Troubled Past
Troubled past
And the story continues!
Sashi: Well?
Well what?
Sashi: Weren't you supposed to show the people something?
Oh yeah! If you're curious about how everyone looks like, go to http://www.furaffinity.net/view/157564/
Sashi: Oooo nice one... You've done a real good job on this one...
Thanks...
The submarine dove under, and started moving forwards. Inside, Sashi and the others were shown to a special room where they could rest.
"So why again did we go with this?" Eevy asked.
"Because they need my help..." Sashi replied.
"But we don't know who these people are!" Eevy said back.
"I know that..."
"Then why-" Eevy began, when suddenly an Aqua member walked up to them.
"We've arrived..." he said, and Eevy was silenced.
"I'm sure it'll be okay..." Sashi said, giving Eevy a wink as she got up.
"Okay..." Eevy replied, still not sure.
The six, plus two Pokemon, were led out of the submarine, into the fresh air. Well, fresh air? Sashi looked around. They were in a big cave, with nothing but stone walls surrounding them. Ahead of them was a big lake, with a bridge made out of metal crossing it.
"Muuuuuch better..." Aaron said, stretching his arms.
"Quiet..." Kyle said, and immediately Aaron shut his mouth.
"Why do we need to be quiet?" Sashi asked as the group followed Kyle over the bridge.
"Look down..." Kyle whispered. Sashi and her friends looked down, down at the lake.
"What about it? It's just wate-" Sashi began, when suddenly a Carvanha jumped up, his mouth full of teeth aimed at Sashi. And just before the Carvanha hit Sashi, Kyle hit it with a metal bar, knocking him back into the lake. Sashi's eyes were wide open, and her heart was beating fast, as she recovered from what had just happened. Eevy placed a comforting arm around her head, holding her as she tried to calm down.
"Carvanha's?" Brian asked.
"The lake is filled with them..." Kyle said. "And any sound may cause them to jump up and bite everything they see... So I advice you to be quiet or not to talk so loud..."
"Good idea..." Sashi said. Eevy let her go after she knew Sashi was okay.
They continued walking, not daring to make a sound, and finally came to the end of the bridge.
"Wait here..." Kyle said and walked into a tunnel. Sashi and the others waited, and took their time to look around some more. Even though one almost hit her, Sashi still took a look over the edge of the lake, looking down at the water. She could see the Carvanha's swimming around fast, occasionally jumping out of the water for no reason at all. She shivered. If Kyle wasn't there to knock the Carvanha away from her, she wouldn't know what might have happened. She turned around, and walked to Eevy.
"So..." she said. Her voice was still shaking a little. "You now see Kyle isn't that bad? I mean, he saved my life..."
"I know..." Eevy said. Could it be true? Are Team Aqua the good guys? Or are they just keeping Sashi alive for something bigger? Something they need her for in the future.. Alive? Eevy knew arguing wouldn't help, so she could only wait and see what destiny had in store for them.
A few minutes later, Kyle returned.
"Our leader Archie can see you... Please follow me..." he said.
"Okay..." Sashi nodded, and started walking. The tunnel was long, and it felt cold. Every step they took echoed through the whole tunnel. Then the tunnel opened up, and they arrived in a big room. It felt warmer here.
"Ah welcome!" Archie, the leader of Team Aqua smiled as he saw Sashi enter. He got up from his chair and walked around his desk He grabbed Sashi's hand and shook it.
"Eh... Thanks?" Sashi replied.
"Sorry for taking you out of your journey all of a sudden, but I needed your help..." Archie said.
"Yes, about that.. What is it exactly you need my help for?" Sashi asked. "I've been asking Kyle over here for a long time, but he won't say a thing..."
"And I've asked him not to..." Archie nodded.
"But what is it then?"
"First, I've heard about you and your friends getting rid of those filthy Team Magma guys..." Archie said, and this made Kyra look away a bit.
"Well... yeah..." Sashi began.
"Excellent work!" Archie barked, clapping his hands. The other Aqua members who were present in the room also clapped their hands.
"Well... thanks... I guess..." Sashi blushed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Anyway, why I brought you here..." Archie began, and Sashi listened carefully.
While Archie discussed with Sashi, Brian scanned his surroundings a bit more.
"How can they live here?" he thought, looking at the ceiling, and then down again, going over every Aqua member in the room. When his eyes fell on one, Brian softly gasped. "No... It can't be..." he thought. "It's him! It's Ethan!"
*Flashback*
"Ethan... A human... He used to be my best friend when we were young... My appearance didn't freak him, it excited him. Or it could just be because I had a tail, I'm not sure. We used to get into trouble a lot, and if one of us got caught, the other one would also take the blame. He was the best friend a guy could dream of... But he saw our friendship a little bit different than the way I saw it. Our friendship kept growing and growing, and one day it became too big. Ethan started to have real feelings for me. Not friendship, but love. I had always expected Ethan preferred men over girls, but didn't take any notice of it. Why should I? It was his decision. But I would never had thought it would involve me, his best friend. Until one day, when we were exploring a new terrain. We came across an area where we had to climb up, so we did. At a certain point I couldn't hold my grip, and I fell down to the ground, landing on my back roughly. Ethan gasped, and climbed down fast. Ethan could always climb the best, no matter if he was going up or down. He arrived at me, and checked if I were okay. I wasn't hurt that bad, and hitting the ground only knocked the air out of me. For a while we didn't do anything, except for me, trying to recover. I had managed to sit up, supporting myself with my arms. That's when Ethan revealed his feelings. I had never been so shocked in my life. I couldn't believe it either, so I made myself believe it was all a joke. But he said it wasn't. He said he had loved me for quite some time now, but didn't have the courage to tell me. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I also didn't want this to go on. Who knows what might happen? In the end I told him I wasn't into these kind of things, and that I preferred girls, not men. Ethan was heartbroken. He thought I would return the feeling. It hurt me to see him like this, but I had no other choice.
I'm not sure what happened after that, but I assume Ethan went home after we got away from the scene where it all happened. I think his parents noticed a change in Ethan's mood, and that he talked to his dad about this. I'm guessing he didn't like it, because a while later, he came to visit me. He asked why I turned down his son, and I explained why. Ethan's dad got angry of me after that, telling me how sad I had made Ethan. I told him I was sorry, but he wouldn't listen. He forbid me to see Ethan ever, and then stormed off. This made me feel worse than when I fell on my back.
The next day I spotted Ethan walking on the streets, so I approached him. When he saw me, fresh tears appeared in his eyes, and I stopped. An eerie silence followed, and we just stood there, doing nothing. Then I broke the silence by apologizing. I said that I was sorry for making Ethan feel like this. I expected him to yell or scream at me or anything else. If so, I wouldn't do anything, because I knew I deserved it. But to my surprise Ethan didn't. Actually, he apologized, for saying such stuff that ruined our friendship. 'Ruined our friendship'? I asked why it was ruined, and he replied that it was because of his preferences. I told him our friendship wasn't ruined because of that, and that made Ethan look up. He looked surprised already, but even more when I told him I already knew about what he preferred. He was confused at why I still remained his friend even after finding out. I said that it didn't bother me, that I couldn't decide for him what to like. And also because Ethan accepted the way I was. This is the reason I also accepted the way Ethan was. These were soothing words to Ethan, and slowly he began to smile again. We made up, and started to hang out with each other.
But Ethan's father found out... He pulled Ethan away from me, and after he had brought him home, he came back, and threatened to call the police if I ever came close to Ethan. This was too much for me... It was becoming too dangerous... I decided to just stay away from Ethan from now on, and left the city... I've never seen Ethan since, and I've always wondered what happened to him... And here he is now... A member of Team Aqua..."
*End Flashback*
"And that's the reason..." Archie finished explaining to Sashi. "So what do you think? Will you help us?"
"Mmmm..." Sashi hummed. "I see your problem... but I still don't understand why you chose me to do it..."
"Well you got rid of Team Magma... No one in the past has done that before, so you must be very good..." Archie said again.
"Awwwww..." Sashi blushed.
"But enough of this... Are you ready to help?"
Sashi thought about it for a while.
"Ah sure, what could go wrong?" Sashi smiled.
"Excellent!" Archie smiled. "Then we can leave right now!"
Archie got up from his chair, walked around his desk, and then through the tunnel everybody just got out. Sashi and the rest followed. All except Brian, who just kept standing there.
"Brian?" Cath asked when she noticed Brian's absence. This made the rest stop as well.
Brian didn't reply. He just kept staring at Ethan, who had also noticed Brian by now. The two were now looking at each other, not daring to say a word.
"Ethan?" Archie asked.
"Brian?" Sashi asked. Ethan looked at Archie, and then back at Brian. Then he walked away, past Archie and the others.
"I'm not cooperating on this mission..." he said, and disappeared. Archie didn't say a word. Instead, he just looked at Ethan walking away, and then at Brian.
"Would someone tell me what's going on here?" he asked.
Cath walked up to Brian.
"Brian, what happened? Who is that man?" she asked.
Brian didn't reply at first. Then he took a deep breath, and then let all the air out again.
"His name is Ethan..." Brian started, and began telling the story of his past.
"Ah so you know him from your past?" Kyra asked.
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"And you weren't able to see him anymore?"
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"Because you didn't return the love-" Kyra began, but Brian eyed her. "Never mind..."
"That's terrible..." Cath said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder.
"To see the friend you were forbidden to see..." Sashi added.
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"Excuse me..." Archie suddenly said, making them all look at him. "Weren't we about to leave?"
"Oh come on! Can't you see he's in pain?" Sashi asked.
"You're right, I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking..." Archie apologized.
"So what are we going to do now?" Cath asked.
"Well, since Ethan has resigned his cooperation, I don't see any problem in Brian coming along..." Archie said.
"That is true..." Sashi said. "Ethan isn't coming anymore, so-"
"I want to see him..." Brian suddenly said.
"But Brian..." Cath said. "You just said his father forbid you to see him!"
"Do you see his father around?" Brian asked.
"Well, no, but-"
"Then there's nothing to be afraid of..." Brian replied.
"I understand..." Cath nodded.
"Archie? Show me to Ethan..." Brian said.
"As you wish..." Archie nodded, and started walking. Brian followed, and a second later Cath also did.
"I'd like to be alone with him, if that's okay..." Brian said.
"Of course..." Cath said, and stopped. "Just be careful..."
"Meh... What could happen?" Brian asked.
Archie led Brian to a room deep in the cave.
"This is the place he usually hangs out..." Archie said.
"Thanks..." Brian nodded politely. He stepped inside the room, and noticed Ethan. He looked up, and his eyes widened again.
"Hey..." Brian said.
Ethan didn't reply.
"How are you doing?" Brian asked.
"Fine..." Ethan said, breaking his silence.
"Your voice... It's changed so much..." Brian said, taking a step forwards.
"Same goes for you..." Ethan replied.
"Listen, ehh... I know this is awkward, seeing each other after such a long time, but-"
"Why did you leave me?" Ethan suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" Brian asked confused.
"Since the day my father pulled me away from you I have never seen you again..." Ethan said. "I went to all the places we spent our time together, only to find no one there..." Ethan sounded hurt and angry at the same time. "How could you do this? We were best friends!"
"Ethan, it wasn't my fault! Your dad-"
"After all the things we've been through, after all the things we talked about!" Ethan interrupted.
"Ethan, listen-"
"I trusted you!"
"Would you let me finish!?" Brian barked, silencing Ethan and himself as well. After a few seconds of silence, Brian spoke again. "Sorry for that..."
Ethan didn't reply.
"But if you would please let me explain..."
"Go ahead..." Ethan nodded.
"It's not my fault..." Brian said again. "After he brought you away, he came back to me..."
"He went back to you?" Ethan asked.
"You didn't know?"
"No, my dad told me he went to go for a walk, but he never mentioned anything about going to you..." Ethan said.
"I see..."
"What did he want from you?" Ethan asked.
"He wanted me to stay away from you..." Brian said.
"That's all? Then what made you disappear?" Ethan asked.
"He said that if I ever came close to you again, he'd call the police..." Brian said, and Ethan softly gasped. He thought it over for a moment.
"But..." Ethan began, and hesitated on saying it.
"What?" Brian asked, curious.
"But that still doesn't mean why you never contacted me..." Ethan said.
"I wanted that, trust me, I did... But I was afraid your dad would read the letters I sent or answer the calls I made..."
"Mmmm... I can understand that..." Ethan said.
Another silence followed.
"So..." Brian said, taking another step forwards, until he was a few feet away from Ethan. "How's life treating you? Why did you join Team Aqua?" Brian asked.
"Well..." Ethan said, thinking back a little.
*Flashback*
"Ethan?" Matt called, and Ethan looked up.
"Yes, Matt?"
"I'm sure you've been informed about the plan?" Matt asked.
"I have..." Ethan replied, nodding.
"Excellent... And remember; don't tell them the truth! They have to think we're the good guys..."
*End Flashback*
What did Ethan have to do now? Lie to Brian who he hasn't seen since his childhood, or tell the truth and betray the Team he works for? He took option one.
"Well after a long time of not finding you, I left to become a Pokemon Trainer... I met a lot of people on my journey, and made several friends in the process... That's when I met Archie... He changed my life for good.. I wasn't that good of a Trainer, I kept messing things up, so Archie helped me, and kind of trained me to be a better Trainer... That's when he mentioned he led a group of Trainers who wanted to stop an evil group called Team Magma, and asked if I was interested in helping him. And because he helped me, I could only agree..." Ethan said.
"Wow..." Brian said after Ethan finished talking.
"Yeah..." Ethan said. Even he was surprised he had thought of all this in such a short time.
"And now you're trying to stop Team Aqua?"
"Not anymore..." Ethan said.
"Why not?" Brian asked.
"That Sashi stopped Magma already, so there's no point in continuing..." Ethan said.
"Oh yeah..." Brian said. "Well... since there's nothing you can do here anymore, why don't you come travel with us?" Brian asked.
"I cannot do that..." Ethan said.
"Why not?" Brian asked again.
"Times have changed, and so have I... I am no longer that sweet little kid that always loved to climb up things..."
"Of course you aren't... You've grown up..." Brian said.
"It's too late... It can't go back to the way it was..."
"Of course it can! We can be together again! We can travel toge-"
"No we can't!" Ethan barked, silencing Brian.
"What do you mean by that?" Brian asked.
Ethan lowered his head and closed his eyes tight, where two tears were appearing.
"I'm a member of Team Aqua now..." Ethan said.
"I know that, but you just said-"
"I know!" Ethan said, and looked at Brian again. "But I just can't!"
With that, Ethan turned, and left the room. Brian didn't try to stop him. After all, he couldn't make up Ethan's mind. Archie looked at Ethan running off, and then at Brian. Brian came walking out of the room, and walked past Archie.
"I'm ready to go now..." Brian said.
"Okay..." Archie said, unknown what to say else.
Sashi and the others followed Archie to the submarine again. Brian had returned with Archie, and didn't want to talk about it. Nobody said a word about it, seeing as how Brian looked.
"Alright, ready to go?" Archie asked everybody.
"Sure..." Sashi said. She was curious about what happened with Brian, but decided to put it aside, and focus on the mission first. As they walked to the submarine, over the bridge, everybody stayed real quiet when they crossed the bridge to the submarine, knowing what might happen if they raised their voices too loud.
The trip in the submarine was long and boring, but finally they arrived at the right place. The submarine went up until everybody could get out.
"Okay, if you guys smelled anything, it wasn't me!" Aaron said.
"So this is it, huh?" Sashi asked Archie as she and all the others stood in front of a big door made of stone. It had some kind of ancient language written on it.
"Yes..." Archie nodded.
Sashi looked over the door, and spotted a portrait of a blue Pokemon.
"Hey! Isn't that..." Sashi said.
"Suicune..." Archie finished.
"Yeah..." Sashi said, and looked at the portrait of Suicune. She noticed that the picture had a hole at the part of Suicune's eye.
"That's right..." Archie said, and walked to the door. "This is as far as we've got in the past..."
"You mean to tell me you've never gone past this door?" Sashi asked.
"No we've done that... But the second we enter, several traps seem to activate, sending us out that instant... We've never detected the use of any trap mechanism, so we're completely clueless of how to proceed..." Archie said.
"And why do you think I can?" Sashi asked.
"What we did detect was the meaning of this ancient language..." Archie said.
"And that is?"
"That only Pokemon are allowed to enter this temple..." Archie said.
"Oh, I see..." Sashi said.
"And as you can see, we're not..." Archie said.
"I see..." Sashi said again.
"And that's why we needed you... You look partly like Pokemon, so we thought you could go in..." Archie said.
"I understand what you mean..." Sashi said. It's been a while since she's been referred to a Pokemon, but this time it was for a good cause.
"So... Will you?" Archie asked.
"I'll try... But... I don't want to go alone..." Sashi said. "It looks scary..."
"I agree..." Espeon nodded.
"Then we'll come with you!" Brian said.
"Yeah!" Cath nodded.
"Thanks you guys..." Sashi smiled.
"But I want to come too..." Eevy said in a sad voice.
"Well why would I leave you behind?" Sashi asked.
"Because I'm not even part Pokemon..." Eevy replied.
Sashi gasped softly.
"Oh... I forgot all about that... You've been with me for such a long time, I forgot you were different..." Sashi said. "I don't want to leave your side, but I want to help Team Aqua too..." Sashi said.
"Then go..." Eevy said.
"You sure?" Sashi asked.
"I still don't trust these guys, but if you want to help them, you should... I guess you could go on without me for once..." Eevy said, pulling a weak smile.
"Okay..." Sashi said, and pulled Eevy into a big hug. "Don't try to worry about me..."
"I won't... I know you can take care of yourself..." Eevy said, hugging back. Unfortunately the hug couldn't last, and Sashi had to let go of Eevy. Turning around, Sashi looked at the door.
"Okay... How does the door open?" Sashi asked.
"With this..." Archie said, and reached into his pocket. A second later he brought out a small, dark-blue colored sapphire.
"And how's that going to open this door?" Sashi asked confused.
"Like this..." Archie said, and walked to the portrait of Suicune. He brought the sapphire up, and slowly placed it in the hole at Suicune's eye. When it was inside, it started to glow a bright, blue color, and suddenly, the ground started to shake.
"Don't panic.. This is normal..." Archie said.
After a while, the door opened up. It went up, until it disappeared in the ceiling. The shaking of the ground stopped, and everything seemed to calm down again. Sashi looked ahead, but could only see darkness.
"So how far is it until the first trap is activated?" Sashi asked Archie.
"We don't know... We always find out the second we're thrown out..." Archie chuckled.
"So no idea at all..." Sashi said, and turned around again. "Well, here goes..." she added, and took a step forwards, into the tunnel's darkness.
"This place sure could use some light..." Sashi complained.
"Well why don't we use these?" Umbreon asked from down on the ground, making everybody look at him. He was standing in front of a couple of unlit torches. {Author's note: I couldn't seem to find an other way to call them :P}
"Good job, Umbreon!" Brian smiled, and grabbed one. "Okay, now to light them..."
"Kyra?" Sashi said. "Can you try a Flamethrower again?"
"And get the same result as last time?" Kyra eyed Sashi.
"Oh yeah..." Sashi said. "She grabbed a Pokeball, and held it up. "Ninetales! Come on out!" she called, and the Pokeball opened, giving the tunnel a second of white light. When it faded, Ninetales was standing on the ground. Sashi, Brian and Cath all grabbed a torch, and held it up. "Use Flamethrower to light these!"
"Flamethrower!" Ninetales called, and opened her mouth, shooting a beam of fire at Sashi's torch first, then Brian's, and last Cath's.
"Thanks, Ninetales..." Sashi smiled, and petted Ninetales' head before returning her into her ball. The torches brought light into the tunnel, enabling Sashi and the others to see whatever was in front of them. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and was covered in dust and cobwebs. Lots and lots of bugs were crawling on the wall and the floor now that light had appeared.
"Ewwww! Bugs!" Kyra cried.
"Don't worry... They won't do us anything as long as we don't do anything to them..." Aaron said.
"Wow... I'm impressed... How do you know this?" Kyra asked.
"I've traveled a lot in my past, going everywhere I wanted... I've learned a lot of mother nature that way..." Aaron explained.
"Cool..." Sashi said.
They continued walking, and still no sign of a trap.
"I'm starting to wonder if this temple really DOES have any traps..." Cath said.
"Exactly..." Brian said.
"Maybe because we're part Pokemon, the traps won't activate?" Sashi asked.
Suddenly the ground shook for a second, and everybody stopped.
"What was that?" Sashi asked.
"An earthquake?" Kyra guessed.
"No... It was over too soon to be an earthquake..." Aaron said. Then the ground shook again, but this time you could hear something stamping.
"Something's coming..." Brian whispered.
"From where?" Kyra asked, looking around. It didn't help much, though, because of the darkness. After a few more times of the ground shaking, the stamps became louder. All of a sudden there was something appearing in front of the group. When it came close enough, everybody saw it was a big, blue-gray colored spider-looking Pokemon with four legs and a giant gray X on its face. It filled up the whole room.
"What was that?" Eevy asked when she felt the ground shake a little.
"That's the temple's guardian..." Archie replied.
"The temple's guardian?" Eevy repeated, and Archie nodded. "Who is it?"
"-Bzzt- Metagross, Steel/Psychic type Pokemon, Metagross has four brains that are joined by a complex neural network. As a result of integration, this Pokemon is smarter than a supercomputer. -Bzzt-" Sashi's Pokedex explained.
"Metagross?" Sashi asked.
"Who dares entering this temple?" the big Pokemon asked, its deep and low voice echoing through the whole tunnel, bringing shivers down everybody's spine. Sensing what they thought was danger, Espeon and Umbreon quickly stepped in front of their Trainers - and everybody else - ready to protect them. Not that the two had any chance against Metagross, but they'd do anything to keep their friends from harm.
"My name is Sashi..." Sashi said.
"I'm Brian..."
"Cath..."
"Kyra..."
"Aaron..."
Metagross looked at everybody.
"What is the reason of you entering?" Metagross asked.
"We're entering in order to help some people who were unable to enter..." Sashi said.
"Do you know what lies hidden in this sacred temple?" Metagross asked.
"I do..." Sashi nodded.
"Do you also know no one may ever see or touch or come close to it without the permission of the temple's guardian?" Metagross asked.
Sashi didn't reply immediately.
"No, I did not know that..." she said. "Who is this guardian of the temple?"
"It is I..." Metagross replied.
"I see... And how do I get your permission?" Sashi asked.
"You must pass a test..." Metagross said.
"What kind of test?" Sashi asked.
"Back in the old days it would have been a test of wisdom... You would have been asked several questions, and one wrong answer forces you to leave this temple... But in the passing years the human race has replaced its knowledge by TV, video games, electronics... Anything to make life easier..." Metagross said.
"And what does that mean?" Sashi asked.
"That this will not be that kind of a test..." Metagross said, and fell silent. It sounded as if he was thinking up another test. "I have decided..." he said after being quiet for 5 minutes. "The test shall be a battle..."
"A battle?" Sashi asked.
"Yes... You must try to defeat me..." Metagross nodded.
"Okay... that seems easy enough for me..." Sashi smiled.
"Although you can not use Ninetales in this battle..." Metagross suddenly said.
"What?" Sashi asked confused. "How do you know I have a Ninetales?"
"I know a lot... And I'm part Psychic..." Metagross seemed to be grinning at that last one.
"I see... But why can't I use my Ninetales?" Sashi asked.
"Because my second type is Steel..." Metagross said.
"Oh..." Sashi said. "I see... Fire is super effective on Steel..."
"Correct..." Metagross nodded.
"Then I will try to battle without her..." Sashi nodded.
"Excellent... Follow me..." Metagross said, and started walking backwards. He didn't have any choice anyway, since being so big.
Metagross led the group to a big, well-lit room.
"Ahhh... It is nice to have some room to stretch the legs..." Metagross said.
This left Sashi giggling softly.
Metagross slowly turned around, and continued walking, walking up to a platform.
"This is where we shall hold our battle..." Metagross said.
"Can we help Sashi in her battle?" Brian asked.
"If you wish to help out your friend, I will also call for others to assist me..." Metagross said, and suddenly, two Metang appeared next to Metagross.
"What are those?" Sashi asked, and grabbed for her Pokedex again.
"These are Metang, the pre-evolved form of me..." Metagross said.
"Never mind..." Sashi said, putting her Pokedex back.
"Do you wish to fight these Metang?" Metagross asked Brian.
"What happens if I win?" Brian asked.
"Nothing, except that you can show you can beat Metang..." Metagross said.
"I don't want to hold a useless battle..." Brian said.
"As you wish..." Metagross said.
"Thanks for offering, but even without Ninetales," Sashi said, and looked at Metagross, "I know I can defeat him..."
"If you say so..." Brian said.
"So it will only be you?" Metagross asked.
"It will..." Sashi nodded.
"Excellent..." Metagross said, and walked up the platform. Sashi grabbed Ninetales' Pokeball, and gave it to Brian.
"Can you watch over her?" she asked.
"Of course..." Brian smiled.
"How are you going to defeat him then?" Kyra asked.
"I'll find a way..." Sashi smiled, and walked to the platform Metagross was on.
"Okay, this will be a one on one battle..." Metagross said.
"Well I don't see another Metagross around, so it was pretty obvious..." Sashi chuckled.
"Have you chosen your Pokemon for this battle?" Metagross asked.
"I have..." Sashi said, and looked over her shoulder. "The one who'll do best against you besides Ninetales..." she added. "Let's do it, Espeon!"
"Right..." Espeon nodded, and walked forwards.
"Espeon?" Kyra asked confused.
"Good choice..." Metagross said. "I'm sure her Bite attack must be very strong..."
"So you know about her Bite attack as well?" Sashi asked.
"I am partly a Psychic type, remember?" Metagross said. "But even so, I am sure it will not inflict a lot of damage..."
"And why is that?" Sashi asked confused.
"Find out for yourself..." Metagross said, and started glowing for a second. Then he lifted off the ground, into the air, and stayed there.
"You can fly?" Sashi gasped.
"Well, technically, it is just floating..." Metagross said. "And I always have had the ability to do this..."
"But I haven't seen you do it before... Why didn't you?"
"Mainly because of these small tunnels... I have less room..." Metagross said.
"Ah, I see..." Sashi nodded.
"But anyway, go ahead, attack me if you dare..." Metagross said.
"Alright, let's try a Return attack, Espeon!" Sashi called.
"Right!" Espeon nodded, and ran forwards fast. Metagross didn't seem to try and jump out of the way of this attack, leaving Sashi confused for a second. When Espeon came close enough to Metagross, she jumped up, and hit Metagross with her head. A loud 'bang' followed, and Espeon fell back down to the ground.
"Ouch!" Espeon cried out, rubbing both her front paws over the spot where she had hit Metagross with.
"You okay, Espeon!?" Sashi called.
"Yeah..." Espeon groaned, walking back to her Trainer. "His body... is tougher then... I thought!" she added, fighting the pain running through her head at the moment.
"Wanna know I did not dodge that attack, Sashi?" Metagross asked.
"Perhaps because the attack didn't do much?" Sashi guessed.
"Correct... Normal attacks do not damage Steel types..." Metagross said. "And neither do Psychic attacks..." he added.
"So that only leaves..." Sashi started.
"Espeon her Bite attack..." Metagross grinned. "So I am not worried..."
"Why isn't he worried? Bite attacks are effective on Psychic types, aren't they?" Sashi thought.
"They are..." Metagross said, answering Sashi's mental question.
"This reading my mind thing is starting to annoy me..." Sashi groaned.
"I know..." Metagross chuckled.
"But if you want to feel Espeon's Bite attack, then your wish is granted! Espeon! Use Bite!" Sashi called.
"If you say so..." Espeon said, and prepared herself to cry in pain again. She ran forwards again, and leapt up, opening her mouth wide. Suddenly, just before touching Metagross, Espeon was stopped. Well, stopped? She seemed to have collided with something.
"What's going on?" Sashi asked. That's when she noticed Metagross' eyes were glowing. "An attack?" Sashi gasped.
"No, not an attack!" Brian called from the sidelines. "Well, not really, actually... It's one of his moves called Iron Defense, which brings up the user's defense..."
"Crap!" Sashi cursed.
"You can say that again!" Espeon replied.
"Now it is my turn..." Metagross said, and suddenly glowed a dark aura. Then he moved his head forwards fast, and ran forwards as fast as he could. If Espeon hadn't been with her back to him, she would have seen him.
"Espeon! Look out!" Sashi called, but was too late. The Dark attack hit Espeon, and after screaming out in pain, Espeon flew through the air, right into the arms of Sashi. "I got you!" Sashi said, and held her in her arms. At that second, Umbreon appeared next to Sashi.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Take a guess..." Espeon replied weakly.
"You did well, Espeon..." Sashi smiled, and looked up at Metagross. "Well, seems like I lost..."
"You have..." Metagross nodded.
"So I guess I won't get your permission to enter?"
"You are wrong..." Metagross replied.
"I am?" Sashi asked confused. "Why?"
"I had fun..." Metagross said.
"'Fun'?" Sashi repeated.
"The battle... It was fun..." Metagross said.
"So, what does this mean?" Sashi asked.
"I am going to give you a second chance to defeat me..." Metagross said. "I will also give you the opportunity to use more Pokemon... One at a time, please..." Metagross added.
"So this battle isn't over yet?" Sashi asked.
"Correct..." Metagross said.
"Alright!" Sashi cheered.
"And what's happening now?" Eevy asked.
"Apparently one of your friends is fighting the guardian..." Archie said.
"And how tough is Metagross?" Eevy asked.
"I wouldn't know..." Archie said.
"Then how do I know if Sashi's safe?" Eevy asked, starting to panic.
"You won't know until she comes out..." Archie said. "I have to calm her down, or else she might-"
"I'm going in!" Eevy suddenly said.
"No, wait! You'll be thrown out right away!" Archie called.
"I don't care! I have to try!" Eevy replied, and ran into the tunnel.
"Damn kid!" Archie cursed.
"Flara! I choose you!" Eevy called, and threw Flara's Pokeball. Flara appeared on the ground, and looked at her Trainer, who just grabbed a torch. "Lit this!" she said, and Flara nodded, using her Flamethrower attack. When the torch was lit, Eevy called Flara back, and looked ahead. "Here goes nothing!" she said, and ran forwards. For a long time, nothing happened, and this made Eevy stop.
"Why haven't the traps activated?" she asked herself. Suddenly she heard a big explosion, coming from far ahead of her, followed by a second one, and then a third. "Sashi!" Eevy gasped. "I'm coming!"
Smoke was crawling through the air as Metagross' Meteor Mash stopped after 5 hits.
"Gardevoir!" Sashi gasped as the smoke cleared. Gardevoir was lying on the ground, unconscious. Sashi ran over to her Pokemon, and kneeled down next to her. "Good work, Gardevoir... You may rest now..." Sashi said, and called her back into her Pokeball.
"Sashi!" Eevy gasped, running into the room.
"What? Eevy?" Sashi replied, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here for you!" Eevy replied, and ran forwards.
"But... How?" Sashi asked.
"What do you mean 'how'?" Eevy asked.
"The traps?" Sashi replied.
Eevy didn't reply.
"What traps?" came the reply, but not from Eevy. It came from Metagross. Everybody looked at him.
"You know, the traps that stops people from entering this temple..." Sashi said.
"What are you talking about?" Metagross asked. "There are no traps in this temple..."
"But Archie told me traps were set off the minute he entered the temple..." Sashi said.
"I do not know who this Archie is, but I am sure that the reason why he was sent back is for the good of the temple..." Metagross said.
"'Sent back' as in...?" Sashi said, awaiting an answer.
"This temple is guarded by not only me... My Metang friends help me protect this place from evil..." Metagross said. "Perhaps that is the reason why this Archie was unable to enter..."
"Wait a second... Are you saying Archie is evil?" Sashi gasped.
"I do not know... I have never met him..." Metagross said.
"But this can't be... Team Aqua's purpose is to help people... They're the goodguys..." Sashi said.
"And that..." said Archie's voice from the tunnel everybody entered in. Everybody turned their heads, and saw Archie, along with the other Aqua members. "THat is exactly what we wanted you to believe..."
To be continued...
Sashi: Well THAT took a long time...
Sorry, sorry, sorry! *Protects himself in case of being hurt* It's just that-
Sashi: That stupid writer's block stopped you from writing a lot of lines?
Exactly... I want to apologize to everybody... Every time I opened this file, I always managed to write a few lines, and then my inspiration disappeared... And the ideas of how to continue... If I hadn't had my friends, who helped me through this and giving me ideas, I wouldn't have finished this... Once again, sorry... And, I guess, I spent a lot of time on FurAffinity... Once again again, don't expect the next chapter to come soon... School has started for me, and I won't have much time to write...
Sashi: Stupid school... Who needs education anyway?
Good question... Anyway, I also need a few more ideas, so if you have any, send them to [email protected]
And the story continues!
Sashi: Well?
Well what?
Sashi: Weren't you supposed to show the people something?
Oh yeah! If you're curious about how everyone looks like, go to http://www.furaffinity.net/view/157564/
Sashi: Oooo nice one... You've done a real good job on this one...
Thanks...
The submarine dove under, and started moving forwards. Inside, Sashi and the others were shown to a special room where they could rest.
"So why again did we go with this?" Eevy asked.
"Because they need my help..." Sashi replied.
"But we don't know who these people are!" Eevy said back.
"I know that..."
"Then why-" Eevy began, when suddenly an Aqua member walked up to them.
"We've arrived..." he said, and Eevy was silenced.
"I'm sure it'll be okay..." Sashi said, giving Eevy a wink as she got up.
"Okay..." Eevy replied, still not sure.
The six, plus two Pokemon, were led out of the submarine, into the fresh air. Well, fresh air? Sashi looked around. They were in a big cave, with nothing but stone walls surrounding them. Ahead of them was a big lake, with a bridge made out of metal crossing it.
"Muuuuuch better..." Aaron said, stretching his arms.
"Quiet..." Kyle said, and immediately Aaron shut his mouth.
"Why do we need to be quiet?" Sashi asked as the group followed Kyle over the bridge.
"Look down..." Kyle whispered. Sashi and her friends looked down, down at the lake.
"What about it? It's just wate-" Sashi began, when suddenly a Carvanha jumped up, his mouth full of teeth aimed at Sashi. And just before the Carvanha hit Sashi, Kyle hit it with a metal bar, knocking him back into the lake. Sashi's eyes were wide open, and her heart was beating fast, as she recovered from what had just happened. Eevy placed a comforting arm around her head, holding her as she tried to calm down.
"Carvanha's?" Brian asked.
"The lake is filled with them..." Kyle said. "And any sound may cause them to jump up and bite everything they see... So I advice you to be quiet or not to talk so loud..."
"Good idea..." Sashi said. Eevy let her go after she knew Sashi was okay.
They continued walking, not daring to make a sound, and finally came to the end of the bridge.
"Wait here..." Kyle said and walked into a tunnel. Sashi and the others waited, and took their time to look around some more. Even though one almost hit her, Sashi still took a look over the edge of the lake, looking down at the water. She could see the Carvanha's swimming around fast, occasionally jumping out of the water for no reason at all. She shivered. If Kyle wasn't there to knock the Carvanha away from her, she wouldn't know what might have happened. She turned around, and walked to Eevy.
"So..." she said. Her voice was still shaking a little. "You now see Kyle isn't that bad? I mean, he saved my life..."
"I know..." Eevy said. Could it be true? Are Team Aqua the good guys? Or are they just keeping Sashi alive for something bigger? Something they need her for in the future.. Alive? Eevy knew arguing wouldn't help, so she could only wait and see what destiny had in store for them.
A few minutes later, Kyle returned.
"Our leader Archie can see you... Please follow me..." he said.
"Okay..." Sashi nodded, and started walking. The tunnel was long, and it felt cold. Every step they took echoed through the whole tunnel. Then the tunnel opened up, and they arrived in a big room. It felt warmer here.
"Ah welcome!" Archie, the leader of Team Aqua smiled as he saw Sashi enter. He got up from his chair and walked around his desk He grabbed Sashi's hand and shook it.
"Eh... Thanks?" Sashi replied.
"Sorry for taking you out of your journey all of a sudden, but I needed your help..." Archie said.
"Yes, about that.. What is it exactly you need my help for?" Sashi asked. "I've been asking Kyle over here for a long time, but he won't say a thing..."
"And I've asked him not to..." Archie nodded.
"But what is it then?"
"First, I've heard about you and your friends getting rid of those filthy Team Magma guys..." Archie said, and this made Kyra look away a bit.
"Well... yeah..." Sashi began.
"Excellent work!" Archie barked, clapping his hands. The other Aqua members who were present in the room also clapped their hands.
"Well... thanks... I guess..." Sashi blushed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Anyway, why I brought you here..." Archie began, and Sashi listened carefully.
While Archie discussed with Sashi, Brian scanned his surroundings a bit more.
"How can they live here?" he thought, looking at the ceiling, and then down again, going over every Aqua member in the room. When his eyes fell on one, Brian softly gasped. "No... It can't be..." he thought. "It's him! It's Ethan!"
*Flashback*
"Ethan... A human... He used to be my best friend when we were young... My appearance didn't freak him, it excited him. Or it could just be because I had a tail, I'm not sure. We used to get into trouble a lot, and if one of us got caught, the other one would also take the blame. He was the best friend a guy could dream of... But he saw our friendship a little bit different than the way I saw it. Our friendship kept growing and growing, and one day it became too big. Ethan started to have real feelings for me. Not friendship, but love. I had always expected Ethan preferred men over girls, but didn't take any notice of it. Why should I? It was his decision. But I would never had thought it would involve me, his best friend. Until one day, when we were exploring a new terrain. We came across an area where we had to climb up, so we did. At a certain point I couldn't hold my grip, and I fell down to the ground, landing on my back roughly. Ethan gasped, and climbed down fast. Ethan could always climb the best, no matter if he was going up or down. He arrived at me, and checked if I were okay. I wasn't hurt that bad, and hitting the ground only knocked the air out of me. For a while we didn't do anything, except for me, trying to recover. I had managed to sit up, supporting myself with my arms. That's when Ethan revealed his feelings. I had never been so shocked in my life. I couldn't believe it either, so I made myself believe it was all a joke. But he said it wasn't. He said he had loved me for quite some time now, but didn't have the courage to tell me. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I also didn't want this to go on. Who knows what might happen? In the end I told him I wasn't into these kind of things, and that I preferred girls, not men. Ethan was heartbroken. He thought I would return the feeling. It hurt me to see him like this, but I had no other choice.
I'm not sure what happened after that, but I assume Ethan went home after we got away from the scene where it all happened. I think his parents noticed a change in Ethan's mood, and that he talked to his dad about this. I'm guessing he didn't like it, because a while later, he came to visit me. He asked why I turned down his son, and I explained why. Ethan's dad got angry of me after that, telling me how sad I had made Ethan. I told him I was sorry, but he wouldn't listen. He forbid me to see Ethan ever, and then stormed off. This made me feel worse than when I fell on my back.
The next day I spotted Ethan walking on the streets, so I approached him. When he saw me, fresh tears appeared in his eyes, and I stopped. An eerie silence followed, and we just stood there, doing nothing. Then I broke the silence by apologizing. I said that I was sorry for making Ethan feel like this. I expected him to yell or scream at me or anything else. If so, I wouldn't do anything, because I knew I deserved it. But to my surprise Ethan didn't. Actually, he apologized, for saying such stuff that ruined our friendship. 'Ruined our friendship'? I asked why it was ruined, and he replied that it was because of his preferences. I told him our friendship wasn't ruined because of that, and that made Ethan look up. He looked surprised already, but even more when I told him I already knew about what he preferred. He was confused at why I still remained his friend even after finding out. I said that it didn't bother me, that I couldn't decide for him what to like. And also because Ethan accepted the way I was. This is the reason I also accepted the way Ethan was. These were soothing words to Ethan, and slowly he began to smile again. We made up, and started to hang out with each other.
But Ethan's father found out... He pulled Ethan away from me, and after he had brought him home, he came back, and threatened to call the police if I ever came close to Ethan. This was too much for me... It was becoming too dangerous... I decided to just stay away from Ethan from now on, and left the city... I've never seen Ethan since, and I've always wondered what happened to him... And here he is now... A member of Team Aqua..."
*End Flashback*
"And that's the reason..." Archie finished explaining to Sashi. "So what do you think? Will you help us?"
"Mmmm..." Sashi hummed. "I see your problem... but I still don't understand why you chose me to do it..."
"Well you got rid of Team Magma... No one in the past has done that before, so you must be very good..." Archie said again.
"Awwwww..." Sashi blushed.
"But enough of this... Are you ready to help?"
Sashi thought about it for a while.
"Ah sure, what could go wrong?" Sashi smiled.
"Excellent!" Archie smiled. "Then we can leave right now!"
Archie got up from his chair, walked around his desk, and then through the tunnel everybody just got out. Sashi and the rest followed. All except Brian, who just kept standing there.
"Brian?" Cath asked when she noticed Brian's absence. This made the rest stop as well.
Brian didn't reply. He just kept staring at Ethan, who had also noticed Brian by now. The two were now looking at each other, not daring to say a word.
"Ethan?" Archie asked.
"Brian?" Sashi asked. Ethan looked at Archie, and then back at Brian. Then he walked away, past Archie and the others.
"I'm not cooperating on this mission..." he said, and disappeared. Archie didn't say a word. Instead, he just looked at Ethan walking away, and then at Brian.
"Would someone tell me what's going on here?" he asked.
Cath walked up to Brian.
"Brian, what happened? Who is that man?" she asked.
Brian didn't reply at first. Then he took a deep breath, and then let all the air out again.
"His name is Ethan..." Brian started, and began telling the story of his past.
"Ah so you know him from your past?" Kyra asked.
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"And you weren't able to see him anymore?"
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"Because you didn't return the love-" Kyra began, but Brian eyed her. "Never mind..."
"That's terrible..." Cath said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder.
"To see the friend you were forbidden to see..." Sashi added.
"Yeah..." Brian nodded.
"Excuse me..." Archie suddenly said, making them all look at him. "Weren't we about to leave?"
"Oh come on! Can't you see he's in pain?" Sashi asked.
"You're right, I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking..." Archie apologized.
"So what are we going to do now?" Cath asked.
"Well, since Ethan has resigned his cooperation, I don't see any problem in Brian coming along..." Archie said.
"That is true..." Sashi said. "Ethan isn't coming anymore, so-"
"I want to see him..." Brian suddenly said.
"But Brian..." Cath said. "You just said his father forbid you to see him!"
"Do you see his father around?" Brian asked.
"Well, no, but-"
"Then there's nothing to be afraid of..." Brian replied.
"I understand..." Cath nodded.
"Archie? Show me to Ethan..." Brian said.
"As you wish..." Archie nodded, and started walking. Brian followed, and a second later Cath also did.
"I'd like to be alone with him, if that's okay..." Brian said.
"Of course..." Cath said, and stopped. "Just be careful..."
"Meh... What could happen?" Brian asked.
Archie led Brian to a room deep in the cave.
"This is the place he usually hangs out..." Archie said.
"Thanks..." Brian nodded politely. He stepped inside the room, and noticed Ethan. He looked up, and his eyes widened again.
"Hey..." Brian said.
Ethan didn't reply.
"How are you doing?" Brian asked.
"Fine..." Ethan said, breaking his silence.
"Your voice... It's changed so much..." Brian said, taking a step forwards.
"Same goes for you..." Ethan replied.
"Listen, ehh... I know this is awkward, seeing each other after such a long time, but-"
"Why did you leave me?" Ethan suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" Brian asked confused.
"Since the day my father pulled me away from you I have never seen you again..." Ethan said. "I went to all the places we spent our time together, only to find no one there..." Ethan sounded hurt and angry at the same time. "How could you do this? We were best friends!"
"Ethan, it wasn't my fault! Your dad-"
"After all the things we've been through, after all the things we talked about!" Ethan interrupted.
"Ethan, listen-"
"I trusted you!"
"Would you let me finish!?" Brian barked, silencing Ethan and himself as well. After a few seconds of silence, Brian spoke again. "Sorry for that..."
Ethan didn't reply.
"But if you would please let me explain..."
"Go ahead..." Ethan nodded.
"It's not my fault..." Brian said again. "After he brought you away, he came back to me..."
"He went back to you?" Ethan asked.
"You didn't know?"
"No, my dad told me he went to go for a walk, but he never mentioned anything about going to you..." Ethan said.
"I see..."
"What did he want from you?" Ethan asked.
"He wanted me to stay away from you..." Brian said.
"That's all? Then what made you disappear?" Ethan asked.
"He said that if I ever came close to you again, he'd call the police..." Brian said, and Ethan softly gasped. He thought it over for a moment.
"But..." Ethan began, and hesitated on saying it.
"What?" Brian asked, curious.
"But that still doesn't mean why you never contacted me..." Ethan said.
"I wanted that, trust me, I did... But I was afraid your dad would read the letters I sent or answer the calls I made..."
"Mmmm... I can understand that..." Ethan said.
Another silence followed.
"So..." Brian said, taking another step forwards, until he was a few feet away from Ethan. "How's life treating you? Why did you join Team Aqua?" Brian asked.
"Well..." Ethan said, thinking back a little.
*Flashback*
"Ethan?" Matt called, and Ethan looked up.
"Yes, Matt?"
"I'm sure you've been informed about the plan?" Matt asked.
"I have..." Ethan replied, nodding.
"Excellent... And remember; don't tell them the truth! They have to think we're the good guys..."
*End Flashback*
What did Ethan have to do now? Lie to Brian who he hasn't seen since his childhood, or tell the truth and betray the Team he works for? He took option one.
"Well after a long time of not finding you, I left to become a Pokemon Trainer... I met a lot of people on my journey, and made several friends in the process... That's when I met Archie... He changed my life for good.. I wasn't that good of a Trainer, I kept messing things up, so Archie helped me, and kind of trained me to be a better Trainer... That's when he mentioned he led a group of Trainers who wanted to stop an evil group called Team Magma, and asked if I was interested in helping him. And because he helped me, I could only agree..." Ethan said.
"Wow..." Brian said after Ethan finished talking.
"Yeah..." Ethan said. Even he was surprised he had thought of all this in such a short time.
"And now you're trying to stop Team Aqua?"
"Not anymore..." Ethan said.
"Why not?" Brian asked.
"That Sashi stopped Magma already, so there's no point in continuing..." Ethan said.
"Oh yeah..." Brian said. "Well... since there's nothing you can do here anymore, why don't you come travel with us?" Brian asked.
"I cannot do that..." Ethan said.
"Why not?" Brian asked again.
"Times have changed, and so have I... I am no longer that sweet little kid that always loved to climb up things..."
"Of course you aren't... You've grown up..." Brian said.
"It's too late... It can't go back to the way it was..."
"Of course it can! We can be together again! We can travel toge-"
"No we can't!" Ethan barked, silencing Brian.
"What do you mean by that?" Brian asked.
Ethan lowered his head and closed his eyes tight, where two tears were appearing.
"I'm a member of Team Aqua now..." Ethan said.
"I know that, but you just said-"
"I know!" Ethan said, and looked at Brian again. "But I just can't!"
With that, Ethan turned, and left the room. Brian didn't try to stop him. After all, he couldn't make up Ethan's mind. Archie looked at Ethan running off, and then at Brian. Brian came walking out of the room, and walked past Archie.
"I'm ready to go now..." Brian said.
"Okay..." Archie said, unknown what to say else.
Sashi and the others followed Archie to the submarine again. Brian had returned with Archie, and didn't want to talk about it. Nobody said a word about it, seeing as how Brian looked.
"Alright, ready to go?" Archie asked everybody.
"Sure..." Sashi said. She was curious about what happened with Brian, but decided to put it aside, and focus on the mission first. As they walked to the submarine, over the bridge, everybody stayed real quiet when they crossed the bridge to the submarine, knowing what might happen if they raised their voices too loud.
The trip in the submarine was long and boring, but finally they arrived at the right place. The submarine went up until everybody could get out.
"Okay, if you guys smelled anything, it wasn't me!" Aaron said.
"So this is it, huh?" Sashi asked Archie as she and all the others stood in front of a big door made of stone. It had some kind of ancient language written on it.
"Yes..." Archie nodded.
Sashi looked over the door, and spotted a portrait of a blue Pokemon.
"Hey! Isn't that..." Sashi said.
"Suicune..." Archie finished.
"Yeah..." Sashi said, and looked at the portrait of Suicune. She noticed that the picture had a hole at the part of Suicune's eye.
"That's right..." Archie said, and walked to the door. "This is as far as we've got in the past..."
"You mean to tell me you've never gone past this door?" Sashi asked.
"No we've done that... But the second we enter, several traps seem to activate, sending us out that instant... We've never detected the use of any trap mechanism, so we're completely clueless of how to proceed..." Archie said.
"And why do you think I can?" Sashi asked.
"What we did detect was the meaning of this ancient language..." Archie said.
"And that is?"
"That only Pokemon are allowed to enter this temple..." Archie said.
"Oh, I see..." Sashi said.
"And as you can see, we're not..." Archie said.
"I see..." Sashi said again.
"And that's why we needed you... You look partly like Pokemon, so we thought you could go in..." Archie said.
"I understand what you mean..." Sashi said. It's been a while since she's been referred to a Pokemon, but this time it was for a good cause.
"So... Will you?" Archie asked.
"I'll try... But... I don't want to go alone..." Sashi said. "It looks scary..."
"I agree..." Espeon nodded.
"Then we'll come with you!" Brian said.
"Yeah!" Cath nodded.
"Thanks you guys..." Sashi smiled.
"But I want to come too..." Eevy said in a sad voice.
"Well why would I leave you behind?" Sashi asked.
"Because I'm not even part Pokemon..." Eevy replied.
Sashi gasped softly.
"Oh... I forgot all about that... You've been with me for such a long time, I forgot you were different..." Sashi said. "I don't want to leave your side, but I want to help Team Aqua too..." Sashi said.
"Then go..." Eevy said.
"You sure?" Sashi asked.
"I still don't trust these guys, but if you want to help them, you should... I guess you could go on without me for once..." Eevy said, pulling a weak smile.
"Okay..." Sashi said, and pulled Eevy into a big hug. "Don't try to worry about me..."
"I won't... I know you can take care of yourself..." Eevy said, hugging back. Unfortunately the hug couldn't last, and Sashi had to let go of Eevy. Turning around, Sashi looked at the door.
"Okay... How does the door open?" Sashi asked.
"With this..." Archie said, and reached into his pocket. A second later he brought out a small, dark-blue colored sapphire.
"And how's that going to open this door?" Sashi asked confused.
"Like this..." Archie said, and walked to the portrait of Suicune. He brought the sapphire up, and slowly placed it in the hole at Suicune's eye. When it was inside, it started to glow a bright, blue color, and suddenly, the ground started to shake.
"Don't panic.. This is normal..." Archie said.
After a while, the door opened up. It went up, until it disappeared in the ceiling. The shaking of the ground stopped, and everything seemed to calm down again. Sashi looked ahead, but could only see darkness.
"So how far is it until the first trap is activated?" Sashi asked Archie.
"We don't know... We always find out the second we're thrown out..." Archie chuckled.
"So no idea at all..." Sashi said, and turned around again. "Well, here goes..." she added, and took a step forwards, into the tunnel's darkness.
"This place sure could use some light..." Sashi complained.
"Well why don't we use these?" Umbreon asked from down on the ground, making everybody look at him. He was standing in front of a couple of unlit torches. {Author's note: I couldn't seem to find an other way to call them :P}
"Good job, Umbreon!" Brian smiled, and grabbed one. "Okay, now to light them..."
"Kyra?" Sashi said. "Can you try a Flamethrower again?"
"And get the same result as last time?" Kyra eyed Sashi.
"Oh yeah..." Sashi said. "She grabbed a Pokeball, and held it up. "Ninetales! Come on out!" she called, and the Pokeball opened, giving the tunnel a second of white light. When it faded, Ninetales was standing on the ground. Sashi, Brian and Cath all grabbed a torch, and held it up. "Use Flamethrower to light these!"
"Flamethrower!" Ninetales called, and opened her mouth, shooting a beam of fire at Sashi's torch first, then Brian's, and last Cath's.
"Thanks, Ninetales..." Sashi smiled, and petted Ninetales' head before returning her into her ball. The torches brought light into the tunnel, enabling Sashi and the others to see whatever was in front of them. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and was covered in dust and cobwebs. Lots and lots of bugs were crawling on the wall and the floor now that light had appeared.
"Ewwww! Bugs!" Kyra cried.
"Don't worry... They won't do us anything as long as we don't do anything to them..." Aaron said.
"Wow... I'm impressed... How do you know this?" Kyra asked.
"I've traveled a lot in my past, going everywhere I wanted... I've learned a lot of mother nature that way..." Aaron explained.
"Cool..." Sashi said.
They continued walking, and still no sign of a trap.
"I'm starting to wonder if this temple really DOES have any traps..." Cath said.
"Exactly..." Brian said.
"Maybe because we're part Pokemon, the traps won't activate?" Sashi asked.
Suddenly the ground shook for a second, and everybody stopped.
"What was that?" Sashi asked.
"An earthquake?" Kyra guessed.
"No... It was over too soon to be an earthquake..." Aaron said. Then the ground shook again, but this time you could hear something stamping.
"Something's coming..." Brian whispered.
"From where?" Kyra asked, looking around. It didn't help much, though, because of the darkness. After a few more times of the ground shaking, the stamps became louder. All of a sudden there was something appearing in front of the group. When it came close enough, everybody saw it was a big, blue-gray colored spider-looking Pokemon with four legs and a giant gray X on its face. It filled up the whole room.
"What was that?" Eevy asked when she felt the ground shake a little.
"That's the temple's guardian..." Archie replied.
"The temple's guardian?" Eevy repeated, and Archie nodded. "Who is it?"
"-Bzzt- Metagross, Steel/Psychic type Pokemon, Metagross has four brains that are joined by a complex neural network. As a result of integration, this Pokemon is smarter than a supercomputer. -Bzzt-" Sashi's Pokedex explained.
"Metagross?" Sashi asked.
"Who dares entering this temple?" the big Pokemon asked, its deep and low voice echoing through the whole tunnel, bringing shivers down everybody's spine. Sensing what they thought was danger, Espeon and Umbreon quickly stepped in front of their Trainers - and everybody else - ready to protect them. Not that the two had any chance against Metagross, but they'd do anything to keep their friends from harm.
"My name is Sashi..." Sashi said.
"I'm Brian..."
"Cath..."
"Kyra..."
"Aaron..."
Metagross looked at everybody.
"What is the reason of you entering?" Metagross asked.
"We're entering in order to help some people who were unable to enter..." Sashi said.
"Do you know what lies hidden in this sacred temple?" Metagross asked.
"I do..." Sashi nodded.
"Do you also know no one may ever see or touch or come close to it without the permission of the temple's guardian?" Metagross asked.
Sashi didn't reply immediately.
"No, I did not know that..." she said. "Who is this guardian of the temple?"
"It is I..." Metagross replied.
"I see... And how do I get your permission?" Sashi asked.
"You must pass a test..." Metagross said.
"What kind of test?" Sashi asked.
"Back in the old days it would have been a test of wisdom... You would have been asked several questions, and one wrong answer forces you to leave this temple... But in the passing years the human race has replaced its knowledge by TV, video games, electronics... Anything to make life easier..." Metagross said.
"And what does that mean?" Sashi asked.
"That this will not be that kind of a test..." Metagross said, and fell silent. It sounded as if he was thinking up another test. "I have decided..." he said after being quiet for 5 minutes. "The test shall be a battle..."
"A battle?" Sashi asked.
"Yes... You must try to defeat me..." Metagross nodded.
"Okay... that seems easy enough for me..." Sashi smiled.
"Although you can not use Ninetales in this battle..." Metagross suddenly said.
"What?" Sashi asked confused. "How do you know I have a Ninetales?"
"I know a lot... And I'm part Psychic..." Metagross seemed to be grinning at that last one.
"I see... But why can't I use my Ninetales?" Sashi asked.
"Because my second type is Steel..." Metagross said.
"Oh..." Sashi said. "I see... Fire is super effective on Steel..."
"Correct..." Metagross nodded.
"Then I will try to battle without her..." Sashi nodded.
"Excellent... Follow me..." Metagross said, and started walking backwards. He didn't have any choice anyway, since being so big.
Metagross led the group to a big, well-lit room.
"Ahhh... It is nice to have some room to stretch the legs..." Metagross said.
This left Sashi giggling softly.
Metagross slowly turned around, and continued walking, walking up to a platform.
"This is where we shall hold our battle..." Metagross said.
"Can we help Sashi in her battle?" Brian asked.
"If you wish to help out your friend, I will also call for others to assist me..." Metagross said, and suddenly, two Metang appeared next to Metagross.
"What are those?" Sashi asked, and grabbed for her Pokedex again.
"These are Metang, the pre-evolved form of me..." Metagross said.
"Never mind..." Sashi said, putting her Pokedex back.
"Do you wish to fight these Metang?" Metagross asked Brian.
"What happens if I win?" Brian asked.
"Nothing, except that you can show you can beat Metang..." Metagross said.
"I don't want to hold a useless battle..." Brian said.
"As you wish..." Metagross said.
"Thanks for offering, but even without Ninetales," Sashi said, and looked at Metagross, "I know I can defeat him..."
"If you say so..." Brian said.
"So it will only be you?" Metagross asked.
"It will..." Sashi nodded.
"Excellent..." Metagross said, and walked up the platform. Sashi grabbed Ninetales' Pokeball, and gave it to Brian.
"Can you watch over her?" she asked.
"Of course..." Brian smiled.
"How are you going to defeat him then?" Kyra asked.
"I'll find a way..." Sashi smiled, and walked to the platform Metagross was on.
"Okay, this will be a one on one battle..." Metagross said.
"Well I don't see another Metagross around, so it was pretty obvious..." Sashi chuckled.
"Have you chosen your Pokemon for this battle?" Metagross asked.
"I have..." Sashi said, and looked over her shoulder. "The one who'll do best against you besides Ninetales..." she added. "Let's do it, Espeon!"
"Right..." Espeon nodded, and walked forwards.
"Espeon?" Kyra asked confused.
"Good choice..." Metagross said. "I'm sure her Bite attack must be very strong..."
"So you know about her Bite attack as well?" Sashi asked.
"I am partly a Psychic type, remember?" Metagross said. "But even so, I am sure it will not inflict a lot of damage..."
"And why is that?" Sashi asked confused.
"Find out for yourself..." Metagross said, and started glowing for a second. Then he lifted off the ground, into the air, and stayed there.
"You can fly?" Sashi gasped.
"Well, technically, it is just floating..." Metagross said. "And I always have had the ability to do this..."
"But I haven't seen you do it before... Why didn't you?"
"Mainly because of these small tunnels... I have less room..." Metagross said.
"Ah, I see..." Sashi nodded.
"But anyway, go ahead, attack me if you dare..." Metagross said.
"Alright, let's try a Return attack, Espeon!" Sashi called.
"Right!" Espeon nodded, and ran forwards fast. Metagross didn't seem to try and jump out of the way of this attack, leaving Sashi confused for a second. When Espeon came close enough to Metagross, she jumped up, and hit Metagross with her head. A loud 'bang' followed, and Espeon fell back down to the ground.
"Ouch!" Espeon cried out, rubbing both her front paws over the spot where she had hit Metagross with.
"You okay, Espeon!?" Sashi called.
"Yeah..." Espeon groaned, walking back to her Trainer. "His body... is tougher then... I thought!" she added, fighting the pain running through her head at the moment.
"Wanna know I did not dodge that attack, Sashi?" Metagross asked.
"Perhaps because the attack didn't do much?" Sashi guessed.
"Correct... Normal attacks do not damage Steel types..." Metagross said. "And neither do Psychic attacks..." he added.
"So that only leaves..." Sashi started.
"Espeon her Bite attack..." Metagross grinned. "So I am not worried..."
"Why isn't he worried? Bite attacks are effective on Psychic types, aren't they?" Sashi thought.
"They are..." Metagross said, answering Sashi's mental question.
"This reading my mind thing is starting to annoy me..." Sashi groaned.
"I know..." Metagross chuckled.
"But if you want to feel Espeon's Bite attack, then your wish is granted! Espeon! Use Bite!" Sashi called.
"If you say so..." Espeon said, and prepared herself to cry in pain again. She ran forwards again, and leapt up, opening her mouth wide. Suddenly, just before touching Metagross, Espeon was stopped. Well, stopped? She seemed to have collided with something.
"What's going on?" Sashi asked. That's when she noticed Metagross' eyes were glowing. "An attack?" Sashi gasped.
"No, not an attack!" Brian called from the sidelines. "Well, not really, actually... It's one of his moves called Iron Defense, which brings up the user's defense..."
"Crap!" Sashi cursed.
"You can say that again!" Espeon replied.
"Now it is my turn..." Metagross said, and suddenly glowed a dark aura. Then he moved his head forwards fast, and ran forwards as fast as he could. If Espeon hadn't been with her back to him, she would have seen him.
"Espeon! Look out!" Sashi called, but was too late. The Dark attack hit Espeon, and after screaming out in pain, Espeon flew through the air, right into the arms of Sashi. "I got you!" Sashi said, and held her in her arms. At that second, Umbreon appeared next to Sashi.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Take a guess..." Espeon replied weakly.
"You did well, Espeon..." Sashi smiled, and looked up at Metagross. "Well, seems like I lost..."
"You have..." Metagross nodded.
"So I guess I won't get your permission to enter?"
"You are wrong..." Metagross replied.
"I am?" Sashi asked confused. "Why?"
"I had fun..." Metagross said.
"'Fun'?" Sashi repeated.
"The battle... It was fun..." Metagross said.
"So, what does this mean?" Sashi asked.
"I am going to give you a second chance to defeat me..." Metagross said. "I will also give you the opportunity to use more Pokemon... One at a time, please..." Metagross added.
"So this battle isn't over yet?" Sashi asked.
"Correct..." Metagross said.
"Alright!" Sashi cheered.
"And what's happening now?" Eevy asked.
"Apparently one of your friends is fighting the guardian..." Archie said.
"And how tough is Metagross?" Eevy asked.
"I wouldn't know..." Archie said.
"Then how do I know if Sashi's safe?" Eevy asked, starting to panic.
"You won't know until she comes out..." Archie said. "I have to calm her down, or else she might-"
"I'm going in!" Eevy suddenly said.
"No, wait! You'll be thrown out right away!" Archie called.
"I don't care! I have to try!" Eevy replied, and ran into the tunnel.
"Damn kid!" Archie cursed.
"Flara! I choose you!" Eevy called, and threw Flara's Pokeball. Flara appeared on the ground, and looked at her Trainer, who just grabbed a torch. "Lit this!" she said, and Flara nodded, using her Flamethrower attack. When the torch was lit, Eevy called Flara back, and looked ahead. "Here goes nothing!" she said, and ran forwards. For a long time, nothing happened, and this made Eevy stop.
"Why haven't the traps activated?" she asked herself. Suddenly she heard a big explosion, coming from far ahead of her, followed by a second one, and then a third. "Sashi!" Eevy gasped. "I'm coming!"
Smoke was crawling through the air as Metagross' Meteor Mash stopped after 5 hits.
"Gardevoir!" Sashi gasped as the smoke cleared. Gardevoir was lying on the ground, unconscious. Sashi ran over to her Pokemon, and kneeled down next to her. "Good work, Gardevoir... You may rest now..." Sashi said, and called her back into her Pokeball.
"Sashi!" Eevy gasped, running into the room.
"What? Eevy?" Sashi replied, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here for you!" Eevy replied, and ran forwards.
"But... How?" Sashi asked.
"What do you mean 'how'?" Eevy asked.
"The traps?" Sashi replied.
Eevy didn't reply.
"What traps?" came the reply, but not from Eevy. It came from Metagross. Everybody looked at him.
"You know, the traps that stops people from entering this temple..." Sashi said.
"What are you talking about?" Metagross asked. "There are no traps in this temple..."
"But Archie told me traps were set off the minute he entered the temple..." Sashi said.
"I do not know who this Archie is, but I am sure that the reason why he was sent back is for the good of the temple..." Metagross said.
"'Sent back' as in...?" Sashi said, awaiting an answer.
"This temple is guarded by not only me... My Metang friends help me protect this place from evil..." Metagross said. "Perhaps that is the reason why this Archie was unable to enter..."
"Wait a second... Are you saying Archie is evil?" Sashi gasped.
"I do not know... I have never met him..." Metagross said.
"But this can't be... Team Aqua's purpose is to help people... They're the goodguys..." Sashi said.
"And that..." said Archie's voice from the tunnel everybody entered in. Everybody turned their heads, and saw Archie, along with the other Aqua members. "THat is exactly what we wanted you to believe..."
To be continued...
Sashi: Well THAT took a long time...
Sorry, sorry, sorry! *Protects himself in case of being hurt* It's just that-
Sashi: That stupid writer's block stopped you from writing a lot of lines?
Exactly... I want to apologize to everybody... Every time I opened this file, I always managed to write a few lines, and then my inspiration disappeared... And the ideas of how to continue... If I hadn't had my friends, who helped me through this and giving me ideas, I wouldn't have finished this... Once again, sorry... And, I guess, I spent a lot of time on FurAffinity... Once again again, don't expect the next chapter to come soon... School has started for me, and I won't have much time to write...
Sashi: Stupid school... Who needs education anyway?
Good question... Anyway, I also need a few more ideas, so if you have any, send them to [email protected]