Chapter 12: Chapter no.12 Challenge of the Samurai!
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Austin was relishing the newfound speed afforded by the bike as he pedaled closer to Pewter City. Although his legs were tiring, he preferred the swift pace to another night potentially dodging Team Rocket in Viridian Forest. The wind brushed against his face, and the rhythmic sound of the bike's tires on the path provided a soothing backdrop to his thoughts of progress and distance.
Suddenly, his peaceful ride was interrupted when a figure abruptly jumped onto his path. Austin slammed on the brakes, the bike skidding to a halt. Pikachu, disoriented from the sudden stop, clutched his spinning head.
"Are you crazy?" Austin yelled at the figure before him—a boy dressed in striking samurai armor, complete with prominent yellow horns on his helmet that curved outward like a beetle. The armor was predominantly black with red accents, giving it an imposing look.
"Halt!" the boy commanded, unsheathing a katana with a Pokéball for a cross guard. The blade glinted menacingly in the sunlight—a real sword that reminded Austin of weapons from the Pokémon Adventures manga.
I am probably overthinking this. I distinctly remember weapons being in season 1 of the anime; this is probably something like that, Austin reassured himself.
His musings were cut short when the samurai boy demanded, "Are you from Pallet Town?"
Austin, not appreciating the sharp end of a blade pointed at him, cautiously pushed the sword aside and replied, "No."
The samurai scrutinized three poorly drawn pictures he took out, one of which comically featured Ash with a dunce cap. He studied them as if solving a great mystery. "Wait," the samurai suddenly exclaimed, comparing Pikachu to the photo and back. "You have a Pikachu."
"No, it's a Pidgey. Right," Austin played along, turning as Pikachu stretched his lips with his paws to mimic a beak and chirped, "P P P."
"See," Austin continued, barely containing his amusement.
"That's a Pikachu," the samurai insisted, narrowing his eyes.
"No, man, this is a new type of Pidgey from the Orre region," Austin replied, the corners of his mouth twitching as he struggled to maintain his composure.
"Really?" The samurai, curious, poked Pikachu's red cheeks and was promptly zapped.
Austin couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing as the samurai fell on his butt with a loud "Ouch!"
"Stop laughing and battle me."
"Don't feel like it," Austin replied nonchalantly, leaning against the handlebars of Misty's bike.
"Come on, please, I have to get paid," the Samurai pleaded, which made Austin raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I thought you wanted to fight me for revenge."
"H-How did you know that?"
"Lucky guess, I guess. Hey, that rhymes," Austin joked.
"No, you're just repeating the same words," the Samurai responded with a deadpan expression, not quite catching the humor as Austin shrugged it off.
"Okay, so what's this about getting paid?"
"Well, a few days ago, I was harvesting silk," the Samurai began. Austin immediately recalled Caterpie's encyclopedia entry as the boy continued, "Then some trainer in a red car came in and battled me which caused my Caterpie to evolve, and my business was ruined."
"Sounds rough, buddy."
"Gary Oak, however, was generous enough to offer me a deal. I battle all the trainers coming from Pallet Town, and he pays me."
"Why not just catch another Caterpie and continue your silk business?"
"The money was going to be used to buy a Pokéball."
"5000 Pokédollars?" Austin was flabbergasted at the sum, wondering how Gary could throw around that kind of cash so casually.
"10,000 if I beat all of Pallet Town's trainers," the Samurai added, his tone serious yet hopeful.
"Okay, so what will be the rules?" he asked. Up to now, his Pokémon battles—if you could call them that—had been anything but conventional.
"Official tournament rules are fine by me. Two on two Pokémon."
Austin nodded, excitement surging through him as this was going to be his first official Pokémon fight.
"Pinsir to the battlefield!" Samurai announced, releasing a bipedal, coleopteran insectoid Pokémon.
The Pinsir, with its wide, dull-brown body segmented by thin lines and topped with large, gray, spiky pincers, looked menacing. Its mouth, full of long, flat teeth, and its triangular eyes added to its intimidating appearance.
Austin gripped the handlebars tightly, his nerves fraying at the sight of the Pinsir up close.
Pikachu leapt from the basket onto the battlefield.
You can do this.
Samurai picked up a rock, and Austin nodded, understanding that the match would start as soon as the rock hit the ground.
He strategized quickly in his mind. Okay, let's do run-and-hit tactics.
The sound of the rock thudding against the ground was the signal.
"Vice Grip!"
"Dodge with Quick Attack!"
Pinsir lunged forward, attempting to snatch Pikachu with its massive pincers, but Pikachu was already darting to the right.
"Thundershock!"
Pikachu's cheeks glowed yellow, and he unleashed multiple lightning bolts towards Pinsir.
"Lightning rod tactic!" Samurai countered.
"What?!" Austin exclaimed in confusion. Suddenly, Pinsir plunged its hands into the dirt, effectively grounding itself and neutralizing the electrical attack.
Austin's heart raced as he realized that Samurai was far more formidable than he had been depicted in the anime.
With Pinsir momentarily stuck, he saw an opportunity.
"Quick Attack into tackle!"
Pikachu slammed into the bug type with force, jarring Pinsir enough to free its arms. However, Pinsir quickly recovered and went for a bind attack, its arms glowing as it ensnared Pikachu in a tight hug.
"Pika?!"
Pikachu's cry of pain cut sharply through the air, his distress piercing Austin's composure. A wave of fear washed over Austin; his body froze, muscles tensed as a chilling helplessness gripped him. His mind went blank in the face of Pikachu's cry.
Austin immediately recalled Pikachu into his Pokéball, ensuring his safety.
"Hey, you earned a penalty," Samurai yelled across the field, his voice sharp with reprimand. Austin bristled, almost yelling back in the heat of the moment, but he caught himself and instead focused on checking Pikachu's condition.
"Pika!" Pikachu's frown greeted him as Austin looked down, a wave of regret washing over him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't... want you to get hurt," he stammered, his voice low. Pikachu puffed out his chest and thumped it with a small paw. Austin smiled faintly, chastising himself internally.
Pokémon aren't your normal pets, dumbass. They are far stronger than they look.
"You okay?" Samurai asked, his tone softening as he observed Austin's distress.
Austin nodded, his face still tense. "Sorry, I just panicked... I..."
"No need to explain, many people do the same, but you have to learn that Pokémon aren't weak. While your decision was noble, it ultimately earned you a penalty. Learn to overcome the fear that takes over your mind on the battlefield," Samurai advised, his eyes steady on Austin.
"Thanks, what does the penalty mean?"
"Well, if you recall a Pokémon while it's being attacked, that Pokémon is penalized to not be able to continue the battle," Samurai explained. Austin sighed deeply, absorbing the consequences of his actions.
He reached for Rattata's Pokéball, knowing he couldn't use Spearow because the flying type was still recovering from earlier injuries, and he wanted to build a stronger bond of trust with Vee before sending him into battle.
"I leave everything to you, my lady," Austin chuckled softly as he released Rattata onto the battlefield.
"Vice Grip!"
"Towards the tree!" Austin countered quickly. Rattata, understanding the urgency, dashed toward the base of the tree just as Pinsir's looming shadow reached her. "Through Pinsir's legs!" Austin yelled, and Rattata ran, pushing off the tree trunk with her hind legs. Pinsir, unable to halt its momentum, drove its pincers into the tree, getting them stuck.
"Tail whip!" Austin directed, seizing the moment. A white aura enveloped Rattata's tail as she swung it with force, striking the trapped Pinsir.
Once free, the bug type turned only to be met with another tail whip, its defense lowering with each hit.
"Bind!" Samurai called out. Pinsir's arms glowed ominously as it prepared to wrap Rattata in a tight hold.
"Again through the legs!" Austin instructed sharply. Rattata darted underneath Pinsir, avoiding the bind and slapping it with another tail whip as she passed.
"Seismic Toss!"
Pinsir grabbed Rattata by its horns, leaped into the air, and flung the Normal type down hard onto the ground behind it.
Seeing Rattata weakly trying to rise, Austin was about to call off the match, but a tap from Pikachu stopped him.
He didn't need to coddle his Pokémon.
He needed to trust them.
"Tail whip!" he shouted again. Rattata's attack struck Pinsir just as it landed from its toss.
"Vice Grip!"
"Tackle!" Austin responded immediately. The two attacks collided in a fierce clash, but the weakening effects of the multiple tail whips took their toll. Pinsir's pincers broke under the impact of Rattata's solid tackle, sending the bug type crumbling to the ground, knocked out.
"You okay, baby girl?" Austin said, as Rattata nodded, panting heavily from the effort.
Samurai recalled his defeated Pinsir.
"Hey, is Pinsir going to be okay?"
"Of course, give it a few days and those pincers will regrow. Plus, I could sell the broken pincers and get the big guy some good Pokémon food," Samurai responded with a reassuring smile.
Austin chuckled dryly, still adjusting to the attitude of this world.
"You will not win against my second Pokémon," Samurai declared, sending out his next fighter.
"Bring it," Austin replied confidently, already anticipating his opponent's choice. A green cocoon Pokémon, Metapod, emerged.
"Do you fear him?" Samurai asked, laughter in his voice.
Austin shook his head dismissively and gestured for Rattata to continue.
"Tackle," he ordered before Samurai could react.
Rattata, however, used Quick Attack, slamming into Metapod, who cried out as the impact sent him reeling.
The second Pokémon was beaten almost as swiftly as it had appeared.
"You are very strong."
"Thanks, but I'm curious, how did you plan for that Lightning Rod strategy?"
"Oh, that," Samurai began, "I devised that strategy because Gary said he would pay me 20k if I managed to beat a Pallet Town trainer with a Pikachu."
Austin sweatdropped at the mention of Gary's name, unable to suppress a smirk at Gary's transparent attempt at one-upmanship.
Really? The guy's willing to blow 20k just to get a cheap win? He must be more desperate for bragging rights than I thought.
"I'm Austin. Nice to meet you." He greeted, extending his hand to the kid, who blinked, apparently having forgotten as well.
"Right." The kid smiled, reaching over to shake his hand. "I'm Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga. And likewise."
Austin stared. "You can't be serious. You can't."
"Oh, but I am."
"Your parents hated you, didn't they?"
"Shut up."
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[ Author's Note:
Austin's fight with the samurai showcased that the opponents from the anime will be enhanced.
Unlike anime Brock, who was once taken down by sprinklers, expect very powerful trainers in this fanfic, especially the high tiers like the Gym Leaders, Pokémon League Champions, Elite Four, Team Rocket executives, Giovanni, Champions, and the Pokémon Master tier trainers. I am wondering if you can guess who will be revealed to be in the Pokemon Master ranks.
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This chapter also introduced some specific rules of Pokémon battling, which will only apply in tournament settings.
Why did I add these rules?
Obviously, to address plot holes such as why trainers in the anime don't just recall their Pokémon when a devastating attack is being used.
This reminds me of how fans of Star Wars ask why Jedi or Sith don't simply turn off and on their lightsabers during battle. The answer is that it's against tournament rules and could incur a penalty.
I am still developing these rules and will present all of them before Brock's fight, so if you have an idea for a rule I should include, please comment below.
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Lastly, what do you think about Austin's flaws, such as him coddling his Pokémon and his ignorance? These traits are obviously going to be central to his character as he learns to be more headstrong in a positive sense—like not hesitating or freezing up during battles.
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Thank you for your continued support and engagement with my work. I hope you have a blessed rest of the day, and I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments!