February
It started as a picturesque day in a quaint Johto city, but quickly turned into a nightmare for its inhabitants. The sky, once a vibrant blue, transformed into an ominous mix of green and black, as fierce storms crackled with electrifying energy.
This catastrophic event was the result of a battle between two powerful Pokémon, incited by a group of individuals indifferent to the destruction unfolding before them. Oblivious to the chaos they had caused, their sole focus was fixated on the awe-inspiring beauty of the Pokémon engaged in combat.
Amidst the turmoil, a young boy with striking grey and purple streaks in his hair stood alone in the heart of the city, desperately searching for his parents, his family. The task seemed futile, as not a single soul could be seen in the desolate streets from his vantage point.
Unbeknownst to the boy, Lugia and Ho-Oh, engrossed in their valiant efforts to safeguard the city from the rampaging Pokémon, failed to notice his plea for help. Their destructive powers nearly consumed the boy in one fell swoop, until a kind-hearted Glalie intervened just in time, whisking him to safety. A man with snowy white hair then came forward, lifting the shaken boy to his feet, his eyes filled with warmth as he smiled reassuringly.
Six Years Later
A small boat gently glided to a halt near the lush shoreline of a tropical island of moderate size. The snowy whited haired man from before appeared.
"We've finally arrived at Island Seven of the Sevii islands. If our information is accurate, the crystal should be somewhere here. I highly doubt the O.R.R has discovered it yet," he said.
Without hesitation, a person leaped deftly off the boat and landed gracefully next to the older man. This individual possessed dark, almost greyish hair, with a subtle streak of purple.
"The other side of this island houses a small town, which is easily accessible through the SS.Anne's regular ferry service. We only have about seven hours until it arrives, so we need to act swiftly if we want an expedited escape. That being said, let's not waste any time, Gray," the man said, addressing the newcomer.
"I've told you countless times to call me by my second name. Please stop calling me Gray... It's Shadow," Gray sternly replied.
Pokémon Special Chronicles
Volume One Finale
Though it seems sudden, the leads themselves have been working well so far. There isn't much to complain about from my end," the man said.
"But I have plenty to complain about. How are we even supposed to know if these leads are correct?" Gray questioned.
"Hoping for the best," the man, whose name was revealed to be Vayge, replied.
"Hoping isn't an answer, Vayge. A real answer would involve knowing the identity of the person who provided us with these leads. This whole situation feels sketchy and unreliable," Gray retorted.
Vayge sighed and responded, "I thought you would be the one most satisfied with the leads we received."
"Well, you thought wrong."
"Perhaps I misspoke, but if I recall correctly, you were the one who said it didn't matter where the lead came from," Vayge recalled.
"Let's just drop this topic," Gray interrupted.
"Says the one who brought it up," Vayge chuckled.
"I never asked. Why were you so insistent on stopping at Viridian?" Gray finally asked.
"I wanted to visit an old friend, but apparently, he hasn't been there in years. It turned out to be pointless," Vayge explained.
"Indeed, it was pointless. I was hoping to gain some valuable experience battling the 'legendary' kid battler who supposedly had exceptional skills. However, I was sorely disappointed when I actually faced him," Gray lamented.
"Did you take it easy on him?" Vayge inquired.
"The kid pushed himself relentlessly, despite his Pokémon clearly being unable to battle anymore. It was rather disgusting," Gray revealed.
"Although it's admirable to witness such determination in trainers, there are limits," Vayge agreed.
"And now, we have found them," Gray whispered, peering closer at the small campsite that had been set up.
Two O.R.R grunts emerged from a tent adorned with the O.R.R logo. One of the grunts produced a small letter and showed it to his companion.
His companion began reading the letter, grimacing before saying something that elicited laughter from both of them. The grunt tucked the letter into his pocket and retrieved a map from the other pocket.
Gray had grown tired of observing the two and commanded Magmar to unleash a devastating flamethrower attack on their tent. As the grunts frantically searched their pockets for their Poké balls, Gray swiftly incapacitated them both by striking them on the head with two nearby boulders.
"Couldn't you have waited a little longer?" Vayge inquired.
"They were mocking me," Gray responded.
"No, they weren't. We couldn't even hear what they were saying," Vayge countered.
"You couldn't. I possess this extraordinary ability called enhanced hearing, which allows me to hear exceptionally well," Gray stated.
"I possess this extraordinary ability called, that's very offensive to people who can't actually hear, so, please, be quiet." Vayge stated.
"...yeah, fair enough..." Gray shrugged.
Gray knelt down and extracted the letter from the grunt's pocket, discarding it after briefly scanning the first sentence. He then retrieved the map from the ground.
Vayge caught the discarded letter and read its contents.
"...A get well letter?...this is a get well letter from the family of the grunt you incapacitated... Sometimes, I forget that these O.R.R members have emotions just like us."
"Perfect. Take a look at this." Gray said as he stood up, "The map leads straight to the location of the crystal. They have crossed out numerous points, leaving only the most obvious one, situated in the center of the forest and near the town. This gives us enough time to catch up to the SS.Anne if we experience any setbacks due to the crystal's power or other obstacles."
"Since we have already taken down O.R.R, there shouldn't be much standing in our way of reaching the crystal." Vayge calculated.
"When you put it that way, it all seems so easy."
Vayge and Gray continued their search for the mysterious crystal. As they traveled, it became evident that O.R.R played a significant role in the events unfolding. The local Pokémon were skittish, keeping their distance from humans. Carvings of the O.R.R symbol on the trees caused some Pokémon to tremble with fear.
"These people must be a real pain if even wild Pokémon are afraid of them," Gray remarked. "It's a good thing we took care of those two."
"Never thought I'd see you resort to such cowardly tactics, 'Shadow', but I guess people change," Vayge commented dryly.
"It wasn't cowardly," Gray defended himself.
"Whatever. Let's stay focused. O.R.R, or Organisation Rated R, has a terrible name and reputation. They do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals, even resorting to murder. Their leader is a force to be reckoned with, and according to the only four known former members, he is completely devoted to Operation R," Vayge explained.
"We need to find this crystal first. We have to understand why someone would go to such lengths to build an organization that starts attacking after three years of silence. O.R.R was established four years ago, and they've been quiet for three years before starting their plan. Now we're in the fourth year," Gray noted.
"The importance of this crystal cannot be overstated. It is central to their grand scheme. That's why we can't mount a large operation until we have all the pieces in place," Vayge added.
Lost in their conversation, Vayge and Gray suddenly came to a halt as Gray urgently needed to relieve himself. He dashed through the row of trees, venturing into an open area with a river crossing nearby.
He pulled down his zipper, relieved himself, and savored the satisfaction of the moment when he was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash emanating from the other side of the river. Hastily pulling up his zipper, Gray crossed over to investigate, cautiously peering through the dense foliage to get a glimpse of what was happening.
"Well done, Donphan," a grunt complimented.
A wild Electabuzz found itself caught between the relentless attacks of a Donphan and Rapidash. Helpless against the overpowering Pokémon of the grunt, the Electabuzz struggled to fight back.
"Magmar, use Flamethrower! Quilava, Flame Charge! Glaceon, Ice Beam!" Gray commanded.
The Donphan and Rapidash were momentarily impacted by the onslaught of fire and charging flames, but remained relatively undeterred. That is, until Glaceon unleashed a powerful Ice Beam, freezing the wild Pokémon in its tracks.
As Rapidash momentarily became distracted by the icy imprisonment, Electabuzz managed to take advantage by launching a formidable Electro Ball, sending Rapidash sprawling. Seizing the opportunity, Glaceon followed up with an Ice Fang, causing the Rapidash to flinch. Capitalizing on the situation, Magmar executed a seismic toss on Rapidash.
The grunt now stood defenseless and at their mercy.
With a mighty thunder punch, Electabuzz struck the grunt square in the gut, leaving him winded and incapacitated. Gray proceeded to stomp on the Poké Balls belonging to the grunt, causing them to crack under the pressure. He then snatched them up and hurled them forcefully against a nearby tree, further damaging them. Finally, Gray ruthlessly stomped on the broken Poké Balls, liberating the trapped Pokémon within.
"You can thank me later, or never," Gray coolly stated to the awestruck Electabuzz.
Gray and Vayge came to a sudden halt, simultaneously. They peered ahead, glimpsing a gentle glow peeking through a cluster of trees.
"We've arrived," Gray murmured.
As Gray took a step forward, Vayge extended his arm, blocking the boy's path. Vayge stepped forward instead, with Gray reluctantly following behind.
They entered the clearing, reaching an open space where a crystal hovered inside a small tree. Surrounding the tree were three members of O.R.R. One of them visibly flinched upon spotting Gray and Vayge.
"You two! From the ruins! You're the ones messing up some of our plans, aren't you?" a grunt, dressed differently from the others, sneered.
Vayge replied, "Yeah."
"Well, here's a news flash for both of you. This plan is one you will not be able to disrupt because it's our most important one," the different-clothed grunt asserted.
"Whether it's most important or least important, it won't matter to us," Vayge retorted.
"Listen here, old man. You're upsetting Commander Cathie, and we can't have that, alright?" another grunt interjected.
"Commander Cathie's had a demanding day, and you guys are the last things she needs right now," added yet another grunt.
"Thank you, my loyal men," Commander Cathie, the different-clothed grunt, responded, blushing slightly.
"It must be quite a wonderful life having fifty-year-old men drooling over you, right, you pig?" Gray quipped.
"What did you call me?!" Commander Cathie exclaimed.
"Commander, calm down. He's just a boy who doesn't know what he's saying," defended the grunt, speaking up for Gray.
"Well, that doesn't matter to me," Commander Cathie retorted.
The same grunt tried to defend Gray again, saying, "Commander, let us attack the old man instead of the child. He's young and-"
"How dare you disobey the orders of your commander? It seems you've forgotten to whom you've pledged your allegiance," Commander Cathie interrupted.
"Remember the chips, Michael..." the grunt reminded his partner, who had been defending Gray.
"R-right, sorry commander. I don't know what came over me," the apologetic grunt addressed Cathie.
"Make sure you-" Commander Cathie was cut off.
The ground beneath the forest began to tremble violently, causing everyone to turn their heads towards the source. A colossal Tyranitar emerged from the rear, towering over them. The members of O.R.R retreated to the spot where Gray and Vayge stood.
"Dynamax?" Gray asked, turning to Vayge.
Vayge shook his head. "No, this is worse. This is a TITAN!"
"Titans? Aren't they usually found in Paldea?" Cathie questioned.
"Yes, but it seems this one has been brought here to guard the crystal," Vayge speculated.
"The time crystals must be far more valuable than the master is letting on," one of the grunts unintentionally voiced their thoughts.
"Time crystals?" Gray echoed.
Tyranitar leaped into the air, causing everyone below to scramble to the side to avoid its landing, which created a powerful earthquake. The Tyranitar fired a hyper beam, which most people managed to dodge but not without a few injuries.
Everyone released their Pokémon, except for Vayge, who was still deciding on which one to use. Magma unleashed a blast burn followed by Glaceon's ice beam, forcing the Tyranitar to stagger. The grunts then attacked with their own Pokémon, causing the Tyranitar to flinch.
Quilava joined the battle, using flame charge to knock the Pokémon back. Fueled by anger, the Tyranitar released a powerful roar that sent everyone and their Pokémon flying. Cathie's Staraptor retaliated with a brave bird attack, while Diggasbea delivered a powerful punch to bring the Pokémon down to its knees.
Tyranitar quickly recovered and crashed through two Pokémon, before Weavile struck its jaw and Glalie appeared from above, surpassing Glaceon's ice fang with its own powerful attack.
Weavile and Glalie stood beside Vayge, who had a smug smile on his face as he stared at the ground. The Tyranitar, now on its knees, began to rage.
"You picked the wrong day," Vayge dramatically lifted his head to meet the Tyranitar's gaze, "to mess with a Champion!"
Before the Tyranitar could sprint forward, it noticed a fleet of helicopters approaching from above.
"O.R.R.," Gray muttered.
Gray caught the crystal that was thrown his way, surprising the O.R.R. grunts. He looked up at Vayge, who was still focusing on the Tyranitar, and nodded.
"I'm trusting you on this."
Gray swiftly returned all of his pokémon and dashed into the depths of the forest. Despite the Tyranitar's attempts to impede him, Glalie effortlessly pushed the powerful creature back with a simple move.
One of the helicopters altered its course and began to pursue Gray, causing him to increase his speed in an attempt to outrun the aircraft.
The Helicopter unleashed a powerful machine that emitted a blinding white laser, obliterating any obstacle in its path. It left nothing behind but destruction and debris.
With the laser closing in, Gray caught sight of the town. In a heroic leap from the forest, Electabuzz appeared and thunderpunched the helicopter, sending it crashing down to the ground.
The grunt inside the helicopter quickly evacuated, landing somewhere amidst the thick foliage. It took him an agonizingly long time to determine the location of the town, but when he finally did, he noticed the SS.Anne departing with Gray on board.
"There are no more airborne allies left. The target has escaped," one of the grunts reported.
Commander Cathie was filled with disbelief. "What?! No! You had one simple task! Do you know who has the package? Do you know where-"
Interrupting, another grunt responded, "The SS.Anne. We don't know the male's identity, but he is currently aboard the SS.Anne."
"If he's on the SS.Anne, that means he's headed back to the Kanto region. We have a few days to devise a plan," Commander Cathie revealed.
Curious, the grunt questioned, "What plan, Commander?"
"Plan; Cancelled Ferry Trip," Commander Cathie declared.
Note : And the ends the first volume, not gonna lie, after going through this I kinda like the dynamic between Gray and Vayge, I didn't think it would be that good. Kinda liking Gray way more than Blight for some reason.
Also just to add, this will be the formula for every end of volume, it will be this big of event type thing that plays into the larger story.
If you notice the chapter doesn't start with a pre chapter then you know it's serious.
Anyway, that's the first volume, it was a fun start, I kinda liked editing these drafts, it's fun. And honestly this chapter might just be my favourite one yet, out of all of them it feels the most focused.