Pokemon Adventures: Soul Ch23 Get Charged Up!

Chapter 24: Get Charged Up!

Le Wow, Sunyshore City…

We finally finished our meals, as the waiters came by to collect our plates. Despite the ongoing noise from the other pokemon in the room, happily eating together, the silence that has settled over our table was unbearable. I looked around to observe how everyone else was feeling. Huntress and Hellfire looked irritated, as Nightwing and I exchanged broken glances.

I decided it was best to leave our personal differences behind. In an effort to divert our frustration, I brought up our fated battle with Soul against Volkner.

"I understand that we have some differences between us: but let's talk about our strategy for tonight. We will be staring down the toughest Gym Leader in all of Sinnoh: Volkner. I'm sure that with Soul's guidance, we may prove victorious. However, we should think about some strats among ourselves that may be helpful for the Team."

Titan glared in my direction, as though still in contempt with me filling the "leadership" role.
"I agree with the empoleon," Nightwing spoke up, "Our master will need our help! But what information do we have on Volkner?" he questioned.
Huntress rose her head up, while raising her hand.
"You can speak, Huntress" I said softly.
I know Huntress better than everyone at the table, and I could tell that our argument earlier shook her up pretty bad.

"Oh…well, I just remembered that Soul said that Volkner uses "Electric Types". I don't remember everything else he said though…" She stammered.

Titan scoffed, "Great information you have there. But knowing the types of a pokemon doesn't help us actually beat them! We have no idea what the terms of the battle will be, or what species they are!"

"That is true," I began, "But by knowing that much will allow us to come up with some kind of strategy. Nightwing," I said, turning my attention toward Nightwing, "You may see some use in this battle, since you are immune to electric based attacks. But Volkner is most likely expecting this. Soul's strategies and our abilities are all over almost every media source out there. Soul and I have spoken about our "popularity" many times. Therefore, it is safe to say that Volkner WILL have a way to deal with pokemon of your typing."

Nightwing nodded in agreement, "Based on battles I previously had; I have determined that many pokemon trainers teach certain moves to their pokemon, in order counter their own weaknesses! Just like master Soul does with us!" He agreed.

"Right, so we must reconsider your use…" I declared.

Titan scoffed, "You just said that Nightwing is a trump card in our battle! Why wouldn't he be used!?"

I sighed, "Don't you understand? If he gets hit by an ice type move, Nightwing won't be able to tank most of his hits. One ice move is more than enough to render him useless…"
I turned to Nightwing,
"No offense, my friend."

Nightwing nodded, "Its fine, your theory is logical…why wouldn't an electric pokemon carry a move that compliments their typing so well."

"Hmph! So then what should we do, "almighty" leader?" Titan said snidely.

I pondered for a bit, and decided to acknowledge the best choices.

"Well it's safe to say, as much as it pains me, that our best options for this battle would be Huntress, Hellfire and you, Titan."

The table grew quiet…but the silence was quickly broken.
"You won't be in the fight, Emperor?" Hellfire asked calmly, "What is the meaning of this?"

I nodded, "I am a water type. I don't know if I will be able to take on any of Volkner's pokemon. Besides, Soul informed me about one particular pokemon that Volkner has, that can be a formidable match: Electivire. His moveset is Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Discharge and Ice Punch. Soul discovered this info not too long ago, thanks to some research he dug up online."

I turned to Hellfire, "This makes you the second best option to square up with that behemoth."

Huntress raised her hand in confusion, "If she's the second, then who's the first?"

I chuckled, "You, of course. You can outmatch and cripple him with all of your abilities. But from what we've heard, its strength is so insane that you may not be able to fight him one on one at all."

Huntress and Hellfire exchanged looks, instilling faith in each other.
"I'll do my best!" Huntress happily chirped.
I smiled gently. Knowing that she'd be facing an opponent in an important battle immediately lifted up her spirits. Just the kind of medicine she needed to regain her confidence and composure.

"Don't worry; you don't have to take the brunt of the pain. I will be there to back you up." Hellfire said softly, licking Huntress' forehead.

"D'aww! Stop!" Huntress said, rubbing her forehead and pushing Hellfire away.

Hellfire chuckled, as the tension between all of us slowly drifted away.

I let out a sigh,, "A real leader knows how to use his soldiers to the best of their abilities. Stepping down in order to succeed in the mission is a part of that as well. Making those kinds of decisions with a level head, is what I, and I alone can, do for our team. It would be a great honor to lead you all. I don't want to see any of you in pain or sorrow. I want us to truly operate as a team! So please...acknowledge me as your leader so I can make that happen."

Nightwing, Huntress and Hellfire looked at one another, exchanging nods of confidence.

"I think I speak for most of us when I say this…But we believe in you, Emperor. So don't let us, or master Soul, down" He said with a huge grin.

Titan turned away, "You don't run me or my agenda. Frankly I am looking for true strength, and I can do that in the battle field, on my own! So I'd prefer it if you all stay out of my way!"
Titan turned to Hellfire and Huntress, "Neither of you need to worry! I will do all of the work on my own! I'm more than enough to handle Volkner!" he declared boldly.

I shook my head, "Titan…You're overconfidence will be the end of you. You need to put some faith into the team!"

Titan shook his head, "No, Emperor. Your faith in others will lead to your inevitable defeat. You're just too blind to see it!"

Before I could retort, the waiters came back over once more.

"It is time for me to collect you into your pokeballs!" he said, as he pulled out a little bag.
The waiter began putting us each back into our respective pokeballs. However, all I could think about was Titan's words. It seems that we are fated to be rivals, but I need to find a way to make him accept me…by any means necessary I thought to myself.

3 hours Later: Sunyshore City Gym Locker Room…

I balled my hands into fists.

Soft? My battles, my struggles…they have been anything but soft!I said to myself, as the memory of that question replayed in my head over and over:

"Word on the net is that you've gone soft: you lack the motivation to fight…What changed you?"

As I sat in my fit of fury, I tried to think back: when did I start showing "weakness"? How?

Hmph, I thought, these paparazzi people must be on their job…maybe I was followed by some people, and they took pictures of me and Spirit during our "dates" and travels.

I heard a knock at the locker room door behind me.

I quickly turned around, "Who's there?" I barked.

The door opened up, and Spirit walked in.
"Hey…" she said in a sweet voice.

She came over to me, and sat on the bench in front of me. She slowly reached out to hold my hands, but I pulled back.

"I…We need to stop. I can't allow people to think that I've gone soft" I stammered.

Spirit reached out, and placed a finger on my lips.

"Ssh…I know that you got worked up by that reporter earlier, so I'll pretend like you didn't just say that" she said.

I sat in silence, as I stared into her eyes. Her eyes were glowing that bright blue hue, as it usually does when she's focusing on me.

"Listen. Maybe we were followed by some people, and they took pictures of us hanging out and doing our thing. But Soul, please understand that it's fine to do these things with me…I want us to be open and have fun, so even if other people see you as "weak" for it; don't let it bother you. Okay?" she said, practically whispering to me.

My heart was pounding. Was I nervous? What was I feeling?

I gritted my teeth, "Sometimes, you throw me off of my game. I don't understand why that is, or how to stop it. I…we can't have this conversation right now. I need to focus on my match…" I said coldly.

Spirit sighed, "I know, Soul, I know."

She stood up, and began to walk out. I quickly turned around to grab her hand.

She turned to face me, and we stared into each other's eyes once more.

"I-uh…-I-" I stuttered.

I wanted to tell her that she was special; that I don't mind her being around…even if she's a total nuisance.

Spirit stared down on me, smiling.

"I know Soul. I love you too." She said.

Spirit leaned over, kissing me on my forehead.

She then let go of my hand, and rushed out of the locker room, blushing madly.

I began blushing myself, and I turned away from the door. At that moment, with a puff of smoke, Emperor burst out of his pokeball.

"Hm hm hm, what have we here?" he said, in a mocking tone.

"Shut up…" I said, completely embarrassed.

"Heh heh! You are hilarious to watch when you're actually happy!" He said, laughing.

I sighed out loud, "So then, as we discussed before. You and Nightwing won't go into battle today. It makes sense, the theories you guys came up with is sound. Thanks for coming up with a strategy." I said, smiling up at Emperor.

I looked down at the pokeballs on my waist. Huntress, Hellfire, Titan and Nightwing stared back up at me, with determination burning in their eyes.

"We're ready for this battle, we can't lose! We will prove to the world once more that WE are the top dogs in Sinnoh!" I declared, as I stood up.

I threw my hood up onto my head, and started to walk out of the Locker Room.

"Let's go…" I said to Emperor, as he followed suit.

When we stepped out of the locker room, Volkner was their waiting for us, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway.

"Heh…So it's finally time for us to battle!" He said with a grin.

I glared at him, remaining silent.

"Oooh, scary face today, I see." Volkner said, with a cold look in his eye. Volkner opened up his arms, "Well then! This will be EXCITING! My blood's been boiling for a great battle! It's been too long!"

Volkner stood up from off of the wall, and walked closer to me.

"How about we have ourselves a little fun tonight?" He said, with a huge grin.

I rose an eyebrow, "What do you have in mind…?" I asked.

"You're at least 18 years old, right?"

"Yea…sure" I said.

"Hmph. Well, how about we have a 3v3, No Holds Barred match. No restrictions, no safe switches. Just a straight slugfest! I mean, you were the one who said you'd "use me as a catalyst" to show the world that your bite still packs a punch. So prove it!"

I smiled, "You act like you're the first trainer that I'd be having a fist fight with." I said, as I began walking away.

"I hope you don't cry to bad when I stomp you on TV." I scoffed.

Vokner smiled, and started walking in the other direction, "At this point kid, you can't say anything. Prove your shit on the battle field."

As I walked onward; I approached the stadium. The roars and cheering could be heard clearly, as it reverberated through the concrete walls. A man with a headset approached me, holding a clip board.

"Please follow me!" he yelled, as he started walking away quickly.

I followed the man, barely able to hear him over the roars of the crowd.
"You will be stationed at the entrance to the stadium, until your name is called! The pre-game show is still going on, and the announcers are gonna make…well, a few announcements. You're on in 10," he said briskly.

I nodded and turned to Emperor, who was still following us closely.
"No holds barred?" he questioned with a grin, "Sounds fun!"

I turned forward, as the bright lights blinded me at the entrance.

"Now we wait…" I said, calming myself down.

This is it. My final gym battle.

Commentators stands…

"Hey all you pokemaniacs! This is Gabby, With Trainer Watch TV! As the battle is going on, I will be up here in the commentator's booth, commentating on tonight's match! And that's not all! Today I am proud to announce that we have a couple of special guest commentators with us! Firstly, all the way from the Kanto Region, we have Kanto's very best, like no one ever was: Red!"
The crowd roared after Red's introduction.

"Thanks guys! Glad to be here!" Red said over the mic.

"That's not all, coming here all the way from the Unova Region, and one of their reigning elite four members, Grimsley!" Gabby declared once more.

The crowd blew up even louder, as they began to chant Grimsley's name.

"Now Grimsley, please let the fans know what brings you over to Sinnoh, for just a simple gym battle?"
"Well, the boredom mostly. I've been allocated some free time, so I decided to do some traveling! I haven't been to Sinnoh for a while either, so I believed it would be the best place to just get away. I heard a few nights ago that Volkner, one of the best gym leaders in the world, would be having a battle tonight with an up and coming trainer. Who could miss such entertainment!?"

The crowd applauded and cheered, synthesizing with what Grimsley said.

"Then after tonight's battle, I plan on heading straight over to Alola! New and exciting things are happening there, and I need to see it with my own eyes!" he exclaimed with fascination.

Gabby nodded enthusiastically, and then turned her head to Red.

"What about you Red, what brings you out to us tonight?"

"Well, as you all know, I'm still deeply involved in the pokemon battle scene, so it's impossible to not keep up with the media hype! Soul's battling prowess is what's hip and happenin' right now, so I want to see how much he's grown with my own eyes!"

At that moment, Volkner started walking out onto the field from his side of the stadium, and the crowd went completely nuts.
"Wow! Volkner's making an abrupt appearance! He's as unorthodox as ever it seems! Takes some real balls to walk out before your own call tag!" Gabby chirped excitedly.
Volkner signaled for a mic to drop, as he held his hand up.

A mic quickly fell from above on a lure, spiraling down to his hand.

"Looks like he's got something to say to the crowd! Oh! And it seems that tonight's three referees are quickly taking their stations!" Gabby said observantly.

Volkner grabbed the mic, and brought it close to his mouth, as he swung his head back,

"WHAT'S GOIN ON SUNYSHORE!" he bellowed.

The crowd roared loudly as he called to them.

"A'wright! GREAT! That's got my blood boiling!" he declared, "I've got a special treat for you all tonight! It's been a while since I've had such a highly anticipated match, so why not go all out, am I right!?"

The crowd began to quiet down a little, as some cheers and whistles were still going around.

"That's right! I got tonight's challenger, Soul, to agree to a special match! To address his statements to the press, we will be having a NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH!" He exclaimed.

The crowd turned up once more, exploding happily in anticipation.

"That's right! No referees are needed tonight! We will have a 3 man battle, until one trainer is out of pokemon, or unconscious! OR both!"

"Woah! This is a sudden sequence of events! A no holds barred match on TV? This would be the first time in quite a while, as most trainers don't agree to traditional forms of battle! What are your thought's gentleman!?" asked Gabby.

Grimsley chuckled, as he shrugged nonchalantly, "I say brilliant! Have at it! Impress me! Impress the crowd! Let's live a little!"
Red nodded in agreement, "The formal tournament rules were created to keep people safe from the violent turmoil of battle. But what people don't realize is that a street fight is very different from an organized one. Different rules, different strategies: it's its own world. I think a rule free battle is a great idea for old and new trainers. To be engaged in battles with your pokemon is to show your pokemon that you are not afraid to get dirty. Pokemon are not solely pawns for us to use as we see fit; they are our family, and our friends. So let's see how Soul's team reflects those bonds!"

The crowd cheered as the judges met up in the center of the stadium. They conversed for a bit, taking note of Volkner's request for the match. They all eventually nodded in agreement. The head referee jogged over to Vokner, and took the mic from him.

"The judges tonight briefly discussed the conditions of this match. And we will like to announce that we are OKAY to let this battle commence!"

The crowd boomed once more, happy with the decision to let the match be rule free.

"However! The referees will still watch over the match! Any hint of fatal injury to any pokemon or trainer, and the match will be ended! So both trainers, due take care of yourselves in the midst of chaos!"

The crowd cheered, as whistles could be heard. A chant began to scale upwards, "Let's Go Volkner, Let's Go! Let's Go Volkner, Let's Go!" The chant echoed through the entire stadium.

A squad of cheerleaders seized the hype and joined in on the chant, displaying a bunch of flips and tricks and holding up Volkner banners.

Volkner's grin grew untamed and wild.

"This is it Soul…Now please live up to the hype! And please, don't bore me!" he whispered to himself.

The crowd was going insane, as I could hear the announcements and commotion from outside the stadium entrance. I smiled coldly.

This is it, Volkner…Now please live up to the hype! Don't bore your fans and lose to me too quickly!I thought to myself.

I turned to face Emperor. He gave me a nod of confidence, and I nodded back to him.

"Without further adieu! We've already met Volkner, now let's hear it from the hero of Sandgem town: SOOOOUL!"
The crowd boomed as I made my entrance. For every step I took, there must have been tens of hundreds, or even thousands, of fans cheering my name. As I looked around, I could tell that the stadium was completely packed. Tickets must have sold out. Not counting the people at home watching Gabby's Trainer Watch TV channel.
It was at this moment, that I began to think about my childhood: back when the children laughed at me, and ostracized me because I lived in Prof. Rowan's lab. I thought back to how I never got the chance to know my mother, and how my father died on me at seven years old. I couldn't help but think about my current position in life, and how people actually cheer my name now.

I wonder…what those kids in my class are doing with their lives now…

I stepped up to my side of the field, as a referee stood in the center. He looked to both sides, and then rose the mic to his mouth:
"This is a NO HOLD BARRED match! Both Trainers please present yourselves to the center of the stage, to shake hands."

I calmly walked up to the center of the stage. I glanced to my right, and I could see that Spirit was sitting in the first row, with Psyche, Heart and Core sitting beside her.

"Humph" I scoffed, as I met Volkner in the center.

We both glared into each other's soul, and we shook hands very briefly.

Without any words, we both turned back around, walking to our respective sides of the field.

There are no objects on the field. There will be nowhere to duck and cover….this really will be a slug fest I thought to myself.

Once I got back to my side, I re-faced the center.

"Battlers ready?" asked the Referee, as he basically fled from the middle of the stadium as if he were in the middle of the death zone.

"BEGIN!"

"NOW THEN! LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'VE GOT, SOUL!" cried Volkner, as he reached to his waist and grabbed a couple of pokeballs.

"NO MORE WORDS!" I declared back.

He's grabbingtwopokeballs!? I thought, as I grabbed Titan's and Huntress' pokeballs from my waist.

At the same time, we both released our pokemon onto the field.

With a puff of smoke, Raichu and Luxray appeared from Volkner's side of the field.

We both continued to charge forward, neither of us having the courage to back down now.