FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Pokémon:

Quest of a True Master

Chapter 6

Vermillion City; a glorious port-town of the Kanto Region -the only one, truly, for large ships such as the_S.S Julia_, as the docks at Fuchsia was not suitable for a ship the size of the Julia. As it slowly pulled into dock, Mark and Randy, who were at the bow of the ship and peering about, studying the harbour; equally large ships such as the S.S Anne II and the S.S Aqua sat moored in neighboring harbors, and a gigantic cargo ship rested at the far end of the pier, near the warehouse district.

Due to the delay, the sun was nearly set over the horizon by the time the ship made port. Mark and Randy joined the disembarking crowds of the S.S Julia; the captain and crew saw the passengers leave, tipping their hats to Mark and Randy specifically as they passed them; the Captain had thanked the two graciously for saving his ship, offering them free passage whenever they wanted to head back to Hoenn, but Mark told him that his next stop after Kanto was actually Johto.

"To Johto, is it?" Captain Raven inquired. "If it's nothing too personal, may I ask why?"

Mark cast a glance at Randy, silently asking for his input. Randy just shrugged, mouthing 'It's up to you' to his friend. Mark sighed and turned to Raven, before going on to explain his reasons for travelling. Raven listened with intrigue, hearing Mark's words and stroking his beard in thought as the trainer concluded. "I see... so it's a journey to test your limits, is it?"

I suppose you could put it that way," agreed Mark.

Raven nodded. "Well... I cannot tell you where to find young Red," admitted the captain. "In fact, I've heard he's barely been seen in a couple of years."

"I heard he was born in Pallet Town; should I start there?" Mark asked.

Raven shook his head. "No point. That town is all but deserted, now. Hardly anyone lives there; doubtful you'd find a Pokémon Master there."

"Deserted why?" Randy asked.

"Because of Cinnabar Island," replied Raven. "I'm sure you heard of the volcano there erupting, didn't you?"

"I did, but that was... what, five years ago now, wasn't it?" Randy asked.

"Seven, actually," corrected Raven. "Apparently the island erupted again, just six years later. This time, however, a strange wind carried the ashes it spewed to the north, right to Pallet Town, choking out their harvest. But what really scared everyone away was a horrible sound that followed the ashes, like a howl of agony; every time that howl was heard the volcano would erupt again and again. The entire population of Pallet Town fled in terror, except for the Oak Family and the people running laboratory there."

Randy scratched his head, a doubtful expression crossing his features. "Carried the ashes north? I'm no meteorologist, Cap, but the wind in this region usually comes from the north, not travel in that direction. It seems kind of unlikely to me."

"Lad, I've sailed with the winds my whole life; I know how it behaves far better than you," Raven said sternly to Randy, before softening his voice. "But you're correct. It doesn't usually drift that way, so I don't know if this is true or not. Still, something scared those poor people out of town; whether it was the volcano, that mysterious howl, or the townsfolk all had vivid imaginations, it doesn't matter. Pallet is a ghost town now."

Mark sighed. "Well there goes my original idea... finding him is going to be a lot harder."

"Not quite, lad," Raven stated, stepping in. "Red is famous all across this region; I know of two in particular who might know where he is."

"Who?"

"Two trainers, just as famous as he is," Raven replied. "His notorious rival, Blue, the current Gym Leader of Viridian City and the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock."

"Well, I was planning on challenging Blue before I took on Red, so I'll start there," said Mark. "But why Brock; what's his connection to Red?"

"They're good friends, apparently," replied Raven. "I don't know the details, but Red apparently visits Brock every month, and often the two go digging for fossils at Mt. Moon together. After that, Red vanishes again."

"Kind of a peculiar lifestyle, ain't it?" Randy remarked. "Ever heard why he wanders around so much?"

"Only rumors; apparently there's a Pokémon he's looking for," explained Raven. "He's spent over half a decade looking for it."

"What Pokémon is that?" Mark inquired.

"I have no idea, to be honest with you. I only know that he searches for it tirelessly."

"Devoted, I'll give him that," stated Randy.

"Well, we'll start with Blue; if he doesn't know where Red is then we'll ask Brock," said Mark. "Thanks for your help, Captain. It was great meeting you."

"I should be thanking you; you saved my ship after all," returned Raven. "And you made sure countless trainers got to keep their most precious Pokémon. My offer stands if ever you need a ship; I'm not heading to Johto anytime soon, but..." He paused, and suddenly smiled. "I just had a thought. There's an even quicker way to Johto than my ship; the Magnet Train that runs from Saffron City to Goldenrod City." He produced something from his pocket, popping open what turned out to be a chequebook, scribbling down the required information before handing it to Mark.

"This should cover the fare; don't try to say you won't accept, I barely consider this reward enough for what you did here today." He fixed Mark with a stern look. "Now take it, and best of luck on your journey."

Mark surrendered; clearly the captain wasn't going to take no for an answer, so Mark didn't try to talk him into doing so. He accepted the cheque, giving the Captain a weak smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Think nothing of it," the captain returned, tipping his hat. "Take care of yourself, m'boy and good luck on your journey. I hope your test of strength goes well. Whatever happens, even if you lose a battle or two, always remember, you're an excellent trainer, and a very good-hearted young man."

Mark smiled. "I hope I can continue to live up your expectations, Captain Raven."

"I'm sure you will," he replied. "Take Diglett's Cave; it's down at the end of the harbour, to the right just before the park -it'll take you straight to Route Two; Pewter City will be to the North, Viridian to the south, beyond the Viridian forest, but don't forget to get some rest before you go, or to take your Pokémon to that spa I told you about -actually they should still be open for another hour if you feel like going now. Good-bye for now, m'boy."

"Good-bye, sir."

With that, Mark and Randy disembarked from the ship; they were the last of the passengers to leave, and the next passengers began boarding when they were at the bottom of the ramp. Mark looked back at the ship briefly, having enjoyed the journey even if it had gone south halfway to their destination. He wondered if it was a sign... such excitement before even making it to his first planned stop; could it be he was making the right choice, and this was fate's way of telling him? It made his body shiver with anticipation just thinking about it now; he was making his first step into Kanto, to seek out and challenge people who, like him, had felt the satisfaction and the glory of being champions; elite trainers of skill, discipline, and commitment to themselves and their Pokémon.

As much as he wanted to begin right away, he knew he had to see to his own needs first; he could not deny he was tired, and he had little doubt his Pokémon were too. "Come on; let's go find a place to stay," he said to Randy.

"Now that sounds good to me; let's go."

As suggested, Mark went to the spa and ordered for Tanker the treatment that had been suggested to him by Captain Raven. The wait was fairly long, but by the time Tanker was brought back up front, the Steelix not only looked extremely happy, but his whole body looked as though he had just evolved from an Onix; his body was so shiny and smooth, he looked like he was made of pure, polished silver. Never had Mark seen Tanker this way; if any Steelix could be called 'beautiful', it'd definitely be him at that moment.

Tanker had definitely felt better after being cooped up in the Poké Ball for so long; for that, Mark was happy, having not been able to keep his promise to the Steelix. Now, he also felt better that he was at least able to make it up to Tanker. With that done, he recalled Tanker into his ball and left the spa, heading for the hotel to meet up with Randy.

They met at the attached restaurant of the hotel, seating at a window booth and helping themselves to some cola while they waited for their food. Mark was once again studying his bingo book -focusing on Blue Oak, in particular, since he was his first opponent to be. The book included Pokémon commonly seen in his use. The one that was seen the most often was a Blastoise; according to records of international competitions and non-official matches of all kind, Blue always had his Blastoise, just as his rival, Red, had always been seen with his Charizard.

"Says here Blue has competed in three competitions; he finished in the top four in two of them, and actually won the third," Mark stated. "Apparently he won even won back the Championship from Red, but a few weeks later Red came back and won it again. However, a few weeks later, Red resigned the position, and it fell to Lance after."

"And Lance has held the Kanto Champion title for four years," Randy finished, sipping his drink. "That alone is a testament to Lance's skill as a trainer; they don't call him 'Dragon Master' Lance for nothing."

"Apparently Lance, in those last four years," Mark continued, reading further, "travelled to other regions specifically to discover more Dragon-types. He mastered all of them, and has one from every single region."

"One from each, and he's mastered all of them?" Randy asked, clearly impressed. "I have a Salamence, and she was hard to raise; I can only imagine how hard it was for him to raise all of those bad boys."

"His most famous is his Dragonite; he's always had it, and it has a near-perfect track record. Its only recorded losses being by Blue, Red and the Johto Champion, Ethan; nobody else has ever defeated it."

Randy cringed. "You sure your Mightyena can handle that?"

"To be honest, I don't know," admitted Mark. "Fang may have been able to take on your Salamence and Drake's dragons, including his on Salamence, at the league, but Lance is in a league of his own. I think he'll prove quite a challenge... I might not even be able to beat him."

"Hey, you go telling yourself that, and you definitely won't be able to beat him," said Randy. "Lance is tough, yes. But so are you; you'll do fine." He leaned back in his seat. "Now, why don't you stop dwelling on it for now?"

Mark smiled, and closed the book, setting it aside and taking a sip of his drink before he spoke again. "Okay, Mr. Therapist. What else shall we discuss?"

"Well, why not our teams?" Randy asked. "I always figured it was Vitesse you started with; am I right?"

"That's right."

"Well, who was the first Pokémon you caught?"

"That would be Fang," began Mark. "I caught him outside of Oldale, back when he was a Poochyena. At first, I caught him just to test how well I could do it and to give Vitesse a test run when she was still a Torchic." He chuckled. "To be honest I was naive enough to believe I could conquer every challenge in Hoenn with just Vitesse, but when Fang tried using that Ice Fang on Vitesse, it certainly surprised me, and I think it was there I started to realize just one Pokémon isn't going to cut it.

"So, I started training with Fang too; before long, I found myself needing a Dark-type when Vitesse was taken out by a Psychic-type -a Ralts, actually. That was Fang's first victory in battle. I truly understood the value of diversity after that. It led up to me catching the other three; I caught Tanker at the cave on Dewford Island, then caught a Feebas near the weather institute near Fortree City, which when it evolved, I found out to be female. That Milotic was, of course, Siren, and then I found Palm tree on Route 120 on my way to Lilycove.

"Just before the Hoenn League, Tanker evolved, and I had my balanced team; I had a Water-type, a Dark-type, a Steel-type/Ground-type, a Flying-type/Grass-type, and of course I had my Fire/Fighting-type, because by then Vitesse had long since become a Blaziken. With them on my side, I fought my way through Victory Road, all the way to the League, took a day to rest up, and began my battle against the Elite Four." He paused as their food was brought to them; a plate of ham and cheese-filled pasta laid out in front of Mark, with sides of garlic toast. Randy's dish were bite-sized steak pieces wrapped in bacon, impaled on wooden sticks. Thanking the waitress, the two began to dig into their meals, with Mark concluding his story with, "and of course, you know what happened from there. I won, and held the title for a few months until you came."

"Right," said Randy, taking a bite of his meal, chewing and swallowing thoughtfully. "What about that little Charmeleon; where'd you find him?" He asked. "I never saw him when I battled you at the League."

"You mean Coal? Well that's another story," said Mark. "See, I was passing by the day care west of Mauville City; I saw a trainer talking with the man who runs the yard there. They were arguing about something; the man was holding Coal's egg, and the trainer was yelling at him. I got close enough to hear the trainer shouting that he didn't want the egg, and that those 'old bastards' should've kept his Haxorus away from a Charizard they were caring for, which is what resulted in the egg."

"Kind of hard to contain a flying Pokémon, let alone one looking to hook up," remarked Randy.

"Exactly, but the trainer refused to take it, and the other trainer whom the Charizard belonged to had not been back in some time. They couldn't care for it, so I offered to take it for them. A week before you and I battled, Coal hatched from the egg." He smiled with fondness as he remembered. "He was just so damn cute..."

"They always are," agreed Randy. "So that's why I didn't see Coal before when you and I battled; he was still a newborn."

"Correct. There is no way I was going to throw a baby Charmander at a fully trained Lucario," Mark stated. "So, instead, I did the good thing; I surrendered."

Randy nodded. "I have total respect for you man... if you had actually been cruel enough to do that I might've risked disqualification and sent Cairo straight for you."

"And I'd have deserved it," agreed Mark.

Randy seemed to have a thought at that moment, glancing at Mark. "Wait... Coal's 'father' was a pure Dragon-type," he said. "That means he knows a Dragon-type move, doesn't it?"

Mark nodded. "He does," confirmed Mark. "He can use Dragon Pulse. After some training, I discovered he was good at Special Attacks more than Physical ones, so I kept training him until he learned Flamethrower, and through a Technical Machine I purchased, I taught him Fire Blast as well. With this discovery, I mostly use Vitesse for her physical prowess, since she's far better at that than Special Attacks."

"But I saw Vitesse use Flamethrower when you and I battled at Slateport."

Mark nodded again. "She can, yes, just in case a bit of ranged combat is necessary. But as you saw when Cairo's Aura Sphere blew through it like a knife through butter, it's not exactly her forte."

"That's true," agreed Randy. "So you think he'll be evolving soon?"

"Maybe," replied Mark. "Coal is still pretty young, though; it may be some time before he evolves." He shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not in that huge a hurry... I like him as he is."

Randy stared at Mark blankly as if considering his words, seemingly surprised by what he had said regarding Coal. Mark met his gaze, peering around nervously for a moment before he quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You're the first trainer I've ever met that's had a Charmander or Charmeleon, and not been extremely eager to evolve it into a Charizard."

Mark chuckled. "I dare to be different," he stated. "So, how about you; I'm guessing Thorn was your first Pokémon, beginning as a Treecko, right?"

"Well, actually," began Randy. "Thorn was technically my second Pokémon."

"Technically?"

"Well I did start my journey with him but he wasn't the first one I had. Cairo was."

Mark, curiosity piqued, listened attentively. "You already had Cairo?"

"Yes and no. He was still a Riolu at the time; he was my dad's, but unfortunately dad was a busy man and didn't spend much time with him," Randy explained. "I spent most of the time with him, and when I was set to leave on my journey, Cairo simply didn't want to stay; he kept following me out of town. After the second time I brought him back home, my dad declared I should take Cairo with me; clearly it was what he wanted, and I knew I loved Cairo too. So, I started with a Riolu AND a Treecko."

"Quite a good start," said Mark. "So who was the first Pokémon you caught?"

"That'd be Gemstar, back when it was still a Staryu," replied Randy. "After that, I caught Skyclaw when she was still a Bagon; found her a Meteor Falls. There were lots of other Pokémon I caught too."

"How many do you have?" Mark asked.

"Well, let's see... I'd say I have roughly twenty-one now. But the six you know I carry are my go-to; most of the others just stay at my Aunt's farm west of Littleroot; she and my cousins take care of them, and they like to help out." He chuckled. "Heck, my Ariados is probably what keeps pests out of their barn."

"I see... so where'd you get a Zoroark and a Zangoose?"

"From trades," replied Randy. "I'd caught a Zubat and raised it to a Crobat, and someone wanted to trade one for a Zorua -that was Shadow. Then someone wanted a Lopunny for a Zangoose; just so happened I had one, but didn't spend much time with it, so I thought it'd be better off with a different trainer. Soon after training both of them a little, I found they were awesome partners, so I kept 'em in my party. By this time Thorn had evolved into a Grovyle and Cairo and I had grown so close he had already become a Lucario, then I bought a Water Stone. After evolving Gemstar, my team was pretty much complete; I had a Fighting/Steel, a Grass-type, a Normal-type, a Dark-type -who could double up as a Fire-type thanks to learning Flamethrower, a Water/Psychic type and a Dragon-type. They were the perfect team, and I loved all of them."

"Yeah... saw that firsthand," said Mark. "You've raised your Pokémon really well."

"So have you," returned Randy. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing you battle with Blue; sparks are going to fly."

Mark chuckled. "Let's hope so," he said as he finished his pasta, sighing in contentment as he leaned back in his seat. "That hit the spot. Good pasta." He stood up from the table, and reached into his wallet, producing some money and leaving it with Randy. "That should cover my half; leave the change as a tip. I'm going to up to the room."

"Resting up for tomorrow?"

"Of course, and I want to get some time to plan out how I'm going to take on Blue," said Mark. "I may have Palm Tree to deal with his Blastoise but I have a feeling it's going to take a lot more than just type advantages to win against this guy."

"Good instinct," agreed Randy. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you in the morning. I'm probably going to get some dessert before I come up."

"Alright. Good night, Randy." Mark bade before he tucked his hands into his pockets and walked out of the restaurant, turning towards the elevator and making his way over to the elevator.

Just as the sun was ascending over the horizon, Mark and Randy were checking out of the hotel and on their way to Diglett's Cave. The tunnel wasn't hard to spot; it was quite big, and easily noticed from the road. Mark produced a flashlight from his knapsack and shone it into the cave as they entered; they could hear the squeaks and chattering of numerous Diglett and Dugtrio as they wandered into the cave, seeing dirt shifting in every corner. It was actually slightly unnerving, knowing their every move was more or less observed by the Ground-type Pokémon in the cave.

Mark and Randy kept moving, keeping their steps slow and steady so that they didn't startle any of the Diglett or Dugtrio, avoiding any sort of provocation that could spur them into attacking. It also helped Mark was spritzing some Repel around, the strong odor keeping them at bay. He didn't feel like battling any wild Pokémon while trying to conserve his party's energy for his upcoming battle.

"It's kind of cool this whole cavern was dug out by Diglett," remarked Randy.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah; I actually have a Diglett; they're tiny little buggers. It must've taken dozens of them to dig a tunnel this size."

"Judging by how many live in here, that wouldn't surprise me."

Soon, the two could feel a draft coming from the end of the tunnel; they knew they were near the exit by then. With a little more spring in their steps, they hurried to the exit, scaling a short ramp before coming to a daylight-filled opening, and stepping out into open air once again. They took in their immediate surroundings, spotting as huge forest to the south, and the outskirts of a city to the north.

"Let's see here..." Mark said as he put away his flashlight. "Captain Raven told us Diglett's Cave came out between Pewter City and Viridian Forest." He looked to the North. "That must be Pewter City in that direction, then, so we want to go South through the forest in order to get to Viridian."

"Okay then. I wonder what kind of Bug-type Pokémon live in there?"

"Ugh... I hate bugs..." growled Mark.

"Wait, you never caught a bug-type?"

"Not really; never wanted one. Like I just said, I don't like bugs."

"Let me guess; woke up one morning with a Spinarak sleeping on your head?"

"No, nothing like that; they're just so annoying. Buzzing around your head, sucking your blood, making you itch like crazy, get into your lunch basket on a picnic, mess up the wood in your house. No, no bugs; I'm using all the Repel I got to stay away from bugs."

"Yanno we could just... fly over it, right?" Randy suggested.

Mark froze, his expression even, but his twitching left eye showed a little annoyance at his own oversight. "Or... we could do that." He bonked himself on the head with his knuckles. "Seems I'm having a bit of a dumb moment."

"Well you do you have the hair colour for it," Randy remarked, ruffling Mark's blond hair and laughing at his own wit. "Blond moment, amirite?"

THUD!

"Complete blond moment," Mark returned with a devious smile on his face as Randy gasped for breath, stepping away from Mark's elbow and holding his stomach where he'd been hit.

The two trainers, jumping onto their flying Pokémon, soared over the top of Viridian Forest, rather than traverse the labyrinth within. Palm Tree and Skyclaw touched down outside of the gym, and Mark stood looking up at the building as he contemplated what he would say to the Gym Leader, Blue, when he entered.

"So... this is where my string of challenges begins," said Mark. "I thought this would be easy but suddenly, I'm concerned if maybe I'm rushing this a bit."

"Rushing how?" Randy asked.

"I really should've taken more time to prepare before coming here," said Mark, shaking his head. "Should've done more research on Blue to be ready for him."

"If you go into battle knowing what expect, where's the fun in it?" Randy asked. "You'll do fine; this is nothing compared to other battles you've fought, I'm sure."

"I guess we'll soon find out if that's true," said Mark, approaching the front door.

Just as he approached it, another person came running out; a young boy, maybe twelve years old or so, charged through the door and nearly ran into Mark as he did. Mark stepped out of the way just in time, but the young trainer plowed directly into Randy, failing to see where he was going. The two were knocked over by the collision, with Randy falling onto the seat of his pants and the youngster tumbling onto his stomach.

Taking a moment to recover, Randy sat up and looked at the boy. "Hey, kiddo; where's the fire?"

"Oh, sorry mister," he said. "I... I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Were you battling the Gym Leader?" Mark inquired.

"Yes," replied the boy, climbing off of Randy so the older trainer could stand back up. "But... I lost... I thought because Viridian was closest that challenging the Gym Leader here would be the easiest one, but... he's so strong!" He frowned. "And not a very nice guy..."

"What happened?" Randy asked.

"After he beat my Pidgeotto, he went on to tell me that I'm stupid for thinking I'm ready to challenge him, and to come back when I've had more training," the boy replied.

"Well, training's good, but that was rather harsh of him," said Randy. "How long have you had your Pokémon?"

"About two months," the boy replied. "I raised him from a Pidgey; I figured he was ready."

"Ah, see, that's where you went wrong," began Randy, the boy looking up at him. "Let me explain; it takes a lot of time for a trainer and their Pokémon to truly bond and become a real team. Two months is just a little too soon."

"But I heard that the former Champion, Red, took on his first Gym after only having his Pokémon for a week," the boy replied. "I thought if he could do it, so could I, so I gave it a try." He frowned again. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a trainer."

"Red was a special case," stated Randy. "I don't know how he did it -heck if I meet him, I'll be sure to ask him, but becoming a trainer takes patience and time." Randy looked up at Mark for a moment, and then back to the boy. "Tell you what, why don't you and I head over to the Pokémon Center and get your Pigdeotto healed up. After that, I'll have a training battle with you and see if I can't give you some pointers, alright?"

"Randy?" Mark asked.

"Go on ahead Mark; I won't be long," assured Randy, before turning back to the boy. "So, does that sound good?"

"Well... I suppose it couldn't hurt," the boy returned.

"Great. Alright; I'm kind of new in town so, why don't you show me how to get to the Pokémon Center from here?"

"Okay."

Mark watched as the two departed, eyes on Randy for a moment before he scratched his head. "A teenager who's good with kids... don't see that often," he muttered before turning back to the gym again. "Alright, Mr. Blue Oak... here I come."

He approached the door, placing a hand on both door handles before gripping them and pulling them open. With that, he stepped into the gym; the lights were still on, and he could see someone standing at the other end of the room, placing six Poké Balls into a machine built into the wall, humming to themselves as they did. "Another one bites the dust," they said as the machine began to hum electronically, light shining over the Poké Balls. It seemed he did not even notice, or didn't acknowledge, Mark's presence in the room.

The trainer, roughly the same age as Mark -late adolescent, maybe, was tall, lean and had spiky brown hair with similarly coloured eyes, or so Mark could see as he got closer. He was dressed in an aqua green button-down shirt and dark blue jeans. Just from how he stood -tall and proud, Mark could tell this was a trainer who was very confident in himself, perhaps too confident...

"Excuse me," Mark stated.

The trainer stopped humming, and turned to look over his shoulder. "Oh; didn't hear you come in," he said. "You the next challenger?"

"Yes and no," replied Mark. "You're Blue Oak, right?"

"The one and only," the trainer returned, grinning.

Mark found he didn't like this trainer very much; he had only spoken two sentences and every word that left his mouth was boisterous and had a 'I'm better than you' attitude hidden behind it; Mark had battled countless trainers like this before, and it was always the ones with the biggest mouths that proved to be the weakest -although based on Blue's reputation, he could back up his boasts with true skill; a fact Mark made sure to keep at the fore of his mind. This was the notorious rival to one of the most famous Pokémon Trainers who ever lived, after all, and shouldn't be underestimated.

Considering his words carefully, Mark decided to feed Blue's ego a bit; perhaps he'd be more inclined to challenge him that way. "I came here to challenge you, but it's not for the Earth Badge," Mark stated. "My name is Mark Taylor, and I travelled here from Hoenn on a new quest to challenge the top trainers across the six regions."

"And my name appeared at the top of the list?" Blue asked, his grin widening.

"Among the top three, yes," Mark answered honestly.

"Wait, three?" Blue asked, and then scowled. "Ah, you must mean Red; it figures." He scoffed, turning his head to the side and shutting his eyes as he turned his nose up. "Well, don't believe everything you read; I'm the top trainer in Kanto, and that's a fact."

"Well that's what I'm here to find out," stated Mark, smiling lightly. "So what do you say; you accept my challenge?"

Blue opened one eye to look at Mark, considering him for a moment. There was a short silence between the two, meeting each other's gaze, before Blue shut his eye again. "Give me a reason I should," he returned. "After all, I am a Gym Leader and tend to be rather busy, so to take time for this when there could be challengers waiting for me, I need to know I'm not wasting my time."

Mark scowled slightly. Guess I'll have to come clean, then, he muttered. "Because, like you, I'm a former Champion," began Mark. "Less than a year ago I was the Champion of the Hoenn Pokémon League."

"An Ex-Champion?" Blue asked, turning to face Mark fully now. "And you came all the way from Hoenn, just to battle me?"

Not just you_, you windbag,_ thought Mark. "That's right," he returned. "I'm out to challenge the best in Kanto and that's why I'm here." He reached into his vest and produced a Poké Ball, tapping the button to expand it. "So, you game?"

Another moment of consideration from Blue, as long as the last; briefly, Mark worried Blue was going to refuse his challenge, but that fear abated when Blue began to grin again. "All the way from Hoenn, just to battle me," he stated. "Well, I'd hate to have you come all this way for nothing." He turned to the machine where he had placed his Poké Balls, picking up the first one. "Alright, I accept your challenge; take your position, and we can get started."

"Right," returned Mark. Okay, I'm the challenger, so he gets to pick first... I need to choose my first Pokémon based on what he chooses. Of course, this guy supposedly came close to completing the Regional Pokédex of Kanto just like Red did, so there's no telling what he's bringing -the only one I know for sure is his Blastoise. Beyond that, this is an enigma, so I'll open with a strong defense. I'll pick type based on what he brings out.

_ _ Mark waited as Blue collected his Pokémon, leaving only one of the balls in the machine before taking his position across from Mark, picking out one among the five he'd chosen. "Alright, Mr. Hoenn; you ready to get stomped?"

"The name is Mark Taylor, and we'll see who gets stomped here," Mark retorted.

"I like your attitude," stated Blue before he cast his first Poké Ball forward.

Out of the ball emerged a massive canine with red fur and black undertone, along with various black patterns over its legs and body. The fur around its muzzle was white, as was a mane of fur that grew from the top and back of its head, and a very bushy tail, puffy like a cloud. The massive canine let loose a feral roar as it stood proudly before its trainer, the sound of its voice enough to make the windows quake.

"Whoa... an Arcanine," said Mark. "Haven't battled one of those in a long time." Mark quickly took note of the sheer size of the Arcanine; it was bulkier than an average one, slightly larger in girth, and most of all he could practically feel the heat radiating from its body. This Arcanine was powerful, and all Arcanine were most famous for their speed. Mark was making a good choice opening with a defensive Pokémon, and now he knew the right one to pick.

"Go, Siren!" Mark declared, casting his own Poké Ball into the battle.

"Siren?" Blue asked, quizzically. "A nickname?"

The ball opened, and promptly the Milotic formed from the light, taking shape and squealing vigorously as she uncurled, standing upright on her tail and facing her opponent.

"Hey, a Milotic!" Blue remarked. "I've never seen one before." His awe quickly turned to a devious grin. "But if you think just because it's a Water-type that it'll beat my Arcanine, you've got another thing coming!"

"Siren's got more than enough tricks in her repertoire, don't you girl?" Mark asked.

Siren let out a loud whine of confirmation.

"Let's see how tough she really is," stated Blue. "Arcanine, use Bite!"

The large fire-type charged at Siren, crossing the gym floor almost instantly; Mark barely managed to get a word out before it attacked. "Siren, Coil!" Mark called. The Milotic immediately coiled up on her tail, making herself as small as possible as the Arcanine attacked, and narrowly avoided a bite to her face. "Now, Dragon Tail!" Mark commanded; at his command, Siren swiftly uncurled, lashing out with her tail as it glowed a fluorescent blue, sweeping at the Arcanine.

It missed. Despite the very sudden counter-attack, the Arcanine simply hopped over the tail, avoiding it completely, and now Siren was wide open. "Arcanine, Take Down!" Blue commanded, and at the order, the Arcanine rushed forward full tilt, slamming directly into Siren's upper body just below her head, sending her tumbling backward.

She landed in a heap, before quickly correcting herself and regaining her previous posture. The Arcanine shook its head slightly, somewhat dazed by the impact of its own attack, but it was still raring to go, and Siren had definitely taken the worst of the attack. It seemed pretty hurt by its own attack... Mark thought, before he carried on with the main objective "Okay, Siren; let's try a Surf!" Mark instructed.

The Milotic turned her gaze downward, breathing a torrent of water from its mouth; the water gathered beneath it, swirling all around her before forming into a tidal wave. Laying flat on her belly, she rode the top of the wave, rushing it towards the Arcanine. The wave became higher and wider as she progressed, soon encompassing much of the floor.

"Going to have to do better than that," said Blue. "Arcanine; Extreme Speed! Move out of the way!"

Arcanine turned away from the tsunami attack, and bounded away on all fours, increasing speed drastically as it fled until its body was a blur. Siren pursued him, the raging waters of her surf attack crashing against the walls as she attempted to catch the Arcanine, who veered off at the last second to avoid the waters. Siren continued to pursue, dashing left and right to try and flank Arcanine so that it couldn't run around her and get away. But just when it seemed like she had Arcanine cornered at a wall, the fire-type jumped at the wall, landing against it on all fours and jumping away with all of its might, soaring over Siren and her Surf just as they hit the wall.

"Holy shit, that Arcanine can move!" Mark exclaimed, blown away at the ridiculous speed of the Pokémon; he hadn't seen any move like that since he'd fought Randy's Lucario at Slateport but this Arcanine was even faster than Cairo!

"Now, Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" Blue called out.

Arcanine opened its maw, barking loudly as it spat a huge ball of fire which expanded into a five-pointed figure, plunging into the water created by Siren and causing steam to billow everywhere, filling the room with hot white as the water rapidly evaporated. Mark put his arm up to protect his face from the hot steam, coughing a little. "Man, the heat!" Mark growled, before lowering his arm. "Siren, are you okay?!"

At first, Mark heard Siren giving out an answer, but seconds after she did, she suddenly shrieked in pain; steam was blown away by an unknown force, and as it cleared, Mark saw Siren held by the tail in Arcanine's powerful jaws, swinging her around like a ragdoll before throwing her into the wall with thunderous force; she shrieked as she soared through the air, and grunted as she hit the wall before dropping to the floor again.

"Siren!" Mark called. "Can you get up?"

The Milotic tried, raising her head a little before moving the rest of her body, managing to get up on the end of her tail, but she was shaky and barely able to hold herself upright; she couldn't carry on.

"Arcanine, use another Extreme Speed!" Blue called.

"Siren, return!" Mark said, holding up Siren's Poké Ball and calling her back to it safely, just before the Arcanine could slam into her.

Blue grinned smugly. "That all you got?" He asked. "You had type advantage and your Milotic didn't even scratch my Arcanine."

Somehow this guy knew Milotic was mostly a Special Defender, so he used physical attacks to damage her, thought Mark. Don't know how he figured that out, but clearly he knows a thing or two about Pokémon. If I'm going to beat that Arcanine, I have to rethink my plan. I can't use Tanker -even with his Ground-type secondary, or Palm Tree against a Fire-type so defense is out of the question now. I have to meet force with force, and fight Fire with Fire.

"Okay, you've asked for it," stated Mark, producing his next Poké Ball and throwing it. "Go, Vitesse!"

The Blaziken emerged, taking Siren's earlier place on the battle field and holding out her arms as she screeched in vigour towards the ceiling, facing Blue and his Arcanine.

"A Blaziken," said Blue. "Good strong one too... this should be fun." He pointed at Vitesse. "Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"

The Arcanine was off, rushing towards Vitesse with its blinding velocity once more; it made a beeline straight for the Blaziken, but just as it attempted to ram into her, she caught it by the paws, stopping it in its tracks, much to the surprise of Blue. "What the...?!"

"Vitesse is no stranger to speed," Mark returned, sternly. "But her real focus is on might. Show him, girl; Dual Chop!"

Vitesse shoved the Arcanine back, throwing it off balance. Both of her three-fingered hands glowed, and she lunged forward, backhand-chopping Arcanine across the face, making it reel, and as it made the mistake of turning its side to Vitesse, and she brought the second strike down on its back, slamming it into the floor. Arcanine howled in pain from the attacks, and even after only one strike, it went limp from the two blows, whining as it curled up.

"What the...? How?!" Blue demanded.

"Usually those who focus on speed neglect endurance," Mark stated as Vitesse stepped back from Arcanine. "Your Arcanine is so quick it's not used to taking heavy hits, right? Well, speed may be good, but if you rely solely on it, eventually it's going to backfire." He gestured to Vitesse, "especially against a balance of speed and physical power."

"How could you know Arcanine lacks endurance? This is your first time seeing it!" Blue protested.

"I saw it when it used Take Down on Siren before," returned Mark. "Sure, Take Down's a heavy hit; all Pokémon who use it take recoil damage, but when your Arcanine specifically used it, I noticed it seemed more affected by its backlash than the average Pokémon would."

"Pretty keen eye, I'll give you that," returned Blue, recalling Arcanine to his Poké Ball before he brought out his next one. "But I've got the answer to your Blaziken right here!"

Could he mean his Blastoise? Mark thought; ideally a Blastoise would be perfect to take on a Blaziken, as it was the answer to Blaziken's speed and physical prowess by being a defense and special-attack type. But it was also Blue's strongest Pokémon; would he risk it so soon?

Apparently not; the Pokémon that emerged from the Poké Ball was not a Blastoise, but something worse; a fox-like Pokémon with a broad mustache and slender figure, coloured a gold-plated yellow from head to toe, except for shoulderpads, chest plates, a pair of forearm sleeves and kneepads that were all brown, and carried two silver spoons in its skinny, three-fingered hands.

Oh crap, an Alakazam! Mark thought. I can't put Vitesse against that; she won't have a chance! "Vitesse, come back!" Mark commanded, recalling the Blaziken to her Poké Ball.

"Giving up already?" Blue asked.

"I don't make my Pokémon take unnecessary risks," Mark returned, producing his next one. "But it just so happens I have something your Alakazam will have some trouble with too. Go, Fang!"

The Mightyena emerged from the Poké Ball as it was thrown, barking savagely as it materialized and landed on all fours, and growling at the Alakazam.

"Predictable; a Dark-type to take on a Psychic-type," stated Blue, shaking his head. "Haven't you got something original?"

"Have about this?" Mark asked. "Fang, use Shadow Ball!"

Just as the dark orb of energy erupted from Fang's maw, Blue gave an order of his own. "Alakazam, use Light Screen!"

A wall of reflective light formed in front of Alakazam, and it hummed ominously as the barrier formed between it and the Shadow Ball as it kept coming. The ball struck the screen, pinging off harmlessly and striking into the floor, where it split and dispersed. "Alakazam, hit it with Charge Beam!" Electricity crackled around Alakazam's arms at its trainer's command. It flipped one of the spoons in its hands, pointing it towards Fang and fired a stream of condensed lightning.

Fang narrowly evaded the attack, but suffered a singe to his flank from the electricity. "Man, that was close," said Mark. "Fang, close the distance and use Crunch!"

Fang charged forward, running in a zig-zag pattern to avoid further attacks from the Alakazam. It cast Charge Beam again and again, each attack missing Fang, but some closer than others, but it didn't seem that intent on striking Fang... Mark knew Charge beam was a plenty accurate attack; electricity was faster than the blink of an eye after all. Something's not right here... Mark thought; Alazakam was known for being a powerful and highly intelligent Pokémon -a being like that wouldn't have such clumsy attacks, but without many options, he didn't call Fang off; he didn't know what else to do at this point.

But then, just as Fang finally closed he distance, Alakazam stopped attacking, and Fang pounced at him, baring his fangs as he prepared to bite with all the strength of his jaws. "Now!" Blue bellowed.

A yellow sphere of energy formed between Alakazam's hands as it opened its fingers, holding the spoons it carried with just its thumbs as the energy formed. Fang's eyes widened, as did Mark's, just before the attack was set loose; Fang was struck directly... and went flying, arcing through the air and slamming into the wall above Mark's head.

"Fang!" Mark cried as the Mightyena fell from the wall; he hurried dashed under him and caught Fang in his arms. Of course, Fang weighed more than ninety pounds and the weight of him falling from midair dragged Mark off of his feet, sending both of them tumbling to the floor with a burst of dust. Despite some scrapes, Mark was back up promptly. "Fang; you okay boy?" Mark asked.

Out cold. That one, single attack, or perhaps hitting the wall, had knocked Fang unconscious, and he lay there with labored breathing, whining in pain. Mark promptly recalled the Mightyena into his Poké Ball, letting him take a rest, before he turned back to Blue. "What was that? It can't have been a Psychic attack; Dark-types are immune to that kind of power."

"That was Focus Blast," replied Blue. "It's a Fighting-type Special Attack; very inaccurate, which is why I had Alakazam allow your Mightyena to get in close before I unleashed it. When it hits, it's a very devastating attack."

"Focus Blast? But how did you teach it that?"

"With a technical machine, of course; I ordered specially from Hoenn, and since Alakazam can learn any kind of Special Attack I knew it was perfect to teach him, especially since using Dark-types against Psychics is a very common strategy. So, he needed an attack that would beat a Dark-type easily, and that was it. When he baited your Mightyena in close, it was all a matter of timing, landing Focus Blast before you could land your Crunch attack -which I admit, would've been pretty damaging if it had landed."

"And you say you had Alakazam let Fang get close?" Mark inquired further. "How did you tell him to do that? I didn't hear you call out to your Alakazam throughout the battle."

"I didn't have to," replied Blue, raising a hand and tapping the side of his head. "He can sense brainwaves and, as a result, hear my thoughts, thanks to Mind Reader."

Mark jerked as if he'd been hit; he may as well have, with a sense of shock mixed with a sledgehammer of realization. He hadn't heard Blue shouting instructions to Alakazam because the Psychic Pokémon didn't need him to; it could read its trainer's mind! I knew Alakazam was powerful but I had no idea it was telepathic! And now it just took out my only Dark-type! Mark had not been counting on a Psychic-type Pokémon knowing a Fighting-type move, least of all a non-physical attack -and the most powerful one of what few there were.

Twice now Mark had lost when he held the type advantage; Blue's Arcanine had beaten Siren without suffering so much as a scratch, and though it had been beaten easily enough by Vitesse, Blue's Alakazam would utterly crush her if he hadn't recalled her, which is why Mark had chosen Fang, but now he had just found out the hard way that even Fang didn't stand a chance against the Alakazam.

In fact... none of his remaining Pokémon did. Alakazam had Charge Beam; Palm Tree's flying sub-type would leave it vulnerable to the electric attack, Focus Blast could take out Tanker as he lacked Special Defense just as Fang did, Vitesse couldn't compete with a Psychic-type and Coal wasn't powerful enough. Worst of all, Mark couldn't get a clue into Blue's strategy because he didn't even communicate vocally with his Alakazam; the two communicated through thought -an unfair advantage, but not an illegal one.

For the first time in his life as a trainer, he actually felt helpless. Blue was only onto his second Pokémon and he had Mark by the throat, with no way for the former Hoenn Champion to break free...

"I have no way to win..." Mark whispered.