Eddies

Chapter 6: Battle mode.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Note to readers: For those who need refreshing on who Scott and Storm are, refer back to my story “Pokemon Rangers 1: The end of things”

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Eddies 6

It took a few moments before Chris's thoughts gathered enough to reply.

"Umm, yeah...  Hi!  Sure, what can I do you for?"

Ranger Scott looked him over thoughtfully, before continuing.

"Well, it's concerning an incident that happened a few days ago, around 50 miles from here past Lightening Ridge. There was a situation..."

Chris became a bit nervous, considering what to say.  However, with Skyy still stuck in the rejuvenator, his options were limited.

"What sort of incident" he said innocently; although he had the feeling the Ranger wasn't buying it.

"A powerful psychic one; with enough force to temporarily incapacitate some of our best psychic pokemon"

Chris sat back, nerves replaced with disbelief, and he regarded Scott with amused surprise.

"Psychic?  Are you serious?"

Scott leaned forwards, his hands on the table, and replied sombrely "Very much so.  It's not the sort of thing that escapes our notice, when we have powerful pokemon dropping like flies.  Nor were we alone, as reports came flooding in concerning similar incidents within a 200 mile radius.  When they woke up, they basically all reported the same facts; that a human was involved; one who bears a striking resemblance to the description given for you, in fact, and that it somehow was extremely important that this human be found.  Add to this, the human was somehow linked emotionally to a lucario.  When the records showed you, a new trainer, owning such a creature, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

Chris regarded him thoughtfully, trying to keep the look of relief from his features.  Clearly this wasn't to do with the redneck brother’s incident, but more with his entry through the portal.  His second thought that Jasper had sold him out sent a guilty flush through him, and he vowed to buy the gym leader a drink as apology for thinking the worst, next time he saw him. 

"I may have a few answers to that, Ranger.  However, I can't leave the centre until Skyy has been released.  After that, I think we need to find somewhere private and have the chat you wanted".

Nodding, Ranger Scott stood abruptly, gesturing for Chris to precede him, and the pair made their way from the room with every eye regarding them.

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The hallway from the meal area was deserted, which was a surprise, given the number of pokemon running around earlier.  Reaching the far exit, Chris reached out an arm to push through the heavy double doors leading from the hall, only to hear a deep voice behind him say "This him?"

Turning to the newcomer, he did a double take as he encountered a mountain of blue and beige fur before him, red eyes regarding him intently.  Once the doors had closed behind Scott, the Ranger turned to the large pokemon examining Chris, and introduced him.

"This is Storm, my Ranger partner." he said, and Storm blinked, before shoving a paw forward.  The shake was hard, claw tips pressed against his wrist lightly as the pokemon gripped his hand firmly.  As they shook, a sardonic grin crossed the creatures face, and he turned to Scott and said "Hmm, this one smells funny".

Chris groaned inward, a wry chuckle escaping him as his hand was released, allowing him to massage his bruised knuckles with the other.

"You'd be surprised how often I'm hearing that, mate" he said, and the typhlosion grinned broader in reply.

Thinking quickly, he suggested they retreat to his room, at least allowing them some small privacy.  Making his way down the dormitories, he removed his key and fumbled with the lock, finally gaining entry and inviting the pair inside.

The room felt pretty cramped with the hulking pokemon in it, but once the typhlosion stationed himself in the corner, lounging in a too-small seat as his partner dropped to a nearby chair, Chris's attention was caught by a red and white object nestled on his sheets besides the pillow, a small yellow note affixed to the top.

Moving to the bed, he plucked up the pokeball, squinting in the dim light to read the untidy scrawl on the paper.

"Hey Chris,

Here's your lucario's ball, fresh from the rejuvenator.

He might be a little disorientated when he's released, so give him a few minutes to recover, hey?

Cheers,

Jasper"

Under the watchful eye of the two rangers, he fumbled with the ball, peeling the note from its surface, before regarding Scott somewhat nervously.

"Mind if I release Skyy before we chat?  This story is as much his as mine"

As the ranger nodded agreeably, Chris held out the ball, activating the button.  Once the bright light had faded, he found himself face to face with a somewhat unsteady lucario, who stood wavering on his feet.  As Chris grabbed his shoulder to steady him, the ruby eyes opened, regarding him from close quarters, before blinking as a smile crossed the muzzle.

Returning the grin, Chris gave the furred shoulder a pat.  "Hey you!" he said dryly, receiving a "Hey you, too" in reply, before being enveloped in tight furred arms as the lucario gave him a huge hug.

Patting him fondly on the back, Chris leant down to whisper in his ear, "I'm glad you're OK, Skyy, but we have company..."  At this, the pokemon released him with a start, to stare wide eyed at the newcomers behind him.

"Who..?" he stuttered, trailing off as the uniform on the human finally registered with his still-fuzzy mind. 

Chris steadied him again with one hand, and indicated the two.  "This is Ranger Scott from Star City, and Storm here is his partner.  They are here asking about a huge psychic incident a few days ago, and wanted to talk to us about it"

Regarding the pair before accepting the human's outstretched hand, he stood mute as his own was shook, until Chris had him sit on the bed to stop him wavering.

"Uuh, yeah." he said, before giving Chris a loaded look which he returned warningly.

Dropping to the bed beside his friend, he threw a comforting arm over the lucario’s shoulder, and began their tale.  "Well, it started like this..."

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Half an hour later, as the story wound to a close, the two rangers regarded the pair silently, before the typhlosion turned to his partner, and said "Shit, hey?"

Giving the pokemon a dirty look which was returned with a sarcastic grin, Scott considered the pair sitting together on the bed, deciding on how to proceed.  After a few minutes deliberation, he took the direct approach, and said to the pair "OK, given this gels with what we already know, I can only conclude you're telling the truth.  Perhaps not all of it, but we'll let that lie for now.  The real question is; what do you want to do now?  Obviously you're missed at home, and I'd prefer not having your people arrive here suddenly unannounced looking for you.  Do we take the direct approach, and send you home first?" 

Chris considered, until he heard Skyy give a sigh.  Turning to his friend, he noted the somewhat dejected look on his face.  Jabbing the lucario with an elbow, he whispered "Don't worry.  I'm not going anywhere without you."

As the blue and black ears perked up, he turned back to the Rangers with a wry grin. 

"I don't care what happens at this point, as long as Skyy is comfortable with it.  However, knowing my folks, they'd have the National Guard out looking for me by now.  They won't stop searching until they either find me, or what remains of me.  Plus, I don't particularly enjoy knowing they'll be panicking for no reason.  So, I'd like to go home...at least for a while... before I think about returning here.  Can this be done?"

Scott looked at his partner, and the typhlosion shrugged.  "Don't ask me!" said the pokemon.  "I reckon we should go with them."

The human ranger regarded the pokemon with a raised eyebrow.  "You're not serious!" he said again, and scowled as Storm gave him a toothy smile.  "Damn straight.  I'm overdue a holiday, and this sounds better than that retarded theme park, Pokemon World!"

Scott groaned, rubbing his face with a hand.  "You know this is going to cause all sort of shit at HQ, right?", and chuckled at the nasty smirk on the typhlosion's face.  "Since when has that ever stopped us?" said Storm, eliciting a grin from his partner.

Finally, with a sigh, he turned back to the silently watching pair and said "Alright.  I'll see what I can organise.  Until then, I'd like you two to stay here till things are arranged.  It shouldn't take too long; a couple of days at most.  Hell, we don't even know we can get this portal thing to work again, so don't get too excited.  But I'd rather not drag you around with me while I sort this out.  Things are going to be crazy enough without that happening!"

Chris chuckled, turning to the silent lucario, and said "Well, what about it?"

Skyy thought for a moment, before replying.  "Seriously?  Both of us?"

At the nod, the pokemon gave the first real smile of the day.  "Damn it, this could be interesting.  Count me in."

Scott rose suddenly, gesturing for the typhlosion to lead him from the room.  Pausing in the doorway, he said "Remember, keep a low profile till then.  There's enough rumours buzzing around out there regarding you two that we don't need any further complications"

Chris and Skyy nodded, and the ranger gave him a quick salute before closing the door behind him, leaving the pair alone.

 Turning to the pokemon, Chris asked "You hungry?"  At the hesitant nod, he got up and held a hand out to the lucario, who took the proffered wrist in surprise before being hauled to his feet. 

"Well, let’s get something before heading to the stadium.  I'm keen on seeing how Jasper really runs this place!"

The lucario followed him down the corridor, tail wagging slowly as they returned to the dining area for a belated brunch.

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The short walk to the pokemon stadium through the hot late morning sun left the pair hot and thirsty.   Chris used some of their dwindling funds to buy himself a beer. However, the lucario requested a fruit juice, after the pokemon turned his nose up in distaste at the malty scent from Chris's foaming bottle.

Finding a seat towards the rear of the stadium wasn't difficult, and Chris looked down the long tiers to the arena floor below, somewhat awed at the battle scars marring the solid rock walls of the central arena.  Even the ground itself was heavily chewed up, blackened craters and trenches lying haphazardly throughout the field.

The stadium was relatively empty; only a few scattered spectators were spread throughout the rows of seating.  With a capacity of around ten thousand, they had no real trouble keeping their distant from the other younger trainers, and as Chris leaned back with a sigh, with feet propped up on the back rest of the bench in front of him, he gazed upwards at the too-blue foreign sky, wondering what his parents were doing back home.  Were they really worried?  Or were they still simply waiting for him to return home?  Either way, to leave them in the dark as to his wellbeing any longer than necessary was cruel, and Chris loved his folks enough to consider that to be untenable.

Skyy sat with his thin lips wrapped around the straw of his drink, cheeks puffing as he sucked noisily at the chilled contents until Chris turned to him with a grin, causing him to pause self consciously.

"It's not finished till the slurping stops, mate" joked the human, and the pokemon nodded, taking another long, loud pull on the straw.

After a few minutes staring down into the arena, Chris remembered he still had Skyy's new ball in his pocket.  Fumbling with his jeans he managed to drag it out, handing it to the pokemon who looked at it in surprise.

"There!  That's yours." said Chris, receiving a doubtful look from the lucario.  "I'm not anyone's master, mate.  It's your ball, so I leave it up to you what you want to do with it"

Staring down at the ball cupped in his hand, Skyy regarded it seriously as a flood of conflicting emotions crossed his mind.  At the forefront was the desire to press the release and escape his "captivity" forever, although his gut feeling was that Chris would never treat him as a prisoner or servant, regardless of what he did.  On the other paw, was the wish to keep accompanying the human in his travels; hell, it was the whole reason he'd left home in the first place, and travel with Chris would open up a vast new human area he could explore.  Not to mention the opportunity to be the first pokemon to travel to Chris's own home world.

The moment turned in to long minutes, and Chris left his friend in his silent dilemma, watching him with thoughtful eyes.  Finally, Skyy sighed, rolled the ball between his palms slowly, and handed it back to Chris.

"Keep it for me, would you?" he asked his human friend, who stared down at it questioningly.

"You don't want to keep it yourself?" he asked the lucario, who gave him a sudden wry grin, pointing down at his waist.  "No pockets." he said, and they both laughed at the ironic situation.

Nodding, Chris shoved it back in his jeans, regarding his friend thoughtfully.  "It's still your property, mate" he said seriously, looking into his friends ruby eyes.  "Any time you want it, it is here for you, OK?"

As the lucario nodded, they returned to watching a number of humans and pokemon enter the dirt area, taking up positions at opposite ends of the field.  Seeing Jasper was amongst them, Chris poked his friend, pointing to the far end where the gym leader was talking to his pokemon animatedly.  As Skyy turned his attention to the human, he nodded, leaning back and staring down at the action below.

As his drink ran out, Chris groaned as he got up from his seat, taking the empty container to the aisle and tossing it into a nearby trash receptacle.  As he returned to his seat, he dropped into the hard cushioned padding with a sigh, thinking suddenly of a question he had for Skyy earlier.

"So, what's it like in there?" he asked, pointing to his pocket, and seeing the lucario turn to regard him seriously.

"It's like...  It's like nothing.  You don't feel anything.  You don't sense anything. It's..."

With a shudder, the lucario turned away and stared at the clouds.

"It's like you don't exist in there" he whispered, and began to shake.  Seeing his distress, Chris wrapped an arm around his shoulders, drawing the upset pokemon towards him.  As the lucario leaned against his side, Chris said "You never have to go back in there if you don't want to, mate", and Skyy gave him a grateful smile in rely, slowly calming from his sudden bout of nerves.

It was clear the training session was about to start when a loud siren shattered the silence.  Startled, Chris stared around wildly, before fixating on the two contestants standing at opposite sides of the arena.  When Jasper released a huge orange rat, which reminded him nothing more than a steroided up version of the pickle thing that had attacked him in the portal, Chris gaped in stunned amazement as a massive bolt of electricity shot from the creature across the field to strike at the competitors own pokemon, which dived out of the way as the lightning struck the ground where it'd been standing an instant earlier.

Responding with a mouthful of flame which stretched across half the arena, the little orange reptile ran at his assailant, while the rat creature sprinting to avoid him.

The pair exchanged attacks, each more violent than the last, and Chris could feel the earth heave beneath him with every fresh assault.  The elemental forces unleashed by the pair almost defied comprehension, and it was only when Skyy burrowed his face into his clothing, visibly upset at observing the pair battling below, that the true awfulness of the situation came home to him.

This was blood sport at its worst, Chris thought, tightening his grip around the shaking lucario.  At one point, when the orange rat slipped in the dirt only to be enveloped in fire, he could see it retreat in pain, fur still smouldering where the blast had caught it. 

Like gladiators at a death match, the pair exchanged blow after blow, visible exhaustion beginning to show in their slowing reactions, until with one fateful fall, the small lizard lost his step, dropping to the earth where he was again struck by an enormous bolt of electricity.

This time, however, he didn't get up.  Ground smouldering where he lay, the charmander was declared unable to continue, and the match ended with the raichu declared the victor.

Still stunned at the epic spectacle he'd witnessed, Chris watched Jasper recall his pokemon, and turn to wave at the spectators.  Less impressive was the actions of the defeated trainer, who approached his pokemon where it lay face down in the arena dirt, standing over the unconscious creature in disgust before landing a savage kick to its midriff. 

Cringing as the blow echoed throughout the stadium, Chris's lips tightened as the trainer again kicked his pokemon, grabbing the seat in front of him in fury.  When the trainer drew back his leg for a third swing, Chris bolted from his seat, leaving the distressed lucario behind him as he sped down the walkway stairs.  Hurtling the railing, he dropped the six feet to the arena floor, crouching in the dirt a moment to regain his balance, before sprinting towards the abusive trainer.  With his back to him, the kid was unaware of the furious approach.  It wasn't until Chris spun him around and landed a sharp blow across his face, sending him sprawling face down onto the ground, that he registered his presence.

Rolling onto his back in shock, the teenager gasped as Chris shoved a boot on his chest, pressing hard on his sternum as the breath whooshed from his lungs.  When the foot lifted, the kid drew in a frantic breath, only to be sent rolling across the dirt as the boot returned, connecting with his side.

When the trainer began sobbing uncontrollably, staring up in fear at his attacker, Chris bent down, grabbing him roughly by the shirt lapels and hauled him to his feet.  With the kid at eye level, toes barely scraping the ground, he drew him in close, and whispered furiously "Did that hurt?"

At the frantic, tear filled nodding, Chris dragged him forward till their noses were almost touching, and hissed "Do you want me to do it again?"

Again, when the kid shook his head in the negative, Chris dropped him suddenly, feeling sudden savage satisfaction before he stood, towering over him.

"If you touch that creature again, I'm going to beat the flying fuck out of you, and it'll be your body lying there unconscious in the dirt.  Do you understand me clearly?"

As the kid cowered before him, Chris felt a firm grasp on his shoulders, whirling to confront the angry eyes of the gym leader.  Readying himself for a fight, Chris was surprised when Jasper shook his head at him, turning him to the side and giving him a shove, before accosting the young trainer furiously.

"Do you know the reason you lost today, boy?  You lost because you have no discipline.  You're a slacker, who doesn't deserve the title of trainer.  It was clear from the second you released that charmander that your pokemon had no faith in your abilities to guide him, and only became more confused when you opened that idiot mouth of yours to berate him.  He lost because you made him lose, not because he was incompetent as a battler.  To turn on him in violence, blaming him for your own mistakes was the lowest form of cowardice, and I will NOT accept that sort of behaviour in this gym!"

At the kid’s scared look, Jasper threw out an arm with fingers open.

"I want that pokemon's ball, now.  As gym leader, I hereby state you have forfeited your right to continue as his trainer, and I'm demanding ownership of him under section 77(c) of the trainer’s code.  If you wish to dispute my decision, you have the right to take it to Rangers HQ, and a case will be heard at central. However, be advised they take cases of pokemon abuse very seriously, and this incident may result in their revoking your trainer’s license permanently."

As the kid nodded fearfully, Jasper snatched the ball from his grasp, pointed to the exit, and said "I suggest you leave now, before I get angry".

The kid left, gravel scattering beneath his feet in his hurry to escape.

Jasper watched him go a moment, returning the injured pokemon to its ball with a well practiced flick of his wrist, before rounding on Chris with lips pressed together furiously.

"Just because you witness an incident such as this does not give you the right to react as you did.  This is a league facility, and any such matters are to be dealt with via the appropriate channels; in particular, by me.  Understood?"

Chris glared at him in turn, refusing to back down further.  He nodded his understanding, too angry to speak.  It wasn't until he felt a soft arm on his shoulder that he turned around, letting a furious retort die on his lips as he saw Skyy looking at him nervously.  With a sigh, the anger drained away, leaving exhaustion in its place. 

He turned again to Jasper, and said quietly "If this is pokemon battling, I want no part of it.  I'm leaving!" 

Turning his back on the scene, he began his march to the arena exit, the concerned lucario in tow.  However, he only made it a few paces before he heard his name called.  Pausing mid step, he glanced back to observe the tired looking gym leader come up behind him.

"I understand how you feel." said Jasper quietly, rubbing a dirty hand across his forehead, and leaving a dirt trail on his skin.  "Truly I do.  Things are different here, and I can see how that would affect your opinion of us.  But the system does work, and has for generations.  With some discipline, that kid might have gone on to bigger and better things.  Perhaps even become the sort of trainer whose pokemon welfare means everything to him.  Sometimes, all they need is a good kick in the arse to head him straight, but your intervention prevented this happening.   Remember that, before you pass judgement on us so quickly in the future, huh?"

Tossing the pokeball in his hand to the surprised Chris, a wry grin crossed the gym leader’s face before he continued.  "For someone who is so keen on avoiding owning pokemon, you're doing a good job collecting them.  Since you involved yourself with the problem, it's only fair you deal with it.  Consider him your responsibility from now on."

With that, Jasper gave him a quick salute, and jogged back to the far end of the arena, where his pokemon stood waiting patiently for him.  Chris stared down at the ball in his hand, mind numb as the adrenalin rush vanished, until Skyy rested a hand on his arm again. 

"I think we need to get him in the regenerator, Chris" the lucario said quietly, and followed the human silently as he made his slow way back to the pokemon centre.

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