In the early dawn of time where the skies are hued navy, an usual figure leaned still on the steep hill. A line was dropped already, the Poké Ball-shaped buoy stayed on the edge with the one who had embedded it dozing off from the wait. The very same river--albeit different in spot, slowly flows the current toward the identical mountain range continued to make a relaxing ambient; in fact, the clearing is big enough for a temporary encampment.
Lonely and half asleep, the man mused the days ever since he took the gauntlet with the two of his trusty partners. The seemingly daunting start took its commence the moment he stepped in the region he's unfamiliar about. Only two of his Pokémon were foreigners, and the two were also the team that he set out with. A thought to witness various battle styles across the world had always been kept within his mind, and to exploit the most effective part among all has always been the strategy he mostly wanted to carry out.
However, the notion was forgotten despite its actual benefits. He himself couldn't recall the time where he ditched his own tactic to gain information, let alone the surprise factors that were mildly exciting to simply a straight up unjustified crime. At times like this, somebody might be reminding him about the reason why he deserted the idea. The only he could theoretically near and understand with, someone he had known for a long time ago.
Without a clear clue to remember, he decided to not prolong his thought and focused back on the fishing rod in front of him. Adrift, the rippled surface has yet to attract any wild Pokémon since the overnight. He's unsure whether he picked the wrong location, or he's just being unlucky for the present day. At one point, he's tempted to use some baits made of various berry types. But now he also couldn't remember the last time he actually bought any.
"...Oh?"
He apparently took notice on things that he hadn't looked at much--intentionally hid in an easy to reach place but instead getting senile. Looking plain, by scattering all seven pieces and other junks on the grounds beside him, it's amazing that he'd gone way too far from what he could ever imagine. He browsed the badges he had, picking one piece at a time to examine and reminisce at the same time.
The very first badge he acquired was the Chromatic Badge. Funnily, the scale patterns are actually made of a certain Dragon-Type Pokémon shedding.
It's all started when the three snooped from the outside, covered in green bushes with the intention of scouting, somehow deviating into arising suspicions and turnabouts. Though witnessing a law enforcer to do something obscene for himself is disturbing, he's unsure with the act he put through. There's no one to answer the question he was about to ask, and it's unknown whether what he did is a justifiable self-defense for someone.
The battle was tough, but he managed to take the upper hand and won valiantly despite his inconsistency on winning. A Roggenrola with deformed body parts may look creepy, but not scary enough for the glory of his first victory--as in the Gym Battle as the first Pokémon Battle he had in the region. That's where he got the badge, paying a visit into the Pokémon Center, and then advance onto the Erest Mountains only to end up in some cryptic experiment lab guarded by a robot with a dart gun and an educational monster overdose.
"Come to think of it, why didn't Roggenrola get any at that time?" A memo he previously read mentioned that they were attempting on an experiment to increase a Pokémon's overall power without the need to train it. Weirdly enough, when the two were captured and evolved by force, one of them gained the capability to understand human speech but not the other one. Surely beneficial in its own way, but they all'd have to suffer the same way as the two did...if he chose to believe them. Wanting to prevent more victims, he decided to break in and liberate all the Pokémon that were caught inside the confinement cells like a league of heroes, and some surely were captivated by their heroic acts in exchange of pledging their services.
One of them was a Pokémon originally owned by someone who lived in a manor in Markemak with the intent on returning back to her owner. They tried to, but they were too late. She was bluntly rejected when she already brought another identical Pokémon in replacement of her own stead. By technicality, she was already released from her care. Brokenhearted, she couldn't find a way to blame herself whatsoever and felt unwanted. However, he thought the opposite and decided to take her with him anyway.
"...Now I remember why I didn't bother to keep with the initial planning, but still..." He mumbled.
The second badge was the Herbal Badge, probably the first badge he acquired with a sense of guilt. At that time, it was still drizzling a bit in the midnight and chances that a thunderstorm'd come to set the skies ablaze in loud crackling noises may happen at anytime it wishes. Thinking it wasn't late enough to call it a day, he rushed in without preparations. Fortunately, the Heatmor he encountered sometime in between their trekking from Erest to Markemak carried the Gym Battle for him--now becoming a staple in his team.
"Wait... I'm sure he did something..."
Reversing the time a bit, he reckoned that something happened in the middle of the second Gym Battle. The Gym Leader whose name's Reed wore a sleeping pajama and grabbed a peculiar looking tube that he managed to hide from view with the bushes beside him, The battle then commenced, and Heatmor went ahead with a burst of flames which's easily evaded by a Cottonee... Oh right, unintended combat residue surely made a big toll that may take forever to rebuilt once burnt long enough. Birds were flying 'high' too, maybe.
Moving on, the third badge took appearance of a crescent-shaped moon, both having sharp ends and colored bright yellow that was meant to be the gleam in the dark. At that time, a fishing guru approached and handed him a fishing road on the way he was about to walk on. Though not speaking any other words to explain the reason behind it, he's fairly sure that the tool was meant for him and he had kept it with him ever since. It stayed still facing toward the edge of a riverbank, waiting for something to snag on it and still no luck.
When he was still a snotty kid, he'd often go to a lake in his hometown and cast the line out with a homemade fishing rod he crafted by himself. To find the right stick and tie the tough string he bought with his allowance, his past seemed to be very fun for him--even if it mean that he'd have to dig a big hole in the garden just to create an artificial pond for his captures consisting of mostly Magikarp and get scolded for flooding the house. He may be born as a hardworking fisherman, but he ultimately decided to not take the seafaring path.
Somewhat identical but larger, a spring lies just east of the town. He attempted to do some fishing so he could get anything good, but instead became conducted with electricity for not realizing it. Some said that the cables were faulty and putting them below the water level was a terrible idea, but they have no choice when the power ran out mysteriously without any confirmation on electrical adjustments in the mountainous Power Plant. The cabin situated in an islet revealed that a certain Pokémon has been residing inside with all lights on. Its biological parts didn't seem to match of a generic, and particularly had the same capability as his Pokémon did. Now under the ownership of the Gym Leader of Charol Town, it looked as if she has found her new sun.
Despite its connection, it didn't really solve the power crisis between two towns up and below as they're actually unrelated. The only way to find out was to investigate the site itself, and they were uncanny with the surroundings already. Dark, quiet, the place itself felt so deserted that not even a guard was spotted along to patrol the area, as if something's amiss in the whole past situation. What's more scarier was when the abomination came to haunt his sleep for days, weeks, up until now. Imagining it'll just make it worse for sure, but he couldn't forget it every time he saw 'Gengar' the Metagross. Whose fate that acquired the Pantomime Pokémon was untold, however.
The fourth badge he took was the Grey Badge. True to its name, it's literally a circular grey badge. The shape may not look very interesting at all, but the person who entrusted these isn't an average Pokémon Trainer to be told from experience. All she had to get was a morning energy drink, and whammo, she's entirely a different person with impressive hyperactivity--a secret known only to several who witnessed her true self in exchange of a hurtful, embarrassing revelation.
It was also the first Gym Battle where they employ more than two Pokémon on the field, whereas he surely have shown his own brisk clarity. The opponent's battle style may be relentless--no sign of stopping and the barrage'll continue until the end of it, but they failed to even knock one of his Pokémon and were completely defeated with his simplistic, yet complicated guidance to utilize specific strategies effectively.
"I think field effects made a lot of difference if used effectively." He mumbled, "Though admittedly, I wasn't blank even though I didn't scout... What am I talking about again?"
He shook his head and carried on with his nap, joining with the others that were fast asleep around him. They didn't make any disturbing snoring, the calmness of the surrounding around him felt like he was having a lucid dream. He's still aware that he wasn't dreaming at all, it's just that he was having a restless day and night ever since it happened.
*rustle*
He heard a rustling noise and glimpsed upon the pole that was caught between the heavy rocks. Nothing, nothing seemed to be nibbling on his line for now. Only some orange maple foliage that fell from the deciduous trees upfront, soon landing and carried away by the stream. Back then he thought it was still summer when he was in Cere, it seems that autumn came a bit ahead faster than expected.
Speaking of the only holiday paradise in the region, the Ascension Badge was the fifth badge he won sometime during their encounter. The shape simply reminded him of the big mountains located not far from here, and somehow several boxes of Old Gateau. He'd usually sit on a bench with his Pokémon and unfortunately chomp them all since good snacks won't make you full at all.
When he was about to fish up some aquatic Pokémon on the pier, things went crazy. A big ship somehow sank, and people were screaming about the accident. Not only that, another ship that braved its path to the open seas heading toward the big city afar. It also came from the harbor when a local man cried out loud for earnings theft, cursing them that they're more degraded than a wild Pidgeotto was. And the chaotic nature were summed with several police cars coming all over with their tires onto the white sands.
It was an unexpected afternoon, and it was also a nice way to get an early free ride. During the trip onto the open seas, the Gym Leader of Charol revealed himself as a former detective working with the police department before retiring over his rose as an official Gym Leader. Although mostly trivial, stories told by him was fascinatingly interesting for him. They had a good laugh all the way until they arrive at the biggest city in all over Diminia.
Until that part ended, another page may be flipped. The sixth badge was known as the Peace Badge, but the person who handed out these lacked the peaceful part. The odd among the others, advantageous against many, however easily defeated with the help of the helping hand in the form of a scarf bestowed upon him. A blessing indeed, but things went too easy the moment he made his Pokémon to wear it--though he's not complaining as long he could win.
"... ... ..."
However, that's just a partial thing that happened in that particular day. Something else also happened, and he tried his best to overlook the incident a few knows but'd rather to keep their mouth shut. He was getting upset somehow. but to keep his self-imagery, he set the upsetting thoughts aside--abruptly stopping the details after what happened in between the sixth and the seventh even if the audience was only himself.
The next and the last, the seventh badge--the Life Badge. Its translucency matches of that river just in front of him, repulsing its waves irregularly--representing the hardship on the main objection, but still flowing toward its destination steadily. There're many paths to take from the direction where the maple leaves went afloat, but they're still going as long the main road on the front until they arrived at the estuary, inevitably obstructed, or end up in a different ending.
If the main road somehow split and multiply, the divided path'll take them somewhere--followed by their own compilations. A path where things are leeway as it is, a path where mysteries are abound to be solved, a path to take things with extra dedication, a path revolving around the bonds between the two. There're so many to choose from, but there can't be more than one.
The badge he recently earned during one of his fiercest battles, and he always thought that acquiring such thing was a fluke. He has always been the one who carried out orders for his Pokémon to follow, and they mostly resulted splendidly in many victorious rounds, sometimes a setback depending on the situation of the outcome.
Yet, he was unsure about himself. It all went like he was the know-it-all person, and the smoothness contributed the seemingly impossible, into possible winning conditions. The Trainer's vigor waged through the most treacherous parts, his bluffing wasn't a mere joke to begin with and the rarity of Trainers that kept their determined words consistently were actually slim.
The amount of Trainers that started their challenge were substantial. But as time goes with the flow, their numbers are slowly decreasing--never to be seen for a long time or worse, forever. Some thought that they lacked competence to become a Pokémon Trainer and strove to train harder in order to get better--a pretense mostly told that was easier said than done.
There're many reasons why they chose to stray from their original goals, but none of them'd bluntly state them. Although they'd fall short after a bitter defeat, they still had two choices to pick from; either to rise to the challenge, or give up on their dreams--the former giving them the chance to try again, the latter giving them the chance to end it all in a whim.
However, the entirety for the latter was still relative. Should they postpone their ambition to claim the rightful title they're craving for, they still had the ample time to spend with what has been left when they're still what they're used to be. They could train harder to become stronger, they could learn strategies to improve their capabilities, or they could spend their time together to form a closer bond between them. Pokémon and humans are inseparable for many irrefutable reasons. The opportunity to make a comeback is always there, just standing still on the dimly lit floor with their iconic red and white coloration.
"Hmm, why am I imagining such philosophical sense about this badge more than any others?" He wondered.
A drop of water fell down toward the blue edge, causing a ripple on the water surface rather calmly. Scratching his back tiredly, he yawned and leaned back against the grassy hill to watch the dark skies. Badge still intact on palm, he shoved it down back to the specified pocket and swiped the rest back inside their respective places. He continued to watch the line to drop afterwards while waiting for sunrise to come.
---
After dawn comes morning, should the juxtapositions met between the sun and the clouds. The chirping of many Starly that flew away to stand close with their flocks rang through the daybreak, giving the surrounding a tranquil sense further bolstered by the slow water flow. The sun ray slowly emerged between the mountains from the east--the direction that he was facing at. A little dazzling when stared at directly, but the trees helped enough to block the very spot he was on.
Looking to the side a bit longer, he saw several lilac flowers starting to bloom their enclosed petals altogether when they were hit by the sunlight. It's quite a sight to behold, as not everyone could really witness such occurrence directly. Incidentally, the deciduous trees upfront started to fall their orange foliage, soon landing and carried away by the stream. He let out a lousy yawn and splashed his face toward the water surface of the river.
First, he should be packing all of his belongings before his departure. He approached the embedded fishing rod as he already gave up on finding something in the flowing river in front of him, but something felt rather heavy the moment he lifted it upward. He managed to pull the hook, and as expected, something static happened to be stuck on it. It was a Pokémon, and it was grabbing the hook with its hand-like innards, all this along without giving him a clue.
"Pyu?" It released itself from the hook and fell onto the solid grounds, withdrawing the white innards back and stared back at the Trainer in front of him.
"Uh...do you want to be part of 'PC Boxes'?" He offered.
"Pyu." It released the innards and connected both index and thumb to form a gesture of agreement. Although the way it retracted its insides was looking a bit disturbing, it seemed that it understood things pretty well even if it was a stranger.
The thrown Quick Ball caught a glimpse of the Sea Cucumber Pokémon upon impact, and technically captured it with the built-in sensor. Several shakes, and it proceeded to continue with a clicking sound, which then followed with the sudden disappearance of the Poké Ball itself.
---
Arriving at the long route as spoken by the welcoming signboard in the open wooden entrance, he entered the gate through the road that was still covered in yellow dirt while leaving both sides covered with light green grasslands and red forests. His familiarity with the surroundings reminded him of most things he thought during the lonely night, from the start of his early morning routine into the day where he embarked into the depths of the region he chose.
The chirping of the Pidove scurrying around to fetch spread seeds to consume added the ambient of the scenery he walked into. The carriage carried the wheat harvested through, many Mudsdale waiting in the stables seems to be rather content to enjoy their breakfast. A rancher sat on the piled straws to play a calm music with the harmonica he carried with him, uniting the nature and the wide array of livestock grazing inside the wooden fences of the grasslands they stomped upon.
"Ra ra ra ra!"
Perched inside a nest on a cliff, a Braviary stared down at the peaceful ranch and spread its wings wide and began to flap away into the blue skies above to follow the tailwind. The shadow of the large Pokémon that flew ahead blocked the sunlight for a split second, leaving several shedding of blue plumage during his flight in the air heading toward the mountainous peaks.
...After he swooped down below the flying altitude to take the bearded hillbilly with him into destination unknown.
"...That was most unfortunate." He shrugged and left the scene as if he hadn't seen anything.
---
Back to the track, the town he was looking for is now in front of the very sight of his vision. Rumored to be a very calming and serene place, many elderly and silver-haired people chose to live here to spend their retirement. Obviously, that didn't mean it was only for middle aged people--this town was meant for everyone after all. Since he wasn't really tired, he decided to pay the Pokémon Gym a visit.
And of course, while people were trying to act decently normal, there were still some people who thought they could do anything just cause.
"Hando overu youre handobagu!" The granny threatened by pointing a cane, "Elsu, you shallu desu wo re wratho!"
"Oh, oh! Oh no! Noooo!" Screamed the old man.
"Sometimes I wonder what sort of imaginations every people had..."
While the town wasn't really crowded with people walking about, he did found many dedicated Pokémon Trainer estimated at the same age as his hanging out on the entrance. They seem to be itching for a battle with the Gym Leader, but none of them seemed to be looking really happy at the slightest bit. Perhaps they're feeling down because they lost?
When one of them came out from the opening glass door, the Trainers quickly took glance upon the one who exited through. One of them approached him and inspected him as if it was a security measure of some sort, except it was done after entering the building.
"Seems like something you don't usually see." He thought to himself, still hiding inside the green bushes.
"Aha! You'd do better than to conceal your smile!" The female Ace Trainer shouted.
"What? What do you wa-"
Without much further ado, she elbowed the Trainer as hard as possible into the face. Other Trainer came in hurry to assist her by stripping him off, and what happened afterwards was disturbing to say for the least. As expected, none of them seemed to have caught a glimpse of the shiny thing called 'badge', and the wounded Trainer was later hospitalized and they were charged with...nothing.
"Well, something happened."
Putting a stern look to walk by the street, he approached the glass door of the gym while they were staring at him intently. Although his inner self was aware that he may end up just like that one Trainer just before if he wasn't careful, he was unperturbed by the ramblings of indecent losers who weren't good enough to win the Gym Battle.
And so he entered the gym as one of them pointed 'the forbidden gesture' at him. A sharp glare was given internally, but the deed may not be done now.
---
Inside the door lie a big dome with an iconic rectangular lined field, a platform, and all sorts of musical equipment on the sides--only they were covered with grey tarps for some reason. Without a doubt, he immediately took the challenger's side and waited for the Gym Leader... And it also didn't take long for her to notice him.
"Hiya! You must be a challenger who wants to win!" She cheerfully greeted while walking around the platform, "Sorry, but maybe you should turn back. You louts look tough but in the end, disappoints me beyond words."
"Obviously." Despite not knowing what may happen the moment they started, he stayed firm with his decision and pointed a Quick Ball at her, "But that's a terrible excuse to decline the challenge."
"Hmm, alright then! You do look similar with that 'special someone', after all."
"I'm Shin, a Pokémon Trainer. I challenge you into a Pokémon Battle."
"Fufufu, I like your straightforward style." Jumping from the platform, she took her position as well, "Sorry, but this girl's taken!"
"Just what's she thinking?"
Both opposing sides were occupied by two Trainers, each holding three Poké Balls and a special rule was made clear as they started to get ready with their leading Pokémon. Shin stayed with the one he took a hold with and threw the Quick Ball to reveal what he was holding--which is a Fire-Type Pokémon who has accompanied him for so long and became a fixed candidate. On the other side, Elva decided to take her turn by throwing her own too, and out came a puffy-looking Pokémon that was made of edible sweets.
"Alright, Heatmor. We shouldn't make a mistake now."
"Moo."
The battle started with Slurpuff acting weirdly on the spot, shaking its whimsy body and patted its tummy repeatedly with a red leaf. Heatmor didn't seem to bother with the suspicious behavior and pressed offense with a burst of flames spit from afar. The Meringue Pokémon was alarmed by the approaching fire ball and quickly stepped onto the side to avoid the attack. Although the attack somehow landed and exploded onto the grounds without the intend to crash at the foe, it created reasonable amount of black smokes around the vicinity.
"Hiyahaha! Don't get so lousy! Now we go all out!" She pointed her fingers optimistically to lead the onslaught given the chance of his failed attempt on offense, "Giga Impact!"
This was to be expected by the one who learned the next step of what comes, determinedly trying to outwit the cheap, yet effectively quick and efficient capable of taking out one or two unprepared combatants. Slurpuff ran faster and faster in circle to create momentum and dissipate the hazy field, until an orange streak surrounded the Pokémon's point of aim, followed with a purple energy enveloping the body of the Meringue Pokémon. As the time for it to launch the attack on full force was properly ready, Heatmor simply stood there beckoning the foe to come at him in the challenger's side. Elva didn't seem to notice the oddity and gave it a carefree signal.
Coming ever closer, Slurpuff launched itself into the sky and attempted to struck Heatmor down with an incredible power exceeding of a natural powerhouse. However, at the same time, he released white smokes that covered the battlefield, combined with the clouds of dust and rubble in the grounds resulted from the impact. The view was obscured by the two Trainers, Elva seemed to be pretty confident that the attack connected, while Shin was still in question mark whether it actually worked or not.
"Perhaps this is my 10th win streak! Eureka! Maybe you should turn back now!" Said Elva provokingly.
"Oh, hey, that's right." He followed, "But maybe you'd like to save the latter when you've cornered us down."
And the odds were on the challenger's favor, Slurpuff was tossed upward and crashed down onto the solid grounds just before the disrupting clouds dispersed mildly with a burn scar on its face.
"Hiyahaha! ...Wait what?! H-how come?!"
"Your Slurpuff didn't blunder when it performed the attack." He smirked, "Actually, it hit the wrong target instead."
As the clouds dissipated overtime, the cracking grounds revealed the forecast of the clash between the two. At the center of the crater lie a peculiar green plush toy, desecrated out of pity and disappeared within the thin air later on. And beside it was a Pokémon who was supposed to be the target of the unconscious, left unscathed and unharmed. Heatmor managed to prevail with a whip of flame and so defeated the powerful yet weakened Slurpuff with the smart brain of his own Trainer.
"Humph! Lest underestimate your foe they say..." Annoyed, she withdrew her Pokémon back and resumed the battle after she made a quick but sound choice.
The next round, she took the second Poké Ball and flung it upward. The Pokémon was released from its containment, spread its triangular broad wings and stayed midair with a flat face knowing no harm, only kindness. From there, Togekiss was chosen to present as the second Pokémon in the battle by the Gym Leader's side.
This turned out to be pretty bad knowing that Heatmor couldn't do much against foes out of his reach. He thought on withdrawing him to replace with somebody else that could outmatch the Jubille Pokémon in both offense and defense. Just as he tried to lift his Poké Ball and press the shift, Elva yelled,
"Nay! None in this battle is allowed to switch out!"
"That's ridiculous. Besides, I'm just playing catch with it for a bit."
"I forgot about it being listed as one of the rules." He thought to himself, clenching his teeth deeply,
"Fine, maybe he wouldn't win but he could put a good fight still."
The fight continued when Elva continued her chuckling with an attack. Togekiss flew high and sent several crescent-shaped blades made of air onto the grounds below as it spiraled its way through the ceilings of the dome. Shin knew that these kind of moves were close to impossible to deflect, resulting in him commanding Heatmor to try avoiding the incoming attacks which didn't go very well due to his sluggishness weighting him up.
"Hiyahaha! How about something that never fails?" She suggested.
"Something that never fails?", He wondered to himself.
Still flying about in the midair, Togekiss released an imbued sphere of aura toward the suspecting Pokémon. Apparently, his guess was correct and thus he smirked. Heatmor also realized his Trainer's intent, about most ball and bomb moves being able to be manipulated if there's a concentrated force that exceeded the power of the prior. At the time it was about to hit, he released its chain of flames and precisely retaliated the Aura Sphere back toward its attacker.
"Hiyahaha! I don't know how you can do that!"
Flicking her fingers, she raised her hand confidently. In contrary, Togekiss simply dodged the backfiring attack and sent out more Aura Spheres through the two of its wings. Heatmor managed to do the same, stopping them from their point of attention but that wasn't really the intended attack to use from her side. While he was busy trying to avoid taking damage, Togekiss was ready to finish the battle with a clear, white energy made of air itself.
"Sorry, Heatmor."
"Moo."
The energy turned light blue and was thrown from afar at high speed. The move's appearance took form of a glowing saw disc-like, and at a glinting speed, it sped up faster until Heatmor took a clean hit from it. The impact between the two caused quite an cloudy explosion. As soon it dispersed along with the air, Heatmor was found lying on the ground, eyes spiraling marking his defeat for now.
"I still have more tricks in my sleeve! Now, which one should you play for the next round?" She inquired.
"I'll go along. It's your turn, 'Gengar'!"
An exemplary choice, but wasn't really what she'd expect. Instead, a large Pokémon went out and stomped down with its four legs intimidatingly.
"Hiyahaha! I get it! Weird nicknames!"
"Oh, you actually noticed."
The grounds trembled as Gengar roared for dominance, though Togekiss begged to differ by staying still on the ceilings freely waiting for another order to attack its foe.
"Aura Sphere!"
With the light blue ball of energy created from its two tender hands, it threw the destructive orb toward the Iron Leg Pokémon who was still grounded steadily. The impact caused an explosion to occur, creating more cloudy smokes obscuring the sight between the two.
Elva continued the offense by adding the total damage, and Togekiss attempted to create more Aura Spheres to use them all against 'Gengar'. A certain victory, but only if it works.
"It's time!"
A blue figure ascended through the cloudy atmosphere and spun its body upward violently soon clutching the flier with its powerful legs. Shin smirked again when it successfully caught the flying Pokémon despite the method was prone to inaccuracy.
"C-come again?! Metagross can fly?!" Caught by surprise, twice, she started to exude cold sweats.
"The more you know." Extending his hand, he exclaimed, "Iron Head!"
Togekiss struggled to break free, but the grip was too strong. The cross-shaped crest began to glow in white aura, making it seem black and white from sight. White glowing trails followed through as gravity took effect, both falling down as 'Gengar' overpowered the Jubilee Pokémon by slamming its crest onto the solid grounds. The colliding two caused a big cloud of dust and rubble to appear, and a tremor also occurred due to that effect. The floor became cracked, somehow turned into another crater of crushed rocks just like from the initial.
"Wow! You're actually a better Trainer than what I thought!" She complimented.
"Yeah, maybe you should say that to those outside there."
"Now we decide who'll win this! Get ready!"
She withdrew her fainted Togekiss and took out an Ultra Ball. Flung by the girl upward, the Poké Ball popped open and revealed a anthropomorphic Pokémon by her side. The melodious tone it gave, it sounded more like a song of terror that she will brought down upon the very battlefield itself.
"It's been a while, Gardevoir. Now we'll go wild today!"
"I got mixed feelings about this..."
The two faced against each other in a ravaged arena. The Embrace Pokémon greeted politely while 'Gengar' didn't seem to get an idea why she did that. The next moment, her eyes illuminated and she disappeared within the thin air. This time, Shin was more surprised when his foe became invisible at will.
'Gengar' seemed to be looking perplexed just like its Trainer, trying to figure out where did she disappear into. It wouldn't be wise to stay in one spot, however. So Shin told 'Gengar' to stay mobile while inspecting the whole area.
"Hiyahaha! Confused? I'll give you a hint!" Elva pointed her finger into the ceilings. Enveloped in pinkish aura, Gardevoir was levitating in the air trying to prepare an attack. From the two of her green hands, she was charging up a big black blob that seemed to be ready to open fire. Shin decided to use the same tactic to intercept the attack, but they were too slow.
"Shadow Ball!" As the words echoed, the ball was released from her slim hands--now chasing against the Pokémon that was attempting to repeat the same plan. Another explosion occurred in the midair, the results seemed to be favoring the one who attacked firstly. The ramblings of the defeated fell down with the body, crashing the grounds once more with its heavy weight to ruin the smooth relief into craggy land full of rubble.
"Hiyahaha! Your elegance hasn't gone blunt for once!"
"Oh no... Sorry, 'Gengar'." He closed his eyes, firmly taking the Dive Ball with him to withdraw the one who had the chance but was unable to do so.
The next choice'll change everything they say. He couldn't afford to lose after getting this far. From the four Pokémon he could chose, he thought a little bit and made his choice quickly.
"Rest easy for now, you did well." Taking a similar looking Ultra Ball with him, he tossed the Ultra Ball upward to send out the Pokémon he encountered during that fateful night.
"You've turned very different from the very first day we met, and I believe I can count you on this matter and so on. I think you felt the same, because if you weren't, you wouldn't have a reason strong enough to destroy that mask, right?"
"We'll do this, let's go Morian!" The Ultra Ball opened the Pokémon encased inside, with the glowing white ray materializing a quadrupled Pokémon. He landed on his two strange looking front legs, followed with his rear legs and a little chime from a pair of silver bells tied around his neck. His appearance, while at the same time weird looking, still reverberated a tense aura of a certain power indescribable by science alone.
He stood up regally against his foe that was facing at him, both were incredibly powerful Pokémon that could possibly rival the Pokémon spoken by the myth. With them standing at opposing sides in an important battle, they knew that none of them could put a joke in the middle of the battle--except for several cute bell chimes every time he moved around.
"I've never seen a Pokémon like that before..." Said Elva, curiously squinting toward his Pokémon, "What?! A fin as a tail?!"
"Well, nothing seems to be out of ordinary, right? Let's do it."
"Alright! Then we've got nothing to lose either! We'll fight to the bitter end!"
Without further ado, Morian charged frontally with sharp claws. With his recent armor removal, he had a rather easy time to move around now, until he tripped and rolled down anticlimactically onto a crater created in previous rounds.
"My my, I don't know what to say about that!"
"T-that didn't go well... C'mon Morian, pull yourself together!"
Jumping in a high arc back to the grounds, he honed his claws and attempted to continue his pursuit but Gardevoir was nowhere to be found. The lateness has caused a rather petty opportunity loss, but the two stayed steadfast since the battle has only just started. It appeared that Gardevoir somehow disappeared again, and Shin began to review where she could've gone.
"One thing I'm sure is that it's not invisibility, but teleportation! I should take advantage of the ample pause here!"
"Morian, freeze the area with Tri Attack!" Commanded Shin.
At his behest, Morian attempted to follow his order by spreading a focused beam of ice into a frost laser, aimed toward the grounds below to set the battlefield frozen in hopes to fulfill the condition he wanted. On the other side, Elva seemed to be suspicious with the act he put with the battlefield. Why'd he froze the battlefield? And more of it, why some chunks of ice were made taller than another?
When the time called, Gardevoir warped herself back from the rear and channeled her powerful psychic attack toward the Synthetic Pokémon. However, he quickly jumped onto the side before her point of focus turned up onto the spot he was previously at.
"My my, I felt surprised again!" Stated Elva, "How come it could avoid that unavoidable attack?!"
"If we expected the worst." Explained Shin,
"Thanks to the mirrors, we know where we should go and avoid. Now we'll go offensive!!"
The landing friction skewered the ice plate a bit, and his Trainer was attempting to use the environment once again to use a particular move it couldn't naturally learn. Broken ice shards on the grounds soon joined together along the light blue energy he created, immediately opening fire toward his foe who also happened to be throwing a shadowy black blob onto the incoming projectile.
The collision caused another explosion of energy that obscured the vision for everyone in the icy battlefield. The glass-like structure that layered the floor began to melt for every seconds passed, yet the two were barely damaged throughout the battle and it obviously wouldn't end until one of them fall to their own defeat.
"Hmm, what should I do next?" He thought about an effective way to defeat her Pokémon in just one strike.
"I suppose it's time for me and Gardevoir to conclude the battle!"
Looking surprised by her statement, he tried to reconsider a bit,
"I see, she's planning to end the battle quickly... Because there's something that she's also trying to exploit. Don't worry Morian, it's all according to keikaku."
Levitating stoically in the midair, Gardevoir waited for the next move to carry out from her Trainer. Of calm demeanor, the Synthetic Pokémon sat on the slippy floor to scratch an itch on his neck like a confused canine though still showing a determined figure as well.
"Screw this, Tri Attack!" He extended his arm confidently.
"Use Moonblast!" She ordered in conjunction to her Pokémon pose.
The two of them charged their respective moves; one gathering a great amount of power through the moonlight to create a pink orb that made the dome to turn dim, one creating three elemental orbs, artificially prepared to shoot at his foe. Technically, Moonblast has more power compared with the attack he used, and that's where he decided to tweak the situation a bit.
Elva let out her loud laughter once more, before Gardevoir released the big and powerful pixie energy she gathered from prior toward her foe. The attack was getting faster in velocity as it approached the target. On the last second, both Trainer and Pokémon smirked at each other assuredly.
"Jump!"
Morian didn't choose to waste the attack he wanted to use against the foe. Instead, he chose to dodge the attack by jumping high through it--letting the ball to destroy chunks of ice on the challenger's side, shattered parts blown away by the force. Surprised for the fourth time, Elva gagged as Morian caught Gardevoir unaware by discharging the move from above. Scorched, electrified, and glaciated, Gardevoir took the three beams and fell down from the blast.
"Gahahaha!" She let out a manly laughter, "We blundered again!"
"Thanks for reminding." He subtly thanked, "Now you've got it! Here and now!"
Onto the finishing blow, Shin flicked his hands to cue the final attack,
"Crush Claw!"
Desperate, Gardevoir tried to counterattack by using a move as her staple to keep her foe at bay. One thing came in mind, and she threw a Shadow Ball toward Morian who happened to be coming closer and closer. However, her panic didn't seem to help her case, ever since he was flawlessly undamaged at all from the start until the end of the battle.
The danger was getting nearer as ever, and she haven't gotten a good plan from her Trainer to aid her own riposte. The watery trampling made her tremble, there wasn't enough time to even warp herself elsewhere around the dome, nor use an attack to fightback the offender. She closed her eyes and grabbed her head in fear. Her struggle was put into an end where he pounced and turned back, ultimately leaving her unharmed in the aftermath. Morian knew when to stop, just like what his Trainer had always suggested when they don't want to fight anymore.
"Darn it...looks like we lost, for real." Continued Elva, "But hey, you're pretty cool! Not as cool as Morfey, though."
"You did a pretty great job, Morian. Actually, we've accomplished something not a lot can do." He congratulated the Synthetic Pokémon who carried the sweet victory between his grasps. He seemed to be very content with the praise, and began to wiggle his fish-like tailfin attentively.
After both parties recovered from the battle, she later handed him a box. The contents inside the box was obvious, it was a badge that he had earned--the Trickster Badge. The time has come for him to claim the last but not least, the final badge that he needed to qualify himself as a certified Pokémon Trainer who attained all the badges with impressive prowess.
"...Not yet, there's another obstacle that I need to tackle..." He thought to himself before leaving the place, shoving the recent badge inside his pocket for safekeeping until everything turned black despite the time itself was still morning.
---
He blinked his eyes, pointing skyward and down to look at the surroundings once again. The same moon, the same flowing river, the same line cast on the water, everything taking place seemed to be practically identical from the past. He checked his phone, and it was at the same date, and at the same time, ticking down steadily. Was he dreaming all along?
To debunk it, he tried to take a quick look at his possessions. The same pieces and junks, scattered along the grounds beside him looked very usual. Fortunately, if it was dream, he couldn't legitimately obtain the final piece which is also placed with the remaining seven. Clearly, he really did gather all of them. He was unsure, however. What happened the moment he lost his consciousness instantly? Also, how did he end up on the same spot and it was also in the midnight? There was no explanation, as it happened way too quickly to be recalled for.
Getting a little headache, he didn't continue to overwhelm his mind with bogus theories and started to collect the junks back into the vest full of versatile pockets. From badges, the pink book, the toy dart gun, even the full-o-money wallet. However, one thing was left on the grounds he sat on beside him.
It was a single brown feather, looking a little bruised on the side barb.
Just by recognizing its origin made him skip a heartbeat. He dazed awkwardly in the morning of the starting day with familiarity. He never really tried to pluck any, neither he tried to collect the shedding plumage. It must've been slipped somewhere along, but every bristles won't just leave only one. Chances like this are close to zero, especially when he always had most of his belongings tight and safe.
But how did it ended up there? He was left wondering with the riddle he made by his own accord, and he was also the only one who could answer his own question. It was quite a lonely journey without a Pokémon that was quite chatty in the way. When he did that, he ended up being the impersonator for not being able to recognize their speeches. It felt like speaking to a living statue--no matter how small or big, when he couldn't understand what they say, he'll end up interpreting the wrong things.
Closing his eyes while picking the shaft and leaning over the grassy hill, he stared back. The moonlight was mild enough for him to see through how translucent the object can be, just like his flowing tears wetting his dry cheeks during that night.
"Arf!"
A little startled by the barking of a familiar presence, he rubbed his eyes and turned back.
It was Morian, the nickname he didn't put a lot of thoughts that he gave upon the Pokémon he was entrusted with during that night in a short period of time. A Pokémon of mysterious origins and existed for unknown reason, artificially created by an organization who pilfered and recycled most confidential files and projects to use for exploitation cause--although they were forced and ruled by a megalomaniac who was no more but a memorial in the seabed, they were still responsible for most incidents that had happened in past days.
Looking at each other awkwardly, Morian grunted and turned away. Not sure what to come up with next, his Trainer also turned back into the river just in front of him.
"...Whoa!"
Not long after that, the Synthetic Pokémon pounced at his side and shoved him over on purpose. He was knocked over and he got up quickly to squint at his Pokémon's sense of playfulness, but he let his guard down when he proceeded to lick his face to show his affection. It was tickling, and a little bit stinky, but in return he gave him a pet on the head.
Around the higher grounds of the steep hill, he noticed the other Pokémon that he let to stay on the camp watching them intently. A little tempered, Heatmor walked in and joined the licking party. Everyone around him felt very relieved to see his usual expression of disgust, though he'll need to take a bath after this, surely.
The skies remained dark, but there were many things that seem to be floating in the clouds. The full moon illuminated the night with its light, the view was magnificent enough that their eyes reflected the twinkles of the stars.
Somehow, a bright shine followed with a long line of light went downwards as if it was falling down somewhere. Their eyes were affixed onto the rare phenomenon that occurred just before them, quite a sight to behold making them very eager to celebrate it. They closed their eyes and made their own respective wishes, leaving the Pokémon Trainer who doesn't really believe in superstitions in awkwardness. Deep down, he always thought it was just a myth, but their strong beliefs made him convinced that it shouldn't hurt to sheep around.
Just as they're done with their childish requests, they yawned and slept on the spot to take their rewarding rest. Shin was leaning still on the steep hill, contemplating his journey so far one more time. He knew what happened, and how it ended up. He wanted to forget it, but he couldn't let it go. In the end, he was only stalling himself on his own personal experience.
But, it has already became his least concerns from now on. He had just found something that he overlooked, and obviously he didn't want to discard it anytime soon. A memento from his childhood friend and a subtle will that he could understand more than any others could. His last request was honorable, and he'll do anything to fulfill their promise. As for now, he swiped everything he put to return back onto their respective sections.
"No matter how dire it'll be, I'll always stay being a Pokémon Trainer." He yawned, "May we meet again somewhere, good night."