Beloved Turnabout- The Champion's Phobia
Sep. 16th, 2017 12:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorakh28Because Red has issues with catching Pokémon. Consider this a pseudo-sequel to Champion's Voice.
Red stared at the former campfire, clenching and unclenching his fists. "...Of course it would be Team Rocket," he said to no one in particular. "And of course they'd still be after Pikachu."
While Athena didn't meant to overhear him, the amount of anger his tone was trying to cloak was staggering. "I'm sorry, Red, but..." there was a strange discrepancy from the anger behind 'Team Rocket' and the word 'still'- and the way he phrased that last part meant... "Have you met Ash's Pikachu before?"
Red didn't just hesitate, his entire body tensed; from his side, Taranis' expression fell, staring at nothing on the ground. "I..." The anger turned into anxiety. The youth stroked a Pokéball decorated with decals of lightning bolts. "It's a complicated story," he explained. "I'm not sure where to start. I mean, I need to tell someone about this eventually, I know, but I just..."
Phoenix frowned as he felt his Magatama reacting, and took it out. Thankfully, unlike his cousin, the colors of Red's five psyche-locks were his namesake- the young Champion wasn't repressing whatever he was hiding.
The youth eyed the stone carefully. "...Is it like with Ash?"
"No, it's the usual color," Phoenix revealed. "Whatever this is about, you remember clearly, it's just that, like you said, you're too overwhelmed to figure out where to start."
Red couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Okay, that's good. I know you guys probably wouldn't want to see those black ones again."
Apollo was rubbing his bracelet against his thigh. "It's not as strong as last time, but, Red..." He pointed to the Pokéball with the decals. "Whatever story you have, that Pokéball's involved, isn't it?"
"...Yes." Red looked at the ball. "That's Tary's Pokéball. I only put him in there in emergencies- he's always out of his ball."
"Just like Ash's, except his doesn't like his Ball, period," Athena noted.
"I'm probably to blame for that," Red admitted- and one of the locks started to rattle.
Athena's eyes widen. "So you do know Ash's Pikachu!?"
Phoenix hummed. "I do recall you mentioning Ash's Pikachu and Taranis being brothers back at the hospital. The only way you could've know that is if you caught both of them at the same time... is that right?"
Red stared at his shoes. "The very first double capture in the world, and my very first personal ones." He paused. "I just wished why I caught them that way wasn't so..."
Traumatic. The youth didn't even need to say it. Somehow, Phoenix knew that whatever happened, not only was Team Rocket involved, but it resulted in traumatizing not just Ash's Pikachu, but Red as well. The first of the five psyche-locks shattered.
"Since Pikachu is Ash's Starter, that would mean you sent him to Professor Oak," Phoenix reasoned. "Do you know why that arrangement came to be?"
"No, I'm pretty much in the dark as to why Ash was given Pikachu," admitted Red. "Especially since Professor Oak told me, before I caught them, he needed one for research purposes. ...Unless that is part of a research he's conducting, now that I think about it." He nodded to himself. "Studying the bonds between a trainer and a non-conventional Starter... that's totally up Professor Oak's alley."
"So you were searching for a Pikachu when you found them?" Phoenix asked, receiving a nod as an answer. "Were they already being chased by Team Rocket then?"
"Not the two that apparently attacked Ash- I've never met them. They were other grunts that were trying to get them to their boss for something." Red sighed. "Back then, I didn't think of using Ignatius to defend them, I just-" He took a sharp breath. "I just blindly threw the Balls without thinking, and they stayed in." He trembled at the next thought. "...That's when those grunts attacked me."
"What?" That revelation didn't just shatter two psyche-locks. Phoenix wasn't the only one gaping at the Champion, and he's sure Apollo and Athena had the same thought as he did. The two Pikachu must've overheard what happened outside of their Pokéballs, but were too exhausted to help out.
"Team Rocket has a fondness for Poison types, and these two grunts were no exception," Red divulged. "When I picked up the Pokéballs, one of them ordered their Weedle to use Poison Sting on me. Ignis decided then to come out of his own Ball and use Ember to deflect the attack, but the other grunt was taking advantage of that distraction to have their Zubat use Poison Fang on my neck."
"Come again?!" Apollo yelped. Red shifted the collar of his jacket and pointed at his neck, to which the red clad lawyer frowned upon seeing the four scars that marred the youth's skin. The frown then got deeper- how had he not noticed those scars before?
"Did you end up getting poisoned?" Athena asked.
"Unfortunately," Red admitted. "It took all of my willpower to resist the symptoms. I had Ignatius use Smokescreen so we could flee from those grunts, and when I found the main road, the Officer Jenny working in Pewter City just so happened to be on patrol." Red began to rub against his scars. "By the time we've arrived to the city, my neck was swollen at the wounds, my head felt like it was swimming, my entire body felt heavy and sore, my stomach was cramping up and I was a few seconds away from throwing up."
*tbc*
Red stared at the former campfire, clenching and unclenching his fists. "...Of course it would be Team Rocket," he said to no one in particular. "And of course they'd still be after Pikachu."
While Athena didn't meant to overhear him, the amount of anger his tone was trying to cloak was staggering. "I'm sorry, Red, but..." there was a strange discrepancy from the anger behind 'Team Rocket' and the word 'still'- and the way he phrased that last part meant... "Have you met Ash's Pikachu before?"
Red didn't just hesitate, his entire body tensed; from his side, Taranis' expression fell, staring at nothing on the ground. "I..." The anger turned into anxiety. The youth stroked a Pokéball decorated with decals of lightning bolts. "It's a complicated story," he explained. "I'm not sure where to start. I mean, I need to tell someone about this eventually, I know, but I just..."
Phoenix frowned as he felt his Magatama reacting, and took it out. Thankfully, unlike his cousin, the colors of Red's five psyche-locks were his namesake- the young Champion wasn't repressing whatever he was hiding.
The youth eyed the stone carefully. "...Is it like with Ash?"
"No, it's the usual color," Phoenix revealed. "Whatever this is about, you remember clearly, it's just that, like you said, you're too overwhelmed to figure out where to start."
Red couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Okay, that's good. I know you guys probably wouldn't want to see those black ones again."
Apollo was rubbing his bracelet against his thigh. "It's not as strong as last time, but, Red..." He pointed to the Pokéball with the decals. "Whatever story you have, that Pokéball's involved, isn't it?"
"...Yes." Red looked at the ball. "That's Tary's Pokéball. I only put him in there in emergencies- he's always out of his ball."
"Just like Ash's, except his doesn't like his Ball, period," Athena noted.
"I'm probably to blame for that," Red admitted- and one of the locks started to rattle.
Athena's eyes widen. "So you do know Ash's Pikachu!?"
Phoenix hummed. "I do recall you mentioning Ash's Pikachu and Taranis being brothers back at the hospital. The only way you could've know that is if you caught both of them at the same time... is that right?"
Red stared at his shoes. "The very first double capture in the world, and my very first personal ones." He paused. "I just wished why I caught them that way wasn't so..."
Traumatic. The youth didn't even need to say it. Somehow, Phoenix knew that whatever happened, not only was Team Rocket involved, but it resulted in traumatizing not just Ash's Pikachu, but Red as well. The first of the five psyche-locks shattered.
"Since Pikachu is Ash's Starter, that would mean you sent him to Professor Oak," Phoenix reasoned. "Do you know why that arrangement came to be?"
"No, I'm pretty much in the dark as to why Ash was given Pikachu," admitted Red. "Especially since Professor Oak told me, before I caught them, he needed one for research purposes. ...Unless that is part of a research he's conducting, now that I think about it." He nodded to himself. "Studying the bonds between a trainer and a non-conventional Starter... that's totally up Professor Oak's alley."
"So you were searching for a Pikachu when you found them?" Phoenix asked, receiving a nod as an answer. "Were they already being chased by Team Rocket then?"
"Not the two that apparently attacked Ash- I've never met them. They were other grunts that were trying to get them to their boss for something." Red sighed. "Back then, I didn't think of using Ignatius to defend them, I just-" He took a sharp breath. "I just blindly threw the Balls without thinking, and they stayed in." He trembled at the next thought. "...That's when those grunts attacked me."
"What?" That revelation didn't just shatter two psyche-locks. Phoenix wasn't the only one gaping at the Champion, and he's sure Apollo and Athena had the same thought as he did. The two Pikachu must've overheard what happened outside of their Pokéballs, but were too exhausted to help out.
"Team Rocket has a fondness for Poison types, and these two grunts were no exception," Red divulged. "When I picked up the Pokéballs, one of them ordered their Weedle to use Poison Sting on me. Ignis decided then to come out of his own Ball and use Ember to deflect the attack, but the other grunt was taking advantage of that distraction to have their Zubat use Poison Fang on my neck."
"Come again?!" Apollo yelped. Red shifted the collar of his jacket and pointed at his neck, to which the red clad lawyer frowned upon seeing the four scars that marred the youth's skin. The frown then got deeper- how had he not noticed those scars before?
"Did you end up getting poisoned?" Athena asked.
"Unfortunately," Red admitted. "It took all of my willpower to resist the symptoms. I had Ignatius use Smokescreen so we could flee from those grunts, and when I found the main road, the Officer Jenny working in Pewter City just so happened to be on patrol." Red began to rub against his scars. "By the time we've arrived to the city, my neck was swollen at the wounds, my head felt like it was swimming, my entire body felt heavy and sore, my stomach was cramping up and I was a few seconds away from throwing up."
*tbc*
