Chapter 6 – Mysterious party ------------------ -Trail to Viridian City- Ash, Misty and Brock started traveling to Viridian city a few hours ago, and were getting close to the city limits. While walking, Misty noted Ash’s worried expression. “Is something wrong Ash?” She asked. Ash sighed, his hands in his pocket. “Well, it’s about everything that’s been happening so far. I mean, think about it for a second: First off there’s May. A few years ago, she was a sweet and innocent girl who wanted to become a Pokémon coordinator. Now, she works for Team Shadow, uses guns and gadgets that could only be seen in sci-fi movies! Next is Gary. After my crushing victory over him some years ago, he decided to be a professor. But now he’s in a super powerful police force! Not only that, but some of our old friends are now in super secret teams! I mean come on!” He threw his hands in the air in frustration, “What’s next, James NOT wearing a dress? Or worse…Brock getting a date!?” “Ah…!” Misty gasped at the thought. “Hey, it wouldn’t be that surprising!” Brock frowned when he saw the looks he was getting. “…That’s NOT funny!” “Wait, hold up!” Satoshi said suddenly, shocked and confused, “Men in this era wear dresses!? I’ll bet this is all Kasumi’s doing!” He pointed at the light guardian accusingly. Kasumi scowled. “And just HOW is it I can do such a thing when I was sealed along with you?” “Simple. Your lame fashion sense must’ve affected the minds of today’s generation and turned everyone into pansies!” “Why you low down spirit! I should vanquish you right now!” “Go ahead and try! Bring it on ya sissy!” Satoshi challenged. “Enough fighting you two! That’s all you ever do!” Misty chastised. “But you saw! He started it by insulting me!” Kasumi argued. “Obviously, she gets offended by hearing the truth. Such a shame…” Satoshi shrugged. “You’re not helping the situation! Why can’t you just get along with her?” Ash suggested mentally. Satoshi gaped at Ash in horror. “Have you lost your MIND!? There’s no way I would ever get along with that…thing!” “Who are you calling a thing!?” Kasumi yelled. Misty rubbed her temples, getting a headache. “Ash? Please do something about Satoshi! I’m getting a headache from the constant bickering!” “Gee, now you two know how I feel…” Brock mumbled quietly. “Satoshi, can you please cut it out? We’re gonna be stuck together for a long time, so at least try to get along with her. Alright?” Ash pleaded. Satoshi sighed and scratched his head. “I think I’ll just leave her alone for the time being. In the mean time, I’ll just poke around your head to see if there’s anything interesting…” “Hey, don’t go fishing through my head like a book!” Ash yelled mentally. But it was already too late. “Hmm…oh? I didn’t know you did THAT! That is so embarrassing! What’s this? You actually …? PFFFFT! HAHAHAAHA! That’s priceless!” “Stop it Satoshi! That is not cool!” Ash bellowed. Suddenly, a small band of scruffy looking bandits appeared out of nowhere, armed with small daggers. One of the bandits approached Ash and company threateningly. “Alright, hand over yer money and Pokeballs, or else!” Ash blinked, a little surprised. “What is this about?” Satoshi thought about it for a moment. “Hmm…random appearance…a large group of weaklings…Ah, I remember! Ash, this is a Random Battle!” “A random what?” Ash echoed. “Ooh, I love those! It’s been so long!” Kasumi beamed. “What’s a Random Battle?” Misty questioned. “Only the coolest thing ever!” Satoshi boasted, “Picture this. Imagine yourself walking along, minding your own business, and suddenly WHAM! A random group of enemies appear out of the blue and challenge you in a battle to the death!” There was a moment of silence. Ash and Misty stared oddly at Satoshi. “…You’re nuts.” “Actually, he’s right! You see, after a battle, not only do you get stronger, but items and money too!” Kasumi mentioned. Ash held his chin thoughtfully. “Items?” Misty did the same. “Money?” Brock and the bandits, who couldn’t see or hear the spirits, stared at Ash and Misty strangely. What on earth were they talking about? Ash turned to face the bandits. “Hey, could you give us a minute?” The robber sweat-dropped. “Err…sure…” “Group huddle!” Ash called. The gang huddled together and started chatting with each other. The bandits grew curious about their secret conversation until Ash and the rest stared at them with lean and hungry looks, making the bandits back up in fear. “Uh…you know what? I think we’ll will just leave and—” “Not so fast!” Misty halted, brandishing her mallet. “LET’S LOOT THEIR CORPSES!!” She roared in a battle cry. “AAAAAH!” The bandits cried, getting beaten savagely by the three teens. A few minutes later, the enemy bandits were now nothing more than a group of beaten bodies piled together. Ash, Brock and Misty continued their way to Viridian city, their wallets and backpacks a little heavier with their new items and cash. -Viridian City- Some time later, Ash, Misty and Brock finally made it to Viridian city. There were still some areas and buildings that were damaged from the fight involving Magma from yesterday, but other than that, the city was still a gorgeous metropolis. “Oh yeah, you guys are from the past, so you wouldn’t know about this stuff.” Ash turned to the spirits, acting like a tour guide. “This is Viridian city, one of the biggest cities in Kanto. Pretty cool, huh?” Satoshi and Kasumi gave each other a glance and then shook their heads disapprovingly. “Nope. We’ve seen better.” Ash was surprised. “How’s that possible? You guys are from the past, right? So what would you know about technology and buildings like these?” Satoshi pointed at Ash and shot him an irritated look. “That is SO like you Ash, automatically assuming we’re some kind of stupid barbarians just because we come from an earlier time and were armor! Though…if you looked at Kasumi long enough, you would get that kind of impression…” Kasumi curled her fist angrily. “HEY!” “Anyway, this city is okay. However, there were better looking cities in my time.” “Such as the Mizura capital city! It was so beautiful, especially at night!” Kasumi had a dreamy look in her eyes, reminiscing. “Ugh, don’t remind me…” Satoshi grimaced, remembering one of his failed assaults on the underwater kingdom. He was the only one to make it out alive! Beep………beep… “Huh?” Ash dug in his pocket and took out his Pokédex. It was detecting a shard of the Final Destiny! “Awesome! We already have a hint that a shard is nearby! Let’s go investigate!” He yelled excitedly, running ahead. “Ash, wait up!” Brock and Misty called, running after him. -Abandoned Parking Lot- Ash, Misty and Brock followed the detector and found the location of the fragment. It was inside an old, empty parking lot. It was eerily quiet, especially since the area he walked into was a construction zone. There was an unfinished building nearby with steel beams and other such things scattered about. Ash saw something sparkle in the distance and went to it. There, his eyes widened with surprise. It was the Final Destiny shard! He knelt over the shard and picked it up. “Hold it Ash!” A voice called from behind. Ash and the gang whirled around and jumped in shock. “Gary!? What are you doing here?” Ash inquired. “I know what you are planning to do Ash. What you are planning to do is especially dangerous.” “I know that! I’ve been through tons of dangerous situations before. This isn’t any different!” Ash debated. Gary shook his head. “Look, I don’t know too much about the Final Destiny, but this is something that’s way out of your league. I’ll make this simple…” He extended his hand to Ash. “Hand over the shard and GS ball. Team Nova will be able to take care of things from here.” Gary frowned with Ash hesitated. “Don’t make things difficult Ash. Just leave things in our hands. You’ll be able to go home and relax with your friends. Trust me…” “Hmm…” Ash thought about it for a moment. He stared hard into the fragment glowing in his hands. Sure, if he left it with Team Nova, he could probably relax and not head into danger, but… “Sorry Gary, but I can’t. The Final Destiny contains secrets that are too dangerous in anyone else’s hands. I know you want to help Gary, and I do trust you, but this is something I know I have to do. I have this feeling about it. Sorry, but I can’t let you have it.” “Hmph, I see. That’s just like you Ash, stubborn as always.” Gary unclipped a Pokéball on his belt and activated it. “Go, Umbreon!” He called out, summoning an all black, dog-like Pokémon with yellow ring patterns around its body. “What are you doing?” Ash asked. “I’m going to convince you one way or another. Call out your Pokémon!” Gary demanded. “Gary…I can’t fight you. You’re my friend!” “That’s exactly why we have to battle! If you won’t fight back, then I’ll just take the initiative! Umbreon, use Tackle!” “Umbreon!” The Pokémon cried, lunging after Ash. Ash quickly reacted out of instinct. “Pikachu, use Quick Attack!” “Pika!” Pikachu jumped off Ash’s shoulder and rammed Umbreon, knocking it off balance. Umbreon recovered and was instantly on its feet. “Umbreon, use Faint Attack!” Gary commanded. Umbreon faded and disappeared. Ash and Pikachu glanced around, looking for the moonlight Pokémon. Ash calmed his senses and concentrated on finding Umbreon. He could feel the vibrations in the air. The subtle movements of Umbreon moving in the shadows… POW! “AH!” Ash fell backwards, clutching his sore cheek. He stared in shock at Gary, who was standing above him. “Gary? Since when did you fight dirty?” “Dirty fighting? This isn’t one of your precious Pokémon battles. When it comes to fighting for your life, there are no rules. Now stand on your feet!” Gary commanded harshly. “Ash, he’s right. He may be your friend outside of battle, but here, you must fight for what you believe in. People don’t take kindly to words often. That’s when you must use your hands.” Satoshi advised wisely. “Fine, it’s that’s the way you want it, Pikachu, NOW!” Ash cried. Gary didn’t even flinch as Pikachu prepared a Thunder Shock attack. “Umbreon, Tackle!” RAM! “PIKA!” Pikachu cried, getting tackled on the side by Umbreon. “Pikachu!” Ash cried out. He was about to call out a command when he barely dodged Gary’s punch. “If you wanna help your Pikachu, you got to get through me first!” Gary started hoping left and right, his fist in a boxing stance. “Ready or not, here I come!” He ran up to Ash and swung at his face. Ash ducked under the jab and thrust his fist at Gary’s stomach. “Oof!” Gary stumbled back, clutching his stomach. Without pausing, Ash lunged at Gary and swung upward at his chin, but Gary caught his fist and flung him over his shoulder. When Ash landed, he rolled on his back and jumped to his feet. Gary jumped at Ash with threw a series of punches and kicks at him. Ash blocked and dodged most of the hits, but got struck by the last few and stumbled off balance. “Gotcha!” Gary shouted, about to land a rolling kick. Ash immediately grabbed Gary’s foot. “WHAT?” “RRAAH!” Ash spun Gary and tossed him a good few feet away. Unfortunately, Gary recovered in the air and charged back at Ash. SMASH! “AH!” Ash received a powerful punch on his face and reeled back in pain. POW! “Guh!” Gary was punched in the stomach by Ash and nearly doubled over. The two teens and their Pokémon were equally match and could probably fight forever Misty and Brock watched from the sidelines, hoping their fight would end soon with both boys still alive. Misty’s hands were clenched at her sides, trembling from anger. The whole fight was not only pointless, but stupid! They were friends before, and now they were fighting each other over some dumb jewel!? She was about to intervene was Brock blocked her. “We’ve got to stop them Brock! There’s no point in fighting each other!” Misty reasoned. “Trust me Misty, if anything, I really want to stop them, but they have to settle things for themselves. If we intervene, then they will continue their bout at a later time. Let them get it out of their system. I’m sure once they’re tired out from fighting they’ll see the light.” Brock had a point and Misty knew it, but it was still unnerving. Can’t those two stop and straighten things out without violence? Misty did the only thing she could, watch and hope they both stayed friends afterwards. Ash and Gary’s arms were locked. Neither one could move without being at a disadvantage. Ash grinned weakly, his lip bleeding. “Heh, it looks like we’re tied. You always put up a good fight.” Gary smiled as well, his face sore from the punches. “Thanks, but you deserve credit as well….hm?” Something on the ground caught his attention. It was…a shadow? And it was getting bigger and bigger…! “Ash, look out!” Gary pushed Ash away and jumped back in the nick of time. CRACK! Everyone watched as the ground Ash and Gary were standing on was cracked, dust filtering the air. No one moved as they watched someone within the smoke waved it off with his green cape. A tanned man ranging around the age of 18 was in endowed in baggy, dark green clothing and cape, complimenting his long, smooth green hair. His sharp blue eyes locked on Ash as he stood up, dusting himself off. Everyone gawked in shock at the man, who noticed the looks he was getting. They were shocked not because he appeared out of nowhere, but he had fluffy dog ears and tail! “Ash was it? So you are the one who—” “KYAA! SO CUTE!” Misty squealed. She stood on her toes as she started playing with the man’s ears. “Are these real? Oh my god, they are! This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” “Grrr…” The half human grew irritated with Misty, who wouldn’t stop touching his ears. The fact he was especially ticklish there didn’t help either. “WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF!!?” He screeched. Misty did so and stepped back, feeling disappointed. “Ahem, as I was saying, you are Ash, correct?” He asked, addressing Ash. “Yeah, but who are you?” Ash asked back, cautious. “I suppose it’s fair to introduce myself. I am Leon.” “Hold up! You are THE Leon?” Brock gasped. Leon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “Say…you don’t happen to have a whip as a weapon, do ya?” Leon dug into his coat and took out a black, leather whip. “Why yes I do.” “So…does that mean your last name is—” “No, my last name is not Belmont! Kisaragi is my last name.” Brock wasn’t convinced. “…Are you sure? I mean, don’t you fight against vampires and stuff like that?” “I am not Leon Belmont!” Leon yelled. Couldn’t the guy take a hint!? “What do you want with us?” Ash demanded. “What I want? Simple. The shards and GS ball. Hand it over if you wish to leave here alive.” Ash growled inwardly. How did this guy know about the shards? Was everyone after those things? “I don’t think so.” Leon shrugged and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves, slipping them on. “I figured you would say that after watching you earlier. Oh well, shall we get started?” He took on a battle stance, preparing to attack. Suddenly, battle music started to play out of nowhere, startling Ash. “Where is that music coming from?” Ash glanced around, trying to find the source. “Wait a minute, can it be? Dramatic entrance, a dangerous looking enemy, music out of nowhere, this must be a Boss Battle!” Satoshi exclaimed. Ash groaned. “Not another one of those weird things you keep coming up with!” “Oh, but wait. This is special because we are fighting against a powerful foe! If we win, we’ll gain greater strength than in Random Battles. Sometimes, we’ll get really good items in the process too!” “For once, that annoying guardian has a point. Misty, you and Brock should join the fight too. Remember, Pokémon should be use mainly in emergency situations. This is if you want to be stronger for future battles.” Kasumi informed. “This is starting to sound more and more like an RPG…” Ash mused. Misty glanced questionably at Ash. “A what?” “Never mind. Come on, let’s go!” Ash, Gary, Brock and Misty charged at Leon from all sides. “Four against one? This really does sound like an RPG. Heh, this should be amusing…” “HM!” Gary attacked from Leon’s left. Leon stepped back to dodge the blow and grabbed Gary’s arm. “Don’t insult me!” Leon spat. He spun into a crouch and smashed Gary’s stomach with his elbow, knocking the wind out of him. Ash did a low kick at Leon, only to have the half human roll dodge over his leg. Brock attempted to catch Leon off guard from behind, but he saw it coming. Leon whirled around and grabbed Brock by the shirt. He pulled back his fist to punch Brock when Ash grabbed his arm. Unexpectedly, Leon picked up Brock and smashed him into Ash! Both boys fell to the floor, badly injured. “HA!” Gary did a jump kick on Leon. Leon swiftly grabbed Gary’s foot and swung him around. After picking up enough speed, Leon tossed Gary high in the air and at the same time went for his whip. He used the whip to catch Gary’s foot. “You’re mine!” Leon exclaimed. SMASH! “ARG!” Leon was sent skidding across the rough asphalt thanks to Misty’s mallet slam. Gary was freefalling when Ash caught him before hitting the ground. “Thanks Ash.” Gary stood on his feet, catching his second wind. Leon slowly recovered and rubbed his head. “Arg…such a headache. I can already tell you all will be a nuisance. Looks like I got to take you guys more seriously.” He cracked his whip in the air, letting out an ear splitting snap. “It looks like he isn’t playing around any more. Let’s take the safe way out of this battle. Let’s go Umbreon!” Gary called. Umbreon stood in front of Gary, growling at his opponent. Ash gave the thumbs up to Pikachu. “You too Pikachu!” “When in Rome, do as the Romans do! Let’s go Marshtomp!” Brock summoned the blue mudfish Pokémon. The water-type was more than half Brock’s size and had two orange fins on its cheeks. “Come on out Corsola!” Misty summoned a small, pink and white coral Pokémon. “Hah! Now it’s eight against one! Let’s see you beat us now!” Ash boasted, laughing. Leon was mildly surprised. “I’m impressed. You actually think you could win.” Ash stopped laughing and glared. “We’ll show you! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!” he shouted. Pikachu charged up and threw a huge payload of electric energy at Leon. Leon didn’t move as the attack drew closer and closer. Just when it was about to land, Leon dashed out of the way and ran at Pikachu. His speed was equal to a Pokémon’s Agility attack, leaving a trail of mirages behind him. SNAP! SNAP! Leon struck Pikachu with his whip twice, injuring him. He glanced behind to see Corsola and Marshtomp preparing to attack. “Water Gun!” Misty and Brock yelled out. The water Pokémon unleashed a stream of high pressure liquid at Leon. “What, so you’re going to have Pokémon resort to spitting at me? How pathetic…” Leon dodged left and right as he ran at the two Pokémon. He rolled on the ground and kicked Marshtomp in the face. After skillfully dodging another stream of Water Gun attacks from Corsola, he whipped the Pokémon three times before kicking it like a football, sending it flying. Marshtomp recovered and tried to attack Leon, but he was ready. “On your knees!” Leon jumped and punched down on the Pokémon’s head, knocking it unconscious. Brock took out Marshtomp’s Pokéball and recalled the fainted Pokémon. He opted to summon another Pokémon when Leon gripped his neck. “I don’t think so. One Pokémon is enough for you!” “NO, BROCK!” Ash cried. In a dash, he rammed into Leon’s back, causing him to drop Brock. “I’ve had enough of this.” Leon recovered from Ash’s attack whirled his whip in the air and spun it rapidly. “STINGER VORTEX!!!” Something clicked in the back of Kasumi’s mind. She didn’t know what, but one thing was for certain: that move was lethal! “Misty, tell everyone to get away, NOW!” “EVERYONE, GET BACK!” Misty yelled. Everyone took her advice and jumped away at the nick of time. Leon spun in a circle while making the whip rip through the ground. Everyone gasped when they saw a deep cut in the ground where the whip struck. Whoever was in Leon’s range would’ve mostly been seriously injured or killed! “Whew! Thanks for the save Misty!” Ash thanked. “Whoa…” Gary was still amazed. Even if Leon was half human, there was no way a normal person could rip through the earth like that. His reflex, speed, strength, Leon was definitely extremely dangerous. The scariest part was Gary could tell he still wasn’t fighting seriously! “Umbreon, use Bite!” Umbreon jumped at Leon from behind and bit him in the arm. “ARG!” Leon tried to shake it off, but the Pokémon wouldn’t budge! “Pikachu, use Zap Cannon while he can’t move!” Ash commanded. Pikachu took in massive amounts of electricity, preparing to use his ultimate electric attack! “Yeah right! It’s my arms that are immobilized, not my….WHAT?” Leon looked down and his eyes widened in fear. His feet were frozen to the ground! But when did that happen? “You should’ve been paying more attention to all of our Pokémon!” Misty crossed her arms, smiling victoriously. “While you were busy fighting Brock, you’ve forgotten about Umbreon, who kept its presence hidden. Also, when Umbreon bit you, my Corsola froze your feet at the same time, so you didn’t notice!” “Grr…” Leon had no time to worry about them. Pikachu was about to unleash a devastating attack on him! “Let’s do it Pikachu! ZAP CANNON!” Ash called, pointing to Leon. “Pi…ka…CHUUU!” Pikachu launched a huge ball of lightning at Leon, who was struggling to break free. “Dammit!” Leon shielded himself the best he could before the attack hit. Umbreon jumped away just before the ball of lightning struck. CRRAASSSSSHH!!!! “GWWAAAAAH!” The blast was so intense Leon was being lifted by the attack, heading towards a pile of steel beams and other equipment. A large explosion soon followed, causing most of the steel beams to collapse and fall on Leon. “Yeah, we did it!” Ash cheered. “YEAH!” Everyone joined. They were victorious! “Don’t…celebrate…just yet…” Leon panted, emerging pile of rubble. “W-what!? No way!” Ash stared in fear as Leon emerged from the destruction. The top half of his body was seared and bruised, but Leon was still able to fight! “That’s insane! How could you survive such an attack? You can’t be human!” Misty gasped. “HELLO! Doesn’t the ears and give you a hint!?” Leon yelled in annoyance. “Anyway, that attack was indeed impressive. I actually had use 60 percent of my strength to survive. However, the same thing won’t happen twice! I’ll crush you all!” “I don’t think so!” A hail of bullets rained in Leon’s area, forcing him to be defensive. Everyone turned to see a red mech aiming a rifle at Leon. “Is everyone alright?” “Rui! Man am I glad to see you!” Gary sighed in relief. Leon growled in anger. Fighting a mech in his condition was the last thing he wanted to do. He had no choice but to retreat. “You’ll all pay for this! I’ll be back!” Leon ran off and jumped over a gate. He escaped. The gang dropped to the ground, exhausted. Leon was able to take them on alone and even survive a full powered Zap Cannon! It was a wonder who Leon was, and how he knew about the Final Destiny fragments. Ash, Misty and Brock were about to relax when they heard Rui reloading her gun with a new clip. “Don’t even think about resisting! Gary, should we take them in?” Rui asked. Ash turned to Gary, a pleading look in his eyes. Gary thought about something then turned to Ash. “Tell me Ash, why do you want to collect the Final Destiny shard so badly? I mean the real reason. Your reason.” Ash didn’t need more than a second to think of an answer. “Ever since I found this shard, everyone’s been fighting over it. I want to be able to prevent anymore meaningless violence. There are people that I care about who are probably involved in a struggle over the Final Destiny even now, and I want to save those people!” “Well said Ash. Tell it like it is!” Satoshi complimented. Gary sighed and crossed his arms. “It’s like I’ve been saying. That’s just like you. Rui, let’s not take these guys in.” “Okay.” Rui slipped the giant rifle in the mech’s gun holster on her back. “Ash, why don’t you guys stay over our place for the night? While there, we can catch up on old times.” Gary invited. “Sure thing. Thanks Gary!” Ash nodded. He turned to Brock and Misty. “Let’s go guys.” “I’m all for a break.” Brock agreed. “Me too. I’m beat!” Misty sighed exhaustedly. “Then follow me.” Gary led the group to the Viridian headquarters to spend the night. -Hidden Location- Leon sat in a secluded area, trying to catch his breath. He lost a lot of health back there. There was a slim chance he could’ve been killed. “Damn them! I should’ve just taken them out when I had the chance!” “Relax big brother. It’s not like it’s a big deal anyway.” A young boy’s voice was heard in Leon’s pocket. Leon took out a high-tech communicator from his pocket and spoke into it. “Hey Zero. Just to give you a heads up, Satoshi and Kasumi are back.” “Say WHAT!?” Zero gasped. “How was that possible? Weren’t they sealed a long time ago?” “Hmm…yeah, they were sealed, but they are spirits now. Not only that, but they’ve somehow manifested themselves inside some of those kids. Say, did you happen to see any of our old friends yet?” “Nope. I’m sure we will come across a few. I hope we see some of them soon.” “Same here. Hey, I’m going on radio silence. I’ll talk to you about it when I get back.” “Sure thing big brother. Take care!” Click! Leon got up and started walking, laughing weakly. “Ash…that was one great battle. You better survive until next we meet.” --------------- And that’s chapter 6! I know, it’s a bit slow, but bear with me! I’ve got plans, big plans! I didn’t think this fic would be THAT popular, so I’m being sure to make it extra awesome! So many reviews and I’m only 6 chapters in! Please review and I’ll see ya later! Boss battle theme (subject to change and may repeat at certain points) – Fatalize – Tales of Symphonia OST P.S. The joke with Brock and Leon is reference to Castlevania: Lament of innocence