We Were Trainers Once By RH Coronado Part 1 What has gone on before: Our adventure of Sena and his friends began with their meeting of pokemon trainer Ash and co. This occurred due to the fact that both parties had experienced dreams that told them to go to Mangold Flats, an area in the Tournament Regions. When they arrived, they encountered an old house called Mangold Manor and met the old man who lived there. During the visit, the group learned from the old man that he discovered the secret history of pokemon. After his explanation on that matter, his true identity was revealed: he was a fallen professor of pokemon and was killing rare pokemon for his own evil needs. He was defeated by his own ego, and the group parted going their separate ways. It was at this point when Sena and friends revealed that they were on some sort of important quest. A few months later, the meeting with the old man still weighed on Sena's mind. He told his two friends Minami and Spike that there was some truth in the old man's theory of pokemon history. Later that night, the friends were visited by three super-powered females, who had lost their way. After a brief encounter, the three females repented and went on their way. Sometime later, two members of Team Rocket attacked Sena and his friends. But before a pokemon battle could commence, a young boy and girl appeared claiming to have been robbed of their so-called analogmon. The Team Rocket members fled, with the young girl giving chase. The young boy approached Sena, telling him that he (the young boy) had been to other worlds where Sena succeeded in his quest and other worlds where he did not. The young boy then said this was the first time he encountered Sena so early in the quest and that it might make a difference. The boy and girl went on their way. We then learned a little about Spike. How he left one life to start another. How the love of his life left him, not once, but twice. And why he has never told his story to his two friends, Sena and Minami, Sena's girlfriend. There are other stories, of other worlds. But they are not known here. The dark days are coming. Sooner than you think. And so the story continues... The jungles of the East Thirty five years ago Roy had being running through the jungle for a while now. He had been separated from his search party and was trying to make his way back to camp. Roy knew that the opposition was all around him. He could hear them yelling to each other, tracking him down. It was hot and the steam from the wet plants and vines rose into the air like smoke from the fire. It would be dark soon. Roy was running out of time. While Roy ran, he thought of his family. His parents who he might never see again. Roy's father was from the West; his mother was from the East. And somehow, he ended up here, fighting the opposition. A lot of things didn't make sense. But there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to stay alive. Roy jumped down into a trench and caught his breath. He then noticed something on the other side of the ditch. An opening made into the earth. A cave. It could be a hideout for the opposition but he had to take the risk. Roy needed to hide. At least for a little while. He picked up his rifle and slowly walked into the cave. From the light outside, Roy could make out that this cave was larger than what he had seen in the past. As he continued to advance, the cave became a cavern and the passageway had enlarged. It was obvious to Roy that the opposition had never been here. He continued to go deeper, curious what he might find. And find something he did. He came upon what looked like an altar. On top of this altar appeared to be a coffin-shaped granite rock. From afar, Roy circled the object and wondered what it was. Without warning, the object started to glow a purple light. A slight hum started to emit as well. Roy was taken back but, with rifle in hand, came closer the glowing tomb. He looked closer to the rock coffin. He saw something starting to shine through the top of the formation. It almost looked like a pair of red eyes... Roy ran out of the cave as fast as he could. He didn't care if the opposition was waiting for him. He just had to get out. Roy stumbled out of the trench and fell to the wet ground. It was late. He had to get back to camp. Roy looked up. The clouds were dark. It started to rain. And the rain would never stop. The Present "And we are going to this city because?" Spike Simpson asked, his hands in his pockets. "There was something I read," Miyazawa Sena answered. He was walking beside Spike but was a little ahead of him. "About two weeks ago I saw a small article on someone and for some strange reason, my mind told me to go find this person." "What about your heart?" Kinosaki Minami asked. She was walking behind the two boys. "What did your heart say?" "Why did I know you were going to ask something like that?" Spike said to Minami, a sheepish grin on his face. "My heart," Sena said, not looking back. "My heart gave no objections." "Typical," Minami muttered. She shook her head. "What is?" Spike asked. He didn't look back. "That Sen-kun would assume the heart I am talking about is his own." The second Minami finished speaking, Sena knew exactly what she was talking about. His face froze in fear and he gulped. "Min," he finally said. "Min, you know that the most important thing to me is you." Spike's eyes opened wide. He knew where this was going. "Is that so?" Minami answered. "Why is it, then, that you go about these little trips to see strange people without ever consulting me?" "Min," Sena said. "Min, I told you when we started this walkabout here in the Tournament Regions that there were some things I couldn't tell you right out front." "I know," Minami said, looking down and still walking. "But how long has it been since we started our little trek?" Sena thought for a second. "Three years?" Sena answered. He really wasn't sure. "Correct," Minami said. "And during this time, you never once asked if I didn't mind going off following you little hunches. I know there's a lot you can't tell me. Just that you had a visit and a vision. But you know things that you don't tell me about until after the fact. And to be honest, I don't like that. I mean, you asked me to come along, just to leave me in the dark all the time?" Sena said nothing. Spike either. "And you're doing the same thing to Spike," Minami continued. "Sorry, Spike, dear, to bring you in on this but I'm trying to make a point here with my boyfriend." "That's alright," Spike said. He was not going give his two cents in this conversation. "Minami, look," Sena started, "I really don't like doing that either but there are some things even I'm not too sure about myself. We've run into an odd assortment of people and what bothers me is, I'm not convinced that these meetings are happening by chance." "What are you saying?" Minami asked. She was now walking side by side with Sena. Spike was still trailing behind. "That everything that's happened all this time was meant to be?" "Yup," Sena answered. He looked straight ahead, not turning to face Minami or Spike. "Oh," Minami said softly. She was looking at the ground again. "We all know something is building here," Sena said, his eyes straight ahead. "And there are things I know which may or may not occur. It's just really hard for me to completely explain." The friends continued walking, silent for a few seconds. "Are you guys still with me?" Sena asked, breaking the quiet. "Sure," Spike answered with a smile. "Of course," Minami said. She leaned her head on Sena's shoulder. "Do you actually think I would miss all this fun?" Sena gave a big grin. All was well, so far. Later that morning, the gang had found a small creek, which was off the main path. Seeing that the area around the creek was clean and not muddy, the friends decided to eat lunch on the bank. After a few hours, Spike and Minami were standing at the creek's edge, watching the water slowly streaming down. Sena, who was extremely stuffed, was strolling in a nearby wood. He was surprised that there were no wild pokemon around. He suddenly stopped. Sena could feel something heavy in the air. His body became cold and the shadows around the trees grew darker. He could hear a grave voice flowing with the wind. Sena couldn't make out what it was saying. Something was nearby and it wasn't good. And just like that, it was over. No more cold, no more voice. Sena stood silent for a few minutes. "Hunh," Sena muttered as he scratched his head. He headed back to the creek. After just a few steps, Sena stopped. He saw something moving through the trees. It was lightning fast and barely made a sound. Then it, too, was gone. Not good, Sena thought to himself. "Don't move!" a voice rang out behind Sena. He nearly jumped out of his walking shoes. Sena slowly turned his head around. What he saw floored him. Standing a few feet behind him was a human figure. At least, he/she looked human. He/she had long ghost-white hair and pale skin. He/she was wearing what looked to be a cross between a robe and a kimono. It was brown, had long sleeves and dragged on the earth around the stranger's bare feet. He/she looked young but looks could be deceiving. And the ears. The stranger had ears on top of his/her head. "Human," the stranger said. The voice was most certainly male. "Human, where is he?" "Where is who?" Sena responded. He was a little choked up. "Don't be dumb, human," the stranger said. "I can smell him all around you. He was here. Now where is he?" "I don't know what you're talking about, friend," Sena answered. He thought about his backpack. He really could use it now. "I'm not your friend, human," the stranger said. "Tell me now or you will not see your next sunrise." Sena didn't know what to say. All he could think of was that he was completely defenseless and would never see Minami again. Time to run, he thought. "Steppen-wulf!" a different voice rang out from the surrounding woods. This one was no doubt female. Both Sena and the stranger turned to where the voice came from. A young girl emerged from the brush. She had long black hair and a light complexion. She was wearing a sailor-style school uniform with a blue fuku. In her right hand was a long bow and on her back was a red backpack with arrow quivers sticking out. "Steppen-wulf, leave him alone," the girl told the stranger as she put her left hand on his shoulder. "Look, Kennedy," Steppen-wulf said to the girl. "He knows where Nikademus is. I know he does." "Will somebody tell me what the heck is going on?" Sena exclaimed. He was ready to start punching someone. "It's all just a misunderstanding, friend," another voice said from the brush. The voice belonged to a young man who was dressed as a monk. His hair was dark and his skin was tan. His robe was black and in his left hand he held a long wooden staff. On his right hand, Sena could see the monk wearing a black glove. Close behind the monk was another female. She was young as well and her dark hair was in a ponytail. She was wearing a dark outfit, which looked very athletic. On her elbows and knees, she wore padded guards. Sena wondered if she was a member of a roller derby team. And on her back, she was carrying something big. It almost looked like a boomerang. "Yes, you're right, Sir Monk," Kennedy said. She approached Sena. "I'm sorry, mister. We didn't mean to accuse you of anything. Please let me explain." She walked back to Steppen-wulf. "My name is Kennedy," she continued. "This guy here, who you first saw, his name is Steppen-wulf. Sir Monk's name is Marcello. And the quiet girl standing next to him is Sonja." "Kennedy, dear!" Sonja said smiling. "Are you making fun of me?" "No," Kennedy said, smiling as well. "Just kidding, Sonja, dear." "Um, nice to meet y'all," Sena said. "My name is Sena. I'm traveling with two friends of mine. There over by a creek not far from here." He paused. "So, who is this Nikademus person you thought I knew?" Sena asked. He had an idea but didn't want to say. "He's bad news," Steppen-wulf said. "And when I get a hold of him, I'm gonna cut him into little pieces." "Nikademus is a half-demon," Kennedy interjected. "And half-pokemon. It's a little hard to explain but he was once an intelligent Ghastly who made a deal with some fallen demons." "I see," Sena said. What he felt earlier, that was Nikademus. "To make a long story short," Kennedy continued, "all four of us has had a run-in with him. So we've grouped together and vowed to bring him down. You see, we're from the past. Or at least, Steppen-wulf, Sir Monk and Sonja are. I'm from the present." Kennedy stopped. She scratched her head. "Actually I just recently found out that I left my home seven years ago. We followed Nikademus through time and ended up here, seven years after I originally left." "How far back did you go?" Sena asked. He was really into the story now. "We are from the feudal era," Marcello answered. "And according to Kennedy, that is some six hundred years ago from this current time era." "Holy moley," Sena said, somewhat flustered. "So why did Nikademus pick this particular time period?" "An ally of his," Marcello started, "an ally of his, she's dead now, told us of his plan. He used his power to pinpoint a future event in time which would allow him to regain all that he lost." "In other words, he ran," Steppen-wulf chimed in, his arms crossed. "His power is fueled by darkness, concentrated evil. And he ran to this time period because he assumes something bad is going to happen." Sena sighed. Here we go again, he thought. "How do you know this?" Sena asked Steppen-wulf. He looked right at the robed figure. "Because he's a half-demon, too," Kennedy answered. "Ehhhhhh?!" Sena exclaimed. "Don't worry," Marcello said with a grin. "He's a good soul." "Bah," Steppen-wulf muttered. "Steppen-wulf is half-human," Kennedy said. "His mother was human." "Wow," Sena said. He looked back behind himself. "Say, why don't I introduce you guys to my friends. I'm sure they would like to meet you." Sena led the group back to the creek where Minami and Spike were still standing by. Everyone said their hellos and the talking began. Spike started his rounds with Kennedy and Sonja but when he noticed how close Kennedy stood by Steppen-wulf and how Sonja seemed to tag along with Marcello as they talked with Sen and Min, he gave up. Always the odd man out, Spike thought to himself. Later in the afternoon, all but Minami and Sonja were sitting on the ground, telling stories of what they had seen and done. Minami had learned that Sonja was close to her own age and the two girls were standing alone, talking. "So how did you meet Steppen-wulf and the others?" Minami asked, munching on an apple. "It was a misunderstanding, really," Sonja answered. "But it was Nikademus. He took my father's life. And my brother's. Or so I thought." "What do you mean?" Minami wondered. A thought came to her head. "He's not really dead," Sonja continued. "I saw my father and brother killed by Nikademus. I actually attacked Steppen-wulf, thinking he was an associate of Nikademus. After all was explained, we encountered my brother ambushing innocents. I chased after him and ran into Nikademus. He was controlling my brother." Sonja stopped. She looked toward the group of friends on the ground. "Nikademus was using his ghost pokemon power," she continued. "He was controlling my brother's body with his spirit. Nikademus asked me to join him and he would free my brother. I almost did." Sonja closed her eyes and gave a little smile. "That's what I love about those three over there," she said. "They know how hard it's been for me take all this in. I had decided to find a way to beat Nikademus. And we came close. He was nearly finished when he fled here. I found my brother's body. He's alive but his spirit isn't there. Nikademus still has it." Sonja stopped and the two girls stood still for a few moments. "I had a brother once," Minami said, breaking the silence. "He got sick and died. I was nine." Minami turned her head and stared at the creek. The water was flowing slowly. "This isn't really my place to say," she continued, "but I kinda envy you, Sonja. I wish I had a chance to save my brother if I could." "I'm sorry," Sonja said, looking at Minami. "Thanks," Minami said. "You know, I used to think that I would always be grieving his death. But over time, I've pretty much accepted it as something that just happens sometimes. And Sena. Meeting Sena has really helped. He's so understanding." "That's great," Sonja said. She turned her head to face the sitting group again. "If you don't mind me asking," Minami started, with a little smile. "Is their something going on between you and Marcello? I couldn't help noticing how close the two of you stand to each other." Sonja blushed right away. "That's, um, still a point of contention," she said, still looking at the group. "Come on, Sonja," Minami said, grinning. "No need to be coy. You can tell me. I won't say anything." "Well," Sonja said, her head now facing Minami, her eyes fixed on the ground. "I do love him. And I know he loves me. But we haven't told each other yet." She paused. "It's strange," she continued. "We came to this odd decision. We agreed to live together after it's all said and done. But we didn't exactly confess our true feelings." "Why not?" Minami asked. Sonja lifted up her eyes up. "Two things," Sonja said. "You see the glove that Sir Monk wears? He's covering up something nasty on the palm of his hand. It's slowly killing him. And Nikademus is the one who put it there. If Sir Monk happens to die, the nasty thing will pass to his children. Our children." Sonja paused again. "Nikademus has to die," she continued. "And Sir Monk will be saved." "I see," Minami said, looking at the sitting group. "What's the other thing?" "Me," Sonja said. "I can't shake this feeling that there is something holding me back. I know Sir Monk's reason. But what's mine? Why can't I say that I love him and that I would do anything for him?" She sighed. "Sometimes I feel as though my life is a book but I'm not the one writing it," Sonja declared. "Huh?" Minami said, a confused look on her face. "It's hard to explain," Sonja continued. "I believe there's this universal plan, right, that's already mapped out. There is someone or something controlling every action, every response. You see?" "You sorta lost me," Minami confessed. "Our future," Sonja said. "We don't control our future. It's already decided. Why haven't I told Sir Monk that I love him? Because it's not part of the universal plan. Will we ever defeat Nikademus? I don't know. But someone or something does know. And it's already written down in some notebook somewhere." Sonja stopped. Minami stood silent. "I'm sure there are people out there in the world, past or present, that have seen the plan," Sonja continued. "They probably know what's going to happen. And either they keep it to themselves or they try to make sure it occurs." "Or doesn't occur," Minami interjected. Sonja gave a surprised look. "That's possible," Sonja said. "But what are the chances of that happening?" "You just have to fight the future, Sonja-chan," Minami shrugged. "My future's already decided," Sonja conceded. "And I hate that it is." The next day, the group had breakfast and prepared themselves to go their separate ways. Everyone said their good-byes and shook hands. Minami and Sonja gave each other a hug. "Don't worry," Minami whispered into Sonja's ear. "Everything's going to be alright." The two girls faced each other, holding each other's hands. "I'm not too sure about that," Sonja answered. "But I hope you're right." Everyone waved to each other as they started down the main path. Sena, Spike and Minami continued to head south, on their way to meet the mysterious stranger. The three friends were with their own thoughts, as the day grew warmer. "That Nikademus fellow seems really gruesome," Spike said, breaking the silence. "Yeah," Sena said. "I hope those guys get him. The evil he carries within him, it's pretty strong." Sena looked over to Minami. She was quiet, her eyes focused on something else. "You alright?" Sena asked, as he got a little closer to her. "Uh huh," Minami answered, still focused elsewhere. "You and Sonja were really talking a long time last night," Sena said, now looking straight ahead. "What were y'all talking about?" "The future," Minami said. Sena was taken aback. "Oh, yeah?" he asked. "That's different." "Sen-kun," Minami said softly. "Do you know the future? Do you know what's going to happen already?" Spike heard this and his eyes opened wide. Sena was a bit stunned himself. "Sen-kun," Minami continued. "Is this why you don't tell us anything? Is something bad going to happen?" Sena sighed. "Yes," he answered. "But that's only half the story. The other half, I'm in the dark myself." It was amazing how loud a room could be with only one person in it. True, big never-ending rooms like hers do have good acoustics. But was no other living being in there. Just herself. Amazing. Machines were meant to be silent. However, when you have a whole bunch of them together, it sounds like you were on a battlefield. Noisy machines. She saw the reminder light flashing on her screen and another blinking light. Uh oh, she thought. Must be important. She ran around her workstation and jumped into a chair that was sitting in front of a huge flat display screen. She took a deep breath. "Computer report," she said. The machinery in front of her started to gurgle and lights all around had turned on. Finally, the flat screen flashed on. There were numerous computer charts and graphs and numbers displayed on the screen. "Good afternoon, ma'am," a cold mechanical voice said. "Good afternoon, computer," she responded. "What have yeh got for me t'day?" "You were correct, ma'am," the voice said. "He is coming. On his current trajectory, he will be here in a couple of days." "Aye," she said. "So just the question remains: will he be freend or foe?" To Be Continued