too good for fighting, Jenny assured herself she could count on the somewhat snobby Pokemon. When Chris was sick of sitting there in the heat, he asked Jenny to recall her Pokemon and keep going. She did so, and the two made their way further up the mountain trail towards the top.

They talked very little. In all honesty, Chris found a lot of frustration in his girlfriend. He did like her, and she was very beautiful, but she was clumsy and often very hotheaded. The hike up the mountains had already exhausted him of his tolerance.

A figure watched from the top of the mountains. It was evident she was a woman, but she was cloaked in black, so her looks were not distinguishable. She could see the two figures making their way up to the top of the mountain, and had already grown to dislike Jenny from her actions before. Plucking a Pokeball from her belt, she hurled it over the side of the mountain and ran back a few feet to avoid being seen.

As Chris and Jenny continued to walk, they stopped as a Pokemon ran from around the corner. It was an Absol – these dog, wolf-like creatures had an upturned scythe on the side of their head. Powerful, they often sought challenges from anyone invading their territory.

“Oh my god! An Absol!” Jenny remarked.

“It wants to fight,” Chris noticed. He drew a Pokeball. “I’ll do the honors.”

Clutching the cold, smooth ball, Chris maximized it and threw it forward, opening it up and releasing his chosen Pokemon in a flash of bright light. Smaller than Absol, a navy blue in colour, Sneasel emerged. With sharp claws and a piercing glare, this agile weasel was severely underestimated by many. It watched Absol.

“Get in there with the first move,” Chris ordered. “Quick attack!”

As Sneasel swept along the dirty ground, feet moving rapidly and claws stretched back, Sneasel prepared to make contact. With a quick slash, Sneasel turned and sped back to his trainer. Unlike Jenny, Chris did not name his Pokemon. Absol did not take much damage, but charged energy in her scythe. The scythe-like appendage glowed a feverish white.

“That’s a razor wind,” Chris noted. “Take it Sneasel!”

The slash of energy was hurled from Absol’s scythe, slamming right into Sneasel. Sneasel, arms crossed in defense, skidded back and managed to take minimal damage.

“Now, use an agility blizzard combo!” Chris shouted. Sneasel sped through the air – this time on all fours, before leaping up over Absol’s head and spreading his arms wide. A chilled beam of frosty winds swept towards the Pokemon and engulfed it, freezing it all over with icy paticles. Absol looked pretty tired, prompting Sneasel to soar down towards it and deliver a focus punch right in the face.

Absol fell backwards. Sneasel leapt back to his trainer. Absol slowly got up and ran around the corner. Giving chase, Chris and Jenny ran around the corner to see that, somehow, it had disappeared completely. Luckily, they did see a stone staircase leading to the very top of the mountain.

“We must be near,” Chris informed Jenny, who was curious as to where Absol went. The two went up the stairs together, Chris recalling Sneasel into his Pokeball, wondering what was up at the top.

The walk was not much farther. Chris did feel a painful throbbing in his calves; it was evident they were protesting the hike in the only way they knew. Jenny kept giving off dramatic sighs to herself as they walked, shooting glances at Chris.

Up the stone staircase they went. Each step sent a tiring ache up Chris’ leg. He sighed as the sun pulsated strongly; steadily drenching him with sweat, sweat that cascaded down his forehead. Jenny was fanning herself with a piece of paper, contemplating sending Skip out to cool them off. Chris did not like the idea.

“We need an element of surprise in this match,” Chris warned his girlfriend. “If we send our Pokemon out alongside us, well, the examiner could manipulate that into a strategy.”

Huffing to herself, Jenny plodded onwards, eventually getting her mobile phone out and ringing her friend Daphne. Blabbering about fashion, Jenny found the time simply flew by as she boasted about Paris and her other Pokemon. Chris sighed and saw the top of the mountain get closer and closer.

Eventually, after what seemed an age, they arrived up at the top. It was a long, barren wasteland up at the top. It was even hotter than usual with the cloudless sky wavering through their eyes. A figure stood on one end of an arena, the arena itself having been constructed by a twig running through the sand, probably. The woman was dressed in all black, covering her face save for her eyes. She looked very odd.

“Challengers,” she said.

“Yea, we’re here for the initiation,” Chris informed the woman. “I’m Chris, this is Jenny.”

“Hi!” Jenny cried nervously. The woman grabbed her black garments and threw them off, revealing a powerful-looking pinstripe suit over a young woman’s body. A refreshing, mint-green shirt was under her suit, and she wore black trousers. Her shoes had small heels. The woman was, in actuality, young-looking. Chris was reminded of a lawyer. Her hair was a few shades of brown, and it just reached her shoulders. She wore a pair of classy shades, so Chris was unable to see her face. Chris put her at about 18, possibly 19 or even 20. She looked very mature.

“My name is Rebecca,” the woman stated. “Or Becca for short. I am your examiner for the TPML.”

She grabbed two Pokeballs.

“We will have a standard double battle, during which I will assess your performance and decide whether or not you are qualified enough to enter the league.”

Throwing the two Pokeballs forward, Becca released her Pokemon. One was a purple colour. It was like two star-shapes backed onto each other, with a chunky, red gem in the center. Starmie. Despite being a genderless Pokemon, there was a distinct gruffness in Starmie’s equally feminine cry that suggested it may be a male.

Materializing next to Starmie was a crimson Pokemon. It had a steel body and two pincers for hands. Wearing a rather serious look, the Scizor in question stood at about Becca’s height.

“Meet Chiron, the Starmie, and Orion, the Scizor,” Becca said proudly.

“Ok…no worries here, right?” Chris asked Jenny, although his voice did sound higher than usual.

“No worries,” Jenny smiled. “Go Bleats!”

Mareep emerged, bleating happily. Dancing around, Bleats did not realize how immature she looked in front of Orion and Chiron. Chris grabbed a ball from his belt and threw it forward, releasing his choice. The little Magby emerged, smiling and waggling his little tail. Despite being small, he was a powerful Pokemon. Magby flexed his arms, eyes wide in over joyous anticipation of the match ahead.

“So it is Orion and Chiron versus…Bleats and Magby,” Becca noted, trying not to laugh at Mareep’s nickname. “BEGIN!”

“Bleats, thunderbolt at Chiron!” Jenny cried.

“Flamethrower, Magby,” Chris added. “Aim for Orion’s torso.”

Bleats flashed yellow as her fur began to charge up. Static electricity bounced around and soon, the sheep’s wool was like candy floss. Releasing the discharge in a jagged bolt of electricity, Bleats cried out in succession as it soared through the air. As it approached, however, Chiron began to spin on one point. Faster and faster he got, and as the thunderbolt hit this radius of spinning energy, it was sent flying towards Magby at an angle. Magby leapt from the attack, rolling and spurting flames from his mouth. They scorched Orion lightly, who shielded himself with his claws.

“Chiron, use a bubblebeam,” Becca ordered. “Orion, use quick attack.”

As Orion sped through the air, crying his name in a deep, focused manner as he headed towards Bleats, Chiron simultaneously spewed a collection of large bubbles through the air. Glowing a feverish blue, they sped at Magby and peppered him severely. Magby was thrown back to Chris’ feet, but he still got back up.

“Quickly,” Chris cried. “Use a fire spin in front of Bleats.”

As Magby watched Orion speed towards his ally, he opened wide and fired a cone of fire. It smashed into the ground and twirled upwards into a demolishing spiral of heat. Orion sped right into it and gave a long roar of pain. Bleats smiled at Magby.

Becca smirked.

“Chiron, use sharpen followed by double edge, aim for Magby!” she ordered. “Orion, use a swords dance and then a slash at Bleats!”

“Bleats, thunderbolt!” Jenny ordered.

“Magby, use smokescreen!” Chris cried.

Orion began spinning at an incredible speed. Ghostly images of swords slowly surrounded him, creating a swirl of dust. Chiron flashed white as all of his points seemed to get sharper. As this happened, Magby blasted a cloud of smoke into the arena. It obscured everybody’s vision. The thunderbolt failed, missing both opponents, and even though Chiron sped through the air, he still missed both foes and jammed into the ground. Orion slashed a streak of energy, too, and it managed to smash into Magby.

“You do not have long left to make a good impression,” Becca reminded them. “The match cannot exceed five minutes…”

“Damn,” Chris muttered. “Magby, use double team!”

“Bleats, use a headbutt!” Jenny shouted. As Magby created several clones to increase his evasiveness, Bleats charged right through the smoke. Chiron, currently jammed into the earth, used a teleport to return back to his usual place.

“Psychic to locate Bleats, then use psychic to slam it into the ground, Chiron,” Becca said. “Orion, use a skull bash on Magby.”

As Bleats charged, a psychic aura soon surrounded her. Feeling herself float up into the air, Bleats gave a cry as she was slammed into the ground mercilessly. Jenny was shocked that everything was so brutal.

“STOP!” she cried.

“Jenny, just –

Chris was interrupted by Becca, who reminded him he could not help his ally with strategies. Cursing, Chris simply tried to counter Orion.

“Fire Blast!”

As Orion sped forward, a huge cone of flames shrouded him completely. Giving a large cry, he flapped backwards and felt burns covering his body. Orion flapped his wings and sent a shivering silver wind speeding at both Magby and Bleats. Bleats gave a shrill scream as she was still mercilessly thrown into the ground. Magby took damage from the attack, too.

“Bleats, thunderbolt!” Jenny shouted. Unfortunately, this did not work. Chiron’s core glowed a feverish orange, and a hyper beam was sent speeding forward. It smashed into Bleats, ending the psychic connection and causing Bleats to suffer extreme damage. She fell down, and Jenny gave a shocked cry.

“Return!” she cried out. “You ruthless cow!”

“This is how Pokemon Battles work,” Becca stressed calmly. “Orion! Hyper beam. Chiron, bubblebeam.”

“Magby! Barrier!” Chris shouted. His clones were obliterated by the flurry of bubbles streaming through the air. Magby cried his name out and started wiping the air in front of him. This produced a pink barrier which absorbed the large hyper beam attack. However, following this, it shattered completely.

“Magby, good work,” Chris sighed. “Now use a flamethrower brick break combo!”

Magby sped through the air, spewing an onslaught of flames. Orion instinctively blocked them, crossing his arms, which allowed Magby to leap up, charge energy into his hands and release a series of chops at his foe. Orion took them, leading Magby to leap up and spew more flames at his foe.

“Great job,” Chris told his Pokemon.

“Orion, reversal,” Becca commanded. Chris sighed. Orion sent a glowing orb of energy rising above his head. The energy came from all parts of his body, and combined into a huge ball. He hurled it through the air, and Chiron then responded by firing a beam of chilled icy moisture at his foe. Magby watched as he was smashed into by the orb, feeling all the damage Orion took that match, and following that, was finished off by the ice beam, despite its weakness.

“Magby!” Chris gasped. “Nice try. Return.”

He shot the Pokeball beam forward and recalled his Pokemon.

“That’s all,” Becca announced. “I can tell a lot about both of you by the way you conducted that battle. Chris, I could see how you could often apply strategies to the situations that the battle put you into. You didn’t seem to fall under pressure, which worked in your favor. I am happy to say you are now accepted into the TPML.”

“Yes!” Chris cried out.

“However,” Becca said, turning to Jenny. “Jenny, you will not be joining Chris. I’m afraid your general performance was poor. You relied on basic attack strategies to get by, and it did not work. I noticed you rarely made use of Mareep’s more stable attacks. An iron tail could have severely weakened Chiron, and using Orion as a lightening rod would also be a plausible idea. However, your failure to implement a strategy means you are not accepted into the TPML.”

Jenny’s face dropped.

“You’re KIDDING?” she snapped.

“No, I am not,” Becca responded calmly, Starmie and Scizor by her side. “Now Chris, I’ll give you a lift.”

“Really? Cool!” Chris said happily.

“If you hang around central park tomorrow afternoon I’ll pick you up there,” Becca replied coolly.

“Hold on!” Jenny snapped. “Chris, you are NOT going!”

“What? But I passed!” cried Chris in defense.

“If I can’t go, then neither can you!” Jenny snapped. Her face was blotchy with anger, and she looked utterly frustrated at how things were turning out. “YOU’LL GET WITH ANOTHER GIRL!”

“Oh, not this again?” Chris muttered.

“YES, THIS AGAIN!” Jenny screamed. Becca intervened, plucking a Pokeball from her belt. Throwing it to the ground, a Kadabra emerged. It was about three and a half feet tall in height, with a fat tail but an otherwise thin body. It had a star on its forehead, and held a spoon in one hand.

“Nightshade, use teleport,” Becca muttered. With a loud cry, Nightshade waved his spoon, and within a few seconds, Jenny had teleported completely from view. She was gone. Chris’ eyes widened.

“Where did she go?” he asked.

“Outside the mall,” Becca replied coolly. “She’ll be fine.”

“Well…thanks, I guess,” Chris replied.

“You’d better head off home,” Becca warned him. “Say your goodbyes make last-minute preparations, that sort of thing. You’ll be gone a while.”

“Right,” the boy replied. “Well, nice meeting you.”

“Sure,” she replied firmly, watching Chris walk down the mountain path, Nightshade by her side. “Oh, and Chris?”

He turned to face her from a few steps down the mountain.

“Yea?”

“That Absol was mine - that is Lyra.” Becca added. Chris looked up at her.

“Yea, I thought so.”

And, more casually than when on the way up, Chris hitched his backpack up his shoulders, turned his music on and popped his earpieces in. Without a care in the world, he strolled down the mountain in the scorching heat, now with one less thing to worry about.

Becca watched him, sweeping her shades off to reveal beautiful eyes, mixed with shades of grey and blue. She scanned the area, recalling Nightshade, and sighed to herself. Turning her heel, she wandered across the top of the mountain, lost in thought.