DPA: Rivals

Chapter 43: A Tribute In Red

"Go!" the trainer yelled, kicking the Bulbasaur in the side. "I don't want you!"

Bulbasaur yelped, its side stinging, as the trainer looked over it. Bulbasaur struggled with a mixture of emotions, from confusion, to fear, to betrayal. Its trainer was hurting it, and it didn't understand why.

The trainer clicked open a Pokéball, sending out a Magmar. "Flamethrower," he said.

Magmar fired off a Flamethrower, sending Bulbasaur crashing into the wall. Scared, it scurried off into an alleyway, away from the boy it had considered its trainer for months.

"Good riddance," said the trainer. "That thing was getting on my-"

A hand wrapped around its throat, pinning him against the wall. Magmar charged a Flamethrower, ready to protect its trainer, when Alakazam materialized from nowhere, knocking it out with a single Thunder Punch to the head.

"Who are you?" the trainer struggled to escape the assailant's strong grip. He couldn't see the stranger's face, only a shadowy blur.

"It doesn't matter," the attacker said. "I don't have to answer to you. I watched you beat a vulnerable, defenseless Pokémon. In doing so, you lost every right as a Pokémon trainer."

"What are you going to do?!" the trainer panicked, shaking.

"Simple," replied M Hex. "You're going to give all of your Pokémon, your Pokéballs, your Trainer ID, and your Pokédex to me. You're going to stop competing in the Gym Challenge. If I find out that you disobey any of these instructions, you will go to Kanto Correctional. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, okay!" replied the trainer, shaking from head to toe.

"Good," M Hex smiled, dropping the trainer to the ground. He handed M Hex his Pokémon, Trainer ID, empty Pokéballs and Pokédex before bolting down the street.

"Alakazam, find that Bulbasaur," M Hex said. Alakazam nodded.

"This is the coolest thing ever!" Daryon gasped.

It was morning. Despite prophecies of imminent doom, everyone was able to get some sleep. Daryon, Ero and Skye had gotten up early to check out the many displays that decorated the walls of the PTFC lobby.

Two sections in particular stood out. The first was the Pokémon Champion Hall of Fame, honoring the very best of the best. Red, Blue, Koga, Steven, Cynthia, Alder, Oak, Magnus, Hailey, Ethan, Alain, Mustard; all former Pokémon Champions, all legends in their own right, all of them people that Daryon looked up to if for no other reason than pure skill.

The second section was entirely dedicated to the most powerful trainer in all of Kanto, easily the most skilled Champion, and arguably the strongest Pokémon trainer of all time: Red. Dubbed "The Silent Sweeper" due to his reputation for defeating entire teams without saying a single word, Red had created a legacy that no other trainer could possibly rival.

The PTFC had managed to fill an entire wall with memorabilia that had been linked one way or another to Red. From the first hat that he wore when he began his first adventure, to his original Pokédex (one of the first ever created), to the tooth his Snorlax lost when Red won his hardest battle ever, against Johto Champion Ethan atop Mt. Silver. There were many other objects that the intense fan base had managed to collect over the years, but the one piece of history that had caught Daryon's eye lay on a pillow, encased in shatter proof glass, a security Machoke standing on either side of it.

The object in question was a shattered Pokéball, the one he had used to try to capture the legendary Pokémon Mew. Mew had managed to escape, marking the one and only time that Red had ever failed in anything that he attempted. Furthermore, the whole fiasco had somehow been caught on camera and leaked to the press, leading to Red becoming more isolated.

While others viewed that event as a failure, Daryon had always viewed it as an important moment. Even someone as amazing as Red could make mistakes, could fail, which gave Daryon hope that he could be like Red someday.

"Daryon," Cameron said. Daryon turned around. He and Max had woken up and gotten dressed. "Are we ready to finally challenge the Saffron Gym?"

"Yeah, I think we are," Daryon replied. "Let's do this!"