Australian Chaos
Cool Trainer
Utopia is where dreams and reality are one.
Posts: 198
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Post by Australian Chaos on Feb 28, 2011 2:43:50 GMT -5
Okay, I completely forgot about this fan-fic idea...time for a massive plot and title revision.
I have since adjusted this idea, and with a new title and plot, I think I should have everything mostly fleshed out.
On top of that, I have actually made some progress writing this one, and as such, I have a little 'teaser' of sorts...the Prologue of the story! Enjoy!
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Prologue
The Final Trial
From the moment Tyson Collins accepted the challenge, he knew he had lost. How could he win, he was challenging Angela of all people! He, once again, questioned the rationality of challenging the woman who was essentially his boss, the leader of the Dragon Tamers, and easily one of the best Pokemon Trainers in Johto, if not the world.
But he cast his own questioning aside, as he had little choice. He was still a trainee Dragon Tamer, yet to be fully included in their ranks. At twenty years of age, he was old for a trainee, but such was the price of being accepted into the Tamer's ranks later than usual. Now, finally, he had reached his Trial Day, a day where Angela, as the leader of the Tamers, put him through a series of trials to test not only his worth among the Tamers, but the worth of his Pokemon.
And now here he was, at the final test, the last trial. He had passed all the others with flying colours, but even so, he was still nervous about this trial. For he had to challenge Angela herself to a Pokemon battle. Tyson had seen Angela's Pokemon in action, and knew that they were strong, smart, and very capable. It was heavily rumoured among the Tamers that Angela had actually beaten the current Champion of the Johto/Kanto Pokemon League in a battle, but refused to take up the mantle herself.
And now, as he stood at the challenger's end of the arena in Blackthorn City's Gym, facing Angela at the Leader's end, who was casually tossing a PokeBall into the air, he was starting to believe those rumours. How was any Trainee supposed to pass this test? No-one had ever seen Angela defeated in battle before, surely he wasn't expected to win just to attain his status as a fully-fledged Dragon Tamer? Then again, the conditions of this test had not been outlined, and it was expected that he was not to show any restraint, for he would not be given any himself.
“Alright, Tyson, are you ready for the test?” Angela called from the far side of the arena, snapping the dark-skinned trainee out of his thoughts. He looked nervously at the woman Trainers, Dragon Tamers, and Gym Leaders alike looked up to, before turning and looking down at the Persian sitting by his side. The Persian in question, called Topaz for the unique, gold-coloured gem on it's forehead, as opposed to the normal red, was his first Pokemon, and closest friend and companion. Many Trainers tended to look twice when the first saw Topaz, not only for the gem, but for her strikingly pale, almost white fur, an extremely rare look for a Persian.
“You ready for this, Topaz?” he asked his companion, his nervousness all too clear in his normally casual voice. The Persian responded by looking up at him briefly, nodding once, and resuming glaring at Angela from across the arena. Normally Topaz was much more carefree and playful, but this was a battle, and an important one, meaning Topaz was all business. She was a highly competitive battler, and knew the stakes of this battle...she would not let Tyson down if she could help it.
Scratching Topaz affectionately behind the ears, managing a half-hearted smile at the Classy Cat's complete calm, Tyson turned his attention back to Angela. “As ready as I'll ever be, ma'am,” he replied, keeping his tone as respectful as he could through his nervousness. Angela was a fairly strict leader, and Tyson always paid her the respect her position deserved.
Angela nodded in response, smirking as she stopped casually tossing ball, keeping a tighter grip on it now. “Then let's get it started!” she called, her voice full of confidence as she gave a casual, but rather elegant flourish, before tossing the PokeBall out into the arena, Tyson watching as it snapped open, a flash of white light bursting from it, quickly materialising into a long, serpentine form as the PokeBall returned to Angela's waiting hand.
Even before the light faded, revealing the Pokemon underneath, Tyson knew what it was...every Dragon Tamer could recognise that silhouette in an instant, especially since it was generally seen as the Pokemon mascot of their society. The Dragonair – which Tyson knew to be called Regina – gave a shrill, aggressive cry, obviously ready to fight, without holding back.
Tyson's nervousness returned with a vengeance as he eyed the Dragonair. Angela may have a huge reputation, but that didn't mean her Pokemon were overlooked, either. He knew for a fact that Regina could be a very fierce fighter, and despite all the training he himself had gone through with his Pokemon, a vicious opponent.
Taking a nervous, shaky breath, the trainee turned to Topaz, who glared at Regina fiercely, obviously ready and willing to prove she could take the Dragonair on. “No, Topaz,” he said gently, causing the Persian's aggressive stance to soften as she looked up at him questioningly. “Remember the plan,” he said simply. The Persian appeared to give the feline equivalent of a sigh, before turning back and glaring fiercely at Regina, seemingly trying to take her out with looks alone, even though the Dragonair wasn't even slightly peturbed, instead looking at Tyson, obviously waiting for his call.
Knowing that Topaz would not interfere in the fight without a solid reason now, Tyson reached to his belt, pulling out a PokeBall, expanding the small orb to it's regular size. Since his plan involved saving Topaz for later in the battle, that meant he had to open this battle with the only other Pokemon in his possession, currently residing in the PokeBall in his hand. Sighing once more, not liking the fact that he was sending his companion into what was certain to be a sound beating, he dispensed with any flourish many seasoned Trainers like to perform, and simply tossed the PokeBall out into the arena, both him and Angela watching as it snapped open, the flash of light morphing into a serpentine form very similar to Regina, but smaller, and lacking the small wings and orbs Dragonairs possess. A Dratini...Dragonair's pre-evolutionary form.
One of Tyson's first tasks as a Trainee Tamer had been, obviously, to find a Dragon Pokemon of his own. A Dragon Tamer without a Dragon-type Pokemon was just out of place. In the end, Tyson had found Ladon in a dark corner of the Dragon's Den, apparently lost, still very young. Rather than capture him, as most opportunistic Trainers would have, Tyson tracked down Ladon's family, in doing so winning the young Dratini's affection and trust, the young Dragon Pokemon's parents entrusting him into his care afterwards. He had almost reached the age where most Dratini separate from their families and start fending completely for themselves. But ever since that day, Ladon and Tyson had grown almost as close as a Pokemon and Trainer could become, the young Dragon-type almost unfailingly loyal to Tyson.
As Ladon materialised, it took in it's surroundings, quickly recognising Blackthorn's Gym arena, before twisting its body to look at Tyson questioningly, obviously confirming it was about to battle. Tyson sighed again, nodding in confirmation. “Our final test, Ladon,” he said simply, his voice still nervous. While he could not understand Pokemon speech, although he knew Ladon and Topaz could understand each other, his Pokemon could understand him, and he had picked up on a few behavioural traits over his time raising both Ladon and Topaz.
In response to Tyson's vague confirmation, Ladon nodded, his large, usually cute eyes gaining a hard gleam to them as he mentally steeled himself for battle, before turning back, noticeably hesitating as he noticed who he was fighting...and who Regina's trainer was. Tyson winced as he picked this up, knowing Ladon was going to suffer in this battle, and also knowing that Ladon would gladly endure it for him. Even that thought did little to ease his conscience as he waited on another Dragon Tamer, standing off the side as referee, waiting for them to signal the beginning of the battle.
“Ready?” said referee called to them, Angela responding with a single, hard nod, her raven hair swaying slightly in time with her maroon cloak, a public symbol of her status as head of the Dragon Tamers. Her steely gaze never stopped eyeing Ladon, obviously watching her opponent, ready to call instructions and advice to her Pokemon if Ladon moved. Tyson for his part, pulled a hand out from behind his own cloak, his the faded grey of a Trainee, and gave the referee a brief, nervous wave, not trusting his voice right now. He was as ready as he would ever be, even if he was convinced it would not be enough.
There was a moment's pause, which felt like an eternity to Tyson, as the referee watched both him and Angela, making sure they were both truly ready to begin. Then, finally, the cry of “Begin!” came, and the arena exploded into action.
Without any prompting from Angela, Regina opened the battle without wasting a moment, the Dragonair's mouth opening wide as a bundle of deep blue energy formed inside, rapidly growing as Regina's head leaned back, winding up for the release of the Dragon Pulse attack. A rare move for Dragonairs, but not unheard of...and certainly not something Tyson wanted to see.
“Ladon, move!” Tyson roared, praying Ladon knew what was coming and acted fast...Tyson doubted his friend could take a hit like that so early on. Outside of a battle like this one, where Pokemon were required by law to put protective auras around their attacks to avoid causing permanent harm to their opponent, such a move against Ladon could easily kill him. Even with the power-dampening aura, though, Ladon would still feel such a hit, and definitely be hurting.
But Ladon was well aware of what was happening, giving a shrill cry, the small snake-like Pokemon bounced aside right as Regina spat the Dragon Pulse in his direction, the ball of energy sailing across the arena at an insanely fast speed, before slamming into the ground where Ladon had been not one second ago, exploding against the ground with enough force, despite the protective aura, to knock Ladon off-balance, and send both Tyson and Angela's cloaks billowing back.
“Ladon, call in a Twister!” Tyson cried, trying to get his friend to launch some sort of offensive while he still could. But Regina had the advantage, and as Ladon struggled to regain his bearing, she used it to its fullest. The Dragonair darted forward with a grace that belied her sheer speed, and before Ladon could properly enact Tyson's command, she was upon him, the blue orbs on the end of her tail glowing white as she flicked said tail back, before swinging it forcefully.
The Slam attack had little chance of missing the little Dratini, and with a pained squeal, Ladon was tossed into the air like a ragdoll, sailing across the arena, away from Tyson, slamming back to the ground forcefully, not moving.
“Ladon!” Tyson cried, concerned for his friend. They had trained hard, and battled other Tamers before, but this was an entirely different matter, and that Slam attack had been brutal. Angela definitely did not mess around, and neither did her Pokemon. But after a moment, Ladon moved, pulling himself shakily back up, causing Tyson to heave a sigh of relief. Across the arena, Angela raised a single eyebrow, a sign Tyson took as mild surprise...she had obviously expected Ladon to go down from that strike.
Ladon in the meantime, seemed to realise he was not going to receive any mercy, and somehow, as Regina went in for another strike, the Dratini whipped around, his mouth opening as he turned and, before Regina could react, a bright, blue beam, tinged with crimson flecks, burst out, striking Regina just below her neck orb before she could move out of its way.
Tyson expected that a Pokemon as strong as Regina would be able to handle such an attack with ease, and true to his expectations, the short beam only caused the Dragonair to back off, slightly dazed. Knowing a fast recovery would mean a revenge strike in a matter of moments, Tyson called out once more. “Press the advantage, Ladon! Don't give her a chance to retaliate!”
Ladon gave no sign that he had heard, but the way his eyes narrowed slightly was more than enough for Tyson. They had learned early on that responding to commands just gave the foe a chance to strike back, and as such, they had taught themselves to follow commands without acknowledging them. As Regina shook her daze off, the small, white orb embedded into Ladon's head began to glow, a sure sign of an incoming Twister from the little guy.
Angela seemed to notice this, too, but if she was concerned, she did not show it. “Regina, watch the Twister!” she called, her voice perfectly calm, the embodiment of leadership. Regina in response, charged Ladon, her tail orbs glowing as she attempted to Slam Ladon once more. Tyson called a warning to Ladon, but in the end, his call was unheard, and unneeded. Ladon's Twister whipped into existence around Regina, and while it did not have enough power to throw her off the ground, it did ruin her balance, her Slam attack cleanly missing, much to Tyson's relief, as he looked over at Angela, trying to gauge her response. She was no longer hiding her surprise at Ladon's ability to pose a contest, but was also smirking, a sure sign that she had a plan, one that did not bode well for Ladon.
“Ladon, call it off! Regina's up to something, get out of there!” Tyson shouted desperately, missing Angela's own command over his own voice. Ladon turned to face him, still holding the Twister, which was keeping Regina at bay, obviously confused.
It was that moment of hesitation that cost Ladon dearly. In the seconds he tried to understand Tyson's orders, Regina sprang into action, her neck orb glowing from within the Twister, before a devastating burst of electricity burst from all three orbs her body possessed, along with the horn atop her head. The Thunderbolt swirled inside the Twister, almost seeming to gather energy and momentum from it, before tracing the Twister back to its source...Ladon, and striking.
Ladon yelped as he saw what was happening, and tried to back away, but it was far too late by then, the swirling electricity gathering and launching itself at Ladon, slamming into him with enough force to throw him backwards, the Twister dying out as Ladon slammed to the ground, the attack holding him in shock for several long, agonising seconds before disappating, leaving a battered and bruised Ladon behind, dazed and panting. The Thunderbolt had hurt him...badly. He looked up at Tyson weakly, his eyes pleading forgiveness, before he gave one weak croon...and promptly fainted, collapsing to the ground.
“Ladon!” Tyson cried, desperate to go to his companion, but knowing the rules of the battle forbade him from entering the arena. And in this trial, he was also forbidden from healing or reviving his Pokemon. Ladon's part in this trial was over.
Tyson barely heard the referee's call of Regina's victory as he pulled out his PokeBall, recalling Ladon for safekeeping until he could get to the Tamer's local healers to have Ladon fixed up. Looking over to Angela, he noticed that Regina was back where she had been when the battle had started, looking noticeably worse for wear. She might be strong, like all of Angela's Pokemon, but Ladon's two attacks had done their damage. Regina clearly still had a lot of fight left in her, but was tiring. Angela, for her part, was instead looking at Tyson, her expression unreadable.
“I must admit, your Dratini put up more of a fight than I expected,” Angela finally said, her tone as unreadable as her face. If she was impressed, she was not showing it. “But if you want to prove yourself to me, your pet had better show me more,” she added, eyeing Topaz with obvious disdain.
Tyson frowned at the slight against his oldest friend and closest companion, while Topaz settled for just growling menacingly at Regina, obviously ready to avenge Ladon for the pain the Dratini had been forced to endure. He knew Angela believed that Dragon Tamers should stick with Dragon-type Pokemon as their companions, and looked down on Tamers like him, who included other types in his team.
Deciding not to respond to Angela, not wanting to say something stupid to his leader, he instead turned to the Persian by his side, speaking up as she looked back at him. “It's all you, now,” he said softly. “Show them how good you are.”
Topaz gave him the feline equivalent of a grin, nodding and nuzzling his hip affectionately, before stepping out into the arena, the referee calling her involvement in the battle, before pausing, and signalling the battle to resume. The opening of the second round was just as sudden and explosive as the first.
Regina once more pressed the offensive, but instead of a Dragon Pulse, she charged Topaz, her body a glowing white and red slipstream as she went in for a crushing Dragon Rush, moving fast, obviously intending on hitting Topaz with everything she had fast, trying to end the battle quickly before Topaz could take advantage of her weakened state.
But Topaz was alert and ready for a fast offensive, and her feline grace kicking in as she rolled aside with stunning agility. Rolling to her paws, she casually sauntered towards Regina as the Dragonair recovered from her missed attack. Tyson was about to call Topaz's actions into question, but realised what she was doing, and firmly shut his mouth, watching Angela for any reaction.
As Regina turned, she paused for a brief moment, confused at Topaz's completely casual and passive walk, looking completely innocent. Topaz used that to full advantage, darting forward suddenly, her right forepaw glowing white as she lashed out, her backhanded strike catching the Dragon Pokemon across the cheek, causing it to recoil back as Topaz jumped away quickly, yowling in amused triumph.
Tyson couldn't believe what he was seeing. Topaz was facing off against Regina...toying with the Dragonair...and winning, too. For a brief moment, he caught Angela in a moment of surprise, obviously astounded by Topaz's daring. But it quickly settled back into her blank mask, although her eyes now flashed dangerously. “Regina, show this Persian the price of games,” she called coldly.
Tyson ignored the urge to call a command of his own, seeing Topaz's alert, ready stance. She knew what she was doing...all Tyson could do was trust her, and pray it worked out...he really needed to impress Angela if he wanted to pass her trail...he knew the objective could not possibly be to win, that was impossible. He just hoped he was doing well enough.
Regina responded to Angela's command by glaring at Topaz, obviously angered by the last attack, which had barely done any damage, but had left the Dragonair enraged. She once more reared back, her mouth opening wide as another Dragon Pulse charged up inside. This time, she did not bother to put the full force of her power behind it, trying to take Topaz by surprise and unleashing it half-formed, the ball of bright blue energy streaking towards the Classy Cat rapidly.
Topaz yelped in surprise, obviously expecting it to take a little longer, and moved to dive aside hurriedly. But the element of surprise worked in Regina's favour, as as Topaz tried to get out of the way, the pulse grazed her hip, the blast knocking her away, where she crashed into the arena floor, rolling several times, before coming to a stop, a low groan escaping her throat.
“Topaz!” Tyson cried, knowing how powerful even a small Dragon Pulse could be. “Come on, Topaz, get up!” he called pleadingly, hoping she was alright. His desperation turned to relief as Topaz slowly got back up, dazed and obviously hurt, but still okay, and still up for fighting.
Turning back to Regina, Tyson noticed her performing some majestic dance of sorts, obviously using a Dragon Dance to wind herself up into a frenzy. “Topaz, now!” he cried, emphasising the last word as part of their plan, praying Topaz could pull it off quickly enough. Once Regina was done, she would be at Topaz again with a vengeance.
Topaz smiled at Tyson, shakily finding her balance and facing Regina, the golden gem on the Persian's head glowing fiercely as she wound up for an attack...one she and Tyson had been training with lately, trying to perfect the exotic move.
Angela noticed Topaz's gem glowing brighter and brighter, and realising that something was happening. “Regina, strike now! Don't give her a chance!” she called, the slightest note of desperation to her voice. She knew that the Persian was winding up for something big, and Tyson smiled slightly, knowing he was using her disdain for non-Dragon Pokemon to his advantage to surprise her and Regina.
Regina, hearing her Tamer's command, stopped the dance short, turning to face Topaz, her own orbs glowing yellow as she wound up another Thunderbolt attack. The Dragonair's features betrayed her, though...she was tired, and she was panicking, unsure of what Topaz was about to lash out with.
In her panicked attempts to gather the Electric attack, Topaz got the precious moment she needed, and as the white glow on her gem grew blindingly bright, she finally, with a fierce roar, unleashed it, a cluster of small, multicoloured gem-shaped pulses of light and energy firing from her gem, streaking towards Regina in small groups.
Regina, too busy trying to get her Thunderbolt ready, had no way of moving to avoid the attack, the Power Gem attack striking her long body in several places simultaneously, a pained screech tearing from her throat as the force of the multiple impacts threw her back, the long Pokemon crashing heavily to the arena floor.
Tyson watched the Dragonair for several moments, waiting for Regina to get back up. But the Dragonair remained still and silent, until the referee finally declared the battle over. For several moments, Tyson just stood there, his gaze still locked on Regina's unconscious form, barely able to believe it. He had actually defeated one of Angela's prized Pokemon, something many of the more experienced Dragon Tamers struggled with most of the time. Granted, they had underestimated Topaz's abilities, but it was still an achievement, and his heart swelled with pride for his companion as she gave a loud roar of triumph, her competitive side showing itself proudly.
Eventually, Tyson was snapped from his trance when Regina disappeared in a red flash of energy, as Angela called her Pokemon back, her face twitching lightly as her stony mask threatened to give way. Tyson couldn't be sure, but he guessed she was surprised at his victory, and angry at her own loss.
“I must admit, this is unexpected,” she finally admitted, her voice betraying her mild astonishment. “But I'm tired of these games. Let's see how long your kitten lasts against this!” With that statement, she pulled an elegant, obviously customised PokeBall from her belt, hurling it out into the arena with an aggressive flourish, the ball snapping open, presenting another serpentine form to the battle.
For a moment, Tyson though Angela might have produced a second Dragonair, but as the white energy's serpentine shape developed further, he paled, realising that Angela had just decided to end the battle right then and there, by bringing out her signature Pokemon which, while strictly not a Dragon-type, certainly had Dragon tendencies, much like Charizard or Gyarados. It was her most powerful, and most prized member of her team...a Milotic known as Puella.
Puella was almost a legend among the Dragon Tamers, something even the best of them feared. The Milotic, unlike many of her species, was powerful and very aggressive. And while Milotics were known for their almost telekinetic ability to send empathic waves of calm over anyone in their immediate vicinity, Puella and Angela had twisted it to their own ways, making it an unmatched battle element.
At the revelation of Puella, even Topaz's normally hard battle gaze flickered in a brief display of fear, the Tender Pokemon simply having so much reputation that even her normally brave face was forced to concede that she was in way over her depth now. As far as anyone was aware, Puella had never once been defeated in battle, and if the rumours were to be believed, that reputation was unlikely to ever change.
Vaguely, Tyson heard the referee call for the beginning of the third round of the fight, and even though he turned his gaze to the arena to watch, he did not issue a command of any kind...he knew there was little point. He had half a mind to call a forfeit, but knew that both Angela and Topaz would be unhappy if he did so. All he could do was watch, wait, and pray Topaz didn't come out of the fight too badly hurt.
As it was, Tyson's mindset of the battle being over before it began was not far wrong. From the moment the battle began, Puella sprang into very subtle action. The Water-type's large eyes glowing an odd pinkish-purple colour, a sure sign of an incoming Psychic performance. Before Topaz could do anything in response to this, her stance relaxed, her claws sheathing as her entire demeanour turned calm and passive, clearly non-threatening.
Tyson didn't need to even look at Topaz to understand what was happening. He could feel the power of Puella's Captivate himself, even from across the arena. While Captivate was a calming power that generally only influenced the opposite gender of the Pokemon in question, it was known that, if powerful enough, if could affect anyone and anything with a brain. Add that to Milotic's natural empathy, adding further calming influence, and Topaz never had a chance of resisting.
But even with the residual effects of the Captivate on him, Tyson still felt all kinds of worry and trepidation as Puella casually slithered towards Topaz. He knew what was coming, he'd seen in all before. After putting her foe in a trance, Puella was free to attack however she wished, whenever she wished, and there was nothing the victim could do about...it was just too calmed by the Tender Pokemon's mental influences to care. And Topaz certainly looked calm, almost blissful as her adversary moved ever closer. Tyson guessed that, if he were closer, he could probably have heard the Classy Cat purring, even.
But then, just as Milotic paused, seeming to size Topaz up, calculating what move it could possibly use to end the battle, Topaz's relaxed, calm stance twitched, appearing to tense slightly before the briefest of instants. Tyson actually did a double-take, sure his eyes had tricked him. But even as he tried to determine whether he had actually seen it, it happened again, and this time, the tension remained. Topaz shook her head briefly, looking as if she was clearing the figurative cobwebs from her mind, before looking around wildly, almost as if she had forgotten where she was.
Then she attacked, her claws glowing white as they snapped free of their sheaths, the feline pouncing, the fierce Slash attack landing a solid, direct blow straight on Puella's cheek, sending the Milotic reeling back, obviously caught completely by surprise. Nothing had, as far as anyone was aware, ever fought back against Puella after coming under the influence of her allure, it was just too powerful.
From the sidelines, the referee actually gasped at the display, shocked at Topaz's sudden feat of throwing off the Captivate influence. Angela, for her part, was staring at Topaz, her jaw slack, if not quite dropping, and her eyes wide, in what was probably the biggest display of emotion she had ever made in a public setting. Even Tyson himself was staring in shock and awe, as the arena seemed to go still, almost holding it's breath...waiting for the response to Topaz's unexpected strike.
In the end, Puella's retaliation was swift, and vicious. Topaz, still recovering from the effects of Puella's allure, was defenceless as the fan-like scale arrangement on the tip of Puella's tail flared with blue energy, before becoming drenched in water that appeared to have been summoned from the light itself as the tail swung down, striking Topaz with a bone-crushing blow that sent her sailing across the area, yowling all the way. The Aqua Tail had struck her with so much force, that by the time she landed and skidded to a stop, not only was she clearly unconscious and defeated, but she had been sent over halfway across the arena, from Puella's position all the way back to Tyson's feet.
As the referee needlessly called an end to the battle, declaring Angela the victor, Tyson ignored it completely, immediately sitting down beside his closest companion, wordlessly pulling her head and shoulders onto his lap. Topaz absolutely hated PokeBalls of any kind, and ever since coming into Tyson's care, refused to ever be contained in one. Even though she was unconscious, hurt, and in need of a Pokemon Centre, Tyson knew she would be furious with him if he contained her to take her in for treatment. And with her size, she was simply too heavy and awkward to carry, despite Tyson's training leaving him moderately strong. All he could do was stay here with her, and wait for her to gain enough strength to walk again...once she woke up.
Not once did Tyson look up, or stop gently stroking Topaz's pale fur, guilt tugging at his heart for putting her – and Ladon – through the suffering they had just endured. Not even when Angela approached him did he look up to meet her gaze, but rather continued to comfort the unconscious Classy Cat, softly apologising into her ear over and over again, too softly for even his own ears to pick up.
He did distantly hear Angela speaking to him, but it was not until several minutes later, long after Angela had left, that they finally penetrated his mind, and he actually realised what she had said...and what she had left in his lap, as well.
“Tyson Collins, you may have lost this battle. But I will not lie, you have shown potential. Your Pokemon battled valiantly, despite facing obvious defeat, and refused to give in, even when you would rather keep them from harm. Yes, I know how reluctant you were to take this trial. Not only that, but you have proven your dedication to your training, both for yourself and your Pokemon, and have presented me with a worthy challenge. You have hereby passed all the trials, Tyson...congratulations, you are now one of us. Tomorrow, you will be officially inducted. For now, you may rest and recover...Dragon Tamer.”
When those words did sink in, Tyson finally felt the presence of something small that had dropped in his lap, next to Topaz's muzzle. Looking down at it, he instantly recognised it...a small, stylised Dragonair, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, carved out of what could only be the fang of a Dragonite. A simple, long cord was threaded through a hole in the carving's neck, looped around and long enough for the carving to be suspended around someone's neck as a charm. Despite many rumours to the contrary, this was the true symbol of the Dragon Tamers...anyone wearing one of these was an official Tamer, and now Tyson had one of his own. Something he had dreamed about since he was a small child was now his, at long last.
But, as Tyson's held the charm in his hand, and looked back at Topaz, he couldn't help but wonder why such a dream had to come at the price of so much suffering for his Pokemon...the two beings he cared most deeply for.
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NOTE: While this is the Prologue of the story, please do not expect any more content to be posted for quite some time...I'm trying to create a world for this story to be set in...it is not easy at all.
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Australian Chaos
Cool Trainer
Utopia is where dreams and reality are one.
Posts: 198
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Post by Australian Chaos on May 29, 2011 20:17:05 GMT -5
Okay, I haven't made very much progress writing this story, but you all deserve a bit more, so here's the next chapter of Vimenta's Legacy!
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Chapter 1
Rediscovery
A lone figure wandered through the streets of the small, underdeveloped town, moving at a brisk pace that would have suggested he was in a hurry...except that the long black coat concealing his figure, and the similarly midnight black fedora hat pulled down low on his head suggested that he simply did not want to draw attention to himself. But with the constant flutter of snowfall covering the whole town in a layer of white flakes, most people passed him off as someone trying to go about their business, while trying to hold back the unrelenting cold the town of Pulania suffered for most of the year.
This assumption was true to a certain extent, but if any of the townsfolk knew the intentions of this mysterious figure's 'business', they would have been much more worried. But the mysterious figure was unopposed and ignored as he moved swiftly through the streets, only pausing at brief moments, looking around as if confirming he was heading in the right direction, before moving off at the same pace as always.
After traversing a large portion of the town, he seemed to finally reach his destination, stopping briefly in front of a large cliff-face, the sheer wall being part of one of the highest mountains in the still-developing Vimenta region, one the world's newest developing regions, situated just north of Kanto.
Vimenta was a young region, was only a few small, half-constructed towns, and at present, only two Pokemon Gyms, although Pulania's Gym was currently under construction, due to be completed in a month or two. Despite its youth, the region was expanding fast, new towns popping up rapidly. People expected that it would not take very long at all for the region to become a thriving, populated place with it's own Pokemon League.
But the mysterious figure did not care for those details of Vimenta's young history as he stepped forward once more, making a path for a small opening into the cliff-face, a sign outside marking it as the entrance to the Genimo Ruins, one of the few key tourist attractions for the small town. The figure was only interested in one detail regarding Vimenta...one that he hoped these ruins might shed some light on.
Despite Vimenta's incredible youth compared to the others, or perhaps because of it, there were several mysteries surrounding the region, and it's populace...and one was still baffling researchers to this day: While psychics were heard of throughout the regions, telekinetic powers were a very rare ability in a human, to the point that most people will never meet one in their lifetime...excluding Sabrina, the Gym Leader in Saffron City, in Kanto, who is a well-known psychic that most trainers in the Kanto region end up meeting...if only to challenge her for her Gym Badge.
But Vimenta, even this early in it's history, had produced far more children with psychic talents than ever before. And even at the present, it showed no signs of slowing down. No-one could understand why this was happening, and in the end, people had little choice but to adjust to the strange turns of events, as baffling as they were.
But the reason this mysterious figure was in Pulania Town, was that the concentration of psychic births seemed to focus in this small town, and the figure suspected, and fervently hoped, that the Genimo Ruins might hold some secrets that would shed some light on the mystery of Vimenta's heavy association with psychic powers...not only were psychic humans unusually common, but many species of Psychic Pokemon were known to make their home in Vimenta, also concentrating heavily around the Genimo Mountain, where the Ruins resided.
With this thought in mind, the mysterious man entered the ruins, which did allow limited public access, not bothering to take off his hat or coat, despite being out of the sun, and in a warmer environment. He did not slow his pace, either, moving briskly through what was once an access tunnel for the ancient community, but now more accurately resembled a mining tunnel, support beams holding what was left of the half-collapsed stone tunnel up.
Again, in a strange sign that this man had a very specific goal in mind, he did not stop to look at the intricate carvings that adorned every intact stone that made up the tunnel. Where most would stop and wonder at the strange symbols, carved in precise detail, he simply ignored them and moved, only stopping once to peruse a single symbol that caught his attention, before grunting dismissively and moving on relentlessly once more.
He barely even slowed down as he entered to ruins proper, which appeared to be massive, underground city of stone, although much of it was now collapsed and destroyed. It was obvious that the city, when the people that once inhabited it had thrived, had been above ground, and the slow march of time had simply buried it under the ever-moving earth, only to now be re-exposed to the world once more by the effort of modern humans and their technology.
But the man seemed to have little interest in any of the wonder and history being presented before him, as he followed the walkways set up for visitors, heading deeper into the ruins, his intended destination become more and more obvious, his desire to get there only seeming to increase, barely restraining himself from breaking into a run as he finally came into sight of a large, ancient structure, also carved in the same intricate symbols and pictures the entry tunnel had been. It was obviously a temple of some kind, and the man was hoping that there would be some crucial information in here on the nature of the region, and why psychic talents seemed to be so prevalent here, of all places.
As the figure reached the open doorway leading into the temple, he paused, looking up at the massive opening before him, contemplating what could lie within. He could be leading himself on a wild Farfetch'd chase...or on the verge of his greatest discovery. Looking over his shoulder briefly, as if checking for followers, the figure then squared his shoulders and moved inside the temple, his pace now much more sedate as he looked all around him. He had arrived, now the search began.
Inside, the temple was just as ornate as the outside, with every wall, pillar, and even sections of the floor covered in symbols even more detailed and complex than the ones outside, the floodlights scattered around by the excavators giving every carving a clear contrast, making them stand out even more than usual.
Now that he had reached his goal, the figure slowed down, refusing to remove his hat even this far from the outside world, obviously wanting his identity kept hidden despite his apparent solitude right now. Pulling the collar of his coat a little higher, the man started looking around, perusing the many symbols and mumbling incoherently to himself, venturing deeper into the temple as he went.
But, as he reached the main area of the temple, he paused. Set in front of him were two raised, circular platforms, set side-by-side, looking slightly out of place for their emptiness. Most ancient temples had statues on similar platforms, but these ones were empty, almost as if they had once held something, only for it to have vanished long ago, possibly with the civilisation that built the temple. In between these two platforms was a another one, smaller and thinner than it's counterparts, about as wide as a basketball, as opposed to the platforms, which were as wide as a person was tall. On top of the smaller platform was an intricate cradle, obvious meant to hold some kind of circular, basketball-sized object, which had also long-since disappeared. The man knew he would have heard about it if the excavators had removed whatever had belonged on these three platforms, nothing escaped him. So whatever had been here had been lost before modern man had rediscovered it.
The hint of disappointment the man felt at this thought passed quickly, and he stepped closer to the platforms, actually moving off the walkways set aside for tourists, stepping onto the cold, untouched stone of the temple floor itself, smiling slightly at the luck he possessed that he was alone right now. Stepping right up to the platforms, the figure inspected them a little more closely, and stopped as he saw what lay on top of each platform.
There, carved into the top of all three platform, and inside the cradle of the third, were three large, ornately carved symbols, one for each platform. The symbols on the two large platforms were near-identical, and appeared to be depicting creatures of some kind...Pokemon, obviously. But there were subtle differences, telling the man that each platform had been reserved for each of the Pokemon depicted. The centre platform's symbol, however, was much simpler, depicting an object of some kind. At first, the man thought it was a symbol for the sun, but as he took out a collection of photos flipping through them, he realised, and hoped, that he was wrong.
Looking between the photos, and the symbols carved into the platform, his smile got wider and wider, as he held back a triumphant laugh. He had found it...at long last, he had found what he was looking for, and was one step closer to his goal! The two girls that had given him the photos he was looking at had been deceived by a ruse, and a very good one, too...but he had now found the truth, what he was really looking for.
As the man quickly grabbed his own camera, snapping a few photos of the intricate symbols for later inspection, along with a few photos of the platforms themselves, he couldn't help but let a small, satisfied chuckle escape his lips. After years of work, his ultimate goal was finally within his grasp. Just a little more time and effort would be all he would need...
What the man never noticed was another shadowed figure, watching him from the entrance to the temple as he inspected the pedestals, frowning, obviously displeased with what he seeing. After watching the first figure for a few moments more, the second mysterious figure turned and left, moving with just as much haste and purpose that the first figure had shown on his way in.
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