Watchers of Raikou (PG-13)

[Gazmof]

Right, well, uh... I figure I've been around here long enough to post this, so here goes.

This fanfiction is now complete, as of the 29th January, 2007.

Chapter List:
Prologue/Chapter One: From Shadows Reborn
Chapter Two: Mystery In Ecruteak
Chapter Three: Fragments of Past
Chapter Four: The Journey Begins! Pokémon Trainer: Zak?!
Chapter Five: The First Gym Battle! Zak vs Morty - Ghost Attack!
Chapter Six: She Met Him At The Candy Store
Chapter Seven: Gym Battle Number 2! Zak vs Whitney!!
Chapter Eight: Ilex Forest And Into The Unknown!
Chapter Nine: The Mysterious Tanner
Chapter Ten: A Legend In Whispers
Chapter Eleven: Union Cave! Legend Of Blackrock!
Chapter Twelve: A New Foe Appears! Zak and Bugsy - Partners!?
Chapter Thirteen: Fast Forward - Four Months On
Chapter Fourteen: Zak vs Bugsy! Battle For Acceptance!!
Chapter Fifteen: Enter The Legendary Thief
Chapter Sixteen: Journey To Violet City! Pocket Explosion!!
Chapter Seventeen: Enroll! Violet City Tournament!!
Chapter Eighteen: Face-to-face! Axel and Zak!!
Chapter Nineteen: The Stray
Chapter Twenty: The Mystery Is Finally Revealed!
Chapter Twenty-One: Cloaks and Shadow
Chapter Twenty-Two: Clash of Titans! Watchers vs Guardians!!
Chapter Twenty-Three: When Myth Becomes Reality
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Chase
Chapter Twenty-Five: Ride on Wings of New Horizons
Chapter Twenty-Six: Arrival in Viridian
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Confrontation! Knite Arrives!!
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Viridian Freeway
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Zak vs Tamara! Battle of Endurance!!
Chapter Thirty: Guardians Reawakened
Chapter Thirty-One: The Mission is Clear: To Whirl Islands!
Chapter Thirty-Two: A New Teammate, An Old Enemy (Part One)
Chapter Thirty-Two: A New Teammate, An Old Enemy (Part Two)
Chapter Thirty-Three: Training Day: Pokémon Unite!
Chapter Thirty-Four: Finale: Zak vs Knite (Part One)
Chapter Thirty-Four: Finale: Zak vs Knite (Part Two)
Chapter Thirty-Four: Finale: Zak vs Knite (Part Three)
Epilogue: The Curtain Falls

If anyone wants to be put on a PM alert list, just reply or PM me to let me know and I'll send you a message and link whenever I add a new chapter to this story (usually every Saturday evening).

I originally posted this story up on Fanfiction.net about two years ago, but never completed it due to a variety of different reasons. Since then it has been extensively rewritten and so I feel now's as good a time as any to get it posted again.

This is an Original Trainer fic with a lot of Action and Adventure thrown in for good measure, based during the time of the Gold/Silver/Crystal games. It's rated PG-13 just to be safe, as it may get a little heavy in later chapters with a few adult themes and some funky violence. Oh, and Johto fans, take note! It's based entirely in the Johto region.

The idea's been around for a fair while, and it's an attempt at trying to merge both the anime and game worlds together to form a place where characters from both those universes coexist together (though obviously assuming the players from the games have been exchanged with Ash/Kenta/May/etc.). Having said that, some anime characters (mostly Gym Leaders) will make a few cameo appearances here and there, but Ash and co. are nowhere to be seen.

The story begins about mid-way through the Johto saga, with both Kenta and Ash having just defeated Whitney. I'll try and post a new chapter every week and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a few comments.

Well, enough of my rambling - allow me to unveil the combined prologue and first chapter of my Pokemon fanfiction!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but I do own this story and all my original characters. So there.

The Watchers of Raikou
Prologue/Chapter One:
"From Shadows Reborn"​

A huge, devastating blast of orange fire crashed down into the snow-covered, rocky valley below. Golem flinched at the impact, but continued pushing back against the onslaught, growling deeply in an attempt to boost it's strength. Hovering high up in the clear blue sky above, the large, powerful form of a Dragonite, it's leathery, orange wings beating proudly, watched it's opponent struggle. Riding atop the beast was a man wearing a stern, anxious expression on his face. He knew how much this Pokémon battle meant.

"You must stop this madness, Geol!" the rider called down to where the opposing trainer stood, his form hunched over and his figure obscured by the large, dark brown trench coat he wore. The man's eyes focused entirely on his Golem, it's giant, round form covered in armour-like stone plates.

"That I cannot do, Lance." Geol shouted back in reply, not removing his gaze from the battling Pokémon.

"Then you leave me no choice!" Lance declared, pointing down towards Golem. Despite the protection of his bulky jacket and long, flowing cape, both bearing the insignia of 'Official Johto Pokémon League Champion', Lance shivered as a frosty wind began to pick up. The northern mountains of Johto were notoriously cold all year round and Dragonite's current altitude offered little relief from the temperature. His long, spiky pink hair ruffled in the breeze before he shouted out the orders to his Pokémon. "Dragonite, let's dive down and finish this battle off!"

The flying lizard nodded it's approval and immediately swooped down towards the waiting Golem. Geol, standing atop a nearby ice-covered boulder, watched with gritted teeth as the attacker came closer, and closer, and closer, until he could eventually call out his orders.

"Golem, Explosion now!" Everything seemed to turn silent as the man raised his voice and leapt backwards without a second glance as a huge blast of intense fire engulfed the entire mountaintop and the figures of Golem, Dragonite and Lance all became lost in the inferno. The next thing he could see was total darkness as he rolled down the jagged rock slide until after several minutes the ground beneath him finally became horizontal once more.

Harsh, ragged breathing filled the dark, black void of silence; the very warmth of the man's breath sucked away by the bitterly cold, unforgiving air of the claustrophobic cave that surrounded and absorbed his presence. He shivered, removing a large glove from his right hand and placing his palm against his chest. His body temperature had dropped dramatically during the past five hours in which he had already been here. He coughed gently before deciding to move forward, further into the darkness.

"Zak..." he whispered to himself, his voice sounding soft and weak. "I'm sorry."

~*~*~​

The huge, towering shadow of the SS Aqua came roaring into view of the comparatively small port of Olivine. On the top deck, staring out towards his destination was a young man. Around sixteen years of age, he had silky, jet black hair of a reasonable length, rising an inch or so above and over his forehead, the back cut just above his neck. If you had judged him by his clothing, the only distinguishing factor about him would be the black, loosely fastened belt hanging from his waist that carried six red and white spheres. If you got close enough, you could even see a minute line of text in dark brown stitching along his right hip which read: 'Zak Vangard - May your legend be the greatest of all'. His eyes, however, seemed to tell a different story; a sign of ambition and determination. The white shirt he wore blew against the coastal breeze in time with that of his own, flowing hair, as he leaned over the handrails, watching the new city, and this promising new land, come into view. Below his shirt he wore a pair of navy blue jeans and below them were sneakers that had clearly been well-worn and were covered in minor dirt and grass stains. The boat began to dock, causing the boy to turn and head towards the ship's exit.

Emerging from the liner, he made his way through the docks, and into the streets of Olivine. It wasn't a particularly large town, but compared to his home village, it was a bustling metropolis of sights and sounds. He had never been to Johto before; in fact, he had never left the small island country of his birth until today. It seemed to be a historic moment in his life, and one small step on the road of his journey.

He continued to walk through the fisherman's marketplace, where sailors and merchants were selling and inspecting goods to be bought. One was even showing off his prize Machoke, a well-built Pokémon of the Fighting-type. The young trainer was intrigued by this - he had only ever seen such a creature in the Pokémon research books he would often read at home to pass the time. Fixing his gaze back on the path, he made his way past the last of the stalls.

Zak had soon made his way to the outskirts of the harbour town, noticing a large building which dwarfed the others in size. Upon closer inspection, the sign hanging above the door read: 'Olivine City Pokémon Gym', including details of the leader and the type of Pokémon they used. He paused for a moment, his mind deep in thought, then looked to his watch. It was around ten thirty AM, and he had been told to meet with an old associate of his father's in the city of Ecruteak, several miles to the east of here. Hopefully he could give Zak some information on his father's whearabouts. Turning away from the Gym, he made his way down the path towards the next town.

The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, with little or no clouds up above. It was a truly beautiful day, and Zak wondered whether it was always this warm in Johto. The path was quite dusty, and many footprints had been made in the soil, probably due to the amount of tourists traveling to and from the harbour. Fields of bright, green grass covered the rest of the route, with the view broken only by the large trees which lined the edges several yards away from the path itself. He had seen several Pidgeys and Spearows as he walked, but had decided not to disturb them, since he wasn't attempting to become a fabled 'Pokémon Master'. The only thing he cared about was trying to locate his father, who had mysteriously disappeared seven months ago.

Though he only had three Pokémon, he had trained them well, or at least, as well as he could on the small island he had lived on. Most of the villagers would merely use the creatures to help them in their daily chores, such as cultivating the land for crops, gathering food and firewood; even to chase off thieving birds from eating the seeds they had sown. His greatest, and strongest, Pokémon, was by far the Nidoqueen he owned. He had caught it in the forest overlooking the village as a Nidoran a few years back. Around three months before today, he had found a bizarre stone which, despite being in the sun for hours, would stay as cold as ice when touched. He recalled it glittering oddly, then causing his Nidoran to evolve after she had found it on his bedside cabinet and attempted to eat it.

Zak smiled at the memories he had of the village, before his step-mother had asked him to leave for Johto to try and find his father again. He was reluctant to leave at first, insisting that his father could take care of himself, and that she needed Zak's help at home. But just two weeks ago, the village had been attacked by an incredibly odd youth...

Zak stopped for a second and looked behind him. He had become lost in his thoughts again, and hadn't realised that just over an hour had passed since he left the harbour town. His legs shook, letting him know that he was tired and needed to rest. An examination of the area revealed a small tree just cropping out a yard or so away from the path itself. Relieved to find such a perfect spot to take a break, he sat down underneath the cooling shade of it's leaves and stared up into the clear, blue sky, remembering that day...

Zak had just been to collect the firewood needed to last the next few days for his step-mother. Though they weren't related by blood, he still considered her to be close enough to his real parent. They would rarely argue and in fact, they got along as if they were close friends. His father had been away for months now 'on business', though exactly what that involved was still a mystery to him. Zak's father worked as a high-ranking security advisor to the Silph company's Johto division, market leaders in Pokémon research and technology, and as a result he was rarely at home, his longest trips usually lasting a maximum of four months or so.

Zak smiled to himself; it was a good family to have, and a good place to live, even if there were no other villagers around his age. He had a half-sister, who would be approaching the age of six soon, and she would often keep him company when he wasn't working on the land with the rest of the adults. He remembered turning the corner which would lead him back home that day, just around the edge of the woods, when he noticed huge flames rising from the village houses. Smoke towered up into the air, fire bending and distorting the air around it with intense heat. Dropping the firewood, Zak dashed towards his homestead, mind blank, not wanting to try and take in what it had just seen.

"Mom!" he shouted desperately as he approached the inferno that was once his house. "Sora! Where are you?" there was no answer. Raging fires broke the otherwise total silence. The entire area was empty, the grass singed and the crops ravaged, with no signs of life anywhere to be seen.

Zak stared around for a moment, still trying to absorb and make sense of what he was witnessing, when he began to hear a laughter, making itself known in seconds. He looked up to see a figure with long, untamed hair rising up and just over his forehead. The stranger seemed to be dressed in a large, bulky material, but because of the flames rising from the roof on where they were standing, making out any kind of detail was impossible.

"Who are you?" Zak cried, his right hand shooting to his waist, ready to unleash one of the monsters he had been training for many years. "Did you do this?" there was no response. "ANSWER ME!" the figure turned and began to laugh again, then raised his head to allow the illumination of the fire to reveal his face.

"Where is Geol?" he asked, his sick smile turning to an angry frown, a growl present deep in his throat. Zak's eyes widened.

"My father?" he stammered. "What do you want with my father?" the stranger's anger became more audible, as he raised an arm and pointed what appeared to be a thick spear towards Zak.

"I'll ask you one more time..." he hissed. "Where is Geol Vangard?" Zak hesitated before answering.

"...I don't know!"

"You are lying!" the man spat, tightening his grip on the weapon in his hand, obviously preparing to strike, causing Zak to grab one of the spheres on his belt and throw it towards the newcomer.

"Go, Nidoqueen!" a flash of white light occured, revealing a large humanoid shaped creature, covered in light purple and blue plates of natural armour. It bore a small horn on it's forehead and growled low, eying the stranger suspiciously. It's small but sharp claws extended from it's stone-like paws, before it launched itself towards it's target. The man jumped from the roof, throwing a projectile of his own towards his attacker.

"Charizard!" he called as the same light appeared from the ball in his hands, releasing a large, deep-orange coloured dragon, towering just over two feet taller than it's purple adversary. The tip of it's tail burned brightly, as it flapped it's large, scaly wings and grinned, snorting slightly and creating a puff of smoke from it's nostrils. "It's time to play..."

Zak stepped back, staring at the Pokémon in awe. Shaking his head and bringing himself back to reality, he pointed at the dragon.

"Nidoqueen, use your Ice Beam!" the armoured beast growled and opened it's mouth, generating white energy inside before blasting it straight towards it's rival. The Charizard met it's attack with a stream of fire from it's mouth, fighting back the onslaught but to no avail, eventually having to quickly dodge, then counterattack with it's claws. The dragon snarled and slashed away as the opposing Pokémon struggled to defend itself. "Your feet, use your feet!"

Nidoqueen's eyes opened. Hearing the call of her master she obeyed, and kicked back at the Charizard, which again dodged and took into the air.

"Keep your guard up-!" Zak's words were cut off as the man sweep kicked him from behind, causing him to fall to the burnt ground. He quickly rolled forward and got to his feet, turning to face his attacker, breathing heavily.

From this distance Zak could now see the figure's image more clearly. His hair was a deep, fiery red, intense in colour at the root, a darkened orange at the tips - at least the hair at the front of his head. The colour difference wasn't obvious - you had to concentrate to notice it, but it was there nonetheless. Several strands of it covered his forehead, yet it was wild and untame, not like Zak's. His eyes appeared to be a deep, quite bright green, like that of an emerald, yet his face was sharp and looked decidedly malicious. The bulky clothing he wore now appeared to be a strangely customised suit of armour. He had shoulder pads and a chest plate, whilst the rest of his stomach and torso was covered in a flexible, black coloured undersuit. His arms and hands were bare, whilst the lower portion of his body was dressed in slightly darker black pants made of a mixture of polyester and cotton, forming a bizarre contrast in his clothing. A blue belt, slightly brighter than navy, and similar in style to Zak's, hung off his waist, complete with Pokéballs. The weapon he once held was now sheathed at his waist, and looked like more of a short lance than a spear, as Zak had originally thought.

"Wait a second..." Zak murmured, eyes widening as he suddenly realised something. "You're about my age!"

The youth didn't answer, instead charging at Zak, forcing the two to fight amongst the burning inferno. The warrior lunged at Zak, who slid underneath his attacker and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a nearby window. The boy emerged, wiping the blood from his mouth, his frown becoming angrier. He looked up, then smiled, laughing.

"You're pretty good..." he commented. "Who are you?"

"I'd like to ask you the same thing!" Zak growled in response.

"...Very well..." the boy conceded. "I am called Knite." Zak paused before answering.

"Well that makes sense..." he muttered, once again glancing at Knite's uniform with a slightly perplexed look on his face. "I'm Zak Vangard."

"That explains it..." Knite whispered to himself. He stepped back, then smiled sinisterly again. "We may meet again," he declared, walking away from the burning wreckage of Zak's house. "Charizard, come!" the firey Pokémon broke away from it's own battle, then returned to the form of white light, absorbed by the red and white ball in Knite's hand.

"Hey, wait!" Zak called. "Come back!" he ran just past the ruins of his house, wanting to give chase, but instead stayed, and hurried to find his family. His memories faded and his vision came back into focus as he returned from his day dream...

Zak took his gaze from the sky and watched the dirt path in front of him. Opposite him was a small Pidgey, searching for food in the long grass. Fortunately, nobody had been injured during the fire. The villagers had all taken refuge in the forest, and emerged after Zak had chased off Knite. His smile turned to a frown, vaguely tracing his fingers over the crescent moon pendant of his necklace as he wondered what exactly Knite had wanted with his father. Sighing, he got to his feet and continued the trek to Ecruteak.

 

[The Great Butler]

Very nice. You describe everything with good detail, and the storyline is very intriguing. Keep it up!

 

[Gazmof]

A review already? Thank you! I was worried this fic would be forced to toil in obscurity, so I'm glad at least someone likes it. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Also, no need to worry about not keeping it up. I fully intend to post an update once a week, as I know how frustrating it can be to start reading a fic and then be forced to wait weeks, if not months, before it's updated again.

Once again, thanks for reading, Butler!

 

[whiteabsol]

FWEEEEE!!! I like your description. And the story is very captivating. You could always start to describe the pokemon but it won't make too huge of a difference ^_^

~W.A~

 

[The Great Butler]

I like to spread the love, Gazmof. I try to review as many fics as I can, especially new ones. That way, more good stories come out of them.

 

[Gazmof]

Thanks for the review whiteabsol, your comments have been taken on board!

It's good to know you're out there spreading the love, Butler. I FEEL IT'S POWER!

Anyway, on with Chapter Two. Enjoy!

Chapter Two:
Mystery In Ecruteak​

The sunlight was breaking through the gaps in the leaves of the trees hanging over the path Zak was walking along, forming a relieving shade for travelers weary from the sun.

Zak wiped his forehead; the heat had been pounding down on him since his arrival in this new country, causing him to sweat as if he were back working on the land at home. He stopped walking for a moment, checking the back of his belt where a clear, plastic bottle of water was clipped securely to his waist. Taking it in his hands, he unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the nourishing liquid, then tipped a generous amount from the bottle over his face to cool himself down.

Running his fingers through his hair to catch any escaped water, he hooked the bottle securely back on his belt and continued to make his way towards his destination of Ecruteak.

As he walked, he evaluated his Pokémon in his mind. His second was a Fearow, which he had caught as a Spearow, and had later given it the opportunity to evolve through training. Though not as strong as his Nidoqueen, it was still a formidable opponent to a serious Pokémon trainer, though it was doubtful Zak would win a major prize or trophy with it. He smiled, recalling how it had attempted to feast on the seeds just recently planted in the field behind Zak's house. His mother had insisted he try and chase it away, but it was fiercely resistant, and attempted to fight back at him. Instead of chasing it away, Zak had caught it, making the small bird his first ever Pokémon, which he lovingly named 'Pick', causing his mother to laugh at his choice. Though the Spearow took a while to come to terms with it's new master, Zak was eventually accepted.

The trainer came to the corner of the path which was signaled by a road-sign. He read over it, and was then relieved to see the words: 'Ecruteak City'. Turning to face the new direction the track had revealed, Zak saw a kind of arched building just beyond the edge of the path, behind a few short trees lining the entrance of the city. Happy that he had finally made it, he picked up the pace and headed towards the concealed archway, where he would be able to finally discover the truth about his father's location.

Making his way through the small hut which connected the path to the town, the young trainer stared around the place in awe, taking in the sights and sounds. It seemed quite primitive, not at all like the bustling port of Olivine, where he had just been. The bricks of buildings were worn and chipped, and the entire area was surrounded by dense forest. There were two other entrances, apart from the one he had come through - one being to the south, the other to the east. All three gateways looked identical, and the only way to tell which was which was by checking the direction of the other houses. To his left were the charred remains of a large building - why it hadn't been repaired yet he didn't know. There was a large tower just to the north, further shrouded in trees.

Remembering what he had come here for, Zak began to search his pockets, then pulled out a small, dark blue wallet which fitted snugly in his palm. Inside was a scrap of paper, on which his mother had scribbled the address of his father's old friend and business associate. She had told Zak to ask the man, who lived in Ecruteak, just where his father was. He would surely know the answers.

Walking through the small city, vaguely tracing the address on the paper with his eyes, Zak made his way to a small house on the eastern edge of town. Nervously, he knocked on the door, waiting for a response. After a while the handle slowly turned, revealing the room that lay inside, inch by inch. A man, in his late forties by the looks of things, stared down at the youth with eyes that showed no sign of expression.

"Yes?" he asked gruffly.

"Um..." Zak stammered before answering. "Are you Mr. Lunata?" There was an uncomfortable pause filled with silence. Hesitantly, Zak continued. "I'm Geol Vangard's son, I..." the man's eyes widened, then he raised a hand to silence him.

"Come, come." he whispered, looking around outside before allowing a slightly confused Zak to enter his house.

The room was dimly lit, and Zak couldn't see well at all. At the centre of the back wall was a large candle, held in place by a decorative statue portraying what looked like a samurai warrior, about four feet high. On either side of the ornament was a single, smaller candle, each one standing in a small saucer of water on the same large cabinet, which stretched from wall to wall. The man made his way to a padded armchair a few feet away from the left candle and sat himself down, motioning to it's empty twin opposite. Zak obeyed and took a seat, slightly hesitant to make himself too comfortable.

"Now tell me..." the man began, taking a pipe from the side of the table and examining it. "What is your name, young one?"

"Zak." the visitor replied. Mr. Lunata seemed amused by this.

"Ah..." he mumbled to himself, lighting the instrument in his hands and putting it to his mouth. "And... What seems to be the matter? It must be something urgent for you to come all this way..." Zak nodded his response.

"Yes, it is." he answered. "My father... He left home seven months ago, and we haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Your father always was an explorer at heart, boy." the man chuckled, puffing out smoke from his pipe.

"But he's never been away this long before!" Zak explained, his voice rising. "My mother was worried, and..."

"And?" Lunata interrupted rather abruptly.

"And..." Zak murmured, lowering his gaze to the wooden floorboards below his feet. "And two weeks ago... A Pokémon trainer of about my age attacked the village we live in, demanding to know where my father was..." the man stopped, then put the pipe down and stood up suddenly, looking worried.

"I see..." he said, walking over to the statue at the back of the room. "Then you have reason to fear..." Zak got to his feet, clenching his fist in a puzzled state of anger.

"What do you mean?" he inquired, watching the man closely. The man was silent, then turned back to face the boy.

"I will help you..." he told him, idly watching the table in the centre of the room. "But you must help yourself as well..." he stopped, then looked to Zak. "You have Pokémon, correct?"

"Uh, yes, some."

"Good," the man walked towards the door as he spoke. "you will need them." he hesitated before continuing. "Did you see the ruins on your way here?" Zak leaned against the wall.

"You mean the burnt out building just outside? Yeah." he confirmed.

"That was one of the two towers built in Ecruteak long ago... You must go there. On the bottom floor you will find something. Something you'll need."

"Uh, isn't that trespassing?" Zak wondered out loud. The man turned to face him again.

"That will be the least of your worries!" he exclaimed. "There is an old safe inside, which belonged to your father." the man opened his fist to reveal a small grey key. Rust had eaten away at it over the years, and it seemed to be incredibly old. "Take it. Once you have found it's contents, return here, and I will tell you everything I know." Zak did as he was told, taking the item into his own hand, before admiring it curiously, then pocketing it.

Zak wasted no time in making his way to Ecruteak's burnt out ruins located just on the edge of town. He stared at the key in his hand as he went, puzzled by Mr. Lunata's strange manner and composure. If truth were to be told, Zak wanted to simply hear a logical explanation for his father's disappearance and return to his home and continue his relaxed and slow-paced lifestyle there. Maybe his father had simply had to take an extended trip with the company, or it could be possible that he had been called over to Silph headquarters in Kanto as a matter of urgency. However, Zak had a horrible gut feeling that neither of those scenarios were likely to be true. What was Mr. Lunata hiding, exactly? Eventually, Zak arrived at the entrance to the dilapidated structure.

Stepping inside the large, ravaged doors positioned at the front of the ruins, Zak made his way over large debris and boulders to get inside, eventually making his way through. It was eerily quiet, the only illumination coming from small cracks and holes in the roof, from where the structure had originally been destroyed. Examining his surroundings as best he could in such dim lighting, Zak attempted to travel further through the building, trying to find a set of stairs that could take him to the basement, without much luck.

"Dammit, I should've brought a match..." he whispered to himself, fumbling in his pockets for anything that could help him search the area more easily. Finding nothing, he decided that his best option would be to creep further in slowly, as cautiously as he could. Before he could begin though, a noise made itself apparent to his ears. Widening his eyes in a vain attempt to check where the sound was coming from he looked around, unsure what to do. It seemed to sound like footsteps and the gentle crackling of fire, but it was still unclear where the noise was coming from.

Zak stood still for a moment, waiting, calculating the potential actions he could take in his head, when the origin of the noise made itself visible. Just around the dark corner was the intense glow of fire, approaching more and more steadily. Eventually the source was revealed to be a Magmar; a short Pokémon of the fire variety, standing at just above four feet tall, this particular creature was of a humanoid shape, with burly shoulders and 'hair' which seemed to rise up into flames. It had short, bulky legs and a thick tail ending in a spark of fire which seemed to flow continuously. It turned towards the trainer and stared, before walking off in the opposite direction again.

"Uh..." Zak murmured, suddenly realising something. If he could catch that Magmar, he'd be able to explore the ruins fully and not need to worry about any kind of lighting. "Tauros, go!" he cried, throwing one of his Pokéballs towards the glowing target, causing a brief flash of light to erupt in the room before revealing a large bull, horns rising several inches from either side of it's head, snorting intimidatingly and brushing it's front right hoof on the rickety floorboards, readying itself for the upcoming battle.

Tauros - Zak's third and final Pokémon, was often used back at home to help control the shape and properties of the farmland, which meant it was often used, though not for battling. As a result of this, Tauros was probably the weakest of all of his Pokémon. It could still hold it's own in a fight, but Zak would have to wait and see how it would fare against a Pokémon from Johto.

The wild Magmar stared at it's tamed opponent, eying it watchfully, not moving at all. Zak pointed to it and called for his Tauros to begin it's attack, who loyally obeyed, whipping it's three tails madly then dashing straight for the pyrotechnic Pokémon standing before it, who narrowly rolled to the side, just managing to evade the charge.

Undaunted, Zak's Tauros charged again, this time colliding with the wall, embedding it's horns in the wood. Snorting angrily, the bull ripped itself out and turned once again to the Magmar, who had already begun to counter. Whipping it's tail around quickly the creature created a small vortex of fire which landed at the Tauros's feet, shooting into it's fur and scattering onto it's hooves. It then proceeded to jump over the bull and began to flee in the opposite direction.

"Ah, dammit!" Zak shouted, chasing after the Pokémon, his Tauros just behind. The Magmar noticed them giving chase and raised it's beak, spraying smoke around the room as it continued to run, creating a huge gaseous curtain of darkness around them all. Zak covered his eyes, squinting into the black smoke, trying to find the illumination of the Magmar's tail but the smell was simply too overpowering. He fell to his knees, struggling to keep himself conscious - the small space of the area and the fumes that had just been emitted were a powerful combination, and one he didn't want his Pokémon suffering from. Quickly he turned back to Tauros and held the Pokéball to it, making sure the central release switch was positioned directly at the animal. The centre began to glow white, emitting a small red beam and switching the image of the bull into a red silhouette which immediately returned to the palm-sized device.

Zak turned back to the source of the smoke, which was slowly beginning to disperse, when he again saw the glow of what he presumed to be the Magmar's tail.

"Haha, gotcha!" he cried, launching himself blindly towards the light and landing with a thump on the ancient floorboards at the feet of the Pokémon he was so intent on catching. He barely had time to look up when it turned to run again, but this time something stopped it. Zak looked down, the creaking of the wood below him now all too apparent. Suddenly a cracking sound was heard and the two beings watched as the floor they were on top of began to split, then toppled earthwards, sending the pair of them plummeting onto the floor of the basement.

~*~*~​

Pretty short chapter, but the length will be increasing soon. Well, thanks for reading~!

 

[Saffire Persian]

Not a bad start - note that I'm only reviewing the Prologue/First chapter. The narrative was quite good, and you did the battle scenes quite well - and liked the prologue one best. It lent a nice, mysterious air to it. Why would Lance want to stop Geol, I wonder?

XD In any case, I'm guessing the four of them (except the Golem perhaps) are dead.

I also liked how you introduced Zack, however, you really have pragraphing issues here. Many of your paragraphs are Wayyyy too drawn out, and you do it consistently. And they're /really/ long. On here, the font is like..size ten, so everything's made way smaller, so if you have long paragraphs on here, their super long normally. Space them out.

e sunlight was breaking through the gaps in the leaves of the trees hanging over the path Zak was walking along, forming a relieving shade for travelers weary from the sun. Zak wiped his forehead; the heat had been pounding down on him since his arrival in this new country, causing him to sweat as if he were back working on the land at home. He stopped walking for a moment, checking the back of his belt where a clear, plastic bottle of water was clipped securely to his waist. Taking it in his hands, he unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the nourishing liquid, then tipped a generous amount from the bottle over his face to cool himself down. Running his fingers through his hair to catch any escaped water, he hooked the bottle securely back on his belt and continued to make his way towards his destination of Ecruteak. As he walked, he evaluated his Pokémon in his mind. His second was a Fearow, which he had caught as a Spearow, and had later given it the opportunity to evolve through training. Though not as strong as his Nidoqueen, it was still a formidable opponent to a serious Pokémon trainer, though it was doubtful Zak would win a major prize or trophy with it. He smiled, recalling how it had attempted to feast on the seeds just recently planted in the field behind Zak's house. His mother had insisted he try and chase it away, but it was fiercely resistant, and attempted to fight back at him. Instead of chasing it away, Zak had caught it, making the small bird his first ever Pokémon, which he lovingly named 'Pick', causing his mother to laugh at his choice. Though the Spearow took a while to come to terms with it's new master, Zak was eventually accepted.

Wayyy too long. You need to space things out and make it flow better, like this:

e sunlight was breaking through the gaps in the leaves of the trees hanging over the path Zak was walking along, forming a relieving shade for travelers weary from the sun.

Zak wiped his forehead; the heat had been pounding down on him since his arrival in this new country, causing him to sweat as if he were back working on the land at home. He stopped walking for a moment, checking the back of his belt where a clear, plastic bottle of water was clipped securely to his waist. Taking it in his hands, he unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the nourishing liquid, then tipped a generous amount from the bottle over his face to cool himself down.

Running his fingers through his hair to catch any escaped water, he hooked the bottle securely back on his belt and continued to make his way towards his destination of Ecruteak.

As he walked, he evaluated his Pokémon in his mind. His second was a Fearow, which he had caught as a Spearow, and had later given it the opportunity to evolve through training. Though not as strong as his Nidoqueen, it was still a formidable opponent to a serious Pokémon trainer, though it was doubtful Zak would win a major prize or trophy with it. He smiled, recalling how it had attempted to feast on the seeds just recently planted in the field behind Zak's house. His mother had insisted he try and chase it away, but it was fiercely resistant, and attempted to fight back at him. Instead of chasing it away, Zak had caught it, making the small bird his first ever Pokémon, which he lovingly named 'Pick', causing his mother to laugh at his choice. Though the Spearow took a while to come to terms with it's new master, Zak was eventually accepted.

@_@. It looks much better.

I'd recommend going over and spacing out stuff from the first chapter.. Because consistently long paragraphs = a pain to read. It bogs the story down a lot.

 

[Gazmof]

Oooh, Saffire Persian reviewed my fic? I'm honoured!

Many thanks for the review and pointing out those errors. Heh, I find it a problem balancing out paragraphs (I hate to see little lines of text scattered here and there, I find it looks so... Amateur), and I'll go back and edit it shortly.

I actually wrote the prologue after like, chapter ten, so I'm guessing my style improved somewhat. All mysteries will be revealed, don't you worry.

 

[Magnus]

You know what? I think I remember reading this on Fanfiction.net. I'm glad to see that it's back. They first two chapters were pretty good, keep writing.

 

[The Great Butler]

Pretty good work so far. Zak's story is one that is greatly intriguing, plus I like his selection of Pokémon. And, as always, giving some love to Johto is an instant plus.

(gives some Butler Empire cake)

 

[Gazmof]

You know what? I think I remember reading this on Fanfiction.net. I'm glad to see that it's back. They first two chapters were pretty good, keep writing.

*le gasp* Wow, really? Were you one of the people who reviewed it? It kind of got a poor reception and I left it unfinished because I was lazy. I was also kind of new to the whole fanfiction scene so I never responded to my reviews because I considered it as kind of arrogant, heh. Thanks for the review, wow, I feel so prestigious to be remembered

It's still up on Fanfiction.net in it's original form, though I will be updating it soon enough - I just figured I'd let the forumers here have an exclusive screening.

Pretty good work so far. Zak's story is one that is greatly intriguing, plus I like his selection of Pokémon. And, as always, giving some love to Johto is an instant plus.

(gives some Butler Empire cake)

Hey, thanks. There may be times when it seems his quest becomes somewhat secondary but please don't be fooled, because everything is related.

And thanks for the comment about his Pokemon team - I tried to give him an unusual, but pretty balanced, team. I also never understood why Johto receives so little love - it seems G/S/C always gets forgotten.

EDIT: Oh, forgot to mention - I've just edited the spacing on the first two chapters, as per Saffire Persian's instructions. Many thanks for the advice, maybe it's a little easier on the eyes now.

 

[Gazmof]

Chapter Three. Happy Easter~!

Chapter Three:
Fragments of the Past​

Zak wearily opened his eyes, squinting around the dimly lit room in an effort to avoid the dust that was swirling around him. The debris from the fall had created a large, gaping hole in the ceiling above, leaving the rubble on top of him.

Zak struggled to break free, then paused, as a heaving sound made itself audible from behind him. Craning his neck to see, Zak saw the Magmar he had been chasing earlier now removing the rubble from the trapped human. He watched silently as the Pokémon continued to help free him.

"...Why...?" Zak's words were cut off when the light of the Magmar's fiery body came closer, illuminating three large beast-like Pokémon statues in front of him. They seemed incredibly life-like, as if made by a master sculptor, but Zak had never seen any of these creatures before. Zak pondered the reason for why the sculptor would have left them in a forgotten old tower where no-one could see his work.

Suddenly, Zak felt a huge weight being lifted from his back. He climbed to his feet and watched the Magmar toss away the last of the dusty rubble. Miraculously, the trainer wasn't injured. He looked at his body up and down, making sure that everything was okay. There was barely a scratch on him, though his shirt and jeans didn't make this seem quite so obvious. He looked back down to the Pokémon who had rescued him, which was now staring up at the human, watching him with fascination.

"Uh..." Zak murmured. "Thanks..."

He wasn't quite sure why the Pokémon had rescued him, but he made sure that it could at least understand that he was grateful for it. Turning around, Zak moved over to the three statues that had interested him earlier.

The detail was incredible - the creator seemed to have captured every last strand of fur on it's subjects. It was as if they were about to break free of their shells and escape the confinement of this tower. Suddenly, one of the models caught his eye. He rushed over to it and examined it closer, checking if what he thought was right.

The statue was of a large, powerful looking beast Pokémon, with strong limbs which ended in taloned paws and sharp, vicious fangs; it's face was so unusual and intimidating it was almost as if the creature was wearing a mask. The beast's whiskers resembled a large ninja star of glittering silver, and it's white mane stretched out from it's underbelly, up around it's neck and billowed off across it's back as if it were made of clouds. The sculpture towered over Zak at just over six feet tall.

"Yes, this must be it!" Zak exclaimed to himself, forgetting the fact that he now had an audience: the Magmar had followed him to the pedestal where the statues were set and seemed equally fascinated by them. "This is Raikou..."

The Magmar looked up at the trainer with curiosity in it's eyes. Zak smiled at the creature and knelt down to it's height.

"Raikou is a legendary Pokémon in my village." he explained, before rising again and circling the statues. "It is said that Raikou used to watch over the island in ancient times. I never actually thought it existed. Either this sculptor owned one, or he had a really vivid imagination."

The Magmar nodded it's understanding and stared up at the statue, occasionally prodding it with it's finger. Zak was continuing to circle the works of art with interest when he suddenly noticed something set in the back of the wall, just below and to the right of the pedestal where they stood. He rushed over to what looked to be a tiny metal door, brushing the dust away before sitting back and examining closer what he had just found. The Pokémon followed suit, sitting down beside him and staring at the discovery.

Zak fumbled in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the old key his father's friend Mr. Lunata had given to him. Pushing it gently into the keyhole of what he presumed to be the safe he was looking for, he turned it slowly until a loud 'click' was heard and the door swung open. Both of them looked inside, wondering what awaited them.

It was a single, dark blue Pokéball, red streaks along the top, sitting neatly atop a wooden shrine. Zak stared at the object for a moment before reaching inside and removing it from the safe. It appeared to be a normal Great ball, a more advanced variation on the original Pokéball, but Zak wagered that the content was the most valuable part of this treasure.

Zak rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the ball in his hand, then clipped it onto his belt with the rest of his Pokémon before heading towards the small staircase in the corner of the room. He turned, suddenly realising that footsteps were following him. He stared down at the Magmar, who seemed eager to follow him.

"I..." Zak muttered, watching the Pokémon. "...Do you want to... Come with me?"

The creature nodded, walking closer to the trainer until they were just a few feet apart.

"Well..." Zak continued, taking an empty Pokéball from his belt. "If you're sure... But this might not be easy. Now's your chance to back out."

The Magmar grinned and shook it's head. Zak lowered the Pokéball in his hand, then dropped it to the floor. The Pokémon picked it up and looked at it for a moment.

"In that case, you'll need a name!" Zak laughed. "What do you want to be called?"

The creature looked around the room, then raised it's hand and blew against the fire of it's body, causing several small flames to shoot up into the air and become one, easily illuminating the dank old basement. The Pokémon held this pose for a few seconds before the flames dispersed.

"Uh..." Zak hesitated, trying to guess the name. "Lan-no, that's not it... Torch? It's Torch, right?"

The Pokémon nodded it's approval.

"Alright Torch!" Zak replied, smiling. "Welcome to the team!"

~*~*~​

The sun had set by the time Zak had exited the tower, causing the sky to be splashed with a deep, orange colour. The trainer made his way to the house of his father's old friend, admiring the Pokéball he had acquired on his way. He didn't know quite what lay inside, and was extremely excited to find out, but felt it best to take it back to Mr. Lunata first.

He arrived at the house and knocked several times to make his presence known. He was forced to wait for a minute or so until the door was cautiously opened in a similar fashion to the last time he had visited. The man hurried Zak inside to discuss his findings.

"So," Mr. Lunata said, sitting down in one of the two chairs on offer and sipping some coffee. "how did you fare?" Zak placed the Great ball on the table.

"I found this..." he explained. "In an old safe on the basement floor... What is it?"

"Open it and you shall see." the man replied, watching Zak take the ball in his hand again and pointing it to a small, empty space of the room.

A flash of light appeared to reveal the form of a humanoid Pokémon, just under five feet in height. It's head bore two horns at either side, and it's hands were huge claws with an eye pattern on either side, making them both look like angry, scowling faces. At the back of it's body were four wings: two larger ones rising and two smaller ones lowering. It's skin seemed to be more easily classified as armour and it's limbs looked exceptionally powerful.

"A... Scizor?" Zak asked in disbelief. The Pokémon turned it's head and eyed the trainer menacingly.

"That's right." the man confirmed. "That Scizor... That was your father's most prized Pokémon. Return it to the ball, boy."

Zak obeyed, pointing the sphere towards the creature and coating it's dark blue skin in a bright, white light before warping back inside it's ball. Zak watched the ball closely before speaking up once more.

"So..." he began. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, boy." the man announced, rising from his chair and walking over to the small, decorative shrine at the back of his room. "And I don't know where your father is either."

"What?" Zak answered in a confused tone. The man remained silent as he unlocked the cabinet below the shrine. "But I thought..."

"I was testing you boy." the man interrupted. "And you passed. Geol came to me seven months ago to give me that ball. And..."

He took a long, thin sword from the opened cabinet and held it in his hands.

"...This." he finished. Zak stared at the sword, puzzled. "It's a samurai blade. Your father entrusted me with these two things, telling me to keep them both safe until he returned. But I fear..."

"...What?" Zak asked softly, afraid of what the answer may be. The man sighed.

"...That your father will not return." Zak's eyes widened. "Someone is after him boy, and I don't think it's just that young man who razed your village to the ground." Zak didn't answer. Instead he just stared at the wooden floorboards below his feet in silence. "You've come this far boy, and you can't back down now! You must discover what happened to your father, before they do!"

"They?" Zak repeated, not completely absorbing what he was being told. "But how? How can I?"

"You have already proven that you have the determination!" the man explained. "Now you must see this journey through to the end. Sitting here doing nothing won't help you! You must travel through Johto and find your father. Take this. You'll need it."

The man offered Zak the sword in his arms, who hesitantly took it. He unsheathed the weapon in order to examine the weapon further. The blade was almost a pale blue, and despite the obvious aging shown by the bronzed handle, it was in excellent condition.

"It was your father's." the man continued. "Always use it in defence - never for combat. That is the true sign of the Watchers of Raikou."

"Watchers... Of Raikou?" Zak repeated, his voice somewhat shaky. This information was all so strange to suddenly take in.

"An ancient organisation that predates even that burnt out tower you just explored." Lunata explained, sitting himself back down into the left armchair beside the shrine. "Their members have gone from generation to generation, taking sworn oaths of secrecy and service in the name of protecting all legendary Pokémon from any foolish enough to try to catch or harm them. It was an organisation that both your father and I were a part of."

"Were?" Zak questioned, his eyes moving away from the sword and back to Mr. Lunata who sat there, sucking away at his pipe.

"Indeed..." the old man sighed, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the ceiling as he spoke. "The Watchers were disbanded one year ago."

"How come?" Zak pressed, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"Because nobody survived their last meeting." Lunata replied coldly. Zak stared at him for a moment, not entirely sure how to take this information. "Fortunately," Lunata continued. "neither I nor your father attended the meeting on that day. I decided to quit the Watchers and have heard nothing since. I'm too old for conspiracies. But your father..."

Zak watched Mr. Lunata intently as he spoke. The man sighed and continued his story, his normally stern appearance faltering somewhat.

"He refused to let sleeping dogs lie. He gave me that key and his sword and entrusted me to protect them until he returned..." Mr. Lunata paused. "And then he left, vowing to find out who was responsible." The man chuckled. "Revenge is a dish best left alone, I say."

Zak's eyes trailed from the sword, to his father's friend, and back again. He returned it to it's sheath and swung the attached belt around his back.

"I know I can't stop you from leaving, so take my advice, boy. You can't make this quest alone." Mr. Lunata said, getting to his feet. "The only ones you can trust are your Pokémon. Catch and raise as many as you need. Trust me when I say that they will make your journey a whole lot easier."

"What do I do now, sir?"

"I know of another Watcher who lives in Azalea Town, to the far south of here." Mr. Lunata gave his answer. "Maybe he knows where exactly your father went."

Zak nodded, then slowly turned to the door.

"Thank you." he said before bowing and reaching for the handle.

"And one more thing..." the man added before his guest left. "There's a Pokémon Gym in every major town. Use them effectively - the experience will be invaluable." Zak nodded before exiting the room and heading back out onto the streets of Ecruteak - the first step on his upcoming journey.

~*~*~​

Note that whilst Zak will be collecting badges, this will in no way deviate from the main storyline and will not become a "badge-collecting-fest". Do not fear, for the mysteries will be revealed in time.

 

[The Great Butler]

Great work on this chapter. Torch the Magmar is funny....prodding the Raikou statue with its finger? Heh. I get the feeling the 'they' after Zak's father are a rival organization to the Watchers of Raikou.

[SPOIL]But I also have another sneaking suspicion. I guess it comes from the way I wrote Enigma Shadow, but I have a feeling Zak's father may well be the secret leader of the rival organization that destroyed the Watchers of Raikou.[/SPOIL]

Take that as you will. But great work, nice to see a Magmar and Scizor catch/aquisition, and the use of the Watchers of Raikou adds some more mystery and intrigue.

 

[Gazmof]

Heh heh, nice speculation there, Butler. I'm not saying anything though Glad you like Torch, he's probably my favourite of Zak's Pokemon.

A bit late, but here's chapter four. Enjoy!

Chapter Four:
The Journey Begins! Pokémon Trainer: Zak?!​

The sky had by now turned into a deep, navy blue. The stars were out in abundance, displaying the different constellations visible in the Johto region. Zak would often see the stars back in his homeland when he would stare outside his bedroom window late at night, wondering what lay beyond the island he called home.

Zak leaned against the wall of a nearby house as he pondered what to do next. A Gym... A Pokémon Gym. He recalled walking past one in Olivine earlier this morning. They were supposed to house incredibly strong trainers who had endured many hardships in order to progress to the level they were at now. More often than not, a Gym would often follow a distinct type of Pokémon, such as grass or fire. Zak looked down to his belt and unclipped one of the Pokéballs from it, staring at it as it lay idly in his hand.

He had never intended on capturing Pokémon in order to battle with, though Nidoqueen was certainly up to the challenge. As a result he had never even thought of a strategy when collecting his original three Pokémon. Now the ranks had been bolstered to five: Magmar, a Fire-type, and Scizor, a Steel-type. That meant that in all he had one ground, one flying and one normal Pokémon, not including the two new additions to his team. Five Pokémon was a pretty solid number to battle with, but would it be enough to defeat a Gym leader?

Zak's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of two huge, iron double doors that belonged to a large building just across the street a few yards away. Zak replaced his Pokéball and continued to watch from afar.

"And stay out, fool!" an angry teenager barked at the boy who had been pushed outside of the building. "Morty has no need for losers like you!"

The teenager walked back inside and slammed the doors shut behind him, leaving what Zak assumed to be a defeated trainer outside. The boy picked himself up off the ground and headed towards a smaller building across the road, seemingly angry at what had just happened. As he left Zak noticed the sign on the building he had just been forced out of, which read: 'Ecruteak City Gym'. Zak approached the Gym, eager to discover more about it.

The outside of the Gym itself was old and worn, like that of the other houses and buildings surrounding it, but it seemed to tower over the rest of the structures. The architecture seemed very old, unlike the more modern and up-to-date Gym in Olivine, which although visually more impressive, seemed to be a lot smaller than this. Zak examined the sign fitted onto the outside wall closer.

"Leader: Morty, huh?" he read to himself out loud. He turned to see the building that the boy had headed off to. Upon closer inspection it became obvious that this wasn't a house, nor was it a hotel. In fact, Zak couldn't quite figure out what it was until he read the sign etched into the wall which read: 'Heal your Pokémon! - Pokémon Centre'.

He looked up and admired the building from the front. It was certainly the most modern building in Ecruteak, boasting a striking white finish on the outside and two floors. The door even had a small, rounded arch over the top, fashioned with a large Pokéball design in the centre.

"A Pokémon... Centre?" Zak asked himself, slightly puzzled at the thought of what went on inside. Perhaps practice battles, or maybe even a Pokémon fan club? The only way to find out was to go inside...

Upon entering, Zak discovered a large, white hall to greet him, full of Pokémon trainers, young and old. To his left was a staircase to the second floor, and to his far right were dozens of bunk beds, all lined up opposite each other. In front of him stood a white counter with a red stripe going underneath the shelf and a large design of a Pokéball in the centre.

Zak looked around the hall, awestruck by what he saw. He had never seen so many trainers in one place before. People were sitting on the beds showing each other their prized Pokémon, playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and one was even using one of the computers beside the counter.

Zak walked further inside, still not fully aware of what this place was. It seemed like a lodge for Pokémon trainers more than anything else. He headed towards the counter, where he thought he would get some answers.

"Uh..." he murmured, making his way past a small crowd of teenage boys. "Excuse me, I..."

Zak seemed to lose his voice when he saw the woman standing opposite him, behind the counter. He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She was very pretty, some might even go as far as to say that she was beautiful. She had long, pink hair tied back into two large rings and tucked underneath her white nurse's hat and a slim figure which her white uniform seemed to compliment perfectly. She looked back at him and smiled warmly. Zak finally managed to bring himself out of her spell and talk sense once more, at least in slightly quicker breaths.

"Good evening sir." she greeted him. "You're out late. What can I do for you today?"

"Um..." Zak stammered, trying not to succumb to her magic again. "I... I was really just wondering what this place was..."

"What!?" a scruffy sounding voice cried out from his left. "You don't even know what a Pokémon Centre is!?"

Zak turned to see the origin of this interruption. A short boy, looking around the age of fourteen, scowled at him. He wore navy blue shorts and a t-shirt of a slightly paler shade, and his long, untamed hair was barely covered by a dirty-looking white baseball cap.

"Uh..." Zak began again. "Is that a... Bad thing?"

The nurse behind the counter giggled slightly at this.

"Oh it's quite simple really, sir." she explained as Zak turned back to face her. "A Pokémon Centre is where you can heal your team, rest up for the night and lots more. There's one in every major town - I'm surprised you haven't heard of them before."

"He's probably just stupid!" the boy next to him chimed in, leaning against the counter and frowning at Zak.

"Hey!" the nurse cried. "If you can't be nice to a guest then you'll be barred from this place. Permanently!"

"Ah, c'mon nurse Joy." the boy replied, turning to her and grinning. "How about you and me just ditch these morons and catch us a movie or something?"

Zak clenched his fist as the anger began to rise inside of him. The three taller boys behind the short trainer s******ed before gawking once again at the girl.

"Alright, that's it, get out!" nurse Joy growled, pointing towards the exit. The boy looked shocked.

"What!?" he cried. "But I-!"

"No buts mister! Out!!"

The trainer growled then pushed his fist towards Zak.

"We'll settle this outside!" he threatened before exiting the Pokémon Centre, followed by his three companions. Zak turned back to the nurse.

"Sorry about that." she apologized.

"Oh, it's nothing." Zak answered, laughing nervously.

"You're not from around here are you?" she asked, leaning against the counter towards him.

"Ah, no..." Zak began. "I'm from Salifane; an island west of Johto. It's my first time away from home."

"Oh, wow!" the girl exclaimed. "A foreigner! We don't get too many visitors to Ecruteak since the tower burnt down."

"Oh..." Zak murmured, before speaking up again. "I'm Zak."

"Nice to meet you Zak." she replied before making a curtsey. "I'm Joy."

"Joy..." Zak thought aloud. "Cute name..."

"Why thank you!" she said in response, smiling. Zak blushed, suddenly realising that he had recited his thoughts unintentionally.

"Uh... Who was that guy?" Zak stammered, quickly trying to regain his composure.

"Oh, just some trainer who was kicked out of the Ecruteak Gym a few months ago." Joy explained. "He's been hanging around here ever since."

"Hey!!" the boy had reemerged from outside, waving a Pokéball in his hand at Zak. "Come on, or are you a coward!?" Zak watched in silence, slightly bemused by the trainer's actions.

"Just ignore him, Zak." nurse Joy advised. Zak walked away from the counter and began to take the dark blue ball from the back of his belt.

"No, I'll be fine." he said, smiling as he walked towards the door where his challenger was waiting impatiently. "Really."

Once he was outside, both trainers stood opposite one another, staring each other down.

"We'll each use one Pokémon!" the boy declared before throwing a Pokéball down in front of his opponent. "Raticate, I choose you!" he cried as the flash of light from the Pokéball revealed the form of a large rodent Pokémon that stared angrily at the human in front of him.

"In that case..." Zak announced, smiling. "I'll use my Scizor!"

He threw down the dark blue ball in his hands to reveal a humanoid image of light which slowly dimmed into the dark navy form of his father's Steel-type Pokémon.

"Hyper Fang, Raticate!!" the boy screeched his command, causing the Raticate to dash straight towards the metal mantis and clamp it's teeth over Scizor's right arm.

Scizor blinked at the creature, before kneeing it in the stomach and then roundhouse kicking it into the wall of a nearby house, causing a slight crater. The crowd that had gathered outside stared in awe at the display as the Raticate fainted in a mere two blows.

"Ugh...!" the boy whimpered, staring at his unconscious Pokémon lying on the ground. "How'd he!? Raticate, return!" he called out as he pointed the Pokéball at his monster, creating a dim red light and absorbing the combatant inside the sphere. "Y... You were just lucky!" he growled.

"I win." Zak proclaimed, returning his warrior into the Great ball grasped in his hand. "Now you can leave nurse Joy alone."

The boy stared as Zak turned his back and walked towards the Pokémon Centre, leaving the defeated trainer alone outside.

~*~*~​

Zak looked up to the ceiling whilst lying in bed. Today's experience had proven invaluable if he was going to succeed in finding just who, or what, was after his father.

He still didn't quite believe that this was happening, and that he had begun his very own Pokémon quest. His quest was different from others in the way that he wasn't aiming to become the greatest Pokémon trainer, but in the way that he wanted to find out just exactly what had happened to his father, and exactly why the person who had attacked his village, Knite, was after him.

Zak closed his eyes and smiled. Tomorrow he would head for the Gym to face Morty, a leader who apparently used Ghost-type Pokémon. Zak had been surprised when nurse Joy had told him this whilst he was waiting for his Pokémon to be healed. He had always thought that ghost Pokémon were a mythical type of creature, only appearing in legends of old, and he had never read any books about them to prove their existence. As a result, Zak knew very little about what would await him tomorrow at the Gym, but whatever it was, he would face it head-on with his team of Pokémon.

Though the thought of what forces stood between him and his father scared him deeply, Zak couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of starting his very own Pokémon journey in this strange new land.

'The only ones he could trust.' Zak examined the words of his father's friend Mr. Lunata inside his head over and over again, still unsure of what he had meant by this.

He recalled the battle earlier this evening. Nurse Joy had explained to him that she had never seen a Scizor use fighting moves like that before. Then again, she had added that she didn't know a whole lot about Steel-type Pokémon, only that the Gym leader in Olivine used them. His father's Scizor was strange in the way that it was coloured a dark navy blue, and Zak knew that traditionally a Scizor's armour was usually red.

Zak's thoughts were casually washed away as he closed his eyes and smiled. Ah, nurse Joy... Now she was someone he could get used to having around...

~*~*~​

The next morning the sun had disturbed Zak from his peaceful sleep. That was the price you paid when you had to sleep beside the window, he guessed. He didn't quite remember his dream but was sure it was a good one, seeing as he had slept so well.

He immediately left the Pokémon Centre in order to challenge the Ecruteak Gym leader after saying goodbye to Joy. He was highly excited about the upcoming battle, looking forward to testing out his skills against a real professional, but it wasn't until he pushed the large iron entrance aside and entered the Gym that his nerves began to show themselves.

The inside of the Gym was dark and foreboding, and the old architecture even more obvious than it was from outside. The floorboards were creaky and the only lighting was made by four lit torches - two at the front of the Gym, and two at the back. Zak slowly crept his way through the dank halls, being reminded heavily of the old, burnt out tower from yesterday.

Zak eventually reached the back of the building where a huge, stone pedestal stood, built firmly into the ground of the Gym. Zak made his way up the small set of steps before stopping when he reached the top of the stand.

"What is it you want from here?" a voice called out from the shadows in front of him. Zak hesitated before answering.

"I'm here to challenge the Gym leader, Morty!" he called back into the darkness. There was a long silence, which Zak dared not break.

"...Very well." the voice announced.

Suddenly a ring of torches around the pedestal were lit to illuminate the ground and reveal a stadium marked out below Zak's feet. Zak stepped back slightly, surprised by what he saw. After examining the stadium he looked up to see a figure sitting down on the opposite side of the pedestal.

The figure before him got to it's feet and turned to face the challenger, the torches now illuminating his face. He raised a Pokéball towards Zak and smiled.

"I am Morty, and I am the leader of this Pokémon Gym." he announced. "Let's battle."

~*~*~​

Let me just say now that I never saw much of the Johto seasons on the Pokemon anime, so I'm not 100% certain of how the Gym leaders act, and episode synopsi rarely seem to go into detail on this. Because of this I'm trying to build up their personality from what little bits of detail you get from the games and just generally from what I've heard. If I do a horrible job in future chapters please just let me know and perhaps give some advice on how to change it?

Many thanks~!

 

[Silentvibrava]

Hope you don't mind me dropping in to review your story, because it is worth it. First of all, you transformed a trainer's fic into something much more, and that is not the easiest thing to do. So points for that!

To help you out with your story I'm going to list the things that I found enjoyable, and what you should do more often, or not so often.
~

From this distance Zak could now see the figure's image more clearly. His hair was a deep, fiery red, intense in colour at the root, a darkened orange at the tips - at least the hair at the front of his head. The colour difference wasn't obvious - you had to concentrate to notice it, but it was there nonetheless. Several strands of it covered his forehead, yet it was wild and untame, not like Zak's. His eyes appeared to be a deep, quite bright green, like that of an emerald, yet his face was sharp and looked decidedly malicious. The bulky clothing he wore now appeared to be a strangely customised suit of armour. He had shoulder pads and a chest plate, whilst the rest of his stomach and torso was covered in a flexible, black coloured undersuit. His arms and hands were bare, whilst the lower portion of his body was dressed in slightly darker black pants made of a mixture of polyester and cotton, forming a bizarre contrast in his clothing. A blue belt, slightly brighter than navy, and similar in style to Zak's, hung off his waist, complete with Pokéballs. The weapon he once held was now sheathed at his waist, and looked like more of a short lance than a spear, as Zak had originally thought.

Wow, too long, but I love the description. Your description is something different, and I enjoy individual work.

"Charizard!" he called as the same light appeared from the ball in his hands, releasing a large, deep-orange coloured dragon, towering just over two feet taller than it's purple adversary. The tip of it's tail burned brightly, as it flapped it's large, scaly wings and grinned, snorting slightly and creating a puff of smoke from it's nostrils.

I love the way you introduce Pokemon into the battles, and love the description.

The boy emerged, wiping the blood from his mouth, his frown becoming angrier. He looked up, then smiled, laughing.

You have described him as creepy. You have captivated me with him. It was also quite a surprise to learn that he was the same age as Zak. Your story has a lot of surprises, keep up with them.

Undaunted, Zak's Tauros charged again, this time colliding with the wall, embedding it's horns in the wood. Snorting angrily, the bull ripped itself out and turned once again to the Magmar, who had already begun to counter. Whipping it's tail around quickly the creature created a small vortex of fire which landed at the Tauros's feet, shooting into it's fur and scattering onto it's hooves. It then proceeded to jump over the bull and began to flee in the opposite direction.

Keep up with the battle description. I had to quote this. ^-^

"They?" Zak repeated,

Mysterious, once again you drew your readers in. Keep that up.

The stars were out in abundance, displaying the different constellations visible in the Johto region.

Nice use of vocabulary.

Zak blushed, suddenly realising that he had recited his thoughts unintentionally.

Again, nice use of vocabulary.

Let's see the overall results for this journey fic, if I can call it that.

Individual Description.

Lovely, and very individual. I could just imagine everything, and it was this that drew me along with other complications.

Battle

I see that you like to describe both the attacks, and the appearance of Pokemon, like me. Exceptional work on that.

Plot

A very nice plot you are having here. Something that is very creative with unexpected twists, and turns.

 

[The Great Butler]

Yes, you're keeping on improving. Very well, let's review.

The sky had by now turned into a deep, navy blue. The stars were out in abundance, displaying the different constellations visible in the Johto region.

I can picture the constellations being Pokémon, like at the end of Jirachi Wish Maker. Nice imagery.

Zak looked around the hall, awestruck by what he saw. He had never seen so many trainers in one place before. People were sitting on the beds showing each other their prized Pokémon, playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and one was even using one of the computers beside the counter.

Great description of the activities going on in a Pokémon Center.

Zak seemed to lose his voice when he saw the woman standing opposite him, behind the counter. He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She was very pretty, some might even go as far as to say that she was beautiful. She had long, pink hair tied back into two large rings and tucked underneath her white nurse's hat and a slim figure which her white uniform seemed to compliment perfectly. She looked back at him and smiled warmly. Zak finally managed to bring himself out of her spell and talk sense once more, at least in slightly quicker breaths.

Heh. I see Brock wasn't the only one who can't resist Nurse Joy's allure......this could be comedy gold if there's a Joy in every city in the story.

Scizor blinked at the creature, before kneeing it in the stomach and then roundhouse kicking it into the wall of a nearby house, causing a slight crater. The crowd that had gathered outside stared in awe at the display as the Raticate fainted in a mere two blows.

Pwned. That punk got what he deserved. I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again though.

Zak's thoughts were casually washed away as he closed his eyes and smiled. Ah, nurse Joy... Now she was someone he could get used to having around...


~*~*~

The next morning the sun had disturbed Zak from his peaceful sleep. That was the price you paid when you had to sleep beside the window, he guessed. He didn't quite remember his dream but was sure it was a good one, seeing as he had slept so well.

Heheheheh. I think it's obvious he was dreaming of Nurse Joy.

Overall, another great chapter. You're doing very well.

 

[Gazmof]

Wow, thanks to the both of you for the detailed reviews. It's good to know what people think I'm doing right in the story.

First of all, you transformed a trainer's fic into something much more, and that is not the easiest thing to do. So points for that!

I kind of squealed when I read that. I remember reading the Author's Cafe forum before posting this and almost everything I read about OT fics seemed pretty negative, so thanks, that's awesome of you to say.

Heheheheh. I think it's obvious he was dreaming of Nurse Joy.

I, uh... Subtle, huh? Hehe

 

[Saffire Persian]

EDIT: Oh, forgot to mention - I've just edited the spacing on the first two chapters, as per Saffire Persian's instructions. Many thanks for the advice, maybe it's a little easier on the eyes now.

Much easier on the eyes, actually. ^_^ Thank you. Ah, and if you want a banner for this story, I'd be happy to make you one if you PM me the details of what you'd like on it.

I know I'm a bit sporadic when it comes to reviews. XD That's just how I am.

Review for Chapter 2

Zak nodded his response.

Nodded his response? How about 'nodded in response?

"Yes, it is." he answered. "My father... He left home seven months ago, and we haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Your father always was an explorer at heart, boy." the man chuckled, puffing out smoke from his pipe.

"But he's never been away this long before!" Zak explained, his voice rising. "My mother was worried, and..."

"And?" Lunata interrupted rather abruptly.

"And..." Zak murmured, lowering his gaze to the wooden floorboards below his feet. "And two weeks ago... A Pokémon trainer of about my age attacked the village we live in, demanding to know where my father was..."

I quite like Zak's personality. ^^ I'm glad he actually cares about where his father is. Some fics just don't have that, and it bugs the crap out of me. Oh, and Lunata is a dang cool last name.

"That was one of the two towers built in Ecruteak long ago... You must go there. On the bottom floor you will find something. Something you'll need."

Ecruteak is one of my favorite places. Love the legend behind it.

"Tauros - Zak's third and final Pokémon, was often used back at home to help control the shape and properties of the farmland, which meant it was often used, though not for battling. As a result of this, Tauros was probably the weakest of all of his Pokémon. It could still hold it's own in a fight, but Zak would have to wait and see how it would fare against a Pokémon from Johto.

The details are good, but all of this at once seems a little fast - I would have preferred you space the details out throughout the battle. ^_^ But that's just me.

Zak turned back to the source of the smoke, which was slowly beginning to disperse, when he again saw the glow of what he presumed to be the Magmar's tail.

XDXDXD.....

And then we end at a fall down one of Ecruteak's massive holes in the floor. Whee! XD.. I do like that ending.

^_^

All in all, it looks much better with nice, varying spacing. It's easy on the eyes, and varied paragraphs help very much. IT's all about pacing. Short sentences (obviously) speed the pacing up. (especially dialogue) where long degrees of exposition and description (Like at the first) slow the flow down.

Nice job.

 

[Gazmof]

Whew, here's chapter five. Enjoy!

Chapter Five:
The First Gym Battle! Zak vs Morty - Ghost Attack!​

"We may each use up to six Pokémon." Morty began, still pointing the Pokéball in his hand at Zak. "Not that I'll need that many, of course..." he chuckled before continuing.

Despite his raggedy clothes which looked to be covered in dust, he was quite an impressive sight to behold. He had a generous physique and enchanting demeanor; his golden-brown eyes showing off an intense stare. He wore a pale blue v-neck shirt with yellow trims on the bottom and sleeves, and loose-fitting, dark navy jogging pants. His spiky dark-blonde hair was held in place by a pastel blue bandana which matched the primary colour of his shirt.

"Anyway, we're following field battle rules, which means anything goes. Any questions?"

Zak shook his head, his right hand lowering slowly towards the belt he wore, ready to select his first Pokémon for battle.

"Then let battle... Commence!" Morty shouted, throwing down the Pokéball in his hand and unleashing a blast of white light into the centre of the arena that slowly faded to reveal a thin, almost gaseous Pokémon levitating in front of the challenger. It appeared simply as a dark purple ball of vapour with two large, piercing eyes and a toothy grin. Zak stepped back in awe.

"So they ARE real!?" he murmured to himself in surprise.

"Shocked, hm?" Morty called past his ghost Pokémon. "You're in for a real treat, trust me..."

Zak brought himself back to reality, staring back at the Gym leader and taking the dark blue ball that was hooked to his side. He tapped the button in the centre, enlarging the sphere to fit snugly into his palm before throwing it towards the ghost and unleashing his own monster into the ring. Now it was Morty's turn to cower.

"...What?" he gasped, his wide eyes surveying the Scizor that Zak had just released into the ring. "That power I'm sensing...! Unbelievable!"

Zak smiled, playing with the now empty Great ball, tossing it to each of his hands.

"Now..." Zak said, his voice full of confidence. "Let's play!" he pointed towards the rival Pokémon, ready to lead his own creature into battle. "Go; Tackle attack, Scizor!"

The metal Pokémon turned it's head slowly, eyeing his trainer suspiciously before turning back to face it's opponent. It hesitated, then crouched and dashed head first towards the enemy, it's speed and agility a marvel to behold, but at the moment of impact, Scizor merely passed through the enemy.

Scizor quickly turned, watching the ghost in question, seemingly intrigued by what had just happened. Morty immediately burst out laughing.

"That's pathetic!" he taunted, looking as though he was trying to now suppress his laughter. "You didn't even know that Normal attacks will just go right through Ghost Pokémon? And you call yourself a trainer!?"

Zak growled, clenching his right fist and tightening his grip on the Great ball in his other hand.

"Dammit..." he whispered to himself. "Why didn't I research this first!?"

Morty managed to regain his composure before issuing his first attack of the battle.

"Now Gastly, use your Curse attack!"

The ghost obeyed, closing it's eyes tightly and concentrating on an unknown object in it's mind. It opened it's eyes suddenly, drifting towards the floor weakly before picking itself back up again, as if it had just been struck by some invisible, psychic attack.

"Wh... What was that?" Zak asked himself, blinking, before turning around and issuing his next order. "Okay Scizor..." he began. "Uh... Just..."

'Oh, dammit!' he thought to himself. 'I don't know any of Scizor's normal attacks, let alone any special ones to fight a ghost with!' he looked up, noticing that his Pokémon was now acting strangely, clutching it's throat.

"...Scizor?" he mumbled. "You okay?"

The metal Pokémon glared at it's master before lunging knee first towards Gastly, again only to find the attack going straight through the Pokémon. Scizor fell to the floor, struggling to get up, the pain inside it's steel body forcing it to writhe on the floor in agony.

"Alright, that's enough!" Zak announced, pointing the Great ball towards the creature. "Scizor, return!" a small beam of red light absorbed the Scizor into itself before retreating back into the centre of the ball.

"Looks like you'd better just give up right here." Morty chuckled.

"Not so fast." Zak replied, taking a second ball from the belt around his waist and throwing it to the ground. "Pick, let's go!"

"Ugh..." Morty sighed. "What kind of a name is that?"

It seemed as if Zak didn't hear the leader, instead concentrating on the newly released bird Pokémon flapping it's wings proudly before the Gastly.

"And just what exactly is that Fearow going to do to my Ghost Pokémon?" Morty asked sarcastically.

"You'll see..." Zak replied, confidence returning to his voice. "Pick! Use a Gust attack!"

The bird complied, kicking up a ferocious wind and blasting the dusty contents of the stadium floor straight towards the Gastly, causing it to be pushed back by the sheer force of the blast.

The ghost responded by charging straight towards the Fearow, outstretching it's tongue towards the target. Immediately Pick dodged the attack, flying around behind it's enemy and kicking up another gust, causing the Gastly to fall to the floor.

"Gastly, return!" Morty growled, retreating the fainted Pokémon back to the ball from whence it came. "Your Fearow is well trained, I'll give you that." the leader confessed. "But my next Pokémon will leave you trembling before it's might!"

Without hesitation, Morty threw another Pokéball down to the floor of the small stadium, revealing another levitating ghost Pokémon, though this one seemed different somehow. It's colour was that of a deep purple, and it's eyes were much more narrow. Instead of just a cloud, it was much more solid in appearance and two arms protruded from the sides, giving it a much more humanoid form.

"Haunter, Lick attack!" Morty ordered, pointing towards the Fearow which towered high above the stadium.

The ghost obeyed, charging through the air towards the bird Pokémon. Pick waited for the Haunter to get closer, then dived straight past it back towards the grounds of the stadium. The bird pulled up moments before impact and swiftly turned to face it's pursuer, which had begun to follow suit, diving straight towards it.

"Now Pick, use Whirlwind!" Zak called. Pick flapped it's wings, generating great momentum which it then unleashed straight at the Haunter, who was still diving straight at the bird. The force of the wind collided head-on with the spectre, pushing it back to the far end of the Gym.

"Dammit!!" Morty shouted in frustration, recalling his second ghost back into the Pokéball. "Haunter, go!" he threw down a third Pokéball, revealing a second Haunter inside. This one seemed a lot stronger, slightly larger, with a more menacing appearance than the first. "Use a Curse!"

The ghost tightly shut it's eyes, focusing on something in it's mind. It opened them again, seeming quite fatigued by the whole process, then glided back to where it once hovered, facing it's newly handicapped opponent.

Pick seemed to be much more exhausted now, it's wings flapped only on occasion to keep itself barely above the ground. Zak had already noticed the abnormality, realising now what had caused Scizor to act so strangely.

"Pick, try a Gust attack!" Zak called, watching the bird slowly kick up a wind as powerful as it possibly could. The wind collided with the Haunter, kicking it back towards the place where Morty stood. Pick hovered weakly over the spot it had attacked from, faltering slightly before picking itself back up and waiting for it's next order.

"Haunter, Lick attack!" Morty ordered, watching as his monster charged headfirst towards the waiting Fearow. The ghost roughly struck it's opponent with it's tongue, causing a sharp pain to jolt through Pick's body.

The Fearow hurriedly pulled away from it's attacker before unleashing another gust attack, blasting a strong wind straight into the ghost. The Haunter flinched somewhat, then shrugged off the barrage, grinning. Pick crashed into the ground opposite, exhaustion consuming the Flying-type. Zak withdrew his fainted Pokémon.

"Now it's your turn, Torch." Zak whispered, taking his next Pokéball and releasing the creature within. The Magmar jumped out of the newly revealed light, eager to serve it's new master.

"Haunter, Night Shade." Morty said cooly.

Both Zak and Torch turned to face the Haunter at the opposite end of the stadium. The ghost charged straight towards the Fire Pokémon, floating through it before turning and closing it's eyes, it's hands outlining the invisible object it was studying in it's mind. The Magmar fell backwards into the dusty sand of the stadium beneath it, scrambling back to it's feet as the pain of the spectral attack began to fade.

Torch hesitated, then launched itself towards the ghost, closing in on the target to unleash it's first attack. The Magmar opened it's mouth, spitting a long stream of fire out that went through the spectre, the heat and flames surrounding the opponent who barely managed to escape. Zak smiled, watching the exhausted Haunter that was now waiting for it's next order.

Morty growled, clenching his left fist. "Use Curse!!" he cried. "Do it now!"

The ghost looked back at it's trainer, then hesitantly obeyed. Power began to fill the creature slowly, it's eyes closed in order to focus on what lay in it's mind. Torch let out a slight gasp as it felt the curse seep inside of it, signaling the fall of it's attacker. The Haunter opened it's eyes weakly, then fell onto the floor, signaling Morty to retreat it.

"A noble sacrifice." the Gym leader said calmly, clipping the defeated Haunter's Pokéball back onto his belt and then taking the fourth and final ball into his hand. "And now, the real fun begins!"

Zak eyed Morty nervously. Hopefully the leader was bluffing; after Torch was gone he only had Nidoqueen in reserve since Tauros knew no special moves which could harm a Ghost-type Pokémon.

"What are you waiting for?" Zak called over to his opponent. Morty growled.

"Nothing!" he returned, throwing the sphere down on to the ground. "Gengar, I choose you!"

The ball split open and engulfed the small stadium in light, illuminating the shadows of the old Gym building, slowly fading to allow both trainers to view the large, ghostly Pokémon standing before them.

Gengar was quite tall for a Pokémon, standing at just over five feet. It's colour was, like Haunter's, again a dark purple, but it's eyes, though just as narrow and menacing, were a deep, blood red. They seemed to glow, spying on Zak's very thoughts as he wondered how to strike first.

Unlike all three of Morty's previous Pokémon, Gengar's shape was fully formed - with two legs and two arms, giving it an unnerving human-like quality. It grinned towards Zak, who swallowed nervously but stood his ground.

"Torch, try another Flamethrower!" he ordered, pointing directly at the target.

The Magmar nodded, crouching down as it began to spew out flames which would bend and contort, wrapping around the spectre. Torch continued this attack for around half a minute, completely veiling the enemy in flames without resistance.

"Ha!" Zak laughed triumphantly. "So much for that."

Morty smirked, gently throwing Gengar's empty Pokéball in and out of his hand.

"Gengar," he said cooly. "use Night Shade."

From amid the flames the Gengar leapt towards it's attacker, grabbing it by the throat and pinning it down to the ground. It grinned maniacally, the expression on it's face making Zak feel dizzy, as if it were laughing through telepathy, since it made no sound. It's deep, red eyes began to glow, the black pupils fading as eery, red light warped around the Magmar.

Suddenly Gengar jumped off the creature, landing on it's feet and watching as the Magmar seemed to be kicked from the ground itself and up into the air.

"Torch!" Zak shouted out, watching the weak Pokémon fall back onto the dusty stadium floor with a thud. Dust swirled and surrounded the injured Pokémon, who slowly got to it's feet, not wanting to disappoint it's new master.

"That's enough! Return!" Zak pointed a Pokéball at the reluctant creature, enveloping it in light and recalling it inside.

"Why don't you just admit defeat?" Morty taunted, leaning calmly against the wall rest behind him.

"Because I still have one trump card up my sleeve..." Zak answered, taking what he hoped would be his last Pokéball for use in this fight from his belt and holding it in front of him. "Go, Nidoqueen!"

The sphere shot out a stream of white light, painting out the form of his Nidoqueen, whose icy blue colours became evident as soon as the brightness from the ball began to fade.

Nidoqueen glared at the Gengar in front of her, watching it closely, as if it knew what had been happening during the entire battle.

"Ice Beam!" Zak cried, prompting the Pokémon to step back slightly and spew forth a bright beam of pale blue light, which froze on impact with the spectre, encasing it in a block of ice.

Zak smiled, watching the frozen Gengar in satisfaction, then allowed the smile to fade as the ghost burst out of it's chilly confines, ready to go another round. Morty chuckled slightly before giving his next order.

"Use your Shadow Ball." he instructed.

Gengar's enormous grin seemed to grow as it raised it's left hand into the air. Slowly at first, an unusual black substance began to creep from all four corners of the Gym building into the ghostly palm, forming a small, spherical object in the centre.

Watching Gengar fight it seemed obvious to Zak that it had evolved from Haunter, since they both bore striking similarities - the most unnerving for Zak being those deep, blood red eyes and insane grin - no matter what Gengar was doing it seemed to be watching both the trainer and his Pokémon with those haunting, ethereal eyes. It was watching and, most disturbingly, waiting.

The substance had now finished flowing into Gengar's hand and had formed a ball which appeared to be made of a bizarre liquid, since it seemed to ripple and twist every time it was moved. Zak wasted no time in trying to avoid examining it at a closer range.

"Use another Ice Beam!" he called. Nidoqueen nodded, swiftly shooting out another stream of ice towards the target.

Hurriedly, Gengar threw the ball at Zak's Pokémon. It bounced up high, quite slowly towards the victim, then tumbled down towards the incoming ice attack. The two forces collided, drilling into one another with incredible force. Both seemed equally matched, but, ultimately, only one would emerge as the victor.

The Shadow Ball drained away the energy of Nidoqueen's attack, fueling itself on the power it had collided with just moments ago, then continued to bounce towards the opponent. It struck Nidoqueen with the momentum of a Rapidash at full speed, launching the target across the stadium towards where Zak was standing.

"Nidoqueen!" he called out, worry rocking his voice. "Are you alright?"

The Pokémon didn't respond. Instead, it slowly got to it's feet and watched as Gengar began to form a second Shadow Ball.

Without instructions, Nidoqueen dashed straight towards the ghost, who grinned before throwing the completed sphere straight towards the incoming monster.

The ball bounced up high, then plummeted towards Nidoqueen, who immediately changed course, ruining the aim of Gengar's Shadow Ball and leaving the enemy as a clear target for a third Ice Beam. The attack flew through the air and collided with the unprotected Gengar, sending it flying past Morty and out of the ring of the stadium.

Both trainers watched the ghost slowly get to it's feet in complete silence. The grin was now gone as the creature took one weary step back towards the ring. It forced itself back into the stadium slowly, it's eyes focused entirely on Nidoqueen, who stared back in defiance.

Gengar stood there for a moment before taking another step and, finally unable to resist the inevitable, fell to the floor in an exhausted heap.

No noise could be heard in the entire building. Zak watched the dust settle in disbelief whilst Morty returned Gengar to it's Pokéball. The silence wasn't broken until Morty spoke up.

"...Congratulations."

~*~*~​

Thanks again for all your reviews, comments and advice you guys. Whilst a lot of the fic has been written already, I do go back and edit based on what you mention.

As I've already said before I'm not entirely sure how the Johto Gym leaders act and I only have the two lines of dialogue they give in the games to go on. If anyone has some advice on further info on their personalities please do either say so in a review or PM, as it'll really help.

And remember, that while some of these chapters may seem of kind of "filler-like", rest assured that I've put everything in there for a reason.

 

[The Great Butler]

Ah, what a great battle! Very well done. I would've liked it if Morty had a Misdreavus in place of his second Haunter, but that's just personal preference. The way you did it is just fine, absolutely no flaws. I especially liked the description of Haunter and Gengar---the ethereal red eyes---very much.

I can't wait to see more Gym battles of Zak's, if this one's only the first and an indication of things to come.