[Pokémon] Pokémon Ultra

[Lord Caduceus]

Hello guys, I figured I would share this story I was working on on the PokéFanon Wiki. I've decided to also post it here on PokéCommunity because I figured that it would reach a larger amount of people this way. The story is similar to a lot of fics these days: My OC, running around the Pokémon world on a journey. However, I've always disliked the campier tone the games and anime seem to have, so this is going to more take cues from the Pokémon Adventures manga and Pokémon Origins and Generations than the anime and games.

Chapter Index

Spoiler:

1. Chapter 0.5: Beginnings(here)

Chapter 0.5: Beginnings​

Erick looked out the window of the plane as it approached the small town of Postwick. The Galar region had always felt a bit too provincial to him, contrary to the notion that it was one of the more industrialized regions. However, despite all that, he had to admit it had some charm.

Suddenly, he felt a loud thunk as the plane engaged its landing gear. He gathered his things and prepared for landing. He'd arranged for a place to stay with an old acquaintance of his, Leon, who was now the region's Champion. He zipped up his black-and-blue jacket, adjusted his red hat, and checked to make sure he had all his things before disembarking.

As he stepped out of the plane, he breathed in the fresh Galarian air, unfortunately mixed with some Wooloo dung that had been left out in the fields. The verdant expanse stretched out in front of him for miles, with only a solitary dirt road leading to the town and the airfield building as indicators that civilization is, in fact, there. Maybe this was why he thought Galar was so provincial?

He walked off the plane, his blond hair blowing in the wind as he thanked the pilot for flying him all the way from Alola to Galar. Suddenly, as he walked into the lobby of the building, a loud voice rang out.

"Oh, Lee, it's him!" A boy standing next to Leon yelled. Leon looked exactly like his younger self, only older, with his strangely-styled purple hair, wearing his usual Champion outfit and white shoes, as well as his cape adorned with all his sponsors. The one difference Erick noted was his small mustache the same color as his hair.

Going by that, Erick assumed that the boy who had yelled out at him, the boy standing beside Leon that looked like he had had too much Mesprit, was Leon's younger brother, Hop. It would make sense that this kid with the same skin and hair colour as Leon, wearing purple-striped black pants, a black shirt with a blue jacket, and a green duffel bag, was the kid brother Leon had told him so much about.

Erick raised his hand in greeting. "Good to see you, Leon. You're the Champion now, eh? Congrats!"

"It was nothing, really," he replied. "Honestly, Raihan was my biggest obstacle, if you want to say I had any at all." Erick chuckled at the mention of Galar's eighth Gym Leader and Leon's former rival. "Anyways, we should get going. Our mum's having a barbecue, and trust me, you don't want to be late for Mum's barbecues."

At that, the trio piled into Leon's car and set off down the road. Erick had expected a luxury car befitting Leon's status as Champion; after all, in Galar, Gym Leaders and the Champion were way more famous than in other regions. Instead, it was a middle-of-the-road model, not necessarily top-of-the-line, but not looking like it was purchased from a shady used car dealership.

Erick had expected the ride to Postwick would only take five to ten minutes tops, judging by the distance between it and the airfield. However, thirty minutes later, they were still driving aimlessly around. Just as Erick was about to point out the herd of Wooloo they had passed by for the third time, Hop leaned to Erick and whispered, "You'll get used to this. Lee's pants with directions, after all."

Just as Erick was about to wittily reply, the car swerved as Leon dodged the herd of Wooloo, which was now blocking the road.

"That's strange. Normally Wooloo aren't out in the middle of the road like this. I wonder if something spooked them." Just as those words left Leon's mouth, Erick saw what spooked the Wooloo: A charging Tauros in the middle of the field.

Leon must have noticed it, too, because he went down to his belt and took out the Poké Ball containing Charizard, the lynchpin of his champion team that had helped him out time and time again. However, before he could press the button on the Poké Ball, Erick held out his arm in front of him, stopping him. His other arm reached into his bag, pulling out a Poké Ball he enlarged.

"Let me handle this." He spoke as he threw the Poké Ball. "Go, Juniper!" The Poké Ball opened in a burst of light as the brown-coloured owl Pokémon popped out, adjusting its bow tie in the process. It looked up at Erick, awaiting his orders.

"Juniper, use Leafage!" He cried as the Rowlet flew up in the air, launching leaves from its wings at the Tauros. All the leaves missed their mark, however, instead landing in the ground around the Wooloo.

Hop and Leon, both stunned by the attacks missing, turned around to Erick to say something, but he interrupted them before they could speak.

"What, you thought I was targeting the Tauros? Of course not! If I got into a one-on-one with it, I would never win! Instead, I took the strategic route. Just sit back and watch."

At those words, the Wooloo, spooked from having the leaves fired at them, ran in the direction of the Tauros, running off the road and trampling the bull. When the dust settled, Erick gave Leon and Hop an "I told you so" look, before curtly returning to the car, followed by the other two. Then, the motor purred once more as they drove off in the direction of Postwick once more.


And that is it for Chapter 0.5. I know it's kind of short, but I wanted to put this up to show off what it'll be like before later chapters go up.

NEXT TIME: Rivals

 

[Retek]

Wow, that's a good starting point. It'll help the player to know the personality of the characters better.
Good job! :)

 

[Lord Caduceus]

Wow, that's a good starting point. It'll help the player to know the personality of the characters better.
Good job! :)

By the player, you mean the reader, right?

 

[Lord Caduceus]

Chapter 1 is up, and with it comes the beginning of Erick and Hop's rivalry! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Rivals​

It was around eight in the evening by the time they finally arrived in Postwick proper, but Erick already felt like he needed sleep.

Hop had spent the entire car ride yammering about his brother the unbeatable Champion, and how unbeatable Leon and his unbeatable team, especially his unbeatable Charizard, were, so much that Erick actually had to suppress his urge to punch Hop in the face repeatedly. Still, at least someone's brother actually took interest—

Erick paused and suppressed his thoughts. He shouldn't have thought that. It wasn't fair to demean his brother like that. He opened the car door and took out his bags, sending out Juniper for a quick fly to stretch his wings as he walked towards the front door.

Hop and Leon were already in the house, which Erick found similar to Leon's car: He had expected it to be more flashy due to Leon's status, but it was more… quaint, if anything. As he stowed his bags in a corner, Hop's mother invited him to the table.

"So, dearie," she asked in a motherly voice, "How was your flight?"

"Oh, it was fine," he replied, "if anything, the drive over was more exciting."

"Certainly! I heard about the Tauros."
"What I want to know," Hop interjected loudly, "is how you have that Rowlet! That's a super-rare Pokémon that's basically impossible to find in Galar!"

Erick narrowed his eyes and stared at Hop disbelievingly. "You are the same person in the car who was so amazed at the fact that I come from Alola, right? You just couldn't connect the dots?"

Hop paused for a second like he was thinking deeply, and then the realization hit him, but Leon quickly started talking before he could blurt out his discovery.

"So, Erick, why are you in Galar? It's been a while since we talked, but I'm curious as to why you decided to visit our fair region. From what I know, you're fairly well off there."

"Oh, I have my reasons." Erick responded cryptically. "Namely, I want to defeat all the Gyms, since that's something I obviously can't do back home. Of course, I know I need an endorsement like that, and I know you don't hand them out like candy. That's why I'm hoping that I'll be able to prove myself to you."

"Well, I certainly hope you could! It would be fantastic to see you battling against me in the finals of the Champion Cup."

At that, Hop jumped up, surprised at Leon's words. "C'mon, Lee! You know if anyone's going to battle you, it's going to be me!" Leon simply leaned back in acknowledgement.

"Anyways, I have a errand for you two tomorrow, if you don't mind. A friend of mine in Wedgehurst, the next town over, needs some help, and I told her Hop would be able to help out. It would be great if you could, and it may inch you closer to those endorsements I know you want."

Both of them nodded in agreement, and the rest of the evening passed in casual conversation, before Erick and Hop went to Hop's room, where Erick set up some of his camping equipment on the floor. He had a fairly uneventful sleep, but at least none of the dreams plagued him.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
He woke up the next morning, noticing Juniper perched on his bag and Hop having already left the room, presumably for breakfast. He quickly got dressed and walked down the stairs, noticing Hop in the living room, watching a Pokémon battle on the television. Upon noticing Erick, he beckoned for him to come over.
On the screen, a Charizard and a Duraludon were clashing, with Steel Beams and Flamethrowers colliding in an almost beautiful display. Erick watched it nonchalantly, but Hop was eating it up like a package of Miniorios. "It's Lee's latest match against Raihan! It's the twenty-fourth so far, and Lee hasn't even lost any of the exhibition matches! Isn't he incredible!"

"I guess." Erick replied weakly. "But I prefer stuff like the Tyranitar franchise. Say, do you have Tyranitar 5: Tyranitar Vs Duraludon anywhere around here? I hated that it was released exclusively in Galar, and didn't want to pay to have it imported."

"I have no idea what that movie is."

"Then you're uncultured."

"Last night, Leon mentioned you were pretty well off in Alola, and you just mentioned how you could have gotten the movie imported if you wanted. What's up with all that?"

Erick looked nervous for a second, before changing the subject. "So, you follow Raihan on Rotomi?"

He was referring to the social networking app recently released by the Devon Corporation after their acquisition of Pokétch. The Dragon-type Gym Leader had rapidly become a celebrity on the app due to his penchant to take photos in the middle of battle.

Suddenly, the battle on the television wound down, as Charizard sank its fangs in Duraludon, causing the metal dragon to faint. As Raihan and Leon left the field, a well-coiffed darker-skinned man in a business suit walked onto the field, flanked by a seemingly emotionless woman who seemed to be his assistant.

"Hello, Galar!" The man yelled.

"Who's that?" Erick asked.

"That's Chairman Rose." Hop replied. "He's kind of a big deal around here in Galar, being the head of both the region's largest company and the Gym Challenge. Now shush, I can't hear what he's saying."

Erick reluctantly quieted down as Rose began talking. The first thing he noticed about the chairman was the man's obvious charisma and confidence. He seemed like he had done this a thousand times already, and if he was reading off of some sort of teleprompter, he certainly didn't show it.

"As you know, the Gym Challenge is starting in one week. This means that any one of you," he spoke, pointing at the camera, "could be participants, provided, of course, that you receive your endorsement. I wish you luck, trainers! And remember to have a champion time!" With that, the chairman walked off the field, flanked by his assistant.

Meanwhile, Hop was furious. "He stole Lee's catchphrase! When I get my hands on him!"

"What exactly are you going to do?" Erick inquired playfully. "He's one of the most powerful men in the region. It's not like you can just waltz up to him and punch him in the face for stealing your older brother's 'signature line'."

Suddenly, Hop started laughing. "You really thought I was that angry? What an idiot!"

"It's called sarcasm, Hop."

"Right. That's what you say, at least. That reminds me, shouldn't we head for Wedgehurst? I forget how long it takes to get there."

"You're the person who was raised around here."

"Right, right. Anyways, there's something I want to do before we go, if you're okay with it."

"Which is?"

"I want to have a Pokémon battle against you. You may have easily defeated that Tauros, but I want to see how you fare against an actual trainer, not just wild animals."

Erick smirked. He had been expecting Hop to say something along those lines. He was just surprised he had only asked now.

"You're on."
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
As he would've expected of Galar's Champion, Hop's house had a Pokémon battlefield right outside of it. It was a quaint little rectangle of cleared-out dirt with lines drawn on it with chalk to signify the boundaries and where each trainer stands. Behind it was a nice berry tree and a pond that lended a natural feel to it.

Erick took his place on the side of the battlefield closer to the house, as Juniper fluttered down.

"Juniper's my only Pokémon, so I guess I'll be using him."

Hop pulled out a Poké Ball and enlarged it, throwing it as a small, sheep-like woolen creature emerged in a burst of light. "Go, Wooly!"

Erick wasn't surprised at the sight of the common Galarian Pokémon. "So that's Wooloo, huh? I haven't seen one of those in person before."

"In person?"

"I read a lot of books."

"Neat. Anyways, would like to take the first move, my liege?" Hop asked as he mockingly bowed at Erick.

"If it's fine with you, I guess. Juniper, fly up and use Leafage!" The Rowlet began flapping its wings as it took to the skies, staying at a relatively safe altitude. It then extended its wings and launched four leaves at relatively high speeds, hurtling towards the Wooloo.

Although the Normal-type tried to dodge, it was narrowly hit by all four leaves, pushing it back as its hooves dragged in the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust. It quickly stood up and shook the leaves out.

"Impressive!" Hop said. "I didn't think you were that good! But I'm still better! Wooly, use Tackle!"

Erick thought Hop was stupid for using a close-range move on an aerial threat, but he watched in utter surprise as the Wooloo kicked itself off of the ground, flying at Rowlet with surprising speed. Juniper was unable to dodge the Wooloo as it collided with it, knocking it to the ground.

"How's that for a Smack Down?" Hop asked. "Now, keep up the pressure with another Tackle!"

Wooloo again lunged at Rowlet, hitting it again. Erick kept a calm demeanor the whole time, despite his Pokémon appearing quite injured. Rowlet struggled to stand up, and it was obviously on its last legs.

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, both Erick and his Pokémon started grinning.

Hop was again surprised. "What's that smile for? I'm obviously winning!"

Erick then started laughing, almost manically at that. "Oh, Hop, Hop, Hop. You're a good trainer, I'll give you that. With enough practice, you might even be able to bring out your Pokémon's power. But, there's one factor in this battle you forgot to consider."

"Which is?"

"The fact that abilities exist. You see, I know that your Wooloo has the Fluffy ability, which halves the damage it takes from physical attacks. That's why I've been attacking with Leafage. But there's another reason Leafage has been my primary attack. It's the same reason I've let your Wooloo attack me so much."

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Hop's face, which had a mix of wonder and terror on it at the same time.

"Overgrow, that is! Juniper, use Leafage!"

The Rowlet flew up once again, and launched leaves in the same fashion that it did earlier. However, these leaves were flying at almost unbelievably fast speeds, and had a sort of verdant energy around them, boosting their power thanks to the user's Overgrow. Instead of simply one barrage of four leaves, three more followed up, hitting it in quick succession. The Wooloo was launched into the air and fell onto the ground, fainted.

Hop, although having lost, had a huge grin on his face.

"That was brilliant! Having your Pokémon purposely take damage like that to activate its ability and seize the win! That's something I would've never thought of! I could almost consider you my rival!"

"Rivals." Erick muttered, his grin almost as wide as Hop's as he clasped his hand and shook it. "I like that."