Thread: "Unpredictable"

Originally Posted by sharktooth162

Well I cant say no to more Koga cause he is awesome but I still hope that Keith flaunts the rules if he gets wartortle back and then it bites him in the ass later. I was pretty surprised that Tim gave up Zubat so easily but I suppose if he thought it was better of with Koga then who am I to judge. Cant wait for the new chapter and hope you do well in the awards.

That's one vote for Tim, then. Yeah, sorry about the Zubat part, it was a little rushed and last minute. It would probably have been more dramatic from Tim's point of view, with all sorts of flashbacks and sad music, but Keith was just an observer. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Tsutarja

Make this a Tim arc, so the next chapter should be Tim's gym battle. :D

Awesome chapter by the way, I really enjoyed it. Keep it up! ^^

Glad to see that you guys like Tim. I was afraid he was being underdeveloped. Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by Sky Flame Haze

I think the next chapter should be Tim's battle mostly because once we get back to Keith it's not sure when he's getting any more focus so I think it might be good to choose the battle.

Also I don't think what you should decide is whether the chapter will be Keith getting a Dratini or Tim's battle, I think the thing to focus on is the fact that where's Rainer gonna go once he recovers it.

Also I nominated Sabrina for Best Take on a Canon Character on the first day.

Looks like Tim it is, then. I do actually have plans for a short 5-6 chapter story dealing with what Tim's up to when Keith's not around, which is important stuff as you'll see by the end of the fic. I'll release it between Unpredictable and its currently untitled sequel.

You guys seem to be operating under the belief that Rainer's coming back soon, we'll have to see about that ;) Trust me, I've got it all planned out. It will be "unpredictable." That means absolutely no foreshadowing.

You nominated Sabrina, too? You may want to go back and check that, your post just has Stainless Steel's Steven. I can't find Sabrina on any of the lists...

Anyway, I'll start writing Tim's battle. Then chapter 25 will have the first half be Tim's PoV and the second half be Keith's. Keith will tell what happened to him, and Criss also has a little story to tell. She, however, only feels comfortable telling Keith.

Thanks for everyone's support!

Finally back, this took a long time to write. Hopefully it's good. I changed Koga's team a little bit from the games, because who the hell would want to use TWO Koffing and a Weezing?

This time: Tim battles Koga, and two of his Pokemon make their Gym battling debut.

@Sky Flame Haze ; @sharktooth162 ; @Tsutarja ;

Chapter 24

One week later, Tim stood on one end of Koga’s open dirt battlefield. One week of intense training with his new Gyarados that culminated in a humiliating defeat against a passerby trainer with an Electabuzz. The water-type had grown stronger under Tim’s tutelage, but still hadn’t learned to cooperate. Hopefully it had learned its lesson and would obey him in this battle, for Tim was sure that it was going to be close. He would hold his new Pokémon for last, just in case.

Tim had declined Criss’ help in training, despite how much experience she appeared to have. She was imperative to his catch of Gyarados, but he didn’t want to become one of those people who always had to rely on others. Training was the hard part, after all. Now, Criss sat patiently on an ornamental bench behind him with Flareon on her lap.

Keith had declined to watch the battle, insisting that he wanted to continue his training in the Safari Zone that day. Being his best friend, though, Tim read right through his excitement. Keith was trying to catch a Dratini, he was sure of it. It was clear that he had actually been a little jealous when Tim had shown off Gyarados, and was eager to keep par with his friend.

“Alright, Tim!” Koga called from his position on the opposite side of the field. “Three on three, then? If you’re half as good as Keith, this should be interesting!”

“Three on three. Got it.” Again with Keith. Tim knew that his friend was a much stronger trainer than him, but he also knew that he could catch up. If Tim won this battle, he would have one more badge than Keith for the second time, and he would be one step closer to proving that he was more than just a tagalong. He, Tim Skeevich, had the makings of a Champion.

It was common courtesy for the Gym Leader to send out his or her Pokémon first, but nowhere in the rules. Eager to get on with the fight, Tim threw out his first Poké Ball before Koga even reached for his.

“Cu-bone!”the small creature cried.

Tim smiled at it, proud of his work. Not one month ago, the little ground-type had been just a baby, but Tim’s training was rapidly picking it up. It was strong now, and responsible for the defeat of the very same Electabuzz that had beaten Gyarados. This would be its gym battling debut. The skull on its head had taken on a worn and dirty appearance, but the bone it used a as weapon looked as strong and sturdy as ever.

“Ha!” Koga shouted, “perhaps you’ll recognize this face!”

Throwing out a Poké Ball, Koga released a large, winged creature. It gave a gravelly shriek.

Tim blinked. It was his Zubat, or rather, it had been. Now the Golbat was twice the size of Cubone, with a much longer wingspan to match. It had obviously grown under Koga’s care, much more than it had with Tim. Once the shock wore off, Tim realized what kind of situation that Koga’s use of Golbat put him in. Tim had been banking on the Gym Leader using a poison-type, as that was what he specialized in, but a joint poison and flying-type made Cubone’s otherwise super-effective moves useless.

It was time to analyze. Dig could still be used to avoid attacks, which could buy him some time to come up with a strategy. Golbat was almost undoubtedly stronger, but it had to have a weakness.

“Wing attack!” Koga went first, Tim had deliberated too long.

“Underground, now!” Cubone quickly burrowed into the dirt, causing the bat to nearly crash into the ground.

“Quick, Golbat, up and away!” Before Cubone could come out of the ground and hit Golbat, the flying-type flew back into the sky.

That was it! In order for the majority of Golbat’s powerful flying-type techniques to work, it needed momentum. If Cubone could somehow get in close and start grappling with it, it would have to resort to much weaker attacks.

Near the middle of the field, small cracks began to appear in the dirt. Not two seconds later, Cubone leaped out, shaking itself clean before glaring up at Golbat.

“Air cutter!” commanded Koga.

“Counter with bonemerang!”

Flapping its wings furiously, Golbat unleashed a flurry of bladelike gusts. Planting its feet, Cubone hurled its bone at the vicious wind. The two attacks hit each other in midair, dispersing the air cutter and causing the bone to spin off towards Tim, burying itself in the ground a few feet in front of him. Cubone now stood in the middle of the field, while Golbat hovered over its new trainer. Koga didn’t give Tim any time to recover.

“Wing attack again!” the gym leader cried.
A thought suddenly came into Tim’s head. “Brace yourself Cubone, take the hit!”

“Foolish!” said Koga, “Follow up with another wing attack!”

As Golbat’s wing came crashing into Cubone’s helmet, the small ground type was sent flying backward. Without hesitation, Golbat did a loop and prepared to come in again. After a quick somersault, Cubone was back on its feet, not far in front of its bone. But rather than immediately going for the weapon, the ground-type obeyed its trainer’s command to dig. Golbat came down a second too late as Cubone dug through the dirt like it was swimming through water.

After that, everything happened in a split-second. As Golbat followed through it passed over the bone right as Cubone came out of the ground beneath it. Grabbing its weapon from the dirt, Cubone latched onto Golbat and began beating it furiously.

“Bone rush!” Tim yelled, egging his Pokémon on.

It was too much for Golbat, who was quickly dragged to the ground.

“Bite!” called Koga as they wrestled in the dirt. Golbat bit down hard on Cubone’s skull helmet, but it did little damage. It was thrown off almost instantly, skidding across the ground towards its trainer where it lay crumpled in a heap. Without hesitation Cubone jumped at it and continued its bone rush, despite the fact that it was clearly defeated.

“Hey!” Tim yelled, “Cubone! Lay off it!” Cubone ignored the order and continued beating the flying-type until Koga returned it to the safety of its Poké Ball. “What the hell was that, Cubone? Chill out!” The “lonely Pokémon” looked back at its trainer coldly. “I’m sorry Koga, I don’t know what came over it.”

“I think I do,” responded the gym leader, taking out a Poké Ball and resting it in the palm of his hand. “Keith told me of your escapade in Lavender Town and the manner of which you came across that Cubone. Something tells me that your Pokémon harbors an incredible hatred for not just Team Rocket, but their preferred type. I love poison-type Pokémon, they are really quite incredible. It is a shame to see them misused so often by Team Rocket. Cubone,” these next words were directed at the Pokémon. “I admire your ferocity. Anger can be a powerful ally, but you must be careful to keep it in check. Otherwise, it may overcome you. That said, Muk! From the shadows, we come!”

Tossing his Poké Ball into the air, Koga released a hideous creature. It was a massive pile of purple goo, almost four feet high, flowing and bubbling constantly. Two giant white eyes sat near the top above a gash that represented a mouth. A pair of limbs protruded from the slime, vaguely resembling arms with three fingered hands. A retched, horrible smell reached Tim’s nostrils seconds later causing him to gag slightly. He noticed Cubone do the same.

“Toxic, then sludge bomb!”

“Dodge with dig!” Tim retaliated, but too late. Muk belched a horrid green gas that enveloped Cubone and left it hacking and coughing on the ground. Giving the ground-type no time to recover, Muk started pulling pieces of grime off of its body and hurling them at Cubone. First one hit, then two. “Cubone! Dig!” Tim cried again.

This time, the ground-type successfully scrambled under the earth, disappearing from view. A cloud of dust hovered over the battlefield as Muk halted its barrage. Everything went silent for a second before Koga shouted an order. “Sink into the ground, feel the vibrations, find that Cubone!”

Slowly, Muk began to sink. It was extending its gelatinous body through the earth, searching for Tim’s Pokémon.

“Strike quickly, Cubone!” Tim shouted as loud as he could, hoping that his voice would carry underground. “Bone rush!”

All of a sudden, Muk gave a grunt and pulled all of itself back above ground. It looked confused, even a little queasy. It looked like it was bubbling even more than before, with portions of its body stretching out left and right. Then, it gave a loud pained roar, throwing its arms up to the heavens, as Cubone burst from its mouth, covered in goop. The ground-type landed on Tim’s side of the field, where it fell to its knees, wheezing heavily. It leaned on its bone and coughed up some disgusting yellow muck. The toxic poisoning in its system was beginning to take its toll.

“That’s enough.” Tim recalled his Pokémon. “Excellent job, Cubone.”

Koga laughed heartily. “Even ground-types will fall to the power and strategy of poison!”

Muk gave a smirk similar to its trainer’s, but with much less conviction. As it inched towards the midline, Tim noticed that it was leaving bits of itself behind. The creature was falling apart, it would surely faint soon.

Tim considered his options. He scanned the battlefield, trying to come up with a strategy as he picked out his next Pokémon. He would save Gyarados for last, just in case. What should he use next? Perhaps Charmeleon?

From the shadows, we come. That was it! “Let’s do this, Haunter!” The eerie purple ghost appeared in front of him, facing its opponent. Grinning evilly, it rubbed its clawed hands together and gave a haunting laugh. “Shadow ball!”

“Minimize,” Koga retaliated, “then sludge bomb!” With a deep intake of breath, Muk sucked itself in, making it considerably smaller. The shadow ball missed entirely. Before Tim could call out another attack, Muk resumed its barrage of poisonous blobs.

It was time to use the advantage that had convinced Tim to put Haunter on the field. “Slip into the shadows, become invisible.” Haunter responded with another laugh as it glided into the shade cast by the wall and gatehouse that protected the gym’s perimeter. Instantly, it turned completely invisible to everyone, causing Koga to swear. The ghost fired a shadow ball, which missed and was responded to by a sludge bomb that did the same. If Haunter kept moving, it would be able to launch shadow balls freely until one hit. Koga seemed to realize this.

“Hide in that hole!” the gym leader pointed to one of the left over tunnels from Cubone’s dig attacks. Muk slid into it, narrowly dodging another shadow ball. “Now we play the waiting game, my young friend.”

Tim smiled, that was just what he wanted. Koga again seemed to realize this a second later, causing him to scan the field furiously. Tim followed his gaze, noticing that he suddenly stopped and glared at the edge of the shadow that hid Haunter. In another hour or so, it looked like it would lengthen to the edge of another one of Cubone’s holes. If it did, Haunter would be able to slip inside undetected and wreak havoc on Muk.

It would have made a clever plan, Tim admitted to himself. It was something Keith would do, but not him. No, Tim was a little more reckless, he relied on luck. Leaving Koga to stare at the shadow’s edge, Tim looked to the sky. Sure enough, the thunderhead that he had noticed that morning was slowly creeping closer and closer. In another minute it would reach the sun.

Several nerve wracking moments later, the dark cloud finally eclipsed the sun. The whole gym was blanketed in twilight. It wasn’t quite as dark as night, but it would do. Koga noticed immediately what had happened, but didn’t seem to understand how Tim had known it was coming. “Get out of the ground now, Muk! Acid armor! Then toxic everywhere!”

Now Haunter just had to get close enough to land a shadow punch. It would be a sure hit, even on the minimized Muk, and would deal serious damage. Tim relayed these orders to Haunter, wherever he was. A smoke-like cloud of darkness appeared suddenly through Muk’s spewed toxic, belting the poison-type in the face. Haunter managed to get in two more hits before Koga could react.

He did something strange, getting down on one knee and putting a hand on the ground, like he was bracing himself. “It’s over, use explosion!”

The attack caught everyone else by surprise. Muk sucked itself in even smaller than minimize had made it, and everything went quiet. Then it exploded. There was a bright white flash of light and a blast of heat and wind that knocked Tim over backwards.

He felt like he got knocked out, but only for a second. In a similar fashion to his recovery from Gyarados’ hyper beam, Tim’s senses came back one by one as he slowly stood up, ears ringing. Behind him, Criss lowered an arm from in front of her eyes, blinking blearily. Flareon looked shell-shocked.

Koga remained where he had knelt, his cape billowing slightly in the wind. Haunter was laying in a heap off to the side, completely knocked out. Tim returned it and looked around for Muk, only to realize that Muk was everywhere. Bits of purple goo stuck to the walls of the gym building to the right and the gatehouse to the left, and were spattered all over the ground. In two of the more sizable bunches floated each of Muk’s giant white eyes, the only real organs that the creature had. Much to Tim’s disgust, he realized that a blob had hit him in the chest, where it steamed and slowly burned through his shirt. He pulled it off with his bare hand, which was a bad idea, as he couldn’t shake it on to the ground and it began to sear his skin.

Calmly, Koga stood up and aimed his Poké Ball at one of the blobs. A beam of red light fired from its center not just at the lump that Koga was pointing at, but every single blob that spotted the battlefield, including the one on Tim’s hand. It was sucked back into the ball with the rest of its body, leaving a warm and tingly feeling on Tim’s fingers. The gym leader smiled “It will take some time for Muk to recover from that one. We are tied now, aren’t we? One Pokémon left? This should be interesting.”

Tim reached down and tightened his grip on the blue and beige ball strapped to his belt. One Pokémon left, and it would be his strongest.

“Gyarados! Let’s do this!”

“Weezing! From the shadows, we come!”

It was like a showdown in an old Western film. Tim’s Gyarados towered over everything with its fanged mouth gaping and glared down at its opponent, who glared back. Koga’s Weezing was like a strange distorted pair of purple balloons. Noxious fumes began billowing out of the various orifices all over the poison-type’s body almost as soon as it was sent out.

“Yes, use smokescreen!” Koga cried.

“Alright Gyarados, you’re going to have to listen to me if you want to win,” Tim yelled up to his Pokémon. It turned slightly to look at him, and nodded. It nodded! Tim smiled and punched the air. Gyarados was his now. “Alright! Twister!”

With a whip of its large tail, Gyarados conjured a small tornado that picked up dust and rocks as it traveled across the field, bearing down on the rapidly expanding cloud of dark smoke that was Weezing. But before it could disperse the smokescreen, Koga shouted a command that was indiscernible over the gusts of wind created by the twister. Immediately before the attack made contact, a bolt of sinister lightning shot out of the smoke, straight at Gyarados.

Tim swore. It looked like they would have to learn to fight against electric-type attacks sooner than he had hoped. It was too late to swap Gyarados out now; he would have to find a way to win.

“Try countering with dragon rage!” he called.

Gyarados let loose a breath of purple and orange flames that didn’t quite have the effect Tim was hoping for. They passed straight through the thunderbolt and struck Weezing, now revealed from behind its cloud. Immediately after firing off the attack, Gyarados was zapped by the incredibly effective electric-type technique. It gave an earth shaking roar and thrashed about in painful seizures.

Tim grimaced as he watched his Pokémon squirm. It was reminiscent of the battle against the Electabuzz trainer that had ended so badly. Before either trainer could do anything, raindrops began to fall on the field, causing Tim to put up his hood. He ran through Gyarados’ known attacks in his head, and then got an idea.

“Gyarados! Use rain dance! Bring the sky down on us!”

The water-type’s thrashings suddenly became much more rhythmic and smooth. A pattern emerged as a bright blue light shone from the dragon’s scales and the rain began to pour even harder. Tim grinned, this would definitely up the power of any water-type attacks.

Koga seemed to read his mind. “This will only make thunderbolt more effective! You have made a grave mistake my young friend,” the gym leader cried with glee.

Tim ignored him, “Now use dragon dance!” Gyarados’ movements became wilder and more violent as a red aura formed around him.

“You can dance all you want, this is over. Thunderbolt!”

It was a risk, that much was sure. Tim had done his research, though. He had listened to what Keith had told him about battling back in Cerulean City, all those months ago. Keith must have told Koga about Tim’s new Gyarados, prompting the gym leader to find a strategy that could easily counter it. That strategy came in the form of a TM for thunderbolt. All of the records showed that Weezing had never used a move like that in battle before, so it must be new. Tim was banking heavily on that inexperience. If Gyarados could move fast enough, it would be able to dodge the poorly aimed attacks. But if a single one hit, Koga was right, this was over.

Luck pulled through once more. Gyarados’ dance maneuvered him out of the way of not just one, but two thunderbolts. Koga was getting frustrated and kept calling out thunderbolts again and again. Tim actually responded in kind, calling for more and more dragon dances.

As Gyarados dodge two or three more, Tim squeezed his hands into fists. He would only get one chance, as Weezing would strike the second Gyarados stopped moving. He had to make this one hit count for all it was worth. The rain would help, as would the power boost of the dragon dances. He couldn’t stall for much longer, though. But if he didn’t wait long enough, the attack wouldn’t totally finish Weezing.

The next thunderbolt was uncomfortably close. Tim grimaced and looked down at the ground, where Cubone’s holes were filling with water and the dirt was turning to mud. If he waited any longer he would lose, hopefully this had been enough. It was time for…

“Aqua tail, Gyarados! Let’s finish this!”

The dragon roared as it spun out of the way of yet another thunderbolt. It whipped its tail around, enveloped in water, and brought it down upon Weezing as hard as it could. It smashed the poison-type into the ground with a crunch and a massive splash that sent a wave of mud and water cascading through the air. It swept Tim’s hood off as it hit him and soaked him all of the way through. He went to a knee, but didn’t fall over. The trainer wiped mud out of his eyes and surveyed the field. The only sound that could be heard now was the pattering of rain in the puddles.

Gyarados stood tall and proud, panting. Its tail slowly slid off the limp body of Weezing, who lay on the ground, defeated. The dragon gave a triumphant roar.

“YES!” Tim yelled in ecstasy. He ran forward, splashing through piles of mud and almost tripping in a hole, to hug his Pokémon’s scaly side. It roared again.

Koga stood aghast, looking at his fallen Pokémon. It had been an impressive battle, but he hadn’t once expected to lose.

Suddenly, Tim felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to see Keith, who must have come in during the commotion. Behind him was Criss, sheltering Flareon from the rain in her arms. Keith looked like hell. He was as soaked through as Tim felt, and covered in easily as much mud. He had a black eye and a single gash along his cheek. He was smiling widely.

“That was an awesome battle, man! I wish I could have seen all of it. That was really amazing,” Keith said.

Tim looked his friend up and down, from his tousled hair to a strange device hanging from his belt to his ripped pants. The adrenaline still causing him to tremble with excitement, he said “Thanks… What the hell happened to you?”

Keith laughed, and then frowned. “Go get your badge. Then I have a little story to tell.”

*****

Whew, that was even longer than the Erika battle (this is about 3600 words I believe). Sorry that Weezing vs Gyarados was kind of lame, I didn't have as much inspiration for that fight. Also, I know that explosion shouldn't have done anything to Haunter, but this is my 'verse. Explosion should hurt everybody.

NEXT: Flashbacks and storytelling, the Fuschia arc draws to a conclusion. Then, on to Cinnabar Island!

Awesome chapter, cool fight. Quite honestly, if anyone has anything critical to say at this point, I'm going to say they're wrong. You've got talent for story telling and descriptive language. The battle was intense, and it got me wishing I would train a Gyarados more often in my games. :P

It also made me hate poison-types even more...

Anyway, really cool stuff, just one thing I noticed...

"The attack caught everyone else by surprise. Muk sucked itself in even smaller than minimize had made it, and everything went quite."

Should be "quiet," I think. Not really criticism, same letters wrong order, and it really didn't distract at all from the story, and few other people would probably see it.

I can't stress enough how awesome I think this is though, seriously.

That was actually longer than I expected considering it was Tim instead of Keith but the battle was really well done. I was actually surprised with the fact that all the blobs returned with just one being returned. Also I like the fact that Tim got a lot of development this time.

I'm really liking this story so far. I gotta tell you, the way you described the entire sequence with Muk, made me queasy. Never had I imagined a Grimer/Muk actually being ripped apart like the Thing.

Also another thing, whenever any of you read a fan fic, do you picture the story in the style of the show?

Originally Posted by Trouble

Awesome chapter, cool fight. Quite honestly, if anyone has anything critical to say at this point, I'm going to say they're wrong. You've got talent for story telling and descriptive language. The battle was intense, and it got me wishing I would train a Gyarados more often in my games. :P

It also made me hate poison-types even more...

Anyway, really cool stuff, just one thing I noticed...

"The attack caught everyone else by surprise. Muk sucked itself in even smaller than minimize had made it, and everything went quite."

Should be "quiet," I think. Not really criticism, same letters wrong order, and it really didn't distract at all from the story, and few other people would probably see it.

I can't stress enough how awesome I think this is though, seriously.

I dunno if there's nothing wrong. Personally, I find my word choice and sentence structure to be repetitive, but hey, we're all our own worst critic. Gyarados are pretty awesome. It was another one I was planning on giving to Keith, but when I finalized the teams, Keith got a Squirtle instead. Error fixed, thanks. Thanks for the compliments! It really means a lot.

Originally Posted by Sky Flame Haze

That was actually longer than I expected considering it was Tim instead of Keith but the battle was really well done. I was actually surprised with the fact that all the blobs returned with just one being returned. Also I like the fact that Tim got a lot of development this time.

That was the idea with this chapter. Hopefully people like Tim better now. His character has some serious evolution to undergo, especially where it comes to his battling skills. The battle ended up longer than I had originally planned, but I guess my imagination just got carried away.

Originally Posted by MrWhite325

I'm really liking this story so far. I gotta tell you, the way you described the entire sequence with Muk, made me queasy. Never had I imagined a Grimer/Muk actually being ripped apart like the Thing.

Also another thing, whenever any of you read a fan fic, do you picture the story in the style of the show?

Always great to see a new reader! Personally, I can't imagine having a Grimer or Muk in a fic without it being ripped into a few pieces. It only makes sense. I usually imagine things in a combination of anime and realism. It varies.


Forgive me if some of this chapter is nonsense, most of it was written between 11PM and 2AM (when most of my writing takes place, actually). I did some revising, but I might have missed stuff. This is a long'un, so be patient (second longest in the fic, behind only chapter 1 at 4,741 words). A LOT goes on though, so if you've got attention span problems, read this in chunks. You will NOT want to miss ANY of this. Why? you ask. Because I had to jam in my original content for the previous chapter (before my idea got vetoed by you guys :P), some HUGE foreshadowing, and a ton of other stuff. I was going to include the ride to Cinnabar at the end, but that will have to wait until next chapter. If things seem a little jumpy and un-elaborated in Keith's story, that's your fault, I had to jam a whole chapter down to a couple pages.

Also, to any of you wannabe detectives out there, this is the single most important chapter in the fic for Criss' backstory. Not just so far, but over all. By the end of this one, all the cards will be on the table. You will have every bit of information you need, you just have to piece it all together. I look forward to some wild/educated guesses.

Now that the author's notes have gotten incredibly long, let us move on to the chapter.

This time: Keith recounts his adventure in the Safari Zone, then Criss finally speaks up.

@Sky Flame Haze ; @sharktooth162 ; @Tsutarja ;
(I'm only tagging the people who have specifically asked to be tagged. If you want to join the list, then just speak up!)


Chapter 25

I made my way slowly through the underbrush, trying to get to the top of the hill. It would provide an overlook on the surrounding area. Since I had no idea where to start looking for a Dratini, I figured I’d just take a look around. I recalled hearing somewhere that they lived in deep lakes. That would work.

Locustod flapped along behind me, happy to be in a forest again. The Safari Zone allows only one Pokémon to be out at a time, and since I had been neglecting the bug-type for so long, I figured I’d let it look with me.

I thought about what Koga had told Tim. We all neglect Pokémon from time to time, but maybe Locustod wasn’t best suited in my training. I watched it flutter from tree to tree, chittering with glee. I had caught it in the wild at about middle-age, for a Butterfree. That’s probably why it took so long to get used to having to do what I said. Tim had told me that Gyarados had the same problem. Maybe Locustod didn’t deserve to be taken from its home and dragged around Kanto. I gave a deep sigh.

Tim interrupted my story, “You released Locustod, didn’t you?” I could hear Criss step on his foot beneath the table. “Ow, sorry. Nevermind.”

I looked down at my plate, and pushed some of the food around with my fork. The three of us had gone back to a restaurant to eat while I told Criss and Tim what had happened to me that day. Rather than answer his question, I continued my tale.

The Safari Zone was actually a very cool place, with lots of rare and endangered Pokémon. Because of this, though, it also had a lot of strict rules. You were only allowed to catch one Pokémon per very expensive visit (I had nearly no pocket change left), and were under no circumstances allowed to train in the Zone. You could only battle a Pokémon that you planned on catching. These rules were enforced by Rangers that wandered the area, taking care of the Pokémon and looking out for rule-breakers.

Upon entrance, you were given what they called a Safari Dex and one Safari Ball. The ball was like a specially colored Ultra Ball that helped the Rangers and Warden regulate catches. No other empty Poké Balls were allowed. The Safari Dex was like a dark green Pokédex that contained specialized information on all the Pokémon in the zone as well as a map and a copy of the rules. It had all sorts of other special buttons and features that I hadn’t really listened to the Ranger at the front desk about.

As I slowly climbed the hill, I heard a very out of place noise. An engine, like that of a truck. That was odd, even Rangers weren’t allowed any motor vehicles. They went everywhere on foot. That left one possibility: poachers!

I sprinted the rest of the way up the hill and almost ran off of the cliff at the top. The sound was getting louder, but was still fairly far off in the distance. I looked around, and sure enough, spotted a white flatbed truck ambling slowly along one of the wider trails about a half mile away. Its bed was stacked high with crates and what looked like cages. Whipping out my Safari Dex, I looked for the button that the guy at the entrance had said would alert nearby Rangers of an emergency. Finding it, I pressed it once and glanced back at the truck. Looking more closely now, I saw that the reason that it was going so slowly was that it was flanked by a bunch of people in black. That caught my attention, these had to be Rockets. I hammered on the Ranger-call button several more times before turning to Locustod.

“Take me down,” I said. It took a little convincing, but I finally got the Butterfree to let me grab onto its feet and jump over the edge of the cliff. It couldn’t hold much weight, but helped me fall relatively slowly. I didn’t want to use any of my other Pokémon, as the flash of a Poké Ball might catch the Rockets’ attention, and if I had more than one Pokémon out at once, the Ranger that was hopefully on the way might take me for the poacher. Until he or she arrived, I would try to stall the Rockets myself.

“How many Rockets were there?” Criss asked.

“A dozen or so, plus the driver,” I responded. “I wouldn’t have been able to take them if the… Ranger hadn’t shown up.”

“Just you and a Ranger took down a whole platoon of Rockets?” she looked skeptical.

I nervously squeezed my hand into a fist under the table. “Well… two of them actually showed up, plus I’ve had Koga’s training, so I can hold my own now.”

Criss looked like she bought it, or at least didn’t feel like pursuing the matter any further. “That’s right, what weapon did you decide to specialize with?”

Smiling, I pulled it out of its holster and set it on the table. “Stun rod.”

“Ah…” she reached over and picked it up, analyzing the weapon. Tim peered at it curiously. It was similar to the one I had found in Celadon, but this one was telescoping, or collapsible, and therefore much easier to carry.

When she handed it back to me, I explained my motivations. I had wanted a weapon that was non-lethal, as it felt more comfortable to me and would prevent me from hesitating before striking. To my surprise, Criss nodded approvingly. I also wanted something that would have a range of longer than an arm length, and would incapacitate an enemy fairly quickly.

“What about power?” Tim asked. “Do you need to plug it in all of the time?”

I shook my head. “Nope, I’ve got that covered too.” I pulled a Poké Ball from my belt. It was Tesla’s, and it was modified. A black metal X covered the back. All four segments came together at the front at the middle button, which had been replaced with a kind of socket. The modification was divided so that it could split and let the Poké Ball still open properly. I demonstrated that I could plug my stun rod directly into Tesla’s Poké Ball, where it would be charged with the electric-type Pokémon’s energy.

Tim’s eyes widened. “Sick…”

“How’d Koga feel about your decision? It’s a little out of the ordinary, or at least non-traditional.”

“Well you know Koga, I had to prove myself and the weapon to him. A challenger came by right as we were having the discussion, so Koga had the trainer battle me rather than his Pokémon.”

“Wait, what?” Tim asked, confused.

“I went up against a Machoke by myself with nothing but my stun rod,” I clarified.

Criss laughed while Tim looked at me in shock. “Why didn’t you tell us about this? That’s badass! Did you win?”

“It was about the time you caught Gyarados, so I didn’t want to take away from your excitement. I won, just barely. Koga still wasn’t sure though, so he grabbed the rod from my hands and took on the challenger’s Arbok and beat it too. The trainer went home without a badge, but Koga was finally convinced that it was a good weapon.” I put the stun rod back in its holster and Tesla’s Poké Ball back on my belt.

“Damn,” said Tim, “Koga’s cooler than I thought. He wasn’t that great of a trainer, especially compared to Erika, but he’s got some other skills.”

I nodded. “That’s for sure. He taught me a lot.”

“So what happened after you caught up with the Rockets?” Criss asked.

I continued my story, telling them how two Rangers showed up and attacked the Rockets. I had jumped out onto the trail and had Locustod disable the truck with confusion. Fighting off some of the grunts, I worked my way around to the back, where I saw a Dratini in a cage. But that wasn’t what really happened, not exactly.

That made the second time he had saved my life, and I still didn’t even know his name. I had stunned two grunts on my side of the truck and disabled the vehicle, but my savior was taking most of the fight. I crawled forward through the mud and peered under the truck. I saw feet of both humans and Pokémon scrambling to and fro. There was a flash of what I thought was a leaf blade, and a grunt fell to the ground with his head only somewhat connected to his neck. I gagged a bit as I watched blood creep through the mud.

Sitting and leaning against the back wheel, I closed my eyes while Locustod sat on my knees. This was too much; I shouldn’t have rushed into it. I had only just barely gotten those two grunts. The sounds of the battle only a few feet behind me suddenly seemed to grow quieter when I heard a quiet, mewling noise. I looked around for the source, then heard it again. I leaped up, causing Locustod to flap into the air, and scanned the row of cages on the truck. Two fainted Pinsir, an injured Scyther, what looked like a dead or dying Tauros, and there at the end was my dream come true.

The Dratini mewled again as I approached it. The creature didn’t look too badly injured, they wouldn’t want to hurt as rare of a find as that. I reached through the bars and tried to pet its nose as the tiny dragon’s violet eyes twinkled out at me. Suddenly there was a commotion behind me.

I whirled around to see a Rocket grunt fall over from a cloud of stun spore and a Raticate being blasted into the forest by a psybeam. Locustod had saved my life, and reacted much more quickly than I would have given it credit for. I stared at the bug-type; it just looked back at me with its head cocked to the side.

The moment was soon broken by the roar of a large Pokémon. There was a loud slam and suddenly the truck rocked back and forth. The Dratini drew itself into a corner of the cage and quivered in fear. I pulled a Poké Ball from my belt and tossed it down.

“Flareth, use flame wheel on that cage. Watch out, Dratini!”

The Growlithe gave a bark and wreathed itself in flame before leaping at the bars. It took two hits, but they finally broke. Dratini leaped out onto the road, a little overexcited. It gave a cry as it fell off the edge of the truck and splattered in the mud. I reached down to make sure it was okay while Flareth walked up cautiously and sniffed it.

The dragon was about six feet long in total and a dull gray-blue in color, except for its belly that was light gray. I felt along its snake-like body for any bumps or bruises, but detected nothing severe. The Pokémon lifted its head up slightly and nuzzled me in the chest, mewling again, grateful that I had saved it. I was still in shock that I had actually come across a real live Dratini.

It was about then that rain began to fall, and the sounds of battle subsided. With Locustod, Flareth, and Dratini behind me, I walked around the truck and surveyed the scene. We were just in time to see a strange looking ghost-type blast away a Golbat with a powerful shadow ball. Dratini seemed to coo in admiration.

Fainted Pokémon were all over, as were several dead human bodies. There was mostly the normal stock of Rocket Pokémon, but also a Lickitung, a Tangela, and a Staryu. Only five Pokémon stood, triumphant. A green bipedal lizard that I recognized as a Sceptile, the puppet-like ghost, a giant dark gray crustacean-like Pokémon, a red Pokémon with pincers, and a beautiful feminine-looking silver humanoid with a greenish headpiece that had to be a Gardevoir, though I had never seen one before. They all looked at me as I appeared, and the Sceptile even took a step in my direction, gesturing violently with its leaf blade. I gulped and stepped backward while Locustod and Flareth took positions in front of me, chittering and growling challenges, respectively. The Gardevoir waved all three of the Pokémon down, however, as I heard the cry of a Flygon for the second time that day.

The green, bug-like dragon swept down in front of me, kicking up mud in every direction. From off its back clambered a tall, broad shouldered blonde man that looked a few years older than Criss. I recognized him as the trainer I had seen that morning in the Pokémon Center in Celadon. The nurse had said his name, but I forgot what it was. He was surely the same person that had helped us escape from the city two days after.

He wore a thick green jacket, suitable for flying, and red tinted goggles that he took off his face and let dangle around his neck. In a way, he looked somewhat like his Flygon.

“Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” these words were directed not at me, but his Sceptile. “I had to stop the one that flew away on his Fearow.”

I gaped at him, totally in awe. “Who are you?” I asked.

“My name’s Nolan, but I can’t tell you who I am. I want to ask you a favor.”

“Wait,” I said, “how come you showed up, and not a Ranger?”

He laughed; a smooth, reassuring sound. “I am a Ranger, or at least temporarily. It’s a good way to catch Rockets. My dad… used to be friends with the Warden. He’s been offering me a job for years, but I’ve only accepted it for a little bit.”

I couldn’t help but trust him. He seemed so nice, despite his violent and cruel style when it came to fighting Team Rocket. He was like a kinder version of Criss, or perhaps just more mature. And he had, after all, saved my life more than once now. “Okay, what do you want?” I asked, a little edgy as to whether I would even be able to help someone this strong.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. All I want you to do is not tell Criss that I showed up here. Try not to mention me ever again around her, and whatever you do, don’t tell her my name.”

I nodded slowly as he climbed back on to Flygon and began recalling his Pokémon. “I’m going to fly to the nearest outpost and get some help to clean this up. You can probably keep that Dratini if you want, it doesn’t look too badly injured, and you did help a fair bit.”

I nodded again, this time with a smile. “Wait,” I said, as he was about to take off, “Why shouldn’t I tell Criss? How do you even know her?”

He pulled his goggles back over his eyes. “That’s my secret to tell.” With a gust of air and two beats of Flygon’s wings, they were in the air, flying west.

I wasn’t sure which of my two questions he had answered, if either.

It felt odd to lie to my friends, but I owed it to Nolan.

I continued on to tell them the true story of what had happened afterward.

I turned around to face my Pokémon. First I looked at Flareth. “Thanks, buddy. You were great.”

The fire-type gave a cheery bark as I returned it to its Poké Ball. Next was Dratini. “Will you travel with me? Battle for me? I’ve always wanted a Dratini. Would you?”

The little dragon seemed absolutely ecstatic at the idea, especially once I mentioned battling. I closed my eyes and reached out to touch its mind, where I found an odd mixture of emotions. It was happy to be rescued by me and excited to learn how to battle. It seemed to have both a lot of pride and ambition. It wanted to be able to fight like Sceptile and Flareth. But underneath all of that was a crushing sadness. Its family was dead, probably killed by Team Rocket. I withdrew.

“Alright,” I pulled the camouflaged Safari Ball from my belt and aimed it at Dratini. The dragon cooed and went inside willingly.

That left Locustod, flapping silently in the air, waiting for me to say something. I watched it for a moment.

“Locustod,” I finally started. “No… Butterfree. You are Butterfree. A Butterfree. Not my Locustod anymore, you are no one’s.”

The bug-type seemed to realize what I was doing and sank through the air to my height, bringing its head only a few feet in front of my face. Its giant red eyes looked forlorn.

“I’m sorry, so sorry… for everything. I’ve never treated you the same as my other Pokémon. Maybe if I caught you as a young Caterpie and raised you, this would have worked out better. Today you’ve shown me just how strong and smart you are. I never knew. I should have paid more attention to you. But it’s too late now, I don’t deserve you. You should have stayed wild forever, or at least gotten a more loving trainer than me. Sometimes I think I’ll never change, I’ll never become stronger, and I’ll never be a better person. If that’s true, I can’t make you suffer through having to deal with me.”

I was getting emotional, which was odd. I gestured to the trees around us. “This is where you belong, Loc… Butterfree. Not in my backpack gathering dust. You deserve to be free.”

With that, I said farewell to one of my oldest Pokémon, turned, and walked away. If the Butterfree made any sound, I didn’t hear it over the rain. I just made my way up the road, back to the Safari Zone entrance, wiping a tear from my eye.

*****

Later that night, the sky became clear enough that one could see a few stars peeking through the clouds if they looked close enough. Silver moonlight blazed through the sky, illuminating the gravel path before us. The light mingled beautifully with Flareon’s slight, ever present glow as we walked through the trees to Koga’s Gym.

The three of us had decided to leave the next morning for Cinnabar Island, where Tim and I could get our next badge. Tim was back at the Pokémon Center packing, while Criss and I had gone to tell Koga that I was leaving.

Before long, the gentle tinkling of wind chimes told us that we were getting close. I had never seen the gym in the dark before, but I have to say that it was a very tranquil sight. By the moon, the gardens surrounding the gym didn’t seem so vibrant, but were even more ethereal and calming. As Criss rang the doorbell next to the intricate wrought iron gate, the silence was marred by a gong.

As he had on our first visit, Koga seemed to appear from nowhere, but this time he was much more welcoming.

“Can I help you two, at this darkest of hours?” he asked, gently pushing the gate open from inside.

As it had been with Sabrina, Koga was a very straightforward person, so I didn’t beat around the bush. “We’re leaving tomorrow. I figured I ought to let you know.”

I couldn’t see his face in the dark, so I couldn’t tell how he reacted to the news. There was a moment of silence, then, “I understand. From the beginning we knew that you wouldn’t stay long.” He stepped forward into the moonlight, revealing that he was smiling like a father proud of his son. The thought made my heart sink; I had gone so long without remembering my father and what had happened.

Koga put a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve done well, Keith. I agree with Sabrina, you have the makings of an amazing trainer. Whatever path you choose to take in life, you will go far. Hell, I would even say you would make it to the end.”

“The end?”

“You could be the best. A master, a champion, however you want to put it. You just have to continue demonstrating the admirable ambition that you have shown me.”

He said I had the makings of a champion! A gym leader said I could make it! My thoughts suddenly went back to the girl I had encountered on Nugget Bridge, so soon in my journey. “Oh… you’re one of… those people,” she had said. “No one actually does that anymore…” I would’ve liked to see the look on her face now. Suddenly a thought struck me.

“I still have to challenge you.”

Everybody went silent for a minute, then Criss slowly put her palm to her face.

Koga laughed heartily and stuck out his hand, “Nonsense. You’ve proven yourself more than any single battle could.”

I looked at his fingers to see that a pink, heart shaped badge lay on them. I reached over and gently picked it up. “Th- Thanks.”

We said our final farewell and left.

I pinned my new badge on the small piece of fabric on my belt next to Erika’s Rainbow Badge. That made badge number five, I was over halfway there!

“I was afraid we would have to stay another day or two for a second back there.” Criss laughed. “Luckily Koga’s a good guy, though. He knows what it means to be a Gym Leader.”

For a little while the only sound was the rustle of leaves in the wind and the crunch of our feet on gravel. Eventually Criss spoke up again.

“This probably isn’t the best time to say this, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. Hell, it’s something I’ve wanted to tell anyone for a while.”

My heart skipped a beat and I almost stumbled. Criss was going to voluntarily tell me something about her past! I was sure of it. I looked at her, nodded, and let her continue talking.

“Remember when you asked to come along with me to Mt. Moon?”

I nodded again.

“Remember how I wasn’t too eager to let you come with me? There’s a reason for that. I know it’s been a while, but it’s taken this long for me to work up the courage to tell you.”

Flareon looked up at its trainer, as if it knew what she was going to say.

“A long time ago, back when I first started hunting Team Rocket, I was on the trail of an Executive… You know what? I might as well say it. I think the group I was after was the same one that killed your dad.”

This time I did stumble. After regaining my footing, I just stopped and stared at her.”What… what did you do to them? Did you catch them? How do you know?”

She stopped too, and looked at me with a tender sadness in her eyes. It wasn’t like she just felt sorry for me, she knew how I felt. I recalled Sabrina telling me that Team Rocket had killed one of her family members too, but I couldn’t remember if it was her parents or what.

“I… I think it was them. They were wanted for a terrorist attack on Cinnabar Island. It happened about the same time you said you lost your Dad, so I just figured…”

We started walking again. I gulped, a little painfully, and nodded.

“They all split up after reaching the mainland, so I had to track each one down by myself… I killed all of them. It was the first time I ever killed a Rocket, even though I had been in the vigilante business for a little while. One of them had a gun, so I took it.”

“A… gun?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “After that there was only one left. He was an executive, according to the uniform and the records that the police pulled up later. He had a gun too.

“I caught up with him not far from here. I chased him all over the wilderness until he came upon a little cottage out in the woods. It belonged to a family living on a Pokémon ranch, a mother, a father, a grandfather, a pair of small girls, and a boy named Nathaniel who couldn't have been much older than them. I was literally on the Executive’s heels when he smashed through the window and caught the family by surprise as they ate breakfast.

“’Stop!’ he called out, as I sprinted across the front lawn. ‘If you come any closer, I’ll kill the people in here!’

“From my vantage point in the yard, I could see through the window to the family, gathered around each other, with the Executive pointing his gun at them. The fear in their eyes was electric, almost painful to behold.

“I did something unforgivable then. I selfishly threw their safety out the window. I barged into the house and put two shots through the Executive’s head. The attack caught him by surprise, and he didn’t have reflexes worth a shit, but his finger had already been on the trigger. Rather than whip the gun around to shoot at me, he just pulled off a round that went right into the chest of the boy.”

Criss gave a sharp intake of breath at his point, pausing the story for a second. Her voice was a little shaky as she continued.

“The only reason I know his name is because his mother screamed it as he fell to the floor, bleeding profusely. I stared for a second, then fled. I don’t know what came over me, I just had to get out of there. I was so stupid.”

We had reached the city at this point, and as we were only a minute or so away from the Pokémon Center, I pulled Criss down to a bench on the side of the street so that she could finish her story.

“I don’t know if he lived. I don’t know if he could have lived. I don’t know… I don’t know anything.” She put her head in her hands.

“That Rocket would have killed them all if it weren’t for you” I said.

She looked at me. “Would he have, though?”

“Whatever happened, it’s Team Rocket’s fault. The Executive shot Nathaniel, not you.”

My use of the boy’s name seemed to upset her even more. “If it was his fault, then that would just add to the reasons why I hate Team Rocket. No, these mistakes are mine alone.”

I sighed. I knew that feeling; it was the same thing as when Rainer was taken. Crushing guilt that refused to be put on anyone else’s shoulders.

“That’s why I didn’t originally want you to come with me. I broke down that night,” Criss continued. “I decided that I would never again put anyone in danger if I could help it. Alone in the woods, I cried all night long.”

This was even more shocking than the rest of the story. Criss wasn’t a crier, never. I could never imagine her shedding a single tear. The thought shook me, I was sure that if I ever saw her that disheartened, I would know that there really was no hope left.

I did something then that in hindsight could have been a very bad idea. I put my arm around Criss. She stiffened for a second, then settled and leaned against me. At the time, I didn’t feel like it was romantic at all, more… comforting. Comforting to have someone that shared your pain, your doubts, and your feelings. Comforting to have that person close. For the first time in weeks, I was calm. But that calmness was marred by a heavy heart that I hadn’t felt since the moment Rainer was taken, or the day I watched that fateful news report.

I fell asleep surprisingly quickly that night. Only it wasn’t as much sleep as it was being drowned by a crushing wave of emotion, guilt, and depression.


*****

Let the flaming begin... :P

NEXT: To Cinnabar! I'm surprised no one has remembered a certain trio of stony companions that Keith and Criss have had sitting in their bags since Chapter 2. Tim shows his steel, and the Pokemon League Champion is revealed! Any guesses?

Also, if you haven't voted already DO IT. Even though it would be nice if you voted for me, or rather, Criss, it's not totally necessary. Participate!

If you really want my opinion on the 'stony companions' I think Criss's will be called into action straightaway whereas Keith's will be exchanged for a more fiery companion. I almost shed a tear when he released Locustod, very well done on creating such a moving scene.

It's too bad that he never understood Locostud until it was too late, but I do hope they see each other again sometime later, but that's just me hoping.

Anyway I'm glad that we finally got to see some of Criss's past if little, though granted I didn't think it would be something so shocking, maybe if Nathaniel survive he could participate in the story somehow, it'll just be interesting to see.

Also hooray for Criss finally letting someone comfort her, and for Keith finally catching that Dratini, now we just need Rainer back.

Originally Posted by sharktooth162

If you really want my opinion on the 'stony companions' I think Criss's will be called into action straightaway whereas Keith's will be exchanged for a more fiery companion. I almost shed a tear when he released Locustod, very well done on creating such a moving scene.

You'll find out when I finish the next chapter ;) I'm glad you liked the release scene. I thought it could have been done a little better, but the chapter was already too long. "Goodbye Butterfree" is still my favorite anime episode :P

Originally Posted by Sky Flame Haze

It's too bad that he never understood Locostud until it was too late, but I do hope they see each other again sometime later, but that's just me hoping.

Anyway I'm glad that we finally got to see some of Criss's past if little, though granted I didn't think it would be something so shocking, maybe if Nathaniel survive he could participate in the story somehow, it'll just be interesting to see.

Also hooray for Criss finally letting someone comfort her, and for Keith finally catching that Dratini, now we just need Rainer back.

I don't have any plans for a reunion, but that's not a bad idea. We have a long way to go, so maybe I'll throw something in. Probably not, though. You thought that was shocking? You should see Criss's full background! Once again, I will say RE-READ CHAPTER 2! It's right there! The piece that will make everything fall into place (if you're good). Don't make me drop a hint as to what you should be looking for... that wouldn't be fun. But if no one makes a guess then I will somewhere in the next few chapters. As I was writing this I was thinking about how Nathaniel and/or his family could play into this, you'll have to wait and see. I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, but I will say that we will know Rainer's fate by the end of the fic.

I'm leaving for two weeks on Friday, so I'll try to have the next chapter out by then. Once I come back, I'll be brimming with inspiration, so get ready for the first of three climaxes!

How long are you leaving for?

Two weeks. From the 29th to August 12th I believe.

Also, I was just looking over my notes and realized that I gave Criss one more Pokemon than I meant to. So, who will get the boot, Arbok or Onix? I'm thinking Onix right now, and it doesn't matter too much but you guys can have a say if you want.

I say Onix

You see I thought the stony companions were moon stones for some reason but after rereading it I realise they're not and as a result of that information I vote for Onyx. This will be very interesting as to what happens next in light of this recollection.

Back again :) It's been a long while, but I had plenty of time to visualize and plan out some very important scenes. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait, a lot happens. This one has some music to it as well, be sure to have a listen, it's pretty epic. Not to mention, the scene with the music is the first scene I ever planned out for this fic EVER! I hope it doesn't seem rushed, because it was. I'm anxious to move on with the story while at the same time I don't really feel like writing the next chapter. Anyway, read on...

This time: The trio heads to Cinnabar Island where new Pokemon are met, old ones are released, and young ones grow experienced. Secrets are revealed and a new goal forms. Yeah, a lot happens.

@Sky Flame Haze ; @sharktooth162 ; @Tsutarja ;

Chapter 26

The three of us stood silently on the end of the dock, watching the blue and red monster slowly swim away as it drifted underwater. Within seconds, Criss’s Tentacruel was gone.

“Just like that?” I asked.

“Just like that,” she responded, putting her pack on her shoulders.

“But that’s so… It seems so…” Tim stuttered.

“What?” Criss looked at us. “Cruel? Sudden? Coldhearted? It’s part of my profession. The only Pokémon I have that I’m emotionally attached to is Flareon.” As if to highlight the statement, her only fire-type weaved in and out of her legs making a noise like a purr. “I have to let Pokémon go all of the time; they’re just my battling partners. I respect them, but becoming friends with them doesn’t help.”

I began to interject, but she silenced me with a wave. “That’s just my opinion. Things work differently for different people. There’s no reason to keep Pokémon for any longer than I need to. I mostly just used Tentacruel for transport anyway. Now that I’m with you guys, we can use Gyarados. Besides, I’ll be getting a replacement soon.”

It was hard to argue with her logic, especially after I had released Locustod because I felt like I was trapping it. It was more like Criss just borrowed Pokémon for a while. I made a mental note to myself that I would only ever keep a Pokémon if I became good friends with it and it enjoyed being trained by me.

Not twenty minutes later, we had clambered aboard Gyarados and set out for Cinnabar Island. The weather report that morning had said it would be mild, and I hoped that they were right. Gyarados was a powerful swimmer even when it had to keep its back above water for us, but its scales were slippery and the only thing to hold on to was the big white fin sticking up from the middle of the segment that we sat on.

The directions were simple, go south until we were out of sight of the bay, then head west until we saw the giant volcano that marked Cinnabar. Fortunately, the ride proved to be uneventful, if a little boring.

Since I was little, I had always gotten seasick when out on smaller boats, although I never threw up. I didn’t seem to have that problem while riding on Gyarados, as it charged through waves and broke them rather than riding over them. Still, land was a welcome sight when we passed our halfway mark, the Seafoam Islands.

I’m not sure why they were called “islands.” It was really only a bunch of scattered sandbars and one giant mountain of an island. It was the tallest mountain in the region, beating even Cinnabar’s volcano. The peak was so high up that it punched right through the clouds, although the snow line was still visible. Scientists loved the place, as it was such a diverse ecosystem, from the ocean to a snowy peak with a pseudo-tropical jungle in between. I looked at my feet. Dad had gone there tons of times.

*****

We didn’t reach Cinnabar Island until late that afternoon. As Gyarados swam into shore, we got a lot of strange looks from passerby sailors working on the docks or in boats. We just waved in response.

That evening we found a small restaurant near the Pokémon Center where we decided to get dinner. After the waitress came by and took our order, Criss got up to leave.

“I’m going to go find a newspaper,’ she said.

I looked at her, confused. “For what?”

She mirrored my look of confusion. “For… the news.” Raising an eyebrow, she left.

I glanced at Tim. “Has she always read the newspaper?”

He shrugged. “I’d imagine so. You’d think it would be important in her line of work.”

Criss returned not much later and sat down with a newspaper in hand. “I take you guys don’t keep in touch with the news.”

I put my hands behind my head. “I’ve got enough problems living through my own life and my own issues without having to worry about the rest of the world. What could possibly be in the news that would affect me?”

She opened up the paper and looked at the front page. “Hmm… There’s a new champion.”

Tim and I both stared. “What? Who? Where are they from?”

It looked like my daydreams of challenging Redd McMahon, or as he was lovingly called by his fans, “Old Man McMahon”, would never come to fruition. McMahon wasn’t actually that old, only in his mid forties, but that was pretty ancient in the competitive battling circuit. He had been champion for almost twenty years now, ever since his defeat of one time women’s rights activist Chelsea Ray, who had actually been even older. Now I would be challenging someone much stronger, surely, if I ever made it to the Pokémon League.

Criss squinted at the print. “This says he’s from Pallet Town. That’s where you guys are from, right?”

I slowly nodded, exchanging a wide eyed stare with Tim.

“No way…” he whispered.

I shook my head at him. “It couldn’t be…”

“Do you guys know a… David Rose?”

“WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!” Tim shot out of his seat, nearly knocking the table over in the process. The rest of the restaurant stared at him. “Sorry,” he said in his charming manner, with a smile and a wave. He sat down, blushing slightly, and then looked at Criss in shock.

I tore the paper from Criss’s hands, nearly ripping it in half, and slammed it on the table. Sure enough, there on the front page was David, giving a thumbs up with a wink and a huge smile on his face. He was almost as tall as me, but a little pudgier. Despite the fact that he appeared to be standing in a muddy field, with rain pouring down, he was still looking classy with his ever present polo shirt and khakis. His team of Pokémon stood around him. To his immediate right was a muscular Venusaur, glaring at the camera. To think that it had only been seven months since I had seen it as a Bulbasaur with David on Route 1, where he had recommended I catch a Pidgey.

Perched on Venusaur’s giant flower was a ferocious-looking Fearow, caught in mid caw. To David’s left was a Scyther, surely a product of the Safari Zone, hovering above a maniacal Electrode. Behind them were a bulky Golem and a goofy Golduck that was winking and giving a thumbs up in a perfect imitation of its trainer.

“Dave’s the… Champion?” Tim was as aghast as I was. “Our David.”

I nodded, still engrossed by the picture. “Our David…”

Below the portrait of the new Champion and his team was a short story detailing his Gym progression, as well as a shot of the insides of the badge case his dad had gotten him for his sixteenth birthday. Eight badges shone, sparkling and new. There was the Boulder Badge, and the Cascade Badge, and the Thunder Badge, a Soul Badge from Koga, what I guessed was Blaine’s Volcano Badge, even a Rainbow Badge from Erika. He must have been really good. I nearly smacked myself, of course he was good. He was the Champion! There were two badges that I didn’t recognize.

I pointed to them. “I wonder where he got those from?”

Criss looked at the picture. “Oh! Those are Johto badges. The Zephyr and Hive Badges from Falkner and Bugsy, respectively. Assuming I’m remembering right… he really took the easy way out didn’t he? Those two aren’t too hard. Even though they are the closest…”

I stared at her curiously. “How do you know?”

Criss stopped, then squinted off into the distance like she was debating something with herself. After a moment she appeared to come to a decision and dug through her pack for a second before pulling out a worn leather booklet. She opened it up on the table to reveal not paper pages, but a full eight badges, although they looked worn and a little rusty. Two of them matched David’s unknown badges.

Tim looked at the badges, then up at her. “You were a journeying trainer too?”

She laughed. “Hell yeah. It’s a narrow and dangerous path, but it leads straight to the top.”

“So you’re from Johto then?” I asked. “Did you challenge the League?”

“I never challenge the League.”

“Why not?” Tim persisted.

“Because I would have won.” She winked at me. “And the Champion’s life isn’t the life for me.”

Tim stared in apparent admiration. “Is everybody from Johto as good as you? Is battling a lot harder over there?”

Again Criss seemed to debate revealing something before deciding that it was harmless. “I’m not actually from Johto. I grew up in Sinnoh, it’s an old family tradition that the kids go on journeys in different regions. I could have stayed, but I’d always wanted to visit Johto.”

Looking back down at the newspaper, I smiled to myself. So another piece of the puzzle that is Criss’s past falls into place.

“I’m guessing you guys will have to get one from Johto, too, even if you can beat Sabrina.” Criss said. “If I recall correctly, there are only seven gyms in Kanto, aren’t there?”

This question made me remember something that hadn’t been on my mind since leaving home.

“Sure there are only seven gyms, but there are eight badges,” Tim explained.

Criss was confused. “So what’s the eighth one? How are you supposed to get it?”

Tim grinned widely. “The Viridian City Earth Badge, which four lucky trainers get every two years at the biannual…” he looked at me.

“Spring Battle Festival.” We finished together.

“Which is…” Criss still didn’t understand.

“A tournament.” I explained. “The final four take home the Earth Badge, and the winner gets a prize. I went with my brother two years ago where the winner got a Pokédex that had detailed information on not just the regional Pokémon every Pokémon ever! I heard this year’s was going to be a Master Ball.” A slight glow grew in my belly at this thought. “But I’ve already got one of those.” I pompously put my hands behind my head again.

“Sounds like fun,” said Criss.”You said there was going to be one this spring?”

I looked at the date on my watch. “Next month, actually. Tim and I were going to enter.”

“Cool, maybe I will too.” Criss began to dig in to the plate of food that the waitress had just put down in front of her.

I looked down at my own dinner. If Criss was going to enter… maybe making the final four would be harder than I thought.

“So Keith,” Criss said after a few minutes. “I thought we could go get our fossils revived tomorrow. There’s a lab on the island.”

It took me a second to figure out what she was talking about, then remembered the dome shaped rock that sat wrapped in paper in the bottom of my pack. A new Pokémon! This would be exciting.

Tim looked confused for a moment too, before recalling the story I had told him of Criss and I’s escapades in Mt. Moon. “I’ll just go train, then,” he said.

“Which Pokémon are you going to work on?” I asked, “Gyarados, to counter Blaine’s fire attacks?”

He shook his head. “No, I want to impress him with a powerful fire-type, so I’m going to train Charmeleon.”

“That’ll be tough to do around here,” said Criss, “unless you go up towards the volcano, there are only water-types. Or is that what you’re looking for?”

Tim shrugged, “I’ll probably just be at the volcano.”

“Could you do me a favor while you’re up there?” Criss asked. She pulled a Poké Ball from the sash around her chest. “That’s where I caught my Onix. I want you to release it for me.”

“But why? You already have room on your team for whatever your fossil is.”

She smiled. “I have a hunch.”

*****

I looked at my newest Pokémon. It was an odd creature, with golden legs and a light brown shell as hard as rock that covered its back. It had four eyes total, one black beady set on top of the shell and a glowing red pair that peered out from under it. It scuttled around on the tiled floor making strange chattering noises that scared Dratini into hiding behind my legs.

“What’d you say it was called, again?” I asked the scientist that had done the revivals for us.

“Kabuto, the Shellfish Pokémon. And quite a fine specimen if I do say so myself. If a bit violent…” he added as I once again tried to pick the bug-like Pokémon up, only to receive another set of fine scratches on my arms. It was going to be difficult to train, that much was clear. The second the scientist had opened the machine, it had leaped out and began attacking Criss’s much more cutesy and docile Omanyte, a spiral shaped shellfish with little blue tendrils. Flareon managed to separate the two, but Criss had been forced to return the Pokémon while I had tried to introduce Kabuto to Dratini. It wasn’t working out the way I had planned, so I just withdrew the water-type to its ball and placed it on my belt. Now I had a full team of six Pokémon,! I was set to take the League. With a little training of course.

“Excuse me,” said Criss, “do you think that you could revive anything from this?” She pulled a smooth, brown-orange rock from her pocket and handed it to the scientist.

“Ah…” he said. “Amber! Yes I think we might be able to extract DNA of some kind from this. It appears a bug was caught in it… interesting. Why don’t you come back in a few hours? I’ll see what we can do.”

We thanked the man and left with our Pokémon. It was a beautiful day outside the lab, hinting at the oncoming spring. Criss turned to me.

“What’re you going to do while we wait?”

“Train, I guess. Dratini needs to learn how to battle properly.” I pulled a ball from my belt and released Flareth. Dratini gave a squeal of delight at the sight of its friend and tackled it full on. The fire-type responded with a near harmless ember, and the two Pokémon began wrestling in the street. “Hold it guys,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go somewhere more out of the way.” I looked to Criss, who nodded.

“The beach is over here, will that work?”

“Perfectly.”

Flareth seemed to be training Dratini all by itself, so I felt little need to intervene. The wrestled and fought playfully in the hot sand, but Flareth was careful not to go near the water. Criss and I sat down to watch them. It didn’t take long before I laid down and fell asleep, bathed in warmth.

*****

Some time later Criss vigorously shook me awake. I blinked a couple times and sat up. She was saying something but I was too tired to actually pay attention and figure out what it was. As my mind slowly started to focus, I realized that I could hear screaming and explosions behind me. Whipping around, I scrambled to my feet and finally heard what Criss was saying.

A Pokémon was flying over the city, spewing hyper beams left and right, destroying anything in its path. It was dark grey in color, with purple-ish wings. “What is it?” I asked.

“I have no idea! Get out your Pokédex!” she yelled frantically. Flareth and Dratini were both staring at the beast, one growled threateningly while the other whimpered in fear. I scrambled through my backpack before withdrawing the device and putting the pack over one shoulder. I pointed the Pokédex at the attacking Pokémon and pressed the “Identify” button.

“Aerodactyl,” the computer stated in its robotic voice, “an extinct flying-type Pokémon. Little is known about it, although it is thought to be carnivorous.”

“So it eats people?” I slammed the Pokédex shut and glared at it. “That was so helpful. How is an extinct Pokémon… flying… around.” The truth slowly dawned on me.

“I think it’s mine, it must have escaped after being revived,” said Criss. “We have to do something!”

I’m a thinker, a planner. Before I go into battle I always sit down for a while and figure out what I’m going to do and how I am going to do it. I’m no good at acting on the spot, which was just what I had to do. For that reason, I made a very poor decision.

“Baron, come on!” I pulled a Poké Ball from my belt and tossed it upwards. My majestic Pidgeot burst from its container and spread its wings in front of me. I ducked under one of the outstretched wings and clambered on to the bird’s back. I had only flown on it once before, and that was for a brief second immediately after it had evolved. I honestly had no idea what was doing. In theory, I was only riding so that I could communicate properly with Baron.

I watched the flamethrowers of police Growlithe trying to reach the Aerodactyl, but it would just dodge or fly out of range, then continue its angry rampage. “Let’s go!” I shouted, and Baron took off with two beats of its mighty wings.

“Keith, wait!” Criss yelled, but I ignored her.

Baron called out a challenge to the prehistoric Pokémon as we raced toward it. The cry obviously got its attention as we were hit in the next second by a hyper beam.

I could feel the heat of the blast on my face and arms, but I could barely guess what it felt like to Baron. We spun out of control as my Pokémon cried out in pain. I was afraid we would fall right back down. The jolt almost shook me off of Baron’s back, but I just barely managed to hold on with one hand. Unfortunately the hand that lost its grip was connected to the arm that was currently holding my pack. I grasped at the bag, but it fell towards the beach below.

We resumed our course a moment later, albeit at a much slower pace. This was going to be difficult. With me on its back, Baron had very limited agility. Since speed was the flying-type’s number one advantage, that limit was crippling. Why hadn’t I just stayed on the ground and relayed my commands psychically to Baron through Psyke?

We attempted an aerial ace that failed completely. Baron was just too slow. That was relative, of course, as we were actually travelling at an incredible speed. Wind whipped through my hair and threatened to tug me off as we banked around for another pass. The wing attack failed just as miserably and a second later we were out over the ocean. Behind me I could hear the roars of the beast, angry that it had been challenged.

Baron opted for a loop turn this time, which was quite frightening to me. I gripped its feathers tightly with my hands and knees as I hung upside down for a second before my Pokémon righted itself. I looked around its hair-like head feathers just in time to see a final, fatal hyper beam.

Baron didn’t recover from this hit, it was just too much. The only sound I heard was the howling of the wind. I couldn’t even discern my own yells as I was thrown from my Pokémon’s back and sent falling downward towards the waves. My stomach lurched as I picked up speed and I barely had time to take a deep breath before gravity plunged me deep into the sea.

I had no idea how far away from the shore I was, as the waves tumbled me I didn’t even have any idea which way was up. Every time I tried to open my eyes I was punished by the burning of salt water. My chest felt like it was going to burst and I was just about to take in a lungful of ocean when I felt something grab the back of my shirt. I let out a bubbly scream as my mind was filled with images of ferocious Gyarados and carnivorous Tentacruel. Would being eaten be better than drowning? I doubted it.

Whatever it was dragged me through the water with a slow lurching pace. A second before I would have blacked out from oxygen deprivation, my head suddenly broke the surface. I spluttered and gasped, looking around to see my apparent savior. My eyes were blurred with water, though, so I couldn’t make out who or what it was. It released its hold on my back for a moment, causing me to panic, before it came up from under me, right into my arms. Whatever it was, it was huge, a couple feet around at the least. It had long, wet, matted fur that felt uncommonly warm. I hugged it tightly and let it swim me to shore, which was only a little ways away.

My feet soon met sand, and I was unceremoniously dumped from my rescuer’s back on to the beach. I blinked and rubbed the water from my eyes. Turning around, I looked at what had saved me.

It was a huge, regal Pokémon, at least four and a half feet tall at the shoulder. A beige colored mane surrounded the mighty head and chest, while the rest of the quadruped body had orange and black stripes. It was unmistakably an Arcanine. Seeing one in person, I could tell why they called it the Legendary Pokémon. It growled at something over my shoulder before walking protectively to my side.

I turned back around to see Criss approaching with Flareon not far behind. “Easy there, Flareth, remember me?”

I gaped. “Flareth? You mean this is mine?”

“Absolutely,” she replied, “a Fire Stone fell out of your pack when you dropped it. When you fell into the water, Flareth jumped for the stone, evolved, and then swam out to get you.”

I looked back at the fire-type in awe. It was still glaring at Criss, but behind it I could see Dratini gazing at it in admiration.

“Why doesn’t it trust you anymore?” I asked Criss.

“Sometimes a Pokémon’s personality changes when it evolves, depending on the emotions it was having during the evolution. Flareth was feeling unmistakably protective at the moment so I would bet that it will take a long time before it trusts anyone except for you.”

“That could be a problem.”

“Makes for a loyal partner, though.”

A thought suddenly struck me. “Where’s Baron?”

Criss pointed over my shoulder. I whipped around to see the bird Pokémon crumpled in the sand. I rushed over to its body and knelt down beside it. The flying-type was still breathing but was obviously injured. It let out a soft coo as I brushed the hair-feathers on its head. “We need to get you to a Pokémon Center, buddy.” I pulled its ball from my belt and returned the Pokémon. Criss approached from behind me with my pack, which looked a little worse for the wear.

(Dragon Rider - Two Steps From Hell)

“We still have a problem,” she said, gesturing to the skies above the city. And indeed, the Aerodactyl continued to circle, blasting at the streets and buildings with the occasional hyper beam. Flareth, who hadn’t left my side, growled menacingly.

“Hopefully Blaine can help, I’m all out of ideas.” I shook my head.

Here was a moment’s pause before Criss suddenly pointed into the air, “Look!”

A silhouette had appeared against the setting sun. It was a flying Pokémon, with someone on its back. A deep roar was heard as whatever it was approached Aerodactyl. The prehistoric Pokémon stopped its rampage to look at the new challenger, but appeared to be blinded by the sun. The new Pokémon slammed into the rock-type and brought it down onto the roof of a building with an explosion of dust and rubble.

Without a word, Criss took off towards the crash with Flareon by her side. Withdrawing both Dratini and Flareth, I followed. A couple minutes later we scrambled up a pile of rubble to where the battle was now taking place. A blast of fire could be seen, accompanied immediately by searing heat. We poked our heads out to see something that I had both expected and not expected.

Aerodactyl lay crippled and burnt on the cement roof, unmoving. Across from it was an enormous orange dragon with blue-green wings with its arms raised in victory. It roared as it unleashed a blast of flame into the darkening sky. Behind it, in a similar pose, was none other than my best friend Tim.

With a laugh I looked back at Criss to see her reaction. She was gone. I looked around to see her approaching an Ultra Ball that gently rocked back and forth where Aerodactyl had been lying.

*****

Before anyone says anything, no, Redd McMahon isn't the Red from the games. It was a not so subtle reference.

I've got a little guessing contest for you guys, the winner gets an OC featured or whatever they want. All you have to do is guess the final four of the Spring Battle Festival Tournament. I'll give you a hint, one of the trainers has only been mentioned once or twice, very subtly. Take a look back and think of characters that we know exist but haven't seen.

NEXT: Battle vs. Blaine! I'm not at all in the mood to write a battle scene, but I'll have to tough it out.

EDIT: Forget to mention, Criss won Best Supporting Character! Thanks to all of you who voted, I'm sure she appreciates it too ;) I'm not going to lie, one of the biggest reasons I added her was to have a really likeable badass character.

EDIT EDIT: Forgot tags :P Btw, this fic is now over 75,000 words long. I'll let you know when I hit 100k.

I'm gonna guess that its gonna be Criss, Keith, Tim and that girl from cereulean city who told Keith about the Magnemite.