Chapter 9 – Showdown in Pewter City! Part 1 --------- -Viridian Forest- ‘I’m sorry Ash, but…goodbye!’ She thrust the knife downwards, targeting Ash’s head… ‘I…can’t do this!’ May’s knife stopped just above Ash’s head. No matter what the reason, she just couldn’t take his life. The boy meant too much to her. Though her mission had gotten a lot harder, maybe she could somehow try to reason with him at a later date, seeing that she was with the good guys. Slipping her knife back in the pocket, she escaped and headed towards her nearby camp. In the distance, Brendan took his finger of the trigger and placed the sniper rifle on his back. ‘Hm…interesting. Torn by affection and duty. It looks like even those from Team Shadow have their own set of weaknesses.’ “Hey, did you see someone?” Gary asked, setting up camp. “…No, just Ash. If we keep our distance for now, we should be able to keep a constant check on Ash.” Wes knelt next to Brendan placed his hand on his shoulder. “Brother, it’s my shift right now, so lemme get the sniper.” Brendan’s eyebrow twitched irritably, but he decided not to give in to his desire to strangle the silver haired gunner. He gave Wes the sniper and got up to leave. “Just remember, don’t go shooting everything that moves. You remember the last time you had watch with a sniper rifle.” “Hey, that guy shouldn’t have walked past my crosshairs. Besides, the doctors did say he would survive…” “That’s beside the point! Ugh, never mind, I’m going to bed.” With a groan, Brendan left for the tent he was sharing with Wes. “Goodnight brother!” Wes chuckled under his breath as he heard Brendan growl from inside the tent. Many hours later, Ash stirred awake inside his tent. The first thing he noticed was Pikachu sleeping next to him. The electric mouse was bandaged up, but the wounds didn’t seem serious. That was a relief. Ash opted to get up, only to feel sharp pain course throughout his body, which brought back memories of his fight against Soma. That man, tiger, whatever it was, the power he held was incredible. He completely demolished everyone, even the Pokémon, and by himself! Just what kind of monsters are the Viziers? Soma seemed to know Leon, and even mentioned that Leon was a Vizier. If so, how was he was able to defeat Leon back in Viridian City? Was it luck, or was Leon even trying? Ash didn’t know, but one thing was certain: These opponents held strength like no one he ever seen! Speaking of strength, Misty was equally surprising. Since when did she learn to fight? Her speed was incredible. But, it was as though Ash saw another side of Misty. Her eyes blazed with fury and she was dead set on defeating the Fire Vizier. What was it that made Misty so angry at that moment? It didn’t seem like he would find out anytime soon, but perhaps if his sore body could move more than an inch, he could try. “I see you are awake.” Satoshi said, his physical image appearing next to Ash, sitting cross- legged. “Oh, Satoshi, how are you feeling?” Ash asked. “Awful. I’m still fatigued from the battle.” “How can you be tired? All we did was spirit-sync. Besides, I was the one fighting.” “That’s half true. When we perform the sync, we are literally synchronized, meaning what you feel, I feel. If you get hurt, I get hurt. If I am not mistaken, you should be feeling a little dizzy as well as exhausted.” “Hm…come to think of it, I do feel a little lightheaded. Wait, so the spirit-sync drains our minds?” “In a sense, yes. It drains what is called mana, which is basically our mental stamina. The mind is the essence of the soul, so in order to increase your mental stamina, you must increase your soul strength, which will happen within time. However, since you are not yet accustomed to the spirit-sync, it is no surprise that you would feel drained. Just remember that time is mana. The more mana you gain, the longer we can stay synced.” “Mana huh? I’ll try to remember that.” Ash tried to move again, but felt his body scream in agony, which he almost did himself. “Ah! Man, my body feels like its on fire.” “I’m guessing that’s because you got beaten by Soma last night.” A voice said from outside the tent. “That voice…oh no…please, oh please tell me it is not who I think it is!” Satoshi pleaded to the heavens. His hopes fell when Brock entered the tent, the spirit of Takeshi walking next to Brock. “Sleep well? I hope you find your bandages accommodating.” Brock gestured the white bindings over Ash’s body, mainly the torso and shoulders. “Whoa…Brock? Since when did you have a spirit?” Ash asked in surprise, noticing Takeshi. “During the fight against Soma, Takeshi entered my body and helped get you guys to safety. You should thank him, since he’s the one who fixed you up.” “Oh…well…thank you very much Takeshi.” Ash thanked. “Hey, it’s no problem. I’m always glad to help a fellow friend!” Takeshi grinned, flashing Ash a reassuring thumbs up. “It doesn’t look like you’ve changed one bit.” Satoshi scoffed. “Ah, Satoshi-kun! It’s been awhile! I hope you are doing well!” “First off, I’m not your friend, so don’t –kun me! Secondly, I’m doing terrible.” The darkness guardian crossed his arms grumpily. “Hmph, you and Kasumi are still annoying as ever.” Takeshi shook his head shamefully. “Geez, you’re still bitter as ever. Come on, that was like what, 5000 years ago? Give it a rest man!” “Give what a rest? Did something happen to Satoshi?” Ash inquired, curious about his spirit. “Oh nothing, just the fact that—” “Complete that sentence and I’ll be sure to erase any remote chance you have at creating a bloodline!” Satoshi threatened. “Err…point taken.” Kasumi…that reminded Ash about Misty. “How is Misty? Is she feeling better?” He asked worriedly. “She’s fine.” Brock answered, “You suffered a lot more injures than her, so she should be up and moving around soon.” “That’s good.” “Actually, I’ll check up on her right now. I’ll be back.” Brock left through the flap and towards Misty’s tent. With Misty, she was wide awake, staring up at the top of the tent. She felt weak and feeble. Soma didn’t just defeat her, he crushed her. Her strength was nowhere near in comparison to his, even with Kasumi’s help. She attempted to do what Ash would do, which was to fight for a worthy cause and give it your all, but even then it was useless. Why couldn’t she be stronger? Was she really so weak she couldn’t protect the one person she cared about most? “Misty…you are thinking too hard about this. Please, do not stress your mind further than it already has.” Kasumi pleaded soothingly. “But…I couldn’t protect Ash! It’s always him that’s saving everyone else. Trying to put the world on his shoulders and protecting people. All I want to do is share the weight of his responsibilities and be able to protect him, but now, it doesn’t even look like I can even do that. Tch, I’m just too weak…” “It is not that you are weak, but your enemy is thousands of years old, not to mention on a completely different level of strength. Don’t take your loses as defeat, but a chance to strike back. You can sit here and cry all you like about being defeated, but unless you make yourself stronger, you’ll only open the gate for more people to walk over you, and those who you wish to beat will continue to beat you. It is an endless chain of misery which can only be broken by you, no one else. Keep strong and keep getting stronger, because your foes are going to do the same.” Misty stared at Kasumi in awe, speechless for a moment. “…Wow…you really are amazing. You’re so strong and wise Kasumi. I envy your strength.” “Who doesn’t?” Takeshi said as he and Brock stepped inside. “Takeshi-kun!” Kasumi gasped. “Takeshi…-kun?” Misty’s eyes widened with surprise when she realized it. “Brock! You have a spirit now!” “Yep! Now I won’t have to be worried about feeling left out in your weird conversations! Yes!” Brock shot his fist in the air victoriously. “Anyway, do you feel you can move right now? Ash’s awake if you want to see him.” “Oh, yeah. I can move a little. Let’s go.” Misty winced slightly as she stood up, her body and mind still feeling weak from yesterday’s battle. She ignored it as she followed Brock into Ash’s tent. There, Misty and Brock sat next to Ash. “Hey Misty, feeling better?” Ash asked. “Yeah. Um…Ash? I’m sorry about the way I acted earlier, during that fight.” Misty’s head lowered apologetically. “It’s alright, at least everyone’s okay.” “And that’s what matters, so let’s not dwell on the past.” Brock cheered, lightening the mood. “I agree…hm?” Ash looked around and noticed something missing. “Hey, where’s my hat?” Takeshi rubbed his head bashfully. “Your hat? Um…about that. You see, when you lost the fight, Soma kinda…took it…of course I’m sure that’s nothing to worry about. I mean, it’s just a hat.” Ash’s eyebrow twitched angrily at the comment. “Just…a…hat? Just a HAT? THAT was NOT just a HAT! That was an official Pokémon league baseball cap, and it was one of a kind! And you let Soma take it!?” Ash immediately stood on his feet, clenching his fist tightly. His eyes blazed with extreme fury. “That does it! I will not rest, eat, or sleep until I get my hat back! …And I guess I’ll get the shards back too while I’m at it.” Takeshi glanced worriedly at Brock. “Is he always like this?” He whispered. “If only you knew…” “Alright guys! It’s time to go! We got no time to lose!” Ash took a step forward … FLOP! …only to fall flat on his face. “Ow …” Satoshi groaned with irritation. “You moron! Don’t go making such a big scene if you can’t even stand on your feet!” Ash weakly raised his hand to gain everyone’s attention. “Uh…new plan. First, we get our strength back, THEN we get back my cap!” Misty and Brock both face-faulted. Typical… After several hours of resting and the use of Misty’s new healing technique, Ash, Misty and Brock regained enough strength to continue their trek through the Viridian forest. Luckily, thanks to Takeshi’s keen sense of nature, they made it through the forest and to Pewter City, which had long recovered since the attack from Team Rocket a few days ago. Because of everyone’s injured Pokémon, the first stop was at the Pokémon center, which Brock was more than happy to visit. However, to everyone’s surprise, so was Takeshi. “Great, merciful gods! It’s White Mage Joy!” Takeshi gasped with delight. Ash and Misty glanced at Takeshi in confusion. “White Mage…Joy?” Kasumi snapped her fingers when she recognized the nurse. “Ah, I knew I recognized her from somewhere! In our era, they were the white mages who would heal anyone in need, and for free! It’s shocking how they still look the same after all these years…” “Why am I not surprised…?” Ash sighed. “Yo, Takeshi, what’s with the grin on your face?” Satoshi asked, gesturing the sinister smirk on his face. “I’ve just realized the perfect reason why being a spirit is great. First off, Ash, come over here and stand next to us. Brock, go talk to the woman.” “Hehehe, no problem with that!” Brock reassured telepathically. He was immediately at Nurse Joy’s side, chatting with her about various topics, including dating spots and favorite foods. Ash stood next to him silently, pondering about Takeshi’s motives. “Okay, now Satoshi, follow my lead.” Satoshi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Uh…sure…” Both he and Takeshi got on all fours and crawled under the unsuspecting nurse. There, they both looked up for a little “sneak peek” at Nurse Joy’s underwear… WHAM! “OW!” Ash and Brock seethed, getting smashed over the head by Misty’s mallet. “Why did ya hit me for? I didn’t do anything!” Ash whined, rubbing the lump on his head. “You went along with his plan!” Misty bellowed. Nurse Joy sweat-dropped at Misty’s aggressive nature. She didn’t know what was going on, but she hoped she wasn’t involved. “Um…can I help you three?” “Yes. Could you heal our Pokémon for the night?” Misty requested, holding Ash and Brock in a headlock. “Of course.” Nurse Joy took the group’s Pokéballs and placed them in three separate trays. Pikachu was laid on a separate tray away from the rest. “They should be fine by tomorrow so comeback around then.” “Ack! Leggo already Misty!” Ash coughed, gasping for air. He rubbed his sore neck as soon as he escaped the vice grip. “Alright, let’s head to Brock’s house while our Pokémon rest here.” “Sounds good. Follow me.” Brock, also escaping Misty’s headlock, guided the group to his gym. -Pewter City Gym – Brock’s Room- Ash, Misty and Brock all settled comfortably on Brock’s king sized bed, getting relaxed. It was mid evening, and seeing they were going to spend the night, there was nothing more to do than to get to know their spirits. “Hey Takeshi, how is it that you guys seem to know each other so well? In a way, it seems as though you all used to be friends.” Ash inquired. “Good question my fellow comrade. You see, back in Lumina, guardians were very special and heralded throughout the lands as the future champions of their nation. Of course, being a champion doesn’t come without much battle skill and survival experience, this is where the “Great Pilgrimage” comes into play. This is a five year long event where a guardian is cast out of their kingdom and forced to travel the lands, gaining experience and such. All five guardians were sent out on the pilgrimage at the age of ten, which was actually a pretty ripe age to travel.” “Wait, so you’re saying all five civilizations started this pilgrimage at the same time?” Brock questioned. “Yes. I found that strange too, but I suppose fate has a strange way of working out. Funny enough, it only gets stranger, because one by one, we all joined and grew up together. Heh, I’ll never forget the first time I met Satoshi…” “Hahaha! I remember that! Good times…” Satoshi laughed, reminiscing. -Satoshi’s Flashback– Lumina 5000 years ago- “Get back here thief!” A middle aged man screamed, chasing down a 10 year old Satoshi, who was dressed in a raggedy brown cloak. “Think of it as exercise ya old geezer! Ha-ha!” Satoshi taunted, flashing the man an inappropriate gesture. This only proved to anger the man further. As Satoshi made a turn in an alleyway, he bumped into someone else who was running as well. Both of them staggered slightly before recovering. “Ow…hey, watch where ya going moron!” “The same goes for you!” A green haired boy shot, dressed in a similar fashion, but wearing green instead. “Hey, that’s the pervert who flicked my skirt! Get him!” A woman yelled, followed by many other girls. “There you are!” The old man who was chasing Satoshi exclaimed. “Crap, busted!” Satoshi and the other boy cursed aloud. The alleyway was a three-way point, which meant they only had one both to choose. Without a second thought, they dashed in that direction. “So…” Satoshi started, snatching an apple from a nearby fruit stand. “What’s ya name?” “It’s Takeshi.” He answered, flicking the skirt of a nearby attractive woman. “And yours?” “I’m Satoshi.” The two continued to run as the number of pursuers steadily increased. Not far from the location, a young silver haired girl was riding her brand new bike, which she finally saved up enough money to get. She was pedaling and humming to herself happily. Not only was the bike super high quality, but the latest in design, using the super advanced technology of the water kingdom, and combined with the great engineers from the fire kingdom. It was also extremely expensive and took over 3 months of hard labor to get. At least traveling between countries would be a lot easier now. “Stop! Thief!” “Get back here you pervert!” Several voices and threats could be heard from behind the bike riding girl. “Hm?” The girl turned around, only to stare in surprise. Two boys were running from what could only be defined as an angry lynch mob. Unwittingly, she slowed down a little to get a grasp on what was going on… “Hey, look ahead!” Takeshi pointed to the silver haired girl. Satoshi grinned sneakily. “I got a plan. Follow my lead.” He ran as fast as he could until he was right next to the girl. The girl glanced at the two runners curiously. “Hey, do you two need help—” WHAM! “WAH!” The girl was kicked off the bike by Satoshi, which was hijacked by both Satoshi and Takeshi soon after. Unfortunately, she just happened to be riding on a bridge at the time, which was built over a raging river… SPLASH! “Thanks for the bike, loser!” Satoshi laughed, pedaling on the bike. Takeshi glanced at the girl, who was muttering a series of strong obscenities as she was being dragged by the current. “That was kinda harsh Satoshi. She was kind of cute…” “Hey, think of it as a token of her appreciation; now let’s get out of here!” Satoshi pushed the bike to its limits as he and Takeshi escaped the clutches of the angry mob. -End of Flashback- “…And that’s how I met Satoshi. Ever since then, we’ve been getting in trouble left and right.” Takeshi finished. “Wow Satoshi, you were quite the bad boy back then, huh?” Ash mused. “Well hey, I had to find some way to survive, and there was no better way than to steal stuff from other people.” Satoshi reasoned, shrugging. “Ah, but that isn’t the best part. Just wait until you hear what happened a week after that day…” Takeshi started. “Oh no, you don’t mean…” Satoshi gasped, horrified by the memory. “You got it! To continue, we had just gotten into a forest and stayed there to rest a little bit…” -Satoshi’s Flashback – Lumina 5000 years ago – Forest area- “Whew! Finally, a break!” Satoshi sighed, sitting on a tree stump. “You said it! We went through a lot this past week, and because that bike broke down on us, we had to travel on foot. It stinks, but at least we’re safe for the moment.” Takeshi jumped on top of a tree trunk, looking down on Satoshi. “So, what country are you from?” “Kuroza…the outskirts.” “Whoa, one of the so called forsaken ones, huh? Not many people like them these days.” Takeshi whistled. “I’m from Terroga, where everyone’s friendly.” “Sounds boring.” “No, it’s actually pretty fun. Plus, the girls are all so awesome! White Mage Joy and Sentry Jenny are the best girls ever!” Takeshi placed his hand to his heart dramatically, staring up at the sky. Satoshi rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think of anything besides girls?” “Uh…pretty girls?” “Ugh…never mind…” Satoshi ran his hand through his red and black hair habitually. There was just no getting through the Terrogian. “Hm? What’s that?” Takeshi cupped his ears, listening with his higher-than-normal senses. “Sounds like someone is coming. I don’t hear clinking, so it can’t be an enemy soldier.” “Well, if it’s not an enemy soldier, then it must be our cash cow coming by. Let’s get ready to greet our new friend.” Satoshi unsheathed his lightweight broadsword and stood up. Takeshi, who preferred hand-to-hand combat, jumped down from the tree and stood next to Satoshi. CRASH! Both Satoshi and Takeshi jumped at the sound of a tree being knocked down. Whoever was coming their way was very powerful. Satoshi narrowed his eyes as he saw something zooming towards them. “Takeshi, get down!” Satoshi hurriedly ducked. “Huh? What for?” SMACK! “That!” Satoshi pointed out, referring to the large, mangled piece of steel that beamed Takeshi on the head. Upon further inspection, the metal turned out to be…a ruined bike? “YOU!” An angry girl shouted, storming into view. She was wearing all white clothes, including a cloak, shorts, traveling shoes, and a simple, light breastplate. However, her clothes were worn, torn, dirty and wet, though if the fire in her eyes were real flames, she could dry herself and burn the entire forest into ashes. “Sweet! A pretty girl!” Takeshi swooned, immediately reviving from the previous projectile attack. He smoothly approached the girl and held her hands into his. “Why hello sweet thing! My name is—” WHAM! Satoshi winced as he saw his friend received a powerful drop kick to the head, sending him flying. When the girl’s eyes locked onto his won, he immediately realized one thing. She was furious. “You…” The silver haired woman gripped Satoshi by the shirt and brought him to her face. “You’re the one from before! Do you realize what hell I’ve been through because of you!?” “Err…no, but I guess you’re going to tell me anyway.” “First, after you knocked me in the river, I was chased by sharks, serpents, and heaven knows what else for what felt like miles. Then, the moment I made it to land, I was attacked by fire people of Fazura who thought I was from the water kingdom Mizura! The minute I escaped, I was chased for days by crooks, bandits, and monsters! Finally, after getting through all of that, I find the bike, MY bike that YOU stole, totally destroyed! Do you have ANY idea how much that bike cost!?” “Well…while I do feel your pain, I feel I should get a refund on that bike…” “Refund? You stole it!” “That’s not the point. That the bike was poorly made…” “It was made of the finest steel material!” “Well hey, if it can’t survive the attack of a 30 foot dragon, then it isn’t such a great bike, now is it? Besides, I don’t see your name on it, how can you just claim that the bike was yours in the first place?” The girl lifted the bike with her free hand and shoved it in Satoshi’s face. “It’s right here!” Satoshi leaned in and narrowed his eyes, attempting to decipher the horribly disfigured text. “…Ka…su…mi…Kasumi! Not the best name in my book, but I suppose it holds promise.” “Speaking of promises, I’ll make you pay for the bike, even if I have to follow you until the ends of the earth for all eternity!” Satoshi narrowed his eyes. “…Are you coming on to me?” Kasumi gritted her teeth. “You know what? I’ve just about had it with your smart comments!” She reeled her fist back, preparing to punch Satoshi. “Look over there! A free bike voucher!” Satoshi exclaimed, pointing behind the silver haired menace. “Really?” Kasumi turned around, but saw nothing but trees and bushes. When she turned back, she found herself no longer holding Satoshi’s shirt, but a letter with three simple letters… I.O.U. “DAMMIT!” Kasumi cursed, crumbling the paper in her trembling fist. “GET BACK HERE!!” She yelled, charging in the direction Satoshi and Takeshi escaped. -End of Flashback- “…And that’s how we met Kasumi. Not the most pleasant gathering, but it was fun nonetheless.” Takeshi finished. “You know, of everyone I’ve met, I’ve never seen anyone handle a conniption so well. I’m impressed!” Satoshi mused. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten! One way or another, you’ll pay for that!” Kasumi declared. Satoshi tossed her an annoyed glance. “I’m a floating freakin’ ghost! How in the hell will I be able to do anything? Spook people into giving your precious bike back?” “You can make snide comments all you like, but one day, you’ll be at my mercy! That’s when I’ll force you to pay me back!” Misty tossed Ash a knowing glare. “Gee, why does this story sound SO familiar?” Ash crossed his arms, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. “I know I’ve heard of that story from somewhere, but I can’t put my finger on it…” Misty clenched her fist in frustration. “How about I put my mallet upside your—” CRASH! BOOM! “What was that?” Brock exclaimed, standing up. “I dunno, let’s check it out!” Ash suggested. The others nodded and followed him outside. There, they were surprised with two abnormal sights. The first one being destruction on a large scale that befell Pewter City. Many buildings and houses had holes and cracks in the walls while the ground and a few boulders were split apart. However, the second sight was what surprised Ash and the gang the most. There were two 10 year old children, both yelling and fighting with each other. The tanned boy had long silver hair and blue eyes, which complimented his short, puffy silver tail and adorable dog ears. He was wearing a light grey haori which was a little big for his size and had human- like dog paws for feet and hands. The tanned girl who was arguing with the dog boy had chocolate brown eyes and very long brown hair that stretched to her knees. She wore a black, skin tight, sleeveless sparring uniform which ended at her thighs. Her hands and feet were cat- like paws and there were four black stripes on her face, two coming from the corner of her cheeks and two from the top corner, going over her eyes. Each stripe ended close to her nose. Even in a heated argument, the two half humans were the embodiment of cuteness. “Why don’t you stand still and let me hit you, mutt!?” The cat girl hissed, crouching on all fours, her long brown tail flailed left and right excitedly. “Why, so I can catch your stupid? No thanks!” The dog boy retorted, growling at the girl. “Hey, what’s going on here?” Brock demanded, entering the scene with Ash and Misty. At the same time, two other people entered as well. “Zero and Kirara, just what are you two fighting over this time?” A tanned woman interrogated. She had black stripes and blue colored cat ears, similar to the younger cat girl. Her hair and eyes were a dark shade of blue, just like the clothes she wore, which consisted of silky, sleeveless shirt with no middle, a long dress with two slits on the side, knee high boots, and a billowing cape. In other words…. “WOW! So…HOT!” Brock gasped, staring at the blue haired woman. Without missing a beat, he zipped in front of her, kneeling and grasping her gloved hand. “Hello my sexy feline! My name is Brock and I would like to personally welcome you to Pewter City. If you’re not busy later, how about I give you a tour?” The woman placed her index finger on Brock’s nose. Suddenly, Brock was turned into a block of ice! “Sorry, not interested in weaklings.” With a kick, she shattered the ice and sent Brock flying to his friends. “Ouch…that was cold…” Brock groaned. When Ash saw the forth newcomer, he gasped in surprise! “It’s you!” “It’s been awhile Ash.” Leon greeted smoothly. “It looks like what Soma said was true. Takeshi has returned.” “Awesome! It’s just like you said brother, those kids are carrying the guardians with them!” Zero exclaimed. “Takeshi, do you know who they are?” Ash asked. Takeshi nodded. “I sure do. Leon is from the same nation that I am. He was a rank under me back then. The blue haired girl is Katana, the Ice Vizier from Mizura. The little cat girl is Kirara, Katana’s sister and Fighting Vizier from Fazura. Of course, Kasumi should especially recognize Leon’s little brother, Zero. He’s the Flying Vizier from Raikeiza, which is Kasumi’s nation.” “Glad to see your memory hasn’t diminished from your 5000 year sleep.” Leon said. He turned to his little brother and glared. “Now Zero, you know better than to fight in public, especially with Kirara. You know fully well how destructive your bouts can be.” His eyes glanced over Ash’s group, his lips curving into a grin. “I think I know of a good way to settle your differences with Kirara.” “Oh? How so big brother?” Zero asked. “A little contest between the two of you. Which ever one of you defeats Ash and his friends will enslave the person he or she hates most for an entire week. How does that sound?” “That’s a great idea!” Kirara praised. “You hear that Zero? You are about to be my pet for the next week! I hope you are ready to do laundry and be a punching bag!” Zero turned to face Ash’s group, but glanced at Kirara from the side. “If anything, you are about to lose this little bet! You’re on!” The two children prepared to charge at Ash, Misty and Brock. Katana tugged on Leon’s cape, motioning him to whisper. “Hey, do you see what I see?” She pointed towards the trees. At two different spots, there was a group of people spying on the scene. Leon caught on and smirked when he recognized one of the groups. “Yeah. I got the one on the right. I have a score to settle with the guy there. You get the other group, but be careful. They are actually pretty tough for non-advanced humans. Don’t hold back against them too much. I’m off.” Leon leapt away from the group and headed for one of the two groups hidden in the outskirts of Pewter City. “Play nice with your new friends!” Katana said. “We will!” Both Zero and Kirara answered, not taking their eyes off Ash. Katana dashed off towards the other group that was hiding. “Get ready! These two may be kids, but they are no pushovers! Zero’s speed and intelligence excels beyond belief, and Kirara’s sheer brute strength is deadly! She can easily send a grown man flying!” Takeshi warned. “Are you serious? You’re telling me that this little girl has that much power? Get real!” Brock walked over to Kirara and patted her on the head. “Come on, you call this cute little girl strong? She’s pretty much skin and—” POW! “ARGH!” Brock was sent flying many meters into the air, thanks to Kirara’s uppercut. Ash and Misty sweat-dropped as they watched Brock soar across the air and land behind the Pewter City gym with a loud thud. “…I guess Takeshi wasn’t kidding about the power thing…ouch…” Satoshi winced. “…Is he going to be alright?” Misty pondered. Ash slowly faced the batter-eager Zero and Kirara. “Um…could we check to see if our friend is alright?” “Sure.” The two Viziers shrugged. Ash and Misty chased after the fallen Brock, hoping he was still alive. -Outskirts of Pewter City – Team Nova- “You again!” Gary exclaimed, jumping back defensively. “I’ve been waiting for you ever since our last battle.” Leon stood on top of a tree trunk, crossing his arms coolly. “Brendan, scan him!” Gary called. “Alright.” Brendan pulled out a small earpiece with a square, clear screen and clipped it to his ear. Pressing a button on it, different statistics appeared on the screen, analyzing Leon. Name: Leon Kisaragi Class: Grass Vizier Stats: Physical stamina – B Mental stamina – B Offensive ability – A Defensive ability – A Speed – A Intelligence – B “Whoa…this guy really is dangerous. I made sure to do research on these “Viziers” before we left the base. According to the legend, these guys were pretty fierce. I don’t know if they really are the same ones as before, but its best we don’t underestimate them.” “Right. Let’s do it guys! Prepare for battle!” Gary commanded, taking off the safety of his two handguns. Leon watched as the five elites of Team Nova suited up and equipped themselves. Rui had five pieces of silver armor equipped. Two were special arm guards carrying a small payload of explosives and twin barreled lasers. Two other armaments were placed on her legs, giving her boosters for extra speed. The last piece of equipment was on her head, a helmet with a blue glass visor. Wes took out his blitz blade from the sheath on his hip while standing next to Brendan, who had his saber in his sheath. Gary stood in front of the group, ready to fight as well. “Quite the assortment of weapons you all have. However, this seems a bit unfair. How about I even up the odds?” Leon held one of his hands out and closed his eyes, focusing a lot of energy into the palm of his hand. A green swirl of energy flowed through his arm, forcing the Grass Vizier to grip his wrist with his other hand in order to stop the trembling. After a moment of conjuring, a card materialized in his hand. “You will have to excuse me for my sloppiness. I’m still not use to doing this. You see, while you may have Pokémon, those of us from ancient times acknowledge creatures that can easily turn your little pets into dust! Now, I summon Bronze- Arm Tribe!” Leon flashed the card towards Team Nova, which started to flash brilliantly. The card transformed into four balls of light, which turned into four green reptilian creatures carrying a small stick weapon and wooden shield. Gary stepped back in shock. “What kind of monster is that?” “I’ve never heard of anything like this before!” Brendan exclaimed in surprise. Leon’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk. “I see you like my allies. For starters, these are not Pokémon, but creatures known as Kaijudo, monsters from another realm. Pokémon got nothing on these guys.” The four Bronze-Arm Tribes turned to face Leon and knelt in respect. “How may we serve you Master Leon?” Team Nova was even more stupefied than before. “They…can talk!?” Gary’s eyes widened with shock. “Of course they can. It’s like I said, Pokémon can’t even compete with the Kaijudo. Now, my Bronze-Arms, I command you to destroy my foes, but leave the reddish-brown haired one to me. Understood?” “Yes master!” The creatures complied with the order and charged at the separate members of Team Nova, except for Gary. “It’s time for payback!” Leon shouted, charging after Gary. -Outskirts of Pewter City – Team Shadow- “Allow me to show you all a special treat. I’ve never had to do it for humans before, but I’ll make an exception for you three…” Katana extended her hands and concentrated on them. An icy blue wave emanated from her hands and formed a crystal ice katana and shield! “What on earth was that?” May gasped, arming herself. The members of Team Shadow took out their guns and prepared for the fight of their lives. “This is the true power of a Vizier!” Katana jumped high in the air and dove towards the three Team Shadow agents. “This…is MAGIC!” ------------ And that’s chapter 9! I’ll bet no one saw that one coming! Yes, Duel Masters will kinda crossover with this fic, however, only the monsters and spells from the actual card game will make an appearance, not the characters from the anime. Only one person managed to catch the reference, and I’m quite pleased with that. Anyway, prepare for some major action in the next chapter, and please review if you like this chapter/story. I look forward to your comments! Oh, and the “Luminarian language” is indeed Japanese. However, unlike another story (Bushido League), I will try to only use some honorifics and possibly one or two words. I won’t overdo it. Claimer: All original characters and storyline are mine. Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokémon or Duel Masters. All creatures/spells from Duel Masters card game belong to the original owners