Episode 104:
False Idols

Last time…

Icy’s new rival, Trinity, challenged the great Bug Trainer to a match while he and Sara are visiting the Spectral Islands. Icy accepted her challenge, but the up and coming star of the rainbow colored isles only expanded upon her undefeated streak. Will Icy ever win against her?

And now… the story continues…

{{ Spiffy music hinting at a more trying mood plays in the opener with scenes from episodes and of our main characters. }}

“Twice… Twice you have failed to even capture let alone eliminate that pest.”

“I shall not fail next time.”

“I’m tired of excuses. You know as well I that I can’t afford to risk facing him myself. Not yet. It would ruin everything.”

“I shall get him.”

“Don’t return until you do…”

“Rise and shine everybody,” Nurse Joy said cheerfully. “Oh, good morning Trinity. I was able to get those pokéballs you requested a week ago finally. Wait just a minute while I get them.”

“Thank you Nurse Joy,” Trinity said bowing courteously. For such a tough trainer, she still had a very proper and delicate personality. In her arms was the strange water bubble shaped pokémon, Suihou. “Hey, stop wiggling like that ok.”

Icy and Sara sleepily made their way towards the front desk. “Ooohhh…, morning already…?” Icy’s eyes slowly focused on the girl fidgeting with a strange pokémon at the front counter. “Huh?!?”

“C’mon, quit it, uh? Oh… it’s you. Icy right?” Trinity didn’t smile, rather she had a more perplexed look as she observed Icy’s nocturnal-like movements. “Hey, you’ll never defeat me if you can’t even wake up before 9am.”

Icy snapped out of it. “What!?! I can too. You got lucky, but… uh?” Icy may have woken up, but Sara was still rather sleepy and now leaning on Icy’s shoulder. “Ah… aghhh!” he yelped as Sara shifted more onto him, pushing him down.

“Oh please… Go back to your room if you’re gonna act like that. Don’t you have any public decency?”

Now Sara woke up. “Excuse me??? I’m sorry, but do you have something against me or Icy? Well? Speak up.”

“You heard me.” Nurse Joy had returned and Trinity turned her attention back to the desk. “Thank you Nurse Joy. That’s all for today.” Trinity turned around and began to walk out.

“Grrrrrr, that girl, who does she think she is. Oh, Icy, are you alright, you fell.”

“No kidding,” Icy said with little pikachus dancing around his head.

Nicky was busy in the training hall of the pokecenter when Kelly poked her head in. “Hey, can I watch?”

Nicky blushed and gave a forceful nod. “Uh, yes, yes you may, of course.” His pokémon gazed at him, puzzled.

“I hope it’s not too much trouble, hehe.” Following her were Mars and Venus, her two lovable eevees.

Nicky snapped out of it. “Oh, no, no trouble at all Kelly. Please. Maybe your eevees will get some tips out of it.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Ok, here we go!” Nicky and his pokémon continued their target exercises and general sparing techniques. Kelly looked on from the sidelines, observing how Nicky’s pokémon learned to battle.

Meanwhile,

“La de la la laaa. My, such a beautiful day it is. La la laaaaa, huh?” The kind old woman stopped for a second, realizing her purse containing her precious Snubble had just been swiped. “Oh… Oh… Please, somebody save my baby!!!”

The people around her stopped and stared at the woman’s strange talking.

“I’ve been robbed. That man stole my precious Snubble!” The woman cried out for help but the thief was long gone.

“Hahahaha, like taking candy from a baby,” the clever crook snickered. “Hey, what the?”

“That’s as far as you go sir.”

“Wow, I’ve moved up. ‘Sir’ eh? Look pal, I ain’t looking to give you any trouble but if you know what’s good for ya, you better let me be on my way.”

“You may go about your business once you return that purse to the woman it belongs to.”

“What are you, some kinda vigilante? Look bub, I don’t know what yer talking about, but you better just quit now before you start to piss me off.”

“I was hoping you’d simply do this the easy way…” The man lifted his face revealing a monocle which glimmered as the sunlight reflected off of it. His clasped his hands together and began to murmur strange words.

“Hey, listen bud. Just leave me alone you hear. Sheesh.” The crook went to walk around the man be suddenly felt a cold touch.

“ICE magic. Freeze dry!” Suddenly, the thief’s feet were frozen to the concrete. “I’d like it if you could stay here a while longer.”

“What are you? What the hell is this?”

The man placed his head very close to the thief’s ear and whispered, “I know exactly who you are. I am Janus, and I shall knock you all down.” The thief stood frozen, but not totally from the ice at his feet. Hearing the name of the man sent a chill so cold, no magic in the world could reproduce its sensation. Janus took the purse and walked back to the place were the old woman was still calling out for help.

“Oh, my purse. You got it back for me. You are a wonderful person. Umm, I never got your name good gentleman.”

“I am Janus. That man was an agent of Team Rocket. I have sworn to rid this city and every other city of these scum. Please, take care and stay safe.”

“Thank you Mr. Janus.”

Janus walked off into the crowds of people, seeming to vanish. Elsewhere, people were gathering around the half frozen person who was now tying up traffic and forcing Officer Jenny to intervene.

“What seems to be the commotion here?” she asked in her assertive tone. “You there, the street is no place to, oh my.” She realized the man was frozen there, but he had a note attached to the ice. “Another loss for Team Rocket – Janus.” Jenny frowned at the man. “You’re under arrest buddy… as soon as we thaw you out I guess.” ‘How could someone do this to a person?’ she thought. A few more officer Jenny’s arrived on the scene with blowtorches and Growliths. The thief’s eyes widened as they prepared to ‘thaw’ him out.

“Don’t worry about her Icy, she’s a meanie anyways,” Sara pouted. She was still rather sore from Trinity’s words to her as well, but apparently they didn’t get to her as deep. Icy meanwhile, wasn’t phased, just upset.

“That girl… She didn’t even win by much. She’s got no right dising me that harshly. One false move, and she’d have lost that match.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Nurse Joy walked up to Icy and Sara. “You are talking about Trinity right, the White Star.”

“‘The White Star’?” Icy and Sara both asked.

“Yes. You may think you could have beaten her, but the fact remains, Trinity’s trained for the past two years just to compete. She’s faced many tough opponents who came close too, but she always wins in the end. Anger isn’t going to help you defeat her, that’s why she’s so calm in battle.”

“She wasn’t calm when her Chonchii got nailed,” Icy laughed.

“Well, I have observed she has a special bond with that pokémon. Sneasal as well. But exploiting that isn’t going to help you either. She’s simply a strong trainer, and she wants to be treated as such.”

“I really don’t see that as an excuse for telling us off that way…”

“Well… I can’t help you there, but you two already seem perfect for each other.”

Icy and Sara both gasped. “HEY, just want are you implying???” Sara said eyeing Nurse Joy suspiciously.

“OH, ahhahah, hmm, oh dear, I must get back to my paperwork. Sorry kids.” Nurse Joy quickly turned and retreated to her desk.

“Hey hey, Sara, calm down.”

“Icy… You aren’t REALLY interested more in Trinity than me are you???” Sara asked with adorable little puppy-dog eyes.

“Huh??? No way. There isn’t a girl in the world better or more beautiful than you Sara,” Icy said with a big manly smile.

“Oh Icy,” Sara said with little stars in her eyes.

“Aghhh!!! Coming through!!!” shouted Kelly as she chased after Mars. Icy and Sara were both knocked apart as Mars, being chased by Venus, who were both being chased by Kelly, followed by Nicky, came through.

“Ehhehe, sorry guys. Hey, Kelly, wait up! It’s dangerous to run.” Nicky said sorry again and ran after Kelly.

Icy and Sara both eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t wanna know how this happened, and Mr. Author BETTER NOT explain it if he knows what’s good for him.”

Trinity was walking back to the stadium. “Just what I wanted to start my day out with…,” she muttered. “Ah well… guess it can’t be helped, those poor kids probably only train pokémon, they don’t have any money at all. Figures they stay at any PokéCenter they can find. Jeez, what do I care anyways…” Trinity reached into her pocket and pulled out a pokedex-like device. “Today’s matches please.” The device opened and began computing things. Finally, it showed her a schedule of battles. “Good, only one match today…” Suihou peeked up to see what she was toying with. “Oh no buddy. As far as I know, you are made of water. Water and electronics don’t mix got it. But, this electronic,” Trinity pulled out a blue pokéball, “does mix well with you.” She pointed the ball at Suihou and he was sucked inside. “Good Suihou, you stay in there where you can't cause any mischief.”

Meanwhile, back at the PokéCenter, Icy and Sara were enjoying brunch with Nicky and Kelly. The TV afternoon news had just started.

“And our top story again, another Team Rocket agent was apprehended yesterday after tangling with the vigilante named Janus.” The TV showed scenes of the half-frozen agent with Growliths attempting to melt him out. “Janus was the sole person responsible for the capture and conviction of the notorious TR CEO, Giovanni. Since his capture, Janus has been ‘aiding’ police in their mission to close the books on Team Rocket for good. We go now to some bystanders. M’am, what do you have to say about this?”

“Well sonny, that Janus fella is all right. He’s a man for the people. And he saved my dear Snubbles when none of these young whippersnappers would ever budge.” The old woman snapped her handbag and a group of teenage kids who looked like they’d been there quite a while. “Mr Janus, you are my hero. Please put an end to those nasty TR no-good people.”

“Well there you have it. Janus is certainly a hero here. It’s a bad time for evil, and Janus will be sure to let TR know it. And now in a totally unrelated story…”

“Icy, wasn’t Janus the guy who changed us back to humans for good?”

Icy nodded chugging down the last few drops of orange juice. “Yeah. Seems like he’s doing quite a bit. Good to see someone take out Team Rocket like that.”

“I dunno… I feel funny about him Icy. I… I don’t think we should meet him ever again ok… there’s something odd about him, I can feel it.”

“You… uh… you’re starting to freak me out Sara.”

“ICY!!!” Sara yelled and smashed Icy with a hammer she produced out of thin air. @_@ <-- Icy.

Nicky and Kelly both stared blankly for a few seconds then went back to the pancakes.

The crowded stadium roared loudly as the announcer introduced Trinity. Thousands of spectators were gathered for the final day of practice rounds. Trinity of course had won all three battles needed to enter, but still trainers wanted to battle her just for skill and experience. Trinity meanwhile, quietly accepted their challenges.

“Here she is ladies and gentlemen! The White Star! This talented young lady has trained very hard and proven herself well over the past few days. Can any trainer defeat her? If the Spectral Gym Leaders are present, they better take notes, because Trinity’s un-stoppable!!! Let’s hear it again for The White Star, Trinity!!!” The crowd cheered again as Trinity took a respectful bow.

“Jeez… I’m gonna be deaf at age 17 for sure at this rate.”

“Her challenger this morning is Ricky. Ricky has also won his three battles but agreed on a battle with Trinity. We will begin the match in only a few minutes. Please visit the concession stands in the meantime.”

“Thanks Nurse Joy. We’ll be heading out now. Oh, sorry again about the mess,” Icy said, giving a sharp eye at Nicky and Kelly. Kelly’s eevees sulked a little, being the guilty party.

“Take care kids. Oh, you might want to visit the stadium again today. Trinity is having a battle plus today’s the last day of practice rounds. Well, have a great day.” Chansey and Nurse Joy waved Icy and Co. on as they made their way towards the stadium.

“And now, let the battle begin!!!” Trinity and Ricky took their positions and the referee signaled to begin the match.

“The match will be a shorted 3 on 3 battle. There will be no field change as such. Select your first pokémon and begin!”

“Ok, here we go. I call Misdreavus!” The vaporous ghost pokémon floated above the field. It was a normal grass turf, not much in the way of help.

“Hmphf. I won’t lose to some ghost. Show them we aren’t afraid! Sneasel, I choose you!” The ice cat took a fighting pose, her sharp claws ready. “Forsight.” Sneasel quickly identified Misdreavus but stood still. Trinity meanwhile grinned. It was the same grin she had almost every battle.

“Hahaha, wasting your time on such a worthless attack, Misdreavus, psybeam!”

“Oh?” Trinty gasped. Sneasel was quick to sense the attack and before the beam exploded against the turf, Sneasel was already airborne. “Do it, Metal Claw!” Sneasel’s claws glowed and glimmered as she swooped down on Misdreavus. She made a clean swipe before landing perfectly on the ground. Her opponent was now having difficulty keeping itself together.

“No way… That’s powerful. Misdreavus, return. Xatu, go!” The psychic bird flew out of the pokéball and soared above Sneasel.

“Sneasel, blizzard attack!” Sneasel was again so quick to execute the command that Xatu didn’t even have a chance to react. The bird tried to stay in the air but the blistering cold storm was too much and Ricky was forced to recall him.

“Is that it?” Trinity taunted.

“Grrrrrr, Girafarig go!” Girafarig appeared on the ground. “Go now, stomp!” It dug its heels into the earth but again Sneasel was too quick and had already jumped. “Yes, quickly use your psybeam!” Sneasel wasn’t able to dodge attacks easily while airborne and Trinity knew she had to think fast.

“Sneasel…” Trinity took out a small chip and attached it to her pokedex.

“Whoa, could it be. Trinity’s going to use an in-game powerup. This is a new addition to pokémon battles folks, lets see what she does!”

“TM17 activate! Protect!” Sneasel immediately used Protect and was shielded from the psybeam.

“What, no fair!”

“Say that again?” Trinity steamed. “Sneasel, let’s end this. Fury Swipes.” Sneasel landed and made a quick forward lunge at Girafarig with her claws ready. When it was all over, Girafarig lay there with spirls in his eyes. Sneasel took a meditative stance as the crowd applauded immensely.

“There you have it folks, a flawless victory for Trinity and Sneasel. Sneasel as you all know is Trinity’s top pokémon and put on a performance we’ve come to expect. And what a smart move by Trinity at that last second. Using a quick technical machine plugin to give Sneasel the move she needed to block that psybeam. Trinity’s already taking advantage of the new rules. This could be a display for gym battles yet to come. Let’s here it one more time for Trinity and Sneasel. We all wish them and her other pokémon the best of luck. Oh… and, nice try Ricky,” the announcer finished. Under his breath, “Geez, what a pathetic trainer. I mean sure Trinity’s unstoppable, but to not even get a hit on her… well, c’mon.”

“Yea. She’s gonna go far. Make sure you keep up the hype. She brings us good money for the matches fought here.”

“Yea yea,” the announcer nodded. “Don’t forget folks, the snack bars are still open!” He snickered away from the mic.

“Wow. So, you can use TMs as in-game attacks. That’s not a bad move. I’ll remember that,” Icy said.

“Hehe, Icy, you’re so studious,” Sara giggled. Icy could only blush. “It’ll take more than notes to bring her down, but right now, I don’t have to worry about her. Gym matches are starting next week. I should train with my pokémon so we can beat them all. After that, I’ll get my rematch with Trinity.”

“Yeah!”

As the four kids exited the stadium, the jumbo TV outside was broadcasting scenes from the match. All the sudden, a newscaster came on. “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this story. It appears that once again, the vigilante Janus has delivered another fatal blow to Team Rocket. We take you live now to The First PokéBank in Saffron City.”

“Hey, our hometown.” Sara smiled too.

“Thank you. Police apprehended today’s bank robbers after their getaway car was somehow melted into nearly nothing. Eyewitnesses claim Janus single-handedly caused this but there’s speculation. Officer Jenny now joins us. Officer, how do you feel about this vigilante doing your job?”

“Well, it’s nice that he wants to help out, but I’m worried about the safety of the public. Janus might be a hero, but his methods are very dangerous and could lead to people getting hurt.”

“So, I take it you don’t like him too much.”

“Oh… well, no, I just…”

“Well folks, there you have it. Janus, champion of the people, or a dangerous vigilante. Back to you.” The TV reporter gave a smug smile and Officer Jenny muttered some various four-lettered words under her breathe.

“Sounds like Janus is still at it. Huh?” Icy looked around. Everyone was buzzing about the news. Trinity then walked by.

“Jeez, what a show-off. And a freak.” She muttered.

“Huh?”

“You again? Man, what’s this world coming to?”

“Excuse me? What’s with the insults?”

“You and that Janus fellow. You both think you’re hot stuff. I showed you and I bet I could beat him as well.”

“Sure, ok. Hey, what the?”

The TV started to flicker suddenly. Icy felt a chill in the air. Sara stared at him, wondering what was wrong. “Icy? Icy are you ok? Icy?”

“Something… Something’s not right. I sense it.”

“What’s wrong with him? Agh, I don’t need this, good bye.” Trinity ran off while Sara and Nicky helped Icy.

“Hey man, what’s the idea going crazy like that all the sudden. Don’t tell me you love TV THAT much. It’s only the news,” Nicky joked.

“It’s… not that. I’ve felt this energy before…”

Meanwhile,

A dark figure flew across the virtual world atop a dark blue and red colored creature. Behind it… only a faint outline of a small person was visible… It seemed to be laughing quietly… and in its hand… the outline of a strange pokéball… “Soon… Icy… You have what I want…, and soon I’ll be able to take it.”