I finally took the time to pick up the Pokemon fic I
started writing a while ago (then again I was also writing
a Ranma fic at the same time, too). After writing this much
I figured out just how big a mess I got myself into, so this
will be far from the last.
C&C welcome. Flames, too... bwahahaha.
----------------------------------------------------
The Wraith of Blaze #2: Pokemon League Final Tournament
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@IEATSPAMhotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/pokemon/index.html
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo. Proper licenses
belong to respective properties and characters.
This file may be freely distributed so long as it appears
in its complete form and proper credit is given. No part may
be reproduced in part or whole for monetary/personal gain
without permission from the author.
Fair question: who is Cinder?
Fanart can be found at:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html
------------------------------------------------
Erika never turned away from the sole potted plant in the
room when the attendant announced that a letter had come
for her.
For a brief moment, the Gym Leader despised the servants,
as this time her meditation was shattered. Sighing heavily,
she hardly saw the good in being born to wealth.
Some malicious remarks insinuated that she gained control
of the Celadon Gym by her money alone.
In her traveling trainer days Erika remembered being
ridiculed by those who knew of her descent, and her rich
parents, citing that it wasn't the place of a lady such as
she to walk around like that. For the most part it was
hogwash, but eventually she did find travel hard and boring.
She remembered proving herself in the Pokemon League that
same year she decided to stop traveling. Scoring high in the
final rounds Erika won the right to open her own gym in
Celadon City, the closest town to her family's estates.
That was all three years ago, which gave Erika a good idea
what was in the contents of the letter.
Standing to her feet, waving around the sleeves of her
kimono about while shaking her hands, Erika walked to the
table where the letter lay.
Picking it up, she read the addresses carefully, assuring
herself that it was indeed from the Pokemon League.
Erika slid her index finger through the top of the envelope,
opening it quickly. Unfolding the letter, the Gym Leader's
suspicions were proven to be true.
Every three years the local Pokemon League held a special
League tournament. While the tournament was no different from
any of the other annual tournaments, this one was quite
special. For, every three years, the gym status of the local
gyms were thrown into the mosh pit, where only the best
would come out with their pride intact.
In effect, the Gym Leaders were forced to fight to maintain
their gym status.
The Gym Leader sighed. "Two weeks time is never enough,"
she told herself.
She set the letter down, revealing the preliminary 'guest'
list under it. Only a page long, the list consisted of the
names of all the Gym Leaders in the local League, most of
which Erika recognized, having met quite a few of them.
There were many gyms, but only eight gyms were widely-
recognized by trainers, her own gym included.
Glancing over the names and gyms once again, Erika
deduced that the gyms for Pewter and Cerulean were in danger
of losing their gym status, as she learned that both gyms
have become lax in the recent months. Then again, the
Cerulean Gym was quite lax for years; it was a wonder that
nobody decided to wrestle gym status from them in a formal
duel. The Cinnabar Gym, she remembered reading, was torn
down at one point, but suddenly reappeared, much tougher than
ever to beat.
And then Erika remembered something else. She smiled.
"I guess it's time to meet up with some old friends."
Two Weeks Later
Ash and Pikachu stood in awed wonderment as they stood
outside the Pokemon League Arena.
Hundreds of trainers from the local area gathered every
year to the annual tournament held by the Pokemon League
to determine the best trainers, while many thousands of
people joined in the spectacle, cheering on. Only those
who have proven themselves by collecting eight gym badges
could hope to compete in the League tournament-- but
then, only 256 of those could actually compete in the
eight-round elimination.
He looked down at Pikachu with nostalgia in his eyes.
Even if conquering the Orange League certainly made him
one of the best, Ash remembered leaving this League in
only sixteenth place.
Leaving it at that, at his own home League, was just
not good enough.
"We've come a long way, Pikachu," he told the little
monster. "And this time, I'm coming home as the best!"
"ASH!!"
Both he and Pikachu looked over their shoulders at
the source of the voice.
"Hey, Brock!" Ash shouted, waving.
The Pokemon breeder looked no different from when he
and Ash parted a year ago in order to continue his
studies. "I should've known that you'd come back here!"
"Yeah...." A though hit Ash. "Hey, did you hear
about the Orange League?"
Brock nodded. "Sure did. Sorry I couldn't go and see
it, but I've... been busy."
"Well, then I'm glad you're here now."
"Actually, Ash, that's not the reason why I'm here."
The Pokemon breeder reached into his pants pocket and
produced a letter. "You see, I've got to do a favor for
my dad."
Ash took the letter from his friend's hand, scanning
it over quickly. "Gym Leaders have to fight to keep their
status?"
"Mmmhmm." Brock accepted the letter back, folding it
carefully. "You know when I left two years ago that my dad
took over running the gym, right? Well, he really can't
come to Indigo Plateau and leave all my brothers and sisters
behind, too...."
"I don't see why he couldn't have just brought them
along."
"Well... actually, he IS."
"Then you're here to cheer him on?"
Brock shook his head. "Actually, no. I'm here to take his
place in the tournament."
Ash's eyes widened in surprise. "You came all the way back
here just to fight for your dad?"
"No. The League throws open the gyms every three years. I
knew about that, and I came here myself. I know Dad isn't a
good trainer, so I told him I'd do it for him."
"That's cool of you, Brock." He smiled. "I guess we might
be competing against each other, huh?"
"Probably," Brock replied, his spirits lifting. "Say, have
you seen Misty lately? I thought she was traveling with you."
"We parted at Cerulean City," Ash explained. "She said she
had something to take care of, and that I should go ahead."
The Pokemon breeder rubbed his chin in thought. "She's
likely doing the same thing I'm doing; fighting in place of
her sisters. In either case, I'll bet she'll be here sooner
or later."
"I guess you're right."
Ash barely felt Pikachu tugging at his pants leg when he
felt a surge of oppression behind him. Turning suddenly, his
eyes met an unending darkness.
He looked up what turned out to be a dark, flowing robe,
and two red, burning eyes staring down at him. The face
concealed under the darkness of the robe's hood, the man's
left eye appeared more circular, and more brighter, than the
other.
"Out of the way," a grating, deep voice demanded.
A steel claw, balled into a fist, landed squarely in Ash's
gut. As Brock and Pikachu supported their friend, the dark-
robed man passed by silently, uttering no sound.
When the oppression passed, Ash's eyes watched the man
with anger. "W...who was that?"
"Whoever he is," Brock said, "he certainly wasn't very
nice!"
"Pika...." agreed Pikachu.
All three felt another presence before them, but instead
of an oppressiveness, they felt a calmness. The newcomer,
a girl, stood there, sympathy in her eyes.
"Are you alright?" the girl asked.
"I remember you," Brock said. "You're Erika from the
Celadon City Gym."
Erika nodded. "And you're Brock." She turned to Ash,
with a slight smile. "You must be Ash. I remember you,
now."
"How's it goin'?" Ash replied, not sure if he was still
in pain.
The girl's eyes turned to follow the dark-robed man. "I
see you met Cinder."
"'Cinder?'" Ash repeated, jerking up in surprise. "You
KNOW him?"
"Don't let it get to you; he's nice once you get to know
him," Erika suggested. Waving, she said, "Good luck in the
tournament!"
Ash, Brock, and Pikachu stared after the girl, who
joined the dark-robed man in some sort of pleasant
conversation. The man bowed respectfully to the gym
leader, puzzling Ash greatly.
"How do you suppose someone like her knows someone like
HIM?" he wondered.
"I see you've been well since we've last me," Cinder said
as he walked beside the Gym Leader girl.
"I told you I'd be at the League," Erika said, "and I see
you made it, as well."
"After our parting, defeating the others was a simple
matter," the dark-robed man explained. "I can see now why
gyms must compete to maintain their status; a few of them
have become quite complacent."
Erika nodded. "I haven't actually done so hot myself
these days. Sometimes I wonder if I should spend more time
tending a garden than training Pokemon."
"If it is your calling, you will find it."
The Gym Leader looked over her shoulder, back where she
left Ash and Brock. "You know... that kid you beat up? I
think he's the one."
Cinder snorted, which sounded similar to a rush of air in
an empty duct. "He is the Orange League champion."
"Really? I didn't know that...."
"He's also here to gratify his ego."
"I'm not sure about that...."
"And I look forward to crushing him in the final round."
"Provided you get that far."
"I WILL get that far, and so shall he. I can feel it."
Erika shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I've only got
to make it to the sixth round to guarantee myself my gym
status."
Although the champions of the tournament were first in
line to pick up gym status, oftentimes many champions
declined, giving away their spots to others who were eagerly
waiting. The top eight spots were guaranteed to those who
made it as far as the sixth round, and those left over were
given to the next tier down, and so on, until all the spots
have been filled.
She only made it to the sixth elimination round the first
time, and Erika wanted to make sure to get there again.
"The higher I rank in the finals," Cinder said, "the more
likely the Pokemon League will listen to my case."
"Even if they do, that doesn't mean they can do anything
about it," Erika pointed out.
"Perhaps not," admitted the dark-robed man. "However, the
status would grant me a voice to other trainers, and they
will listen to me because I will have won."
"That's true."
"But, for now, that dream shall have to wait," Cinder
decided. Changing the subject, he said, "How fares Dratini
since we parted?"
Erika produced a Pokeball from her sleeves. "He's doing
just fine. I'm not sure when he's supposed to evolve."
"Evolution will come when it comes," Cinder assured her.
"So you trust him enough to bring him to battle?"
The girl nodded. "I think I'm going to need all the help
I can get."
Giovanni sat back in his seat, stroking Persian with his
right hand. The Pokemon cat lay stretched out on top of the
desk lazily, yet eyed Meowth with contempt while his master
faced-off with Meowth's partners.
Jessie and James, fear in their faces, hung on to every
word of the boss of Team Rocket.
"This year marks the third year," the boss said, holding
up a letter with his free hand. "Therefore, I will be
leaving for the Pokemon League to secure myself a gym
deed."
"What's this got to do with us?" Meowth asked.
"Holding Pokemon gyms gives Team Rocket the opportunity
to look out for new recruits, as well as find rare and
unusual Pokemon," Giovanni explained. "But, Team Rocket is
no longer content with holding but one gym. No, we need
at least another."
"But, Boss," James said, "even if... I mean, when you do
win, you can only lay claim over ONE gym."
Giovanni chuckled at the slow wit of his lackey. "And,
as you can tell by simply being here, you three are going
to be involved in HELPING me securing another gym deed."
"But these guys are born losers!" Meowth pointed out,
just before Jessie kicked him.
"I've anticipated your failings," the boss replied,
folding his hands in his lap. "And, to make up for that,
I'm sending you three a new partner."
Leaning forward on the desk, Giovanni punched a button on
the speaker phone. "Send him in," he ordered.
Behind the Team Rocket members the door to Giovanni's
office opened, revealing a young man dressed in the black
Team Rocket uniform. He wore his hat low, partially
concealing his eyes, over his cropped brown hair, but there
was no mistake to anyone in the room that this man was
experienced.
And mean.
"Allow me to introduce... Billy!" the boss announced,
standing to his feet.
Billy nodded to the boss, then peered at his fellow Rocket
members with contempt. "You want me to 'rope them?!"
"Don't be an idiot!" Giovanni yelled, slamming a fist on
the desk. "I want you to WORK with them!"
The black-clad Rocket snorted. "You've got to be kidding.
I work alone."
"And THAT's why I've given you this assignment!"
"Well, isn't he the loner," Jessie whispered to James.
"The four of you," Giovanni said, grabbing the attentions
of all the Rockets, "will enter the tournament representing
Team Rocket. Your ONLY goal is to secure a gym deed; this is
not the time to chase after rare Pokemon. If you approach me
at any time during the tournament, you will be ignored, for
my affiliation with Team Rocket must remain hidden."
Leaning back in his seat, he said, "Billy will be in
charge for the duration of the mission."
"WHAT?!" Jessie, James, and Meowth cried out in unison.
Billy slapped himself on the face.
"I will be expecting PROGRESS," the boss added, "and
failure is not an option. Do you understand?"
The Rockets were all nods.
"Excellent. The tournament starts tomorrow, and I expect
you all to be there. If there is nothing else, I'll be
on my way."
Reaching for a button on the desk, Giovanni's seat, on a
rotating floor, switched around the wall behind him, leaving
the four Rockets alone in the office.
"Pfff, well," Billy started, "I suppose we'd better move."
Before the three could say anything, the black Rocket
added, "Ah yes, one thing. Give me your Pokemon."
"No way!" Jessie protested.
"Yeah!" agreed James. "You should have your own!"
Billy approached the defiant Rockets coldly. "If this
mission is to succeed, you two will NOT be participating in
the tournament! So hand over Arbok and Weezing."
Reluctantly, the two complied. Staring down at Meowth,
the black Rocket said, "If you know what's good for you,
you'd better get in a Pokeball."
The three Rockets watched their new leader turn to walk
out. Meowth unsheathed his claws in anger.
"Who does that guy think he is?!" the cat yelled. "If he
thinks I'm gettin' in one of those Pokeballs...."
"Don't be so down, Meowth," Jessie said.
"Yes," agreed James. "Besides... he only told us to hand
over Arbok and Weezing...."
Meowth's eyes flashed wide in surprise. "That's right!
He didn't say nothin' about me!"
Both Jessie and James produced one Pokeball each, their
expressions all grins.
"We still have OTHER Pokemon!" Jessie said devilishly.
Ash, Brock, and Pikachu stood at the entrance to the
banquet hall in awe.
The Pokemon League, on the night before officially
kicking-off the tournament, held a party for the trainers
to unwind. Trainers from all across the country gathered
in large, underground room, with tables filled with food
that stretched to tiny specks at the other end of the hall.
"This place is bigger than I remembered it," Ash admitted,
taking the first steps into the hall.
Brock looked around, his face passing from trainer-to-
trainer as he followed Ash and Pikachu. "I don't see Misty,
or anyone else we know, yet."
"Well, it IS a pretty big hall," the younger boy pointed
out. "And there are almost three-hundred people here."
"I've been to places larger than this, and it was easy to
spot someone I knew," the Pokemon breeder replied.
"Hey, Kid!"
Both Ash and Brock turned their heads toward the source of
the voice. Two men and a girl stood by one of the tables,
drinks in each of their hands. One of the men, a bald
gentleman dressed in a white coat, waved the two over.
"It's Blaine!" Ash said in recognition.
"And that's Koga and Sabrina," Brock added.
The two boys approached the three Gym Leaders, and were
greeted with camaraderie.
"You're looking fine, Kid," Blaine said, extending his
hand.
Ash accepted the handshake. "Nice to see you, too."
"You guys are probably here....?" Brock said.
Koga nodded. "I suspected as much."
"That certainly is a good reason," Sabrina said, "but
it's hardly the only reason why I'm here."
"Then... what are you doing here?" asked Ash.
The girl folded her arms. "In particular, I'm waiting
to challenge the Wraith of Cinnabar Island."
Blaine nodded. "THAT one was a nasty trainer."
"The 'Wraith of Cinnabar Island?'" repeated Ash.
Brock whispered into Ash's ear, "I've heard stories
that there was a guy from Cinnabar Island running around
kidnapping Gym Leaders. The police caught up with him at
Celadon City, but they couldn't catch him, even if they
did rescue the Gym Leaders."
"I didn't hear of that," admitted Ash.
"You'd better believe it's real, Kid," Blaine said.
"After I got back to Cinnabar Island it turned out that
he let loose ALL of my Pokemon!"
"The same here," Koga added. "And he took off with one
of my Venomoths, which I assume he still has."
"I never had that problem," Sabrina said. "My Pokemon
were loyal enough to remain in place even when set free."
"Commonly, the crook has no name," the Fuschia City Gym
Leader said, "but to us alone he is called 'Cinder.'"
"'Cinder?!'" both Ash and Brock exclaimed.
"You've met him?" asked the Saffron Gym Leader.
"Well... maybe someone with that name," Ash blurted.
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said in support.
"Well, then," Sabrina decided, "I suppose it's up to US
to get rid of him!"
"Don't you think you ought to relax?" suggested Brock.
"You might get your chance in the tournament."
"Brock's right," agreed Blaine. "Tonight... we
celebrate!" He raised his cup of punch in the air, as
the others followed suit, Brock grabbing a cup of his
own. "To renewed deeds!"
Ash's attention wandered as Brock joined in on the Gym
Leaders' conversation. Feeling a bit left out, knowing
that the four of them shared something in common that
he couldn't be a part of, the Pokemon trainer scanned the
room, looking around for other familiar faces.
His eyes stopped when he recognized one of the last
people he expected to see at the tournament.
"Gary?" Ash called to the other boy, whose back was
turned.
Seemingly oblivious to Ash's presence, Gary Oak stood
alone, a cup of punch in his hand, seemingly staring out
at nothing. When his call went unanswered, Ash walked
toward his former rival, Pikachu following behind.
"Gary?"
The trainer turned around, a lost expression on his
face. Gary peered carefully at Ash before words found
their way to his lips. "Ash?"
Regaining his composure, he added, "It's been a while."
"Yeah," Ash agreed.
For a few moments, only silence passed between the two
former rivals. Ash recalled the last time the two had
seen each other, during the previous year's Pokemon
League tournament. Gary had lost in the fourth
elimination round to the challenger that Ash later beat on
his own. Ash ended up losing in the fifth elimination
round, coming in sixteenth place overall in the tournament.
He forgot to check where Gary had placed.
After the tournament, the two trainers never saw each
other, and Ash assumed that Gary's pride was shattered at
such an early loss.
"I see you're going to try again," Ash said, breaking
the tense silence.
Gary nodded. "I've had a lot of time to think about my
technique and all...." He chuckled nervously. "I hear you
won in the Orange League."
Ash's face flushed in embarrassment. "Uh... yeah.... How'd
you hear about that?"
"From my grandfather, of course. Looks like you got to be
the big shot, after all. He's practically your number one
fan these days."
Turning to leave, Gary half-heartedly waved.
"Gary...?" Ash whispered, too dumbfounded to stop him.
Misty sat alone in the open-air Pokemon arena, staring
out at nothing as she held Togepi in her arms. Seated near
the top of the stadium, the few stragglers that wandered
below were like ants to the girls' vision.
She sighed, cursing her rotten luck.
"Excuse me?"
The girl's attentions turned to a point slightly below
her field of vision, where another girl stood, looking
up at her. The newcomer walked up the steps to Misty's
level, standing, staring down at her.
"Hi, Erika," Misty greeted, trying to force cheeriness
into her voice.
"I assume you saw the spreadsheet?" Erika guessed, taking
a seat next to Misty.
She nodded. "It's just not fair! There's no way I can
win this for my sisters if...."
"The most you can do is your best," suggested the Gym
Leader.
"My best wasn't good enough last time!" Misty protested.
"Perhaps," Erika admitted. "But.... You're not officially
a Gym Leader, right?"
Misty nodded. "Technically, it's my mom. But she's...."
"I see." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, then, I
can only offer you one piece of advice, from one Gym
Leader to another: if you go into every battle thinking that
you'll lose, then you'll lose. But, if you just grit your
teeth and give it your best... sometimes, things work out."
"But, I'm not a Gym Leader...." Misty protested.
"Not even if who you're facing is the best Pokemon
trainer out there!" Erika interrupted, getting up to her
feet. "Now, you can sit there and lose, or get up and win
it for your sisters!"
For a moment, the Gym Leader stood there, almost expecting
a response. She turned and descended the steps, but before
Erika was half-way down the steps she turned.
"Oh yeah," she said, "I almost forgot. Brock told me that
your friend Ash is looking for you. He's down in the banquet
hall with the other Gym Leaders. Aren't you going to see him?"
For a moment, Misty wanted to say something, but held
back. No, she didn't want to see him.
"I see," Erika said with a sigh, then turned to leave.
Misty was left to contemplate alone with Togepi.
James and Meowth finally stuck the last tent pole into
its proper slot just as Jessie returned with two more
sleeping bags.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, James complained, "To
think, we're actually going to sleep IN a tent for once!"
"I'm surprised you figured out how to put it up," Jessie
admitted. "But, where is our... 'boss?'"
"Who cares!" Meowth said. "The longer he's outta here, the
longer we've got time to ourselves!"
"He has been rather tough on us," agreed James.
"He's probably hiding in the balloon, playing with that
stupid pocket game again!" Jessie declared. "All Billy
ever does is give orders and play that game!"
At that moment the ground under the girl collapsed,
revealing a cylinder-like hole. Jessie yelped in surprise,
but her fall was cut short when she was propelled upward
into the air.
From the hole, Arbok slithered out, followed by Billy,
his black uniform covered with dirt.
Gathering herself from the ground, Jessie was instantly
in Billy's face. "What's the meaning of this, using MY
Pokemon like that?!"
"What d'you think I'm doing?!" Billy shot back. "I'm
getting familiar with your lame-brained beasts!"
"Arbok may be a lame-brain, but he's MY lame-brain!"
she yelled, fists raised. Both James and Meowth were
struggling to hold her back.
Billy shrugged, recalling Arbok back into its Pokeball.
"Other than that... I managed to... doctor the fighting
list to our favor."
"Really?" Meowth said, somewhat surprised.
The black Rocket nodded. "It will appear as a natural
course of nature, but I made sure that more than one Gym
Leader will suffer from a terrible loss!"
"Ooohh, you're good, 'boss!'" James praised.
"Now, while it's good that we shower me so, I want to
get some shut-eye," Billy announced, heading for the
tent.
Unzipping the tent, he peered inside. "Where's the
sleeping bags?!"
Smiling to themselves knowingly, Jessie, James, and
Meowth threw the sleeping bags at their 'boss,' forcing
him into the tent face-first.
According to Pokemon League tournament rules, each
trainer brought all their Pokemon with them, in order to
compete using all of them, if necessary, in battle. To
that end, a large computer database was maintained at the
Indigo Plateau Pokemon Center to juggle with the accounts
of multiple trainers. While security was always an issue,
the measures set here were far superior to any other
Pokemon Center, utilizing the latest technologies to
prevent hackers, virii, and Pokemon thieves from affecting
trainers.
However, for as many Pokemon an individual trainer
could bring with him, only three were allowed to be used
in any elimination battle. This rule was common in the
numerous gyms in the area, so most trainers would be
familiar with the official tournaments. It also made
Pokemon selection a careful process, for, unlike gym
battles, a battle in the tournament was for keeps; there
were no second chances given.
Ash swallowed as he stood in the stadium battlefield,
and Pikachu, standing by his side, lowered his ears sadly.
He looked around himself, to the heavy crowd all around
the stadium. The crowd hardly made the experienced trainer
worried; it was his opponent that was doing that.
Misty, standing opposite Ash on the stadium field,
appeared just as nervous.
"Sorry, Ash," she yelled from across the field.
Wishing he hadn't picked Pikachu to do battle, Ash
yelled back, "I'm sorry, too."
The problem, of course, was that Misty preferred water-
type Pokemon over all others. Water was weak to attacks
of electrical nature, which equated to Pikachu.
"I'm not going to hold back!" she yelled, more
determined than ever. "You just watch, Ash!"
"I can't hold back, either," Ash whispered to himself
sadly.
Without further waiting, Misty wound up and pitched
her first Pokeball into the battlefield. "Starmie, GO!!"
Ash, instead of ordering Pikachu into the battle,
threw a Pokeball of his own. "Go, Snorlax!"
The heavy Pokemon, Snorlax, obscured Ash's vision
of the battlefield, forcing the trainer to run to the
side to see. True to its nature, and to Ash's dismay,
Snorlax was asleep.
Misty was first to attack, ordering, "Starmie, use a
Psychic attack!"
A blue beam shot from Starmie's crystal center,
zapping the slumbering Snorlax. However, Snorlax
hardly seemed to notice this, as it continued to
sleep.
Shaking his head, Ash pleaded, "Wake up, Snorlax!"
With a mighty yawn, the gigantic Pokemon obeyed his
master's order, just as Starmie launched another Psychic
attack. Struggling to sit up, Snorlax threw a wild
punch at Starmie, sending it flying out of the
battlefield.
"Snorlax is the winner!" the announcer declared.
Gritting her teeth in anger, Misty recalled Starmie
back into its Pokeball. Producing another one, she
threw it into the field. "Dewgong, GO!!"
As soon as Dewgong materialized, Misty ordered, "Use
your Aurora Beam!"
Opening its mouth, a beam of white light lanced out
at Snorlax. Ice and frost began forming on Snorlax's
belly, and Ash realized that his Pokemon was being
frozen by the Aurora Beam.
"Dewgong is the winner!" the announcer said.
"Snorlax, return!" Ash called, recalling the gigantic
Pokemon. Throwing his second Pokeball into the field,
he yelled, "Your turn, Bulbasaur!"
Bulbasaur materialized on the battlefield, and stared
down Dewgong menacingly.
"Use your Vine Whip!" ordered Ash.
Two leafy vines lashed out from Bulbasaur's back,
reaching out to slap Dewgong, but the icy Pokemon
dodged the attack easily.
Misty laughed. "Don't you think I would've known that
you'd do that?" To Dewgong she said, "Aurora Beam!"
Bulbasaur, too, was ready for the incoming attack,
and jumped up into the air as the beam shot by.
"That's it, Bulbasaur!" Ash encouraged. "Now, use
your Solar Beam!"
Gathering sun rays into the bulb on its back, the
grass Pokemon fired a concentrated beam at Dewgong,
harming the ice Pokemon greatly. The beam was strong
enough in intensity that Dewgong was forced all the way
back to Misty's position.
"Bulbasaur... wins?!" the announcer said.
"Dewgong, return!" the girl said reluctantly as the
ice Pokemon rolled humiliatingly toward her. Producing
her last Pokeball, she cried, "Go, S...!"
But, when the Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball,
Misty sighed in frustration as Psyduck leaped out
instead.
"AAAAGGGHHH!!!" she shouted in frustration. "I can't
believe I got the wrong one!"
"Hey, that's no problem!" Ash said, realizing that the
battle was already his. "All I've got to do is make
sure not to give Psyduck a headache! Bulbasuar...
tickle him!"
"Look, I know it looks bad," Ash said, "but at least
you gave it your best shot."
He sat across the table from Misty, her head down on
the table. Brock sat next to him as the three waited for
lunch to be served. Both Pikachu and Togepi were on
Misty's side of the table, trying their best to comfort
the girl.
She raised her head and stared at Ash with tears in
her eyes. "I LOST the gym for my sisters! How can it BE
okay?!" Misty slammed her head back onto the table.
"I think it's just bad luck," Brock offered. "The
Pokemon League draws up the battle spreadsheet based
upon random pick of the hat." He shrugged. "Who would've
guessed that this would happen?"
"So how did you do, Brock?" Ash asked.
"Better than expected, actually," he replied. "I only
really had to use Rhyhorn to win to beat all of the
other guy's Pokemon."
"You should've just used Pikachu and be done with it,"
Misty said, her face still down.
"C'mon, Misty!" Brock said. "Ash was giving you lots of
leeway when he didn't send Pikachu out first! Think
about what Pikachu thinks, too!"
"Pika...." agreed Pikachu.
"We're you're friends," Ash added. "It'll be alright."
Raising her head from the table, Misty forced herself
to smile. "Thanks, guys." Standing to her feet, she
said, "I think I want to be by myself for a while.
Watch Togepi for me, won't you?"
"Sure thing," Ash replied.
Both boys watched Misty exit the cafeteria, just as
their meal was served.
Grabbing a set of chopsticks, Brock picked up the
rice bowl first. "You know, Ash," he said, "I just
thought of something you could do for Misty."
"What's that?" the other boy asked.
"Gym status deeds are usually given out to the
champions first," Brock explained. "So, if you can
get that far...."
"I can win the gym back for Misty!" Ash finished.
"Right. All you have to do is get there, and
everything'll be fine."
"I can't wait to tell her!"
"That was ridiculously easy," Billy declared as he
stepped out of the stadium, his Rocket lackeys trailing
behind him.
As part of his work during the previous night Billy,
with the help of Arbok's digging abilities, managed to
sneak into the Pokemon League tournament headquarters.
While nobody was paying attention, particularly since
most people were attending the party in the banquet hall,
it was a simple matter to stack the competition in
Team Rocket's favor, and, at the same time, eliminate a
few Gym Leaders for security.
The black Rocket purposefully made his own battle
simple, while forcing two of the major Gym Leaders to
drop-out early on; Misty, who represented the Cerulean
City gym, was stacked against the Orange League champion,
while Surge of Vermilion City gym was pitted against the
Boss Rocket's own ground Pokemon, an easy victory. Billy
had no idea if the boss suspected his involvement in the
stacking, but if he did the black Rocket hoped the boss
was pleased. Several minor Leaders were also eliminated,
weeding out the weak. A third major Gym Leader, Blaine from
Cinnabar Island, surprisingly managed to defeat his stacked
opponent's water Pokemon, however.
While the other Gym Leaders succeeded in passing the
first elimination round, Billy was certain that not all
of them would make it to the sixth elimination round.
Meowth, his arm in a sling, and one eye swelled shut,
complained, "YOU ain't the one doin' the fighting!"
Billy glanced back at Meowth with a smirk. "Using you
as a decoy to wear down the opponent's Pokemon was
pure brilliance on my part, don't you think? It left
my Raticate to finish them off with Super Fang."
"He didn't even use MY Pokemon," complained James.
Jessie frowned. "And why's THAT a problem?"
"It doesn't matter," assured the black Rocket. "For we
are well on our way to getting our own gym!"
As the sun began to dip low in the horizon, only two
customers filled the cafeteria at that time. Erika sat
opposite the dark-robed man, Cinder, her finished meal
tray before her. She watched the setting sun through the
windows as Cinder sat silently, reading the results of
the day's tournament battles.
"It's surprising that they can do all two-hundred-
fifty-six battles into one day," Erika said in
wonderment.
"The battles are often short, and many battles are often
going on at once," Cinder pointed out, running a metallic
nail down the list of the remaining 128 trainers.
Setting the paper down, the dark-robed man declared,
"Giselle was hardly a match for me. Now I remember why I
ignored her the first time."
"I've never met her myself," Erika said, "but I've heard
of her. She's got a Pokemon school."
"Yes," Cinder said, nodding. "But, I am somewhat curious
about one thing."
"What's that?"
"The girl you spoke with last night... Misty. In all the
laws of probability, she should not have been pitted against
her friend so early on. It's far too improbable."
"I know, but it does happen," the Gym Leader pointed out.
"Something is wrong, I can sense it," Cinder said.
"I'll ask Sabrina for you if you...."
"No."
"I won't tell her it was your idea."
"I don't trust her. Don't bring it to her attention."
Erika shrugged. "Alright... suit yourself."
"So, how did you fare in battle?" he said, changing the
subject.
"Oh, nothing special, really," Erika began. "I took
Tangela, Exeggcute, and Clefairy into the battle with me,
and the other guy, Tom, sent out a Charmeleon first. So
I sent out Clefairy, because he could've beaten me easily
if I used the other two. So I had Clefairy protect herself
with Light Screen, and after all the Flamethrowers were
through she used Metronome and finished the battle,
creating a Surf effect."
"Metronome is quite unpredictable," Cinder noted. "You
were lucky."
"Yeah. Anyway, so Tom sent out Dodrio, then I recalled
Clefairy and sent out Exeggcute. Drill Peck was quite
ineffective because Exeggcute is a bunch of eggs. I told
him to use Egg Bomb, and that worked out fine."
"The last monster he sent out was Marowak, which I
defeated easily with Tangela's Mega Drain."
"It sounds as if the match was entirely in your favor,"
Cinder said.
"If I hadn't had Clefairy the battle would've been
over very quick," Erika pointed out. "I seem to attract
fire-type trainers a lot."
"Only one solution to that; would you like to borrow
the services of 'my' monsters?"
The Gym Leader stared at the dark-robed man in surprise.
"Are you sure you won't need them?"
"I have more than enough confidence in any of 'my'
monsters," he assured her, withdrawing five Pokeballs. He
lay each on the table gently in a row.
Pointing to the first ball, Cinder said, "A most faithful
warrior... Pinsir." To the second ball, "Ancient blades of
ancient rock... Kabutops." To the third ball, "A flame that
burns unlike any other... Magmar." To the fourth ball,
"To chill with deadly precision... Cloyster." Finally to
the fifth ball, "Annihilation by the heavens... Electabuzz."
Erika accepted all five Pokeballs graciously, bowing
respectfully. "I'll take care of them as if they were my
own."
"I expected as much," the dark-robed man said, satisfied.
Gary Oak was hardly surprised to see another man standing
in the empty stadium. As the stars were already in the sky,
the moon high in orbit, many trainers were indoors, probably
sleeping early or preparing themselves somehow.
This guy mustn't be able to sleep, either, Gary thought.
Feeling somewhat conversational, Gary walked closer to
the man, who was throwing a Pokeball up in the air, then
catching it with the same hand. His blonde hair was cropped
neatly, in military-style, going along with the marine
clothing he wore.
"Lt. Surge," Gary said.
Surge turned to face the newcomer, still tossing the
Pokeball. "Looking sharp, soldier," he said rigidly.
"Yes, sir," he replied with a mock salute.
"I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, soldier."
"I couldn't sleep."
"Better to lie down with your eyes open."
Gary said nothing.
"You want to know a secret, soldier?"
"Huh?"
"Pay attention when I address you! I didn't call you
out here for nothing!"
"Yes, sir."
"I did some checking," Surge explained. "Remember I
told you earlier that the list seemed to have changed at
the last minute?"
Gary nodded. He remembered from the party the previous
night that Surge had made it a point to tell him that
they would be competing together in the fifth round, if
both of them did well. However, the following morning,
Surge's standing in the list was moved to another branch,
and in the end the Gym Leader lost.
"I checked with the League regulators, and they never
remembered changing it."
The boy shrugged. "That could mean a lot of things."
"That's what I thought," agreed the Gym Leader. "Then I
decided to check the security cameras from last night, when
the changes were made. Lots of blank gaps."
"Tampering?"
"Smart, soldier." He tossed the Pokeball into the air
once more. "Now that I'm already out, I can't expose this
myself, or someone will call it to suspicion. Politicians
would say I was making excuses. You keep your eyes open."
"Uh, okay," Gary said, nodding with confusion.
"That's what I like to hear, soldier!" Surge yelled.
"You keep your eyes peeled, and I'll see what I can come
up with."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Blaine exclaimed, placing his
cards face-down on the poker table. "There's no way I'm
playing a game with YOU!"
Sabrina smirked as she took a seat between Koga and
Giovanni, opposite Blaine. "I didn't come here to play
cards, boys...."
Only the lamp hanging over the poker table illuminated
the dark room the four Gym Leaders used for their own
recreation. It was a room in the compound reserved for
Very Important Persons, and the Gym Leaders qualified
for that.
Blaine sat at the dealer's end of the circle table,
wearing the hat to go along with it. To his right sat
Giovanni, who owned the largest pile of chips. His pet
Persian, never far from him, sat in the Gym Leader's
lap, peeking a head just barely over the edge of the
table. Opposite Giovanni sat Koga, owning the smallest
pile of chips. Several darts were pinned to the table,
each marking a losing hand.
The Saffron City Gym Leader knew for a fact that the
three Gym Leaders were regular card players as well as
old friends, being the eldest among their number. And it
was no surprise when she was directed to this table when
inquiring about them.
Giovanni's Persian mewed angrily. "It seems time for
play can wait," the cat's owner said, putting down his
own hand face-down.
"What is it?" asked Koga, following the lead of the
other two Gym Leaders.
"I don't know about the rest of you," Sabrina started,
"but I think this tournament was specifically-designed
against us."
"So what else is new?" Giovanni said with a snarl.
"Most trainers know what we use already."
"Exactly the point," Sabrina replied. "You all
know that two of our number already lost because of
the inability to adapt."
"But I succeeded," Koga pointed out.
"A fluke," Giovanni said.
"Skill," corrected the ninja Gym Leader.
"I see what you're saying here," Blaine said,
scratching his chin. "If we want to keep our jobs,
we're going to have to put a little more variety into
our Pokemon selections."
Sabrina nodded. "My Psychic Pokemon pose less of a
problem, since they are all-powerful."
"And I already have a wide selection of Pokemon to
my disposal," Giovanni added. To Koga and Blaine he
said, "You two lack any variety."
"Not for long," Blaine replied. "I've already wired
back to my gym, and they're already sending me a few
more non-fire Pokemon to use."
"I've done the same," Koga said.
"Then bringing this to your attentions was meaningless
on my part," Sabrina concluded. "All three of you
already figured it out."
"But we do appreciate your concern," the Viridian Gym
Leader offered with a plastic smile. A thought occurred
to his mind. "I suggest we dispense with monetary bets
and allow our concerned hostess a hand?"
"Oh, very well," Blaine decided, grabbing all the
cards. "Chips aren't backed by money this time around."
Throwing a pile of chips to Sabrina's end of the table,
the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader began to shuffle the
deck. "Five Card Stud, nothing wild...."
And, glaring directly at the Psychic Gym Leader, "And
no psychic powers!"
Sabrina feigned surprise. "Me?"
Both Koga and Giovanni laughed heartily, while Blaine
was seeing red.
As the dealer began dealing cards, Giovanni remarked,
"I hear much talk from you three about someone named
'Cinder?'"
"You never met him?" Koga asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Viridian Gym Leader shook his head. "Perhaps he
never came to my gym, and collected other badges."
"Then you've seen him?" persisted the ninja.
"You can't miss a man concealing himself in robes
such as that!" Giovanni answered.
"True enough," Sabrina said flatly, grabbing her
cards from the table one at a time. "Anyone know which
of us lucky ones are going to get the rematch fight?"
"'Rematch,' eh?"
"He beat us soundly, you know," Blaine admitted.
Giovanni rubbed his chin while stroking Persian's
back. "I might want to meet this trainer face-to-face."
"Only if you want to forfeit early," Koga replied,
sorting out his cards.
"We'll see about that." Persian mewed in agreement.
The Gym Leader set down two cards on the table. "Two."
Sabrina set down three cards while Koga and Blaine
put down two of their own. Blaine dealt out the new
cards.
"You're awfully confident," she said. "Incidentally,
I'm going to be the one who ends up fighting him.
Raise thirty."
Blaine threw in more chips as the other two did the
same. "Not from what I've seen. Are you basing it off
the current list, or the old list? Raise fifty."
"The new one, of course. Not until late, though I'm
going to pay him a visit even sooner than that. I
call your fifty, and raise forty more."
Koga shook his head, throwing his cards on the table.
"Planning on fighting him before the actual match?"
Giovanni grinned. "Overconfident, girl. I'll see to
that." He threw more chips in the pot.
"Same here," Blaine said.
Smirking, Sabrina set down her hand. "Flush."
Giovanni shook his head, his grin much larger than
before. Setting down his own cards, he announced,
"Full House."
In anger, Blaine tossed his cards on the table as
Giovanni raked in the pot. "How does he do that?!"
"Never bet against me!" answered the Viridian Gym
Leader. "Just be happy that money didn't count in this
game, otherwise you'll be going home in a freight train."
"This also proves I wasn't using my powers," Sabrina
pointed out.
Blaine shook his head, throwing his arms up in the
air. "You two kids are welcome to each other! Crazy
conspiracy, if you ask me!"
"Careful what you wish for, dear Blaine," cautioned
Giovanni, "or perhaps it just might come true...."
------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
Basically, timeline-wise, this occurs after Ash completes
his quest to become a Pokemon Master by conquering the
Orange League. That marks the end of Ash's story in the
Pokemon series; after that the story shifts to the
Gold/Silver story with a new hero and new characters. So,
with that in mind, consider this the return to the final
battle-- Ash has come back to Indigo Plateau to finish what
he started and beat the Pokemon League.
In addition, a changed Gary has returned as well, who
was noticeably absent from the series after his defeat in
the Pokemon League. All eight Gym Leaders have returned as
well, giving this tournament a bit more interesting edge
as expert trainers duke-it-out to the end. Team Rocket
is here, of course, along with the Wraith of Blaze
himself... Cinder.
The first day of tournaments is already done... but
what of the next seven rounds? Will Ash be able to win
back the Cerulean Gym? What will Cinder and Surge do, now
that they suspect foul play? And will Team Rocket get
away with its nefarious plans? Stay tuned....
---------POKEMON ROSTER----------
Name: Ash Ketchum (Orange League Champion)
Pokemon: Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur,
Snorlax, Lapras
Stored: Tauros, Kingler, Muk, etc.
Name: Gary Oak (Professor Oaks' grandson)
Pokemon: Blastoise, Nidoking, Arcanine, Pidgeot,
Exeggutor, Alakazam
Stored: Kingler, Fearow, Rhydon, Jolteon, Sandslash,
Gyarados, Cloyster, Magneton, Ninetails, etc.
Name: Cinder (The Wraith of Blaze)
Pokemon: Scyther, Kingler, Venomoth, Omastar, Aerodactyl,
Scorpin (new; see below)
Stored: Pinsir, Tentacruel, Beedrill, Kabutops, Parasect,
Electabuzz, Magmar, Cloyster, etc.
Name: Brock (Rock Gym)
Pokemon: Graveler, Geodude, Onix, Vulpix, Zubat, Rhyhorn
Name: Misty (Water Gym)
Pokemon: Staryu, Starmie, Togepi, Psyduck, Goldeen, Dewgong
Name: Lt. Surge (Electric Gym)
Pokemon: Raichu, Electrode, Electabuzz, Magneton, Raticate
Name: Erika (Grass Gym)
Pokemon: Gloom, Victreebel, Tangela, Ivysaur, Exeggcute
Stored: Vileplume, Clefairy, Wigglytuff, Dratini
Name: Sabrina (Psychic Gym)
Pokemon: Alakazam, Kadabra, Hypno, Mr. Mime, Porygon, Jynx
Stored: Slowbro, Exeggutor, Abra
Name: Koga (Poison Gym)
Pokemon: Venomoth, Venonat, Golbat, Voltorb, Muk, Weezing
Stored: Weepingbell, Tentacruel, Sandslash, Fearow, Ditto
Name: Blaine (Fire Gym)
Pokemon: Arcanine, Rapidash, Magmar, Ninetails, Rhydon
Stored: Dewgong, Dodrio, Tangela, Porygon, Grimer, Koffing
Name: Giovanni (Ground Gym; Team Rocket)
Pokemon: Persian, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Dugtrio, Rhydon
Stored: Kingler, Machamp, Cloyster, Gyarados, etc.
Name: Jessie and James (Team Rocket)
Pokemon: Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, Victreebel, Meowth
Name: Billy (Team Rocket)
Pokemon: Raticate, Farfetch'd, Tauros
Name: Lorelei (Ice Elite)
Pokemon: Slowbro, Cloyster, Jynx, Lapras, Dewgong
Name: Bruno (Fighting Elite)
Pokemon: Onix, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Machamp, Poliwrath
Name: Agatha (Ghost Elite)
Pokemon: Gengar, Haunter, Golbat, Arbok, Ghastly
Name: Lance (Dragon Elite)
Pokemon: Gyarados, Dragonair, Dragonite, Aerodactyl,
Charizard, Dratini
---------POKEDEX ENTRY-----------
Basic Pokemon
Scorpin
Scorpion Pokemon
Bug/Ground
No. 693, Level 7; Evolves at Level 25 (Skullpin)
Length: ???',???", Weight: ??? lbs.
Skill Level
----- -----
Scratch -
Sand Attack -
Poison Stinger 8
* Swords Dance 15
Twineedle 21
* Slash 28
* Earthquake 36
* Guillotine 48
It's stinger and pincers are made of stainless steel.
Wears a strange reptilian helmet of unknown origin.
---------------------------------
---------POKEDEX ENTRY-----------
First Stage Pokemon
Skullpin
Scorpion Pokemon
Bug/Ground
No. 694, Level 15; Evolves at Level 40 (Bradel)
Length: ???',???", Weight: ??? lbs.
Skill Level
----- -----
Scratch -
Sand Attack -
Poison Stinger -
* Swords Dance 18
Twineedle 25
* Slash 33
* Earthquake 44
* Guillotine 52
It's helmet is said to come from a GYARADOS,
which is often believed to be its mortal enemy.
---------------------------------
---------POKEDEX ENTRY-----------
Second Stage Pokemon
Bradel
Scorpion Pokemon
Bug/Ground
No. 695, Level 30;
Length: ???',???", Weight: ??? lbs.
Skill Level
----- -----
Scratch -
Sand Attack -
Poison Stinger -
* Swords Dance -
Twineedle -
* Slash 36
* Earthquake 48
* Guillotine 56
Able to slice through even the hardest material as
if it were paper. Rarely seen due to poaching for its claws.
---------------------------------
Razorclaw X
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/pokemon/index.html
<!-- End of File -->
"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5.
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Never show your hand until the end."--me, being profound.
--Razorclaw X
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