Two days later, we found ourselves strolling through the bustling boardwalk of Indigo Plateau. Trainers rushed past us, buzzing about their battles. Tech and I arrived the day before and were staying here in the competitors’ village. He was collected now, and morbidly excited about being hunted. We ambled along past the stores and crowds of trainers, staying roughly in the middle of the street. I was talking and wandering aimlessly, commenting on my match earlier in the day. Tech broke in by saying, “You should have seen yourself, man. Wow.”

I laughed briefly and replied, “Sorry bro, the only thing in my sight was victory.” I chuckled again and added, “…But that kid didn’t know what he was doing. I’ll meet my match here, I’m sure of it.” I reflected on the battle hours before.

My Articuno destroyed all three of my opponent’s Pokemon. Apollyon is unbelievably powerful. It’s a veritable force of nature. I’ll have to let the azure angel take a rest during my last match today. Several people in front of me stood aside as I passed, whispering about my Articuno. They were young and had an air of awe about them. I don’t blame them…I get that way around Apollyon too.

A fellow trainer congratulated me from nearby. He was just a kid, like Ash or Gary. A Pikachu with an unusual tuft of fur on its head sat on his shoulder and nibbled at the trainer’s blue hat. “Sparky, cut it out,” he snapped. I thanked him but kept moving.

“Your next match is at five,” Tech said. “We’d better head on over to the stadium.”

“Alright,” I responded. “Heather's going to meet us there. She only got in about an hour ago.”

“Cool,” he replied. “Know anything about your new opponent?”

“Not much,” I said. “I know that he’s from Fuschia, so he’s likely to use poison attacks. It’s only the second round-- I don’t expect him to be much of a challenge, but you never know.”

Someone started yelling over on the sidewalk. Two members of Team Rocket, a man a woman in their late teens or early twenties, jogged down the street with a Meowth in the lead. I recognized the two from the news and wanted posters in Viridian City… especially the woman, with her oddly long, red hair. The first one--James, I think, carried a glass container tightly in his arms. A Pikachu inside frantically tried to escape. The team laughed triumphantly, shouting some inane catch phrase about "blasting off again."

Jack didn't give it a second thought, but I hesitantly reached for a Pokeball on my belt. My hand brushed against Leviathan's Pokeball, but I didn't click the release mechanism. Not only would Leviathan be too big to fight in the street, but it had a... dark past dealing with people. My thoughts quickly darted to my Golem, Kabrakan.

I began feeling nervous about being out in public like this. The crowd had thinned out, and we were in plain view. What if government agents were closing on us right then? I turned around and motioned for Tech to follow me back to the stadium. Team Rocket would undoubtedly fail, even without my help. A vaguely familiar, young male voice shouted out behind me. “PIKACHU!”

A girl’s voice accompanied his. “Ash! Don’t let them get away!” I kept walking.

Page Seven
Page Seven

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