Pokemon Adventures: Soul Ch12 The Art of War!

Chapter 12: Art of War!

There always seems to be a moment in time when you have to make a choice. These moments pass day in and day out. Most choices are easily made; others require a lot of thought. We reflect upon what we choose down the road, and they define who we are, or who we will become. As I dwelt on these thoughts, I crept out of bed making sure not to wake up Spirit, who was sound asleep. I took a bath, and washed up, getting ready for my gym battle with Maylene later in the evening.

Emperor and I walked out of our room, making our way into the living room downstairs. I sat down on a nearby couch, and Emperor sat in front of me. "Soul, I'm still here if you need me for that battle." He said calmly. I nodded, "I hope I don't need to, however Maylene is an extremely powerful trainer…especially after the training she had with Volkner. It may come down to a battle between you and her Lucario…" I looked over at Emperor, "You know…she was the first real rival we ever had…her serene grace in combat was awe inspiring…She is definitely a woman I could see myself with…" I said.

Out of nowhere Spirit pops up, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" she exclaimed. I looked at her coldly, "Well look who's eavesdropping…weren't you just asleep?" I grunted. Spirit walked over to me angrily, "WHAT did you just say…" she said sternly, her eyes glowing again. "What are you doing now…?" I asked her. Spirit gritted her teeth, grabbing me by the collar, and lifting me out of the chair. "This Maylene chick, do you still feel that way for her?" she said frantically. I grinned, "Jealous are we…?" I said in a mocking tone. Spirit let go of my collar, and I sat back down on the couch. "Soul…you may have liked her in the past, but don't go barking up the wrong tree…" she said abruptly turning away from me, "Besides, I don't mind beating someone down for what's mine…" she said walking back upstairs.

Emperor began snickering, "If you got girl problems, I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems, but a girl ain't one!" he laughed. I sighed out loud, "She misunderstood me…Spirit didn't realize I was talking about Maylene in the past tense…I only admire her as a trainer now. That's what she gets for eavesdropping" I said.

I stood up and clenched my fist, "I will become the greatest trainer in all of sinnoh! Nothing can stop us..." I declared. Emperor stood up beside me, grabbing my fist, "We will beat down anyone who stands against us! As long as we have each other's back, no one can beat us!" he grinned. We both nodded in agreement. I let go of Emperor's wing, when suddenly a window in an upstairs room slam shut. Emperor looked up the stairs, "What was that?" he asked. I closed my eyes and grinned, "How interesting…Come Emperor, I want to see how this turns out…" I said as i walked towards the door. "What do you mean…?" Emperor questioned. I opened the door, then turned to face Emperor, "Come on, it's gonna be a cat fight!" I responded. And we quickly left Mikail's house.

Meanwhile, on Route 210… =From Spirit's Perspective=

I ran. I ran, and I ran. My visions have become unclear to me, and I don't understand why. My ability to see into a person's soul was passed down from daughter to daughter in my mother's side of the family. We can peer into our own futures as well, and we can even change our futures to better our lives using said knowledge. My family is rich because of this strange ability, infact most of the people in my family are very successful. My mother simply chose to be a dedicated foster mother, which was a path she found suitable for herself.

My mom, her mom, and every mom before them has used their gifts to help the family, and those around us grow. I, however, have yet to find a use of my power. The only thing about my future I see is that one day Soul will propose to me, and we will have a family, and his son will grow to be the world champion…just like his father. Recently, this vision is harder to see, and newer visions have taken its place, one where Soul dies, or where Emperor dies, or where we fail to save a group of people, or fail to save one of the legendary pokemon trainers. I have been doing all I can to prevent these events from taking place because…I love Soul, and I also never want to see anyone get hurt.

He doesn't realize what I go through, and then suddenly he talks about some trick from back in the day? He has no idea what I'm capable of! I bet he doesn't even know that I know he's following me. I may not see him, because he's really good at concealing himself, but I know he's there, because I know him. From the first moment I met with him in the pokemon center a month ago, my power has been directly linked to him, and our souls have been intertwined. Just by peering into his soul, I knew EVERYTHING about him. How his parents died, how he struggled alone, how he fought with the bullies in school, how he saved Emperor from dyeing with Prof. Rowan's help. His past, and his memories, and his entire thought pattern; I know them complete, as if I were thinking for him.

I slowed down to catch my breath. I walked up to a nearby tree, and leaned against it. I looked around to see if I could spot Soul, but he was too well hidden. When I think about it, my power has been phasing in and out…ever since I started traveling with Soul. I wonder if my emotions toward him are messing with my mind, even my body has been going through some critical changes…and it's all because of some boy…"ARGH!" I screamed, as I stood up and ran again. I had to confront Maylene, and see if shee feels anything toward Soul as well.

I walked up to the front doors of Veilstone gym. There was a note on the door stating 'too busy training for the battle on t.v. tonight, so no challengers today please!' "Hmph…This won't get rid of me so easily…" I grunted, and ran around to the back of the gym. There was a huge fence keeping people out. I reached over to my belt and took Flora's pokeball. "Flora, please help!" I said opening up her pokeball.

With a puff of smoke, my Roselia appeared before me. "Flora, use leech seed on the fence! I want to climb up using the vines, ok?" I said to it in a soft voice. Flora nodded, and did as I told her. I climbed up using the vines, and returned Flora to her pokeball. I hopped down to the other side, and saw a giant outdoor pokemon arena, surrounded by a beautiful Japanese-like garden. There was a small river that surrounded the entire ring, and there were nice wooden bridges on both sides. I walked up to the center of the ring, to get a better look around, when the back door to the gym slid open.

A pretty girl with short pink hair, wearing a blue leotard approached me. "Hi there…I'm Maylene…May I ask what you are doing in my training arena…?" she asked. I looked at her sternly, "I wanted to ask…Do you know a man by the name of Soul…?" Maylene nodded, "Yea…he's gonna be my opponent tonight, are you a fan…?" she asked. I ignored her, and began peering into her mind. I accessed her memories, her thoughts, her personality; I analyzed her down to the T.

"Uh hello…? Are you aware that your eyes are changing color…?" she said, pointing at me with a hesitant smile. I snapped out of my trance…for some reason, i couldn't read her! "You…you like Soul don't you…You guys kept in touch quite often…" I said bluntly. At first, Maylene was taken back, but she responded. "Well…it's complicated between Soul and I. We battled a lot when we were younger, but that stopped after I became a Gym Leader. The last time we battled-"

"You beat him and Emperor in a battle, pretty badly I know…" I retorted, cutting her off. Maylene seemed shocked that I knew that. "Do you know Soul or something…?" she asked. I sneered at her, "Hmph that doesn't concern you, I simply came here to just say that Soul is mine. You can be friends still if you want, but that's as far as it will go between you two" I said rather brashly. I didn't realize how rude I could be, but I didn't care. I needed to claim my territory, and make it known. Not to be dominant…but more so to convince myself that my vision of us together is true.

Maylene chuckled, "You must be some crazy fan girl, but Soul and I are very clo-" she began, but I cut her off again. "Look, you don't know Soul like I do. I know that you have kept in touch. You exchanged work-out ideas, ways to toughen up pokemon, plans for traveling. And there were some lovey-dovey messages floating around back then. Now, listen to the two key words; BACK THEN. He isn't romantically involved with you…and I came here to make sure that was the case. I already can tell by just looking at you…thanks for your time, I'm leaving…" I said coldly, as I spun around. "You talk big little girl, but you can't come to my house telling me who I can talk to and who I can't! Quite frankly I've NEVER been in love with soul, we just trained together a lot as kids! I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I do still have feelings for him, but ONLY as friends, and I'm sure it's the same for him!" Maylene said, shrugging her shoulders.

I turned back around to face her, "I know you both grew up together, but you weren't there for him when he was alone and struggling by himself. You couldn't feel his pain like i can... Sure you may relate since your dad is a gambler and you lived poorly for some time yourself, and that incident with team Galactic three years ago made things harder for you as well." I began, "…I thought there was something more than just a friendship between you guys..." I said. Maylene chuckled, "No! not at all! actually i think your dedication to him is rather awe inspiring! your a pretty ballsy chick!" she said, walking over and placing a hand on my shoulder with a smile. "So, What's your name?" Maylene asked.

"Her name is Spirit, she's been following me around for quite some time…She's actually kind of a pest…" said Soul coolly. Maylene looked confused, as she looked around to see who was talking. "Soul, I knew you were following me, how much longer are you going to stay hidden…" I said. Soul came out from behind one of the trees in the garden, alongside Emperor. "Wha-, How! When did you guys get there?" Maylene asked in astonishment. "Losing your edge Maylene? You shoulda sensed me a long time ago…I was here for the whole discussion." He said.
Maylene began to blush, "Well…how long have you been with this girl?" she asked. "A month" we both responded in unison. Maylene turned back to me, "You conniving…Soul! i bet you played some kind of trick on this poor girl!" she exclaimed.

I nodded my head, "He said earlier that he had romantic feelings for you when you were kids, and how he'd like to pursue them now " I said. Maylene took a step back, "He…what…but I!…?" she stammered. Maylene began to blush, "EWW! your like a brother to me soul! that's disgusting!" she said in a flustered tone. "I understand…so that's what set you off like that…" Maylene said, turning to me. I nodded to her. "Well then…I still have much to do, and I also need to prepare for our match, which will begin later…so Prepare yourself Soul, because I'm going all out in our battle! Now if you both don't mind, I'd like you to leave so my team and I can do some warming up…" she said, as she turned and walked into the gym.

Soul turned to me, staring me in my eyes. I tried to read his thoughts, but for some reason I couldn't at all… "Soul…" I whispered. He turned away from me, "…Now I have some last minute training to do myself. So I'll be going…" he walked up to the fence, with Emperor following him. "Oh and Spirit," he began, looking back at me, "I won't lose…" He said then hoped over the fence effortlessly, and Emperor followed. I let out a sigh of relief, I'm glad he doesnt have any feelings for her after all! i thought.

(back to Soul :P)
Veilstone City Gym, 3 hours later…=From Soul's Perspective=

"Well then…" I said to myself. I was standing in a locker room within the Veilstone City gym. You could hear the crowd roaring through the walls, their anticipation for a great match was clearly evident. I looked at the pokeballs on my waist, staring at my pokemon. "Team meeting…everyone out!" I said, as I released them. "We already know the course of action, as challengers we get to choose who's sent out in the first round. I'll use the pokedex to scan what we're up against, and we'll use that data to decide who starts things off. Remember this battle is going to define us as trainers, and put us on the radar as one of sinnoh's top battlers. If you can, make sure you don't let yourselves get knocked out like chumps. You go down, you take them down with you, got it?" I said sternly. Everyone nodded in agreement, "Good, let's go out there and show the world who the real ace trainer is," I said. I returned everyone to their pokeballs, and stepped out into the hallway.

When I walked out, Spirit was waiting for me. I didn't look at her, and I walked right by her without saying a word. "Soul…" she said, stepping toward me, but I didn't turn to look at her. "Soul…Good luck in your battle!" she said softly. There was a slight pause, and only the cheers from the fans could be heard. "Like I said before…I won't lose…" I said reassuringly. I turned to face Spirit, "Just watch…" I said, and I walked into the spotlight.

As I entered the arena, the crowd roared, greeting me like a hero. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, LET'S WELCOME THE MAN WHO WANT'S TO TAAAAKE IT AAAALL! YOUR FAVORITE UNDERDOG, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUL!" screamed the hype man. Again the crowd roared, as I stepped up to my post. I walked onto a steel platform, and it elevated me to a platform that stood over the field, it gave me a great view over the everything, giving me a clear view of what will be going on during the battle.

Suddenly, the music changed, and the announcer took a different tone, "AND NOW, WHOM WE ALL'VE BEEN WAITING FOR , THE QUEEN OF MARTIAL ARTS, THE DAIME OF KARATE, THE GIRL WHO CAN'T QUIT, PUUUUUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLEEEENE!" the crowd went crazy, as she walked up to her side's platform. As she rose to the top, I analyzed the field. I took note of the boulders lying around, and started developing game plans in case things start going badly for us. Maylene finally stepped up and walked onto her platform, with her Lucario following close behind her.

"NOW A FEW WORDS FROM OUR GYM LEADER BEFORE WE GET STARTED!" declared the announcer. The crowd's uproar died down as Maylene cleared her throat, and adjusted her mic. "Well then thank you all for coming out to support this battle! It's been a while since we got such an…upscale…opponent to challenge us!" she said mockingly as she shrugged. The crowd laughed, and it seemed like the cameramen loved every photo op, as they clicked madly on their cameras.

"All jokes aside, Soul and I have a lot riding on this battle, and I'm afraid I can't afford to lose! Good luck to you Soul! May the best Trainer win!" she said smiling, holding up a thumbs-up. Before the announcer spoke, I cut in. "Save the niceties for someone who cares…This is a battlefield, so bring you're A game, or I WILL walk all over you…" I said coldly. The crowd roared and thousands of pictures were clicking away. Maylene laughed it off like it was nothing, as referee stepped up to the field ready to give out the rules.

"This will be a 3 on 3 battle. All three rounds will be conducted, and the judges will grade the winner based on the number of rounds won. Your overall performance and synergy as trainer and pokemon will be tested as well. In a result of a tie, a sudden death battle will be commenced, in which two pokemon OF THE JUDGES CHOICE will conduct battle. A recess will occur for an HOUR if a sudden death does occur, in which both pokemon can heal injuries and return to combat. One pokemon may be chosen per round, and the challenger chooses who sends out their pokemon first. Loser chooses who sends which pokemon out next round. Ready your pokemon!"

Maylene nodded at Lucario, and it nodded back. She grabbed a pokeball from her waist, and threw it out into the playing field. With a puff of smoke, a Machoke appeared. I opened up my pokedex and scanned machoke's data. It was lv 26, had multiple possible abilities, but the pokedex couldn't function at 100% inside the gym for some reason. The data was insufficient, so I couldn't discover its moves or exact ability. "Tch, just my luck…Where gonna have to fight this blind…" a thought aloud, "It's a fighting type…pure fighting…Huntress, time to burn some prey…" I said as I released Huntress from her pokeball."Soul, guide me to victory!" she said blowing me a kiss. "Would I settle for anything less? Get your head in the game!" I said back to her. Then Huntress floated to the center of the stage, where Machoke was, "Right then! Let's get to it!" she said.

"Battlers ready? BEGIN!"

"Start things off quickly! Use thunder punch!" shouted Maylene. Machoke ran toward Huntress, charging its fists with electricity. "Huntress, get some distance, we need to bait out this thing's ability!" I cried out to her. "I'm on it!" she declared as she dodged the incoming thunderpunch. Maylene smiled, "Now Machoke!" she said. Machoke's eye shined, as he quickly reversed his body motion, completely redirecting the punch.
Huntress was hit dead on, and was sent hurtling backwards. "It's ok huntress! Gain your composure back!" I said to her. Huntress nodded and stood back up, ready to fight. Based on that things movement, I thought, it seems like it has the "no guard" ability! Which means neither of our attacks can miss! Then a will-o-wisp should completely cripple this thing for an easy victory!

"Huntress I need more data! Use recover and get back in there!" I called to her. "Ok!" said Huntress, as she began to glow. She gained back all the hp she had just lost, and went after Machoke. "Seems like they want some more! So let's give it to 'em! Machoke use another thunder punch!" cried Maylene. Machoke charged its fists with more electricity, and ran towards Huntress. "Huntress, make sure he doesn't hit you! Try and doge all his incoming attacks!" I shouted. Machoke swayed in on Huntress and swung a powerful right. Huntress was able to duck out of the way in preparation for the punch, but Machoke's eye shined again, and his momentum was completely shifted into his left hand. He threw a left straight, smacking Huntress across the face. "Gah!" she uttered as she flew into a rock.

Damn it! Okay it has to be No Guard, his movements and accuracy are just too strong! I gotta burn him now! "Huntress, Recover your energy, then hit him with Will-o-Wisp! quickly!" I called out to her. "Right, I'm on it!" she responded. Huntress quickly recovered her hp. "Machoke don't give her space! Thunder punch, and combine it with bullet punch!" Machoke sprung forward, propelling his body like a speeding bullet. Huntress fired off her will-o-wisp attack in a flurry of shots, but Machoke weaved in and out of the embers by shifting his body weight like a boxer, weaving in and out. He got in close and was about to attack, but an idea leaped into my head. "Huntress, concentrate the embers into an orb at close range he can't avoid it! Give it everything you've got!" I cried out.

Huntress clapped her hands together, and held them out in front of her right as Machoke was swinging his fist. A huge ball of purple flames manifested within seconds, and exploded between the two pokemon. The blast was so powerful both of them were sent flying backwards. Huntress caught herself in midair, and regained her composure quickly. Smoke from the flames started clearing, and Machoke was revealed with his arms crossed over his face as if he were guarding. His arms were severely burned.

I grinned, "Ha, now he can't hurt you now, Huntress!" I said reassuringly. "Pull him out now, Maylene or risk your pathetic pokemon's meaningless life!" I said coldly. To my dismay, Maylene smiled. "Heh Heh, sorry soul, but this battle just started!"