"What kind of hero's welcome is this, huh?!" Blue screamed at the top of his lungs as both he and Kenzo ran for their lives. Towering over them were Pokémon the size of titans, their forms shifted in ways that looked far beyond what they were supposed to be.
Their forms cast in shadows as they hunted our heroes, ready to crush them under their massive steps.
"Don't ask me if I don't know anything! I don't know why they just appeared from the ground!" Kenzo replied, equally as panicked.
"It's YOUR region!" Blue retorted, picking up the pace and getting ahead of him, Oshawott trying to keep up with them both from behind.
"Like YOU said, I don't remember a thing!" Kenzo shouted back, overtaking Blue once more. The situation grew more and more dire as the monsters started to close in on them, their eyes emitting an unblinking white glare, heads tilted to the side to get a better look at their victims' tiny stature.
Blue looked around frantically, his eyes darting from wall to wall until he found the exit, his concentration broken when he felt something bump into him.
"H-Hey, what are you—" Blue muttered, before he looked behind him and saw what was happening.
Kenzo stood before a man, who at the time was nothing but flesh and bones. His long red robe shone under the blue light that emitted upon him, skin slowly forming on his ancient bones to reveal his face and bare body.
His tanned skin and yellow eyes were overshadowed by white flowing hair that cascaded down his back. He didn't look a day over his teens, the boy's hand stretching out to point at Kenzo.
"You,"
Kenzo pointed to himself, a bit shaken by the sight he had just witnessed.
"Me?" The boy smiled and nodded.
"I've heard many things about you, so don't disappoint me, ok?" Though his words held no malice, a weight was placed on the poor boy's shoulders, the stares of the monsters around them only getting more and more intense as time went on.
"Well? Send out your Pokémon," he commanded. Kenzo jumped at the sudden command and nodded.
"R-right… Oshawott." Oshawott nodded at its cue, stepping foot onto the battlefield with its shell drawn.
"So that's how Pokémon have evolved over the years…" the young boy muttered, his voice held some form of disappointment before he stretched his arm out and closed his eyes.
His hair started to rise, and the ground shook under extreme pressure. The monsters that surrounded them stepped back as they witnessed the events.
From its bones to its flesh, an Oshawott was created before their very eyes, its blade too forming within its grasp as it awaited its orders.
"Your move."
Kenzo nodded at the go-ahead, "Oshawott, use Aerial Ace!"
Oshawott nodded at the command and charged at his foe, his movements swift, almost as though he disappeared. By the time the boy realized where he was, it was too late—Oshawott had already landed a blow to the copy's gut, the Pokémon skidding across the battlefield.
"Oshawott, follow up with another!" Kenzo commanded, punching the air as though sending the intensity of the attack himself. His trusty companion once again moved at blinding speed.
"Caught you," the boy muttered, his words catching Kenzo off guard as he uttered his command.
"Oshawott, follow my command—use Night Slash!" he roared, his Pokémon landing on its feet and drawing its blade of darkness with precise precision, blocking the attack from Kenzo's Oshawott, its blade cutting into his arm.
"Oshawott, get back!!" Kenzo demanded, his heart racing a million miles a minute. Oshawott stepped back, his hand having a gash wound across it.
"You okay?" Kenzo pondered. Oshawott nodded in response with a smile. Though he was shaken, he was not out yet.
Kenzo smiled before turning himself to the enemy once more.
'That reaction was way faster than I expected,' he thought, his hand clenching into a fist.
'I should've known this wasn't any ordinary Pokémon. What kind of Oshawott has those reflexes—'
Kenzo shook his head violently as if to break his thoughts.
"No, I'm just making excuses." The boy looked up at Kenzo with confusion and intrigue at his sudden statement, a smile on his face.
"I made my buddy here a promise," Kenzo uttered, his hands pointed straight at the copy, "and I intend to live up to it!"
"Well? Show me what you've got, then!" The boy grinned, excitement clawing up his spine as he awaited their next action.
"Oshawott! Use Aerial Ace!" Without hesitation, Oshawott blitzed across the field once more, the boy looking rather disappointed.
"This move again? Oshawott, use Night Slash!" the boy commanded, the copy drawing its blade of darkness once more, getting ready to strike down its opponent.
"Oshawott, use Aqua Jet!" Kenzo shouted, his fists clenching, hoping this would work, and just like that, Oshawott shifted attacks, water gushing around him, his head slamming straight into the stomach of his copy.
The sudden blow caused ripples of water to dig up the earth below them, the copy taken into the sky by Oshawott's devastating attack.
"Oshawott, use Night Slash!" Oshawott stopped mid-flight, the two elevated in the air. He unsheathed his shell, a blade of darkness emerging. He started to spin, the blade cutting into his foe the faster he went, finally finishing it off with a downward slash that sent him crashing down to the battlefield with a massive thud.
Smoke took over the stage as Oshawott landed on its feet, waiting for the copy to emerge from its shallow grave.
"How'd you like that?!" Kenzo grinned, his hand on his hips in a triumphant pose, his moment broken by a soft chuckle that echoed throughout the battlefield.
"Not bad, not bad," the boy laughed.
"I didn't expect to actually find a worthy opponent here! But you proved me wrong!" The young lad laughed, his hands outstretched as if embracing the heat of the battle he had just witnessed.
"Perfect, just perfect!" He looked to the area his Pokémon fell, his voice calming down slightly, a grin still plastered on his face. "Well then, 'Oshawott,' it's time to get serious."
"Arise!"