The Trials and Tribulations of Pokémon: Beginnings - TranscriberRB - Pocket Monsters (2025)

Chapter 1

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*BANG*

I recoiled in surprise as my father’s old guitar fell right next to me. Distracted by the sudden commotion, I failed to notice that my character in the game I was playing on my Nintendo 3DS, Spark the Togedemaru 2, had fallen into a bottomless pit. I cried out, “No! That was my last life! Now I’ve got to start the level all over again...” I grumbled as I got up to put the fallen instrument into a sturdy position against a stack of boxes. I began to wonder why I had volunteered to sit in the trunk of our family’s moving van in the 1st place. Sure, I did at first think that keeping to myself in a dark area with my videogames would’ve been a good idea, but I hadn’t considered the dangers of being among heavy objects while in a moving vehicle. Thankfully, I had avoided any major consequences, but my progress in Spark the Togedemaru was taking a major hit.

Sighing deeply, I tried to calm myself with the hopes of where my mother and father were taking me. Back at our old home off the coast of Hoenn, me and my family enjoyed a peaceful life, waking up to the salty smell of the sea and experiencing a life with little stress. Although that lifestyle was very relaxing, I honestly found myself bored, oftentimes dissatisfied with how little was going on around me. The most exciting thing that I saw over there was the occasional appearance of Magikarp swimming through the nearby ocean. I felt as though I needed a little more flavor in my life. That’s why I was happy to hear about the job offer that my father received one morning. He was invited to serve as a power plant worker in Mauville City, which was found further inland. Knowing that driving all the way from the coast to the middle of Hoenn would be a hassle, my parents made the decision to move to Littleroot Town, which was a moderate distance from Mauville City. While I was looking forward to living in an actual town, I was nervous about meeting my new neighbors. I tended to be shy around strangers, despite my usual friendly attitude. I didn’t want people to think that I was some sort of antisocial guy. Hopefully, I will be able to push aside my timidity and open myself up more. With that thought in mind, I continued to play Spark the Togedemaru as I waited to reach my destination.

“Hey Rohon,” called my mother, “Are you all right back there? We’re finally here, babe!”

Hearing this wonderful news, I pushed a stray board game box off of my head, paused my game, and stood up. At that moment, the back of the moving van opened, causing sudden sunlight to shine straight into my face.

As I shielded my eyes, a crew of Machokes came swarming into the truck, retrieving the contents and carrying them into the nearby house with their strong arms.

While my eyes were recovering, my mother came running into the scene, giving me a tight hug. “Oh, my little Teddiursa,” she cooed, “You’re so brave for riding in the trunk! Did you get hurt at all?”

My father arrived from the driver’s seat, interjecting, “Come on, Nakesia. Crazy is what he is. Who even does something like that?”

My mother gave him a look, answering, “Geez, Ronald! Can’t you ever let the boy do what he wants? If he says that he wants to ride in the back, then he rides in the back.” She looked back at me with a smile, stating, “These helpful Machoke have got our belongings covered, so why don’t you go check out your room? It’s upstairs to the right.”

I followed her directions, moving past the hardworking Machokes hauling refrigerators, bookshelves and the like.

I opened the dark, oak door to our new, brick house and walked inside, amazed to find that the Machoke had already moved most of our belongings to their respective places. “Wow,” I thought as I went up the stairs, “Pokémon are so cool! I didn’t know that they were so good at moving things.”

I continued to my room, where a Machoke was busy placing my mattress in an oak wood frame. It uttered a loud “Cho” as it flexed its’ blue muscles, happy with the work it had done. It walked over to me and gave me a cheerful pat on the shoulder before stomping out of the room to its’ next task.

I took my time scoping out my bedroom, finding joy in the fact that I had more space than I had in my old house. Seeing that the Machoke had already put in my room the box full of my belongings, I began to put its’ contents in their places. I placed my seven books, one of them being The Adventures of Captain Tim and Magneton, on an empty bookshelf. I also placed my precious seashell collection in a row on a wooden desk in the front of my room. Next, I hung up my clothes on hangars and placed them into my closet. Finally, I fitted my mattress with my fitting sheet, bed sheet, and ocean-styled comforter, and my room was mostly ready. Items like furniture and pictures would have to be taken care of later.

I pulled out my 3DS to start another level of Spark the Togedemaru only to be met with an unfortunate circumstance: my battery was dead! “Aw,” I moaned, “Why didn’t I think to check my battery? Now I’ve got nothing to do...” I then hooked up my device to its’ charger and headed downstairs, looking to go explore outside. I did not bother telling my parents that I was leaving, as they were busy getting their things together.

Chapter 2: The pouncing Poochyena

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I walked out through the front door onto lush green grass, moving past houses to the town gate. I was hoping to find some cool Pokémon in the tall grass nearby, like a Rattata or a Pikachu. Instead, I heard a man’s voice crying, “Help! Anyone!”

Ever the curious sort, I ran past the shrubs and grass outside the town, finding a large man wearing a lab coat who was getting chased by a black and white dog Pokémon. “Oh,” cried the man, “Thank goodness! Hurry, young sport, I don’t have much time! Take one of the Pokéballs from my bag! There’s a Pokémon in each of them, so choose one and chase off this wild Poochyena!”

Sensing the tension of the situation, I scrambled over to the small, brown bag that was laying on the ground, finding 3 red and white Pokéballs sitting inside. In a rush, I chose the one in the middle, but it fumbled out of my hands due to my panic. Nonetheless, the capsule opened with a flash of light, causing a blue axolotl-like Pokémon with stubby legs to appear. It hopped in place excitedly, gurgling, “Mudkip, mud!”

This caught the attention of the Poochyena, causing it to turn angrily in my direction, barking loudly. The man took the opportunity to jump into a nearby bush, free from danger. “Alright, chap,” he called, “Now’s your time to shine. Tell that Mudkip to use Tackle! Don’t worry, it’s completely loyal!”

Even though I was told that, I found myself intimidated by the ferocity of the vicious Poochyena, and I could not get my body to move.

As I stood there wide-eyed and paralyzed by fear, with the Poochyena staring me down, the Mudkip stopped bouncing and turned in my direction, staring at me blankly. Although it looked like the Mudkip had nothing going on its’ brain, somehow, I started to get calmed by its’ simple expression. I felt my heartbeat slow as my muscles relaxed, and I took a deep breath in and out. “Okay,” I said, “I’m okay now. It’s all fine. Mudkip, use Tackle!”

The Mudkip, as if its’ blank stare was intentional, adopted a determined face, and it leapt into action. It crouched to the ground before lunging towards the Poochyena, who was slow to react. In retaliation, the Poochyena bit the dorsal fin of the Mudkip, causing it to cry out in pain.

“Mudkip,” I yelled, “Wiggle your way out and use Tackle again!”

At this, the Mudkip flopped like a fish out of water, and the erratic movement caused the Poochyena to lose its’ grip. The Mudkip took the opportunity to bash its’ head directly into the Poochyena’s side, a critical spot. The disorientated Poochyena stood unsteadily on its’ feet, a dazed expression in its eyes.

I felt a surge of confidence as I said my final order: “Mudkip, finish it off with your strongest Tackle!”

The Mudkip burbled a battle cry of “Kip-Mud” before stepping back and running at full speed towards its’ target, knocking it off its’ feet.

The Poochyena whimpered with a “yena, pooch” before running back into the grass with its’ tail between its’ legs. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I had just participated in a Pokémon battle!

The Mudkip jumped for joy, gurgling a hearty, “Kiiip! Mud-ki!” As this was happening, the man emerged from the bushes, saying, “Well done, my boy! You and that Mudkip worked wonderfully together. Never have I seen such a deep trust between people and Pokémon, especially not between those who just met! Dare I say, you and that Mudkip were meant for each other!” He held out his hand, saying, “My name’s Professor Birch. I’m a researcher that specializes in the habitats of Pokémon. What’s your name, young one?”

I tentatively extended my arm to meet his, answering, “I’m Rohon, sir. Me and my family recently moved here from the coast.”

Professor Birch smiled, “Rohon? I’ll be sure to remember that. Say, I usually give out these starter Pokémon back at my lab in Littleroot Town, but I’ll let you take one early as thanks for saving my skin. So, Rohon, do you want to take this Mudkip as your own?”

I looked at the small Mudkip, with its’ legs sprawled out on the grass as it burbled happily. Deep down in my soul, I knew that this was a friend that I wanted to keep for a long time. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt like the Mudkip’s spirit resonated with my own. “Yes,” I replied, “I want to keep this Mudkip.”

Birch clasped his hands together, stating, “Great news! Now, to commemorate the moment, would you like to give a nickname to your Mudkip?”

I looked down at my new friend, thinking about what could fit a Pokémon such as itself. “Fishy” sounded too basic. “Mudder” sounded too much like “mother” which was not the vibe that I wanted. Suddenly, the perfect name popped into my head. “Axol,” I said, “The Mudkip’s name is Axol.”

The professor grinned, saying, “Excellent. That name suits him well. Now then, I would appreciate it if you were to come visit my lab; I have something that I would like to show you. However, I would not want your parents to worry about your absence, so why don’t you tell your parents about what’s going on?”

I agreed, following him back to the town where I came from.

Chapter 3: Getting Permission

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As I walked to the front door of my house, Professor Birch asked me, “Hold on a minute, you live here in Littleroot Town? Well then, how's about I introduce myself to your parents and explain the situation?”

I saw no problem with the professor’s request, so I went inside to alert my parents to his presence, and they walked together to the front door to meet him.

“Hello good people,” the professor said while handshaking the both of them. “My name’s professor Birch, and I’m your next-door neighbor. I have some important matters that I would like to discuss concerning your boy Rohon, so would you mind me coming in?”

My mother replied, “No sir, I would not mind that. You seem trustworthy enough.”

My father still looked a bit skeptical, as he usually was, but he still complied with Birch’s request.

My parents and the professor sat at our kitchen table while I sat at our beige sofa, feeding Axol crackers from the pantry. “Now then,” the professor started, “The reason for my arrival was for me to discuss something I wanted your son Rohon to do. You see, I was out on a research trip outside the town when a wild Poochyena ambushed me. The situation seemed dire for me until Rohon appeared out of the blue, showing initiative in using one of my Mudkips, as in the Pokémon that you see Rohon entertaining now, to rescue me. Your boy showed a remarkable level of natural skill when he directed that Mudkip’s actions, and he appears to be great friends with the creature already. Those traits are the very foundations of a great Pokémon trainer, which brings me to my next bit.” The professor stood up straighter in his chair, continuing, “In the Hoenn region, there are many Pokémon species to be researched. They can be found in the plains, oceans, and even the mountains! Travelling to all these areas would be a daunting task for a man like me, as was proving in that Poochyena attack, but I see in Rohon the potential of an avid helper! That’s why I’m asking for permission on Rohon’s behalf to partake in a journey through Hoenn with his Mudkip, catching Pokémon for the good of advancing research. The path may be challenging, perhaps even perilous, but I’m sure that, with the help of Pokémon, Rohon will pull through! So, what do you say?”

My parents looked at one another for a moment and then back at the professor. My father then spoke, “Um, Mr... Birch, was it? I feel like me and my wife have to talk about this with Rohon first, before we make any decisions.”

Professor Birch nodded, and my parents went to go sit with me on a nearby sofa.

“Listen, boy,” my father started, “You do a lot of weird things, but this is a step too far. Why would you even entertain that man about being a Pokémon trainer in the first place?”

My mother interjected, “Ronald! Don’t you see that this is an opportunity for Rohon to experience the world for himself? Imaginative minds like his can’t just stay holed up in a house all day playing video games. Why not let him go on this ‘Pokédex’ quest? What could go wrong?”

My father retorted, “What could go wrong? How about a wild Pokémon attacking him? And who’s going to protect him, that small Mudkip? You can’t be serious.”

Feeling insulted that my Axol was being belittled, I interjected, “Hey, my Mudkip is strong! If he can fight off a Poochyena, then he can handle anything! And his name is Axol.”

I was not used to asserting myself like that, especially not towards my imposing father. As a result, I looked down at my shoes in embarrassment. However, my mother responded, “See, Ronald? Yes, Rohon may be timid at times, and that would make anyone think that he couldn’t survive in the outside world. But I can see that he trusts his Mudkip, and that trust builds his self-confidence. Don’t you think that we should have that same trust in him? Besides, we’ll never be far from him because...”

She reached into her black purse, retrieving a small phone with a yellow case. She gave it to me, saying, “I’ve been saving this for when I thought that you would need it. I’ve already saved both of our contacts on that cellphone, so you can call us whenever you need to! With this, you can give us constant updates while you go on your journey.”

My father looked at me holding the cellphone and at Axol, who was enjoying his snack. He finally conceded, “Fine, boy, you can go on this quest. Just don’t blame me when you’re on your butt crying.”

I felt a warm feeling in my chest. This was it. I was actually going to become a Pokémon trainer!

My parents went over to Professor Birch to confirm their approval. Hearing this, the professor said, “Great to hear, you two! Now come Rohon, adventure awaits!”

Before I left, I gave my mother one last tight hug(my father, however, was never one for affection).

Chapter 4: Catching a Zigzagoon

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The professor led me out of my house to his house which was 2 blocks away. Although the outside of the abode looked relatively simple, the inside had a wholly different vibe. The grey-tiled floor had on it many bookshelves packed with books on Pokémon and their habitats. Sitting on a green chair was one of the professor’s glasses-wearing lab assistants, who was busy filing a report on a computer. I went over to admire a Pokéball-shaped machine, trying to restrain myself from fiddling with the advanced buttons.

“Okay, Rohon,” Birch said as he went to a cabinet next to the machine, “In order for you to efficiently complete your Pokémon research, you’re going to need the right technology. That’s why I’m going to give you...this!” He grabbed a red rectangular device with a small screen in the middle as well as 10 Pokéballs and handed them to me. He explained, “This handy doodad has the ability to instantly send a Pokémon’s data to me whenever you catch a Pokémon with those Pokéballs! I only have 10 Pokéballs on me at the moment, but it really isn’t too difficult to find some more on your journey. Now, since I’m still busy with my research, I won’t be able to assist you with learning the ropes past this town. Instead, I’ve got someone who will do that for me..." He turned towards the nearby stairs, calling, “Hey, May! I’ve got someone that I want you to meet!”

Seconds later, a young girl who looked a bit older than me with long, brown hair and a red dress came running down the stairs with a small, red, chick-like Pokémon alongside her.

Once she arrived, Professor Birch said, “Rohon, this is May, my bright, young daughter. As you can see, she has already chosen the fire-type starter, Torchic, as a partner. May, this is Rohon, and he’s going to be very important in advancing my research, just like you!”

May smiled brightly at me, saying, “Glad to meet you, Rohon! I can already tell that we’re going to be great friends!”

I chuckled awkwardly in response, since I was flustered at the idea of a girl talking to me with such kindness. “S-same here,” I stammered, “You seem like a nice...person.”

May covered her mouth and giggled at my shyness, causing my face to heat up.

"Anyway,” the professor continued, “As my daughter, May is very knowledgeable about the concept of Pokémon, so I have no doubt that she’ll be able to explain the process of Pokémon training. Isn’t that right, May?”

May gave an affirmative nod, saying, “For sure, dad! You’ve got nothing to worry about, Rohon will be fine! With my help, he’ll be finished with the Pokédex in no time.”

The professor grinned at his daughter’s enthusiasm, replying, “As I thought, my dear! Oh, but I almost forgot; you both need your bags! Let me go and get them really quick.”

He went to a room in the corner of the house and retrieved 2 large bags, one orange and one yellow, and allowed us to choose which one we wanted. I, of course, selected the yellow one, since it was my favorite color.

Once May grabbed the orange one, the professor said, “Alright, you’re all set! I wish you both good luck out there in your quest. Remember, I believe in you!” With that, May grabbed my arm and ran me out of the laboratory, kicking off my adventure.

“Okay, Rohon,” said May, “Here we are on Route 101! Let’s go and find a Pokémon so that I can show you how to catch one! Just go searching in some tall grass and you’ll find one.”

I did as she advised, rummaging around the area while looking for any creatures. It didn’t take long before I heard a growling sound in front of me. A small, brown, racoon-like Pokémon started running in a zigzag pattern towards me, and I jumped back in surprise. Axol, however, was raring to go, and he jumped in front of the Pokémon in a battle-ready pose.

“Awesome,” said May, “You’ve found a Zigzagoon! Now, what you’re going to want to do is weaken it using your Pokémon’s moves. You know how to do that, right?”

“Yeah,” I answered, “I’ve got it covered. Axol, use Tackle!” Axol analyzed the Zigzagoon’s movements and cleverly aimed his Tackle at the center of the creature’s path, landing a direct hit. The Zigzagoon uttered a pained, “zig” before countering with its own tackle, knocking Axol to the side.

After this maneuver, the Zigzagoon started to look winded out, causing May to say, “Watch out, Rohon! You don’t want to knock out a Pokémon if you want to catch it! The Zigzagoon looks tired, so try throwing a Pokéball at it.”

The idea of throwing something at a Pokémon worried me, since I was never one to be good at aiming, especially not in action-packed situations like this. Nevertheless, I managed to steady my aim enough to lob a Pokéball at the Zigzagoon’s tail, just barely missing the Pokémon entirely. Once the Pokéball hit its target, it opened in the direction of the Zigzagoon, causing the creature to shrink rapidly and enter the capsule. Curiously, I inched forward, watching as a light in the center of the Pokéball flashed on and off. Suddenly, the ball started to shake back and forth as I heard dulled chitters coming from the device. After a short delay, the Pokéball made a ping sound, and the chittering stopped.

“Wow,” said May, “You just caught a Zigzagoon! Check your Pokédex, I bet that it got updated.”

I did as she said, finding that a new electronic entry, labeled “Zigzagoon”, was added. I tapped on it, causing a myriad of information to be presented to me, including Zigzagoon’s height, weight, and cry. I was truly amazed by how advanced this technology was.

May came over to me, saying, “You see that? Right now, that information is being sent to my dad’s lab to be analyzed. You can check in later to see the Professor’s scientific description of this Pokémon. Isn’t that neat? Why don’t you bring out Zigzagoon so that we can get a look at it? Just throw the Pokéball into the air!”

I did just that, causing the still-tired Zigzagoon to pop out, regrowing back to its original size. “Aw,” May cooed, “Are you still hurt, little Zigzagoon? Don’t worry, May’s going to make you feel all better.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a spray bottle with red liquid inside, spraying it onto the Zigzagoon’s bruises. The substance seeped into Zigzagoon’s skin, causing its vitality to return. As the Zigzagoon ran in a celebratory zigzag, May said, “By the way, you’ve also got some potions just like these in the bottom part of your bag. You can use them to heal up your Pokémon whenever they’re hurting. Don’t you ever forget that! Now, let’s find another Pokémon, shall we?” May told me how to return my Pokémon to its ball before we both trekked forward.

Chapter 5: A clash between trainers

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Looking through the grass some more, I spotted a caterpillar-like Pokémon munching on a leaf. It looked completely unwary, and it happily enjoyed its’ snack while ignoring me. I figured that battling it would not be necessary, so I quickly threw a Pokéball at it. It squeaked a tiny “wurm” as its body shrunk further to fit inside the capsule. The Pokémon must have been weak-willed, since it stayed in the Pokéball with no trouble.

May clapped, saying, “Wow, Rohon! Great thinking there! You didn’t even need me to tell you that you can sneak in a Pokéball throw on a Pokémon off its guard. You’re the man!”

I smiled, proud of myself for pulling off such a trick. As I opened my recent Pokéball to reveal its Pokémon, my Pokédex informed me that I had caught a Wurmple.

“By the way,” May said, “Have you considered naming your new captures? I see it as a great way to bond with your new friends!”

Seeing the value in her words, I brainstormed ideas for some appropriate names. “Hmm,” I said, “Well, when I was smaller, I remember watching this show about a raccoon and a blue jay; the raccoons’ name was Rigby, so I’ll name Zigzagoon after that. As for Wurmple…I don’t know. I guess that ‘Worma’ will do.”

May giggled, “ Really? ‘Worma’? I guess that we all have to start somewhere. Anyways, the names are cute.”

Taking her compliment to heart, I walked forward still, getting a layout of my surroundings.

As I was doing that, I noticed a young boy wearing a blue baseball cap and a red shirt standing near a tree, holding a Pokéball eagerly. He looked me in the eyes before saying, “Hah! We just locked eyes! That means that you have to fight me!”

A surprised look fell on my face as I responded, “Wait, what? Since when was that a thing? I don't want to have to punch a kid like you…”

The kid donned a confused look, answering, “What? No! I mean a Pokémon battle. I’ve got my Zigzagoon at the ready. How about you? Are you up for the challenge?”

As I stood there embarrassed by my misunderstanding, May came to my side, saying, “This is perfect, Rohon! Now’s your chance to start training your new recruits. If I were you, I would send out Wormy.”

Nodding in agreement, I said, “Okay. Go Worma!” I threw Wormas’ Pokéball on the ground, noticing how it still had some bits of leaf stuck on her mouth.

“Hey,” the boy exclaimed, “Why do you get to have help? That doesn’t seem fair.”

May gasped, responding, “Oh yeah, you’re right! Sorry, Rohon, but from this point forward I have decided to not help you in battles against trainers. You'll do fine though, right?”

I didn’t see a flaw in her reasoning. After all, why should I get special treatment compared to my opponents?

After May's words, the boy threw out his Zigzagoon, who assumed a battle-ready pose. I prepared to say a command only to be interrupted by the boy, who said, “Zigzagoon, use Growl!” At this, the Zigzagoon made a cute, purring sound towards Worma, and I could see that she was even less eager to battle than before.

Despite this, I ordered, “Worma, use Tackle!” Worma made a half-hearted trot towards the Zigzagoon before coiling up her body like a spring and lunging at the Pokémon. Unlike the time when Axol attacked Rigby, this Zigzagoon looked less fazed by Wormas’ Tackle attack.

“Rohon,” called May, “Growl is a move that lowers your Pokémon’s’ will to fight!”

Immediately, the boy interjected, “Hey! I thought that we agreed that you wouldn’t help your friend in a trainer battle!”

May blushed, apologizing, “Sorry! It’s just a force of habit.”

I thought over the situation in my head; Worma wasn’t going to be hitting as hard with the effect of Growl in action. I would just have to make Worma repeatedly use Tackle. So I ordered Worma to do just that.

Noticing that I had told Worma to do that, the boy ordered his Zigzagoon to also use Tackle indefinitely. My Worma simply could not keep up with the Zigzagoons’ darting movements, and she was repeatedly hit with blow after blow. The Zigzagoon zigged to the left and hit Worma in the tail. It zigged to the right and hit her in the middle. Finally, it zigged back to the left and hit it square in the face, with Worma showing little to no resistance. I watched as she stiffened, a faded look in her eyes. With a soft plop, her head fell on the grass in front of her as she fainted from the shock.

“Yahoo,” exclaimed the boy, “Great work Zigzagoon! Do you have any more Pokémon, Rohon?”

I thought over the current situation yet again, taking note of how this previously unknown move worked. I deduced that since this guys’ Zigzagoon knew Growl, then my own Rigby would surely know the move as well. “Yeah,” I answered, “In fact, I’ve got two more. Go, Rigby!”

I threw out his Pokéball, and he came out feeling as energetic as when I first met him. I immediately said, “Rigby, use Growl!” Rigby followed my command, exerting a slightly deeper noise that seemed almost threatening. The effect was still the same, and the other Zigzagoons’ battle power was weakened.

The boy responded, “So you’re using Growl too? Well then, I’ll just lower your Attack too! Zigzagoon, use Growl right back!” The Zigzagoon did just that, making the same cute noise that it had done before.

“So,” I answered, “We’re doing this right now? Well, Rigby, just keep on using Growl!” Just as I did, the boy ordered his Zigzagoon to continuously use Growl.

And so our two Zigzagoons ended up constantly growling at each other, trying to get each others’ attack as low as possible. This went on until the boys’ Zigzagoon attempted to growl at my Rigby only to find that it was ineffective. “Huh,” the boy said, “Looks like your attack is as low as it can get.” Rigby tried to growl at the Zigzagoon, and he also met the same fate.

“Same here,” I responded, “Wow. Whelp, I guess that all there is left to do is attack.”

The boy smiled, saying, “Well said, buddy. Zigzagoon, do what you did before and keep using Tackle!”

When the boy said this, I retorted, “Don’t let him get away with this, Rigby! Do the same thing back!”

The two Pokémon leaped into action, albeit way less energetically than before, and initiated a series of Tackles. Although the boys’ Zigzagoon was fast and nimble with his zigzagging, Rigby was more direct with his Tackles, and was able to score some significant hits. With all that being said, neither Pokémon was doing any sort of damage to the other; a play fight was what was going on right now, essentially.

This was the case until Rigby managed to strike a critical spot in the other Zigzagoon, causing the Pokémon to don a pained expression. He stood unsteadily on his feet before falling belly-first on the grass, uttering a tired “ziiig” before falling silent.

Exclaiming a cry of surprise, the boy yelled, “WHAT!? That’s completely unreal! All those Growls for what, a critical hit? And I’ve got no more Pokémon! You’ve got some luck, Rohon…” Me and Rigby stood in shock of what we had just accomplished as the boy reached inside his pocket for an 100-Pokédollar bill. “Take this,” he said, “Since I lost, here’s your prize money. But it sure was a fun match. You and ‘Rigby’ showed some real power.” He held out his palm for a handshake, which I took. “Well, Rohon,” said the boy, “Since I already know your name, I might as well tell you mine. I’m Trevor, and I live further past here in Oldale Town. Since our Pokémon are hurt, how’s about I lead you and your friend over there to heal up?”

I agreed to his offer, and we headed up the route, taking care to avoid the dangerous tall grass.

Chapter 6: The discovery of the Pokémon League

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We eventually ended up in a flower-filled town. Trevor directed us past some houses towards a building with a large Pokéball symbol on it. We headed inside to find a woman with pink hair standing behind a red counter. Behind her was a machine that glowed with a dim light.

“Hello Nurse Bea." Trevor said, "Me and this guy were just wondering if you could heal our Pokémon for us?”

Nurse Bea smiled, saying, “Of course, Trevor! Just lend me the tired Pokémon’s’ Pokéballs and you’ll be all set."

I handed Trevor Worma’s and Rigby’s’ Pokéballs, and he gave them to the nurse, who placed them into the machine behind her. “Okay, kids,” she said, “The healing process is going to take some time. I’ll call you over when your Pokémon are done resting.”

Trevor turned towards me, saying, “So, Rohon, what brings you out here?”

I replied, “Me and my neighbor May were sent by a professor named Birch in order to fill out a Pokédex. So far we’ve caught 3 Pokémon.”

Trevor became surprised, replying, “No way! You’re working with THE Professor Birch? Lucky you!”

May pitched in, saying, “You betcha! I’m also the professor’s daughter, so I have the special privilege of helping Rohon!”

Trevor looked at May, saying, “It must be nice to have such an important person as a family member, May. I would love to switch places with you; my parents are nothing but lame old teachers. Who cares about math and reading when you could be an expert in Pokémon? That's why I’m working to take on the Pokémon League.”

My ears perked up at the mention of this new prospect. “Wait,” I said, “What’s this about a Pokémon League?”

Trevor gave me a condescending look, responding, “What, have you been living under a rock this past decade? The Pokémon League is only the most exciting series of events in Hoenn! Trainers from all around the region work themselves and their Pokémon to the bone so that they can compete against each other and get even stronger. Trainers who prove their worth can challenge Gym Leaders throughout the region in order to earn Gym badges, which give you the ability to challenge the top trainers in the world! Only one trainer can reach the top of the Pokémon League, but man is it a great goal to reach!”

I had never heard of such an event in my life. The idea of having such energetic battles like the one I had with Trevor tickled my sense of adventure.

My heightened excitement must’ve reached Axol, since he hopped out of his Pokéball without my permission, gurgling a hearty “Mud mud kip!”

Trevor looked at Axol and then back at me, saying, “Please tell me that this is a joke. You’ve got a Mudkip?! Those Pokémon are ultra-rare! I really envy you.”

At that moment, Nurse Bea called from her counter, “Trevor! You and your friends’ Pokémon are ready to go.” We headed to the counter where we were given back our Pokémon, and the nurse said, “Have a great rest of your day, you all!"

When we exited the Pokémon Center, Trevor said to me, “Say, Rohon, why don’t you participate in the Pokémon League challenge? I’m sure that you can do it while you’re on your research trip for Professor Birch.”

Although I was intrigued with the idea of the Pokémon League, I did not have much interest in handling multiple tasks at once. “Sorry,” I said, “But I just don’t think that I want to deal with 2 major things on my plate.”

May put in her word, saying, “Come on, Rohon! Don’t you realize that this is a great opportunity? Think about it. Having access to strong Pokémon will make finding and catching other strong Pokémon easy as pie! That way, we can get two birds with one stone!”

May did have a point. If I were to travel through the Hoenn region and its’ uncertain terrain, then I would need capable allies to aid me. Why not also participate in this Pokémon competition? “Hmm,” I started, “You know what? Sure, I’ll give it a shot. What could go wrong?”

Trevor grinned, saying, “That’s the spirit! Tell you what, you seem like you're going to go places, so how’s about we exchange phone numbers? I want to hear all about your adventure. I’ll also be busy training up my Pokémon in the meantime.”

I agreed to this, and we both got out our phones and saved each other in our contacts.

With a tip of his blue cap, Trevor said, “Well, I’ll catch you on the flip side, Rohon. Good luck on your journey!”

I smiled slightly and waved, saying, “Same here, Trevor.”

Axol, who was still out of his ball, splashed in place 3 times, which I assumed was its way of saying goodbye.

“Alright, then,” Trevor said, I’m going to go train against some wild Pokémon. I’ll catch you later!” With that, Trevor travelled back to the wild area behind us, his Pokéball grasped firmly in his hand.

May gave me an excited look, saying, “You know what we have to do now, right Rohon? We’ve gotta follow in Trevor’s footsteps and battle some more Pokémon! I think that I’ll also let my Torchic join in the fun; I bet that it’s raring to go!”

With that goal in mind, we took a left from Oldale Town and entered another wild area, where our training would commence.

Chapter 7: Revenge of the Poochyena

Chapter Text

As we were traversing the route, May said to me, “You know, you can check a Pokémon’s’ battle traits on your Pokédex. There, you can see what moves a Pokémon knows or can know. Try it out!”

I did as she advised, navigating the Pokédex so that I could find the page on Wurmple. The text read that Wurmples typically knew the moves Tackle and String Shot when found in calm areas of Hoenn.

“Ooh, String Shot,” said May over my shoulder, “We should go test that move out on a wild Pokémon! Come on, let’s get to searching.”

We again rummaged around in the nearby tall grass, anticipating a battle. We soon found a Zigzagoon zigzagging through the grass, and it immediately noticed us. Seeing that we had our Pokéballs at the ready, the Zigzagoon assumed a defensive posture, knowing that it was in for a fight.

Me and May threw out Worma and Torchic respectively, and we prepared to give our orders. Looking back and forth between our two Pokémon, the Zigzagoon decided that it was going to be easy to just go for my ever-lax Worma, and it dashed in for a Tackle.

Seeing this event unfolding, May quickly ordered, "Torchic, use Scratch to protect Worma!” The Torchic nodded her head, and she used her spry legs to dash in front of the Zigzagoon, who halted in surprise. The Torchic then raised one of her feet to the sky and administered a talon strike across the Zigzagoons’ side.

As the Zigzagoon recoiled in pain, I realized that now was my time to strike. “Worma,” I said, “Use String Shot!” Worma lazily raised her head and aimed her mouthparts towards the pained Zigzagoon. She then released a fine line of silk in a path along the Zigzagoons’ feet. Once this happened, the Zigzagoon attempted to start a counterattack, but its movement was impeded by the sticky string.

“Nice,” said May, “You lowered the Zigzagoons’ speed! Now we can go for the knockout!”

Before we could say anything, the Zigzagoon let out a shrill “ziig, za-za goon” that caused another Zigzagoon to jump out of a nearby bush. Seeing that its’ familiar was in danger, the new Zigzagoon set its’ sights on Torchic. It zigzagged on a path to her, hitting it head-on with a Tackle.

Now it was my turn to help out May, so I ordered Worma to use Tackle on the 2nd Zigzagoon to subdue it. Worma completed this task to an adequate degree, and she was able to use the somewhat soft spikes on her head to distract the Zigzagoon.

Taking this opportunity, May said, Torchic, use Scratch again!” Torchic did just that, landing a claw swipe against the Zigzagoons’ nose, and the Pokémon clutched its face in discomfort.

May looked at me, saying, “Let’s start attacking as one, Rohon. On my mark, we’ll have both of our Pokémon launch their attacks. Ready…now!”

We both ordered our Pokémon to attack in their own ways, and they bombarded the Zigzagoon duo relentlessly. The two creatures could do nothing but submit to the onslaught, and they ran away in a zigzag pattern with their tails tucked between their legs.

Torchic jumped for joy while Worma simply rested its’ body on the ground. May gave me a high-five, saying, “Great teamwork, Rohon! That’s the cooperation that will carry us to Pokédex completion!”

Her commotion must’ve reached the ears of something, because I heard ruffling coming from a nearby shrub. I saw yellow, glaring eyes coming from the foliage followed by a deep snarl. Suddenly, a Poochyena jumped out in my direction, and I jumped backwards in shock. It stood only a few feet away from me, and something about the way it leered at me told me that it had bad feelings for me. Was this really the same Poochyena that I had saved Professor Birch from?

It again snarled at me, glancing at my Pokéball and then back at me, as if it were prodding me to battle it.

As I stood there feeling threatened, May gave me a worried look, “What’s wrong, Rohon? You’re quivering like a bowl of jelly!”

Through the stagnant air of tension, I managed to tersely say, “T-This P-Poochyena…I met it b-back near Littleroot Town; it was something that I saved your d-dad from.”

May looked at the angry Poochyena for a second, assessing the situation. “I see,” she said, “I assume that this Poochyena has chased you all the way from there; they can be quite tenacious, after all. But why are you scared all of the sudden? You’ve beaten it once, who says you can’t beat it again?” She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, saying, “Besides, you’ve got me by your side, remember? Together, we can take this Poochyena on!”

I felt the ice of my fear and doubt melt away under the warm light of Mays’ encouraging words. I stood up straight and held my Pokéball to my face, breathing in deeply and exhaling. “Okay, May,” I said, “I trust you. Let’s get started.”

May smiled and nodded, and we threw out our Pokémon to begin the battle. “Worma,” I said, “Tangle up Poochyenas’ feet with a String Shot!” Worma tried to impede Poochyenas’ movement, but the wild Pokémon appeared to have learned from its’ last encounter, and it jumped over the silk. That being said, the Poochyena was not prepared to deal with 2 opponents at once, and Torchic was able to land a direct Scratch on the Poochyenas’ ear.

Wiggling its’ ears in anger, the Poochyena stomped its’ feet to the ground and let out a primal howl that echoed throughout the area. Supposedly invigorated by the sound, the Poochyena performed a high speed Tackle attack on Torchic before skidding and striking Worma. While Torchic was only winded by the attack, Worma was barely able to hold on to her consciousness.

May turned towards my poor Worma, saying, “Oh no! Your Worma is near its limit! Quick, switch it out before it faints again!”

As May was saying this, the Poochyena was on its’ way back from the previous charge to attack Worma again, and my movements became frantic. Wormas’ Pokéball fumbled in my hands as I tried to figure out how it worked. Noticing the white button in the center, I quickly pressed it, and a white light extended to Worma. Right before she could get hit, she shrunk and entered through a tiny gap in the Pokéball.

Confused on where it’s target had gone, the Poochyena turned viciously towards me, and I knew that I had to bring out the big guns if I wanted to survive. I swiftly threw out Axols’ Pokéball, and he looked eager to fight until he was hit with a direct Tackle. Axol tumbled backwards 5 times, and looked like he had stop moving.

Just as I was about to freak out I saw Axol get to his feet and spit grass out of his mouth. He shook his head while gurgling menacingly. I noticed his moist skin getting even wetter before he did something extraordinary. Without me telling him to, he somehow accumulated water in his mouth and shot it out of his mouth, hitting Poochyena directly in its mouth.

May started with disbelief at Mudkip, saying, “Are my eyes playing a trick on me, or did Axol just learn Water Gun?” Axol was in the midst of preparing another water blast before May exclaimed, “Hold it, Rohon! Tell your Mudkip to stop attacking!”

I did just that, and although Axol was reluctant to refrain from assaulting the Poochyena, he still obeyed.

May pointed at the Poochyena, saying, “That Water Gun attack from Axol was powerful enough to greatly weaken the Poochyena. Now’s your chance to throw a Pokéball so that we can catch it!”

Realizing that May was correct, I retrieved a ball from my bag and threw it at the Poochyena before it could dodge. Once the canine was struck by my capsule, I watched with tension as the ball shook once, then twice, and finally a 3rd time. With a satisfying click, Poochyena was caught.

A massive weight was lifted off of my chest now that I no longer had a threat to deal with. I took a second to calm down and catch my breath after that stressful event.

“Rohon,” May said, “Now that Poochyena is yours, aren’t you worried about its’ health? Here, you can use one of my potions on him so that he’ll be well again.” She handed me a bottle of the red liquid, prodding me to tend to my new ally.

Although I was still wary about the Poochyenas’ behavior, I decided that it would be wrong to not tend to his injuries, so I opened his Pokéball and got to work.

Initially, the Poochyena was not pleased to see my face, and he growled at my every movement. Trying my best to not succumb to my fear, I aimed the Potions’ nozzle at a cut on Poochyenas’ side and sprayed the healing solution on it. The Poochyena made a confused groaning sound before realizing that he suddenly felt much better than before. Then, to my surprise, the Poochyena ran over to me and gave me a friendly rubbing with his head.

“Aw,” May cooed, “Looks like that Poochyena isn’t so mean after all! It’s all bark and no bite.”

Just as she said that, the Poochyena gave me a tiny nip on my ankle, and I yelped in pain. “Yeah right,” I said, “More like all bark, all bite!”

May snickered, saying, “Oh, calm down. That was just a friendly love bite. That means that it likes you!”

I looked down at the Poochyena, thinking, “Some sign of affection. He kinda reminds me of this other hyena I know.” Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, and I said, “I’ve come up with a name for this Poochyena: Zig. It’s based on this cartoon I saw with this crazy hyena who was always trying to eat everything.”

May scratched her head, saying, “But wait, wouldn’t that name be too close to Zigzagoon?”

I shrugged my shoulders, saying, “Eh, Zigzagoon and Poochyena look similar enough. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

With that, we traveled farther into the route, wondering what we would encounter next.

Chapter 8: Catching a Pokémon for May

Chapter Text

After applying a potion to Axol and Torchic, me and May walked ahead, keeping an eye out for any opponents to train against. On our search, we came across a small, serene pond, and we took a moment to admire its’ beauty.

As we were doing that, I noticed a lily pad in the water sitting still as usual. What wasn’t normal was when the lily pad started to move of its own accord towards a mass of moss near a tree. Now interested, I followed the lily pads’ movement, observing how the object made a beeline towards the plant matter. Once it reached its’ target, a blue head with an orange beak popped up and started making a meal of the algae.

Knowing that now was the perfect time to strike, I held Zigs’ Pokéball in my hand and threw it on the ground. Once Zig emerged, the lily pad creature took notice and became surprised, and it started to swim backwards in shock. In its’ haste, the Pokémon bumped into the root of a nearby tree, and the tremor caused another Pokémon shaped like an acorn to drop onto the plant Pokémon’s’ head.

As the lily pad Pokémon made a pained noise, the acorn creature made a soft laughing sound before leaping onto the shore. The creatures’ mood immediately took a turn when it looked at Zig; it started shivering when Zig gave it an intimidating glare. Despite this, the acorn still showed an intent to battle, and it jumped up and down aggressively. The lily pad Pokémon, having apparently gotten a grip of itself, hauled itself onto the ground to defend himself.

“Hoo, boy,” said May, “Looks like it’s another Double Battle. Well, let’s just apply the same strategies that we used in the last battle.”

With that, May sent out her Torchic and told it to use Scratch on the acorn. Seeing Torchic approaching, the acorn Pokémon suddenly stopped moving, and its’ eyes narrowed slightly. Without even attempting to dodge out of the way, the acorn creature took Scratch after Scratch, seemingly not caring about its injuries.

I was just starting to wonder what was going on when the acorn suddenly stepped backwards and barreled towards Torchic with an amazing intensity. Torchic was immediately knocked off of her feet, and the way that she was breathing told me that she didn’t have much health left.

May recoiled in sheer shock, exclaiming, “What the HECK?! I’ve never even seen that sort of move before! Torchic, you’ve gotta get back into your Pokéball; I don’t want you to take another attack like that.” May recalled the injured Torchic back into her Pokéball, and she said to me, “Sorry, Rohon, but it looks like you’re going to have to battle on your own. Don’t worry, though, you can command two Pokémon at once. Go on, try sending out Rigby and see how it goes!”

As per her words, I threw out Rigby’s’ ball, and he positioned himself near Zig. In order to prevent the acorn from launching another one of those devastating attacks, I decided to have both of my Pokémon attack it. Thus, I gave the order for them to launch their Tackle attacks. Both of them made their way to the acorn in their own way, with Zig dashing in a straight path and Rigby moving along in his usual zigzag pattern.

Before Zig could hit his target, the lily pad creature suddenly jumped in front of him, making a scary face. Apparently Zig could not handle an opposing Pokémon’s’ fear tactics, and he halted in sheer surprise. I swear that I could see the lily pad Pokémon smile slightly before it attempted to jump in front of Rigby to startle it. Alas, Rigby completely ignored the plant creatures’ jump scare strategy, and it instead hit the acorn with a direct Tackle.

In response, the acorn started to don a concentrated face, and I could see that it was stiffening up, as if its’ outer covering was becoming more rigid. This must’ve been the case, as when Rigby attempted to attack the acorn again, I noticed that the impact didn’t sound as soft as before.

“Uh oh,” said May, “That looks like the move Harden. It’s going to be harder to damage that Pokémon now.”

After using that move, the acorn stopped moving just as it had done before, and this time its sights were set on Rigby.

As Rigby started to move in on the acorn again, I saw a light turn on in May’s head. “Rohon,” she said, “I think that I know what’s happening here! That acorn Pokémon is purposefully getting hit so that it can unleash a powerful move!”

Knowing what this meant, I immediately told Rigby to stop attacking, much to the disdain of the acorn.

May continued, “You know, I think that you could just wait out with your Zig. Do you remember our battle with him where he made that loud noise before attacking our Pokémon? That must’ve been the move Howl; you can use it to raise your attack so that you can break past that acorn’s defenses!”

With this in mind, I told Rigby to start attacking the lily pad before having Zig use Howl. To my surprise, when Zig used Howl, Rigby also started making a howling noise before striking the lily pad Pokémon with a powerful Tackle.

“Ooh,” said May, “That’s interesting. Looks like howling can also increase your teammate’s vigor. That’s great to know."

My mind went back to the time when Zig brought Worma down to critical health after using Howl, and I reasoned that the same must be true for this lily pad creature. Knowing this, I quickly threw a Pokéball at the creature, and it was easily caught.

“Great thinking, Rohon,” congratulated May, “Now just finish this off by targeting the acorn!”

I did just that, ordering Zig and Rigby to launch a double-Tackle attack on the acorn creature. As was mentioned earlier, the heightened attack of my two allies overwhelmed even the sturdy shell of the acorn Pokémon. The creature staggered on its two feet, and I could sense that now was the perfect time to catch it.

Before I could throw my ball, May held back my arm, saying, “Hold on, Rohon. Don’t you think that it’s my turn to catch a Pokémon now? I only have a Torchic, after all.”

Realizing that she was right, I said, “Oh yeah. Go ahead, you can have this one.”

She smiled at me, saying, “Thanks a lot, Rohon!” She winded up as if she were throwing a baseball before enthusiastically throwing the ball straight towards the acorn. Just like the lily pad, the acorn was also caught with no trouble.

My Pokédex chimed as a message popped up saying that we had caught Lotad and Seedot. Seeing that Lotad was a female, I decided that her name was going to be Dendy, after a kappa I knew that had a similar-looking hat.

May reached into her bag to look for a Potion or two, but she came up short. “Rats,” she said, “I ran out of Potions. We’re going to have to go to a Pokémart. I think that I saw one in Oldale Town.”

We made our way back to the aforementioned settlement, placing our hurt Pokémon under the care of the Pokémon Center before traveling to a small blue building. Inside of the establishment was an array of items, ranging from Pokéballs to a low variety of Potions. May grabbed me a plastic bag for me to load our desired items into, and I loaded 6 Potions and 3 Pokéballs into it. We waited in a line full of other customers until it was finally our turn to pay.

We were greeted by a chipper-looking young man wearing a blue uniform, who said, “Hello, customers, how may I help you today?”

Because I still occasionally felt anxiety when ordering items, I was reluctant to initiate the purchasing procedure. I was therefore relieved when May spoke up for me, saying, “We would like to buy these 6 Potions and 4 Pokéballs, please.”

The store clerk answered, “No problemo, young lady. That’ll be 2400 Pokédollars, please."

My heart sunk after hearing the cost of these items. There was no way that I was going to be able pay for that.

To my utter disbelief, May pulled out the required funds, and we were able to get our items. The store clerk smiled, saying, “Thank you for shopping at this Pokémart. Be sure to check out our other installments for greater wares. Have a great day!”

As me and May were walking out, I asked her, “Where did you get that money from?”

She turned towards me, replying, “My dad made sure to give me some starting money before the trip for situations like this. What, did your parents not do the same?”

Thinking about it, I realized that I had never thought to ask my parents for any money. Looking back at it now, that was a foolish decision.

May continued, “Anyway, it’s fine. We can always just make our money off of fighting other trainers. I don’t think that we’ll face any financial problems in the near future.”

Reassured by this, I walked with May to the Pokémon Center, where we retrieved our Pokémon and resumed our quest.

Chapter 9: Encountering Wally

Chapter Text

While on Route 102, me and May faced off against a variety of trainers and wild Pokémon, raising our own Pokémon’s’ strength in the process. Although May’s Pokémon participated in some of the bouts, she mentioned that she would prefer it if I were the one doing most of the battling, since she was the one helping me. All was going swimmingly, with all of our Pokémon showing adept skills in combat. We even found a small, blue, bird Pokémon preening its feathers in a nearby tree. I allowed May to catch it, as she was enthralled with how cute it was. As it turns out, that Pokémon species was known as a Taillow.

We continued on through the route, moving past grass and trees to see a city in the distance. Once we approached closer, we read a sign saying, “Welcome to Petalburg City, the city where people mingle with nature.” May and I walked into the city to find a young, pale-skinned boy with white clothes talking to an older man wearing a black shirt and beige pants.

“Now, now, Wally,” the man said, “I’m sure that you can find some nice Pokémon in Verdanturf Town. What’s even so important about the Pokémon here that would make you want to stay here, anyhow?”

The boy, presumably named Wally, shook his head, saying, “Mr. Norman, sir, you don’t understand. I know this city well, and I can tell you for a fact that there’s a special Pokémon around these parts. I can’t just leave without getting a chance to find one for my own!”

May turned towards me with a worried expression, saying, “Rohon, it seems like a situation is happening over there. Don’t you think that we should intervene?”

I looked off to the side, saying, “I don’t know, May. This doesn’t really seem like something we can just barge into. We can just let those two figure things out on their own.”

May pouted at me, saying, “Oh come on, Rohon. Ever heard of being preemptive? We can’t just leave that argument alone! That poor boy is getting his dreams turned down by that man. We have to take action.”

Before I could even raise a word of objection, May was already on her way to Norman and Wally, and all I could do was watch. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” May started, “May I ask what the hubbub is all about?”

Norman turned towards her, replying, “Ah, perfect timing, young lady. I was just wondering how I was going to deal with little Wally here. You see, he’s slated to move out of this city to Verdanturf, as per the words of his parents. For some reason, though, he won’t stop asking me to help him catch this so-called important Pokémon that he saw in the wild. Seeing as how I’m busy with my duties as a Gym Leader, would you be so kind as to help Wally with this Pokémon-catching thing?”

May nodded happily, responding, “Yes sir, me and my friend would be glad to help you with this.”

I was perturbed by this statement. I had never agreed to fulfilling this irrelevant errand.

Just as I was about to counter May’s claim, Wally turned towards me with sparkling eyes, saying, “Really? You’re going to help me find my Pokémon?”

At that moment, my will to back out of the situation flowed out of me like water down the drain; how could I say no to someone so eager?” Hesitantly, I replied, “Okay…sure. I guess that I can help you.”

At this, Wally pumped his fist in excitement, saying, “Yes! I knew that I would find help somewhere! Come on guys, follow me!” Wally coughed a bit before leading us into a grassy plain near the city. Looking up with exasperation, I begrudgingly joined with May and Wally in this side quest.

We searched through the grass, trying to find the Pokémon that fit Wally’s description; it was supposed to be child-like with something like hair covering its eyes. After many encounters with Zigzagoons, Wurmples, and the like, it seemed like we were more likely to get struck by lightning than to find whatever Wally was looking for.

As all of us were toiling, May said, “So, Wally, why are you and your family moving? Petalburg seems like a nice, natural place to live.”

Wally sighed, responding, “That’s what I’m saying. I’ve known Petalburg as my home ever since I was born. If only I didn’t have this stupid asthma, then I could live here in peace.” He looked down, continuing, “My parents think that the air here is what’s triggering my asthma attacks, so they’re moving me to Verdanturf Town where the air is supposedly cleaner.”

May gasped, replying, “Oh, really? That's really sad.”

Wally nodded, responding, “You’re right, it is very unfortunate. I’ve read up on the Pokémon there, and they aren’t even that interesting! That’s why I’m here now: I wanted to catch at least one Pokémon from my hometown to call my partner. And this one Pokémon that I encountered some time ago...I just know that it's for me."

May looked at me, saying, “Are you hearing this, Rohon? I told you that it would be a good idea to intervene. If we hadn’t then Wally here wouldn’t have been able to fulfill his parting wish.”

As I turned away yet another Zigzagoon, I mumbled, “I hear you May, and I am concerned about Wally’s condition. But this is just taking way too long!”

As I was saying that, Wally suddenly gasped as he pointed to the north. “Guys,” he exclaimed, “There it is! Come on, quickly, before it escapes!”

We ran over to the child-like Pokémon, and I noticed that it had a white body with blue hair. It turned towards us nervously, saying, “Ra..ralts?”

Wally looked at the creature for a second before widening his eyes in realization. “Wait,” he said, “How am I supposed to catch this Pokémon without a Pokémon of my own?"

May looked at my bag, saying, “Rohon, why don’t you lend Wally your Worma? She should be easy for him to work with.”

Shrugging, I said, “Alright then. Here you go, Wally.”

Smiling, Wally grasped Wormas’ ball and threw it onto the ground, causing the wild Pokémon to freeze in shock.

“Worma,” I said, “You're going to have to listen to Wally for now. Also Wally, just so you know, Wormas’ moves are Tackle, String Shot, and Poison Sting.”

Wally nodded, saying, “Perfect. Okay, Worma, was it? Use Tackle!” Worma, who was compliant as usual, followed Wally’s orders, knocking the wild creature off its feet with a frontal attack. The Pokémon rolled off to the side and brushed itself free of dust before using Growl at Worma.

"Okay,” said Wally, now let’s try out Poison Sting.”

I quickly stopped him, saying, “Wait, Wally, tell Worma to stop attacking. Don’t you see that the wild Pokémon is tired?”

Wally did as I said before looking at the creature, and he could see that the Pokémon was indeed winded after just one attack. “Ah,” he said, “I see. This Pokémon isn’t too bulky, huh? I guess that I should throw a Pokéball now, right?” I nodded and lent him one of my spare balls, which he threw at the Pokémon. Befitting of its nature, the creature was caught with no trouble.

Wally smiled with pure joy at the both of us, saying, “Did that really just happen? I finally caught the Pokémon that I’ve been looking for! I can’t tell you how grateful I am for you both, Rohon and…what’s your name? I did not catch it.”

May smiled, saying, “The name’s May. And it was a pleasure to help fulfill your request.”

Wally looked back at me, saying, “Now, Rohon, it’s pretty obvious. You didn’t enjoy this whole charade, did you? It's okay, I understand. Still, it’s admirable how you stuck with it for as long as you did. You’re a good guy, Rohon.”

I felt my spirits lift a bit after this compliment, and I responded, “Oh, you think so? Well, uh, I’m glad that I was able to help.”

Wally looked up at the reddening sky, saying, “Oops, it’s getting pretty late. My parents are probably wondering where I am. Well, it’s been a pleasure, May and Rohon. Hopefully I will see you two down the road, sometime. May you have a good rest of your day.” Wally waved us goodbye before heading off.

Just as I was about to get relaxed again, May asked me, “Hey, Rohon? I don’t want to bother you after what you’ve just done, but...do you think that you could search with me for one of those Pokémon that Wally got? Pleeease?”

I looked at her with tired eyes before saying, “Sure, why not? It’ll grow the Pokédex anyway.”

And so, we spent an even longer amount of time looking for that one Pokémon species, which we eventually found sipping water from a lake. Strangely, this one had green hair instead of blue, which we wrote off as a difference in genes. May promptly caught the Pokémon, which was called a Ralts, since I had absolutely no interest in hunting down nor associating with another one of those things again.

Chapter 10: Setting sights on Petalburg Woods

Chapter Text

With tired eyes, I watched May pull out her phone. “Oh wow,” she said, “It's getting late. We should think about finding a place to sleep. Come on, Rohon, let's go back to Petalburg City.”

Mumbling a sign of confirmation, I shuffled after May as we both headed towards civilization.

We traversed the city, looking for any form of an inn or hotel. We eventually came across a place called “Barbara's Garden: Nature's Essentials” in the back of the settlement. Out of curiosity, we stepped inside its wooden doors, finding a red-haired, medium-sized woman wearing a camping vest.

She looked up from the book that she was reading by her lamp to see us walking in. “Why, hello there,” she said, “What brings you kids here at this time of night?”

May answered, “Me and my friend were just wondering where we could find a place to spend the night. Do you have any tips?”

The woman frowned, responding, “I’m afraid that you’re out of luck, sweetheart. There are establishments here with beds, but I suspect that their prices might be too high for kids like you two to pay for. But don't worry! I’ve got just the thing to fix this.”

She stood up and walked to a closet, turning on a light to find something inside her storage. She soon came back with a brown box labeled “Basic Camping Kit”. “There you go,” the woman said, “That package should have enough of the essentials for you all to create your own living space. I’m sorry that I can’t give you anything of a higher quality, but everything else I have costs quite a lot. Just follow the pamphlet inside and you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about paying for this, by the way, it’s on the house!”

May smiled, saying, “Thank you very much, miss! Me and my friend are very grateful for your kindness.”

The woman gave a thumbs up, replying, “Don’t mention it, kid, I’m always happy to help people in need. Have a good night, you two!”

With that, me and May travelled out to a grassy area outside of the city, where we began setting up our campsite. Seeing that I was tired, May volunteered to do most of the hard work, which she performed quite well. After some positioning, configuring, and guidance, we finished setting up our cheap tent. Thankfully, our camping kit had come pre equipped with some blue, yet thin, blankets, which we placed inside the tent.

We were just about to step inside until May said, “Rohon, I just got an idea. How about we let our Pokémon sleep outside of their Pokéballs this time? We can have Torchic set up a comfy campfire to warm their bodies!”

At this point, I just wanted some sleep, so I complied to May's request, sending out all my Pokémon while she sent out hers. Dendy got to work gathering sticks and placed them in front of Torchic, who used her newly-learnt Ember attack to light the plant material. Once all that was said and done, the Pokémon huddled down around the campfire and prepared to rest. Similarly, me and May dove into our tent, which had just enough room for us to be positioned a comfortable distance away from each other. In the absence of pillows, we both used our backpacks as substitutes.

May looked at me from the other side of the tent and smiled, saying, “You know, this may be a somewhat unconventional way to go about camping, but I’m glad that I got to do it with you, Rohon. You make a great travel partner, and I’m sure that our journey will only get better to come.”

I looked at her in the dark and smiled slightly, responding, “Same feelings here, May. Now let’s finally get some sleep.”

She yawned, saying, “Well said, neighbor. Good night, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Without another word, we both drifted off into a silent slumber.

Awoken to the sounds of Taillows chirping, I rose out of the tent and looked out to see a serene, morning scene of the forest.

May came out soon afterward with a head of bed-hair. “Good morning, Rohon,” she chirped, “Ready to start another day of adventuring? You know that I am!” She continued walking to a small puddle to the right, and she looked down before gasping in horror. “WOAH! Never mind,” she exclaimed, “I can’t be seen walking around like this! Excuse me for a second.”

She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a red hairbrush, which she used to straighten her hair. As she was doing this, I put my hands in my pockets and looked to the sky as I waited for May to be done with her hair. Soon enough, her hair was back to its desired state.

“Okay,” she said as she turned towards our Pokémon, “I’m all ready now. Come on, Rohon, let’s—wait a minute, what’s that?”

I looked to where May was looking and saw what was causing the confusion: an oval shaped thing that had 2 eyes with purple sclera. The other Pokémon were also looking at it with curiosity, prodding it with their feet and wings.

I held my Pokédex in front of it, causing my device to say, “Congratulations, your Wurmple has evolved into Cascoon!”

May looked at me, saying, “Wow, isn’t that something? Worma must’ve evolved while we were all sleeping! I wonder if it became stronger?”

My Pokédex then informed me that Cascoon now knew the move Harden, which I found to be useful.

Having experienced this sudden change in our lives, me and May packed our tent back into the box from whence it came, returned our Pokémon back to their balls, and returned to Petalburg City.

In the middle of the city, Norman waved to us in front of a large, important-looking building. “Hey, you two,” he said, “I never got the time to thank you both for your help in satisfying Wally. Kids like you help make the world go round.”

May smiled, replying, “It was our pleasure, Norman. By the way, I think I heard you say that you were busy with your Gym Leader duties, right?”

Norman nodded, replying, “Yes, miss, it’s hard work being a Gym Leader. Believe me when I tell you that I just couldn’t afford to spend any time tending to Wally simply because I was all backed up!”

May turned towards me, saying, “Did you hear that, Rohon? This is our chance to challenge a Gym Leader!”

Hearing this, Norman responded, “I appreciate the enthusiasm, kid, but I have the feeling that my gym isn’t the one for you and your friend. You kids did just start your Pokémon journey, right?” I nodded my head, to which Norman replied, “I thought so. Tell you what, why don’t you go and challenge the more beginner-friendly Gym in Rustboro City? You can find it past Petalburg Forest past this city. Roxanne, the Gym Leader, is usually the one that many trainers go to first.”

I saw no problem with Norman’s words. He did look like quite the strong man, which could possibly be a reflection of his Pokémon’s’ power. “Okay,” I said, “We’ll go and challenge Roxanne first, sir.”

Norman replied, “Alright, little man. Go on and train your Pokémon up, and when you feel that you’re prepared enough, you can return to face me.”

May replied, “Get yourself ready, Norman. It won’t be long before me and my pal are going to come beat you!”

As me and May walked towards the Petalburg Woods, Norman called after us, “Best of luck to you both! Don’t get lost in that forest, now!”

Chapter 11: Forest Fight!

Chapter Text

As me and May traversed through Petalburg Woods, my stomach started to rumble. “Ah,” I groaned, “We forgot to have breakfast. This really sucks.”

May looked around, saying, “You're right, and I'm starting to get pretty hungry too. Hey, since we're in this forest, why don't we go look for some berries to eat?”

I looked at her, responding, “Wait a minute, isn't that a bad thing to do? I thought that people weren't supposed to be eat random berries that they find in the wild. They could be poisonous!”

May waved her hand dismissively at me, retorting, “Oh, you’ll be fine. As the professor’s daughter, I know better than anyone what sort of berries are safe to eat. Just trust me!”

Although I still harbored some doubt in my mind, I nevertheless followed May through the forest as we looked for some berries. We eventually found a bush filled with blue, ovular fruits.

“Nice,” said May, “We found some Oran berries! Go on, Rohon, I’ll let you have the first one.”

I was thinking of refusing, but my hunger grew too painful to bear. So I just grabbed the berry, which was about the size of my hand, and took a bite. To my surprise, the fruit tasted okay. Although it didn’t taste sweet at all, it was quite juicy and offered a slight, acidic taste.

Enjoying this simple flavor, I hungrily ate the rest of the berry as May grabbed one from the bush. “See,” she said, “I know my stuff! We can always get berries like this whenever we're hungry. The same goes for our Pokémon! In fact, why don’t you let Axol have one of these Oran berries?”

I nodded, throwing out Axols’ Pokéball before handing him one of the fruit. He happily grabbed the berry and held it in his mouth. Interestingly, he did not chew the berry.

“Oh,” said May as we both grabbed another berry, “It looks like Axol isn’t hungry yet. Maybe he only wants to eat the berry when it’s necessary? Anyway, now that we’ve had our fill, let’s get a move on!”

I wiped my hands on my pants to remove the juices before May and I travelled through the forest.

As we were doing that, we heard the sound of a man crying out. Curious as to what would cause such a noise, we headed in the direction of the voice. There, we found a bespectacled man who was getting harassed by a boy with light-brown skin, a striped blue shirt and a blue bandana with a skull on it. He looked to be a bit younger than me. There was also a younger boy, probably at least 6, with a slightly darker tone who was wearing the same outfit.

“Hey man,” the older boy said, “Just hurry up and give me your stuff. It ain’t that difficult.”

The man clutched his box to his chest, saying, “Never! If I give this to you, I’ll be fired! And who knows what a ruffian like you will do with this delicate equipment?”

The boy smiled, saying, “I dunno what exactly I’m going to do with this, but I’m certain that Team Aqua will find something to do with this stuff. Now, give me the goods.”

May looked at me, saying, “Look at that, Rohon! That man is getting threatened by those two boys! We should go and help him out.”

Although I was not too fond of butting into another situation, my sense of justice prevailed over my sense of being preserved, and I went with May to the problem.

Once we got there, the older boy turned towards us and made an intimidating scowl. “Hey,” he snarled, “Are you two looking for trouble? Cause it looks like you are!”

May clenched her fist, answering, “Yes we are! We’re not just going to sit back and allow you to bully this man!”

The boy retrieved a Pokéball from his pocket, replying, “Oh, so you wanna play? Okay, we'll play! Jahmai! Get ready to stomp these clowns!”

The younger boy performed some kind of salute while laughing evilly and readying his own Pokéball. They both threw out their Pokémon, with the older kid having a green, gecko-like Pokémon and the younger one having a Poochyena.

May became shocked, saying, “Hold on, where did you find a Treecko? Those are only supposed to be given by Professor Birch!”

The boy crossed his arms impishly, replying, “Oh yeah, I stole this Treecko last night! That old professor should've guarded his Pokémon better!"

May huffed, “Why you little pest! How dare you do something like that to my dad? Rohon, let’s teach these punks a lesson!”

I nodded, feeling similar feelings to May’s. Wanting to end this quickly, I threw out my Mudkip while May threw out her Torchic.

The older boy grinned slyly at me, saying, “So, you really are an idiot, huh? Treecko, use Absorb!”

The Treecko ran towards Axol on its two feet and touched its dark green tail to Axol's head. Axol shivered as the Treecko’s tail grew bigger as it filled with something. After the lizard did this, it knocked away Axol, causing him to cry out in pain. I could tell by Axols’ face that this attack did more damage than was usual.

“Uh oh,” said May, “That was a grass-type move! Those types of moves are strong against water types like Axol!”

I looked with anger at the Treecko, saying, “Axol, don’t let this attack wear you down. Use Water Gun!” Axol shook his head and dug his feet into the ground as he prepared water in his mouth. He then launched the liquid at Treecko, aiming straight for its face. However, something shocking occurred afterward: the Treecko snickered as if Axols’ Water Gun had done nothing at all!

May shook her head, saying, “No, Rohon, water-type moves like that won’t do anything to a grass-type like Treecko. Here, let me show you how it’s done.Torchic, use Ember!” Torchic built up heat in her beak, shooting the stored power at Treecko’s chest. The boy winced as Treecko held its hand over the burn mark.

May chuckled, saying, “How’s that for a super effective move? Here’s a tip for you, Rohon: water is strong against fire, fire is strong against grass, and grass is strong against water! Remember that well.”

I held my chin in reflective thought. I had no idea that attacks would have properties like these!

The older boy looked angrily at his ally, yelling, “Get off your butt, Jahmai! We’re in a battle, remember?”

Jahmai, who was simply watching everything that was going on, was jolted to attention. “Oh,” he said, “Sorry, Manny! Poochyena, use…um…what was that move called again?”

Manny looked with exasperation at Jahmai, saying, “It’s called Tackle Jahmai. Come on, we’ve been over this!”

Jahmai scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, saying, “Oh yeah! Poochyena, use Tackle on that chicken!” The Poochyena did just that, and unlike Jahmai, it was actually good at its job and scored a hit on Torchic.

May looked at me, saying, “Rohon, let’s make this quick. I’ll handle the Treecko while you fight the Poochyena.”

So, we acted on that plan, with Torchic preparing another Ember for Treecko and Axol setting his aim on Poochyena. Seeing that Treecko was about to get burned again, Manny said, “Treecko, use Quick Attack to dodge the Ember and attack the Mudkip!” At that moment, Torchic had launched her Ember, but the fire failed to hit its target, which had suddenly vanished into thin air! Before I could even blink, Treecko had struck Axol with it’s tail, knocking him backwards.

May’s eyes widened as she said, “Whoa! What speed! Is Axol okay?”

I turned towards Axol with a worried expression, as he was now staggering on his feet. Or at least he was until he smiled proudly and revealed the Oran berry that he had stored in his mouth. He finally ate it, and I could see his face quickly regain its color; he was suddenly feeling better!

May looked with amazement at Axol, saying, “How clever! Axol must’ve been saving that berry for the most opportune moment!”

I smiled at my Pokémon, saying, “Good thinking, Axol! Now I know that we can win this! Quickly, use Water Gun over and over again on Poochyena!” Axol nodded, launching volleys of water at the Poochyena, who was lacking instructions from its trainer.

Before Manny could order his Treecko to launch another attack, May had Torchic launch an Ember at its tail, which was supposedly its most important body part. To rub salt on the wound, Treecko’s tail had been set ablaze!

May pumped her fist, saying, “Yes! I got a burn! Treecko is done for!”

As she predicted, the heat of Treecko’s tail proved to be too much for it to bear, and it collapsed on the ground. The Poochyena had also fainted to my Axols’ barrage, much to the disappointment of the two boys.

Manny clutched his head in anger, exclaiming, “No! You morons! You just ruined our plans!”

May put her hands on her hips, saying, “You bet we did! That'll teach you to stop doing crimes, you hooligans! Now, where’s our prize money?”

Jahmai suddenly brightened up, saying, “Oh yeah, miss, I’ve got what you want! Here ya go!” Jahmai then pulled out 800 Pokédollars and handed them to May, much to the shock of Manny.

“JAHMAI,” he screamed, “What are you doing?! You can’t just give away all our hard-stolen money like that! That’s how you get kicked out of Team Aqua!”

Jahmai donned a sad expression as he said, “But big brother, trainers are supposed to pay the winner of a battle!”

Manny turned towards us angrily, saying, “You haven’t seen the last of the Bubble Brothers! We will get you back for this!” Manny pulled out a flash bomb and threw it on the ground, creating an opening for him to escape.

Once the light cleared from our eyes, May laughed, “Bubble Brothers? What a silly name! Anyway, Rohon, great battling you did there.”

The man from before breathed a sigh of relief from his safety bush off to the side. “Thanks, you guys,” he said, “I was really in a pickle; those kids were tougher than I expected. I still find it strange how Team Aqua would recruit such young people to be part of them…”

I turned towards him, asking, “Team Aqua? What’s that?”

The man straightened his glasses, answering, “Team Aqua is a malicious group that has their mind set on increasing the ocean’s mass, for some reason. Don’t ask me to figure out their reasoning.”

May scratched her head, saying, “Hmm, yeah, it seems like a strange goal. But regardless, I’m glad that we were able to help.”

The man smiled, saying, “Yeah, thanks again. By the way, since you were so helpful to me, how would you like it if I were to show you to my workplace, Devon Corporation? It’s over in Rustboro City.”

May smiled, responding, “We would love that. We were on our way there anyhow.”

Securing his box in his arm, the man said, “Perfect. Now, follow me!”

Chapter 12: Acquiring a PokéNav

Chapter Text

The man led us through the forest, fortunately knowing how to get through without getting lost. After a bit of walking, we found ourselves in front of a sign that read, “Rustboro City: The place that probes the integration of nature and science.”

“Here we are,” said the man with a smile on his face, “My workplace is nearby. I can't wait to let you see what we've been working on!”

We continued on past some houses and structures until we came to a tall, brown building. As we walked inside, I saw a receptionist lady with black hair filing documents behind a desk.

“Hello, Sophia,” said the man, “I have here some fantastic young people that I’m sure the president would like to meet. Could you please go and phone him up so that we can discuss the achievements of these kids?”

Sophia nodded, replying, “Sure thing, Darrel. Give me a second.” She pressed a button on a nearby dial-up phone and picked up the receiver. After a small delay, she started talking with someone on the other end. Whatever the other person was saying, Sophia seemed to be somewhat in surprise by it. “Well,” she said as she put down the phone, “You’re in luck. Mr. Stone just so happens to be free. Here’s hoping that you kids will be able to get your gift; whatever you did to be brought here must’ve been important.”

With that, Darrel led us up a series of stairs all the way to the top of the building.

There, we found a large room with a long, empty, wooden table. Placed at the end of the table was a white-haired man sitting at a wide desk admiring a shiny gemstone; he was presumably Mr. Stone.

The man looked up at us, saying, “Hello there, Darrel! What brings you and these kids here?”

Darrel stepped out front of May and I, saying, “These two are responsible for helping me deliver the box that you wanted me to bring. You see, there were these two fiends from Team Aqua that were trying to steal my package, but these kids stepped up to the plate and defended me from those thugs!”

Mr. Stones’ eyes widened as he turned towards May and I, saying, “Team Aqua? Are you telling me that you children were responsible for fending off those dastardly criminals? I must say, that is a marvelous feat for trainers your age. This calls for a celebration!”

Mr. Stone opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small, blue box, which he called me over to collect. I opened the container to find a small, ovular, yellow device with a blue light in the center.

Mr. Stone continued, “That is a PokéNav. It is a handy device that allows you to make calls, keep notes, and access a map of Hoenn anytime you like! Normally, the price of this technology would be quite high, but since I'm such a nice president, I’ll let you have it for free!”

As I inspected the PokéNav, May responded, “Oh, thank you, Mr. Stone! This will be a great help to us during our journey.”

Mr. Stone laughed, saying, “Think nothing of it, sweetheart. You two have earned it for showing such bravery! By the by, I just heard you mention that you were on journey. May I ask what you kids are trying to do?”

May smiled, saying, “Me and my friend are on a quest to capture Pokémon so that my dad, Professor Birch, can research them.”

Mr. Stone looked at May with surprise, saying, “By jove, did you say that you were the professor’s daughter? I knew that you looked familiar! You must feel honored to help your father with such an important task, as I’m sure your friend must feel as well. That reminds me of my own son; he makes me proud with his carrying on of the family tradition of collecting rocks. I truly wonder if he is doing all right.” After looking towards the ceiling in deep thought, Mr. Stones’ face suddenly lit up with realization. “Say,” he said as he turned towards us, “You two have proven yourselves to be capable. Would you be so kind as to deliver a letter to my son, Steven Stone? I’ve heard that he is currently in Dewford Town, but I just cannot find the time to contact him due to my president duties. However, with that new PokéNav you just got, I’m sure that this delivery will be no problem.”

Still looking at my new device, I said, “I guess that we could help you, sir, but my friend and I were actually going to learn more about the gym that’s supposed to be here.”

May slapped her forehead, saying, “Oh right, I forgot all about that! Like my friend said, Mr. Stone, we were aiming to challenge the gym here in Rustboro City. We figured that it would be helpful to grow stronger this way. We would be glad to help you with your errand afterwards, though!”

Mr. Stone beamed, replying, “I’m glad to hear it, little miss! You know, I enjoy seeing go-getters such as you two. What are your names?”

This time, I spoke up, “I’m Rohon and this is my friend May.”

Mr. Stone responded, “Rohon and May, eh? Well, it was a pleasure meeting you two. I hope that you’re able to succeed in fulfilling Professor Birch’s’ request. May you continue to strive for greatness!”

As me and May were leaving, May turned around and said, “We’ll be sure to, Mr. Stone! Thanks again for the PokéNav!”

May and I exited Devon Corporation, and I started on configuring and personalizing my PokéNav. I input my basic information and preferences, following the necessary prompts to set up my new gadget. Once I was finished with that, my device gave me the option to view a map of Hoenn, which I showed to May.

“Wow,” she said, “This should be very helpful. Now we should have no worries about getting lost. Oh, what’s this? Look, Rohon, the PokéNav already has the location of the Pokémon gym right here! Let’s go check it out!”

So, with the guidance of the PokéNav, we travelled throughout the city, eventually coming across a large, wide building with a yellow top and a cool-looking Pokéball symbol.

May looked at me, saying, “Well, here we are. Let’s go and see what this Gym has to offer!”

We then proceeded to walk inside, where we were greeted by a sunglasses-wearing man with a brown-striped shirt and a fedora. “Hey there, trainers,” he said, “Welcome to the Rustboro City Gym! I assume that this is your first Gym, right?”

I nodded my head, to which the man responded, “Okay, well I’m going to have to register you as a Pokémon League challenger, then.”

The man then pulled out a tablet from his shirt pocket and asked me for my name and age, which I provided. He then went over to a counter that was to the left and printed out a sticky nametag for me, which I placed on the left part of my chest.

The man looked at the device in my hand, saying, “Oh, I see that you’ve got a PokéNav. If you want, you can also set your profile as a Gym challenger on there. That way, it’ll be easier to track your progress in the Pokémon League.”

I did as he suggested, navigating the device to find a screen asking me if I was a Gym challenger or not. When I tapped the “yes” option, a whole new screen was added to my homepage that contained my Pokémon League information as well as 8 empty slots.

The man continued, “Those blank spots are where your Gym badges go. As you probably know, you need those to rise up the ranks in the League. With all that out of the way, are you ready to take on this Gym?”

I put away my PokéNav, replying, “Yes, sir, I’m ready.”

Before I could proceed, the man said, “Wait a minute, is this girl also a challenger? If so, I’m gonna need her information, too.”

May shook her head, answering, “No, sir, I’m just accompanying Rohon. I’m not too big on battling.”

The man turned his head to the side, replying, “Well if that’s the case, miss, then you’re going to have to sit in the sidelines. You can watch your friend’s progress that way.”

May obliged, making her way to the brown seats that lined the walls of the gym. Although there were many chairs arranged in way similar to what you would see in a basketball arena, these seats were very empty, with only a few kids playing video games being present.

The man then turned towards me, saying, “Okay, Rohon, get yourself ready; you’re going to be challenging a rock-type gym. I’m not supposed to help you too much, but just remember that rock Pokémon are pretty defensive. Good luck out there!”

I looked at the area in front of me, saying, “Okay, sir, I’ll do my best.”

Chapter 13: Lithic lessons: The Rock-type Gym

Chapter Text

I proceeded forward through the Gym, which I noticed had the feeling of a museum. Ahead of me was what looked to be a maze made of tall, rocky walls. With nothing to lose, I made my way through the labyrinth, making left turns and right turns, meeting wall after wall after wall.

Eventually, I came across a young girl with a ponytail and a book. “Hello mister,” she said, “I'm Georgia, and I'm here to test you!”

Looking down at her, I said, “Test me? I didn't even learn anything!”

Chloe smiled, retorting, “Well, I guess that this can just be a pop quiz! Now go, my Geodude, show him how hard this gym is!”

Chloe reached into her small backpack and threw out a Pokéball that released a sentient, small rock with two arms. Seeing this, I decided to send out Worma, who placed herself in a stationary position. This caused Georgia to giggle as she said, “A bug type? What did you bring that out for?”

A disgruntled expression fell on my face as I said, “What's wrong with bringing a bug type here?”

Georgia simply gave me a sly look, responding, “Oh, you’ll see. Geodude, use Tackle!” The rock creature used its two arms to launch its way over to Worma, using its hard head to knock her straight on the noggin.

In response, I ordered, “Worma, do the same thing back at Geodude!” Worma hardened the silky spikes on her body and used them as pseudo-legs to attack the Geodude. I waited to see the pain on the Geodude’s face, but it still kept the same neutral expression.

Georgia laughed, saying, “Don’t you know that rock-types resist normal-type moves like Tackle?”

My face turned hot as I looked down at my feet. I should’ve saw that coming. In a fit of shame, I returned Worma to her Pokéball and instead sent out Dendy.

At that moment, I noticed a slight change in Georgia’s expression; she did not look so sure of herself anymore. “Um,” she said, “I see that you've switched out. Okay, Geodude, use Defense Curl!” Geodude tucked its arms over it's middle, assuming a defensive position.

I felt a triumphant feeling well up in me. Huh, I thought, Obviously, my Lotad has got something that she’s afraid of. What is it?

Experimentally, I ordered, “Dendy, use Astonish!” She waltzed her way over to the curled-up Geodude unassumingly before jumping towards the rock while making a startling noise. This did spook the Geodude into flinching, but it still didn’t look as if it were taking any damage.

Then, my mind flashed back to the data that I read on Dendy. Apparently, she knew the move Absorb just like that Treecko. “Dendy,” I said, “Now try using Absorb!” The Lotad, still in front of the Geodude, stuck her beak into a crevice on the motionless rock and started making a sucking motion with her mouth. I could see the Geodude flailing its arms in pain as its nutrients were sucked from its body. Unable to handle this feeling, the Geodude collapsed onto the ground with dazed eyes.

Georgia looked with anguish at her fallen partner, crying, “No! Not a grass move! I haven’t figured out how to handle those yet!”

My eyes lit up in triumph as Georgia sullenly handed me the prize money. I had figured out the weakness of rock-types!

With this newfound knowledge, I easily crushed the two other kids in the maze, who had also brought Geodudes. Other than the slightly confusing maze, I faced no difficulty in making my way to the end of the Gym, and my confidence was at an all-time high.

Sooner or later, I reached an expansive area filled with stone pillars, and there was an older girl with dark black buns and a lighter black dress that was waiting for me. “Hello challenger,” she said, “I am Roxanne. You did well to make it this far into the gym. Tell me, do you know your facts when it comes to Pokémon?”

I scratched my head and chuckled nervously, replying, “Ah, well, to be honest, I don’t really know that much about this subject. But I’m pretty sure I know enough.”

Roxanne smiled at me, responding, “Ah, okay, thank you for informing me. Don't take my question as an insult to your intelligence; I ask each of my challengers that question. It is just my way of getting to know my opponent, as one should. Though I must warn you, today you will not be facing your garden-variety trainer. I am Roxanne, proud valedictorian of the Pokémon Trainer School that is here in Rustboro City! I stand here in this Gym to apply all the knowledge that I reaped during my years there. That being said, I am always eager to learn more and more about Pokémon, especially ones owned by such adept trainers as yourself. So, would you be so kind as to show me the skills you have learned to get this far?”

I held Dendy’s Pokéball in my hand, answering, “I would be glad to, Ms. Roxanne.”

She held up her own Pokéball, responding, “Very well then. You should know that you are only allowed to use 3 Pokémon in this fight. Do not worry, because I will only be using 2 Pokémon.”

A confused look fell on my face as I inquired, “Why are you doing that? Doesn’t that put you at a disadvantage?”

Roxanne smiled confidently, replying, “I have my ways of innovating success out of situations like this. Now let us have a good bout!”

With that, we each sent out our first Pokémon, with me sending out Zig and Roxanne sending out a Geodude. As always, Zig’s intimidating gaze caused the Geodude to lose some of its spirit. Roxanne, however, was not so perturbed, and she simply said, “Geodude, use Defense Curl!”

Seeing as how the Geodude was increasing its’ hardiness, I decided to act against that buff. “Zig,” I ordered, “Use Howl to increase your strength!" Zig did just that, letting out a drawn-out cry towards the ceiling.

Roxanne held her hand to her chin, saying, “Smart move. I wonder, though, will that be enough to get through this attack? Geodude, use Rollout!” Still in its compressed position, the Geodude started to roll forward. It moved slowly at first, but I noticed it slowly pick up speed before ramming into Zig. My Poochyena, however, did not seem to be fazed at all.

I gave a confused look towards Roxanne, asking, “Is that what I was supposed to be prepared for?”

Roxanne wagged her finger at me condescendingly, saying, “I would not let my guard down if I were you.”

I heard May yell from the bleachers, “Rohon! Behind you!”

I looked in the direction where the Geodude had rolled off to and saw that it was making a U-turn back towards Zig for another blow. Before I could even say anything, Poochyena was hit yet again, and the Geodude continued rolling. This time, I had noticed something different: on the 2nd hit, the Geodude was travelling faster than usual. In fact, the Geodude was only picking up speed now!

In a panic, I exclaimed, “Zig, use Tackle to stop that rock!” I was well aware that such a normal move wouldn’t hurt the Geodude too much, but I just wanted to stop its acceleration. Zig readied his legs to strike the Geodude, who was quickly approaching. When the rock Pokémon was within range, he lunged forward. Unfortunately for us both, the Geodude’s velocity was too much to overcome, and Zig was knocked onto his back.

At this point, I was running out of options; the Geodude was about to come back for the 4th time, and Poochyena did not have much energy left. With nothing else to do, I said, “Zig, use Sand Attack!”

With the last of his strength, Zig faced his back to the incoming Geodude and kicked dirt at it with its hind feet. In this vulnerable position, Zig was inevitably hit, but I could notice a slight change in the Geodude’s trajectory.

I returned the defeated Zig to his ball, saying, “Good job, you did your best. Now it’s your time to shine, Dendy!”

I threw out her Pokéball before looking at the Geodude in sheer terror; it was turning back at a speed that I had never seen before! I covered my eyes so that I wouldn’t have to see the absolute carnage that the Geodude would bring on Dendy.

However, instead of hearing the smack of rock hitting flesh, I instead heard the crumble of a structure collapsing. I uncovered my eyes to see that the Geodude had rolled at maximum speed towards one of the stone pillars. Its Rollout had missed!

As the Geodude was stuck in the rubble, Roxanne widened her eyes in shock, saying, “What is this? I did not anticipate this outcome. Hm. Well played, Rohon, well played.”

I smiled with pure joy, exclaiming, “We've got ‘em now, Dendy! Use Absorb!” Before the Geodude could free itself, Dendy quickly waddled over to it and absorbed the nutrients of the rock’s body. After that, the Geodude lay motionless in the remains of the pillar.

Calling her Geodude back to the ball, Roxanne said, “I see that you have also packed a grass-type move. Very wise. Let us see if that will get you past my strongest ally! Go, Nosepass!”

She threw out a dark brown Pokéball that contained a rectangular Pokémon with a red, triangular nose.

I scratched my nose, saying, “That’s your strongest ally? Well, let’s see how it handles Dendy’s Absorb!”

As I ordered Dendy to attack the enemy, Roxanne assumed a battle-ready pose, saying, “Nosepass, block the attack with Rock Tomb!”

The Nosepass's nose started to quiver as large rocks rose up out of the ground. These rocks were then launched into the air all around Dendy, and she crashed into one of them as she advanced towards the Nosepass. Before she could regain her senses, more rocks were launched at her sides, back, and front, effectively trapping her.

Roxanne grinned with satisfaction as she continued, “Okay, Nosepass, now use Rock Throw until the Lotad faints!”

The Nosepass rapidly dug up rocks using it’s mysterious force and dropped them on Dendy, and I could hear her cries of “Tad, Lotad” from inside the rocky tomb. I was powerless to do anything, however, since I could not see a thing that was going on in there. After a volley of rocks were thrown, I suddenly stopped hearing cries of pain. The Nosepass lifted up one final rock, this time from the middle of the tomb. This stone had on it a fainted Dendy.

I stared with shock at the sight that lay before me. What in the world had just happened? “Roxanne,” I asked, “How the heck was your Nosepass able to hit my Lotad so accurately? I couldn’t even see a thing!”

Roxanne crossed her arms and gave me a knowledgeable smile. “It is simple,” she said, “This is the power of magnetism! Allow me to explain how a compass works: metal of a certain type is attracted to an object of a differing charge. The metal in this case would be my Nosepass’s nose, which is attracted to the foreign body that is your Lotad! Because of this, Nosepass was always able to know your Pokémon’s’ location. Nosepass’s magnetic powers are also useful for attracting and moving rocks with a charge that can be found throughout this arena."

I looked incredulously at the unassuming, big-nosed Pokémon in front of Roxanne. Who would’ve thought that it had such abilities?

My back was to the wall now. It was time to bring out my own ace in the hole. “Okay, Axol,” I said as I held out his Pokéball, “It’s now or never. Go!”

Axol emerged from his capsule, his head fin quivering in anticipation.

As soon as I threw out my final Pokémon, Roxanne said, “Nosepass, let us finish this with another Rock Tomb.”

The Nosepass levitated more rocks out of the ground with its magnetism before I could even say anything to Axol. Now that he was trapped in a stony prison, my hopes of winning went down the drain.

As I was about to give up, May shouted from the sidelines, “Come on, Rohon, you can win this! Me and Torchic believe in you! Just try and think of another way out!”

Spurred on by her encouraging words, I started to rack my brain for a solution. I knew for certain that neither me nor Axol could see out of the wall of rocks, so how would we be able to land a hit on the Nosepass? As I watched the opponent’s 1st Rock Throw enter through the top of the stone trap, an idea popped into my head.

“Axol,” I yelled, “Aim your water gun upwards! Just shoot everywhere!”

From within the lithic confines, I saw jets of water erupt into the air, travelling in many different directions. I could see that Axol knew what I had in mind; by shooting wildly like this, at least one blast had to hit the Nosepass, right? It turns out that I was correct; although most of the water missed its mark, the Nosepass eventually got hit by some of the liquid, and I could tell that it was taking major damage.

“Huh. How surprising,” said Roxanne, “Your Mudkip is still finding a way to assault my Nosepass with those super-effective moves. No matter. Nosepass, stay mobile and keep using Rock Throw!”

The Nosepass did just that, and it started levitating in a circle around the stone tomb, drastically decreasing the accuracy of Axol’s shots. To make things worse, he was still getting rocked from inside the trap. Faced by this dire situation, my only desire was to end this battle.

“Axol,” I screamed, “Use the most powerful Water Gun that you can! Make it rain!”

As soon as I said that, I could hear the loud gurgling of water emanating from the stone prison. This was followed by the largest geyser that I had ever seen rising into the air. The downpour caused by said geyser covered the area all around Axol’s position, leaving Nosepass nowhere to escape. Hit by the full force of Axol’s fury, the Nosepass was knocked over by the large volume of water. It’s nose twitched a bit before it finally stopped moving, a dazed look in its eyes.

Both me and Roxanne stood in awe at what just happened. After a brief period of silence, Roxanne started clapping, saying, “Well done, Rohon, well done. Never before have I seen someone use moves like you do. You have earned this Stone Badge.”

She reached into a duffel bag on her waist and pulled out a small trinket shaped like a square with a triangle on each end. She also handed me a flat CD disk, saying, “Here is the Technical Machine for the move Rock Tomb. I trust that a trainer of your caliber will find a good use for it. I fully expect for you to reach great heights with the help of your trusty companions. May you ever grow in your knowledge of Pokémon!” She held out her hand for me to shake, and I accepted the offer.

“Thank you, Roxanne,” I said happily, I’ll be sure to do my best.”

May and Torchic jumped for joy in the sidelines, with May cheering, “Woo, Rohon! You rock!”

Chapter 14: Clattering Caves

Chapter Text

As I held the TM in my hand, I realized something: Axol was still trapped in the Rock Tomb! Just as I was about to worry, Roxanne called for a Geodude to bash into the restricting rocks, allowing Axol to return to me.

He happily cuddled up next to me as Roxanne said, “It is to my knowledge that Pokémon such as Mudkip can learn the move Rock Tomb. Do you already know how to use Technical Machines, young trainer?”

I shook my head, replying, “No, ma'am, I do not."

Roxanne explained, “You must insert that disk that you have into a CD player; if said device is connected to a television, your Pokémon may watch the footage that is shown on screen and learn the technique labeled on the disk. I would suggest that you buy a portable television and disk player from the local store. Here, since you have defeated me, I will give you your prize money so that you may make the purchase.” She reached into her bag and pulled out 1680 Pokédollars.

I gaped in shock as she continued, “That should be more than enough to suit your needs. Now if you will excuse me, I must clean up this mess. May your journey be a pleasant one, Rohon."

We gave each other a final handshake before I returned Axol to his ball and headed out with May to the city.

May looked at me with shining eyes, exclaiming, “Great job again on that victory, Rohon! This should be a massive ego boost for us to complete the Pokédex.”

I looked ahead of me with pride, answering, “That could be true, May. And we should feel even better when Axol learns that powerful move.” We continued on to a building called Gary’s Goods, where we roamed the aisles to pick out a cubic, tablet sized TV for 550 Pokédollars and a player for 235. I took my purchases and walked with May to a secluded area in the nearby forest.

There, I released Axol from his capsule, placed the TV in front of him, and set up the display with May’s help. Once we were all done, I inserted the disk into its slot, and a video soon popped up on the screen. Performing in said video was a Geodude that was situated in the middle of a rocky area. “Geodude, Geo,” the rock said in its language, “G'Dude, Geo Geo.” It stuck both its hands into the ground and pulled out a rock with each of them. It then turned towards a dead bush in the distance and hurled the stones at it. Grabbing two more rocks, the Geodude threw those at the bush as well.

I saw Axol’s eyes dilate in fascination, his feet matching the movement of the Geodude’s arms. Guided by the stone’s voice, Axol performed repetitive up and down movements until he finally pulled out a stone of his own from the Earth. He looked with satisfaction at the feat he accomplished, gurgling, “Mud! Kip!” Due to his quadruped physique, Axol could not hold a rock in each hand as easily as the Geodude. To fix this, Axol dug out a stone with his first dorsal fin, balancing the rock on top of his head. Mimicking the actions of the Geodude, Axol hurled the rocks at a nearby shrub along with two other stones that he dug up. The shrub was now stuck in a tomb.

Once Axol had done that, he jumped for joy as me and May clapped. “Bravo, Axol,” said May, “You sure learned that quick.” I added, “What she said. Now we can see how our opponents handle what you went through!”

Axol made a happy, wet sound before I returned him to his ball and packed the portable television into my bag.

“Okay,” said May, “Where’re we headed to next?”

I pulled out my PokéNav and took a look at the map, saying, “Well, my device is saying that the next path, Route 116, is pretty popular. Maybe we can go check it out.”

May nodded, replying, “Okay then, let’s go! More routes equals more Pokémon!” With that, May and I traveled to the right in search of new specimens.

As we proceeded forward, I noticed that the terrain was starting to get less grassy and more dirt-filled, with pebbles lining the ground. We were minding our own business until a high-pitched mew was heard.

“Hey now,” said May, “What was that?”

To investigate, we headed over to a patch of dirt where the noise was coming from. There we found a pink cat Pokémon toying around with a cicada Pokémon, who did not look pleased in the slightest as it was tossed back and forth. When the cat noticed us, it immediately diverted its attention from the bug and turned towards us, meowing, “Skeyow!”

May was instantly infatuated, cooing, “Aw, what a cutie!”

Recognizing us as intruders, the feline gave us a slight growl before noticing its shaking tail and chasing after it. This one seemed to be highly distractible. All the while, May couldn’t stop admiring the bumbling fur ball.

I had to remind her, “Hey May, if you like this Pokémon so much, then why don’t you catch it?”

Without any hesitation, May retrieved one of her 3 Pokéballs and threw it at the cat, who was too occupied to evade the object. May immediately brought out her new catch, cuddling it with passion. “Oh, gosh,” she gushed, “You’re so FLUFFY! You’re going to live such a great life with me!”

As my friend was introducing herself to the slightly disgruntled Pokémon, I looked towards the cicada, who had been spectating the whole event. I readied my Pokéball, causing the wary insect to burrow into the ground.

Darn it, I thought, That one got away! I looked back at May and said, “I hope that you’re happy with your new friend.” She smiled back at me, replying, “You bet I am! And he’s called a Skitty!” Apparently having enough of the affection, the Skitty gave May a scratch on the cheek, causing her to jump back in pain. The cat then activated its own Pokéball, allowing it to enter the capsule while May sat in shock. “Ooh,”I winced, “Looks like that Skitty isn’t much of a cuddler.” May held her cheek while staring at the Pokéball, responding, “Yeah, you may have a point there.” Ever prepared, May pulled out a bandage from her backpack, placed it on the injury spot, and we continued on.

As we reached the end of Route 116, we came across a sign reading, “Approaching Rusturf Tunnel” Aiming to find another Pokémon there, we headed in the direction that the sign was pointing to find a rocky passage.

From within the cavern, I could hear faint, echoing cries created by some unknown beings. Feeling intrigued, we headed inside the hole, where we found multiple small, pink Pokémon mingling about. Noticing our presence, the creatures scurried back into their hidey-holes scattered all over the place.

It was then that I heard a new sound: an old man yelling. “Hey you hooligans,” the voice shouted, “Get your hands off of my Peeko!”

May and I travelled towards the source of the noise, finding a balding old man facing none other than the Bubble Brothers.

“Nope,” said Jahmai with a taunting grin, “Team Aqua needs Pokémon to win!”

Manny added, “What he said. Especially water-types like this one!”

As Jahmai was holding some sort of seagull Pokémon, May stepped forward, saying, “Oh, don’t tell me that it's you two again. Leave that bird alone!”

Manny looked at us with a surprised face, exclaiming, “AH! What are you dopes doin’ here?!”

As I walked next to May, she replied, “We were just doing our own thing, but it looks like you bullies need to be taught a lesson!”

Manny glared at us, saying, “There ya go again, sticking your nose into other’s business. I did say that we would have our revenge, so me and Jahmai are going to mangle you! Prepare your cheeks, cause you’re about to get clapped!”

May looked at me with determination, saying, “Are you ready to fight, Rohon?”

I nodded, grabbing the Pokéball containing Rigby and gripping it in my hand.

We were just about to rumble when the unexpected happened. Apparently our commotion had agitated one of the pink creatures, who ran up to us and started jumping up and down in aggression. After that display, the previously quiet Pokémon let out an ear-splitting scream, causing mostly everyone in the area to feel immense pain....well, at least everyone except the elderly person; he seemed just fine.

Covering his ears, Jahmai yelled, “Manny, I don’t want to be here anymore!”

Also covering his ears, Manny screamed back, “What?!”

Jahmai repeated, “I said I don’t want to be here anymore!”

Manny shook his head, saying, “I can't hear you, Jahmai! Let’s get to a quieter spot! We’ll be back, you two!”

When the duo scurried out of the cave, the small creature suddenly stopped crying, causing May and I breathed a sigh of relief. The old man laughed, saying, “Heh, serves them right. Everyone knows that yelling in Rusturf Tunnel riles up the Whismur. Boy, am I glad that my hearing aid is broken! Oh, Peeko, you’re safe now!”

The seagull flew its way over to the aged individual, calling in happiness. After recovering from the loud sound, I looked at the Whismur with interest. “Hmm,” I said as the Pokémon looked up at me, “You seem pretty fascinating. How would you like to join my team?”

May looked at me with utter confusion, asking, “Um, excuse me, what the actual frick are you thinking? We can’t have a Pokémon like that around here! It’s a walking hearing loss risk! And you call me the irrational one.”

I looked at the now-docile Whismur, saying, “Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad. Look, this Whismur is quiet as a stone right now. It shouldn’t give us too much trouble.”

May reluctantly allowed me to throw one of my capsules at the Whismur, who was too tuckered-out to do anything. I decided to creatively name it Benjammin.

Afterwards, the old man said, “Thank you kids for showing some interest in a random old coot like me. I think that I'll introduce myself: I’m Mr. Briney, and this here is my Wingull Peeko. Peeko and I were just took our boat from Dewford Town and rode here to visit a friend, but then those punks just had to ruin our day.”

May’s eyes widened as she said, “Wait, did you say Dewford Town? Me and my friend have a letter to deliver there!”

Mr. Briney replied, “Oh, is that so? Well, young lady, how would you feel about me transporting you and your friend over there?”

May smiled, responding, “That would be great!”

The man chuckled, “Alrighty then, you two, what're we standing around here for? The sea awaits!”

Chapter 15: Sailing for Dewford

Chapter Text

Following Mr. Briney, May and I traveled back to Rustboro City, through Petalburg Woods, and south of Petalburg City to find a small cottage by the sea. “Here we are,” said the old man, “This is my own homemade port. I hope that you’ve brought your sea legs, cause we’re in for quite the voyage!”

I had little worry for this fact; I used to live near the ocean, so why would I have a problem with travelling on a boat?

10 minutes into the boat ride, and I was already feeling woozy. I had no idea that the sea would give me so much nausea.

As I sat on a wooden chair with my arms around my chest, May asked, “Isn’t this boat ride fun, Rohon? I’ve never experienced such a swaying feeling before!”

Oh no, I thought, don’t bring up the swaying! Those berries aren’t going to stay in me for much longer...

As I sat there in sufferance, May added, “Hey, are you doing all right there? Don’t tell me that you’re seasick! How could you consider yourself a Hoennian if you don’t like the water?”

Still holding myself, I struggled to reply, “That’s...not true. I *URP* love the water!”

May smiled, giggling, “It sure doesn’t look like it, with how pale you’re getting. Do you need a bucket? Just try not to get the planks dirty, will you?”

I shook my head and continued to look down. How could May do this? I thought, I thought we were supposed to be friends! She wouldn’t like it if I kicked her while she was down, now would she?

As I was suffering, Mr. Briney called from the steering wheel, “Ahoy there, lad, I see that you’re looking a little green around the gills! How about a sea shanty to ease your stomach?”

I widened my eyes in horror. Oh no, I thought, Anything but that. I hate singing.

I prepared to state my disapproval, but I could not manage to speak up due to my queasiness. Thus, to my dismay, Mr. Briney started, “I know one that you young’uns will love! Ohh, 99 bottles of Grepa Juice on the wall, 98 bottles of juice! Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of Grepa juice on the wall. Come on kids, join in!”

May smiled, clearly enjoying the current events. “98 bottles of Grepa juice on the wall, 98 bottles of juice! Take one down, pass it around, 97 bottles of Grepa Juice on the wall.” She looked at me expectantly, and I returned an unamused expression, simply saying, “No.”

At that moment, both Axol and Dendy jumped out of their balls, singing in tune in their language. I looked at them with complete surprise, heartbroken at their betrayal.

“That’s the spirit! Now,” Mr. Briney continued, “Let’s continue all the way to Dewford! 96 bottles of Grepa Juice on the wall…”

I was forced to sit on the swaying boat helplessly as my crewmates sang that incessant song. As I clutched my stomach harder, I thought, Keep it down, Rohon. You can’t let them see you make a mess, especially if they’re going to give you this much trouble. Don’t give them another source of fun.

And so, we continued our voyage all the way to our destination.

Finally, we arrived at the shore of Dewford Town. I was off before Mr. Briney could say anything. I thought about puking into the nearest log, but I had no intent to pollute the environment, so I took a deep breath to quell my nausea.

“Safe travels, my boy,” called down Mr. Briney, “I hope that you and your friend are able to find what you’re looking for.”

May approached from behind me, replying, “Thank you again for ferrying us, Mr. Briney! You were a huge help. That song was super fun too!”

Mr. Briney smiled, responding, “I’m glad to hear that you had fun. You make a mighty fine singer if I do say so myself! Well then…” With a tip of his hat, Mr. Briney turned his boat, saying, “I’m off!”

May caught up to me and walked by my side, saying, “So, Rohon, how did you like the ride? Would you also say that my singing is fantastic?”

I simply responded, “Your singing was as good as I expected it to be.”

May gave me a look, replying, “Oh yeah? And how good would that be? Come on, at least give me a rating out of 10?”

I was really tempted to give her as low a score as possible to reflect the feelings that I experienced during that torture. Despite that desire, I did not want to hurt May’s feelings, so I answered, “You deserve an 8/10.”

May laughed, “I think my performance warrants a 10/10, but I’ll take it. You’re the best!”

I groaned with exasperation, saying, “Yes, yes. Anyway, we’re supposed to be looking for Steven, right? So, let’s get a move on.”

May nodded, replying, “Right-o.”

We then traveled through the small village of Dewford, looking for any signs of where our target would be. Eventually, May asked a random food vendor, “Excuse me, but would you happen to know where a person named Steven Stone went to? We have a letter to deliver to him.”

He replied, “I sure do, little miss. Last time I saw him, he was headed over to Granite Cave over there to the left.”

May smiled, saying, “Thanks a lot, sir! Okay, Rohon, let’s head over there.”

I walked with May over to the aforementioned cave, where we began our dive into the cavern. Soon after entering, I could hear the loud sound of rocks being crushed. May and I travelled to the source of the noise to find a pudgy, yellow Pokémon with closed eyes and hands like boxing gloves. It repeatedly struck the many rocks laid throughout the cave as it made grunts of “maku, maku.”

May looked at the creature with curiosity, saying, “What is that?”

Hearing May’s words, the Pokémon turned towards us, angrily saying, “Hit, hita!” Seeing Axol’s Pokéball in my hand, the creature smashed its hands together in a defiant way before letting out a battle cry and charging straight at me.

In a panic, I threw out Axol’s capsule so that he could come and protect me. The wild Pokémon seemed to be pleased by this, as it was wearing a grin that connected between its two red cheeks. “Okay, Axol,” I said, “This one looks pretty tough. Do you think that you can take it on?”

Axol looked back at me and smiled, showing that he was not worried in the slightest. This allowed me to calm down, and I said, “Good. Okay then, use—”

Before I could even finish my sentence, the Pokémon lunged towards Axol with a sudden burst of speed. With the displayed agility, I expected our foe to unleash an attack of a similar magnitude, but it instead…clapped Axol’s cheeks between its hands.

Both me and Axol were stunned by this peculiar behavior, giving the Pokémon a chance to unleash a flurry rush of open-handed palm strikes.

As Axol was knocked down to the ground, May said, “How cheeky! That Pokémon just faked you out! Go on, Rohon, show it that you aren’t to be messed with.”

I nodded, saying to my partner, “Okay, Axol, retaliate with Water Gun!” The Mudkip collected moisture in his mouth and released a jet of water at our enemy. In response, the Pokémon stomped its feet on the ground before running at Axol for a Tackle attack. Unlike before, the Pokémon was rather slow, so I had Axol jump out of the way, causing the wild creature to fall flat on its face.

This upset the Pokémon greatly, and it held up a fist to Axol in anger. It then tried again with the same tactic, this time moving a bit faster. Axol avoided the attack all the same, and I decided that now was a good time to attempt a capture due to the fact that the Pokémon had hurt itself twice now. I acted on this hunch, chucking a ball at my target’s exposed back. It let out a surprised grunt before it was sucked into the red capsule.

I watched with anticipation as the Pokéball shook around. I had just about expected this capture to be successful when I saw the light on the ball flash red. I had little time to reply before the Pokémon leaped out of its capsule and applied its full body weight to Axol with a Tackle.

“Uh oh,” said May, “Looks like it broke out. Try tiring it out some more.”

I looked inside my bag, realizing that I only had 1 Pokéball left. This last one had to count. Knowing this, I said to Axol, “Don’t let up. Keep on shooting water!” Axol obliged, launching Water Gun after Water Gun at the hardy Pokémon. As this was going on, our foe was clenching its fists as if it was concentrating intensely.

As I was wondering what it was possibly thinking, it suddenly leapt into action, launching another barrage of strikes. Axol looked to be taking much more damage this time around, causing me some distress. At that moment, an idea popped into my head. “Axol,” I said, “Aim for that Pokémon’s’ head to knock it out!” Axol agreed without any doubt, and he launched himself straight at the enemy’s noggin.

The Pokémon staggered a bit, attempting to keep up its tough act before sitting down with a dazed expression. Sensing the opportunity, I swiftly took out my last Pokéball and hurled it at the creature. The tension in the room was palpable; this was going to be my last chance to catch a Pokémon in a while, since I had not seen any Pokémart in Dewford. Fortunately for me, the Pokémon stayed in this time, causing my Pokédex to register my catch as a male Makuhita.

“Woohoo!" cheered May, “You did it! Both Pokémon took a lot of damage though…let’s go to a Pokémon Center!”

After naming my new catch after a sumo wrestler I heard about on TV, Konishiki, I tucked his capsule into my bag before leaving the cave.

Chapter 16: Creepy Caverns

Chapter Text

After resting our Pokémon at the local Pokémon Center, May and I got directly back to the cave. We traversed past the many rocks where we had found Konishiki and found a passage leading downwards. I decided to follow May down this path, which would be the worst decision I had made in a while.

The darkness down there reminded me of my time sitting in the back of my family’s moving van. Unfortunately, I did not have any light to aid me, which was a huge problem; I was afraid of the dark.

I instantly stopped dead in my tracks, refusing to go any further. “Nope,” I said, “I’m not dealing with this. Talk to me when it gets brighter.”

I could barely make out May looking at me as she said, “Oh come on, Rohon, you’re really going to give up just like that? We just made it into this cave! Unless you’re telling me...” She approached closer to me, continuing, “...That you’re scared of the dark?”

I blushed, retorting, “W-who says that?! I’m not scared of the dark! Just the...things that are in the dark.”

She laughed, replying, “Here I am with the chicken Pokémon and you’re too petrified to make a move. Come on, it’s just a cave! If Steven made it through here, then we can too!”

I considered this for a moment, evaluating May’s words. I then came to the conclusion that Steven must be a much better person than me, and I remained unmoving. At this, May frowned before grabbing my hand and yanking me forward, forcing me deeper into the dreadful cave.

While May confidently strode forward, I could hardly manage to make it 5 feet before panicking at the slight touch of a foreign object. I simply could not shake the feeling that something, somewhere was watching me, planning to pounce on me, pin me down, and feast on my skin with large, sharp fangs. I could only imagine what sort of atrocities awaited me in this dark, uncharted place, what sort of grim fate I would meet while travelling with a crazy girl who wouldn’t leave me alone, how quickly I would...

“Hey,” said May, “Pick up the pace, would you? I wouldn’t want to lose you now!”

I looked down at my legs, seeing that they had buckled up under the extreme stress. I quickly got myself together and ran by May’s side. “Seriously,” I said, “How do you manage to stay so calm in the middle of all this? Do you not know the definition of fear?”

May continued walking, saying, “Believe me, I have faced many experiences just like this. Do you know what it’s like, being the professor’s daughter? Especially since my dad likes to do a lot of field work, I always have to be ready to help him out in case things go south. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to save him from the local Zigzagoon, out of the brambles of a thorny bush, or guide him out of a confusing forest. But you know what? All I do in those situations is think of the greater good that I’m accomplishing by doing these things. When you’re enduring intimidating situations like these for the purpose of something worthwhile, your fear is nothing in comparison. Does that make sense?”

I walked in silence, contemplating the speech that I had been given. I had no idea that May of all people could be so profound, so thoughtful. Her words almost made me forget that I was walking in a dank, deep cave. “Wow,” I said, “I never saw it that way. Thank you, May, you’ve really opened my eyes.”

She looked back at me and smiled, replying, “Glad that we see eye-to-eye now, Rohon. Now, are you ready to move through this cave for real?”

I nodded, inspired by May’s dauntless attitude.

As I was moving my head, I noticed a strange heaviness to it. I slowed my steps, reaching up to my hair with a horrified expression. Running my hands along my head, I noticed what felt like wings, thin fur, and small ears. I could feel the adrenaline rise in my body as I screamed, “AHHH! MONSTERS! I TOLD YOU! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

My once slow movement was dialed up to 11 as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I was unconcerned with which direction I was going; the top priority of mine was to escape becoming something’s dinner. With that thought in mind, I zipped past all the rocks and crags that littered the cave, somehow managing to not hit any of them, and leaving May to eat my dust.

I continued to flee until I eventually reached a pit in the floor. I was left with no other choice but to fall and tumble my way to an unknown section of the cave, and I quickly lost consciousness.

I awoke to a rocky room that was very well lit. I rubbed my head as I looked around, disgruntled at the fact that I was alone. The only thing with me other than the bean bag I was sitting on was a bright ball of light that was hovering in the air.

I sat confused until a white-haired young man came walking into the scene carrying a tray of sandwiches. My eyes widened as I came to a horrifying conclusion. “Hey,” I started, “Is this...heaven? Are you one of those angels I heard about?”

At that moment, May walked into the room, and I could not be any sadder. “Oh no,” I said with tears welling up in my eyes, “Not you too! The monsters got us both!” I ran over to her hugging her with pure remorse and sadness.

The young man looked at us both incredulously, trying to make out the situation. “Um,” he said, “I think that you’re mistaken. This isn’t heaven, and you’re not dead. You were probably close though; I found you lying unconscious on the ground nearby. I had to come and rescue you.”

May added, “Yeah, I don’t know what got into you, running off like that. I had to run over to find you, and so I met Steven here.”

Realizing the reality of the situation, I felt immediate shame over my loss of composure in front of May, and I quickly rushed back to the beanie to skulk. It was then that I noticed I had a bandage covering the right side of my head, and I rubbed it quietly.

As I was doing that, I did a double take as I realized what May had said. “Wait,” I said, “You’re Steven Stone?”

He nodded, saying, “Indeed I am. Here, would you like a sandwich? You must be quite tired after that fall.”

I happily accepted his offer, for there was no better way to calm my nerves than with some good eating.

May claimed a beanie next to me and took a sandwich as I said, “What are you even doing down here, Steven? We had to suffer through a dark cave just to get to you! How did you even get here without stumbling a thousand times?”

Steven smiled, saying, “To answer your first question, I was here with the intent to find some valuable minerals. The rocks here in Granite Cave are very intriguing, and I would love to add them to my collection. As for your second question, my trusty Metagross was able to light my way. Come on out, friend, and show them how you do it!”

A slight rumble filled the room as a 4-legged, robotic Pokémon with an X-pattern on its face came stomping in. “Met, meta,” it said as it opened its mouth wide, releasing another ball of light that replaced the now-dimming one at the top of the cave.

Steven patted the Metagross, saying, “Just like that. Did you two not have access to this move?” Me and May shook our head, to which he replied, “I suppose that makes sense; normally trainers are only able to use this technique upon beating this town’s Gym Leader, Brawly. Anyhow, is there a reason for you two coming to visit me?”

I retrieved the letter from my backpack, saying, “Your dad wanted me to give this to you. He said something about not being able to reach you since, you know, you’re at the bottom of a darn cave.”

Steven grabbed the letter from my hands, saying, “Oh, is that so? Thank you both so much, I know it must take some real kindness to accept favors from total strangers. I guess that we helped each other out today, huh? In fact, I think that I’ll give you another gift. Here, the TM for Steel Wing.”

He handed me a flat disc placed inside of a case with the design of some sort of metal bird.

“You know,” he continued, “That’s one of my favorite TMs out there. I think it befits such good trainers as yourselves. Well, it has been nice to meet you Mr. and Ms..."

May said, “It’s May and Rohon, and we’re glad that you could help us. Now, would you mind telling us the way out?”

Steven nodded, saying, “Certainly. You must simply head up the slope from here, take a right, go straight, head up another slope, turn left, head up yet another slope, and the exit should be there! Oh, but you must need a light to guide your way. Metagross, give our guests another Flash, please!”

The robotic creature produced the requested light source and moved it over us, where it hovered wherever we went.

“There you go,” Steven said, “Well then, I wish you both safe travels, May and Rohon, and may our paths cross once again!”

May waved, responding, “Same to you! Bye, Steven!”

With that, May and I exited the room, following Steven’s instructions to escape the cave.

As we were leaving, May gave me a teasing look, saying, “So, I noticed how passionately you hugged me back there. Should I be...worried?”

Having a sense of what May was hinting towards, I blushed profusely and retorted, “Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I was just overwhelmed with emotion, that’s all! It’s only expected that I act that way towards my own neighbor, especially when I think that she just died!”

May shook her head and smiled, responding, “Whatever you say, Rohon.”

Feeling intensely embarrassed, I simply kept to myself until I caught sight of a purple Pokémon hiding away in a corner. I approached closer to find that it was some sort of bat creature with no eyes, yet it was attempting to cover its head with its wings.

“Aw,” said May, “Looks like this Pokémon is scared of the light. Sounds familiar, huh? I guess that I could use my last Pokéball to catch it and bring it somewhere safe.”

With that, May chucked a capsule at the cowering bat, who gave no resistance and was swiftly captured. Apparently, this creature was called a Zubat. Having acquired this new member, May and I exited the cave to find our next course of action.

Chapter 17: Pitch-Black Prancing

Chapter Text

After leaving the cave, the portable Flash that Steven gave us rose and flew away. Once that happened, May said, “Hey, Rohon, didn’t Steven mention something about a Gym Leader being here? We should go and check it out!” I decided to agree with her; any progress in our journey was welcome.

With that, we explored the town, moving past the simple houses and people to find a Gym stadium in the bottom left corner of the island. We headed inside to find a man wearing the same clothes as the one I saw in Rustboro’s Gym, although this one was a bit thinner.

He looked at the sticky nametag on my chest, saying, “Good to see that you’re continuing your Gym challenge, Rohon! I assume that you’re already familiar with this whole process, so we’ll jump right into things. Before we can begin, I’ll need your friend to head to the bleachers; trust me, she’s going to need a firm place to sit during all this.”

May smiled and gave a parting wave to me, saying, “Alright, Rohon, you’ve already bested one Gym, you can definitely handle this one! My Pokémon and I will be cheering you on!”

With that, she left for the bleachers, leading the man to say, “Okay, Rohon, we’re about to start. Oh, and I would close my eyes if I were you.”

I scratched my head, thinking, Close my eyes? Why would I need to—

Suddenly, all the lights turned off, leaving me completely in the dark. The only thing near me that I could see was the gleam of the man’s glasses, and the wearer said, “Are you wondering why everything went pitch-black? Here in the Dewford Gym, we only accept Trainers who can prove themselves to be brave. So, what you must do is navigate your way to our Gym Leader without chickening out. Are you up for the challenge?”

Truth be told, I was not expecting this turn of events. Despite 90% of my mind wanting to turn tail and leave, the remaining 10% knew that acquiring this city’s Gym badge was worth the terrifying experience. Knowing this, I quietly muttered, “Y-yes sir, I’m...ready.”

I saw the shine of the man’s teeth before he backed up into the darkness, saying, “I hope so. Good luck...”

I gripped one of my Pokéballs in a vain attempt to quell my stress. “Okay,” I murmured to myself, “This isn’t like the cave. This Gym is filled with people, not scary monsters! You’ll be fine...” I gulped and gathered what little resolve I had and trekked forward. I hummed to myself, using the clicking and clacking of my shoes on the linoleum floor as percussion. This approach worked until the floor turned into...sand?

My jaw dropped in sheer surprise. Was this all a lie? Had I stepped into some portal in the Gym that transported me into a foreign wilderness, miles and miles away from any form of civilization? I felt my stomach churn as I thought, The Zubats in that cave were nothing. Just imagine what sort of monsters I could find in this new landscape. I bet that some sort of giant crab is going to walk over to me and tear me apart with its pincers. Or maybe some big version of a Wingull is going to swoop down and gulp me up! Ohh...

As I was walking, I felt some sharp object pierce me in the heel of my foot. My heart rate increased as I exclaimed, “See?! Pincers right here! You’ll never take me alive, you freak!” I then ran as fast as I could to the right, even though I was unable to see exactly what I was heading towards. I soon saw a light in the distance, which I was all too glad to witness. “Yes,” I exclaimed, “Safety! I think that’s the goal!”

I hastened my pace, eventually meeting a girl with a blonde ponytail that was wearing an orange, two-piece workout suit. “Hey there,” she said, “You look to be a bit panicked. I hope that this Gym isn’t frightening you too much! How about a quick battle to calm your nerves?"

My mood quickly took a turn for the worse. Seriously? A battle here of all places? “Hey,” I asked, “How are our Pokémon even supposed to fight in such a dark place?”

The girl smiled, responding, “When you’re as skilled as my Pokémon and I, the state of the arena doesn’t mean a thing. Now, go, Machop!”

She threw out her Pokéball, releasing what was essentially a miniature version of the Machoke that helped move my family’s items. As for me, I figured that, as a Pokémon that came from the caves, Benjammin would fare the best in such a dark environment. Knowing this, I sent him out, saying, “Benjammin, use Echoed Voice!”

Benjammin let out a fairly quiet noise, causing the Machop to experience a minor amount of pain. The girl showed no signs of caring as she said, “Okay, Machop, use Focus Energy! Scope out that Whismur’s weak points!”

The Machop then glared at my Pokémon, focusing with intent. Not knowing what was going on, I ordered, “Benjammin, use Echoed Voice again!”

He did just that and, as I expected, Benjammin’s voice mixed along with the previous sound he emitted, creating a more powerful effect. This was all a waste, however, as the girl then said, “Now! Use Karate Chop!”

The Machop ran towards Benjammin, forming its hand into a flat shape as it performed a chopping motion straight towards my Pokémon’s’ mouth. This caused him extreme pain, and he immediately fainted.

As I stared in disbelief, the girl laughed, “Look at that! A super effective attack plus a critical hit is a combination that nothing can withstand! Maybe next time you’ll know better than to bring a Normal-type into a Fighting-type place!”

A confused look fell on my face as I thought, Wait, what? Normal is weak to Fighting? Since when is that a thing? Oh, well...

I gripped my Makuhita’s Pokéball, saying, “Okay, then, I’ve got another cave-dweller for you. Go, Konishiki!” I threw out his capsule, and he eagerly jumped out and did a battle-ready pose. Clearly, he had been waiting for an excuse to exercise his strength. Inspired by this behavior, I said, “Okay, Konishiki, let’s give them a taste of their own medicine. Use Focus Energy!”

Konishiki did just that, stomping his feet into the ground as he directed his gaze towards his opponent. The girl had her Pokémon do the same, and the two battlers had what looked to be a staring competition. I broke the tension by saying, “Now! Use Arm Thrust!” The girl responded, “Counterattack with many Karate Chops!”

The two Pokémon went at it, exerting as much energy as they could while they struck each other with countless blows. Especially due to the darkness all around me, I could hardly make out what was happening in this intense tussle. Eventually, however, after an energetic fight, I could see that Konishiki had landed a direct hit on the Machop’s chin, which was apparently one of its weak points. After getting struck in this manner, the Machop fell to the ground in a daze.

Konishiki and I raised our arms in triumph while the girl clapped, saying, “Magnificent battling, you two! I took you for a scaredy-cat by the way you ran over to me, but I can see that you have the spirit of a battler in you.” She bowed in respect, continuing, “Keep this spirit going within you as you make your way to Brawly. You have what it takes!”

Empowered by these encouraging words, I returned the bowing gesture and took Konishiki with me through the rest of the Gym. Although I was still scared out of my mind, especially due to the ground constantly changing beneath my feet from sandy terrain to concrete floors to even moving conveyer belts, the fighting spirit of Konishiki gave me the courage to push on through the uncertainties and various other trainers in my way. Victory after victory by the hands of my Makuhita gave me the fuel needed to eventually come across a bright light bigger than all the ones that I had seen before.

There, I found a teal-haired young man in a surfer’s outfit playing a ukulele. He looked up at me and smiled, saying, "Well, look who we have here. In case you’re unaware, I’m this Gym’s leader, Brawly. I’m sure that you had a bodacious time going through my gym, am I right, dude?”

I looked at him with a disdainful expression before exclaiming, “A bodacious time?! What gives you the right to say that after putting me through that dark passageway? What sort of Gym design is this, anyhow?”

Brawly continued strumming, answering, “Chillax, dude. You made it here, didn’t you? And besides, in my eyes, this Gym challenge is as good as any other. I was raised in rough waters, you know; the trial you just went through is nothing compared to my childhood. But you know what? I adapted to that harsh environment, and now I’m all the stronger for it. The waves that I used to get wrecked by, oh brother, now I ride on them! My goal is to give others that opportunity, that chance to experience scary situations and come out better people.” He chuckled and stroked his ukelele thoughtfully, continuing, “I heard your wails all the way from here, you know. I can tell that you have an intense fear of the dark. Yet here you are, having made your way here through that whirlpool of a path, even when you really didn’t want to. That’s true courage right there.”

While I was deeply embarrassed at having my weakness be exposed, I was also warmed by Brawly’s wise words. “Oh,” I said, “That really makes sense now that I think about it. Thank you, Brawly, now I think that I’m a little less afraid of the dark—I mean, what’s lurking in the dark! There’s no reason to be afraid of the color black!”

Brawly smirked, saying, “Sure, duder. Well, as a little reward, how about I switch the lights back on? That way, we can get our true battle on.” With that, he made his way over to one of his surfboards and pressed a button behind it, causing the entire Gym to be illuminated.

This allowed May to become visible, and she said, “Oh! There you are, Rohon! I sure hope that those screams were just from your Whismur!”

Out of sheer embarrassment, I refused to say a word while Brawly laughed, “Quite the cheeky friend you have there, huh? Well, I’m ready to go, how about you?”

Brushing aside May’s teasing, I nodded my head yes, prompting Brawly to respond, “Radical. Surf’s up!”

Chapter 18: Bodacious Battling: The Fighting-type Gym

Chapter Text

I prepared my Pokémon before Brawly said, “Oh yeah, and you’re only allowed to use 3 of your pals for this fight.”

I looked at him, replying, “Okay. And let me guess, you’re only bringing 2?”

Brawly smiled and nodded, responding, “Correctamundo, dude. So, when you’ve made your choice, let’s start!”

I decided to send out Rigby, since he had not participated in my last Gym battle. In response, Brawly sent out a Machop.

“Hey,” he said while giving me a look, “You know that Zigzagoon is a normal type, right? Bit of a bad idea to bring those into a fighting type gym, no?”

I raised my eyebrows in realization. Brawly was right. Nevertheless, I responded, “I’m pretty sure that my Zigzagoon can manage something.”

Brawly smiled, replying, “I admire your bravery, dude. Okay, Machop, use Leer!” The Machop gave an intimidating glare at Rigby, causing him to shake visibly.

Sensing his fear, I ordered, “Rigby, lower Machop’s guard with Tail Whip!” Still looking worried, Rigby wagged its tail at the enemy, which proved to be effective.

Brawly then said, “Now, Machop, close in with Low Sweep and finish him off with a Karate Chop!” I watched with anxiety as the Machop ran at Rigby. I had never heard of Low Sweep, but I could sense that it wasn’t good for my Zigzagoon.

“Uh, Rigby,” I blurted, “Throw some dirt in its eyes with Sand Attack!” Rigby cried out before using the bits of sand in the arena to obstruct the Machop’s vision. This allowed Rigby to narrowly avoid the Machop’s sweeping foot.

At that moment, I remembered a fact that I learned by looking at Rigby’s data: apparently, he had learnt the move Headbutt. “Okay,” I said, “Let’s try out Headbutt!" Rigby tucked his head in before running at Machop with full force. His skull crashed into Machop’s skull, causing the enemy to tumble backwards.

Brawly, however, was not fazed in the slightest, and he simply said, “Machop, ride the wave of your soul! You don’t need your eyes to do a flurry Karate Chop attack!” Hearing this, the Machop closed its eyes and raised its hand to the sky. I looked with wonder as the Machop twirled in a circle, its flat hand outstretched as it spun around and around. I was so enthralled by the action that I forgot to have Rigby move out of the way.

As the Zigzagoon was knocked backwards, Brawly said, “Now, Machop! Ride on the Zigzagoon’s aura, locate him, and follow up with a Low Sweep!”

With its eyes still closed, Machop started spinning even faster, this time with its leg outstretched. Despite not being able to see where it was going, the Machop hit Rigby straight in the knees, causing it extreme pain. With that, the Zigzagoon was down for the count.

As I returned Rigby to his ball, I said, “Wow! What was that? You just annihilated my Zigzagoon without even looking!”

Brawly looked proudly at his Machop, replying, “When you’ve been battling as long as we have, you won’t even need to see your opponent to rock their world. When you get into the groove of a fight, battling becomes equal to breathing; the flow is that natural. It’s just like learning how to surf...”

I gave an impressed look towards the Machop before saying, “Okay, Konishiki, you’ve got this. Use Arm Thrust!”

I threw out his Pokéball, and he immediately got to assaulting the Machop. Brawly stood at the ready, saying, “Alright, Machop, I know that you’re low on health, so we’re going to have to bring out the big guns. Use Seismic Toss!”

The Machop reached blindly in front of it, grabbing Konishiki by the belly. It then let out a shout of “cho” before leaping high into the air with Konishiki, doing a 360-degree flip before slamming the Makuhita into the ground.

I stared with disbelief; this Machop was proving itself stronger by the minute! Konishiki, however, was not so disgruntled, and he shook himself off before laughing. Inspired by his spirit, I ordered, “Konishiki, this Machop will not stand for much longer. Slam into him with a final Tackle!”

Konishiki let out a battle cry of “maku” before running at the blinded Machop with full force. Our foe’s obstructed sight along with its lowered defenses allowed him to be knocked down.

Brawly chuckled in congratulation, saying, “Woah, that’s quite the bodacious Makuhita you have there. And here I was thinking that our Seismic Toss was going to do a bit more than that; me and Machop trained hard to master that move. Oh, well, you can’t win them all. Okay, then, let’s see who has the better sumo. Go, Makuhita!” Brawly threw out his last Pokéball, revealing a Makuhita that was noticeably larger than my own.

“Woah,” I said, “That Makuhita must’ve been eating a lot, right?”

Brawly laughed, answering, “Ah, yeah, you could say that. This is what a fish-based diet does for the body; there’s nothing but muscle in there, my dude!”

To demonstrate, the Makuhita flexed, showing off its tone and bulk, causing my Makuhita to become dismayed. He looked down at his own body and flexed, becoming visibly disappointed when his image did not match that of his opponent’s. I looked with pity at my friend, saying, “Oh, don’t worry, Konishiki. Whether he’s buff or not, we can take him on. Now, start off with Fake Out!”

Konishiki smiled and slammed his fists together before lunging at the enemy.

Brawly rubbed his hands together, saying, “Go ahead and do the same, Makuhita!”

Our rival suddenly leapt forward with a far greater speed than Konishiki. Before my Makuhita could process what was going on, the enemy Makuhita clapped Konishiki’s cheeks.

As my Pokémon was stunned, Brawly said, “Send him into the cyclone with a Whirlwind!”

The Makuhita twirled its hands around each other extremely quickly, somehow causing a mini tornado that grew larger and larger. It hit Konishiki head-on, sending him spinning upwards. He cried out in a confused daze while Brawly continued, “Ride the winds! Use Force Palm!” The Makuhita leapt into the cyclone, oscillating its body in such a way that it was able to control its ascent. Once it drew near Konishiki, it hit him so hard that a shockwave emanated from Konishiki’s chest.

My Pokémon was sent flying downwards instantly. I watched with worry as my Makuhita lay motionless. Was this it? Was Konishiki really done in with one attack?

I looked again as Konishiki slowly rose, clutching his chest. I breathed a sigh of relief as he rose his arms triumphantly, shouting “Makuhita!” As I smiled with overwhelming pride, Brawly said, “Wow, your Makuhita is no joke. I didn’t expect anyone to take that combo.”

I laughed along with Konishiki, responding, “That’s Konishiki for you! He’s hard as nails!”

Brawly smiled, replying, “Oh, is that right? Well, I guess that we’ll have to become rock-solid, too! Makuhita, use Bulk Up!”

The Makuhita once again flexed, except this time, its body became much more chiseled as a result.

Watching this intimidating spectacle, I said, “Konishiki! Don’t let this sumo get away with this! Use Arm Thrust!” Konishiki stomped the ground before running forward and hitting the other Makuhita with as much force as he could muster. Despite his efforts, the Makuhita looked to be less damaged than I expected.

Now in a panic, I said, “Konishiki, Arm Thrust some more!”

As Konishiki struggled to do any damage, Brawly smiled confidently before saying, “Makuhita, follow up with another Force Palm!”

The Makuhita used its increased muscle to once again strike my Makuhita with that powerful attack. Like before, Konishiki was able to somehow withstand the attack, but something was wrong. The way he got back up after the attack was stiff and slow, and his face was that of an extremely pained Pokémon.

Feeling worried about his health, I said, “Konishiki, you’re still in this. Arm Thrust even more!”

Konishiki attempted to attack, but his actions were cut short as his entire body froze up. We were both left helpless as another Force Palm hit Konishiki directly in the gut. He attempted to stand for a moment more before collapsing to the ground, his eyes dazed. Konishiki, the hardy sumo, had fainted.

I regretfully returned him to his Pokéball before asking Brawly, “What the absolute heck was all of that?!”

Brawly smoothed his hair, explaining, “I guess this is your first time seeing the move Force Palm in action. You see, that move has a certain chance to paralyze the opponent; unless you forgot to go to trainer school, paralysis is a problem with a Pokémon’s’ health where they can’t move as fast. Occasionally, they might just stop moving entirely!”

I thought over the past events, realizing the seriousness of the situation. “Oh,” I said, “But what about that move, Bulk Up?”

Brawly chuckled, saying, “So, I’ve gotta explain this too, huh? Well, Bulk Up is a move that not many Makuhita know. Users of the move are able to raise both their attack and their defense. That way, they dish out more damage while taking less damage! Pretty radical, right?”

I looked at Axol’s capsule while tapping my foot anxiously. This is bad, I thought, I don’t know how well I’m going to deal with someone who raises two stats at once! Please, oh please, Axol, do something... I threw out my starter’s ball, saying, “You’re up, Axol!”

My Mudkip burst onto the scene, raring to go. He looked very confident, especially since he had bested a Makuhita before. Sensing this sureness, I ordered, “Okay, Axol, since this Makuhita used Bulk Up, bring its attack down a peg with Growl!”

Axol smiled before gurgling cutely, lowering the Makuhita’s will to fight.

“Rad,” said Brawly, “Good thinking. Okay, Makuhita, let’s counter with that our Whirlwind combo!”

I widened my eyes in terror as the Makuhita started spinning its fists again; I had the slight feeling that Axol would not be as hardy as Konishiki.

As Axol started to rise, I began formulating a plan in my mind. Okay, I mused, There’s no way that Axol is going to land a Tackle while he’s being whipped around like that. There must be something I could do...oh yeah, of course!

I blurted, “Axol, try to aim at the Makuhita with Water Gun!”

As Axol was spinning, he started shooting in random directions, hoping to hit his mark. Lady Luck happened to smile on him, and he hit the Makuhita straight in the face, knocking it out of the whirlwind. This gave Axol enough time to land safely on the ground.

I smiled, saying, “Now, Axol, don’t give your foe a chance! Blind it with Mud Slap!”

Axol nodded, moistening the sand with his water before slapping it across the Makuhita’s face.

"Heh,” said Brawly, “You think that a little mud is going to stop us? Makuhita, use what you learned in your training!”

The Makuhita started performing a sort of dance, stomping all over the place as it repeatedly struck the air with an open palm. Although the movement seemed random and pointless, the Makuhita was somehow moving towards Axol.

I furrowed my brow, saying, “Oh, no you don’t! Axol, disrupt it with Tackle!”

Axol ran towards his foe, lunging at it fin-first. To my dismay, this attack did little to nothing. To make it worse, Axol was now fair game for a Force Palm straight to his head. Axol was knocked backwards and, to top it all off, he was paralyzed.

“You know,” said Brawly, “There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. In case you forgot, Makuhita’s defense is still up.”

In my mind, I berated myself for making such an idiotic move. Now, my Mudkip was at a disadvantage! I looked with sadness at the suffering Axol, who could barely move. Look what you’ve done, I thought, You’ve really mucked it up, now. I should just give up now and try again later. Maybe next time I won’t make such stupid mistakes.

Realizing what I was thinking, I shook my head to get rid of the negative thoughts. No. I was not going to leave now, not when I was so close!

“Axol,” I exclaimed, “I know that you’re struggling to move, but I need you to muster all of your energy and fire as much water as you can! No matter what, this Makuhita needs to go down!”

Axol looked at me slowly and managed a big smile, saying, “M-m-muuudkip.” He then did something completely unexpected: he stood up on his hind legs! Once he did so, he fired Water Gun after Water Gun at the crippled Makuhita. I could tell that he was in extreme discomfort, but he was powering through, all for the sake of our victory. Although the Makuhita was doing his dance, Axol was constantly pushing him back, preventing himself from taking another devastating blow.

When it looked like Axol was on a roll, he suddenly stopped; he was fully paralyzed!

Sensing this, the Makuhita danced faster, quickly closing in on Axol. I closed my eyes; I could not bear to watch.

When all hope seemed lost, Axol suddenly let out the most forceful Water Gun it could muster, sending the Makuhita clear across to the other side of the room. I watched with anticipation as our foe finally fell down. I could hardly believe what I had seen. Axol had really done it!

Brawly looked at me with absolute surprise before smiling as hard as he could. He did a shaka hand sign, saying, “Radical, dude. Totally, and I mean wholly tubular! Makuhita and I may be surfers, but you totally wiped us out! My man, you’re one of the most awesome dudes I’ve ever met. Take this Knuckle Badge, you’ve really earned it.”

As Brawly handed me a fist-shaped badge, I noticed something peculiar going on with Axol. He was standing up straighter than before, and his skin was darker than before. Suddenly, his body started to change drastically. The orange things on his cheeks began to turn into singular, dark orange spikes, his head fin also grew darker and started to look more like a mohawk. His front feet started to elongate, becoming proper arms. Finally, his tail fin split in two, and they spread apart like butterfly wings. Once this transformation was done, Axol uttered, “Mar...mar...shtomp!”

Both me and Brawly looked in surprise, and Brawly said, “Woah, dude, your Mudkip just evolved into Marshtomp! Congratulations, man.”

I walked over to my changed friend, exploring his new biology. “Woah,” I said as Axol smiled at me, “You’ve changed a lot. You must be stronger, right?” Axol nodded in response.

“Well, anyway,” said Brawly as I returned Axol to his ball, “Congrats again on beating me. That now puts you at 2 badges, if I’m not wrong. Oh yeah, and take this other gift from me: the TM for Bulk Up. I bet that you’re dying to use this move for yourself, huh?”

He handed me said TM, which I stored in my bag.

“Alright,” said Brawly, “Here’s hoping that you and your Marshtomp are able to ride the wave of victory all the way to the Pokémon League. Based on the way you guys rocked us, I have no doubt that you’ll make it big. Other than that fear of the dark you have, I’m pretty sure that you don’t have anything else stopping you.”

I tapped my fingers in embarrassment as he laughed. He gave another shaka sign as he said, “Peace!” With that, I said my farewells before leaving with May out of the Gym.

Chapter 19: Motivating Makuhita

Chapter Text

After me and May took a rest at the Pokémon Center, she said, “Great job again, Rohon! I may not have been able to see you for most of the trip, but you still managed to reach the Gym Leader and beat him.” She gave me a playful look, continuing, “But not without screaming like a baby...”

I blushed and crossed my arms, responding, “Oh, do you have to bring that up again? What was I supposed to do, walking around in a pitch-black area like that?”

May laughed, replying, “Oh, calm down, why don’t you? Like Brawly said, you powered on through your fears; that’s what matters most! I wonder, though, do your Pokémon still respect you after that whole fiasco?”

I sputtered with disbelief at her words, saying, “What do you mean? Of course, my Pokémon respect me! Why would Axol evolve if he didn’t care for me?” To support my point, I threw my new Marshtomp out for May to see.

She smiled at the creature, saying, “Oh yeah, I forgot about this guy! Congratulations again on evolving, Axol! Ooh, and do you know something, Rohon?”

I raised my eyebrows, asking, “Know what?”

May directed my attention towards Axol’s bottom half, explaining, “Notice how much sturdier your partner’s legs have become. The reason for this is simple: your Mudkip has gained the ground-type by turning into Marshtomp! That makes it both a water-type and a ground-type! My guess is that his thicker legs are used to wade through mud with less effort than before; call it inherited intuition!”

I looked at my starter with wonder, saying, “Wow, really? That’s interesting.”

May smiled, continuing, “It sure is! But you know what the real kicker is? Normally, water-types like Mudkip are weak to electric, but Axol’s new ground-type makes it immune to that type!”

Although I had not encountered any electric-types yet, I was still glad to hear this information.

May bowed in a humorous way, saying, “A thank you would be nice. I’m not supposed to be giving you such helpful advice, you know.”

Realizing this, I responded, “Oh yeah, thank you, May.”

She grinned, replying, “No problem, friend! Anyway, didn’t you get a TM from Brawly earlier? We should see if any of your Pokémon can learn it!”

I nodded, responding, “Yeah, you’re right. In fact, I think that I know one Pokémon who would love to learn a new move...”

I retrieved Konishiki’s Pokéball, throwing it on the ground to release the creature inside. Upon his arrival, I noticed that something was wrong: Konishiki was way less energetic than he was before.

“Hey,” said May, “What’s wrong? Why the long face?”

Konishiki simply sat on the ground with his arms slumped on the ground, muttering, “Ma...ku.”

May looked at me with worry in her eyes, asking, “Hey, Rohon, do you think that Konishiki is feeling down after that recent battle? Look at him, he’s nothing like the powerhouse I saw him be in the Gym.”

I looked down at the Makuhita, saying, “Hmm, something tells me that you’re right. As soon as Konishiki saw how much stronger Brawly’s own Makuhita was, I could see that he was starting to doubt his own power. To be defeated by that same Makuhita...yeah, I can see why he would be sad.”

May looked at Konishiki with pity, saying, “Aww, poor little guy. Bested by his own species. I hear that Makuhita get pretty competitive, so it would only make sense for Konishiki to take this loss especially hard.” May shook her head and pumped her fists in a motivating manner, continuing, “But you can’t just throw in the towel, Konishiki. You have to bounce back from this loss and train yourself to be better! Just like Brawly said.”

I nodded, saying, “She’s right, Konishiki. And it all starts with watching this demonstration for Bulk Up. Come on, listen to it!”

I set the mini-TV in front of the glum Makuhita and inserted my gifted disk into its slot. Once I did so, a video played on the screen that featured a Machop. It pointed at the screen with power, confidently saying, “Ma! Ma-ma chop!” The introduction reminded me a lot of the beginning of motivational videos.

I looked at Konishiki, seeing that the Machop was getting a rise out of him. The Machop proceeded to point at its biceps, delts and triceps, pointing out how chiseled it was. Konishiki stood up straighter and looked at his own body, once again noticing how little tone he had.

Just as Konishiki was about to lose faith in himself again, the Machop let out a battle cry as it struck multiple poses, flexing each time it did so. Konishiki looked with amazement as the Machop energetically flaunted its body in multiple different directions. After a while, the Makuhita started to stand up and synchronize his movements with the ones shown on screen. While he was slow to catch on at first, he gradually sped up his flexing until he matched his instructor.

“Ma...ku,” Konishiki grunted as it moved faster and faster, “Ma...ku...hi...TA!”

Finally, after some rigorous exercise, both Konishiki and the Machop had well-defined muscles. Although I had seen this technique before, I was still amazed by how Pokémon could do in seconds what humans struggled to do in weeks. Konishiki looked at his improved body in awe, hardly even able to believe the results himself. He raised his arms in triumph, shouting, “Makuu-Hitaa!”

May smiled, saying, “There we are! That sure perked up Konishiki, huh? This should help him cope with his failure.”

I responded, “It sure will. Even better, now I have access to a strong move!”

May laughed, replying, “You said it, buddy! Anyway, let’s head back to...wait, how are we supposed to get off this island?”

I held up my finger, saying, “Oh, we just have to...uh...oh wait, I don’t actually know.” It just occurred to me that Mr. Briney had left us at Dewford Town. Unfortunately for us, we had not noticed any other means of leaving the island, or at least not any affordable ones. The one ferry system that we came across demanded a price of 30,000 Pokédollars, which was of course past our means.

As we were wondering what to do, we heard a ship’s horn go off in the distance. We ran towards the source of the sound to find none other than Mr. Briney’s ship approaching. “Ahoy,” said the captain, “I’ve just returned to fetch some seashells for my dear old daughter; it’s her birthday today!”

May looked up at Mr. Briney, saying, “I wish your daughter a happy birthday, but can we talk about how you left us stranded here?”

The old man looked surprised, responding, “Oh, is that so? I’m terribly sorry, you two! This old noggin forgets the essentials from time to time. Anyways, it’s a good thing that I happened to come back here, right? Come on in, I’ll take you wherever you want to go! Just give me some time to find some seashells first.”

Although I was relieved to have a way off this island, I also harbored dread for the voyage that awaited me. I made my best attempt to steel my mind and gut before stepping onto the boat.

As I expected, I immediately became seasick, and was once again forced to remain stationary on a chair while May enjoyed the sea breeze. Seeing that I was suffering, Mr. Briney said, “Hey, young man, I picked up some nice Remoraid sandwiches on the way here. Would you like to have some to calm your nerves? They’re in the main cabin.”

The idea immediately intrigued me. There was nothing like some good food to improve my mood. I began to get up before immediately sitting back down. There was no way that I was going to be moving around on an already-swaying boat. I would be spewing faster than I knew it. Instead, I threw out Axol’s Pokéball, murmuring, “Hey, Axol, could you...*URP* head to the main cabin to get me some, um, sandwiches?”

Axol smiled and nodded, stating, “Stomp!” With that, he cheerfully ran over to the desired location, and I had to take a deep breath to handle the minor tremors caused by his heavy steps. Soon, Axol returned with 2 sandwiches, and I happily took one.

As I prepared to enjoy my food, I heard a high-pitched squawking sound in the distance. Suddenly, another one of those seagull Pokémon came swooping in, snatching the fish sandwich straight out of my hands! I watched with disdain as the bird pecked at my food, tearing off bits of it and swallowing them.

May looked over at the commotion and laughed, saying, “Haha, Rohon, look at that! You just had your food swiped! I guess that you have to keep your belongings under a tight watch in this world. Oh, but this is good! We have the chance to catch another Pokémon while it’s distracted!”

I looked at May queasily, replying, “I would...love to do that, but there’s one problem: I don’t have any... Pokéballs."

May frowned, responding, “Oh, yeah, that’s right.” Her face then lit up as she said, “Wait a minute, this is an easy fix! You can just have one of my Pokéballs. You have to pay me back, though...” She reached inside of her bag and threw one of her two balls towards me.

Unfortunately, I was not in the right condition to react to the capsule being thrown, and it fell on the ground. Axol curiously looked at the Pokéball before picking it up and throwing it in the air, possibly in an attempt to imitate me. Although he threw the ball in a random trajectory, it just so happened to hit the seagull, which was caught with no trouble.

Both me and May looked with surprise as she said, “Well, what do you know? Axol just caught that Pokémon for you! Hehe, I guess that makes it his Pokémon, right?”

I considered this possibility before saying, “That...may be true. Let’s just say that we...co-own the Pokémon, alright? What do you think, Axol?”

Seemingly amused by the whole situation, Axol jumped up and down with glee. Satisfied to have his approval, I decided to name the Pokémon, which was called a Wingull, Nigel.

Chapter 20: Renewed Revenge

Chapter Text

As I sat down with a satisfied stomach and slightly eased nerves, Mr. Briney said to us, “So, I’ve been wondering: what are you young’uns doing out here? Shouldn't you kids be in school?”

May took a break from gazing at the ocean to reply, “No, sir, we don’t need to go to school; we’re on a mission to both collect information for my father Professor Birch and to have my friend Rohon take on the Pokémon League!”

Mr. Briney responded, “Oh, is that so? Ah, I remember my cousin heading out on his own Pokémon journey back in the day. He was not in the boating business unlike my close family, but he did well as a trainer. Say, I know a place I can drop you two off; it’s the start of a path to a Pokémon Gym! Would you like me to take you both there?”

May smiled, answering, “Would we? You bet! Take us straight there, ferryman!”

The captain replied, “Sure thing, miss...”

My neighbor added, “It’s May. Sorry, I forgot to mention it earlier.”

Mr. Briney replied, “No problem, little lady! Anyway, let’s not waste any time; we’re off for Route 109!”

I almost lost my cool as the boat suddenly leaned to the right, and I had to squeeze my legs to keep myself steady.

It was now late in the afternoon, and the boat reached a sandy coast, and I eagerly ran off the vehicle. This time, I decided not to barf in a discreet location, mainly because there were a bunch of kids building sandcastles all around me.

May waved at the top of the boat, saying, “Bye bye, Mr. Briney! Thanks again for the help!”

Mr. Briney tipped his cap, answering, “Think nothing of it! I always enjoy helping the children. Here’s hoping that you two can succeed in whatever you’re doing!” With that, the elder sailed away.”

May looked at me teasingly, saying, “It’s too bad that you’re so bad with the ocean; I would’ve loved for you to join me in watching the billowing waves, smelling the salty breeze, and seeing all the Pokémon out there. Oh well, I guess that I’m just going to be the only one who enjoys herself at sea...”

I shook my head to recover from the trip before responding, “That’s completely fine with me. It’s better that I stay completely still than risking barfing all over your shirt. I’m sure that you would hate that, wouldn't you?”

As May and I were having this interaction, I heard rapid footsteps coming from my left. “Hey, lovebirds,” said a familiar voice, “Did you miss us?” May and I turned around to see Manny and his cohort Jahmai standing across from us striking dramatic poses.

May glared at the hooligans, saying, “You guys! Just what are you doing here?”

I added, “What she said! Uh, and who are calling lovebirds?”

Manny laughed, replying, “Oh, don’t lie to yourselves! We all know the truth, don’t we, Jahmai? Uh...Jahmai?”

Manny looked over at his ally to see him associating with a boy who was constructing a sandcastle. “Hey,” said the young criminal, “I’m Jahmai! What’s your name?”

The dark-skinned, young boy smiled, replying, “I’m Miles! Hey, you look pretty cool in those pirate clothes and bandana! Wanna be friends?”

Jahmai gave a thumbs up, answering, “Yup! Hey, do you wanna join Team Aqua? We could use the help!”

Manny grabbed Jahmai and pulled him away, saying, “Jahmai! Focus on these two! We can recruit this kid later!”

Jahmai frowned, replying, “Alright, big bro...”

Manny turned back towards us, continuing, “Anyway, did you really think that you could escape us travelling on that boat? All we had to do was stake out this pier and wait for you to land! We just stream sniped your butt!” Manny laughed at his own joke while Jahmai simply stood there confused. Manny then wiped away a tear before saying, “Now that we’ve caught up to you, it’s time for that revenge we’ve been talking about! Miles, I hope that you’re watching!”

Hearing this, May angrily said, “Oh, no you don’t! Miles, don’t listen to a word he says. Come on, Rohon, let’s show these clowns why crime never pays!”

I readied my Pokéballs as Miles cheered, “Alright, a Pokémon battle! This sure beats building sandcastles all day!”

We each threw out our 1st Pokémon, mine being Worma, May’s being Skitty, Manny’s being another Skitty and Jahmai’s being some sort of sloth Pokémon. “Hey,” I asked, “What is that, Jahmai?”

He happily responded, “Oh, this is, um, a Slakoth! I caught it in the forest!”

The Slakoth yawned, causing Manny to add, “And it’s a huge pain in the butt, just like a certain teammate...wait, what am I talking for? Skitty, use Fake out!”

Manny’s Skitty, which looked much more ferocious than May’s cat, pounced towards the other Skitty before quickly swiping the air in front of it. While the opposing Skitty did not hit anything, the gesture was enough to make May’s Pokémon flinch.

Seeing his ally command with such power, Jahmai exclaimed, “Slakoth! Use Scratch on that bug!”

The sloth lazily crawled up to Worma, using one of its long claws to tear at the strings surrounding my Pokémon.

I then ordered, “Worma, make sure that doesn’t happen again with String Shot!”

Worma spat out silk through the place where its mouth would be, tying up the Slakoth’s arms in string.

May’s Skitty shook its head, shaking off the stupor she was in. Seeing this, May said, “Let’s make this easier. Use Tail Whip!” The Skitty turned around and wagged her pink tail only for her to get distracted and run around in circles, hoping to catch her own tail.

The opposing Skitty also appeared to be attracted to the cat toy-like tail, and it joined May’s cat in her frolicking.

Manny looked in disbelief at the two felines while Jahmai clapped, saying, “Yay, the Pokémon are playing! Slakoth, go and join them!”

However, the sloth appeared to not be interested in joining the party. In fact, it had stopped moving entirely and went to sleep!

This caused Jahmai to frown, saying, “Oh come on, Slakoth, not again! Why do you always get sleepy like this?”

Seeing my opportunity, I said, “Now, Worma, use Poison Sting on that Slakoth!”

Worma extended one of her spikes and coated it in toxins before moving towards the sloth and stabbing it. After taking that hit, the Slakoth started to moan and stick its tongue out sickly; it had been poisoned!

Jahmai looked with worry at his Pokémon before looking angrily at me, exclaiming, “You’re a meanie! If you’re going to make my Slakoth sick, then I’ll make your bug sick too! Slakoth, use Yawn!”

The sickened sloth opened its mouth wide and let out a huge yawn, staring at Worma as it did so. Both me and my Pokémon yawned in response, but I noticed that Worma had a little more to her reaction: she was moving slower.

“Uh, Worma,” I said with slight worry, “Try to use Tackle now.”

The Cascoon attempted to do so, but I noticed that every step she took with her spikes, the slower she got. This continued until Worma eventually fell asleep right on the spot.

Jahmai laughed in triumph, stating, “Take that, goofy! Your Pokémon can’t attack now!” As Jahmai was saying this, his Slakoth was growing weaker by the second. Seeing this, Jahmai said to his teammate, “Manny! What are you doing?”

Manny looked at his brother with annoyance, replying, “I would be kicking these guys butts right now, but my Skitty is too busy having a merry old time with himself!”

As Manny said, the two Skittys were still running around, swatting at each other’s tails. At that moment, however, something unexpected happened: As May’s Skitty attempted to swat at her tail, she accidentally hit the other Skitty in the face. This was enough for Manny’s Pokémon to faint on the spot, spurring confusion from both parties.

“Bro,” said Manny, “Are you serious right now, dude? Get out, Skitty, you’re trash.” He called his cat back before saying, “Nincada, do something useful and use Leech Life on that Skitty.”

Manny threw out one of those insects that I failed to catch near Rusturf Tunnel, which raised its antennae threateningly. The way it looked at Skitty made me realize something: this was the same Nincada that was being bullied by May’s new Skitty! Fueled by revenge, the Nincada swiftly lunged at the cat, sticking its mouthpart into the feline’s side. Already tuckered out by her previous ruckus, May’s Skitty fainted after having some of its blood drained.

“Hmph,” said May as she returned her Pokémon, “This should be no problem to deal with. Go, Taillow, use Peck repeatedly!”

May threw out her bird, which mercilessly rapped the Nincada with its firm beak. Within seconds, the insect had fallen.

Manny looked with anger at May, exclaiming, “Oh, frick you! Why did you have to bring a bird Pokémon to destroy my bug? That’s it, I’m coming at you with by new and improved Treecko! Go, Grovyle!”

Manny threw out a creature that looked like Treecko, but it was taller, a darker shade of green, and had long leaves growing out of its 4 limbs and head; it must’ve been an evolution.

Once the Pokémon hit the field, I felt one of my Pokéballs shake before Axol forced himself out. By the looks of his face, he seemed to be eager to prove his newfound might against another starter Pokémon.

May looked over at us, saying, “Wow, looks like your Marshtomp is raring to go! Well, let me just bring out my Torchic and we can have a partner face-off! Go, Torchic!”

May sent out her chicken, which looked around at her peers to see that she was quite small in comparison.

Manny smirked at this, saying, “Well, look at the little kid who came out to play. If we’re facing a pipsqueak bird like that, we should have no problem getting a win, right Jahmai?”

Jahmai looked at his sibling sadly, responding, “No, brother, we might lose. I don’t have anymore Pokémon!”

Manny smacked his forehead with exasperation, responding, “Seriously? What happened to your Poochyena?”

Jahmai sniffed, replying, “I don’t know! He ran away!”

Manny shook his head before going back to his competitive expression, continuing, “Ah, whatever, I can carry us. Grovyle, use Mega Drain on that Marshtomp!”

The lizard dashed towards my friend, using its many leaves to brush against Axol as energy flowed out from the Marshtomp. Axol cried out in extreme pain and keeled over.

I looked at my pal with major worry, asking “Axol! What’s wrong? You weren’t hurt this much the last time you fought Treecko.”

May winced at me, saying, “Oh yeah, there’s one thing I forgot to mention to you about Marshtomp. So, you know that Water is weak to Grass, right? Well, Ground is also weak to Grass. So, you can see where I’m going with this, right?”

My heart dropped as I realized my situation. “So,” I responded, ‘You’re telling me that Axol is even weaker to Grass than usual?”

Manny laughed cockily, stating, “Believe it! Now, Grovyle, zip in with Quick Attack!” I was not even given a chance to tell Axol to move out of the way; he was just knocked in the head with a swift assault by the enemy lizard.

Evidently, this one attack was the limit for Axol. I saw the life leave his eyes as he wobbled around before falling to the ground. I could not believe it. Axol had fainted for the 1st time.

I stood in shock while Manny gloated, “One down, one to go! Prepare to get roasted, chick!”

I clenched my fist as I reached for another Pokéball before May held my hand down, saying, “No, Rohon. I want to handle this fight by myself. It’s about time that me and Torchic showed off our battling skills. We can take this guy, trust me!”

As May looked me in the eyes, I looked at the fainted Axol in anguish before complying silently.

As I returned my Marshtomp to his ball, May said, “Okay, Torchic, your foe may be larger than you, but he’s still a grass-type. Keep on using Ember!”

As the chicken built up heat energy, Manny wagged his finger, saying, “Nuh-uh. Grovyle, style on this fool with Quick Attack!”

The Grovyle appeared to vanish into thin air as it dashed around the area, toying with the Torchic using his quick movements. As a result, May’s Torchic could not hit an attack.

May tapped her chin as she saw her partner take hit after hit. It looked like she was at a disadvantage. Then, she came up with an idea. “Torchic,” she said, “Move along with your opponent. Run after him and keep on using Ember!”

The chick nodded before using her spry legs to try and keep up with her lithe enemy. As she did so, I noticed a strange development occurring in her legs. They appeared to be growing thicker, more muscular, and strangely getting some yellow feathers. Furthermore, thin arms started to sprout out of the Torchic’s sides, which she moved to compliment her running. Finally, the chicken’s short, round body lengthened to become much more pinhead-shaped.

May and I looked on with wonder. Was this what we thought it was? May jumped up in excitement, exclaiming, “Yes! Torchic, you evolved! Now, you should be able to defeat this Grovyle. Go on, burn this lizard with all your might!”

May’s advanced ally let out a battle cry of “busken” before suddenly accelerating and meeting the Grovyle head-on, scorching him the first chance she got. As quickly as the lizard came, he went; May’s Pokémon had won with just one attack.

Manny looked at his singed ally with complete surprise, saying, “No way! This is completely bizarre! Come on, Jahmai, we’re not hanging around here any longer, not when these clowns are using unfair tactics like this. But mark my words, this isn't the last you'll see of the Bubble Brothers!"

Jahmai nodded before running over to me and handing me 1200 Pokédollars, much to the disdain of his sibling. After yanking his brother away, Manny threw another smoke bomb, and the duo disappeared.

May looked at me with a gleeful expression on her face, saying, “Can you believe this, Rohon? My Torchic evolved just for me! Let’s see, now it’s...a Combusken! Now both of our starter Pokémon are stronger!”

I gripped Axol’s capsule in my hand, retorting, “Yeah, good for us both, but I’m worried about Axol! We need to get him to a Pokémon Center, pronto.”

Hearing this, Miles stated, “Hey, are you two looking for a place to rest? I can lead you to Slateport City. Come on, follow me!”

Feeling desperate to help my dear friend, I began following the young boy as he guided us.

Chapter 21: A Glamorous Greeting

Chapter Text

“So,” said Miles as we were walking, “Do you guys know those two? They looked very angry with you.”

I replied, “We first meant them harassing this guy trying to deliver some parts to his job. My friend May here decided to drag me into fighting them, and now they’re constantly trying to get back at us. Apparently, they’re part of this group called Team Aqua.”

Miles looked at me, responding, “Yeah, I heard about Team Aqua from Jahmai. It’s too bad that he left so fast, I wanted to join him...”

May widened her eyes in shock, saying, “Miles! What are you saying? Team Aqua is horrible!”

Miles retorted, “Oh yeah? And how do you know?”

May answered, “How do I know? That’s obvious! They...um...well, while we may have only seen two members, that being Jahmai and Manny, I’m pretty sure that they’re up to no good. And if those two are gremlins, imagine how bad the other members must be! Besides, Miles, you’re too young to just ruin your life like that.”

Miles pouted before sighing, “Oh alright, May. I won’t join Team Aqua.” Although Miles said this, I noticed that he was crossing his fingers. Despite seeing this, I couldn’t be bothered to object, so I simply followed the boy to our destination.

“Okay,” said Miles as we reached a settlement, “This is Slateport City. I’m going to go and get change my clothes now, bye!”

Miles then left without another word, leaving us to explore the city. Before we did that, however, we beelined for the nearest Pokémon Center, since our teams were still hurt.After locating said center in the middle of the city, we handed our Pokéballs to the tanned nurse at the counter, and she began the healing process.

As we waited, May said to me, “So, Rohon, I’ve been thinking. I know you must be having fun training your Pokémon and defeating Gyms, but we can’t lose sight of what we were asked to do. Did you see how Jahmai had that Slakoth? How have we not caught one of those yet? That’s why I think that, whenever possible, we should devote some time to filling out our Pokédex.”

I nodded, answering, “Okay, that makes sense. So, how exactly do you want to do that?"

May smiled, responding, “I’m glad you asked! Here’s how it’ll go down: while you’re busy fighting trainers and strengthening your team on a route, I’ll be in the same route catching Pokémon. That way, we can take out two birds with one stone!”

I looked at her, responding, “Sounds fair. But I do have one suggestion: we should take turns doing each other’s job. You do have Pokémon on your team that can evolve, right? That’s why you should let your team members battle as often as I do.”

May responded, “Great idea, Rohon! By doing this, we can get data from both of our teams. Looks like I’m not the only smart one around here!”

Having come to an agreement, we both waited for our Pokémon to get restored before we took them out of the Pokémon Center and back to the city.

As we were exploring the area, we heard a commotion coming from ahead of us. Felling curious, we traveled over to the source of the noise, finding a huge crowd of people gathered around a yellow building with a ribbon symbol on it. Standing in the middle of the crowd was a flashy-looking girl with turquoise hair and frilly, blue clothes. Sitting next to her was a large, blue bird Pokémon with cotton wings.

“Hiiiiii, ev-er-y-bo-dy,” said the girl with enthusiasm, “Lisia here! How are you all doing today? Let me hear you shout ‘GRREAT!!”

The crowd repeated the phrase with extreme fervor, causing me to jump in surprise.

Lisia grinned, saying, “Fantastic! Now, you all know what time it is, right? Here in Slateport City, I will choose a very lucky person to enter the thrilling world of Pokémon Contests! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the dazzling, the dazzling, Lisia’s Miraculous Contest Scouting!” This caused the crowd to erupt in applause. Once the clapping died down, Lisia continued, “Alrighty, then! Let’s jump right into it, shall we? Ali, if you please?”

The bird covered its eyes with its puffy wings, stumbling around the area as it did so.

“Okay, everybody,” said Lisia, stay completely still. Let Ali pick her contestants through the power of fate!"

I considered just up and leaving, but I was afraid that doing so would anger Lisia, even if I was not interested in this whole event. May seemed to have the same idea, and we both remained stationary as Ali waltzed around.

I watched as the bird had some close calls with the other people, almost touching some eager individuals before bouncing away from them, much to the fan’s disappointment. Eventually, to my utter shock, Ali walked over to May and I, touching both of us at the same time!

Lisia looked at us with surprise, saying, “What’s this? Ali has chosen two candidates? Folks, this right here is unprecedented with a capital U!” She looked at the both of us, saying, “Hey, you two! Come on over here!”

While May was pleasantly surprised, I was not too thrilled to be in this situation. As a result, May once again had to drag me over to meet my fate. A cameraman caught May and I in 4K as Lisia said, “Here are the two lucky kids, everybody! Why don’t you tell us your names?

She held up her microphone to May, who said, “Uh, hello everyone! I’m May Birch!”

Lisia then held the microphone towards me, and I froze on the spot. I had never been in front of such a large number of people before, let alone recorded live.

As I stood there with dilated eyes, Lisia laughed, saying, “Aw, looks like he has stage fright! Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.”

May then stepped up, saying, “His name is Rohon.”

Lisia smiled, responding, “Thanks a lot, May! Well, there you have it, two newcomers to the world of Pokémon Contests, May and Rohon! This is where this duo’s story starts. And what’s a good story without a first chapter? Let’s see, this part should be titled...‘An Unexpected Meeting! Two Stars Become Manifest!” Lisia did a peace sign towards the camera, continuing, “That’ll be all everybody! I hope that all of you at home will be cheering on these two, because you know I will! See you later!”

With that, the cameraman shut off his device, and everyone cheered as Lisia led May and I into the yellow building.

“Great job, you two,” said Lisia when we got inside, “You did really well playing along back there. Must’ve been quite the shock, right?”

May jabbed me with her shoulder, adding, “Yeah, especially for Rohon here.”

As I blushed in embarrassment, Lisia said, “Hey, don’t worry about it, Rohon. I’m sure that you can make up for your shyness in a Pokémon Contest!”

I looked at the girl, asking, “Excuse me, but what is a Pokémon Contest?”

Lizia grinned, answering, “Let me tell you all about it! So, the average trainer might think that Pokémon are only good for battling. Well, here you will learn that they can also be used for something just as good: performing! In Pokémon Contests, your job is to direct your Pokémon to use their moves in beautiful, eye-catching ways. The sky’s the limit when it comes to how you use your Pokémon’s’ moves, and part of the fun is seeing how appealing you can get! So, what do you think? Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

May’s eyes dazzled in amazement. I could tell that she was immediately intrigued by this proposition. “No way,” she said, “Is this a real thing? I definitely want to participate in this!”

Lisia smiled, responding, “That’s the spirit! But you can’t hit the stage in those drab clothes, now can you? Wait one hot minute.”

She rushed to a wardrobe in a corner of the building, coming back with a red jacket with grey puffs on the shoulders along with black pants and a pink, frilly outfit like the one Lisia was wearing. She handed the rough-looking clothes to me and the prettier clothes to May. I looked at my garments with confusion while May looked at hers with joy.

Lisia then said, “Do you like it? That’s your Contest Costume! With that, you’ll be able to properly dazzle the crowd! Go ahead and go to the changing room, the both of you!”

Lacking the courage to object, I followed Lisia’s orders and headed to the changing room along with May. We both came back looking vastly different than before. My shy demeanor contrasted with my bold and brash clothing while May’s energetic personality...actually, now that I think about it, her clothes made perfect sense.

Lisia looked at the both of us, gushing, “Oh. My. God. You two look absolutely FABULOUS! There’s no need for you to prepare, you two should go and enter a contest now! Luckily for you, one is happening at this very moment! Go on, head to the front desk and take a spot. I’ll be waiting for your debut appearance!”

May nodded, saying, “Okay, Lisia! We won’t let you down! Come on, Rohon, let’s go!”

I followed after my friend at a hesitant pace, unsure of what I had gotten myself into.

After registering us for a spot in the contest, May led me to the waiting room, where I held my hands to my head in anticipation for the upcoming event. Apparently, we were to bring one Pokémon each to perform, so I brought Axol while May brought Combusken. I looked at my Pokémon, asking, “Oh, Axol, why do I agree to these things? We could’ve been out of this place by now if I just said no.”

My Marshtomp looked at me with innocent eyes, happily saying, “Mar mar, shtomp!” Evidently, he was not perturbed in the slightest about being in this place. In fact, he seemed to be pumped for what lied ahead.

Soon, I heard a voice over the speakers say, “Everyone who registered for this week’s Pokémon Contest, please head to the stage.”

May looked at me, saying, “Okay, Rohon, are you ready? It’s time to put on a show!” She grabbed my hand and walked me over to our destination, where I would certainly be embarrassed.

I gulped, thinking, "Oh boy, I wonder how this is going to go..."

Chapter 22: Putting on a Show

Chapter Text

May and I went along with 4 other people through tall red drapes, meeting a bright and flashy world on the other side. I could hardly believe the amount of people that were sitting in the many seats to the right, all with their flashing cameras and excited eyes. I already felt like too much attention was on me, and I hadn’t even reached the main stage yet.

Somehow, I made it to where I was supposed to be, mainly due to May’s assistance, and we stood along with the other two performers in a row. I heard the howl of microphone feedback before a man’s voice said, “Gooood morning, everyone! Welcome to this week’s Pokémon Contest! I’m your host, Bevan, and let me tell you that I’m absolutely PUMPED for this event. Everyone please give a round of applause to our coordinators...” A spotlight turned on and focused on each participant as the announcer continued, “Molly and her Aron, Carlton and his Shroomish, May and her Combusken, and Rohon and his Marshtomp!”

As the audience clapped for us all, the bespectacled young boy Carlton leaned over to me, asking, “Hey, your clothes look pretty cool! Where did you get them?”

I scratched my irritated neck, answering, “Lisia gave special outfits to me and May, apparently.”

Carlton gasped, exclaiming, “No way! Are you telling me that THE Lisia gave you those clothes? I’m so jealous!”

I smoothed out a wrinkle in my pants, retorting, “Believe me, you shouldn’t be.”

While Carlton was giving me a curious look, Bevan said, “Before we get this show on the road, I’ll let you people plan out your strategy. Remember to get as creative as you can; think of the best way for you to use your moves for maximum entertainment!”

I looked at Axol as he happily looked out at the crowd. I then sighed and looked at my Pokédex, saying, “Okay, Axol, you know Water Gun, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb and...Bide? Did you learn that move when I wasn’t looking or something?” Axol burbled proudly, causing me to respond, “Well, good for you. Anyway, what I’m getting at is that I have no idea how to make these moves look good. So, looks like we’re going to have to wing it. Are you ready to show your stuff?” Axol flapped his arms in excitement, and I replied, “Oh, I wish that I had some of your enthusiasm...”

After I had that exchange, the announcer stated, “Aaand that’s it for the planning portion! Without further ado, let’s start this thing up!”

The spotlight went on Molly and her small, grey, metallic Pokémon as the announcer said, “Go on, Molly, ladies first! Show us what you got!”

The camper-like girl nodded, saying, “Okay, Ronnie, strike a pose and use Harden!” The Pokémon jumped 3 times, grunting, “Ar-ar, ron” as it did a flip, landing on its 4 nubby feet before tensing itself up to fortify its metallic skin.

“Ah,” said Bevan, “A very nice start from Molly! That energetic jumping, flipping, and Harden combo just exudes confidence and toughness. Let’s see how Carlton follows up!”

Carlton straightened his glasses, saying, “Shrewmish, imagine that you’re immobilizing your latest prey and use Stun Spore!” The green mushroom Pokémon shook itself back and forth, releasing many small yellow particles from its head.

As the dust traveled through the air, the announcer said, “Ooh, watch out, everyone; that Stun Spore is dangerous to inhale! I wonder what Carlton has in mind? Anyway, it’s your turn now, May!”

May pumped her fist in excitement, saying, “Alright, Combusken, show off some fancy footwork with Sand Attack!” The Combusken, seeing that there was no sand to be found, instead used some of the leftover spores from the Shroomish. She then twirled and kicked the powder in front of her, keeping her beak shut as she did so.

“Wow,” said the announcer, “Look at that, folks! That Combusken showed absolutely no fear even when it was handling harmful substances! And such creativity using the Stun Spore as a substitute for Sand Attack! Okay, Rohon, you’re up!”

Still feeling extremely nervous in front of such a huge crowd, I mumbled to my partner, “Uh, Axol, you can use...Bide. Let’s see what it does.” My Marshtomp nodded before suddenly making a serious face. He looked straight ahead of him with a stagnant pose, causing the crowd to watch in confused suspense.

“Erm,” said Bevan, “This is...awkward. I don’t exactly know what it is that Marshtomp is doing, but I guess it looks pretty tough. Anyways, everyone, that’s the preliminary round done, but now it’s time to step it up. This is the 2nd part of the contest: Pokémon Prowess! Molly, you go start us off; you may use up to two moves with your Aron in whatever way you want.”

Molly smiled, saying, “Okay then, Ronnie, release your wild side! Use Take Down and Headbutt in alternation!” The Aron pawed the ground with its right front foot before rampaging all over the stage, causing quite a tremor despite its size.

“Uh oh,” said the host, “Look out, everyone, we’ve got a 1-Pokémon stampede! But what’s this? The Aron is not running into anyone! Boy, am I glad that this is true; I would hate to see what would happen if something were hit by that hard creature. Kudos to you for this controlled chaos, Molly! Now let’s see what Carlton has in store for us.”

Carlton pointed at the spore cloud, ordering, “Now, Shrewmish, aim for your own creations with a Leech Seed, then take on the mass with a Headbutt!” The Shroomish did just that, launching dark green seeds at the spores that instantly grew into sprouts. The mushroom then lunged at the dust headfirst, resulting in its crown getting a grassy wig.

“Holy Moley,” said the announcer, “I didn’t expect that! Such a clever move coming from Carlton and his Shroomish. Can May bring something just as intriguing?”

May held up her fists in a battle-ready pose, stating, “Combusken, do some shadow boxing with Peck and Double Kick! Attack like you just don’t care!” The fowl let out a shrill battle cry before letting loose on an invisible opponent, moving with incredible speed as she launched attacks with her beak and feet.

“Woah,” said Bevan, “Looks like May is taking the same approach as Molly. But just take a look at that skill from that Combusken! You can tell that it is very disciplined and determined with a fervent fighting spirit. Okay, Rohon, are you going to make up for your previous move by dazzling us all?”

I clasped my hands together anxiously, not at all knowing how to do an effective performance. That being said, I had a semblance of an idea. “Hey Axol,” I said, “Throw some rocks out with Rock Tomb and cover them with Mud Shot. That’ll look cool, right?” Axol smiled before smashing the floor with his strong foot, cracking the concrete to produce hard chunks. He then moistened the dirt underneath and slapped it across the jagged concrete, creating a sight that was...something to behold.

There was a long pause before the host said, “Eh, we may have to replace the floor after the show, but at least the Marshtomp did something...let’s say interesting. Alright, ladies and gents, the time has come for the final phase: Ally Accompaniment! Show off the bond between you and your Pokémon! Molly, you go first.”

Molly looked down at her Aron, stating, “Let’s do this, Ronnie! Follow my lead and use Metal Claw!” After saying this, the girl performed a skillful roll towards her Pokémon, throwing it into the air where it slashed at the air with small claws on its legs. She watched her Aron’s trajectory in the air and performed a cartwheel in the opposite direction, resulting in the two standing side by side as they struck cool poses.

The host clapped, saying, “What finesse! What coordination! Truly a proficient performance from these two friends. Does the bond between Carlton and his Shroomish run as deep?”

Carlton pointed at the floor, saying, “Shrewmish, take nutrients from the ground with Absorb so that you can grow big and strong!” The mushroom its feet into the floor as it convulsed up and down, growing bigger with each motion. When the Shroomish reached the size of a melon, Carlton picked it up and displayed it proudly.

“Okay,” said the announcer, “That must be your award-winning Shroomish, huh? We’ll have to see if it gets any medals after this, huh? May, you’re up!”

May grinned at her Pokémon, saying, “Hey, Combusken, shall we dance? Let out some Embers while we tango!” May had her partner hold up one of her arms so that she could spin the chicken around. As the Combusken twirled around, she spat out fire in all directions except towards her trainer.

“Look at that,” said the host, “The Combusken is basically using Fire Spin while using Ember! And look at how steady May looks! She completely trusts her Pokémon to not burn her. Rohon, this is your last chance to make an appeal. It’s now or never.”

I looked into the calm eyes of my Marshtomp, and I relaxed a bit. Our bond ran quite deep, so we wouldn’t have much trouble, right? “Okay,” I said, “Let’s finish this off by showing everyone our Water Gun technique. Axol looked at me with confusion; I did not specify if I wanted him to use the move in any special way. As I attempted to think of a clever solution, I wiped by forehead with the back of my hand; the heat of my suit was getting to me. As he saw what I was doing, Axol burped happily as he thought of an idea. He must’ve saw that I was getting hot, so he blasted a full-force Water Gun at he, knocking me down and leaving me drenched on the floor.

I blushed deeply as everyone in the audience laughed, and Bevan said, “Looks like we have a misfit on our hands, everyone! That Marshtomp must’ve not been taking this contest seriously, cause it just blasted its own trainer! But what did you all think? Who did the best? Who could’ve did better? You can vote for the winner of this event by going to our website and choosing the victor that way. Before you all do that, let’s give a big round of applause to our participants for their performance!”

On cue, the audience went into an uproar, and everyone except me bowed. “Alright, you all,” said the host, “You can go back to the lobby to wait for your results.”

I picked myself up and followed May, who was looking extremely happy.

Chapter 23: Mishap at the Museum

Chapter Text

I was not at all surprised to see that I got dead last. According to the giant screen that May and I saw in the main lobby of the building, I had gotten 5 votes, Carlton 20, Molly 40, and May 60.

"Woah,” said May as she looked at me with sparkling eyes, “Did I just...win?!”

Lisia came up to us from a room on the right, adding, “You sure did, girl! And I saw every single second of it! You shone bright like burning star out there, May!” She turned towards me with a less joyful expression, continuing, “As for you...well, you tried, and that’s what matters most.”

I sighed, responding, “Yeah, I know. Anyway, can I change out of these clothes now? They’re starting to bother me.”

Lisia nodded, answering, “Sure thing, buddy.”

I eagerly went to the changing room to return to my familiar yellow T-Shirt and blue shorts. I returned to see May and Lisia having a pleasant conversation.

“Yep,” said Lisia with a great smile on her face, “I just KNEW there was something special about you. You’ve got what it takes to compete in the big leagues!”

May laughed and responded, “Well, I don’t know if I could do that; me and Rohon already have a lot on our plates what with collecting data for the Pokédex and competing in the Pokémon League. But thanks for the support!”

Lisia gasped, saying, “WOW! You’re trying to complete the Pokédex AND become a good trainer? That’s absolutely AMAZING! But you don’t have to worry about being overworked or anything; Pokémon Contests are only held every so often at certain locations, so you don’t have to be attending them daily. Just be on the lookout for when one does happen, yeah? Until then, you can think up new ways for your Pokémon to shine on the stage!”

May replied, “Oh, is that true? Well, that’s great! Also, it’s my friend Rohon that’s competing in the League, not me.”

Lisia noticed my presence and said to me, “Okay, Rohon, I guess that you have your own thing that you’re working towards. I could tell by the way you directed your Marshtomp that you’re mainly concerned with power instead of flair. But you know what, I can’t judge you; you can do what you like. Besides, my uncle, Wallace, is a very great trainer.”

I perked up, asking, “A great trainer, you say?” Lisia gave a thumbs up, answering, “You bet! In fact, he’s a Gym Leader, if you didn’t know! Who knows, you may just be able to win against him if you try hard enough...” She turned back to May, saying, “Anyways, I hope to see you at the next Pokémon Contest, May. I just know that you’ll knock our socks off again!” Lisia did a peace sign and winked, stating, “Byee!” She then left the building, prompting May to change back into her usual clothes and us both to head back to the city.

“Sheesh,” said May as the both of us traveled through the area, “I feel sorry for you, getting 5 votes like that. Well, you know what they say: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.”

I shook my head, returning, “I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t want to do any more of these contests. I’m just not as bold as you are.”

May frowned, replying, “Aw, that’s no good. But I understand. You would come to spectate my shows though, right?”

I clasped my hands together and took a sharp breath. Truth be told, I was not at all interested in anything that had to do with this topic. However, I also did not want to hurt May’s feelings, so I answered, “...Yes.”

May smiled, responding, “That’s the spirit! I knew I could count on you.”

As we were traversing, we came across another large gathering of people. However, unlike the previous mob we saw, this one’s members were all wearing blue clothes with white stripes that reminded me exactly of Manny and Jahmai. In fact, I noticed the two misfits at the outer edge of the group being talked to by an older member.

May glared at the huddle, stating, “Team Aqua! What’re they doing here?”

As she was saying that, Miles entered the scene, saying, “Team Aqua!? Does that mean that Jahmai is here?” He looked closer at the crowd to notice his friend, and he exclaimed, “There you are! Jahmai, here I am!”

Jahmai turned in the boy’s direction and beamed. Walking over to the child, he said, “Hey, Miles! Did you come here to join Team Aqua?”

Miles nodded enthusiastically, answering, “You know I did! How do I get in?”

At that moment, Manny along with the man he was talking to came over to us. “Hey, what’s all the hubbub?" the older ruffian asked.

Jahmai turned to him, asking, “Can my friend Miles please be part of Team Aqua with me?”

The man shook his head, answering, “No can do, amigo. The big boss is already not too happy with you being on the team; we can’t just have another runt join us.”

As Jahmai looked at his shoes in disappointment, Manny looked at us, exclaiming, “Hey! It’s you two again!” He grabbed one of his Pokéballs, continuing, “Let’s go, fight me right now! I’ll get you back for last time.”

The man held Manny back, stating, “Hold your Rapidashes, pal. I don’t want to have to take your Pokémon to heal up again. Besides,” he looked at his watch, “We’re running late.” As the man was preparing to leave, he took another look at us, saying, “Oh, you probably heard all that, huh? Ah, it doesn’t matter, I don’t think kids like you will do much to hurt us.” With that, the person directed his cohorts with him to a building called the Oceanic Museum.

May turned towards Miles and put her hands on her hips, stating, “I thought you said you weren’t going to try and join these delinquents!” When Miles refused to answer, May looked at me, saying, “Anyway, Rohon, you know what we have to do now, right?”

I gave her a look, answering, “Follow that large gang of people inside that museum and get involved in their business?”

May grinned, replying, “You got that right! Come on, let’s go and see what they’re planning.”

Knowing that I had little say in the matter, I followed my friend into the building.

At the front desk of the museum was a receptionist lady who asked us to pay a 100-Pokédollar fee. She mentioned that although the members of Team Aqua had not paid, she expected us to at least respect the rules; she was working on contacting the authorities. After paying the required amount, May and I decided to travel to the top of the building where some interesting things were probably happening.

Along the way, I came across various exhibits, diagrams and models such as mini-submarine designs, charts of the deep-sea, and so much more. I found myself having to be constantly driven away from the attractions by May, they were so interesting.

“Rohon,” she said once, “We can’t dilly-dally for too long. We can’t afford for Team Aqua to do whatever it is they’re trying to do here.”

Although it pained me to do so, I pryed myself away from each intriguing display and followed May up the stairs of the facility, where we saw two men arguing in a corner of the room. One of them, a strong-looking, tanned man wearing blue clothes reminiscent of a pirate captain said, “Stop resisting, you scallywag. I know that you have those Devon Parts.”

The other person, a middle-aged man with a light-purple suit replied, “I’m telling you, I don’t have them! If I did, they would be sitting on my desk over there. I didn’t get my order yet!”

May walked defiantly forward, saying, “Hey now! What’s going on here? Who are you?”

The intimidating guy looked over at May and chuckled with a wicked smile on his face. “Well, now,” he said, “You’re quite the bold one, aren’t you girlie? You and your mate came all the way up here just to see what’s going on.” He laughed some more before continuing, “Well, if ya really want to know, I’m Archie, the leader of Team Aqua.” He looked at us more closely before stating, “Hey, I think that I recognize you two. Yeah, two of my grunts, Manny and Jahmai, were talking about how you scamps were wiping them out! Why, if you hadn’t intervened, then I wouldn’t be here wasting my time dealing with this landlubber!

May then asked, “Why do you even want these parts so badly? What is Team Aqua even trying to do? And why?”

Archie grinned viciously, responding, “I’m glad you asked. It’s no secret that mankind has been treating the oceans wrong. We pollute them with our toxins, overfish when we don’t need to, and change the landscapes of perfectly fine islands. We show absolutely no respect to the most valuable part of our Earth. That’s why me and the rest of Team Aqua are working to expand the oceans; if they’re bigger, maybe we’ll pay more attention to them! By doing this, we’ll also create a better environment for the Pokémon that we’ve destroyed the habitats of. Yes, by doing this, we’ll return everything to its untainted origins...” Archie crossed his arms and continued, “But there’s no point in wasting my time explaining myself to you small fries. You made yourselves busy with thwarting two of our members, so it’s obvious that you intend on being a nuisance to us.” He got closer to us, a dark expression on his face. “So,” he continued looking us dead in the eyes, “Let me just give you one warning: don’t mess with us, unless you want to be found at the bottom of the sea.” He then left without another word, leaving me tense and petrified.

May, however, simply said, “What was that just now? Archie, the leader of Team Aqua, just left without doing anything? Wasn’t he just harassing you, mister?”

The other guy in the room shrugged, responding, “I guess he just gave up since it was clear that I didn’t have what he wanted. By the way, I’m Captain Stern, if you didn’t know. I’m the one who built this museum. Those Devon Parts that Archie guy was pestering me about were components of this submarine I’m working on building. Why he wants them, I’m not certain.” Captain Stern sat down in a chair to rest himself before continuing, “I appreciate your concern for this place, kids, but I would be more careful. Dealing with people like this can be pretty dangerous.”

May waved her hand, responding, “You don’t have to worry about us, captain, he can handle ourselves! Me and Rohon are strong enough to handle anything, isn’t that right?”

Still feeling disgruntled, all I could manage was a hesitant nod. Stern sipped some of his coffee, replying, “If you say so. Just try not to get yourselves in too much trouble.”

With that, May and I went downstairs and out the building.

Chapter 24: Sparring with May

Chapter Text

“Hey,” said May as we exited the museum, “Have you noticed how quickly Team Aqua left? Archie just finished talking to us.”

I looked down at my feet and unsteadily responded, “Y-yeah, sure...” May looked at me with a worried face, asking, “Is something bothering you? You’ve been shaking ever since we left that museum.”

I squeezed one of my Pokéballs, answering, “Don’t you think that it’s insane to challenge Team Aqua? What’ll happen if we come across them again? Nothing good, I’m sure of it.”

May raised an eyebrow, saying, “Is that it? You’re worried about those bozos? What about them is so scary?”

My eyes widened in fear as I thought back to the earlier encounter. “It’s Archie,” I explained, “That look he gave us...” I turned around and looked at May, “...he looked about ready to rip our guts out! Are you telling me that you didn’t feel threatened at all?”

May shook her head, answering, “Geez, Rohon, can you stop being such a worrywart? That was just an empty threat! If he really wanted to kill us, then why did he leave so quickly? He could’ve just taken care of us right then and there.”

I squeezed my Pokéball even tighter, retorting, “Yeah, because he’s going to get us next time. As in whenever he or Team Aqua sees us!” I held my hands in my head, and rubbed my temples. “This reminds me of a movie,” I rambled, “A guy made a mafia group angry for not getting them their money. The guy thought that he was safe, so he went back to his house to sleep. When he woke up, he walked outside and--”

Just then, May clasped her hand on my shoulder, interrupting my spiel. “Rohon,” she said while looking me in the eyes, “Rohon, calm down. I don’t need to hear your story. It doesn’t matter what happened to that man, and you know why?” Still looking directly at me, she smiled and stated, “He had one thing you don’t: Pokémon and a friend.” She turned me around before saying, “I know just what you need to up your confidence: A Pokémon battle! Come on, I’ve never fought you before! Let’s go and fight in Route 110 up there!”

My heart started beating faster. Me? Fight May? “Um,” I said, “Are you sure about this? I don’t really see your Pokémon fight that much. Meanwhile, my team has fought 2 Gyms already.”

May walked ahead of me and winked, saying, “Don’t let that fact make you think that I’m any weaker than you. In case you forgot, I’ve known Pokémon longer than you; I’m sure that I can match you in power. So, what’re you waiting for? Let’s go!”

I looked after her with slight confusion before shrugging and following my friend. Who knows, I thought, this might be interesting!

"Okay,” said May when we reached a patch of grass under a long, winding road, “The sky is clear, the ocean scent is salty, and everything’s all fine and dandy. It’s a perfect time to test our strength! I’m ready whenever you are.”

I held one of my capsules in my right hand, saying, “Same here...oh wait, let me do something really quick.” May watched as I pulled out the mini-TV and inserted the TM for Steel Wing in. I then bring out my Wingull and said, “Okay, Nigel, watch this.” The seabird witnessed some sort of metal bird hardening its wings before flying around and playing at a wooden dummy, breaking off the top half of it. Nigel cocked his head in curiosity before mimicking the action, apparently doing it on his first try.

I nodded before saying, “Okay, I’m ready now.”

May smiled, replying, “Alright, then. If you’re going to power up your Wingull, then I’ll just bring out my own avian to see which one’s better! Go, Taillow!”

She threw out the bird, prompting me to say, “Okay, Nigel, let’s give it our all! Use Water Gun!”

As my Pokémon was preparing his attack, May said, “Don’t give him a chance, Taillow! Use Quick Attack!”

Just as Nigel was about to shoot his water, Taillow seemed to disappear briefly before hitting my bird directly.

Feeling somewhat annoyed by this, I said, “Try again, Nigel. Use Water Gun!”

As I was saying this, May stated, “Now that you’re up close, use Peck repeatedly!”

The Taillow proceeded to do that, barraging my seabird as he built up water. While he did get the shot off, Nigel was looking tired. At this point, I knew that I needed something big to claim a point here. So, I ordered, “Nigel, use Steel Wing!”

My Wingull did that, tensing its wings so hard that they neared the toughness of iron. With those wings, he struck the Taillow, who was pushed backwards by the force.

May chuckled, saying, “Huh. Looks like Steel Wing is strong after all! We’re going to have to hone our senses now, Taillow! Use Focus Energy!”

The bird roosted on the ground, staring intently at my own avian with fierce eyes. As this was happening, I said to my Wingull, “Use Wing Attack while she’s down!”

May smiled, saying, “Not so fast! Strike first with your own Wing Attack, Taillow!”

The bird suddenly flew up and dived towards Nigel with an outstretched wing, hitting my Pokémon directly in the right wing, which was apparently a critical point. This took out the rest of Nigel’s energy, and he fainted on the spot.

As I sadly returned Nigel to his ball, May pumped her fist and said, “Yes! That’s some skill right there! But your Wingull definitely put up a good fight; he's still a great bird!”

Smiling slightly at this comment, I said, “Thanks. But your Taillow must be at low health by now. Go on, Worma, use Poison Sting!”

I threw out the bug, causing May to shake her head and say, “Oh, Rohon…Taillow, just use Wing Attack again.”

Taillow did so, and I was devastated to see that the attack was a one-shot.

As I looked down at my fallen Cascoon, I said, “What? How did this happen? I thought the silk around you was like armor!”

May wagged her finger, answering, “Isn’t it obvious that Bug would be weak to Flying? And yeah, your Cascoon might be pretty defensive, but I’m pretty sure my Taillow scored another critical hit.”

Hearing this, I face palmed in embarrassment before returning Worma to her ball and saying, “Sorry about that, Worma. Rigby, you have to end this with Quick Attack!”

I threw out the capsule, and the Zigzagoon immediately darted forward and took out Taillow, leaving May no time to react.

May returned the bird to her ball before saying, “You did great, Taillow. Now it’s your turn, Skitty! Use Scratch!”

May sent out the cat, who got straight to work slashing at my Pokémon with unsheathed claws. In retaliation, I ordered, “Rigby, step back and use Tackle!”

As Rigby walked backwards, May said, “While he's over there lower his guard with Tail Whip!” Skitty turned around and wagged her tail at Rigby before getting distracted by her own tail again.

Although my raccoon was enthralled by the act, he still attacked the cat, who was snapped back to reality upon taking damage. However, I noticed something weird happening after the attack landed: Rigby was smiling very happily and was purring.

As I was wondering what was going on, May laughed and said, “Wow, is this what I think it is? Your Zigzagoon is in love with my Skitty!”

I looked at my Pokémon in confusion, saying, “What do you mean? Rigby, weren’t you just attacking Skitty? Why do you suddenly have a crush on her?”

May giggled before stating, “That’s because of my Skitty’s ability Cute Charm! You better be careful when touching her; any Pokémon that does so becomes infatuated!” She smiled, continuing, “Show Zigzagoon some tough love with multiple Scratches!”

Skitty assaulted Rigby endlessly, doing lots of damage over time. Despite this, Rigby did not show any signs of resistance no matter how much I pleaded. Eventually, Rigby fainted with a smile on his face.

"Wow,” I said while returning my Zigzagoon to his ball, “What sense does that make, falling in love in the middle of battle?”

May winked, responding, “Love can blossom anywhere, even in a fierce fight!”

I rolled my eyes, replying, “Yeah, okay. Benjammin, your moves don’t involve touching, right? Go ahead and use Echoed Voice!”

Benjammin emerged and did as I asked him, letting out a relatively quiet sound. Of course, Skitty took minor damage from this.

May then said, “Alright Skitty, lower this one’s defense with Tail Whip!”

Skitty did just that, and my Whismur’s guard was lowered. I had him use Echoed Voice again, and another quiet sound was uttered. However, this sound joined the previous one that was now bouncing around the place, and the combined attack had a higher power. Because of this, Skitty was now nearing the end of her fight.

Noticing this, May said, “Okay, Skitty, use Scratch as hard as your can for the final hit!”

The cat arched her back to prepare herself before pouncing and cutting Benjammin’s cheek. Although he took extra damage due to the effects of Tail Whip, the pain only made my Whismur shout even louder, adding to the Echoed Voice that moved around the area. After hearing the loud voice, Skitty fell down, defeated.

“Okay, Rohon,” said May, “If you’re going to keep on using that move, I’ll just have my Pokémon take the damage! Go, Seedot, and use Bide!”

She threw out the acorn, which stood unmoving as he waited for an attack. Noticing this, I said, “Well, if that’s how it’s going to be, then just keep using Echoed Voice, Benjammin! We don't care about your Bide!"

The Whismur proceeded to do that, yelling at the Seedot(although he had to rest his voice sometimes, which lowered the power of the move). While this was happening, I saw that Seedot was starting to change. He was starting to split open, and I thought that Benjammin was yelling so hard that he was literally breaking his opponent. Despite my worry, I noticed that a new being was sprouting up out of the shell. It had arms, a leaf sprouting out of its head, and a long, pointy nose. After a bit of struggling, the entity emerged and said, “Nuz…LEAF!”

May looked at her changed Pokémon in surprise, exclaiming, “Wow! Seedot, you evolved into Nuzleaf!” She clenched her fist in excitement, continuing, “Why don’t you show your opponent your new power by finishing that Bide?”

Nuzleaf pumped his arms before running up to Benjammin and punching him as hard as he could. The Whismur fainted instantly.

I returned Benjammin to his ball before throwing out my Lotad, saying, “Dendy, you saw that grass-type evolve. Why don’t you evolve, too?”

Dendy heard this and tried to muster up a power in herself, shaking around with intent. Alas, nothing happened.

May laughed, saying, “Don’t be silly, Rohon, you can’t just force your Pokémon to evolve; it has to happen naturally.” She looked at her Pokémon and smiled, saying, “I see that you have a new move, Nuzleaf. Try using Razor Leaf on that Lotad!”

The Nuzleaf waved his head around , growing new leaves on his stem that he launched like ninja stars at Dendy. The attack looked powerful, and Dendy was already looking hurt. Figuring that grass resisted grass due to them both being the same, I said to my Pokémon, “Dendy, retaliate with Astonish!”

Dendy approached Nuzleaf unassumingly before turning around and shouting loudly. Unfortunately for me, Nuzleaf did not see fazed by this at all; he simply laughed cruelly.

May laughed along with him, stating, “Surprise! Nuzleaf is a dark type, now! Now, Nuzleaf, show him how fearless you are with another Razor Leaf!”

Nuzleaf repeated his previous attack, this time aiming at Dendy’s stubby feet, which were sadly her weak points. In just two attacks, my Pokémon fainted.

May held her hands to her cheeks, saying, “No way! 3 critical hits in one battle? Lady Luck sure is shining on me today! I feel kinda bad for you, Rohon.”

I shook my head as I retrieved Dendy, answering, “Don’t worry about it, May…because I know that my next Pokémon will finish it. Go, Konishiki, use Bulk Up!”

The Makuhita came out with high spirits before landing and flexing his heart out. Seeing this, May said, “So, you’re raising your attack, eh? Okay, Nuzleaf, counter that with Harden!”

The sprout stood still as he tensed his skin, prompting me to say, “Looks like it’s even, then. Go ahead and use Arm Thrust, Konishiki!”

My Pokémon happily complied, assaulting Nuzleaf with multiple open-handed strikes. I noticed that the final hit was the most powerful one, and it hit directly on Nuzleaf’s nose. Miraculously, that was all it took to defeat the sprout.

May chuckled and shrugged, saying, “Oh well, that’s what I get for gloating. Now I’m the one taking a critical hit!” She held her last Pokéball to her forehead, saying, “Okay, I’m counting on you, Combusken. Get out there and keep on your hot streak!”

May enthusiastically threw out the chicken, who let out a shrill battle cry. This unsettled me quite a bit, but Makuhita’s spirit was not swayed at all. This gave me the motivation to tell my Makuhita to use Tackle while May had Combusken use Focus Energy, that dreaded move. Thankfully, the Embers that came afterward did less damage than I expected; Konishiki was taking hits very well, for some reason. I guess he was just bulky? Sadly, by the time I told my Makuhita to use Arm Thrust, I noticed that his glove hands were on fire. He was burned.

Although I expected Konishiki to be less spirited because of this, his face told me that he felt more determined, more more energized. Why was this the case? I didn't know. Besides, I couldn't do much to take advantage of this occurrence; Combusken's repeated Double Kicks made sure of that. The direct damage combined with the residual damage from the burn ended in Makuhita tragically falling.

Man, I thought, I can’t believe it’s come to this fighting May of all people. Axol, I hope that you can pull through. So, I sent out my best partner, saying, “Axol, it’s all up to you. Water’s strong against Fire, right? Use Water Gun, then!”

Marshtomp came out and burbled joyously at meeting his fellow starter before building up water. As this was happening, May smirked and said, “Don’t think you’ll win just based on the type advantage. Combusken, obscure his sight with Sand Attack!”

Before Axol could get his attack off, he had sand kicked in his eyes. He held up his hands to his eyes in pain, causing him to miss. I clenched my fist, saying, “Dang it. Try again, Axol.”

As the Marshtomp gargled some more water, May confidently said, “While Marshtomp is down, keep on kicking him!” Combusken did exactly that, launching Double Kick after Double Kick. All the while, Axol could not hit a single Water Gun. I couldn’t believe it. How could one girl be so lucky?

I grumbled to myself as I watched the whole event unfold. “You know what,” I said, “I’m pretty sure that Water Gun is cursed. Use Mud Shot instead!”

Still squinting his eyes, Axol shot at the ground and kicked it in a direction. To my joy, it actually hit Combusken, and it did a lot of damage, too. I sighed in relief. Finally, an attack worked.

However, May was not perturbed in the slightest. “Ha,” she said, “All you did was activate Combusken’s Blaze! Now’s the time to use your most powerful Ember!”

With her feathers burning bright, Combusken did one final battle cry before ejecting larger projectiles of fire towards Axol. Although this was supposed to be not very effective, Axol was at such low energy that this move was a finisher. Axol wobbled a bit before falling backwards, and I looked at him in anguish. I couldn’t believe it. I had lost a Fire vs Water matchup.

Chapter 25: Terrific Trading

Chapter Text

As I sat down in defeat, May jumped for joy, exclaiming, “Yes! I knew I had it in me to win with a type disadvantage! Oh, Rohon, it must suck to…” She paused to look in my direction, seeing that I was looking destroyed. “Hey,” she said with a worried look, “Are you okay?”

With tears forming in my eyes, I answered, “Am I supposed to be? My Marshtomp just lost to a Combusken. A water-type lost to a fire-type. What does that make me? A chump who can’t use Pokémon right? If I can’t beat you, then what am I going to do about stronger trainers like those Team Aqua grunts or someone way worse? Nothing, that’s what…”

May walked to my side, sat in a crisscross position, and placed her hand on my left shoulder. “Hey,” she said kindly, “Don’t cry. Losing is a natural part of battling. Tell me, do you know anyone who has a completely consistent win streak?”

She prodded me for an answer, and I mumbled, “N-no?”

May nodded, continuing, “Exactly. So don’t get all worked up just because you lost one match. Every battle is a chance to grow stronger and learn from your mistakes. In fact, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t have some slip-ups! Do you remember how eager Axol and Konishiki were to battle? How do you think they would feel if you just threw in the towel?”

I closed my eyes and imagined those two in my mind. Ever since I had accepted them as my partners, they had shown nothing but enthusiasm for the opportunity to test their strength. It would be embarrassing to not give them that chance. I sniffed and wiped my eyes, responding, “Okay. I get what you’re saying. From now on, I’ll do my best to not give up for the sake of my friends.”

May smiled warmly, saying, “That’s exactly what I want to hear! Oh, and speaking of your Pokémon, I think that they need a rest. Let’s head to the Pokémon Center in Slateport!”

I nodded in agreement, traveling with May to our destination.

After having the nurse treat our allies, May and I noticed that it was getting dark, so we got to work on building a camp. Because some trainers had challenged and lost to us on the way to Slateport, we had enough prize money to buy some food from Slateport’s market. After May and I set up the tent, Combusken ignited a bunch of sticks that Nuzleaf gathered and we all sat down by the fire as we enjoyed our food. May had a sandwich made with some sort of fish Pokémon along with some fries, I had a hot dog with potato chips, and our Pokémon had colorful kibble. It felt satisfying to go to bed after a nice meal, and I was asleep within seconds.

After many hours, I was awoken by a loud crowing. Startled, I jumped out of the tent, exclaiming, “W-what was that? Are we getting attacked?” I looked around the area only to see May’s Combusken standing on the branch of a tree and calling out.

As I was wondering what was going on, May came out of the tent with her hair looking like a tumbleweed. She yawned before saying, “What’s going on? Why are you up so early?” She then looked at her Pokémon and said, “Combusken? What are you doing up there?”

The fowl looked down at her owner, gave one final crow, and jumped down to meet us. May smiled in realization, saying, “Oh, I get what’s going on! I heard from my dad that Combuskens start crowing once they evolve. It’s weird, I swear I heard that only male Combuskens do this. Heh, I guess that my Combusken must be a tomboy!” She looked at me and smiled, saying, “Well, since we’re up so early, what do you say we start off this morning by exploring this route? We can knock down two birds with one stone; you battle trainers and wild Pokémon, and I’ll look out for any new species to catch.”

Although I was still feeling tired, I answered, “Sure. But…you might want to check your hair, first.”

After touching her hair, May immediately realized what I was talking about, and she rushed inside her tent to fix herself. “Okay,” she said upon returning, “I’m ready. Let’s go!”

So, May and I got to work. I looked around the area, challenging trainers in a weird switching of roles while May searched the grass for new creatures. She ended up finding an green, electric canine called Electrike, two similar-looking electric rodents called Plusle and Minun, and an electric ball called Voltorb. “Uh,” I asked May, “What’s with all of the electric-types?”

May pointed north and said, “They must be attracted to the power plant over at Mauville City.”

Mauville City? That was where my dad was working!

I told May about this information, to which she replied, “Oh, really? Maybe we’ll be able to catch him and say hi!”

I simply shrugged in response. It’s not that I disliked my dad, or anything; I just knew that he was not the one for family reunions. Other than that, though, I was happy to hear to Mauville City to see what it offered.

So, we headed up the route and towards the city. Along the way, I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening with the overarching road above me.

We soon reached a rectangular building at the end of the route. We walked through the clear, sliding doors, and I could hardly believe what I saw. There was a massive, bright city housed inside the box! Even just looking one way gave me so much to take in; there were game corners, cafes, and so much more that I couldn’t even begin to explore.

“Wow,” said May in awe, “Look at this place! You know, I visited this city once when I was younger, but I don’t remember it being this big!” She looked at me and smiled, saying, “Well, look at you, being all excited! I feel the same, but we have to stay focused. Now, where’s the Gym?”

Of course, we could not stay focused at all. Being kids, we had our attention drawn to the many attractions that filled the city. We used our spare change to try out some arcade machines, smelled the aroma of high-quality food being cooked in the restaurants, and spectated battles being held in this sort of facility.

Who knows how much time passed until we came across another small room. The sign in front of it read, “Mauville trading room. Find your new best friend!”

May smiled and said, “Trading? Rohon, this might be a chance to get some new Pokémon for our Pokédex! Come on, let’s go see what they have!”

We stepped inside the room through some blue curtains to find a bunch of trainers operating machines. As we were looking around, a young woman in a blue suit came up to us and said, “Hi! Are you here to trade?” Once we confirmed this, she continued, “Great! Let me explain how this all works. It’s pretty simple, really; go to a booth and type in the name of the Pokémon you want to trade away. Soon enough, someone might come and negotiate a deal. Of course, you can also go around and see if there’s anything that you would like. Does that make sense?” We stated our understanding, and the woman replied, “Perfect! Good luck, and happy trading!”

May and I took an empty spot, Booth 1, and met a screen that read, “INSERT POKÉMON TO BE TRADED HERE.” And below that, “INSERT DESIRED POKÉMON HERE.”

May tapped her chin, saying, “Hmm, let’s see, what Pokémon do I want to trade away? Now that I think about it, I haven’t been using Ralts all too much. I think it’s time for me to say goodbye to her…”

I looked at May with a betrayed expression, saying, “Seriously?! The Ralts that I spent all afternoon trying to catch for you, you’re trading it away?!” May shrugged and smiled, replying, “Sorry! I just feel like another Pokémon would suit me better. Besides, think about how happy another trainer would be to get such a rare Pokémon!”

Although I still felt confused over May’s choice, I saw no real reason to object. “Okay,” I said while shaking my head, “If you’re going to swap out a Pokémon that you don’t use, then I guess that I’ll do the same and trade away Zig.”

May gave a thumbs up, saying, “Okay, so it’s settled. Let’s see what we get!”

So, we input the species name of our Pokémon and sat down in the provided chairs.

After some waiting, a tall, dark-skinned boy came over to us, reading the screen above our head. “Mmm,” he said in a gloomy tone, “A Poochyena and a Ralts? Cool.”

May looked with bright eyes at the individual, asking, “Hey! Are you looking to add those Pokémon to you team?”

Still having a slight frown, the person replied, “Um…yeah? Since you both have what I want, I guess we’ll do a double trade. I have a Gulpin for Poochyena and a Wailmer for Ralts. Is that…okay?”

I nodded, replying, “Sure. But, uh, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you really okay with trading two Pokémon at once?”

The young guy shrugged, replying, “I don’t really care. They both just came up to me one day and walked into my Pokéballs for some reason. You guys can have them for all I care. Maybe even nickname them if you're into that sort of thing."

May smiled and said, “Okay, nice!” She turned towards the device behind her and stated, “So, we’re supposed to just place our capsules in this machine, right?”

The person reached into his bag, pulled out two Pokéballs, and answered, “Yeah. Have fun.” As May operated the machine, the donor said to me, “How do you live with this girl? She’s so annoying.”

I sighed and responded, “I know, right? She does get on my nerves sometimes. But, you know, I still admire her company.” My associate scratched his neck, responding, “If you say so.”

After that exchange, May gave us each our new allies, saying, “Okay, all done! Thanks for the Pokémon, uh…”

The boy held his head, saying, “I’m Sirel.”

May nodded and replied, “Okay, yeah, Sirel! I hope you enjoy your Poochyena and Ralts. We…wait a minute, I just realized something: We won’t be able to get data for those Pokémon’s evolutions! Hmm…Sirel, would you be willing to give us your phone number so that you can tell us about your Pokémon when they evolve? In case you’re wondering, me and Rohon are trying to fill out the Pokédex for Professor Birch, so we need the info.”

Sirel sighed again, answering, “Fine. Here you go.”

The two exchanged numbers, and May cheerfully said, “Thanks a lot, Sirel! Don’t forget to send us any updates!”

Sirel looked towards the exit and said, “…I won’t. Listen, I have to go; I’m needed somewhere.” With that, he gave a weak wave and exited the room.

As I was waving back, May jabbed me in the sides with her elbow. As I hunched over in pain, she gave me a sly grin and said, “Don’t think that I didn’t hear you talking behind my back with your friend. But still, thanks for the kind thing that you did say.” She walked ahead of me, continuing, “Now, come on. We have a Gym to find!”

I rubbed my sides before following my companion to explore the rest of Mauville.

Chapter 26: A Battle Against a Struggling Kid

Chapter Text

May and I continued making our way through the vast city, this time trying and actually succeeding in ignoring distractions. Along the way, I decided to take the opportunity that Sirel gave me and named my Gulpin Gooey. Soon, we came across a large, important-looking building with a white thunderbolt sign on it.

“Hey,” said May, this must be the Gym! And where there’s a Gym, there’s a badge that’s ripe for the taking. But wait, who’s that over there?”

Standing in front of the building was a boy with familiar-looking green hair. He stepped back and threw a Pokéball forward to release a blue-haired Ralts, allowing us to see the person’s face.

“Wait a minute,” said May in realization, “Wally? What’s he doing here? Isn’t he supposed to be in Verdanturf Town right now?”

I shrugged, saying, “I guess he’s on a detour. He’ll get going, eventually.” I gave May a tired look and asked, “You’re still going to butt in, aren’t you?”

Smiling, May answered, “You know me well!”

Sighing, I followed my friend to where Wally was standing.

“Please, uncle Austin,” pleaded Wally, “I want to challenge this Gym with my Ralts. Can’t we just do that before we go?”

The uncle shook his head and answered, “You know that I can’t let you do that, Wally. What if the excitement triggers your condition again? Not to mention all of the fur and dust that’ll be flying around.”

Wally retorted, “I’m telling you, me Ralts have formed a great bond together. He’ll protect me from any threat, I know he will!”

Austin gestured towards the Ralts and stated, “What, this tiny thing? How’s this pipsqueak supposed to keep you safe?”

Thinking for a bit, Wally looked around, noticed us, and started beaming with joy. “Hey,” he said, “It’s you guys!” He then turned back to his family member and said, “Uncle Austin, these are my two friends, May and Rohon. They can vouch for me!”

As May waved, Wally’s uncle responded, “Oh yeah? How so?”

Wally looked at me in a begging way and asked, “Rohon, battle me, please!"

Confused, I inquired, “Wait, what? Why?”

Wally looked at his Pokémon and replied, “This is the best way for me to show my Ralts’ psychic powers. It’s my best shot at showing my uncle that Ralts and I can work together to get past any challenge. So again, Rohon, please accept my challenge!”

I tapped my foot on the floor, unsure if I wanted to follow through with this fight. Wally, I thought, was most likely the same inexperienced trainer that he was when I first met him, so there was no point in wasting my time. With that being said, he sounded pretty confident, so maybe he had improved after all. “Okay,” I conceded, “I accept.”

Wally smiled, saying, “Thank you, Rohon! I promise you, I’ll do my best.” He then turned around and continued, “Meet me outside in the courtyard, and we can get started.”

As Wally made his way through a nearby set of clear doors, his uncle confronted me and said, “Listen, you, Wally might want you to give it your all and everything, but could you go a little easy on the kid? We don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

I nodded and answered, “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll be careful.”

May added, “Yeah, your nephew will be fine! Rohon’s the most gentle person I know.”

Austin crossed his arms and groaned, saying, “He better be…”

Feeling somewhat anxious about what was to come, I walked over to the location where me and Wally were set to fight.

Wally stood in the middle of a large asphalt court, in the center of a painted-on, stylized Pokéball. “There you are,” said Wally, “I can’t wait to begin. Are you ready to see how strong I’ve gotten?”

I swung my arm from side to side and answered, “As ready as I’ve ever been…”

Wally smiled and responded, “That’s good enough for me. Okay, let’s get into our positions and—”

May suddenly jumped up and interjected, “Ooh, ooh, wait, could I be the announcer? I’ve always wanted to bring some spicy commentary to battles!”

Wally blinked and replied, “Um, sure, I guess you could.”

May grinned gleefully and exclaimed, “Yes! Let me get a seat!” May then retrieved a white, plastic chair from the side, sitting in it while bringing out her Combusken to stand at her side. “Ladies aaand gentlemen,” she declared, “Get ready for the fight of the hour! In the red corner, we have the boy prodigy from the coast, rising up from Littleroot Town all the way to Mauville City with his trusty Axol. It’s the one, the only, Rohon!”

I blushed slightly in embarrassment as both May and Combusken clapped up a storm.

"And in the blue corner,” she went on, “We have an aspiring young boy who is looking to prove that disabilities do not make a person. He may have his issues, but that will not stop him from being a great trainer! Everyone, please give a warm welcome to…Wally!”

May and her Pokémon gave an ovation to Wally, who did a cheesy bow.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” said May, “Let the battle begin! Contestants, take your places!”

Wally laughed, saying, “Wow, your friend sure is energetic, isn’t she?”

I shook my head and answered, “For better or worse…”

Gripping his Pokéball, Wally continued, “Well, I hope that introduction fired you up as much as it did me, because me and Ralts are coming at you with everything we’ve got!”

Returning the gesture, I held one of my own capsules out and said, “Here’s to a fair fight.”

With that, we both threw our balls forward, and the battle commenced.

Wally, as expected, sent out his blue-haired Ralts, which looked a bit braver than it did before. As for me, I decided that I wanted to try out the new Gulpin that I got. “Lookie here, folks,” stated May, “Rohon is bringing a Poison-type to take on Ralts! Both a good and a bad choice, that’s for sure…”

As I was wondering what May meant, I took a second to look over Gooey’s moves. Apparently, he knew Pound, Sludge, Yawn, and Amnesia. Recalling what Wally’s uncle had told me, I said, “Okay, Gooey, let’s try out Amnesia.”

The green blob stood very still (which wasn’t saying much) before compressing its body and letting out a drawn out, “Guuuulp?”

Seeing this, May said, “Is it just me, or is Gulpin feeling out of it? Oh wait, my mistake, it’s just using Amnesia! I bet he won’t care too much about any special move coming in, won’t he? His special defense is now increased!”

In response, Wally said, “Say what? Dang it, my attacks won’t be as effective…you know what, I can still try! Ralts, use Lucky Chant to prevent the worst!”

The humanoid raised his arms to the sky and let out a quiet incantation, causing it to be surrounded in a green aura.

“Ooh,” said May, “Looks like luck is in the air, today! Ralts is now unable to be struck by critical hits!”

I looked with wonder at the psychic Pokemon, amazed that it could use such a mystical move. “Okay,” I said, “Gooey, do what damage you can do with Pound!”

The jiggly mass hesitated for a moment before flopping his way over to his opponent, doing so at a slightly faster speed than I expected. “Oh, no you don’t,” said Wally, “Ralts, intercept him with Confusion!”

The Ralts waved his right extremity in a circle, causing that part to be coated in a faint, purple light. Slowly, Gooey started to stop in place, and his usually closed eyes began to open slightly. Suddenly, he started to convulse wildly, acting much more energetic than before.

“What’s this?” asked May, “Something’s gotten into Gulpin. It must be that Confusion attack; Gulpin’s movements are being controlled!”

Unable to manage himself, Gooey rolled around on the floor, making weird burping and squelching noises, before bouncing up and crashing face first into the ground.

Once he got up, I noticed that Gooey’s expression was different, looking more dazed than before. “Uh oh,” stated May, “Not only was that move super effective, but it also confused poor old Gulpin! Will he be able to keep his head in the game?”

Wally pumped his fist and cheered, “Yes! Looks like that Lucky Chant did more than just prevent critical hits, right Ralts?”

As my Pokémon lurched from side to side, I ordered, “Gooey, I know that you’re not in the right headspace right now, but I need you to do your best. Use Yawn to stop Ralts from moving!”

Although Gooey was extremely woozy, he did have enough willpower to initiate a fake yawn. Noticing this, Wally said, “Ralts, don’t let him get to you. Use Teleport to hide away!”

By the time Gulping finished his Yawn, Ralts had already waved his arms in an undulating motion, causing him to vanish into thin air. I looked around, wondering where my foe had went, before he appeared behind Gooey.

“That’s it," called Wally, “Now use Confusion again!” Ralts jumped backwards and began his arm movements once more, causing my Pokémon to break into a self-harming dance.

“Ooh,” said May, “Another big hit. I imagine that Gulpin isn’t feeling too good. Oh, but what’s this?”

After getting up, I noticed that Gooey was looking more focused than before, his eyes shut right in concentration.

“Well, would you look at that,” announced May, “Gulpin has recovered from his confusion! Let’s see how he does now!”

Before I could issue my next order, I noticed some purple liquid oozing out of Gooey’s mouth, which was also starting to bulge with the same liquid. “Gooey?” I asked, “What’re you doing?”

Before I could intervene, Gooey launched a glob of purple gunk at Ralts, causing the Pokémon to cry out in shock. “Hold on,” said May as she and her gasped with surprise, “Gulpin’s acting out of line! He just used Sludge all on his own! Sure, the attack was super effective, but this is rebellion!”

I clutched my head with great worry. That was the one move I was actively trying to avoid; it sounded too dangerous. Who knows what could happen?

Still covered in slime, Ralts teleported back to his master, who was kneeling down to inspect the injuries of his partner. As he was doing so, I noticed that Wally was starting to act unusual. He was clutching his chest, coughing quite a lot, and worst of all, he breathing abnormally fast.

“Wally?” called Austin, “Wally, are you okay? Wally!” However, the boy did not respond, instead hunching over and pointing at his throat.

Austin cursed under his breath and frantically reached into his small brown bag to retrieve an inhaler. “Hang in there, Wally,” he exclaimed as he ran over, “I’m coming!” The uncle quickly handed his nephew the medicine dispenser, which he swiftly made use of. The only thing May and I could do was watch as Wally breathed in the life-giving mist.

After his relative was done, Austin glared at me with a red face and yelled, “I knew I shouldn’t have let you battle my nephew! You almost killed him!”

My eyes opened wide in fear, and I stammered, “I-I’m sorry, sir, my Gulpin, I didn’t mean to, I—”

Austin held up his hand and said, “No buts. Wally, we’re headed straight to Verdanturf Town, pronto!” He then grabbed his nephew forcefully by the arm and pulled him away.

As Wally moved past me, he attempted to say, “Rohon, I—”

He was cut short by his uncle, who said, “Move it, Wally!” Unable to resist, Wally was carried away from me, leaving May and I to stand there in a dead silence.

Chapter 27: Entering the Shock Zone

Chapter Text

Me and May remained there for a minute longer until she whistled and said, “Wow, that was...that was something, huh?”

I nodded slowly and replied, “You could say that.”

As Combusken cooed sadly as May stated, “Hey, you know, it’s not your fault. Who would’ve guessed that Gulpin would use Sludge randomly like that?”

Thinking about this, I looked at my Pokémon with angry eyes, saying, “Yeah, Gooey, why did you disobey me, anyway? I had a plan!”

Gooey simply turned the other direction, making a short “pin” as he did so.

May thought for a moment before saying, “Oh, I think I know what’s going on! So, you remember how you got your Gulpin from a trade, right? Well, the thing is that traded Pokémon tend to not be as loyal to foreign trainers as their original ones. Gooey must’ve been tired of your mucking around and just wanted to get straight to the point.”

I again gave the rebellious slime a hostile look and stated, “That ‘mucking around’ was for a reason, Gooey! I was told to fight safely, not launch globs of toxic waste! Didn’t you know that Wally was sick?” No answer.

"Come on, Rohon,” said May, “Don’t you think it’s a little unreasonable to expect Gooey to know that? I mean, you just got him.”

I looked angrily at the poisonous Pokémon, trying to come up with a counterclaim. “I…” I started, “Still…It’s not…” My mad face slowly faded away as I considered the facts. May was right, Gooey couldn’t have known. Even if he had known, would it have mattered? Gooey’s job was to battle, and that’s what he did. The real culprit was the one who sent a Poison-type right in front of someone with health problems. It was me. It was all my fault. Tears formed around my eyes as I murmured, “I’m sorry, Wally. I’ve let you down. I should’ve never accepted that challenge…”

Seeing that I was suffering, May walked over to me, patted my back, and said, “Hey now, don’t beat yourself up. So you and Gooey made some mistakes. We’re only human. It doesn’t look like Wally was that hurt, so this is just a learning experience!” After a moment of silence, she continued, “You know what I think will fix Gooey’s obedience issues? A Gym badge! Pokémon are more likely to listen to accomplished trainers, after all. How does that sound?”

I wiped my eyes and answered, “I guess I could do that…”

May gave a thumbs-up, stating, “Alright! Although, you do know that I’m not watching this battle, right? We talked earlier about how you were to do Gym battles while I caught some Pokémon, remember?”

I nodded and answered, “Yeah, I think.”

May replied, “Yeah. But I’m sure that you’ll do great!

I smiled slightly, saying, “Thanks.”

May smiled back, replying, “No problem!” She then turned around, waved, and said, “See you soon, Rohon! Do your best!”

I made my way over to the Gym that Wally was standing in front of earlier and walked through the sliding doors. What I saw on the other side was a long, grey-tiled hallway with electric rods all over the place. Standing to the side was what I like to call the “tutorial man”; this one looked older than the rest, having small wrinkles and a slightly graying beard.

“Hello,” he greeted, “Welcome to the Mauville City Gym! You must be…Rohon, am I correct?” I nodded, causing the man to say, “I thought so. Well then, let me explain what you have to do today. As you can see, there are machines all over the place that are generating an electric barrier. Touch them and, well, you know…you get a small shock! You thought I was going to say something worse, didn’t you?” The man laughed, cleared his throat, and continued, “Excuse me. Anyway, ‘how do I get through this?’ I hear you ask. Well, my curious friend, let me enlighten you. In order to get through this Gym, you’re going to need to put that noggin of yours to good use. Your job is to step on the buttons on the floor to move the barriers to your liking. Pressing one button deactivates one electrical field, pressing another button removes another barrier, yet another button reactivates a wall…you get what I mean. So, Rohon, are you up for the challenge?”

I nodded, answering, “Yes, sir.” The guide smiled, saying, “Good, good. Best of luck out there, friend.”

After accepting a fistbump of approval from the guy, I proceeded with the trial.

“Okay,” I said to myself as I walked around, “How does this work? What happens if I step on this button?” I walked over the blue button, causing two of the rods to blink before losing their charge. This allowed me to get into a previously closed-off area that had a green button in the middle of it. After stepping on that switch, I noticed that the electrical wall in front of me disappeared, but the wall behind me reformed. Shrugging, I made my way to another revealed part of the floor that had a purple button. After I activated the switch, the wall behind me reappeared in exchange for the electricity in front of me disappearing. I made my way through and, lo and behold, I had made no progress.

As I was trying to figure out what to do, I hear a singing voice coming from my left. I looked that direction to find a young, yellow-haired man strumming an electric guitar. “When you’re out of touch,” he sang, “And you’re lost in the storm, you don’t feel like much, your soul and mind torn. In this situation, there’s only one thing to do. Just jump into battle and action, and see what fate has for you!”

As the guy did a guitar solo, I watched him with a mix of awe and confusion. Noticing me, the guitarist stopped playing and said, “Yo, dude, did you like my song?”

After a bit of hesitation, I replied, “Uh, yeah, I did.”

The individual smiled, saying, “Good, cause I’ll be here all day!”

As the person continued playing, I began to consider the lyrics he had sung. “Wait,” I said after some thinking, “Do I have to battle you to solve this puzzle?”

Again, the guitarist stopped strumming and looked at me, saying, “Dang, you figured it out that quick? I didn’t even get to sing my 2nd verse!” He then fished a Pokéball out of his brown leather jacket and continued, “Well, you’re absolutely correct. Defeat me in a battle, and I’ll help you get through this Gym. So, what do you say, little man? Are you ready?”

I nodded and responded, “Definitely.”

The young man grinned and replied, “Alright! Let’s rock!”

We both took our positions away from each other and sent out our Pokémon, with me sending out Nigel and the guitarist sending out Electrike.

"Oh” said my opponent, “So you like to live on the dangerous side. I can respect that.”

Not knowing what he meant, I responded, “I guess you could say that.”

The musician added, “Let’s see if your confidence is deserved. Electrike, use Thunder Fang!”

The canine started to growl as its mouth crackled with electricity. Seeing this display, I said, “Nigel, quick, use Water Gun to attack first!”

Although Nigel was able to get off his attack, the Electrike did not seem to care very much; it continued to stand with its teeth bared and its fur erect with electricity. Suddenly, with a burst of speed, the dog blitzed forward and chomped on Nigel’s wing, sending surges of power surging through the poor bird. The Electrike shook my Wingull around a little before throwing him in my direction. To my disappointment, Nigel’s eyes were dazed and inactive; he had fainted in one hit.

With a celebratory strum of his guitar, my adversary cheered, “Awesome! That’s a new record for us, Electrike! Way to show em that your bark is as good as your bite!”

After pondering the situation for a bit, I slapped my forehead in embarrassment; I had forgotten what May had said about Water’s Electric weakness! Although I was mad at myself for this, I did remember the other thing that May said. With this knowledge in mind, I sent out my best partner Axol.

“Hey,” said the guitarist, “What’s that? Another water type?”

With slight amusement in my voice, I answered, “That’s right.”

Unaware of the trap I set, the musician stated, “Okay, have it your way. Electrike, hit em with another Thunder Fang!”

As the electric Pokémon prepared its attack, I ordered, “Okay, Axol, soften the enemy up with Water Gun!” Axol nodded, gathering liquid in his mouth before ejecting it onto the canine.

Again, the Electrike continued to charge, although it seemed a bit more fazed than before. Still, it had enough energy to initiate another assault. It zipped back and forth and latched onto Axol’s arm to do…no damage at all.

“No way,” said my opponent in disbelief, “You’re telling me that thing’s a Ground type, too?”

I smiled and answered, “Yes, he is. He has a Ground type move, too! Axol, use Mud Shot!”

My Pokémon shook the Electrike off his left arm before balling up some mud that he had cleverly stored under his armpit. He then launched the mud ball at the electric dog, causing it to yelp in pain. The Electrike, covered in brown, rolled towards its trainer, where it did not move another inch.

“Aw man,” said the guitarist as he returned his Pokémon, “Wasn’t expecting a Ground-type.” As he handed me 448 Pokédollars, the guy continued, “Way to be well-prepared dude! But I wouldn’t get too cocky; just because one of your Pokémon is immune to Electric doesn’t mean this Gym will be easy. Stay on your guard, alright? Anyway, I guess I should get to helping you with that puzzle…”

After pressing a weirdly-colored button on his electric guitar, I noticed that one of the electric barriers had disappeared, this time without another one forming. “There you go,” he said, “That should make things easier. Stay strong, little guy, and be sure to…” he picked up his instrument, started to play it, and said in a musical tone, “Keep your head held high and rock on!”

Smiling slightly at this display, I replied, “Thanks.”

With that, I reattempted the puzzle, discovering that now I could make my way directly to the green button without touching the blue button. After activating the former switch, I headed to and stepped on the purple button, allowing me to head back to the center of the room. This time, however, I was able to get back to the center of the square-like arrangement thanks to the removal of the front wall courtesy of the guitarist. Furthermore, a series of electrical walls ahead had deactivated, allowing me to head on to the next section of the Gym. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had made progress.

Chapter 28: The Galvanic Groundbreaker: Wattson!

Chapter Text

I proceeded to make my way through the rest of the Gym, using my slightly-above-average reasoning skills to figure out the order in which to press the many buttons. I also had Axol to thank for taking care of the trainers and electric Pokémon that filled the building; him handily defeating them was a major factor in how easily I made it through the maze. Additionally, because of the many battles that Axol went through, he ended up learning a move more powerful than Mud Shot: Mud Bomb. My Pokémon and I continued to make our way through the challenge, eventually moving past the final barrier to end up in the last room.

Standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his thunderbolt symbol-covered black shirt was a portly man with a bald head and a white beard. “Why, hello,” he greeted, “So, you’ve made it past my puzzle. Good, good! How did you like it?”

Somewhat off-put by the man’s booming voice, I answered, “Uh, I would say that it was pretty fun.”

The man nodded and replied, “Good to hear! I’ll have you know that this maze was not the only thing I designed. Mauville City was not always this way; I was the one who redesigned it! Mauville used to be an ordinary city, but now it’s bigger, grander, and better than ever before!”

Interested by this, I said, “Oh, really? I didn’t know that. You did a good job with the place.”

The man smiled proudly, stating, “I’m glad that you enjoy my work, youngster. However…” his smile turned downwards, “That Marshtomp of yours made a big mess of the place, it did. Who gave you the right to let your Pokémon do that?”

My face turned stiff as I remembered the events that unfolded. Because Axol had learned a stronger mud-based move, the grime he had stored under his armpits wasn’t enough. For that reason, he ended up breaking the floor beneath him to get extra ammo, just as he had done in the Pokémon Contest. I gave a pleading look towards the individual, saying, “I-I’m sorry, sir, I wasn’t thinking back then. I swear I’ll…”

At that moment, I saw the older guy’s mouth form back into a smile as he laughed, “I’m just kidding with you, young sport! Things like this are bound to happen in Pokémon Gyms; that’s why every building has a cleanup crew. Come on, boy, lighten up!”

As the man continued to laugh, I quietly chuckled along with him before stating, “Okay, that’s good. By the way, are you the Gym Leader, or…?”

The man smiled and nodded, answering, “Of course, who else would I be? And there’s no need to call me ‘sir’, little spark. You can call me Wattson! And you must be that ‘Rohon’ I’ve been hearing about, huh?”

I nodded and replied, “Yes, that would be me.”

Wattson laughed and responded, “Excellent! I’ve been waiting for this, you know. You’re a very promising trainer, you are! I expect to have an electrifying battle with you.”

I managed a smile before replying, “Uh, same here, Wattson.”

Acknowledging this, Wattson said, “Fantastic! Oh, and I should let you know that you’re allowed to use 4 Pokémon for this battle instead of 3. Go on, choose which ones you’ll be bringing so we can get started!”

Hearing this, I fished around in my bag for my 7 capsules. I knew for sure that Dendy wasn’t going to participate; she was a water type. And Gooey wasn’t allowed to battle until he got his act together. That just left Benjammin, Rigby, Worma, Konishiki, and Axol. I decided to leave Rigby out in favor of the other Normal-type, Benjammin. With that, my team was set.

“Okay,” I said to Wattson, “I’m ready.”

Wattson grinned and responded, “Great! Well then, now that we’re both ready, it’s time to make sparks fly! Wahaha!”

Chapter 29: Thunderous Trials: The Electric-type Gym

Chapter Text

We each threw out our 1st Pokémon, with Wattson sending in a Voltorb and me sending out…Worma? Something was different; Worma was not the same as she once was. Instead of being a silk-based cocoon, she was a purple moth with green wings, which had red spots on them. “Hold on,” I said, “Did you evolve on your own again?”

Worma lifted her head lazily and answered, “Dust…” Looking at my Pokédex, I could see that Worma had evolved into the Bug/Poison Dustox.

“Well,” said Wattson as he noticed my surprised face, “Looks like your friend has changed for the better! How about you show me what it can do?”

I nodded, saying, “Okay, I will! Worma, use, let’s see, Gust!”

As I gave my order, Wattson said, “Voltorb, do your loudest Screech!”

Having no mouth, the Voltorb instead started crackling with electricity and producing an ear-splitting sound that way. While this was happening, I noticed that Worma, unlike me, was not very bothered by the screeching; she instead looked lax and demotivated, even more so than usual.

When the high-pitched noise stopped, Worma slowly got up, began to fly, and weakly flapped her wings to make a small Gust, which made its way towards its opponent. This attack did not faze the Voltorb at all.

“Hey,” I asked, “What’s going on, Worma? Do you not feel like battling right now?” My Pokémon unenthusiastically fluttered down while muttering a sorry, “Tox…”

Putting his hand on his chin, Wattson thought for a moment before saying, “Oh, I think I know what’s the matter with your Dustox. It’s just tired, that’s all!”

I looked down at the moth and inquired, “Tired? But you haven’t got out of your Pokéball since the morning!”

Wattson responded, “No, but you see, Dustox is a nocturnal Pokémon. When we’re sleeping, it’s awake! Funny how that works, eh?” Wattson had a little chuckle before continuing, “Anyhow, I’m sorry about your situation, but as a Gym Leader, I can’t hold back. That’s just the way it goes. So…Voltorb, use Rollout!”

The red and white ball began to rev up, rolling towards the resting Worma as she pressed her face to the ground. “Come on, Worma,” I urged, “At least try to use Poison Sting!”

Worma attempted to execute the move, but she was intercepted by a Voltorb roll straight to her face. Even less motivated because of this, Worma went right back to her stationary position.

As the Voltorb rolled away, I said, “Okay, that didn’t work. Can you try Harden?” Worma was, at least, able to do this, covering herself in extra scales that she produced. Doing so allowed the hit of the returning Voltorb to be softened, or so I thought. As it turned out, Worma looked to be already on the verge of fainting. It was at this moment that I knew I needed a move to stop the Voltorb’s rolling, but Worma did not seem capable of any physical movement. Suffice to say, I was stumped.

Strapped for ideas, I took another look at the Pokédex and noticed a very interesting detail: Worma knew Confusion of all moves! Last time I checked, that move did not require much physical work. As my opponent came back for another blow, I quickly said, “Worma, use Confusion to stop that Voltorb in its tracks!”

Hearing this, my Pokémon started to wiggle her wings softly as she hummed quietly. As she did that, the Voltorb gradually began to slow down, stopping just inches away from my Dustox. The sphere then rolled backwards and into a wall, making a loudish clink as it did so.

“Hey, nice work!” I cheered, “I guess you can just keep using that move, then.”

Hearing this, Wattson retorted, “Don’t think I’ll let you do that, now. Voltorb, zip in with a Spark!”

The Voltorb quickly awoke from its trance and charged up with electricity. Before Worma could muster up enough energy for another Confusion, the ball bolted towards her, knocking her away with a thunderous strike. I looked down at Worma, who was twitching with soulless compound eyes. She was down for the count.

“Well,” I said as I returned Worma to her ball, “At least now you get to sleep.”

Wattson added, “And sleep she shall! I must say, I’m impressed. Even when your Dustox was out of it, it still followed your orders! That’s a tight bond if I ever saw one, haha! Are your other Pokémon this reliable?”

I held the next Pokéball in my hand and replied, “We’ll have to see. Go, Benjammin!” I sent out my Whismur, who seemed eager to redeem himself after his performance in the previous Gym.

Wattson looked with interest at my companion, saying, “That Pokémon of yours looks quite bold, for a Whismur. Looks like we’re going to have to act in kind, eh Voltorb? Drop their guard with Screech!”

The Voltorb again began building up energy, releasing it to make an unpleasant noise. Benjammin, however, was somehow completely unaffected.

While Wattson stood there in disbelief, I took the opportunity to say, “Benjammin, counterattack with Echoed Voice!” My Pokémon proceeded to make a quietish sound, causing Voltorb to experience a bit of pain. I smiled confidently at this, knowing that this small noise would soon evolve into a much louder sound.

Wattson laughed again, “Hahaha, silly old me! I should’ve known that you Whismur would have Soundproof. Well, Voltorb, there’s no use staying here anymore. Time to make your exit with Volt Switch!”

I watched with confusion as Voltorb formed a line of electricity, which it travelled along on while spinning horizontally. Along the way, it bumped into Benjammin as he was in the middle of gathering his voice. After performing the attack, the Voltorb rode the line all the way back to its Pokéball.

After that happened, Wattson retrieved another ball and said, “It’s your turn now, Magnemite!” A metallic sphere with one eye and two magnets on either side of it then appeared, floating in the air and making beeping noises.

At that moment, Benjammin had fully prepared his Echoed Voice, which he directed at the newcomer. To my disappointment, the attack did not have as much of an effect as I was hoping.

“Wait a minute,” I asked, “Since when could you attack and switch out at the same time?”

Wattson chortled, “What, did you never hear of the move Volt Switch? It’s quite the nifty technique, it is; any electric Pokémon can hit two birds with one stone with this move. Or should I say ZAP two birds with one BOLT? Wahaha!”

I looked again at the floating magnet, with its vacant stare and stationary position. “That Echoed Voice,” I thought, “It didn’t seem to do too much damage. Could it be a resistance?” I shook my head, “No, that can’t be! That move just hasn’t been used enough!” With this in mind, I ordered, “Benjammin, use Echoed Voice again!”

As my Pokémon charged up his vocal cords, Wattson stated, “Give them a shockwave of your own, Magnemite! Use Sonic Boom!”

Right before my Whismur could make a sound, the Magnemite spun around extremely fast, causing a sudden, explosive sound. Although I expected this to have no effect on Benjammin, he still looked to be hurt by the attack. Despite this, he still managed to get off another Echoed Voice which, to my distress, still didn’t do as much damage as I thought it would.

“Okay, Benjammin,” I said, “This is your 4th Echoed Voice now. It’ll do something this time, I just know it!”

While my companion was preparing to shout once more, Wattson commanded, “You may be able to take this attack, Magnemite, but let’s play it safe. Use Thunder Shock!”

The drone’s magnets started to twirl as electrical energy built up around them. After pointing it’s two magnets forward, the Magnemite let loose a small electric bullet, which hit Benjammin right on his chest. Although my Pokémon looked to be in a bit of pain, I had faith in him. After all, that Thunder Shock was so small. It couldn’t have done that much damage, right?

Finding peace in this possibility, I watched as Benjammin opened his mouth to make another noise, not letting the recent assault faze him much like the tank I expected him to be. This pride of mine was cut short when I noticed something weird going on with Benjammin. Although his mouth was open wide and he was staring directly at the Magnemite, no sound came from him. He was muted.

“Excellent!” cheered Wattson, “A direct hit with the paralysis! You did right, Magnemite!”

I looked with disbelief at my Pokémon, who was still struggling to make any noise. How could I be this unlucky? A weak attack like that and it caused that status condition, of all things? Things were not looking good for me, I knew that for sure.

As Benjammin remained crippled, Wattson said, “Okay, Magnemite, it’s time to end this. Keep on using Sonic Boom!”

The robot’s eye narrowed slightly as it prepared to begin its flurry attack. It spun right, left, and right again as it launched Sonic Boom after Sonic Boom. All the while, my Whismur was left helpless, unable to avoid getting blasted by whatever was hurting him, incapable of executing the commands I was giving him. It was only a matter of time until he couldn’t take any more punishment, and he fell face down on the floor.

“Dang it,” I said as I recalled my fallen friend, “I can’t believe this. I haven’t even taken out a single Pokémon, yet! I really hope you’re able to turn this around…” I gripped my next Pokéball and said, “Go, Konishiki!” My Makuhita slammed onto the battlefield with enthusiasm, smacking his black hands together energetically.

A slight look of worry fell on Wattson’s face as he said, “Well, would you look at that, it’s a Fighting-type. I think you know what this means, Magnemite. Volt Switch out of there!”

Disturbed by these words, I said to my Pokémon, “Don’t let him escape! Quick, use Arm Thrust!”

As my Pokémon prepared to thrust his hands forward, the Magnemite zipped towards its opponent in a zigzag fashion, being cloaked in electricity as it did so. Just as Konishiki was about to strike his foe, the magnet shocked him and zipped away, barely avoiding Konishiki’s strong blow.

Both me and my companion grumbled in frustration as Wattson sent his Voltorb in once more. Still wanting to get his hands on something, Konishiki aimed his Arm Thrust towards the new arrival, which was unprepared to face this sudden threat. Konishiki hit one, two, three, four, five whole times with his open-palmed smacks, causing great damage to the Voltorb. With a determined grunt, Konishiki landed his final Arm Thrust, knocking the electric ball away into the opposite wall. Just like that, Wattson’s first Pokémon was defeated.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, “Great job, Konishiki, you…” My smile gradually decreased as I took a closer look at Konishiki’s body, which was covered with electric sparks. “What?” I said with extreme surprise, “You can’t be serious. You’re paralyzed?! But how?!”

Wattson laughed quietly to himself as he responded, “You can thank Voltorb’s ability for that, youngster! I just had a feeling that your Makuhita would use a contact move. Because of that Arm Thrust hitting as many times as it did, it gave Static a great opportunity to activate! Pretty clever, huh? Wahaha!”

I held my hand to my forehead in disbelief. I could not believe that such an ability existed. Now another one of my Pokémon were debuffed!

Despite the situation, I noticed that Konishiki was looking as confident as ever. In fact, he looked to be even stronger than before! What could this be? I could not say for certain.

“Alright,” said Wattson as he returned his Voltorb, “Let’s get back into the action, Magnemite! Electrocute them with Thunder Shock!”

Hearing this, I said to my Pokémon, “Konishiki, do you think that you can manage another Arm Thrust?” My companion stomped the ground with as much vigor as he could give, grunting, “Maku.”

The Magnemite then emerged, quickly activating its magnets to eject another small spark. Fearlessly, Konishiki charged forward, not even caring about the Thunder Shock that he was running into. With a hearty “kuhi”, my Pokémon jumped up through the electric ball and towards the drone. He got closer, wound up both his arms and…suddenly stopped. Right before he could launch an attack, Konishiki was fully paralyzed.

As my Makuhita fell down with a loud thud, Wattson said, “Aw, that really is too bad. You were so close! But I think it’s time for another Sonic Boom barrage. Magnemite!”

I started to break out in a cold sweat. Was Konishiki about to go out in the same way as Benjammin? As I was worrying over this, I saw Konishiki slowly start to get up. Although Magnemite was about to begin its 2nd spinning saga, I did not sense a bit of worry in Konishiki’s being. Motivated by my Pokémon’s determination, I gave my final order: “Konishiki, one last Arm Thrust!”

With a burst of energy, my Makuhita got up and looked directly at the Magnemite, which was on the verge of its 1st Sonic Boom. Rather than holding back both of his arms as he usually did, I noticed that Konishiki was instead pulling back his right arm. As I was pondering the reasoning for this behavior, Konishiki suddenly leaped up and pushed against the Magnemite in a mighty show of force, knocking it clear across the room.

Both me and Wattson stood with our mouths agape as the drone floated around in a daze, eventually falling to the ground as its eye became dim. In just one unexpected attack, the Magnemite had fainted.

“Hey now,” said Wattson as he recalled his Magnemite, “That wasn’t an Arm Thrust. That was a Force Palm!”

With a confused look on my face, I responded, “It was? But I didn’t say for him to do that.”

Smiling with amusement, Wattson replied, “Well, I suppose that your Makuhita decided that Force Palm was the better choice. He’s quite the clever one, isn’t he? Ha ha.”

I looked at my Makuhita with a mix of admiration and suspicion. Yes, it was good that his sudden learning of the move Force Palm allowed him to take out the Magnemite, but he still technically disobeyed my orders. Was this going to be another Gooey situation? I could only hope that wasn’t going to be the case.

Fishing around in his shirt, Wattson stated, “I think it’s about time I introduced my ace in the hole. Go, Manectric! Run like the wind and use Shock Wave!”

Before I could process what was happening, a blue dog with yellow fur, part of which was formed into a triangular mane, landed on the battlefield. “Ma! Man!” It barked as it ran around the battlefield, becoming cloaked in an electrical field as it did so. At some point during its mad dash, the canine let loose a tall wall of electricity, which somehow homed in on my Makuhita. Just as quickly as Konishiki had saw the Manectric, he saw what I assumed to be white as he fell backwards onto the floor.

I could hardly comprehend how fast the recent events had gone by. What was that Pokémon? By the looks of it, it seemed to be an evolution of Electrike, which was already quick enough. How blazingly fast was this thing, then? “Well,” I said as I sent Konishiki back to his ball, “You may not be the fastest thing around, but you’ve got bulk. I’m counting on you, Axol!” With that, I reached for my side and threw out my best partner’s capsule, determined to end this battle once and for all. Axol, too, was looking ready, gurgling out an enthusiastic, “Marshtomp!”

Wattson smiled and said, “I was wondering when you were going to bring out your Ground-type. Manectric, this is our chance to show off our technique! Start things off with Howl!”

As the dog began to make a long, drawn-out noise, I said to my Pokémon, “Axol, let’s just make this quick. Use Mud Bomb!” My Marshtomp nodded, stomping on the ground with enough force to reveal the dirt underneath.

As my partner was moistening the dirt, I heard Wattson order, “Don’t get hit, my friend! Use Quick Attack repeatedly to stay on your toes!”

Just when I thought that the Manectric couldn’t get any faster, it began zipping around the room at an unbelievable speed. I could only see a faint outline of its large mane, which was also moving around so quickly that I thought my eyes were messing with me. I noticed that Axol was having a hard time assessing the situation as well, looking back and forth uncertainly as he held a tightly-packed mud ball in his hand. Suddenly, out of the blue, Axol was struck in the back by the Manectric. Visibly upset by this, Axol attempted to hurl his projectile at the dog, but the canine simply bolted away in a yellow blur.

Groaning in frustration, I said, “Let’s try again, Axol. Just try throwing your Mud Bomb in a random direction and see if it hits!”

Axol attempted to do so, gathering up a pile of mud and launching it in the general direction of the afterimages. To my dismay, this maneuver was unsuccessful. Axol was then punished by another hit at his side.

“Uh…” I said with uncertainty, “Axol, use…” But I had nothing to say. I couldn’t think of anything to say. What was I supposed to do when neither me nor Axol could see our opponent? And Axol was just getting knocked around with no way of retaliating! Sure, the Quick Attacks were weak, but it was only a matter of time until Axol couldn’t take any more strikes. I needed a plan, and fast.

Quickly going over Axol’s moves in my mind, I considered the qualities of each one before figuring out the solution. Yes, this move was the one to use. “Axol,” I ordered, “Stand strong and use Bide!”

In response, Axol puffed out his cheeks, dug his feet into the mud, and remained stationary. Seeing this, Wattson said, “Hey now, Manectric, hold on a second!”

However, the dog was much too excited to listen to its master’s orders; it saw a sitting duck, and it was about to hunt it. To my satisfaction, the Manectric locked onto Axol, hitting him repeatedly with lightning-fast attacks. All the while, Axol was standing there with a tough look on his face, allowing himself to take all of the punishment. Eventually, my partner had enough, and he fiercely head-butted the dog, which had stopped for a brief rest, with full force, causing it to yelp in pain and reel back.

“Quick,” I yelled, “Before he recovers! Use Mud Bomb!”

With a powerful, “sto stomp”, Axol prepared a projectile and hurled it straight at the Manectric’s pointed snout, causing a large, messy burst as the compact ball hit its target. Coated in grime, the dog whimpered and put its blue tail between his wobbling legs. The Manectric then let out one final, sad howl before falling over on its side.

Chapter 30: Rejoicing and Rejoining

Chapter Text

I watched as a red light from Wattson’s Pokéball shot out and engulfed the Manectric, shrinking it and returning it to its capsule. Despite his best Pokémon fainting, I noticed that Wattson did not look very sad at all. In fact, he was laughing! “Wahaha,” he chortled, “Very good, young sport, very good! I don’t meet many people who have as quick thinking as you. Not even I was ready for that Bide! I just knew that my battle with you was going to be nothing short of electrifying, haha!”

I looked at my panting Axol and back at the Gym Leader, saying, “Thank you, Wattson.”

He laughed some more and responded, “Don’t mention it, little spark! Now come over here so I can give you your badge!”

I did just that, prompting Wattson to reach into his shirt pocket and retrieve both a cash reward of 2,520 Pokédollars and a badge with black, yellow, and green concentric circles that had two nubs on either side.

“Here you go,” he said, “The Dynamo Badge! If I’m not wrong, this is the 3rd badge you’ve collected so far. Oh yeah, and before I forget…” He stomped the ground, causing a tall cylinder to pop up. Pulling out two discs from the top, Wattson explained, “I’m giving you a choice; in my left hand is the Technical Machine for Shock Wave. In my right is the Technical Machine for Volt Switch. Which one do you want, kid?”

I thought for a moment. Although the idea of attacking and switching at the same time sounded enticing, Shock Wave overall looked like the more powerful move. With that in mind, I answered, “I’ll go with the one on the left, please.”

Nodding and smiling, Wattson handed me the disc as he said, “Great! I hope that you’ll enjoy it. Oh yeah, and one more thing before I send you off...you have to lighten up! The sport of Pokémon battling is meant to be a fun one, not a dead-serious one!”

Shaking my head, I retorted, “I’m not being dead-serious. I’m just—”

Holding up a hand to interrupt me, Wattson interjected, “Ah-ah-ah, don’t lie to yourself. I can see the uprightness in your face!” Giving me a friendly smile, Wattson continued, “Come on, just give me one good laugh. That’s all I’m asking.”

Although I was somewhat confused by this request, I still complied. “Ha-ha” I laughed somewhat unenthusiastically.

Frowning, Wattson said, “What? That was weak! Come on, give me some more energy!”

Looking at my shoes for inspiration, I tried again, “Ha, ha-ha.”

Wattson threw his right hand up and said, “Come now, that was even worse! Just relax, loosen up, and think happy thoughts. You can do this!”

I closed my eyes and tried to search my brain for pleasant memories. Eventually, I recalled an event from my earlier years, on my 5th birthday. According to my memory, my mom had baked me an oversized cake, which I was very excited to dive into. In fact, I was a little too excited; in my passion, I had ended up plunging my face straight into the cake!

As I pictured the image of frosting covering my eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks, a small smile crept onto my face. My snicker gradually turned into a chuckle before eventually becoming a full-on laugh, my cheeks warming up with delight.

“See?” asked Wattson while patting my back, “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Do that every day and your life will be much better, I promise! Just look at me; I’m approaching 60 and I’m still as lively as ever! Wahaha!” Smiling at me, the Gym Leader continued, “It was great battling you, Rohon. I just know that you’re going to make it big in the Pokémon League. Until then, keep that spark of yours alive, you hear?”

I nodded and responded, “I will, Wattson.”

The man nodded back, “That’s great to hear. Goodbye for now, Rohon. I’ll be seeing you in the newspapers!”

Waving goodbye, I returned Axol to his Pokéball and left the building, feeling more content than before.

As I exited the Gym, I spotted May sitting on a nearby bench with her legs crossed. Noticing me, she waved and greeted, “Hey, Rohon! How did the battle go?”

I passed a Pokéball in between my hands and answered, “It was a little difficult, but I ended up winning.”

Smiling, May responded, “That’s great to hear! Well, you wanna know what I’ve been doing?” She reached into her backpack, pulled out 5 Pokéballs, and exclaimed, “Come on out!”

I watched as an assortment of creatures emerged, those being a purple radish, a round, blue mouse, two fireflies, and some sort of plant-based humanoid with roses for hands.

“Take a look at this!” May said proudly, “Oddish, Marill, Volbeat and Illumise, and Roselia. All in 30 minutes!”

I looked at all of the Pokémon in mild awe, saying, “Woah, really?”

May beamed, “Yep! Though let me tell you, it was a workout! I’m feeling tired just thinking about it…” May sighed before reaching deeper into her bag and continuing, “But at the very least, something amazing ended up happening…”

She retrieved another Pokéball and threw it out, revealing a big, dark blue bird with a red breast, sharp, narrow eyes, and a long, dark-blue tail that was split down the middle.

“That’s right,” declared May, “In the middle of all that, Taillow evolved into Swellow! Not only is she stronger, but we also have another Pokémon to add to the Pokédex! Lucky us, right?”

Reaching into my pocket, I responded, “Yeah. Speaking of that, I also have a Pokémon that evolved.” I threw out Worma’s capsule and released her onto the ground, where she lay with dazed eyes. “Oh yeah,” I said with a little embarrassment, “She fainted.”

Smiling slightly at this, May looked at me and said, “Yeah, I can see that. What say we head on over to the Pokémon Center to rest up?”

I nodded and responded, “Yeah, let’s.”

With that, I returned Worma to her ball, and the two of us travelled through the city and to its Center.

As May and I waited for the nurse to finish her healing process, I heard my phone ringing in my pocket. Retrieving the device, I saw that my mom was calling me. “Hello?” she asked once I pressed the answer button, “Ro? Boy, when were you going to call me? Don’t you care about your own mother?”

As it turns out, the phone was already set to the “speaker" option, prompting May to say, “Hello, Rohon’s mom! This is May!”

In a happier tone, my mom replied, “Oh, May! How you doing, girl? Is Rohon ignoring you as much as he's ignoring me?”

May shook her head and answered, “Not at all, ma’am. Rohon and I are having lots of fun together. In fact, we’re both in Mauville City right now talking about our achievements!”

In a surprised voice, my mom asked, “Ro, is this true? You and May are in Mauville City?”

“Yeah.” I answered.

My mom replied, “Oh, well why don’t you go pay a visit to your father? He should be on his shift right now.”

Bouncing my leg, I responded, “I’ll think about it. Is that all you wanted to call me for?”

Huffing in a displeased way, my mom said, “Ro! Do you want to leave that badly?” she sighed, “But yes. I was just checking up on you and May.”

Feeling sorry for what I said, I apologized, “I didn’t mean it like that, mom. I don’t want to leave you that much.”

I heard my mother make a “hmph” sound before saying, “‘That much’? Boy, you shouldn’t want to leave at all!” she laughed, “I’m just kidding. Even if you become more independent, you’ll always be my little chocolate Teddiursa.”

“Okay…” I said as I sunk into my seat in embarrassment.

“Anyway,” concluded my mom, “I’ll leave you kids be. Remember to stay safe, stay healthy, and do your best!”

May smiled and responded, “We will, Rohon’s mom! Bye-bye!”

My mom happily returned the gesture before hanging up.

Once me and May received our Pokémon from the nurse, she said to me, “Say, Rohon, I spotted an interesting-looking shop near here. Do you want to check it out before we go to see your dad?”

Shrugging, I answered, “I don’t see why not.”

Grinning, May replied, “Awesome! Well then, follow me!”

With that, the two of us exited the Pokémon Center and traversed through more of the city.

Chapter 31: Breezing Through with Bikes

Chapter Text

We soon ended up in front of a building called Rydel’s Cycles, which was located on the left side of the city somewhere near one of the exits. Walking inside, we saw a wide range of bicycles, scooters, and roller skates lining the walls and filling the shelves. Despite this interesting arrangement, I noticed that no one was there. The only person in the building was a red-uniformed man, who appeared to be the owner, with thin, straight hair like a broom’s and a small mustache.

Looking up at us from his counter, the man’s sad face brightened up as he said, “Oh, customers! How can I help you today?”

As I looked around in awe, May answered, “These bikes of yours look great, mister. We were just here to buy one or two of them.”

Smiling, the guy said, “That’s wonderful! Well, go ahead and browse my selection for as much as you need, and talk to me when you’ve found something you like.”

With that, the two of us walked around the shop, exploring the many items.

“Ooh,” said May, looking at a pair of green roller-skates, “These look pretty. I might go with these! What about you, Rohon, have you decided on something?”

Looking at a medium-sized, yellow bicycle, I answered, “I’ll just go with this.”

May responded, “Alrighty, I’ll just tell Rydel that…that…” She fell silent. After that period of quiet, May slowly said, “Rohon…you...might want to take a look at this.”

Feeling curious, I walked over to where May was. Once I saw what she was saying, my eyes bulged out of their sockets; this simple pair of roller-skates cost 159,000,000 Pokédollars!” I looked back at my bike and gasped in absolute shock; it cost 1,000,000,000 Pokédollars!

After telling May this information, she stated, “What?! Not even my dad makes that much!” She quickly scanned the other price tags, “And these other ones cost just as much! What kind of shop is this?!”

Hearing May’s distress, the shop owner asked, “Is something the matter?”

May turned to face him and stated, “Sir, don’t you think that these items are a little…overpriced? I mean, seriously, even if my friend and I were to combine our money, we wouldn’t even come close to buying any one of these things!”

The owner held his hand to his face and groaned, “Oy vey, not again! You two are the 5th group this week to complain about my prices. Didn’t I make them fair enough in terms of their prices?”

May shook her head, “They don’t look that way to me. I’m sorry, sir, but we just can’t afford any of your items.” She grabbed my hand, “Come on, Rohon, we’re leaving.”

As the two of us made our exit, I heard the rustling of the shop owner moving in his seat. “Wait!” he called, “Stop right there.” We turned around, prompting the man to say, “I’m getting an idea. I’ve been looking for a way to advertise my products for a while, and I think you kids might be the answer! How would you two like to be representatives of my two best bikes?”

Looking intrigued, May asked, “Representatives? What do you mean by that?”

The owner replied, “I’m gonna give you both free bikes to ride around the region in, showing everyone how good my vehicles are; think of it like an exhibition. I’m sure that people will be even more enamored when they see you two lovebirds in action!”

Smiling nervously, May retorted, “Oh no, we’re not…”

Seemingly ignoring her words, the shop keeper held his hand to his chin and continued, “Ah, I can see the headline: Young Couple Travels the World Together, Courtesy of Rydel’s Cycles. You two are going to make me famous, I just know it.” He placed both of his hands on the counter, “So, how about it? Do you kids accept my offer?”

Looking back at me with a slightly flustered expression, May asked, “Do you feel like doing this?”

I cleared my throat and answered, “Well, I mean, we are getting free bikes, right? Why not take this chance?”

Nodding, May turned back around and stated, “Yes, sir, we accept your offer.”

The man smiled, “Perfect! Alright then, let me just get you your bikes…”

The owner went to a wall in the back of the shop and wheeled over to bicycles, one red and one blue. “Here you go,” he said, “These are my greatest creations: the Acro Bike and the Mach Bike! First of all, let me explain what the 1st one does; the Acro Bike is strong and durable, allowing the rider do all sorts of tricks, like wheelies, bunny hops, and so much more I won’t be able to give my bike justice just talking about it, so I’ll just let you figure everything out for yourselves. As for the Mach Bike, it’s lighter weight makes it less fit for stunts, but it’s a good trade-off for the insanely high speed that it can reach. Making it past muddy roads, unstable ground, and steep ramps is no problem for the Acro Bike! And here's another thing: these bikes are so advanced that they can be folded to fit into your average backpack! I tell you, these babies have it all. So, my friends, which one are you going with?”

Smiling excitedly, May said, “I’m going with the Acro Bike!”

With no other option, I followed up, “I guess I’m taking the Mach Bike.”

Nodding, the shop keeper responded, “Wonderful! I hope that you’ll enjoy those bicycles as much as I enjoyed making them.” He gave a quick wave, “Go on, you young lovers, and show everyone how you ride! Remember, more publicity, more profit!”

May returned, “But we’re not…” she paused and sighed, “You know what, forget it. We’ll do our best.”

As May and I began to leave, the store owner said, “Oh, wait, do you have a PokéNav? If so, I wanted to connect mines to yours; that way, I can contact you both about any updates.”

I took the cue to reveal my PokéNav, which the man scanned with his own device.

“Alrighty,” he said, “I’ll be seeing you two later. Have fun out there!”

With that, May and I rolled our bikes out of the shop, feeling both thankful and embarrassed.

As we both made our way through the city, May said to me, “Well, that guy might’ve been a bit...weird, but at least we got some cool bikes out of the whole interaction. I can’t wait to test mine out!”

I looked down at my own bike with a less enthusiastic expression. Back at my old house, with all of the sand, I hardly had the chance to ride my small, simple bicycle. I did not see myself handling this more advanced vehicle well anytime soon, especially considering how rusty I was. I decided not to reveal this information, instead responding, “Same here.”

Looking in front of her, May said, “But we probably shouldn’t ride indoors. Let’s get out of here and ride in the route ahead!”

Thus, we travelled east towards a set of doors, allowing us to leave the enclosed city.

“Alright,” said May as we stood in the grassy area of route 118, “Time to see what we can do! Let’s see, I think I saw this trick on TV, once…” She started off with making her bike jump a few inches off the ground before hopping back and forth, side to side.

As May continued her mini-stunts, I started exploring the mechanics of my bike. I pedaled once and, to my surprise, ended up traveling a good amount of feet. Wow, I thought, this thing is really sensitive. All of that from just a little pedaling? Even as I rode around in circles to get more accustomed to my vehicle, I still found myself shocked by the great speed I was able to reach.

I gradually came to a stop near May, who stated, “Okay, I think I’ve learned the basics. Let’s go, Rohon!”

May then pedaled ahead of me, humming a happy tune. I followed after her, albeit less happily and more worriedly.

May and I rode along, with the wind blowing in our faces, grass and dirt moving beneath our wheels, and the scenery moving past us at a fast pace. As we continued on our path, my confidence in riding slowly improved, and I began putting more force in my pedaling. I went from behind May to parallel to her and finally in front of her.

“Hey,” she said, “Wait up!”

I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye and replied, “Why don’t you try and catch up to me?”

May gave me a competitive smile, “Oh, it’s on.”

Just like that, our casual trip turned into a fast-paced race, with us both traversing the terrain in an attempt to out speed each other. Even though my bike had an apparent advantage, I saw that May was gradually starting to catch up to me. “Oh,” I said to myself, “Your legs are pretty strong, aren’t they? I guess I’ll have to shift things into maximum overdrive!”

I did just that, putting even more effort into my pedaling than before. I moved, faster, even faster, and faster yet as my surroundings turned from simply quick-moving to a full-on blur. I heard something like May’s voice crying out behind me, but I was hardly paying attention to it; I was too drunk on competitive spirit to care. I kept on going and going towards my unspecified goal until I was suddenly stopped in place by an electric cage. As I was stunned in place, I heard a female voice say, “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

I was able to turn my eyes enough to spot a heavy-set woman in a yellow and black work uniform looking at me with her hands on her hips. Floating in front of her was what appeared to be 3 Magnemites stuck together, which was pointing its 6 electrically charged magnets towards me.

Seeing that I was struggling to talk, the lady said, “That’s enough, Magneton.” The cluster of magnets lowered its extremities, allowing me and my bike to move freely.

As I got my bearings, May caught up to me and asked, “Rohon, are you okay? You didn’t crash into anything, did you?”

Giving May a look, the woman said, “This your friend? Why didn’t you tell him that he was about to ride straight into this power plant?”

May got off her bike and answered, “I promise you, ma’am, I was trying to tell him, but he just didn’t hear me!”

Realizing my mistake, I squeezed my right handlebar and said, “My bad...”

Sighing, the worker responded, “Just try and be more careful next time, okay? The shock that Magneton gave you is nothing compared to the ones you would have gotten if I hadn’t stopped you!”

After a moment of silence, I asked, “Wait, you said that this was a power plant? I think this is the place where my dad works. Would it be okay if I gave him a quick visit?”

Shaking her head, the woman answered, “That sounds sweet, but I’m afraid I can’t let you in. This place is just too dangerous for a kid like you. I don’t even want to think about the lawsuits I might get if I were to let you in. But what I can do is tell him that you said hi. What’s your father’s name, kid?” I answered “Ronald”, causing the worker to reply, “Got it. I’ll let him know that you came around.” She tipped her yellow hard hat, “Keep yourself safe out there, squirt. Don’t you go riding all out of control like that again, y’hear? I don’t want to hear about any splattered guts on a rock when I watch the news.”

Shuddering at the thought of such a sight, I replied, “Okay, I won’t.”

With that, I rode towards May, and the two of us continued on our way.

Chapter 32: The Call of the Island

Chapter Text

As May and I continued on, the ground became less grassy and more sandy, making it slightly more difficult to ride around. Soon, we ended up at a beach, with a large expanse of water directly in front of us. “Shoot,” said May, “A dead end. I guess we won’t be able to use our bikes anymore, huh?”

“Seems like it.” I said as I got off my bicycle.

May thought for a minute before saying, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we just swim across?”

I gave her a surprised look, “You want to do what? Aren’t you afraid of your clothes getting wet?”

Smiling, May responded, “No need to worry about that; I came prepared!” Before I could wonder what May was talking about, she pulled her arms into her shirt and started taking off her top right in front of me! Deeply flustered, I quickly turned around to protect my eyes.

After a short while, May stated, “Okay, you can turn around now!”

I did just that, albeit in a nervous fashion. Once I looked at my friend, I was surprised to see that she was suddenly in a green, two-piece bikini with a frilly top. May put her regular clothes into her bag, did a pose, and winked, “What do you think? Cute, right?”

I looked at her incredulously, saying, “How did you even change that fast? And out in the open, too?”

May confidently responded, “I didn’t need to change. The truth is, I was wearing a swimsuit under my clothes the whole time! Hoenn is full of water routes, so preparations like this only make sense, y’know?”

In all honesty, I could see her reasoning. Still, the situation I was in, with a girl standing right in front of me in a bikini, was nothing less of embarrassing. “Okay,” I said while blushing slightly, “But I don’t have a swimsuit.”

Frowning a bit, May replied, “And you didn’t think to bring one? That’s unfortunate. Well, I guess we’ll just have to take another route.”

As May was putting back on her shirt, I interjected, “Wait. I’m okay with swimming in my regular clothes. I’m no stranger to water.”

With her face brightening up, May replied, “Oh, really? Well, if you don’t mind getting soaked, then let’s go!”

Thus, the two of us folded our bikes into our backpacks and made our way towards the water.

As we made our way forward, I spied a familiar, white-haired individual out of the corner of my eye sitting at a white table in a thinking position; he was none other than Steven. He appeared to notice us as well, causing him to look up and wave us over. “Why, if it isn’t my two friends, Rohon and May!” he greeted as soon as came to him, “How are you both doing?”

May answered, “We’re doing great, thank you. We were just about to swim to the other side of this stretch of water.”

Steven widened his eyes a bit, saying, “Oh, really? You two must be quite confident in your aquatic abilities if you’re considering taking on such a feat.”

May replied, “We sure are! I’ve been taking swimming classes, recently. And Rohon, you used to live near the coast, right?”

I nodded in confirmation, prompting Steven to say, “I see. Very well, then, I hope that you two are able to succeed.”

May smiled, “Thanks a lot, Steven! We’ll do our best.” She tapped her chin, “By the way, is something the matter? You look worried.”

Steven sighed, “Oh, my personal matters should be of no concern to you.”

May leaned forward slightly and prodded, “Come on, I want to know! We’re your friends, aren’t we?”

Looking at May with trusting eyes, Steven responded, “Now that I think about it, you may have a point. You both seem reliable enough. Very well, allow me to reveal to you what’s going on. Please, take a seat.”

As we sat down at the table, Steven said to us, “As of late, my Metagross has been acting oddly. He’s been demotivated, often looks sadly up at the sky, and has even attempted flying away from me on numerous occasions. As you might imagine, this makes training more challenging.”

Looking concerned, May said, “Oh no. That sounds worrying. Do you have any idea why this is happening?”

Steven held his hand under his chin as he replied, “The whole situation is still very much mysterious to me, but I have observed two significant details. Firstly, whenever Metagross uses one of his Psychic-type moves, that move is stronger than usual. Furthermore, Metagross becomes enveloped in a red aura every time he does so. Secondly, in the events that Metagross makes an effort to leave me, he always heads off in that direction.” He pointed to the south, “This may not seem to be very important news, but it turns out that there is a very special area over there: Southern Island. I hear that two mystical, ancient Pokémon make that island their home.”

Taking in this information, I asked, “Do you think that Metagross is being attracted to that island by those Pokémon?”

A look of revelation fell on Steven’s face, “My word, I hadn’t thought of that. Of course, why didn’t I realize this sooner?” He nodded his head at me, “Rohon, your astuteness is greatly appreciated.”

Steven pondered for a little while before stating, “Say, I get the feeling that this circumstance requires further investigation. I may be the reigning champion, but even I have my limits; it is possible that I may need assistance. With that being said, how would you feel about travelling with me to Southern Island?”

May’s eyes lit up as she said, “Really? You’re going to take us all the way over there?”

Steven responded, “Indeed I am. I sense that you two will enjoy whatever experience we encounter over there.”

Looking at the wide ocean ahead, May inquired, “But how are we going to get over there? I don’t see any boats, and there’s no way we can just swim.”

Smiling knowingly, Steven answered, “We’re not going to be travelling by water. We’re travelling by air!” he reached into a pocket in his black, striped pants, “Skarmory, reveal yourself!”

An ironclad bird about the size of its master emerged from its capsule, spreading its red feathers outward while screeching, “Skar, ar, ar!” Patting the bird’s pointed, hard head proudly, Steven said, “Skarmory here is going to carry us to our destination. With his skills, the trip should not take very long.”

Looking with awe at the armored avian, May said, “Wow, he’s going to carry all three of us? But won’t it be difficult?”

Steven wagged his finger, “There’s no need to worry; Skarmory is very hardy. Besides, you would appreciate the training, right, friend?” The bird cawed happily in response.

May reached into her backpack and responded, “Actually, why don’t I do your Skarmory a favor? My Swellow should be able to carry me just fine; she’s just as big as your bird.”

Steven shook his head, “I’m afraid that that will not be possible, May. Unless your Swellow knows the move Fly, it can’t carry anyone for extended periods of time.” As May was looking disappointed, Steven followed up, “However, your Swellow may be able to ride Skarmory’s tailwind, if you are sure enough of her aerial skills.”

May smiled and replied, “Oh, I’m sure that she could do that!” She pulled out a Pokéball from her bag and sent out her Swellow, “What do you think? Are you ready to fly?”

The bird ruffled her feathers and warbled, “We-we-wellow” in response.

“All right, then,” said Steven, “That’s the plan. Okay, let’s all get into our positions; May, get on the back of your Swellow. Rohon, sit behind me on Skarmory. Oh, and May, you might want to get more covered up; the wind can get pretty cold when you're flying.”

We all moved into place, with May somewhat reluctantly putting on her usual clothes before resting on her bird while Steven and I sat on top of the large Skarmory. “Okay,” said Steven, “Hold on tight, everyone, it’s time to go. Skarmory, use Fly!”

The metal bird called loudly before making a running start towards the shore, with Swellow following suit. After building up enough speed, we all launched into the air, with the ground beneath us rapidly growing farther and farther away. It was just then that I remembered I was afraid of heights.

Chapter 33: A Tropical Rescue

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Gripped by fear, I shut my eyes tight and, despite me not knowing him very well, wrapped my arms tightly around Steven’s chest. While I did that, I heard Steven say, “Are you doing okay there, Rohon?”

Not wanting to embarrass myself, I managed to squeak out, “I’m...fine...”

As I was hanging on for dear life, I heard May shout over the wind, “Hey, Rohon, what’s the matter? Are you afraid of flying or something?”

I tried to reply, but I didn’t have enough strength to raise my voice any higher than a murmur.

As I sat there, Steven said, “Is this true, friend?”

Still, I was unable to answer.

Nonetheless, Steven seemed to understand, and he stated, “You don’t have to worry; we are almost at our destination. Just hang in there, okay?”

I slowly nodded; my arms still clasped around Steven like a vine as I tried my best to ignore my altitude problem.

Eventually, Steven’s Skarmory dropped its owner and me onto a tropical island. As I slowly got off the bird, I saw May approaching on her Swellow, jumping off the avian enthusiastically and landing next to us.

“Hee-hee!” she laughed, “That was so much fun! So, that’s how it feels to be a bird! How did you like it, Rohon?”

I simply gave May a look; I was not too happy with her exposing my fear in front of Steven.

As I stood there with disdain, Steven said, “Come, you two. I feel my Metagross’s Pokéball shaking; that means there must be a member of the Eon Duo here.”

As Steven returned his Skarmory and walked away, May gave me an innocent smile and said, “Well, shall we get going?”

I looked at her for a bit longer before sighing and responding, “Yeah, let’s.”

So, we followed Steven through the wild area.

The three of us walked across the area until we came across a section where the air was chock-full of mist. Although I couldn’t see much, I could hear some sort of sad whistling noise. “We must be getting close.” Steven said, “Let us press on!”

Thus, we kept on walking through the clouded zone until we heard some other voices. One of them, belonging to a female, said, “For Pete’s sake, Latias, will you stop producing this mist? Just stay down and let us capture you and your stupid brother, already!”

Looking around, May asked, “Who’s there? Show yourselves!”

I heard a gasp before the female said, “Beautifly, use Defog!” A strong wind blew from in front of us, clearing away the thick mist and revealing a dark-skinned woman in a red hoodie with a big butterfly Pokémon with yellow, black, and blue wings flying next to her. Also revealed was a tall boy in a similar-looking red hoodie that was trying to hold a strange, blue, almost plane-like creature by its white, thick neck while a red variant of the organism was lying helplessly on the ground. Looking closer at the boy, I gasped in surprise; it was none other than Sirel!

“Sirel?” inquired May, “What’re you doing here?”

Before Sirel could answer, the woman stepped up to us and demanded, “I could be asking you the same thing! Why are you kids here on Southern Island?”

Looking at the two suffering creatures, May looked back at the woman with an angry glare and answered, “We came because we sensed trouble, and it looks like it’s here! What are you two doing with these Pokémon?”

The lady chuckled a bit and responded, “What does it look like we’re doing? We’re trying to capture these two flying Pokémon for the good of Team Magma! Once we have Latias and Latios, we’ll all be able to travel across the region however we please!”

As Sirel was struggling to hold in the blue Pokémon, he said in a strained voice, “Mom....don’t you think that...it’s a bad idea...to reveal our plan?”

Looking back at her son, the female retorted, “Don’t be silly, Sirel, revealing plans is never a bad idea! How else are we going to get people to appreciate our intellect? And what did I tell you about calling me ‘mom’ in public? It’s Ashley, got it?”

While the mother and son were having their exchange, May turned towards me and stated, “So, not only is there a Team Aqua, but there’s a Team Magma, too?!” She turned back towards the malicious individuals and said, “Well, don’t think we’re going to let you get away with this. Me and Rohon are going to trounce you just like we did Team Aqua!”

Ashley looked at us smugly, saying, “Oh, really? I would like to see you try.” She waved her son towards her, “Come on, Sirel. It’s time to show them what we’re made of!”

Sirel sighed, “Do I have to? I’m already tired enough from holding in Latios...”

Ashley snapped her fingers, “Man up, boy! If you don’t come over here right now, it’s a week without your phone!”

Groaning, Sirel let go of the rope and walked over to his mother, who had her Beautifly use String Shot on the rope to hold it in place.

“I say,” Steven said, “I admire your bravery, you two. I would like to step in, but I get the feeling that you both have things under control.” He walked back a good distance, “I would like to see your skill on full display, anyway.”

May smiled, “Okay, then. We’ll do our best!”

Hearing this, Ashley laughed, “So, you’re too scared to fight me, is what you’re saying? This should be a cakewalk, then!” She pulled out a Pokeball from her hoodie pocket, “I hope you two aren’t sore losers!”

May and I threw out Swellow and Rigby while Ashley and Sirel threw out a floating, purple sphere with holes and eyes and a black and white hyena that looked to be a larger version of Poochyena. “Wait,” I said, “Zig? Is that you?”

The canine looked at me with a bit of recognition in his eyes before Sirel responded, “Yeah, that’s him. He just evolved into Mightyena.”

Looking peeved, Ashley barked, “Sirel! Stop talking to these kids and attack!”

Sirel rolled his eyes and responded, “Okay...Zig, use Howl.”

Ashley pointed forward, “Koffing, use Smokescreen!”

Zig’s almost friendly look went away as he growled intimidatingly, arching his back before howling at the sky. Meanwhile, the Koffing opened its fanged mouth and expelled black smoke towards our Pokémon, aiming for their eyes. Although I was still surprised to see my former ally fighting against me, I still managed to focus enough to have Rigby use Headbutt on Zig while May had Swellow use a move called Aerial Ace. Alas, although May’s bird was able to strike Koffing with an extremely fast looping dive, Zig ended up missing his target.

“Ha!” laughed Ashley, “Looks like my Smokescreen did the trick! Sirel, now’s your chance to punish!”

In an unenthusiastic way, Sirel ordered, “Zig, use Bite.” The Mightyena bared his fangs and reached for Rigby, clamping his jaws around his midsection and shaking him around before throwing him away.

As my Pokémon got up, I said, “Okay, Rigby, don’t give up yet. Try another Headbutt!”

Rigby shook his smoke-covered head and growled before making his way towards Zig again. This time, strangely, he was moving in a straighter line than usual, zigzagging less than I expected him to. This strategy must’ve been effective since he managed to strike his opponent.

In retaliation, Sirel commanded, “Zig, use Tackle.” The hyena then stepped back a bit and ran at Rigby, giving him a fierce head strike and knocking him a good distance back.

Seeing that Rigby was starting to look tired, I clenched my fist and said, “Okay, Rigby, I need you to put everything you’ve got into this last attack. Give it your all with your final Headbutt!”

My Zigzagoon panted before stomping the ground with determination, walking backwards and running forward at a fast pace, making an energetic “zig-zig-zig" as he did so. While Zig was blitzing forward, I noticed something weird going on with his body; it was starting to become more elongated, losing its slightly chunky look in favor of a sleeker design. Furthermore, the zigzag patterns of fur became more like straight lines, creating an appearance similar to a racecar’s paint job. By the time he hit Zig with a powerful blow, Rigby was a whole new Pokémon.

“How interesting,” said Steven, “Your Zigzagoon has evolved into a Linoone! Quite the turn of events, isn’t it?"

As I was marveling at the sight, Sirel, who was also somewhat surprised, shook his head and said, “Good for you. Anyway, Zig, finish him off with--”

Before he could finish, Ashley, whose Koffing had been getting relentlessly hit by multiple Aerial Aces, said, “Koffing, use Self-Destruct!”

The purple ball inhaled deeply, making itself grow larger and larger before blowing up violently, releasing foul-smelling gas into the air. Reflexively, I covered my face so as to not breathe any of the fumes in. Once I figured that things were safe, I revealed my face, looking around the area to see all the damage that had been done. As it turns out, Swellow, Rigby, and Zig were all lying motionless on the ground, their eyes dazed as they took labored breaths.

Sirel looked around in disbelief before looking at his mom and saying, “Ashley, why did you do that? Now all our Pokémon are fainted!”

Ashley responded, “Calm down, Sirel, it’s not that bad. Koffing was about to go down, anyway. Besides, we’ve got many more Pokémon left, don’t we? Just get your head in the game and keep on pushing!”

As his mother picked up the strands of Koffing, Sirel sighed, “Okay...”

As May and I stood there in befuddlement, I noticed something happening near Ashley and Sirel. “Uh,” I said to the latter, “You might want to check behind you...”

Looking confused, Sirel turned around, saying, “Behind me? What’s...”

Once he noticed what was happening, Sirel gradually grew silent; floating directly behind him was Latios, looking much less crippled and way angrier.

Frozen with fear, Sirel tapped his mother on the shoulder, prompting her to turn around and gasp with shock. “Shh...ugar and sprinkles!” she said, “This isn’t good...”

Latios’ eyes started glowing white as his body became cloaked in a blue aura. Ashley and Sirel, who had also become covered with a field of the same color, started floating into the air, helpless to do anything. They then began spinning in a circle, being rotated like pizza dough before getting launched away, screaming loudly as they departed.

Chapter 34: Taking Flight

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As May and I stood there in shock, Steven chuckled, “Ah, I see what happened...”

Turning towards our friend, May asked, “What do you mean?”

Steven motioned behind us and answered, “While you two were distracting those Team Magma members, Latias got to work rejuvenating Latios. That must’ve been her reason for seeking our assistance!”

I looked closer at Latias, seeing that it was still laying on the ground, now being surrounded by a white aura.

“Alas,” said Steven, “It appears that Latias is still attempting to treat herself. Thankfully, I have a remedy.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small, yellow spray bottle, “It’s a good thing that I was carrying this Full Heal.” He looked at me, “How would you like to do the honors, Rohon? I’m sure that this must be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you.”

Looking at the bottle, I responded, “Oh, um, thanks.” I received the flask and took it to Latias, pointing the nozzle at her back before letting loose. As the mist covered Latias’ body, her eyes became less pained as she slowly got herself off the ground. Once she was airborne, she made a happy, high-pitched noise before flapping her two rear wings, causing the mist to disappear from the area. Once everything was more visible, Latias cuddled against me affectionately with her soft, feathery head.

“Aww,” cooed May as I was being snuggled, “She liked that! We’re glad that we were able to help you, Latias!”

Hearing this, the Pokémon turned towards May and made a quiet trilling sound. As the creature did this, I noticed May’s face change to one of confused wonder.

“Wait,” she said, “What’s this...voice I’m hearing?”

Looking at May with interest, I asked, “You’re hearing a voice? What’s it saying?”

May stayed silent for a bit before answering, “It’s saying... ‘Thank you very much for helping me and my sibling. We never would’ve been able to get rid of those fiends without you.’ Hold on, is this Latias talking to me?”

Steven responded, “I believe you are right. Latias has the ability to communicate with humans through telepathy. You should consider yourself lucky; Latias only speaks with those she deems trustworthy and devoid of hostility.”

Proud of her likableness, May smiled at Latias, saying, “You think I’m trustworthy? Well, thank you!” Latias warbled contently before making the same trilling sound, causing May to state, “Now she’s saying ‘I want to return the favor to you both. During my time flying through the sky, I have seen humans like you taking a certain path with their companions. Would you like for me to carry you two to where you want to go?’ Why yes, Latias, we would love that! It would make our journey much easier.”

Hearing this, I tried to object, “Wait, I didn’t...” However, one look from May got me to shut up.

Steven then said, “Well, isn’t this a blessing? The legendary Latias is offering you a ride! I must say, I feel a tad bit jealous.”

May laughed, “Yeah, lucky us, right?”

Steven nodded, “Indeed. Anyhow, I hope that you two have a good trip. Oh, and before you go, I have a gift for you...”

He reached into both of his pants pockets, pulling out two brown cases and giving them to the two of us. I opened the one that he gave me, revealing a grey bracelet and a light blue orb with a wavy orange and blue object in it.

As I looked at the two items, Steven explained, “What I just gave you both is a Mega Bracelet and a Mega Stone; for you, Rohon, a Swampertite, and for you, May, a Blazikenite. Once your starter Pokémon reach their final stages and you form a deep bond with them, you may enhance their abilities and appearance even further; this is what is known as Mega Evolution.”

May widened her eyes, “Mega Evolution? That sounds amazing! So, you’re telling me that we can make our Pokémon even stronger than their strongest selves?”

Steven answered, “Correct. This effect is temporary, however; it only activates once per battle. Furthermore, only one Pokémon may Mega Evolve at a time. But I don’t want to bore you with the details; you can explore this technique further once you experience it for yourself.” He pulled out a Pokéball and threw it on the ground, revealing his Skarmory, “I hope to see you two later down the road. For now, however, I must depart; Metagross and I are behind on our training.”

As Steven got on his bird, May said, “Okay, Steven. Thank you for taking us to this island, by the way!”

Steven smiled, “Do not mention it, my friend. I am simply glad that we were able to assist these magnificent Pokémon.” He had his Skarmory walk away as he gave us a cool two-fingered salute, “May we meet again.” He looked down at his mount, “Let us fly, Skarmory!” The bird squawked in affirmation before taking a running start and flying away, leaving May and I with the two legends.

With Latios keeping a slightly wary eye on us, Latias floated over to a nearby tree and waved us over with her neck, a happy expression on her face. Although I was not feeling too good about the idea of going on another flight, I knew that May left me no choice but to accept Latias’ offer. So, I reluctantly took a spot on the creature’s middle back while May sat in front of me.

“Okay,” she said, “I’m ready. How about you, Rohon?”

I quietly responded, “I’m...ready.”

May nodded, “Alright, then.” she looked down at Latias, “We’re ready!”

Latias warbled happily in response before wiggling her body, lifting higher into the air, and jetting away.”

As my friend and I flew through the sky, I held tightly onto May’s shoulders, even tighter than I did with Steven. Compared to Skarmory’s more-than-average speed, Latias was fittingly almost as fast as a jet plane, and I was more scared than ever before. Although I tried my best not to, I was unable to control myself, and I ended up screaming loudly. Hearing my cry, Latias slowed down significantly, bringing her speed down from a 10 to a 1.

Also noticing my distress, May turned around, saying, “Woah. So, you really are afraid of heights, huh?”

Still stiff as a board, I slowly nodded.

In response, May held her chin as she thought of something. “Hmm,” she stated, “That might be a problem...but you know what?” she looked at me in the eyes, “You don’t have to be scared. Latias seems like a kind Pokémon; she won’t let you get hurt. And you’ve got me with you, right? So, don’t worry.” she smiled softly, “Oh, and I don’t mind you holding onto me. As long as you feel comfortable, you can do whatever you want.”

Feeling a bit better, I gulped and responded, “Okay.”

May nodded, “Great.” Seeing that I was more relaxed, Latias gradually started to pick up in speed, soon returning to her original pace.

As I rode Latias, I took some time to absorb the situation that I was in. Although I still harbored quite a lot of fear in my heart, I was still able to cope with my circumstances. I took a deep breath in and rubbed Latias’ soft feathers with my right hand, enjoying their soothing touch. I then looked at May, seeing that she was very much enjoying herself, laughing as much as a kid at an amusement park. Seeing that my friend was having fun, I remembered the words of Wattson; I needed to loosen up more, and what better time was there to do that than now?

Thus, I closed my eyes and imagined that I was on a roller coaster, specifically one that I saw on a commercial when I was younger: the Hoennnian Cyclone. I had always wanted to ride that coaster, so this was my chance to pretend that I was on it. Yes, I thought as I immersed myself, this is just like that ride! With that thought entertaining me, I gradually began to smile, feeling more and more excited until I started to laugh happily. Hearing my sounds of joy, May glanced at me before increasing the volume of her laughs, a cheerful look on her face. Seeing that we were both enjoying ourselves, Latias decided to switch up her flying a bit, weaving back in forth slightly and bobbing up and down. We continued to fly this way for some time, and I found myself having more fun than I imagined I would.

Chapter 35: Returning to the Quest

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Following an exciting flight, Latias dropped us off in a grove of trees near the base of a mountain. She gave us a farewell warble before silently floating up and away from us.

“Goodbye, Latias,” said May as she waved, “And thank you for the ride! We hope to see you again!” her face became slightly worried, “Wait a minute...where are we?” she looked at me, “Rohon, can you check your PokéNav?”

After looking at my device, I stated, “It says that we’re on Route 112, right next to Mount Chimney.”

May raised her eyebrows, “Really? How convenient! This is exactly where we’re supposed to be!” she laughed, “I guess that Latias really is a legend; I didn’t even have to tell her where to take us!” she started to walk forward, “Well, now that we’re here, let’s continue our adventure!”

So, we both made our way out of the forest and into a lighter area.

“So,” said May as we traversed, “How did you like the trip this time? Was it fun?”

I answered, “To be honest, it was very terrifying. But...I still enjoyed myself. It was thrilling, at least.”

May smiled, “Well, that’s great! I’m proud of you for staying strong even when you were dealing with that phobia of yours.”

I closed my eyes, “Yeah, thanks.”

I stayed silent for a bit before asking, “By the way, I was just wondering...why did Latias only talk to you? I mean, we both helped her, didn’t we? Wouldn’t that make me likeable, too?”

May tapped her chin, “Hmm...you have a point.” she shrugged, “Maybe she just didn’t feel like talking with you?”

I sighed, “Maybe. But you heard what Steven said; Latias only communicates with trustworthy people. Does that mean that I’m not trustworthy?”

May stopped walking and looked at me. “Don’t be silly!” she said, “You’re the most trustworthy guy I’ve met!”

I shook my head, “Yeah, but you’ve only known me for, like, 3 days. How can you be so sure?”

May replied, “That might be true, but you haven’t been acting untrustworthy yet, have you?” she gave me a friendly look, “Besides, even if you aren’t all that trustworthy, it’s not so bad. We all have our flaws. You’re still a great person, in my book.”

I inhaled deeply, “If you say so...” I looked at May and gave her a small smile, “Thanks for the kind words.”

She gave a thumbs-up, “Don’t mention it!” she pointed forward, “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s continue!”

Feeling better about myself, I followed my friend as the two of us went on with our trek.

After some travelling and a few encounters with trainers, we came across a cable car station located in a rocky area. Looking up, May said, “Looks like we can travel up there. Is there anything over there, Rohon?”

I looked at my PokéNav, “According to this, that line leads to a place called Lavaridge Town.”

May replied, “Oh, really? Well, that’s great! I guess we should get going, then.”

So, we made our way forward, walking until we came across a trio of people in red hoodies. “Oh, great,” groaned May, “More Team Magma people. What’re they doing now?”

With a frown on her face, May stormed over to the group and asked, “What are you hooligans doing? Are you causing trouble?”

One of the members, a young-looking male, stepped forward and answered, “So what if we are? You got a problem with that?”

May responded, “You bet we do!”

The Team Magma guy huffed, “Well, why don’t we settle this right here? I'll teach you not to stick your nose in other people’s business!”

As the guy reached into his hoodie’s pockets, one of his cohorts, an older female, smacked the back of his head and said, “Don’t be an idiot, Carlos. Don’t you remember our instructions?”

Carlos rubbed his head, saying, “Okay, fine, geez...”

May raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me? What instructions?”

Carlos glared at her, “Don’t think we’ll be telling you. The only thing you need to know is that you’re not getting past us until our pals in Meteor Falls get back.”

The woman smacked Carlos’ head again, “Great job, you idiot, you just told them what’s happening.”

As Carlos winced, May looked at me and said, “Meteor Falls? Rohon, can you look up where that is?”

I looked at my PokéNav and answered, “It’s over there to the west. Apparently, we have to travel through this place called Fiery Path to get to it.”

May gave me a thumbs-up, “Got it.” She then looked back at the trio, “We’ll be back!”

With that, the two of us left, with the Team Magma grunts doing nothing to stop us.

As May and I walked, I said, “I still don’t know how you can be so confident talking to people like those. Doesn’t the idea of them being criminals scare you at least a little bit?”

May replied, “I mean, yeah, of course. What, do you think that I’m not aware of the risks? But even if there’s danger involved, that doesn’t stop me from being brave. And if anything ever goes wrong, we’ve got each other to back ourselves up, as I said ”

I sighed, “Alright, then...”

We went on in silence before coming to a cave opening. “Well,” said May, “Looks like we’re here.” She smiled at me, “Even though this is a bit of a detour, at least we get to encounter more Pokémon! I even bought some Great Balls from Mauville in preparation for this.” she walked forward, “Come on, let’s go!”

Taking in the sight of a hole carved into a mountain, I followed my friend as we headed into the tunnel.

Upon entering, I immediately felt the heat difference compared to the outside of the path. Pulling the hem of my shirt outwards, I asked, “Geez, does this place have to be so hot?”

May gave me a look, “Um, yeah? It’s called Fiery Path, what did you expect?”

I nodded; she had a point. “Still,” I said, “I don’t like this. Can we hurry up and get out of here?”

May answered, “You can do that. I’ll be staying behind so I can catch some Pokémon.”

I fanned my face and replied, “Okay."

I then pulled out my Mach Bike from my backpack and got it into position before riding away. As I went, although the cave was well-lit by some red-hot rocks, I found myself bumping into many walls and Pokémon. On the bright side, the creatures that I collided with became dazed, allowing May to take the opportunity to catch them; she got ahold of a yellow camel Numel, a Koffing, a lava slug Slugma, and a Machop this way. Eventually, I ended up on the other side of the path, my face drenched with sweat.

Soon, May came out of the tunnel with a content smile on her face. “Another successful haul.” she said, “I really know how to catch em, huh?”

As May smiled, I inquired, “You found that fun? The heat didn’t bother you?”

May shook her head, “Nope! I have a Combusken, of course I can handle a little heat! Besides, I’ll do anything to complete the Pokédex.”

I shook my head, “If you say so...” I looked to my left, “Anyway, Meteor Falls is over there. I guess we should just head on over.”

May nodded, “You said it, buddy.”

So, we proceeded onward, with the both of us hastening our progress with our bikes.

Chapter 36: Facing trouble at the Falls

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Soon, after traveling past more ashy ground, we ended up in a small settlement called Fallarbor Town. Despite the conditions of the area surrounding the town, there were a good number of small plants growing here and there along with some questions. After taking a quick rest at the local Pokémon Center, May and I overheard some boys talking about something.

“Hey,” said one of them, “Did you see those red hooded guys?”

His friend replied, “Yeah, I saw them. I wonder why they’re hanging out near Meteor Falls…”

The other boy responded, “I bet they’re looking for some cool Pokémon. Who wouldn’t want to catch a Solrock or Lunatone?”

Looking at me, May said, “So that’s what those grunts were talking about! I dunno about you, but I’m pretty sure that they’re not there to catch Pokémon. Shall we go investigate?”

Shrugging, I answered, “I guess we should.”

So, with the help of our PokéNav, we travelled south from Fallarbor Town, across a wooden bridge, and into a rocky area full of water-filled craters, bits of tall grass, and of course many eager trainers. After getting through all of that, we came across the opening to a cave. Looking at the PokéNav, I said, “Looks like this is the place.”

May replied, “Yeah, seems like it. Okay, let’s get in there and give them what for!”

I nodded, and the two of us marched inside.

After moving through the opening, we came across a quartet of Team Magma grunts along with an older looking, red-haired, bespectacled man in a red coat surrounding a brown-haired man with a long nose who was also wearing glasses.

“Professor Cozmo,” said the red-coated man, “I do not want to resort to force, but I will if I must. For your own sake, surrender your meteorite.”

The other man, supposedly Professor Cozmo, retorted, “I can’t! Do you know how much research I’ll miss out on if I do that?!”

The red guy straightened his glasses, “That is irrelevant. The meteorite will be see far greater use in my hands. This is your last chance.”

At that moment, May stepped forward and said, “That’s enough! Leave this man alone!”

Turning towards May, the villainous individual said, “Stay out of this, child. Leave the grown-ups to their business.”

Still staying adamant, May returned, “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Criminals like you can’t be ignored!”

His face tightening in annoyance, the man said, “You would be wise to not refer to me in such a way, little girl. I am no criminal; I am Maxie, leader of Team Magma. You ignorant fools cannot comprehend what our group is set to accomplish. Your interference will only lead to humanity’s destruction.”

Clenching her fist, May responded, “Oh yeah? Who says that you’re not in the wrong?”

Holding his hands behind his back, Maxie stated, “That’s enough from you.” He snapped his fingers, “Subordinates, detain them.”

As the grunts approached us menacingly, we heard the sound of many steps coming from the entrance to the cave. Once the steps got closer, we heard a bold, feminine voice declare, “And what do you do you think you’re doing?!”

May and I turned around to notice a quartet of Team Aqua grunts aling with a slender, tanned woman with long, blue-streaked, black hair and a revealing blue crop top with a skull symbol on the chest. Archie sighed, “Shelly…”

Shelly smiled and winked, saying, “That’s right, baby! And I’ll have you know that you’re making off with our booty. So, why don’t you just make it easy on us and hand it over?”

Maxie scowled, “I must refuse. I could never give an advantage to you abhorrent Aquas.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Shelly said, “Alright, fine with me.” She pointed forward, “Mates, you know what to do.”

The grunts from Shelly’s side threw out their Pokéballs and initiated an assault. In response, the grunts threw out their capsules, and the battle commenced.

As moves of all kinds were thrown out all around us, May noticed that Professor Cozmo was huddled in a corner, holding the small meteorite close to his chest. May leaned close to me and yelled over the chaos, “We have to put an end to this, Rohon. Professor Cozmo’s in danger!”

I looked back and forth, saying, “And how are we supposed to do that? It’s not like I’m good at free-for-alls…”

As I was saying that, Benjammin hopped out of his Pokéball, an unhappy expression on his face. Taking a deep breath, he shouted, “Whi whi mur!” However, his voice was deafened by the cacophony of the battle. He tried again, “Whi whi…Whismur!” Still, nothing.

It was then that I noticed Benjammin looking more and more angry; he must’ve not liked being ignored. Stomping the ground in frustration, Benjammin opened his ears, took an even deeper breath, and yelled as loud as he could. As he was doing that, I noticed his mouth growing wider and wider, and his narrowed eyes began to widen. As Benjammin’s volume steadily increased, his body began to glow white, and everyone was starting to notice him. As May and I covered our ears, I looked at Benjammin’s body, which had stopped glowing. To my surprise, my Pokémon now had a wider mouth, open, circular ears with yellow rings, fully open eyes, and 4 square teeth. Most importantly, his volume was greatly increased, causing everyone to cringe in pain. The Team Magma and Aqua members said something to one another that I couldn’t hear before promptly fleeing the scene, leaving the professor, May, Benjammin and I in the waterfall-filled cave.

Rubbing her ears, May said, “Holy moly…what was that?”

I looked down at Benjammin, who was raising his grown arms in the air while triumphantly saying, “Lou Loudred!” “I don’t know,” I said, “But I think that Benjammin evolved.” I looked aty Pokédex to confirm this fact, and it turned out that I was right; my Whismur had evolved into a Loudred.

Walking over to us, Professor Cozmo said, “Well, your method might’ve been…odd, but it looks like you drove those villains away. Thanks for that, kids!”

May gave a thumbs-up, “No problem, Professor Cozmo! Honestly, I didn’t even expect that; it just sort of happened. Oh, and by the way, what did those people even want with your meteorite, anyway?”

The professor shrugged, “No clue. But knowing them, it can’t have been anything good.” He smiled, “But that’s neither here nor there. The important part is that they don’t have it.”

May responded, “Yeah, true.”

The researcher placed the meteorite into a hard case before saying, “Anyhow, thanks again for the assistance, but I must return to my lab; I have some analyzing to do. Goodbye for now, and good luck with whatever you two are doing!”

May nodded, “Thank you! And good luck with your analyzing.”

With that, the two of us waved goodbye and went our separate ways.

“Wow,” said May as we headed back towards Fallarbor Town, “What an event. I guess there is a bright side to Benjammin’s yelling after all!”

With my ears still ringing a bit, I replied, “Yeah, you could say that.”

May continued, “Also, those grunts from earlier should be gone now; we can ride that car! So, are you ready to see where it takes us?”

I answered, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Thus, we backtracked past Fallarbor Town, through Fiery Path, and onto the now-open cable car station, where we paid 50 Pokédollars to be taken to our destination.

Chapter 37: Mountainous Meet-up

Chapter Text

After some waiting, the two of us were taken to the top of Mount Chimney, where everything was just as, if not even hotter than the area of Fiery Path. Fanning herself, May said, “Man, is it hot! This must’ve been how you felt earlier, huh? Where are we supposed to go from here?”

Trying not to let my discomfort show, I took a look at my device and answered, “If we go west from here, we should find a place called Jagged Pass. Past that is Route 112 and Lavaridge Town.”

May responded, “Okay, good. Let’s get a move on before we melt!”

So, we travelled across the rocky terrain, moving at a moderate pace so as to remain efficient while not overexerting ourselves.

Halfway through our speed walk, we noticed a familiar group of blue-clothed individuals in the distance. Looking over, May said, “More Team Aqua people? What are they doing here?!”

Now sweating quite a bit, I replied, “I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out. It’s too hot for trouble…”

Giving me a look, May retorted, “Don’t say that! It’s our duty to…” she stopped mid-sentence to wipe her forehead, “Actually…you might have a point. Still, we can’t just ignore them. How about this: we can just sneak past these people. That way, we can see what they’re up to.”

Still feeling uncomfortable, I replied, “Fine.”

May smiled, “Alright. Follow my lead.”

We both walked quietly among the many rocks found in the area, keeping a close eye on the grunts. Thankfully for us, they seemed to be too distracted by the temperature to notice us. Eventually, we spied a clear platform hanging over the mouth of the volcano. As it turned out, there was none other than Archie standing on the platform, crossing his arms near a black machine. “Hey,” whispered May, “It’s him! He can’t be planning anything good with that contraption. We should step in!”

Feeling very afraid, I retorted, “But May…” Before I could get another word in, however, she had already jumped into action.

“Hey, Archie!” said May as I watched with widened eyes, “What are you and these goons doing?”

Raising an eyebrow, Archie asked, “Hold on, aren’t you that spunky little girl from the museum?”

May put her hands on her hips and answered, “That’s right! And this time, there’s nowhere to run.”

Archie grinned, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He looked over in my direction, “And your hiding spot stinks. Get over here so I can take a good look at you.”

My heart sunk; I knew I should’ve backed away! Left with no other choice, I timidly revealed myself and walked over to May’s side.

Leering at both, Archie said in a low voice, “I did tell you what would happen if you messed with us again, didn’t I? And I don’t know about you, but sneaking past all of my mates sounds like a pretty big insult to me.”

May responded, “Well, it’s not our fault that your lackeys are dumb as bricks.”

Archie chuckled, “Talk down on them all you want, but they’re way stronger than you could ever be. In fact, some of them are coming up here with my meteorite.”

Smiling confidently, May retorted, “Are you sure about that? Cause we sent them packing from Meteor Falls not too long ago!”

I clutched my face in despair. Darn it, May, I said in my mind, Why do you have to be like this?

Archie stroke his black, triangular beard, “Well, isn’t that something?” he started snickering, “You know what this means, don’t you?” he grabbed a Pokéball from his pocket and gave us a sinister smile, “I have every right to skin you squirts!”

As I stood there trying not to wet my pants, I heard fast footsteps approaching from behind me. “Hey,” said a familiar voice, “Archie! Need some help?”

May and I turned around and sighed; of all people, it was the Bubble Brothers. Pulling out a Pokéball of his own, Manny said, “Let us take on this bozo, boss! We’ll make him cry for his momma!”

Jahmai followed up, “Yeah! I’ve been training!”

Groaning, Archie returned, “No, you two, leave this to me. These kids need a special beat down.""B-but--" Manny stammered.Alas, Archie wasn't having any of it; he simply held up a hand, prompting the brothers to walk away sulking. Once his minions were gone, Archie returned his gaze to us and said, "Let's go."

Chapter 38: Archie, the Pirate King

Chapter Text

With a powerful throw, Archie sent out a Mightyena, which gave us both a threatening look. In response, May sent out Swellow while I sent out Nigel. Looking at the two Flying-types, Archie said, “Two birds, eh? Guess you’re having poultry tonight, Mightyena!”

Glancing back at me, May said, “Are we going to let that happen?” I shook my head, prompting May to say, “Good. Now, let’s go on an aerial assault!” She pointed forward, “Swellow, Aerial Ace!”

As the swallow raised her wings, I said to my Pokémon, “You use Air Cutter, Nigel!” Nigel proceeded to flap both of his wings forward at high speeds, creating razor-like gusts of wind to launch at the hyena.

Although the Mightyena took two attacks at once, it didn’t appear to be too fazed. As his Pokémon stood strong, Archie commanded, “Use Swagger on that Swellow!”

The Mightyena then gave May’s Swellow a cool look, muttering an unconcerned, “Yen, yena.” Insulted by this gesture, May’s Swellow ruffled her feathers and squawked loudly, her eyes narrowed in anger. Without May even saying anything, her Pokémon flew in a loop-de-loop and dived forward recklessly. Because of her brashness, the bird ended up crashing straight into the ground.

“Oh no,” said May as Swellow flew back up, “This is bad; Swellow’s in a frenzy!” she called out, “Swellow! Snap out of it!”

Alas, Swellow was in no mood to listen. Instead, she kept on attempting to bombard the Mightyena, although she ended up missing most of the time.

Seeing that Swellow was hurting itself, I said to my Wingull, “Nigel, maybe splashing some water on Swellow will get her back to normal. Try Water Pulse! Oh, and uh…could you splash some on me, too?”

Taking my words into account, Nigel hit me with a singular Water Pulse before aiming multiple at Swellow. Unfortunately, the bird’s wild speed prevented my Pokémon from hitting any of his attacks.

As my seagull was struggling, Archie said, “Seems like that Swellow is crashing a lot. Time to use Assurance!” The Mightyena smiled as it advanced towards May’s confused ally. Raising one paw to the sky, the hyena waited until Swellow was vulnerable before smacking her on the back of her head. Following that attack, Swellow promptly stopped moving; she had fainted.

Archie laughed, “Hah! Swellow’s down! Now we just have to take care of that sky rat! Assurance should be enough.”

Seeing that Mightyena was quickly approaching, I said in a panicked voice, “N-Nigel, quick,uh...w-ward him off with some more Water Pulses!”

Nigel heeded my command, firing off as many attacks as he could. This seemed to slow down Mightyena a bit, but it was still drawing near. Noticing this, I said, “Nigel, give it your all!”

Hearing this, my Wingull started to put more effort into his attacks, building up a greater volume of water in his beak for every pulse. As he did that, I noticed that his beak was starting to expand ever so slightly, becoming more full and curved at the bottom. Eventually, he did get knocked down by Mightyena, but I did notice something happening to Nigel’s body. My Pokémon’s figure began to shine white as his biology changed; his beak became bowl-like, his black eyes grew bigger, his wingspan expanded, and he developed a blue crest. Just like that, Nigel had transformed.

“Wow,” said May as she looked at my Pokémon, “He evolved! Congratulations!”

I admired Nigel’s new form as I said, “Yeah…” I shook my head, “Wait a minute, what are you doing? Send out a Pokémon!”

She gasped and laughed nervously, “Oh, right, sorry; got caught up in the moment.” She threw out another Pokéball, “Go, Wailmer!”

A blue, spherical cetacean emerged, making a low, moaning sound.

Looking over at the Mightyena, May said, “Hey, Rohon, look! Mightyena’s confused!”

I observed the hyena to confirm this, and it turned out May was right; Mightyena’s stance looked less certain.

She nodded, “Time to finish him!”

So, we both launched our attacks, with Nigel (now a Pelipper, according to the Pokédex) sending out more Air Cutters and Wailmer attacking with his own Water Pulses. After a short while, Mightyena was defeated.

Recalling his fallen ally, Archie said, “Heh, not bad. Let’s see how you take this next one. Ravage them, Golbat!” He threw out what looked to be a Zubat with eyes, an elongated mouth, and small feet. “Okay,” said Archie, “Hit em with Swift!”

The Golbat held its wings over its mouth before opening them with great gusto, releasing a wave of yellow stars from its mouth as it did so. While Wailmer took the attack pretty well, Nigel, who was already hurting, couldn’t bear to take any more damage. With a pitiful “Pel…”, Nigel slowly descended and landed motionless on the ground.

Returning my Pokémon to his capsule, I said, “You did good, Nigel. Now…” I threw out my next ally, “Go, Dendy!” My Lotad burst onto the scene, jumping up and down eagerly.

Giving me a curious look, May inquired, “Uh, Rohon? Don’t you know that Golbat is a Poison AND a Flying-type? Grass-types are horrible against it!”

I smacked my own head; how could I be so stupid? Laughing, Archie said, “A Lotad…that’s easy pickings for you, Golbat! You know what to do; use Wing Attack!”

The Golbat screeched as it glared at Dendy. Then, with a burst of speed, it dove in for the attack.

Not wanting my Pokémon to get instantly defeated, I cried, “Dendy, dodge to the left!”

Thankfully, her reaction speed was quick; she was able to swiftly avoid getting whacked by a wing.

“Nice!” said May, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back; Wailmer, use Rollout!”

As Wailmer revved up, Archie grumbled and said, “Lucky you…Golbat, try again!”

As Golbat prepared itself, I ordered, “Dendy, move to the right!” Dendy proceeded to do just that, narrowly avoiding taking another blow. After whiffing its attack, Golbat was hit on its side by Wailmer’s jumping rolling strike.

Looking quite peeved, Archie said, “Damn it…just keep going, Golbat!”

Figuring that the bat was about to initiate a continuous attack, an idea formed in my head. Just as Golbat was about to make it’s first strike, I said, “Dodge to the left again!” Dendy did that. “Now to the right!” She did that. Tapping my foot a bit, I continued, “1 hop this time!” Dendy jumped a bit, allowing her to avoid a low blow from Golbat. “Two hops this time!” Dendy followed my orders, fortunately (and luckily) evading a double hit from Golbat. Watching as Golbat was hit by Rollout after Rollout, I said, “That was real smooth.”

Dendy spun around joyously, making a happy “Lo lo” as she did so. During her celebrating, my Lotad’s body began to glow in a familiar way. No way, I thought, another evolution?! Apparently, I was correct; I watched as Dendy’s nubs extended into thin arms and legs, her beak extend and become more red and pointy, and her skin turn from blue to white and green. Once she had finished changing, Dendy cheered, “Lo-lombre!”

Staring with disbelief, May said, “Wow, Rohon, you’re on a roll!” She smiled, “Speaking of rolling, guess what happened…”

I looked in front of me to see that Wailmer was “standing” on top of an unconscious Golbat proudly; the bat had had enough.

As May and I celebrated, Archie said with a smirk, “Can’t say that I expected that. Props to you squirts, you really know how to rile things up! But it’s time to end this…” he pulled out another capsule, “Give em hell, Sharpedo!”

He sent out a blue, torpedo-shaped fish with sharp teeth, red eyes, and a star-shaped symbol on its head. It gnashed its teeth in a threatening manner before letting out a mighty roar, weakening my spirit by a significant margin.

“Hehe,” laughed Archie, “That’s the spirit. Now, gut them with Slash!”

The Sharpedo immediately jumped into action, somehow floating just above the ground to lunge at both of our Pokémon. Using its ravenous teeth, the shark darted between our two friends, savagely cutting them in the process. To my surprise, both Dendy (now a Lombre) and Wailmer were taken down.

“Darn,” said May, “There’s no way he did that much damage; it must’ve been a critical hit.” She looked me in the eyes, “Okay, looks like we have to bring our best. You know what to do.”

I nodded, “I do.”

With that, I threw out Axol while May threw out Combusken.

“That’s it,” said May, “Now, not that I don’t have faith in Combusken, but she’s probably at a bit of a disadvantage here. Can I count on you to protect her from any water moves?”

I answered, “I’ll do my best.”

She gave a thumbs-up, “Thanks. Now, let’s give it our best shot!”

Grinning menacingly, Archie ordered, “Let’s make this quick, Sharpedo. Weaken them with Screech!”

The shark opened its mouth and let out an ear-splitting scream, lowering the guard of everyone. In retaliation, May and I had our Pokémon use Flame Charge and Mud Shot, respectively. Apparently, even though Combusken was not attacked, she still had a pained expression on her face.

May gasped, “Oh no, I forgot about that ability! Sharpedo’s Rough Skin causes damage to anything that touches it!” She held her chin, “Well, I can’t do much about this, but don’t have your Marshtomp use any contact moves, okay? “

I responded, “Okay, then.”

With a hint of hesitation, May said, “Try Double Kick, Combusken!” The fowl shook of the pain, let out a battle cry, and jumped towards the Sharpedo. Although she was punished twice, Combusken managed to successfully execute the Double Kick. Furthermore, judging by Sharpedo’s pained expression, the attack was super effective.

As a counter, Archie ordered, “Sharpedo, punish that chicken with an Aqua Jet!”

Seeing that the Sharpedo was aiming for Combusken’s weakness, I hastily said, “Axol, quickly! Jump in front of Combusken and use Bide!”

Thankfully, my Marshtomp followed through, and he blocked the Sharpedo’s advance just in the nick of time.

Scowling, Archie growled, “So, you want to be a guardian, don’t you? Try guarding this! Sharpedo, Bite him to shreds!”

The shark snarled and surged towards Axol, locking its jaws around his thick arm. Although Axol was looking very pained, he still seemed intent on continuing his Bide. Meanwhile, May had her Combusken use many Double Kicks on the Sharpedo as the fish repeatedly gnawed on Axol.

Just when it seemed like Axol was done for, his expression became one of intense focus. With a determined “Ma STOMP!”, Axol slammed his right arm on the ground, causing a strong quake to appear. This, fortunately, was enough to finish the fight; after slowly opening its jaws, the Sharpedo fell flat on its side, unwilling to continue.

Chapter 39: Finding Rest

Chapter Text

Although Archie had just lost, I could tell by his smile that he was not too bitter about his defeat. “Heh heh heh,” he laughed as he returned his Sharpedo, “Not bad. Not bad at all! Looks like you runts aren’t all talk after all!” he shrugged, “Well, I know when I’m beat. I’ll call off my mates from this volcano. This place doesn’t suit our style, anyhow. Also…” his eyes lit up, “We probably don’t even need that meteorite. I know of a treasure more valuable, more useful than that puny rock. Just you wait…” Snickering to himself, Archie took long and powerful strides right past us, causing my throat to tighten as his imposing presence crossed my vision. Raising his hand into the air, the leader declared, “Time to set sail, crew! We have an orb to plunder!” Heeding their boss’s command, the rest of Team Aqua began descending a rocky path down the side of the mountain, leaving us all by ourselves.

Smiling confidently, May cheered, “Hah! Scared him off again, didn’t we? That’ll teach him not to mess with us!” Feeling sick to my stomach, I responded, “Something tells me that he wasn’t giving it his all. If he was, wouldn’t he have called someone in for backup? I have a feeling that out next meeting will not go so smoothly…” May replied, “Hm, you may have a point. But still, the fact that we did so well this time is something, isn’t it? And if our Pokémon keep growing stronger like yours just did, we’ll be able to take on anything!” Squeezing Axol’s Pokéball, I responded, “I guess you have a point.” May replied, “Yeah!” she looked up at the darkening sky, “Wow, it’s getting late. Let’s hurry up and to Lavaridge Town so we can rest up.” Desperate to depart from this hot environment, I agreed with May, and the two of us made our way out of the area.

After traversing through the rough terrain of Jagged Pass and the slightly less grassy side of Route 112, May and I ended up in the quaint Lavaridge Town. Reading the sign that was placed in the middle of the settlement, May said, “‘Lavaridge Town: the perfect place to relax”. I can see what they mean; this place is so small!” Looking around, she asked, “While our Pokémon rest in that Pokémon Center, do you want to help me set up our tent?” I answered, “Sure, I could do that.” So, after me and May dropped off our friends at the red and white building in the corner of the town, we travelled back to Route 112 and got to work.

Once Axol and the others had healed up, they sat with us at the campsite, their faces illuminated by the small fire that Combusken had lit. Using that fire, May and I used sticks to heat up some sausages that we had bought from a shop in Lavaridge. Sighing, May said, “Wow, what a journey this has been so far. Can you believe that it’s only been 2 days since we started?” A shocked expression crossed my face, “Two days?! Seriously?!” May laughed, “Yeah, crazy, right? We’ve really been putting in the work! If we keep going at this pace, we’ll done with our journey in no time!” I took a bite out of my fully cooked sausage and responded, “Yeah.” Looking down at our Pokémon, who were busy enjoying the Pokémon food we had bought, she noticed that Konishiki was eating much more than everyone else. “Hey,” she said, “Slow down, Konishiki! You’re going to eat us out of house and home!” Looking down at my Makuhita, I said, “Hold on, I think we should let him eat; he looks hungry. Besides, we can always buy more food.” Crossing her arms, May responded, “Okay, if you say so…” With that, all of us continued to have our dinner, with Konishiki taking upwards of 5 servings.

Once everyone has their fill, May crumpled up the now-empty bag of Pokémon food and stuffed it in her backpack before crawling with me into the tent. “Good night, Rohon.” She said to me as she got into her sheets. Getting under my own covers, I replied, “Good night, May.” Thus, the two of us closed our eyes and started to sleep. Although I was slightly disturbed by the sound of flapping wings, I eventually became relaxed enough to fall into a deep slumber.

Some hours later, May and I were awoken by Combusken’s morning call, which for some reason sounded more distressed than usual. Looking worried, May took her bed-headed self out of the tent and asked, “Is something the matter Comb—oh Arceus!” Wondering what was causing May’s outburst, I slinked my way out of the tent and looked around. What I saw made my tired eyes widen; laying on the ground was a befuddled Swellow, bound in place by thick silk while making muffled sounds with her obstructed beak. Still looking shocked, May said, “Nuzleaf, use Razor Leaf to free Swellow!” Nuzleaf did just that, waving his head around to send multiple sharp leaves at Swellow, allowing the bird to be cut free. Running over to her friend, May asked, “Oh, Swellow, who did this to you?” she took a look at the avian’s head, which was more purple than it should’ve been, “And you’re poisoned?! Why did this even happen?”

As May whipped out a bottle of Antidote, I looked over the Pokémon present, taking an especially close look at Worma who, despite looking tired, had a small smile on her face. Wait a minute, I thought, Thick string…poison…could it be? Feeling that I was onto something, I pulled out my Pokédex and looked up Dustox’s information. I then read, “When Dustox flaps its wings, a fine dust…okay this isn’t important. What about Cascoon?” I navigated to that page, “If it is attacked, Cascoon remains motionless however badly it may be hurt. It does so because if it were to move, its body would be weak upon evolution. This Pokémon will also not forget the pain it endured.” I looked again at Worma, an expression of revelation on my face. I said to my companion, “May, I think I know what happened.” Looking over at me, May asked, “What happened, Rohon?” I answered, “So, do you remember when we had that battle, and Worma was one-shot by your Taillow? If this Pokédex entry is correct, I’m pretty sure that Worma attacked your Swellow as an act of revenge.” May’s eyes widened, “Wait, really? Huh…” she brushed a few remaining strings off of Swellow’s body, “I guess this settles things, then. Hopefully that’s all that Worma wanted to do…” Seeing Worma in her dormant state, I responded, “Something tells me that she’s satisfied.” Looking a bit more relaxed, May said, “Okay, that’s good, at least. At that moment, she noticed that her hair was out of order, and she immediately got to fixing it. As May tended to herself, I returned Worma to her ball and said, “I hope that Swellow isn’t the only one you’re going to get revenge on…”

After getting herself back in order, May said, “By the way, Rohon, you noticed that Gym in Lavaridge Town, didn’t you? Are you going to challenge it?” I answered, “Yeah, I was just about to get to that.” May nodded, “I thought so. Well, in the meantime, I’ll be catching some more Pokémon, as usual.” She gave me a friendly smile, “Good luck with the Gym!” I smiled back and replied, “Thanks. And good luck with the catching.” With that, the two of us parted ways, with May pulling out her Acro Bike and traveling west while I headed east and back towards Lavaridge, ready to take on my next challenge.

Chapter 40: Sizzling Sauna

Chapter Text

Stepping through the doors of the Gym, I was met with the sight of a sauna-like place with a rocky motif. Standing not too far away was the Gym’s explainer, who looked quite a bit younger than the ones from before. In fact, he only looked to be in his 20’s. Noticing me, he said in a friendly tone, “Hey man, welcome to the Gym! You…are a challenger, right?” I answered, “Yeah, I’m a challenger.” The explainer smiled somewhat nervously and responded, “Okay, good! Just checking.” He started tapping his foot, “Alright, I should probably tell you what’s going on. Er…oh yeah! So, basically what you have to do is get to the end of the Gym where Flannery is. Wait, that part’s probably obvious. Hold on…okay, so in order to get to her, you have to use the geysers that erupt occasionally. How exactly do you do that? Heh, you’ll just have to find out.” He rolled his neck, “So, uh, yeah! Good luck getting through this place.”

Smiling at the guy’s lack of professionalism I said, “Okay, I’ll do my best.” As I made my way forward, the individual stopped me and said, “Oh yeah, one more thing. Not that I don’t believe in her or anything, but try and go easy on Flannery, okay? She’s kinda new to this Gym Leader stuff.” I responded, “Oh, okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” The young explainer gave me a thumbs up, “Thanks a bunch. Well, good luck and have fun!”

After receiving that message, I walked forward into the first section of the sauna, which was separated from the rest of the Gym by a long, wooden wall. “Okay,” I said as I progressed, “Where are these geysers anywwWAH!” The rocky ground I was standing on suddenly crumbled, causing me to fall a few feet downwards into a room with hot water covering the floor. Getting up, I rubbed my butt and groaned, “I didn’t know there would’ve traps!” I then looked forward, seeing that there were three holes on the floor in front of me. At some point, they each started releasing a strong blast of steam in a pattern; first the middle hole erupted, then the one on the left, and finally the one on the right. “Oh,” I said, “I guess these are the things I’m supposed to use. Can they even lift me up, though? I guess I’ll just have to go and see…” With that, I made my way over to the middle geyser and waited for it to activate. Once it did, I was surprised to find that the gas was powerful enough to push me upwards. I winced, “Geez, that’s hot! But also…relaxing.” Indeed, although I didn’t like heat very much, I couldn’t help but to feel at least somewhat calmed by the billowing steam beneath me.

In a matter of seconds, I was ascended through a hole in the ceiling and back to the elevation that I was at previously, this time in a different, woodier section of the sauna. There, I found a stocky guy wearing a red handkerchief and a fitting red apron carrying a bundle of logs. He appeared to have been waiting for me. “Hey, dude!” he said with a smile, “Congrats on choosing the right path. Course, for challengers that pick the right geyser to ride, they gotta be tested. So…” he reached inside a gap between his logs and pulled out a Pokéball, “Are you ready for action?” Somewhat surprised by this event, I got my own capsule and answered, “Uh, yeah, I’m ready.” The red-clothed individual nodded, “Awesome. Alright, without further ado, let’s…hey, what’s this?” Although I had pulled out Nigel’s Pokéball, Konishiki came out of his own accord, looking fatter than usual. “Wait,” I said, “Do you want to battle?” Konishiki slapped his taut belly and enthusiastically replied, “Ma! Maku!” Sensing my ally’s eagerness, I put Nigel’s Pokéball away and said, “Okay, I’ll let you fight.” Seeing that I had changed my selection, my opponent said, “Alright, now are you ready?” I responded, “Yeah, I’m ready.” Giving each other an affirmative nod, the two of us took our places in the large section of the Gym and prepared for battle.

The log-carrying guy set down his items and sent out a Slugma, saying, “Give em your best Incinerate, Slugma!” The lava slug opened its mouth and spat out a fireball towards Konishiki, which caused his body to instantly get covered in a bright flame. Thankfully, this fire was quick to diminish. Seeing that my partner wasn’t too hurt, I said, “Konishiki, strengthen yourself with Bulk Up and smack that slug with Force Palm!” Konishiki slapped his hands together and flexed, causing his body to become less pudgy and more solid. Once his physique became more chiseled, he jumped forward and administered a strong open-handed strike onto the Slugma’s flexible body, causing a depression to form in the creature. Although the Slugma appeared to be hurt, I noticed that something had happened after Konishiki’s attack: his right hand was on fire.

“Heh,” laughed my adversary, “Looks like Flame Body did it’s trick, eh? Slugma, while this Makuhita is burning, fuel the flames with Clear Smog!” After reforming its body, the slug slithered backwards and exhaled a white gas from its mouth, which flew into his face. After taking a sniff, Konishiki’s muscles quickly went away, causing him to become as soft as before. Despite this setback, Konishiki’s expression told me that he wasn’t worried in the slightest. In fact, he was looking pumped.This thing again? I thought, What’s even causing this? However, I had no time to think about this; I had a battle to finish. So, I said to my Pokémon, “Konishiki, go for another Force Palm!” Konishiki stomped the ground in preparation before following my order, running forward with increased vigor and pushing against the Slugma with full force. This time, my Makuhita’s apparent attack increase did the job, and the Slugma flattened itself into a puddle, unable to go on any further.

Returning his Pokémon, my opponent said with a shocked face, “Holy moly, the damage! Do you have Guts or something?” With a confused expression, I asked, “Guts? What’s that?” The guy raised an eyebrow, “Wait, you don’t know what Guts does? That’s weird. Well, I might as well tell you, then; Guts allows your Pokémon to double its attack when it’s unhealthy. This also applies to burns, as you can see.” I looked down at Konishiki with admiration, saying, “Wow…” My foe reached down and pulled out another Pokéball, “But that won’t be enough to stop us. Numel, use Magnitude!” He sent out the yellow, dopey-looking camel, which stood still for quite a while before slowly starting to attack. As the ungulate prepared itself, I said, “Konishiki, take this opportunity to do another Bulk Up!” Konishiki happily did just that, flexing his muscles in order to return them to their stronger state. Once my ally was done doing that, the Numel finally executed its attack, stomping the ground with its front hooves and shaking the ground a bit. Judging by Konishiki’s face, though, this attack was not very damaging. Feeling invigorated by this, I said, “Okay, Konishiki, finish it off with a final Force Palm!” My Makuhita let out a hearty “Ku ku!” before rushing forward and pushing against the Numel’s fat hump, causing the Fire-type to fall over. Looking over, I noticed that the Numel’s eyes were blanker than usual; in just one attack, it had fainted.

Throwing his hand down in frustration, my opponent said, “Dang it! You’re too strong.” He returned Numel and reached inside his pants pocket to pull out 736 Pokédollars, which he handed to me, “Well, I did my best. Good luck getting through the rest of the Gym, I guess.” I received the money and responded, “Thanks. And I’ll do my best.” Following that interaction, I walked past the kindler and towards another rocky part of the sauna. Just like before, I ended up falling through the floor, landing on my butt onto a watery floor. Recovering from my descent, I got up and said, “Okay, let’s do this…”

So, I progressed through the Gym, following a pattern of choosing a geyser to ride, fighting a trainer if I chose the right one (or falling back down if I chose incorrectly), proceeding to the next set of geysers, and repeating. During this, I made sure to give Konishiki the spotlight, as he seemed very eager to show his strength, even more than was typical for him. Although the damage that he took from his burn was a problem, he more than made up for it with his massive damage output. Because of this, I had little trouble getting through the remaining 9 rooms and their trainers. Soon, there was only a singular geyser available to me. Having a feeling that this meant something, I took a deep breath before stepping in the soon-to-erupt hole and waiting to be carried upwards.

After being lifted, I ended up in a large room filled with sand and calming, orange lanterns. Standing in the middle of the room on a short mahogany platform was a relatively slender girl in grey, wide-legged jeans and a black crop top. She also had spiky red hair that flared out like a four leaf clover. Although I had entered the room, she didn’t notice me; she had her back turned to me with her arms crossed for some reason. “Uh, hello?” I asked? Once I spoke, I heard a gasp from the woman. She said something quietly to herself before turning around and giving me a fierce look. “So,” she said in a condescending tone, “It appears that you have made it through my Gym. I must commend your skill. But!” her eyebrows furrowed, “None of the opponents you’ve faced thus far compared to me. I, Flannery, proud heir of the Lavaridge Town Gym Leader title, will end your journey here, puny trainer!"

After that powerful introduction, my eyes widened. Oh no, I thought, She seems serious. I might just lose! As I stood there experiencing fearful thoughts, I saw a cheerful smile flash across the Gym Leader’s face before it quickly disappeared. “Hmph,” she said, “You appear to be distressed. Are you intimidated, perhaps? You’ll need to be braver if you want to prevail against me!” She reached inside her pocket and brandished a Pokéball, saying, “The time has come. You may only use 4 Pokémon. If you're ready, prepare to meet your fiery fate!”

Knowing that I had no choice, I prepared myself before reaching for Nigel’s Pokéball. Okay, I thought, Hopefully me bringing my evolved Pokémon will be enough. With this thought in mind, I took a moment to calm my nerves before assuming my battle pose. It was now or never.

Chapter 41: The Blistering Beginner: Flannery!

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Flannery and I took our positions on opposite sides of the room, and we both sent out our Pokémon; she deployed a Slugma while I deployed Nigel. Once I revealed my ally, I noticed Flannery’s face change from an imposing one to one of doubt. “A Water-type…” she said in a quieter tone. She then shook her head and attempted a confident smile, “…is nothing to me! Did you really think that you could extinguish our burning passion?! Well, uh, guess again!” She pointed forward, “Slugma, use Sunny Day!” The slug’s body started to glow as it heated up. A few seconds later, the white aura around the creature lifted up and formed itself into a ball, which flew to the top of the room, shining rays of light onto the floor and heating up the area. Unaware of what this meant, I said to my Pelipper, “Nigel, use Water Pulse!” The pelican then built up water in his large beak before spitting it out in a ring-shaped fashion. However, something was different: as the Water Pulse flew through the air, it quickly started to dissipate until it was half its size. Although the attack was very effective, I couldn’t help but notice that the Slugma looked less hurt than I wanted it to be.

“Hah!” laughed Flannery, “How do you like that?! Your Water attacks are nothing to me, now! Now, Slugma, rub some salt in the wound with Rock Throw!” The lava-based organism closed its eyes and concentrated as a part of itself solidified into a black mass, which was hurled straight at Nigel by the slug. Judging by my Pokémon’s pained croak, this attack was super effective.

As Nigel recovered from the strong hit, I said to him, “Nigel, your attacks might be weaker, but this is still a Fire-type. Just keep using Water Pulse!” Flannery’s face tightened up. With a hint of fear in her voice, she responded, “Oh, so you’re going to try that? W-well, uh, Slugma! Just pelt that Pelipper with as many Rock Throws as you can!” So, our two Pokémon went at it, with each one launching their best attacks. Although Nigel tried his hardest, the pseudo-sun in the room prevented his Water Pulses from having much effect. On the other hand, the Slugma was dealing quite a lot of damage to my seabird with its stones. Eventually, after a quick struggle, Nigel was struck in the head with a finishing Rock Throw, which appeared to have done more damage than usual. Making a tired “pel…” noise, Nigel’s wings started to flap slower and slower until he fell straight down, his black eyes glazed over as he laid in his side.

As I returned my Pokémon, Flannery pumped her fist in excitement, cheering, “Yes! I did it!” Noticing that I was looking at her, she blushed before putting her hands on her hips and stating, “I-I mean, of course I did! I’m not like most Fire-type users; I can hold my own against Water-types!”

At that moment, I heard footsteps coming from an area to the left of me. Stepping through sliding doors in the walls of the room, a trio of mischievous-looking boys that seemed to be about Flannery’s age entered the area. “Hey,” said the tallest one, “I was wondering what all the hubbub was about. You having a Gym Battle, Flan?” With a flustered expression on her face, Flannery answered, “Yes, obviously! And in case you haven’t noticed, you’re kinda interrupting.” The guy shrugged, “Chill out, girl, we don’t mean no trouble. We’re just here to watch.” Flannery grumbled before replying, “Fine. But stay quiet, you got that?” The person smiled, “Fine with me.” As Flannery’s associates found places to sit away from the battlefield, the Gym Leader looked at me with slightly embarrassed eyes and said, “Send out your next Pokémon.” While I was confused by this whole interaction, I didn’t have any reason to turn down Flannery’s demand. So, I reached for Rigby’s Pokéball and prepared to continue the battle.

“Okay, Rigby,” I said as I sent the Linoone out, “There’s no way that that Slugma isn’t low on health, so just finish it off with Fury Swipes!” Flannery gasped, “Wait, what? Uh, Slugma, use—” Before she could finish her order, Rigby ran forward at max speed and started slashing the slug rapidly. After only 3 strikes, the mollusk burbled “Luug…” before spreading itself out on he ground in defeat.

Flannery shook her head in disappointment before pointing her capsule at Slugma and returning it. “Okay,” she said as she tucked the Pokéball away, “A minor setback. My next Pokémon will surely be the end of you, though!” As Flannery said this, I heard our guests snickering to themselves, which caused Flannery to blush even more. “Go, Numel.” She said while trying to keep her composure.

As the camel revealed itself, I said to my partner, “Let’s lower Numel’s defenses with Tail Whip!” Rigby heeded my command, turning around and moving his long white and brown tail back and forth. For some reason, this appeared to intrigue the Numel far more than I thought it would. Looking at Flannery’s face, I could tell that she was worried by this fact. “Er…” she said, “You’ve got this, Numel! Just use Lava Plume!” The lumped animal moaned, “Nuuum” as hot lava oozed out of a small hole on its back, causing a wave of hot liquid to travel towards Rigby, burning away most of the sand as it did so. While the floor beneath the sand was somehow fire-resistant, Rigby was not as fortunate; unable to avoid the approaching mass, he had no choice but to take the hit, yelping as his paws met lava. Despite being exposed to such a powerful attack, Linoone was thankfully able to stay alive. While this was good and all, the Lava Plume appeared to have another, unwanted effect: in a matter of seconds, Rigby’s fur became ignited, turning him into a living torch. Just like that, my Pokémon had become burned.

Flannery gloated, “Aha! It appears that my fire is doing its trick. It’s only a matter of time before your precious Linoone is reduced to ashes!” I shook my head as I looked at my crippled ally, watching as he rolled around in a futile attempt extinguish himself. Unlike Konishiki, Rigby suffered greatly from getting burned, especially considering what type of attacker he was. I sighed, “Okay, Rigby, I know that you’re in pain, but just try your best with another Fury Swipes.” After extinguishing most of the flames, Rigby chittered quietly before steeling his spirits and running forward for another multi-hitting attack. While his swipes were less effective due to his condition, the Tail Whip from earlier appeared to be having its effect, as the Numel was still showing signs of pain, albeit in a delayed way. Rigby managed to get 3 hits in before Flannery said, “Finish him off with Earth Power!” The Numel stepped back and rolled its neck, causing a yellow circle to appear beneath Rigby. After a short delay, an eruption of sand materialized out of thin air, launching Rigby into the air.

“Oh no!” I said as my Linoone landed, “Are you okay?” My muscles tensed up as I waited for a response. After a short wait, I heard a “noon…” as my Pokémon slowly rose to his feet. As it turned out, he was still in it! My face lit up, “Nice! Okay, let’s try one more—” My cheerful disposition quickly went away as I noticed a change in Rigby’s stance. Unfortunately, the massive damage he has taken allowed the fire on his body to remove what little vitality he had left, and he promptly fell to the ground. With that, I was down another Pokémon.

As I regretfully returned Linoone, Flannery said in a haughty tone, “Looks like you only have 2 Pokémon left, challenger! Are you thinking about forfeiting?” I shook my head, prompting Flannery to say, “A good choice. But it didn’t matter; I wasn’t going to allow you to run, anyway!” As if he heard Flannery’s taunting words, Konishiki released himself from his ball, smacking his flaming fists together eagerly. I immediately recalled him, saying, “No, Konishiki, I can’t let you fight any more; you’ve worked too hard.” After putting away my Makuhita’s capsule, I reached for the one of Dendy and threw it out, saying, “It’s all you, Dendy!”

Seeing the Pokémon that I deployed, Flannery said, “Another Water-type? Haven’t you learned? As long as Sunny Day is active, your weak attacks won’t work at all!” As she was saying this, I looked up slightly and noticed that the ball of light was starting to dissipate. Flannery’s eyes widened, “Sh*t.” her demeanor became panicked, “N-Numel, quick! Use Sunny Day again!” As the Numel’s body began to get surrounded by light, I said, “Dendy, don’t let this happen. Use Bubble Beam!” Dendy nodded before taking a deep breath and expelling a swarm of bubbles from her mouth and towards the Numel. Before the camel knew what was happening, it was bombarded with many bursting projectiles, which drenched its body with water. After that assault, the ungulate groaned “meeeel…” before its neck went limp.

As Flannery sent her Numel back to its Pokéball, I noticed her posture change; her imposing façade was starting to crack. She took a deep breath before saying, “I gotta…I must admit, trainer, you have done well so far. But you…I mean, I…” she groaned with frustration before giving me a fairly fierce look, “Don’t think you’ve won yet! I’ve still got my ace in the hole! I will beat you; that’s a promise!” At this, one of the spectators said, “Ah, cut the dramatics, Flan. This is a battle, not a soap opera.” Stomping her foot, Flannery snapped, “SHUT IT, TROY!” she then looked back at me, her eyes filled with anger, “Get out there, Torkoal, show him our true power! Use Overheat!!” With that, the Gym Leader sent out her orange and black tortoise, which started spewing out white smoke from its nostrils, making a sound similar to a train horn as it did so. During this display, the red hexagons on the tortoise’s shell began to glow brightly, and I felt the very room start to heat up. Before I could tell what was happening, the Pokémon spewed out a pillar of fire straight out of its mouth and towards Dendy. Although I wasn’t on the battlefield, I had to step back and cover my eyes just to withstand the intense heat and light that the Overheat released. Once the attack ended, I opened my eyes to see Dendy on the ground, her green and white skin covered with burn marks as she laid there motionless.

“Holy crap,” I said as I returned my Lombre, “What was that attack?!” Crossing her arms and panting, Flannery answered, “The best fire move you’ll ever see, that’s what. And there’s plenty more where that came from.” I closed my eyes as I tried to imagine what Dendy went through. Geez, I thought, This Overheat thing is no joke! It’s a good thing I chose the starter I did… Nodding to myself, I reached for my next Pokéball and threw it out, “You’ve got this, Axol!”

Once I revealed my last Pokémon, Flannery’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me.” She said, “How many Water-types do you have?!” She shook her head, “Agh, it doesn’t matter. Torkoal, just use Sunny Day!” In retaliation, I said, “Axol, use Water Gun before that happens!” Thankfully, Axol was much quicker than the tortoise was, and he was able to score a solid hit on it. With that being said, the attack didn’t seem to do too much damage, and Torkoal was able to send another fake sun into the air.

“Dang it,” I said to myself, “I really need a new water move…” Smiling a bit, Flannery said, “Haha! Okay, Torkoal, now just use Body Slam! We will get through this!” As the tortoise prepared to attack, I started to think about which moves would be best for this scenario. So, I mused, Water Gun’s definitely not the answer. I would use Rock Tomb, but I doubt that a tortoise cares about moving around. And I don’t know if Axol can take enough hits to use Bide. I guess I only have one option… With that, I said, “Axol, use Mud Bomb!” Axol burbled, “To tomp!” before scrounging around for any remaining bits of sand. As he was searching, he did end up getting hit by Torkoal flying slam, but he took the attack quite well. Furthermore, he managed to procure enough sand to launch a Mud Bomb, which he did by quickly moistening the sand ball and hurling it at Torkoal. Surprisingly, despite the heat of the room, the move appeared to damage Torkoal majorly.

Not wanting to question this, I instead said, “Yeah! Do that again, Axol!” In response, Flannery said, “It’s not over yet! Another Body Slam, Torkoal!” Once again, the shelled animal prepared itself to fly. Unfortunately for it, Axol was very quick on his feet, which led to him efficiently gathering enough materials for a 2nd Mud Bomb. Before the Torkoal could even act, Axol balled up the sand, applied water to it, and threw the clump at his opponent, shouting “Maaarsh!” as he did so. After getting struck by the dirty projectile, the Torkoal’s hexagons started to grow dim as white smoke stopped billowing out from its nostrils. With its legs wobbling, the Torkoal wheezed, “K-koal…” before falling flat on its stomach, its eyes dazed and glazed over.

Chapter 42: A Post-Battle Purge

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Flannery stood staring at her Torkoal, a look of disbelief on her face. As she remained stationary, one of her friends said, “Well, you tried your best. Anyway, wanna go and—” Flannery closed her eyes and held up her hand firmly. With a confused expression on his face, the guy said, “What? Come on, Flan, we—” Flannery shook her head and said in an adamant tone, “The battle’s over. Leave.” The trio of guys exchanged glances before shrugging and exiting through the sliding doors, leaving me and Flannery alone.

Taking a deep breath, Flannery walked towards me, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Challenger, you have fought well. Although I put up a good fight, you seem to possess more skill than me. With that being said, I…” she sighed, looking down at the floor, “I’m not doing this right, am I?” I inquired, “What do you mean?” With her eyes watering slightly, Flannery gave me a dejected look and said, “Admit it. You thought I was acting like an idiot, didn’t you? Using all these big words, trying to act like I’m this big, powerful Gym Leader.” Her voice started to quiver, “But you still beat me. No matter how tough I act, I’m still just this weak, useless girl that has no idea what she’s doing.”

Seeing that Flannery was on the verge of tears, I looked down at my feet and twiddled my thumbs. While I was not the best at comforting people, I wouldn’t feel good as a person if I just ignored this girl’s problems. So, after gathering my thoughts, I attempted, “I thought you did a good job of acting imposing. In fact, I thought that you were going to be the 1st Gym Leader I lost to. I began to wonder why that guy near the entrance told me to go easy on you…” At this, Flannery gave me a betrayed look, “Keith told you to go easy on me?! I thought I told him not to do that…” she became even more downtrodden, “But I know exactly why he did that. I’m no good at being a Gym Leader. I’m nothing like my grandpa…”

I shook my head, “Don’t say that, Flannery. Believe me, I was trying my hardest; you seemed too strong for me to hold back. And even if your personality is an act, you’re still a great battler. Even with my 3 Water-types, I still had trouble.” Wiping her eyes, Flannery asked, “Do you really mean that?” I nodded, “I do. Also…your friends might’ve had a point. You don’t have to be so serious.” Flannery gave me a confused look and retorted, “What do you mean? Aren’t Gym Leaders supposed to be tough and professional?” I answered, “Not all of them. In fact, I just met this one leader, Wattson, and he was very laid-back. No matter what happened, he just smiled and laughed through it all; he had fun battling. As a matter of fact, after I won against him, he told me that I should lighten up; battling isn’t supposed to be this dead-serious thing. I think that you should follow that advice.” Flannery’s eyes widened, “Wait…are you telling me that Gym Leader’s don’t have to follow strict guidelines?” I nodded, prompting Flannery to hold her head as she said in a quiet voice, “Oh, Arceus, I never thought of it that way…” After some thinking, she closed her eyes and nodded to herself before saying, “You know what, you’re right! Just because my grandfather was a no-nonsense powerhouse doesn’t mean that I should be just like him. I’ve gotta forge my own path!” She gave me a warm smile and said, “Thank you, uh…” I affirmed, “My name’s Rohon.” She gave a thumbs-up, “Rohon! Thanks for showing me the truth. I never would have felt comfortable in my own skin if it wasn’t for you. You’re the best!” I blushed slightly and said, “Oh, it was nothing…”

Flannery giggled before gasping, “Oh, shoot, I almost forgot about your prize! Hold on…” she ran to the back of the room, where she retrieved some items from a drawer disguised as a bench. Returning, she started by handing me a wad of bills, saying, “Firstly, here’s 3,360 Pokédollars…” she handed me a disk, “And then a TM for Overheat…by the way, this is a very powerful move! The only downside is that the user tired themselves out afterwards…but that’s another topic. Anyways…” she granted me a badge that was shaped like an orange oval surrounded by a scarlet, flame-like top, “here’s the Heat Badge! This should be, let’s see, your 4th badge, right? You’re halfway there, I think!” I held the badge and looked at it in awe, “Wow…” Flannery laughed, “Yeah, you’re on fire! I can just tell by your look that you’ll hit the big leagues soon, I just know it!” She sighed, “Well, I think now’s a good time for me to visit the springs. Great job again, Rohon, and good luck with your journey!” I smiled, “Thanks. And good luck with finding yourself.” Flannery replied, “Thanks! I’ll do my best.” With that, the fiery young woman, looking more confident than before, exited the room through the sliding doors. Seeing no other convenient way out, I followed after her, feeling invigorated after this hotheaded match.

Walking through the roads of Lavaridge Town, I looked around for any signs of May. Eventually, I noticed her riding into the town on her bike, a happy smile on her face. “Hey, Rohon!” she said cheerfully, “How did the battle go?” I answered, “It went well. I ended up cheering up the Gym Leader, Flannery, after beating her. She was complaining about not being as good as her grandpa or something, but I helped her believe in herself.” May’s eyes widened in admiration, “Wow, really? Kudos to you for being so kind! Well, if you’re wondering what I’ve been doing…” she pulled out her Pokédex and navigated through the pages, showing me entry after entry, “I’ve been doing some good old research! We must be like, what, halfway done? We’re really making progress, aren’t we?” I nodded, “Yep, we sure are.” May smiled before saying, “You know what we deserve? A nice, hot, spring bath! And we’re in the perfect place to do it!” I gave her a look, “May, I literally just finished fighting a full Fire-type team. Is it really a good idea for me to step into hot water right now?” May scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, “Oh yeah, good point.” She shook her head, “But still! We’re about to leave, anyway, so what’s wrong with taking a little extra heat?” I thought this over before replying, “Okay, whatever. I’ll go…” May cheered, “Yay! You won’t regret this, I promise.” As we both walked away, she said, “I can feel the bubbles now…”

After healing my Pokémon at a Pokémon Center, I travelled with May to a gate next to the building. Standing in front of the gate were two elderly people, a man and a woman. The former individual said to us, “Why, hello, young people! Are you here to visit our humble hot spring?” May confirmed this, causing the old guy to say, “Wonderful! I will need 5 Pokédollars from each of you, though.” After we granted the man the required currency, he said, “Thank you! Now…” he pointed to an opening of the gate to the left, “You, young lady, you go over here. And you, young man…” he pointed to the right, “you go over there.” May glanced at me and said, “Oh yeah, we would have to bathe separately, wouldn’t we? Well, even if we aren’t together, we can still enjoy ourselves.” So, we parted ways.

Past the gate, I entered through a mahogany door to see a large pool of steaming water that was surrounded by rocks, where I spotted among other people the 3 guys that were spectating the match between me and Flannery, each one relaxing shirtless with their own Pokémon, those being a Machop, a dazed-looking, red panda-like Spinda, and a Marill. The tallest guy waved at me, saying, “Hey, it’s you! Come on over, the water’s fine!” At first, I was apprehensive. I barely knew these guys, why would I want to get in the water with them? At the same time, they seemed friendly enough. What did I have to lose? So, I somewhat reluctantly walked over to the trio in their spot at the right side of the spring, took off my shoes, and hopped in.

“Woah, bro,” said the same guy with a smirk, “You’re going in fully clothed? Don’t you care about getting soaked?” I responded, “I didn’t bring a swimming suit, so I’m just going in as is. And I’m not stripping down to my underwear.” The guy shrugged, “Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” One of the individual’s messy-haired cohorts then said, “By the way, why don’t you go and bring one of your Pokémon over here? This place is practically made for them, after all, or so they say.” Seeing the person’s point, I replied, “Oh, okay. Excuse me for a second…”

After leaving and returning with Konishiki, whom I figured deserved this after the work he did, I re-entered the pool and stood in the water alongside the three young people. “So,” said the tallest, “I think we should introduce ourselves. The name’s Xavier.” He nodded at the messy-haired person, “That’s Troy.” He motioned towards a dark-skinned individual, “And that’s Dale.” At this, I responded, “Nice to meet you all. I’m Rohon.” Troy smiled, “Ditto, dude.” A few seconds passed of me just standing there until Dale said, “That really isn’t the way you’re supposed to do this, my guy. Just loosen up a little! Look at your Makuhita, he gets it!” I looked over at my Pokémon, who was sitting almost near the edge of the pool with only his head visible, a content smile on his face as he sighed happily. “Oh yeah,” I said, “You’re right.” Thus, I calmed my nerves and submerged myself to my shoulders, still staying a reasonable distance from the others.

“So,” said Xavier, “Now that we’re all familiar, I wanna know; what’s it like being a Gym challenger? To be honest, I’m not too interested in this whole Pokémon League crap, but I’m just curious.” Moving my hands through the water, I answered, “Oh, it’s very exciting, let me tell you. I’ve only beaten 4 Gym Leaders, but I’m already having a great time.” Troy then asked, “Really? Ain’t it tiring doing and training for these constant battles?” I smiled, “Sometimes, yeah. But it's all worth it for those shiny badges…” Xavier chuckled, “What are you, a Murkrow? You tellin’ me that you’re only in this for the treasure?” Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I responded, “Come on, they look nice! Besides, they also make Pokémon respect me more, so that’s a bonus.” At this, Xavier said with a smile, “Whatever you say, bud…”

After we all spent some more time in the spring, Dale looked over to my right and exclaimed, “Yo, look at that Makuhita! It’s thick as hell!” Wondering what he was talking about, I looked at Konishiki and gasped. Indeed, he did look fatter than usual. Dale laughed, “What, did he cop a snack on the way here, or something?” I shook my head, “No, I don’t think he did.” On a whim, I suggested, “Maybe the heat has something to do with this?” As I was saying this, I noticed that Konishiki’s body was growing larger by the second, going from about half my height to almost reaching my shoulders. Then, his body started to glow white. His bag-like exterior appeared to unfurl starting from the top of his head, and the exposed body beneath had its arms extend and gain wide, strong, 3-fingered hands. Konishiki’s head became wider and more flattened, gaining a V-shaped crest that was plastered on the front like a set of eyebrows. Other than his widening waist, Konishiki’s legs also gained more mass, becoming just as if not more thick than watermelons. Thanks to my Pokémon’s growing size, I felt myself being pushed back into Dale, who was sitting next to me. Stuck between two individuals, I had no choice but to wait there until Konishiki’s transformation was complete, after which he proudly exclaimed in a deep voice, “Ya ya yama!”

Gently pushing my changed ally aside so that I could get back to my place, I said, “Wow, Konishiki, did you evolve?” Xavier then said, “Sure seems like it! Maybe you were right, maybe this spring did have an effect on him, haha!” Hearing this, I thought over the situation before coming to a conclusion. I got up and walked away, saying, “Sorry, but I have to go.” In response, Xavier asked, “What? Why?” I turned my head and answered, “I’m big enough as is, I don’t need to get bigger. Besides, it was getting hot, anyway.” Xavier replied in an objecting tone, “But that’s not even…” he paused, “You know what, whatever. It was nice talking to you, Rohon.” I responded, “It was nice talking to you all, too.” With that, I returned Konishiki to his ball, shook myself off a bit, and took my wet self back to Lavaridge Town.

Chapter 43: Moving Forward

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As I was making my way out, the elderly lady from before asked me, “Oh, you’re done already? But you hardly had any time to soak!”

I replied, “I’m sorry, but I had to leave for…certain reasons.”

The woman frowned a bit as she replied, “Okay, if you say so. I suppose that I still have to give you a gift, no matter how little time you spent with us.” She reached below her and her partner’s desk and retrieved a blue, water bottle-sized egg with black spots. Handing it to me, she said, “This is a complementary gift given to newcomers here at the Lavaridge Town hot springs. If you walk around with this egg long enough, it should hatch in no time.”

I held the egg and inspected it, feeling its smooth, ovular shape. “Wow, thank you. I’ll do my best to take care of it.” Tucking the large egg under my shoulder, I bowed respectfully and said, “I hope you two have a good day.”

Smiling, the woman replied, “Oh, thank you, you little angel. You have a wonderful day as well!”

The man next to her gave me a friendly wave, stating, “Keep yourself safe.”

I smiled slightly and waved back before finding a place next to the hot springs and waiting for May.

Once my friend eventually arrived, she said with a cheerful expression, “Oh man, was that good! I feel like a whole new girl!” She let out a blissful sigh before asking, “What about you, Rohon? How did you enjoy the springs?”

I shrugged, “They were okay. The experience was pretty relaxing, but I had to leave early because…actually, never mind.”

May leaned towards me and prodded, “No, tell me! Cause I don’t see any reason why you would ever want to leave that heavenly place.”

Avoiding May’s gaze, I murmured, “Uh, well…” Hoping to change the subject, I revealed the egg that I had received and said, “Hey, look at this! I got it as a gift from the people at the front.”

Widening her eyes, May observed, “Oh, that’s a Pokémon egg! Can I see it?”

Happy to see that my tactic had worked, I gladly handed May the egg, which she studied with great interest.

“Hmm…” she said, “I have a feeling of what’s inside this egg, but I can’t exactly put my finger on it…” she shrugged, “Oh well, it’s better to wait and find out, anyway.” Handing the egg back to me, she smiled and continued, “And what better way to do that than adventuring? Come on, let’s head back to…”

As she was talking, May’s phone rang. “Oh?” she said, “Who could that be?” She retrieved her phone from her pocket and read the screen before scrunching up her face in disgust. “Ugh, it’s Sirel. What could that traitor be calling for?”

I replied, “I don’t know, but you should probably answer him. Who knows, he could have something valuable to say.”

May gave me a wary look, inquiring, “Are you sure? Cause this could easily be a trap.”

I shrugged and responded, “I mean, you never know until you try.”

May looked at me for a few more seconds before replying, “Okay, if you say so…” Pressing the answer button, she said, “What. Yes, it’s me. Rohon’s right here, why? Excuse me? You want me to put you on speakerphone? Fine.” She pressed another button and held her phone out, still looking quite peeved.

“Hello?” said Sirel, “Rohon, are you there?”

I replied, “Yeah, I’m here. Why are you calling?”

Sirel answered, “Oh, I was just calling to apologize for that, uh, situation from earlier. I really didn’t want to do what I did.”

May retorted, “Oh yeah? Well, why were you so adamant about holding poor Latios down, then?”

Sirel replied, “I didn’t have a choice. My mom would kill me if I ever disobeyed her words. If I could’ve, I would’ve dropped Latios immediately and helped you two out.”

May returned, “Well, you didn’t, did you? Instead, you surrendered like a coward and complied with Pokémon abuse!”

Sirel responded, “But I…” a sigh came from the phone, “Ah…whatever. I know that you two will never forgive me, but I’ll still try my best to make up for my mistakes. Hopefully, one day, we can be friends again…”

May scoffed, “We were never really friends, but sure.”

At this, Sirel said, “Okay…well, I’ll see you later, probably…” With that, he hung up.

“Well,” said May as she began to put away her device, “That was…wait, what’s this?” she navigated through her phone’s apps until finding something that made her eyes like saucers, “Wait a minute…Sirel just sent me a file of Mightyena’s data! It looks like it can be transferred directly to a Pokédex…I wonder how he knew about such technology?” Pulling out her Pokédex, she said, “Well, I guess we shouldn’t look a gift Rapidash in the mouth; let’s just take this and move on.

After transferring the Mightyena data wirelessly to her Pokédex, May stated, “Huh, maybe he isn’t so bad after all…anyway, as I was saying, where should we go next?”

I revealed my PokéNav and answered, “Well, I guess we could revisit Petalburg City. Norman did say that we could return after becoming stronger, right?”

May’s face brightened up as she replied, “Oh yeah! I bet he’ll be glad to see your evolved Pokémon. I’ve also got some Pokémon that I forgot to catch, I’m pretty sure…”

I nodded and responded, “Okay, I guess that’s settled. So, shall we go?”

May nodded back and smiled, “Yes, we shall!”

So, after tucking away the Pokémon egg in my backpack, I pulled out my Mach Bike and joined May as the two of us rode off.

Chapter 44: Meeting Brendan

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As me and May rode our bikes down the mountain, she said to me, “So, Rohon, I was talking with Flannery in the springs, and she was absolutely gushing about how great of a time she had fighting she had fighting you. She said that although you had 3 Water-types, she still felt like she had a good chance of defeating you.”

I replied, “Yeah, to be honest, I was almost worried that I was going to lose…”

At this, May said, “Wait, you’re not just saying that to be nice, are you?”

“No, of course not. She was genuinely skilled, even if she didn’t think so. Unless I’m the one that sucks…”

“Nonsense! You’re not bad in the slightest!” she chuckled a bit, “Well, at least you’re not that bad.”

Blushing, I replied, “Yeah, whatever.”

“But seriously, if what Flannery was saying was true, then good for her! And thank you for giving her a good fight. I heard that she’s new, so I’m sure that you gave her some good practice.”

Smiling a bit, I responded, “And I’m glad that I did. Speaking of her, I got this TM from her; it’s for Overheat. Obviously, I don’t have any Fire-types, so maybe your Combusken can use the TM?”

“Oh my gosh, you have Overheat?! That’s awesome! And yeah, I’m sure that she will appreciate having such a powerful move. I can’t wait!”

As May and I continued on our way, we passed by a boy with an orange vest, black shorts, and a white cap with a black headband that was decorated with two red half arches. Looking closer, I could see that he looked pretty similar to May; he had a slightly darker variant of her fair skin and he even looked to be the same age. Just as we were about to move past him, he called, “Hey, wait!”

We skidded to a halt and turned around to where the guy was standing. “What is it?” May asked.

Walking over to us, the capped individual inquired, “You’re Pokémon trainers, right?”

May nodded, “Yeah, why?”

The boy smiled and responded, “Awesome! Looks like we’ve got something in common.” He held out both of his hands for us to shake, which we did. “I’m Brendan,” he said, “ A fellow trainer. I started my own journey a month ago, believe it or not.”

May smiled and responded, “Nice to meet you, Brendan! I’m May, and this is my friend Rohon. And you said you started a month ago? You must have a lot of experience!”

Brendan laughed, “Oh, I wish. Sadly, even though I started so early, I’ve been getting sidetracked a lot lately, especially with school.”

“School?” I said, “Too bad you have to go through that; I was homeschooled.”

Brendan’s mouth gaped open before he replied, “Wow, seriously? Boy, are you lucky. Unfortunately, I can’t go down that route, especially not as the son of a Gym Leader…”

“Wait, what?” May asked, “You’re what now?”

Brendan smiled, “That’s right, Norman’s my dad. I actually challenged him just now, but I lost. Now, I’m out here on Route 111 training up Grovyle and the others for a rematch.”

“Oh,” said May, “I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully you’ll do better next time. Wait, if you’re challenging Norman, does that mean that you also have 4 badges?”

Brendan nodded, “That’s right! And kudos to you both for making it this far! Not many trainers do this well.”

May replied, “Thanks, Brendan! But you should be saying this to Rohon; he’s the main battler, not me.”

Looking at me, Brendan said, “Well, Rohon, great job. Here’s hoping we both make it to the big leagues!”

“Yeah,” I replied, “Same here.”

May then asked, “Wait, you said you had a Grovyle? But how’d you get your hands on one? Last time we checked, a Treecko was stolen by this Team Aqua punk.”

Brendan raised an eyebrow, “Really, one of those guys stole a starter? They’ve done some bad things, but I never thought that they would stoop that low.” he smiled knowingly, “Thankfully, they were too late to stop me. Like I said, I started a month early, so the professor already had a Treecko ready for me. That grunt must have snatched another Treecko that the professor caught.”

May sighed, “Okay, good.”

Brendan then said, “Yep, it sure is. Anyway, it was great talking with you two, but I’ve got to get to my training session. But we should definitely get in touch sometime! In fact…” he pulled out both a phone and his own PokéNav, “Why don’t we exchange info? Assuming you have either a phone or a PokéNav, that is.”

“Actually,” said May, “We have both!” Me and May both pulled out our devices and showed them to our new friend.

“Oh,” he said, “That’s cool. Well, lemme just…” He took both of our objects and went through the procedure of saving our numbers, “There.” He handed back our things and said, “Well, I’ll see you two later, probably. And Rohon, if you’re going to fight my dad, good luck; he’s a tough nut to crack.”

“Okay,” I said with a nod, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Brendan gave a thumbs-up, “Cool. Anyways, see ya!”

With that, May and I got back on our bikes and continued on our way.

Chapter 45: Entering the Petalburg Gym

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After backtracking through Mauville City, Route 110, Slateport City, taking a handy ferry going from Slateport to Dewford and finally back to land, we eventually ended up at Petalburg City. Once we entered the public place, May said, “Okay, as usual, I’ll be on Pokédex duty while you handle the battling business. Is that fine with you?”

I answered, “Yeah, of course.”

“Great. Be sure to do your best!” She began to walk away before stopping and saying, “Oh yeah, one more thing…” she turned around, “Can you lend me that egg? I’m going to be doing a lot of walking and riding around catching Pokémon, so I might as well get two birds with one stone by making progress on the egg hatching.”

Reaching inside my backpack, I pulled out the egg and said, “Sure, I would appreciate that.”

Taking the soon-to-be born Pokémon, May stated, “Thank you. Well, I’ll see you later!” Giving me a parting smile, May left the scene, leaving me to make my way towards Petalburg’s Gym.

Once I entered the building, I looked around at the area, noting its simplistic style; there was hardly anything of note, just wooden floors, a few lanterns, and some plain banners to act as decorations. As I was taking in the basic sight, I was greeted by the usual explainer, this one being a middle-aged guy with brown, tussled hair. “Hey there,” he said, “Welcome to the Petalburg City Gym! You’re Rohon, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” I replied.

“Got it. Okay, let me explain what you have to do. Thankfully for you, the test is as straightforward as this Gym’s type; all you have to do is walk through a series of doors until you get to Norman. Of course, you won’t get through without some resistance; there’ll be some trainers to stop you. Furthermore, the trainers you fight will be determined by which door you go through. For example, if you go through a door labeled “Power”, expect to face Pokémon with high attack, and if you see a door labeled “Speed”, expect to battle some fast Pokémon. Sound simple enough?”

I nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

He gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Okay, great. Well, good luck, challenger, and be sure to make good choices!”

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll be sure to.”

With that, I made sure that all of my Pokéballs were in place before moving past the explainer and towards the brown door at the end of the room.

After exiting the introductory room, I ended up in another section where I was presented with two options: a door labeled “Speed” and a door labeled “Accuracy”. Hmm, I thought, So, what do I want to deal with, Pokémon that zip all over the place or Pokémon that hit all of their attacks? On one hand, I would like to be able to move first, but on the other I want my Pokémon to dodge at least some attacks… After some thinking, I said to myself, “You know what, my Pokémon were never that fast, anyway. I’m going with speed.” So, I walked towards the door to my left, ready for whatever was waiting for me.

On the other side of the door was a confident-looking trainer with red pants and a red, open jacket that revealed a white undershirt. “Well, well,” he said with smile, “Looks like you’ve chosen me as your opponent. Are you ready to see what true speed is like?”

I readied a Pokéball and replied, “Ready as I can be.”

The guy pulled out his own Pokéball and responded, “Good enough for me. Let’s get started!”

So, we each threw out our Pokémon, with me sending out Rigby and my opponent sending out this cat with something like a purple neck pillow wrapped around its neck; it looked somewhat like Skitty, I noticed.

“First things first,” said my foe, “Delcatty, get over here!”

The feline obeyed, jumping back to its master and opening its mouth in anticipation.

My opponent responded by pulling out a capsule from his pocket and opening it to reveal a blue pill.

After ingesting the pill, the Delcatty immediately started rolling around, making an excited chattering noise as it did so. After that reaction, the cat looked directly at Rigby, its tail swishing back and forth as it meowed, “Delyeoow!”

“That’s it!” said the trainer with a grin, “Now, use Double Slap!”

The Delcatty crouched down and wiggled its butt before suddenly pouncing towards Linoone, it’s speed far greater than I anticipated. Once the cat reached my raccoon, it began slapping him repeatedly, its paws moving back and forth faster than my eyes could follow.

As I was watching Rigby get whacked, I shook my head and slapped my cheeks. “Come on,” I said to myself, “Snap out of it!” I looked at my Pokémon and commanded, “Rigby, get Delcatty off of you with Headbutt!”

Rigby listened, rearing his head back before thrusting his body forward, knocking his enemy back a good distance. In response, the cat jumped back and studied Rigby, its tail still waving around as it did so.

“Okay,” I said, “Now use Fury Swipes!

As I was saying that, my opponent ordered, “Delcatty, use Sing!”

Attempting to get his attack on first, Linoone rushed at the Delcatty at his usual speed, preparing to swipe at the feline with full force.

Unfortunately, the Delcatty was quick to act, raising its head to the sky as it sung, “Dela delo, cat caty!”

Somehow, despite this song being so short and fast, it was enough to have an effect on Rigby. The mammal’s pace gradually slowed until he got right in front of the Delcatty, where he attempted to raise his paw up before falling flat on the ground, his eyes closed in peaceful sleep.

Seeing that my Pokémon was incapacitated, my adversary said, “We’ve got him, Delcatty! Pummel him with more Double Slaps!”

The Delcatty gladly obliged, meowing with utter joy as it leaped towards Rigby and whacked him around like a toy.

“Come on,” I pleaded, “Wake up!”

Sadly, I couldn’t do a thing. All I could do was watch as Rigby became the Delcatty’s plaything.

Things looked to be hopeless until I saw Rigby’s eyes fly open; finally, he was awake!

Seeing this, my face lit up as I said, “Ah, quick, use—”

However, before I could finish my command, the Delcatty gave one final smack across Rigby’s face, sending him reeling to the ground. Following that last attack, I watched as Rigby’s eyes glazed over, his limbs twitching as he laid on his back. In only a few minutes, my first Pokémon was down.

“Yeah!” cheered my enemy, “That’s how it’s done! So, what now, kid? You have a plan for how to stop me and Delcatty’s blitz?”

I returned Linoone to his ball before holding up a finger, “Hold on, I’m thinking…” I tapped my foot, Okay, as I said, outspeeding is out of the question. And I really don’t want to deal with Sing. Who should I… A lightbulb went off in my head, Oh, I’ve got it! I pulled out another ball and threw it out, “Go, Benjammin!”

My Loudred revealed himself from his ball and hopped around excitedly, saying, “Lo, lo, loud!”

My opponent smirked, “Going for a Pokémon with Soundproof? Typical. But let’s see how you’ll handle this!” he pointed forward, “Delcatty, hit em with an Attract!”

The cat turned around, showing it’s behind to Benjammin as it meowed, “Cat caaaatyyy…” in an alluring way.

This tactic appeared to work immediately on my Pokémon; he immediately began hopping up and down, his wide mouth leaking drool as he exclaimed, “Lou, hehehe, Loudred!”

I smacked my forehead, saying, “Come on, Benjammin, you can’t just fall for that…”

The trainer then said, “Great work, Delcatty! Now, let’s give him what he wants!”

The Delcatty proceeded to waltz on over to Benjammin, a false look of affection on her face as she rubbed her body against Benjammin’s, causing the Pokémon to thump his foot against the floor in extreme excitement. As I shook my head in disgust, the cat began to playfully bat at my Loudred’s face, acting as if this was just a friendly gesture. However, judging by the forceful sounds, I could tell that this was no flirting technique.

“Come on,” I said, “There’s no way you’re in love with her now, right?”

Unfortunately, Benjammin was fully entranced, gladly taking slap after slap with zero resistance. I was preparing to call it quits before Benjammin suddenly burst into song, grabbing Delcatty’s paws and dancing with her enthusiastically.

“Hey,” asked my opponent, “What’s your Loudred up to?”

I shrugged, “I have no clue.” A bit into Benjammin’s opening verse, my hands slowly moved towards my ears, “But whatever it is, it’s probably going to be loud…”

My adversary raised an eyebrow, “What do you…”

At that, moment, Benjammin’s volume greatly increased; he was now at the main verse. In response, me and my opponent quickly covered our ears, shutting out eyes tight as we endured the excessive noise.

Unfortunately for the Delcatty, she was in no position to protect herself; she was forced to withstand Benjammin’s powerful love song. Judging by her pained yowls, the cat was not doing this job very well.

I peeked at the duo, watching as the Delcatty’s head jerked back and forth before falling limp against her natural head pillow. It took a while for Benjammin to notice this, but once he did, his singing abruptly stopped as he asked, “Lo, dred?” Alas, there was no response from the cat; in a twist of fate, she had been overwhelmed.

My opponent returned his Pokémon, causing Benjammin to cry out in shock. “Wow,” he said, “I sure didn’t expect that. Who would’ve thought that my own Attract would be my downfall?” he shook his head, appearing to look defeated before shrugging and smiling, “Ah, whatever, that was funny as hell!” He walked over and gave me 1,680 Pokédollars before saying, “Good luck with the rest of the trainers, challenger. They might not be so simple to defeat.”

I took the money and responded, “Thanks. And I’m sorry if that battle didn’t go the way you wanted.”

He threw his hands up and retorted, “What’re you apologizing for? I lost, and that’s that. How you took victory doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.” He pushed me forward, stating, “Now get on out there and show em what you got! The only one in charge of your success is you.”

Feeling invigorated by my defeated opponent’s words, I nodded to myself before moving on, ready to triumph over anyone else who got in my way.

Chapter 46: The Powerful Parent: Norman!

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Following that, I proceeded to take on two more trainers in 2 other rooms: the Zero Reduction room and the Strength Room. The former room saw me taking on a single Linoone whose trainer gave it a supplement that was claimed to prevent the Pokémon’s abilities from being weakened (which was not much of a problem for me) and the latter room had a cat-like ferret called Zangoose that was fed a pill that greatly increased its attacking power. While that monster was a nightmare to get past, I somehow managed to pull through with the help of my Pokémon, and soon enough I was standing before the final room that was simply labeled, “Norman”. “Okay,” I said to myself, “This is it. Just one more fight and I’ll be home free.” With this in mind, I pulled out some potions that May and I had previously bought and applied them to my hurt allies before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

After entering into the final room, I saw Norman, who was standing right in the middle of the traditional, wooden room, his arms crossed and his eyes shut as he turned his head slightly towards the floor. With the glassless window behind him allowing light to come in, his entire figure was illuminated for me to gaze at.

Noticing my presence, he slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at me. “So, it’s you again. You must be here to challenge me.”

Stepping forward, I responded, “Uh, yeah, that’s right, sir. I’ve grown stronger since we last met. I think I should be ready.”

Raising an eyebrow, Norman retorted, “Are you sure? You’re shaking.”

Looking down at my legs, I realized that he was right; despite what I wanted to believe, Norman’s serious demeanor had a negative effect on my resolve. Feeling ashamed, I forced my legs to return to their normal state before saying, “N-no, I’m fine! I’m just a little…nervous.”

A moment of silence followed before Norman replied, “I hope that those aren’t just empty words. I wouldn’t want to go all out on an opponent with a weak will.” Unfurling his arms, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball, “Once you’ve prepared your 5 Pokémon, let us begin.”

Without skipping a beat, I reached inside my bag and pulled out Nigel’s Pokéball. Staring deeply at the capsule, I took another deep breath to calm my nerves before sending out my Pokéball.

Chapter 47: A Basic Battle

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As I sent out Nigel, Norman sent out a Spinda, which immediately began swaying in it’s step like a drunkard, groaning “Spiiiin” as it did so.

“Okay,” I said, “Nigel, start off with Water Pulse!”

While I was saying that, Norman ordered, “Spinda, use Teeter Dance!”

In the middle of Nigel preparing a batch of water, the Spinda began spinning around all over the place, swinging its arms from side to side as it gave everyone a woozy smile. Apparently, this managed to distract Pelipper, causing him to stop preparing his attack in favor of focusing on the red panda. After a bit of the Pokémon’s dance routine, Nigel began to become entranced, descending to the ground and spinning around on his small, blue feet.

“Hey,” I asked, “What’re you doing?”

Unfortunately, Nigel completely ignored my words, and he continued to spin along with the Spinda. After some hopping, tumbling, and twirling, both Nigel and the Spinda stopped in place. While the Spinda looked as disoriented as usual, I noticed that something was up with Nigel; he was wobbling from side to side and staring into space with a dazed expression. He was confused!

Seriously?! I griped, Teeter Dance does that? Such bull… I shook my head, “Ugh, Nigel, just try using Water Pulse again.”

My Pelipper proceeded to fly up into the air, although he did so with some difficulty.

As Nigel struggled to control his flight, Norman commanded, “Spinda, make him see stars with Dizzy Punch!”

The spotted Pokémon then performed a daring roll, quickly making its way towards Nigel before springing into the air and landing 4 rhythmic punches on Nigel’s beak.

After the Spinda landed, Nigel finally had enough liquid to launch a Water Pulse, which he thankfully had enough sense to launch. Seeing that a ring of water was approaching, the Spinda made no attempt to dodge, instead allowing itself to take the hit.

“Okay, good!” I said, “Now try an Air Cutter!”

In response, Norman said, “So, you want to use special moves? Well, why don’t we show you some of our own? Spinda, use Psybeam!”

Holding its paws to its head, the Spinda let out a wavering, “SpiIindaaa…” as it rolled its head around. By doing this, a thin, faint purple ray came out from the Spinda’s forehead and shot straight towards Nigel.

Upon getting hit by the psychic beam, Nigel was pushed back a bit, letting out a brief croak of pain as he flipped over in the air. Despite this setback, he still had enough resolve to attempt an Air Cutter.

I watched with anticipation as my Pokémon reeled back one of his wings, a sure sign that he was about to launch a projectile. After a brief moment, Nigel squawked loudly, brought his wing forward, and…hurled himself to the ground right in front of his opponent.

“No!” I exclaimed, “Not now!”

Norman smiled a bit as he said, “We’ve got him on the ropes now, Spinda. Hit him with another Dizzy Punch!”

The Spinda gladly obliged, lurching all around the grounded Nigel while repeatedly striking him with strangely coordinated blows.

As my friend was getting pummeled, I pleaded, “Come on, Nigel, snap out of it and use…what was that move…Payback!”

I saw Nigel’s body start to shake with anger at the damage that he was taking, indicating that he was about to execute that new, vengeful move. Before he could do so, Norman said, “Don’t let up! Finish him off with Psybeam!”

As per its trainer’s request, the Spinda hopped backwards and again clutched its head, causing the same energy beam to emerge and strike Nigel, causing him to get pushed backwards and rolled across the floor.

After Nigel landed upside down in front of me, I noticed that his eyes had lost the dazed, disoriented look from before. Unfortunately, their replacement was not much better; his eyes were now glazed over and lifeless. After those eyes closed, I knew the truth: Nigel had fainted.

As I returned my Pokémon to his ball, I thought, Man, confusion is such an annoying status. You try to attack and guess what? You hurt yourself. I ought to… Then, an idea popped into my head, Wait, I’ve got it! I reached for Benjammin’s Pokéball and threw it out, saying, “Benjammin, try using Supersonic!”

Once he appeared, my Loudred proceeded to make weird, trippy noises, ones that I tried my best to ignore. Hehe, I thought with a smile, This is sure to…wait, what?

To my utter shock, despite the Supersonic being completely audible, the Spinda was completely unaffected! Instead of looking more perplexed as I was hoping, the Spinda looked the same as it always did.

Chuckling slightly, Norman said, “Looks like you don’t know about Spinda’s ability. He won’t be able to get confused as long as he has Own Tempo.”

My heart sunk. Own Tempo? Just my luck… Shaking my head, I said, “Okay, Benjammin, just try using Echoed Voice.”

At the same time, Norman ordered, “Spinda, another Teeter Dance!”

I crossed my fingers, hoping that Benjammin would move first. Sadly, the Spinda was too fast for us, and he ended up doing his nonsensical dance again, leading to another confused Pokémon.

Although I was feeling discouraged, Benjammin, despite his condition, managed to successfully use his move. Feeling encouraged by this, I said, “Good job! Now do it again!”

While I could sense that he was having some trouble understanding my orders, Benjammin nonetheless was able to heed my orders, pushing past his confusion and adding his input to the sound wave bouncing around the room after taking another Dizzy Punch from Spinda. Upon hearing the strong noise, the Spinda wobbled around with a frown, moaning “Sp-spiiin…” before falling onto his back.

Returning his Pokémon, Norman said, “Not bad. It takes a strong mind to not succumb to confusion two times in a row. You’ve raised your Loudred well.” Reaching into his pocket, he continued, “But is your Pokémon’s resolve enough to handle my next partner?” he threw out his capsule, “Go, Linoone, use Headbutt!”

Immediately after appearing, the Linoone made a running start towards Benjammin, causing him to fall onto his back.

Looking over at my Pokémon, I asked, “Are you okay, Benjammin?”

Getting up, my partner seemed to reply, “Louud…” with a faltering voice.

“Uh…good enough. Now just try for another Echoed Voice!”

Hearing this, my Loudred jumped around and stomped the ground excitedly as if he were pumping himself up. Seeing this, I also began to get exhilarated; Benjammin’s stomping could only mean one thing: he was getting serious! I waited eagerly for him to initiate his attack before the unthinkable happened: in the middle of his hopping, Benjammin tripped and fell!

“What?!” I said to myself, “Are you serious?! Oh, this is another confusion thing, isn’t it?”

In response to my Pokémon’s mistake, Norman said, “It’s time for another Headbutt, Linoone!”

After receiving its command, the Linoone turned around and ran straight forward before turning back towards the downed Benjammin and ran at him with full force. Upon getting hit, Benjammin made a pained “Ou!” before tumbling away and towards me.

Looking down at my friend, I noticed that his pupils were dilated, his mouth agape as he groaned, “L-louuud…”

No way. He’s done already? He only took two attacks!

“Heh,” said Norman as he crossed his arms, “Looks like that last Headbutt hit the mark.”

As I returned Benjammin, I thought to myself, Geez, why are these Pokémon so strong? They’re just Normal-types! It’s not like they’re strong against anything, right? In fact, they’re weak to… A lightbulb went off in my head, Oh wait, I’m dumb. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

I reached for Konishiki’s Pokéball, saying, “It’s your time to shine!”

Konishiki’s huge figure revealed itself, and he put his hands on his knees and stomped the ground with his right foot, giving the Linoone a fierce look.

Norman smirked, “I was waiting for a Fighting-type. Luckily, I came prepared. Linoone, teach him a lesson with Play Rough!”

The raccoon proceeded to run straight at Konishiki, leaping onto his stomach before crawling all over him and batting at him repeatedly as if it were play fighting. After a bit of this, the Linoone pushed itself off of Konishiki forcefully, leading to him, surprisingly, falling over.

“Wait, what?” I said, “How did that happen? That’s just a little Linoone, how did it hit my Hariyama so hard?”

Smiling knowingly, Norman answered, “Linoone’s comparatively small, yes, but his Fairy-type Play Rough packs a punch against Fighting-types like your friend here.”

Scratching my head, I murmured, “Fairy-type? That’s new.” I shook my head, “Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Konishiki, counter with Force Palm!”

Seemingly annoyed at having taken a super effective hit, Konishiki proceeded to rush forward with thunderous steps before extending an open palm down at the Linoone, letting out a firm “Hari!” as he squashed his foe.

After getting struck, the Linoone made a pained “Oone..” sound before laying flat on the floor, looking to be thoroughly defeated.

“Hm,” said Norman as he calmly returned his Linoone, “I guess not even that was enough to stop your Hariyama. But he must be low on health by now. So…” he reached into his pocket and threw out another ball, “Vigoroth, take the knockout with Slash!”

A white-furred Pokémon with long claws, a red tuft of hair on its head, and a wild expression, chanting, “Vigo, vigo, vigor!” before running at Konishiki like a maniac, moving its claws towards Konishiki’s belly and slashing at it powerfully.

Seeing my Pokémon’s bloody cuts, I winced; I could feel how painful that was. “Konishiki, are you okay?” I asked.

With one eye shut, Konishiki held one large hand over his stomach and replied, “Har…yama.”

Trying to calm my nerves, I responded, “Uh…just hang in there and use Force Palm again.”

Shaking his head, Konishiki growled before slapping his hands together and forced his right one towards the Vigoroth, grunting with exertion as he did so.

“Come on,” I said, “Please let that be it…”

Unfortunately, although the hit was super effective, the Vigoroth was somehow still kicking. In fact, its energy seemed to increase!

As I gaped at this fact, Norman said, “He’s still standing? Your Hariyama has some impressive durability, I’ll give him that.” He stretched his arms, “A single Uproar should do it, Vigoroth.”

Hearing this, the sloth started hopping around like a caffeinated child, shouting, “Vig, vig, Vigoroth!” repeatedly.

Although the Vigoroth’s shouting was not nearly as loud as Benjammin’s, I still felt somewhat uncomfortable by the racket that it was making. Furthermore, since Konishiki was right next to the noise-making lunatic, he had no choice but to succumb to the sound, causing the last of his energy to leave his body as he crumpled to the ground.

Sighing, I returned Konishiki to his ball, saying, “Okay, you did your best, and it was great. Now…” My body tensed up as I heard another loud “ROTH!” from the Vigoroth. Covering one ear, I asked, “Hey, there’s no one to attack! Why’s he still going?”

Norman, who didn’t look disturbed at all, responded, “That’s Uproar for you. Once the user gets going, they don’t stop for a while.”

I shook my head, “Oh boy…” Trying my best to ignore the ruckus, I pulled out Gooey’s Pokéball and deployed it, saying, “I need this noise to stop. Maybe try using that Yawn you just learned?”

After revealing himself, Gooey, looking as dopey as he usually did, opened his mouth wide and yawned in an exaggerated way. Once the move was executed, I looked eagerly at the Vigoroth, watching for any changes in its behavior. I waited and waited, but…nothing happened. On the contrary, the Vigoroth got even louder!”

“Bad mistake,” stated Norman, “Don’t you know that all Vigoroth have the Vital Spirit ability? Even if Vigoroth didn’t have that ability, his Uproar would’ve stopped your Uproar from working, anyway.”

Hearing this, I groaned. How was I supposed to know that? As the Vigoroth continued to make an uproar, I said, “Ugh, I don’t even know why I bothered using a non-attacking move. Gooey, just use Sludge and be done with it.”

Gooey obliged, reopening his mouth and vomiting up a mass of purple gunk, sending it flying towards the raving Vigoroth. Upon getting hit by the projectile, the sloth’s song was cut short, and it promptly fell over.

Transporting his Pokémon back to safety, Norman said, “You’ve done well to make it this far, Rohon. Consider me impressed. But I think now’s the time to reveal my ace in the hole.” Reaching inside the pocket of his dark vest and threw out his final Pokéball, from which emerged a giant, gorilla-like sloth with brown fur everywhere except its chest and neck/head, where there was instead white fur. “Slaking, now’s your time. Use Feint Attack!”

Giving off a nonchalant smile, the Slaking waltzed over to Gooey, laying down next to him and smiling in a seemingly friendly way. Seeing this, Gooey tilted his head upwards, flapping his nubs up and down in a somewhat excited way. Once Gooey let his guard down, the Slaking immediately slammed it’s big fist down onto my Pokémon, squashing him like a pancake.

Looking at my Gulpin and the orange liquid that was oozing out of him, I knew for a fact that he was done for; there was no doubt about it. With this in mind, I returned him and retrieved my final Pokéball, saying, “Okay, Axol, this may be scary, but I need you to do something.” I threw the ball. “Make me proud! Use Mud Bomb!”

After coming out, Axol immediately stomped hard on the floor, damaging it enough to reveal the earth beneath. Once he had access to some dirt, Axol shot some water at it, gathered a moisturized bundle, and hurled it straight at Slaking’s face, causing mud to splatter all over it.

I looked warily at the Slaking, waiting for any counterattacks. To my surprise, however, nothing happened; the Slaking simply picked its nose with one hand and scratched it’s belly with the other. “Hey,” I asked, “Aren’t you going to tell Slaking to do something?”

Norman shook his head, “There’s no need; Slaking wouldn’t listen. That’s his “ability”, Truant: he takes a break after every single attack.”

I reeled back in surprise, “Really? Well, uh…Axol, use Rock Tomb, I guess!”

As Axol dug around for some useable rocks, Norman said, “Okay, I think that’s enough of a break. Slaking, use Façade!”

Stretching his arms and yawning, the Slaking got up, puffed out his chest, and stomped towards Axol, who was still on the search for some rocks. Once he found some, Axol looked up and smiled before being punched straight in the face.

I watched with anguish as Axol flew across the room, crashed into a nearby wall, and fell onto the floor. Judging by the sound of the impact, I knew that the Slaking had done a devastating amount of damage. With my heart beating out of my chest, I asked, “Axol, can you still stand?”

A few seconds passed before Axol slowly got up, saying, “Mar…Marshtomp.”

I bit my fist, feeling very anxious about my current situation. Was I really about to lose? I wouldn’t let this stand, I just couldn’t! With my throat tightening, I managed to say, “Axol, continue your Rock Tomb and follow up with a Water Gun. Hopefully Torrent is enough to get us past this!”

Axol nodded, hurling the rocks he was holding at the Slaking, who was again loafing around, before inhaling and filling his mouth with water. After collecting a good amount, Axol forcefully squirted the liquid at the Slaking’s face, doing so with great vigor. Sadly, this didn’t seem to do much to the giant sloth.

Norman shook his head, “Not good enough. Slaking, let’s end this. Use Counter.”

In the middle of his rocky prison, the Slaking picked up one of the rocks, jumped up, and hurled it straight down at Axol, whose eyes widened greatly in shock. Unable to dodge, Axol was forced to take the retaliatory hit, and he was crushed under the weight of his own rock.

Looking proud of himself, the Slaking ambled over to where Axol was, lazily lifting the rock off of my Marshtomp’s body to reveal his crippled figure. Seeing my fallen friend, I fell to the floor with grief. I had lost.

Chapter 48: Following the Path of Improvement

Chapter Text

As I returned my Pokémon, Norman said, “So that’s how it goes. You tried your best, but you didn’t succeed. What a pity.”

I clutched Axol’s Pokéball, unable to find the words to describe how I felt.

“Don’t worry, though,” said Norman as he walked up to me, “You could always just rematch me.”

At this, my eyes lit up just a bit. “I…I can?”

“That’s right. But be warned; if you lose in that rematch, you will officially be removed from the Pokémon League’s system. In other words, your badge-collecting story will come to an end.”

My heart sunk. “…Oh.”

Norman nodded, “Yeah, that’s the truth. I don’t make the rules. But you know what?” he crouched down to meet me eye to eye, “I have a strong feeling that you’ll pull through. You have potential. All you have to do is figure out how best to use it.”

I looked back at Norman with a mildly hopeful expression, “Really?”

He nodded again, “Really. So hold your head up, get out there, and prepare yourself. I’ll be waiting for you when you return.”

I stood there for a few more seconds before speaking, “I…okay.” With that, I tossed around Axol’s ball a bit before leaving the scene.

As I was about to exit, Norman called out after me, “Also, I need at least 500 Pokédollars from you. Trainer rules.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” I reached inside my backpack, walked over, and gave Norman the required amount before backtracking through all the doors that I went through and exiting the Gym.

Outside the building, I noticed May, who was tossing a Pokéball up and down while looking at her phone. Noticing my presence, she smiled and said, “Hey, Rohon, how’d the…wait, what’s up with you?”

I sighed, “That battle with Norman…I lost it.”

A sympathetic look crossed May’s face, “Oh. I’m, uh, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you learn anything?”

“I learned that some abilities suck and that my Pokémon aren’t strong enough to take on a Slaking.”

“A Slaking? Oh yeah, that Pokémon. I assume that’s Norman’s strongest ally?”

“Yeah, it seems like it. And he’s a complete monster. Every other turn he hits like a truck.”

“Really? Interesting…wait, every other turn? Ohh, you must be talking about Truant.”

“Yeah, that. Even with that ability, Slaking is a menace.”

“Hm, yeah, I can imagine. Well, you wanna know what I think?”

“What is it?”

“If you’re having trouble, a moveset change is in order. Here, let me take a look at your Pokémon in the Pokédex and see what moves they can learn.”

I reached inside my bag and handed May the device, “Here you go.”

May took the Pokédex and navigated through it, saying, “Okay, let’s see…Whirlwind…Water Sport…Odor Sleuth…wait, what’s this?” She showed me Nigel’s page, “Rohon, your Pelipper can learn Protect! I bet that would be a great help against Slaking.”

My eyes widened, “Oh, he can? Wait…what does that move do?”

May gave me a look, “Do I really have to explain it? Obviously it protects the user from the opponent’s attack.”

Chuckling nervously, I replied, “Oh yeah, that makes sense. So, Pelipper protecting himself every other turn would take advantage of the fact that Slaking slacks off every turn, right?”

May nodded, “Yep. You should consider teaching him that move, it would give you a major advantage. Though I have to ask…why didn’t you teach him that move before?”

“Was I supposed to?”

“Well, yeah! It would’ve been a great decision! Unless you’re telling me that Payback is a better move.”

“I didn’t want to have Nigel learn Payback. It just sorta happened!”

“What do you mean it just sorta happened? Are you saying that…” May’s face became one of realization, “Wait…are you telling me that you haven’t been paying attention to when your Pokémon are trying to learn moves?”

I held my chin and looked at the ground before answering, “Uh…no, not really.”

May shook her head and replied, “Come on, Rohon, you’ve gotta be more observant. When your Pokémon get stronger, it’s common for them to try and learn a new move. Since Pokémon can only know up to 4 moves at a time, if you don’t intervene, they’ll just pick a move on their own to forget. I can’t believe that we’ve gotten this far and you’re just now learning about this…”

I twiddled my fingers, feeling ashamed at my mistake.

Noticing my dishonored demeanor, May added, “But hey, it happens. The important thing is that you grew from this experience.” Turning around, she continued, “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. In the meantime, I’ll see about catching some more Pokémon that I might’ve missed. Good luck, and I’ll see you later!” Following that, May gave me a wave before leaving back towards Petalburg Forest.

As my friend departed, I began to mull over what she said. Maybe I was supposed to be more smart with my move choices after all. I would have to make up for my errors soon. For now, though, my Pokémon needed some healing. With that in mind, I made my way over to Petalburg’s Pokémon Center and headed inside.

As my allies rested, I began to think up a plan. Okay, so how do I deal with Norman’s Pokémon? That Spinda…his Teeter Dance is a pain in the butt. Do I have anyone that can handle that? Maybe not. I guess I’ll just use Gooey. Maybe he can poison the Spinda? Now, Linoone…I think I just have to hit it hard. He might have Play Rough, but Hariyama can take it, I know that. What about Vigoroth? I could use Rigby to out speed him, but…something tells me that that maniac is somehow faster. I might as well use Dendy, she didn’t get much action. And I already know what I’m doing for Slaking: Protect’s going to be my main move! If all else fails, Axol will probably come in clutch. With this procedure in mind, a small smile crossed my face. This plan might’ve not been perfect, but it was a start. Besides, I had came so close before. All I needed was a bit more effort to take the win.

A short while later, I got a call from the nurse informing me that my Pokémon were finished healing. In response, I walked up, took my partners, said my thanks, and exited the building, ready to start my renovation. Releasing Nigel out in front of me, I asked, “Okay, Nigel, do you feel like learning Protect? Sure you do! Let’s see here…” I pulled up his page on the Pokédex, “Why don’t you forget Roost? I mean, what does that even do? Protect would be a much better option.”

Nigel tilted his head at me before making a short grunt and closing his eyes. After a few seconds, I noticed his page on my device changing; just like that, Roost had been replaced with Protect!

“Nice!” I said, “Now, lemme just see about the others…”

After some consideration, evaluation, and contemplation, I successfully came up with an optimal moveset for each of my Pokémon. Feeling a lot better about my situation, I said to myself, “Okay, I should be ready. I’ve got a plan, new moves, and my will. I’ve got this.” With that in mind, I gripped by bag straps, turned towards the gym, and matched towards it with a renewed confidence.

--------------------------------------------

Traversing through the doors that I had moved through previously, I ended up back in Norman’s room, where he was standing with his arms crossed as he had done previously. Once he noticed me, he said, “Ah, you’re back.” he smirked, “You look sure of yourself. Did you come up with a good strategy this time?”

“Yes.” I answered, “I’ve done some preparation, and I think I’m ready to take you on now.”

Norman held his chin and nodded, “I see. Well, we’ll just have to see if that’s true, won’t we? So…” his expression became more serious as he held a Pokéball out, “Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

Revealing my own Pokéball, I gave Norman a firm nod. This was my moment.

Chapter 49: A Riveting Rematch!

Chapter Text

Without skipping a beat, the two of us sent out our Pokémon; I deployed Gooey and he deployed Spinda.

“Alright, Spinda,” said Norman, “Same plan as before. Use Teeter Dance!”

The Spinda happily twirled around before initiating his usual dance, swinging his arms from side to side while spinning like a top that was knocked off its balance.

Despite Gooey having no legs, he somehow followed along with the Spinda’s movements, squelching his body around in a circular motion. Though he wasn’t spinning as fast or as “coordinated” as the Spinda, he ended up getting confused anyway.

Dang it, I thought, Oh well, it can’t be helped. Looking at my Pokémon, I asked, “Gooey, can you use Toxic?”

A few seconds passed before Gooey acknowledged my words. Taking a deep breath, my Gulpin inflated himself with air and something else before spitting a small, dark purple pellet at his foe.

Immediately after coming into contact with the droplet, the beige and red fur around the impact point, the Spinda’s torso, became tinged purple. “Spii…” moaned the Pokémon as his movements slowed, the dopey smile on his face being replaced by a discomforted frown.

“Yes!” I said, “That must be a good thing! Now try to follow up with Sludge, Gooey!”

Tapping his foot, Norman said, “Looks like you won’t be on the field for much longer, Spinda. Luckily, our opponent made a mistake. Punish him with Psybeam!”

The Spinda rolled his head around before grabbing it and manifesting a small energy beam, which made its way towards the stationary Gooey.

Upon being hit, my Pokémon was rolled backwards like a ball of dough, leaving faint traces of liquid behind in the process. Judging by his flattened posture, I could tell that the attack was super effective. Oh yeah, I thought to myself, remembering my fight with Wally, Poison is weak to Psychic. How could I forget?

After taking a second to reorient himself, Gooey inflated himself with liquid again, looked straight at his opponent, and…barfed directly in front of him before falling face-first into his own bodily fluids.

I smacked my forehead. Seriously? Self-hurt again?

“Great work, Spinda,” stated Norman, “Now seal the deal with a second Psybeam!”

As the Spinda prepared to launch another psychic attack, I noticed the splotch of purple on his body growing. “Huh,” I said to myself, “That’s new. Is that what…aaand Gooey’s down.”

To no one’s surprise, the 2^nd Psybeam was what did Gooey in; flattened further and covered in his own juices, he was down for the count.

Returning my Gulpin, I said, “You did good, Gooey. Now…” I sent out my Hariyama, “Go, Konishiki! Use Fake Out!”

Immediately after appearing, my ally rushed forward with great speed considering his size and clapped his hands together, causing the Spinda to become startled. As the red panda stood there stunned, the purple spot on his body grew even larger, now covering his entire chest.

“Nice!” I said, “He should be weak now, Konishiki. Just use Knock Off!”

In response, Norman ordered, “Give him one last Psybeam, Spinda!”

Although the Spinda was able to get his attack off first (which my Pokémon was weak to, as I already knew), Konishiki was still able to counterattack, grabbing his opponent by the legs and slamming him on the ground like a ragdoll.

After being manhandled, the Spinda, who must’ve already been feeling tired after what Toxic did to him, laid motionless on the ground, moaning “D-daaa…” in a quiet voice.

Returning his Pokémon, Norman said, “Good for you. But you do know what’s going to happen next, right?” he threw out his next ball, “Linoone, use Play Rough!”

Immediately after appearing, the Linoone leaped onto Konishiki and began roughhousing with him in a somewhat cute but mostly offensive manner.

In the middle of the Linoone’s crawling, Konishiki, looking as if he were on the brink of defeat, pulled his assailant off of him and slammed him onto the ground, letting out a powerful “Ya!” as he did so.

As a result of taking such a strong, super effective hit, the Linoone was immediately put into submission, refusing to get back up.

“Wow,” said Norman as he recalled his partner, “That’s twice that your Hariyama survived my Linoone’s attack and knocked him out in one hit. I’m impressed.” Directly following that statement, he sent out his next Pokémon, “Anyway, Vigoroth, I think that this Hariyama has had enough time in the spotlight. Take him out with Slash!”

Once he arrived, the Vigoroth wasted no time in rushing over to Konishiki and giving him a swift and powerful cut to the chest.

After taking the attack, Konishiki groaned, using the last of his energy reserves in a futile attempt to stay on his feet before collapsing on the ground.

I let out a brief sigh before sending Konishiki back to his capsule. “Don’t worry, Konishiki,” I said, “You did an amazing job. Now…” I threw out my next ball, “Dendy, you’re up! Use Fake Out!”

Once she entered the scene, Dendy exclaimed an enthusiastic Lo-lo!” before performing a forward somersault and clapping her hands in front of the Vigoroth’s face, causing him to cry out in surprise.

“Great!” I said, “Now, use Bubble Beam!”

In retaliation, Norman stated, “Strike first with another Slash, Vigoroth!”

The Vigoroth shook his head before growling and cutting at Dendy’s face, making a loud “Vigo!” in the process.

While Dendy was very much hurt, she still managed to get her attack off, inhaling to draw in moisture before shooting out a stream of bubbles towards the Vigoroth’s feet.

The force of the stream was enough to push the Vigoroth back a good distance, prompting him to make a brief surprised noise as he slid away and fell backwards onto the wooden floor. As the sloth got up, I noticed a change in his stance; instead of standing firm, his feet were shifting from side to side in an unsure fashion. What could this mean?

Norman, who looked somewhat worried, murmured, “Oh, that isn’t good…” Shaking his head, he continued in a louder voice, “This is nothing, Vigoroth. Another Slash!”

Having a slight feeling that something was amiss, I said to Dendy, “Try using Fury Swipes!”

As Dendy ran towards her opponent, I thought to myself, Honestly, this doesn’t even matter. That Vigoroth’s just gonna move first, Dendy’s gonna get KO’d, and…wait, what?

To my utter surprise, Dendy ended up getting the first hit in, allowing her to use her small red claws to swipe at the Vigoroth repeatedly.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I said to myself, “Isn’t Vigoroth supposed to outspeed me?”

After taking the flurry of attacks, the Vigoroth retaliated with another sharp cut at Dendy’s chest. Contrary to what I expected, Dendy ended up surviving the hit!

“Wow!” I said, “You’re a beast, Dendy! Uh…why don’t you get some health back with Absorb?”

Panting heavily, my Lombre wrapped her lanky arms around the Vigoroth and hugged him tightly. After a few seconds of this, she released him, looking a bit more energized than before.

As his Vigoroth’s arms went slack, Norman clenched his fist, saying, “You’re not done yet, Vigoroth. It’s time to end this…use Reversal!”

Hearing this, the sloth’s expression turned feral as he let out a primal “Viiii Vig-vig-VIGO!” and began spinning around at an insane speed, essentially becoming a whirlwind of claws and fur.

Dendy had less than a second to react before she was hit directly by the rampaging Vigoroth, and she was immediately knocked away and towards me. Looking down at her, I could immediately see the truth: she was done for.

Holy moly, I thought as I returned my Lombre, What was that move?! I didn’t think that that Vigoroth could get any scarier… I shook my head and brought out my next ally, “Anyway, he’s almost down. Use Water Pulse, Nigel!”

As my Pelipper emerged, Norman ordered, “Use Uproar, Vigoroth!”

Looking straight at Nigel, the Vigoroth attempted to take a proper stance and unleash his sound-based attack, but his slippery feet proved to be a major hurdle. Taking advantage of this, Nigel quickly released the water that he had stored, sending it out in a ring towards his enemy. Thankfully, this was all that was needed to take the Vigoroth out; unable to stand any longer, the once-energetic sloth spun around and fell face down towards his master.

“Hm,” said Norman as he sent his Vigoroth back to his ball, “You’re doing a bit better than usual, Rohon. This may be where you take victory…” His eyes narrowed as he reached into his vest and pulled out his final capsule, “But don’t think that your victory will come easy. Slaking, it’s time for a Façade!”

Landing with a mighty thud, the Slaking gave me a knowing smirk before waltzing over to where Nigel was, putting on the same brave act as it had done before.

Despite the strength of the opponent that Nigel and I were facing, I remained calm; I knew what was going to happen next. “Nigel,” I said with a smile, “Use Protect.”

In response, Nigel flew down to the ground, put his large wings over his face, and flipped over, allowing his big, tough beak to stick out.

Once the Slaking reached his target, he brought his mighty fist down on Nigel’s body only for his hand to meet a hard surface. Judging by his reaction, I could tell that the Slaking’s attack was not very effective at all.

Norman’s eyes widened, “Shoot. Not that move…”

I laughed a bit to myself, “That’s right! I’ve got a counter! Now Nigel, use Air Cutter!”

Nigel gladly obliged, righting himself before flying up and backwards into the air and sending sharp bursts of wind towards the Slaking, who absolutely refused to act.

Norman groaned in frustration before saying, “Don’t let up, Slaking. Use Feint Attack!”

As the giant sloth approached in a seemingly innocent way, I interjected, “Oh, no you don’t! Use Protect again!”

As per my orders, Nigel again landed on the ground and showed his beak, using it as a shield to thwart the Slaking’s incoming attack.

Hey, I thought to myself, This is really working! I can’t believe it! I pointed forward, “Again, Nigel! Use Air Cutter!”

As Nigel executed his attack on the stationary Slaking, I mused, Man, this is easy! I’ve got this battle in the bag.

Sighing, Norman said, “Try Yawn, Slaking.”

I smirked, Yawn? A non-attacking move? Now I know that he’s given up. Feeling overconfident, I said, “Use Air Cutter again, Nigel!”

While Nigel was preparing his attack, the Slaking opened his mouth wide and made an exaggerated yawn. Completely ignoring this fact, I watched as my Pelipper launched his slightly visible scythes.

“Okay,” I said while anticipating another attack, “Protect again!”

As I expected, Norman’s sloth attempted another attack, Façade, which of course was intercepted.

Feeling ecstatic, I ordered, “We should almost be done now, Nigel! Use…” My voice trailed off as I noticed a change in my Pokémon’s behavior. Instead of flying back up into the air, his eyes were closed as he rested on the ground. He was sleeping!

Norman smirked, “Costly mistake. Slaking, now’s your chance for your strongest Façade!”

Chuckling in a deep voice, the sloth stomped over to Nigel and gave him a swift punch to the face.

“Come on,” I said, my heart pounding like a drum, “Wake up!”

Unfortunately, despite being hit so strongly, Nigel stayed fast asleep. Even after the Slaking took his mandatory break, Nigel remained in his dormant state, making a faint trilling sound as he counted sheep.

“He’s near the end now, Slaking,” Norman said, “Finish him off with Feint Attack!”

Seeing that his foe was already unconscious, the Slaking simply walked over to Nigel and smacked him.

Unfortunately, that last attack was what took Nigel out; opening his eyes slightly, my Pelipper made a faint “Lii…” before falling on his side.

“Dang it,” I muttered as I recalled my friend, “How could I be so careless? I know what Yawn does, why did I attack anyway?” Sighing, I reached for my final Pokéball and held it close to my head, “Axol, I’m counting on you. With your new move, you can do anything!” Throwing the ball forward, I exclaimed, “Don’t lose! Use Rock Slide!”

Upon his arrival, Axol proceeded to jump up and stomp down on the floor, making a determined “Mar!” as he revealed a bit of the building’s foundation. While his opponent was resting, Axol quickly uncovered some rocks and hurled them at an arc towards the Slaking.

“Another physical attack? Slaking, you know what to do. Use Counter.”

Without skipping a beat, the sloth took the rocks that landed near his stomach and threw them back at Axol with the force of a piston. Unable to react to the speed of the projectiles, Axol was forced to take blow after blow, and he was knocked flat to the ground.

I gasped, my hands flying to my face as I shouted, “Axol!” My brain flooded with thoughts. Was this it? Was this where my story ended? Concerned beyond measure, I stammered, “A-Axol, use…uh, u-use…”

At that moment, Axol’s eyes flew open, his face twisted with extreme rage. Jumping to his feet, he let out a loud “Stoomp, Mar-mar-mar!” before picking up the cracked rocks that were thrown at him and hurling them at the irritatingly lackadaisical Slaking.

“Hold on,” I said while giving Axol a confused look, “I didn’t tell you to…”

However, Axol was completely deaf to my words; the only thing on my Marshtomp’s mind was attacking. Giving no ground, he put his all into every single throw, making repeated “Sto, sto, sto!” sounds as he pelted his adversary with hard stones. As he continued his relentless assault, I noticed his arms growing somewhat bigger. Was he getting stronger?

Bit by bit, the enemy Slaking’s health was whittled down, his nonchalant grin turning to a worried frown as he took blow after blow. Eventually, after all of the stones broke against his large body, the sloth rolled over onto his back, his arms splayed out to the side as he groaned, “Slaaa…”

Looking at the behemoth that my partner had taken down, a small, electric feeling began to well up in my chest. “Did...did I…win?” a few more seconds passed before I began jumping for joy, “I did! I WON!"

Chapter 50: Growing and Progressing

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As I basked in the glory of my victory, Norman returned his Slaking, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes in deep thought. “So, I’ve lost…” He stayed silent for a moment before looking at me with a proud smile, “I must admit, as a Gym Leader, I feel frustrated for losing. At the same time, seeing such a capable trainer push past adversity and setbacks to claim victory…it reminds me of my own son.”

“Wait, you mean Brendan?” I asked, “I’ve met him.”

Norman’s eyes widened slightly, “Oh, you have? Well, isn’t that something. Did you get a chance to spar with him?”

I shook my head, “No, he said that he was training for his rematch with you, so I guess that he didn’t feel like fighting me right then.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Norman looked up and to the side slightly, murmuring, “I wonder if he’ll pull through this time…” After another bout of silence, he looked back at me and continued, “Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. The only that matters here is your reward.” He walked up to me, reached into the pocket near his left pec, and pulled out a simple-looking badge that looked like two grey circles connected by a similarly-colored band. “Here you are, the Balance Badge. This should be the 5^th badge you’ve collected so far, right?”

With my eyes glittering in the face of my new collectible, I nodded happily and answered, “It is!”

Norman smiled, “I thought so. Now for the second part…” he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out 3,600 Pokédollars and a disk case. “Inside this case is the TM for Façade. If a Pokémon is burned, paralyzed, or poisoned, this attack will become much more powerful. It’s great for turning the tables on unsuspecting opponents!”

Taking the gifts, I said, “Ooh, interesting.” I then looked to my left and said with a smile, “Can you believe it, Axol? I…”

A gasp escaped my mouth as I noticed a change happening in Axol. His already big arms began to bulk up even further, growing in both length and width as they turned from a dull light blue color to a vibrant cobalt one. The rest of his rubbery skin followed suit, growing thicker and bluer to suit his growing body, and the patch of orange on his belly extended across his entire chest before turning creamy white. His cheek gills, which gained another point, turned a darker shade of orange while his head fin grew taller, split in two, and turned darker as With his rear fins ended up fusing, they also grew larger and darker, and his orange eyes grew slightly bigger. Once this transformation was finished, the new and improved Axol got on all fours and exclaimed in a deep, croaking voice, “Swampeeert!”

“Huh,” said Norman, “Would you look at that. Your Marshtomp evolved into a Swampert! Congratulations.”

Filled with wonder, I walked over to Axol and put a hand on his head fin, taking a moment to admire his new form. “Wow,” I whispered, “You’re huge…” Indeed, Axol had grown quite a lot. In fact, he was even taller than me!

Norman chuckled before stating, “Well, I think that’s enough from me. I wish you luck in your future battles, Rohon, and be sure to keep that same determined mindset that you used to beat me.”

Looking away from my Swampert, I gave a small smile towards Norman and responded, “I will, Norman. And thanks!”

As I returned Axol to his ball and began to walk away, Norman called after me, “Oh, Rohon, one more thing.” Once I turned around, he continued, “If you ever do meet Brendan again, I want you to challenge him to a battle. The boy needs training, and you seem like the perfect partner to help him on his road to greatness. And I don’t want you holding back, either. As I always say, the key to greatness is giving it your all in everything you do, no matter how small. Do you understand, Rohon?”

I took a second to process the information before nodding, “Okay, I understand.”

“Good.” Norman gave me a two-finger salute, “Take care.”

In response, I smiled and gave a thumbs-up before making my way out of the Gym.

After exiting the building, I waited around the entrance for May, using the wait time to collect my thoughts after the riveting fight. Soon enough, she arrived on the scene, looking very pleased with herself. “Hey, Rohon!” she said in a cheerful voice, “Oh my god, you won’t believe what just happened.”

She retrieved a Pokéball and threw it into the ground, causing a red-feathered Pokémon to emerge; it looked to be about 2 feet taller than May and 3 feet taller than me. With its upright stature, thick legs, and developed arms, the Pokémon looked almost human-like. On the other hand, its prominent feather, dark, curved beak, and short talons made it chicken-like as well.

Beaming with pride, May explained, “While I was out evolving Pokémon for the Pokédex, Combusken evolved into a Blaziken!” Isn’t that great?”

I looked the Blaziken up and down, “Oh, that’s what this is? She looks…interesting.”

May tilted her head and asked, “What, do you not like her, or something?”

I shook my head and answered, “No, it’s not that, it’s just…actually, never mind. I liked Combusken better, honestly.”

May crossed her arms and responded, “Hmph. Well I, for one, love her new form.” Smiling, she rubbed her Blaziken’s side, “Don’t you agree, Blaziken?”

The hen closed her eyes and thrilled with contentment, leaning her body against May’s as the two shared a moment.

As this was happening, I retrieved my own Pokéball and said, “Apparently, my own starter evolved. Here.” I released Axol, who tried his best to put on a brave face despite his recent struggles.

May’s eyes narrowed as she gave a scrutinizing look towards Axol. “Seriously?” she asked, “You’re telling me that that slimy amphibian is better looking than my awesome Blaziken?”

I shot May an offended look and returned, “Hey, he’s not just any amphibian.” I wrapped my arms around Axol’s shoulders and squeezed them lovingly, “He’s my amphibian.”

Rolling her eyes, May replied, “Oh, whatever. Anyway, our Pokémon must both be exhausted. Wanna head to the Pokémon Center to rest up?”

Looking back at my friend, I answered, “Yeah, let’s.”

With that, the two of us returned our Pokémon to their balls before heading towards the center of healing.

Chapter 51: Attaining True Power

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As Me and May sat down and waited for our Pokémon to heal, she said to me, “So, now we have a Blaziken and a Swampert, do you think that we can use those Mega Stones that Steven gave us?”

“Yeah, I think so. The question is, how do we do that?”

“Oh, that’s easy!” May said with a smile, “All we have to do is…” her confident smile turned into an uncertain frown, “Uh…actually, I don’t know.” She shrugged and smiled with embarrassment, “Heh, I guess this is one of the things that I don’t know about!”

“Wow,” I said while shaking my head, “And here I was thinking that I could rely on you for anything…”

“Hey, give me a break, I’m only human! Just because I’ve studied Pokémon for some time doesn’t mean I know everything about them!”

As May and I were having our exchange, a young woman in red overalls sitting next to us spoke up, “I might be able to help you kids with that.”

“Wait, really?” May asked while looking to the left.

“I sure can. I can show you the basics of Mega Evolution with my Pidgeotite.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re so nice! Just let me and my friend get our Pokémon and then we can get started.”

“Sure. I’ll be waiting outside.”

With that, the woman exited the Pokémon Center, leaving May and I to wait around for our allies to heal up. Soon enough, we got a call from the pink-haired nurse that our partners were done resting, and we proceeded to retrieve them. “Well,” said May, “Let’s go and see what that lady is talking about about, shall we?”

I nodded in agreement, “Yeah, let’s do that.”

So, the two of us walked out of the building together, ready to hear whatever lesson we were about to receive.

Seeing us, the woman said, “Good you’re here. Follow me, please.” We were then led to a grassy area outside of the city, where the lady pulled out a Pokéball from her chest pocket and sent out a large, hawk-like bird with a glossy brown plumage, cream-colored feathers on its belly, and long red and yellow feathers on its head. Although they were not hair, the I couldn’t help but to compare the avian’s crest to a long, flowing mohawk. “Pi pi pi!” It called as it spread it's magnificent wings wide.

“Hello there, Pidgeot.” Said the woman, “Would you mind showing our friends here how to Mega Evolve?”

Seemingly understanding its master’s words, the Pidgeot nodded it’s head before facing us with its wings tucked at its sides.

“Great. Okay, watch closely, you two…” the bird keeper raised her right arm, revealing a bracelet, which had a brownish-yellow orb with a wavy core inside, on her wrist, “Once you have your Mega Stone of choice in your Mega Bracelet…” she closed her eyes and clenched her fists, “You’ve got to really focus. Take a deep breath, chant a mantra, do whatever you have to do to focus on your Pokémon and only your Pokémon. Once you do that…” the orb on her bracelet began to shine brightly, “Your Mega Stone will activate.” She then held her arms close to her chest, saying, “Now, this next part isn’t necessary, per se, but I find that it really helps both you and yiur Pokémon get pumped up. What you wanna do is get yourself in a battle-ready position and…” She energetically spread her arms outward, evoking the image of a majestic raptor, “Pidgeot! Mega Evolve!”

Immediately following that display, a bright light shot out from the woman’s bracelet, hitting her Pidgeot before causing a brownish-yellow shield to encase the bird like an egg. After a few seconds, the shell started to show some cracks before bursting open in a powerful fashion, and the Pokémon that was revealed caused me and May’s eyes to bug out. While the Pidgeot was already huge, being a bit taller than me, it was now massive, towering over me by at least two feet. Along with having its cream underside transformed to a snowy white, the bird’s crest had also undergone massive development, growing drastically in both length and elaborateness, and one particular strand extended out and past the Pidgeot’s body like a streamer. Spreading its cyan-tipped wings wide, the enhanced avian screeched, “Pidgeeee!!”

Letting a quick breath out, the bird keeper said, “There you have it. When a Pokémon undergoes this transformation, they experience a massive change in both power and attributes. Sometimes, they can even have their abilities changed! There is a catch, though.”

At that moment, the Pidgeot’s body turned a blinding white, prompting us all to cover our eyes. Once the light was gone, I looked back to see that the Pidgeot was back to its normal self.

“Ah, speak of the devil.” the woman said, “Yeah, as I was about to say, Mega Evolution is temporary; it only lasts as long as you’re in a battle. You might be able to tell why it ended so quickly here. Furthermore, you can only Mega Evolve one Pokémon at a time.”

Rubbing her eyes, May said, “Wow…this is so cool! Thanks a bunch, miss, you were a huge help! And we’ll keep those restrictions in mind.”

“Perfect. Oh, and one more thing: it’s recommended to have a strong bond with your Pokémon before you think about Mega Evolving. The whole process can be stressful, sometimes even painful, so it’s good for the Pokémon to be soothed by a deep tie to distract them from the discomfort.”

“Wait, really?” May turned towards me, “Steven never told us about this part. Do you think that we’re connected enough with our Pokémon?”

“Uhh…yeah, we should be.”

May nodded before turning back to the lady, “We understand, miss.”

The trainer gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Good. Here’s hoping that you kids get the hang of Mega Evolution soon. With that…” she gave a quick salute, “Take care.” Following that message, the woman returned her Pidgeot and walked away.

As me and May stood there, May gave me a mischievous grin, “Hey Rohon, you know what I’m thinking?”

“Uh, no, what is it?”

“I think we should take our starters on a little test drive. This’ll be a great opportunity to see the strength of Mega Evolution! What do you say?”

I held my chin and thought things over before nodding and responding, “Okay, I agree. But can you give me a second to look over Axol’s moves?”

“Sure, go ahead! In fact, I’ll see about tinkering with Blaziken’s moves while you check yours.”

“Okay, then.”

With that, we both sent out our Pokémon and worked with them to figure out the best possible choices for moves, picking and choosing which techniques to keep or discard. Soon enough, we were both finished. “So, are you ready?” May asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I answered.

“Perfect. Let’s not waste any time. To the lake!”

Chapter 52: A Mega-Sized Battle!

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After a short walk, May and I reached a small lake by the outskirts of Petalburg City. Taking a deep breath in, May said, “This is the perfect place for us to battle, don’t you think? There’s plenty of land for Blaziken to run around on AND a good amount of water for your Swampert to swim in! Not to mention that this area is relaxing.”

I nodded, “Yeah, that’s true.” I pulled out Axol’s Pokéball and clutched it tightly before retrieving my Mega Bracelet from my bag, placing my Swampertite inside, and inserting my right arm through the bracelet’s hole. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

May smirked, “Getting straight to the point, are we? A bit hasty, but I like it. Let’s not waste any time, then!” with an excited smile on her face, she pulled out her own Mega Bracelet and prepared it before throwing out her own Pokéball, “Heat it up, Blaziken!”

Blaziken revealed herself, raising one feathery leg in the air and holding her arms in a battle-ready stance as fire shot out from her wrists. “Blazikeeen!” She squawked, giving me a fierce look.

I tossed my Pokéball between my hands before throwing it forward, calling, “Make a splash, Axol!”

Axol landed on the grass with a mighty thud, getting on all fours and arching his back, growling, “Swamperrrt!”

“Okay,” said May while holding her chin, “How did she say to do it, again? Hmm….oh yeah!” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, saying in a quiet voice, “Blaziken, now’s your time to shine. I’m your trainer, you’re my Pokémon…we’ll be together until the end of our lives. So…” Her eyes flew open as she punched forward twice before holding her right wrist next to her head, “Show me your fiery determination! Mega Evolve!”

At that moment, a bright light shot out from May’s bracelet towards her Pokémon, coating the Blaziken in a red shell with yellow streaks. After a brief delay, that shell began to crack before bursting open, revealing a massively changed Blaziken. The yellow feathers from her thighs to her ankles turned a dark black, and the white, hair-like feathers on her head split in two and angled themselves upwards, looking more like wings than anything. Along with gaining a similarly-shaped patch of feathers on her chest, the fire billowing out from Blaziken’s wrists grew greatly in intensity, now glaring out like flowing ribbons. Filled with might, Blaziken crowed loudly before kicking with her right foot faster than my eyes could follow, finishing by stomping that foot forward and facing her claw-like right hand forwards, calling, “K-keeeen!”

With her eyes sparkling with sheer admiration, May held her cheeks with her hands and gushed, “Oh, Arceus! Blaziken, you…you look so AWESOME!” Flashing me a bright smile, May said, “Looks like it’s your turn, Rohon. Show us whatchu got!”

I snapped myself out of the stupor caused by Blaziken’s transformation and rubbed my forehead as I tried to collect my thoughts. “Uh…Swampert, you and I, we…ever since we met…”

“You don’t have to do an introduction, you know. It was just something that I…”

I held up a finger, “Hold on, I’ve almost got it. Um…okay!” I closed my eyes, “Axol, you are my most powerful friend, and that’s a fact. Now that you’ve evolved into your strongest form, I want to see if you can become even better. So…” I did what I thought to be a cool spin before raising my fist to the sky, “Show me your true power! Mega Evolve!”

Although my introduction was less dramatic than I wanted it to be, it still did the trick; hit by the light from my Mega Bracelet, Axol’s body became enveloped by a blue barrier with black stripes. The shield remained there before shattering, allowing me to gaze at my Swampert’s new form. His arms were now double the size, bulging with muscle like a bodybuilder on steroids. Strangely, though, his legs were much less developed, being quite squat. Back to his arms, they had gained more of those orange patches that covered other parts of his body, and those patches were a darker, redder shade of orange. Finally, Axol’s fins had also grown, becoming very thick and long, extending past his shoulders, and his cheek gills became very large and bulbous. Slamming his strengthened arms on the ground like mallets, Axol roared, “Swa-swaaam!”

I looked Axol up and down, my mouth agape with extreme admiration. “Wow…just when I thought you couldn’t get any bigger…”

May crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, “A bit lame, if you ask me. I mean, all Axol did was gain some muscle, what’s the big deal?”

My brows furrowed, “What’s the big deal?! Axol’s Mega Evolution is…” I trailed off as I considered the comparison between my Pokémon and May’s, “Actually…I see your point. Still!” I assumed a battle ready pose, “Looks don’t matter when it comes to battling. Let’s just see how they do in a fight.”

A sly grin crossed May’s face, “If you say so. But I won’t lose.” She pointed forward confidently, “Let’s start with Quick Attack, Blaziken!”

Before I could even open my mouth, Blaziken ran towards Axol at a speed greater than I could comprehend and administered a swift kick to his face. As Axol made a short cry of pain, I ordered, “Axol, counter with Mud Bomb!”

I saw Axol look down at the ground as if he were about to moisten the dirt below him, but then he did something unexpected. Instead of using the closest resource, he decided to crawl to the nearby lake, moving clumsily and clunkily with his beefed-up arms.

As I was wondering what my Pokémon was up to, May said, “Our opponent is trying something, Blaziken! Chase after him with a Double Kick!”

Before doing as her master ordered, I noticed Blaziken jog in place for a moment before somehow running even faster than before, flying towards Axol like a jet plane before kicking at his back forcefully. Although Axol was hurt by this, the force from Blaziken’s strikes seemed to propel him, allowing him to reach the water early.

I walked over to water source and looked down, saying, “C’mon, Axol, what are you doing? Now’s not the time to take a bath!”

Just as I was about to scold my partner some more, he leaped out of the water like a bullet, his large body caked in a thick layer of mud. As I was drenched in the water splashed at me during my Swampert’s emergence, he scraped some mud off of his face and hurled it down at Blaziken, doing some good damage.

May winced, “Ooh, clever. But it’s not over yet! Blaziken, intercept him with another Quick Attack!”

Blaziken shook her body to remove the mud from her feathers before jumping off of the ground with insane speed, leaving an indent in the dirt as she did so. Soaring upwards like a rocket, Blaziken effortlessly positioned herself above Axol and spiked him with a downwards kick, sending him hurtling back down to the ground.

“Amazing! Cheered May, “Now follow up with another Double Kick!”

Blaziken appeared to teleport from her position in the air and towards Axol, giving him two strong kicks.

Agh… I thought to myself, All of this is too much for me. We both need a break. With that in mind, I called, “Axol, use Protect!”

At the same time, May said, “Hit him with a Blaze Kick, Blaziken!”

At that moment, the chicken’s left foot spontaneously combusted before being sent directly at Axol’s face. Thankfully, he was quick to act, using his swollen arms as sturdy meat shields.

Before I could issue my next order, May said, “Keep up the pressure! Another Blaze Kick!”

In a fraction of a second, Blaziken’s right foot was set ablaze before flying towards Axol at an even faster speed. Axol made a pained “Peeert!” as he was sent tumbling from the impact, landing flat on his back. Judging by his reaction, I knew that the Blaze Kick, even though it was not very effective, hit harder than it should’ve. As Axol got up, I noticed that his face was covered with blisters and was a darker shade of indigo. He had been burned!

“No way,” I complained, “A burn? This is the 2^nd time that this has happened to Axol…”

May smiled proudly, “That’s Blaze Kick for you! Along with having a higher chance to land a critical hit, this attack can also burn the opponent! Though I guess that last part was obvious, what with this being a fire move and all.”

I groaned and shook my head before asking, “And how is your Blaziken moving so quick anyway? It’s like she’s getting faster each second!”

“Hm, good question…oh, I think I’ve got it! Blaziken must have gained the ability Speed Boost! In case you somehow don’t know, Pokémon with this ability move faster and faster each time they use a move. Now Blaziken is lightning-quick!”

Ah, geez, I put a hand over my face and shook my head, Just my luck… Though I was feeling discouraged over Blaziken’s powerful ability, I hadn’t thrown in the towel just yet. Clenching my fist, I gave my final order, “Axol, your Torrent must be activated now. Use…” Wait a minute. Did I really still have Water Gun? I should’ve got a stronger move by now! “Uh…just use Water Gun.”

As Axol gathered water in his mouth, May smirked and said, “Oh, please. Blaziken, I think it’s time to end this. Use your strongest Overheat!”

Blaziken jumped backwards before cupping her hands together, allowing the searing flames from her wrists to pool into one gigantic fireball. Once this blistering sphere of heat reached its maximum size, Blaziken let out a ferocious “Blaze…ZIKEEN!” before launching her projectile at Axol. Under the intense heat of the fireball, Axol’s pitiful Water Gun was completely evaporated, leaving Axol to deal with the full force of a max-power Overheat. Immediately after getting struck, my Swampert fell over on his side, his entire body covered in char marks and reddened patches of skin. As his enhanced body returned to normal, I looked down in deep anguish. Once again, I had lost a Fire vs Water matchup.

Chapter 53: Moving On

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As I wallowed in my defeat, May jumped for joy and cheered, “Yippee! We did it! You’re the best, Blaziken!”

Blaziken, who had returned to her normal form, crossed her arms and nodded, seemingly calm even after that intense fight.

As May beamed at her Pokémon, she took notice of me sulking and asked, “Hey, are you okay, Rohon?”

Trying my best to hold back tears, I shook my head. “I’m so weak, May. This is the 2^nd time that Axol, a Water-types, was defeated by your Fire-type. And you already know how he did against Manny’s Grovyle. Are we really that useless?”

“Hey, pull yourself together. Just because your starter lost against me and Manny’s doesn’t make him any less powerful. I mean, he’s your ace!”

“Yeah, but if he’s my ace, why does he keep on losing to his rivals? He’s supposed to beat Fire-types! And I wanted to at least put up a fight against Grass-types.” I shut my eyes tight, “Instead we got owned by both of them…”

May walked up to me and patted my back, “Don’t beat yourself up like that, Rohon. So what if me and Manny beat you 1 on 1? If you keep up the fight and strive to improve, you will best us, I’m sure of that.”

I sniffled, “…I hope that you’re right…”

May smiled at me for a bit longer before feeling the vibration of her phone in her pocket. Pulling it out, she gasped, “Oh my gosh! There’s a Pokémon Contest happening today! And it looks like it’s happening in Fallarbor Town…” she looked at me, “Hey, I bet that watching me perform would cheer you up, right?”

I shrugged, “I guess…”

“Great! Well, uh, let’s get going, then.”

So, we headed back to Petalburg City, ready to take a left from there into Petalburg Forest and en route to the town in the north. Along the way, we came across two people standing next to a pond, one an older guy and the other…Wally?

“Wally!” said May with surprise, “What are you doing here?”

Looking up from the pond, Wally’s face brightened as he looked at the two of us. “Hey, you guys! Fancy seeing you here. Yeah, I was just visiting this place with my dad. We’re not going to be here very long.”

Wally’s dad tipped his brown cap at us, saying, “You must be that May and Rohon my kid was talking about. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Same to you, mister!” May responded, “So, uh, Wally, how have things been in Verdanturf Town?”

“Oh, you know, it’s so-so. Life there is relaxing, yeah, but it is a bit bland. Not that I mind, though, especially not when I’ve got Kirlia with me.”

“Ah, okay, that’s…” May shook her head, “Wait, Kirlia?”

“Yeah! I’ve been spending my free time training with Ralts, and she evolved!”

“Really! Well, good for you!”

“Thanks! Also, uh, I’ve got a little present for you. Something that’ll make up for that…situation in the past.” He took off a small, green backpack that he was wearing and opened it before pulling out a disk in a case, “I was gifted with this HM for Surf some time ago by my cousin. Seeing as how I’m basically landlocked, I thought it would be best to give it to you two, instead. You can certainly use it much better than me.”

May reached forward to grab the case and beamed, “Why, thank you, Wally! That was very considerate of you.” she glanced at me, “Looks like your Swampert has access to a more powerful water move, huh, Rohon?”

“Yeah!” said Wally, “And you can teach as many Pokémon that move as you want; HMs don’t break! With that move, you can ride your Pokémon over any body of water that you want. It’s great for travel, don’t you think?”

In the middle of Wally’s explanation, his dad said, “It’s good that you’re being so nice to your friends, Wally, but it’s time to go. We’ve spent enough time here.”

Wally’s expression seemed to falter a bit before he nodded understandingly, “Okay, dad.” He gave us one last smile, “I’ll see you guys later, hopefully.”

May returned the smile, “Yeah, here’s hoping! Rohon and I were about to head to Fallarbor Town for a Pokémon Contest, but we hope that you and your family have a good time in your new home!”

“Oh, you’re participating in a Pokémon Contest? I could never imagine doing that…anyway, I wish you the best of luck.” Wally gave us a final wave, “Have a good day, May and Rohon!”

As we began to leave, Wally’s dad said to us, “Take care, you two.”

At this, I nodded my head before walking along with May.

As me and May walked along, she said to me, “Y’know, I wonder if Wally really is happy. Yeah, Verdanturf Town is a peaceful place, but is that really any place for a trainer?”

I shrugged, “I mean, he didn’t seem that unhappy. Besides, there his asthma won’t flare up us much.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, I can’t help but to feel sorry for the little guy…” May shook her head, “But we can’t dwell on that right now; we have a Contest to attend! So, are you ready to go?”

“Sure, I guess.”

With that, I shuffled after May as she took long strides forward, traversing through the various routes as we both matched to our destination.

Chapter 54: Performing and Training

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Soon enough, we walked/rode our way north until we ended up in the sooty Fallarbor Town. Compared to the last time we were there, the small town had grown much more lively, with a large crowd having formed around a dome-like building in a remote corner of the settlement.

“Wow,” May said, “And to think that we didn’t notice this Contest Hall before…”

“Yeah.” I replied.

May smiled a bit before asking, “So, are you excited to see how I’ve improved? Believe it or not, I’ve been practicing quite a lot!”

I stayed silent for a moment before answering, “Well, yeah, but…I was thinking…”

May leaned forward, “Hmm?”

“I want to watch your performance, but…can I just watch it on my phone or something?”

“Hmm….I think you could, but…” May raised an eyebrow, “Why don’t you want to watch inside the building? Isn’t it more genuine that way?”

Looking down slightly at the ground, I answered, “It’s just…I feel more comfortable out here.”

May looked me over for a few seconds before responding, “Okay, suit yourself. Here, let me see your phone.”

I proceeded to grant May my device, which she navigated through to do all sorts of configurations, registrations, and modifications. Once she was done, she handed my phone back to me, and I noticed that it was on a page labeled, “watchcontests.com”.

“There. Once the show starts, you should get a notification for you to tune in.”

I inspected the middle of the screen, in which there was a black rectangle with white letters that read, “Contest starts in 15 minutes…” “Okay, I got it.” I replied.

May nodded, “Great. Well, I’ll be going now. I hope you enjoy the show!” she smiled and winked, “See ya!” Following that message, she walked off towards the Contest Hall.

Once May was out of earshot, I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she asked me what I was doing… Pulling out my miniature TV from my backpack, I travelled west of Fallarbor Town and said to myself, “Okay, first things first, I need to teach Axol this new move…”

Standing in the rocky area of Route 114, I placed down the TV, sent out Axol, and directed him towards the device. “Okay, Axol, are you ready to learn the move Surf? Because I’ve got the HM right here!”

Without waiting for a response, I pulled out the disk that Wally granted me and placed it inside the small player. Once I did that, a video popped up on the screen showing a pink, somewhat fat, dopey looking Pokémon with a grey, spiral shell with eyes on its tail. The hippo-like Pokémon stood there for a few seconds before the shell, with its sharp teeth, bit down on the larger Pokémon’s tail, causing that creature to jolt to attention with a sharp, “Slow!” Now looking a bit more alert, the creature closed its eyes and concentrated, letting out a low “slooow” before having a pool of water materialize around its feet. After a few seconds, this pool exponentially grew into a full-blown wave, which the Pokémon sent forward with a swift kick of one of its stubby legs. Laying lackadaisically on the crest of the wave, the Pokémon sighed, “Sloowbroo…” before the video cut.

Axol stood there for a few seconds before closing his eyes and relaxing, making a calm “perr” as he did. After a bit of this, some water formed around his feet before quickly turning into a wave about double his size, which he swam at the top of.

I looked up with great awe and admiration before realizing what was going to happen next. Clutching my phone tight to my chest, I hastily ran off to the side to avoid the splash from Axol crashing into a rock wall. Tucking my device away in my pocket, I said, “Hey, be careful, Axol! You almost got me drenched!”

Rolling backwards from his impact, Axol looked up at me with his back on the ground and gave me an innocent smile.

I looked at my Pokémon for a second before shaking my head and smiling back, “Oh, I just can’t stay mad at you. Anyway, great job, Axol, you learned a new move!” Holding my chin, I mused, “You know, I do have 2 other Water-types. Could I…?” Feeling a lightbulb go off in my head, I brought out Nigel and Dendy, saying, “Get ready, you two. You’re learning Surf, too!”

Showing no objections to my plan, my Pelipper and Lombre sat by and waited for me to reply the instructional video for the both of them, and they quickly learned the technique to my mild surprise. After this was done with, I decided to make use of the two other disks in my disposal, Shock Wave and Façade. After some trial and error, I discovered that Konishiki was able to use Façade and…Nigel was able to use Shock Wave? Despite the absurdity of this fact, I decided not to question it; Shock Wave was a powerful move, after all.

After my tutoring was finished, I returned everyone and sent out Gooey, saying, “Okay, it’s time to train, starting with you. Are you ready to show me what you’re made of?”

Unconcerned as he usually was, Gooey simply yawned and jiggled a bit.

“Uh…well, you’re doing it anyway. Come on, let’s find a Pokémon to fight!”

I waited for Gooey to squelch after me before leading him towards a patch of dry grass in the middle of the route, where I searched around for any signs of life. Strangely, though, I couldn’t find anything. “Huh, that’s weird.” I said while scratching my head, “Where’d all the Pokémon—GO!?”

Suddenly, out of the blue, I was pushed face-first into the grass by what felt like a strong kick to my back. Groaning, I dusted my shirt off before turning around and noticing a Nuzleaf, who was holding one hand over its mouth and laughing mischievously.

Grumbling, I said, “Why you…Gooey, show this plant a lesson! Use Toxic!”

As Gooey prepared his toxins from a few feet away, the Nuzleaf turned around and gasped before nodding and rushing forward for a Fake Out, clapping right in front of Gooey to flinch him. Once the Nuzleaf did that, it grinned before opening its arms wide open and basking in the sunlight.

While his opponent was seemingly getting a sun tan, Gooey went forward with his previous order, spitting a small droplet of purple goo right onto the Nuzleaf’s long nose.

Appalled by the sight of purple on its precious sniffer, the Nuzleaf growled before doing a strange, almost ritualistic dance, making rhythmic “Nuz! Leaf! Nuz! Leaf!” sounds as it hopped and twirled around. As I was wondering what exactly was happening, a bright, yellow circle formed around Gooey before dirt erupted from that spot like a volcano, causing my Gulpin to cry, “Guuulp!”

Widening my eyes in sheer shock, I exclaimed, “Gooey! Are you okay?!” Geez, what was that move?!

Wringing my hands, I waited a tense few seconds for any response from Gooey. Then, after what felt like forever…he got up!

“Yes! Great job, Gooey! Now, use Sludge!”

Closing his eyes even tighter, Gooey inhaled deeper than he ever had before. Halfway through this process, though, he did something different: noticing that there was still dirt around him, he gobbled it up before barfing it along with the substance he had accumulated at the Nuzleaf, who held its hands up in an attempt to protect itself. Unfortunately for it, it’s efforts were in vain; once the ball of great mass burst, the Nuzleaf was knocked flat on its back, making a defeated “leeeaf…” as it laid motionless and dirtied on the ground.

Clenching my fists with pure joy, I said, “Let’s go! You did it, Gooey! Way to…” I took a look at my Pokémon’s body, noticing that it was still engorged, “Uh, Gooey, the battle’s over. You can get rid of your poison now.”

Gooey, however, had other plans; growing larger by the second, his blobby body turning from olive green to grape purple. His dopey expression changed to something slightly more alert, opening his small, purely pink eyes and puckering his plump lips a tad bit more than usual. As finishing touches, he grew what looked like a spaghetti-like moustache and formed black, diamond-shaped markings along his lower half. After his transformation, the new Gooey opened his mouth wide and let out a deep, “Swaaal!”

Looking at my Pokédex, I got a notification, “Swalot has been registered.” I looked Gooey up and down, saying, “So, this is what you evolve into…I like it!” I took another look at the Dex, “Looks like you can learn Body Slam now. Hm…why not? This seems powerful.”

As I was going through the process of looking over my Swalot’s moves, I felt my phone vibrate. Pulling it out, I read a message: “The Contest starts now!”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” I tapped my foot and thought for a moment before concluding, “You know what, I can multitask. I still have time to train AND watch May’s performance, right?” With that in mind, I found a rock to prop up my phone on before returning Gooey and sending out Rigby. “Okay, you’re next!"

Chapter 55: Gripes and Goodbyes

Chapter Text

After a while of training, I wiped my forehead and looked down at a fallen Seviper (a black snake Pokémon), the last opponent I was willing to face. “Great job, Axol!” I said to my Swampert, who was smiling proudly, “That last Mud Bomb of yours was very powerful! You and the others got much stronger, huh?” I looked to the west and scratched my head, “But I think that’s enough for now; we need a break, and I’m pretty sure May’s waiting for us.” With that, I returned Axol to his ball, organized the contents of my bag, and returned to Fallarbor Town.

Once I got back to the settlement, as I expected, May was standing in the middle of the area, a bright smile plastered on her face. Once she noticed me, she said, “Oh, Rohon, wasn’t that just the best experience ever? I feel like I really outdid myself!”

Nodding along, I responded, “Yeah, good for you.”

“Oh, the experience was just unforgettable…” May put her hands on her cheeks and gushed, “All the lights, the crowd, the attention…everything was so much more intense than my last Contest!”

“Even though I had a fully evolved Pokémon, my rivals put up a strong fight! Me and Blaziken had to stay on our toes if we wanted to keep up!”

“You did? Well, that’s interesting.”

May paused for a moment before giving me a look and saying, “It’s too bad that we were beaten by this coordinator and her Raichu. Apparently they were too flashy for us…”

“Wait, really? Well, that’s too bad. You’ll get em next time, though, right?”

May stepped in front of me and gave me an annoyed look, “There was no Raichu at the Contest, Rohon. And I got 1^st place! Were you even paying attention?”

“Uh…” Unfortunately, thanks to the heat of battle, I got distracted and forgot to check in on May’s performance. “Well…would you believe me if I told you that my Internet went out?”

“Rohon, I set the broadcast up so that it relies on a satellite connection; The only way you could’ve been unable to watch the show would have been if you somehow exited the satellite’s range, which you couldn’t have possibly done in such a short amount of time.” May’s expression narrowed, “You were doing something else, weren’t you?!”

Shoot. How did she catch on so quickly? “Um…okay, you’ve got me. I was too busy battling to watch the Contest.”

I saw a fire light in May’s eyes as her expression sharpened even further, “I knew it! Come on, Rohon, I trusted you to spectate me, and here you are spending time with your precious Pokémon and ignoring me!” her eyes became slightly watery as her face softened, “Am I really that unimportant to you?”

“What? May, that’s not what I—”

May clenched her face muscles and turned away from me, saying in a firm voice, “I don’t want to hear it. I already know your true feelings.”

“But I—”

She held up her hand, “Talk to the hand, meathead.”

I stood there in silence for a few seconds before sighing and looking at my shoes with a dejected expression. Why’d I have to do this? Surely, I could’ve at least glanced at my phone during breaks between battles. Instead, my simple-mindedness led to me hurting my best friend.

As I was contemplating my life choices, I heard my phone ringing. Picking it up, I pressed the answer button, not even bothering to read who was calling me, and asked, “Hello?”

“Hey, Rohon! It’s me, Trevor! How’ve you been recently?”

Oh. Him. That one trainer from one of the early routes. “Oh, you know, just…okay.”

“Are you sure? You seem a little…off.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m just…thinking, that’s all.”

“Hm…well, if you say so. Anyway, I’ve got some news that might cheer you up: the Lunar Jubilee is happening today!”

“The Lunar Jubilee? What’s that?”

“Oh, lemme tell you all about it! Around this time of the year, a bunch of Dustox gather in Petalburg Forest to find mates and stuff. As part of the ritual, they all fly and flutter all over the place, scattering their scales every which way and dancing with each other. It’s an awesome experience!”

“Hm, okay. That sounds cool.”

“Right? I’m thinking of camping a spot in the forest when the time comes. You wanna come with?”

I thought over the offer. Sure, Dustox as a Pokémon didn’t really interest me that much, but who knows? Maybe this experience would change my opinion of the moth. Besides, I could use some entertainment after my recent disagreement. “Sure. I’ll be over there.”

“Sweet! I can’t wait to see you. Well, assuming that I’ll even be able to notice you during all the chaos!” he laughed a bit before concluding, “Alright, man, I’ll see ya.” With that, he hung up.

As I put my phone away, I glanced at May and asked, “There’s this event going on with some Dustox, the Lunar Jubilee, in Petalburg Woods. Do you want to see it?”

Still refusing to look at me, May answered, “…Fine. But don’t expect this to be a shared experience.”

“Okay…” I looked at the ground for a few seconds before pulling out my Mach Bike and riding away, with May soon following.

--------------------------------------

Soon, under the orange sky, we both reached Petalburg City, where I noticed that there was a special booth selling sandwiches and Dustox-themed cookies. I bought a few of the cheap sandwiches to last me till the Lunar Jubilee and bought 12 more plus two cookies for me and May. Once that was done with, we both headed for some spot in the woods, sent out our Pokémon to stretch their legs, and began setting up our tent, working quietly and efficiently as we put everything into place. By the time we were done, the sky began to turn darker; the event was soon to happen.

Laying down on the grass next to Axol, I said, “Well, looks like the Jubilee is about to start. Are you ready, May?”

May, laying a few feet away from me with her Blaziken, scooted further away.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I said as I propped my head up with my arms, using them as pillows.”

She simply sighed in response.

A few moments of nothing passed before I took a deep breath, mustered my courage, and said, “Listen, May, you may or may not want anything to do with me right now, but I at least want you to hear this. I didn’t want to ignore you, I really didn’t. Even though I don’t really care about Pokémon Contests, seeing you do well in them, seeing how happy you are when you win them…it makes the whole thing worth watching.”

May stayed silent for a bit before responding, “Those aren’t the words of someone who would rather fight a bunch of Pokémon than acknowledge their friend’s accomplishments.”

“Again, May, I didn’t mean to do that. I was just so…dead set on becoming stronger.”

“Oh yeah? And you’re so gung-ho on training that you can’t even spend a few minutes watching a little show?”

“I…well, not exactly. I would’ve tuned in to the Contest, but…I was just tired of losing to you.”

I saw May’s head lift a bit before she asked, “Really? Did my victories really mean that much to you?”

I nodded, “Every single time we’ve fought, I ended up losing. It’s even more depressing when my starter’s supposed to be strong against yours.”

“Yeah, but…we only fought 2 times. You’ve won way more battles against other trainers.”

“Yeah, but that’s a different story! How is it that I’m the main battler around here and yet you, who focuses more on catching Pokémon and doing Contests, are a better fighter than me? I must be doing something wrong.”

May thought for a moment before answering, “Rohon, you have to realize: the things I do require work and effort. Do you think that it’s easy to subdue a wild Pokémon enough for it to comfortably get into a Pokéball, to coordinate my Pokémon good enough to impress a massive audience? Believe it or not, these activities are a form of training for me; that’s the reason why I can match your skill despite you doing quote-unquote ‘more important things’.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, it’s my job to put up a fight against you. You’re not just my friend, Rohon; you’re my rival. We all need someone in our life to push us to be the best person we can be, even if that someone can be difficult to deal with. That’s just a part of life.”

I took a whiff of the natural scent of the grass, thinking over May’s words. “…You have a point. Then again…I know that I may have overdone it with the training. I could’ve taken a little break, I’ll admit that. For that, I’m sorry.”

“…I appreciate your honesty. At the same time…maybe I was a little harsh; you shouldn’t feel forced to watch my shows. After all, I’m not present when you do your Gym Battles, right? So…I guess I should also apologize.”

I smiled to myself, “Apology accepted.”

“Heh, same to you.” May sighed, this time with more relief than disappointment, “I’m glad that we were able to make up.”

At that moment, I heard the faint sound of fluttering wings and soft murmurs. After that short prelude, I looked up to see hundreds of Dustox fluttering through the air above me, their purple bodies and green wings all illuminated by the serene moonlight shining through the gaps between the trees.

May gasped, saying, “Oh, is this it? Wow, look at all of the Dustox! I’ve never seen so many in one place!”

As May and I admired the sheer number of moths, they all gathered in one large clearing and hovered in place before twirling around, almost moving in coordination as they spun around and scattered soft, petal-like scales all over the place.

May sniffed, saying, “Hey, what’s that smell?”

I sniffed along with her before putting on a slight face of disgust, “Smells like a hairy armpit.”

Contrary to my negative response, Worma rose to attention, looking much more alert and excited than usual. “Dustox!” she cried before swiftly flying to join the others, spinning along witb them to spread more scales and make the area smell more repulsive.

“Hey, what’s up with her?” May asked.

I shrugged before taking a bite of one of the sandwiches, “I don’t know, but it sure doesn’t smell good. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…”

As I was saying this, I heard more flapping sounds before another eclipse of moths arrived on the scene. Noticing the Dustox before them, the moths quickly flew over to them and rubbed their antennae on theirs. Some of the hovering Dustox were accepting of this, moving their 6 stubby legs forward to touch their visitors abdomen. Others, however, rejected the newcomer’s advances, head-butting then away and waiting for another to arrive.

I directed my attention to my Pokémon, whom I had tracked, and responded, “Yeah, now that you mention it, it seems like everyone’s ignoring her.”

At this, May gave me a worried look and asked, “Do you think that she’ll ever find a mate? What if she leaves this event empty handed?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see…”

So, we did. Time passed, and the hundreds of Dustox other than Worma all found suitable partners. As the other moths happily frolicked with one another, scattering more of their scales and tittering happily, Worma frowned and descended onto a nearby shrub, letting out a dejected “tox…” as she looked down on the ground.

Worma continued to rest there until one Dustox crashed into her, causing the both of them to tumble into the grass below. The newcomer, seemingly late to the party, appeared to apologize, making frantic chittering noises as it twitched its antennae back and forth.

Worma, however, was not very annoyed. In fact, judging by her stunned expression, she seemed…interested. Crawling forward, she cooed, “Dust-duuust…?” in a flirtatious tone, teasing her guest with slight twitches of her antennae.

Looking nervous, the other Dustox backed away slightly, muttering, “T-tox…”

May looked at me with sparkling eyes and gasped, “Oh my gosh, do you think that it’s happening?”

I smiled slightly, saying, “Maybe.”

Worma continued to play with and tease her suitor until the other Dustox finally gathered his courage and took the next step, moving forward and rubbing his antennae along Worma’s, which she happily responded to by wrapping the male in a tight embrace. Once the two were locked, they rubbed their legs all over each other, feeling each other as they made soft clicking sounds. After this procedure, they separated, rose to the sky, and flew around each other, filling the air with even more scales.

May clasped her hands together and sighed, saying, “Oh, this is so beautiful, Rohon. Just look at those two Dustox, dancing under the moonlight like two nobles at the ball…it’s just heavenly!”

A few minutes of this serene yet stinky ceremony passed before the pairs of Dustox flew up and away. One couple departed, then another, and yet another until there were hardly any left. I saw Worma look up at her brethren with an inspired expression before she turned to look at me, her face turning from one of joy to one of sorrow. Fluttering over, she hovered in front of me while tapping two of her 6 legs together, murmuring, “D…dustox…”

Widening her eyes in realization, May said, “Oh. Rohon, I think Worma is trying to tell you that she wants to leave. I know that she found a mate and all, and that this ritual is very important for Dustox like her, but…”

I looked into Worma’s sad, compound eyes and pondered the situation. I didn’t want to get in the way of true love, but was that worth losing a Pokémon over? I mean, I hadn’t even seen her full potential yet! Then again…it’s not like I would ever be able to see her true power, seeing as how I would be sleeping while she was awake. With that in mind, I nodded at my Dustox and said, “Okay, Worma, I’ll allow it. You can fly off with your boyfriend.”

Both Worma and May recoiled in surprise as the latter said, “Wait, really?! Just like that? B-but…she’s been with us since the near beginning!”

“And that’s why it’s okay to let her go. She’s not a little Wurmple anymore; she’s a full-grown Dustox. It’s time to let her go and do what she was meant to do.”

May stood there with a surprised face for a few seconds before stating, “…Okay. I see your point, Rohon.”

Worma looked right into my eyes, her wings beating at a slower pace than usual as her mouth quivered. If bugs could cry, I would bet that waterfalls of tears would’ve been coming from my Dustox’s eyes at that moment. Barely keeping herself together, Worma charged at me and nuzzled me with her head, chittering, “D-d-duuust!” in a heartfelt manner before separating from me and flying off with her new partner, the two of them twirling around each other somewhat clumsily as they ascended towards the dark sky.

As the moths made their exit, May and I sat down on the grass and looked up at the Pokémon. “Goodbye, Worma, we’ll miss you!” May called, “We hope you and him have a wonderful, amazing life!”

A bit after the Dustox left, May leaned against me and said, “Y’know, while I am a bit sad to see Worma go, that whole experience was very romantic.” She looked up at me and smiled, “How do you think it feels, Rohon, to fly away with the person that you love the most in a fated, destined relationship?”

Blushing, I clasped my hands together and answered, “U-um…I guess that would be cool.”

May giggled in response before looking at her feet and saying, “Yeah, I imagine it would…”

Chapter 56: Crossing Complications

Chapter Text

The next day, May and I were sleeping in our tent, taking a much-needed rest after the recent events until we were both awoken by a deepish crowing noise. Rubbing her eyes, May said, “Oh, there goes Blaziken with her morning routine again…” she chuckled softly, “Well, as I said, at least we have an early start on the day!”

Groaning, I responded, “Yeah, sure…”

As May got to fixing her scheduled bed hair, I exited the tent and looked over my Pokémon to see how they were doing. As expected, most of them were now awake; the only one to still be sleeping was Benjammin, who was seemingly uncaring of the racket being made. Must be his ability… I thought as I returned my friends to their balls. Once that was done with, I turned towards the tent and asked, “Are you done yet, May?”

“Hold on, I’ll be done soon!” she answered.

Sighing, I crossed my arms and stared ambiently at a berry bush. Why do girls spend so much time worrying about their appearance, anyway? It’s not like we’re going to some fancy place or anything; we’re adventuring in the wild!

As I ruminated, I saw someone walking through the foliage and towards me. “Rohon?” a familiar voice asked, “Is that you?”

Raising my head, I turned to the left and responded, “Trevor? Yeah, it’s me, Rohon.”

Once he reached me, Trevor spread his arms wide and smiled, “Hey, it is! Glad to see you.” His face turned into one of curiosity as he held his chin, asking, “Say, was it you making that loud noise? You almost woke the whole forest up!”

I shook my head and pointed up at Blaziken, who was perched proudly on a nearby branch, “Thank that hen.”

Trevor looked up and laughed, “Ohh, that makes much more sense.” Turning his attention back towards me, he continued, “Anyway, uh, how was the Jubilee for you?”

I shrugged, “It was okay. It was beautiful, yeah, but also pretty stinky. Not to mention how irritating the scales can be…” I looked down at the flakes that Worma left behind on my shirt from our last encounter. Though they were not too annoying at first, they were now causing my skin to itch.

Having a little chuckle at my expense, Trevor replied, “Yeah, you’re not wrong. It’s too bad I couldn’t find you; I could’ve given you some tips on how to deal with those…not-so-cool side effects.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Oh well…

“So, where are you headed now? On your way to another Gym?”

“Yeah, most likely. I’ve beaten 5 Gyms so far: Rock, Fighting, Electric, Fire, and Normal. I’m trying to figure out which one to go to next.”

Trevor’s eyes widened, “No way. You’re already this far into the Gym Challenge?! Dude, I’m so jealous!” Putting on a friendlier face, he went on, “But anyway, it’s best to go for the Flying Gym in Fortree City next. You know where that is, right?”

Pulling out my PokéNav, I searched for the city, which I found in the northeast section of Hoenn, “Well, I do now.”

“Awesome. Oh, and by the way, guess what? I just beat Roxanne!”

“Wow, really? That’s…wait, why did it take you so long to beat Roxanne of all people?”

Trevor chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, “Ah, well…look, she’s harder than she looks, okay? Especially when my best Pokémon is a Normal-type…”

“Oh yeah, I see your point. Well, at least you’re making progress.”

Trevor nodded, “Yeah, for sure! Just you wait, Rohon; soon, I’ll be at the top of the world! Or, uh, at least at the top of the Hoenn region.”

Smiling slightly, I responded, “Yeah, well, good luck.”

Trevor grinned and replied, “Thanks a ton. Well, I’ll be seeing you; I have some training to do for Brawly. Who knows how that’ll go…”

“Yeah, he would be a problem for you, wouldn’t he? Here’s hoping that you’re strong enough to get past his challenge.”

“Hey, thanks again.” Following that, Trevor gave me one last wave before walking away, “Be seeing you!”

As my friend left, May finally emerged from her tent, saying, “Ohh, what a hassle! That one lock just refused to be tamed!”

Turning to face her, I asked, “Is that why you took a century longer than ‘soon’?”

Smiling, May punched me in the shoulder and retorted, “Oh, quit it, you. Who were you talking to, anyway?”

Rubbing my shoulder, I answered, “Trevor just came by. I told him about what we’ve done up to this point, and he suggested for us to head to Fortree City.”

“Oh, that settlement in the woods? Hm, okay, not a bad idea. Should we head there now?”

“Yeah, I guess we should. Are you ready?”

May nodded and responded, “I am now.”

So, without further ado, fueled by the energy of the sandwiches and cookies from last night, May and I got out our bikes and made a quick stop at Petalburg’s Pokémart to buy some items before riding away. With the help of my PokéNav, I led May back to Oldale Town to the east and proceeded to travel north to Route 103, where there was a large river to serve as an obstacle. To combat this, we got off of our bikes and jumped between the rocks lining the river (though it was difficult for me) to reach Route 110, which we travelled up to reach Mauville City. From there, we rode east to Route 118, where we met…another water route. This time, however, there were no rocks to jump across.

“Oh yeah,” said May, “We did see this place before, didn’t we? Remember, that time when Steven flew us over to Southern Island?”

Putting away my bike, I replied, “Yeah, I remember.”

Smiling at me, May followed up, “Well, do you know what’s different this time? This time, we get to do what I had in mind!”

Without skipping a beat, May slipped out of her clothes, prompting me to turn away on reaction. Once I felt brave enough to turn back around, I took a look at May who, like before, was in her green bikini. “Geez,” I said, “Can you at least give me a warning next time?”

Giggling, May replied, “Okay, sorry, I’ll be more careful next time…” Running towards the shore, she continued, “Now come on, we don’t have all day! Let’s cross this inlet so we can move on!”

Shaking my head at May’s boldness, I walked to where May was before an idea entered my mind. “Wait. How are we supposed to swim with these backpacks weighing us down?”

“…Oh. I didn’t think of that…” May tapped her foot against the sand for a few seconds before her face brightened up, “Oh, I know! Rohon, did you teach Axol Surf?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh, perfect! Can you send him out, please?”

Reaching inside my backpack, I replied, “Okay, sure…come on out, Axol!”

Once Axol made his appearance, May said, “Okay, now have him carry our bags and use Surf! Specifically on the water.”

“Alright.” I then picked up me and May’s bags and piled them onto Swampert’s back, making it so that they rested against Axol’s large tail fin. “Okay, Axol, use Surf on that water over there!”

Axol nodded before slowly and carefully crawling over to the stretch of water in front of us. Once he was there, he closed his eyes and concentrated to allow a small platform of water to be made manifest below him, which he pushed forward to carry him and our luggage across the inlet in a matter of seconds.

As I gaped at my Pokémon’s aquatic skills, May cheered, “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! Great job, Axol!” she nodded at me, “Okay, now it’s our turn. Get ready to swim!”

Though I was still dumbfounded on how a Swampert could move so quickly, I managed to gather my thoughts enough to dip myself in the water next to May. “Okay. I’m ready.”

With that, we both pushed ourselves off of the shore and began kicking our way forward…or at least May did. Compared to May’s elegant and efficient form, I was much less graceful, essentially doggy paddling as I attempted to push myself through the water. With that being said, I wasn’t the slowest in the world; I trailed behind May by at least a few feet.

As I huffed and puffed in my endeavor to reach the other side, I felt something move in the water next to me. Before I could figure out what was going on, I felt a sharp nip on my rear. “WAAH!” I cried as I flailed my arms, “Something got me!” Fearing for my life, I felt adrenaline flow through me as my survival instincts kicked in. Moving quickly and frantically, I scrambled and kicked through the water before launching my body onto the shore and rolling around in a panic. Barely able to keep myself together, I rambled, “Oh, something’s eating me, something’s eating me! I’m gonna die!”

May, who was already on land, looked down at me and asked, “Hey, what’s…” Once she laid eyes on me, she held her hand over her mouth and started snickering. Snickering!

“What are you laughing at?!” I exclaimed, “Can’t you see that I’m in danger?!”

Now in full-blown laughter, May barely managed to pull herself together before saying, “Rohon, you…you’ve got a fish on your…on your butt.”

Once that fact was repeated to me, a slight blush appeared on my cheeks; thinking about it, this was pretty embarrassing. Still, there was a bigger issue at hand. “I know that! It’s still biting me, though!”

“Oh, calm down,” said May as she walked over to Axol and grabbed my bag, “It’s not that bad. Here, use this Great Ball.”

As May threw the blue and white Pokéball towards me, I snatched it out of the air and slammed it onto the ravenous fish Pokémon, causing it to enter the capsule. Once it was inside, I got up and rubbed my behind as the ball shook around. To my surprise, whatever was attacking me stayed inside the Pokéball; I now had a new addition to my party.

Looking at her Pokédex, May said, “Hm... apparently, that thing’s called a Carvanha. Hehe, what a way to meet him, huh?”

Still aching, I groaned, “You could say that. I almost lost my butt instead of getting a Pokémon!”

At this, May walked over to me and crouched down, taking a good, long look at my rear, which brought me even more embarrassment. After her inspection, she stated, “Oh, you’ll be fine; that Carvanha only left a flesh wound. I’ll bandage you up when I get the chance.”

Tensely, I responded, “Okay, uh…thanks.”

As I walked over to my backpack to place my Great Ball inside, I thought to myself, Wow, that Carvanha was so aggressive. He was such a brute…wait. Brute…bru…Bruce?” I nodded to myself, concluding, “I guess I’ll name him Bruce.”

Chapter 57: The Interview

Chapter Text

As I was putting away my new “friend”, I heard footsteps rustling through the grass in front of me. Looking up, I saw two people, one a young-looking woman with small earrings, a greenish-gray v-neck blouse and white leggings holding a red microphone, the other a basic-looking dude with a grey T-shirt and black pants holding a camera. Noticing me, the woman smiled and walked forward, saying, “Oh, there you are! I was wondering when you would show up!”

Stepping back a bit, I asked, “Uh, who are you?”

“Oh, silly me, I didn’t even think to introduce myself!” the friendly woman put her hand forward, saying, “Hi, I’m Gabby from Hoenn TV. This is my right-hand man, Ty.”

“Yo.” Ty said.

“We’ve heard a lot about you, Rohon. You recently beat…5 Gyms so far, right?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right…”

Gabby grinned, “I thought so! You must be quite the strong trainer, then. And what do we have here?” she turned her attention towards my friend, “It’s the budding flower May! I must say, your latest Contest was absolutely wonderful!”

May blushed, saying, “Aw, thank you.”

“No problem, little lady! You and your friend are known all over the Hoenn region at this point, and it’s my pleasure to recognize such proficient trainers.” Narrowing her eyes, Gabby continued, “With that being said, I feel like we could learn more about you both. How does a battle sound?”

“A battle?” I asked.

“Yeah! After all, when a person is put under pressure, their true colors are brought out for all to see; that’ll be perfect to get a scoop on! Besides…” she smirked mischievously, “It’s not like you can refuse; I made eye contact with you.”

Oh right. That rule. “Okay, fine. We’ll fight.”

“Perfect! Don’t worry, this won’t take long; me and Ty’re only bringing one Pokémon each. But don’t take as meaning that you should hold back in any way! I want to see you both at your peak performance, got it?”

“You got it, miss!” May replied, “We’ll both bring out our best Pokémon, won’t we, Rohon?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, “Don’t you think that our starters are a little tired after that last battle of ours?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be fine! Besides, Axol was able to carry both of our bags across the water, I’m sure he’ll can handle anything.”

“Okay, if you say so…” I looked over at my Swampert, who was still standing off to the side, “Hey Axol, come over here; we’re having a battle.”

As May pulled out her Pokéball, Gabby revealed hers as Ty pointed his bulky camera at us and brandished his own capsule. “Okay, show us watchu got!” the reporter said.

With that, the fight commenced; I deployed Axol, May sent out Blaziken, Gabby released a Loudred and Ty one of those Magneton things. “You’re up, Loudred!” said Gabby, “Use Supersonic on that Blaziken!”

“Magneton, try using Metal Sound on that Swampert.” Ty added.

As our opponents prepared to act, May ordered, “Blaziken, aim for Loudred’s weakness with Double Kick!”

“Go for a Mud Bomb on Magneton, Axol.” I followed up with.

Immediately after hearing her order, Blaziken rushed forward, moving faster than both the Loudred and the Magneton before jumping to the sky, acting of her own volition and doing a fancy twirl before coming down for two fierce kicks straight on her opponents head, causing the shouter to cry out in pain.

“Ooh, nice, Blaziken!” May cheered, “I taught you well.”

On the other side of the coin, Axol moved slower than both of his foes; as he moistened some nearby sand, the Loudred shook its head to reorient itself before letting out a disorienting sound from its wide mouth (which Blaziken was somehow not affected by) and the Magneton grinded its 3 spherical heads together towards my Pokémon, causing him to cringe a bit before finally sending his moist ball at the trio of magnets. Unfortunately for me, he ended up missing.

Gabby winced, “Ooh, that isn’t good. But don’t give up, Loudred! Fight on with Uproar!”

“A Spark on that Blaziken might work, Magneton.” Ty said.

Seeing that the Magneton was charging itself up with electricity, May said, “Okay, Blaziken, here’s the plan: when that Magneton comes-a charging in, I want you to do the strongest Blaze Kick you can muster! Got that?”

Nodding, Blaziken got herself in a battle-ready stance, holding up one feathery leg as she stared intently at the Electric-type.

Noticing that the Loudred was stomping around in preparation for another attack, I said, “Axol, when you can, try using Surf.”

After saying our commands, Gabby and Ty’s Pokémon jumped into action, starting with Ty’s Magneton flying forward for its Spark attack. Patiently, Blaziken waited for the magnets to get nearly an arm’s length away from her before setting her foot alit and sending it straight at the Magneton’s center, causing it to get knocked back a good distance, its steel body reddened with heat. Judging by the Magneton’s confused beeping noises, the attack was super effective.

The Magneton twirled around for a bit before setting itself straight and narrowing its 3 eyes, electrifying itself in preparation for another Spark. While this was happening, the Loudred released its pent up anger, hopping and running all over the place while yelling “Lou, loud, loudred!” repeatedly. Again, for some reason, May’s partner was unaffected; Axol was the only one feeling pain. While this was not the most fortunate thing in the world, Axol did manage to get his attack off; summoning a pillar of water, he enlarged and widened it before jumping in it and sending it forward, causing damage to the Loudred, the Magneton, and…Blaziken?

“Rohon!” May gave me an angry look, “Why would you do that?! You got my Blaziken drenched!”

Holding my hands up, I retorted, “Hey, I didn’t know that Surf did that! I was just trying to test out my new move!”

“Well, think twice before you do that, Rohon! Couldn’t you tell by how the move looked that it would hit everyone on the battlefield? Sure, you might’ve hit that Loudred and Magneton, but…” May’s eyes wandered to the aforementioned Pokémon, who were apparently lying flat on their backs, “Oh. Looks like that last attack did it.”

“Um…” Gabby hesitated for a moment before smiling, “Indeed it did! Great job, you two, you really strutted your stuff!”

Putting down his camera, Ty added, “Yeah, you guys were rad. This footage is crazy.”

Oh yeah, our battle was being recorded. My face heated up, slightly embarrassed at the idea of being broadcast for the whole world to see.

My discomfort was kicked up a notch when Gabby got up close to me and held her microphone up to my face, saying, “Now for an interview! How did it feel fighting us, Rohon?”

Stiffening up, I asked, “Wait, what’s this?”

Frowning, Gabby answered, “Isn’t it obvious? I need as much info on you as I can get! It’s not like this will take long; I’m only asking 5 questions.” Putting back on her friendly smile, Gabby continued, “So please, share your thoughts!”

Seeing that Ty’s camera was trained directly on my face, my heartbeat echoed in my chest; I was now more exposed than before. Nervous beyond measure, I said in a quiet voice, “U-um…our battle was…interesting.”

Raising an eyebrow, Gabby asked, “‘Interesting’? That’s it? Come on, there’s got to be more to it than that!”

“Oh yeah, uh…” Sweat started to cover my forehead; I was at a complete loss for words. Gabby’s face didn’t help much, either; judging by her expression, she was starting to get impatient with my hesitation. Seeing this, my eyes became wide with fear as my mind started to race with all sorts of paranoid thoughts. Oh man, I thought, Why me? Ah, now no one’s going to take me seriously…

As I was having my mini panic attack, May nudged me in the shoulder and whispered, “Come on, Rohon, have some confidence! How do you think people will feel if they see that the trainer they’re rooting for is a hopeless nervous wreck?”

I glanced at May and then down to the ground, keeping my eyes there for a good few seconds before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, remaining silent for another moment before looking up and saying in a slightly louder voice, “Our battle was interesting and fun. Even though both of your Pokémon were weak to ours I could…I could tell that you were putting up a good fight.”

Looking happier, Gabby said, “Wonderful! Now, about your starting days, how did it feel setting out on your journey for the first time?”

“Well, it was…exciting, I would say. I met my best friend, Axol the Swampert here…well, of course he was a Mudkip back then, but…anyway, I learned a lot about Pokémon and battling and stuff, so that was fun. My friend May here was a great help with that.”

“Ooh, really? How did you meet May?”

“Oh, she’s my neighbor. Her dad, Professor Birch, sent her to travel with me to help me.”

Gabby gasped and turned towards May, “No way! You’re the professor’s daughter?!”

May nodded, “Yep!”

“Wow, what a shocker! You must be feeling privileged, Rohon, adventuring with such an important person as her!”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Gabby smirked teasingly, asking, “By the way, you two seem awfully close. Could it be that you see her as…more than a friend?”

Turning as red as Blaziken’s feathers, I asked, “C-can we move on to the next question?”

Gabby chuckled, “Okay, okay. Who would you say your most challenging opponent has been so far? Other than us, of course, hehe.”

“Oh, that would have to be Norman. I almost had my journey ended by him, in fact…”

“Oh really? Yeah, he is quite the formidable trainer, isn’t he? Yet you still managed to pull through.”

“Yeah, of course. Though it wasn’t easy.”

“I thought so. That brings me to my next question: how do you feel about your competition? Does it worry you that some other trainers may have beaten people like Norman with ease?”

“Uh…” I tapped my fingers together for a bit before saying, “Not really. Or at least not that much. I haven’t lost to any normal trainer so far, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

“Ooh, I like the confidence! Would you say that you welcome the competition?”

“Uh, I guess? I’m not against the idea of testing my skills most of the time. So, uh, yeah, those trainers can challenge me whenever they want.”

“Wonderful. Okay, final question: what message do you have for any up-and-coming trainers? Any words of encouragement?”

“Um…” I looked down the ground again, gulping as I struggled to come up with an answer. Darn, what would a good message be? It’s gotta be something profound, but…I’ve got nothing.

While I was pondering, May whispered, “Try saying something about your journey so far.”

My…journey? Okay, I’ll try my best… Looking up at Gabby, I said, “Well…my best advice is…just trust in your Pokémon. Things may seem bad sometimes, but your Pokémon know what they’re doing…or at least most of the time they do. So…yeah. Just have faith in them. It’ll be worth it.”

Gabby nodded, pulling away her microphone as she said, “That was great. Thanks a lot for the information, Rohon, it was great to have you!” She turned towards her colleague, saying, “Okay, Ty, wrap up the footage; we’ve got a station to head to!”

“You got it, miss.” Ty nodded at us, “Safe travels, you two. Peace.” With that, the duo left, leaving May and I by ourselves.

Once the news people were gone, May patted me on the back, saying, “Great job, Rohon, I’m proud of you. You seemed a lot less nervous that time.”

I smiled a bit and responded, “Thanks. And thanks for helping me back there.”

“Hey, that’s my job! So, now that we’re done with this, shall we move on?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

And so, we both returned our Pokémon before bringing out our bikes, hopping on them, and riding away, ready to make more progress on our adventure.

Chapter 58: Interruption at the Institute!

Chapter Text

Traveling north, May and I ended up in the rainforest-y area of Route 119. Coming to a stop near a stump, May looked up and around and took a deep breath in, saying, “Ah, just smell that crisp, natural air. This is quite the peaceful scene, isn’t it Ro…HEY!”

May jumped to the side, watching as I whizzed by her straight into a cluster of excessively thick grass, immediately getting me and my bike stuck in the chunky flora. “Urgh…” I groaned, the cut on my butt being irritated by the end of one blade of grass.

Looking at my tangled form, May put her hand over her mouth and giggled, saying, “Oh my gosh, Rohon, are you okay?”

Wincing, I answered, “No…”

Shaking her head, May smiled and walked over to me, offering her hand to me as she stated, “You’ve gotta be more careful, Rohon. What would you have done if you rode into that river over there?” She pointed to the left, highlighting the aforementioned, winding river.

“I don’t know,” I responded as I was pulled out, “But I’m pretty sure I would be fine.”

May chuckled, “Oh, Rohon…”

Just then, thunder reverberated through the route, causing May to jump in surprise. “Huh?” she asked, “Where’d that come from?” she looked up, noticing the sudden appearance of dark clouds, “And where did those come from?”

Before we could process what was happening, a heavy downpour rained down on us, causing us to become drenched. “Ah!” cried May, using her arms as a makeshift umbrella. She assumed this protective position for a few more seconds until the rain suddenly stopped, disappearing as if nothing had happened.

May looked up and around, returning her hands to their usual positions before smiling, “I think it’s—”

Immediately, the rain returned, prompting May to protect herself once again. Just as before, though, the rain stopped after a few seconds.

Narrowing her eyes, May inquired, “Is it done now…?”

Unfortunately for her, it was not; after a short delay, the rain started up once more, moistening the entire area greatly. As expected, however, it quickly stopped.

Sighing, May said, “This is too weird for me…we need to find some shelter.” she looked around, soon spying a building in the distance, “Oh, there’s a place! Come on, Rohon, let’s get a move on; if we ride fast enough, we shouldn’t get too soaked.

Dusting my clothes free of plant bits, I placed my Mach Bike on the ground and hopped on it before riding after May, my pace slowed down slightly by the ever-muddying dirt. Moving as quickly as we could, we traversed through the gaps in the very tall grass, across bridges, and up muddy slopes, trying our best to ignore the on-and-off rainfall messing with our psyche…or at least May’s psyche. Personally, I didn’t mind the rain. Nevertheless, we eventually reached the building, which I noticed was blue and yellow and almost castle-like at a closer glance. Jumping off of her bike, May opened the clear door and stepped inside, prompting me to do the same.

Now safe from the rain, we ended up in a white room filled with all sorts of technology and machines, with diagrams of clouds and other weather-related things covering the walls. Leaning against the wall next to the entrance, May sighed, “Gosh, that was horrible.” Looking disappointed, she felt her bangs, noticing that they had lost their usual loftiness, “Oh, my poor hair…”

Shaking myself free of water, I asked, “Weren’t you just swimming a second ago? What’s the problem with getting wet now?”

May shot me a look, saying, “Back then, I was keeping my head above the water. Here, I had no choice but to get drenched!” Crossing her arms and pouting, she complained, “This is gonna take forever to dry…”

As May sulked, we heard a familiar, feminine voice shout from upstairs, “Damn machine! Why won’t you work?!”

“Hold on,” May mused, “Isn’t that…” May’s eyes widened in realization, “Rohon, I think something’s happening up there. We should go and check it out.”

Groaning, I asked, “Ugh, do we have to? I just wanna move on…”

Frowning, May responded, “Yes, we do. Who knows, we might just figure out what’s causing this phenomenon.” She grabbed my hand pulled me away, “And there’s only one way to find out!”

Knowing that there was little I could do to deride May’s determination, I simply accepted my fate and allowed myself to be dragged away, steeling my mind for whatever wacky scenario I was being roped into.

Heading up the white stairs, May and I entered a room filled with even more tech and charts then before, bookshelves stacked with all sorts of books lining the walls. Standing in the middle of the room was a trio of Team Aqua grunts plus none other than Shelly, who was busy messing with a semi-cylinder shaped machine with a rounded control module on top. “Agh…” the woman growled before turning to look at a group of white-coated scientists, all of whom were huddled in a corner, “Hey, four-eyes, how do ya work this thing?!”

One of the scientists, the bespectacled one, murmured “W-well, uh, first you would need to tweak the humidifying vector, modifying the condensation value to allow for effective crystallization of the—”

“Ah, cut the crap, braniac, I don’t have all day! Gimme a quick summary, and make it snappy!”

Stepping forward, May stated, “I think that’s enough.”

Tensing up, Shelly turned to face us before furrowing her eyebrows in anger, “You again?! What are you brats doing here?!”

Clenching her fist, May answered, “We’re here to stop…whatever it is you’re doing! Leave those poor scientists alone!”

Softening her expression slightly, Shelly sauntered around the room, saying, “Oh, you sweet thing, why should this matter to you? All we’re doing is trying to change the weather. Is that so bad?”

Gasping May said, “So you’re the one who was causing that rainfall! I had my haircut ruined because of you, you jerk!”

Shelly laughed, leaning her body against a bookshelf as she teased, “Oh, boo-hoo, is the little lady afraid of getting a little wet? Well, you better get used to it, sweetie; soon, the entire world will be a water park!”

“What?! Now that’s where you cross the line!” May crossed her arms, “Sure, I like water, but this is going too far! Isn’t that right, Rohon?”

“Uh, yeah, right.” I answered.

Shelly chuckled, placing her hands on her hips as closed her eyes, shook her head and walked towards us, “Oh, you poor things; you don’t even know what you’re getting yourselves into.” Opening her eyes, she gave the two of us condescending, playful looks, saying, “And you look so cute, too. It’s a shame that I’ll have to send you crying to your mommies.” Turning on her heel, she snapped her fingers and ordered, Steve, bring out your Mightyena; it’s time to teach these kids a lesson.”

Chortling in a sinister way, Steve, one of the grunts, pulled out a Pokéball and replied, “Will do, miss.”

Looking at me, May said, “Okay, Team Aqua mainly uses Water-types, right? Let’s both use our Grass-types!”

I nodded, “Okay, sure.”

With that, we both grabbed our balls and brandished them, ready to start yet another 2-on-two.

We all threw out our Pokémon: I, Dendy, May, Nuzleaf, Steve, Mightyena, who promptly gave our Pokémon a fierce, intimidating look, and Shelly, Sharpedo. Pointing forward, Shelly grinned, “Let’s make this quick, Sharpedo; use Ice Fang on that Nuzleaf.

Steve added, “Slow that Lombre down with Scary Face!”

May stepped back in surprise, “Ice Fang?! Nuzleaf, stop Sharpedo with Fake Out! And Rohon, why don’t you help out?”

“Okay, don’t worry. Dendy, use Absorb!”

In the cramped arena, Nuzleaf ran forward and clapped his hands on the Sharpedo’s nose, causing the shark, whose mouth was starting to leak cold air, to stop in its tracks. While this was good, judging by Nuzleaf’s pained grunt, something else happened; Sharpedo’s Rough Skin had activated.

While this was happening, the Mightyena loomed over Dendy, giving her a creepy, sharp-toothed smile while laughing in an unsettling, high-pitched way. Off-put by this, Dendy looked up at the hyena and shuddered before creeping over to the stunned Sharpedo and placing her hand on its head, drawing nutrients from the fish.

Shelly made a “tch” sound, saying, “Okay, just a little slip-up. Sharpedo, go for another Ice Fang!”

Steve followed up with, “Support her with Swagger, Mightyena! Use it on that Nuzleaf!”

Looking slightly worried, May ordered, “Do what you can with Razor Leaf, Nuzleaf!”

“I guess you could try Absorb again, Dendy.” I added.

As expected, Sharpedo was the first to act, charging forward at May’s Pokémon, its jaws pure white with cold energy. Once Nuzleaf had his arm bitten, he cried out in pain; the attack was super effective.

As Nuzleaf tried to shake the Sharpedo off of him, the enemy Mightyena shook its head and chuckled, acting as if Nuzleaf’s suffering was of no concern to it. Seeing this, Nuzleaf’s eyes sharpened, his face becoming one of wild rage. Irked beyond measure, Nuzleaf rolled his head around and yelled, swinging the plant on his head furiously before launching and regrowing leaf after leaf at both the Mightyena and the unwelcome Sharpedo, bringing the fish many cuts to its dark blue skin. Overwhelmed by the powerful attack, the shark unlatched from Nuzleaf, lying on the floor with dazed eyes.

Shelly gawked at her defeated Pokémon before turning towards Steve, a furious look on her face as she barked, “Steve!! What the hell, dude, you just screwed me over!”

Steve scratched his head, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Yes! Didn’t ya see that Sharpedo was getting hit by Grass moves? Why would you make it worse by raising that thing’s attack?!”

“Oh, uh…right. My mistake, Shelly, I—”

Shelly pinched her forehead and waved her hand, saying, “Oh, forget it. Just get rid of these pests!”

“Alright, you got it.” Steve turned to face us, his eyebrows furrowed as he said, “Mightyena, use—” Just then, his Pokémon was attacked by Dendy, having its energy drained by my Pokémon’s plant powers. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Use Snarl on that Nuzleaf!”

May smirked, “Heh, dummy. Nuzleaf, counter with one last Razor Leaf!”

“Fury Swipes should finish it, Dendy.” I said.

The Mightyena arched its back and curled its lips, revealing its razor-sharp teeth before making a ferocious snarling sound, causing me to cower a bit. Our Pokémon on the other hand were not too bothered. In fact, Nuzleaf didn’t seem to care at all! Instead, the tribesman-like sapling smacked his hands together, giving the Mightyena an excessively violent look before whipping its leaf once more, sending 3 blade-like leaves straight at his foe. Gritting it’s teeth, the hyena took blow after blow, with one strike aimed at his black nose causing it to yelp; that attack looked like it hit extra hard. Though Dendy was still moving slow, she still managed to attack the weakened Mightyena, swiping at its face with her red claws. Unable to go on any longer, the Dark-type fell down on its side, its chest rising up and down as its cocky smile concerted to a defeated frown.

Chapter 59: Feeling Over the Weather

Chapter Text

Returning her Pokémon alongside her colleague, Shelly groaned, “Ugh, I can’t believe it; trounced by two kids! Maybe we should’ve brought more Pokémon…” Shaking her head, she smiled, “But it’s fine. We don’t need this stupid machine to bring the rain. Oh, nonono, we’ve got something much better…” Snapping her fingers, she waltzed away, saying, “Come on, boys, we’re done here. Have fun with your little contraption, nerds!” Glancing at us out of the corner of her eyes, Shelly grinned, “And bye-bye, babes!” With that, Shelly and all of her grunts left the room, disappearing as if nothing had happened.

Returning her irate Nuzleaf, May put her hands on her hips and said, “Hmph. Well, we sure showed them, huh Rohon? That’ll make them think twice before messing with such priceless technology.”

Crossing my arms, I responded, “Yeah, it sure was worth it for us to risk our lives for this little machine.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it ‘little’.” The same glasses-wearing scientist stepped forward, patting the cylinder on its top as he said, “Well, at least not if you’re referring to its importance. This device is the Condensing and Layering Operator of Ultra Distortion. C.L.O.U.D for short.” He gasped, “Oh, but I haven’t even introduced myself!” he gave us a friendly smile, “I’m Dr. Mathers, head meteorologist of this Weather Institute. We were in the middle of testing the C.L.O.U.D when those Team Aqua fiends came in trying to make it rain. Fortunately, you two came at just the right time. Thanks for that, by the way!”

May nodded, “It was our pleasure, Dr. Mathers. Did they break your machine in any way?”

The meteorologist shook his head, “Fortunately, no. Though they were quite rough, those criminals could never harm my beauty.” He rubbed the machine proudly, “She’s too tough!”

Looking up, I asked, “So, uh, Dr. Mathers, you said that Team Aqua was trying to use this thing to make it rain? How is that possible?”

The doctor’s eyes lit up, “I’m glad you asked! Essentially, the C.L.O.U.D works by having a remote dispenser inject a variety of condensing elements into the clouds above. Believe it or not, table salt is actually a very good candidate for that objective! It attracts water quite well. Anyhow, by dispersing those additives into clouds, we are able to stimulate condensation and later rainfall. Furthermore, if we so wish, we can even have dry ice dispersed throughout the atmosphere along with those condensing elements to create snowfall! Currently, we are working on developing dissolving agents to degrade clouds, allowing the sun to become as effective as possible whenever it is appropriate to do so.”

May’s eyes sparkled, “Wow! That’s so cool!”

Dr. Mather’s laughed to himself, grinning as he said, “You are exactly right, my friend! And I even had the brains to refrain from telling those villains how to work my device! Clever, right?”

One of the meteorologist’s female coworkers rolled her eyes, saying, “Cowardly is more like it. We all saw it; they asked you how to work it, but you were too nervous to give a straight answer!”

The man paused, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed way as he said, “Um, well…hey, that storm’s passed! For now, I think you two deserve a reward…”

Reaching inside the chest pocket of his coat, he pulled out a Pokéball and threw it on the ground, revealing some sort of floating, grey Pokémon with two spheres serving as its bottom and one larger sphere serving as its head and main body.

“This is Castform, a Normal-type. But don’t be fooled by her bland appearance; she’s a very dynamic creature! When she’s subject to or anticipates any sort of weather, be it rain, snow, sleet or hail, she changes to fit the theming. She’s great for forecasting!”

May gazed at the floating, cloud-like Pokémon in awe, saying, “Ooh, interesting. Wait, are you giving this to us?”

Dr. Mathers nodded, “Correct! Just promise me you’ll take care of her, okay? She’s been wanting to travel for some time, and this is a perfect chance for her to do so!”

Looking at the Castform, I said, “May, you can have her. I don’t need another Pokémon right now.”

May gasped, “Oh my gosh, really? Aw, thanks, Rohon, you’re the best!” Looking towards Mathers, she smiled, “And thanks for the Pokémon!”

Returning Castform, the meteorologist handed the ball to May and replied, “No, thank you; now we can finally live and study in peace!” Gently pushing us out, he continued, “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a lot of work to catch up on. Again, we appreciated your help!”

“Uh, wait,” I asked, “Do you have any bandages I can use? A Carvanha just bit me, uh…down there.”

Dr. Mathers paused before chuckling, “Oh yes, we have a kit in the cabinet downstairs; it’s in the 3^rd drawer.”

“Okay, thanks.”

As I made my way out, May turned towards Dr. Mathers and said, “Bye, have a good day! And you’re welcome!” before following after me.

After fixing myself up, I went to stand with May outside the institute, where the sky was now clear as it was supposed to be. Pulling out a Pokéball, May said, “Okay, let’s see what that meteorologist was talking about, shall we? Go, Castform!”

With the throw of a ball, Castform was released, chirping in a cheerful, breathy voice, “C-a-a-astform!”

“Okay, Castform, use…” May took a look at her Pokédex, “Rain Dance!”

Closing her eyes, Castform hopped around on an invisible plane through the air, chanting “Cast! Form! Cast! Form!” as she performed her energetic dance. Soon, a grey cloud formed a few feet above us, immediately showering us all with water. As May screamed trying to protect herself, I noticed Castform transforming, her grey head turning a darkish blue as water coalesced around it, her two lower orbs turning into a grey, umbrella canopy-looking shape. Once the transformation was finished, Castform cried, “Fooorm!”, sounding as if she were underwater.

Still covering herself, May blurted, “Okay, okay, enough! Use Sunny Day!”

At that, Castform spun around into the air, dispersing the clouds that had formed while also causing her watery form to return to normal. After that, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking to the sky and yelling, “Fo-fo-Fooorm!” Following that exclamation, the clouds above us dispersed, causing harsh sunlight to shine down on us. As I covered my eyes, I faintly noticed Castform reforming once again, her head turning dark orange as a ring of heat formed around it, her grey spheres reformatting to make a sleek cloud shape. In this new form, the Pokémon cheered, “Fa fa fwooorm!”

Feeling her hair, May said, “Oh hey, would you look at that! My hair’s drying up! Ah, I think I’ll stay here for a while longer…”

Cowering, I retorted, “Can we hurry this up? I don’t like this!”

“Geez, okay. Just 5 more seconds…” May closed her eyes and hummed before saying, “Okay, Castform, last move. Use Hail!”

Obediently, Castform performed another animated dance, summoning another darker cloud. This time, however, instead of bringing rain, the cloud pelted us with hard bits of ice, causing us to make short sounds of pain. While we were suffering, Castform began her final transformation; her head turned a light purple as her orbs burst into cold, wispy strands of white air. Shivering, Castform stammered, “F-f-foorm…”

“Ow! Ooh! Ah!” May held one eye closed as she looked up at her Pokémon, “Castform, use…ah, just stop this!”

Without any questions, Castform twirled into the air, getting rid of the hail cloud and returning to her base form.

Rubbing her aching skin, May said, “Well…that was something.”

“It sure was.” I responded.

“Yeah…” May looked down before smiling, “But hey, at least we learned something new, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I pulled out my PokéNav and went to the map app, saying, “Anyway, we should move on to Fortree City; it’s next on our list.”

“Oh! Yeah, right, right.” May went to go get her bike, getting on it and looking back at me, “Let’s go, then.”

Nodding, I got my own bike and followed after May, ready to move on after that minor situation.

Chapter 60: Trees and Treachery

Chapter Text

After traveling over yet another bridge, May and I exited Route 119 and entered a city made of treehouses of all shapes and sizes. Looking at a sign in the middle of the settlement, I read, “Fortree City: the treetop city that frolics with nature”.

Looking around, May gasped, “Wow…just look at this view! These trees are the biggest I’ve ever seen! They’re so lush, too! And people are living inside them?! This is so cool!”

I put my hands on my hips and gazed at the tall plants, noting the rope bridges linking them all together, “So, this is what treehouses are like…cool.” I took a few more seconds to admire the greenery before stating, “Anyway, this is nice and all, but we’re here for a reason; let’s find the Gym.”

May frowned at me, “Geez, Rohon, do you have to be in such a rush? You didn’t even consider visiting any of these houses!” She shrugged, continuing, “But I guess we have a goal to complete…”

And so, to May’s slight disappointment, we made our way through the city, climbing up, down, and across the ropes on an attempt to find the settlement’s important building. Soon enough, we found our target: the city's Gym. Unlike the other buildings of its type, this Gym was much more natural-looking, being made only of sticks and having thick leaves for a roof. Furthermore, there were plenty of openings, allowing air to flow inside. Looking up at the Gym, I wiped my sweat-covered forehead and said, “Well, here it is. Geez, this was a hassle to get to…”

May nonchalantly fanned herself off and responded, “What are you talking about, that trip was a breeze! You’re just unfit.”

I shook my head and sighed, walking forward as I replied, “Yeah, whatever. Hopefully the inside will be cool—ER!”

Suddenly, I was kicked in my chest by something, causing me to land on my back with a grunt. Raising an eyebrow, May looked down at me and asked, “What’s up with you, Rohon? Were you that tired?”

Groaning, I shook my head and answered, “If I was tired, I wouldn’t fall down like that. Something pushed me!”

“Something…pushed you?” May parroted, “Now who or what would do that?”

“I have no idea. But hopefully whatever it was left by now...” Feeling a bit hopeful, I tentatively stepped forward, praying that this unseen force wouldn’t do anything else to prevent me from entering the Gym. Instead, I received another strike on my body, this time from what felt like a tail doing a sweeping attack to my legs, causing me to trip and fall.

As May looked at my fallen form, she smirked and teased, “Y’know, what if this is just the spirit of the forest getting back at you for not appreciating nature’s beauty?”

Wincing, I got back up, “Come on, don’t be crazy; there’s no way a spirit of the forest would get angry over something that petty…unless…” Convinced by May’s words, I got down on my knees, “Spirit of the forest, whoever you are, I’m sorry for whatever I did! Please, let me through!”

Alas, I was not given a break. Instead, I received a wet slap on the head by something long and thick, knocking me flat on the ground.

As I laid there confused and annoyed, I heard a familiar voice, “Is something the matter, friends?”

Raising my head, I looked behind me to notice that one cyan-haired individual, “Steven? What are you doing here?”

Steven sauntered over to us, responding, “Oh, I regularly come here to unwind after particularly grueling training session; the natural and luxuriant vibe of this area work well to quell my stress.” Looking down at me, he continued, “But it seems as though you’re not enjoying yourself nearly as much.”

May smiled and waved, “Oh, hi, Steven! Yeah, as you can see here, Rohon’s getting harassed by some invisible force.”

“And it might just be a vengeful spirit of this forest!” I added, “It just won’t let me go!”

“A…spirit of the forest?” Steven chuckled, “Rohon, I assure you, no such thing exists, at least not in this region. No, no, I believe I know what is truly troubling you…” he pointed forward, “Do you see that red zigzag in front of you?”

I looked where Steven was pointing, noticing that there was, in fact, a zigzag pattern. “Oh. I didn’t pay attention to that part…

Smiling, Steven reached inside a pocket in his vest and pulled out a pair of sleek, metallic goggles, “Now use this; it should help you uncover the truth.

Raising an eyebrow, I took the strange headpiece and began to place it over my eyes, saying, “Okay, if you say so…” Once I put on the goggles, I gasped; standing right in front of me was some sort of lizard, which was holding one green hand over its large mouth as it laughed quietly to itself. Looking closer, I noticed that the creature’s belly had that same zigzag marking from earlier, which it made no attempt at concealing. “W-what is that?” I asked.

“That is a Kecleon.” Steven answered, “In this city, it is a common practice for them to block the path of residents; they are quite the tricksters.”

Frowning, I fished a Great Ball out of my pocket and said, “Well, let’s see how much of a trickster he is when he’s caught!”

With a firm “hup!”, I chucked the ball forward, catching the cocky Kecleon off guard. Luckily, the chameleon was confused enough to not resist his capture, and he stayed in the ball.

Once my new Pokémon was in my possession, I threw it out, allowing everyone to take a look at it. Instead of being its usual green, the Pokémon was now an embarrassed pink, letting out a dejected “Leon…” as it looked down with its arms hanging by its sides.

Observing the chameleon, May said, “Oh, so that’s what was attacking you! That Pokémon was near invisible!”

“Indeed,” Steven responded, “Kecleon are truly masters of disguise. But now that you have one as your partner, you should be able to find a way to make use of its abilities, yes?”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t fix the beating I took…” I gave the Kecleon an irritated look, saying, “You know, you remind me just of another mischievous lizard I know…your name’s gonna be Randall.” With that matter settled, I returned the Pokémon to his ball and tucked the capsule away.

“So,” asked Steven, “How did you enjoy the Devon Scope?”

Taking off the goggles, I replied, “Oh, that’s what it’s called? It’s cool, I guess.”

Chuckling, Steven retorted, “Oh, I believe ‘cool’ would be an understatement; that Devon Scope is one of my father’s greatest inventions. With it, one may detect any creature or object invisible to the naked eye; Kecleon, concealed treasure, even spirits!” he smiled at me, continuing, “You still appear to be unconvinced…why don’t I allow you to keep that device for you to realize its full potential?”

“Wait, what?” I asked, “I can keep it?”

“But of course! Consider it a gift between trainers.” Standing up straighter, Steven stated, “Speaking of trainers, you were preparing to visit this Gym, were you not?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” I responded.

“Understood. Well, in that case, I shall not hold you up any longer. Farewell for now, friends, and I wish you the best of luck in this battle, Rohon!”

Waving, May said, “Bye-bye, Steven! And thanks for the gift!”

“It is my pleasure.” Steven said, walking off, “Be sure to use it wisely, and I shall see you at a later date!” With that, the champion climbed up a rope and made his way off, leaving me and May alone.

“Well,” said May, “That was fun. And it looks like the path to the Gym is open now! Shall we head inside?”

“Yeah, let’s…” I paused, giving May an inquisitive look, “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be catching Pokémon?”

“Oh!” May looked of to the side, “Well, uh…I’ve been thinking, y’know, about what were arguing over concerning you not attending my Contest and, well…I realized that I never really saw how you battled firsthand for a while. So…” she gave me a small smile, “Why shouldn’t I take a little break from Pokémon hunting?”

I glanced at May for a few seconds before answering, “Oh. Well, if that’s what you want…” I began walking forward, “Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

And so, May and I made our way into the building, ready for whatever was awaiting us.

Chapter 61: And Behind this Door...

Chapter Text

Once May an I entered the Gym, we were met by a surprising sight: most of the floor was gone! I looked around, noticing that there was a long, winding road in front of me surrounded by a dark abyss. I took a step forward and made the mistake of looking down, realizing that there was a dark abyss stretching down an unknown distance.

As I looked down in utter fear, a feminine voice spoke from behind me, “Greetings, challenger! You must be Rohon!”

Though I heard this stranger’s voice, I didn’t respond; I was too stunned to do that. Seeing this, May walked up to me and jerked me away from the hole, spinning me around to face the person who was speaking to me. Looking at the woman, who was dressed in a blue and white-striped shirt and matching pants, and cleared my throat, saying, “U-um, yeah, that’s me…”

Smiling, the young woman, who I only assumed was the explainer, responded, “I thought so. Great job on making it this far, by the way! You’re one of the better trainers that I’ve seen. Anyway, enough about that; let’s go over what you have to do here!” she pointed forward, “As you can see, along this path there are a series of rotating doors; your job is to find a way to get past them all. Sounds simple, right? Well, lemme tell you, it’s much more challenging than you might think; of you’re not careful, you could end up more confused then a Pidgey separated from its flock. Do you understand?

Still feeling tense, I nodded, “Yeah, I understand…”

The explainer gave me a sympathetic look, “You must be worried about falling, huh? Well, worry not! Even if you do end up falling, which you won’t do as long as you’re careful, we have a bunch of Flying Pokémon that will break your fall and carry you back up. So just relax.”

Hearing this news, I let out a sigh of relief, “Okay, good.”

The woman gave a thumbs-up, “Awesome. Now go on, Rohon, show us just how clever you are! And remember, don’t be a birdbrain!”

I nodded again, “Alright…”

The woman then said to May, “And you…it doesn’t look like you’re here to battle. Would you like to borrow my Tropius so he can fly you over to watch your friend?”

“Yes, please!” May answered.

“Got it. Alright, come on out, Tropius! Give our friend a ride!

With that, the woman threw out a Pokéball, revealing a dinosaur-like creature with a long neck, bananas growing out of its neck, and large leaves on its back. Lowering its neck, the Pokémon motioned for May to climb on, which she did. As the Tropius began to flap its wing-like leaves, May said, “Good luck, Rohon! I hope you’re able to get through this!”

I watched as the living banana tree took flight, looking after May as I waved, “I’ll do my best.”

Once May left the scene, I took a deep breath and walked forward, aiming to get through this ordeal as quickly as possible.

After a few steps, I came across my first hurdle: a long plank of wood with 3 extensions of varying sizes. Taking a look at the door, I decided to start my pushing the long side of it on the right, which I did with gusto. Alas, my efforts were fruitless; the door didn’t move an inch. Scratching my head, I tried again, this time pushing against the short extension jutting out the middle of the plank. Thankfully, my strategy worked well…a little too well. Unfortunately, I overestimated my strength, and I ended up causing the revolving door to spin wildly. With my heart beating rapidly, I hung onto the wood for dear life; though I knew that my fall would be broken by some Pokémon, the idea of plummeting into the abyss was still anything but appealing. Thankfully, the door stopped spinning after rotating 180°, stopping on the same rock that prevented my previous push from working.

Overwhelmed by shock, I fell onto the rocky ground, lying flat on my belly as I caught my breath. “Huff…man…” I panted “That was…intense…”

As I laid there, I heard a guy’s voice, “Hey, you doin’ alright there, bud?”

Looking up, I noticed a spiky-haired person in blue overalls holding an empty bird cage standing in front of me. Feeling ashamed, I got up and straightened my clothes in a vain attempt to preserve my image before answering, “Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

The young man raised an eyebrow, “You sure? Cause you look like you just came out of a storm!”

“I told you, I’m fine.” I responded, “I just got a little…surprised.”

“…If you say so, buddy. I hope you’re stable enough to battle, cause as you probably know, it’s my job to test you.”

I nodded, “Yeah, of course.” I grabbed one of my Pokéballs.

“Okeydokey.” My opponent retrieved one of his balls, “Let’s get started.”

With that, we both sent out our Pokémon; me my new Carvanha, Bruce, and my opponent some sort of brown seemingly flightless bird with two heads. Pointing forward, my foe ordered, “Let’s go, Doduo, use Pluck!”

In response, I commanded, “Bruce, use Aqua Jet!”

Without a second thought, Bruce turned around and spewed out water from his mouth, propelling himself forward from his limp position before giving a quick but powerful nip to the Doduo’s breast. In retaliation, the dodo-ostrich grabbed Bruce with one of its beaks, using the other to scrape at my fish’s body. Unfortunately for it, this action brought the Doduo pain, and it quickly threw Bruce away.

My opponent shook his head, “Ah, dang it, Rough Skin. But don’t worry, Doduo, we’ll get through this! Use Double Hit!”

As the bird raised its heads, I said, “Try using Bite, Bruce.”

Although I could see a murderous intent in Bruce’s eyes, there was only so much he could do out of water; unlike Archie’s Sharpedo, who could float for some reason, Bruce was forced to flop around to gain some momentum. Meanwhile, the Doduo was easily able to come in and whack Bruce with its brown heads, using each of them like clubs as it smacked my poor piranha. While Bruce was looking tired, I could tell by his expression that he had not thrown in the towel yet; opening his mouth wide, he flipped onto the Doduo’s back, giving the bird one final chomp. As it turned out, this was all that was needed to do the Doduo in; overwhelmed by pain, the terrestrial bird fell on its side, unwilling to continue.

The Gym trainer returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball, a shocked look on his face as he said, “…Wow. That was quick.” He scratched the back of his head and smiled, continuing, “Well, at least you’re strong. But you’ll need more than battle skills to get through this Gym; you’ve gotta be as smart as a Noctowl around here. But hey, I believe in you, even if you were acting like a total wuss just then.”

“Hey, thanks, I…” my eyes narrowed, “Hey…”

The bird keeper snickered, saying, “Ah, I’m just messing with ya. Anyway, go ahead, trainer, and good luck with the rest of this challenge. Don’t keep Winona waiting!”

“Okay, sure thing…”

And so, I walked past the trainer and towards the next set of doors, preparing my mind for what was to come.

Chapter 62: The Fashionable Flier: Winona!

Chapter Text

As it turned out, the rest of the Gym’s puzzles weren’t too challenging. Contrary to what the explainer said, finding out what way I was supposed to push the various doors didn’t require much brainpower; all I had to do was use some trusty trial-and-error and power my way through. In fact, it was more tedious than anything. Truthfully, the only aspect I was uncomfortable with was the fact that I was surrounded by a dark ravine; I was constantly on edge during the whole trek. Soon enough, though, after getting through multiple hurdles and bird trainers, I reached the end of the path, where my final opponent was waiting.

Standing at the top of a rocky flight of stairs, a slender woman wearing a grey flying suit, a gray helmet, and white trousers looked down at me, a graceful smile on her face. “Greetings, young trainer.” she said, “I am Winona, the leader of this humble Pokémon Gym. You must be Rohon, yes?”

Looking up at the graceful woman, I felt my worries melt away, disappearing as if they were blown away by a gentle breeze. Feeling calmer, I nodded, “Yeah, that’s me.”

Winona nodded back, “I thought so. You have come quite far, indeed; like a soaring Swellow, you have flown past the realm of mediocrity and into the skies of greatness. However, like many migrating birds, the farther you go, the more treacherous the journey becomes. Will you succumb to the obstacles obstructing your path and fall back into obscurity? Or will you push past the adversities and reach even greater heights?” Pulling out a Pokéball from her chest pocket, Winona continued, “Allow me to test your resolve. Prove to me that you possess the determination to reach the heavens!”

I clenched my fists in excitement, retrieving one of my Pokéballs and looking right at Winona, “I’m ready for it.”

“Good. Absolutely marvelous.” Winona smiled some more, getting more on my level as she said, “Please note that you are allowed 5 Pokémon; I shall be using 4. I expect to see some great battling from you, Rohon; I would hate to be disappointed.” Doing a quick, ballerina-like spin, the Gym Leader declared, “Now, allow me to show you the elegant choreography of me and my bird Pokémon!”

As I prepared myself, I heard May’s voice call behind me, “Yeah! Give her your best, Rohon!”

I turned around, giving May a thumbs-up before directing my attention back to Winona, ready to get this battle started.

Chapter 63: A High-Flying Fight!

Chapter Text

Without any further ado, me and Winona threw out our Pokémon; I sent out Rigby while Winona sent out a Swellow. “Let us begin, Swellow,” Winona said, confound him with Double Team!”

Before I could even speak, the Swellow immediately began flying around faster than me and Rigby’s eyes could follow, moving so fast that it seemed to split into two copies. Confused, I said, “Uh…try using Fury Swipes?”

Rigby looked around in a daze for a few seconds before rearing his back and leaping into the air towards one of the Swellow, his claws unsheathed and at the ready. Unfortunately, he ended up hitting nothing; the Swellow he was aiming for was just an illusion.

Chuckling, Winona said, “Oh, how unfortunate, you missed. Swellow, let’s punish him, shall we? Use Aerial Ace!”

Moving one at a time, both of the Swellows did a backflip in the air before diving at Rigby. Strangely enough, though, only the one on the right did damage. With this fact in mind, I ordered, “Quick, Rigby, use Fury Swipes again! Aim for the one on the right!”

Obediently, Rigby shook away the pain and lunged at the bird to his right. Alas, this proved to be useless; he once again hit nothing.

As I stood there in shock, Winona laughed, “Valiant effort Rohon, but I’m afraid that it’s not that simple; not everything is as it seems. Swellow, show him what’s real with a Quick Attack!”

Moving even faster than before, both of the Swellows darted towards Rigby, striking the poor raccoon with their beaks. Seeing that we were struggling, I asked, “Uh…why don’t you try using Sand Attack, Rigby?”

Groaning, Rigby scratched at the ground, scraping away bits of rocks and dust before kicking what he gathered at one of the Swellows. Looking amused, the bird simply flew upwards a few inches, completely avoiding the blinding materials.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Winona teased, “Are you not aware that ground moves such as those do not affect airborne Pokémon?”

“Sand Attack’s a Ground move?” I scratched my head, “I…guess that makes sense, but…”

Winona shook her head, “What a shame, I thought that you would’ve learned that by now. Oh well, I suppose that we’ll have to teach you a lesson. Swellow, use Aerial Ace once more!”

Without hesitation, the Swellows dived at Rigby once again, causing him even more pain. Looking down at my Pokémon, I could tell that he was on his last legs; he was soon to faint. Feeling desperate, I said, “Okay Rigby, last try…use Fury Swipes!”

Gritting his teeth, Rigby used what remaining energy he had and leaped towards the Swellow in the middle. He reared his right paw, extended his claws, and…actually hit! Unfortunately, he only had the drive to swipe two times before falling back to the ground.

Winona raised her eyebrows, “Oh, how lucky; you actually landed a hit. But it’s time to put an end to this…Swellow, one final Quick Attack!”

Flying faster than I could comprehend, the swallows blitzed towards Rigby, with the one on the left delivering the final blow. Unable to go on any further, my Linoone fell over on his side, his chest rising and falling slowly as he laid motionless.

Returning my Pokémon, I shook my head and muttered, “Man, I hate evasion. How am I supposed to hit her now? I just need someone that can’t miss, someone with a move that…” a light went off in my head, “Oh wait, I’ve got it!” I reached into my bag and pulled out another Pokéball, throwing it out to reveal my Loudred, “Okay, Benjammin, I want you to try using Supersonic, okay? But spin around while doing it!”

As Benjammin charged up his vocal cords, Winona said, “Oh, a Loudred? We may have to be a bit careful, Swellow; remain evasive with another Double Team!”

I watched as both of the Swellow copies moved even faster, each of them splitting apart to make it seem as though 4 Swellows were on the field. While this was even more confusing, I wasn’t too worried; I had a plan. Smiling, I watched as Benjammin opened his mouth, singing a disorienting song as he jumped and spun around, making a racket for everyone to hear. As I hoped, my Loudred’s noise caused a change in one of the Swellow’s behavior; its flapping pattern became more sloppy and unrefined. It was confused!

While I could tell that Winona was disgruntled by this information, she appeared to be hiding it quite well as she ordered, “Swellow, pay no heed to this minor inconvenience. Use Aerial Ace!”

A brief second passed before each of the birds dove towards Benjammin. While 3 of them ended up hitting Benjammin spot on, one of them crashed into the ground right in front of my Pokémon, having failed its attack attempt.

Overjoyed, I pointed forward and said, “This is your chance, Benjammin! Use Stomp!”

Benjammin gladly obliged, raising his right foot high before bringing it down hard onto the Swellow’s dark blue head. Benjammin must’ve been extra stoked this time around, because the Swellow ended up being taken out in one hit.

Winona returned her bird, taking a second to think over what just happened before clapping, “Well played, Rohon, that was very clever. I expected no less from a resourceful trainer such as yourself! But let us see how you fare against my next Pokémon…” she retrieved another ball, throwing it out to release a Pelipper, “Go on, Pelipper, strike with Wing Attack!”

As the Pelipper dived at Benjammin, I said, “Start building up your Echoed Voice, Benjammin! Let’s make some noise!”

Benjammin took a deep breath, preparing himself to begin his yelling session before he was whacked on the head by a long and thick Pelipper wing. Shaking his head, my Loudred growled before shouting as loud and as long as he could, prompting me to cover my ears.

“Hey!” I yelled, “That’s not Echoed Voice! Aren’t you supposed to…” I trailed off, thinking over the situation that I was in. Having an idea in my head, I pulled out my Pokédex and took a look at Benjammin’s page. As I thought, he had forgotten Echoed Voice all by himself in favor of learning Uproar. “Hey…” I started, shooting a look at my rowdy Pokémon. However, I decided not to go any further; while this was technically disobedient behavior, strong moves were strong moves. Why shouldn’t I be happy that my Pokémon showed some initiative in learning a move by himself? With that in mind, I said, “Okay, good, keep doing that!”

Winona put her hands on her hips, wearing a small frown on her face; while she remained calm, I could tell that she was at least a little bit annoyed. “What a racket this is.” she stated, “Pelipper, be a dear and put an end to this with Water Pulse.”

Wincing a bit at the loudness of the area, the Pelipper nonetheless proceeded to store up water before shooting a ring of it right into Benjammin’s gaping mouth. My Pokémon sputtered, spitting out the foreign liquid before getting right back to yelling, bringing the Pelipper more discomfort.

Instead of getting more disturbed, I noticed a calmer shift in Winona’s demeanor, looking as if she somehow had the advantage. Smiling, she said, “Pelipper, use Roost.”

Immediately, the pelican flew down to the ground, resting its wings by its sides as it closed its eyes peacefully. Although Benjammin was still screaming, his racket didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the Pelipper. To make matters worse, after his opponent took his attack in strides, Benjammin stopped shouting, taking a moment to catch his breath.

I stood there in surprised shock, unable to accept what happened as truth. What was that? Benjammin yelled as loud as I’ve ever heard him, how isn’t that Pelipper done for, yet?” As I was struggling with my thoughts, Winona clapped once and said, “Very good, Pelipper! A Water Pulse would be most beneficial right about now.”

The Pelipper nodded, flying back up into the air before launching another ring of water right at Benjammin’s face. After having the wavy projectile splash against his body, Benjammin’s stance became wobbly as he let out a low groan. To my disbelief, it was now Benjammin who was confused.

I shook my head in disappointment, an annoyed look on my face as I said, “Ugh…try using Stomp, Benjammin.”

I watched my Pokémon for any signs of action, but he simply stood there, staring forward with a blank expression. Did he even hear me?

Seeing this, Winona chuckled, “Oh, would you look at that, your poor Loudred must have made itself deaf with its own yelling! What a shame. Pelipper, I believe that we should put this Loudred out of its misery. Use Wing Attack one more time!”

Without any doubt, the Pelipper reared itself up, holding its wings back before spinning like a top towards the unresponsive Benjammin. Unfortunately, my Pokémon was too dazed to defend himself, and he ended up taking a strong wing to the chest. With all of his energy gone, my Loudred fell backwards, his eyes becoming glazed over and lifeless as he groaned, “Louu…”

Regrettably, I returned my Pokémon, holding his Pokéball close to my heart as I said, “You did good, Benjammin, you really did. But now…” springing into action, I grabbed Bruce’s Pokéball and threw it out, exclaiming, “Go, go, go, Bruce, use Bite!”

Immediately after exiting the capsule, Bruce flipped himself onto the Pelipper, latching onto its tail with his strong jaw. Thankfully, the Pelipper was low enough on energy to fall to this attack, and it crashed down to the ground, defeated.

Winona widened her eyes before returning her Pelipper and saying, “Oh, so that’s how you want to play? Very well, two can play at that game…” she put away her Pokéball before getting another one and throwing it out, “Use Steel Wing, Skarmory!”

Not even a second after exiting, the emerging Skarmory cut through the air like a knife, cutting Bruce’s side in one fell swoop. Already tired from his previous battles, Bruce submitted and rolled over onto his back with his eyes closed.

Returning my Carvanha, I said, “Well, uh…Nigel, it’s your turn! Take to the skies!”

As Nigel emerged, Winona said, “Oh, a sky battle? I like your thinking, Rohon. Well then, let us make the atmosphere more fitting, shall we? Skarmory, raise the roof and use Drill Peck!”

Letting out a shrill “Skarr!”, the Skarmory did a 180 before flying up to the roof at a great speed, using its wake to lift the surprisingly light leaves and allow even more light in. With the sky now exposed, the Skarmory made a curving turn, rotating its body like a drill before barrelling towards Nigel with full force.

As my Pelipper reeled from the attack, I said, “Counter with Surf Nigel!”

My Pokémon obeyed, building up water in his large beak before spewing it all onto the ground. While most of it fell into the abyss below, a good amount of it hit the Skarmory, causing it to be pushed back a bit.

Stepping to the side to avoid some of the water, Winona stated, “Don’t let a little water stop you, Skarmory. Strike back with Swift!”

The Skarmory flew upwards and spread its wings, letting out a loud caw before breathing stars straight at Nigel.

I pointed upwards, calling, “Go up and meet him with Payback, Nigel!”

My Pelipper nodded, flapping his wings to fly towards the Skarmory with malicious intent, bringing one of his wings forward to smack the bird right in the face.

“Are you going to take that lying down, Skarmory?” Winona asked, “Fight on with another Drill Peck!”

The Skarmory proceeded to do a backwards loop in the air before rotating its steel-covered body and crashing into Nigel. In retaliation, I commanded, “Come on, Nigel, it's time to use Air…wait, that wouldn’t be very effective, would it? Er…just use Surf again!”

Nigel obliged, preparing his liquids before aiming his beak straight down and spewing water in a wide, airborne wave. With nowhere to escape, the Skarmory was slammed down to the ground by the massive amount of water, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Raising its head slightly, the armored bird let out one final “Ar…ar…” before submitting to its exhaustion, unwilling to fight any further.

“Woo-hoo!” cheered May from afar, still sitting on the Tropius, “You’re doing great, Rohon!”

Winona returned her Skarmory and clapped, saying, “Indeed you are. Your battle skills are nothing short of impressive. Exactly what I expected from someone like you! But I believe it's time for me to get serious.”

At that moment, to my complete surprise, Winona did a backflip into the pit behind her. Shocked, I ran over and looked down where she fell, checking to see if she was okay. It was then that I was knocked onto my butt by a large blue bird with cloud-like wings that suddenly rose up from the chasm. Groaning, I looked up at the bird, noticing that it was holding Winona’s hands firmly in its talons. Fearlessly, Winona let go of the bird’s feet and landed back to where she was standing. Smiling proudly, she waited for the bird to descend to her level before saying, “This is Altaria, my finest partner. Quite the beautiful avian, isn’t she? Me and her have worked tirelessly to be the best, most elegant fliers in all of Hoenn.” Winona swept her hand forward, exclaiming, “Now, witness her full, cultivated might! Use Dragon Pulse, Altaria!”

Completely awestruck by Winona’s powerful introduction, I forgot to do anything to retaliate her Altaria’s move. Thus, Nigel was unable to do anything when the Altaria raised her puffy wings and released a purple bean from her mouth and right onto my Pelipper. Making a pitiful “pel…”, Nigel fell right back down to the ground, defeated.

I shook my head to free myself from my stupor and returned Nigel before grabbing my last Pokéball and holding it close to my head, saying, “Okay, this is my last chance. Axol, you’re my best Pokémon; you’ll come through, I just know it.” Nodding to myself, I threw the ball forward, exclaiming, “Let’s win this, Axol!”

Axol landed on the rocky terrain with a loud thump, arching his back as he growled, “Swaaamp…”

Looking down at my Swampert, Winona smirked, “Ah, a Water/Ground type? Such a bold choice…well, Altaria, let us show him some spectacular soaring, shall we? Use Fly!”

The Altaria raised her head to the sky and chirped “Tair-tair-taria!” before flying upwards, using her cloud wings to rise many feet into the air. Looking up, I said to myself, “What the...how high is she?”

I had only a few moments to wonder about the abilities of the Altaria before she rapidly descended, moving into do perform a powerful dive-bomb attack on Axol, using her harder head to great effect.

I jumped back in surprise, saying, “Woah! What was that?!”

Winona put her hand over her mouth and laughed, “Are you amazed? This is the result of our tireless training; my Altaria can now fly as high as her heart wills it! Wonderful, isn’t it?”

I took a second longer to look at the Altaria before saying, “…Uh yeah. But, uh…can she take a Water move? Axol, use Surf!”

Winona crossed her arms, smiled, and watched as my Swampert conjured up a wave to strike her Altaria. For some reason, though, the wave didn’t do much to the bird; other than having her feathers drenched, the Altaria wasn’t very hurt at all.

As the Altaria shook herself off, Winona chuckled, “Oh, you’re so naïve. Don’t you know that Dragon resists Water?”

My eyes became like saucers, “Hold on, WHAT?! That’s a DRAGON?!”

“Hehe, you are not the first person to be surprised by that fact. Yes, Altaria is in fact a Dragon-type. Just another example of how one must never judge a book by its cover, hehe.” She pointed forward, saying, “Now, Altaria, follow up with your strongest Earthquake!”

The Altaria flew up and let out a warbling “Alalalair!”, causing the very ground beneath Axol to shake and quake, leading to my Swampert falling flat onto his face. Fortunately, despite the apparent power of this attack, Axol didn’t look too hurt. Slightly pleased by this, I said, “Okay, uh, why don’t you try Rock Slide?”

Axol gladly obliged, punching the ground beneath him with his strong fists and brought up a good amount of stones, which he promptly hurled at the Altaria. Unfortunately, though, he ended up missing.

Winona chuckled, “Oh, that’s too bad; Rock moves are quite prone to missing. Dragon Pulse, however, does not have that problem. Altaria, why don’t you show our friend some proof?”

The Altaria agreed, opening her mouth to let out another draconic beam at my Pokémon. I cringed a bit, thinking about how such a laser might feel before saying, “Okay, Axol, try again. Use Rock Slide!”

Shaking his head, Axol struck the ground again, gathering more ammo for himself and unloading it before…missing again!

“Oh, come on,” I complained, “Seriously?”

Winona laughed some more, “Oh, such unfortunate luck! I would like to show you mercy, but…that wouldn’t be very honorable, now would it? Altaria, another Fly, please!”

As the bird once again flew upwards, I thought to myself, Man, this is crazy. How does Axol miss two times in a row? And this Altaria just keeps on attacking…I just need a break. But how can I… Once again, an idea popped into my head, “Oh wait…Axol, use Protect!”

Looking up to the sky, Axol brought his thick arms up to cover his face, assuming a defensive position. By the time the Altaria came down, she was met by Axol’s strong defense, rendering her attack useless.

Winona raised her eyebrows, “Oh, so you have Protect…that may throw a wrench into my plans.” She smiled, speaking with unwavered confidence, “But you cannot defend against my Pokémon’s Dragon Pulses forever. Whittle him down, Altaria!”

As the bird charged up another beam, I gasped and said, “Axol, use…actually, you know what?” I shook my head, “Screw it. Try Rock Slide again!”

Just as Axol was about to gather some more stones, the Altaria fired a shot at him, bringing him even more pain. Looking at my Swampert, I began to get a bit worried; he was looking as if he was about to be defeated. Despite the situation, though, Axol remained determined; picking up the rocks that he collected, he hurled them at Altaria with full force, causing her to make a loud, shrill chirp; the attack was super effective.

I clenched my fists, cheering, “Yes! Do it again, Axol!”

Winona crossed her arms, giving me a curious look as she said, “You refuse to even make an attempt to protect yourself…interesting. Well, Altaria, let us not deny our opponent their opposition. This last Dragon Pulse should finish this fight!”

Without wasting a second, the Altaria fired up her laser once more, blasting Axol for big damage. Greatly hurt, Axol fell onto his back, crying out in pain. I felt my heart drop, knowing that this could very well be a sign of my last Pokémon fainting. I looked at Axol closely, checking for something, anything that would tell me if Axol was okay. Aw, geez, I thought, is this it? Is this the end?

After what felt like a century, I saw Axol roll forward, shaking his head as he glared at the Altaria. He was still kicking! Growling in a low tone, Axol gathered his last batch of rocks and lobbed them into the air with a mighty “Swaaaam!”, causing an avalanche of stones to rain down on the blue bird, pinning her wings right to the ground. Letting out a meek whimper, the Altaria rested her head on the ground, finally done with.

Chapter 64: Sky-High Success

Chapter Text

I stood there in shocked silence as Winona returned her Altaria, noticing that she, too, was surprised at my victory. This look of amazement was replaced by a proud smile as she clapped, saying, “Very good, Rohon, very good, indeed. I never thought I would meet another individual so determined to attain victory in my life. You and your Swampert truly are high-fliers.”

I blinked before smiling slightly, saying, “Oh, uh, thank you! Yeah, Axol’s the best, isn’t he?”

Winona nodded, “Indeed he is. And such greatness deserves an equally appreciable reward…”

Again, Winona jumped off of the platform she was on, diving into the abyss with zero fear. Though I was slightly worried, I knew that, just like before, Winona would return safely.

As I expected, Winona did, in fact, come back. With that being said, she didn’t return in the way I was expecting; instead of being carried by a bird, she flipped back up from the pit all by herself, performing multiple front flips before landing right in front of me with flourish. As I gawked at her acrobatic skills, she showed her left hand, revealing a bundle of bills, “Herr are 4,200 Pokédollars just for you. And here…” she showed her right hand, revealing an encased disk, “Is the HM for Fly. Now, your Pokémon may soar through the air whenever they please just like my beauties. And finally…” she reached up to her lavender hair and pulled out a small item from one of her feather-like tufts of hair, “Here is my badge, the Feather Badge.”

My eyes sparkled as I gazed at the shiny, grey, feather-like badge. Though the design was simple, that didn’t stop me from appreciating my new gift. Clenching the trinket, I looked at Winona and smiled, “Thank you, Winona, thank you very much.”

“You are very much welcome, my friend,” the Gym Leader responded, “It is my pleasure to recognize the skill of such a potent trainer. I can just sense that you will reach great heights, indeed; with your power, I am certain that you will rise to the heavens. No, not the heavens…you could very well reach vast space!”

I laughed, scratching the back of my head, “Oh, I don’t know about that…”

Winona chuckled, “Oh, do not be so humble! You are a prodigy, and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.” She waved out in a dramatic fashion, declaring, “Now go, young trainer, and show the world just how high you and your Pokémon can go! I shall be waiting to hear of your prowess.”

Deciding to just end things here, I replied, “Okay, I’ll do my best.” With that, I walked my way out, backtracking along the path that I traveled on to reach the entrance/exit.

Once I exited the Gym, May followed soon afterward, stepping in front of me with an excited smile and saying, “Oh my gosh, that was awesome, Rohon! Did you see that final moment?! It looked like Axol was about to fall, but he hanged on by a freaking thread! It was completely insane!”

Putting on a cool face, I put my hands behind my head and said, “Eh, it wasn’t much. I knew that Axol had the guts to survive a hit like that.”

Giving me a teasing look, May punched me in the shoulder and said, “Come on, don’t you lie to me, Rohon. I saw you, you were nervous as heck!”

Rubbing my shoulder, I responded, “Okay, so I was nervous. Who wouldn’t be? But I’m telling you, I had faith in Axol. He’s very tough!”

May rolled her eyes, “Yeah, sure. Anyway, your Pokémon must be tired. Why don’t we head to the local Pokémon Center so we can plan our next steps?”

“Yeah, I guess we could do that.” I answered.

“Great. Well, follow me; I think I spied one over there…”

Without question, I followed after May, climbing up ropes and walking across the bridges connecting the treehouses before climbing down another rope and reaching the city’s Pokémon Center. Unlike its surroundings, the center was as modern as ever, looking exactly as sleek as every other building of its kind. Deciding not to question why such a non-traditional structure would be in a natural place like this, May and I headed inside to begin the healing process.

After handing my Pokémon to the tanned lady of the Pokémon Center, I sat myself down on a bench with May, taking the down time to rearrange the items in my backpack. As I waited, May asked me, “So, where to next, Rohon? Are we headed to the next city as usual?”

“Yep.” I pulled out my PokéNav, “And it says here that the next city in our path is…Lilycove City. We can get there by…oh wait, it says there’s no Gym there. Well, whatever, past that city is Mossdeep City; there is a Gym there.”

“Oh, cool!” May said, “And how do we get there?”

I took a closer look at the map, “Well, as I said, we take a right past here to get to Route 120, go down and right to get to Route 121 and Lilycove City, and then…oh, looks like there’s an entire ocean we have to get through past there to get to Mossdeep…”

May’s eyes widened, “An entire ocean? I like swimming, yeah, but I don’t know if I could handle swimming that great of a distance…”

“Yeah, me either…” I held my chin and looked down before glancing at May with a smile, “But we do have our Pokémon to help us. They can just Surf us across!”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” May replied, “Heh, good thing we got that HM, huh? Oh, speaking of those, you did get that Fly HM, right? Would you mind me having a look at it after you’re done with it? My Swellow could use a stronger move.”

“Oh, sure.” I answered, “Once my Pokémon are done healing, I’ll teach Nigel Fly and then give you the HM.”

“Great! Thanks, buddy.”

-----------------------

After some more waiting, the nurse called me over so that I could pick up my Pokémon. Once I did that, I walked out with May, sent out Nigel, set my portable TV on the ground, and inserted the HM disk that I recently received inside. Following that, the usual video presentation popped onto the screen, with this one showing a large, blue dragon with head fins like my Swampert and big, red wings staring right at the screen. Giving us a toothy grin, the majestic beast growled, “Meeence…” before slowly stepping back and assuming a powerful stance, placing its short but strong legs firmly on the ground as it began to slowly flap its wings. Once it generated enough lift, it let out a powerful “Sala!” before suddenly accelerating upwards, displacing the dirt all around it. After a few seconds, the dragon landed back on the ground with a mighty thud, giving the camera another sharp smile before the video came to an end.”

“Oh.” said May, “That was…quick. Did your Pelipper learn anything?”

I shrugged, “There’s only one way to find out. Pelipper, use Fly! Oh, and I guess you can forget Air Cutter.”

Nigel tilted his head and opened his beak before peeking up and raising his wings, slowly flapping them to lift himself up before rapidly ascending into the air. After a moment, he came back down, letting out a satisfied squawk.”

“Oh, looks like he did!” May said, “Well, my turn!”

With that, May brought out her Swellow and replayed the demonstration for her to watch. After the short reel was finished, Swellow proceeded to gracefully rise up, moving with much greater speed and certainty than my pelican. After a few seconds in the air, Swellow returned to us, doing a cool flip before roosting on the ground before us, preening her feathers before closing her eyes proudly.

May giggled, “Great job, Swellow! Well, looks like we both have our own fliers, eh, Rohon? Life should be much more interesting going forward!”

“Yeah, you got that right.” I responded, “Hopefully this will help us with our journey.”

With that matter being settled, May and I deployed our bikes and rode off, ready to continue our adventure.

Chapter 65: Thieving Tykes

Chapter Text

Using our bikes to speed up our trip, May and I zoomed our way down the grassy Route 120, took a right to ride through the similarly-natural Route 121, and continued straight ahead to reach the seaside settlement of Lilycove City, “Where the land ends and the sea begins”, according to the welcoming sign. Putting away my bike, I looked around at the many buildings and attractions, breathing in the nostalgic, salty air as I did. Despite the presence of the various structures, the area’s abundance of grass combined with the nearby beach made for a calm, balanced atmosphere.

This stable vibe was interrupted by the shriek of a little girl crying, “Help! Thief!”

Perking up, May asked, “A thief? Where?”

Squinting my eyes, I looked towards a large building to the north where the sound came from to spot two people in blue striped shirts, “Hey, those guys look like…”

May let out an annoyed huff, “Ugh, it’s Manny and Jahmai again! What are they up to now?” Grumbling, May ran ahead of me, saying, “Come on, Rohon, you know the drill. Let’s teach these criminals a lesson!”

Shaking my head, I speed walked after May, responding, “Sure thing…”

With that, May and I gave chase, running past the city’s Pokémon Center, up a boardwalk, and to the right of the previously mentioned building to close in on the Bubble Brothers. As we continued our pursuit on the Team Aqua siblings, the younger one turned his head briefly before gasping and shouting at his brother, “Manny! It’s them!”

The older delinquent promptly turned his head to face us before widening his eyes in shock, exclaiming, “Ah shizz!” before coming to a stop and facing us. “What the hell are you doing here?!” he yelled, “Are you trying to piss us off?!”

May skidded to a stop and gave our adversaries a piercing look, stating, “Call it fate. And for the record, little kids like you shouldn’t be so foul-mouthed.”

Manny gave May a defiant scowl and retorted, “Don’t tell me what to do! Ain’t you a kid, too?!”

“I am! But you don’t see me being that vulgar, now do you?”

“Yeah, no sh*t! And that just makes you the losers here!”

May rolled her eyes, “Yeah, whatever you say, Manny. Now hand over whatever you stole, I know you have it!”

At this, Manny crossed his arms and replied, “Who says we have anything?”

As if on cue, a small, red-haired girl ran up to us and pointed at the Bubble Brothers, saying, “Hey, you meanies! Gimme my Leaf Stone back!”

“Damn it.” Manny complained, shaking his head, “Fricking brat…”

“Aha!” May exclaimed before pulling out one of her Pokéballs, “You heard her, you two. Now, are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?”

Manny snickered, “Heh, you must think you’re real tough, huh? Well, jokes on you, sis, me n’ Jahmai have a brand spanking new team to work with! You won’t stand a chance!” Following that statement, he pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket with his right hand and used his other hand to make a “come-at-me” gesture, “Bring it, chumps.”

As Jahmai got himself ready for action, May glanced at me and said, “Here we go, Rohon. It’s time for another Double Battle!”

Sighing, I retrieved one of my Pokéballs from my bag and replied, “Seems like it…”

So, we all sent out our Pokémon; May deployed her Wailmer, I released Gooey, Manny revealed a black bug with a yellow mask and white wings and Jahmai a Vigoroth. Looking at the bug, I asked, “Hey, what’s that thing?”

Smiling cockily, Manny answered, “Heh, you impressed? My stupid little Nincada finally evolved into a Ninjask! He’s fast as frick now!”

Laughing, Jahmai added, “Oh, oh, and my Slakoth involved into Vigorous! He’s sooo much stronger now!”

Rolling his eyes at his brother’s naming mistake, Manny continued, “Yeah, yeah. Anyway…” he pointed forward, “Use Fury Cutter on that fat purple thing, Ninjask!”

Immediately after his master spoke, the Ninjask flew faster than I could comprehend and cut at Gooey’s chest with one of his short claws. This attack, however, didn’t seem to do much.

As Manny made a face in surprise, Jahmai said, “U-um, Vigoro use…”

Before Jahmai could finish his sentence, his Vigoroth ran at May’s Wailmer like a madman, flailing his arms as he let out a loud battle cry. Reeling back in surprise, May cried, “Wah! Wailmer, stop him with Rollout!”

As Wailmer began spinning, I said, “Gooey, help out with Sludge!”

As soon as Jahmai’s Vigoroth was in lunging distance, May’s Wailmer took off, tumbling forward like a bowling ball to knock the Vigoroth off his feet. As the sloth flailed around in the air, Gooey launched a well-timed clump of poison to strike his foe, sending the Vigoroth right back down to the ground.

Shaking his head, Manny said, “Okay, so Fury Cutter isn’t working on that fatty…try it on that Wailmer, Ninjask!”

Somehow moving even faster than before, the Ninjask darted after Wailmer as he was spinning and swiped at his rear, this time with more force than before. Seeing this, May ordered, “Don’t take that lightly, Wailmer! Turn around and continue your assault on that Ninjask!”

Obeying, the spherical Pokémon did a 180° and charged at the Ninjask, rolling at a faster pace before jumping up and striking the cicada for massive damage. Closing his eyes in great pain, the bug made a loud, whining, “Ja-jaaaa!” before spinning straight down to the ground, unable to continue fighting.”

Manny’s mouth gaped open, his eyes showing utter disbelief as he stared at his defeated Pokémon for a solid few seconds. After a short delay, he shouted, “Holy sh*t! What was that move?!”

Placing her hands on her hips proudly, May explained, “Oh, that was just a simple Rollout…that happens to be doubly effective. Don’t you know that Ninjask is both a Flying and a Bug type? They hate rocks!”

I watched some gears turn in Manny’s head before he let out a groan of frustration, “Man, this is bull! Agh…well at least…Jahmai!”

Manny looked towards his brother, who was in the middle of returning his fallen Vigoroth. “What are you doing?!” the older sibling asked, “Your Vigoroth only did one thing!”

Slightly tearing up, Jahmai looked at his brother and responded, “Yeah, but that mean purple guy poisoned Vigora! He’s dead now!”

“What?!” Manny looked back and forth between us and Jahmai before shaking his head, “Geez…whatever, we’ve got more mons.” He fished out another Pokéball and threw it out, revealing what looked to be a hollow, green exoskeleton with a halo, “Shedinja, you’re up!”

Following in his brother’s footsteps, Jahmai got his own capsule and threw it forward to release a Seedot, “Go, Seedit!”

As our opponents sent out their next battlers, May tilted her head and asked, “You have a decent Pokémon, Manny, but…what’s with your Seedot, Jahmai?”

Shamelessly, Jahmai answered, “This guy is brand-new! Manny told me he’ll be strong!”

At this, Manny said, “But only when he—y’know what…never mind. Just leave the fighting to me, Jahmai. Now, Shedinja, use…”

In the middle of Manny’s order, May stated, “Let’s end this quick, Wailmer! Aim for that Shedinja!”

Immediately, the whale turned a corner and rolled at an even faster pace towards the floating exoskeleton, knocking it flat on its back with a crisp crunch. Without making a single sound, the empty Pokémon laid still and motionless, seemingly done with battling.

“Oh, come on,” Manny complained, “Seriously? He didn’t even do anything!”

May shrugged, “You should’ve thought twice before exposing a Bug-type to a Rock move…”

I nodded, “Yeah…like how Jahmai should’ve thought about this move…Gooey, use Sludge on that Seedot!”

Gooey obeyed, quickly launching a sludge ball straight at the acorn. To no one’s surprise, the Seedot immediately fainted.

Placing his hands on his cheeks, Jahmai cried, “Seedop!”

“It’s Seedo—” Manny shook his head, “Ah, whatever. Next Pokémon!” With that, Manny pulled out another ball and hurled it forward to reveal a Numel, “Hold this Lava Plume! Use it, Numel!”

As the camel slowly prepared its attack, Jahmai sent out a Wailmer of his own, saying, “Uh, use Astonish!”

May rolled her eyes, “Wow, more unevolved Pokémon. Wailmer, use your fourth Rollout on that Numel! Rohon, you can just use Sludge on that Wailmer.”

“Alright.” I responded.

So, we began our counterattack; moving first, both of our Pokémon struck the opposition with their moves. Both of them went down in a single hit.

“The f…!” Manny stared in shock at the defeated Pokémon, “But how?! Ain’t this thing supposed to be defensive?”

“Maybe,” May answered, “But yours must be undertrained. Sure, Rollout is very powerful at this stage, but any reasonable trainer would have Pokémon able to withstand that move at this point.”

Offended by this, Manny gave May a bitter stare and burst, “Shut your mouth, bi*ch, don’t talk to me about how I’m training! Here, I’ll show you proof of how good I am!” he grabbed another ball and threw it forward to reveal a Delcatty, “This is the power of a Moon Stone, suckers! Show that Wailmer how powerful your new self is with a Double Slap, Delcatty!”

Meowing in affirmation, the cat ran after the rampaging Wailmer and batted at him as if he was a toy, knocking him slightly off balance. Seeing this, May said, “Oh no, Manny’s Pokémon evolved! Anyway…” a confident smirk crossed her face, “Use your final Rollout on that Delcatty, Wailmer.”

Now at full speed, the smallish whale made a wide turn before ramming into the Delcatty with maximum power, causing the feline to yowl in pain. Overwhelmed by the sheer force, the cat fell on his side and let out a sad “dely” before closing his eyes.”

“…Ho. Ly. Sh*t.” Manny returned his Pokémon, “What was that damage?! What kinda Wailmer you got, girl?!”

May shrugged, “Oh, just the usual kind…which happens to be leagues stronger than your Delcatty. Not to mention that he was on his 5^th and most powerful Rollout. What did you expect?”

Manny’s face turned red, “Ay, watch your tone, loser! I haven’t even brung out my ace in the hole!” Angrily, he fished out his last Pokéball to reveal his trusty Grovyle, which took a ready stance with his sharp leaves pointed towards us. “Yeah, maybe he’s not evolved,” Manny said, “But he’ll still destroy you! Slash that whale with Leaf Blade, Grovyle!”

Without a second thought, the lizard dashed towards Wailmer, who was busy resting after his 5-part bowling session, and cut at him with his knife-like leaves. Moaning lowly, the Wailmer rolled over on his side, unable to go on any longer.

“Dang it,” May stated, “That hurt. But we have something that can hurt him right back! Rohon, why don’t you do the honors?”

I nodded, “Okay. Gooey, you know the drill. Use Sludge one more time!”

My Swalot obliged, building up one final glob of poison before barfing it at the Grovyle, bringing him great pain. Despite what his strong façade suggested, the lizard was downed in one single hit, falling flat on his belly as he shuddered from the sickening effect of the toxic sludge.

Chapter 66: Newfound Growth

Chapter Text

Manny got down on his knees and banged the ground with his fist, yelling, “Damn it! All I wanted was to evolve Grovyle! Why did you losers have to come muck everything up?”

May put her hands on her hips and gave Manny an inquisitive look, “What does stealing a Leaf Stone have to do with that?”

“Um, are you stupid?” Manny did a shrugging gesture towards May, “Grovyle’s a Grass-type, so he would evolve with a Leaf Stone. Obviously.”

Me and May exchanged glances before she said to Manny, “That’s…not how it works, Manny.”

“What?!” Manny’s eyes widened, “No. No way you’re telling the truth.”

“Uh, yeah I am. Not at Grass-types need a Leaf Stone to evolve. You’ve just gotta train your Grovyle normally!”

Manny stared at us in silence for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes and shaking his head, “Shut up! I didn’t need any help from you do-gooders anyway! Come on, Jahmai, we’re leaving!”

“Coming! Oh, but wait…” Jahmai ran over to me and handed me 500 Pokédollars, “Here you go.”

Manny reeled back in offended shock before rushing at his brother and pulling him away, barking, “What did I tell you, Jahmai?! We. Are. Criminals. We don’t give away money!”

Jahmai looked down at the ground, “Sorry, brother, I—”

“Oh, just be quiet.” Manny gave us a hostile look as he retrieved a smoke bomb from his pocket, “Watch your backs, cause the Bubble Brothers are gonna get you soon!” Following that warning, the older delinquent threw the distractor on the ground, providing him and Jahmai with a getaway.

May waved her hand in front of her, remarking, “There goes that weird name, again. Sheesh…” she looked at the ground where Manny and Jahmai were previously standing, “Oh, well would you look at that, they dropped the Leaf Stone! Hah, some thieves!” She walked over to the green, leaf-imprinted stone and handed it to the girl standing next to us, “Here you go, little lady, right back where it belongs.

The child looked up at May with a warm smile, “Thank you very much! You chased those mean bullies aaall the way back to where they came from, and now I have my Leaf Stone aaall to myself…”

May smiled warmly, “Oh, yes you do! Enjoy it, you sweet thing.”

The girl nodded eagerly, “Oh, I will, I will! I can’t wait to…” she gasped, “Wait! Oh, no…”

May tilted her head, “Hm? What’s wrong?”

The girl held her head and shook it, “Oh nooo, I bought the wrong stone! I’m trying to evolve Bushy into a Vaporeon…” she pulled out a Pokéball and threw it forward, revealing a brown, fox-like Pokémon, “But I bought a Leaf Stone instead! Oh…”

May held her hand to her chin, “Oh no, I’m so sorry. That must’ve been such a big waste of money…”

“Yeah…” the girl hung her head low before looking up with a more hopeful expression, “But wait! I can use it for something different…wanna have my Leaf Stone?”

May placed her hand on her chest, “Wait, you want *us* to have it? Are you sure?”

The girl nodded, “Yep! You deserve it for chasing those pirates away. It’s my gift!”

May let out a short laugh, saying with a pleasantly surprised expression, “Oh, thank you, little girl! We’ll be sure to find the best use for…hey!”

Without any permission, May’s Nuzleaf ejected himself from his ball, reaching for the Leaf Stone with an eager grin. As soon as Nuzleaf did that, the Leaf Stone began to lose its shine, seemingly transferring it into Nuzleaf’s body, which began to glow white as he underwent a transformation. As his body became wider and thicker, his head leaf split multiple times, scattering across his head and face like a fire until he was left with a long, white, flowing mane. His brown nose grew even longer and darker as he sprouted equally long, pointy ears, having them stick out of his thick hair. To top off the transformation, his arms essentially became tree branches, replacing his glove-like hands with fan-like leaves. Standing on top of his woody, sandal-like feet, the former Nuzleaf opened his large mouth wide and rumbled, “Shiiiftry!”

May gazed at her newfound Pokémon in utter awe, saying, “Wow, Nuzleaf. You evolved into a…” she took a quick glance at her Pokédex, “A Shiftry! So that’s how you evolve…” she smiled at me, “Pretty clever, isn’t he?”

I nodded, “Yeah, you could say that. Though it was a bit sudden…”

The girl walked up to Shiftry, reaching a curious hand towards his hard chest, “Woah…he’s so cool! He’s like a living tree…”

Glancing down at the kid, Shiftry simply allowed the girl to explore him to her heart’s desire; he seemed a lot calmer and reasonable than his previous self.

After a good few seconds of observing and tugging at Shiftry’s hair and leaves, the girl pouted and said, “I’m so jealous; I could’ve caught a Nuzleaf and used my Leaf Stone on it! Then I could’ve had a big Shiftry to play with!”

May chuckled and patted the girl’s head, “Hey, look at it this way: soon, you’ll have a shiny Water Stone to evolve your Eevee with. After all, I did hear that Vaporeons are great companions to have!”

The girl crossed her arms, “Yeah, I guess…but still, your Shiftry looks totally wicked!” she huffed, “But my mommy did say ‘you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit’, so you can keep your Shiftry.”

May took a step back and placed her hands on her hips, “That’s very mature of you, good job. And hey, good luck with finding your Water Stone! You won’t regret using it.”

Cheering up slightly, the girl looked up at May and responded, “Thanks” before picking up her resting Eevee, turning around and continuing, “I’ll go and do that right now. Bye-bye, you two!”

As our new friend left, May waved and called, “Bye, little girl, I hope your Eevee enjoys its evolution!” As soon as the girl departed, May turned towards me and stated, “What a kind girl.”

I rolled my eyes, “She’s also really good at being unsupervised. Did she seriously go into a store and get robbed all by herself?”

May smirked, “Yeah, good point. But hey, there are some kids out there who can handle themselves well. Just…not this one, I guess.”

“Yeah, apparently.” I pulled out my bike, “Anyway, can we get back on track?”

May shook her head from side to side in an exasperated way, “Okay, Mr. Always-in-a-rush, if you wanna go so badly, let’s just head off.”

Satisfied by this answer, I watched May return her Shiftry and get on her bike before riding after me, looking slightly annoyed but also somewhat amused.

Chapter 67: Blockade at the Beach

Chapter Text

From Lilycove City, May and I rode across the grassy terrain and onto more sandy grounds, where the wide, expansive sea awaited us. As we approached the water, we saw two small figures in striped clothes run towards a large rock in the ocean to our left.

Looking in that direction, May said, “Hey, isn’t that Manny and Jahmai? What are they doing now?”

Looking around to make sure that no one was watching (and apparently not noticing/ignoring us), the duo jumped into the water and swam their way directly to the rock. Just before May and I could wonder what exactly was going through those kid’s heads, a small, door-shaped opening revealed itself in the rock, allowing the Bubble Brothers to get inside.

Me and May came to a screeching halt, with my friend exclaiming, “HUH?! What was that?! How did they do that?!”

I squinted at the rock in contemplation, responding, “Well, by the looks of it, it seems like one of those secret entrances. You know, like in spy movies?”

May smacked her head, “Oh yeah, of course. Wait…” she turned towards me with a surprised expression, “Does that mean that those two have a secret base? No, there’s no way; no regular kids would have technology that advanced. Which means…this must be Team Aqua’s base!”

I raised an eyebrow at this, “Is that your reasoning? I…actually, you might have a point.”

With a smile, May responded, “Yeah! And you know what this means…now’s our chance to get rid of the problem at it’s root!”

“Wait, what?” I took a step back, “Hey, I didn’t agree to this! Why the heck would we go directly into their house? We’ll get torn apart!”

May patted me on the back reassuringly, “Hey, we’ll be fine! Our Pokémon have grown strong lately; we even have access to Mega Evolution! Who’s to say that we can’t handle this little challenge? So…” she grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the rock, “Let’s just go already!”

Startled, I was unable to resist May’s firm grip as she again forced me into an undesirable fate. “Come on, May,” I said as I tried to dig my feet into the sand, “This is unnecessary. Can’t we just—”

“Wailmer! Water Spout!”

Just then, me and May were struck by a cascade of water, which knocked us flat on our feet. Holding her drenched locks in shock, May looked to the east where the water had came from and shouted, “Hey! What gives?!”

Idling in the water with 3 Wailmers behind them, a trio of women in Team Aqua uniforms swam up to us and gave us accusing looks. The one in the middle, a blonde woman, said, “What do you brats think you’re doing around these parts? Don’t you know that this is Team Aqua territory?”

May put her hands on her hips and answered, “Yeah, we had a feeling. In fact, that’s exactly why we’re here, to invade your base! Now, are you going to let us go peacefully, or will me and Rohon have to teach you a lesson in pain?”

That same woman let out a short, amused laugh, “Oh, you think you’re real tough, eh, girlie? Just you try and fight us; we’ll have a whole crew of grunts on you faster than a Poliwrath can swim!”

May stepped forward, “Bring it on, lady! Me and my friend can take you on!”

At this, I ran forward in front of May and shouted, “No we can’t! Listen, can’t we just forget this situation and move on? We’re trying to get to Mossdeep City past here.”

The Team Aqua grunt raised an eyebrow, “Are you serious? Can’t you see that we’re busy training our Wailmer?”

“Yeah,” the grunt on the right, a long-haired brunette, added, “We’re in the middle of practicing our dives and flips. You wouldn’t want to interrupt such a important process, would you?”

May pushed me to the side and retorted, “But that’s nonsense! Why do you have to form a whole blockade just to practice some flips? And you’re criminals! What do these tricks even matter to you?”

The woman on the left, one with short, black hair, countered, “Mind your own business! What we do with our time is our business, not yours! No matter what you say, you’re not going anywhere past here as long as we’re around.”

“Yeah,” said the blonde, “What she said. So unless you wanna end up on the papers, I would recommend turning back.”

“Pssh,” May said, “Don’t make me laugh. Rohon and I can—”

“Wait!” I interjected, pulling May to the side and whispering, “May, just this once, can we not interject? Please?”

May narrowed her eyes at me, “But Rohon, we can’t just ignore this opportunity! So what if we might face a whole army? We can handle it!”

“May, no we can’t. We each only have about 6 Pokémon, they’ve gotta have like 40! Do you really think that we can take on that many?”

“I…” May’s confident face falters a bit, “Well…they could all be weak!”

“Or they could be Archie-level strong.”

I sensed another shift in May’s resolve as a small frown appeared on her face. Still trying to keep up her argument, she shook her head and said, “We don’t know that! What if…” she paused, taking a long look at the ground. After some contemplation, she sighed and looked back at me, stating, “You know what…you’re right. I guess we should just find a different route.”

As May and I turned around to leave, the blonde woman shouted after us, “That’s what I thought! And don’t you come back now, y’hear?!”

Scowling to herself, May muttered, “Yeah, just rub it in…Rohon, do you see any other way to get to Mossdeep City?”

I pulled out my PokéNav and took a quick look at it before answering, “Well, we could go back to Route 121, down to Route 122, and take a right from there. Yeah, there’s no official route there, but maybe we could find an opening to get to the ocean?”

“Eh, sounds kinda risky, but okay.” May nodded, getting back on her bike, “Let’s go.”

Chapter 68: A Grave Situation

Chapter Text

May squinted her eyes, “Mount Pyre...interesting.” She then turned towards me and offered me a small smile, “Well, how do you feel about exploring this place? It could be a great way to pass the time until those Team Aqua jerks get bored and swim away.”

After an uncomfortable amount of exploration, the woman looked me directly in the eyes and said in an eerie, whispery voice, “What brings you here, young one? You do not seem to be here for mourning. In fact, you appear...lost.”

As I stood there speechless, May, who had been watching the whole event, said with a bit of hesitation, “Um, excuse me, ma’am, but might I ask why you just touched my friend like that?”

The gothic woman stands there for a bit before breaking into a small, awkward smile and answering, “Oh--! I am terribly sorry...I must apologize. Such activity has become a bit of a...habit for me, you see. Yes, knowing one’s soul inside and out...it is a common pastime for us Hex Maniacs.”

Stepping away from me, the unsettling woman held her hands in front of her and stated, “I should introduce myself. I am Valerie...a Hex Maniac. Us Hex Maniacs are known for having a deep connection to the spiritual world. That is the reason for me being here; I seek to communicate with the lost souls present in this area.”

“Oh,” May said, “So you’re like a medium?”

Immediately, I put my hands up, stepped past Valerie, and walked towards the exit. “Nope.” I said, “Nope, nope, nope. I’m not doing this.”

Out of the blue, I felt the strong grip of a small hand on my leg. Startled, I directed my attention to that region, where I found a small, black troll with gems for eyes staring right up at me with a wicked smile.

“Okay, Valerie,” May interjected, “We’ll be careful. We’ll have these unwelcome guests kicked out in no time!”

“Ahuhu, perfect…” Valerie gave us a deep bow, “I wish you both the best of luck in your endeavor, young ones. Try not to get too spooked, hehehe.”

With that, Valerie slinked into the shadows, leaving us both relatively alone.

Putting her hands on her hips, May said, “Well, that was…interesting. I guess we had better get to solving this issue right away, huh, Rohon?”

I sighed, still feeling the chills from that encounter, “Yeah, I guess. Only if it means that I won’t be spirited away…”

Chapter 69: Paranormal Pranks

Chapter Text

May and I then walked forward, moving past all the grave markers and mourners before we came to a flight of stairs on the other side of the room. After those stairs came another floor...and another floor...and another one. After 2 more tiring floors, we finally reached a new area: a grassy path filled with a thin fog.

Letting out a sigh of relief, May said, “Phew, we made it. Looks like this is the exterior...”

I hugged my shoulders and looked around nervously, saying, “Um, yeah, seems like it...”

May looked back at me and smirked, asking, “What’s wrong, Rohon? You feeling creeped out?”

I nodded slowly and looked down, feeling embarrassed, “Y-yeah. This place is just too quiet. And dim. And empty.”

Giving me a reassuring smile, May walked up to me and said, “Well, don’t you worry, my friend, I’m right by your side. Come on, let’s find these fiends together.”

Feeling a bit calmed by May’s presence, I gulped and responded, “Okay. Thank you...”

And so, we both pressed onwards. Looking at May, I could tell that she was not the slightest bit worried about her circumstances; her assured stride and relaxed shoulders signified that. Meanwhile, I was as tense as a rock, taking small steps while following after May like a lost puppy. How familiar... I thought to myself.

I held up my hands innocently, retorting, “I didn’t do anything!”

May studied my expression for a bit before narrowing her eyes and turning back around, “Okay, if you say so. I guess it was just my imagination...”

As we continued walking up the mountain path, I noticed that the fog was growing slightly thicker. Thankfully, I could still see, but the phenomenon was weird nonetheless.

Furrowing her eyebrows with impatience, May pointed her finger up my nose and said, “This is no time for jokes, mister. One more slip-up and you will pay for it, you understand?!”

“Hmph. Alright.” May turned back around, “Last chance.”

Sighing, I tucked my hands inside my pockets and carried on. Maybe I actually am touching May? I wouldn’t be able to tell; there’s too much fog to do that. Hopefully this’ll help me keep myself in control...

May squinted, “Ghost? What are you...”

Just then, the apparition that I saw let out a low chuckle, causing May to shiver with dread. Turning around, she gazed right at the spirit, taking in its grey, wispy body, its skull face, and its singular, glowing, red eye. Raising its small, ghostly hands, the entity let out a terrifying “Ku-ku-KUUUL!!”

I locked eyes (or eye) with the spirit, responding, “You didn’t think they were, before?!”

As I said that, another wispy being rose up from the ground, snickering to itself cruelly. Compared to the skull-faced ghost, this one was simpler, looking more like a kid dressed in a dark purple ghost costume than anything. Still, with its eerie, yellow and purple eyes and singular horn, it looked no less than threatening.

Wearing a mischievous grin on its face, the horned ghost flew up below May and gave her a quick jab in the rear with its head before floating back to its previous position and letting out a mocking “Shup-up-pet!”

As it turned out, the Pokémon that I happened to bring out was Rigby, who bristled his fur in anticipation.

“Yeah! Go, Rigby!”

Seeing that my partner was ready, May winded up and threw out her own Pokémon, saying, “It’s your time, Shiftry! Let’s see what you can do!”

As both of our Pokémon hit the field, the horned ghost snickered to itself before suddenly growing in size and letting out a loud wail towards Shiftry, casting a dark shadow over him as it did so. Shiftry shuddered in response, looking a bit put-off by the maneuver.

Meanwhile, the skull ghost’s body glowed a bright blue before a flame of the same color floated its way towards Rigby. Once the wisp connected with Rigby’s body, his fur was set alight, causing him to yelp in pain. He had been burned.

Wringing my hands in worry, I said, “Oh no...Ribgy, try and counter with Headbutt!”

“Same to you, Shiftry!” May added, “Get back at them both with Razor Leaf!”

Although he was afflicted, Rigby still managed to act, running forward with as much force as he could muster with his head lowered. Unfortunately, though, once he made contact with the bony spirit, his head phased through nothing. His move had no effect!

Thankfully, though, Shiftry’s Razor Leaf did something...a lot, in fact. Somehow being cut by the blades of plant matter, the ghosts let out pained wails, spinning around in surprise as they were bombarded by Shiftry’s assault.

“Yes!” May cheered, “Way to go, Shiftry! Ooh, but Rohon, it looks like Headbutt was ineffective. I guess Pokémon like these are immune to normal attacks.”

I shook my head and sighed, “Great. Well, I guess I’ll just...”

May gasped and held a finger to my mouth, interjecting, “Wait! Hold that thought. Why don’t you take this chance to catch one of these ghosts?”

I gave May an incredulous look, “Catch ghosts? May, I don’t have a vacuum.”

Shiftry obliged, running forward before clacking his feet on a gathering of rocks and spinning in a circle, waving his arms around and chanting “Shift-ift-ifry!” as he did so.

Fortunately, this tactic worked; successfully distracted, the Pokémon floated over to Shiftry, mesmerized by his eye-catching dance. Pumping her fist, May looked over at me and said, “It’s your time to shine, Rohon! It’s do or die!”

“Uh...” I said as my eyes darted between the two ghosts. Who was I aiming for? Better question, could I even aim? There’s no way I would be able to do that in this tense situation.

Before I can think to myself any more, I notice the skull-faced spirit turn a glowing eye in my direction. Startled, I scramble around in my bag for a spare Great Ball and chuck it forward in a rush, not even caring about what I would end up hitting. As it turned out, my ball connected with the one-eyed ghoul, causing the ghost to enter inside.

I held my hands up to my face, watching with agonizing suspense as the capsule shook one, two, three times until finally...its light blinked white. I had done it. I had subdued one of the ghosts.

The other spirit let out a surprised gasp before narrowing its multicolored eyes at me and growling, “Shuuup...”

Unable to react in time, the ghost had no choice but to get ensnared in May’s trap, letting out a distressed wail as it was pulled into the ball. Once the entity was inside, it shook around once, then again, and finally one more time until the Pokéball fully activated, trapping the spirit once and for all.

Chapter 70: Twin Thievery

Chapter Text

With that ordeal out of the way, May and I threw our recently-used Pokéballs forward to release the Pokémon hidden inside. Once the ghosts are revealed, we take our time in inspecting them, observing their gaseous and ethereal bodies with a much calmer mind than before.

Looking at my Pokédex, I said, “According to this, that skull one is Duskull. The other one is Shuppet. They’re both Ghost types.”

I cringed slightly, responding, “I dunno, they still look a little grim to me. In fact, that’s what I’m naming my Duskull: Grim.”

May let out a short laugh and rolled her eyes, “Oh, you with your nicknames. Maybe I should consider naming my Pokémon someday...” She shook her head before turning to look at me with a more serious expression, stating, “Listen, I’m sorry for lashing out at you back there. I should’ve known that you’re not a creep.”

Trying to play it cool, I waved my hand dismissively and responded, “Ah, it was nothing. If I were really doing the things you said I was doing, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got mad.”

I stepped back a bit in surprise before glancing off to the side and answering, “Well, um...yeah. I mean, I did do it just now, didn’t I? That’s what friends do.”

“Heh, yeah, ‘friends’.” May’s smile grew wider, “I’m glad you think of me that way, Rohon.”

I simply stared back at May for a few moments, sharing this period of awkward silence with her. After I had about enough, I cleared my throat and said, “Anyway, uh, we should get going. Just a bit longer till the top.”

As I stumbled away, I heard May make an amused huff before replying, “You’re the boss, Ro.”

------------------------------

After a bit more walking through the fog, May and I finally reached the summit, where the air was clearer, but not by much. Exhausted by the climb, I leaned my back against a nearby rock, taking the opportunity to rest my weary legs. May did the same, though in a much less tuckered-out way, and the two of us simply sat there, enjoying the stable serenity of the mountain’s peak.

That is until we heard a gruff man’s voice shouting, “For the last time, ya crazy robot, scram! I don’t got nothing to do with you!”

I then heard a reply, this time coming from a softer, more feminine voice, “Ehehe, I am afraid that I cannot do that. You are an obstacle to our goals. Therefore, you must be eradicated.”

May grinned playfully, “Heh, you really do know me! Yeah, just get yourself ready...”

Following that message, May took a quick breath before jumping out from behind her cover and shouting, “Freeze, hooligans!”

Sighing, I timidly stepped out to join May before looking at who was awaiting us. As we heard, there were two people; one of them, a large, muscular, shirtless, tattooed, black-haired, tanned man in blue, tattered pants and a yellow necklace looked at us with his mouth slightly ajar in confusion. The other one, a slim woman of medium height and a lavender bob-cut and the standard Team Magma hoodie (although this one had larger, yellow, decorative horns) stared at us blankly.

“Hey!” shouted the muscular guy, “What’re you punks doin’ all the way up here?! Don’t you have some diapers to be wettin’?”

“Hey!” May said with a frown, “We are VERY mature, thank you very much! And we’re here to stop you from disturbing the peace!”

The man smashed his fists together, “Oh, I’ll show you disturbin’ the peace! C’mere, you wimps!”

I felt the blood drain from my face as the stacked man ran at us, every muscle of his bulging with anticipation. Just before I thought my time was up, I heard the woman’s voice, “Halt.”

In a lifesaving miracle, the man paused, looking back at the woman and barking, “What’s the holdup, ya straight edge freak?!”

Walking up to my terrified body, the woman looked me up and down with an investigating eye, murmuring, “Analyzing...analyzing...” a look of realization then flashed on her face before she concluded, “You are him. The one who opposed Team Magma.”

The man squinted at us for a few seconds before reeling back in shock. “Hey, it IS you! You’re that chump who’s been wrecking our plans! And you’ve got your girlfriend with you, too!” A wicked smile appeared on his face as he flexed his hands, “Ohoho, this is rich. Now I get to pummel you EXTRA hard!”

The man continued his approach, still keeping that menacing smile on his face as he chuckled, “Oho, sorry won’t cut it, little guy. No more games; it’s Matt time!”

I trembled, closing my eyes tight as I awaited my demise. So, this is how it ends, I thought to myself, Murdered on a mountain by a guy on steroids. Oh, what a way to go...

Just before Matt could grab me, I heard the other criminal say, “That would not be very wise of you, Matt.”

Matt turned around, giving the woman a fierce scowl as he growled, “What gives you the right to tell me what to do, Courtney? Stay outta my business!”

Courtney walked even closer to me, her voice dripping with obsessive intrigue as she purred, “This specimen...he is quite the anomaly, indeed. So meek, so unassuming, yet...he chooses to stand in our way. His accomplice is quite peculiar as well. Why would the offspring of such a prominent scientist as Professor Birch choose to engage in an act as foolish as conflicting against the desires of our two groups?” She got even closer, looking me right in the eyes with a piercing, terrifying gaze, “I seek to analyze these children further. Study them. Probe them. Dissect them.”

Courtney then turned away from me and my deeply unsettled face and said to Matt, “Besides, these juveniles are but distractions to our master plan. We both arrived at this destination for a much more significant purpose, did we not?”

Matt grumbled, crossing his arms as he responded, “Darn it! I hate havin’ to admit this...but you’ve got a point, you land-loving drone, you.” He then pointed at us and said, “As much as I would like to put you runts through the wringer, I’ve got bigger fish to fry, so to speak. But mark my words, you ain’t survivin’ our next encounter, I guarantee it!” With that, he touched his arms together in an “A” formation before pulling out a Pokéball, releasing a purple bat with two sets of wings, jumping onto it and flying away, shouting, “Matt out!”

Watching Matt storm off, Courtney shook her head and sighed, having a slight amusement to her voice as she said, “He refrains from showing even the slightest bit of gratitude even in this breach of team policy. Not surprising in the slightest.” Giving me a small smile, she revealed the same Pokémon as Matt and jumped onto it before saying, “Now, if you will excuse me, I must overtake that Team Aqua blowhard. May we meet again...”

With that, the Team Magma woman flew away, leaving me and May alone once again. After a bout of nothing, May gave me a nervous smile and said, “Well, would you look at that! They actually recognize us.”

I let out a deep sigh, hanging my arms by my side as I responded, “Yeah, because that’s totally what I wanted. Definitely.”

May placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, replying, “Well hey, look at it this way: they recognize that we’re no laughing matter. They actually respect us! Sure, maybe not in the way we like, but it’s something. Though I am curious as to what ‘purpose’ they had...”

As if on cue, an elderly couple revealed themselves from behind a lone tree, with the man saying, “I’ll tell you exactly what happened, little lady: those fiends stole the Red and Blue orbs!”

May turned around and gasped, asking, “The Red and Blue orbs? What are those?”

“But ma’am,” I asked, “How would we do that? We don’t even know where they’re going!”

The man stroked his small beard and stated, “Last I heard, they are headed to Slateport City. For what purpose, I do not know.”

May clenched her fist and nodded, saying, “Okay, mister, don’t you worry! Me and Rohon will be on these guys’ tails in no time.”

“But May,” I asked, “How could we possibly do that? They’ve got to be miles ahead of us by now!”

May smiled knowingly, pulling out a ball of her own as she answered, “You’re forgetting one thing, Rohon: we’ve got fliers, too! Swellow, you’re up!”

May proceeded to send out her bird, who raised her wings proudly before allowing her master to climb onto her back. Widening my eyes in realization, I asked, “Wait...are we doing what I think we’re doing?”

“Uh-huh!” May nodded, “Hurry, bring out your Pelipper! We’re going on a trip!”

“But May,” I pleaded, “You know how I feel about...”

May let out a frustrated groan, throwing her hands up as she said, “Look, Rohon, the fate of the world depends on us. Either you deal with this phobia of yours or we all pay the price. Is that really what you want?”

Chapter 71: Seize at the Shipyard!

Chapter Text

As May and I soar through the air with our birds, I keep myself hunkered down in Nigel’s beak, glueing my eyelids together in a desperate attempt to ignore the situation that I was in. Even though I had flown before, the experience was still terrifying, especially since I was alone this time. In contrast to my petrified state of being, May’s enthusiastic cries of joy told me that she was having fun. That girl. How could anyone enjoy being at this altitude for any amount of time? Geez, I thought to myself, Just how fearless is she?

Thankfully, both Nigel and Swellow proved to be great fliers, and we ended up at our destination in only a few minutes. Once Nigel landed, he tilted his head forward, allowing me to tumble out onto a rock-tiled path in front of the city’s Pokémon Center. After getting ejected, I continued to lie there for a few seconds to catch my breath.

As I gathered my senses, May walked up to me and looked around, saying, “Okay, we’re here. Now, where would those criminals be?”

I looked up slightly and to the southeast, where I see a large group of people gathered around a building near a river. “Uh, I dunno,” I murmur, “Maybe we could go and ask those people over there.”

Gabby smiled back and nodded before turning away with her partner, “Glad to hear it, captain. It’s been a real pleasure having you. Bye now!”

As the news people left, May walked up to Stern and asked, “Hey, was that an interview you were in just now?”

Pulling out a napkin from his chest pocket and wiping his forehead with it, Stern replied, “Oh, it’s you again. And yes, that was an interview. My first one in fact.”

May’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Hm...okay. Well, you see, Rohon and I were recently clued in that some members of either team would be visiting this city. It seems like they haven’t arrived yet, but that’s the worrying part...”

Captain Stern frowned, “Hmm...interesting. So, they’re here for round 2...that isn’t good.” He tapped his foot on the ground for a bit before sighing and attempting a smile, “Ah, we shouldn’t worry too much. Now that we know what to look out for, we should be able to prevent anything too bad from happening. Thanks for the heads-up, May.”

Whatever sense of peace that was present at the moment was shattered when the sound of a megaphone turning on appeared from inside the building behind Stern. Following the noise, a tough, manly voice boomed, “Haha! Take that, you laggy landlubber!”

At this exclamation, Stern’s eyes became like saucers as he slowly turned around to face the door. “That voice...” he breathed, “It can’t be...” A moment of silence passed before he hurriedly pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and bolted inside, “I-I’m terribly sorry to leave you all on such short notice, but this is an emergency!”

After watching the door slam shut, me and May stood there for a few seconds before she turned to face me with an annoyed expression, asking, “Come on, what’s the holdup? We’ve gotta do something!”

I shook my head, objecting, “Oh, no, no, no, are you crazy?! I know that voice; I don’t want to go anywhere near him!”

I dug my feet into the ground, trying hopelessly to prevent myself from getting into this situation. “B-b-but--!” I stammered.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I pleaded, I was forced into the site, where we found Captain Stern staring in shock at none other than Archie, who was standing on top of what looked to be a submarine along with Matt.

Stern held his hands to his face in distress, shouting, “My Submarine Explorer 1! You can’t just take that for yourself! Do you know how long I’ve spent building this thing, how much work I’ve put into it?”

Archie chuckled, “Oh, I’m sure that it took a whole lotta effort to make...which makes plundering it all the sweeter! Besides, we’ve got WAY better plans for this hunk-o-junk than you ever would have, you sorry scallywag!”

As Archie gloated, Matt turned in our direction and pointed at us, causing me to freeze up. “Hey, Archie,” he said, “It’s those punks I was telling you about.”

Archie paused for a moment before looking towards us and chuckling, “Oho, so it is! You just don’t know when to quit, do you? Well, as much as I would love to teach you runts a lesson, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. In fact, I’m hunting the biggest fish of them all!” He flipped open a hatch on the top of the submarine and turned back at us, saying, “Fair winds, you all! I hope you all brought your umbrellas!”

Finally breaking out of his stupor, Captain Stern ran towards the submarine and yelled, “No! Stop!” Alas, just as he was about to reach the pirates, they jumped into the hatch and had the submarine submerge, granting them their escape.

Seeing that the criminals had made their getaway, Stern, slammed his fist down on the air, snapping, “Damn it! How’d they even get in? I had everything locked!”

“Everything except the windows, I’m afraid.”

We all jolted in surprise before turning towards the source of the new voice, finding none other than Maxie standing in the corner of the marine base. Standing alongside him was Courtney, who looked quite displeased with herself.

“Maxie?!” May asked, “What’re you doing here?”

Maxie adjusted his glasses, answering, “Is it not obvious? I came with the intention of negotiating the use of this submarine. Unfortunately, it seems that that impulsive fool Archie and that meat-headed ally of his beat us to the punch.”

Courtney clenched her fists, looking down at the ground as she growled, “Our superior minds were no match against the brute nature of our adversaries. Master is not pleased. Therefore, I am not pleased.”

May put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, stating, “Uh-huh, yeah, just tell us about your evil plan. Do you want to get locked up?”

Maxie rolled his eyes and placed his hands behind his back, “Oh, how rash. Once again, you accuse my actions as being unwanted and harmful. I suppose that some people will never see the light.” He turned away from us, continuing, “As for your question, there is no need for me to worry about such a fate. Courtney, if you please.”

Courtney nodded, “Yes, Maxie.” She proceeded to pull out a remote and press it, causing something behind the two of them to sprout metallic rocket boosters. With these jetpacks now active, Courtney and Maxie flew up and away to an open window near the ceiling, much to the surprise of us all. Before anyone could object, the red-clothed intruders left the premises.

As Captain Stern stared up in disbelief, May shook her head and looked down, saying, “Wow. Just...wow. Team Aqua just stole a whole submarine. But...why?”

Stern remained silent for a minute before finally sighing and responding, “I...don’t know. But I do know one thing for certain: I must get that submarine back. It’s my pride and joy!” He turned towards us with an almost pleading look, “Listen, kids, I know that you probably already have a lot of things on your plate, but...do you think that you could look into finding my submarine sometime soon? Please?”

“Hey, it’s our pleasure!” May turned towards me with a knowing smile, “And I think we have a good idea of where our perpetrators might’ve fled to to...”

I raised an eyebrow, asking, “We do? What’re you talking abou...” my eyes widened in realization, “Oh. You’re not talking about...that place, are you?”

May nodded, “Oh, you’d best believe it.” Grabbing my arm, she continued, “Come on, let’s get going! Times-a-wasting.”

As I was being pulled away and making small sounds of objection, I saw Captain Stern look after us with a hint of admiration before he turned around and walked towards a station to the right, shaking his head again sadly.

Chapter 72: Infiltrating the Base

Chapter Text

After May and I exited the building, I turned towards her with a worried expression and asked, “May, I still don’t think this is a good idea. Is it really safe to go directly into the place where all of Team Aqua lives?”

May gave me a motivating smile and answered, “Oh, come on, we’ll be fine! Besides, it’s not like we have to face all of them; we’ll just sneak around like we did on Mount Chimney.”

Yeah, and that worked perfectly last time... I sigh a bit before retorting, “Well, even if we did somehow manage to avoid everyone inside the base, who says that we’ll be allowed inside in the first place? Don’t you remember those 3 girls and their Wailmers?”

At this, May groaned before fishing out a Pokéball and stating, “Well, regardless, there’s only one way to find out. Come on, bring out Nigel so we can fly back to Lilycove City.”

Sighing, I followed May’s orders, bringing out my Pelipper’s Pokéball and deploying him before climbing inside his beak and getting into a comfortable position. “Okay, I murmured, “Let’s get going...”

With that, May brought out her Swellow, and the two of us took flight, soaring through the air towards our next side quest.

Following a petrifying yet short trip, Nigel once again deposited me onto the ground, this time on a grassy path in front of Lilycove’s Pokémon Center. Getting off of her bird next to me, May set her bag down and retrieved her bike, setting it in front of her as she said, “Okay, we’re here. Let’s pick up the pace!”

Shaking my head, I reluctantly got up and unfurled my own bike, mumbling to myself, “Sheesh, and she calls me the rushing one...”

Nonetheless, the two of us rode our way to the east of the city, heading towards the shore before coming to a stop and returning our bicycles to our backpacks. Thankfully, after a quick look around, we confirmed that the 3 women who had been swimming nearby were now gone.

“Ah, good,” May said, “The coast is clear. Alright, Rohon, you know the drill: bring out Axol so that he can bring our stuff over, and we can swim after him.”

“Okay, you’re the boss...” Raising no objections, I fished around in my bag for my Swampert’s ball before throwing him out and entrusting him with the bags of May and I. “Okay, Axol, go ahead and swim towards that rock over there.” I said, “You’re okay with carrying this stuff along the way, right?”

Fortunately, Axol was just fine with this job, and he happily laid his belly on the ground to allow for our cargo to fit snugly on his back and between his fins. Once everything was in place, he crawled towards the water and summoned a small wave to transport himself and our luggage to the rock face in the distance. As it turned out, the “secret” mechanism that we saw earlier also activated for Axol, causing a hole to open for Axol to swim into.

“Oh, would you look at that.” May remarked, “That sure is convenient.” She turned towards me with a smile, “Looks like everything’s in place. Are you ready to go?”

I shrugged, “Sure, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

Seemingly ignoring my unwillingness to go on with this reckless plan, May jumped into the water and began swimming, leaving me with no choice but to follow after her.

Remembering what had happened the last time I tried to swim, I decided this time to try and swim as fast as possible, moving my arms and legs quickly yet sloppily in an attempt to raise my speed to a brisk pace. While this worked good enough, my lack of restraint and coordination caused me to bump head-first into a hard surface. Afflicted by pain, I quickly unsubmerged and flailed my arms around, groping the air for anything to hold on to. Thankfully, I found a solid edge in no time at all, which I held onto with my left hand while I held my head with my right one. As I tried to soothe my aching noggin, I peeked one eye open to look around at my surroundings. Aided by a faint light coming from in front of me, I saw that I was inside a large cave with thick vines hanging down from and along the walls.

Looking around at the large, blue flags with white crossbones on them, May, who was standing on the sheet of rock that I was holding on to, said, “Yep, no doubt about it, this is Team Aqua’s base.” She reached towards Axol, who was sitting alongside her, and got her stuff back before continuing, “Well, no time to waste. Let’s get this mission started!”

Still feeling hurt from my recent collision, I slowly rose up out of the water and stumbled towards Axol to pick up my own stuff before returning my Pokémon and shuffling after May.

Heading towards the light from earlier, we arrive at its source: a wide, bulb-shaped hole with an even bigger Team Aqua flag hanging over it. Swallowing my fear, I followed closely behind May, wringing my hands together as the two of us entered the imposing area.

After making our way through the entrance, we looked around to see that this new area had a wholly different vibe than the outside; with its metal-tiled floors, wall lights, and air conditioning, the base seemed weirdly technological.

“Huh,” May remarked, “So this is their base. Who knew a bunch of pirates could be so modern?”

As I continued to observe the hideout, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from a hallway to our right. Petrified by this, I tapped May’s shoulder and said in a hushed whisper, “May, May! Someone’s coming!”

May turned in that direction and gasped, “Oh shoot, you’re right! Quick, follow my lead!”

Feeling my heart beat rapidly, I watched May’s movements to see her dash behind a stack of empty boxes before jumping into one of them. Taking this into account, I ran towards the box to her right and hastily climbed inside. Although I felt a little cramped by the small size of the box, I compressed my body as much as I possibly could to avoid getting caught.

As the two of us hid, we heard the footsteps from earlier get closer before stopping not too far from where we were. With my hair standing on end, I heard one of the approaching people say, “Yo, John, did you hear something?”

The other guy, supposedly named John, answered, “Uh...maybe? I think I heard something like rustling.”

“Rustling, huh? Hm...you think someone got in?”

Oh no, I thought, feeling my heart stop, They’re onto us!

My teeth clattered unconsciously as I laid in tense silence, hoping desperately for a miracle. Thankfully, after a bit of time, John said, “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it, dude. It’s probably some random Marill or something that wandered in here”

“Woah, you think? Well, I guess that would make sense; it’s pretty easy for something small like that to end up here. You wanna go look for it together?”

John replied, “Sure, man. Come on, I think it went over here.”

With that, the two guys ran off, leaving May and I extraordinarily unharmed.

I heard May climb out of her box before she walked over to where I was and pulled me out, saying, “Geez, that was close! Good eye, Rohon.”

I held my chest and let out a sigh of relief, breathing, “Aw man, I can’t believe our luck...”

May giggled, “Yeah, me either! But I guess it’s no surprise that we were able to avoid getting caught; no matter how advanced their technology is, Team Aqua’s grunts are still dumb as dirt.” She looked towards the hallway that the pirates came from, going on, “Okay, now that we know to be a bit more careful, shall we move on?”

I paused, taking a moment to try and comprehend May’s carefree attitude towards our close call. After failing in that endeavor, I sighed and answered, “Sure, let’s go.”

Chapter 73: Deep in the Pirate's Lair

Chapter Text

With that, the two of us set off, with May and I moving quickly yet cautiously through the metal hallways of the base. Despite May’s wariness, she walked with an air of confidence about her, swinging her arms in a loose, natural way and keeping her eyes straight ahead whenever she wasn’t occasionally turning her head. I, on the other hand, was a complete mess; I couldn’t stop shaking as I scurried after my friend, and my throat was as tight as a guitar string.

A bit of a ways into the lair, May and I encountered a strange, green, glowing circle on the ground. Peering down at the shape, May asked, “Hey, what’s this?”

I looked around May’s side, responding, “I...don’t know. But it looks weird...”

May held her hand to her chin, tapping her foot as she thought over the situation. Eventually, she turned to face me with a smile and said, “Well, I’m gonna take a closer look at it.”

My eyes widened with surprise, and I stepped forward in opposition as I objected, “Are you crazy?! We have no idea what that thing even does, why would you even think about getting anywhere near it?”

May shrugged, retorting, “Oh, what is there to worry about? If it really was that dangerous, it wouldn’t be out in the open like this, would it? Besides, if anything bad happens, I’ve got you to rescue me, right?”

“W-well, uh...” I stammered, wringing my hands together, “Yeah, I guess, but...”

Before I could finish my sentence, May took a step towards the foreign pad, causing my hair to stand on end. “May!” I cried, “Wait!”

Unable to do anything, I watched as a part of May’s foot entered the circle, an action that caused her whole body to shine a bright green as she rose up and span around like a top. “R-Rohon?!” she asked in a distressed voice, “W-w-what's happening?!”

Stunned by fear, my eyes locked onto my travelling companion as she continued to float and spin, moving faster and faster until she suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving me all alone. After a few minutes of tense silence, I leaned forward slightly and peeped, “M-May?”

As I struggled to comprehend my situation, I heard the voices of an adult some distance away asking, “Hey, did you hear that? Sounded like some kids...”

Crap, I thought, freezing up in shock, I was too loud! They’re on my tail! What do I do?!

My heart beat as fast as a shooting star could fly as I heard the sound of footsteps growing closer, telling me that I had little time to waste. Running through all the options in my head, my eyes wandered to the circle that May had accidentally stepped on. Staring at it for a few seconds, I eventually threw up my hands in defeat, knowing that this was the only chance for escape. With that in mind, I swallowed my fear and jumped onto the glowing oddity, closing my eyes tightly as my body heated up with all of the strange energy flowing into me. Powering through the discomfort, I clenched my hands and waited for my body to stop spinning before I completely vanished.

A few seconds later, I appeared on another green circle in a completely new room filled with red and blue wooden crates. After standing there for a few seconds, I felt myself up to make sure that everything was as it should be. Confirming this to be the case, I let out a sigh of relief, hunching over slightly as I tried to calm myself down.

“Hey, Rohon!”

My moment of peace was ruined when May’s voice appeared suddenly behind me, causing me to jump. “May!” I shouted, turning around to face her, “Don’t scare me like that!”

She giggled before shaking her head dismissively at me, saying, “Come on, can’t you take a joke? Besides, there’s no need to worry, we’re all alone and safe now! Also...” she gave me a big smile, shaking her fists in excitement, “Can you believe it?! We just used a teleporter!”

“A teleporter?” I became even more shocked, “Say what?”

“Yeah! Turns out Team Aqua is even more advanced than we thought. They’ve somehow figured out quantum physics!” May put her hands on her hips and looked around, “But we can worry about what school these pirates went to later. For now, why don’t we use this new knowledge to our advantage and find that submarine?”

“What?” I asked, “B-but May, I...what if something goes wrong? This could just be a fluke, you know. What if next time we teleport, something bad happens like us switching brains or something?”

May rolled her eyes, “Oh, stop with your worrying, we’ll be fine! Besides...” she gave me a teasing smirk, “We all know that you would be way better off with my brain.”

Reeling back in an offended manner, I turned away and mumbled to myself, “Yeah, as if I would ever want your little brain, with your...” Groaning, I glanced at my friend, conceding, “Okay, fine. We’ll go.”

May let out a small, triumphant laugh, “Heh, I thought so. Well...” she walked back towards the teleporter that I was standing on, “Let’s get going, shall we?”

Stepping aside to allow May to step on the circle, I watched as she rose up and warped away before shaking my head and griping, “Oh, this is gonna suck, isn’t it?”

------------------------------------------------

After teleporting to May’s location, the two of us continued our venture through the hideout, now keeping an eye out for both any Team Aqua members and any warp pads. Once we encountered any of the latter, we immediately used them, allowing ourselves to be whisked away to wherever they led us. By doing this, we ended up in all sorts of places, from storage areas to comfy lounges to even high-tech laboratories, one of which had a strange blue suit that was hanged up on a mannequin. During our confusing expedition, we had many close calls with the grunts of the area, but we luckily avoided getting spotted by them; anytime we saw them after a warp, we simply used the teleporter again to escape, waited a bit, and transported ourselves again. By doing this, we tediously but effectively made our way through the base.

Eventually, with a bit of luck and patience, May and I found a warp pad that led us to a large room with a giant, rectangular pool of water in the center with a yellow and black striped border and a large strip of yellow metal over it. Looking towards the center of the body of water, I saw what looked to be Captain Stern’s submarine submerged in the liquid, though it looked different; instead of being its usual grey, it had been painted a dark blue with a star shape like a Sharpedo’s placed on its nose.

“Hey!” May shouted, “What’d those hoodlums do to Stern’s submarine?! They vandalized it!” she growled to herself before turning to me with a face of determination, stating, “C’mon, Rohon, we’ve gotta confront them! It’s only a matter of time until they--”

“Not so fast, punks!”

May turned towards the group and sighed, saying, “Oh, come on, not now! Can’t you see that we’re trying to save a submarine?”

“Oh, you’re trying to pick up that old thing?” that same pirate inquired, “Well, you’re outta luck, girl! Even if you managed to get past us, there’s no way that Archie’ll let you get in the way of his glorious plan!”

“Oh yeah?” May retorted, “We’ll have to see about that! Come on, Rohon, let’s teach these criminals not to get in our way!”

Knowing that there was no other option at this point, I responded with a sigh, “Okay...”

Seeing us bring out our own Pokéballs, the leader called, “Okay, ladies, let’s show them what all our training led up to! Aqua Gal Defense Force, assemble!”

With that, we all sent out our Pokémon; I, Rigby, May, Shiftry, and our opponents each sent out a Poochyena of their own.

“Seriously?” May asked in an amused tone, “A bunch of Poochyena? Pssh, this’ll be a piece of cake!”

Scowling at us, one of the other women retorted, “Laugh all you want, but nothing’ll prepare you for this!”

Acting in unison, all of the grunts shouted, “Poochyena, use Bite!”

Immediately, all of the hyenas ran towards and pounced on my poor Rigby, swarming him like an infestation of insects as they bit him incessantly and mercilessly. Hearing Rigby’s loud cries of pain, I was forced to watch as he was brutally ravaged by the dogs before they all pulled away, leaving my racoon all beaten up on the floor.

“Ha!” said another one of our enemies as I stared in devastation at my friend, “How do ya like them Leppas? You scared now?”

May furrowed her eyebrows at my fallen Linoone, saying, “Hm, that isn’t good. Look like they’re going for the horde strategy, huh...” She stroked her chin and mused for a bit before her eyes lit up and she looked at me with an inspired expression, “Oh, I’ve got it! Rohon, bring out your Loudred.”

“Benjammin?” I asked, managing to tear my eyes away from Rigby, “But why?”

“We need some spread moves, and your Loudred’s perfect for the job! Sure, it might be a pain to sit through his screaming, but...it’s for the greater good. Anything to get this battle over with.”

I thought over May’s proposition, weighing the cost and the benefits. As she said, using Benjammin’s greatest strength in this place would be very painful to sit through, not to mention very attention-drawing. At the same time, we were already found out, and it wouldn’t hurt to draw this fight to a close as quickly as possible. So, with that being known...

“Okay, whatever you say. Go, Benjammin! Use Uproar!”

Throwing out my Loudred, I watched as he did his usual routine, stomping the ground in a powerful display before singing to his heart’s content, using his diaphragm to its maximum capacity as he filled the room with his eardrum-busting shouts. As I expected, the walls of the enclosed room proved to be a great enhancer to Benjammin’s voice...and his damage output.

Unlike us humans, who had the ability to cover our ears, the Poochyena were not so fortunate, and they laid their bodies flat on the ground as they attempted to withstand the brutal assault on their ears. Failing to do so, the hyenas fell unconscious, having succumbed to the Benjammin’s powerful yells.

“We did it!” May yelled, still covering her ears, “We won! Now tell him to stop!”

Barely able to make out what May was saying, I peeked one eye open and shouted, “Benjammin! It’s over! You can--”

In the middle of my sentence, to my absolute surprise, Benjammin...stopped? Just like that, without any direct command, he went from an 11 to a zero.

“Huh?” I asked, taking my hands off my ears, “That’s weird...aren’t you still supposed to be worked up?”

On the contrary, Benjammin looked to be much calmer than before, resting his arms by his sides as he took a few relaxing breaths. Just before I could wonder what triggered this change in behavior, I saw Benjammin’s body glow a bright white; Benjammin was evolving!

Widening my eyes in wonder, I watched as Benjammin’s body morphed, his two circular ears changing to become 8 big, pipe-like organs. Growing even larger, he sprouted a long, thick tail that was the same shape as his new head adornments. Once the transformation was finished, Benjammin opened his mouth, which had grown even wider, and cheered in a loud yet slightly restrained voice, “ExPLOUD!!”

Chapter 74: Buff Blockade

Chapter Text

As I stared in awe at Benjammin’s new form, my Pokédex buzzed in my pocket, prompting me to retrieve it and look at what it had to show me. As it turned out, Benjammin had evolved into an Exploud!

“UGH!” all of the women young women exclaimed at once before the one in the middle spoke, “That’s no fair! How can you just bring one single Pokémon and mow down our whole team? That’s ridiculous!”

After recovering from Benjammin’s song, May put on a cocky face and responded, “Heh, ridiculous? I think you mean ‘skillful’. Now, why don’t you step out of the way so we can--”

“Hey!” A familiar, gruff sounding voice shouted, “What’s going on here?!”

I was jolted out of my admiration of my new Pokémon, instead finding myself turning in the direction of this newcomer. In accordance to my worst fears, none other than Matt himself walked through the horde of girls, wearing a bitter scowl.

“I could’ve sworn that I heard some horrible yelli—hey!” Matt stared straight at us, growing even angrier, “It’s you two again! What are you, like, our biggest fans or something?!”

May stepped forward in opposition, replying, “The exact opposite, actually. We’re here to take back Captain Stern’s submarine!”

“Say what? Heh, WOW, you must REALLY be outta your mind if you’re trying something like that!” Matt stepped closer, giving May a contemptuous smile, “Look, girl, I don’t know if you could tell or not, but that sub’s unrecognizable at this point; we’ve already upgraded that sorry ship into a real beast of a ride! With that new drill we installed, we’ll be able to KO any wall that gets in our way...which is exactly what my bro Archie’s plannin’ to do!”

May’s fist clenched her fist, “What do you mean?”

“Heh, oh, don’t ya know? Archie and Shelly are about to head to the Seafloor Cavern not too far from here! There’s a pesky little seal that makes it hard to get in, but with our sub upgrade, they’ll be able to bust right through! Yeah, it’s a shame that it’s Shelly going and not me, but SOMEONE’s gotta watch over the base...which is exactly what I’m doing now!” Matt hunkered down, flexing his muscles at us in an intimidating display, “Come on, come at me! Let’s see if you can get past me before Archie jets away! But I’ll tell you now, you won’t make a dent in my Sharpedo!”

May gasped, turning towards me with an urgent expression, “Did you hear that, Rohon? Archie’s about to escape! We’ve gotta take care of Matt before it’s too late!”

Trembling, I darted my eyes between Matt and May before saying to the latter, “A-A-Are you sure? Cause this guy looks a little—”

“Oh, come on, Rohon, this is serious! There’s no time to waste, we have to act now!”

“B-But, I...” I paused, thinking over May’s words. Finding no valid excuse, I sighed and conceded, “Okay fine. Let’s go.”

Seeing May and I bring out our Pokéballs, Matt gave us a hungry smile and said, “Heh heh heh, that’s what I’m looking for! Let’s brawl!”

With that, after the girls from before cleared the area, each of us sent out our best Pokémon; my Swampert, May’s Blaziken, and Matt’s Sharpedo hit the field. Once May and I’s partners were released, they let out their respective battle cries before turning to face the Sharpedo, who responded in kind.

“Let’s go, Sharpedo!” Matt shouted, “Use Scary Face on that Swampert!”

Hovering towards Axol, the Sharpedo stared straight at him, raising himself up slightly as he showcased all of his razor-sharp teeth to my Pokémon, causing him to cower in fear.

“Don’t let him get away with that, Blaziken!” May ordered, “Use Double Kick!”

Blaziken nodded, shuffling her feet in preparation before leaping towards the Sharpedo and landing two strong kicks straight on his head. Although Blaziken was a bit hurt from what I only assumed to be Rough Skin, her opponent was in even more pain from the super effective Fighting move.

“Okay, uh...Axol!” I said, “Use Mud Bomb!”

Axol, still affected by the Sharpedo’s menacing grin, took a second to respond to my command before reaching under his armpits for more mud that he had stored up, launching what he could gather at his enemy for some good damage.

“Guh!” Matt exclaimed, looking a bit surprised before shaking his head and putting back on a tough expression, “Not bad...but we’re not down for the count yet! Sharpedo, use Aqua Jet on that Blaziken!”

The Sharpedo, who was already starting to look tired, nonetheless had enough energy to turn his back to us and spew out a jet of water to fly towards Blaziken, hitting her for a super effective attack of his own.

“Hmph, you think that matters to us?” May pointed forward, her posture exuding confidence, “He’s gotta be low on health now, Blaziken! One last Blaze Kick should do it!”

Hardly showing any signs of pain, Blaziken ruffled her feathers in a powerful gesture before rearing her right foot up, setting it alight, and striking the close by Sharpedo right on his nose with a mighty “Zi-KEN!”, sending the shark flying into a nearby metal crate. Although the attack was resisted, the Sharpedo was knocked out, lying flat on his side as he closed his eyes.

“...Wow.” Matt stared in stunned silence at his fallen Pokémon before looking back at us, “You kids really are the real deal.” He studied us for a moment before breaking into a wide, prouder smile and clapping his hands, “Heh heh heh, I haven’t met trainers as strong as you in forever! That might be the first time I’ve had fun in a battle!”

A confused look flashed across May’s face before she narrowed her eyes at Matt, responding, “Yeah, well, the praise can come later. Now let us through before—”

Before May could finish her sentence, a loud horn sounded through the room followed by Archie’s voice booming, “We’re off, mateys! Next stop, Seafloor Cavern!”

Shocked, both May and I ran over to look at the submarine in the pool slowly descend, its dark blue getting farther away from our grasp before submerging completely.

“No!” May cried as she crumpled down onto the floor, “We’re too late...”

Seeing May wallow in despair, Matt let out a small laugh before saying, “Heh, sorry about that, looks like you took too long in defeating me. But hey, at least one of us got something good out of this whole thing, huh?”

Tensing up in frustration, May looked up at Matt with an angry expression and shouted, “Don’t you go spouting about how fun that battle was! It doesn’t matter how well we played, Archie still got away!”

“Hey, calm down, girl,” Matt retorted nonchalantly, “You’ve still got time to do something. If you hurry, you might just be able to swim down to where my bro is and have a little chat with him. That is, assuming you can hold your breath that long!”

May gasped, “Oh yeah! But we...” I saw the gears turn in May’s head before she looked at me with a determined expression, “Okay, new plan! We’ve gotta find a way to dive underwater!”

“Wait, what?” I asked, “But how’re we supposed to do that?”

“We’ll figure that out! But for now, we’ve gotta find a way out of here.”

Matt spoke up, “Oh, you want a way outta here? Just use that teleporter, it’ll take you right to the exit.”

May and I looked to where Matt was pointing, finding that there was, in fact, a warp pad in the far-left corner of the room.

“Oh, uh...wow!” May said, musing a bit before giving an unconvinced look towards Matt, This isn’t a trick, is it?”

“No, no, I assure you, I’m telling the truth! If I really didn’t want you kids leaving, I would just beat you up and keep you here until Archie figures out what to do with ya. Of course, I can’t be doing that; I respect you too much!”

“Wow, really? Huh...” May thought to herself again before motioning for me to follow her, “Well, uh...let’s get going, then.”

As me and May left, she turned back at Matt and stated, “And, uh...thank you, Matt.”

Matt crossed his arms and laughed, replying, “No problem, girl. Just make sure to say hey to my bro when you get there, alright?”

Chapter 75: On to the Next Destination

Chapter Text

After we both step on the warp pad, me and May find ourselves right outside of Team Aqua’s base in the same vine-filled hallway from before.

“Okay!” May says, smacking her fist against her palm, “Let’s brainstorm. How might we dive thousands of feet underwater?”

Sighing, I respond, “Well, I would like to say that we could just dive by ourselves, but, like Matt said, we can’t breathe underwater. Plus, my ears would hurt like heck if we went down that far.”

“Oh, right,” May taps her foot, “Water pressure. Can’t forget about that. Okay, uh...oh, how about we find an HM to help us? I mean, we got one for Surf, and that allowed us to get here in the first place. Who’s to say that there isn’t a machine to help us in this situation?”

“Eh...Maybe. But we’d have to be pretty lucky to find someone as generous as Wally again.”

“Ah, yeah, you do have a point. But hey, it’s possible, isn’t it? Besides, it’s not like we have to just wait for someone to give us the HM; we could always search for it ourselves. Maybe it’s in a store of some kind?”

I shrugged, “I guess that’s possible. But before we get to any of that, can we move on to the next Gym? I mean, we do have to get stronger if we want to even think about meeting Archie and Shelly, right?”

May gives me an amused smirk, placing her hands on her hips as she replies, “Heh, you say that as if I’ll also be getting something from you going to this Gym. But yeah, I guess you’re right; at least one of us has got to strengthen their Pokémon.” She pointed towards the exit, continuing, “Alright, let’s go, then. Those obstructive grunts are gone, so we should be able to swim unimpeded.”

Seeing that May is making her way out, I follow after her, letting out a soft sigh before sending out Axol, entrusting him with our stuff, and stepping into the water with May.

After swimming out of the dark tunnel, I make my way to a small rock that is jutting out of the water to catch my breath. Swimming over to me, May wades in the water and asks, “So, you said that Mossdeep City is just east of here, right?”

I nod, “Yeah, that’s right. It should be a straight shot from here.”

“Alright, just making sure. I’ll be waiting for you just ahead, okay?”

With that, May swims away, leaving me to hold on to the rock for a bit longer before pushing off and following my friend. Seeing that I am leaving, Axol creates another wave and surfs past me, balancing our bags expertly on his back as he does so.

Swimming past some more rocks, May, Axol and I arrive on Route 124, which happens to be a large stretch of water with small islands scattered here and there. While May seems to have no trouble keeping up her pace, I soon find myself tired, barely able to keep myself afloat.

“Hah...hah...how does she do it?” I pant, trying my best to keep my head above the water, “Here she is zooming through the water, and I can hardly stay 10 feet behind her. Is she secretly a Pokémon or something?”

After a while longer of me struggling to doggy paddle along the route, I look towards Axol, who is surfing not too far from me. Feeling desperate, I raise my head and call out, “Axol! Axol, come over here.”

Hearing my voice, Axol dispels his wave and swims over to me, making a curious “Swam?” as he tilts his head at me.

Flailing around in the water to keep myself afloat, I give Axol a pleading look and ask, “Hey, can I...hold onto your tail fin?”

He floats in front of me for a few seconds, taking a moment to process my words before letting out a happy “Per per!” and turning his back to me.

Letting out a relieved sigh, I reach out to grab Axol’s tail fin, saying, “Ah, thanks, Axol, I—”

Suddenly, Axol accelerates greatly, creating another pillar of water to ride away on. Letting out a small cry of surprise, I tighten my grip on my Pokémon’s tail as it swishes back and forth rapidly. Because of Axol’s excited movements, I end up getting a good amount of salty water in my mouth. Despite feeling like a car in a car wash, I manage to hold on to my partner, enduring the ride as we surf our way to our destination.

Eventually, after a tumultuous ride, Axol arrives at a sandy shore, where he drops me off. Letting out a disoriented groan, I slowly crawl onto the sand and get up, holding my spinning head for a moment before shaking it.

“Agh,” I grumble, “Never again.”

May, who is sitting on the shore, looks over at me with a smile, asking, “What’s wrong, Rohon? Already feeling tuckered out?”

I give her a look, responding, “I’d like to see how YOU do being behind a raging Swampert.”

“Ah, chill out, I’m only teasing.” May looks towards a sign to our left, “What matters is that we’re where we want to be!”

I turn to look at the sign, which reads, “Mossdeep City. Our slogan: Cherish Pokémon!” Letting out a sigh, I state, “Well, I guess we are here.”

May nods, gets up, and walks over to me, extending a helping hand as she says, “Well, there’s no time to waste. Shall we get going?”

I look up at her for a second before shaking my head, “Not right now. I can’t just go into a city like this; I need time to dry out first.”

“Oh yeah,” May responds, “Good point. Hm...hey, how about I bring out Blaziken to help out? Her feathers should be able to evaporate all of our moisture.”

“...I guess that could work.”

“Okay! I’ll go ahead and bring her out, then...”

With that, May walks over to Swampert, grabs her bag, and retrieves Blaziken’s Pokéball, which she throws onto the ground. Once the chicken is released, May and I rest up against her hot and feathery legs, using her natural heat to warm up our clothes.

“Mmm,” May hums, “This feels nice...”

“Mm-hm,” I reply, closing my eyes peacefully, “I could stay like this forever...”

After a few seconds, May gets up, patting her Pokémon’s head as she says, “Thanks a bunch, Blaziken, you’re the best! We might have to do this more often...”

After saying this, May returns Blaziken, causing me to fall back onto the sand with a startled yelp. As Iay on the ground, May looks down and smiles, “Well, that’s that. Are you ready to go now?”

Grumbling, I push myself off of the ground and onto my feet, giving my friend an annoyed look as I respond, “Yeah, sure.”

May lets out a mischievous giggle before walking ahead of me and waving me along, saying, “Alright, let’s go, then. To Mossdeep City!”

As my travelling partner walks towards the buildings in front of us, I let out an exasperated yet amused sigh before grabbing my bag off my Swampert, saying, “Thanks for the ride, Axol.” before returning him to his ball and following May.

Chapter 76: Into a Strange Realm

Chapter Text

Walking up a set of stone stairs, I enter into a flower-filled city with a moderate number of houses, all of which are linked by a cobblestone road. After taking a second to look around, I walk over to May, who is staring up at something in the distance with wide eyes.

“Woah, look at that, Rohon!” she exclaims, “It’s a rocket!”

Turning my attention to where May is looking, I let out a short gasp. True to my friend’s word, situated in the upper right corner of the city/island is a large rocket, which is supported by steel beams next to a similarly-sized building.

“Oh my gosh, it is! Is that a space station or something?”

May turns towards me and smiles, answering, “Looks like it! And it’s my first time seeing one, too! Wanna go check it out?”

I think over her offer for a minute before shaking my head, “No, not now. I’ve gotta find the Gym first.”

A subtle look of disappointment flashes on May’s face before she shrugs, responding, “Okay, uh...suit yourself. I’ll leave you to it, then.”

As May makes her way off, I can’t help but to feel a tiny sense of guilt for rejecting her so bluntly. Although I want to just ignore my feelings and move on, there is a small yet loud voice in me preventing me from simply walking away. Unable to resist this call, I clench my hands and open my mouth...

“But I hope you have fun exploring that rocket.”

Hearing my blurt, May freezes and turns towards me, studying my face with a slight frown. After a few seconds, however, this small frown turns into a warm smile as she responds, “Thanks, Rohon. I hope that you have fun in that Gym, too.”

Without another word, May turns back around and walks away, having a little skip in her step as she heads for the space station. Now all alone, I stand there for a moment and think before making a satisfied hum and walking away, happy to have brightened up my friend’s day a little.

With that matter being settled, I make my way through the city, keeping an eye out for the building I’m looking for. Soon enough, I find my target, the Pokémon Gym, smack dab in the middle of the island. Smiling at the grand, yellow building, I waste no time in stepping inside, ready to see what challenge awaits me.

Once I step through the doors, I am met with a shocking sight: just like the Fortree Gym, most of the floor is gone! Unlike that building, however, the platforms here, which are made mostly of sparkling crystals, are suspended in midair. What is this, magic?! I think, stepping back in disbelief.

As I take in this supernatural sight, I hear a girl’s voice, “Greetings, challenger. Welcome to the Mossdeep City Gym.”

Turning around, I see a girl about my age with long, black hair and a purple, frilly dress standing near the entrance. Clearing my throat, I respond, “Oh, hey. You must be the explainer, right?”

“That is correct.” the girl answers, “Shall I enlighten you on what you must do? Or have you already foreseen what challenge awaits you?”

I shake my head, “Well, I’m no psychic, so you might as well just tell me what’s going on.”

“Very well, then. Allow me to share some insight, then...” she looks up and around at the floating platforms, “Connecting each of these crystalline platforms is a string of energy orbs powered by psychic energy...but they are invisible to the naked eye. In order to reveal them, you must make use of the special stones found on each of the platforms. By interacting with them, the way forward will be made clear. She leans towards me, “Are you understanding me so far?”

I stand there in a dazed stupor for a second before blinking and nodding my head, “Uh, yeah, I understand. Ride the orbs, tap the rocks, yada, yada, yada, I’m at the end.”

The explainer giggles, “Okay, good, it appears that you were listening after all. Well, with that explanation out of the way, I believe that you are ready. Do you have any other questions before we begin?”

I shake my head, “No, I’m good.”

“Understood.” the girl then steps aside, waving me towards the end of the starting platform, “I wish you the best of luck, Rohon, and may the light of truth guide you on your journey.”

Giving the explainer a small smile, I grip the straps of my bag before walking forward, preparing myself mentally for what’s to come. As soon as I reach the end of the entrance, a string of white balls materializes in front of me. While I am hesitant at first, I manage to swallow my fear and jump into the spheres, closing my eyes tightly so that I won’t have to look at the chasm below me. Thankfully, I’m not airborne for long; in a matter of seconds, I’m dropped onto my first floating rock.

“Phew,” I huff, holding my chest, “Thank Arceus that was short. Now, I guess I just have to—”

“Not so fast, trainer!”

Surprised, I make the mistake of looking up, causing me to look directly into the eyes of a smiling guy with purplish-black hair and a white, long-sleeved robe.

“Aha!” he laughs, “You fell right for my trap.” His smile grows wider as he wiggles his finger, somehow levitating a Pokéball in the process, “Do you think that you’re capable of holding a candle to Tate and Liza’s might? Prove it! Show me your worth, and I will see if you are capable of standing up to the Mystic Duo!”

Knowing that, based on that darned trainer rule, there is no way out of this situation, I sigh and pull out a Pokéball, responding, “Okay, fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

Seeing me prepare my Pokéball, my opponent chuckles and throws his own capsule with what I can only assume to be psychic powers, saying, “Hehe, okay, then. Medicham, let’s show them what we’re made of!”

With that, the two of us throw out our Pokémon: I send out Bruce while he sends out a vaguely monkeyish creature about my size with red, yoga pants-like legs.

“Okay, Bruce,” I state, “Let’s start off with Bite.”

Letting out an amused laugh, my foe says, “A Dark-type? This will be easy. Medicham, crush him with High Jump Kick!”

Before Bruce can get himself off the ground, the primate clasps its hands together and takes a deep breath before leaping up into the air and descending with a high-speed knee strike, flattening Bruce in one blow.

I stare in disbelief at my unconscious Carvanha, exclaiming, “What the—oh, Medicham must be a fighting type, huh. Okay, I’ve got just the thing...”

Reaching into my bag, I pull out the ball of one of my 4 Water-types and throw it out, commanding, “Go, Nigel! Use Fly!”

As my Pelipper emerges and prepares to take flight, my opponent takes a step back, wearing an irked expression. “Drat!” he shouts, “A Flying-type! Agh...no matter. Medicham, prepare yourself with Meditate!”

Listening to its trainer's orders, the Medicham calmly assumes a crisscross position, making a low “Chaaaam” sound as Nigel flies to the ceiling. By the time the Medicham is finished gathering its thoughts, Nigel crashes down onto it, taking away a lot of its health.

Though I can tell that he’s still a bit distressed, my psychic opponent puts on a confident facade as he points forward, ordering, “Now, Medicham! Use your awakened power and unleash your strongest Zen Headbutt!”

Nodding its head, the primate closes its eyes and concentrates before letting out a loud “Med!” and lunging forward for a powerful headbutt, knocking Nigel back a few feet and eliciting a pained cry from him.

While I can see that my Pokémon is hurt, I’m not too worried. Rolling my eyes, I wave my hand dismissively and simply say, “Just use Surf, Nigel. He can’t have much health left.”

As Nigel flaps his wings harder, my opponent crosses his arms and smirks, asking, “Surf? Really? Do you honestly that such a weak move could—”

Before the psychic can finish his sentence, Pelipper summons a large column of water that quickly sweeps across the platform, prompting my foe to jump up with a surprised “Eep!” His Medicham, on the other hand, is not as wise; taking the full force of Nigel’s tidal wave, the Pokémon is knocked flat on its back, making a tired “Icham...” as it lays motionless and defeated.

Staring down at his fallen partner for a few seconds, the psychic grumbles and returns his Medicham before giving me a cross look and conceding, “Okay, fine, it looks like you’re skilled after all. Here’s your money...” He shells out 1,344 Pokédollars before continuing, “But this is only the beginning of your struggles! If you can’t best my fellow trainers, you will never have the right to challenge Tate and Liza!”

I give him a look before huffing and walking past him, responding, “Yeah, thanks for the good luck. Anyway, let’s see how these rocks work...”

Making my way over to the center of the platform, I find what looks like a chunk of lapis lazuli sitting in a pedestal, which I tap softly. After doing that, I hear a chiming sound as a path of white spheres is revealed to me.

“Ah, there we go.” I say before stepping forward and breathing in, “Well, here we go again...”

Chapter 77: The Supernatural Siblings: Tate and Liza!

Chapter Text

From there, I proceed to travel between all of the sparkling platforms, taking care of the trainers and their powerful but frail Pokémon on each island while making more of the mysterious orbs visible with the help of the bits of lapis that I find. Despite the psychics and occasional hex maniacs being a hassle for me and my team, I manage to battle well enough to ride the last set of spheres to my final destination.

Once I land on the large platform, I smooth my clothes out and raise my head before letting out a shocked gasp, “Wait...what?”

To my absolute surprise, the people waiting for me on the last platform are little kids! To make things even weirder, they look like carbon copies of each other; wearing the same long sleeved blue shirts and matching pants, having the same dark blue buns, and looking at me with identical grey eyes, the trainers are almost exact clones of each other.

The children smile at me before the one on the left asks, “What’s wrong, Rohon? Are you shocked to see that...”

“There’s two Gym Leaders?” The other kid interjects in a slightly higher-pitched voice, “Well, you shouldn’t be! Because we’re...”

“Twins! We’re so in sync with each other that we can fight as one!”

I look between the two twins before shaking my head and responding, “Ah, it’s not exactly that. I already heard that I would be meeting two Gym Leaders. I just never knew that they would be some kids!”

The kid on the left smirks, replying, “Don’t underestimate us just because we’re little. With our psychic abilities and our unbeatable coordination...”

The one on the right raises their leg in a battle stance, “We’re a force to be reckoned with!”

The twins stand side by side, with each one raising a leg and facing a palm towards me to complement the other as they give me a determined smile and say in unison, “As long as we’re together, there isn’t anything that can stop us!”

I squint at the kids for a moment before clapping once and responding, “Okay, I get it. So, uh...”

The one on the left senses me looking at him and says, “I’m Tate.”

“Tate. Since it seems like you have a partner, I was wondering—”

“If you had to fight us in a Double Battle?” the higher-pitched one on the right, whom I can only assume to be Liza, interrupts, “Yes! Yes, you do.”

Stunned, I pause for a moment before clearing my throat and continuing, “Uh...yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking. But also...”

“No, there are no special restrictions on the number of Pokémon you can bring.” Tate says, “You can bring the full 6! You’ll need all of your strength to even stand a chance, after all...”

I again take a step back in shock before squinting and replying, “Uh...okay, thanks. Well...” I fish out two Pokéballs, “I guess we can—”

“Get started?” Liza smiles, “Great! Shall we begin then, dear brother?”

Tate nods, matching his sister’s expression, “Yeah, let’s do it! Prepare yourself to face the power of the mystical combination, Rohon!”

Geez, can they let me talk? I sigh before taking a step forward, “Okay, here goes nothing...”

Chapter 78: A Duel of Dynamic Duos!

Chapter Text

With that, we all throw out our Pokemon; I send out Nigel and Dendy while Tate and Liza send out a sun-shaped rock and a crescent moon-shaped rock, respectively.

“Solrock! Lunatone!” the twins shout in unison, “Let’s show him why we rule the night and day!”

Looking between the two meteorites, I smile and think to myself, Heh, two Rock-types? This’ll be a piece of cake. I then point forward and command, “Nigel, you use Surf! Dendy, same thing!”

Despite the seemingly obvious disadvantage that they’re in, Tate and Liza don’t look afraid at all. In fact, with their wide smiles, they look strangely confident.

“Don’t let those mean Pokémon have their way, Lunatone!” Liza says, use Hypnosis on that Lombre!”

“As for you, Solrock,” Tate adds, “Use Rock Slide to attack first!”

While Nigel and Dendy charge up their moves, the enemy Lunatone slowly flies forward, staring directly at Dendy with one of its red, glowing eyes, making a droning “Luuunaaatooone” noise as it does so. By doing this, the floating rock somehow makes Dendy fall fast asleep, stopping mid-Surf to drop onto the floor.

As my Lombre snoozes away, the Solrock hums before flying up into the air, shaking slightly as it materializes a bunch of large rocks around it. Once the stones are assembled, the sun sends them down like meteors, pelting Dendy and especially Nigel for good damage.

Shoot! I think, holding my hands to my mouth, I forgot Nigel’s a Flying-type! Oh, please be okay...

A few long seconds pass before Nigel slowly gets back up, making a low croaking noise. He survived! Unfortunately, my sense of joy is ruined once Nigel tries to continue using his move only to freeze on the spot, his eyes wide with fear and shock. Drat, he flinched!

“Haha!” Liza laughs, “That was perfect, brother! We’ve got them right where we want them!”

“We sure do!” Tate replies, “Now, it’s time to bring the pain. Solrock, hit that Lombre with as many Zen Headbutts as you can!”

Liza smiles and nods before pointing at Nigel, saying, “Let’s join in on the fun, Lunatone! Finish off that Pelipper with Psychic!”

After receiving their orders, the meteorites jump into action, leaving me to watch helplessly as my Pokémon are assaulted. Coating itself in a mystical, purple energy, the Solrock lets out a determined grunt before ramming into the sleeping Dendy relentlessly, making repeated “Sol! Rock!” noises as it does so. Meanwhile, the Lunatone turns around, facing its left eye towards Nigel and concentrating before lifting him and slamming him down with a supernatural force.

As soon as Nigel hits the floor, Dendy gets headbutted for the final time, with the last impact causing her to finally wake up. Unfortunately, as soon as she regains consciousness, Dendy falls back onto the floor alongside Nigel, with the both of them having dazed, empty expressions. They both got knocked out simultaneously!

“Haha!” the twins high-five before Liza continues, “A double K.O.! Great synchronization as always, Tate!”

“Same to you, Liza!” Tate replies before turning towards me with a proud smile, “Do you see now, Rohon? We’re more than meets the eye!”

I look between my fallen Pokémon and the twins before grumbling, returning my friends, and retrieving two more balls, responding, “Don’t count me out yet; I’ve still got 4 more Pokémon.”

Following that message, I throw out my two Pokéballs, saying, “Rigby, you use...Headbutt on Lunatone, I guess. Benjammin, you can...” I pause, looking at my Pokédex to find something surprising, “Oh, you know Crunch now? Uh, well, I guess you can use that on Solrock!”

Before Tate or Liza can say anything, Rigby emerges, rears his back and makes a running start towards the Lunatone, doing, unsurprisingly, little damage at all. Meanwhile, Benjammin, landing on the ground with a loud thud, takes his time in opening and closing his wide jaws in preparation for his attack.

After Rigby finishes his Headbutt, Liza chuckles and says, “Ah, there’s nothing to worry about here, Lunatone. Take some time to use Calm Mind!”

“Yeah!” Tate follows up, “As for you, Solrock, knock that Linoone away with another Zen Headbutt!”

The Lunatone nods before floating backwards and closing its eyes, letting out a low “Toooone...” as it gathers its thoughts. While its partner is meditating, the Solrock rears up and rams into Rigby with full force, sending him flying back towards Benjammin.

As Rigby lays tired on the ground, my Exploud finally decides to take action, wearing an angry expression as he stomps forward, opens his mouth wide, and chomps down on the Solrock with full force, bringing a loud grunt of pain from the sun-shaped rock. It’s super effective!”

As Benjammin spits out the Solrock, Tate turns to look at Liza, saying, “Okay, it’s time, sister. Let’s get to work!”

Liza smiles and nods, responding, “Right! It’s payback time!” she points forward, “Lunatone, lift that Exploud into the air with an extra powerful Psychic!”

The Lunatone does exactly that, opening its eyes and snatching Benjammin off the ground in an especially quick fashion.

“Your turn, Solrock!” Tate commands, “Hit him hard with Zen Headbutt!”

Shaking its pain away, the Solrock makes a determined “Sol...” before covering itself with psychic energy and strikes the airborne Benjammin, sending him flying upwards.

Right before Benjammin can hit the ceiling, gives a thumbs-down, shouting, “Now bring him crashing back down to Earth”

Hearing its orders, the Lunatone’s eyes flash red as it does a flip, sending Benjammin crashing back onto the battlefield.

Covering my face to shield myself from the small bits of debris, I take a moment to wait for the quake to stop before uncovering my face and looking at my Pokémon, finding that my worst fears have been confirmed; laying flat on the ground with his mouth agape, Benjammin is definitely, without a doubt, fainted.

I stand there shocked for a good while, staring in disbelief at my defeated Exploud. “What was that?!” I say to myself, “That was insane! I can’t believe that these kids would know about such a strong strategy...”

I spend so long thinking about how busted whatever Tate and Liza did that I don’t even notice that Rigby has...also fainted?

“Huh?!” I do a double take between my dazed Linoone and the twins, “But how—I didn’t—you just—!”

Liza crosses her arms and smirks at me, stating, “You know, you ought to keep your eyes on your opponents, Rohon. While you were daydreaming, we took care of your Linoone!”

“Yeah.” Tate adds, “It’s really not a good idea to leave your Pokémon hanging like that. It doesn’t look good on you.”

I stare at the kids for a minute before sighing, shaking my head in shame, and returning my partners. “Okay, fine, I messed up.” I admit, “My mistake. But I’m still in this! I can...I can still fight.”

The twins cross their arms, standing side by side as Liza asks, “Oh, really? Well, I hope that you’ve got some ace in the hole; you only have 2 Pokémon left.”

“Yeah,” Tate puts on, “If you don’t focus, you might just end up losing to ‘some kids’.”

I furrow my eyebrows, reaching into my bag for my last two balls and holding them to my head, murmuring, “Okay, this is our last chance. Konishiki, you may be Fighting-type, but I know you’re strong. As for you, Axol...make me proud.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod to myself and throw my capsules up into the air, exclaiming, “Here we go! Do your best!”

As soon as my final Pokémon hit the field, Tate and Liza exchange glances before laughing.

“A Hariyama??” Liza giggles, “He must be desperate...”

“And a Swampert?” Tate smiles, “It’s like he wants to give us the win...” he lets out another small chuckle before shaking his head and continuing, “Let’s make this quick, Solrock. Use Sunny Day!”

Liza steps forward, looking directly at Hariyama, “As for you, Lunatone, use Moonblast on that Hariyama!”

Moonblast? What the heck is that?! I shake my head, ignoring my confusion as I order, “Don’t let their words affect you, you guys. Hariyama, you use Knock Off on Lunatone! Swampert, you use Surf!”

Before my friends can act, the Solrock and Lunatone execute their trainer’s orders. Rising up into the air, the sun rock closes its eyes and creates a bright ball of light, heating up and illuminating the battlefield. At the same time, the moon rock surrounds itself with a whitish-pink aura and somehow creates an image of the actual moon behind it. Drawing power from that picture, the Lunatone transforms its aura into a large ball of energy that it launches straight at Konishiki, who takes major damage from the attack.

“Ah!” I cry out, giving my Hariyama a worried look, “No...”

Konishiki kneels down with one knee, holding his slightly pink chest as he groans lowly. All seems lost for a while until Konishiki slowly gets up, staring straight at the Lunatone with a serious expression. He’s still standing!

Raising one leg and stomping the ground powerfully, Konishiki lets out a loud “HARI-YAMA!” before running straight at his enemy, giving the Lunatone no time to react before he grabs it by its bottom curve, spins it around in a circle twice with his strong arm, and slams it into the ground with full force.

The Lunatone lays there stunned for a few seconds, its red eyes wide with surprise. Soon enough, though, it closes its eyes, remaining motionless as it lets out a sad “Luna…”

“Lunatone!” Liza cries, holding her hands to her cheeks, “No!”

Gasping at his sister’s loss, Tate faces me and narrows his eyes, exclaiming, “I can’t believe it! You knocked out Lunatone!”

As Tate processes my victory, Axol finishes preparing his wave of water, which he proceeds to sweep across the whole battlefield to hit both the Solrock and, sadly, Konishiki. While the Solrock is only kind of hurt, Axol’s attack is enough to finish my Hariyama, and he crumbles on the ground almost immediately.

“…Aaand you also did that.” Tate chuckles, giving me an amused look, “Don’t you know that Surf is a spread move?”

My face turns hot before I frown, a defensive tone in my voice as I retort, “I knew that, I just…anyway, you’re done! All I need is one more Surf! Axol, get to it!”

Tate wags his finger, “Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, Rohon. I’ve got a special move just for you…” He spreads his arms, “Praise the sun, Solrock! Use Solar Beam!”

My eyes widen as the Solrock closes it’s eyes and basks in the artificial sun that it created, it’s orange exterior turning redder as it absorbs solar energy. Once it reaches full power, the meteorite opens its eyes and fires twin beams of light from its eyes, yelling “SOOOL!” as it razes Axol.”

Making a loud cry of pain, Swampert convulses and shakes, unable to defend himself against the Solrock’s devastating laser. Once the rock is finished, Axol falls flat on his belly, having all the energy drained from him.

“Noo!” I shout.

“Yes!” Liza shouts back, clenching her fists in excitement, “I knew it was a good idea for you to have that move! Great job, brother!”

I stare down at Axol, feeling my heart drop. Oh, that was a grass move, wasn’t it? Darn it… I clutch my head, “Gosh darn it! I’m done, I’m just done! There’s no way I can…”

My voice trails off as a sense a slight movement in Axol. Is he…alive?

I step closer, eyeing my Pokémon with a curious look. After a long tense wait…his eyes open. Oh, Arceus, he really is!

“What?!” Tate and Liza shout in unison before the former continues, “How is he still standing after that?!”

As I stare in disbelief at Axol, he rises to his feet, growling lowly as he starts to form a pool of water below his feet. Seeing this, I smile confidently at the twins as I answer, “I have no idea, but my friend’s about to show you that he doesn’t mess around! Let’s go, Axol!”

In response, Axol raises his arms high, letting out a mighty “SWAAAM-PERT!” before forming the biggest wave that I’ve ever seen from him. Sitting on top of the gigantic column, he does a backflip, sending the wave straight at the helpless Solrock.

Immediately after getting hit by the massive swell, the Solrock is knocked onto the floor, making a muffled grunt as it hits the ground. Once the wave disappears, the Solrock remains there, completely motionless. After a while, the meteorite slowly rises up, staggering in the air for a few seconds before finally giving up, falling back down as it groans, “Sol…rock.”

Chapter 79: A Glimpse into the Future

Chapter Text

The twins simply stand there for a few seconds, staring in a mix of awe and disbelief at me and my Swampert. After a minute, they both begin clapping at once, starting slow at first, but soon growing into a thunderous applause.

“Great job, Rohon!” Liza cheers, giving me a wide smile, “You and your Pokémon battled so well!”

Tate nods, “You sure did. That was one of the best battles we’ve had in a while!”

I take a step back in shock, “Wait, that’s it? You only brought two Pokémon?”

“Yep!” they both say in unison before Tate adds, “Solrock and Lunatone crush most trainers, but you’re leagues better than the average challenger. You actually managed to beat our aces!”

I simply stand there dumbfounded, unable to believe my luck. After a moment, I feel a small smile form on my face as I say, “Well, uh...wow. I really won...”

“You sure did!” Liza and Tate say at once, “You should be proud! And you should be even prouder to receive this...”

After that message, the Gym Leaders close their eyes and concentrate, humming softly to themselves as they levitate two objects from somewhere unseen towards me: a shiny, half pink, half yellow, heart-shaped badge and a small disk.

“Here’s the Mind Badge.” says Tate.

“And here’s the TM for Calm Mind!” Liza adds, “With this move, your Pokémon will be able to raise both their special attack AND special defense in one turn! Isn’t that just wonderful?”

I take the two items in both of my hands, eyeing both of them with intrigue. Once I do that, I tuck both of my gifts away in my bag and nod towards Tate and Liza, stating, “Thank you, you two. It was nice battling you, even if the battle was kinda short.”

“Same to you, Rohon!” The twins smile at me for a while until Tate’s expression grows a bit more serious. “Hmm...” he says, tilting his head, “That’s weird. I had a vision just now...”

Confused, Liza mirrors her brother’s actions and squints at me before gasping, “Oh! Oh. I can see it too.

My eyes widen in fear, “S-See what?”

The twins exchange glances before Tate answers, “We caught a glimpse of your future, Rohon. It does not look very good...”

Liza nods, “What he said. Our vision is a bit blurry, but the ordeal you have coming up...it’ll be very harsh.”

I feel my heart sink. An ordeal? What could this mean? Does it have something to do with...no...

Seeing the worry plastered all over my face, Tate narrows his eyes and states, “But there’s no need to worry, Rohon. You and your Pokémon are strong, stronger than any we have ever seen.”

“That’s right.” Liza adds, “No matter what challenges may be waiting for you, we know that you’ll be able to overcome them. After all...”

They both stand side by side and speak together, “As long as you keep your friends close, anything is possible!”

I stand there with a look of slight shock, unsure on how to take this message. After a pause, though, I decide to store this information in the back of my head and move on.

“Thanks, you two. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Tate nods along with Liza before saying, “Of course, Rohon. We wish you the best of luck in your journey going forward. For now...”

Both he and his sister close their eyes, causing a long row of spheres to form behind me.

“You’re free to go.”

I look at the line of psychic orbs, seeing that they lead all the way back to the entrance. “Oh, okay.” I say while turning back to twins, “Thanks again. Guess I’ll just, uh, leave.”

As I close my eyes and get carried away, I hear Tate and Liza call from behind me, “Goodbye, Rohon! May the power of friendship be with you!”

Soon enough, I’m back at the start of the Gym, where I take a second to catch my breath before walking out of the entrance/exit doors. Once I do that, I look up to see that the sky is turning orange.

“Wow,” I say to myself, “The day’s almost over, huh. What a day it’s been...”

Looking around, I realize that it would be best for me to figure out where May went. With that plan in mind, I grip the straps of my backpack and tighten them before walking away from the Gym in search of my friend.

Thankfully, it does not take very long to find May, who I spot standing near the edge of the island looking out at the orange ocean. After a few seconds, she catches notice of my presence, turning around to face me with a smile.

“Oh, there you are!” she says, “How’d the battle go?”

“It was weirdly difficult. The Gym Leaders—yes, I said leaders—only brought one Pokémon each, but they still managed to bring me down to my last two Pokémon, and even they struggled. In the end, though, Axol and Konishiki were able to net me the win.”

May raises her eyebrows, “Oh, well isn’t that interesting. I can’t even imagine bringing only two Pokémon to battle in a serious match...”

“Yeah, me neither.” I shake my head and step closer, “But that’s not the important part. Tate and Liza—that’s their names—told me something before I left. They said something about predicting me facing a harsh ordeal soon.”

“Really?” May tilts her head and holds her chin, “Hm, if memory serves correctly, Tate and Liza are psychics, right? Do you think that their prediction is true?”

I shudder, “I hope not. If it has anything to with Team Aqua, I would rather have our ordeal be mild.”

May frowns in determination, “Well, there’s only one way to find out. Come on, let’s continue with what we were doing and find some way to dive underwater.”

“Did I hear ‘dive’?”

Surprised by the sudden voice, May and I turn to the north to find…Steven?

“Steven!” May gasps, “It’s you again!”

I squint at Steven, “Yeah, it is. This is, like, our third time meeting randomly.

Steven chuckles, “Well, our encounter this time is justified; Mossdeep City is my home, you see.” He leans forward, “Anyway, did you say that you require some assistance with exploring the depths of the ocean? I may be able to help with that.”

May’s eyes widen, “You can? That’s great!”

“Hehe, indeed.” Steven turns around and waves us along with a smile, “Come, my home is this way. We can chat there.”

As May cheerfully follows after the champion, I roll my eyes and groan, “And here he comes to help us again. How convenient...”

Chapter 80: Calm before the Storm

Chapter Text

From there, Steven leads the two of us along the cobblestone road and towards a house in the top left corner of the island that, to my surprise, looks just as normal as the others. Once we are there, Steven opens the door and escorts us in, giving us a friendly smile.

“After you.”

Taking the cue, May and I step through the doorframe and into Steven’s living room, which is much more decorated and lavish than the exterior of his house would suggest. With the full bookshelves, ebony wood table, and antique paintings, the room exudes a sense of richness and nobility.

“Wow,” says May, “This is quite the nice house you have here, Steven!”

`The champion walks in after us, chuckling, “Oh, there is no need for praise; the extravagance of my humble abode is tame compared to those of my familiars. But thank you, anyway.” He then walks over to the front of the room and faces us, continuing, “Anywho, you must be dying to hear about how I might assist you in your aquatic adventure. Well, you need not wait any longer.”

He then reaches into his pocket and hands me a small disc with a slight blue tint. As I hold the object, May looks at it with me, sharing the same expression of awe.

“Woah, is this an HM?”

Steven nods, “Indeed it is. Specifically, it is the Hidden Machine used to teach the move Dive. With this technique, your Pokémon will be able to carry you to depths unreachable by most humans.”

“Wait, really?!” May squeals, beaming at me as she says, “Did you hear that, Rohon? We can finally get to the Seafloor Cavern!”

“The Seafloor Cavern?” Steven tilts his head, “I have heard that that place can be quite dangerous. What is your purpose for heading there?”

May turns her attention towards Steven, her expression growing more serious as she explains, “Oh, right. Uh...have you heard of Team Aqua? You know, that group of pirates that’re looking to expand the ocean? Well, we just got some news that they’re on their way to the Seafloor Cavern to do...something. But whatever it is can’t be good!”

“Yeah,” I add, “There’s that plus the fact that we have to steal back the submarine that they’re using to get there. Or at least I think that’s the plan...”

“...I see.” Steven holds his chin and looks at the ground, knitting his eyebrows in worry, “If this means what I think it means, then...”

Tilting her head, May asks, “What’s wrong, Steven? Is there anything in the Seafloor Cavern that we should know about?”

Steven snaps out of his trance and looks up at May, thinking for a second before shaking his head, “No, I...I do not wish to burden you two with the knowledge of what exactly is waiting for you down there. However, I will tell you this: your sense of urgency is wholly justified.”

“Oh...” May frowns and looks at the ground, “I...had a feeling.”

Seeing that May is bothered, Steven offers us a small smile and says, “But there is no need to worry. No matter what trials await you, I know that you two will overcome them. After all, you are strong; I could tell that ever since I met you both.”

“Really?” May returns the smile before looking at me and asking, “What about you, Rohon? Do you think that we can get through this?”

I shrug, “I mean...most likely. We’ve come this far, haven’t we? Who says that we can’t beat whatever this next threat is?”

Steven nods, “That’s the spirit. Indeed, as long as you young ones put your minds to it, you can best any challenge. With that being said, it would be unwise to go about facing this ordeal at this hour; you’ll need all the energy you can muster if you wish to have any chance of stopping Team Aqua’s nefarious plans. How do you feel about staying the night at my home?”

May gasps, “Wait, really? You’re okay with us sleeping over?”

“Of course. Such hospitality is only deserved for individuals with as much resolve as you two. Besides, it is not like you two are strangers; as your dear friend, it is my pleasure to accommodate your needs.”

May exchanges glances with me before smiling widely and exclaiming, “Wow, I can’t believe this! Thank you, Steven, thank you so much! I don’t know how we could ever repay you for your kindness!”

Steven shakes his head and smiles, “There is no need for that, May; my reward is seeing you and Rohon happy and healthy. Now then...” He spins around and heads towards the nearby kitchen, “Sit tight, my friends!”

Some time later, May and I find ourselves in the middle of Steven’s living room, laying on the floor in the sleeping bags that were provided to us. Illuminated by a lamp in the center of our sleeping grounds, the two of us enjoy a bowl of tomato soup plus some grilled cheese sandwiches while our Pokémon sleep in the left corner of the room.

“Ah, isn’t this comfy?” May asks as she holds up her sandwich, “Just the two of us enjoying some warm and fulfilling food, with the only source of light being this flickering campfire...”

I take a sip of my soup and retort, “Technically, this is a lamp, not a campfire.”

She rolls her eyes and smiles, “Oh, you know what I mean, you dummy! This still has the same vibe as a campfire.”

I shrug, “Well, when you put it that way, then yeah, I would say that this is comfy.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.”

May silently swirls her sandwich in her soup with one hand and props her head up with the other, smiling softly to herself. After a minute, she looks up at me, wearing that same smile.

“Y’know, I still can’t believe we’ve made it this far. It feels like only yesterday we met each other as neighbors. Now look at us; we’ve explored most of Hoenn as a duo, meeting all sorts of Pokémon and going on all sorts of adventures. Pretty amazing, don’t you think?”

I nod, swallowing another bite of sandwich before answering, “Yeah, definitely.”

Another moment of silence passes before May rests her hands on her arms, giving me a soft smile as she asks, “You know, I’ve been wondering...after this is all over, once we catch em’ all, deal with Team Aqua, and conquer the Pokémon League...what do you plan on doing?”

I freeze. I was not prepared for this question.

“Uh...well...” I hold my soup-stained sandwich in my unmoving hand, staring at it for a few long seconds before glancing at May at murmuring, “I...don’t really know. I guess I’ll just...go back to my normal life? Though I guess it won’t be as normal as before with my Pokémon.”

“Hm?” May scoots closer, tilting her head as she gives me a weird smirk, “Is that it? You’re just gonna go back to living in your house, playing your games and interacting with your Pokémon. Are you absolutely sure that there’s nothing else you wanna do? Any changes you want to make?”

I think over this, considering May’s words. After a minute, I shake my head, “No, not really. I’m just fine with going back to the status quo.” I pause before giving her a nervous look, “Is that a bad answer?”

“...Don’t worry about it.” May finishes her last sandwich before snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag, giving me one last small smile before stating, “Good night, Rohon.”

“H-hey, I—” I stop myself, realizing that there’s no point in continuing this conversation. After all, I don’t even know what it’s about. With that thought in mind, I finish the last of my food before switching off the lamp and scooting back into my bag, pushing these strange thoughts of mine into the back of my mind as I try to ease myself into sleep.

Chapter 81: Back to Business

Chapter Text

The next morning, May and I are awoken by the familiar sound of Blaziken’s deep crowing. As I groan and turn over in my sleeping bag, May, sits up and rubs her eyes, giving her Pokémon a tired and annoyed look.

“Come on, Blaziken, do you have to do this now? We’re guests, for crying out loud! What if you woke...”

May’s voice trails off as her eyes drift down to something in the middle of our sleeping grounds. Widening her eyes slightly, she reaches over and picks up the object as Blaziken returns to her capsule.

“Hey, where’d this box come from? And what’s with this note?”

Intrigued, I raise my body up and look over at the box that May is holding, seeing that there is indeed a note taped onto it.

“Hm, let’s see what it says...Dear Rohon and May. I hope that you enjoyed your stay at my place of residence. Unfortunately, I will not be able to see you off by the time you wake up; I have already departed for my morning training. To make up for this disappointment and to assist you in resolving the conflict ahead of you, I have left you both with a parting gift to. You two are resourceful souls; I am certain that you will find some use for my present. Sincerely, Steven.”

A bright smile appears on May’s face as she holds the package out in front of her.

“Aw, how sweet of him! What do you think he left us?”

“I dunno, why don’t we open the box and find out?”

Nodding, May eagerly reaches for the case’s lid, lifting the cover just enough to give us a small peek of something bright and shiny. Enticed by the sparkling teaser, May lifts the top completely, revealing a clear, light blue stone with what looks like bubbles swirling around in it. Seeing this, May lets out a large gasp, smiling even wider.

“Oh my gosh, look at this, Rohon! It’s a water stone!”

“A water stone?” I pause. “Um...what’s that?”

May rolls her eyes, “Are you serious? You never heard of a water stone before now? Alright, I guess I should explain, then: when certain Pokémon are exposed to a water stone, they get to evolve.”

Hearing this, I raise my eyebrows, leaning forward in intrigue.

“Ooh, it can evolve Pokémon? That’s awesome!”

May gives me an amused smirk and laughs dryly before picking up the water stone and holding it between us.

“Looks like that got your attention. But, like I said, this stone only evolves certain Pokémon. I bet you can guess what types of Pokémon it works on.”

“...Oh, I got it! It only works on Water-types, right?”

May claps her hands together, “Bingo. But don’t just assume that this is the case for all Water-types. Axol didn’t need a stone to evolve, did he? That means that only certain Pokémon of that type can use the water stone.”

“Oh, really? Okay...”

I hold my chin, looking down as I begin to brainstorm. After some thinking, my eyes brighten as an idea pops into my head.

“Hey, do you think that Dendy could use the stone? I mean, she was found next to your Seedot, and he needed a sun stone to evolve. Who’s to say that Dendy wouldn’t evolve in the same way?”

Considering my words, May widens her eyes in realization.

“Hey, that’s a good point!” She gives me a playful smile, “That’s quite the intelligent observation coming from you.”

“Thanks, I—wait, what’s that supposed to mean?”

May simply laughs and shakes her head before pointing to our Pokéballs in the corner of the room.

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you just go ahead and test out your hypothesis?”

Although I feel like I should be offended, I decide to not discuss the topic any further, instead settling for giving my friend a look, taking the water stone from her, and walking over to my collection of capsules. Reaching for the one containing Dendy, I wind up and throw the ball forward, causing my Lombre to spring onto the scene.

“Hey, Dendy. I’ve got a little surprise for you...”

I reveal the blue stone from behind my back, which Dendy immediately ogles at.

“It’s a water stone! Do you think you can use—woah!”

Before I can finish my sentence, Dendy reaches out and snatches the bubbly rock from me, causing me to fall off balance a bit. Before I can scold Dendy on her bad behavior, she absorbs the gleaming energy of the water stone and uses it to make her own body glow, prompting me to cover my eyes a bit. Though my eyes are somewhat obstructed, I’m able to notice a few changes. For one, Dendy’s lily pad hat is growing bigger and sprouting some kind of brown stem, looking more like a sombrero than before. Secondly, her body is growing wider and bulkier, looking much more ovular than humanoid. Finally, to top things off, her hands turn into mitts and her feet turn into stumps, strangely enough.

Once the transformation is finished and Dendy stops glowing, I remove my hands from my face and take a good look at my Pokémon, who is happy as can be. Seeing her joyful expression, I smirk and tilt my head at her.

“Is this what you so eager to turn into? A pineapple?”

Taking no offense to my snide remark, Dendy jumps back and breaks into a hopping dance, swaying her shaggy, yellow fur side to side and opening her orange beak wide as she sings, “Ludi-colo, ludi-colo!”

Laughing at my Pokémon's ridiculous antics, May comments, “Haha, look at her go! Here I was thinking she was playful enough as a Lombre. Now, as a...” she takes a quick look at her Pokédex, “Ludicolo, she’s a party animal!”

Similarly amused by Dendy’s carefree hopping, I admire her a little more before going to pick up the rest of my Pokéballs and my bag.

“Yeah, you could say that again. But we don’t have time to see her dance; we’ve got some pirates to stop.”

“Oh yeah! We better get started on that.”

May proceeds to get up, gather her Pokéballs, and pack them into her bag before making her way towards the door.

“Come on, let’s get going! There’s no time to waste!”

Instead of heeding to her words, I decide to sit down on a nearby chair and cross my arms, giving May a knowing smirk. Raising an eyebrow at my behavior, May places her hands on her hips and leans forward.

“What’s the holdup? What’re you waiting for?”

“Waiting for you to fix your bed head.”

Widening her eyes in realization, May reaches her hands up to her hair, finding that it is as tangled as a tumbleweed. Letting out an annoyed huff, she retrieves her brush from her bag and begins tending to her hair, quickly straightening it into its normal, side-tail having state. After doing that, she puts away her comb and opens the door, looking back at me with a smirk.

“Okay, NOW let’s get going. You ready?”

Laughing slightly, I get up and walk behind my friend.

“Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s get this mission started.”

Chapter 82: Dive, Dive, Dive!

Chapter Text

After making sure that we have all of our belongings, May and I exit Steven’s house and head towards the southeast side of Mossdeep City, which was in the direction of the Seafloor Cavern according to my PokéNav. Once we reach the sandy shore, May suddenly halts and holds her hand out to stop me.

“Wait, what are we doing? We haven’t even taught our Pokémon Dive yet!”

Widening my eyes in realization, I smack my hand into my face before shifting my bag and reaching into it.

“Right, how could I forget? I’ll get the TV...”

After some rummaging, I retrieve the miniature TV and the DVD player, which I insert the HM for Dive into. As the video starts to load, May and I bring out our respective Water-types; she sends out Wailmer, I send out Axol.

As our partners get comfortable, a scene of some sort of blue eel Pokémon with orange fins swimming in the ocean appears on the screen. Swirling its long, serpentine body around, the fish makes its white spots glow bright before leaping up and crashing back down into the water, disappearing in an instant. After a long pause, the eel suddenly emerges from the water, jumpscaring us as it lunges towards the camera with its toothy mouth opened wide. As soon as the Pokémon’s mouth reaches the camera, the video ends.

Although me and May, especially me, are reasonably shocked, our Pokémon, on the other hand, are very intrigued. Looking at each other, they smile before running/rolling towards the water and jumping in, creating a big splash as they dive to some unknown depth. After some time, they emerge splashing us with even more water as they happily jump towards the sky.

Shielding her head from the falling water, May giggles, “Hey, calm down, you two! You’re going to get my hair wet!”

Shaking myself dry, I give Axol a look before sighing, wading through the water, and climbing onto his back.

“Well, at least you’re having fun. Hopefully you’ll have just as much fun carrying me across this route.”

Hearing this, May gives me a confused look, asking, “Wait, we’re not swimming over there? Why?”

I just point to the east, where a massive stretch of water extends past the island.

“Look at that length. We’ve gotta get through that plus another water route. Do you seriously think that we could swim that whole distance? I mean, maybe YOU could, but I’d much rather just ride on Axol. Besides, he’ll be the one diving, won’t he? Might as well ride with him the whole way.”

“Oh yeah, I see your point.”

May thinks for a minute before looking towards me with a slight smile.

“Well, in that case...do you wanna ride him together?”

“Huh?” I widen my eyes slightly, “Don’t you have Wailmer to ride?”

May shrugs, “Well, I could go ahead and teach Wailmer Surf, but it’d be a hassle to keep myself steady on his round body.”

She looks up into my eyes, still wearing that smile of hers.

“It’d be much more comfortable to have your strong Swampert carry us both along.”

I look off to the side, tapping my fingers against Axol’s shoulders as I consider my friend’s offer. After some time, I decide to give in to her request.

“...Okay, sure. Hop on.”

Smiling even wider, May skips over to me and Axol and climbs onto his back, positioning herself just behind me, using Axol’s tail fin as a backrest. Feeling May’s body against mine, I stiffen up a little before glancing over at her with a hint of shyness.

“Uh...are you comfortable back there? You’re not feeling cramped, are you?”

May shakes her head, leaning against my bag with a soft smile.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Okay, good. Well...”

I pat Axol’s shoulders and point forward.

“Let’s go, Axol! Use Surf!”

Nodding in agreement, Axol makes a low “perr” sound as he creates a small wave to ride away on, leaving Wailmer to swim slowly after us. Probably because two people are on him, Axol goes a bit slower than usual, forcing me to endure a few minutes of being in close proximity with May and her warm body. Despite me feeling moderately uncomfortable and strange the whole way through, I manage to get through all of Route 127 and a part of Route 128, the center of which has an inviting ring of land inside it.

“Ooh!” May says, raising her head, “Is that it? The Seafloor Cavern?”

Still looking a little red, I glance over at the bits of ground and observe them for a minute before nodding.

“I’m guessing yes. Axol, why don’t you head over there?”

Grunting in compliance, Axol dissipates his wave and strokes his way over to the island, allowing May and I to get a good look at the pool of water in the middle. The sun’s light only goes so far into the hole before disappearing completely, giving me a pretty good idea of how insanely deep the water is.

“Wow, looks like a long way down.” May says, “Do you think that Axol has it in him to dive that deep?”

I peer down into the depths, feeling a small sense of unsureness wash over me. However, after looking into Axol’s eyes, my confidence returns to me, and I give a firm nod.

“Yeah, he can make it. He’s got what it takes.”

Smiling, I point down at the water and issue my next command.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Axol! Use Dive!”

Nodding again, Axol lets a hearty “Swam!” before crawling into the water, prompting May and I to hold our breaths as we prepare to submerge.

At first, the dive isn’t too bad. For the first few feet, I’m able to keep the air in my body with no trouble at all as Axol escorts us deeper into the vertical tunnel. Unfortunately for me, things start to get more uncomfortable as we descend; the lights get dimmer, the water pressure starts to make my ears throb, and I start to run out of oxygen.

Even though my lungs are begging me to breathe, I know that one gasp could end my life right then and there. So, fighting against my body’s natural urges, I shut my eyes tight and purse my lips, doing everything in my power to stop myself from breathing.

Once the ocean floor becomes visible to me, I grip Axol’s shoulder with my left hand, using my right hand to hold my hand tightly over my mouth. Come on, I think as my Pokémon continues to swim, How much longer is this trip?!

Just when I think I’m about to break, a glimmer of light from above catches my attention. Raising my head, I almost gasp; right above me is an air pocket! Seeing this, I frantically slam my hands against Axol’s head and point up, hoping desperately that he gets my message. To my absolute relief, he seems to understand, and he quickly points his body upwards before making his way towards the safe spot.

As Axol swims away, I puff my cheeks outwards and tighten my grip on him, feeling even more nervous as May places her own hands on my shoulders. I count away the seconds as my partner gets closer to the goal, with each inch of progress increasing my urge to inhale and satisfy my body’s needs. With my head throbbing, I’m just about to give in and take in whatever’s outside of me when finally...

“GASP!!”

Both May and I take in a deep breath as Axol breaches and lands on a solid surface. Deeply relieved, I fall forward and rest my head on Axol’s, placing one hand over my pounding heart.

“Hah...that...that was scary.”

“Hah...yeah...you could say that again.”

May takes a few breaths of her own before straightening up, climbing off Axol, and giving me a peppy smile.

“But hey, we made it, didn’t we? And just look where we ended up...”

Raising my head, I look around to see that we’re standing at the entrance to some sort of large, jagged cave, which is illuminated by small, shining rocks. Turning my head to the right, I spot Stern’s painted submarine, which is parked neatly next to the shore. Oh, how I wish we had that...

“Yeah. We’re finally here. The Seafloor Cavern.”

Sighing, I drag myself off of Axol, return him to his ball, and begin walking towards the cave.

“Team Aqua better go down easy.”

As I make my way off, May glances at the submarine before returning Wailmer, who surfaced just behind us, and following after me, her steps firm and filled with determination.

“That’d be great. But even if they do put up a fight, I know we can take them on. Together, we’ll put a stop to their plans and take back what they stole.”

Feeling encouraged by May’s words, I acknowledge her with a nod before continuing to walk down into the gaping hole, ready to take on whatever’s lurking inside.

Chapter 83: A Dormant Power Reawakened!

Chapter Text

Once we enter the cave, May and I are met with the sight of a large, well-lit room filled with small, rough-edged rocks and larger, smooth boulders. Walking ahead of me, May makes her way towards one of the bigger stones, which looks to be sunken in a pit, and holds her chin.

“Huh, that’s weird. Something about these boulders look...unnatural. Almost as if they were moved by something...or someone.”

As soon as May says those words, she gasps, looking back at me with wide eyes.

“Oh my gosh, Rohon, do you know what this means? Team Aqua has already passed through here! They must already be deep into the cave!’

Hearing this, I widen my eyes slightly. Team Aqua has a head start? This isn’t good...

Spinning around, May speedwalks towards me and grabs my hand before carrying me away, pulling me along with great haste.

“Come on, we gotta get moving! We still have a chance to stop whatever they’re up to if we hurry!”

As May grabs me and rushes me through the cave, I look down at the ground, feeling a little skeptical about the idea of trying to stop Team Aqua when they have this much of a lead on us. Even though there’s a fair bit of anxiety and doubt in my heart, deep down I know that we have to at least attempt to find our enemies and thwart them, even if the situation seems hopeless. So, with a slight yet firm nod, I squeeze May’s hand and power walk along with her.

“Okay. Let’s get to it.”

With that, the two of us hurry along, traversing through corridors, past some more buried boulders, and even across pools of water as we venture further into the caverns. Along the way, we come across the occasional Zubat, Golbat, and Geodude-like rock (which is apparently called Graveler), all of which we ignore/fend off during our trek.

Eventually, after a while of walking and dealing with Pokémon encounters, the two of us reached the mouth of a wide, dark hole. Staring down into the black pit with me, May lets go of my hand and takes in a breath.

“So...this must be the place.”

She turns her head to look at me, giving me a small smile.

“Ready to leap into the unknown?”

Looking into her eyes, I stay silent for a moment, taking a minute to gather my thoughts before nodding.

“Yeah...I’m ready. Let’s teach those pirates a lesson.”

With our resolve being set in stone, May and I clench our hands before walking towards the ramp before us and sliding down into the abyss.

After passing through a block of darkness, the two of us enter a room filled with a thin layer of mist and little puddles of water. Wringing my hands together, I hunker down and look around, feeling a bit unsettled by my foggy surroundings and the quiet atmosphere. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, a loud, familiar laugh breaks the silence.

“Bwahaha! At last!”

Gasping, May looks back at me and points forward.

“Rohon, did you hear that?!” She loudly whispers, “It’s Archie! Sounds like he’s found something...let’s see what it is!”

Without giving me a chance to respond, May fearlessly runs ahead of me, leaving me to futilely reach out to her and cry out. Once I realize that there’s no point in calling her back, I sigh and walk after her, tightening my backpack straps in preparation.

Walking through the tunnel, I stand alongside May and stare wide-eyed at the group of 5 Team Aqua grunts in front of me, all of whom are standing around Archie himself and a large pool of water. Shocked by the mob of criminals, I regrettably let out a small, incriminating gasp. As I hold my hands over my mouth, one of the grunts, a girl, turns to face May and I before gasping and pointing forward.

“Blimey, intruders!”

I freeze up as all of the menacing marauders, including Archie, turn to face May and I, giving us both stares of hostility, confusion, and surprise. After some time, Archie chuckles and steps forward, crossing his arms as he gives us both a sinister grin.

“Heh heh heh...well, would ya look at that. I had a feeling that you little scamps would come to crash my party.”

Fearing for my life, I clasp my hands together and give Archie a pleading look.

“Please don’t hurt us! We don’t mean any harm, we promise!”

“What the—Rohon!”

May places her hands on her hips and taps her foot, giving me an upset frown.

“What happened to all that confidence from earlier? I thought you were ready for this!”

Feeling embarrassed, I look down at the ground and shuffle around, mumbling out a response. As I try and fail to explain myself, Archie laughs again and leans towards me.

“Your friend’s right, bucko. You came all the way here; might as well have your bark match your bite.”

Seeing the truth to his words, I look up slightly before clearing my throat, shaking my head, and pointing forward, doing my best to look heroic and courageous.

“Did I say we don’t mean any harm? I meant we mean ALL harm! Well, maybe not that much harm, but...look, just stop what you’re doing, okay? Give us back the Blue Orb, return Captain Stern’s sub, and we can all live happily ever after. Please?”

Chuckling some more, Archie closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“That’s a start, boyo. But you’ll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to convince me. Not like you’ll have much of a chance, though...”

Without another word, Archie snaps his fingers, prompting two of the male grunts to run forward and grab May and I with no warning.

“Hey!” May exclaims, thrashing around furiously, “Let me go, you brute!”

“Hush, you little brat.” Her captor barks, “Just be glad we’re not doin’ anything worse.”

Despite me and May’s best struggles, the two of us are left with no choice but to get carried over to Archie, who is still wearing his cruel smile.

“There you are. You shouldn’t be able to do much more meddling now. Instead, you get to have front-row seats to the beginning of the new age.”

“‘Beginning of the new age’? What do you mean, you old...huh?”

May’s voice trails off as she and I drift our eyes towards something shocking to our rights. Taking up most of the space in the pool of dark blue water is a huge orca with large, wide fins, a similarly sized tail fin, and big, white, eye-like spots next to its relatively small, closed eyes. While the Pokémon as a whole is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, the strangest part about it is the fact that it looks to be trapped in a layer of rock...

Seeing our expressions of disbelief, Archie laughs loudly and proudly.

“Beautiful, isn’t she? You’re looking at Kyogre, the super-ancient Pokémon resting within the azure sea! Or at least that’s what she’s been doing up until now...”

Grinning, Archie pulls out a blue sphere with an alpha symbol on it.

“That’ll change once she gets a taste of this Blue Orb! Once she absorbs the energy of this ancient artifact, she’ll finally awaken and revert to her true form: Primal Kyogre! Once she’s awoken to her true power, she’ll finally take back the world that we humans selfishly stole and corrupted in our endless pursuit of our own desires and needs. The tides will rise, buildings will get washed away, and everything will be reclaimed by the sea!”

Still struggling against her captor, May gives Archie a fierce glare and forces her body forward.

“Are you crazy?! Don’t you realize that Kyogre doing such a thing would be a disaster for humanity? Society as we know it would be ruined!”

Chuckling darkly, Archie steps forward, shaking his head as he approaches May.

“Do you think I don’t know that? Yes, most of us would be swept away by the deluge, some of us might even get killed...and that’s the point! We’ve enjoyed far too many years of living in peace and comfort; it’s about time we all got a taste of reality and remembered what it’s like to live in the wild. Besides, with how long we’ve been disregarding Pokémon and nature, we deserve everything that’s coming to us.”

Following that statement, Archie holds the Blue Orb up to the ceiling and turns towards.

“Now, awaken, Kyogre! Show us why—”

“Archie, wait!”

Stopping mid-sentence, Archie turns around to face none other than Shelly, who just ran into the room. Panting heavily, the Aqua admin steps closer to her boss, wearing a worried frown on her face.

“The girl’s right, Archie. I know that our whole mission is to give Pokémon back the habitats they lost and to make the world less modernized, but...don’t you think this is taking things too far? I mean, think about it: this is a legendary Pokémon we’re talking about here. And you’re planning on reverting it to its primal form? Aren’t you worried that it’ll go too far in expanding the oceans? If you let Kyogre have its way, it could destroy everything! Is this the ‘perfect world’ that you wanted?”

“...Shelly...”

Archie stays silent for a minute before raising his head up to look at his lesser, his bearded face dark with silent anger.

“I thought I could trust you. I always believed that you, who’s been with me from the very start, would understand my dreams. But no. You’re just as cowardly as everyone else.”

Giving Shelly another spiteful glare, Archie grips the Blue Orb tighter before turning back towards the pool of water with a determined frown.

“Looks like the only one I can rely on is you, Kyogre. Let’s show these lily-livered fools why your will is absolute. Let’s show the world the reality they deserve to live in!”

“Archie, no!”

Despite Shelly’s best protests, there’s nothing she can do to stop Archie as he winds up, aims at Kyogre, and hurls the Blue Orb straight at the titan.

“Now, PRIMAL EVOLVE!!”

To our absolute horror, the mystical sphere lands perfectly on Kyogre’s head, where it immediately begins to shine a bright sapphire as it sinks into the orca’s body. After that event, time itself seems to freeze as Kyogre remains dormant, seemingly unaffected by the orb’s power. After some time, though, yellow cracks start to appear on the legendary’s body that quickly grow in size before the whale’s shell breaks off, revealing its smooth, deep blue skin.

Another moment passes before Kyogre opens her small, yellow eyes wide, looking around and blinking a few times. After getting her bearings, she starts to swim forward with a slightly annoyed series of clicks, giving us all suspicious glances. Seeing this, Archie lets out a short laugh and steps towards the dolphin, who responds by narrowing her eyes even further.

“Rise and shine, Kyogre! You’re not too tired, are you? I hope not, we’ve got a lot of work to—WAH!”

In an unexpected twist, Archie is hit by a full-force blast of water from Kyogre, causing him to get pushed flat on his back with a loud thud. Groaning, the pirate king lays there for a second before getting back up and gritting his teeth at the ancient Pokémon.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?! I thought we were friends!”

Acting like anything but a friend, Kyogre starts floating into the air, whining lowly as she bares her teeth at us. After deciding that we weren’t worth the time or effort, she lets out a harsh, metallic scream and crashes into the rocky ceiling above, smashing through it like a wrecking ball as she returns to the world above. Startled, the grunts holding May and I loosen their grips, giving us both much-needed relief. Unfortunately, this pleasant feeling is short-lived as rocks start to fall around us, filling the air with sounds of stones cracking against stones.

As me and the grunts run around in a panic, Shelly narrows her eyes at Archie, who is staring blankly at the broken ceiling, and clenches her fists.

“You stupid...b*tch. Look what you’ve done! Do you see now the consequences of your actions?!”

“B-but...my utopia...”

Shaking her head in disdain, Shelly rushes over, grabs me and May’s arms, and pulls us away.

“Let’s go, kids. We’ve only got so long until this cave collapses. You too, mates! Let’s go, go, go!”

May and I stare at each other, reasonably confused by Shelly’s behavior. She’s saving us? Us, who have been nothing but a thorn in Team Aqua’s side ever since we met? What has the world come to?

While this whole situation is bizarre, I can tell by May’s expression that she’s thinking the same thing I’m thinking: there’s no use in doubting Shelly’s kindness. Even though we and Team Aqua’s been enemies up to this point, we would have to trust them just this once if we wanted to make it out of this cave alive.

Shelly, I hope you know what you’re doing...

Chapter 84: The Plan

Chapter Text

Guiding us through twists and turns, up slopes and past stalagmites and boulders, Shelly escorts May and I back towards the entrance of the rumbling cave, with most of the other members of Team Aqua following right behind us. As we backtrack through the collapsing caverns, I look around with worry at the falling rocks and stalactites around me, trying by best not to think about what would happen if either of those things hit us. Despite being scared out of my mind, I manage to keep my feet moving, knowing that even a second of inactivity could lead to my death.

Fortunately, thanks to Shelly’s quick movements, it’s not long before we make it back to the mouth of the Seafloor Cavern, where Stern’s modified submarine is.


“Carl, open the hatch!” Shelly yells while pushing us forward, “Everyone else, get in!”

As soon as Shelly says that, the top door of the submarine opens, prompting the grunts to run forward and climb inside. Seeing that our frenemies are heading to safety, May pulls me towards the submersible and climbs onto it, extending a hand to lift me onto the vessel. Once I am on the aquatic machine, I climb into the open hatch with May, finally escaping the chaos going on outside.

May and I sit in awkward silence for a good minute, looking around at the tense Team Aqua members as they twiddle their thumbs and look down at the floor. After what feels like forever, Shelly enters the submarine, holding a dismayed Archie by the ear.

“Sorry I’m late,” Shelly says, giving the pirate king a look, “I would’ve been here sooner if someone here wasn’t dragging his feet.”

I take a look at Archie to see if he’s going to say anything in response, but he just stays silent, looking off to the side with a frustrated frown.Shaking her head in disappointment, Shelly looks through a yellow tinted window to her right and points forward.

“Carl, batten down the hatches! We’re heading for Route 128!”

I hear a “yes ma’am” before the hatch above us closes, and the submarine starts sinking immediately afterwards. After we reach a certain depth, the submersible begins swimming forward and away from the Seafloor Cavern.

The 9 of us just sit there quietly for a few seconds, with only the subtle beeps and boops of the submarine’s interior filling the air. After a long period of nothing, I hear a faint voice coming out of a walkie-talkie by Archie’s side, which he picks up and places near his ear.

“Hello?” He asks, having a slight edge to his voice, “...What? You say the great deluge has already begun? Okay, well...what?! You said it’s far more than we thought? You’re losing ground as we speak? And she’s still going?! ...Okay, Andre, I’ll get back to you.”

Clenching his walkie-talkie tightly, Archie presses a button on the device and sets it down, containing his rage for just a second longer before unleashing it with a strong slam on his thigh.

“Damn it! It’s just as I thought...”

May leans forward, wearing a worried look on her face as she faces Archie.

“What do you mean? What happened, Archie?”

The Team Aqua leader grits his teeth and clenches his fist, looking down at the ground as he shakes in rage.

“Kyogre’s goin’ way too far. All I wanted was for her to expand the oceans a little, but at this rate, she might just turn the entire Earth into a swimming pool! All because she didn’t listen to me when I went through all the trouble of awakening her...”

Hearing this, Shelly crosses her arms, looking to her side to give Archie an accusing glare.

“Well, of course she didn’t listen! This is what I was warning you about, Archie: no human can control the actions of legendary titans, no matter how hard they try, and Kyogre’s no exception! You say you wanted to create a world where Pokémon could live in peace, but you just made things worse for them! Not just for Pokémon, but for every living thing on the planet!”

Archie’s eyes widen in response to Shelly’s words, and he stays silent for a few seconds. After a long pause, he clenches his fist tighter and shakes it, letting out a low growl as his face turns redder and redder. Just when I think we’re about to witness another outburst...he stops. Letting out a dejected sigh, Archie crosses his arms over his stomach and hangs his head, looking much more remorseful than usual.

“You’re right. I really did sink us all. All because I was too caught in my own ideals to see the truth.”

He then pans his view all around the room, regarding every passenger.

“I’m sorry, Shelly. I’m sorry, crew. And I’m especially sorry to you, you little scamps. You might’ve been a real pain, but at least you were trying to stop me from trying to destroy the world.”

Me and May exchange shocked glances, reasonably surprised by Archie’s change of heart. Following a small delay, May turns to face Archie and frowns slightly.

“Well, you may have caused the watery apocalypse, but...I guess we can forgive you. It’s just too bad that you won’t have a chance to repent what with Kyogre going on a rampage up there.”

“...Actually, there is a way to stop her.”

May and I gasp, staring at Archie in disbelief.

“Wait, really?” May asks, “How?”

Archie straightens his back, looking straight at us with a serious expression.

“Believe it or not, Kyogre’s not at her full power...at least not yet. She still hasn’t completed her Primal Reversion, and it’ll take her some time before she can do that. It might be a bit risky, but if we hurry, we could fight and defeat her before she can reach her final form.”

Hearing this, I fall back into my seat, widening my eyes in sheer skepticism.

“Wait, WHAT?! No offense, Archie, but...that plan is crazy! Do you expect us to face off against a legendary Pokémon like Kyogre?!”

Archie glances at me and chuckles, giving me a small grin.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, ya little squirt. You and your little girlfriend were able to go toe-to-toe with me, weren’t ya? Who says that you can’t handle an overgrown Goldeen?”

“Yeah!” Shelly adds, wearing a little smile of her own, “Besides, you won’t be battling alone; we’ll all be backing you up.”

On cue, all the Team Aqua grunts raise their fists and cheer, looking much more pumped than before. Filled with a sense of awe, I look around at my unlikely allies, unable to believe my luck. After processing my situation, I let out a little laugh and smile, feeling a little more at ease.

“Uh...okay! I guess that’s a plan, then.”

Archie smirks and nods, crossing his arms proudly.

“That’s the spirit, kid! I knew you had it in you to take on this mission. Now all we gotta do is...”

Before Archie can finish his sentence, he is interrupted by another voice from his walkie-talkie, this one sounding more urgent than before. Raising an eyebrow, Archie picks up the device and places it near his face again.

“Hello? Yes, I know, Kyogre’s still —say what? There’s another giant? And he’s doing what?! ...Okay, we’ll be right over.”

Following that message, Archie turns off his walkie-talkie and turns towards the window to his right.

“Carl, we’re changing courses! Head for Sootopolis City!”

Heeding Archie’s orders, the pilot makes a sharp left, shifting us all to the right. As I reposition myself, May gives Archie a confused and worried look.

“Hey, what’s going on, Archie? Did something happen?”

Archie’s face darkens, “Just about the worst thing happened, lass. And I think I know what landlubbers are behind it...”

Chapter 85: Clash of the Titans

Chapter Text

Without another word, Archie sits with the rest of us as we continue on our trip, bouncing his leg restlessly as he grumbles to himself. Although I am curious to know what is going on, I have a gut feeling that Archie would rather not speak right now, so I hold back on talking. Instead, I look out of the window, passing the time by observing the seaweed, rocks, and Pokémon that we travel past.

Eventually, after a long trip, the submarine starts to travel upwards, signaling the end of the adventure. Letting out a sigh of relief, I look up at the submarine hatch and wait for it to open, which it does a few minutes later. Once it opens, however, my mood is literally dampened by a cascade of water falling on me and the other passengers.

“Ack, pthpt!” I exclaim, feeling water dribble down my face, “What the heck?! Aren’t we on the surface?”

Completely unfazed by the falling liquid, Archie heads towards the ladder leading up to the exit and climbs up. A moment later, he looks down at us and shouts over the pitter-patter of water droplets:

“Aye, we’re on the surface! But we’ve got company!”

Waving his hand toward him, Archie fully exits the submarine, prompting us to follow him. Even though I really don’t want to, I decide to heed his orders anyway, trailing behind May and the Team Aqua members as they climb upwards.

“Okay, we’re here.” I say as I clamber onto the submarine’s exterior, “Now, what exactly is...woah.”

I stare straight ahead with wide eyes, feeling the breath leave my body as I take in the staggering sight ahead of me. Sitting in a massive body of water is none other than Kyogre, who is slapping her large, ribbony tail against the water and bobbing her head up and down. As the orca splashes around, dark clouds hanging above her and the surrounding city send heavy rain pouring down, plaguing the entire area with a relentless downpour.

“Oh my god,” May gasps, looking around at her surroundings in disbelief, “This is insane! It’s been, what, 10 minutes? How did things get this bad?”

“Oh, you think this is bad?” Archie asks, wearing a annoyed scowl, “Just wait, things are about to get a whole lot worse...”

As if on cue, to nearly everyone’s surprise...the rain stops. The Team Aqua grunts, May and I look around in confusion, watching as the clouds above us disperse and allow bright sunlight in. Equally as bewildered as us, Kyogre sweeps her head back and forth, making a low whining sound as she scans the area for any problems.

A few more seconds pass before we hear a loud roar from afar, shaking the air, ground, and water with its sheer volume and strength. Looking to the left, I catch a glimpse of something massive standing on top of the giant, rocky wall surrounding the city. The very next second, the entity shoots a red beam out of what I assume is its mouth, giving it enough propulsion to fly towards us and right next to Kyogre, creating a huge splash as it crashes onto the lake. Despite its humongous size, the giant somehow doesn’t immediately sink. Instead, it instantly turns the water beneath it into dark obsidian, providing it a platform to stand on.

Once the wall of water goes down, I take the opportunity to get a better look at our newcomer, and what I see almost makes my pants even wetter. Standing at almost 3 times my height is a tremendous, bulky, bipedal dinosaur with red, armor-like plates of skin, large, white spikes on its side and tail, which is as strong and thick as the rest of its body, and small yet intimidating yellow eyes.

As I stand there in stunned silence, the kaiju-like creature stares directly at Kyogre and growls, baring its sharp teeth as it holds its dagger-like claws out in a threatening manner. Narrowing her eyes in irritation, Kyogre snaps her jaws and raises her fins before crashing into her enemy with a strong headbutt, making a harsh, metallic scream as she does so. Despite Kyogre’s attack looking powerful, it only manages to push the dinosaur back a few inches. Wasting no time in counterattacking, the behemoth reaches out and grabs Kyogre by her head, gnawing on her snout like a piece of meat.

As Kyogre struggles against the giant lizard’s grip, I catch a glimpse of some figures in the corner of my eye. Feeling curious, I turn my head to the left and find, to my absolute shock, Maxie, Courtney, and some short, heavy guy with a red hoodie on standing on a small island right next to us. Archie becomes aware of their presence soon afterward, and he faces them with a bitter scowl.

“Well, would you look at that. Team Magma. Why am I not surprised.”

Maxie stiffens and turns towards Archie, wearing an uncharacteristic expression of surprise and shock. A second later, however, he immediately regains his composure, straightening his glasses as he regards his rival.

“So, we meet again, Archie. Fancy seeing you here.”

Archie clenches his fists, stepping off of the submarine and walking towards his nemesis.

“Don’t you give me any of that ‘fancy seeing you here’ nonsense, you pampered pansy! You released Groudon, didn’t you?!”

Hearing this, May gasps and looks between the dinosaur and Maxie.

“Wait, that’s its name? Groudon?”

Maxie turns his eyes towards May, letting out a small grumble as he turns the corners of his mouth downward.

“Yes, that is correct. Groudon, the personification of the land itself...that is who you see before you.”

Courtney steps forward, explaining, “We awakened him shortly after the...events at the Slateport Harbor. Although we were unable to make use of the Submarine Explorer 1, we were nonetheless able to locate and reach Groudon’s abode thanks to the efforts of Tabitha, my fellow Team Magma admin.”

The large, smooth-skinned man, presumably Tabitha, nods and walks forward, wearing a proud smile in spite of the situation.

“She’s right! It was, I, Tabitha, who came up with the brilliant plan of simply drilling through our hideout in Jagged Pass to reach the resting spot of the legendary Pokémon of the earth, Groudon! Yes, our base might require a few...renovations due to our excessive digging, but I would say that our sacrifice was a necessary one, wouldn’t you agree?”

He then looks between the fighting Pokémon and Archie, giving the latter an accusing look.

“Unfortunately, as solid as my plan was, it looks like I forgot to account for one rogue element...”

As Archie and Tabitha give each other the evil eye, Shelly turns towards May and I with a somewhat soft look.

“You’re probably wondering what’s going on, aren’t you? Well, I may as well fill you in on the details; as you probably know, Kyogre and Groudon are both Legendary Pokémon that control the sea and land, respectively. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but those two beasts are hellbent on shaping the world to their liking; Groudon wants to turn the whole world into a dry, barren landscape while Kyogre wants to flood the Earth and make it into an oversized water droplet. Of course, both beasts can’t simultaneously have their way; one of them has to back down.”

As Shelly says this, I catch a glimpse of Kyogre shooting a concentrated blast of water straight at Groudon’s chest, forcing him to let go. Once she is freed, Kyogre raises her head to the sky and screeches, causing the dark clouds from before to return and blot out the sun, bringing the torrential downpour back in the process.

“But neither Pokémon wants that to happen. Because of that, they duke it out every chance they get, ravaging the land around them with their endless, relentless fights. Thankfully for us, they were separated and sealed away centuries ago so that the Earth wouldn’t be destroyed by their catastrophic battles...until now.”

Immediately after these words leave Shelly’s mouth, a bolt of lightning crashes into the water near the dueling legendaries, causing me to jump and yelp. Groudon, on the other hand, is completely unfazed, instead letting out a powerful roar as his body starts to glow. During Groudon’s shining display, May turns towards Shelly and gives her a worried look.

“Wait, so that means...your team and Team Magma brought back the apocalypse, didn’t you?!”

Shelly nods, “Yes, you...you could say that. If we don’t do anything to stop them, Kyogre and Groudon won’t just destroy this city; they’ll flood Lilycove City, burn Lavaridge Town, and eventually...the whole world will be demolished.”

Directly after Shelly exposes us to this harsh truth, Groudon shoots a beam of green energy out of his mouth and hits Kyogre with it directly, drawing a pained, high-pitched cry out of the orca. As soon as this attack concludes, the dark clouds disappear once more, causing harsh sunlight to shine onto my skin.

“Oh no,” I lament, holding my head and shaking it, “Oh no, no, no, no. We’re doomed. That’s it, we’re doomed. I thought one legend was bad, but two?? How are we supposed to handle this?! There’s no way we can —”

Just then, May gives me a hard slap across the face, snapping me out of my frantic ramblings. As I’m reeling, she grabs me by my shoulders and looks me in the eyes.

“Hey, hey, look at me. I know this look bad—and, to be honest, it kinda is—but that doesn’t mean that things are hopeless! Need how I remind you how many times we got out of situations just like these? And do you remember what all of those moments had in common?”

I stare into her eyes, staying silent for a few seconds before replying, “We had our Pokémon...?”

May nods slightly, “Well, that’s part of the answer, but there was something else we had, something much more important: each other. This time is no different. In fact, our situation is even better! Not only do we have Team Aqua on our side, but we’ve also got Team Magma supporting us!”

She turns towards the teams’ leaders, who are still giving each other dirty looks.

“Isn’t that right, you two?”

Archie and Maxie perk up, turning to face May and I with hints of surprise in their expressions. After a moment, the two bosses exchange glances before Archie nods slightly.

“Sure thing, you lil’ rascals. I’ll be glad to help ya if it means that I’ll be able to show this sniveling scientist Team Aqua’s true power.”

Maxie wrinkles his nose in indignation, straightening his glasses as he gives Archie a look.

“Of course that would be your reason. Well, I suppose that it would be unbefitting of me to simply lie down and allow you to flaunt your self-proclaimed might around without any intervention. So, yes...I suppose that we will provide some assistance as well.”

May nods in affirmation before directing her attention back to me.

“You see that? So, wipe that frown off your face, Rohon, and let’s take on these rampaging giants. Together.”

My eyes sparkle with unshed tears as I lock eyes with May, feeling my breath catch in my throat as May’s words hit my heart. With May’s encouraging message uplifting my soul, I blink away my tears and give my friend a small smile.

“...Okay. Let’s do it.”

I turn towards Kyogre and Groudon, clenching my fist with a newfound determination as the titans continue to pummel each other.

“Let’s save the world.”

Chapter 86: Intervening in the Crossfire

Chapter Text

Without any further ado, I reach into my rain-soaked bag, pull out Nigel’s Pokéball, and release him alongside May’s Swellow. Shortly afterwards, Archie and Maxie both send out their own Golbat-like Pokémon, which start flying around our Pokémon with their 4 wings. After taking a moment to admire the purple bats, I look up at my Pelipper and nod.

“Okay, Nigel, let’s do this thing. Use Fly on Kyogre to distract her!”

“Same for you, Swellow!” May adds, “But aim your Fly at Groudon!”

As our Pokémon take to the sky, Maxie straightens his glasses and looks up at his flying mon.

“I suppose that we shall provide some support. Crobat, Confuse Ray, if you please. Aim it at Kyogre.”

Hearing this, Archie reels back in an offended manner before giving Maxie an offended glare.

“Targeting my blue beauty, aren’t ya? Well, two can play at that game. Crobat, use Screech on Groudon!”

The two Crobats immediately follow their trainer’s orders, giving each other hostile scowls before flying away from each other and towards their targets.

Groudon sits in the water just ahead of Groudon, glaring at the dinosaur as she charges up another attack. Before the orca can unleash her wrath, a light purple beam of light shines on the back of her head, and she freezes, staring straight forward with empty eyes.

Confused, Groudon steps closer, tilting his head as Kyogre remains still. Despite the weirdness of the situation, Groudon decides to take advantage of the situation, raising his giant fist up over his foe’s head in preparation to strike. Before he can do so, however, he is interrupted by a harsh, piercing cry, one that causes him to hold his hands to his head and writhe in pain.

As Groudon and Kyogre stand/swim there incapacitated, Nigel and Swellow take the chance to descend and strike the giants, crashing down from the sky with full force. After finishing their attack, the birds back up, with Nigel simply doing a U-turn and Swellow doing a stylish shuttle loop.

“Yes!” May cheers, clenching her fists in excitement, “We got an attack off! Way to go, team!”

“I would refrain from premature celebration, young lady.” Maxie responds, “This battle is far from over.”

As Maxie says this, Groudon shakes his head and faces towards us, giving us a hostile snarl. Kyogre, instantly recovering from her daze, also turns in our direction, slapping her tail against the water and screeching loudly. Feeling my heart drop into my stomach, I back up and stare at the legendaries with wide eyes before frantically pointing at Groudon.

“Nigel, quick, use Surf! Distract them!”

“While he’s doing that, you use Aerial Ace, Swellow!” May adds, “Aim for Kyogre this time!”

“Tch.” Maxie shakes his head in annoyance, “It appears that Kyogre’s confusion was short-lived. Very well, then. Crobat, let us give that beast a more permanent status condition with Toxic.”

“Really?” Archie says, giving Maxie a look, “More status moves? Typical. Crobat, let’s show him how it’s done with Acrobatics!”

After receiving their orders, all of our Pokémon fly into action; Nigel descends to the lake and prepares to conjure up a wave, Swellow does a loop and zooms towards Kyogre, soaring through the air alongside the two Crobats.

Staring straight ahead at the approaching avians, Groudon holds his claws out and roars loudly, dispelling the dark clouds above to allow more harsh sunlight in. As Groudon does this, Archie’s Crobat takes the opportunity to assault the dinosaur, darting around with unimaginable speed as it slams into Groudon multiple times.

Although Crobat’s attack was successful, the same cannot be said for Nigel; by the time my Pelipper finished making a wave, the sun’s rays reached their full intensity, causing the wave’s size and power to be cut in half. Thankfully, even though Nigel’s attack does little damage to Groudon and especially Kyogre, Swellow’s speedy swoop and the other Crobat’s ailment-giving bite on Kyogre more than makes up for my Pokémon’s underperformance.

“Ahyahyahya!” Tabitha laughs,“Oh, this is perfect! Now that the sun is up, we can show our true power! Are you ready, Courtney?”

Courtney nods curtly, reaching into her pockets to pull out a Pokéball.

“Indeed I am. Let us seize the opportunity to assist Master Maxie.”

Following that, the two admins throw out their capsules, releasing two large, red, camel-like Pokémon with two volcanoes for humps. With their partners on the field, the Team Magma members point forward and command in unison:

“Camerupt, use Lava Plume!”

Nodding in affirmation, the two Camerupt growl lowly and stomp forward, shaking their shaggy fur coats in preparation before letting out rumbling roars and spewing out hot lava from their humps, raising their hind legs in the process so that the molten rocks arc towards the legends.

The poisoned Kyogre watches the red-hot clumps of semi-fluid rocks fly through the air for a bit before diverting her attention towards Groudon, who looks to be distracted by the same sight. Wasting no time, the orca proceeds to slap her rival with her tail, causing the monster to fall flat on his stomach. While her enemy is incapacitated, Kyogre raises her head to the sky and makes a high-pitched cry, causing the rain to reappear and cool down the falling lava, decreasing its power greatly.

“Hyuhn?!” Tabitha takes a step back,staring forward in shock, “Our attacks! They have beencountered!”

Courtney grits her teeth and clenches her hand into a fist, growling, “Irksome, blue sea cow. She was too quick for us...”

As Courtney and Tabitha stand there in disappointment and disbelief, Kyogre dives deeper into the water and lies in wait. Before I can think about what the orca is planning, she suddenly remerges and spews a massive spout of water from her blowhole, causing a ceiling of liquidto form in the air.

Acting quickly, Maxie reaches into his red lab coat and pulls out a phone-sized, rectangular device and throws it into the air. Right before the sheet of water can crash onto us, Maxie pushes his hands together and spreads them apart, causing a protective, holographic shield to expand out from the small device, preventing us all from getting drenched. After the water is diverted, the shield disperses, causing the rectangleto return to normal.

“Leader Maxie!” Tabitha exclaims with a gasp, “I did not know that you had access to that type of technology! When were you planning on informing me that you had this device in your possession?”

Maxie reaches up, grabs the piece of metal, and places it back in his pocket before placing his hands behind his back and glancing at his admin.

“The reason is simple: I did not find it necessary to disperse this information to you before now. My Quick Barrier can only be used once, so I have been keeping its presence a secret to prevent anyone from accidentally utilizing and wasting it.”

Hearing this, Courtney clamps her hands together and holds them against her cheek, gushing, “Oh, noble Maxie, how intelligent and calculating you are. Once again, you have proven to us how resourceful and considerate you are.”

Archie rolls his eyes, stating, “Yeah, yeah, you’re a real hero. Too bad you couldn’t protect our Pokémon, though.”

I look around at the two Camerupt, seeing that they are both absolutely drenched and out of energy, lying flat on their stomachs as they let out pitiful bleats. As I take in the sight of the fainted camels, May taps my shoulder and points up at the sky.

“Rohon, look! Our Pokémon!”

Confused, I look up and squint, trying to figure out what May is talking about before seeing Swellow and Pelipper tumbling towards the lake with Archie and Maxie’s Crobats. Jumping slightly in surprise, I hold out my Pokéball and join with May in returning our birds before they fall into the water.

“...Wow.” I say as I look down at Nigel’s Pokéball, “That attack hit like a nuke. All our Pokémon got wiped out.”

“Yeah, you could say that again.” May replies as the two leaders return their bats, “I had a feeling that Kyogre was strong, but I didn’t know it was THAT strong. We’d best be on our guard going...hey, what’s happening with Groudon?”

Raising my head, I turn my attention towards the titanic reptile, seeing that he finally managed to get up. Visibly overflowing with anger, the dripping Groudonfaces towards Kyogre and bares his teeth, giving the orcaa fierce snarl. As the dinosaur seethes, I see his hard skin redden and darken as shimmering, yellow energy seeps out from the cracks between his plates. Holding his ever-thickening arms over his chest, the giant lizard grows even bigger, steadily dwarfing his rival in size as his claws and spikes turn a deep black.

Once Groudon stops growing, he spreads his tree trunk-sized arms, which now have a horseshoe-shaped symbol on them, out and unleashes a mighty roar, causing the clouds above to instantly disappear. This time, though, Groudon doesn’t stop there; raising his head to the sky, the kaiju breathes out an intense blast of fire, instantly heating up the surrounding area and evaporating most of the water in the lake.

As I suffer under the combined, sweltering heat of the sun and Groudon’s searing flames, the beast closes his mouth and builds up energy before lowering his head and shooting a huge laser at Kyogre, who proceeds to tumble backwards and whine in pain. After righting herself, the dolphin shakes her head and narrows her eyes, whining lowly as she slowly waves her fins up and down. During this, the red markings on Kyogre’s turn the same bright yellow as Groudon’s and shine with same intensity as her skin turns a darker shade of blue. While this is going on, the orca begins to grow to match her enemy, becoming more than double her size as a-shaped symbols form on her fins.

After Kyogre reaches her max size, she floats into the air and lets out a loud, piercing, pulsed call, summoning even bigger and even darker clouds to cover the sky. Once the sheet of condensed water is in place, Kyogre slaps her large tail fin against the water, causing a relentless downpour to come crashing down from above. In no time at all, the lake gets filled up again, even overflowing a bit as we’re all caught in the deluge.

“Oh no.” Shelly says, watching as the enlarged Groudon steps angrily towards Kyogre, “Oh no, no, no. They’ve done it. They achieved PRIMAL REVERSION!"

Chapter 87: A Vain Struggle

Chapter Text

May stares at Shelly with wide eyes, her terrified face illuminated by a flash of lightning.

“Primal Reversion? Is that what this is?”

Shelly nods, gritting her teeth as she watches Groudon and Kyogre viciously grapple with each other.

“That’s right. What you’re seeing is Groudon and Kyogre in their true forms, the ones they had ages ago — and the ones that people feared for centuries.”

I jump as Groudon stomps down on his platform, sending a reverberating boom through the air with his sheer power and might. After his show of force, he raises his fist up and slams it onto Kyogre’s head, causing the orca to cry out in pain and the extremely harsh sunlight to return.

“If those behemoths weren’t savages before, they’ve definitely flown off the handles now.” Shelly continues, “Now that they’re in their primal forms, it won’t be long until they annihilate everything around them with their catastrophic power...or each other, for that matter.”

Hearing this, the Team Aqua grunts exchange glances before flying into a panic, running around, screaming, and crying as the rampaging legendaries continue to have their brawl. I, of course, join the pirates as they fall apart, fearing for my life just as much as them.

As Kyogre rears her head to counterattack Groudon, Courtney narrows her eyes and frowns, speaking in a quieter, tense tone of voice as she says:

“The wench has a point. By my calculations, I deduce that we only have a few minutes before Sootopolis City is completely and utterly destroyed. The destruction of Hoenn itself will follow soon afterwards, I believe.”

Deeply shocked, Tabitha gasps and takes a step back, wearing a wide-eyed expression as Kyogre unleashes a light blue energy beam at Kyogre and brings back the heavy rain.

“Hyuh?! All of Hoenn?! This can’t be! We’re done for!”

Although Archie, like everyone else,was distressed by the whole situation, hearing Tabitha’s words seems to stir something up in him, and he faces towards the Team Magma admin with an angry expression.

“Ah, quit your whining, ya lily-liveredbaby! If those monsters are gonna power up, then we’ll just fight fire with fire!”

He turns his head towards Maxie, reaching for the large, golden, anchor necklace.

“You know what to do, right, Maxie?”

The Team Magma leader raises his eyebrows and blinks before gasping slightly in realization.

“You don’t mean...?”

Archie nods, reaching for another Pokéball in his pocket.

“That’s right. It’s about time we finished this.

Maxie stands there for a few more seconds, giving Archie a look of disbelief, surprise, and slight distrust. After some thinking, he lets out a sigh and digs into his coat pockets for a Pokéball of his own.

“Very well, then. If you truly believe that there is still time to make a difference...I suppose that there is no harm in making an attempt.”

With that, the two team leaders throw out their capsules, sending a Sharpedo and a Camerupt into the growing lake and onto the island, respectively. Once his shark is released, Archie jangles his necklace and holds its centerpiece out, looking down at his partner as he yells:

“Sharpedo, Mega Evolve!”

At the same time, Archie taps on something on the right side of his glasses and straightens them, causing the lens of his spectacles to shine a bright white.

“Your time has come, Camerupt. Awaken to your true power!”

Following those actions, bright, white lights shoot out of the center of Archie’s anchor and the side of Maxie’s glasses and hit their respective Pokémon. Once that happens, both creatures get enveloped in a shell of their own colors. After some time, the exteriors crack open, giving me a look at the transformed Pokémon inside.

Looking at Archie’s Sharpedo, I notice that, along with growing a few feet in size, he has grown a set of teeth-like spikes on his snout. Along with that, many yellow, scar-shaped patterns have formed all over his body, giving him a rugged look.

As for Maxie’s Camerupt, I see that histwo humps have combined into one large, lava-leaking volcano, one that exudes a massive amount of heat despite the relentless downpour. Having grown his fur to the point where it almost fully covers its hooves, the camel now looks like a personification of a magma-filled mountain, albeit with an M on his forehead.

Looking at his enhanced ally with a smile, Archie points and looks forward at Groudon, exclaiming, “Let’s go, Sharpedo! Take the chance and use Aqua Jet on that lame lizard!”

The Mega Sharpedo dutifully obliges, turning around and spewing out a jet of water as he flies towards Groudon. As this is happening, Maxie lets out a slight huff, straightening his posture as he says:

“Well then, let us see how Kyogre handles Earth Power, shall we? Your ability should greatly enhance its power.”

The Mega Camerupt nods, flattening his ears against its head as he stamps his feet against the ground. As he does this, a yellow ring of energy forms beneath him, glowing brighter by the second.

Diverting my attention from Maxie’s Pokémon for a second, I look towards the airborne Sharpedo, watching with anticipation as the shark prepares to make an impact. Just before he can do so, however, Groudon scores a powerful headbutt on Kyogre, causing the orca to stumble and lose her control over the weather. With the sweltering sunlight making its grand return, the veil of water surrounding Sharpedo dries up instantly, and he bounces uselessly off of Groudon. On the bright side, Camerupt’s attack was successful, as he managed to make a geyser of yellow energy erupt under Kyogre, although it didn’t seem to do much.

“Damn it.” Archie curses, “Mistimed it by a second...”

Maxie lets out a slight laugh, glancing at his frenemy with a small smirk.

“Well, isn’t that unfortunate. Fortunately for you, I have just the move to make up for your shortcomings.”

Following that, Maxie places his hands behind his back, wearing a look of superiority.

“Eruption should be quite effective here, Camerupt. Let us teach our ‘friend’ here a lesson in Pokémon battling.”

Grinning in excitement, Camerupt shakes his fur and paws the ground, staring straight ahead at the legends as he builds up energy. After gathering all of his strength, he bellows loudly and makes his hump erupt with a massive explosion of lava. Thankfully for us, the camel is smart enough to not let any of the molten rock hit us, instead directing it all towards the tussling giants.

Just when it looks like the titans are about to take a hit, Kyogre spins around and whacks Groudon with her tail, pushing him off balance enough to allow her massive rainclouds to return. Immediately afterwards, the dark clouds pour down an endless amount of rain, effortlessly cooling down and transforming the lava into brittle obsidian that instantly cracks upon hitting the ancients.

“Guh...!” Archie exclaims before catching himself, pushing his glasses up with a small frown, “Hm. A slight misjudgment.”

As Archie and Maxie cope with their failures, Groudon leans his head back and roars, shaking the air with his primal roar. Overflowing with power, Groudon stomps the ground even harder than before, causing humongous, sharp stones to erupt out of the lake and pierce both Kyogre and Sharpedo. Feeling my heart drop, I watch in horror as Sharpedo flies back towards us and lands on the island with a wet thud.

Shaking off the pain, Kyogre flips off of Groudon’s blade of rock and screeches loudly, looking even angrier than before. Using every bit of her energy, the orca summons both a massive raincloud and a series of medium-sized, blue orbs. Once all of the spheres fly into place, Kyogre makes a loud, pulsed call, causing the orbs to shoot out many deep blue, brilliant beams of light at her foe. Despite most of the lasers being directed at Groudon, one of the rays spin towards Camerupt, causing his body to harden and freeze in place.

“No way...” Archie says, looking down in disbelief at his fallen partner, “Sharpedo, you...”

Maxie raises his eyebrows and reels back, staring at Camerupt with an incredulous expression before glaring at Kyogre.

“That damned whale...that was a deliberate attack, wasn’t it?!”

Unable to believe my eyes, I look around wordlessly at the injured Sharpedo, the solidified Camerupt, and the clashing titans, feeling my fear grow by the second as my whole world begins to fall apart. Crumbling under the pressure and my great anxiety, I fall down to the ground and hold my face in my hands, feeling my chest heave up and down as I sob loudly.

Seeing me crying on the floor, May kneels down next to me and places a hand on my shoulder, doing her best to comfort me.

“Hey, come on, Rohon, don’t cry. We’ve got our mega Pokémon, don’t we? All we’ve gotta do is...all we need to do is...”

May’s voice trails off, and I feel her grip on my shoulder lighten. After a pause, she rests her wet head on mine, speaking with a quiet, wavering voice as she continues:

“I...I don’t know. This might really be the end. This might just be game over...”

May leans further against me, filling me with even more sadness as we huddle up. Feeling a great sense of dread and worry, I blubber silent prayers to myself, hoping desperately for something, anything to bring us salvation.

Little did I know, I was about to witness the greatest miracle of my life.

Chapter 88: Last-Minute Heroes

Chapter Text

“REEEEEEAAAAYY!!”

Both May and I jump as a loud, terrifying screech hits our ears. This shrill, angry shriek also seems to catch the attention of Kyogre and Groudon, and they immediately stop everything that they’re doing to look up at the sky, falling completely silent.

Swooping down from above like a twirling ribbon, a large, green, serpentine dragon makes its appearance, making a loop shape with the lower half of its yellow ring-covered body as it looks down at the titans, who are now absolutely terrified, with its small, yellow eyes. As the giant, two-handed snake gives Groudon and Kyogre the death stare, I hear two familiar voices:

“Hey, you guys!"

"We're here!"

I let out a sharp gasp. No way. Is it really them?

I look up with May, feeling even more surprised as my suspicions are proven correct. To my absolute shock, sitting on the back of the giant, majestic beast is none other than Manny and Jahmai, the Bubble Brothers. Looking back at us, the two kids smile and wave, seemingly unafraid despite the height that they’re at.

Diverting its attention away from Groudon and Kyogre for a second, the dragon flies towards us and does a barrel, forcing the Team Aqua kids to fall into the water before us with surprised shouts. As the ruffians struggle to stay afloat, the wyrm performs a U-turn and returns to its spot above the rivalling legendaries.

As Archie and Shelly go to help Manny and Jahmai up, the serpentine creature lets out another ear-splitting screech, causing Groudon and Kyogre to back away from each other as the dark clouds begin to disappear. Levitating under the now clear sky, the snake barks abruptly, closing its red mouth as it gives the orca and dinosaur a stern look.

The titans initially object, whining/snarling angrily at the dragon until they take a look at its form, seeing that its yellow rings are faintly glowing. This seems to instantly shut them up, and they lower their heads as they slowly begin to shrink, returning to their original forms.

Once Groudon and Kyogre are back to normal, the dragon makes another air-shaking, commanding scream, prompting the giants to turn away from each other. Giving his rival one last glare, Groudon curls into a ball and rolls into the water, forming a rocky sphere around him as he sinks into the lake. Huffing and rolling her eyes, Kyogre glumly dives down, slapping her tail against the water one last time before disappearing.

With its job done, the dragon gives us all one last look before letting out one last screech and spiraling up to the sky, leaving just as fast as it entered. Once things start to die down, me and May turn towards the Bubble Brothers, giving them incredulous looks.

“Manny! Jahmai!” May exclaims, “What happened?! How’d you get your hands on such a powerful Pokémon?! What the heck’s going on?!”

Manny takes the time to shake some excess water off of him before giving May a wide smirk, crossing his arms proudly.

“I’ll tell you exactly what happened! Me ‘n Jahmai were just walking around the area when—”

“Hold the phone, you were doing what?!” Shelly interjects, placing her hands on her hips, “Didn’t we tell you to stay in the base while we grown-ups did our business?”

Manny falters, looking up at Shelly before looking away with a somewhat sheepish expression.

“Uh, well...we...sorta snuck out...”

Hearing this, Archie grits his teeth and looks down at the siblings, widening his eyes in disbelief and anger.

“What?! Are you crazy?! You could’ve been killed!”

“We’re sorry,” Jahmai pipes up, “But...but we wanted to help!”

“Yeah!” Manny adds, raising his head, “And we did, didn’t we? We got that dragon to get those giants to stop fighting, didn’t we?”

Shelly narrows her eyes, tapping her foot against the ground as she frowns at the kids.

“That is true, but still! What if something went wrong? We would never be able to forgive ourselves!”

Archie looks away, grumbling to himself, “Matt...he’s gonna get it when we get back...”

Jahmai looks down at the ground in shame, digging the tip of his foot into the ground as Manny looks off to the side and rubs the back of his head. Seeing this, Shelly lets out a sigh and shakes her head, crossing her arms as she softens her look slightly.

“Anyway, that’s water under the bridge now. Just go ahead and tell us what happened.”

Hearing this, Manny and Jahmai raise their heads, giving each other excited smiles before the older brother steps forward.

“Okay, sure thing! So, as I was saying, me ‘n Jahmai were just exploring the islands near Mossdeep City when we found this big ol’ tower in the middle of the ocean.”

“Yeah!” Jahmai adds, “It was really big! And really old, too!”

“You could say that again. It looked like something straight outta Elden Ring! We were just standing there, looking up at that huge tower when suddenly...”

Manny holds his hands open and thrusts them forward dramatically, widening his eyes for impact.

“BOOM! Rain starts pouring down all over the place. Now, I’m not scared of the rain at all, but someone here...”

He crosses his arms and raising an eyebrow at his brother, who averts his gaze and twiddles his thumbs in embarrassment.

“Let’s just say that storms aren’t his thing.”

In response to this, May lets out a light chuckle, facing towards Jahmai with an amused smile.

“Now here’s something new. Who would’ve thought that a member of Team Aqua would be afraid of rain?”

A flustered blush appears on Jahmai’s face as he fervently shakes his head and waves his hands in objection.

“I-I’m not scared of rain! I’m just scared of thunder! It’s, um...it’s super defective on my Pokémon, right? Yeah!”

Manny scoffs, giving his sibling a playful punch on the shoulder.

“Oh, shut it. We all know you’re just afraid of the sound, not how ‘defective’ it is on your water types.”

Manny returns his attention to us, continuing, “Anyway, I knew that Jahmai was going to cry like a baby if I let him stay outside in that whole mess, so I thought we’d stay inside that tower until the storm passed. The only problem was that there was this stupid seal blocking the entrance.”

“But that didn’t stop my brother!” Jahmai cheers, having apparently cheered up, “Manny used his Swablu to carry us inside!”

“Wait, what?” I ask, tilting my head in confusion, “Isn’t that that small, cottony bird? How the heck did that small thing carry two whole kids?”

Manny flashes me a mischievous grin, responding, “Hey, my Swablu’s way stronger than you think, bud! Just because he’s small doesn’t mean that he can’t be a powerhouse when he needs to be! Then again, he did only last long enough to bring us to the first window, so I guess you got a point.”

He shakes his head, continuing, “Anyway, once we were inside, me ‘n Jahmai decided to take ourselves on a lil’ tour around the place to see what we could find. It was a real hassle dealing with the unstable floor, dodging those pitfalls, and fighting off all those annoying Pokémon, but we eventually made it all the way to the top. And you’ll never guess who we met there...”

He pauses for dramatic effect, holding his hands out as he gives us all a big smile.

“It was that big, long, green...”

“Rayquaza.” Courtney interjects blatantly, “You are referring to Rayquaza.”

Manny jolts, hanging his mouth open as he stares at Courtney in disbelief. After a moment, he grits his teeth and furrows his eyebrows at the woman, giving her an annoyed growl.

“Oh, way to go, you frickin’ bot! You just had to steal my thunder, didn’t you?!”

Courtney lets out a short, triumphant laugh, glancing at Manny with a belittling smirk.

“Well, it is not my fault that you were dawdling so excessively. I simply took it upon myself to expedite this process.”

As Manny grumbles to himself, May asks, “Rayquaza? Is that the creature that scared off Groudon and Kyogre?”

Shelly nods, “That’s right, kid. Except I wouldn’t say that Rayquaza scared those two other titans away—it more so commanded them to return them to their resting places.”

Both May and I gasp, giving each other surprised looks.

“Commanded them?” I repeat, “So, Rayquaza’s like their leader?”

“You could say that.” Shelly responds, “Kyogre and Groudon may have control over the rain and sun, but Rayquaza is easily able to control the whole atmosphere. Plus, with its legendary powers and abilities, it’s able to match the power of both behemoths, even when they’re in their Primal forms. So, it’s not hard to see how that dragon could overpower and overwhelm even those two monsters.”

“Woah...” May says, “That’s—”

“Hey!” Manny interrupts, “Did you all forget about me? I ain’t finished!”

Shelly turns towards the agitated kid, smacking her forehead lightly before giving her subordinate a small smile.

“Right, my bad. Go on, what were you trying to say?”

“Hmph.” Manny huffs, putting back on his proud smile, “That’s what I thought. So, when we got there, we saw that this ‘Rayquaza’ guy was just snoozing away, sitting all curled up like a Skitty between some boulders. And like most reasonable people would do in that situation, we took the opportunity to climb on for a joyride.”

Everyone immediately gasps, staring at the two brothers with eyes as wide as saucers.

“You did WHAT?!” Archie exclaims, “You tellin’ me that you climbed on RAYQUAZA?! You know, that huge, monstrous dragon?!”

“And it just let you?!” Shelly adds, looking just as shocked.

“Yup, it sure did!” Manny responds, “Well...kinda. After we hopped on Rayquaza’s back, it immediately woke up, flying and thrashing all over the place like a lunatic. But no matter how hard it tried, he just couldn’t shake us off.”

“Yeah!” Jahmai chimes in, pointing at himself with his thumbs as he smiles, “We were too strong for that dragon!”

“Yep,” Manny continues, “And as luck would have it, while Rayquaza was zooming through the air and trying to shake us off, it just so happened to end up here, thereby saving the day.”

He waggles his eyebrows, flashing us all a satisfied grin.

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

All of us simply stand there in silence, unable to believe the words that just came out of Manny’s mouth. After a minute, May speaks up, saying:

“Wow, that’s—”

Before May can finish her sentence, she is interrupted by a shrill whistle, one that causes us all to jump slightly. Shortly after, a female voice calls out:

“Freeze, hooligans!”

Chapter 89: Woop-Woop, That's the Sound of da Police

Chapter Text

Surprised, we all turn around to face a fair-skinned woman with dark teal hair, a purple, star-studded cap, a purple collared shirt, a sky-blue chest piece, golden shoulder pads, a purple skirt, and black high heels. Beneath her is a large, manta ray-like Pokémon that floats serenely on the water.

Turning towards the Team Aqua and Magma members with a stern frown, the professional-looking woman steps off her ride and onto the island, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, well, well, look what we have here. After years of searching, years of scrapping for clues regarding their whereabouts, I’ve finally found them —the elusive Maxie and Archie. I must say, you two put up a good fight; I’ve never faced criminals as elusive as you. But your luck’s run out.”

Picking up two sets of handcuffs from her belt, the policewoman points forward with her right hand and declares, “Team Aqua! Team Magma! You’re all under arrest!”

Deeply shocked, Tabitha takes a step back and gasps, his eyes as wide as saucers. “Wh-wh-what?! O-Officer Jenny! What possessed you to come all the way over here?!”

Officer Jenny places her right hand on her hip, twirling the handcuffs around on her left finger. “Oh, I dunno...maybe it was the giant, raging clash of those primordial titans? As soon as I heard that Kyogre and Groudon had reawakened, I already knew that you hooligans were behind it. But soon enough, you and your ilk won’t be around to cause any more catastrophes like that ever again...at least not for the next 30 years.”

This remark only serves to make Tabitha even more distressed, and he takes another step back in utter disbelief. “30 years?! Oh no, this can’t be! Great Leader Maxie, please, you must save us! This can’t be how our story ends!”

Maxie holds his hands behind his back, looking between his loyal admin and the determined Officer Jenny with a quiet, analyzing gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he holds his hand out towards Tabitha, shaking his head silently.

“No, Tabitha...there is no need for that. We are staying right here.”

Both Tabitha and Courtney look towards their leader with wide, shocked eyes, their jaws dropping to the floor.

“Hyuh?!” Tabitha exclaims, “Maxie, are you...do my ears deceive me??”

“Tabitha has a point.” Courtney adds, tilting her head to the side slightly, “Arceus forbid I doubt your wise, educated judgement, but...are you certain that this is the best decision to make?”

Maxie nods, closing his eyes as he lets out a resolute sigh. “Yes, Courtney...I am certain. Although we had good intentions, our methods of attaining our goals were...unacceptable, to say the least. There is no use in attempting to cancel out the effects of our actions—our fate has been sealed. The most logical course of action to take at this moment would be to atone for our misdeeds and accept our punishment.”

Archie glances over at Maxie, widening his eyes a little in slight wonder. After a bit, he lets out a quiet “hm” and crosses his arms, turning towards Officer Jenny with a firm nod. “Same here. Team Aqua may be a lot of things, but we’re no cowards. If we gotta get arrested, then so be it. Anything to make up for what we’ve done.”

Officer Jenny looks between the two leaders, wearing a look of surprise on her face. After processing the unexpected situation in front of her, she tilts her head slightly and says: “Huh. Well...wow. I...can’t say I expected that...”

She walks closer, standing directly in front of Maxie and Archie with hands behind her back. “Well, you may have almost caused the end of the world, but at least you two are accountable. I can at least commend you for that.

The cop then holds up one handcuff in both of her hands, giving the leaders a small, almost pleased smirk. “Well, since it seems like you’re in compliance, I had better get you two to the station. Shall we, gentlemen?”

Archie and Maxie turn to look at each other, studying each other’s faces before nodding and holding their arms out towards the officer.

“Yes, we shall.” Maxie states.

“Lead the way, chief.” Archie adds.

Satisfied, Jenny takes her cuffs and clicks them onto the arms of the two ringleaders, finally putting the two bosses in shackles. With the big bads secured, the policewoman turns towards the others, narrowing her eyes slightly as she points at all of them.

“Don’t you think about running, now. I’m by myself right now, but I’ve already called for backup; they should be here any minute now. If you even try escaping before you’re cuffed, chances are you’ll end up somewhere worse than prison. Understand?”

Shelly, Courtney and the others nod quickly, immediately getting Officer Jenny’s message. Noting their reaction, the woman of the law smiles and begins to refocus on Archie and Maxie before Manny and Jahmai cross her vision.

“Hey,” Officer Jenny says, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, “Those outfits...are you kids associated with Team Aqua?”

Visibly startled, Manny and Jahmai exchange glances before the older one nods, responding, “Uh...yes, ma’am, we are.”

Jenny reels back in shock, looking between the Bubble Brothers and the team leaders with a mix of disbelief and disgust. Struggling to find her words, the officer eventually kneels down to meet Manny and Jahmai eye to eye, letting out a small sigh before placing her hands on their shoulders.

“Okay, as much as I would like to give you kids a stern talking-to, I just don’t have the time. For now, just come with me; I’m taking you to Child Protective Services. They’ll figure out what to do with you. As for you two...”

She gets behind Maxie and Archie, pushing them towards the waiting Pokémon in the water, “It’s time for us to go. We can’t keep the jury waiting.”

The two leaders gladly oblige, walking with Officer Jenny without complaint as they prepare to get taken away. Before they leave, Maxie turns to look at May and I, giving us a friendly smirk.

“I must say, you children have far exceeded my expectations. I may have once seen you as nothing but ignorant, meddlesome children when we first met, but I see now that you are nowhere near as irrelevant as I made you out to be. Without your assistance, the world as we know it would’ve ceased to exist —there would be no tomorrow for any of us. Yet, with your youthful determination and bravery, it seems that the tragedies birthedbyour wrongdoings were able to be remedied. Truly, you have my...our gratitude.”

“Yeah, what he said.” Archie adds, flashing us a proud grin, “You scamps might be annoying, but you saved the world. If that doesn’t make you heroes, then I don’t know what does.”

Me and May reel back slightly, caught off guard by our previous enemies' positive feedback. After a few seconds of contemplation, May smiles warmly, giving the two leaders a thumbs-up.

“Hey, it’s nothing! We’re just glad that this whole mess is over and done with. Isn’t that right, Rohon?”

I nod, feeling a joyful smile appear on my face, “Yep, you said it. Being able to work as a team, fighting together to stop those legends...it was awesome. It was nice being able to work with you all.”

Maxie and Archie nod in acknowledgement, finalizing our newfound bond. As we bask in the warmth of this newly formed alliance, Officer Jenny pushes the two leaders along, urging, “Okay, okay, let’s wrap it up. We’ve got places to be.”

With that, the cop escorts Archie, Maxie, Manny and Jahmai onto the manta ray, prompting it to raise its body with a lazy “Maaan” before gliding across the water like a kite. As the group takes their leave, Manny and Jahmai turn to look at us, giving us bittersweet waves. Feeling a deep sense of respect for the siblings that I had never felt before, I smile genuinely and wave back at them with May, watching them every step of the way as they ride deeper into the city.