Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pseudo Shigeru ❯ Facing the Unown ( Chapter 11 )

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Shigeru's Pokémon battle with Unown boosts. Sorry if I forget to mention them, but I have actually experimented and found which Unown have which Hidden Powers. Don't worry, I plan to list the ENTIRE cast when this is over… ^_^

And I apologize if everything in the summary from last time doesn't show up here. The battles tend to take up more and more room, but rest assured unless there's a major plot change between the time I think it and the time I write it, everything will eventually happen.

Chapter 11: Facing the Unown

The very air was thick with tension.

Ironically, Shigeru didn't seem to sense that, and had not stopped smiling since Gary's arrival.

Gary had limited his motion to sitting and patting Sally's head.

Satoshi continued to stare at him, a mixture of anger and confusion in his eyes. He was obviously upset that he'd been tricked, but unsure of just what he should do about that.

Shigeru cleared his throat. "Well, my friends here," he said, gesturing to the ring of Unown around his waist, "say Misty could be a while, and they're getting antsy."

Gary stared blankly at him.

"So they'd like not to be bored any longer. They love to be useful, y'know. So, let's battle!"

Gary glanced at Satoshi, who still hadn't moved. "Who, me?" he asked at last. "Why?"

Shigeru shrugged. "If you really need a reason, we can make it interesting. Since you're obviously not from around here, let's both put something on the line. Something that would be hard to come by."

"Like what?" Gary asked warily.

"Hmm…if you win, you get the Unown. Limitless power at your beck and call, and all you have to do is beat me."

"And what if you win?"

Shigeru smiled. "If I win, I get…oh…to go to your world."

"WHAT?!" Gary cried.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm an explorer. I've been all over, but to another world…that's a real trip." He grinned. "Do we have a deal?"

Gary frowned. It was a huge risk, obviously. Taking Shigeru to his world would be…well, it was bound to be bad, if Professor Oak was so worried about the worlds crashing into each other. Better to leave everything and everyone from this world right here. "No. It's too risky. I can't take you to my world."

Shigeru chuckled. "You misunderstand, bro. I don't want to go WITH you. I want to go INSTEAD of you. In your place. Meaning you would stay here."

Gary stared at him. "You're nuts."

"Maybe. But I know what I want. And so do the Unown. And even if you don't accept, with their power, how long do you think it would take for me to find a way into your world, anyway?" Shigeru smirked. "I'll even make it more interesting for you. You win, you get the Unown, all my Pokémon, and…Lugia."

Gary's face lost some of its color, and he turned to look at the legendary bird. "But…he's not yours."

"That's not what this says," Shigeru replied, holding up a blue and white pokéball. "Lugia, return."

Amazingly, Dark Lugia bowed his head in submission, and vanished into the pokéball.

Satoshi's eyes widened slightly.

"Do we have a deal?" Shigeru asked again, shining the pokéball on his cloak.

Gary was still hesitant. "And you're willing to give up all that…just to go to my world?"

"Weeeell…since I did up the stakes, it's only fair that you do the same…"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

"I'm putting up infinite power, some of the best trained Pokémon in existence, and THE Legendary Lugia. I'd say the least you could offer me was….hmm…the trip, your Celebi, and…your memories."

Gary didn't think to ask how Shigeru knew of Sally's species. He was in too much shock for that. "You ARE crazy. I'm not giving you my memories!"

"Hate to break it to you, bro," Shigeru said softly, "but I wasn't really giving you a choice. Better just accept my terms and stand a chance of winning, than to have me take what I want. Because I can do that and save us all a bunch of time."

Gary gulped and glanced at Satoshi. He didn't appear to have been affected by anything Shigeru had just said. Chances were, he wasn't going to interfere on anyone's behalf, much less Gary's.

"So. Do we have a deal, bro?" Shigeru asked again.

Gary felt something brush his leg. He looked down to see Sally's vines tugging Eve's pokéball from his belt. Her large, blue eyes met his gaze, and she nodded, pushing the pokéball into his hands. Gary swallowed noisily and bit his lip. Sally had never steered him wrong before, but…this was way too risky. If he lost, he'd be trapped in this world. Shigeru would have the Unown, Lugia, and Sally. With that kind of power at his fingertips, he'd be unstoppable. And with Gary's memories, no one would ever suspect that he wasn't who he said he was.

The choice was suddenly made for him as Eve burst from her pokéball.

Shigeru grinned and drew out his own pokéball. "Glad you're seeing things my way. Go, Streak!"

Whatever the Pokémon was, it had been aptly named. Once the pokéball split open, only a red blur was visible.

Gary frowned. "I knew I'd regret this."

"It doesn't matter, Gary," Eve replied, glancing fondly at him over her shoulder. "I'll always fight for you." She squealed as her body took on a fiery red glow, and then darted forward.

* * * * *

Brock had always assumed that Sabrina's amazing psychic powers were a product of her mind. Therefore, without her mind, so to speak, she should've been unable to access them.

Clearly, this was no longer the case.

Or perhaps it was.

Brock knew for certain that Sabrina's mind had been transferred to Sylvie's body. That had left her own body brain-dead in every sense of the word. No vital signs, no heartbeat, no breathing. Just…dead.

For a matter of hours, anyway.

And then, without warning, the body HAD come to life…but it resembled a robot or a zombie more than anything else. There was a blank look in the eyes, and the face was equally blank. The movements were stiff and uncoordinated. Brock hadn't even been able to sense Sabrina's distinctive aura. It was as if someone had activated a remote from afar.

He had not tried to stop Sabrina's body, for fear of disrupting some psychic link that only Sabrina & Sylvie were aware of. Instead, he'd merely followed it, which, in itself, proved to be totally unnecessary. The few times when Brock did let the body out of his sight, he felt a strong, insistent tug. Finally, the tugs had gotten so strong that they lifted him, as well as Sabrina's body, high into the air.

In this manner, they'd reached airspace that Brock was all too familiar with. He would never forget the way Indigo Islands looked from above. For no reason that he could figure out, though, they were being tugged towards the arena.

Unknown to Brock, there was a pokéball on Sabrina's belt glowing faintly the entire trip.

* * * * *

"You're sure Gary & Ash are in the same place, Cleo?" Misty asked uncertainly.

Cleo nodded from her seat in the former Gym Leader's lap. "Yes, Misty. But you must remember, he won't be Ash unless you can break through Lugia's psychic conditioning and reach the real Ash."

"Right," Misty sighed. "That shouldn't be hard at all."

"Why is it WE always get the impossible jobs?" Leon complained. "This is why people catch Dratinis and Larvitars!"

"Is he always like this?"

Cleo sighed. "Almost, unfortunately. But he does have his good points. For example, he's more skilled at detecting higher level psychics than I am. Because psychics are usually trained to be strong against other psychics, they're especially weak against dark types."

"Excluding Lugia," Leon cut in. "Whom we'll almost certainly run into if we keep this up. You girls DO remember who Lugia is, don't you?"

"If it wasn't for me and my Pokémon, the Rocket League wouldn't even have him in the first place." Misty bit her lip. "This is all my fault. I have to stop him before it's too late."

"Couldn't you have done the hero bit BEFORE he got loose?!"

Misty ignored him. "Faster, Gyarados. There's no time to waste."

The Gyarados beneath them rumbled and increased its speed, streaking through the water like a bullet.

* * * * *

Giovanni watched the battle with great interest. Like Ash, once he'd seen Shigeru with his own eyes-the real one-he had known. It was more than just memory, deeper than a feeling or instinct. His father had been a ruthless, proud man, one that had gone to great lengths to fortify his bloodline. Perhaps it was that hunger for greatness, that thirst for immortality that made Giovanni recognize the true Shigeru. Or maybe it was something even beyond that-something as simple as how any good father knew his son.

Giovanni had been called a good father, but only once, and only concerning Satoshi. Despite that, he took pride in knowing that Shigeru had made something of himself.

Satoshi was the son that had grown under his father's wing.

Shigeru was the son that had left the nest before he was intended to.

And Gary…Gary, as far as Giovanni was concerned, no longer existed. Clearly, though, someone had set out to prove him wrong.

That was something he could not tolerate.

Then there was Lugia…or whatever it was the experiment had turned him into. His escape had not been foreseen, and had the other legendaries not been present in the arena, Giovanni might've been worried. But he had not achieved his goals so far by being ill prepared. For every trump card, there was a backup plan.

On the screen, Gary's Eevee belched out fireballs bigger around than she was. Yet each one that connected (and those were few, the target was extremely fast) with Shigeru's Scizor had almost no effect.

"Impressive," Giovanni muttered, before turning to his pet. "I think it's time we paid our friends a visit. Why don't you go out and play with them, Kitty?"

What had once been Giovanni's faithful Persian, and was now something much more, purred in anticipation as it leaped lightly from his lap and sprang out of the room.

* * * * *

Since he'd give her the EvoRing, Gary could count the times Eve had been outclassed on one hand and still have fingers leftover. But this was definitely starting to look like one of those times. The truly frightening thing was that Streak had yet to actually lay a claw on her. His speed alone spoke volumes, and Gary could only imagine how strong he really was.

Shigeru watched the match with little more than a small smirk. It was painfully clear that his faith in his Pokémon was unquestionable. But then, seeing as how each of them had been boosted by the Unown, he had every right to believe in them.

But as the match continued, Gary became less worried about what Streak might do to Eve, and more worried about what the EvoRing might do when it backfired. The reason it hadn't been licensed for public use was that under prolonged exposure to any one stone, the Pokémon could go into shock, suffer heart problems, or even transform permanently. As an Eevee, Eve's body was especially susceptible to transformation. Even as Gary watched, her neck ruff had become more pronounced and almost orange in color, while the rest of her coat was the color of blood. If Eve did manage to become a Flareon, there was a good chance she would not survive to test her newfound strength.

Finally, the stress became too much, and Eve froze in her tracks, gasping for air that was not there.

Shigeru grinned. "Streak! Show them your power! Extremespeed!"

The ground literally exploded under the Scizor's feet as he charged forward…and simply vanished.

Eve suddenly squealed in pain and dropped to the ground in a quivering heap, her fur stained with blood in various spots.

"EVE!" Gary screamed, and he would've run to her, if not for Sally's vines tightening around his legs.

Streak reappeared high above Eve, and went into a nosedive to strike the final blow.

"PSYCHIC!!!" two voices shouted at once.

Gary's eyes widened as twin Espeon leaped over his shoulders, their massive psychic waves overlapping to form what should've been a devastating attack on any Pokémon that was part bug.

Streak looked up as waves homed in on him, but instead of trying to dodge, he merely began to spin, twisting into the fastest version of Swords Dance anyone had ever witnessed.

The psychic waves slammed into Streak…and then bounced off, turning back on their initiators.

Gary was yanked aside by four pairs of hands as the waves missed him by inches and crashed into the arena seats, carving out a huge hole before continuing to fly out of sight.

"Are you hurt, Trainer Gary?" Cleo asked, concern in her tone as she pressed her front paws to his chest.

Gary blinked and stroked her back. "Just fine. Where'd you come from?"

"Don't you know? We're the cavalry," Leon replied, nodding to Misty. "Dunno who they are, though..."

Gary turned to see Duplica and a girl who looked almost exactly like her crouched beside the Espeon, who gradually turned back into a Ditto. "This is getting TOO weird."

"Just be glad we're on your side," Duplica replied.

"He's attacking!" Misty cried.

Streak had almost reached Eve now, and raised a solitary claw to strike.

Suddenly, a jagged bolt of yellow light tore through the air and struck Streak dead on the head. More precisely, it hit the pulsing Unown N on his forehead. A tiny scream was heard in the following explosion.

When the dust settled, Streak was revealed unconscious, and more importantly, Unown-less.

Pikachu stood crouched over Eve, the red electric sacks on his cheeks still cracking with power. Smoke drifted off his singed fur, and there was a new fire in his eyes that had never been there before.

"What was THAT?" Duplica asked.

"Lightning Dash," Satoshi said, suddenly in front of her. "We never had a chance to use it, until now."

Shigeru scowled. "Hey! This is between me, myself, and I!"

"It was, until you tried to kill the opposing Pokémon," Satoshi corrected, glaring at Shigeru coldly.

"It is my fault her trainer doesn't know when to quit?"

"You're the one that doesn't know when to quit!" Misty shouted angrily. "You were never like this before, Shigeru!"

"You're one to talk, Red," Shigeru laughed.

"Don't call her that," Satoshi snapped.

Misty blinked, as if noticing him for the first time. "Ash…"

He whirled on her. "What did you-?!"

"Ash," she said again, coming closer. "I called you Ash. That's your name. That's the name of the boy my heart always belonged to…even when I was with someone else."

Satoshi's face twisted in confusion, anger, and then confusion again. "Kasumi…you…"

"No," she said softly, pressing a finger to his lips. "You love me. Misty. Remember?"

"Misty…? But…you're not…"

Shigeru rolled his eyes and drew his next pokéball. "Hey, bro! Both of you! Clear the field so we can get this over with!"

Gary was already cradling Eve in his arms. "Can you hear me, girl? C'mon, say something, please?"

Eve coughed quietly. "…sorry…"

Gary smiled and gently stroked her head. "Don't be sorry, girl. I'm just glad you're alive. You were incredible out there." He looked at Pikachu, who was eyeing him warily. "Thanks, Pikachu."

"Chu." Pikachu returned to his trainer's side, which, fittingly enough, put him right beside Raikou.

Gary carefully carried Eve over to Duplica. "Look after her for me?"

Before Duplica could answer, Copycat came forward and took Eve, handling the wounded Pokémon as gently as a mother might her child.

Gary blinked. "Thanks…um…whoever you are."

"Her name's Copycat," Duplica explained. "But you've got a battle to finish. We'll take care of Eve."

* * * * *

Though Dragon's Den was not as dark as it usually would've been, Nurse Joy still hated having to travel through it. Despite the fact that she loved and respected all Pokémon, she had learned that many of them seemed to prefer undesirable living conditions. Undesirable to civilized humans, anyway.

Not that there was anything particularly undesirable about Dragon's Den. But sometimes, like right then, anyone would hate to be in a dark place.

The light of Mary's Mareep did help quite a bit, but Joy's feeling of unease remained.

Mikey & Mary were still very excited and hopeful over the possibility of stumbling upon a wild dragon.

Casey, on the other hand, was frustrated and angry. Frustrated because she had yet to lay eyes on Satoshi (or Ash, as she insisted on calling him), and angry because the group had decided to continue through Dragon's Den, rather than head elsewhere. Casey knew that Satoshi would be where the action was, and so they definitely would not be running into him (or anything even remotely interesting) anytime soon, save for perhaps a dragon, which she thought was next to impossible.

All of a sudden, Mary's Mareep bleated in fear and hid behind its trainer.

"What's wrong, girl?" Mary asked, kneeling to pet the sheep's head.

Finally glad to be of some use, Casey released her Electabuzz, certain that it would at least be braver and more helpful than a Mareep.

To the Pokémon's credit, Electabuzz took three steps before figuring out what had spooked its fellow electric type. And while it didn't turn tail and run, it did freeze in its tracks, and with good reason. The range of Electabuzz's glow was far greater than Mareep's, and its three steps soon revealed the obstruction to their path.

A few feet ahead was a wall of solid, splotchy stone. There was clearly no way around or through it.

"They're scared of a wall?" Mikey asked after a long moment.

"Maybe there's something behind it they don't like?" Mary guessed.

Casey found herself wishing she had a Girafarig.

Nurse Joy's eyes widened. "Kids," she said softly. "Let's turn around. Now."

"What? But we-" Mikey began to protest, until the woman's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Now," Joy repeated firmly.

Casey turned to her. "What do you see? What aren't we seeing?"

Mary gasped. "Is it a DRAGON'S nest?!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the wall exploded into life. Something huge was barely visible beyond the many rocks that crashed to the ground, tossing up dust, but the Pokémon saw it, and desperately tried to push their trainers back the way they'd come.

It soon became clear, however, that whatever had caused the explosion was following at a very rapid pace, and that there was no chance they'd outrun it. The very earth thundered under their feet as whatever it was began to catch up.

Joy stopped running suddenly, turned, and spread her arms.

"Nurse Joy, what are you DOING?!" Mary cried. "That thing's gonna squish us!"

"Maybe not," Casey murmured, touching the smaller girl's shoulder. "Just trust her, Mary."

The ground shook harder as the huge, shadowy shape came near, and only inches away from Joy, it came to an unexpected stop.

Mikey & Mary blinked in disbelief as the creature bent down and sniffed loudly at Joy's hair, then grunted, turned slowly, and lumbered deeper into the cave.

Casey fumbled for her Pokédex and pointed it at the creature just before it vanished behind a column of rock.

"Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon," reported the Pokédex.

"How'd you know it would stop?" Casey asked.

Nurse Joy slowly turned around, her face pale. "I didn't, really. I just took the chance that it would."

"WHAT?! You mean it could've--?!"

"Yes…if it were wild, we'd all be dust right now."

"So…what are you saying?"

Joy smiled and brushed the dust from her cloak. "Fortunately for us, trainers aren't the only ones who recognize me and my family."

"Then…THAT thing's been to a Pokémon Center before?" Mikey asked.

"Which means it has a trainer," Casey continued. "Still, that WAS a big risk, Nurse Joy."

"Just be glad that it paid off, Casey. Now, let's get out of here."

"No," said Casey. "You guys can go. I'm following The Hulk. I bet he knows where the action is!"

"Casey, that's crazy! It wouldn't attack me, but it probably doesn't even know you! No one ever knew Ash to keep a Larvitar!"

"Well, it didn't go crazy until Mary started shouting the d-word, and I'm betting it was trained to do that. And since YOU guys won't be with me, it won't HEAR the d-word, will it?" With that, Casey and Electabuzz ran off in the direction of the quickly fading (but still very loud) footfalls.

Nurse Joy sighed and shook her head. "We can't just leave her. But NO MORE shouting about you-know-whats, okay?"

"Forgot THEM," Mikey said, now staring at an image of a Tyranitar in his own Pokédex. "I want one of THESE!"

* * * * *

"Swift!" Gary & Shigeru shouted as one.

Cleo and Skarmory unleashed their attacks, and for a moment, they were even. Then Cleo was overwhelmed, and leaped back, only to be struck by a glancing blow as the steel bird dive-bombed her.

Gary held in a growl as an ugly red gash opened up on Cleo's left front leg. He had been in tough battles before, but never one that was so potentially fatal for his Pokémon. More than that, all of them weren't truly his: they were Frieda's. But at this rate, he wouldn't have to worry about facing her again. Ever.

Shigeru, on the other hand, was enjoying himself immensely. As far as he was concerned, the first battle had only been a draw because of Pikachu. He knew, however, that none of Gary's Pokémon stood a chance…unless, of course, he decided to put the Celebi in.

Skarmory soared high into the air, already shrieking in victory.

Shigeru nodded. "Got that right, pal. Time to end this. Electric Peck!"

The Unown M on Skarmory's head pulsed as electricity danced across its body.

Gary shook his head. "There's…just no way…"

"Don't you get it yet, bro?" Shigeru asked. "Nothing is impossible for the Unown. As you're about to see. Again."

Skarmory dove again, all the electricity racing to its beak.

Gary wracked his brain, and finally shouted, "Hidden Power!"

Cleo froze, almost as if picking up on Gary's hesitation, and then let loose with a huge Fire Blast.

For a moment, it looked as if the battle was won.

Then Skarmory tore through the flames and crashed into Cleo, driving them both into the ground hard. But while Skarmory stood up a moment later, Cleo remained still, her expression frozen in pain. There was a long cut that stretched along her side where Skarmory's charged beak had connected.

Before Gary could retrieve Cleo, Copycat was already scooping her up gently.

Cleo's eyes met his. "I…I failed you, Trainer Gary…"

"You did no such thing. You did your best, and that's all I ask for." He smiled and scratched behind her ears. "I know Frieda would be proud of you, just like I am."

Touched by the remark, Cleo slowly lifted her head from Copycat's arm and gently licked Gary's cheek before fainting.

Gary kissed her forehead before turning to Leon. "You ready, Leon?"

The Umbreon snorted. "I was hatched ready. But since I don't see any nurse caps on those two, anything happens to Pretty Cleo, I'm holding you responsible."

"So am I," Gary replied, glancing at Duplica & Copycat. Duplica was cradling Eve in her arms, and already he could see signs of improvement in his favorite Pokémon. "I just feel like I can trust them."

Shigeru laughed suddenly. "Umbreon, huh? Well, I could send out my Houndoom and see which dark is darker…but suddenly, I'm in the mood to embarrass you." He whistled sharply, and a tiny Natu instantly appeared on his shoulder.

"Oh, that's just LOW," Leon growled. "Now I HAVE to destroy it."

"Be careful," Gary warned, spotting the Unown Y on the little bird's head.

"Careful?! Are you CRAZY? I'm gonna WIN! There's no way that little guy can hurt me!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when the Natu vanished from Shigeru's shoulder, reappeared in midair above Leon's head, and knocked him ten feet away with a shockingly strong roundhouse kick to the face.

Gary's eyes doubled in size, and even Sally looked surprised…but there was a pleasant smile on her face, as if she was rooting for the underdog. And maybe she was, considering how many trainers considered psychics to be physically weak.

Shigeru grinned like mad. "I call him Chick Lee."

* * * * *

Brock grunted as he was set down somewhat unsteadily outside the arena. He immediately brought out his loyal Ninetails to guide him.

Sabrina's body hovered nearby, still with her eyes closed and still with a vacant expression.

"Glad you two could make it, Brock."

He whirled and put a hand to his heart upon realizing it was only Morty. "I didn't really have much of a choice. She's a forceful one, even without her mind."

"Desperate times and all," Morty replied with a shrug.

"Wait…wasn't Sylvie with you?" Brock asked, a feeling of dread rising in his gut.

"I'm right here," the girl replied, even as she appeared between Brock & Sabrina. She stared up at the lifeless body. "Time to reboot."

Before Brock could ask, Sylvie raised her arms, as if asking to be picked up, and Sabrina bent to lift her.

"How long is this going to take?" Morty asked, glancing uncertainly at the arena. "We don't want to be vulnerable, in case something-"

Sylvie cut him off with her smile. "Don't worry, Morty. Mr. Mist will keep us safe."

Instantly, the Misdreavus appeared above the two girls, its form warping and stretching until it had fashioned a makeshift cocoon around them. There were still two beady, red eyes staring at the two trainers.

"Well, no sense in missing everything," Brock reasoned.

"My thoughts exactly," Morty replied, stepping into the arena. Brock & Ninetails followed him in, and the gray cocoon brought up the rear.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 12: The Dark Dragon

When Shigeru calls his out his most fearsome (and undefeated) Pokémon, Gary is ready to surrender…until a Legendary steps in. But as the battle begins, Satoshi starts to remember his past. Could it have something to do with a certain cocoon?