The Abolition part 1
The Abolition part 1
Disclaimer – Nope, still don’t own.
A/N – A BIG old AU for you. Kind of a mix between Pokemon, Shaman King and er, Logan’s Run. But I hope it won’t be too awful >.<
“This is not a drill. Call for weekly elimination process. ID numbers 15487, 9637, 26918 and 88637 please report to the Indigo Plateau. Any resistance will result in immediate elimination. Have a nice day.”
Ash turned off the radio sadly. Brock and Misty sighed with obvious relief, and Misty took his hand and said,
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s no one we know.” Ash nodded, but his expression did not lighten.
“You know how much I hate this.”
“I know.” Misty pulled him into a hug. “The best thing we can do is try not to understand it. I’m sure what the Elite do is for the best of us all in the long run.”
“They’re just picking off the feeble.” Ash said angrily. Nothing more was said that evening.
A few days later, and Ash’s mood had visibly changed. The three were making their way down to Viridian City, where Ash hoped to gain another badge. He knew that if he could get 12 badges, his named would be struck off the Elite’s list, and he would be safe.
“It’s been a while.” Brock said wistfully. He had not passed through Viridian for years, and Ash and Misty had not been there for around 6 months, where they met.
“Brings back good memories, huh?” Ash nudged Misty teasingly.
Misty blushed bright red.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ash Ketchum.” Ash stifled a giggle. Nothing HAD happened, but he and Misty loved to tease each other anyway. It got Brock confused.
“Look, there it is!” Ash ran up to the huge building before them. “It’s...amazing!” He stared up at the building with awe. It was simply massive, and hand built from brick, with two guards at its gates. There weren’t many of the old style buildings left now, the Elite had knocked most of them down. Ash had never seen a real one in his lifetime, only replicas. Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder.
“Pikaa!” She cried.
“Isn’t it just?!” Ash said, the only one understanding her.
Brock and Misty caught up with him and Misty whispered in his ear,
“Oh Ash, there’s someone here to see yoooooou...” They slid back, letting Ash see the solitary figure behind them.
“I guess that would be me, then.”
“Gary!” Ash rushed over to him and squeezed him tightly. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, hun.” Gary ruffled his hair and let go of him. “So, you here for another badge?”
“Yup! Only four to go!” Ash grinned.
“Great! I’ve only got two more left.”
Ash’s face fell slightly. If Ash got chosen after Gary got all the badges, then...He didn’t even want to think about it.
“Y-you go first then.” He said. Even though that would be bad, having Gary killed first would be even worse. Not that he didn’t believe in him of course. But that Elite was STRONG. He didn’t want to risk it. Gary nodded, almost reading his thoughts, then smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” He walked up to the doors, put on a brave face, and said “My name is Gary Oak from Pallet Town, and I request a battle with the leader of this gym.”
The guards nodded, and the doors opened on their own. Gary winked at Ash a final time, and they closed behind him.
“Aren’t we allowed to watch?” Misty said. The guards shook their heads. “Then...I guess all we can do is wait.”
* * *
Gary was not as calm as he looked. He’d never liked battling, but it was the only guarantee of becoming safe. He wished he’s been born a few decades earlier, when Pokemon fought the normal way, there was no Elite, and it was fun. He wished he’d been born before the elimination process came around.
“I’m here for a battle!” He shouted into the dark emptiness.
“Very good.” A voice rang out. “I’ll give you time to get charged up.”
A Joiner appeared behind Gary, and he chose a pokeball from his belt.
“Help me, Arcanine.” He said to it, then kissed it, before tossing it into the machine’s holding system. Immediately, a bunch of wires hooked themselves onto it. “...Here goes.” He stepped into the glass case and again, wires shot out from it, attaching themselves to him. “I hate this.” He mumbled.
The whole machine began to emit a loud whirring noise, which quickly switched to one that almost sounded floaty. The pokeball started to shake violently, and Gary began to glow. Not light bulb glow, I mean explosion glow. Had anyone been there, they probably would have been blinded. His irritated expression did not change throughout any of the process, but when it was over, he stepped out and seemed to drift over the ground with an unnatural power. He jumped up over a metre and grabbed the pokeball.
“You’re ready? Then we’ll begin.” The voice came again, and this time a person appeared with it. The leader. Gary shivered. He was a middle aged man with a look of wisdom about him, but he scared Gary. He made him feel as if he was in the presence of someone purely evil, which he may well have been. “This battle has started.” He said threateningly, then dived. Gary jumped nimbly again to avoid his earth breaking attack. He landed on the wall, and bounced off it, landing on all fours on the ground.
The leader had made an enormous hole in the ground where his attack had missed. He was already panting deeply and the veins in his neck were throbbing. They stared at each other for a while, each trying to find the other’s weakness. Gary noticed the way his arms were hanging and decided he must have chosen a ground or fighting type.
Suddenly, the leader went for him again, but this time a flurry of rock spikes appeared before him, one of them grazing Gary shoulder as it flew past. Gary stumbled backwards, clutching the wound as it stained his ripped shirt red. That had hurt. And this guy was going to get payback for it. He leapt as high as he could, and kicked off the ceiling to gain more speed. He focused his energy into his outstretched hands. Out of no where a vast, flaming ball of fire covered his body, growing bigger by the second. This was Arcanine’s true power. This was fire blast. The leader threw his arms up and a wall of stone crumbled up from the ground. He was trying to block the attack.
Gary hit the wall with an incredible force. It took him a minute to regain his senses after the impact. His hands were bleeding badly where they’d hit the barrier. His glanced at the leader who was lying on his back. Gary got up, and brushed himself down, then, still under Arcanine’s influence, tried to lick his wounds clean.
A strange, menacing laugh rang in the darkness. The leader began to get up.
“My, my.” He said, in a voice that made Gary want to run away. Instead, he adopted a fighting stance. Had he won? He wasn’t sure. “Very good, boy, most impressive. But now I would like you to try out a little toy for me.”
A whirring noise came from the room, and then a thud. Gary’s heart began to race.
“I would like you to be the first to witness my latest experiment.” Thud, thud. “I am trying to create the ultimate fighting machine in a way you may find quite interesting.” Thud, thud. “Many people have died in its creation, but finally I have created a masterpiece. A perfect being.”Thud, thud. “I have mixed a strong heart, body and mind, and the soul of the most powerful creature on earth. Have you ever heard of the Mew, boy? Well, I’m sure you haven’t, as it has been dead and forgotten for many years. But its soul lives on. You see, by placing the soul of a pokemon into a human, it creates a similar process to Joining, but the human begins to turn into the pokemon, even though the appearance is somewhat...altered. Do you understand what I’m saying, boy?” Thud, thud. “You are about to witness something that could change history. This is Mewtwo.”
Gary felt a sensation similar to flying, only in slow motion. He felt relaxed. Something came out of the shadow, something cat like and clothed in metal. He didn’t really care until the cat thing put out its paw and clenched it tight. Gary felt like his insides were being ripped out before him. He doubled over and screamed out in pain. He pulled his head back to look at the leader one last time. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a look of maniacal evil on his face, a look that haunted his dreams for many years to come.
* * *
“That was Gary!” Ash cried, running towards the door to try and get in. One of the guards grabbed him roughly and threw him back. “What are you doing to him?!” He demanded.
Misty and Brock looked up.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear him screaming?!”
They both shook their heads. Ash tried once again to get to the door, but the guard blocked his way and shook him hard. The other guard put his hand to his ear, then nodded. The first let go of Ash, and opened the door. Ash blinked, then walked in warily. Brock and Misty were about to follow him, but the door slammed shut in their faces.
“A-ash?” Misty said. The guards looked at her, sneering. She realised that something here was very, very wrong.
“ASH!”
* * *
Ash’s initial anger had been replaced by fear as he’d stepped into the building. Even though it was indoors, it somehow seemed colder than before. He shivered slightly.
“I-I’d like to see the leader please.” He said.
“What do you want, child?”
“W-what did you do with the t-trainer before me?”
“Mm. I made him useful.”
Ash glared at whoever it was.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You asked me a question, I answered it.”
Ash was getting really angry now.
“Fine! Well, I want to battle you!”
Something grabbed his neck from behind and he gasped. Someone breathed in his ear.
“You should be taught some manners, boy. I will battle you, and you will see who’s confident then.” They let go, and Ash whirled round, but no one was there. “By the rules of the Elite, I use my authority to battle using a substitute.” The voice said.
“Fine, you coward!” Ash shouted.
There was a low growling.
“I would not insult me. My substitute will battle just as well as I.” The person clicked his fingers, and Ash heard a door being opened.
“He is already joined, I suggest you do so quickly. I am an impatient man.”
Ash looked over to where the replacement was. He stumbled back, hitting the Joiner.
“No...”
“By the way, my stand in is your precious little boyfriend. I hope that’s alright.”
